USA > Ohio > Cuyahoga County > Cleveland > A history of Catholicity in northern Ohio and in the diocese of Cleveland from 1749 to December 31, 1900, Volume II, pt2 > Part 2
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Capt. Mckay thus spent thirty-four years on the lakes, was' master for twenty years, and has made Cleveland his home since 1856 .~ He was married in Cleveland, and all his interests are in that city. In character he is sturdy and resolute, having a mind of his own. He dislikes notoriety and all approaches to flaunting or shams. He will not consent to having his name linked with impracticable, questionable or visionary things, all of which is the evidence of his principles and character. He is a modest but influential member of the Catholic Church, and is not without interest in the accomplishment of all undertakings making for the advancement of religion and education. In this respect, but especially in works of mercy, he is not merely aided, but is even excelled, by his wife. Mrs. McKay is a leading worker in the Circle of Mercy and is a member of the directory board, in which posi- tion she devotes herself to the broadest charity.
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MR. PATRICK J. McKENNEY.
The late Mr. Patrick J. McKenney, of Cleveland, Ohio, who died March 8, 1901, after this work was ready for the press, was a native of the county of Leitrim, Ireland. He was born in 1839. and when about twenty-seven years old he emigrated to the United States, taking up his abode in Chicago, Illinois.
In his native land he learned and followed the trade of a mason. He relied on it also in Chicago to earn his living during his nearly five years of residence there, and later in Cleveland, whither he removed about 1870. In the latter city he became a building contractor, and one of the monuments of his ability and honesty as such is the Church of the Immaculate Conception, of which he was a member.
Mr. McKenney took naturally to politics. From his arrival in the metropolis of Ohio until his death, a period of over thirty years, he was a delegate to every city and county Democratic con- vention, and twice his name was on the ticket as a national elector. He was in fact the best known, the most constant, and the hardest working member of his party in northern Ohio. He served four terms as a member of the city council, and when he passed away he was serving his first term as a member of the board of com- missioners of Cuyahoga county.
For years he was state treasurer of the Ancient Order of Hibernians, of Ohio, and was besides affiliated with such fraternal orders as the Knights of St. John, the Knights of Equity, the Irish Nationalists, and the Elks. In these organizations he always held a commanding position.
In 1885 he was married to Mrs. Eva Wiedenmeier, whose two daughters are named Teresa and Clara. To the union of Mr. and Mrs. McKenney were born three children, one a daughter who is named Mary Ella, and two sons. Patrick J., and John. In his home life he was kind, devoted, and loyal, and the qualities of honesty, outspokenness, and straightforwardness, which he always exhibited in public, were but the index to his character in his per- sonal and domestic relations.
What he was in private life he but emphasized in his public career, and what he was in public and political life may be inferred
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MR. PATRICK J. McKENNEY
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from the following preamble and resolution unanimously passed by the Cleveland city council which adjourned through respect for his memory on learning of his death :
"Whereas, Patrick J. McKenney was for eight years an hon- orable and influential member of this body representing his district and the city at large with marked fidelity and unswerving atten- tion to duty, ever prompt in his attendance and ever vigilant in his watchfulness over the city's interests, and
Whereas, his public life was full of honor and made his career commendable to the people, and
Whereas, death came to him in the midst of his work and in the full vigor of a sturdy manhood, therefore be it
Resolved, that the council pay to his memory the tribute of respect due him by the adoption of this memorial, and that the same be entered on the minutes of the council and an engrossed copy transmitted to his family."
The subject of this sketch carned by his consistent, open life the sobriquet "Honest Pat. McKenney." He merited this hon- orable title as well in his dealings with individuals as in represent- ing the masses officially. He was thoroughly honest in word and deed. He was honest in his Catholic faith, honest in his marital relations, and honest with his friends as well as with his enemies. In the city council he was against all "jobs" and dishonest meas- ures and practices. He was the foe of all "framed" legislation and was outspoken in defense of his position as a public servant.
