USA > Iowa > Clayton County > History of Clayton County, Iowa : from the earliest historical times down to the present : including a genealogical and biographical record of many representative families, prepared from data obtained from original sources of information, Volume I > Part 47
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We find the following in the public press relating to the dedica- tion of the new church erected by him in 1898: "In 1897, agitation was commenced for the erection of a new church as the old one was found to be inadequate. The matter was canvassed and a building committee composed of P. J. Cain, Ed. Hofer. Wm. Bauer, James Foran and N. Fitzpatrick was appointed. Guido Beck of Dubuque was the architect and the beauty of the double Gothic structure as it stands today is a monument to his ability. Thos. Byrnes, who built the Elkader stone arch bridge and the Hotel Bayless was the contrac- tor. The amount of the contract was $12,800. The cornerstone was laid April 24, 1897, in the presence of about 1,500 people. The Foresters, led by F. J. Uriell and D. D. Murphy, marched to the site of the church and the ceremony was conducted by Father Rowe of Strawberry Point, assisted by Fathers Dollard of Elkport, O'Donnell of McGregor, O'Dowd of Independence, Raedler of Garnavillo and Hogan of
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Monona. The oration was delivered by Rev. Father Coyle of Cedar Falls. The church was dedicated on Thanksgiving day, 1899, Very Rev. Monsignor Ryan representing the archbishop and Rev. J. Fitz- patrick of Dubuque preaching the dedicatory sermon. The church is a solid stone structure of native rock, the Gothic style of architecture is well carried out. The main body of the church is fifty-five feet wide by eighty-five feet long, the extreme length being one hundred sixteen feet, the tower rises one hundred forty-two feet from the water table on the top of the cross which surmounts it. The seating capacity is over five hundred and twenty. With the beautiful living green of the hills for a background, the church stands with its graceful and symmetrical outlines as a great gray monument to the loyalty and devo- tion of the Catholics of Elkader. The interior is in keeping and the entire church property is one of which the people may well be proud.
Rev. J. F. Reilly was born in Ohio in 1854. His parents later moved to Kentucky and there he lived as a youth. He was educated in the classical course in Lenox College and at St. Joseph's College, Bardstown, Kentucky, and also at'St. Joseph's College at Dubuque. He made his seminary course in Montreal, Canada, and in Dubuque. He was ordained to the priesthood in 1881 and his first charge was at Harper's Ferry. He was assigned to McGregor in 1884 and to Elka- der, September 13th, 1887. His congregation is now in a prosperous condition. The school is well attended and of high standard. The congregation is large and united and the church property well main- tained and cared for.
The history of the church at McGregor is equally interesting. For many years the first Catholic settlers at McGregor's Landing were cared for spiritually by the priests at Prairie du Chien. Rev. Father DeCailly was the first resident priest at McGregor and the first baptis- mal ceremony was performed by him on May 7th, 1857. Rev. Richard Nagel succeeded him in July, 1858. He lived for a brief time near Monona and attended the parishes at McGregor, Monona, Elkader, Postville and other places. There being no church at McGregor, mass being celebrated in private homes. Through his efforts a frame church building was erected and a parsonage purchased, and he became the first resident pastor. He was succeeded in 1868 by Father B. C. Lenihan. Father Nagel was pastor during the most exciting and turbulent days of McGregor's history, and there are numerous instances recorded of his splendid work for the maintenance of law and order and public decency. He antagonized the rougher elements of the city and more than once his life was threatened, but he went his way fearing no man and the terror of evil doers.
