Dillon
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Dillon Surname Genealogy
Dillon is a surname in Ireland of Norman or Irish origins. In Leinster Dillon derived from the Norman family of de Leon (meaning either "of Lyon" or "of the lion"). There is an old Irish saying: "All the Dillons descended from Henry de Leon." But the Dillon name also came from the anglicization of the Irish O'Duilleain (from Dalian meaning "little blind one") in Munster and Connacht.
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Ireland. The first person to come to Ireland with the Dillon name was Sir Henry de Leon, from Brittany in France. He had come in 1185, immediately after the Anglo-Norman invasion, to act as secretary to Prince John and was awarded large tracts of land. As the de Leon family multiplied and spread out over the country, it began being called by its Gaelic form O'Duilleain,which over time became the anglicized Dillon.
The base for these Dillons was Westmeath where they had built Portlick castle. In fact they owned so much land there that Westmeath was popularly known as Dillon's country. The main Dillon branches, ennobled in the 17th century, were the Viscounts Dillon (who fled to France after the Jacobite defeat in 1691 and lost his estates) and the Earls of Roscommon. The Dillons of Drumreany were to be found at Dillon's Grove, Roscommon in the 18th century.
The Dillon name was and continues to be common in Meath, Westmeath and Roscommon.
France. The Dillons in exile from Ireland made their mark in France. Sometimes called "the Irish Dillons," they mixed in the highest levels of French society.
Sir James Dillon had fled the Cromwellians and in 1653 he raised the famous Regiment of Dillon. It was to be led by a Dillon for over a hundred years. Son Arthur, who fled Ireland after the Jacobite defeat in 1691, served in the French army; as did grandson James who commanded the Irish Brigade which helped defeat the English at Fontenoy in 1745.
Theobald Count Dillon became a Field Marshall of France and fought with Washington in the American War of Independence. When fighting the Austrians in 1792, he was massacred by his own troops in a tragic misunderstanding. He lies with Napoleon in the Pantheon. Arthur Dillon also fought in the American War of Independence. But he was accused of being a Royalist and was guillotined during the French Revolution.
From Dublin in 1744, from the Kilcornan branch of the family, came the merchant Robert Dillon and his brother Thomas. They purchased the large Terrefort estate in Blanquefort, Bordeaux from which later came the Chateau Dillon wines. Robert died in 1764; but his sons carried on the family name in Bordeaux. One, nicknamed "le beau Dillon," was a particular favorite of Marie Antoinette.
America. Dillons made it to America. Possibly the first was Luke Dillon, a Quaker from county Armagh who arrived in Nantucket in 1710. These Dillons were to be found later in Hopewell, Virginia. Meanwhile Peter Dillon and Mary Veghte of Somerset county, New Jersey date from the Revolutionary War period. Other Dillons fought in this war on the French side.
Timothy Dillon also fought in the Revolutionary War and later eked out a living as a farmer in upstate New York, in what was then Montgomery county. His son Sidney started work as a water boy for one of America's earliest railroads and rose to be President of the Union Pacific. Another branch of this family moved west to Iowa in 1838. John Forrest Dillon became prominent there as a judge.
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Sir Henry de Leon was the forebear of the Norman Dillons in Ireland.
Sir James Dillon fled Cromwell for France and was the first of the Dillon French line.
John Dillon was an Irish Home Rule activist and the last leader of the Irish parliamentary party before independence.
Sidney Dillon was an American railroad executive, President of the Union Pacific Railroad from 1874 to 1884.
Clarence Dillon, born Clarence Lapowski, was an American financier who grew rich through his Wall Street company Dillon, Read and Co.
Matt Dillon is a popular American actor.
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Dillon is a surname in Ireland of Norman or Irish origins. In Leinster Dillon derived from the Norman family of de Leon (meaning either "of Lyon" or "of the lion"). There is an old Irish saying: "All the Dillons descended from Henry de Leon." But the Dillon name also came from the anglicization of the Irish O'Duilleain (from Dalian meaning "little blind one") in Munster and Connacht.
Select Dillon Resources on The Internet
- Dillon - Bios, Obits, Stories. Dillon history.
- Dillon Family History. Dillons from Kerry to America.
- The Dillon Family. Dillons in Virginia.
Ireland. The first person to come to Ireland with the Dillon name was Sir Henry de Leon, from Brittany in France. He had come in 1185, immediately after the Anglo-Norman invasion, to act as secretary to Prince John and was awarded large tracts of land. As the de Leon family multiplied and spread out over the country, it began being called by its Gaelic form O'Duilleain,which over time became the anglicized Dillon.
The base for these Dillons was Westmeath where they had built Portlick castle. In fact they owned so much land there that Westmeath was popularly known as Dillon's country. The main Dillon branches, ennobled in the 17th century, were the Viscounts Dillon (who fled to France after the Jacobite defeat in 1691 and lost his estates) and the Earls of Roscommon. The Dillons of Drumreany were to be found at Dillon's Grove, Roscommon in the 18th century.
The Dillon name was and continues to be common in Meath, Westmeath and Roscommon.
France. The Dillons in exile from Ireland made their mark in France. Sometimes called "the Irish Dillons," they mixed in the highest levels of French society.
Sir James Dillon had fled the Cromwellians and in 1653 he raised the famous Regiment of Dillon. It was to be led by a Dillon for over a hundred years. Son Arthur, who fled Ireland after the Jacobite defeat in 1691, served in the French army; as did grandson James who commanded the Irish Brigade which helped defeat the English at Fontenoy in 1745.
Theobald Count Dillon became a Field Marshall of France and fought with Washington in the American War of Independence. When fighting the Austrians in 1792, he was massacred by his own troops in a tragic misunderstanding. He lies with Napoleon in the Pantheon. Arthur Dillon also fought in the American War of Independence. But he was accused of being a Royalist and was guillotined during the French Revolution.
From Dublin in 1744, from the Kilcornan branch of the family, came the merchant Robert Dillon and his brother Thomas. They purchased the large Terrefort estate in Blanquefort, Bordeaux from which later came the Chateau Dillon wines. Robert died in 1764; but his sons carried on the family name in Bordeaux. One, nicknamed "le beau Dillon," was a particular favorite of Marie Antoinette.
America. Dillons made it to America. Possibly the first was Luke Dillon, a Quaker from county Armagh who arrived in Nantucket in 1710. These Dillons were to be found later in Hopewell, Virginia. Meanwhile Peter Dillon and Mary Veghte of Somerset county, New Jersey date from the Revolutionary War period. Other Dillons fought in this war on the French side.
Timothy Dillon also fought in the Revolutionary War and later eked out a living as a farmer in upstate New York, in what was then Montgomery county. His son Sidney started work as a water boy for one of America's earliest railroads and rose to be President of the Union Pacific. Another branch of this family moved west to Iowa in 1838. John Forrest Dillon became prominent there as a judge.
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Sir Henry de Leon was the forebear of the Norman Dillons in Ireland.
Sir James Dillon fled Cromwell for France and was the first of the Dillon French line.
John Dillon was an Irish Home Rule activist and the last leader of the Irish parliamentary party before independence.
Sidney Dillon was an American railroad executive, President of the Union Pacific Railroad from 1874 to 1884.
Clarence Dillon, born Clarence Lapowski, was an American financier who grew rich through his Wall Street company Dillon, Read and Co.
Matt Dillon is a popular American actor.
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