Find Living Relatives

I have uploaded a few pages there. Thanks again Potty.

Only too pleased to have helped. Thank you for the PMs with the Army Record - very interesting. If you want people on here to be able to see them, you could put the images in Keepsafe on here. Info about it is on the Home page.

Following advice from Potty I applied for my uncle Patrick's army records. And I am glad I did because it is very interesting to see.

Patrick Hugh McColgan (B 8/4/1904, Cupar Fife), second son of William T McColgan

Joined Dragoons of the Line in Jan 1920 (when still 15)

Postings with regiments as follows
1922 4/7th Dragoon Guards, 1929 3rd Carabiniers, 1935 14/20 Hussars, 1941 26th Hussars, 1945 IUL (Indian Unattached List/Officers), 1948 UK Reserves

So a total of over 33 years serving in the army, with nearly 20 of that in India and much of the remainder in the UK. Made rank of A/RSM, equivalent WOI, so he did well.

I have looked through the details of his army records with interest and wish I could post some pictures of them here but it seems not. It notes somewhere that he made it to 60 years so hopefully he got a good pension!

Thank you to everyone for all the fascinating information on this family. And, in Patrick's case, particularly to Potty for his most helpful advice.

I got myself a month's membership of Ancestry because there was one piece of information missing about Hugh McColgan and that was the date of death. I couldn't let it pass without trying to get it and now I have He is recorded as dying in Pennsylvania on 16 August 1937 and I'm certain it is he as it lists his father as William McColgan and mother as Catherine Arbuckle and his wife as Martha. The year of birth was 1877 on the death record as opposed to his actual of 1875 but this is far out weighed by the other data

Kathy,

I've been looking at Hugh McColgan on and off and if Eringobragh1916, Austin Q and Potty see this maybe they could say whether I may be on the right track. All that I knew about him originally was that he had left home for the USA, married a woman from Inch in Donegal and had no children. Taking Austin Q' s posting of 4 Dec 2015 which referred to the 1930 Census I also had a look at the 1920 Census in USA and found the following ( in Findmaypast)

1920 Census

Hugh McColgan,
Married ,
Male
Age 42,
Born 1878 in Ireland
Immigration Year 1890

Wife Martha McColgan
Female
Age 33
Birth Year 1887
Born 1887 Ireland
Immigration Year 1890

There are differences between this Census and the 1930 Census but I wondered how many Hugh Colgans or McColgans would have married a woman with the same first name Martha ?

I then found a record of a record of a marriage
Hugh McColgan
Male,
1913 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Spouse's first name - not shown
Spouse's last name Hannigan

and
Martha McColgan
1913, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Spouses firstname - not shown
Spouse's last name McColgan
Her maiden name not shown on the transcript but I saw the written record behind this and her name shown as Martha Hannigann and in brackets McColgan

There is a record of a Martha Hannigan Seamstress sailing from Londonderry on 16/10/1903 with the destination New York.

Working on the basis that he did indeed marry a woman from Inch I found a record of a Martha Hannigan born 1872 in Donegal , birth registered in Londonderry.

I then used Family Search and found the birth of a Martha Hannigan with a birthplace of Burt Inch & Fahan, Donegal Ireland quoting the same Volume (2) and Page (222) as the Findmypast record. Date of Birth 11/01/1872

Despite the discrepancies between the Censuses of 1920 and 1930 in Birth years and Immigration years and between those and the birth record of Martha registered in Derry I am as confident as I can be that we have a record of Hugh and Martha and that his wife was indeed Martha Hannigan from Inch - it ties in with the family's belief of where Hugh went and whom he married. There is just a slight niggling doubt and I'd appreciate any comments from those who are better versed in this sort of research than I which is why I mentioned their names at the start of this posting.

By the way - does anyone know what a Trunkman is/was ? as in the 1930 Census.

Yes, of course, could be a maternal uncle!
I don’t know if Kathleen Belinda had siblings. The 1911 census says she was born Murphy in 1878 in Stradbally, Queens county (now county Laois). The marriage certificate (21.8.1899 in Weymouth) says her father was called John Murphy and was a land steward

Perhaps the Uncle in Oxford was a maternal uncle? Did Katheen Belinda have siblings?

Not sure if you have this but as the marriage was in NI, you should be able to view the marriage cert on:

https://geni.nidirect.gov.uk/


Name:William M'Colgan
Date of Registration:1870
Registration district:Londonderry, Ireland
Volume:7
Page Number:210
FHL Film Number:101251
Records on Page:

William M'Colgan
Catherine Arbucle
Catherine Ardbuckell

So Hugh and Martha were in Pennsylvania in 1930 and both died there sometime before 1963. Looks like 1962 for Martha. Well done tracking them down AustinQ.

And seems there was no real uncle in Oxford then, perhaps speaking metaphorically.

