thank you David you are a gentleman and obviously a scholar!
I had the same thought about the route via panama after your inclusion of the article about the shipping company. I now have a source to accurately check the dates when the other brothers arrived in US. If James actually came before ( not after the other brothers as I have assumed) them it would make sense why he didn't stop.
Yes please look at Bridget Regan. What I know is that she came from Cahir Ireland aged 20 with her sister Catherine aged 18 and another Catherine Regan ( I presume a cousin) . It was October 1854 the ship Patrician. most of the ship were Irish Immigrants and I have assumed it followed the last big famine. she left behind her mother, a widow. I have also assumed she was there as a servant to a more wealthy passenger.
I am the first to know any of that and I only dug that much up about 3 weeks ago so with your wizardry please spin her into a full character!
David