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Michael McGough and Rosanna Halton of Lindsay, Ontario; Connections with Eau Claire, Wisconsin by Hugh McGough

Michael McGough was born in 1804 in the townland of Crumlin in the parish of Magheracloone, barony of Farney, county Monaghan, South Ulster, Ireland. He married Rose Halton who was born in county Cavan, Ireland, in 1813. They received assisted passage to Canada from the Shirley estate in Magheracloone, and, in 1845, emigrated from Ireland to Hope township (now Port Hope), Durham county, Ontario—about 68 miles east of Toronto.

Ten years later, in about 1855, they moved northward bout 50 miles to Lindsay, in Ops township, Victoria county, Ontario, where they lived out their lives. They moved from Ireland to Canada with five children ranging in ages from 14 to 1. At least five more children were born in Ontario. The father, Michael McGough, died as the result of an accidental fall at home in Lindsay, Victoria county, Ontario, on December 30, 1882. The mother, Roseanna Halton McGough, died there on April 9, 1897.

Three of the children of Michael McGough and Roseana Halton moved to Eau Claire, Wisconsin, so they were probably related to my great-grandfather, John McGough. My great-grandfather had moved to Eau Claire from Pottsville, Pennsylvania, around 1856, and was an early settler of the town of Eau Claire. The first of the McGoughs from Lindsay, Ontario, arrived in Eau Claire about ten years later.

A brother of Michael McGough, Patrick McGough, and Patrick's wife, Ann McNeeny (Mc Aneany) of the townland of Crumlin, parish of Magheracloone, county Monaghan, followed Michael McGough and Rose Halton from county Monaghan in 1846, the year after Michael's emigration. For more on Patrick's family, see my section below: Patrick McGough and Ann McAneany. Patrick was the last of four brothers who migrated from Ireland to Lindsay, Ontario: Bernard, Francis, Michael and Patrick McGough.

The second son of Michael and Rose Halton McGough, Thomas McGough, born in 1843 or 1844, emigrated from Lindsay, Ontario, to the United States through New York in 1861. He married Ellen Kidd (or Kitt) and moved to Eau Claire, Wisconsin, sometime before 1866. Their first son, John McGough, was born in Eau Claire on May 1, 1866. My great-grandmother, Catherine Fitzpatrick McGough, was a sponsor at his baptism. Thomas and Ellen Kidd McGough had nine children, all born in Eau Claire.

John Joseph McGough, a son of Michael McGough and Rose Halton McGough, was born on June 2, 1850, in Lindsay, Ontario, five years after the emigration of Michael and Rose from Ireland. John Joseph McGough moved to Eau Claire, Wisconsin, in 1866, when he was less than 17 years old. The families of my great-grandfather, John McGough, and John Joseph McGough's brother, Thomas, were the only McGough families in Eau Claire at the time John Joseph moved there. The family of my great-grandfather, John McGough, had been in Eau Claire for ten years at the time of this move. John Joseph's brother, Thomas, had been there at least a few months. John Joseph McGough was married twice in Eau Claire and raised two large families there.

An older sister of Thomas and John Joseph, Margaret Ellen McGeough, also moved from Lindsay, Ontario to Eau Claire. Margaret had married Bartholomew Fitzsimmons on September 8, 1861, in St. Mary's Church in Lindsay, Ontario. She and her husband moved to Eau Claire sometime before 1870. She was divorced in Eau Claire in 1880, and married Michael Keane in Eau Claire in 1881.

Location of Lindsay, Ontario

Michael and Rose McGough emigrated in 1845 from the townland of Crumlin, parish of Magheracloone, County Monaghan to Hope township, Durham county Ontario. Hope township is about 70 miles, along Lake Ontario, East of Toronto. (Hope township is now the town of Port Hope in Northumberland county.) In 1856 or before, they moved to Lindsay, Ontario. Lindsay is in Ops township in Victoria County, Ontario, which is the county immediately north of Durham county. Lindsay is about 50 miles to the north, and slightly west, of Hope township. (On January 1, 2001, Victoria county, Ontario, became the City of Kawartha Lakes, a single-tier municipality.) See: Durham County History and Genealogy and Victoria County Genealogy and History.

Ontario Province (1851) is a sketch map showing the counties of Ontario. See also: Ontario (Province) — County Map, South-Eastern Ontario c. 1974. A map of Victoria County, showing townships and towns, and an 1880 Map of Ontario Counties (Victoria county is #24), will be found on the website: In Search of Your Canadian Past: The Canadian County Atlas Digital Project, part of McGill University's Digital Collections Program. Neither a McGough nor a McGeough is shown in the index of people shown on the township maps, but the atlases were sold by subscription and only the names of subscribers were recorded on the township maps.

Victoria County Atlas Maps includes township maps and links to baptismal, marriage, and death records. See also: Ontario (Upper Canada) Maps — especially Victoria County South circa 1891. A good general source of genealogical information is: Ontario (Upper Canada) Genealogy and History Database Index. See also: Victoria County Genealogy and History and Victoria County and Regional Maps.

A good detailed map of the townships of south Victoria County, including Ops, is on the web page: District Maps. For a another map showing the relationship of Lindsay, nearby Fenelon Falls (where there was a Hugh McGough in 1851), and Peterborough, go to North Kawartha Lakes. See also: Images for North Kawartha Lakes map.

The website Places in Canada allows a user to refine a search to Ops township, Victoria county, Ontario, and the site links to several maps of the area.

For another township map and other information, see the Victoria County GenWeb page.

Here is a brief history of the Town of Lindsay and Ops Township from Historical Sketches of Victoria County on the Victoria County Genweb page.

For several research links, go to Ontario Research and Ontario History.

Three John McGoughs in Eau Claire

In the preamble to this page, I mentioned that Thomas McGough, a son of Michael McGough and Roseanne Halton McGough, was born in Ireland in 1843 or 1844, sailed for Canada with his parents when he was one year old, and at the age of 18 or so, emigrated to the United States through New York in 1861, moved on to Eau Claire, Wisconsin, and married Ellen Kidd. Their first son, John McGough, was born in Eau Claire on May 1, 1866.

A younger son of Michael McGough and Rose Halton McGough, John Joseph McGough, emigrated from Lindsay, Ontario, to Eau Claire, in August of 1866, or shortly thereafter. The record of the marriage (his second in Eau Claire) of John McGough, a laborer, to Rosanna Ferrigan in a Catholic ceremony in Eau Claire on May 21, 1890, shows the parents of the groom to be Michael McGough and Rosa McGough of Ontario, Canada. (Eau Claire County Register of Deeds-Marriages, volume 3, page 46, #01868).

My great-grandfather, John McGough, had moved to Eau Claire from Pottsville, Pennsylvania, no later than December of 1856. From the arrival of John Joseph McGough toward the end of 1866, therefore, until my great-grandfather's death in December of 1869, these three John McGoughs all lived in Eau Claire.

Because of the possibility of a relationship between Thomas McGough, his son John, his brother John Joseph McGough, and my great grandfather John McGough, the story of their families may cast some light on the Irish roots of my family.

Michael McGough and Rose Halton

Much of the information on this page about the Michael McGough and Rosanna Halton family of Lindsay, Ontario, is from McGeough: The Story of an Irish Family by Phyllis McGeough Devereux (1992). The book is available at the Family History Library (FHL FAM HIST Book, call number 929.273 M173d). In her book, Devereux spells all versions of the name as McGeough, while I use McGough whenever the name appears in that form in the original. In the public records I have seen, this family appears as McGough more often than McGeough, so I have also eliminated the "e" unless it is required to copy a source accurately, or unless I have been told that a particular branch of the family traditionally spelled the name McGeough. The spellings of the surname in this section, therefore, do not represent the spellings used by Devereux in her book. A more recent and more detailed source on the later history of this family is: The Descendants of Michael and Rose McGeough—An Irish Legacy, by Beth Heinrich, published privately in 1999.

To confuse the spelling of the surname further, the name is spelled Michael McGeogh in the book of Shirley estate rentals for the township of Crumlin, Magheracloone county, in 1844 (PRONI records D/3531/R/6/12). For more details of Michael McGeough's tenancy on the Shirley estate, see my web page: McGoughs, McGeoughs, and McGeoghs in the Civil Parish of Donaghmoyne and the Barony of Farney.

Phyllis Devereux says Michael McGough was born in Ireland in 1803, and died in Lindsay, Ontario, at the age of 78, on December 30, 1881. Canadian census data would make 1804 the more likely year of birth, as would the "Book of Emigration Ticket Stubbs" of the Shirley estate (PRONI D/3531/P—box 1). The 1861 Canadian census shows Michael's "age at next birthday" as 55. The Index to the 1871 Census of Ontario shows this information: McGough, Michael, Sex: Male, Age: 66, Birthplace: Ireland, Religion: Roman Catholic, Origin: Irish, Occupation: Farmer, District: Victoria South (052), Sub-district: Ops (B), Division: 2, Page: 40, Microfilm reel: C–9981, Reference: RG31—Statistics Canada. The 1881 census shows his age as 77. The 1861 and 1871 censuses spell Michael's surname as McGough. (The 1881 census spells the name McGeough.) The Book of Emigration Stubbs from the Shirley estate in Ireland shows Michael M'Geogh's age on April 8, 1845, to be 40.

Michael actually died in 1882. The death register states that Michael McGeough, age 78, a farmer, born in Ireland, Roman Catholic, died in Lindsay on December 30, 1882, The cause of death of was an "accident—fall at home." #016532, Ontario, Canada Deaths, 1869–1932 > Victoria > 1882 on Ancestry.com.

Michael McGough's wife, Rose Halton, was born in Ireland, probably in 1814. Rose's "age at next birthday" in the 1861 Canadian census is shown as 46. Her age in the 1871 and 1881 censuses is shown as 57 and 67 respectively. Her age in the Book of Emigration Stubbs from the Shirley estate in Ireland is 32 on April 8, 1845.

Michael and Rose emigrated from Ireland to Canada in 1845. (Devereux says the year of emigration was 1843.) Their five older children were born in Ireland. According to the Shirley-estate Book of Emigration Stubbs, their names and ages on April 8, 1845, were: Mary MGeogh, 14; Bryan MGeoagh (sic) (later known as Bernard), 9; Margaret MGeogh, 6; Rose MGeogh, 3; and Thomas MGeogh, 1. Two of these five older children were listed as residing with Michael and Rose at the time of the 1861 Canadian census. Ages at the next birthday of these children in the 1861 Canadian census were: Mary, age at next birthday 21 (should be 31?); and Barney, age at next birthday, 18 (should be 26?). Barney's age is shown as 29 in the 1871 census. This would mean that Barney was born in Ireland no earlier than 1842, but the Shirley-estate Book of Emigration Stubbs shows his age as 9 in 1845. A third of the older five children is listed as living at home with his parents in Lindsay in 1861: Thomas, who is shown (erroneously) as having been born in Canada no later than 1845. Shirley estate records, however, show that Thomas sailed from Ireland with his parents, at the age of 1, in the spring of 1845. The 1861 Canadian census shows his age at next birthday as 16.

Beth Heinrich of Palos Hills, Illinois, southwest of Chicago, is the great-great-great-grandaughter of Michael McGough (which she spells McGeough) and Rose Halton. She says:

"As for the exact date Michael and Rose sailed for Canada, Ann Harney found them with their family sailing in the spring of 1845 ... Michael McGeough 40 years old, Rose 32, Mary 14, Bryan 9, Margaret 6, Rose 3, Thos 1." Of these children, Bryan appears in the Canadian censuses as Barney, and the censuses show that he is three years younger than Mary, rather than the five years shown by the Irish records. Margaret and Rose, do not show up as residents of their parents' household in the Canadian censuses. Both were married in 1861 (see below). Thomas is shown by the 1861 Canadian census as having been born in Canada, not Ireland, but this is probably a mistake."

