[3] As early as 1876, T.J. Egan ran a shop at 177 Lower Water St., near the Halifax Hotel, specializing in firearms, ammunition, and taxidermy services.
[6][7] In February 1878, he attended the Nova Scotia Poultry and Floricultural Association's exhibition in Halifax, winning first prize for his Rouen duck display.
[10] He also purchased a Clumber Spaniel that was brought to Nova Scotia, winning several prizes with it and breeding multiple litters with different dogs.
[11] Thomas J. Egan played a key role alongside Halifax taxidermist Andrew Downs in preparing Canada's taxidermy display for the 1883 International Fisheries Exhibition in London.
[13] His findings were detailed in "Netting of the American Crossbill," an article featured in The Ornithologist and Oölogist, edited by Frank Blake Webster.
[18] In 1904, the building housing his shop on Lower Water Street caught fire, resulting in the destruction of his mounted bird collection.
Egan and his son-in-law Daniel Chisholm later owned a property called Rockwood Cottage on the North West Arm in Nova Scotia.
[19] His daughter, Canadian ceramic artist Alice Mary Hagen (née Egan), was born in Halifax in 1872.