I have new info that my HOGANS may have connections to Troy, NY. It is starting to look as though there is a migration pattern from NY to the midwest across PA, MO and IL. My Hogans were from Ireland on the County Tipperary/Kings (present day Offaly) border, parish of Dunkerrin, townland of Castleroan/Castletown. They are intermarried with the MULLALLYS and the O'MEARA'S who are also from the same area, and the name HEFFERNAN keeps popping up as well. I am finding connections to all surnames in all the above mentioned places. Here are my HOGANS from Ireland: 1. Margaret 12/1846 2. Martin 9/1848 3. Edward 8/1849 4. Margaret 8/1850 5. Daniel 10/1852 6. William C. 4/1855 7. John 6/1857 8. Michael J. 9/1859 Margaret #4 married one John J. MULLALLY, William and Michael along with Margaret all ended up in St. Louis, MO. John MULLALLY not only has connections to Dunkerrin, but Venango County, PA where there are HOGANS as well. The MULLALLYS and the HEFFERNANS are also intermarried and buried together in St. Louis. Now I find HEFFERNANS from Troy, NY married to HOGANS from Chicago, IL, where my HOGANS ended up later, as well as MULLALLYS from Troy. Looks like a very good migration/clustering patter to me. Also, I have a mysterious "Aunt Jo", one Johanna MULCARE. No one seems to know how she fits in, but she was born and raised in Schenectady, NY. In looking at burial records from Troy, I find several HOGANS and HEFFERNANS that look "good", especially mentions they were from Kings County, parish of Dunkerrin, Ireland. In particular one Edward HOGAN, born Ireland 1848 with a wife Margaret and children Patrick, John, Catherine, and Luke. As most on this list know, the difficulty in researching Irish is the damned naming pattern, what I call the "Irish Curse" of genealogy. Dan Hogan (see what I mean)