McGonigle Family History
The following is a letter to Tim from Mary Rita (Ryan) Jacobson. It is an interesting commentary one one side of our family.
Hi Tim:
On St. Patrick's Day a Mike
Doyle and myself gave a presentation of the Irish in Boone County at the public
library in Belvidere. Mike gave a historical presentation of when the
Irish arrived in the community and then I was on the stand. I started out
with an Irish joke and then presented this narrative. Among the Irish in
the early census were my relatives from Donegal Ireland. Francis (Frank)
McGonigle arrived in Belvidere in 1869. He was 19 years old and had worked
for his passage on the boat to America. He had cousins, the John McGonigle
family living in Belvidere and was acquainted with the Murrins' also from
Donegal. He renewed his friendship with Kate Murrin and in 1875 they were
married at St. James in Belvidere.
Daughter Mayme was born in 1875. He as well as many had traveled many
miles across the sea and a thousand
miles or more to Belvidere, so when the stories of fortunes elsewhere were
related, the idea that pot of gold was intriguing and what's a few more miles!
1881 and the Francis McGonigles along with Wm. McGonigle, John McGonigle,
Miles McGonigle, Ed Brennan and his wife Bridget, a sister of Kate, were in
Leadville CO, a mining town, 9,000 ft. above sea level. Frank began a dray
business and hauled ore out of the mines. He addition he assisted his
brother-in-law, Ed Brennan in a saloon business downtown in Leadville.
Kate took in boarders at their place on 6th Street. One of the boarders
may have been the Unsinkable Molly Brown as a history report stated she boarded
at a house on 6th Street and she was married at the Annunciation Church.
Three daughters were born to Kate and Frank in Leadville and were baptized in
the Annunciation Church. They were, Carrie, Anne and Adelaide.
Leadville was a rough mining town and Kate wasn't convinced that it was a good
place to raise daughters. One day she issued an ultimatum, she was going
to leave and take her children back to Belvidere. That was rather daring -
before Women's Liberation. There was money coming in but it was also going
out almost at the same pace. Frank agreed, sold his property and they
returned to the Irish Patch in Belvidere. Frank and Kate built a house at
306 Gilman Street. Frank worked at Borden's which is now Dean's and during
his late 70's took a job as night watchman at the canning company. Kate
was back to the business of taking in boarders. Ed Brannan returned also.
He built a saloon on the corner of Buchanan and State Street and a home on
Pleasant Street in the Patch. Those two buildings and well as the house on
306 Gilman Street are still there today.
Perhaps you may have heard that the Irish are somewhat clairvoyant. I'll add to that rumor. My mother, Adelaide, told this tale. One particular night Kate was awakened by the flutter of wings in the bedroom. She told the family in the morning that her sister-in-law had died and she had requested that she, Kate, take care of the baby. The message from the brother came later in the morning verifying Kate's report. Kate took the baby and raised him as her own. One day in July l932 Frank McGonigle was not feeling well, and stayed home from work which was unusual. Daughter Carrie, who was not married went up to >his room to see if he needed anything. Carrie found him counting what seemed a great deal of money. Two days later he died. Because Carrie had seen him counting money, a search for the cash began to no avail. My mother, Adelaide, came from South Dakota to attend the funeral and was told about the missing money. The search began again. The day ended and they all retired.
In the middle of the night Frank appeared to Adelaide and told her to go down to the basement and to the right of the steps she would find a keg, look inside and you will find the missing money. Adelaide did as he had told her, and she found the money. Adelaide told the story that a monk was sometimes seen walking around the church in the early evening. She and a girl friend testified they had seen the apparition one evening. Of course young girls have good imagination but I keep an eye out for that monk.
Frank and Kate are buried in
the St. James cemetery. Kate died in 1916 and Frank in 1932. Other
family members buried there are James and Bridget Murrin, father and mother of
Kate, James was born in Donegal 1808 and died 1885. Bridget McCoskey
Murrin was born in Donegal 1804 and died 1883. I ended the narration with
an Irish blessing: May the Irish hills caress you, May her lakes and
rivers bless you. May the luck of the Irish enfold you. May the
blessings of St. Patrick behold you. May the leprechauns be near you.
To spread luck along your way. And may all the Irish angels, smile upon
you St Patrick's Day.
I didn't go into F. McGonigle as a salesman. Actually he was probably a
carpet bagger. Kate's brother Barney stayed in the south, Birmingham
Alabama, but is buried in the St. James Cemetery in Belvidere. Evidently
he had made quite a bit of money but burial in the south for the carpet baggers
was forbidden. That is what I was informed. Got to get my show on
the road - need to shop for groceries. Sorry about causing all the
eyestrain with this tid bit.
Mary Rita