Catharine and Her Three Eldest Sons, c. 1840
Kitty&BoysThis seems to be a pre-Famine-Era "schooldays" photo of Catharine Nolan Coogan and her three eldest sons, Patrick (standing), James, left, and Hugh, right.

Date: about 1838-1841. If the next photo in sequence, probably of Mathew as a child, was taken on the same occasion, then the date is early 1840s and the photo to the left includes only the boys attending school (James & Hugh) or working in the family shop (Patrick).

The original from which this scene was cropped is badly deteriorated, and we are still attempting to restore it.

Clockwise from upper left:
     Patrick, 1823-91
     Catharine, 1798-1883
     Hugh, 1835-88
     James, 1830-1918 

To compare the photo most likely to be Catharine and Hugh's 1867 Immigration Photo with this photo, click here.