Father Lenihan, afterward recognized as one of the leaders of the Catholic church in Iowa, purchased a parsonage on ground donated by James McGregor, Jr. He also erected a school and a home for the sisters in charge. Sisters of Charity were secured from Dubuque and a parochial school was opened. Father Sullivan succeeded him in 1873, and during his pastorate the present rectory was built. Father D. H. Murphy became pastor in the year of 1875, and in 1876 was followed by the Rev. M. O. Carroll. In 1878, in one of McGregor's many fires, the church was totally destroyed. There being no insur-
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ance on the building the loss was well nigh irreparable. Efforts were at once made to rebuild, but from 1878 until 1881 the congregation was without a church and mass was celebrated in the school. These were gloomy days in the history of the McGregor church. The school was closed and the sisters returned to their mother house in Dubuque. Rev. Carroll was succeeded, in 1879, by Rev. T. D. Brennan and, in 1880, Rev. Garrett D. Nagel assumed charge. Under his energetic administration the present church was begun in 1881. The building committee consisted of Charles Budde, John Corts, Joseph Andres, T. J. Sullivan, Louis Budde and Arthur Dunn. In 1884, Father Nagel was able to leave McGregor with the handsome structure which occupies such a commanding position at the head of Main Street, completed and free from debt. He was succeeded by Rev. J. F. Reilly, who was with the church for three years, during which time the Sisters were recalled and the school was reopened. During his pastorate the interior of the church was remodelled. Father Charles Carroll was pastor from 1887 to 1891. During his regime the church was gutted by fire at the noon hour on Christmas day. Under his direction the interior was restored and beautiful fresco work added. At this time St. Mary's academy was established. Father Curran was the next pastor, remaining but a few months. Father O'Donnell came to the church in 1891 and was its well beloved pastor until his death in 1908. Through lack of support the school was again abandoned. Father Lundon was pastor from 1908 to 1911 when he was succeeded by Rev. Thos. Dowling. His efficiency and zeal were marked from his first taking charge. He was succeeded by Rev. J. F. Horsefield May 10th, 1916, and he is the present popular pastor of the church.
Another of the older churches of the county is that at Monona. In March, 1856, a number of the Catholics of the vicinity met and organized for the purpose of erecting a church. The building com- mittee consisted of Michael Humphrey, Denis O'Leary, Richard Humphrey, Patrick Geraghty and James Humphrey, and in May, 1856, under the supervision of Father DeCailly a frame structure, twenty- four by forty was erected. In 1869, this little pioneer structure was replaced by the present handsome brick building. Father Richard Nagel was the first pastor, from 1857 to 1858. After his time the church was attended by pastors of McGregor, until 1873, when Father Toner became its second resident pastor, followed by Father Brady. Thence, until 1884, it was served by pastors of McGregor. In that year it secured its own pastor in the person of Rev. Michael Hennessey who served it from 1884 until 1887. From that date until 1893 its rectorship was filled by two brothers, Father James F. Corbett and Father Patrick Corbett. In 1893 Rev. M. Hogan was assigned to the charge. For a number of years he served at Postville also, as an out- side mission. * During his administration a fine parochial school was built at a cost of $20,000 and a flourishing school established. The church property as a whole is one of the finest in the county, and the congregation is in the best condition of unity and strength. In July, 1916, he was transferred to the church at Greene, Iowa. Just prior to his departure he was the recipient of signal honors, when all of the
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citizens of Monona, regardless of creed, gathered to bid him Godspeed and to express their appreciation of his twenty-three years of splendid service. His broadmindedness and his kindly heart endeared him to all the people. The city park was the scene of the gathering number- ing more than a thousand people. A union choir furnished the music, Mayor Geo. H. Otis presided and a large and handsome silver loving cup, and other gifts, were presented to him in an eloquent address by Attorney Delbert W. Meier.
Among the other churches of the county is the Cox Creek church, built in 1875 at the cost of $2,000. Rev. M. J. Quirk was the first pastor and it was through his efforts that the church was built. Serv- ices prior to that time were held in private houses. Among the priests in attendance were Fathers Lynch, McGinnis, Nagel, O'Brien, and Quigley. Michael Carr gave the land upon which the church was built and among those active in erecting the church were James Byrnes, E. Ollinger, B. Dillon, James Ivory, T. Glenning and John Dunn. Succeeding pastors were Fathers Coyle, Hackett, and Rowe. At this time the church of Cox Creek served the people of the southwestern part of the county, but in 1878, Father Hackett was commissioned by the Bishop to organize a congregation and build a church at Straw- berry Point. A frame church thirty by sixty was complete by 1879 and in 1880 a parsonage was also erected. The church was dedicated May 23d, 1880, Rev. Dr. Dailey of Richardsville delivering the sermon. Father Hackett was succeeded in 1881 by Father Rowe who had charge of the churches at Strawberry Point, Greeley and Cox Creek.
