Patrick J. Dorgan and Mary Catherine Hartnett
From Carrigkilter, East Cork, to Providence, Rhode Island
Patrick J. Dorgan was a son of Patrick Dargan / Dorgan of Carrigkilter and Johanna / Anne / Nancy / Anstice Flynn. He represents the branch of the family that carried the Carrigkilter Dorgan story from East Cork to Rhode Island.
Patrick J. Dorgan should be distinguished from his father, Patrick Dargan / Dorgan of Carrigkilter. In this archive, the older Patrick is usually identified as Patrick Dargan, following the spelling found in land and valuation records. The younger Patrick is identified as Patrick J. Dorgan.
Mary Catherine Hartnett was Patrick J. Dorgan’s wife. Their marriage connected the Dorgan family to the Hartnett family of East Cork and became the foundation of the later Rhode Island branch of the family.
This page gathers the key evidence for Patrick J. Dorgan, Mary Catherine Hartnett, their East Cork origins, their marriage, their emigration, and their later family story in Rhode Island.
This page is important because it connects three parts of the archive.
First, it connects Patrick J. Dorgan back to the Carrigkilter family of Patrick Dargan / Dorgan and Johanna Flynn.
Second, it connects the Dorgan family to the Hartnett family through Patrick’s marriage to Mary Catherine Hartnett in Cloyne in 1886.
Third, it connects the East Cork family story to Rhode Island, where later generations appear in American records.
Because there are two Patricks in this family story, the records must be read carefully. Patrick Dargan / Dorgan of Carrigkilter was the father. Patrick J. Dorgan was the son who married Mary Catherine Hartnett and later emigrated.
Marriage of Patrick J. Dorgan and Mary Catherine Hartnett
Patrick J. Dorgan married Mary Catherine Hartnett on 26 November 1886 in Cloyne, County Cork, Ireland.
This marriage record is one of the most important documents in the transition from the Carrigkilter generation to the later Rhode Island branch. It connects Patrick J. Dorgan to the Hartnett family and also helps distinguish him from his father, Patrick Dargan / Dorgan of Carrigkilter.
Known record:
Name: Patrick J. Dorgan
Spouse: Mary Catherine Hartnett
Record type: Catholic marriage register / civil marriage context
Date: 26 November 1886
Place / parish: Cloyne, County Cork, Ireland
Father of groom: Patrick Dargan / Dorgan, deceased
Bride’s parents: John Hartnett and Mary Catherine Duhig
Archive significance: This marriage record confirms the connection between the Dorgan and Hartnett families. It also shows that Patrick J. Dorgan’s father, Patrick Dargan / Dorgan of Carrigkilter, had died before 26 November 1886.
Research caution: This record should be used to distinguish the younger Patrick J. Dorgan from his father. The father is the older Patrick of Carrigkilter; the groom is the younger Patrick who later emigrated to Rhode Island.
Image/file: 1886-patrick-dorgan-mary-catherine-hartnett-marriage-cloyne.jpg
Emigration from East Cork to Rhode Island
Patrick J. Dorgan later left East Cork for the United States. His emigration connects the Carrigkilter family story to Providence, Rhode Island, and the later American Dorgan records.
Patrick emigrated in 1896. Mary Catherine Hartnett Dorgan and their children followed in 1897. This staged pattern of migration was common in Irish families, with one family member often leaving first and the rest of the household joining later.
The move from East Cork to Rhode Island should be read in the context of land, work, family opportunity, and the long aftermath of nineteenth-century Irish emigration. Patrick’s Irish records and the family’s American records should be studied together.
Mary Catherine Hartnett Dorgan and the Children Follow
Mary Catherine Hartnett Dorgan followed Patrick to the United States with their children in 1897.
This part of the family story is important because it marks the transfer of the household from East Cork to America. The family’s later records in Rhode Island help continue the story that began in Carrigkilter, Cloyne, Ballymacoda, and the wider East Cork landscape.