The Tithe Applotment Books show a Patrick McGough (line 435) in county Monaghan, parish of Magheracloone, townland of Crumlin, in 1832. Perhaps he was Michael McGough's father. He was almost certainly related. Immediately north of the townland of Crumlin is the townland of Drumerlough Beg.

The townland of Crumlin forms the southwest corner of both the parish of Magheracloone and county Monaghan. It is to the immediate east of the border with county Cavan. It is bisected by the Shercock-Kingscourt road (R-162), is 9 1/2 kilometers southeast of Shercock, 3 1/2 kilometers northwest of Kings Court, and 9 kilometers southwest of Carrickmacross. The Irish grid reference is H765 990.

The parish of Enniskeen is to the immediate west of the Monaghan-Cavan border, on the Cavan side. Griffith's Valuation in 1857 shows a Thomas Halton in the county of Cavan, parish of Enniskeen, township of Lisanisky, and a McGeough family (line 69) in the same parish, in 1827. See McGoughs, McGeoughs, and McGeoghs in Ireland in the 1820–30s and 1850–60s: By County, Parish, and Townland.

Family lore is that Rose Halton was a cousin of the famous Civil War Chief of Calvary, General Philip Henry Sheridan, and that General Sheridan visited her in Canada in the 1870s. Beth Heinrich says that Rose's surname before marriage was Sheridan. General Sheridan’s parents were John and Mary (Meenagh) Sheridan from Killinkere, county Cavan. He was born on March 6, 1831. A monument at The Sheridan Family Homestead in Killinkere says that Philip was born there in 1831, the year his parents emigrated to the US. Sheridan always claimed to be born in the US—a requirement for fulfillment of his ambition to become President of the US.

"The biggest mystery in his life was his birth. Even his mother did not seem to be sure where the blessed event took place. At one time she stated that he was born on the boat during their journey from Ireland. At another time, she placed his birth in Albany, N. Y. Sheridan, himself, always said his birthplace was Somerset, Ohio. There are, however, birth records in county Cavan, Ireland for Philip Henry Sheridan. All that is known is that he was the son of Irish parents who was raised in Somerset." Philip Sheridan's Life.

The parish of Killinkere in county Cavan is a short distance west of the parish of Enniskeen, where a Thomas Halton lived in 1857, and where a McGeough family lived in 1827. (see above). The only intervening parishes are Bailieborough to the north and Moybolgue to the south. See the map of The Civil Parishes of County Cavan. If General Philip Sheridan and Rose Halton were in fact cousins, that relationship supports the hypothesis that Rose Halton came from county Cavan, just west of the southwest corner of county Monaghan.

Michael McGough was gored by a bull on December 30, 1882, and bled to death in the arms of his daughter, Rose. Rose McGeough, age 83, born in county Cavan, Ireland, died on April 9, 1997 in the township of Ops. She was a "farmer's wife" who resided on lot 13, concession 10, Ops. She was Roman Catholic and died of old age and neuralgia. The informant was Michael McGeough, her son. #014998, Ontario, Canada Deaths, 1869–1932 > Victoria > 1897 on Ancestry.com.] Both are interred in Saint Mary's Cemetery, Lindsay, Ontario.

Assisted Emigration

Theo McMahon told me that the only example of assisted passage of McGoughs to the Americas he had found in the Clogher Record was from the townland of Crumlin, parish of Magheracloone. In 1845, the Shirley estate subsidized passage to Canada of Michael and Rose McGough and 5 children. Ann McGeough Harney told me that her papers on assisted emigration from the Shirley estate shows that Michael McGeough, age 40, Rose McGeough, age 32, and their children: Mary, 14, Bryan, 9, Margaret, 6, Rose, 3, and Thomas, 1, shipped for America in 1845 with financial support of the Shirley estate. On a visit to PRONI in September 2002, I found verification of this information in the "Book of Emigration Ticket Stubbs" of the Shirley estate (PRONI D/3531/P—box 1). This book spells the surname MGeogh (see above). The cost of passage for the family was £11-17-6. See: Assisted Emigration from the Shirley Estate 1843–54 by Patrick J. Duffy, electronic page 16, where the surname is spelled McGeough. (A reprint from the Clogher Record, where the printed page number is 22; Clogher Record, vol. XIV, no. 2 (1992), pages 7–62)

William Steuart Trench, mentioned elsewhere in these pages, while an agent of the Shirley estate, implemented an assisted emigration scheme.

"The aim of the assisted emigration scheme, the brainchild of the agent W. S. Trench, was to reduce the overcrowded estate population. It also reduced the overall rate bill of the estate. The estate office employed passenger agents at ports of embarkation including Liverpool. The estate office collated very useful emigrant lists. At least 1,300 people, in the mid-19th century, were subsidised by the estate to emigrate to England, America, Canada and Australia. The house of the emigrant family was then pulled down, in order to discourage thoughts of returning."

The Shirley Papers, under file P, Petitions from tenants. This file consists of three boxes of miscellaneous unindexed information. In box 1, there is much information on assisted emigration to both the United States and Australia and, in at least one special case, to Scotland.

For a good discussion of the role of assisted emigration from Ireland and Scotland to Canada, see Immigrants to Canada.

Journey to Canada

In her book. Phyllis Devereux describes the trip of Michael McGough and Rose Halton from Cork to Port Hope Canada:

"It took almost a month for the trip from Ireland. The small boat came up the St. Lawrence River to Lake Ontario, and Michael and family landed at Port Hope in 1843 with their (then) seven children and only a few clothes and cooking utensils. They traveled by wagon inland 45 miles and settled near Omemee, 10 miles from Lindsay, where they cut down trees for their first home and hauled stones for the foundation."

The quotation in Devereux's book, at page 83, is attributed to Rose Downey and Florence Readman. Michael and Rose's son Thomas was born in 1843, and was less than two years old when the family made the trip from Ireland to Canada. I can identify only the five children named by Beth Heinrich who made the trip, and not seven mentioned in this quotation.

Omemee is in Emily township,Victoria county, located between the City of Peterborough and the Town of Lindsay. Omemee is a community within the city of Kawartha Lakes, Ontario, Canada, formerly known as Victoria County; located on Highway 7, which is the Trans-Canada Highway. Google maps shows Omemee to be 20 kilometers, or 13 miles, southwest of Lanark (16 km of which are on Highway 7 and 3.2 km north from #7 on #35B). The McGough property near Lindsay was in Ops township to the northwest of Omemee.

Michael McGough did not acquire his property in Ops township near Lindsay until 1956. His children born in Canada were born in Port Hope, Durham county, Ontario. The family did not make the treck north to Victoria county, therefore, for about ten years after it moved to Port Hope.

Devereux says that the McGoughs commenced their sea voyage in Cork.

McGough, McGeough, or McGeogh?

Before listing the other children of Michael McGough and Rose Halton, I will comment on whether the surname should be McGough, McGeough, or, as listed in at least one record, McGeogh. Here is a note from Beth Heinrich:

"In several of the papers accumulated in Canada, Michael's last name is spelled MCGEOUGH, and other times, MCGOUGH. The church records of St. Mary's parish have the last name spelled three different ways. In Canada, at least two families pronounce the name much differently (McGaw, McGew, etc.). On the tombstone in St. Mary's, the name is also spelled McGeough. Living relatives still spell it with the "e". And my relatives from the past insisted (especially Mary, Michael & Rose's eldest daughter) that you use the "e". However, Thomas, the middle son, dropped the e, as did John in Eau Claire. In some records, Bernard also has the McGough spelling, but all are of the same family.

"My aunt has the business card of the son, Michael McGeough (as he spelled it). He was a contractor in Lindsay and helped to build at least one of the schools there, which has since been demolished. The same aunt is also the proud owner of a prayer book belonging to the patriarch of our family, Michael. Its' well worn pages were undoubtedly read over and over through the generations. Inside, it says Michael McGeough. I don't know why many of our relatives decided to drop the "e", or it is possible they added it? Another mystery."

John Joseph McGough's name appears with the spelling of McGough in almost all records I have checked in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. The signature on his declaration of intention to become a US citizen, filed in the Wisconsin Circuit Court for Eau Claire County on April 3, 1871, however, is signed John J. Mcgeough. (Naturalization Records, 1854–1991; SHSW Eau Claire Series; 48 Declarations of Intention, volume 4.) In the indexes, and everywhere else in the naturalization documents, the name is McGough. For a more thorough discussion of McGough versus McGeough, and other spellings of the name, see Spelling of McGough.

Following the lead of Beth Heinrich's note, I use McGeough for all the children of Michael McGough and Rose Halton except Thomas and John Joseph, where I use McGough. I have continued to use McGough for Michael, the patriarch of the family, because that is the name under which he traveled from Ireland and the name shown by the Canadian census and several other Irish and Canadian records. As Beth Heinrich points out, his name appears in Canadian records both with and without an e. Thus, I have found it impossible to apply my general rule in these pages, which is to spell the name as the person spelled it in official records. Since, in Eau Claire Records, the name of John Joseph McGough always appears as McGough, I use that spelling for his descendants unless I have evidence that a particular person started using McGeough.

The Ontario Cemetery Finding Aid lists all eight McGoughs buried in St. Mary's Roman Catholic Cemetery, in Victoria County, township of Ops, province of Ontario, as McGeough. The reference number for all is KW-V-0274-5:

McGeough, Agnes (Murphy)

McGeough, Bernard

McGeough, Cecilia

McGeough, Lillian

McGeough, Lucy (Whalen) [should this be Whelan?]

McGeough, Mary

McGeough, Michael

McGeough, Rose (Haulton)

The information was submitted by:

Kawartha Branch, OGS
Box 861
Peterborough, Ontario, Canada
K9J 7A2

Requests for further information may be submitted to them.

Two more are listed in St Luke's Roman Catholic Cemetery, Downeyville, county of Victoria, township of Emily:

McGeough, Catharine

McGeough, Jesse Charles

Emily township and Ops township are both in Victoria County. Emily township adjoins Ops township to the east. See Victoria County Atlas Maps. For more McGeoughs in the next adjoining township (and county) to the east, see Robinson Immigration, below.''

Robinson Immigration

Devereux points out that the adjoining townships of Ops and Emily, and particularly the town of Peterborough, near Lindsay, Ontario, were destinations of the Peter Robinson Irish Emigration, which, in 1825, brought about 700 Irishmen to the Lindsay area, and 2000 to the larger area including Peterborough. She also says: "In 1828, a group of families came from a single neighborhood in South Ulster." Devereux, page 29. She does not identify the neighborhood. The Ontario Cemetery Finding Aid lists two McGeoughs in St Peter's Roman Catholic Cemetery, Peterborough, in the county of Peterborough, township of Monaghan North, province of Ontario:

McGeough, Rose

McGeough, Rosemary, Sister

Peterborough county is immediately east of Victoria county. See the 1880 Map of Ontario Counties. The township of North Monaghan in Peterborough county is immediately north of the township of Emily in Victoria County.

See History of Victoria County—Part 21: Complete List of Crown Patentees Still Represented in County, by Watson Kirkconnell, M.A., where Bernard McGeough is mentioned under Surviving Pioneer Families in Ops.

