Information Supplied by Joseph Courtney Crudden
(originally published in 2005)
Here is a summary of the Philadelphia branch.
My Great Grandfather was Thomas Crudden 1832-1901. Born in Ireland, he left during the potato famine in 1847 at age 15, alone, an orphan we think, and somehow arrived in Philadelphia. He married Catherine O’Rourke, also from Ireland an had a bunch of kids. He became a US citizen in 1856. The children were William, James Francis, Daniel W, Thomas C, John, Joseph J, Michael, Elizabeth Crudden Haws and Catherine Crudden Morrissey.
Catherine died of TB in 1875 and Thomas never remarried. He was a boot maker by trade and had a shop in North Philadelphia.
The second son, James Francis 1879-1920 was my grandfather. He married Mary Elizabeth Gibbons 1857-1913. Like her mother-in-law Mary, also died young from a broken neck caused by a fall.
James and Mary had ten kids, Thomas James, James Joseph, Walter Aloysius, Regina Elizabeth Crudden Carrigan, Gertrude Mary Crudden Potter, Susan Marie Crudden Corcoran, Edwin Francis, Agnes Crudden Gregory, George Aloysius, and my father Joseph Aloysius 1900-1980.
My father married Margaret Kevlin 1902-1946 and they had Joseph Courtney Crudden 1930 – and Claire Crudden Fitzpartick Clark 1939 -. His second wife was Claire Kevlin.
I married Bernice Margaret Dywer and we have Michel, Dennis Colleen and Maureen. and eight grandchildren.
Despite a lot of research, I have never been able to find a paper trail for Thomas Crudden in Ireland but assume he came from the area around Clones in County Monaghan or County Fermanagh because that’s where all the Cruddens seem to come from originally.