ireland – Loganalogy- Your Family Historian

The Legacy of a Scotch-Irish Pioneer

John Logan was born in 1699 in Ahoghill, Antrim, Ireland¹. (It is referenced that his father was from Restalrig, a suburb of Edinburgh, Scotland.) Restalrig is notable because my mother shared that my father named his ranch in Washington State “Restalrig.”

John Logan arrived in Boston, Massachusetts in 1717 and married Margaret Carr in 1723. Margaret, born in Massachusetts about 1703, remains a subject of ongoing research. The gap between John’s arrival and their marriage—six years—is a mystery still waiting to be unraveled. Together, they had eight children: seven sons and two daughters.

Service During the American Revolution

Two of their sons, John and Mathew, served under General George Washington during the battle for New York City in the American War for Independence. After the Continental Army became surrounded, Washington orchestrated a strategic nighttime evacuation to Philadelphia. John and Mathew likely endured the hardships of Valley Forge later on.²

Roots in Voluntown, Connecticut

John Logan founded the Logan family in Washington, Connecticut, and was descended from a lineage of Scotch barons. Their ancestral home, Logan, in Ayrshire, lent its name to the family. John immigrated with a group of Scotch Presbyterians led by Reverend Samuel Dorrance, a University of Glasgow graduate. After facing numerous challenges, the group traveled from Marblehead Harbor and Boston to Connecticut. There, they purchased Volunteer Grants in Voluntown and established the Presbyterian church on Ekonk Hill.³

The Scotch-Irish Influence in Connecticut

“John Logan, the founder of the Washington family, was descended from a long line of Scotch barons deriving their name, Celtic in origin, from the ancestral home, Logan, in Ayrshire. He came from the north of Ireland with the Gordons, Kassons, Keigwins, Parkes, Wylies, and other Scotch Presbyterians, under the leadership of Reverend Samuel Dorrance, a graduate of the University of Glasgow.

Their party, after experiencing a great many unusual difficulties, came from Marblehead Harbor and Boston to Connecticut, and buying up the Volunteer grants at Voluntown, forming the nucleus of the Presbyterian church Ekonk hill.”³

The Rising Sun Inn and the Logan Legacy

In 1748, John Logan built the Rising Sun Inn at 6 Romford Road in Washington, Connecticut. Originally a 1-1/2-story, five-bay lean-to house, it underwent significant renovations in the early 19th century. Matthew Logan, John’s son, expanded the house, adding three bays to the north, raising the roof to two stories, and incorporating a ballroom. The surrounding property features a historic barn, and photographs from the Sunny Ridge Historic District highlight additional barns that once stood behind the house.

A black-and-white postcard from July 1913 depicts the Logan Homestead—formerly the Rising Sun Inn—with its clapboard façade, dark trim, and multi-paned windows. The Gunn Historical Museum archives this image, offering a glimpse into the home’s storied past.⁵

Interesting Note: The Rising Sun symbol was associated with Edward III and appears in the arms of Ireland. It also served as a favorable omen for businesses and inns during that era.⁶

*The Church on the Green: The First Two Centuries of the First Congregational Church*
*at Washington, Connecticut*

We are related to the Hollister family. A Hollister Logan lived at the Logan homestead. I have a letter from her (actually, a friend wrote it for her as she was in her 90s.)

*The Church on the Green: The First Two Centuries of the First Congregational Church*
*at Washington, Connecticut*

Family Connections and Tragedy

John married Dorcas Root around 1771 after the death of his first wife, Margaret. Dorcas was previously married to John Royce; he died in 1760. Their daughter, Azubah, married John Logan, Jr. This makes John and Dorcas my double-sixth great-grandparents.

Dorcas died on 07 January 1777, at age 58. John Logan, Sr. passed away on 2 December 1777, at age 77, in Washington, Connecticut, during a year marked by a smallpox epidemic. His grandson, Matthew, also died that year at age 2. While it’s uncertain if smallpox caused their deaths, it remains a likely possibility.

The Logan Lineage

The Gunn Historical Museum in the Washington Green Historic District holds numerous Logan artifacts, photographs, and stories. My connection to John Logan was confirmed through DNA testing, initially via a Yahoo group and later through collaboration with a distant cousin—the President of the Clan Logan Society International. Together, we aim to uncover the link between John Logan and his Scottish origins.

Logan name variations include Loban, Lobban, Loben, Logan, Logane, Logen, Loggan, Loggane, Loggans, and Login.