Children of Michael McGough and Rose Halton

The 1851 census of Canada lists the family of Michael McGough and Rose Halton in Hope township, Durham county, Ontario, as follows:

(1851) Michael McGough, age 45, born in Ireland in about 1806, weaver, Catholic, living in a one story log house (District Number 6; Sub-District Hope; Sub-District Number 43; Page 5; Line 1; Roll C_11718; Schedule A).

Rose McGough, age 36, born in Ireland about 1815, Catholic. [Rose Halton]

Mary A McGough, age 17 (could be read as 18), born in Ireland about 1834, Catholic. [She married Michael Heslin in about 1856. The 1891 census of Arthur, Wellington North, Ontario, lists Michael Heslan, age 65, born in Ireland, a farmer, Roman Catholic; his wife, Mary Heslan, age 55, born in Ireland, and sex children ranging in age from 30 to 13. Mary McGough Heslin died on September 3, 1911, in Chicago, Cook county, Illinois, and was buried in Mt. Olivet Cemetery on Septembr 5, 1911. Her death record gives the date and place of her birth as August 1, 1841, in Canada. Cook County, Illinois, Deaths Index, 1878-1922

Barnard McGough, age 15, born in Ireland about 1836, labourer, Catholic. [Born on November 18, 1839, according to the 1901 census of Ops, Victoria county, Ontario, where he is listed as Berrnard (indexed by Ancestry.com as Barnice) McGough, age 61, born in Ireland, a farmer; with his wife, Lucy (Whalen), age 59, born in Ireland on March 2, 1841; four daughters, Rose, age 26; Lucy A., age 24; Catherine, age 22; Margaret L., age 20; and a son, Bernard M., age 17. Bernard McGeough, a widower, died of bronchitis at the stated age of 92 on November 10, 1926, in Lindsay, Ontario, and was buried on November 12, 1926, in St. Mary's Cemetery. Ontario, Canada, Deaths, 1869-1938, on Ancestry.com. See also the Kennedy Family Tree on Ancestry.com.]

Margaret McGough, age 13, born in Ireland about 1838. [Margaret Ellen McGough]

Rose McGough, age 9, born in Ireland about 1842.

Thomas McGough, age 7, born in Ireland about 1844.

John McGough, age 3, born in Ireland about 1848. [John Joseph McGough, actually born in Canada on June 2, 1850.]

James McGough, age 2, born in Ireland about 1849. [actually born in Canada; born on June 22, 1852, according to the 1901 census of Thorah, Ontario North, Ontario, where he is listed as James E. McGeough, farmer, with his wife, Mary C. McGough, born on June 19, 1855, in Ontario. James E. McGeough, born at Point Hope, Ontario, on June 13 (of an unstated year), to Michael McGeough and Rose Halton a harnessmaker, widowed, died of a cerebral hemorrhage at age 81 on December 27, 1931, in Toronto, York county, Ontario. Ontario, Canada, Deaths, 1869-1938, on Ancestry.com. See also the Kennedy Family Tree on Ancestry.com.]

Catherine McGough, age 2, born in Ireland about 1849. [a twin of James Mcgough, also born in Port Hope, Ontario, Canada, on June 22, 1852.]

Church records below indicate James and Catherine were born in 1852. There are several inconsistencies between the records. The ages states in the census are the ages at the next birthday. The official census date was January 1, 1852.

Durham county is immediately south of Victoria county.

The 1861 census of Canada for the township of Ops, Victoria county, lists this family:

(1861) Michael McGough, age 55, farmer, born in Ireland, married during the year 1935, Church of Rome.

Rosey McGough, age 46, born in Ireland, Church of Rome.

Marg McGough, age 21, born in Ireland, Church of Rome.

Rosey McGough, age 18, born in Ireland, Church of Rome.

Thomas McGough, age 16, born in Ireland, Church of Rome.

Jon McGough, age 12, born in Canada, Church of Rome.

James McGough, age 10, born in Canada, Church of Rome.

Catherine McGough, age 10, born in Canada, Church of Rome. [On January 10, 1876, in Lindsay, Catherine McGeogh, age 25, resident of Lindsay, born in Port Hope, daughter of Michael McGeogh and Ann Halton, married Patrick Fitzsimmons, age 24, resident of Ops, born in Ops, a farmer, sone of Patrick Fitzsimmons and Mary Powers, Witnesses were John McGeogh of Ops and Catherine Harrlin of Ops. Bride and groom were Roman Catholics. The priest was Michael Stafford. Ontario, Canada, Marriages, 1801-1928 on Ancestry.com. Catherine Ann Fitsimmons, daughter of Michael McGeough and Rose Halton, a housewife, died of pneumonia and pericarditis at the age of 59 years, 11 months, on May 4, 1911 in Lindsay, Ontario. Ontario, Canada, Deaths, 1869-1938, on Ancestry.com.]

Michael McGough, age 7, born in Canada, Church of Rome. [Born on December 23, 1851, in Port Hope, Ontario, according to the 1901 census of Lindsay, Victoria county, Ontario, where he is listed as Michael McGeough, age 49, a contractor, with his wife, Cecelia and 2 daughters, Rose and Margaret, ages 21 and 19; and 2 sons, Joseph and Michael, ages 16 and 14. On October 18, 1875, in Ops, Michael McGragh, age 23, residing in Ops, born in Port Hope, farmer, son of Michael McGragh and Rose Ann Halton (indexed as Hatton by Ancestry.com), married Selina Powers, age 20, born in south Monaghan, Ireland, daughter of Pierce Powers and Selina Cunningham. Witnesses were Daniel McGough and Catherine Spratt of Lindsay. Bride and groom were Roman Catholics. The priest was Michael Stafford. Ontario, Canada, Marriages, 1801-1928 on Ancestry.com. Michael McGeough, son of Michael McGeough and Rose Halton, both born in Ireland, died in Lindsay on August 31, 1927, and was buried on September 2, 1927, in St. Mary's Cemetery, Ops township. The informant was the daughter of the decdent, Reverend Sister Rose Marie of St. Mary's Convent, Peterboro. The undertaker was M. E. Tangney, 31 Kent Street West, Lindsay. The cause of death was carcinoma of the stomach. Ontario, Canada, Deaths, 1869-1938, on Ancestry.com.]

Daniel McGough, age 5, born in Canada, Church of Rome. [born October 24, 1855 (baptized in 1855, Ontario Genealogy Upper Canada Baptisms Database Index; married Adeline Shanahan (1860-1939); listed in 1881 census of Orillia, Simcoe North, Ontario as Daniel A. McGough, age 26, born in Ontario, Irish origin, harness maker, Catholic; with his wife Adeline, age 20; and brother James E. McGeough, age 29; listed in the 1901 census of Toronto, York county, Ontario, as Daniel H. McGeough, age 45, born on October 14, 1955, mattress maker, with his wife, Adeline, age 41; daughter Mary A., age 18; son Daniel H, age 17; son James F., age 16; daughter Margretta A, age 14; son Edward E, age 8; daughter Rose, age 3; and daughter, Hellen, age 1; died on July 9, 1937, at age 81; buried in Mount Hope Cemetery, Fayette, West Virginia. See: Kennedy Family Tree on Ancestry.com, Here is an entry from the Peterborough Examiner Index for 1887 on the Trent valley Archives: 1887 D.H. McGough - Patent.]

The 1871 census of Canada for the township of Ops, Victoria county, lists this family:

(1871) Michael McGough, age 66, born in Ireland, farmer, Catholic (Microfilm Roll C-9981, page 40).

Rose (?) McGough (female), age 57, born in Ireland, Catholic, unable to read or write.

Barney McGough, age 29, born in Ireland, farmer, Catholic.

James McGough, age 25 (twin), born in Ontario, sadler, Catholic.

Catherine McGough (twin), age 25, born in Ontario, no occupation listed, Catholic.

Michael McGough, age 15, born in Ontario, labourer, Catholic.

Daniel McGough, age 12, born in Ontario, Catholic.

The 1881 census of Canada of Lindsay, Victoria South, Ontario, lists this family:

(1881) Michael McGeough, age 77, born in Ireland, gentleman, Roman Catholic.

Rose McGeough, age 67, born in Ireland, Roman Catholic.

Rosanna McGeough, age 15, born in the United States, Roman Catholic.

Only one child of Michael and Rosanna Halton McGough is listed by Devereux in her sketchy genealogical table of the family:

Bernard McGeough, born in Ireland in 1836, emigrated to Canada at age 9, and, at age 38, married Lucy Whelan, who was born in Ontario about 1843. They had five daughters and one son. Lucy Whelan, wife of Bernard, is shown by Canadian cemetery information as having died at age 79 on September 13, 1922. They had five daughters and one son [Lucy McGeough, age 79 years, 6 months, born in Prince Edward county in 1842, daughter of Phillip Whalen and Mary Hoberhir (both born in Ireland), married, of Irish heritage, a housewife, living on lots 1 and 2, concession 5, died of apoplexy in Ops township on September 13, 1922. The informant was her son, B. McGeough, of Lindsay. #028167, Ontario, Canada Deaths, 1869–1932 > Victoria > 1922 on Ancestry.com.]:

Mary Ellen McGeough: Bernard McGough and Lucy Whalen's oldest daughter, Mary Ellen McGough, who was born in 1874, married George Murphy, a famer, in Ops, on June 22, 1898. Here is an entry from Victoria Co., 1898: "#0144334-98 - George Murphy, 32, farmer, Ops twp., same, s/o Patrick Murphy & Julia Twohey, married Mary Ellen McGlough?, 24, Ops twp., same, d/o Bernard McGlough & Lucy Whalen, witnesses were Peter Greenan & Rose McGlough, both of Ops twp., June 22, 1898 at Lindsay (Rom Cath)." According to Devereux (page 83), Bernard and Lucy "Lived on Murphy homestead about three miles south of Lindsay." Devereux list six children.

Josephine McGeough: married Harry Dunk. Devereux (page 84) lists four children.

Rose McGeough: married J. T, O'Connell and "lived in Otanabee, about two miles southwest of Petersborough." Devereux (page 84) lists one daughter.

Lucy McGeough: never married. (Devereux, page 85).

Catherine (Katie) McGeough: married Edward Costello. "They lived on a farm in Downeyville." Devereux (pages 85–90) lists five children, thirty-three grand children, and innumerable great-grandchildren.

Lilly McGeough married Francis Joseph Kirley. Devereux (pages 90–92) lists nine children and thirty-three grandchildren and many great-grandchildren. [The 1901 census lists Lilly twice: Margret L. McGough, age 20, born February 12, 1881, in Ontario, of Irish origin, Canadian nationality, Roman Catholic, living with her arents in Ops; and Lillie McGough (lodger), age 20, single, born on February 12, 1881, in Ontario, Scotch (Scotish), Canadian, Roman Catholic, teacher, in the household of Maurice Hickey in Galway township, Victoria county, age 69, born in Ireland on November 20, 1832, farmer, immigrated in 1855 (District Victoria (North/Nord); District Number 119; Sub-District Galway; Sub-District Number I-3; Family Number 6; Page 1, line 25). See my page: McGoughs, McGeoughs, and McGeoghs in Canada in the Nineteenth Century.]

Bernard McGeough, born on December 24, 1883, according to the 1901 census of Ontario. The family gravestone shows Bernard McGeough, the only son of Bernard and Lucy, who was born on December 24, 1884, and died on January 9, 1953. This younger Bernard married Agnes Murphy (perhaps the sister of his brother-in-law, George Murphy) and they had a son James McGeough who resides in Lindsay, Ontario, who married Veronica O'Leary, and who is described by Phyllis Devereux (page 92) as "my Canadian correspondent."

