BIOGRAPHY: Thomas McKERNAN, Cambria County, PA 

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From Wiley, Samuel T., ed. Biographical and Portrait Cyclopedia of Cambria 
County, Pennsylvania. Philadelphia: Union Publishing Co., 1896, p. 374
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THOMAS McKERNAN is a son of Patrick and Margaret (O'Rourke) McKernan, and was 
born December 16, 1830, in County Cavan, Ireland. His grandfather, who was also 
Patrick McKernan, was born and died in the Emerald Isle. His maternal 
grandfather was Felix O'Rourke, who was a native of Ireland, but emigrated to 
America about 1815, and located in Virginia, where he died in 1820. Patrick 
McKernan was born in Ireland, and died on his native soil.
     Thomas McKernan was reared and educated in the land of his nativity, but 
came to America in 1851. In 1853 he located in what is now the Sixteenth ward of 
Johnstown, this county, then Yoder township. He was one of the early settlers of 
that locality. Among the families contemporaneous with him were Daniel McDonald, 
Adam Kurtz, Francis Gillis, Daniel Lysett, Patrick Biggin, John Sturger and 
others. He accepted employment in a blast furnace of the Cambria Iron company, 
worked here for six months, and then, for the next eight or nine years, worked 
in the ore mines of the same company. After this long experience in the mines, 
he entered the mills, where, until 1884, he was employed in various capacities.
     Politically, he is prominently identified with the Democratic party, and 
has held several responsible offices. He served as clerk of the borough of 
Cambria city, now Sixteenth ward of Johnstown; was school director several 
terms, and justice of the peace in the former borough of Cambria city. 
     Mr. McKernan married Miss Ann Galligan, a native of Ireland, and to this 
union seven children have been born, five boys and two girls: Margaret, Patrick, 
Susan, Thomas, Peter, Philip and Joseph.