Mary Kealey d. 1892

KEALEY FLANNERY BRYANT ELDRIDGE GANNON

Posted By: Lynnea Dickinson (email)
Date: 7/7/2006 at 11:29:07

Davenport Daily Leader (Davenport, IA); February 5, 1892:

Kealey
A telegram was received this morning by Rev. D. J. Flannery, pastor of St. Anthony’s church, announcing the death of Mrs. Mary Kealey in Chicago and stating that the remains would be brought to Davenport for burial to-morrow. The funeral arrangements were made today. The funeral will be held tomorrow morning at St. Anthony’s church at 9 o’clock.
The news of the death of Mrs. Kealey will be quite a shock to her many Davenport acquaintances. She was an able worker in the ranks of the Ladies Catholic Union, in fact one of the founders of that organization, and its first vice-president. To its charitable work, she devoted a great amount of her time and she accomplished much good in the course of her connection with that society.
Mrs. Kealey, whose maiden name was Bryant, was born in Dublin, Ireland, nearly seventy years ago. She came to Davenport over forty years ago. Her husband, John Kealey, went to Pike’s Peak in the early sixties, where he was murdered and, as was then believed, the murderer made away with many thousand dollars belonging to his victim. The murder created a great sensation at the time and the details were embodied in a book which found quite a sale in this city and elsewhere.
Mrs. Kealey had only one child, a boy, who died at the age of yen years. Two brothers survive her, whose present location is not known. She has no relatives in Davenport. Her old family residence was near 12th and Harrison, and after she sold the property, she made her home with Mrs. B. Eldridge, who was her nearest friend in Davenport. After she left this city, she made her home during the summer at New Lenox, Ill., and during the winter in Chicago, at the residence of Mr. Richard C. Gannon. Her last visit to Davenport was made in May of last year. She stopped with Mrs. Eldridge for about six weeks, returning to Chicago on July 4th. No one knew of her being ill lately so that the telegram announcing her death was a great and sorrowful surprise to her Davenport friends.