For
Muscatine County Iowa
1911
| Biographies For Muscatine County Iowa 1911 | |
Source: History of Muscatine County Iowa, Volume II, Biographical, 1911, page 444
JOHN J. HEALEY....To John J. Healey farming has been the key that unlocked the door to fortune and today he is the owner of one of the most beautiful and productive places in Muscatine county. He was born in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, December 28, 1856, son of Michael and Bridget ( McAcy ) Healey. The parents were both natives of County Kilkenny, Ireland, and were married on the Emerald isle, coming to America in 1847. The father worked for twelve years as moulder foreman for Hastetter & Smith of Pittsburg, and then, his health having failed, he came to Iowa. After a short stay in this state he returned to Pennsylvania, and in 1858 once more came west and settled down on a farm of one hundred acres in Moscow township, Muscatine county. Subsequently, he purchased one hundred and sixty acres near Muscatine and continued adding to his holdings until he became the owner of sixteen hundred acres of good land in Muscatine county and also of valuable property in the city of Muscatine. He was a man of remarkable business talent and gained a position as one of the leading citizens of the county. He made several trips to Europe, taking his daughter with him on one of them. He departed this life March 12, 1896, at the age of seventy-three years, and his wife died August 25, 1883, at the age of fifty-eight years. They were both members of the Catholic church and by their upright lives proved the sincerity of their faith. They were laid side by side in St. Mary's cemetery at Muscatine.There were twelve children in the family of Mr. and Mrs. Michael Healey, two of whom died in infancy, the other members being : Thomas , who died at the age of forty-two years from the effect of a rattlesnake bite three years after he had been bitten, and left a family of nine children ; Frank, who was married and died at the age of thirty-five years from the effect of a railway accident at the foot of Iowa Avenue, Muscatine ; Edward, who was educated at St. Mary's College, Kansas, and died from apoplexy at the age of thirty-eight years, January 3, 1906 ; Anna M., the widow of John Spellman, of Adair conunty, Iowa, and the mother of three sons and one daughter, the family owning seven hundred acres of land ; Catherine, who entered the convent at Dubuque and is now at Elgin, Illinois ; Andrew, who is a widower and has nine children ; James, a farmer of Muscatine county, who is married and has six children ; John J., the subject of this review ; Wiliam C., now living on a farm in Lake township ; and Clara, of Muscatine.
John J. Healey came with his parents to Iowa in infancy and was educated in the public schools, being reared in a large family, each of whom was expected to perform his part in the work about the house and in the fields. He ramained at home until twenty-three years of age and then began farming on his own account on land owned by his father, continuing thus for twenty-seven years. In 1907 he removed to a place of five hundred and six acres, comprising the R. T. Shannon farm and the Umscheid farm, and he also owned one hundred and sixty acres in Wilton township. He is the owner in all of six hundred and sixty-six acres, upon which he has made many improvements, the farm being known as the Linwood farm and is recognized as one of the model places in the county, being provided with a handsome residence, large barns and every modern facility for carrying on agriculture and stock-raising according to up-to-date methods. Mr. Healey has been very successful as a hog feeder, being one of the largest in the county, and he also feeds cattle for market.
On the 4th of April 1883, he was united in marriage to Miss Agnes E. Byrne, who was born in Muscatine county,July 5, 1861, a daughter of James and Mary A. ( Byrne ) Byrne. They were both natives of Ireland and came to this country with their parents, who located on Seventy-six township, Muscatine county, in 1848, and were the first settlers in the township. Mr. and Mrs Byrne lived in this county after their marriage until 1868 when they removed to a farm on Muscatine island in Louisa county. The father died from typhoid fever in 1869, and the mother conducted the farm until she passed away October 18, 1896, her death being occasioned by a runaway accident. There were ten children in the family of Mr. and Mrs. Byrne, namely : John, who died in infancy ; Peter J., who died in Colorado at the age of fifty-two years ; Hemma, who died in the convent in California at the age of forty-eight years ; Mary M., who entered a convent and is now at Hudson, New York ; Frank, of Denver, Colorado, who is married and has two daughters ; Agnes E., now Mrs. John J. Healey : Urban P., of Muscatine ; Matthew A., of Muscatine , who is married and has four children ; Katharine M., a teacher in the public schools of St. Louis ; and Julia A., also a teacher in the public schools of St. Louis.
Six children came to bless the home of Mr. and Mrs. Healey : Mary R., now the wife of John L. Brugman of Muscatine county ; Alberta F., a graduate of St. Agatha Academy, who has taught school for five years and is now living at home ; Cyril J., who spent three years as a student at St. Ambrose College at Davenport, Iowa, and is now at home ; Clement U., twenty-three years of age, who also attended St. Ambrose College ; Helen Agatha, a student in the academy at Lyons, Iowa ; and Leo John, now six years of age. Mrs. healey was educated in the public schools and previous to her marriage tsught for three years in Muscatine and louisa counties.
Mr. healey has devoted his attention principally to his family and to his private business. He has had little time to give to politics, but votes with the democratic party. Socially he is greatly esteemed as a man of genial and friendly qualities, who readily attracts others. In religious belief he is identified with the Catholic church. On account of his unsullied character and his splendid business ability he has exercised a constantly growing influence for good in the community, and no man stands higher in the respect of those who know him than the gentleman whose name introduces this sketch.
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