Discover more about the Lowland Logans by clicking below:

Learn about the Connecticut Logans: https://amzn.to/4cyG14M

The Logans of Scotland by James C. Logan. ↩︎
The Logans of Scotland by James C. Logan. ↩︎
A National Register of the Society, Sons of the American Revolution, Volume 1 ↩︎
A National Register of the Society, Sons of the American Revolution, Volume 1 ↩︎
The Sunny Ridge Historic District archives. ↩︎
Jacob Larwood and John Camden Hotten’s History of Sign Boards, p. 118. ↩︎

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Exploring Ireland’s Agricultural Fair Traditions

My county is about to open our Agricultural Fair, so I thought it would be a great time to highlight Ireland’s fair tradition.

For centuries, fairs and markets were essential to Ireland’s rural economy, shaping farm commerce and community life. Unlike today’s livestock marts, which operate regularly, Fair Days were held on specific dates that farmers and locals knew by heart. These events weren’t just about trade—they were deeply ingrained in the rhythm of rural life.

A Marketplace for Farmers and Communities

Farmers relied on fairs to sell their livestock, crops, and homemade goods, ensuring a steady income for their families. Some fairs specialized in cattle, sheep, or pigs, while others offered a mix of goods like hay, turf, potatoes, poultry, butter, eggs, bread, linen, and woven baskets.

Markets took place weekly, but Fair Days—held twice a year—were much larger, often lasting two days. These events brought buyers from cities and towns looking for the best local products. They also played a vital role in employment, with farmhands and factory workers securing jobs during the fair.

The Energy and Chaos of Fair Days

Each town had its own fair schedule, and farmers carefully prepared their livestock for sale. These events brought a surge of economic activity, as traders spent their earnings in local shops, pubs, and banks.

Smaller fairs focused on pigs and poultry, where animals were transported in horse- or donkey-drawn carts and kept in baskets or crates. Sheep and cattle fairs, however, were much larger and more chaotic. Farmers arrived the night before to claim their traditional selling spots, considered both strategic and lucky. Sheep had to be penned to prevent them from wandering, so wooden hurdles were set up in front of houses and shops, sometimes stretching for half a mile along Main Street.

Cattle fairs had a different energy. Without pens, herds filled the streets, creating what seemed like chaos to outsiders. Yet, there was an unspoken order, with farmers closely monitoring their animals while buyers moved through the crowds, haggling over prices. Many young boys, exhausted from walking cattle miles through the night, were left in charge while their fathers negotiated deals.

The Decline of Fair Days

By early morning, the fair was in full swing. Buyers and sellers bargained over livestock, often sealing deals with a handshake. While some towns had weighbridges, most transactions were based on the buyer’s experience, assessing an animal’s value without weighing it.

The decline of traditional fairs began in the 1970s with the rise of modern livestock marts. These new facilities, open multiple days a week and offering weight-based pricing, provided a more convenient and regulated system. Improved transportation and refrigeration also contributed to the disappearance of fowl markets. Over time, these changes brought an end to a centuries-old way of life, leaving modern generations with little understanding of the vibrant role fairs once played in Irish rural society.

Agricultural Fairs Around the World

While traditional Irish fairs have faded, agricultural fairs remain an important part of farming communities worldwide. Some of the most well-known include:

The Royal Highland Show (Scotland) – Showcasing livestock, farming innovations, and rural life.
The Royal Agricultural Winter Fair (Canada) – A premier event blending farm commerce with competitions.
The Sydney Royal Easter Show (Australia) – A massive fair featuring livestock judging, food, and entertainment.
The National Western Stock Show (United States) – A historic event celebrating cattle ranching and rodeo culture.

These fairs, like Ireland’s historic Fair Days, continue to honor agricultural traditions while adapting to modern times.

📸ChatGPT: The image depicts a bustling livestock fair in a quaint Irish town, reminiscent of the Puck Fair in Killorglin.

“IrelandXo.” Accessed March 31, 2025. https://irelandxo.com/ireland-xo/news/fair-days-in-ireland?_sc=NDk4ODc2OCMyODA4MzQ%3D&utm_campaign=The%20History%20of%20Fair%20Days%20in%20Ireland&utm_medium=email&utm_source=brevo.

Logan of Restalrig: Theories on Our Scotch-Irish Heritage

Featured Image above created by ChatGPT- Not actual Logan shield or colors.

Below are the actual Clan Logan crest and tartan.

