Clare - Madigan, Thomas March 5, 1837 Ireland Genealogy Projects Archives Clare Index Copyright File contributed by: Susan Budensiek bryansue@comcast.net _____________________________________ MADIGAN, THOMAS MARCH 5, 1837 Source: Museum at Fort Wallace, Kansas Author: Museum at Fort Wallace, Kansas Thomas MADIGAN was born on March 5, 1837 near Kilrush in County Clare Ireland. He and his older sister traveled to the United States in 1847 and settled in Burlington, Vermont where he earned the amount of two dollars in the summer and attended school in the winter. After living in Wisconsin and Colorado, MADIGAN served as a wagoner in the Union Army from 1864-65 and later settled in Leavenworth where he opened a grocery store. Thomas MADIGAN saw the westward movement of the railroad and the prosperous town is was leaving in its wake. He owned stores in Ellsworth, Hays, Phil Sheridan, and Kit Carson before settled in Wallace in 1870. There he opened a saloon south of the Union Pacific and filed a land claim 14 miles northwest of Wallace. It was January of 1877 when Thomas married Mary Catherine SMITH in her home of Chicago, Illinois. She came west with Thomas following the wedding. The Madigan store (the original Pond Creek Station) also became their home and three of the four Madigan children were born in the upstairs living quarters. Bigger and better stores were to come as the tent town of Wallace began to grow. However. with the closure of the fort and the division point move, the town of Wallace began to lose population and business. Thomas Madigan sold his store in 1896 to Mary's brother and the family moved to the ranch at that time consisting of about two sections of land. The family would continue to increase their holding until Tom's death in 1928; by that time the ranch holdings were approximately 8,000 acres and one of the largest in Western Kansas. All four of the Madigan children Jim (1878) Kate (1880). Frank (1882). and Mary (Mayme, 1884), went on to receive higher education. Frank and Jim both graduated from St. Mary's College and Frank attended K-State where he studied Civil Engineering Both girls graduated from Mount St. Mary's and Mayme went on to nurse's training in Denver. Although the family no Longer resides in Wallace County they were early and enduring pioneers of this area.