Dennis & Martha O'Connell

OCONNELL COULSON

Posted By: Connie Swearingen (email)
Date: 9/23/2010 at 16:33:30

History of Woodbury County, Iowa 1984

Dennis and Martha (Coulson) O’Connell
By George Southworth

My mother’s father, Dennis O’Connell, was born in Cork, Ireland, December 31, 1838, and migrated to Canada about 1858 or 1869. He stayed in Canada for a short time, then moved to south to the United States and took up a homestead near what is now Parker, South Dakota. After proving up on his homestead he returned to Canada and married Martha Coulson, the girl he fell in love with upon arrival form Ireland. Soon thereafter they left Canada for the homestead in South Dakota, stopping over in Chicago to spend the winter and to have their first child, Rose – my mother. She was born February 28, 1875.

Early the following spring they started west and upon seeing how barren and sparsely settled South Dakota was, Grandmother insisted they find a better place to live. So they turned south. Finding a small community settled with Irish, French, and English people, surrounded by good land and a new townsite called Salix, which they liked, they settled there. They purchased land about two miles north of town, built a home, cleared the land, and began farming. Their neighbors to the south, the Francis family, were also of Irish descent.

Dennis and Martha O’Connell raised five girls, the last four born on the farm. Dennis died September 16, 1902. Martha stayed on the farm for a while, then moved into Salix where she bought a house next door south of the Southworth home. She passed away in 1912.

The oldest O’Connell daughter, Rose, married W P Southworth. Their story is given separately. The second daughter, Margaret, did not marry. She taught school and later joined the YWCA organization where she received national recognition. She died May 21, 1954, in her San Diego, California, home.

Martha, the third daughter, married James Graham of Sioux City. They took over the O’Connell farm. The Grahams had two sons, John and James. John moved to California, where he died. James, the younger, still lives in Sioux City. Martha and Jim Graham moved from the farm to Sioux City aobut 1914, where they lived for many many years until their deaths.

Lillian, the fourth daughter, married a Canadian, John J McLellan, who moved to the states, where he became an American citizen. He retired form the insurance business in Des Moines and moved to California. They had one daughter, Myrtle Jean, who married and moved to Morelina, Mexico, where she still resides. Following her father’s death in California, her mother moved to Morelina to live with her daughter and husband until she died a few years later.

Pearl, the youngest, married Noice Greenleaf of Salix where he was the rural mail carrier. They moved to Sioux City about 1914 and raised a family of three boys, Alva, Albert and Homer. Alva and Albert are both married with families, living in Sioux City. Homer is married and lives in Oregon.