The 1901 census of Ops township, Victoria county, Ontario, lists this family:

(1901) Bernard McGough, age 61, born November 18, 1839, in Ireland, emigrated in 1845 (almost illegible) of Irish origin, Canadian nationality, Roman Catholic, farmer.

Lucy McGough, age 59, born March 2, 1842, in Ontario, of Irish origin, Canadian nationality, Roman Catholic.

Rose McGough, age 26, born March 29, 1875, in Ontario, of Irish origin, Canadian nationality, Roman Catholic.

Lucy A. McGough, age 24, born February 28, 1877, in Ontario, of Irish origin, Canadian nationality, Roman Catholic.

Catherine McGough, age 22, born January 25, 1877. in Ontario, of Irish origin, Canadian nationality, Roman Catholic. [Catherine married Edward Costello on August 21, 1901: "16784-01 Edward COSTELLO, no age given, farmer, Downeyville, same, s/o Michael COSTELLO & Mary GILTUANE, married Catherine M. McGEOUGH, no age given, Ops twp., same, d/o Bernard McGEOUGH & Lucy WHELAN, witn: D. M. COSTELLO of Downeyville & L.M. McGEOUGH of Ops, 21 Aug 1901 at Lindsay." Victoria Co., 1901.]

Bernard McGough, Jr., age 17, born December 24, 1883, in Ontario, of Irish origin, Canadian nationality, Roman Catholic.

Another daughter of Bernard McGough and Lucy Whalen was born in about 1881. Here is a report of her marriage on September 29, 1908: "18891-08 Francis Joseph KIRLEY, 29, farmer, of Ops Tp., s/o Simon KIRLEY & Anne FLUREY, married Margaret McGEOUGH, 27, of Ops Tp., d/o Bernard McGEOUGH & Lucy WHALEN, witn: J. J. FLUREY & Lucy McGEOUGH both of Lindsay on Sept. 29, 1908 at Lindsay." Victoria Co., 1908.

Bernard McGeough, a widower, born in Ireland on October 13, 1834, a farmer, died at the age of 92 years, 1 month, on November 10, 1926, in Linday, Ontario. His parents were Michael McGeough and Rose Halton, both born in Ireland. He was buried in St. Mary's Cemetery. He had lived in Ontario for 81years. The informant was his son, Bernard McGeough, Jr., of Lindsay, with whom the father apparently had resided for the 8 years before his death. Ontario, Canada Deaths, 1869–1932 > Victoria > 1926 on Ancestry.com (Roll MS935_341).

Devereux traces title to a piece of land in Ops Township from a purchase by Michael in 1856, through a transfer to his son Bernard Sr. in 1876, through a transfer to his son Bernard Jr. in 1906, and ultimately to a sale by Bernard and Lucy McGeough and Bernard Jr. to Archibald Pogue in 1917. Bernard died about 1920 in Ontario.

Additional children of Michael McGough and Rosanna Halton shown by the records of St. Mary's Church in the village of Lindsay, township of Ops, Ontario, that are published in Devereux' book, are:

Mary McGeough, (spelled McGeogh in one record) who was born in Ireland on August 1, 1831. She married Michael Heslin on June 15, 1855. Michael Heslin was born in Belfast in 1825 and died in Chicago in 1905. (OneWorldTree on Ancestry.com) They moved to Chicago from Canada in 1901. She died in Chicago, Illinois, on September 3, 1911. Beth Heinrich is a descendant of Mary McGough.

Margaret Ellen McGeough, born in Ireland in 1838, was confirmed at age 20 on November 10, 1858, and married Bartholomew Fitzsimmons on September 8, 1861, in Lindsay, Ontario. Bartholomew and Margaret McGeough Fitzsimmons moved to Wisconsin sometime before 1870. [Familysearch.com lists her as Margaret McGeogh, born in Ireland about 1834, and her death at an unrecorded time in Lindsay, Victoria County, Ontario.] The 1870 federal census of New Berlin, Waukesha county,Wisconsin, which is on the western edge of Milwaukee, and more than 200 miles southeast of Eau Claire, lists Bartholomew Fitzsimonds, age 52, a farm laborer, born in Ireland, a citizen of the United States who could read but not write, is listed as living with his wife, Margaret Fitsimonds, age 31, born in Ireland, who was "keeping house," and who could neither read nor write. (1870 U.S. Census, Waukesha County, Wisconsin (town of New Berlin) National Archives microfilm M-59, Roll 1743, page 334, line 27.) Margaret divorced Bartholomew in Eau Claire County Circuit Court in 1880—because of his habitual drunkenness and failure to support her; "the defendant has not purchased the plaintiff one article of clothing, except one calico dress, in eight years last past ... " At the time of the divorce, Margaret was working as a cook in the boarding house of the Northwestern Lumber Company in Porterville. She had also worked as a cook at logging camps in the woods. At the time of divorce, she and Bartholomew had no living children. In her divorce papers, she says she was 39 years old, which would make the year of her birth 1841, rather than 1838. She was married a second time in Eau Claire to Michael Keane, a laborer, born in Canada, on February 12, 1881, in a civil ceremony in Flanagan’s restaurant. (Eau Claire County Register of Deeds-Marriages, volume 1, page 420, #1722). The marriage is listed in the Wisconsin Pre-1907 Marriage Index. The marriage records show Margaret's parents to be Michael McGough and Rosa Ann Halton of Canada.

Rosanah (Rose) McGeough, born in Ireland in 1842, was confirmed in Lindsay at age 16 on November 10, 1858. The records of St. Mary's Church in Lindsay show that Peter Brady and Rosanna McGough, daughter of Michael McGough and Rosanna Halton, were married on February 3, 1861. They moved to Chicago. Beth Heinrich tells me that, after the untimely death of Peter Brady in Chicago, Rosanah returned to her parents' home in Lindsay, Ontario, and stayed there with her two young children for a short time. Her older daughter, Catherine (Kitty) Brady was born in 1861, and married a McHenry. A younger daughter, whose first name is unknown, was born in 1866. The 1881 Canadian census shows a Roseanna McGeough, age 15 and born in the United States, as the only person residing with Michael McGeough, age 77, and Rose McGeough, age 67. The census return shows that Roseanna was going to school. Perhaps this was the younger daughter of Rosanah and Peter Brady. Rosanah was in Ontario when her father died in 1881. She returned to Chicago where she married Thomas Mulvaney in 1918, and lived in Chicago until her death there in 1921.

Thomas McGough, born in 1843 or 1844, was confirmed at age 15 on November 10, 1858. He was one year old at the time of the family's emigration from Ireland. Thomas emigrated from Canada to the US, through New York, in 1861, and was naturalized a US citizen on October 31, 1872. I believe that this is the Thomas McGough who married Ellen Kidd and moved to Eau Claire sometime before 1866. Beth also says that a relative of hers, who is now approaching her 102nd birthday, remembers visiting Thomas' son, Thomas Jr. in Minnesota, in the early 1920's. Thomas Jr. was married to Julia, and they had a daughter, Cora. Thomas died in about 1925.

John Joseph McGough, born on June 2, 1850 (or possibly in 1849) in Lindsay, Ontario, was also confirmed on November 10, 1858. Although the confirmation records give the ages shown above for his older brother and sisters, no age is given for John. Other information indicates that he was 8 years old when confirmed with his brothers and sisters. This is the John McGough who moved from Lindsay, Ontario, to Eau Claire, Wisconsin, in 1866 when he was 16 or 17 years old. His age matches the birth date of John Joseph McGough shown in the Wisconsin federal census of 1900. He died in Eau Claire on July 31, 1925, and is buried in Saint Patrick's cemetery (see below).

An Internet message, posted by Beth Heinrich on July 29, 1999, helps fill in the gaps. It confirms the names of the six children listed above and adds four more: Catherine, James, Michael and Daniel, and says that Catherine and James were twins:

"I'm currently researching my Gggreat grandfather, Michael McGeough, who came to Port Hope, Canada in 1843 [later corrected to 1845] at the age of 40. Along with him were his wife, Rose (Haulton) and several children. They had ten in all: Bernard, Catherine, Margaret Ellen, James, Rose, Mary, Thomas, John, Daniel and Michael. The family settled in the Lindsay, Ontario area where Michael and Rose are buried."

Catherine McGeough, born in 1852 in Ontario, died in 1911 in Ontario. Catherine and James were twins. [This is the Catherine McGeough who married Patrick Francis Fitzimmons. Catherine McGeogh, age 24, a resident of Lindsay, born in Port Hope in about 1852, daughter of Michael McGeogh and Ann Halton, married Patrick Fitzsimmons, age 24, a farmer, a resident of Ops, born in Ops, and son of Patrick Fitzsimmons and Mary Powers, in Lindsay on January 10, 1876, according to Ontario, Canada Marriages, 1857–1924, on Ancestry. com. Both the bride and the groom were Roman Catholic. Witnesses were John McGeough and Catherine Harlin. (County of Victoria marriage certificate #10859.) Peterborough Co., 1906 on the website of Ontario Marriage Registrations, reports this marriage: "016559-06 Michael Edward Fitsimmons 23, wire inspector, Ops Twp, Peterboro s/o Patrick Francis Fitzsimmons and Catharine McGeough, married Margaret Lorette Lynch, 24, Peterboro, same d/o James Lynch and Mary Ann Hobin, witness – James Fitzsimmons and Rose Maud Fitzsimmons, January 1, 1906, Peterboro." This is almost certainly not the Catherine McGeough who married Daniel Dutton. On November 29, 1882, in a Catholic ceremony in Lindsay, Ontario. Catherine Dutton, age 22, the daughter of Daniel Dutton and Catherine McGeough, married Francis Finnegan, age 27, the son of James Finnegan & Agnes Hutton, a widower and a farmer of Ops. Marriages in Ontario, 1800–1924. The Catharine McGeough who married Daniel Dutton was born in 1819 in Ireland. The 1881 Ontario Census of Mariposa South (Mariposa township adjoins Ops to the west), Victoria county, Ontario, lists the following:

Daniel Dutton, age 64, born in England, shoemaker, Roman Catholic. [He was 55 in the 1871 census.]

Catherine Dutton, age 62, born in Ireland Roman, Catholic.

Catherine Dutton, age 18, born in Ontario, Roman Catholic.

Margret Dutton, age 17, born in Ontario, Roman Catholic.]

Pearl De Maere called my attention to these additional marriages of children of Daniel Dutton and Catharine McGeough:

On October 8, 1877, at Lindsay, John James DUTTON, age 23, a farmer of Mariposa, Besanguette, s/o Daniel DUTTON & Catherine McGEOUGH, married Susan CREIGHTON, age 29. of Darlington, Lindsay, d/o Barnabas CREIGHTON & Rose COX. Witn: Charles DUTTON & L. CREIGHTON both of Mariposa. October 8, 1877, Lindsay RC. 010531-77. Victoria Co., 1877.

On November 8, 1877, at Lindsay, Robert GARDNER, age 22, a laborer of Whitby, Mariposa, s/o Robert GARDNER & Ann DAVIS, married Mary Ann DUTTON, 28, Mariposa, same, d/o Daniel DUTTON & Catherine McGEOUGH; witnesses were Bartholomew FARRELL & Catherine DUTTON, both of Lindsay. #010522-77. Victoria Co., 1877.]

