Lizzie Grogan was Henry Curran’s first wife, before he married Cathleen Poland and mother to Johnny Curran – my great grandfather Topper. I hadn’t done any research on the Grogans, so I jumped in.

Lizzie was born in Dungannon in 1872. She died in 1898 in Newry at the age of 25, after a week of influenza. Pretty grim. After she died, her son Johnny went to live with her brother John Grogan, Johnny’s uncle, in High Street. Rose, Johnny’s little sister, was taken in by the nuns and raised in the convent in Bessbrook. John Grogan Sr. was a ‘laborer’, who moved to Newry from Dungannon, although I’m not sure when or why.

Civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie helped a lot with the search, along with FamilySearch, to find Lizzie’s brothers and sisters. I identified her parents Mary Ann Conroy (b.1845) and John, Sr. (b.~1840) from Lizzie and Henry’s marriage record. They lived in Perry Street, Dungannon, and had at least 7 children, including two Williams (one died young): Daniel, Mary Anne, Williamx2, Elizabeth, Margaret and Anne Jane.

Mary Anne’s father William Conroy, and John’s father Owen Grogan (b.1819) are both listed on the marriage record from April 1865, so it was fairly easy to find them – again irishgenealogy.ie is my friend. Owen was a farmer in Sessiandonaghy, according to his children’s birth records.

There are lots of Owens – it got a little confusing for a while. Owen’s father is also Owen (another farmer), but he also had a brother Owen (b.?) who married a Hannah Carrogan. I haven’t found the wives of either of the two elder Owens yet.

Owen the elder died in 1875 of old age of 87, hence putting his birth c.1788. He is my 5th great grandfather.