My Vogan Roots

I have spent a lot of time, off and on, over the years working on my family tree.  Some of this research is proven, and some speculation.  I try to prove every source I find.  Once you get closer to the 1700s, it is much harder to find documentation.  More of the "documentation" that goes back to the earlier generations is 2nd hand knowledge, passed down over the generations, either in family trees, or in Bibles.  Sometimes dates and years can be written or transcribed incorrectly.  Please do not take these dates as fact.

I have traced my Vogan origins to Ireland, Cootehill, County Cavan specifically.  I found this very interesting as I have always identified as Irish.  I've always felt pulled to it, but I never had a solid lead.  Turns out, I have another line that originates from Ireland as well.  More on them in another post.  I have made contact and have been speaking with a possible VERY distant Vogan cousin.  Her Vogans also came from Cootehill, Co. Cavan, but they came to America in 1832 and moved to Canada in 1837.  I just know that she is a descendant of another generation.  I would love to prove it one day.  I have sent snail mail to the five Vogan addresses I found listed in the Cootehill area.  I am hoping that one of them may have some knowledge of my Vogans, or would possibly pass my letters on to someone in the area that could help me.  

The Vogan name comes from my mother's side of the family.  My ancestors (6th great grandparents to be exact) William Vogan b.1725-d.1790 and Isabella b.1726-d.1763 had 10 children according to records I could find.  All of them were born in the "Colonies" except their first son, James who was b.1744 in Cootehill, Co. Cavan.

Circa 1900s

There obviously was no photography available in the 1700s, but here is a view of what Market Street in Cootehill looked like in the 1900s, and more recently below.

2011 - Market Street, Cootehill

        © Copyright Eric Jones and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence 

http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/2639496

I am not sure on the date of which they traveled to the Colonies, but I would assume it was sometime between 1744 and 1746.  I have checked every ship log that I have found, none of which I can find these people, nor their names spelled differently on.  My guess is that the last name was misspelled horrendously, or the ship log may have been lost.  I have another resource I want to check, a book at a local college, hopefully sometime next week.

Their next child, Jacob, supposedly b.1746 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.  The rest of the children, including my 5th great grandfather John (b.1752-d.1812) were born and died in the Lancaster, PA. area as well. I haven't personally traced any of their family lines yet, aside from James and my direct line, John.  I have found  records stating that the sons of that generation: Isaac, James, Samuel and my 5th great grandfather John, fought in the Great American Revolution.

From the children of that James, was a son John (so many of the same names it is really difficult to keep who is actually who) that is my 5th great grandfather, John's nephew.  This John Vogan was the founder of Vogansville, Pennsylvania.  He never married, and apparently was a very prominent man of the time.  To the right, it talks about him and mentions his family coming from Cootehill, Co. Cavan.  I have found several publications that include sections about Vogansville and John Vogan.  

Source:  
History of Lancaster Co, PA - 

page 814

Written by: Franklin Ellis and Samuel Evans 

Published by: Events and Peck 1883

Link to this page on google books

John Vogan married Rudy Giffen on Feb. 2nd, 1774 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania at the First Reformed Congregation.  During the war, he was in the battle that is now known as the Paoli Massacre, that happened on Sept 21, 1777.  He later received a war bounty of 200 acres for his service.  John and Rudy had 5 children: William, Nancy, John, Samuel & James.

William was born in 1779 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. About 1810 he married Mary Harlan (b.1794-d.1874) daughter of Jonathan & Elizabeth Harlan, in Harlansburg, Lawrence, Pennsylvania.  William and Mary were my 4th great grandparents.  Together they had 7 children: Ruth, Jonathan, Sarah, Jesse, John, Elizabeth and William.   The senior William died on January 1, 1823 in Slippery Rock, Butler, Pennsylvania.  Shortly after his death came the arrival of his last child, William W. Vogan on June 17th, 1823.

Source: (History and genealogy of the Harlan family, and particularly of the descendants of George and Michael Harlan, who settled in Chester County, Pa., 1687 - Compiled by: Alpheus H. Harlan - publisher: The Lord Baltimore Press - date: 1914 - page 387)

Mary remarried in 1825 in Harlansburg, Pennsylvania to William Dean and together they had 6 more children, which would be half siblings to my 3rd great grandfather William W. Vogan.

William W. Vogan married Anna Smith (b.1823-d.1898) on April 23, 1844 in New Castle, Lawrence, PA. They had 8 children: Ivester, Mary, Daniel, John, Thomas Hamilton (b.1856-d.1913), William Wallace, Elizabeth & Frank S.  William W. Vogan died on June 2nd, 1910 in New Castle.

Thomas Hamilton Vogan, my 2nd great grandfather married Margaret Jane Palmer in 1891.  The following photo was taken in 1906.  Thanks to my cousin Soozie for the photo.  At the head of the table is William W. Vogan.  On the right closest to the front here is Thomas holding his son, my great grandfather on his right knee, Frank Melvin Vogan b.1902-d.1989 and another young child on the left knee.

Photo taken July 4th, 1906

I will leave off with my Vogan line here, as it is late, and I want to do a more detailed post on my great grandparents and my grandparents.