James Edwin McGeough, born in 1852 (or 1853) in Ontario. A twin of Catherine. This is almost certainly the James McGeough found in the Canadian County Atlas Digital Project:

James Edwin McGeough, born on January 22, 1853, in Lindsay, Victoria county, Ontario, to Michael McGogh and Rose Halton, married Elizabeth Regan on September 20, 1887, in Orillia township (Registration Number 39327; Archives of Ontario Microfilm 58, Ontario, Canada Marriages, 1857–1922 on Ancestry.com. He was married a second time to Mary Catherine McRae on June 5, 1899, in St Joseph, Beaverton, Ontario, Canada. OneWorldFamilyTree.

James E. McGeough, a widower, born on June 13 (1850?) in Port Hope Ontario to Michael McGough and Rose Halton, both born in Ireland, a harnessmaker, died at Mercy Hospital in Toronto of a cerebral hemorhage on December 27, 1931, at the age of 81. He had been a resident of Toronto for 1 year. The name of the informant was James' brother, W. D. McGeough. He was buried at St. Michael's on December 31, 1931. #008192, Ontario, Canada Deaths, 1869–1932 > York > 1931 on Ancestry.com.

Michael McGeough, born in 1855 in Lindsay, Ontario; died on August 31, 1927, in Lindsay. (The Lindsay and Onemee, Ontario, census of 1901, published on Ancestry.com, gives his birth date as December 23, 1851.) His name appears on the gravestone of his father, Michael McGeough. The inscription recites that he died on August 31, 1927, at the age of 73. [Michael H. McGeough, who was born in Port Hope, Ontario, on December 23, 1852 (?), the son of Michael McGeough and Rose Halton, both of whom were born in Ireland, died of carcinoma of the stomach on August 31, 1927, in Lindsay, at age 74. He was married and living at 56 Simcoe Street, Lindsay. He was a contractor who had resided in Ontario for all of his 74 years, and in Lindsay for 50 years. His death was reported by his daughter, Reverend Sister Rose Marie, of St. Mary's Convent, Peterboro. He was buried in St. Mary's Cemetery in Ops township on September 2, 1927. #032914, Ontario, Canada Deaths, 1869–1932 > Victoria > 1927.] The 1881 Canadian census shows Michael living with his wife, Secilian (Cecilia Powers), and two daughters, Rosa M., age 3, and Margaret, age 1. Also living with them is James Omelia, age 7, whom the census form shows as "adopted." The 1901 census for Lindsay County shows a Michael McGough with a birth date of December 23, 1851, in Ontario. His wife is shown as Cecilia, who was born in Ontario on August 15, 1852. Living with them were four of their children, all born in Ontario: Rose M. McGough, born on April 10, 1879; Margaret McGough, born on May 1, 1881; Joseph McGough, born on May 10, 1884 (Joseph McGough was born to Michael McGough, farmer, and Cecilia Powers in Ops township, Victoria county, on May 10, 1882. #034004, Ontario, Canada Births, 1869–1907 > Victoria > 1882 on Ancestry.com.); and Michael McGough, born July 9, 1886. The birth date of Michael McGough, July 9, 1886, is the same as shown by the Lindsay and Omemee, Ontario, Census of 1901, as published on Ancestry.com.

Daniel McGeough, born in 1856 in Ontario. (OneWorldFamilyTree)

Bridget McGeough and Her Four Sons

The immediate ancestors of Phyllis McGeough Devereux were Bernard (Bryan) McGough and Catherine Kernaghan (Herneghan?) McGough who emigrated from county Monaghan to Lindsay, Ontario, in 1833, twelve years before Michael McGough and Rose Halton McGough made the same move. The information that Phyllis McGeough provides about the family of Michael McGough and Rose Halton is incidental to the main purpose of her book, which was to trace her own McGeough family from Clontibret Parish in county Monaghan to Lindsay, Ontario, to Winnebago County, Illinois; to Painted Creek township in Allamakee County, Iowa; to the town of Ackley in Franklin County, Iowa; and to Willow Lake, South Dakota, among other places. For information on the first McGough family to make the move from Ireland, and a family tradition that four brothers moved from Ireland to Lindsay, Ontario, with their mother, see: Bernard McGough and Catherine Kernaghan of Lindsay, Ontario, and Allamakee County, Iowa

Thomas McGough and Ellen Kidd

Thomas McGough, was born in 1843 or 1844, in the parish of Magheracloone, county Monaghan, Ireland. He was the son of Michael McGough and Rose Halton. Thomas was one year old at the time of the family's emigration from Ireland to Lindsay, Ontario. Thomas emigrated from Canada to the US, through New York, in 1861, moved to Eau Claire, Wisconsin, probably shortly after 1861, and filed a declaration of intent to become a US citizen on October 31, 1872, in Eau Claire. His declaration says he was born in 1844.

Thomas McGough was married to Ellen (sometimes Emma) Kidd (or Kitt) (1842–1892), who was also born in Ireland. That the first born son of Thomas and Ellen McGough was named John McGough, and my great-grandmother, Catherine Fitzpatrick McGough, was the godmother at John McGough's baptism in Eau Claire on May 1, 1866, supports my hypothesis that Thomas McGough was related to my great-grandfather, John McGough. Interment records of Thomas McGough at St. Patrick's cemetery in Eau Claire shows the span of his life as 1825–1897. He was actually born in 1843 or 1844. The cemetery records show that Thomas and Ellen are interred in the McGue lot and the spelling of the names as Thomas McGue and Ellen McGue.

The family of Thomas and Ellen McGue is probably the family listed in the 1870 census of Wisconsin, town of Eau Claire (page 251), as follows: Thomas McGue, age 36, laborer, born in Ireland; Helen McGue, age 20, "keeping home," born in Ireland; John McGue, age 4, born in Wisconsin; Jane McGue, age 2, born in Wisconsin; Helen McGue, age 1, born in Wisconsin. The census notes that neither Thomas nor his wife could read or write. (They were living one house removed from the family of Phillip Fitzpatrick.)

The 1880 federal census spells the surname McGough, shows Thomas' age as 40, and says that he was living with his wife Emma, age 39. Emma should probably be Ellen, who was born Ellen Kidd (or Kitt) in about 1847 (or 1842 according to cemetery records). Upon the marriage of Thomas' son, John McGue, to Murtee Morehouse in Eau Claire on October 6, 1889, John's parents were shown as Thomas and Ellen McGue. Probate of Thomas McGough's estate in 1897 shows that he was survived by a widow, Ellen, age 50. The estate papers spell the name as McGeough. A "Mrs. Thomas McGough" died in Eau Claire on October 11, 1897, according to the Wisconsin Pre-1907 Death Index. The entry should have read Mr. Thomas McGough. There is no other entry for his death which occurred in 1897. Thomas McGue (1825–1897) and Ellen McGue (1842–1892) are buried side by side in St. Patrick's Cemetery, Eau Claire.

The 1880 census return for Eau Claire shows: Thomas McGough, age 40, born in Ireland, laborer, father and mother born in Ireland; Emma McGough, wife, age 39, born in Ireland, keeping house, father and mother born in Ireland; John McGough, son, age 15, born in Wisconsin, "boot black"; Mary Ann McGough, daughter, age 12, born in Wisconsin; Maggie J. McGough, daughter, age 11, born in Wisconsin; Rosa McGough, daughter, age 10, born in Wisconsin; Sarah McGough, daughter, age 6, born in Wisconsin; Thomas McGough, son, age 4, born in Wisconsin; and Ellen McGough, daughter, age 1, born in Wisconsin.

The principle residence of the Thomas and Ellen McGough family in Eau Claire was at 1203 South Dewey Street. The Eau Claire City Directory, 1880 shows Thomas McGeogh, a laborer for E. C. Lumber Co., residing at the southeast corner of Dewey and Washington (1203 South Dewey.) An Ella McGough is listed as a domestic for W. H. Wyant. The Eau Claire Directory, 1887–88 and the Eau Claire City Directory, 1893–94, also show Thomas McGough, a laborer, as residing at 1203 South Dewey.

Ellen McGough died in 1892. Miscellaneous records of Eau Claire County, for which I do not have dates, show her younger children to be heirs: Kate McGough (aka Thistle), heirship, file #12784; Mamie McGough (Mary Ann), heirship, file #12785; Sarah McGough (aka McGue), heirship, file #12786; Thomas McGough, life estate, file #12787; Thomas McGough, heirship, file #12788; Ellen McGough (aka McGue), heirship, file #12789. Beth Heinrich says that a relative of hers, who is now approaching her 102nd birthday, remembers visiting Thomas' son, Thomas Jr., in Minnesota, in the early 1920's. Thomas Jr. was married to Julia, and they had a daughter, Cora. Thomas died in about 1925.

The 1870 federal census of Wisconsin also shows another Thomas McGue, age 50, who was working in a saw mill, living in what appears to be a dormitory arrangement with several other saw mill workers (mostly Norwegians) in West Eau Claire (page 352). No family is shown for this Thomas McGue.

Children of Thomas McGough and Ellen Kidd

All the children of Thomas and Ellen McGough were born in Eau Claire. Children shown by the 1880 federal census, the probate papers of Thomas McGough's estate, and other documents, are:

John McGough (1866–1900?), shown as age 15 in the 1880 federal census. Local records show that John McGough was born on May 1, 1866 to Thomas and Ellen McGough (born Kidd or Kitt), and was baptized May 5, 1866. One of the sponsors at the baptism was Katherine McGough. The church records show the names in Latin, where Catherine always seems to be spelled with a "K", and this Katherine McGough was almost certainly Catherine Fitzpatrick McGough, my great-grandmother. (A second sponsor at the baptism was Michael Murray. Three months earlier, on February 1, 1866, an Andrew McGough was a sponsor at the baptism of John Murray, son of Michael and Rosa Murray.) The Eau Claire Directory, 1887–88 lists a John McGough, a hostler for H. M. Jones & Co., as residing at 1203 South Dewey along with John's father, Thomas McGough, a laborer. John McGue, a hack driver and son of Thomas and Ellen McGue, was married to Murtee Morehouse in a civil ceremony in Eau Claire on October 6, 1889. The Eau Claire City Directory, 1893–94 shows John McGough, the son of Thomas and Ellen McGough, a hack driver, residing at 1203 South Dewey with his father and with no reference to Murtee. The interment records of St. Patrick's Church in Eau Claire shows a John McGue who died at age 33 on July 15, 1900, and this John McGough seems to be the most likely candidate.

Mary Ann McGough (1868–1941?), shown as age 12 in the 1880 federal census; shown as Mary, age 27, in the probate of her father's estate in about 1897. Mary is the Mamie McGough shown as an heiress by miscellaneous Eau Claire records, file #12785, for which I do not have a date. She may be the Mary McGough listed in the Eau Claire Obituary Search Engine who was born on September 12, 1876, died on July 29, 1941, and is buried in St. Patrick's cemetery.

Maggie I. (or J., probably for Jane) McGough (1869–), shown as age 11 in the 1880 federal census. The Eau Claire City Directory, 1893–94 shows a Maggie McGough at 1203 South Dewey Street. The Wisconsin Pre-1907 Marriage Index shows a marriage of a Maggie J. McGue on July 18, 1895, in Chippewa County. The Eau Claire City Directory, 1893–94 shows a Maggie McGough as a domestic at 807 Porter Avenue. The records of the probate of her father's estate, about 1897, shows her name as Margaret Eggleston. [In 1900, a Maggie McGough, age 27, was boarding in Douglas County, Wisconsin, with her brother-in-law, Thomas Tangney. The county seat of Douglas County is the city of Superior, Wisconsin, about 250 miles north of Eau Claire. This Maggie McGough was born in Iowa in March (possibly May of 1873) to a father born in Ireland and a mother born in Canada. This person may be the Margaret McGough who was born to Francis McGeough and Bridget Murphy McGeough in Allamakee, Iowa. Her actual birth year was probably in 1865. See Bernard McGough and Catherine Kernaghan of Lindsay, Ontario, and Allamakee County, Iowa, under Bernard's Brother Francis.

