Farrell, Patrick

FARRELL, KELLY

Posted By: Linda Ziemann, Plym. CC (email)
Date: 2/21/2005 at 17:31:18

Patrick Farrell

Patrick Farrell, attorney-at-law at Le Mars, is a native son of Iowa and has lived in this state all his life. He was born in a log cabin on a homestead farm in Benton county on June 1, 1859, son of John and Bridget (Kelly) Farrell, natives of Ireland, who came to this country about 1850 and located at Vicksburg, Mississippi. There John Farrell worked as a laborer for a time and then, about 1854, came to Iowa and entered a claim to a homestead in Benton county and there established his home, remaining there until his retirement from the farm and removal to Cedar Rapids, where he spent his last days, his death occurring in 1906. His widow is still living, being now in the eighty-ninth year of her age. They were the parents of nine children, of whom six are still living, those besides the subject of this sketch being as follow: Thomas Farrell, of Montana; James Farrell, of Cedar Rapids, this state; Michael Farrell, of Linn County, this state; John Farrell, of Perham, Minnesota, and Edward Farrell, of Cedar Rapids.

Reared on the family homestead farm in Benton county, Patrick Farrell received his elementary schooling in the neighboring district school, meanwhile assisting in the labors of the farm, and supplemented his local schooling by a course in the academy at Blairstown, after which he became a teacher in the public schools and was for several terms thus engaged. He then took a course in Cornell College at Mt. Vernon, this state, and upon the completion of the same entered the law department of the Iowa State University at Iowa City and was graduated from the same with the class of 1885. Thus equipped for the practice of his profession, Mr. Farrell opened an office, in July of that same year, at Le Mars and has ever since been engaged there in practice, long having been recognized as one of the leading lawyers in this part of the state. Not long after locating at Le Mars, Mr. Farrell was elected justice of the peace and in 1889 was elected county attorney of Plymouth county, a position he held for six years. For the past sixteen years or more he has been a member of the library board and in other ways has taken an active and influential part in the public affairs of the community in which he lives.

On June 19, 1886, Patrick Farrell was united in marriage to Katie Goulding, of Luzerne, this state, and to that union one child was born, a daughter, Catherine. Mrs. Katie Farrell died on January 12, 1888, and on January 25, 1892, Mr. Farrell married Katherine Murray, of Kingsley, this county, and to this union three children have been born, John J., Walter P., and Mary Edna. Mr. and Mrs. Farrell are members of the Catholic church and Mr. Farrell is a member of the Knights of Columbus. In his political affiliations he is a Democrat and has ever taken an earnest interest in the affairs of his part.

BOOK SOURCE:
History of Plymouth County, Iowa
Indianapolis, Ind.: B. F. Bowen, 1917