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After years of searching for my husband's Loughran ancestors in Ireland I got a hint -  his grandmother's aunt Jennie was referred to as one of the "Loughrans of Donaghmore" in an old NYC newspaper.

His g-grandmother was Annie Loughran, who came to NYC and married John Dunn.  Her sister Jennie also came to NYC and married Bernard Beagan.  I manage AncestryDNA kits for my husband, my son, his uncle, his niece and her son. They all match descendants of both Annie and Jennie.

Confusing things are their descendants' DNA matches to the descendants of other Loughrans who came to the US from Tyrone, specifically the descendants of a JB Loughran, born in 1865 in Tyrone, who came to the US, stopped in Chicago and then ended up in Butte, MT, working as a blacksmith. In his obituary it mentions his siblings, three sisters who lived in Butte, one sister (Mrs. O'Neill) who lived in Ireland and a brother Peter in Ireland.

My husband has four DNA matches to people who are descended from JB Loughran, and one match who is descended from JB's sister, Bessie, also born in Tyrone, in 1866 and who also settled in Butte. JB and Bessie's parents were Stephen Loughran and Hannah Reed, confirmed in many sources, and her DC says she was born in Broughderg.

Another DNA match  is descended from Michael Loughran who also lived in Butte. He was born in 1853 in Pomeroy, County Tyrone, near Cookstown, and his parents' names were David and Elizabeth Connelly, according to his death certificate. Michael's obituary mentions brothers David and James in Ireland and John in Pittsburgh.

My goal is to find the couple who they're all descended from and to figure out how they're all connected.  Any ideas or help would be appreciated.  

Pam Miller

Sunday 20th May 2018, 12:05AM

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  • Pam:

    Welcome to ireland Reaching Out!

    Can I suggest that you get a short-term subscription to Roots Ireland? They have baptismal records for Donaghmore RC parish starting in 1841 and marriages in 1837. I just checked and there are many Loughran records. Maybe you can make some progress with your husband's tree. Also, www.irishgenealogy.ie is a free Irish government site which has copies of civil birth records from 1864-1916, marriages from 1870-1941 and deaths from 1878-1966. Use the Civil Records TAB.

    Roger McDonnell

    Castlemore Roscommon, IrelandXO Volunteer ☘

    Sunday 20th May 2018, 01:24AM

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