The church at Clayton was erected in 1870 at a cost of $2,000. Until 1885 it was attended from Garnavillo. From that date to 1891 it was attended from McGregor, since which time it has again been dependent on Garnavillo. The Sacred Heart Church of Volga was built in 1898. Rev. John Daly was the first resident pastor, under whose pastorate the parsonage was added. His successors were Rev. Thos. Campbell, Rev. M. Erdley, Rev. Curran and Rev. Garland. The present pastor is Rev. A. Hetherington and during his ten years of office the congregation has grown numerically and financially. The value of the church property is not less than $15,000.
The church at Elkport was organized by Father Michael Lynch about 1850. Services at first were held at residences and then only a few times a year. After this time it was attended from Guttenberg by Fathers Schoulte and Massjost. The first church edifice was a frame building built in 1863. This was replaced by a stone structure in 1874 and later a substantial parsonage was added. Father Michael Gaul laid the foundation of the present rock church. He was suc- ceeded by Father M. J. Quirk who was the first resident pastor and who completed the church and built a parochial residence. In 1875 Rev. B. Coyle was appointed his successor. For nine years he labored in his spiritual calling for the uplift morally and religiously of all. To all he was a debtor that to all he might be a benefit. Tall, slender, attractive in appearance, gentle in his manner and in speech most clear and persuasive, his ministration was most successful and his memory held in benediction. He was followed by the Rev. J. Fogarty in 1882, by Rev. P. Corbett in 1884, by Rev. M. Shehan in 1887, by Rev. E.
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Dollard in 1903 and by Rev. D. Minogue in 1908. Rev. D. Minogue is still its pastor. He has made many improvements in the temporal affairs of the congregation but no one of them can be enduring because of the unfortunate location of church and residence. Situated on the bank at the junction of Elk creek and Turkey river, church and house have frequently suffered great damage by floods and inundations. The muddy waters have sometimes entered them to the height of five or more feet. He is seriously thinking of applying a remedy which will be in the nature of selecting a new location.
The church of Buena Vista is a recent formation. Until 1912 it had been attended from Holy Cross, Dubuque county, and until 1915 from Dubuque. In 1915 a parochial residence was erected and now is in possession of Rev. Father Holthaus as resident pastor.
There is no question but that the Catholic church of the county has exerted a great influence for good and that, in the earnestness and zeal of its pioneer missionaries and of its pastors and in the self sacri- fice, devotion and generosity of its people, it has well sustained the great heritage which it received at the hands of Pere Marquette.
Rev. Thos. Rowe became pastor at Strawberry Point in July, 1881. The charge, comprised Edgewood, Greeley and Cox Creek. Most faithfully did he serve his flock down to the time of his death, which occurred in July, 1904. Not alone was he revered by those of his own creed, but those of other creeds whose fortune it was to know him, will transmit to other generations their appreciation of him. To his efforts many of the material improvements that these several mis- sions now possess are due. He was succeeded by Rev. J. Hartigan. It was during his regime that there occurred those regrettable religious differences which disturbed the peace of the county for a time but which now, fortunately, have yielded before a broader spirit of Christian charity and tolerance. Rev. Hartigan remained in charge until 1914, when he was succeeded in rapid succession by Fathers Ireland, Reynolds and Casey. Father Casey is now in charge and by his prudence bids fair to restore harmony and fraternal charity.
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CHAPTER XVII
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES OF SOME OF CLAYTON COUNTY'S MOST NOTED MEN
HON. E. H. WILLIAMS-HON. S. MURDOCK-HON. ELIPHALET PRICE- HON. TIMOTHY DAVIS-HORACE D. BRONSON-ELISHA BOARDMAN- ALEXANDER M'GREGOR-GOVERNOR SAMUEL MERRILL-MAJOR E. V. CARTER-DR. SAMUEL LITTLE-HON. M. URIELL.
N PRECEDING chapters mention has been made of the passing of many of the pioneers and well-known figures in Clayton county's history. There have been reserved for this chapter, however, a few more lengthy biographies of some of the men whom the county has been delighted to honor and who, in their lives, reflected honor upon it. The majority of these sketches were written by loving and sorrow- ing friends at the time of the subject's death, and they have been copied just as written at the time by those who knew them best. They may be taken, therefore, as Clayton county's own tribute to its own.
