Hi Joe--I really looked hard at your Elijah and did up a family group sheet/tree. I really think he's one of my 2nd great grandfather's grandson's, but he had 4 sons that I know of and it's been pulling teeth to track them and their kids down. I had noticed before that Israel Egan (b. 1818 in Canada) had no kids prior to his marriage to Maggie in 1860, at age 42. I wondered if he had kids and a wife prior to that marriage, but haven't found them. I suspect your Elijah is Israel's son, but that is purely speculation at this point and Israel needs further research as I didn't find him on the 1850 census. The first I see of your Elijah B Egan is signing up for the 22nd Infantry in Missouri. It so happens that Israel also joined the Civil War in Missouri. Your Elijah B Egan made a career out of the army from 1864 to 1878. He married Marian Davis about 1877 and then moved from Montana to Nebraska. I don't know for sure, but Israel is a possible candidate for parentage. Another interesting link is that both Israel and your Elijah were carpenters by trade.

Another possible candidate is Abraham Dennis Egan b. 1824 Canada, another son of Patrick's (my 2nd great grandpa, b. 1791 in Ireland). I haven't found anything on Abraham other than he owned property in 1888-1889 in Vienna,Michigan. Where he was in the intervening 64 years and if he married and had a family is unknown to me. I've found some Abrams, some Dennises, etc. but couldn't confirm they were my guy, so I haven't any census returns for him. By the way, my 2nd great grandfather spelled his last name Egan. It was that way on his gravestone. He received his land in Canada through a grant from England for his service in the 6th Regiment of Foote. So military service was a tradition with my lines. I have 4 Elijah Egan/Eagans currently in my tree, but they are not your Elijah, darn it. I named the family tree EAGAN FAMILY TREE, but if you do an Ancestry.com search for ELIJAH B EGAN, the tree should show up for you as I made it publicly viewable. Even without a subscription you should be able to see his page. Let me know if you are successful and what you think.
Deb