At my sister’s request, I am writing about some theories on where John Loggan, our American immigrant, might have come from. We know from records that he “was descended from a long line of Scotch barons deriving their name, Celtic in origin, from the ancestral home, Logan, in Ayrshire.¹” We also know from these same records that he was Scotch Presbyterian.

In January 2013, a gentleman emailed me and told me of a website called “clanlogansociety.com” now Clan Logan Society International, and “electricscotland.com,” of which he was Vice President. His name is James C. Logan. At the time, we had no idea if we were related, but he gave me some information on some interesting Logans. Since then, we have found that we share the same 3rd great-grandfather, Lemuel H. Logan. James has done an extensive search on this line using records as well as DNA. There is a DNA Pre-1900Logans Project that uses numbers to distinguish families. Ours is Limb 1, #1034.

DNA links John Logan #1034 directly to the Gawn Logan family #1032, which suggests our Logan line immigrated from Scotland to Ireland where they lived perhaps several generations before moving on to Connecticut.

They are no doubt closely related. With the differences in age, it could well be that Gawn is actually descended from John, and the connection has not yet been identified. Alternatively, Gawn may descend from a brother or some other near relative of John.

John arrived in the Colony of Connecticut in about 1729 or so with enough wealth to purchase a farm. James thinks the funds came from his inheritance or possibly a sale of a land grant in the Ulster Plantation. DNA indicates that we are related to some Logans from Ayrshire, Scotland. He found a Walter Logane who left Ayrshire about 1610 for the Ulster Plantation and obtained a land grant in 1617. He thinks Walter may be John’s great-grandfather.

“Sir Hugh Montgomery, 2nd Viscount Ards, received his land grant from King James I of England (James IV of Scotland) on the condition that he settle English and Scottish Protestants on their estates. Sir Hugh returned to Braidstane [in Ayrshire] during the winter of 1605/06 with the purpose of inducing his neighbors to join him. The surnames of the Scots who took letters of denization in 1617 include Catherwood, Boyle, Harper, Barkley, Moore, Hunter, Thompson, Logan, Crawford, Agnew, Adair, Wilson, Williamson, Cunningham, Cathart, Maxwell, Allen, Fraser, Aiken, McDowell, Harvy, Semple, Anderson, Kennedy, Martin, Speir and Montgomery.²“

“All the substantial persons – Persons of this class generally took out letters of denization soon after they came to Ireland. The following received such letters of denization in 1617, the majority of them having settled on Sir Hugh Montgomery’s estates, probably ten years prior to that date. Viz.” John Wyly of Ballyhay………………… Walter Logane of Proveston……………..Alexander Speire of Gray Abbey. – fm. Calendar of Pat. Rolls, James I, pp. 326339³. ” (Interesting to note is that the name Wyly is one of the families with whom John came to Connecticut with.)

So, yes, indeed, we are related to the Scottish Logans — and most probably to the Logan of Restalrig, as some of this family moved to Ayrshire after the last Baron of Restalrig (the 7th Baron) was deprived of his title and land holdings by a huge miscarriage of justice which can be read about here.

“During the reign of Robert the Bruce, the barony of Restalrig, on which the town of Leith is built, passed by marriage into possession of the Logans, and soon afterwards occurred the most heroic episode which stands to their name. Sir Robert and Sir Walter Logan were two of the knights who accompanied the Good Sir James of Douglas in his expedition to bury the heart of King Robert the Bruce in the Holy Sepulcher. On the plain of Granada, when the little body of Scottish knights found itself hemmed round by Moorish spears, and Douglas, throwing his master’s heart far into the press, rode after it and fell, Sir Walter and Sir Robert fell with him.⁴“

You can read all of their researched articles on Restalrig or the History of the Logans

Another interesting read is The Logans of Restalrig-Scot Clans

Logan_by_R_R_McIan — “Logan”. A Victorian-era, romanticized depiction of a member of the clan by R. R. McIan, from The Clans of the Scottish Highlands, published in 1845.

Again, genealogy is documenting records from person to person. There is a huge gap of missing sources from our John Loggan b. 1699 to the 7th Baron of Restalrig, Sir Robert Logan b. 1555, but there are a lot of remarkable concurrences of events happening here to suggest we are on the right track.