American records such as census returns, city directories, church records, marriage records, death records, cemetery records, and family photographs help document the later generations of this Dorgan branch.
Sale of the Carrigkilter Farm
Sale of the Carrigkilter Farm
aThe Cork Examiner, Monday Morning, 17 August 1896
Before the family’s full move to America, Patrick J. Dorgan sold his interest in the Carrigkilter farm.
The sale was reported in The Cork Examiner on Monday morning, 17 August 1896. The notice stated that Mr. John Condon, auctioneer, Youghal, had sold the interest in Mr. Patrick Dorgan’s farm of Carrigkilter, situated between Ballycotton and Cloyne.
The holding contained 27 acres, 1 rood, and 30 perches. It was held in fee simple, subject to an annuity of £17 6s 2d to the Irish Land Commissioners for a term of 49 years from 1 May 1892. There was also a half-yearly payment of 16s to the Commissioners of Public Works, covering principal and interest.
After bidding, the farm was sold to Mrs. Margaret Curtin of Glanturkin for £142 10s.
Key details:
Seller: Patrick Dorgan of Carrigkilter
Auctioneer: John Condon, Youghal
Location: Carrigkilter, between Ballycotton and Cloyne
Size of holding: 27 acres, 1 rood, 30 perches
Tenure: Fee simple, subject to Land Commission and Public Works payments
Buyer: Mrs. Margaret Curtin, Glanturkin
Sale price: £142 10s
Archive significance: This notice is important because it documents the transfer of Patrick J. Dorgan’s Carrigkilter farm interest shortly before his emigration. It provides a concrete bridge between the East Cork land story and the later Rhode Island family story.
The reference to fee-simple tenure and annuities also reflects the changing rural landholding system after the Irish Land Acts, when many tenant farmers moved toward partial or full ownership while still owing government annuity payments.
Family-tradition note: The Curtin family’s acquisition may connect with later Curtin / O’Connell family memory or local ownership traditions, but those connections should be confirmed through land, deed, valuation revision, or family records before being treated as proven.
Research caution: This sale notice should be read together with Patrick J. Dorgan’s emigration records, Mary Catherine Hartnett Dorgan’s later travel record, Griffith’s Valuation, valuation revision evidence, and family tradition.
Image / Record file: Sale-of-Carrigkilter-Cork-Examiner-Carrigkilter-8-17-1896.jpg
The uploaded PDF is an image-only newspaper page from The Cork Examiner, Monday, 17 August 1896; the sale notice appears highlighted in the right-hand column of the page.
After the Sale
After the Carrigkilter farm sale, Patrick J. Dorgan left East Cork for America. His last Irish residence was later recorded as Ballylanders, suggesting that he may have stayed with friends, relatives, or nearby connections after leaving Carrigkilter and before sailing.
Patrick emigrated in 1896. Mary Catherine Hartnett Dorgan followed in 1897 with their children, traveling from Queenstown, County Cork, aboard the Teutonic and arriving at Ellis Island, New York, on 9 June 1897.
This sequence links the Carrigkilter farm sale directly to the family’s move from East Cork to Providence, Rhode Island.
Providence, Rhode Island
Providence, Rhode Island, became the main American setting for this Dorgan branch.
After Patrick J. Dorgan’s emigration and the later arrival of Mary Catherine Hartnett Dorgan and their children, the family’s story continued in American records. Census records, marriage records, city directories, church records, cemetery records, photographs, and family documents help trace the later generations.
This Rhode Island chapter should be read as a continuation of the East Cork story, not as a separate beginning. The records in Providence preserve the later lives of a family whose documented roots reach back to Carrigkilter, Cloyne, Ballymacoda, Ballybraher, and the wider East Cork landscape.
Research Cautions
Children of Patrick Dargan / Dorgan and Johanna Flynn
Patrick Dargan / Dorgan of Carrigkilter
Johanna / Anne Flynn Dorgan of East Cork