Patrick BANNON [Sr.] was born in Killough, County Down, Ireland on 12 July 1824. He learned the plasterer's trade and about 1849 migrated to the USA settling first at Cinncinatti, Ohio. A brother, Martin Bannon may have migrated to the U.S. also.
Patrick became known for working with terra cotta and about 1850/1852 he took commissions in Louisville, Kentucky. One of these was for work on the Cathedral of the Assumption, a Catholic church in Louisville, Kentucky. He eventually moved to Louisville where he applied for U.S. citizenship. [See note on attached passport below].
In 1860 Patrick married Louisa "Lou" Ellen SMITH in Kentucky. They had seven children.
Prior to the Civil War, Bannon was a 1st Lieutenant in the Jackson Guards. He did not serve during the Civil War although he was a southern sympathizer.
Mr. Bannon established the Vitrified Brick Company at 9th and Magnolia Street in Louisville, Kentucky which was quite successful.
His wife died in 1878. In 1880 he married Susanna (Few) BRECKHEIMER, a widow with children.
At some point in his life, he signed an abstinence pledge to never drink alcohol.
Always fond of his homeland, he made two trips back to Ireland. [See his passport application of 1874 below].
Patrick Bannon, a Roman Catholic, died on February 6, 1906, in Louisville, Jefferson County, Kentucky, and was buried there in the St. Louis Cemetery.
He left no will but was said to have left an estate worth $500,000. This is not my ancestor.
Sources:
Kentucky Irish American, Louisville, Kentucky, May 20, 1899.
Kentucky Irish American, Louisville, Kentucky, February 10, 1906, p. 1.
Courier-Journal, "In Old Age. . .", February 7,1906, p.3.
Findagrave website: Memorial [grave] in St. Louis Cemetery, Louisville, Jefferson County, Kentucky
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| Additional Information | ||
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| Date of Birth | 12th Jul 1824 | |
| Date of Death | 6th Feb 1906 | |