A National Register of the Society, Sons of the American Revolution, Volume 1 By Sons of the American Revolution, Louis Henry Cornish, Alonzo Howard Clark ↩︎
Jonathan Bardon, The Plantation of Ulster, Gill Books, Dublin, 2012, ISBN 978 07171 5447 0, pp. 77. Perceval-Maxwell, M., The Scottish Migration to Ulster in the Reign of James I., Belfast, 1973, pp. 57. ↩︎
Sir Hugh Montgomery, The Montgomery Manuscripts, (1603-1706), Archer & Sons, Belfast, 1869 (from the library of the University of Toronto), pp 5, 94, 117, 322. ↩︎
https://electricscotland.com/webclans/htol/logan2.html ↩︎

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Whispers Beneath the Hedgerows: The Secret Legacy of Irish Hedge Schools

Have you ever wondered where your Irish ancestors might have received their education? In a time when formal schooling was forbidden for many, a unique and resilient form of education emerged—one that defied the harsh penal laws of the British Crown. Welcome to the world of Irish Hedge Schools, where knowledge was passed down in secret, hidden away in the countryside, beneath the very hedgerows that gave these schools their name. Join me as we uncover the history of these remarkable institutions and the brave souls who kept the flame of learning alive in the face of adversity.

For about two hundred years, this was an illegal, informal, and unofficial local education system.

In the mid-1600s, Oliver Cromwell’s arrival in Ireland led to the outlawing of bardic schools (secular institutions.) Cromwell’s notorious reputation for the massacre of Irish people and the confiscation of their lands has made him an unpopular figure in Irish and English history. Cromwell referred to the bardic schools as popish schools due to his belief that they taught superstition, idolatry, and evil Celtic customs.

A few decades later, when William of Orange was the British king, the British enacted the penal laws. These banned Catholicism and banned priests, which, of course, prohibited the teaching of Catholicism, whether in church or school or anywhere else, for that matter.

In response to discrimination, communities began taking control of their education. This led to the developing of a network of informal schools, referred to as hedge schools, throughout the country. These schools were strategically located to avoid detection by local authorities ‘beneath the sunny side of a hedge’ and were run by schoolmasters who charged a fee for their services. Hedge schools provided instruction in various subjects, including Latin and Greek.

It’s believed that by the 1820s, Hedge Schools educated up to 400,000 students in 9000 schools. This remained in force until it was repealed in 1782. It wasn’t until 1967, with the Free Secondary Education Act in the Republic of Ireland, that secondary school education became open for all.

Because of the secrecy and illegalities, there are few records concerning these schools. Although you can scour the internet and find some teacher’s names in some places.

The story of the Irish Hedge Schools is a testament to the indomitable spirit of a people determined to preserve their heritage and educate their children, no matter the obstacles. While the records of these schools are scarce, their legacy lives on in the countless descendants who carry the torch of knowledge passed down through generations. As we reflect on this hidden chapter of Irish history, let us remember the resilience and ingenuity of our ancestors, who found a way to nurture minds even in the darkest of times.

19.2.20 hedge schools. 19.2.20 Hedge Schools – Department of Classics – Trinity College Dublin. (n.d.). https://www.tcd.ie/classics/livinglatin/hedge-school.php

McDonnell, D. (2021, February 24). The Irish Hedge School. ClanDonnell. https://clandonnell.net/the-irish-hedge-school/

Costello, G., & Name. (2023, July 17). Hedge schools. Skehana & District Heritage. https://skehana.galwaycommunityheritage.org/content/topics/education/hedge-schools

Category: Sheephaven history. The Workhouse. (2023, September 4). https://dunfanaghyworkhouse.com/category/sheephaven-history/

Photo Credit

Kenneth Allen / The Hedge School, Doagh /

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From Scoundrel to Governor Matthew Rowan (Logan Family)

I have always wondered and had a feeling that my Rowan family had some connection to Rowan, North Carolina. I was right! My 6th great uncle, Matthew Rowan, is the connection. He started as a bit of a scoundrel but became Governor of North Carolina for a time.

Julie Lane was studying stories from her roots in Maine. She found in archives and museums that Captain Matthew Rowan wasn’t always a good guy. The Irish ship Martha & Eliza sailed from Londonderry, Northern Ireland, on July 28, 1741, bound for Newcastle, Pennsylvania, on the Delaware River. According to the article at Working Waterfront Archives,

The ship was known as a snow (a square-rigged vessel), a 90-foot, two-misted bark commonly used to transport passengers and goods from Ireland to the colonies. The boat must have been severely overloaded with some 200 paying passengers. The captain was Matthew Rowen.

After about four weeks, the ship was caught up in a hurricane and drifted around the north Atlantic for several weeks during which time the captain lost his bearings. Fever swept through those on board, as well as starvation, and many passengers died. At one point, a passing vessel, also in distress from the storm and low supplies, provided the ship with biscuits and water. On Oct. 28the crippled ship, her human cargo severely debilitated, finally drifted ashore among the islands around Grand Manan, fabled in ship’s lore as the site of more than 250 shipwrecks, according to Eric Allaby, an island historian.