Hon. Elias H. Williams was born in the State of Connecticut, on the 23d day of July, 1819, and is both on the side of his father and mother descended from a long line of noble and respectable ances- tors, who were among the most ardent patriots of the American Revo- lution, and who suffered greatly from the raids of the notorious Arnold and other British commanders on the soil of Connecticut. His father died when he was quite a youth, leaving his mother to take care of and educate her children, and being a lady of talent and great mental power, she determined to give her sons a first-class education, and as soon as the subject of this sketch was of proper age she sent him to Yale College, where she kept and maintained him until he graduated with the highest honors, and soon after receiving his diploma he spent one year in New Hampshire as a teacher of languages; and he then made a journey to South Carolina, where he was also for some time engaged in teaching and reading law; and it was while residing here and seeing the degrading effects of human slavery, that he imbibed the feeling of hatred and disgust toward that institution, that shone forth in after years in the most fervent and eloquent speeches for its overthrow. He soon found that, with his ideas of justice and human liberty, South Carolina was no place for him, and hearing of the new territory whose shores were washed by two of the greatest rivers of
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the globe, he turned his footsteps toward Iowa, and in 1846 he arrived in Clayton county, and settled at Garnavillo.
At this time the county had but few inhabitants ; but as he looked and wandered over the broad and fertile prairies, he saw that these must in a short time invite the emigrants, and be settled by a thriving and industrious population, and here he determined to make his future home. In addition to other attainments, he had acquired a fine legal education, and he soon began to practice, and in a short time estab- lished a good practice and a high reputation as a scholar and a lawyer. The practice of the law soon proved too slow, too confining and too irksome for his disposition, and being possessed of an iron constitution, a strong physical frame, with a strong desire for manual exercise, he left his profession, entered a large tract of land near Garnavillo, and with the labor of his own hands soon converted it into a beautiful and productive farm. On this farm he was an incessant laborer, and however cold or stormy might be the day or the hour, he could be seen at his work, until he had made himself a competence, and provided a good home for his widowed mother and his brothers and sisters; and though elevations and honors were showered upon him in after years, yet it is doubtful whether they brought to him the pride, or satisfaction that he enjoyed, when one day he looked over the beautiful rarm, the work of his own hands, saw it completed, and his mother and brothers and sisters enjoying themselves in ease and luxury and beyond the reach of want. Never did a mother idolize a son more than that mother did him, and never did a son work harder or later to gratify her every wish and comfort; and when all the surroundings of that once happy home and family were grouped together, it presented a picture of domestic felicity worthy of the attention of the philosopher, and perhaps the highest, the greatest, and the most gratifying the human mind is capable of conceiving.
In 1851 he was elected the first county judge under the new sys- tem of county government, and this not only included all the county affairs, but the probate of estates, in addition; and when he assumed the duties of the office all these three branches of county affairs were in a bad and deplorable condition, but he began his work with that determined will which has ever characterized him, and in a short time he paid off old and outstanding debts, levied a just system of taxes, laid out new roads and built bridges, and at the end of four years he handed over to his successor the whole county government in a redeemed and prosperous condition, and again returned to his farm, honored and respected by the people for his able management of their public affairs. In 1849 he was married in his native State to Hannah Larabee, sister to the Hon. William Larabee, of Fayette county, and a descendant of an old family of that State, who took an active part on the side of America in all the great struggles of the great revolu- tion, and this amiable, accomplished and talented woman has been his adviser, his comforter and helper in all his trials and hardships for more than a third of a century. Two sons and two daughters, now grown up to age and maturity have been born to them, and these chil- dren they have raised and educated in all accomplishments that the county and money could afford.
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In 1858 he was elected District Judge of the Tenth Judicial Dis- trict of Iowa, and re-elected again in 1862, and during these eight years he presided over the courts of the district with credit and honor; and it was here that he gained that wide reputation through the state which he still retains, of being a profound jurist, an able lawyer and a finished scholar. In 1870 he was appointed by the Governor of Iowa, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the State, and in this position he served but a short time, when he retired from law and politics, to turn his attention to the building of railroads; but while on the supreme bench his written opinions and judicial decisions were models of learn- ing, brevity and research.
