Kern Whalen (1838 - 1915)

WHALEN, HURM, MANNING, KELLEHER, BYRNE, COOPER

Posted By: M. J. Fitzgerald (email)
Date: 10/11/2009 at 18:45:50

Kern Whalen died January 8, 1915. His obituary in the January 13, 1915, Allamakee Journal, Lansing, IA, reads:

Passing of Lafayette Pioneers

KERNS WHALEN

The above well known pioneer settler of Lafayette township and one of the “sturdy oaks” of Catholicity of Immaculate Conception parish of this community, was called to his eternal reward Thursday last, after a lingering illness of several months’ duration. Deceased was born March 12, 1838, in Queens county, Ireland, and in 1847 came to Montreal, Canada, where he lived with his folks for two years and most of that time worked on the St. Lawrence river. From 1849 until 1852 he navigated the Great Lakes, then came to Allamakee county, Iowa, and steamboated on the Mississippi river until 1865. On February 10th, 1863, at Wexford, he was married to Caroline Hurm, who preceded him in death June 13, 1907. For nearly forty years they lived on the old homestead and twelve children, six boys and six girls, were born to them as follows: Wm. G., Matthias F. , T. H., Kerns A., Joseph W., George A., Mrs. Michael Manning, Mrs. Frank Kelleher, Mrs. John Byrne, Mrs. Herbert Cooper, Gertrude M. and Celia F., the latter dying Nov. 16, 1913. The rest are residents of Lafayette township except Kerns A., of Plummer, Minn., and Mrs. Herbert Cooper of Dubuque. The funeral Saturday was from Immaculate Conception church in this city and was very largely attended. A solemn Mass of Requiem was celebrated and Dean Haxmeier made a departure from his regular rule of not preaching on such occasions, paying deceased a deserved tribute in his remarks. Burial took place in Gethsemane cemetery. The following related acted as pall bearers: Frank Kelleher, John Byrne, Michael Manning, Mat Hurm, John Brophy, P. H. Dempsey.