Augustine was born 29 May 1875, at 77 York St., Cork city. He was the fourth son and the eighth child of John and Mary Teresa (Desmond) EGAN.
Augustine married Margaret Maloney, 19 November 1898 at St. Finbarr’s, Dunbar St, Cork. He was then living at 6 Cathedral Place, with his parents and siblings.
Augustine was then a clerk.
In 1901 Augustine and his family lived at 3 Water Lane, Cork. Augustine was an accountant, like his brother Frank.
While considered a 2nd class house, it had 5 or 6 rooms with two windows to the front.
Augustine and Margaret had two sons in Ireland:
Herbert Augustine b. 25 August 1900, Cork 3 Barrys Place, Gt Britain St., Cork
Ernest Francis b. 15 July 1902, Cork 3 Barrys Place, Gt Britain St., Cork
Augustine, Margaret and their two oldest children emigrated to the U.S. in 1908 on the Umbria. They were headed for 283 South St, Morristown, New York to an unnamed relative. [1] They had $28.00 with them. Augustine was recorded as a clerk.
Augustine was described as 6 foot, of fair complexion, fair hair and grey eyes. His wife, Margaret, was 5 foot 2, with a fair complexion, fair hair and grey eyes.
They settled in New York. In the 1910 Census the family were living on Third Place, Brooklyn, New York. They had a boarder living with them.
A third child, daughter Evelyn, was born around 1911.
There is no record on Ancestry or FMP for the naturalisation of the EGAN family.
Augustine died 15 May 1912, in Brooklyn, Kings, New York. He was almost 37 years old. He is buried on 18th May at Holy Cross cemetery. At the time of his death Augustine was a shipping clerk. I do not know his cause of death.
In the 1915 New York State census widow Margaret and the two boys, then aged 14 and 12, were still living in Brooklyn, with 4-year-old Evelyn. The boys were at school. Margaret’s occupation was housework. They appeared to be sharing a house with two other families of Irish origin – Kelly and O’Meara.
Margaret remarried to a Canadian, Oscar BRENNAN[2].
In the 1920 census Margaret and Oscar lived on Fourth Avenue, Brooklyn District 7, Kings. Oscar was a shipping agent. It is possible that Oscar had worked with Augustine, given their occupations. The couple had their own child, Dorothy aged 2 years.
In the 1925 New York census all four of Margaret’s children were living with her and Oscar BRENNAN. Their surnames were all recorded as BRENNAN, and all the children were incorrectly recorded as New York born.
In 1930 Oscar and Margaret lived at #1956 E. 19th St Brooklyn in a house they owned, worth $11,000. Oscar was a clerk for a steamship line. Living with them was Margaret’s son Herbert and their daughter Dorothy. Margaret was then recorded as New York born. Oscar claims to have married at 17 years of age and Margaret at 16 years.
In 1940 sons Herbert EGAN (37, clerk steamship line) and Ernest EGAN (35, seeking work) and his four year old son, and Dorothy BRENNAN (22, seeking work) lived with Margaret and Oscar.
Augustine and Margaret’s EGAN children:
I do not know if there are any descendants from Augustine’s grandson, Ernest’s son.
[1] This appears to be in New Jersey. As yet I have been unable to find who lived at that address in 1910.
[2] The 1905 New York census shows a Canadian Oscar Brennan married to a woman called Josephine, with two children. Oscar Brennan and Josephine E. Ettinger married 25 Feb 1896.
In Search of Thomas Davis 