This site is dedicated to the family of Owen Keogh and Mary Galligan of Ireland and  Colgan, Adjala Twp, Simcoe Co, ON, Canada.  There is nothing but oral history to  suggest that the family came from the region of Kingscourt, Co. Cavan, Ire. Other  oral tradition says they left from the port of Cork, Ireland. Their tombstone only says natives of Co. Cavan, Ireland.

HOWEVER,: Owen Keogh paid for one day's work on a School House in Conc 1 Ernestown Twp, Lennox and Addington Co in Dec. 1822. (History of the County of Lennox and Addington, 1913, Walter S. Herrington.) Also, there is an Owen Keogh living in Sallaghill Townland, Parish of Crosserlough, Barony of Castlerahan, Co. Cavan Ire in 1821. Owen age 46 (b. ca 1775), wife Catherine 34 (b. ca 1781), son Patrick 7 ( b. ca 1814), and son Owen, 3 Y, (b. ca 1817). Everything would fit this family except that the wife is Catherine. So, if this is they, Catherine being given her middle name, OR it isn't they, and it could be a cousin of some sort, showing a general area the family may have come from.

I found John, son of "Ewen Cue and Mary Gallegan" being baptised at St.Mary's, Kingston, ON on 26 Apr 1824.  The family was apparently at Ernestown at that time, so possibly just came to town for the baptism, there being no church in Ernestown at that time.  The Kingston records do have major gaps, so we may never know if there were other children born there. Owen's petition for land in 1824 states he had been living in the Ernestown area for 3 years, and has 5 children. Their son Patrick was born in Ireland, but none of the others appear to have been. Ann may have, but with her birth about 1823, she was probably born in Ontario.

You will notice that not all of the family is on this site.  You will be directed in  the note sections and on the links below to other Tribal Pages sites with other lines  of descent.  This is done in order to accommodate the photographic record and make the  branches more accessible.

DNA PROJECT:To determine further ancestry, we would ask any from any direct male-descended Keogh to have their DNA tested, since we would like to get a picture of where to look next for the ancestry of this family. Other Keogh families are pooling their data on a Keogh DNA site to sort the different lines in Ireland. There is a very small possibility that this family is descended from the KOUGH Palatine family that came to Ireland in the early 1700's, but we need just one Keogh male to donate his spit to refute this, or to include it. Other Keogh families are also welcome to submit their DNA results to help sort out relationships among the various Keogh families all over the world. To start, contact me and I will put you in contact with the company we are using in Vancouver BC. All it takes is a cheek swabbing.

Similarly, we would be interested in hearing from female only descendants of Owen  Keogh and Mary Galligan to determine her mtDNA origins.  These would only be from the  Patrick King-Anne Keogh and Thomas Lowe-Mary Keogh families.  Please contact me if you are such a descendant.

MYSTERIES: More Keogh families lived in the same areas. These are included on this site to distinguish the families from ours, and to determine if they are related. Please contact me if you are tracing any of these families.

At the same time as Owen Keogh, there was a Peter Keogh b.about 1799 living in Adjala Twp. right next door.  Oral tradition says there was no relationship. Family historians find such statements hard to believe, since they lived very close to each other, witnessed family events together and had children with similar names.  He and his descendants are included in this tree in hopes that a descendant of his, or of his grandson Peter Keogh m. Minnie Bergin, or of Patrick Keogh, m. Mary Connoy, will step forward to be tested to end this speculation with a DNA test.  Waiting to hear from you! Most telling, Peter AND Owen Keogh witnessed the burial of Mary Lowe's oldest child.  I cannot ignore that.

Similarly: See the information on a school teacher in Adjala: Thomas Keogh and his wife Ann (b. ca 1802), who are also possible relatives, as well as Bernard Curran and his wife Catherine Keogh, also James Keogh and his wife Margaret Malady. Although they are probably not children of Owen, they may be brothers or cousins who came to live nearby. Or not related at all. Can't be overlooked until proven differently.  There was also an Owen Keogh who went to Rhode Island from Co. Cavan. If you are a descendant, please contact me - DNA is our only hope of seeing if we are related.