Rosa McGough (1870–), shown as age 10 in the 1880 federal census. The Eau Claire City Directory, 1893-94 shows a Rosa McGough at 1203 South Dewey Street. She is shown as Rose, age 25, in the about-1897 probate of her father's estate. A Miss Rose McGough is shown as living with Thomas McGough at 1203 Dewey Street by the 1910 Eau Claire Directory. They were brother and sister.

Sarah McGough (1874–1904?), age 6 in 1880. A Sarah McGough died in Eau Claire of consumption on March 5, 1893, but she must have been a different Sarah. This Sarah McGeough was shown as alive and 23 years old in the probate of her father's estate about 1897. She may be the Sarah McGue who is shown as having died in Eau Claire on March 5, 1904 by the Wisconsin Pre-1907 Death Index. Sarah is shown as an heiress by miscellaneous Eau Claire County record #12786, which notes "AKA McGue."

Thomas McGough (1876–), age 4 in 1880. The Eau Claire City Directory, 1893–94 shows Thomas McGough Jr. as residing with his father at 1203 South Dewey Street. The 1905 state census shows a Tom McGough, age 27. A Thomas McGough (barkeeper) is shown as living with Miss Rose McGough at 1203 Dewey Street by the 1910 Eau Claire Directory. They were brother and sister.

Ellen McGough (1879–), age 1 in 1880. Not listed in the probate papers of her father's estate about 1897. Listed as an heiress in miscellaneous file #12789 of Eau Claire County.

Children born after the 1880 federal census were:

Emma McGough (1882–1918?). An Emma McGue was married in Chippewa County, Wisconsin, on October 11, 1902 according to the Wisconsin Pre-1907 Marriage Index. An Emma McGue Pope (August 5, 1880–November 5, 1918) is buried with the Pope family in Lakeview cemetery, Eau Claire.

Kate McGough (1884–). Miscellaneous Eau Claire files, for which I do not have a date, show Kate as an heir, and notes "AKA Thistle."

The Eau Claire City Directory, 1893–94, lists Clara McGough and Mamie McGough as borders at the Thomas McGough home at 1203 South Dewey. Clara is Sarah, and Mamie is Mary Ann, children listed immediately above, neither of whom is otherwise listed in that directory. The 1910 Directory of Eau Claire shows an Evelyn McGough (student) as residing with Miss Rose McGough and Thomas McGough (barkeeper) at 1203 Dewey Street. Thomas and Rose are children of Thomas and Ellen McGough. Could Evelyn be an additional child of Thomas and Ellen McGough, or a child of their son Thomas? She appears in neither the census records nor the probate papers of the estate of Thomas McGough.

John Joseph McGough and Rosanna Mooney

John Joseph McGough was born in Lindsay, Ontario, Canada on June 2, 1850, and died in Eau Claire, Wisconsin on July 31, 1925. He came to the United States from Ontario in 1866 or 1867, according to the 1900 Wisconsin federal census. His naturalization papers, filed in Eau Claire County, Wisconsin, on April 3, 1871, say he was born in Canada in 1849 and entered the US at Detroit in August, 1866. His declaration of intent to become a citizen was signed John J. Mcgeough, but the indexes and other documents all say McGough. The censuses say his parents were born in Ireland. The 1900 federal census shows his month of birth as June, 1850, and his age, on June 4, 1900, as 49.

The 1880 Wisconsin federal census shows that John McGough, age 30, was a farmer in the town of Union, Eau Claire County; that he was born in Canada; and that his father and mother were born in Ireland. The census shows that John was married to Rosanna (1850–September 30, 1884), age 30, that she was born in Wisconsin, and that her parents were born in Ireland. Since their oldest child was born in 1873, John and Rosanna were probably married in about 1872. The 1880 federal census shows that Mary Mooney, age 70, mother-in-law of John J. McGough, was living with John J. and Rosanna Mooney McGough. Here is an electronic transcript of information in the 1880 census return of Eau Claire:

John McGough, age 30, born in Canada, farmer, father and mother born in Ireland; Rosanna McGough, wife, age 30, born in Wisconsin, keeping house, father and mother born in Ireland; John E. McGough, son, age 7, born in Wisconsin; Hugh F. McGough, age 5, born in Wisconsin; Rosemary McGough, daughter, age, born in Wisconsin; Elizabeth McGough, daughter, age 1, born in Wisconsin; Mary Mooney, mother-in-law, age 70, born in Ireland, father and mother born in Ireland.

Living next door to the family of John and Rosanna McGough at the time of the 1880 census were Daniel and Ann McManus. The maiden name of Ann McManus was McGough. She was almost certainly the daughter of Andrew and Elizabeth McGough of St. Clair township, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania.

Rosanna Mooney was probably the daughter of Hugh and Mary Mooney. The 1860 federal census of Wisconsin, Eau Claire County, Half Moon township (page 142) lists this family: Hugh Mooney, age 52, a farmer with land worth $5200 and personal property worth $300, born in Ireland; Margaret A. Mooney, age 52, born in Ireland (who later appears as Mary); William T. Mooney, age 20, a farm laborer, born in Pennsylvania; James, age 17, a farm laborer born in Pennsylvania, and Rosanna, age 11, born in Wisconsin. This Rosanna married John Joseph McGough about 1872. About ten years earlier, in 1863, in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, Rosanna's older brother, William T. Mooney, probably had married Rosannah Fitzpatrick, the sister of my great-grandmother, Catharine Fitzpatrick McGough. See McGoughs and McGues in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, 1856–1906.

At the time of the 1900 federal census, this John McGough family was renting a house at 625 Union Street. John is listed as a stonemason who had been, unemployed for two out of the last twelve months. The Eau Claire City Directory, 1893–94, lists John J. McGough, a mason, residing at 625 Union.

Children of John Joseph McGough and Rosanna Mooney were:

John Edward McGough (April 20,1873–April 3, 1915) is shown as 7 years old in the 1880 federal census. John’s mother died on September 30, 1884. His father remarried in a Catholic ceremony on May 21, 1890, and possibly in an earlier civil ceremony on October 6, 1889. John, his younger brother Hugh, and three younger sisters, Mary, Elizabeth and Anna, were not living with their father and stepmother at the time of the federal census of 1900. The Eau Claire City Directory, 1893–94 shows a John McGough, blacksmith for A. J. Bostwick, as a border at 202 Kelsey in Eau Claire. The interment records of St. Patrick's Church show that a John McGough, born in Wisconsin, died in Eau Claire of tuberculosis, at the age of 41, on April 3, 1915. [The 1900 census of Minneapolis, Hennepin county, Minnesota, lists a John F. McGough, born in Wisconsin in December, 1873, probably a different person. The 1910 census of Smoky Hollow township, Cass county, Minnesota, shows a John C. McGough, age 37, born in Wisconsin, single, whose parents were Canadian-Irish, a teamster, living in a boarding house in a construction camp.]

Hugh Francis McGough (August 3, 1874–December 23, 1898) is shown as 5 years old by the 1880 federal census. The Eau Claire City Directory, 1893–94 shows a Hugh McGough, a clerk at A. Frederickson, as residing at 625 Union, along with John J. McGough, a mason and, I assume, his stepmother. Hugh died in Drummond, Bayfield County, Wisconsin, on December 23, 1898. The probate of his estate shows that he was survived by his father John J., and by his siblings John E., Lizzie, and Mary. Neither his mother nor his sister Anna are named as survivors.

Mary McGough (or Rose Mary) (September 12, 1876–July 29, 1941) is shown as 3 years old by the 1880 federal census. The 1900 federal census shows Mary, age 23, as the head of a household in a rented house in Eau Claire with her sisters Lizzie, age 21, and Anna, age 19. Mary was listed as a dressmaker who had been unemployed for nine of the last twelve months. Her sisters Lizzie and Anna were both shown as day laborers who had been unemployed for six of the last twelve months. The three sisters resided in the same home with the family of Michael and Margan Meagher. The 1905 state census shows Mary, Lizzie, and Anna back at the home of their father. Mary is there listed as a dressmaker with no unemployment during the past twelve months. In the 1910 census of the 6th Ward of Eau Claire, Mary R. McGough, age 32, single, a dress maker "working out" is living on Oxford Avenue, with her father, John J. McGough, his wife Rose A. McGough, and 5 children of her father's second marriage.

Elizabeth H. McGough (Lizzie) (October 1, 1878–) is shown as 1 year old by the 1880 federal census. She married Patrick Gaffney in Eau Claire on November 12, 1906, according to Brides of Eau Claire Co., Wis., 1854–1929 (Genealogical Research Society of Eau Claire, 1995). See: Brides and Grooms Index. They had two sons, James Hugh Gaffney (September 2, 1907–September 10, 1984) and Charles T. Gaffney (May 11, 1909–July, 1974).

Anna McGough (August, 1880–). In 1899, there is a record of a guardianship of Anna McGough, age 19, daughter of John J. and Rosanna McGough. The record notes that the mother, Rosanna, had died on September 30, 1884. The 1905 state census shows here name as Annie and that she was back in the home of her father. Her occupation is shown as dressmaker with no unemployment during the past twelve months. Anna married John McMahon on June 20, 1905. The marriage is shown in the Wisconsin Pre-1907 Marriage Index. They had two children, Catherine and Lucille McMahon.

Daniel McGough (1882–1883) is buried with Rosanna McGough, whose life span is shown as 1850–1884, in St. Patrick’s cemetery in Eau Claire. Since they are buried under a common monument, I assume that Daniel was a son of John J. and Rosanna Mooney McGough who died as an infant.

Rosanna Mooney McGough, the mother of the six children just listed, died on September 30, 1884, at the age of 34, and is buried at St. Patrick’s cemetery in Eau Claire, where her life span shown as 1850–1884. Find A Grave Memorial# 55527243. A document signed by John J. McGough on October 5, 1889, and filed in the probate of the estate of Rosanna McGough, shows her heirs as John (16), Hugh Francis (14), Rose Mary (12), Elizabeth H. (12) and Anna (8).

John Joseph McGough and Rosanna Ferrigan

A marriage of a John McGue is shown in Eau Claire on October 6, 1889, by the Wisconsin Pre-1907 Marriage Index. This is on the day following the filing of probate documents by John J. McGough in the estate of his first wife, Rosanna Mooney McGough, who had been dead for five years. This was probably a civil ceremony. Another index shows the date of the marriage as May 21, 1890. See: Brides and Grooms Index.

In what I assume to be a Catholic ceremony repeating the earlier civil ceremony, John McGough, a laborer born in Ontario, Canada, was married to Rosanna Ferrigan (May, 1860–August 2, 1929*) in a Catholic ceremony in Eau Claire on May 21, 1890. John McGough’s parents are listed as Michael and Rosa McGough, certainly the Michael McGough and Roseanna Halton of Lindsay, Ontario, discussed above. Rosanna is described as born in Eau Claire to William Ferrigan and Bridget McCormick. The Wisconsin Pre-1907 Marriage Index shows the marriage of John McGough on May 21, 1890.

*The Eau Claire Obituary Search Engine shows that Rosanna McGough, wife of John McGough, died on March 1, 1929.

