Daniel "Dan" Kane 1831-1903

KANE, DAY, NOLAN, NOLON, ONEILL, ONEIL

Posted By: Merllene Andre Bendixen (email)
Date: 6/29/2011 at 01:11:36

Dan Kane
Died: At the home of his daughter, Mrs. H. F. O’Neill, three miles north of town, Thursday, February 19th, 1903, at 12 o’clock p.m., of cancer, from which he had suffered for several years.

Mr. Kane was born Sept. 19, 1831 in the town of Ballylander, county Limerick, Ireland. At the age of eighteen (1849) he left Ireland and came to America, settling in Windsor county, Vermont. He married Mary Day, at Montpelier, Vt., Feb. 28, 1853, and to this union ten children were born, of whom six are living. These are W. T. Kane, Estherville; M. D. Kane, Fort Dodge; James Kane, Montana; Miss Lucy Kane, of St. Paul, Mrs. M. N. Nolan, of Emmetsburg, and Mrs. H. F. O’Neill of this place. He received his education at the college of Mitchelltown, Ireland.

He moved from Vermont to Rockford, Ill., in 1854, where he resided several years. While there he had employment for some time on a railroad, but spent a greater portion of the time on a farm. When he left Rockford, in the spring of 1861, he came to Dickinson county, driving the entire distance, bringing his personal property with him, a horse, colt, seven head cattle including two oxen, which he drove, and a pig. Strange to say the pig came afoot the whole distance, following the cattle as a calf might its mother.

Mr. Kane had bought a quarter section of land in Diamond Lake township of J. S. Prescott, who was well known by the early settlers of this county, and paid him $500 cash. He bought the land without seeing it, Prescott agreeing to give him his choice of any other quarter he owned if Mr. Kane did not like the one bargained for. But after Mr. K. moved here and saw the country he did not like it and moved to Palo Alto county.

Mr. Kane’s first residence in Dickinson county was in Mrs. Abbie Gardner Sharp’s cabin on Okoboji into which he moved in May 1861. This locality at that time lost many of its people who enlisted for the war which was then demanding the bravest and best of the nation. The Indians were not trustworthy, and in fact that it was only four years previously that the Indian massacre occurred at Okoboji, probably had much to do with Mr. Kane’s removal in Oct. 1861 to Palo Alto county where he purchased a farm of Thos. Downy which now adjoins the town of Emmetsburg. At that time the nearest market town was Fort Dodge. An Irish colony from Kane county, Illinois, the first settlers of Palo Alto county, had located there just two years before Mr. Kane moved there. At one time during his residence in the county he held the office of district judge and was also elected to the office of county superintendent of schools, both of which positions of trust he filled with honor to himself and the people. He resided in Palo Alto county thirty-four years. Ten years ago Mr. Kane was considered one of the wealthiest farmers of the county. He lost part of it by signing as security for friends and some business failures took away a portion of the remainder.

Seven years ago he moved to Estherville where he lived two years, and since then, the past five years, made his home with his daughter, Mrs. H. F. O’Neill, where he died.

Mrs. Kane, wife of the deceased, has made her home with Mrs. Nolan, at Emmetsburg the past five years.

Our acquaintance with Mr. Kane has been short – less than four years, but during that time we formed a very high opinion of him as a gentleman of worth, integrity, and Christian character. Altho he suffered greatly the last few years of his life he was never heard to utter a word of complaint. He went to Iowa City and submitted to a surgical operation for the removal of the cancer, but it afforded him relief for only about a year. He also visited with the famous Dr. Kruger, at Epiphany, S.D., but was not helped at all. Thru it all his bearing was manly and resigned. A good man has been called from suffering to peace merited by a long life of usefulness and sympathy with mankind.

The funeral was held Saturday, at the Catholic church in Estherville, and the remains laid to rest in the Catholic cemetery. Rev. J. R. Daley, conducted the services. (Terril Tribune, Terril, IA, February 27, 1903)

Daniel Kane Dead
Emmetsburg Tribune
At the home of his daughter, Mrs. Hugh O’Neil, of Terril, on Thursday [March 26, 1903] last occurred the death of Daniel Kane, formerly of this place, after a short illness from lagrippe. The funeral was held from the Catholic church at Estherville on Saturday last and the burial was made in the Catholic cemetery there and in accord with the wishes of the deceased. Daniel Kane was in the 70th year of his age and was born in Limerick, county, Ireland. In 1851 he left the shores of the Emerald Isle for the more hospitable America and first settled in Roxbury, Vt., where for six years he made his home. There he was married in 1853 to Miss Mary Day and to that union a family of ten children were born, of whom reside in this vicinity Mrs. M. N. Nolan, of Emmetsburg, Mrs. O’Neill, of Terril, and Will Kane of Estherville. With his family he came to Palo Alto county in 1861, settling on the place now known as Morning Side farm and which is owned by W. S. Parnham. In the earlier days Mr. Kane was one of the very well to do farmers of this county and a very estimable man during his entire life. Like many others he met with business reverses and had, on account of a cancerous ailment from which he had suffered, retired from active labors for several years. He was a man of very liberal educational attainments, receiving his education up to the age of 18 in the parochial schools of the city of Limerick. Of Dan Kane nothing but good things can be said. He was a sober and industrious man, a kind and loving father, and during a very long and painful period, from a malady that blighted the mature years of his life, he was a patient sufferer. The pastor of St. Michael’s [Patrick’s] church, of Estherville, Rev. J. J. Daly, to whom he was very warmly attached, officiated at his funeral. (Estherville Democrat, Estherville, IA, March 4, 1903)