William McSweeney d. 1909

MCSWEENEY, MCGUIRE, RIORDAN, KOLB, QUINN, BRENNAN

Posted By: Dorothy Gosse (email)
Date: 4/28/2008 at 14:14:58

Wm. McSweeney, a notice of whose
death appeared in this paper, was an
old pioneer of Fayette county, and
had resided in this shire for over
fifty-three years. His death occurred
in this city September 21, and was
due to chronic rheumatism with
which he had been afflicted many
years. The last services were held
from the Sacred Heart Catholic
church in Oelwein Wednesday at 9
a. m., Rev. P. S. O'Connor officiating,
and the interment was in Mt. Calvary
Cemetery near Westgate.
He was born in Mallow, County of
Cork, Ireland, eighty-one years ago.
and at the age of three years was left
motherless. When about fiftteen
years of age he came to this country,
and on June 9, 1856 he was united in
marriage to Mary Ann McGuire at St.
Charles, 111. Soon after that he came
with his brother, John, to Fremont
township and located about a half
mile west of where the brick school
house now stands.
He built a log house and made it
his home, and in this building were
born ten children, all of whom are
living, and all assisted their parents
in celebrating their golden wedding
June 9, 1906. He obtained his land
which he owned at the time of his
death from the government, and with
his wife occupied it till two years ago
when they moved to Oelwein. The
couple endured the privations and
enjoyed the pleasures of those early
pioneer days and were among those
who made the wilderness blossom as
the rose.
For several weeks prior to his death
his wife had been in a critical condition,
and it was not thought that he
would be the first to pass over the
river, but the summons came and lie
was ready. He had lived more than
a decade beyond the allotted time of
life, had done well his part, as a
pioneer, a citizen, a husband and
father. He was of that hardy stock
that has peopled the prairies of the
west, and lived to see them covered
with village and farms.
Besides his wife there are left to
mourn his loss the following children:
Mrs. M. T. Riordan, Hazleton; Mrs.
N. J. Kolb, Oelwein; John McSweeney,
near Oelwein; William McSweeney,
Westgate; Edward McSweeney, near
Oelwein; Peter McSweeney, Oelwein;
Francis McSweeney, St. Paul, Minn.;
Mrs. James Quinn, Oelwein; Mrs. William
Brennan, Oelwein; James McSweeney, Westgate.

Oelwein Register - 29 Sept 1909