Edward Carey

CAREY MAHONY

Posted By: Connie Swearingen (email)
Date: 4/12/2010 at 21:02:23

Woodbury County History 1984

Edward Carey
By Julia Wendel Johnson

Edward Carey was born in Limerick, Ireland, on September 25, 1843. By the time he came to America in 1867 he ad accrued the education and training necessary to succeed in the fast-growing mercantile world of Midwest United States. He was employed by W J Quan and Company, wholesale grocers of Chicago, as a traveling wholesale agent in Illinois Iowa. He arrived on his first business visit to frontier Sioux City on May 1, 1871, on the Illinois Central from Chicago, not realizing that Woodbury County was to be his home for most of the last fifty years of a useful life.

Galen, Illinois, was also part of his early territory, and he kept a homebase and business there in the 1870’s. In his Galena business he served Mrs Abraham Lincoln and met Ulysses Grant but, more importantly, he met school teacher, Julia Anastasia Mahony, who had been born there on April 22, 1844. Her parents were Bartholomew and Julia A Mahoney. Bartholomew was born in Dunmanway, County Cork, Ireland, in 1799, came to Galena in 1932, and died thre July 31, 1859. Her mother, Julia A, was born at Bandon, County Cork, in 1804 and died in Galena on November 1, 1875.

Julia Anastasia Mahony and Edward Carey were married in St Patrick’s Church, Peoria, Illinois, on November 1, 1873. Their four sons: Edward J, John W, Lawrence S and Charles S, were born in Galena. Son Lawrence died at eighteen months, but the other three sons lived to succeed and became individually well-known in their separate careers.
Edward was in the mercantile business in Sioux City and Cedar Rapids.
Charles was in business management in Sioux City for many years, later moving to California; one of his sons, Macdonald, is well-known as an actor in theatre, television, and motion pictures.
John was managing editor of the Sioux City Journal for a number of years prior to his death in th 1940’s.
Edward and Julia Carey, moved from Galena to Sioux City in 1884. They resided at 611 Ninth Street and later built a family home at 819 Tenth Street. Their daughter Loretta Helen (later Mrs Alvern S Wendel) was born in Sioux City in 1885; their youngest child, Marie (later Mrs C P McDaniel) was born several years later. Edward Carey, Sr, maintained successful wholesale tea and grocery businesses on West Fourth Street, West Ffith Street and 313 Pearl Street and owned a large farm in Plymouth County. Julia Mahoney Carey died in Sioux City on September 8, 1909. Woodbury County pioneer, Edward Carey survived, productively, and much loved by his children and many grandchildren until his final illness at age 87. He died in Sioux City on Sunday, July 20, 1930. Edward and Julia Carey are buried in Mount Calvary Cemetery, Sioux City.