Baptisms St Patricks


1871 May 13 William. McColgan William Arbuckle, Catherine , Thompsons Town, Muff
1875 Feb 16 Hugh. McColgan William Arbuckle Catherine , Iskaheen,
1882 Mar 17 Mary. McColgan William Arbuckle Catherine , Iskaheen,
1873 May 3 Edward. McColgan William Arbuckle Catherine Iskaheen

Austin Q...Grand find...!!! I don't use Ancestry/FMP.....Will see what I can find from my Irish Data Base

My Ancestry sub has just run out so I can't view the dates of this record- perhaps someone else can take a look for you?

Pennsylvania, Death Certificates, 1906-1963
Name: Hugh McColgan
Spouse: Martha McColgan
Mother: Catherine Arbuckle
Father: William McColgan
More: See all information...

Pennsylvania, Death Certificates, 1906-1963
Name: Martha Mc Colgan
Spouse: Hugh Mc Colgan
Birth: date - location
Death: dd mm 1962 - city, Philadelphia
----------------------------------------

Possibly him in 1930?

Event Type Census
Event Date 1930
Event Place Philadelphia (Districts 0251-0500), Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States

Hugh Colgan Head
Married
Male
age 50
birth 1880 Ireland
immigration year: 1908
age when first married 33
Occupation: Trunkman- Steam Railway

Martha Colgan Wife
Married
Female
age 50
birth: 1880 Ireland
immigration year 1915
age when first married: 33

https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XH8M-9H1

Kathy,

By the way Hugh appeared in the 1901 Irish Census in his father's house but wasn't there for the 1911 Census. Of course he could have been anywhere else in Ireland or he might have travelled to the USA in between. We don't have any proof of his going there so it could even have been another country

Kathy,

The reference to visiting an uncle was in 1951. Edward would have been about 78 by then and unlikely to have travelled to Oxford and certainly didn't live there. John James died in 1923 so that just leaves Hugh. I have found out very little about him. The story I heard was that he had gone to America ,married a woman called Green from Inch, Donegal, and had no children. I got this from a lady named Margaret who provided me and my brother with lots of data on both sides of our family. I have not managed to trace anything on him so far.

John,

Ref AustinQ's entry on 29 Nov, I wondered if you had any idea who Kathleen might be referring to when she says she will visit an uncle in Oxford? Whether it is Edward, Patrick Hugh or John James?

Attestation sheet for Patrick

Potty has explained on the thread that the attestation sheet shows where the men were transferred from when they went into the Tank Corps. Most of them on that page came from the Dragoons but Paricks entry seems to say 14/20 Hus which could indicate the Hussars, although he has no discharge notes.

Patrick has also added 4 years to his age making his dob 1900 and this should be the date on his service record. But also well spotted by Potty, was the possibility that he had used his dob as 8.4.1900 (instead of 8.4.1904) and that seems to correlate with his age given as 19 yrs 270/365 days on the sheet.

So, as records are available from the MOD after 116 yrs, and we have dob and service number, I should be able to request his service history after 8.4.2016 and we can see what this reveals.

Just to update the thread following some more information from John Anthony

It would seem that we do have the right Gerald Edward, even though the dob does not always correlate
His real dob was 1901 on the 1911 Census. The entries by Potty on 23 Nov shows Gerald going out to Palestine in 1923 with dob 1901 and then coming back a year later with dob 1898. John obtained his marriage certificate and this shows age of 31 in 1929 so he has retained the 1898 dob. John also noticed that his death certificate included M Coupland as informant, noted by AustinQ on 25 Nov as Mabel's later married name. Along with the Twickenham addresses for both Gerald and Mabel this would seems to close the loop.

Eringobragh 1916

I took a closer look at the Death Certificate for Gerald and noticed in Column 7 for details of informant it has the name " M Coupland" with an address in Cookham Berkshire and a note " Causing body to be cremated" The name Coupland was familiar and I found it in AustinQ 's report of 25 November 07:58 . It was Gerald's ex-wife's new married name. So despite Gerald's additional name I think this points to us finding the right man
At the time of death in hospital in Isleworth Middlesex his residence was 7,St Stephen's Gardens Twickenham

On the Vinks I agree Jan Vink must have been a different person to the family Kathleen visited.

John Anthony....Using your "Nolan Lane" found his Draft Reg. (WW2) Nolan Lane was His Business address..!! Wife named Ruth EJ Vink ..but he states he was born in Holland not NY and in 1888 and full name Joannes Marcus Vink....so the one who was b.NY and a Lodger does not appear to be the same person...Draft Reg.1942.

John Anthony...Not at all !! Your quite correct in what you wrote...I just couldn't find a Mrs Jan Vink...!!! He is lodging "HollowTree Ridge Road"but does state Married

I am surprised to see "Andrew"....haven't come across it before on any of the records..possibly after someone on either side of the family...not noticed it on the McColgans...will have a look at Catherines side....