Colgan Collaborative Genealogy Project
About Us
The Colgan Collaborative Genealogy Project is a group of Colgan, McColgan, Colligan, and McColligan descendants and other relatives working together to find clues and build our family trees.
Our research current focuses on those who had connections to the greater Philadelphia area, expanding to additional areas as we go – presently expanding into the Baltimore, New York, and Boston areas.
Colgan is an Irish surname, an Anglicized form of Irish Ó Colgáin meaning “descendant of Colga”, a personal name based on colg “thorn,” “sword.”
Colgans have been present in the Philadelphia area since at least the 18th century. The known numbers were small until an Gorta Mór (the Irish Potato Famine), when many arrived in the area – primarily through the ports of New York and Philadelphia.
About Me
My name is James Colgan, I live outside Philadelphia, Pennsylvania — and I write about various genealogy and history-related topics. I share any possible research notes, record copies, clippings, and more — so if you are researching a surname or individuals on whose records I’ve done work, feel free to ask if I might have what you’re trying to find. In addition to the separate Colgan families on my personal tree, I do regional One-Name Studies for the Greater Philadelphia area and Western Maryland on the surnames Colgan and McColgan. So I am happy to share if you get in touch and let me know what names, records, and research you would like. It doesn’t matter if they are on my own tree or not; if I have research on your research subjects, I am happy to freely share.
You can find my free genealogy tips and how-to blog at www.genealogy.ninja.
I have many interests in history and genealogy, and some of my special interests are listed below. You can expect to find new material being published on this blog on these subjects, and many others. I also regularly—and happily—answer questions and offer tips for people doing research on these subject areas. Geographic Areas of Focus: 🔹 Colonial New England, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia. 🔹 Ireland, England, Scotland 🔹 The Netherlands 🔹 Germany 🔹 Philadelphia area – including surrounding area in Pennsylvania, Delaware, and New Jersey 🔹 Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania 🔹 Southeast and South-Central Pennsylvania—Greater Philadelphia, the Delaware Valley, Pennsylvania Piedmont, and the heart of Pennsylvania Dutch country—especially the following counties: ▪️Philadelphia ▪️Bucks ▪️Chester ▪️Delaware ▪️Montgomery ▪️Berks ▪️Bucks ▪️Chester ▪️Lancaster ▪️York
Examples of Special Areas of Interest in Genealogy & History: 🔹 Early modern and Enlightenment era Atlantic history 🔹 Pre-1776: Dutch colonial America (New Netherland), British colonial America: New England, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, Virginia 🔹 Life and legacy of Robert Carter III (“The First Emancipator”), from early Virginia (1728–1804), who emancipated his family’s over 500 slaves 🔹 Revolutionary and Early Republic history of the United States 🔹 U.S. Civil War history 🔹 World War I and World War II history — including the home-front 🔹 Individual service records and unit histories of my military family members 🔹 Service history of my civil service family members 🔹 History of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) 🔹 History of Roman Catholicism in Philadelphia 🔹 Law enforcement in Philadelphia (particularly the mid–19th through early 20th centuries) 🔹 Political, legal, cultural, religious, economic, architectural, and other history of the development of Philadelphia – from founding in 1682 to present Some of My Special Areas of Expertise and Particular Interest in Records: 🔹 Quaker records 🔹 Roman Catholic sacramental records 🔹 U.S. Military records 🔹 Local history collections and books 🔹 City and county directories 🔹 Philadelphia city birth and death records 🔹 Pennsylvania records 🔹 Deeds and wills 🔹 Newspapers (a personal favorite) Requesting a Copy of my GEDCOM Files: If you’d like a copy of a GEDCOM file for one of the trees I do work on, feel free to contact me.
Follow the Genealogy.ninja Page on Facebook:
Visit my Ancestry.com profile to view my publicly-available trees, including those that aren’t for my own family – but are made freely available for the benefit of all. Numbers fluctuate as needs change and as confirmation of relationships allow some trees to be combined, but as of this update in the fall of 2024, I have more than 50 public trees available. (Note: You must be logged into Ancestry to view member profiles and public trees, but you can use a free Ancestry account): 
Or you can find me on my FindAGrave User Profile: 