The children born to John Joseph McGough and Rosanna Ferrigan (or Rosa, Rose Ann, )who are listed in Wisconsin, Births and Christenings Index, 1826–1908, on Ancestry.com (FHL Film Numbers 1302868–9) are:

____ McGough, female, born August 13, 1892 in Eau Claire. (May be Catherine or Katie McGough, who birth date is usually stated as February 1891.

____ McGough, male, born October 12, 1894, in Eau Claire. (Probably William T. McGough who died within three weeks of his birth - on November 2, 1894)

Michael Lee (Leo) McGough, born May 5, 1898, in Eau Claire.

Frances McGough, female, born April 10, 1900, in Eau Claire.

Irene McGough, born May 2, 1901, in Eau Claire.

Margaret Lucile McGough, born March 20, 1904, in Eau Claire.

In the 1900 federal census, John McGough is shown as living with his wife, Rosanne, in a rented house in the city of Eau Claire. John's birth date is given as June, 1850, and his age is shown as 49. His year of immigration to the United States is given as 1867 and the number of years in the United States as 32. In a column under the heading "Naturalization" is the entry "Pa." His occupation is listed as "Stone Mason." Rosanne's birth date is given as May, 1860, her age as 40, and her birth place as Wisconsin. Her parents' birth places are listed as Ireland. The "number of years married" is listed as 10 for both John and Rosanne. Rosanne is listed as the mother of four children, all living. The 4 was written on top of and replaced an underlying 6. Both John and Rosanne are listed as being able to read, write and speak English. Only three children are listed as living in the household. The names in the census report are the names that I show in parenthesis below: Katie, Lottie, and Leo. All surnames are spelled McGough.

Catherine (Katie) McGough, born in February, 1891, died June 23, 1912, in Minnesota. Shown as age 9 in the 1900 census.

Charlotte Mary (Lottie) McGough, born in December 11, 1895. Shown as age 4 in the 1900 census. Married Otto Robert Biegel on November 24, 1921 and had several children. Died on July 09, 1935 in Boyd, Wisconsin.

Michael (Leo) McGough, born May 5, 1898. Shown as age 2 in the 1900 census. Married Osa Everson on July 17, 1941. Died on February 25, 1967, in Eau Claire. Buried in Lakeview Cemetery. See: The Eau Claire Obituary Search Engine. Michael L. McGough, was born in Eau Claire on May 5, 1898, and died there in 1967, according to the Social Security Death Index. His Social Security number was 390–01–2759. His birth is recorded in the Wisconsin Pre-1907 Birth Index. Osa Everson McGough was born on May 23, 1897, issued SS #391–10–7934 in Wisconsin, and died in Eau Claire in March, 1989, according to the Social Security Death Index. The Index to Eau Claire Co. Area Obituaries and Death Notices, volume 1 (Genealogical Research Society of Eau Claire) shows Osa McGough with a date of death at ager 91 (or perhaps the date of the obituary) of March 21, 1989, and burial in Lake View Cemetery.

Five other children of John Joseph McGough and Rosanna Ferrigan McGough do not show up in the 1900 census. Two had died. Three were born after the census was taken.

Here is a lsting of the family in the 1905 census of Eau Claire:

(1905) John McGough 64 (should be 54)

Rosan McGough 45

Mary McGough 28 - child of John McGough and his first wife, Rosanna Mooney.

Lizzie McGough 26 - child of John McGough and his first wife, Rosanna Mooney.

Annie McGough 24 - child of John McGough and his first wife, Rosanna Mooney.

Katie McGough 14 - child of John McGough and his second wife, Rosanna Ferrigan.

Lottie McGough 9 - child of John McGough and his second wife, Rosanna Ferrigan.

Leo McGough 7 - child of John McGough and his second wife, Rosanna Ferrigan.

Francis (should be Frances) McGough 5 - child of John McGough and his second wife, Rosanna Ferrigan.

Margaret McGough 1 - child of John McGough and his second wife, Rosanna Ferrigan.

William T. McGough, born October 12, 1894, in Eau Claire, died November 02, 1894, in Eau Claire. The Pre-1907 Death Index shows that a William McGough died in Eau Claire on November 1 or 2, 1894.

Frances B. McGough, born April 10, 1900, in Eau Claire. Married Harold E. Halling (1895–1970) on November 21, 1921, and had several children. She died April 13, 1993 in Minnesota. The Brides of Eau Claire Co., Wis., 1854–1929 (Genealogical Research Society of Eau Claire, 1995) records a marriage of Frances McGough to Harold E. Halling on December 1, 1921. The date in this source, however, is often the date of publication of a newspaper notice of a marriage. In the 1905 Wisconsin state census, the listing is for Francis, a son, age 5. This is the only Francis or Frances listed, and I assume the listing should be for Frances, a daughter.

Irene McGough,is shown by the Wisconsin Pre-1907 Birth Index as being born May 02, 1901, in Eau Claire. She died in Eau Claire on May 28, 1902. The Eau Claire Register of Deeds, volume 2, page 24, file no. 01497, shows her parent as John McGue, born in Ireland, and Margaret McGue, born in Wisconsin. The Margaret is a mistake, and should have been Rosanna. The Record of Internments of St. Patrick's Catholic Church in Eau Claire shows the death of Irene McGue on May 28, 1902, born in Wisconsin, at age 1. She married Alfred Pederson on July 3, 1926, and died in Eau Claire on December 3, 1982.

Margaret Lucille McGough, born March 20, 1904, in Eau Claire, married Alfred Ludwig Pederson (1903–1976) on July 3, 1926, and died December 03, 1982 in Eau Claire. Margaret shows up as age 1 in the 1905 Wisconsin census. The spelling of her name and all her family, once again, is McGough, not McGeough.

None of John Joseph McGough's children by his first marriage to Rosanna Mooney is shown as living with him in 1900. The 1900 federal census shows John J. McGough's three daughters by his previous marriage to Rosanna Mooney living together in a rented house, separate from their father and step-mother. Mary McGough, age 23 and a dressmaker, is shown as head of the household. Residing with her are her sisters Lizzie McGough, age 21, and Anna McGough, age 19, both day laborers. The marital status of all three is listed as single. The three McGough sisters were renting rooms in the home of Michael and Margan Meagher.

Michael Meagher was shown as age 50 in the 1900 federal census, and as having been born in Canada in December, 1849. He emigrated to the United States in 1875, was employed as a carpenter, and owned the house at 1007 Second Avenue in Eau Claire, free of any mortgage. His wife, Margan, was age 45 and born in Canada in October, 1854. Their oldest son, Francis, age 19, was born in Wisconsin in April, 1881. Their other children were Theresa, age 16, born in December, 1883; Mary, age 14, born in March of 1886; and Thomas J., age 12, born in July of 1887. The Meagher family is of interest because the mother of my great-grandmother was a Mahar (Meagher). Charles Campbell and Elizabeth Mahar Campbell moved from Levis, Quebec, to Eau Claire in about 1881 or 1882, and their daughter Mary Ann married my grandfather, Hugh McGough, in Eau Claire on July 2, 1890.

The 1905 Wisconsin state census shows two more children of John J. and Rosann McGough, in addition to Katie, Lottie and Leo, listed above, living with them at their home in Eau Claire:

Francis McGough, a son, born on April 10, 1900, listed as age 5 in the 1905 state census. The Wisconsin Pre-1907 Birth Index shows a Frances McGough born in Eau Claire on April 10, 1900. The 1910 census shows her as a daughter, Frances B. McGough, born in Wisconsin.

Margaret L. McGough born on March 20, 1904, listed as age 1 in the 1905 state census, age 1. The middle initial "L" is shown by the Wisconsin Pre-1907 Birth Index. She is listed in the 1910 census as Margaret L. McGough, age 6.

The 1905 state census shows the age of John McGough as 64 years old, but it should have been 54 since he was born on June 2, 1850. The John McGough listed as age 64 is the same John Joseph McGough whom we have been discussing. This John McGough was born in Canada. His parents were born in Ireland. His wife is listed as "Rosan," age 45, a reference to his second wife, Rosanna Ferrigan (1860–1929), not to be confused with his first wife Rosanna Mooney who had died on September 30, 1884. The McGoughs are shown as owning their home free of mortgage. The 1910 census shows the age of John J. McGough as 59, living with his family on Oxford Avenue, and working as a sexton in a cemetery.

The 1905 Wisconsin state census shows that John McGough’s three daughters by his first wife Rosanna Mooney had returned to reside with him and his second wife, Rosanna Ferrigan. Children in the household in 1905, all single, were three children by Rosanna Mooney: Mary McGough, age 28, a dressmaker; Lizzie McGough, age 26, occupation not shown; Annie McGough, age 24, Fijis (?) Dress; and five additional children by Rosanna Ferrigan: Katy McGough, age 14, student; Lottie McGough, age 9; Leo McGough, age 7; Francis McGough, age 5; Margaret McGough, age 1.

The interment records of St. Patrick's Church in Eau Claire show that John McGough died at age 75 on August 1, 1925. The family history shows July 31, 1925, as the date of death and I used that date above. The death of a Mrs. Rosanna McGough in Eau Claire is recorded in 1929, and it is safe to assume that this was Rosanna Ferrigan, and the same person as the Mrs. John McGough shown by other records as having died in Eau Claire at age 68 on August 2, 1929. The cause of death was listed as "old age." Family records, however, list her date of death in Eau Claire as March 1, 1929. The Eau Claire Obituary Search Engine shows that Rosanna McGough, wife of John McGough, died on March 1, 1929, at age 68.

Patrick McGough and Ann McAneany

In emails of March 24, 2004, and the following days, Pearl De Maere of Calgary, Alberta, suggests that a Patrick McGeogh in Lindsay, Ontario, who married Ann McNeeny,* was a brother of the Michael McGough who married Rose Halton. She suggests that this Patrick McGeogh followed his brother from Ireland to Lindsay, Ontario, in 1846, the year after Michael emigrated. She is probably right. The name of Patrick McGough is on the 1832 Tithe Applotment Books of the townland of Crumlin, parish of Magheracloone, county Monaghan.

Michael was born in 1804 and Patrick was probably born shortly afterwards. They both emigrated from the same part of county Magheracloone to the same place, and in successive years.

*The name was more likely Ann McAneany. There was a James McAneany in the townland of Crumlin in the parish of Magheracloone, county Monaghan, in Griffith's Valuation of 1861, and several more McAneanys in nearby townlands. The flax grower's lists of 1796 show that McAneany is an old Monaghan name. (Peter McGeough married Anne McEneaney (1846–1910) in about 1872 at Taplagh Church, Broomfield, Donahmoyne parish, county Monaghan. They had six children, several of whom emigrated to Elmira and Binghamton, New York. See my page: McGoughs, McGeoughs, and McGeoghs in the Civil Parish of Donaghmoyne and the Barony of Farney.)

Patrick McGeogh, his wife, and his family arrived in Montreal in 1846 according to "Names of Emigrants" from the 1845–1847 Records of James Allison, Emigrant Agent at Montreal." Ottawa, ON: Irish Research Group, Ottawa Branch, Ontario Genealogical Society, 1994. 112p., page 39, on Ancestry.com. (Source Information: Gale Research. Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s-1900s [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2009. Original data: Filby, P. William, ed.. Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s-1900s. Farmington Hills, MI, USA: Gale Research, 2009.) There was a male and female adult, one child 3 to 12, and two "free" children. Their destination was listed as Toronto.* The record is headed "Gov't Emigration Office, Quebec— June 2d, 1846— List of destitute Emigrants forwarded to Montreal per Steamer Lord Sydenham this date."

