Sharing a story

tHello all! I found a wonderful story in a county archive where my maternal great grandmother was born.  It is about the Irish who settled in and around Ettrick, Wisconsin in Trempealeau County, most of who were from Roscommon and many from Elphin Parish.  The bolded  people are in my family tree.  I thought you might enjoy it!

This article has now grown to such length that I can barely mention the Irish settlers of the town of Ettrick. They are the most numerous lot that settled in any section of Trempealeau County. Among them was John Mahoney and Dennis Mahoney, John and Daniel Kennedy, Thomas and Andrew Bierne, Peter and Timothy Dufficy, Daniel Nefficy and Patrick McCormick, all of whom are now dead; Michael Connolly, who is yet living on a farm; Pat Cain and Henry Whelan, who now lives at Mankato, MN ; James Connors, who left the county years ago; Cornelius Lynch, who came to Wisconsin in 1859, but did not settle in Trempealeau County until 1869. The older people will remember him as the one-armed school teacher who for a number of years was a marked character among the school teachers of Trempealeau County. James Quinn, who died last year and is now succeeded by his son, William; James McLaughlin, who is dead a long time and who left no children behind him; John O'Neil, who was a Civil War veteran and who is succeeded by a son; Peter Crogan, who has now moved to Galesville; Hugh Crogan, now succeeded by his son Henry, and  Thomas Crogan, who is now dead and is succeeded by his son William; Timothy Lane, who is now dead and whose farm is now owned by strangers; Ed Rielly, now of La Crosse; Owen Thomas and Patrick Mulligan, who left no inheritors; Daniel McGillindy, who was a Civil War veteran, and Michael McGillindy, whose son Wallace now lives on the farm he occupied; Jeremiah McGillindy, who is now dead, but whose sons reside on the farm; James McCarthy, a marked character and excellent type of an Irish citizen; Sylvester McAvoy; Dennis Cavanaugh, who served in the army under General Miles and gave his life for his country; Daniel Cullity, also a Civil War veteran; Thomas and Michael Cullity, both of whom are now dead; Darby Whelan and his father, Thomas Whelan, who lived upon the homestead now occupied by Darby's son; John Harmon; James and John Corcoran; Thomas Wall and Walter Wall, who also served in the Civil War; Patrick Wall, John Wall; John, James and Richard Cantlon, all of whom are now dead, excepting Richard; Thomas Sheehy, whose boys now occupy his farm; Daniel Cahill and Bernhard Brady, now succeeded by his son, Thomas Brady. I should also mention Maurice Casey, a sucessful farmer whose land is now owned and occupied by his son and who was a nephew of John and Daniel Kennedy of Ettrick; James Larkin of Crystal Valley, who is now succeeded by his two sons, Michael and Fred; James Dolan, who years ago moved to St. Paul; John Bierne, John Hunt of Crystal Valley, also Thomas Roach, John Dolan of Galesville and Thornas Shaw of Crystal Valley.

All these were early Irish settlers in the towns of Ettrick and Gale. The data of their lives and work should be gathered and preserved before it is too late, but the limits of this article are such that I cannot now attempt it. It is worthy of mention that these men established the only Irish Catholic church in Trempealeau County, which was built in 1872 and is known as St. Bridget's Church.

A number of the Irish settlers in the county who should have been mentioned have perhaps been omitted. It is safe to say, however, that all told there has not resided in Trempealeau County to exceed one hundred Irish families. Perhaps no other nationality has had among its numbers more men of marked personality, when we consider the number from which to choose.

As a rule they have been good citizens. Some may have been impulsive, some may have been improvident, and it may be possible that some may have been deceitful, yet I venture to say there has been a chord in the make-up of nearly every one which, when touched, vibrated into harmony with the higher and better elements of human character. No two have been alike. Every one has had an individuality that separated him from all others. Very few have seen the clouds-they look more for the sunshine—upon the more optimistic side of life. Every situation to the average Irish settler in this county has had its sunny side, its humorous side. They have mainly lived in an atmosphere of good nature, and they should not be censured too severely if sometimes some of them have taken artificial means to bring it about.They have been typical in their race. Their friends have been all the people, their faith their own.    No climate has been so cold as will not produce a shamrock, no soil so barren as will not grow a shillelagh. They have been foremost at a fight, at a frolic and at a funeral, where their generous nature has always found a blow for the bad, a smile for the glad and a tear for the sad. (Written at Arcadia, November 12,1912, by John C. Gaveney.)        https://archive.org/stream/historyoftrempea00curt/historyoftrempea00curt_djvu.txt