James O'CONNOR and his wife, Mary GRIFFIN, were the parents of five children.

James Edward married Luke SHAY'S daughter, Julia. Maurice Griffin married Jennie DOZE. Kate O'CONNOR married Luke HART and lived in St. Louis. Monica was married to Chan SHAY'S son Dennis, and Jack O'CONNOR married Leah HART who died. He then later married Ella CARMODY.

Mary Jane and Carmelita were born to this second union [Jack and Ella]. With the exception of the HARTS, who kept an apartment in the big house north of the church, all of these children remained in the Maloy community.

Separate biographies appear elsewhere.

NOTES: James O'CONNOR was born in County Kerry, Ireland March 10, 1845, and came to America at the age of sixteen in 1861. He died January 2, 1931. James married in Chicago, Illinois in 1870 to Mary GRIFFIN. Mary (GRIFFIN) O'CONNOR was born May 16, 1848, and died February 2, 1919. They were interred at St. Mary's Cemetery near Maloy.

James and Mary (GRIFFIN) O'CONNOR had six children (according to James' obituary):

Dr. Thomas G. O'CONNOR, was born October 31, 1872, and died December 12, 1923. He was interred in St. Mary's Cemetery near Maloy.

Maurice Griffin O'CONNOR was born in 1875, and died in 1948.Jennie (DOZE) O'CONNOR was born in 1879, and died in 1965. They were interred at St. Mary's Cemetery near Maloy.

Catherine J. "Kate" (O'CONNOR) HART died in 1951. She was married to Luke HART (1880-1964).

J. E. [James Edward] O'CONNOR was born in 1883, and died in 1949. He married February 26, 1908 Julia Marie SHAY. Julia Marie (SHAY) O'CONNOR was born February 24, 1888, and died February 13, 1922. They were interred at St. Mary's Cemetery near Maloy

Monica (O'CONNOR) SHAY was born October 9, 1886, and died in Maloy December 29, 1944. She married on September 20, 1910 Dennis R. SHAY. Dennis, the son of Michael Chauncey "Chan" and Ellen Josephine "Nell" (MULLIN) SHAY, was born April 25, 1890, and died May 8, 1949. They were interred at St. Mary's Cemetery near Maloy.

John T. "Jack" O'CONNOR was born January 25, 1889, and died January 17, 1962. He married first Leah M. HART who was born February 1 1888, and died December 1, 1919. Jack's second wife, Ella CARMODY was born April 15, 1899, and died February 18, 1984. They were interred at St. Mary's Cemetery near Maloy.

Ed O'CONNOR in February of 1901 purchased from William S. SHRIVER, owner-operator of LaFayette Stock Farms, 320 acres in Section 9 and 160 acres in the SW 1/4 of Section 10 which joined the 320-acre plot. He and his wife moved there and had their family of five sons and one daughter.

The mother died in 1922.

Young Maurice Griffin II was very small and went to make his home with his Uncle Maurice. He and Jennie had no children of their own.

The four older boys, Gerald Shay, James Edward, William Henry and James Joseph,and their sister Anna Marie, all began school at Maloy. Anna Marie went to make her home with Dr. and Mrs. Tom O'CONNOR of Imogene.

The boys graduated between 1927 and 1932. Edward returned to the Maloy school as a teacher and coach in 1934 and 1935.

In 1930 Wilber LYNCH of Allendale [MO] boguht the 480 acre farm and after 29 years, the O'CONNORS had a farm sale and moved away. The boys had gone to "seek their fortunes" and their father lived in Mount Ayr and operated a hog buying station at Mount Ayr and Bedford for several years. He died in 1949 at the age of 66.

Gerald "Jerry" Shay O'CONNOR went to California after WWII and met his wife Virginia. He worked for Real Silk Hosiery Mills and then went ot Albay, Georgia, then to St. Louis. He entered the insurance field and relocated several times before returning to Albany [MO] where they have been for 28 years.

Four children were born to Jerry and Virginia: Susan, Sherry, Sheila and Dennis.

There are nine grandchildren.

At age 78 Jerry still [1987] works everyday for Mutual of Omaha Insurance and says "keeping busy is the key to a long life."

Edward is now [1987] in Pompano, Florida. He is retired and an avid sports fan. He taught math at Coconut High School there.

During his life he coached basketball, football and baseball. (See Sports Section) He is now a great spectator fan and was honored by having the school yearbook dedicated to him because of his untiring and enthusiastic bleacher waring.

In 1950, after 11 years in various executive capacities at the Borden Company's Soy Processing plant in Waterloo, he became executive vice-president and general manager. Due to ill health, he was forced to move to Florida after serving in this position for a number of years. At Waterloo he was active in community affairs and raised Angus cattle with his brothers.

A highlight for Edward was being selected for inclusion in Borden's Select Circle, referred to as Borden's Who's Who.

His wife Dorothy died of cancer in 1965 at age 51. Theyhad three daughters, Julie, Janice and Joan. All are married and live in the South.

In 1977, Edward married Edith, a widow.

Harry O'CONNOR (William Henry) died a few years ago of a heart attack at age 54. At the time of his death, he was a salesman and was survived by his widow Hilda of Emmetsburg. He had four sons, Patrick, Michael of Walnut, Timothy and William of Emmetsburg.

Joe O'CONNOR and wife Janet have had a home in Atlantic for many years. They now also maintain a home in San Diego, California.

Joe graduated from Maloy in 1930 and from Maryville college in 1934. He did graduate work at George Peabody University in Nashville and earned a masters degree from the University of Iowa. For eleven years, Joe taught and coached in Wiota and was both superintendent and principal. As a coach, he guided his girls basketball team to two state tournaments and his boys baseball club won the state tournament two years.

In 1947 he was hired as superintendent of the Atlantic schools at a yearly salary of $5,000. He served on the Iowa High School Athletic Association Board of Control, representing southwest Iowa.

In 1941, Mr. O'CONNOR resigned from the Atlantic faculty to take a position as director of public relations with Walnut Grove Products Company. He was promoted to vice-president in 1952 and to executive vice-president in 1954. Mr. O'CONNOR was chairman of the feed division of W. R. GRACE and Company and wore many hats in the livestock feed associations.

He retired in 1965. He and his wife have two sons, Mike and Bill.

Maurice Griffin II was given the maiden name of his great-grandmother who was born in Tullamore, County Kerry, Ireland in 1845. She died in 1936 at age 91.

Maurice farmed with Uncle Maurice and later, after the elder O'CONNOR'S demise, young Maurice married Ruby BICKLE of Mount Ayr. They had four children, two daughters - one in Michigan and one living at New Market - and a son, James Edward who lives at Blockton. The second son, Maurice III (Pat), travels and trains race horses. Ruby lived in New Market. Maurice is in a nursing home following a stroke.

The sister, Anna Marie, was married to a Mr. DeVall and lives in Omaha, but now has passed away.

The O'CONNOR family lived in Section 9 for 29 years until 1930. The LYNCH family has now lived there for 56 years.

NOTES: Ruby Elinor (BICKEL) O'CONNOR, daughter of Henry Carl and Katherine Mable (SHEEHAN) BICKEL, was born in Litchfield, Nebraska February 18, 1919, and died September 13, 2007.

SOURCE: Maloy, Iowa Centennial History: 1887 - 1987 Pp. 158-59.

Courtesy of Mount Ayr Public Library

Transcription and Notes by Sharon R. Becker, August of 2011