*On a handwritten list on Ancestry.com, the destination is listed as Bytown, the old name for Ottawa. Records of James Allison, Emigrant Agent At Montreal, 1846–1849, page 374.

The Lord Sydenham was a steam vessel that transported passengers between Quebec and Montreal. On about Saturday, July 16, 1847, an "extraordinary" of the Canada Gazette was issued with a "Bye-Law, as sanctioned by His Excellency, of the Montreal Trinity House, regulating the number of emigrants or passengers to be carried by the steamers between Quebec and Montreal," which read in part:

"Secondly, That no one of the following Steam Vessels now usually plying on the River St. Lawrence between Quebec and Montreal, namely: The "Montreal," "Quebec," "John Munn," "Queen," "Canada," "Alliance," and "Lord Sydenham," shall, within the said Port of Montreal, carry more than six hundred Emigrants or Passengers other than Cabin Passengers, at any one time, under a penalty of five hundred pounds, currency, for each and every offence."

The purpose was probably to reduce crowding of ships by Irish famine immigrants, and therefore to reduce the spread of disease.

Pearl De Maere also called my attention to this entry, under Drumerlough Beg, on my page McGoughs, McGeoughs, and McGeoghs in the Civil Parish of Donaghmoyne and the Barony of Farney:

The townland of Drumerlough Beg is in the parish of Magheracloone, immediately north of the eastern part of the townland of Crumlin.

Patrick McGeogh is shown by the rental records of the Shirley estate for November 1848 as holding land in "Dromurloghbeg W." The half year's rental of £2.3.6 due on November 1, 1848, was paid on February 16, 1850. Patrick McGeogh's name is lined through on the rent book, and a change of tenant made to Laurence Hand in March, 1850 (PRONI D/3531/R/7/5). This is probably the same Patrick McGeogh (#435) shown by the Tithe Applotment Books as holding land in the townland of Crumlin in 1832.

Pearl De Maere suggests, again I think correctly, that this is additional evidence that the Patrick McGough listed in the townland of Drumerlough Beg in the parish of Magheracloone was the Patrick McGough who moved to Canada in 1846. The rent-book entries probably lagged behind the actual change in tenancy.

Pearl De Maere also suggests that the Patrick McGough shown by the Tithe Applotment Books to have resided in 1832 in the townland of Crumlin, parish of Magheracloone, county Monaghan—the same place from where Michael McGough came—is also the Patrick McGough who emigrated. See line #435 in my table on my web page: McGoughs, McGeoughs, and McGeoghs in Ireland in the 1820–30s and 1850–60s: By County, Parish, and Townland. Although I had originally said in my web page that the Patrick McGough in the townland of Crumlin and the Patrick McGeogh in the adjoining townland of Drumerlough Beg were probably the same person, I have changed the probably to may be. There is an equal possibility that there were two Patricks who were father and son, and the Patrick McGough in Crumlin in 1832 may have been the father of both the Michael and Patrick McGough/McGeogh who emigrated to Ontario in 1845 and 1846. In any event, I am convinced that the Michael and Patrick McGough/McGeoghs who emigrated to Lindsay, Ontario, in 1845 and 1846, were brothers.

Some of the information below is taken from McGeough—The Story of an Irish Family by Phyllis McGeough Devereux and her section on "St. Mary's Church Records" on page 37. Devereux mentions that, in 1855, a Patrick McGugh sold pine for a new Catholic church in Lindsay. (page 36). On November 26, 1855, Margaret McGeogh, the daughter of Patrick McGeogh and Ann McAneany (or Anne Nary)*, married David Stephenson, in St. Mary's Church, Lindsay (Devereux, page 37). The marriage on November 26, 1855 of Margaret McGeogh, born in Ireland about 1834, and David Stephenson, at Lindsay, Victoria county, Ontario, is also recorded under "Search for Ancestors" (under Ancestral File) on the Family Search website of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. David Stephenson was born in Cork, Ireland, about 1829. His parents were Oliver Stephenson and Margaret Gahey. Margaret McGeogh Stephenson died in Lindsay, in August of 1873. David Stephenson married Mary Ann Moran in Lindsay on February 17, 1874.

*More common forms of the surname McNeeny (if it is a surname) are McAneany and McEneany. In Ireland, the surname is most common in county Monaghan. See Irish Ancestors. Ann McAneany McGeogh emigrated from county Monaghan.

Here are some quotations from Pearl De Maere's emails (with minor editing):

"We were able to find the baptism for seven children of David Stephenson and Margaret McGeogh in the same parish register. They were: Mary Margaret 1856, Patrick 1862 born August 1861] another Mary Margaret 1863, Catherine 1865, Ann 1868, Bridget 1873, [my grandmother] and David 1873 [he was born 26 July 1870].

"Margaret McGeogh Stephenson died in August 1873 and was interred in the St. Mary cemetery, Lindsay. The 1871 Census gives her place of birth as Ireland.

"Alice McGeogh married John Kealy (Devereux says Healy) 24 June 1855 St. Mary's church, Lindsay. Her parents were Patrick McGeogh and Ann [McAneany?]

"On inGeneas on the Internet I found:

Patrick McGeogh, Record ID. 12269, Year 1846. Total party of one male, one female, one child and two 'free' [only Patrick McGeogh is named.] Comments: Forwarded to Montreal per Steamer 'Lord Sydenham," June 2, destination Toronto, party includes wife and other family members [which must have included his daughters Margaret and Alice].

Event: #127 List of destitute Emigrants forwarded to Montreal by Government Emigration office, Quebec, in June, July, and August 1846. All reports signed "A. C. Buchanan, Chief Agent to P. D. O'Brien." Source: Transcribed from film of original documents held in the collection of the National Archives of Canada [Ottawa]; MG 24 B1, volume 22, page 694, reel C-15773 Note: 'Children' are defined as those aged 3 to 12 years on these reports, next to the 3 to 12 year column is one entitled free, which likely applies to children younger than the age of 3, any reference to numbers of males and females refers to adults [which could include children older than 12.]" [This information is also in Names of Emigrants from the 1845-1847, Records of James Allison, Emigrant Agent at Montreal." Ottawa, ON: Irish Research Group, Ottawa Branch, Ontario Genealogical Society, 1994. 112p, on Genealogy.com under Passenger and Immigration Index, 1500s–1900s, which shows the place of arrival as Montreal.]

"For the family of David Stephenson and Margaret McGeogh, I will start by using the 1871 census for Lindsay. which was enumerated on April 13, 1871. (This is from LDS Film No. 349177.)

(1871) David Stephenson, age 42, born in Ireland, Catholic, Labourer, Married, unable to read or write.

Margrit Stephenson, age 30 (probably should be 36), born in Ireland,'' ''unable to write." (Margrit was married in 1855, and died in August of 1873 at the age of 38.)

Mary Margrit Stephenson, age 7, born in Ontario.

Catherine Stephenson, age 6, born in Ontario.'

Ann Stephenson, age 3, born in Ontario.

David Stephenson, 9 months old, born in July of 1870.

"The death registration of Margrit Stephenson in August of 1873 said that she was the wife of a labourer born in Ireland, and was Catholic. Cause of death was debility associated with disease of the heart and chronic rheumatism. In the internments in the parish register it had Mrs. Stephenson, age 38.

"After Margaret McGeogh Stephenson died, David married again on February 17, 1874. This marriage record gave his place of birth as Cork.

"Their children all born in Lindsay Victoria Co. Ontario:

Mary Margaret Stephenson christened 3 Nov 1856

Patrick Stephenson born August 1861 christened 19 January 1862

Mary Margaret Stephenson christened 12 September 1863. She married Edward Hargrove 23 January 1893 in Lindsay. [Here is a report of the marriage from Victoria Co., 1893: "12078-93 Edward HARGROVE, 26, tailor, Lindsay, same, s/o Michael HARGROVE & Anna McMAHON, married Mary STEPHENSON, 25, Lindsay, same, d/o David STEPHENSON & Margaret McGEOUGH, witn: Thomas & Mrs. BRADY of Lindsay, 23 Jan 1893 at Lindsay."

Catherine Stephenson christened 29 Jan 1865

Ann Stephenson born 26 May 1868 christened 28 June 1868

David Stephenson born 26 July 1870 christened 22 June 1873. Sponsor: Mary Ann Dutton

Bridget Mary Stephenson born 1 April 1873 christened 31 May 1873

"Bridget was my grandmother. She married Thomas Bougourd Hawkins 21 September 1899 in Peterborough Ontario. She died 11 June 1915 in Qu'Appelle Saskatchewan Canada. Bridget died in childbirth at the age of 42 leaving 8 children. They also had a child die on 11 May 1903 (Mary Marguerite Hawkins, b. 23 Oct 1901). The first 5 children were born in Ontario. The last 4 in Saskatchewan. In later years they all moved back to Ontario except my dad and his brother Jack (John Hawkins).

"A year or so after Bridget died in 1915, Thomas Bougourd Hawkins, who was born in Barnet, Hertford, England, farmed all his children out and went back overseas to take part in the war. My uncle Jack in a letter said something about one of the children staying with his mother's cousin in Regina, Saskatchewan who was a Dutton. David Stephenson's christening in 1873 gave his sponsor as Mary Ann Dutton. I wonder if another one of the children of Patrick McGeough and Ann could have married a Dutton?*

"On the parish registers for St. Mary's church McGeogh is spelled several ways. Keogh, McGough, McGeogh and McGeoy."

*The Catherine McGough who married Daniel Dutton was too old to be the daughter of Michael McGough and Rose Halton and the niece of Patrick McGough and Ann McAneany. This Catherine is shown as age 62 in the 1881 census, and was born in Ireland in 1819. Michael and Rose's daughter, Catherine McGeough, was born in 1852 in Ontario and died in 1911 in Ontario. She had a twin brother, James McGough. On November 29, 1882, in a Catholic ceremony in Lindsay, Ontario, Catherine Dutton, age 22, the daughter of Daniel Dutton and Catherine McGeough, married Francis Finnegan, age 27, a widower and a farmer of Ops. Witnesses were Daniel Finnegan of Ops & Margaret Dutton of Mariposa. The marriage was at the Lindsay Roman Catholic church. See: Victoria County, 1882 in 1882 marriages from MS 932 from Ontario Marriage Registrations. (Also, see above under "Children of Michael McGough and Rose Halton.") The additional Dutton connection supports the conclusion that Michael and Patrick McGough were brothers, and, perhaps, that the Catherine McGough who married Daniel Dutton was their younger sister.

The Mary Ann Dutton who was a sponsor at the baptism of David Stephenson in 1873 was a daughter of Daniel Dutton and Catherine McGeough Dutton. On November 8, 1877, Mary Ann Dutton, daughter of Daniel Dutton and Catherine McGeough, married Robert Gardner, age 22, a laborer of Whitby, Mariposa, son of Robert Gardner and Ann Davis. Witnesses were Bartholomew Farrell and Catherine Dutton, both of Lindsay. Victoria County, 1877 from Ontario Marriage Registrations.

See also my page: McGoughs, McGeoughs, and McGeoghs in Canada in the Nineteenth Century under Victoria county, Ops township.

Michael McGough and Rosanna Halton of Lindsay, Ontario; Connections with Eau Claire, Wisconsin <http://www.magoo.com/hugh/lindsay.html> Updated April 10, 2016		Feedback » Site Search & Directory » © 1999–2016 Hugh McGough »