Lawrence & Catherine McGuigan, Sr.

MCGUIGAN, ELLIOTT

Posted By: cheryl Locher moonen (email)
Date: 3/18/2020 at 19:52:02

Lawrence McGuigan, Sr. was born at the end of the 1790’s in County Derry, Maghere, Ireland. Mr. McGuigan came to this area with his family from Pennsylvania. He had a strong hand in forming the religious culture of the arriving residents to Farley. Their rock house was inside of Section 6 (now the Kaufman farm.) It was the McGuigan’s who broke ground N and NE of town and on this homestead opened their home for the first Catholics here to gather in worship. Early masses were celebrated in their home. Lawrence helped arrange for the construction of facilities used for a Catholic church and school and the housing of ministering faculty. They partook in setting aside land for a cemetery; some of this property was donated by the family. The McGuigan's had a reputation for being hardworking, generous and likeable. Mrs. Catherine McGuigan was born about 1800, also in Ireland. They had seven sons and one daughter: James, Henry, Lawrence Jr., Charles, Francis, John, Dominick, and Mary Mrs. Andrew Elliot.

After months of illness, Lawrence McGuigan died on July 3, 1873. Catherine passed away before him on September 3, 1868. Both were laid to rest on the land they settled - now St. Joseph’s Catholic Cemetery.