Thomas O'Connor Family

OCONNOR, LAMBE, CRAVEN, JONES, MCCARTY, HIED, BOUGH

Posted By: Cathy Joynt Labath (email)
Date: 9/21/2006 at 18:51:06

--From Graettinger [Palo Alto Co, IA] Centennial 1893-1993 P. 257

THOMAS O’CONNOR FAMILY

Thomas O’Connor was born in Raheney, Ireland. He came to the United States in the late 1850s or early 1860s. He worked on the railroad and settled in Lockport, Illinois. He married Mary Bradly of Lockport on February 3, 1867.

In 1871 Tom and Mary homesteaded on a farm southwest of Graettinger. The railroad ended in Fort Dodge and they traveled by team and wagon from there. They spent time in the Irish settlement at Emmetsburg until a sod shanty was built on the homestead. The first night in the Irish settlement a dance was held in their honor.

They later built a log house with logs purchased from a Mr. Peterson near High Lake. He had built a frame house so he could sell the logs to the O’Connors who built a frame home much later.

Tom and Mary O’Connor became the parents of nine children.

Phil moved to North Dakota where he farmed. He was unmarried.

Mary married Frank Lambe and they farmed east of Graettinger.

Margaret (Mag) married Dennis Lambe and they farmed in North Dakota.

John died in infancy.

Catherine (Kit) married Oscar Craven and they farmed west of Graettinger.

Jim married Loraine Jones. He was an electrician and they lived in California.

Tom, who was unmarried, lived in California afer he had prospected for gold in the Klondike and worked in the silver mills in the western states.

Sarah (Sade) married Dan McCarty. They farmed and later Dan was the manager of the Farmers Elevator.

Joe married Christine Hied and farmed in North Dakota.

Anna married Ed Bough and they farmed in Montana.

The early years were difficult for the O’Connor family. There were blizzards, hard traveling, crop failures, and grasshoppers. One year the grasshoppers took all vegetation. My mother told me that as a small girl, she and her brother, Phil, were walking home from school the afternoon the grasshoppers came. The ground was crawling with them and their mother came to meet them as she knew they would be afraid.

Tom and Mary O’Connor had many grandchildren, great-grandchildren, great-great-grandchildren and great-great-great-great grandchildren who lived or live in all parts of the country.

--Submitted by Margaret Lambe.