The Kerry O'Connells

     St. Thomas had Cork O'Connells and Kerry O'Connells.  

     The immigrant ancestor of the Kerry O'Connell families is John G. O'Connell.  He was born about 1829 in County Kerry but the exact place has not been found.

     He first settled in Brown Township, Delaware, Ohio.  He was married on 9 April 1861 at St. Mary's Church in Delaware to Mary Ann Pyle (or Piles). The first four children were born in Brown Township and baptized at St. Mary's.  They were Mary Agnes, Ellen Theresa, John W. and Elizabeth.  

     By 1870, the family was living in Minnesota.  They appear in the 1870 in Belle Plaine. By November of that year, they appear in the St. Thomas Church records.  David Thomas was baptized 18 Nov 1870. Two more sons were born to them:  Daniel and Sylvester. By 1875, they appeared in the state census in Derrynane Township. 

John G. O'Connell, Ellen O'Connell Ronayne, James Doherty & Mary  Ronayne Doherty

     The three O'Connell sisters all married Ronaynes.  Mary Agnes married James Ronayne. Ellen married Cornelius Ronayne.  James and Cornelius were brothers.  Elizabeth married Dennis Ronayne (he may have been a cousin to the brothers Ronayne).  

     John W. O'Connell married a Cork O'Connell.  She was Catherine O'Connell, daughter of Michael O'Connell and Mary Slattery.  

     Daniel O'Connell never married. 

     David Thomas O'Connell married Margaret Doherty, daughter of James Doherty and Ann Heatherston. 

     Sylvester O'Connell married Margaret Murray who also has roots in St. Thomas. 

     John G. O'Connell had no siblings in the area. He may have had a brother, David, in Brown Township, Delaware, Ohio.  Soon there may be DNA results to prove or disprove that!  He did have relations in the area.  In Belle Plaine, was Johanna O'Connell Kelleher.  Johanna and her husband Martin Kelleher also lived in Brown Township, Delaware Ohio near David O'Connell before coming to Minnesota. David O'Connell was the godfather for Johanna's son Martin.  David was also the godfather of John W. O'Connell, John G.'s son. Johanna's descendant, Agnes Bailey, said that Johanna and John G. were cousins. Johanna O'Connell Kelleher claimed to be "related to" Daniel O'Connell, the Liberator. 

This photo was submitted to Ancestry.com by  Kathy Finn. 

     Another relation in the St. Thomas area was Catherine Galvin O'Leary. Her husband was James O'Leary.  They also lived in Derrynane Township.  Information from Ann O'Connell Burns says that Catherine Galvin O'Leary's father was John G.'s uncle.  His name was Maurice Galvin or Gallivan.  He was from the Ballybunion area of County Kerry.  Maurice and his family lived in St. Paul. 

     

150 Years, Battle of New Ulm

     August of this year marks the sesquicentennial of the event known by a number of names, including the Battle of New Ulm, the Sioux Uprising and the Dakota Conflict.
     A number of St. Thomas area men were members of the Le Sueur Tigers No. 2. (Roster)

 Luke Smith appears in the 1860 census.  He was living in Hillsdale Township (later renamed Tyrone). According to the census he was born in Ireland in 1832.  He was single at the time of the census and a farmer. 

     Mathew Ahern is indexed as Herron in the 1860 census. He was 30 years old and born in Ireland.  He is living in Hillsdale Township with his family.  His wife is identified as Bridget Foley Herron. (Unusual to have a maiden name in the census record!) The children are Catherine, William and Mary A.  Living in the household is Catherine Herron, possibly Mathew's sister. 

 
     Other volunteers who survived the conflict were James Doherty (1st Corporal--Tyrone), Samuel Doherty (Private--Tyrone), Daniel Burns (Private--Tyrone), Thomas Fowler (Private--Derrynane), Michael Heatherston (Private--Tyrone), William Murray (Private--Tyrone), and Henry Regan (Private--Tyrone).  Also in the roster is "C. Roman".  This is quite possibly Cornelius Ronayne.  Ronayne is sometimes rendered as Ronan.

      Some on the roster who also lived in Hillsdale were P. Horrisberger, Pete Stauff, William Snell, and William Luskey (No. 1).

     There will be a memorial dedicated to the Le Sueur Tigers in Le Sueur on August 19, 2012.
   
     The Brown County Historical Society is acknowledging the sesquicentennial as well--150th Commemoration of the U.S.-Dakota War.
     A Google search will bring up a wealth of information about this historical event that a number of our St. Thomas ancestors participated in.

The Store

 

The above photo was taken by William Sharkey.  This was probably taken around 1910.  The photo was reproduced from a glass negative. The following is research done by Kelly Coleman:

Le Sueur Sentinel

November 19, 1896

D. J. Coleman purchases Roynane store building

D. J. Coleman, who has for the last seven years been employed in the wholesale trade at St. Paul, and for most of that time with Koehler & Hinrichs, of that city, has purchased the Roynane store building at St. Thomas and will put in a stock of general merchandise.  Mr. Coleman has a thorough practical knowledge of goods and of business and ought to make a success of his new undertaking.

Note:

This is interesting because in the Church of St. Thomas 1883-1983 Centennial book says the following about the Coleman stores:

In 1855 John Coleman came to Minnesota and settled in Tyrone Township.  He operated a general store for many years in St. Thomas.  There was a dance hall over this store.  This store was built by John Ronan and then sold to John Coleman.   John’s son Dave Coleman, built a frame store which still stands.  Dave O’Connell bought the store in 1914.  Mr. and Mrs. Tony Madsen leased and operated this store until 1926.  The O’Connells lived in St. Paul at this time.  In 1928 Dave O’Connell was running the store in Coleman’s original structure. 

