For my father.
And the stories
we carry forward.

My father · Edward Paul McPadden

The name we share.

My father was the son of James McPadden and Catherine McNiff—the family whose story opens this collection. Born in Bridgeport, he served in the U.S. Navy during World War II and later practiced dentistry alongside his brother William. He died in 2013.

Both my cousin Ed and I were named after him. Three Ed McPaddens, each with a different place in this story.

Remembering my father · Connecticut Post obituary ↗

My cousin · Edward “Big Ed” McPadden · 1955–2022

He went looking for our grandfather’s home.

In 2012, my cousin Ed traveled to Leitrim to find the birthplace of our grandfather, James McPadden. Hearing the story of that visit inspired a wish I carried for years: I wanted to go myself.

Big Ed also became an Irish citizen. His connection to Ireland was part of his own life, not only a story about the generations before him.

He passed away in 2022. I wish I had talked with him more about that visit and everything he discovered. His journey is part of what brought me to this one.

“I always wished I got to talk to him more about all of this.”

The account of the 2012 visit and Irish citizenship is my family recollection. Read Big Ed’s obituary ↗

Ed McPadden · Behind the project

A personal journey. A shared history.

I’m Ed McPadden, a retired software engineer and artificial intelligence practitioner whose career included work for a major aerospace and defense contractor. I’m also husband to Mary and father to Grace and Kate. I’m bringing that technical background to something deeply personal: making our family’s history something people can explore, understand and feel connected to.

I want this project to bring our ancestors’ lives into view through their stories and the records they left behind. Every discovery adds something, and every unresolved question gives us a reason to keep looking.

This work grows through the generosity of relatives, friends and researchers who share records, memories and careful observations. Their contributions deserve recognition alongside the history they help us recover.

Why this project matters

A name in a record is only the beginning. Family memories, local knowledge and the places people called home help us understand the lives behind it. Bringing these pieces together can preserve stories that might otherwise be lost—and give the next generation a richer connection to its roots.

Leitrim is the living center of this project, not simply a place people left. The families who stayed, the people who emigrated and those who returned all belong in the story. We begin with a closely researched Tullynascreen–Bridgeport branch, but the invitation is wider: help us explore other McPadden families in Ireland and around the world.

A shared surname is a starting question, not proof of a shared family tree. We distinguish documented connections from family memories and open questions. You do not need a proven link to the existing branch to contribute a story, a place or a research lead.

Help tell a missing story · Explore the family branches and questions

Special thanks to Anne Burgess

Special thanks to Anne Burgess, whose generous research, family knowledge and careful attention to records have helped shape the McPadden Project. Anne has shared sources, preserved family stories and opened new paths through the McPadden families of County Leitrim and their descendants. I am deeply grateful for her time, curiosity and willingness to explore this history with me.

— Ed McPadden

Credit follows the contribution

The Research Library and story source notes identify the records behind our conclusions and credit the people who have shared or interpreted them. Those notes also explain what remains uncertain as the research continues.

Explore the stories · Share a correction or family lead

For general enquiries: hello@mcpaddenproject.org.