James Orr 1825-1911

ORR, MURRAY, CONNOLLY, DAVIS, FRENCH

Posted By: Cheryl Locher Moonen (email)
Date: 3/3/2019 at 20:48:26

Cascade Pioneer, October 5, 1911, p. 5

James Orr, one of the veteran citizens of Cascade, died at his home in West Cascade at 10:45 o'clock Sunday Morning.

Mr. Orr had reached the venerable age of 86 years, and for years was a familiar figure in the life of Cascade in the early days, and not infrequently walked upon the streets, although infirm by age and blindness.

Mr. Orr was born in county Antrim, Ireland, February 10, 1825. He left Ireland when 23 years old and came to America and located in Thompsonville, Conn., where he remained for five years. In 1853 he removed to Clay township, Jones county, Iowa, where for many years he was engaged in farming and carpenter work.

He was married to Mary Murray, a native of Montreal, Canada, June 26, 1854. She died Sept. 26, 1907.

He came to Cascade to live in 1888, and made this place his home up to the time of his death. Since the death of his wife, he made his home with his daughter, Mrs. Edward Connolly.

The deceased was a grandson of the noted Irish patriot and political martyr, William Orr, who was executed by the British government at Carrick-fergus goal, October 5, 1797, for having attempted to procure orderly redress of the wrongs inflicted upon his country and for having objected to the persecution of his Catholic fellow citizens by a bigoted and tyranical government. The martyr was himself a Protestant-a Presbyterian in religion-but he went to the scaffold and gave up his life in the cause of his Catholic neighbors and citizens. His speech from the scaffold, still preserved, is second only to the famous dying declarations of Robert Emmett.

It is an agreeable annotation to say in connection herewith that the grandson of the political patriot lived to see great changes take place in the affairs of Ireland, the obliteration of much of the antagonism of creed and the triumphs of the Irish parties in political affairs.

Mr. Orr is survived by the following children: Mrs. Tina Davis and Mrs. Lizzie Davis, of Cedar Rapids; Mrs. Aggie French of Wyoming; James and John Orr, and Mrs. Mina Orr of Cascade; William Orr, of New York City; and Alex Orr, of Grangeville, Idaho.