Soon after leaving the supreme bench he conceived and originated a plan for the construction of a railroad from Dubuque, along the west bank of the Mississippi river to St. Paul, with the main branch up and along the valley of the Turkey, via Mankato, to the Northern Pacific Railroad; upon announcing his scheme to the public, it was looked upon as visionary and impossible, but he threw the full force of his determined will and character into the scheme, and in a short time he had the satisfaction of being the first man to break ground on the enterprise which afterward became the Chicago, Dubuque & Min- nesota Railroad, and it is to his energy, will and perseverance that Northern Iowa and Minnesota are indebted for that magnificent line of road that follows the Father of Waters from Clinton to St. Paul. To avoid heavy grades, as well as to shorten the route from Chicago and Dubuque to the great Northwest, his plan was to follow the valley of the Turkey as a through and main line, but in this he was over- ruled. Dubuque lost heavily by the change, and the road still climbs the heavy grades, and pursues the longest and most unprofitable routes to the same points. He stayed by this enterprise until he saw it completed under his own eyes to Guttenberg, when he left it, and organized the "Iowa Eastern" Narrow Gauge Company, whose pur- pose was to build a road from McGregor, in a southwesterly direction, through Iowa's coal fields to the Missouri. His energy and persever- ance soon raised the desired funds, and he again broke ground upon the new enterprise, and rapidly pushed it forward from Beulah for a distance of sixteen miles, when all of a sudden a financial panic fell upon the country, his backers failed, and he was left to struggle as he could with a large floating debt hanging over his enterprise, and its creditors pursuing him at every turn. He had sold his beautiful farm at Garnavillo, and had invested the proceeds in a large tract of land in Grand Meadow Township, and this he had soon brought to a high state of cultivation, and adorned and embellished it in a magnifi- cent manner, and this fine home and farm he put in jeopardy to save his fair name and fame as a man of honor and integrity, until at last he found himself upon the very verge of ruin and poverty.
He was the author, the originator and the president of the enter- prise and when the crash came, with all its terrible effects, its credit- ors met him without compassion at every turn, and demanded their full share from the ruins of a blasted enterprise; and, to add to his crushed and tender feelings, many of his former friends deserted him, and left him to struggle alone under a pressure that was enough to
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break and shatter the strongest mind ever possessed by a human being. In all these struggles he never lost sight of his honor and integ- rity, and he made every effort, offered every assurance within his power and command, to appease and stay the demands, but all to no purpose; suit after suit was brought, judgments, with multiplied execu- tions were issued, and his own private property seized to satisfy the demands against the company. There was a time during this terrible pressure upon him when a few of his friends might have come to his support, and by even their countenances and assurances, and without the aid of money, could have given such confidence to his enterprise, as would have pushed it along on its route, every mile of which would have restored confidence, allayed the demands of creditors, paid them in the end, and completed the enterprise; but these were not forth- coming, and with all this load upon his shoulders, he kept his sixteen miles of road in good condition, and through storm and sunshine his trains made their regular trips along the route with their freight and passengers until the present season when he sold the road with all its franchises and incumbrances to the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad Company, and retired once more to his farm.
In conjunction with his brother he began the construction of another railroad from Lancaster, Wis., running in a northwesterly direction to Woodman Junction with C. M. & St. P. R. R .; and after completing a portion of the road, he sold out his interest, and from the sales of both roads he has probably saved his large and extensive farm, which still leaves him a competence, and a peaceful retreat in his declining years. When the Missouri Compromise was repealed, and the South had threatened to plant her slave colonies on free soil, he was among the very first men of America to protest against the encroach- ment, and among the first to call together a body of men for the pur- pose of forming an organization against the demands of the slave- holder's power, and from that day to the present he has stood by that organization. As a profound lawyer, an able and upright judge, as a finished scholar and a public man, his name and his public works will ever be connected with the history of the State and his county, in a high and in an honorable manner; and as he has still many years of usefulness before him, we will leave him in the hands of those whom he has served so long and well, to do him more ample justice in the future.
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