McCarthy, Jeremiah 1847 - 1918

MCCARTHY, HUMPHREY, FORAN, KILBURN, SCANNELL, MCLAUGHLIN

Posted By: Reid R. Johnson (email)
Date: 11/6/2021 at 20:27:32

Elkader Register & Argus, Thur., 14 Mar. 1918.

Jeremiah McCarthy was born in County Cork, Ireland, Sept. 29th, 1847, and died March 6th, 1918, at 8 a.m., in Sturgis, Mo., aged 71 years, 5 months and 6 days.

He came to America with his parents, Timothy and Ellen McCarthy, at the age of eighteen months. His boyhood days were spent in New York State, New Hampshire and Massachusetts. Then with his parents he removed to Clayton county, Iowa, in 1861, and resided near Monona for several years, during which time he taught school and held other positions of importance. He made Elkader the home for a part of this time, teaching in several places and making friends throughout the county. He was also a merchant for a short time in Monona. Having sold his mercantile stock in 1878, he moved to a farm near Templeton, Iowa, from which time he followed the business of farming in the states of Nebraska, Kansas and Missouri. He was very popular in all the places where he was a resident, and was often called upon for lectures and talks on educational and other subjects.

On the 14th of May, 1878, he was married to Miss Mary Ellen Humphrey at Monona, who, with six children, mourns the death of her life partner. Two children, Richard and Kathryn, preceded him in death. Those who survive are Charles and Mary McCarthy and Mrs. J. J. Foran, of Sturgis, Mo., Mrs. H. R. Kilburn, Chula, Mo., L. D. McCarthy, with the United States Expeditionary Force, somewhere in France.

The cause of Mr. McCarthy's death was asthma and heart failure and he was sick only about six hours. To the hour of being stricken, he performed his usual duties and was in apparently ordinary health.

At Sturgis, his remains were followed by three hundred of his neighbors and friends and twenty-seven members of the Knight of Columbus from his home to the station, from where his body was to be shipped to Elkader.

The body arrived in Elkader at 4 p.m. Friday, accompanied by the children and his niece and nephew, Mrs. Mary Scannell and Dr. T. F. McCarthy of Kansas City, where it was taken to the home of his brother-in-law, John W. McLaughlin, and here it lay in state for his many friends to view. At 9:30 a.m. Saturday morning the remains of Mr. McCarthy were taken to St. Joseph's church for funeral services, conducted by Rev. J. P. Taken. Burial was in St. Joseph's cemetery at 11 o'clock.