Biographical Sketch of David COLGAN (1893); Chester County, PA

Contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by John Morris <jmcdmorris@comcast.net>.

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Source: "Biographical and Portrait Cyclopedia of Chester County, Pennsyl-
vania, comprising a historical sketch of the county," by Samuel T. Wiley
and edited by Winfield Scott Garner, Gresham Publishing Company, Phila-
delphia, PA, 1893, page 358.

"DAVID COLGAN, a prominent farmer, hay dealer and dairyman of Elkview, is
a son of Charles and Philena (Brown) Colgan, and was born on Christmas
day, 1831, near Avondale, London Grove township, this county.  His pater-
nal grandfather, William Colgan, was a native of the Emerald Isle, who
emigrated to America at an early age, and settled near Coatesville, Ches-
ter county, Pennsylvania, where he died at an advanced age.  By occupation
he was a farmer, lived most of his life near Caln station, and was a whig
in politics.  He married Grace Coates, and was the father of ten children,
three sons and seven daughters: Lydia, who married Jacob Myers; Rebecca,
wedded James Miller; Mary, married to Melchor Shope; Hannah, married Samuel
Gray; Sarah, unmarried; Emily, wedded Samuel Jackson; Zillah; Isaac; Mark,
unmarried; and Charles.

"Charles Colgan (father), was born near Coatesville, this county, and
spent his life successively in Lancaster, Chester, and York counties,
dying in 1880, at the age of seventy-four years, on the farm where his
son David now lives, in Upper Oxford township.  He was a potter by trade,
but spent a number of years in farming in this and York counties.  He was
also proprietor of a hotel for some time at Avondale and elsewhere in
Chester, York and Lancaster counties.  Politically he was a democrat until
the civil war, after which he became a republican, and took an active part
in the support of the latter party.  He was twice married, the first time
to Philena Brown, by whom he had two children: Isaac, who died in early
childhood, and David, to whom this sketch is devoted.  After her death he
wedded Sarah Pearl, and by this second marriage had one child, Anna M., who
died at the age of eighteen.

"David Colgan was reared on the farm, and received his early education in
the public schools of East Fallowfield township.  He afterward attended
Unionville academy, and the institute at Greenwood Dell, conducted by
Professor Gauze.  Upon leaving school he set in to work with his father,
and remained with him a number of years.  Later he became a farmer in York
county, this State, and has followed agricultural pursuits ever since.  In
1886, he removed to his present location near Elkview, where he is now
engaged in farming and baling hay for the Philadelphia, Baltimore, and
Chester markets.  He makes a specialty of his hay baling business, and
also operates a dairy.  He owns a fine farm, consisting of one hundred and
thirteen acres of valuable land, which is highly improved and very pro-
ductive, with two sets of fine buildings.

"On March 27, 1866, Mr. Colgan was married to Hannah Dunlap, a daughter of
Andrew Dunlap, of York county.  In politics Mr. Colgan is a stanch repub-
lican, and earnestly supports the principles and tenets of that great
political organization."