After evacuating the passengers from the disabled ship and dispersing them in groups on three small islands, with no provisions, Captain Rowan and his crew reportedly sailed in the ship’s longboat to Fort Frederick at Pemaquid, where they “tarried.” As for the passengers, they were left to fend for themselves, creating rude shelters from parts of the derelict ship and eating shellfish and seaweed.

Many of them died, but thanks to the discovery of their plight by Passamaquoddy Indians, a small group of passengers eventually arrived in Midcoast Maine, where a few of them remained and married local people.

Passamaquoddy tribal members took letters from the abandoned survivors of the island shipwreck to St.George, Maine, paddling 100 miles on behalf of the stranded Irish emigrants. The letter they delivered finally brought about the rescue of the remaining stranded passengers, including Isabel Galloway and her infant. The child’s father had died, and Isabel soon married Warren farmer Archibald Gamble, with whom she had more children. The surviving infant, Isabel’s son Robert Galloway, grew to boyhood but was lost at sea at age 17. Lane said there may be Gamble descendants in the area today, as well as descendants of other survivors. Isabel is said to have given tribal members a warm welcome in Warren, unlike neighbors who considered them threatening savages. Read more here Read also Fisherman’s Voice

Despite his reputed smuggling activities, Rowan became a respectable member of society in North Carolina. He was never convicted or sought after for any crimes against humanity. It is recorded that he was a “Church Warden” in Bath in 1726. In 1727, after moving to the Cape Fear region, Matthew became a member of the Colonial Assembly; in 1731 was on the executive council, and in 1735 was part of the team that surveyed the boundary line between North and South Carolina and was appointed surveyor-general of the colony. Four years later was named to the Governor’s Council as Acting Governor. Thirty different letters and minutes mention Matthew from 1731 to 1754. You can peruse them at Documenting the American South, Colonial, and State Records of North Carolina.

Matthew had an illegitimate son with Jane Stubbs but married his brother John’s widow, Elizabeth. They did not have any children together, but she did have four daughters with John, whom Matthew provided for at least once in his will and his son, John.

Matthew Rowan was born in about 1703 to Reverand John Rowan and Margaret Stewart in County Antrim, Ireland. Sometime around 1726, he immigrated to America as a shipbuilder and merchant. In the book,

History of North Carolina: From 1584 to 1783
By Samuel A’Court Ashe

It states that Matthew Rowan came from Ireland to North Carolina around 1724-26 to build a ship or two for people in Dublin. The building of ships was an established industry in the colony then.

Rowan County was named after Matthew in 1753. Initially, Rowan included the entire northwestern sector of North Carolina, with no clear western boundary, but its size was reduced as several counties were split off.

Matthew died on his plantation, Rowan Plantation (known as Roan), in April 1760. It is said he owned 26 slaves and over 9,000 acres at the time of his death.

A complicated, wealthy man he was. Shipbuilder, merchant, scoundrel, politician, and governor.

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Porterfield and Rowan: My Brick Walls (Logan Family)

Porterfield and Rowan are my elusive ancestors. Can you help find them?

Saturday was spent on these two surnames. They are my 4th great-grandparents on my dad’s line. Because of records from the Records of the N. Washington Reformed Presbyterian Cemetery, Washington Twp., Westmoreland Co., Pa; I know that they both emigrated from Tyrone County, Ireland, in 1791. From there, they settled in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, and had nine children.

The book Western Pennsylvania and the Settlement by the Rowans states that John and Letitia came to America with John’s eight brothers and sisters. Three children stayed in Ireland. It also states that John was the oldest son of William and probably had responsibility for the siblings that came with him.

It is said in the book that they probably settled in Western Pennsylvania because it is where they could practice their Presbyterian faith and the stricter Conventar beliefs with other people of similar views. This book was written with work completed by Merle Rowan Thompson, Jr., a descendant of John Rowan II.

And, while I can document John and Letitia’s time in Pennsylvania, I am having disconnect issues with Letitia’s parents and how they connect to the Porterfields of Ireland and Scotland. John’s family is a little easier to trace, but finding information about John and Letitia’s time in Ireland has been difficult.

I have come a long way with this line, but it is still frustrating until I can break down this brick wall. I am hoping my writing this blog on them others researching this family will reach out.

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