The education of "Honest Pat. McKenney" was limited, but his intelligence, sound judgment, wit, and quick repartee were far in advance of those of any of his compatriots. He was equal to jesting a political juggler out of court. He was able to bombard a scheming political foe until he cried for quarter. He was never hit in debate but what he returned it with interest until the aggressor subsided. He was always for right and justice as he clearly saw them, and he was both instant and persistent in their defense. He acted out in his every-day life the teachings of the Catholic faith and the inherited character of a true son of Erin. These combined agencies for the cultivation of virtue had evi- dently attained in his case to a large measure of success. He was the exemplification of one of God's noblest works, an honest man.
Lacking much in finish and in polish, with the angularities of his honest nature not rounded off, with no diplomacy, no deceiving
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smile, no graceful bow, no fashionable hand-shake, and no meas- ured speech, it may be difficult for some, who judge from mere appearances and from surface indications, to give full assent to this outline of, this hint at, the grand character of Mr. McKenney. It is true he did not appear to stand so much superior to other men; that he had his share of little imperfections like other humans; that he was but the block of human marble somewhat roughly shaped and rugged ; but it is equally true that this block of marble was of such volume, fibre and quality that only the chisel and the pumice of education and training were wanting to bring him forth in such glorious proportions and finish as to impress the simplest beholder with the fact that "Honest Pat. McKenney" was in every respect a good citizen, a kind husband and father, a good, true friend, and a thoroughly Catholic, manly man.
MR. PATRICK McNICOL.
McNicol is an honored and influential name in East Liver- pool, Ohio, just as it has been for generations in the north of Ire- land, where loyalty to the Catholic Church and to duty on the part of those who bore it was often put to the severest tests. The majority of the residents there was transplanted stock and was given all the advantages by the British government, owing to the acceptance by them of the reformed or Protestant form of religion. In fact the abjuration of what was called the "idolatry" of Catho- dicity was the test of good citizenship and respectability. A mere Catholic was regarded as a "nobody."
Under such conditions the lot of Catholics, especially in the northern counties of Ireland, was hard and most trying, for it was in that section of the country that the infamous penal enactments were felt in all their virulence and gross injustice. The McNicols with their Catholic neighbors there suffered shipwreck of both their spiritual, natural and legal rights, and on all sides were beset by difficulties and galling oppressions. They suffered loss of property, loss of political privileges-in fact loss of everything ex- cept their faith. This they clung to tenaciously in common with their co-religionists in every part of that much oppressed Island.
Mr. Patrick McNicol, born at Moville, in the county of Done-
MR. AND MRS. PATRICK MONICOL.
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gal, May 10, 1828, emerged from the crucible, in 1852, and sought liberty and prosperity in free America. With others of his family he chose East Liverpool, Ohio, as his home. Following the trade of a potter he prospered, and, in 1865, with his brother John, estab- lished that branch of the pottery business with which the family name has since been connected. Having his heart and intellect in harmony with truth and right he became one of the most high- ly respected and public-spirited citizens of East Liverpool. He passed to his reward November 13, 1894, leaving a record and a name that are a credit to his family and a benefit to humanity.
Miss Ellen Johnston, who was reared near the city of Bel- fast in the county of Meath, Ireland, became his wife. They were married in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. She came to this country in 1849, and now in her seventieth year she enjoys life with her children. Their names are: George F., Thomas J., John F., Margaret T., Patrick, who is vice-president of The Standard Pottery Company; Mary A., who is Mrs. David S. Harris; Daniel B., and Charles A. The second oldest, Ellen, passed away in infancy. The children inherit one or the other of the many good qualities for which their parents have been noted.
Mrs. McNicol ever showed herself a true helpmate to her husband. She was his companion and co-worker in every under- taking relating to religion and the proper training of their chil- dren. She had no time to waste on empty things but concerned herself about her Christian duties and her domestic obligations. And now in the winter of her long life she has few regrets. The memory of her husband's virtues and manly qualities is to her a comfort and a solace. She would have him live in the children, a realization which is the object of her prayers and fondest hopes.
Indeed, the late Mr. Patrick McNicol's life is worthy of emu- lation. He possessed many excellent qualities, while his super- natural virtues were numerous and prominent. He had the gift of faith, which he always cherished. He was a doer of good deeds, although he never made parade of his works. He wished well to his fellow men, and he always respected the rights of others. Having witnessed much of persecution and oppression of con- science he put farthest from him any approach to religious pro- scription. He loved his fellow man for God's sake and was there- fore truly charitable.
