Keough, Mike 1829-1904

KEOUGH, BURKE

Posted By: Wilma J. Vande Berg - volunteer (email)
Date: 5/24/2013 at 04:07:32

From the Alton Democrat of Oct 8, 1904 Maurice News

Mike Keough of Maurice vicinity died Sunday of Pneumonia at the home of his brother in Holyoke Massachusetts where he was visiting. James Keough brought the body to Maurice arriving Wednesday noon. He was met at Granville by the sons of deceased John and Mike and Supervisor Willem Dealy on old neighbor.

The funeral was held Thursday from the church in Maurice. Deceased was born in Rathkeale, County Limerick, Ireland in 1829 and came to America at the age of twenty five years. He settled first at Greenfield, Massachusetts where he lived until thirty-four years ago when he moved his family west and became one of the earliest settlers of Sioux County. He homesteaded the place where the family has since lived and by hard work and good management he increased his lands and other properties till he has been considered one of the richest farmers of the county.

The old home place is two miles south and three miles west of Maurice. Twice annually as regularly as clock work Mike Keough had for years driven to Orange City to pay taxes and once yearly he drove on to Alton to pay for the Democrat.

Aside from these jaunts and an occasional one down into Plymouth county he seldom traveled and it is therefore doubly sad that he should have died so far from home. He went east five weeks ago. He was a man whom to know was to like and he had a host of friends. He is mourned by eight children the wife and mother having died some years ago. The children are John and Will and Tom and the Misses Anna and Alice in Sioux county, Mike at Sioux City, Mrs. Ed Dealy at Omaha and Mrs. Mike Howard in Oklahoma.

(According to the Iowa 1925 census, son Wm's parents were Micheal Keough and Johanna Burke, this was also confirmed by daughter Anna's 1925 account. The 1900 census of Reading Tsp. Sioux County lists Michael as born Dec 1820 Ireland his wife Hanna born March 1831 Ireland, married 1852, children at the tiem were William, Annie, Thomas, and Alice)