Thomas McLaughlin was born Feb. 19, 1840, in Newport, Herkimer County, New York, and died Feb. 5, 1926, in Napa, California. He was a farmer and moved west where he spent approximately 16 years in the Austin and Grass Valley areas of Lander County, Nevada. This McLaughlin Family originates in the Parish of Edgeworthstown, Co. Longford, Ireland.
Around the mid 1700s was born Thomas McLaughlin of Edgeworthstown. He married and had at least three children named Michael (1785), Patrick (1792), and Bridget (1802). It is not known, at this time, what Thomas’ wife’s name was plus he died in Edgeworthstown. His three known children immigrated via Canada to the Irish Settlement in Newport, Herkimer County, New York. The McLaughlin name was well known in this area. Many Irish immigrants settled in this particular Upstate New York settlement.
For this McLaughlin Family of Napa, CA, Newport, NY, has proven itself as a link to the past and Ireland. While Michael and his siblings Patrick and Bridget all settled in Newport, NY, the line that leads to Napa, CA, is with Michael McLaughlin (b. 1785, Edgeworthstown, Ire., d. 15 May 1858, Newport, NY). Patrick McLaughlin married a Murtaugh and their family line continues in Herkimer County, NY, and onto Wisconsin for some of the family. Bridget McLaughlin married a Mahardy (Mahady for some in Ireland) and remained in Herkimer County as did most of her family line.
Michael McLaughlin married Marcella (last name unknown) and they had three known children born in Edgeworthstown, Ire., prior to their immigration via Quebec, Canada, in 1823. The children were Thomas (b.1814), James (b.1816), and Mary (b.1820). Thomas’ line continues in Herkimer County and Wisconsin. Mary’s line is unknown. James’ line continues in Herkimer County, Austin, NV, and Napa, CA. James M. McLaughlin married Mary Ellen Gartlan (Gartland) in Newport, NY, on 6 Jan. 1838. They had seven children – Thomas, Frank, James, Michael, Hugh, Elizabeth, and Maurice.
Thomas M. McLaughlin married Ellen M. Maxwell (b. 22 Mar. 1846, Moynalty, Ire., and died Sep. 1928, Napa, CA) whose family also settled in the Irish Settlement in Newport, NY, in 1852. They married in Newport, NY, on 5 Jan. 1869. They moved west to Lander County, Nevada, around 1870. Thomas’ brothers, Hugh, Frank, and James, and others from the Newport, NY, Irish Settlement also joined and/or followed them there. Thomas and Ellen had seven children – Mary “Minnie” (b.1870), Ellen (b.1872), Catherine (b.1874), Joseph (b.1877), Anna "Annie" (b.1879), Thomas (b.1882), and Hugh Robert (b.1886). All of the children were born in Austin, Nevada, with the exception of Hugh Robert who was born in Napa, CA.
The children of Thomas and Ellen lived in Napa, CA, for some time and moved out to various other areas of Northern California as they married and had families of their own. Mary “Minnie” McLaughlin married a local Napa native, John “Jack” Francis Flanagan. They lived in town and also out at the Flanagan Ranch in the Carneros Region of Napa. Jack and Minnie Flanagan had five children who remained in Northern California, with their son Richard Flanagan remaining in Napa, CA.
Richard J. Flanagan is the grandson of Thomas M. McLaughlin and Ellen Maxwell, and a former Treasurer of Napa County. Ellen Maxwell’s sister Catherine also ended up in Napa, CA. Her husband was Philip Duffy. Duffy and Thomas McLaughlin were apparently friends in their younger years in Newport, NY. Hugh McLaughlin also followed his brother to Napa. He worked with Thomas on his land and died in 1888 never having married.
Thomas Michael McLaughlin and Ellen Maxwell were my great-great grandparents. I am very interested in finding out more about them as I have limited information about where they lived in Napa and how they lived.
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