John Dunagan

John Dunagan was born in Ireland (probably in County Cork based on family lore) and his birth was probably sometime between about 1830 -1846.  He married Bridget Regan in Ireland (again she was probably from County Cork and born around the same time). The records show a great number of people in Ireland with these names, but so far I have not found a marriage record in Ireland, nor ships passenger list. They immigrated to the United States but no definite record has been found as to when or where they landed.  They had a son, Charles A. Dunagan in 1863 and in almost every record found in America (mostly census records) his birth location was stated to be "at sea in American waters", sometimes with a notation "Am. cit.".  It is as if someone wanted to ensure hat he was listed as a US citizen.  It is possible he was born on a trans-Atlantic voyage to America, but it is also possible the family was already in America and traveling along the Atlanic Coast (but why travel along the coast when ready to give birth?). Family lore says his mother died shortly after his birth and his father died a few years later, but no records of these events have been found. Charles himself cannot be found in any records in America until his marriage to Mary Carnrike in 1886 in upstate New York near Norwich, Chenango County and it is not known if he had elder siblings.  Charles and Mary lived in and around Chenango County, NY the rest of their lives. They had four children - William, Nellie, Rosa and Elizabeth.  Of note - DNA links many of their descendants to descendants of a Michael Dunagan who was born in Ireland in 1804 and lived in Hunter, Greene County, NY and Olive, Ulster Couny, NY and he died between 1851 and 1854.  It would appear that John Dunagan and his son Charles might be descended from a sibling of Michael Dunagan, or an ancestor not too many generations back in time.