Page:Encyclopedia of Virginia Biography volume 4.djvu/496

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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY


lenburg county, Virginia, wrote, some time previous to his death in 1896, a short his- tory of the early family in Virginia and Ireland. From this we gather that the family in Ireland was known for many years as the "Horse Leap" Geoghegans of county Kings, Ireland, near Tullamore. Charles Geoghegan, the father of Dr. John x\ndrew (ieoghegan, and grandfather of George Pinckney Geoghegan, of Danville, Virginia, married Ellen Murphy, and had several chil- dren, including three sons, Henry William, Charles and John, all of whom came to the United States. John returned to Ireland in 1830, then was back and forth between the two places until his death in Suffield, Con- necticut, about 1867. Henry William died near Glade Hill, Franklin county, Virginia, September 5. 1840, in his fifty-tliird year. Charles Geoghegan had also four daughters : Sally, Eliza, Ellen and Mary Ann. Ellen married John Duggan and came to the United States about 1830, and he for a tifne was in business with his brother in Rich- mond, Virginia. From there he moved to Norfolk, Virginia, whence to New Orleans, Louisiana, where he made a large fortune, and had two sons who were prominent busi- ness men of New Orleans — Thomas J. and Joseph FI. Duggan. Ellen, the mother of these sons, died in 1868.

Charles (2) Geoghegan, one of the three sons of Charles (i) Geoghegan, was born in 1796, died in Clarksville, Mecklenburg county, Virginia, July 2, 1857. He came to this country when young, and lived for a while in New York City, then came to Vir- ginia, where he located in Richmond, mak- ing his home with a noted man of wealth and benevolence. On March 13, 1823, he married and was engaged in business in Richmond until 1832, when he moved to Farmvillc, in Prince Edward county, Vir- ginia, and six years later to Clarksville, on the bend of the Roanoke river, in Mecklen- burg county. There he was heavily engaged in tobacco manufacturing until his death in 1857. Flis wife, Elizabeth Kendall (Eving- ton) Geoghegan, was born in Manchester, (Richmond), Chesterfield county, Virginia, August 14, 1796, died in Clarksville, Alarch 15, 1878. She was a daughter of Lewis Evington, a soldier of the war of 1812, who died in the service at Norfolk, Virginia. She had two brothers, John Kendall and Edwin Evington, who moved west about 1830; also


two sisters. Margaret and Frances, who moved to Tennessee. Children of Charles and Elizabeth Kendall (Evington) Geoghe- gan : John Andrew, of whom further; Ed- mund Wallis, died in infancy; Joel \\"omack, met a tragic death in Danville in 1878; Elizabeth, Frances, Ellen and Vir- ginia, the latter two dying in infancy. The second daughter, Frances, married Joseph A. Tarwater, in 1847, and moved to W^ar- renton, North Carolina.

Dr. John Andrew Geoghegan, eldest son of Charles (2) and Ellen Kendall (Eving- ton) Geoghegan, was born in Richmond, Virginia, December 23, 1823, died April 16, 1896, in Warren county. North Carolina. He obtained a good education, became his father's assistant in early life, and married at the age of twenty years. After his mar- riage he studied medicine and was gradu- ated M. D. from the Philadelphia Medical College, Pennsylvania. After graduation he located in Clarksville, where he had a large medical practice, was engaged in a large tobacco manufacturing business with his father; conducted a prosperous mercantile business in partnership with his brother-in- law, Joseph A. Tarwater ; ran a line of boats, jointly with his father, from Clarksville to Weldon, on the Roanoke ; operated two small grain farms, and with Mr. Tarwater conducted a blacksmith shop with three forges. Of this period Dr. John A. Geoghe- gan wrote : "Every hour of my time was employed. We were not rich but what might be called forehanded, enjoying an un- limited credit." In 1854 his first wife died of a congestive chill, the doctor being then absent in Baltimore. She died suddenly and was buried before he received tidings even of her illness. Later he wrote : "After the death of my wife, things seemed to go wrong with us all, resulting in a break or failure in 1856, with a general sell out. We did not own but few slaves, but all our property of every description was sold, ex- cept my medical books and instruments. '

Dr. Geoghegan was then thirty-one years of age, a widower, with three children, the eldest, Bettie, ten years ; "Jack," (John An- drew), five years, and Robert, two years of age. With nothing Init his books and in- struments he began life anew, practiced his profession in Mecklenburg county for a time; married a second wife and in 1857 moved to Jefferson county, Arkansas, near