HOGAN, Rev. Henry J. - 1912 Bio (1874 - ? )
HOGAN, COOPER, ELDER, GREEN, PETTIGREW
Posted By: Joey Stark
Date: 9/16/2007 at 10:25:17
History of Jefferson County, Iowa -- A Record of Settlement, Organization, Progress and Achievement, Vol II, Published 1912, S. J. Clarke Publishing Co., Chicago
Pages 408, 411 and 412Rev. Henry J. HOGAN, the pastor of St. Mary's church, Fairfield, Iowa, was born June 9, 1874, in Davenport, Iowa. His parents, John HOGAN and Catherine COOPER HOGAN, were born at Long Grove, Iowa, the father, July 1, 1840, and the mother, November 25, 1844. His mother was the daughter of Leonard COOPER, born October 19, 1799, and Julia Ann ELDER, born March 21 1805, at Loretta, Pennsylvania. Both grandparents were baptized by the Rev. Demetrius Gallitzin and united in marriage by him, on October 19, 1824, in the old St. Michael's church, Loretto, the most historical church in central western Pennsylvania.
His mother's parental and maternal ancestors emigrated from Lancashire, England, November 22, 1633, and reached America at Point Comfort, Maryland, February 27, 1834 (sic), with Leonard Calvert, the brother of Cecilius Calvert, the second Lord Baltimore, who had secured a special charter from King Charles I, and who, with his brother above mentioned, located their colony at St. Mary's, Maryland, March 27, 1634. As time went on the colony prospered and numerically increased, and eventually the descendants scattered throughout the country, some going to Kentucky, others to Pennsylvania, and others still to Ohio and Iowa, ever carrying with them the industry and probity for which they were noted, and the fidelity and loyalty to the religious faith of their fathers.
Father Gallitzin, the first priest in the country to have conferred upon him all the orders up to the sacred priesthood, was ordained by Bishop Carroll at St. Mary's Seminary, Baltimore, Maryland, March 18, 1795. His first appointment by Bishop Carroll was the care of the Catholics from Cumberland, Maryland, to Huntingdon and the heart of the Alleghanies in Pennsylvania. In July, 1799, Father Gallitzin was appointed pastor of Loretto, Pennsylvania, and in this appointment he was followed by the families of the great-grandparents of Rev. Henry J. HOGAN, the immediate subject of this sketch. Their names were Henry COOPER and Mary GREEN on his grandfather's side; and Walter ELDER and Priscilla ELDER on his grandmother's side. His great-grandfather Henry COOPER was born, June 10, 1759. When the colonies declared their independence from the mother country he volunteered his services in the cause of his country, but owing to his youth was rejected. He persisted in his offers however, and eventually was accepted and served in the army until the conclusion of the American Revolution. In later years he took great delight in telling his family of his experience in the Continental army, the hardships and the privations endured, the courage and bravery of the soldiers and their gratitude to God in the surrender of Lord Cornwallis to the American patriots on October 19, 1781, at Yorktown, Virginia. The paternal grandparents of H. J. HOGAN, were Patrick HOGAN and Mary PETTIGREW, the former born in County Tipperary, Ireland, and the latter in Scotland. They were married in 1839. John HOGAN, their eldest son, when only twenty-one years of age, volunteered his services in the cause of his country and he was accepted and served during the entire Rebellion.
On January 8, 1866, John HOGAN and Catherine COOPER were married at St. Ann's, Long Grove, Iowa, and to them Henry J. and Charlotte B. were born. Henry J. was baptized by Monsignore M. Flavin, in the old St. Anthony's church, the first church built in Davenport and one of the first built in Iowa. His early boyhood days were spent in Scott county and Davenport, where he attended the public schools and later St. Ambrose College from which institution he graduated with the class of 1899. In September, the same year, he attended St. Mary's University at Baltimore, where he prepared for the priesthood, concluding his course there, after which he was ordained by His Eminence, Cardinal Gibbons, in the cathedral, Baltimore, on the 21st of June, 1902. On the 28th of June he was appointed assistant to Bisop Davis of the Sacred Heart cathedral and here he labored earnestly for three and one half years. He was then appointed pastor of St. Mary's church at Fairfield, January 1, 1906. His zeal for his church is untiring and his labors find their tangible expression not only in the spiritual growth of the parish but in the splendid new church which has recently been erected under his supervision and through his efforts. On the 17th of May, 1908, this church was dedicated and it was made a most interesting occasion to the diocese.
It was a happy day for Father HOGAN, who had entered upon his mission in Fairfield, with "zeal, tact and eloquence" and set up a new ideal for the people of St. Mary's in the building of the church that was up to the standard of its people. To make this ideal real, however, required more than zeal, tact and eloquence. It required genius too, that genius which the philosopher well described as "capacity for hard work." Father HOGAN has demonstrated the possession of that capacity which is the crowning qualification of success in every vocation of life. His remarkable executive ability joined with his other qualifications, make him a credit to the clergy of the Davenport diocese. He undertook the arduous task of building a church under very peculiar circumstances and never ceased in his labors until this splendid equipped church was completed and on the day designated, it was dedicated almost free from debt. On this occasion Bishop Davis, The Very Reverend D. M. Gorman, president of St. Joseph's College, Dubuque, Iowa, and Very Reverend M. Bonfield, Chicago, Illinois, delivered eloquent and forceful sermons.
The church stands at the corner of Grimes and Third streets and it is a notable addition to the church architecture of Fairfield. It presents a beautiful and striking combination of the Romanesque and the old mission style of southern California. It is built of pressed brick, trimmed in Bedford stone and has a red-tile roof. It is ninety-five feet long and the width varies from forty-seven to sixty-three feet. The interior arrangement presents many novel and beautiful features not usually found in small parish churches. Three altars occupy the sanctuary and these with the statues and the stations of the cross and other ornaments were the gifts of individual members and friends.
The members of the parish and citizens of Fairfield cooperated heartily with Father HOGAN in his efforts to build up this church under whose leadership the work was pushed vigorously until the house of worship was ready for dedication, which was made one of the most important religious occasions in the history of the church in Jefferson county.
*Transcribed for genealogy purposes; I have no relation to the person(s) mentioned.
Jefferson Biographies maintained by Joey Stark.
WebBBS 4.33 Genealogy Modification Package by WebJourneymen