MCHUGH: My McHughs had one of the more interesting migration patterns of the ancestral families. John McHugh and his elder brother Daniel came to the US from County Donegal, Ireland during the early 1830s. They found work in the coal mines near Mahanoy City, Schuylkill Co., PA. John married Sarah Hickey and started a family while Daniel added to his.
The brothers decided to head to west and north to the Galena, Illinois area during the early 1840s. The McHughs then moved north to Lafayette Co., Wisconsin, just across the state line, before 1850. The families would reside in the town of Gratiot and then Shullsburg.
John and Sarah died in Gratiot and were buried in St. Joseph's Catholic Cemetery. Daniel and his wife, Francis were buried at St. Matthew's Catholic Cemetery near Shullsburg.
Of John's children, all but one remained in Lafayette Co. Son Charles caught gold fever and headed to California in 1878. A cousin had him declared dead in 1914. Most of Daniel's brood stayed put as well. Eldest son, John went to Nebraska.
Two of John's grandsons by son Daniel went to Iowa. Charles was a farmer, railroader and plumber. He became Plumbing Inspector for Cedar Rapids. Cornelius eventually ended up in Cedar Falls, where he was mayor for several years.
John's son James fathered six children who lived to adulthood. They moved to Chicago with their mother, Louisa, in 1904. John was a cigar maker in Galena, IL, but moved back to Chicago, William worked in the steel industry in Joliet, George was a machinist for a tool company, Frank was a tool maker and salesman, Josephine married a meat inspector and Charles was a tool and die maker. He moved to Indianapolis when his father-in-law was transferred there by the federal government in 1911. [see yesterday's post for his story.]
The latest generation of the McHugh clan is well scattered. Georgia, Texas, Florida and Indiana have been stops for us.
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