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MR. DANIEL E. McNICOL.
The president of The D. E. McNicol Pottery Company, whose factories are at East Liverpool and Wellsville, Ohio, is here mentioned as one of the most prominent Catholic gentlemen of eastern Ohio. He is also recognized as one of the remarkably successful business men of that section. Commercially. his rating is the highest, while socially and as a friend and neighbor he commends himself to a host of admirers by his urbanity, gen- erosity, and general cleverness.
He was born in East Liverpool, Ohio, February 26, 1856, and is one of the seven surviving members of a family of thirteen born to John and Mary (McCarron) McNicol. His father was a native of Moville in the county of Donegal, Ireland, and was married in the city of Glasgow, Scotland, to Miss Mary McCarron, where two children born to them passed away in infancy. With his wife he emigrated to the United States, in 1852, and located at East Liverpool, Ohio. He there followed his trade as a potter, reared a large family, and united with his brother Patrick in establishing the pottery plant which his son, Daniel E., has since developed and continues to control. He, John McNicol, died November 30, 1881.
The business of the D. E. McNicol Pottery Company is a very important industry and is as much an art as it is a manufactur- ing enterprise, requiring, as it does, not only artistic and mechani- cal skill and large capital, but also marked business ability and energy to conduct it successfully. In view of the sharp competi- tion the prosperity of The McNicol Company is the best evidence of the artistic attractiveness and excellence of its wares and also of the executive ability of those in charge. One of Mr. McNicol's chief aids in the attainment of his noted prosperity is Mr. William L. Smith who is secretary and treasurer of the company. He is a member of the local Presbyterian Church, but this does not militate against the business and social harmony that exists between the Catholic and the Protestant, a fact which is creditable alike to president McNicol and to secretary-treasurer Smith. Their pleasant relationship and mutual esteem are a severe rebuke
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to the ignorant proscriptive spirit that even today exhibits itself in parts of the great "Buckeye" Commonwealth.
Mr. D. E. McNicol was married, in 1881, to Miss Honora Cronin, a young lady born near the city of Cork, Ireland, but who has been a resident of East Liverpool, Ohio, since her girlhood. She has been practically educated, and exhibits in her home life as wife and mother the fruits of her excellent training. To their union have been born a family of six, two girls and four boys. The girls are named Mary and Annie. The former is a graduate of the Ursuline Convent, at Toledo, Ohio, where her aunt, née McNicol, is a nun, and is known in religion as Sister Mary Stanislas; and the latter will graduate this year from Mt. Dechantal Academy, Wheeling, West Virginia. The boys are named: John, Hugh, Daniel, and Cornelius, the education of each of whom is being carefully attended to.
Mr. and Mrs. D. E. McNicol and family are worthy repre- sentatives of their ancestors, both immediate and remote, as well in religious steadfastness as in those qualities which adorned the character of their progenitors. Whatever wealth affords, not only in creature comforts, but also in education and social culture, are theirs to enjoy, and it is the pride of the subject of this mention to be able to say that he denies to his family none of the advantages required and prized in this day and generation.
Mr. McNicol might take pride also in the fact that, among his neighbors and fellow citizens, he is esteemed for his generosity, his kindness of heart, and his readiness not only to say a good word for his fellow man but also to assist him when in need by practical evidences of his benevolence. It is as natural for him to play the part of the Good Samaritan as it is to show himself a true son of Erin. Like the typical Celt mentioned in the song, he "will share his last potato and share it with a will;" and like the Samaritan of old he can not be indifferent to the misfortunes of those who have fallen among thieves. The multiplied miseries of the poor appeal to his generous heart, and it can be truthfully said of him that he has learned to give cheerfully and promptly. He knows how to be kind, neighborly, and charitable, and as such he is respected and honored by all who know him.
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MR. JAMES P. MADIGAN.
Among the prominent and public-spirited citizens of Ohio's metropolis there are few better or more favorably known for integrity and ability than the locally distinguished Catholic gen- tleman who has been selected as the subject of this mention.
