Tuhia he haere tonu mō tēnei wāhanga - I whānau a Charles Patrick John Coghlan i te 24 o Hune 1863 ki King William's Town, British Kaffraria (he wāhanga o te Cape Colony mai i te tau 1866). Tokotoru ōna tuakana. Ko tana papa, ko James Coghlan, no Ireland, he Katorika hoki; i tae mai ia ki Awherika ki te Tonga i te tau 1851 hei hoia i roto i te ope taua o Ingarangi, i te mea kua uru ki te mawhiti i te matekai nui o Ireland. Whai muri i te whawhai i te Waru o nga Pakanga Xhosa
Mai i te 1850 ki te 1853 me te 2nd (The Queen's Royal) Regiment of Foot, i noho a James ki nga maunga o Keiskamma; i noho ia ki reira me tana wahine a Isabella Mary (née Maclaren), no Dumbartonshire, Scotland. I neke raua ki King William's Town i muri i te tangohanga o Coghlan mai i te ope taua me te whanautanga o ta raua tamaiti tuatahi, he tama i huaina hoki ko James. Ko te tuakana o James Coghlan ka noho hei kaikaunihera taone i te Taone o Kingi Wiliama.