Henry McCarthy (1826-1923)

MCCARTHY, LEE

Posted By: Dorian Myhre (email)
Date: 3/25/2024 at 21:49:30

From Story City Herald June 9, 1921 (page 1)

HENRY M'CARTHY IS 95 YEARS OLD

Ames Citizen is Real Pioneer, Having Lived in Story City 65 Years Ago

The least observing of the observers who spend a part of their time in Ames, know and recognize the little whit haired man who is the subject of this story. Those who go to work early see him taking his morning exercise and business men meet him a little later as he returns.

"Uncle" Henry McCarthy, who has lived in the vicinity of Ames for the last 64 years, has weathered 95 stormy seasons. When he came to Iowa from New York in 1855, trains came no farther west than Galena, Illinois, and he was forced to walk the rest of the way to Marshalltown, Iowa, where he lived for a year. Mr. McCarthy was in Nevada when the first train pulled into the station in 1865. He saw the first home built in Ames in 1864 and it was his brother, Daniel McCarthy, who staked out and leveled the foundation for the "Tama House" the first structure to appear on the campus of Iowa State college.

In the spring of 1860, Mr. McCarthy walked to the Rocky Mountains, returning late in the fall of the same year. When the first bridge across Skunk River, near Ames, was built, it was he who removed his clothing and worked in the icy water to make some necessary alteration in the structure. The winter already started, many others had refused to do the work, but the hearty young man, who is now 95 years of age waded in without a thot. In 1856 Mr. McCarthy voted for John C. Fremont, the first Republican who ever ran for office of the president of the United States.

At the end of year spent in Marshalltown Mr. McCarthy moved to Story City and in July of '56 he came to what was then called New Philadelphia, now known as Ontario. While living at Ontario it was necessary for him to walk to Nevada for mail. He said once a trip of 28 miles for the sole purpose of placing a letter in the United States post office. Seeing the need of a post office at Ontario he wrote the postmaster general asking that funds be provided for opening one. Some months later he received a letter from the government official stating that if the people of that place whished to have amil service they would be provided with a mail sack, all the help the government could afford at that time. Those desiring the service were to stand the entire expense of furnishing their own postmaster and providing means of placing mail in the post office in Nevada. This they decided to do and for two years and four months the young men of the neighborhood carried the mail to Nevada, walking the entire distance once every week.

In speaking of conditions of that early time Mr. McCarthy said that eggs were 2 cents per dozen, butter 4 cents per pound and dressed pork delivered in Des Moines sold for $1.25 per hundred pounds. He hauled a "three yoke-of-oxen" load of wheat to Marshalltown, 45 mil4s distant, and received 35 cents per bushel for it. Before selling it he was forced to agree to buy out of the store that bought his wheat, merchandise to the value of one-half the proceeds of the sale or haul the wheat back home. He intimated that combinations existed then as now.

When asked how he head managed to live so long Mr. McCarthy replied that he had never smoked or shewed tobacco for drank intoxicating liquors. He said however that he had always believed that a man who smoked was safer when in contact with contagious diseases than the man who did not use tobacco in any form.

"Uncle" Henry was born Dec. 6, 1826 in the province of Ontario, Canada. When it was suggested that he was nearing the century mark he laughed and said that he had just one chance in 500 of reaching the age of 100. He characterizes this as the "Golden Era," saying that the people of today do not appreciate the things they have. "The people of the world all up and down the line, are living just a little too fast," said Mr. McCarthy.

From Story City Herald December 20, 1923 (page 1)

HENRY M'CARTHY, PIONEER, IS DEAD

Well Known Man Passes Away in His 98th Year

"Uncle" Henry McCarthy, one of Story county's pioneer residents, died at the home of his niece, Mrs. C. G. Lee in Ames Saturday afternoon from breakdown due to his advanced age. He had celebrated his 97th birthday Dec. 6 and was feeling as well as usual until Monday of last week when he began showing signs of failing.

Funeral services were held Monday afternoon from the home of Mrs. C. G. Lee. The service was held according to Mr. McCarthy's wish. Dean C. F. Curtiss gave a brief resume of the life of a man and Mrs. H. L. Carrell of Des Moines spoke upon his work in the community. A solo was sung by Mrs. L. C. Tilden. Interment was made in the Ames cemetery.

"Uncle" McCarthy came to Story county in May, 1855, settling at Story City and later coming to Washington township where he located on a farm about a mile and a half south of Ames.

When the movement was begun to have the new state agricultural college located in Story county, he with others donated to the fund and later sold a part of his farm on which most of the college is now located. His portion was 240 acres on which stand Main building and some of the barns.

His fund of reminiscence and anecdote of the early days of Story county and Ames was the subject of many an hour of interest and information. His familiar figure, straight as a sapling, with his Prince Albert coat, big Stetson hat and snowy hair, was seen several times a week on the streets of Ames. A favorite habit was the early morning walk, frequently he would meet business men going to their stores when he would be returning from his "airing." Or he would be seen taking care of garden, trees, etc.