Having been a resident of Cleveland, Ohio, since 1875, and now filling the important office of city auditor, it is impossible not to be impressed by his efficiency and character and the energy, assiduity, and honesty exhibited in his public career.
In his official capacity as director of accounts for the city of Cleveland, he has been the chief factor in unearthing and stopping the astounding irregularities, amounting to nearly a half a million dollars, in the management of the affairs of the local public schools. For this he, indeed, has the thanks and the gratitude of the justice- loving and tax-paying portions of the community.
It is but just to say that Auditor Madigan, from the begin- ning, has been backed and encouraged not only by the city admin- istration, of which he himself is a part, but also by the entire local Catholic population, who share with him the credit of his earnest and successful efforts to expose and put an end to the much-talked of peculations that for some years have been the smirching of the common school management in Cleveland. If Mr. Madigan had no other claim to recognition and honorable mention, this alone would be sufficient, for it makes his debtor every good citizen who recognizes public office as a public trust, and who holds to the doctrine that the public conscience can not be clean so long as the private and individual conscience is groaning under its load of sin, and is given both opportunity and encouragement in wrong- doing.
Mr. James P. Madigan was born at Foynes in the county of Limerick, Ireland, October 28, 1859. He there made his first Holy Communion and received confirmation at the hands of the late Bishop of Limerick, the Rt. Rev. George Butler, D.D. Before. completing his tenth year he was taken, August. 1869, to this country where he readily drank in the spirit of American freedom. For a time his education was attended to in the State of New York, but later, removing to Ohio, he entered St. Mary's Institute at
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IN NORTHERN OHIO.
Dayton, where he acquainted himself with two of the modern languages, the commercial branches, and the chief features of a liberal education, including the higher mathematics. He soon became one of the professors in the college and taught the science of accounts, mathematics and other branches.
Going to Cleveland, in 1875, where he has since resided, he taught, in connection with the Brothers of Mary of the Dayton Institute, in the local parochial schools, which in those years it was the aim of Bishop Gilmour to lift to a higher educational standard. He taught for one year in St. Patrick's schools, also in those of St. Bridget's congregation for one year, and for one year in the Cathedral schools. Subsequently he followed the calling of a bookkeeper and accountant and later drifted into commercial lines in the jobbing trade.
Mr. Madigan's recognized ability as an accountant and his established reputation for reliability, education, and integrity, brought him to the notice of the new administration elected to purify and improve the conduct of city affairs in Cleveland. Mr. Madigan was asked to accept his present responsible position of city auditor. He did accept, and the results of his method and system in auditing are creditable to Mayor Johnson, profitable to the city, and honorable to himself.
A man of Mr. Madigan's patriotic sentiments and social attainments is also in demand among the members of fraternal and patriotic associations. In consequence the Irish Nationalists have the benefit of his experience, and of his military training received as a member of the Cleveland Grays. For two terms he served as county president for the Ancient Order of Hibernians, of which organization he is a long-time member. He was cap- tain of Washington Commandery Knights of St. John, and is one of the prominent leaders in the Knights of Equity. In the various fields in which his multiplied affiliations have led him his thorough- ness and constancy, his ability and loyalty have won for him the respect and confidence of his fellow members.
Mr. James P. Madigan was married, February 10, 1885, to Miss Anna Champion, a young lady born and educated in Cleve- land. She became the joyful mother of seven children, one of whom passed away in infancy. The six remaining are: Frances Clare, Mary Colette, Anna Geraldine, Angela Patience, James
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Champion, and Mary Cleophas. Mrs. Madigan herself was called to her reward February 17, 1900, leaving a vacant chair and ach- ing hearts in the home of her beloved husband and children, and also in those of a large circle of admiring friends and acquaintances. Although absent in body she is present with them in spirit in the beautiful example of her motherly and Chris- tian life, the memory of which mitigates the sadness of carthly parting, leading as it does to the firm hope of a reunion for eternity in the better land.