Early mail was brought from Belle Plaine by Pat Ronan who walked to get it.  The first post office was in the Coleman store which was a distribution point on the Star Route.  Mail was delivered to the Coleman store once a week from Le Sueur by horse and buggy by Pat Doherty.

So it appears there may have been only one store building at St. Thomas during the late 19^th century.  This building was built by John (Ronan) Ronayne (who was also from County Cork) and sold to John Coleman.  David J. Coleman may actually have purchased the store from his father who was 61 years old in 1896.

 

Beginning of St. Thomas Parish as told by James Connelly

James Connelly Recounts Beginning of St. Thomas Parish

James Connelly, who supplies the Herald with the following history of St. Thomas church, is a resident of Duluth, residing at 5711 Huntington street.  He was 84 years old on the 26^th of March.  He located at St. Thomas in 1857 and is probably the only surviving person who can recall the beginning of the parish.  He left St. Thomas 45 years ago, but retains vivid memory of the early days in and around St. Thomas.

            In the spring of 1857, Mrs. John McGukin, who was living with her husband in John Cairy’s cabin in Section 21, Derrynane township, was taken seriously ill, and Mr. McGukin sent word to Bishop Cretin of the St. Paul diocese, requesting him to send a priest to administer the sacraments to her.

            The Bishop secured a Benedictine priest from St. John’ College, Collegeville, Minn., whose name was Fr. Heindel, and he arrived at the settlement early in April.  He administered the sacraments to Mrs. McGukin and on the following morning celebrated the first mass that was ever celebrated in the settlement, in John Cairy’s cabin, and after mass he baptized Ann Connelly, “age thirteen months,” and she was the first person baptized there.

            Fr. Heindel continued to come to the settlement at intervals until the latter part of 1857, when he was succeeded by Fr. Cornelious Whitman, also from St. John’s, who attended the parish until 1860, when he was succeeded by the Rev. Fr. Reis, who was also from St. John’s.

            In 1858 the Catholic population undertook to have the parish organized.  They held several meetings, which were not always harmonious in regard to where the church would be located.

            The Sullivan faction wanted to have it located in their locality, which was near the Scott county line, but they were beaten by the votes of those who favored a location farther south.

            Michael Connelly and James Hickey offered to donate two and one half acres each at the northwest quarter of Section 17, Township 112 North, Range 24, west and at the same time, Patrick Ronan and Patrick Cassin offered to donate seven and one-half acres each “at the present location” which was part swamp and meadow lands and that offer was accepted.

            At a meeting of the proposed parishioners they voted that the parish would be six miles square, comprising the west half of Derrynane and the east half of Tyrone townships.

            They delegated Michael Connelly to go to St. Paul with their petition for the new parish, together with the plat of the same, to present to Bishop Cretin, which he did, and the Bishop granted their petition and the parish of St. Thomas was organized.

            The parishioners cleared part of the land, hewed logs, and built a log church about 36 by 60 feet, which had a shingled roof and board floor but no sanctuary rail or pews.

            The front door faced the west with the altar attached to the wall in the east end of the church.

            After the church was built, services were held in private homes in the winter time, because they had no way of heating the church.

            Most of the time the services were held in John Hickey’s place, which was afterward known as “Moses Murphy’s old place,” and it was not until late in 1862 or 1863 that the parish secured a heating stove for the church.

            The priests who took charge after Fr. Reis were:  Fr. Kazelberger in 1862 to 1863, from 1863 to August 1866; Fr. Theodore Venn, August 1866 to December 25, 1867; Rev. Alexander Berghold, September 1868; Rev. Fr. McGenty (three months) spring of 1869; Rev. T. C. Kennedy until 1882; Rev M. Cauly until August 1889, when Rev. T. C. Kennedy took charge gain.

            The parish was a mission until Rev. M. Cauly was pastor. 

            During the summer of 1867 the frame church was built under the supervision of Rev. Alexander Berghold.  He was the architect himself.

            The present church and parsonage were constructed during Rev. M. Cauly’s time in the parish.

            The following is a list of the names of the early settlers of St. Thomas commencing in the year of 1855:

Edward Nestor

Bill Sullivan

Patrick Griffin

Owen Riley

Timothy Shea

Richard O’Connell

Michael O’Connell

John O’Connell

Patrick Cassin

Martin Dunn

John Murry

John Carry

Hugh Doherty

Dennis Connelly

Hugh O’Neil

Thomas O’Neil

Timothy Burns

Daniel Burns

Mike Griffin

James O’Leary

John Clifford

Thomas Clifford

Patrick McKeary

John Shea

Dan Doyle

Patrick Moran 

               Michael Connelly

              James Hickey

              John Hickey

              Dan Fowler

              Con Reardon

              Con. Carny

              Patrick Ronan

              Con Ronan

              Con Regan

              William Regan

              Michael Murry

              Mike Courtney

              Pat Courtney

              John Donahue

              Morris Donahue

              John McGukin

              James McGukin

              Jeremiah Sullivan

             “2 Dan” Sullivan

              Thomas Duffy

              Morris Flemming

              Cornelius Regan

              John Murphy

              James Sullivan

              George Connelly

              John Holloran

              Richard Heatherston

Belle Plaine Herald, November 1, 1934

Some O'Connell Ronayne Women and ???

The adult row:  3rd from the left, Lizzie O'Connell Ronayne; 2nd from the right, Ellen O'Connell Ronayne.
Children:  2nd fro the left, possibly Ann Mary O'Connell; right Alice O'Connell.

      No information about the date or the occasion.