Thomas Edward Grogan

Thomas Edward Grogan was born in Kilkenny in November 1796. Family tradition holds that he married Judith Bowe of Lisdowney on 11 June 1820, though no surviving parish marriage register confirms this date (Lisdowney's marriage records have a documented gap covering 1820). Their son John was born in 1821; family Bible records indicate John died as a toddler.

Family history holds that Thomas, Judith, and three of Thomas's brothers emigrated to the United States in 1823, and that their son Edward William Grogan was born at sea during the voyage. This part of the story is unverified — no ship manifest or passenger record naming the family has been found, and some details (such as a shipboard smallpox quarantine) do not fit the documented history of Atlantic crossings in 1823.

What is well documented: the family settled first in Lockport, New York, then moved to Straitsville, Perry County, Ohio by 1826. Thomas died on 8 September 1853; Judith died 20 April 1868. Their son Edward William Grogan eventually settled in Worthing, Lincoln County, South Dakota, where he died in 1905. The family's American descendants are traceable through U.S. census, vital, and cemetery records from the 1840s onward.

Researching this family ahead of a visit to Lisdowney, and very interested to hear from anyone with knowledge of the Grogan or Bowe families in the area.

More info:

Born: 22 November 1796, Kilkenny, Ireland

Died: 8 September 1853, Straitsville, Perry County, Ohio, USA

Spouse: Judith Bowe (b. 17 Nov 1797, Lisdowney — d. 20 Apr 1868)

Children include: John (b. 1821, d. in infancy), Edward William (b. 1823), James, Patrick, Elizabeth, Mary, Thomas, Eleanora