The subject of this sketch is a gentleman of refinement, cul- ture, and practical education. He is blessed by nature with a fortunate physical organization and a happily balanced tempera- ment. He is quick to perceive situations but slow to the point of sureness in action. He must be on the right track headed in the right direction before he moves, but when he proceeds his course is steady and constant, his momentum neither lessened nor increased until the goal is reached. This characterizes him in everything he undertakes. Some of his army of friends who look to him for preferment or practical aid in their ambitions, or for the advancement of some good cause, grow restive at his apparent delays; but later, when the work is accomplished, they are quickest to say: "Well, Mr. Madigan has beaten our time after all."
And it has been thus with him for years in works of charity, in lending a helping hand, and in bridging over chasms to save some poor fellows from a great and crushing fall. It has also been his custom, in the line of generous impulses and moral duty, to give advice, to set good example, and to encourage. The wisest, the most resolute, as well as those of drooping spirit stand much in need of the uplifting, wise direction and inspiration which such men as Mr. Madigan are able and willing to give. He is never without something to do in the direction of assisting his neigh- bors and acquaintances. It will likely continue thus until a time comes when the sincerest appreciation fails of adequate expression for all he has done as well in public exigencies as in private needs, and until the great truth becomes patent to all that, continued good favor on earth, like never-ending joys in heaven, must be earned by much labor and sacrifice.
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THE REV. THOMAS F. MAHON
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THE REV. THOMAS F. MAHON.
One not without warrant of authority, both as to position and an acquaintance with the facts, has said that the priest whose name forms the title to this sketch is among the best equipped and zealous, and it might be added cloquent, of the younger priests of the Diocese of Cleveland. Comparing this averment with the excellent record made by the subject of this mention while a student at St. Charles' College, Baltimore; at St. Mary's Seminary, Cleveland, where after a six years' course he was ordained priest by Bishop Gilmour, December 18, 1889; at Salineville, the place of his first mission; at the Cathedral, Cleveland, in the capacity of assistant priest; at Massillon, where he spent seven and one-half years laboring most successfully ; and now, since June, 1898, as the pastor and builder-up of the new congregation of St. Thomas Aquinas, Cleveland, in all nearly twelve years of missionary life --- it would appear that Father Mahon is, without doubt, the ener- getic, zealous, and successful man he is reputed to be.
Twelve years on the mission, it is true, is but a short period when compared with the years of service of those priests who have already celebrated their silver and not a few their golden jubilee. Father Mahon humbly and almost penitently accuses himself of comparative recentness and inexperience as a laborer in the Vine- yard. Like other noble young men of his calling he regards him- self -as a mere youngling along side of the white-haired veterans of forty or fifty years of missionary labors. And yet might it not be in place to suggest that the usefulness of the priest on the mission, like that of the layman in business, is not always to be measured by the number of his years of service? Some priests, like some laymen, are equal to doing the work of five years in two, or of twenty years in ten. Opportunity as well as ability may have to do with results .in both cases. Talent and capacity, especially when directed and energized by the spirit of God, which so won- derfully actuated St. Paul to labor both in season and out of season, have surely to do with a usefulness the fruits of which are not always evidenced by tangible things.
While in Massillon, as pastor of St. Joseph's for seven and one-half years, the labors of Father Mahon were blessed with both
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spiritual and material good results. During his pastorate the old church was rebuilt so as to answer the purpose of a school; a cemetery was purchased at a cost of six thousand dollars; a pas- toral residence was built at an expense of four thousand dollars; and the present new St. Joseph's Church was erected at an outlay of forty thousand dollars.
Regarding the spiritual labors of a priest, however, it is more difficult to write. The recording angel keeps that record. But when the one hundred and forty-seventh convert, through the grace of God and the untiring zeal of Father Mahon as an ex- pounder of the faith, tells, as the others have done, the story of how he was brought to follow in the wake of the kindly light that led him back to the loving bosom of Mother Church, even a layman feels like attempting to invade with his opinion the domain of the spiritual where, after all, the chief labors of the priest are per- formed, and where he experiences heartbreaks as well as holy joys. While Father Mahon takes special delight in, and is well equipped for, the God-appointed work of going out into the wilderness after the straying lambs, he never forgets the flock in the sheepfold of which he is the shepherd. He forewarns them against the briars and thickets that lacerate and entangle those who neglect their Christian duties, and the morasses that swallow up those who love the danger of wandering in the by-paths of unfaith.
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