History of O’Brien County, Iowa 1979: McCarty Family

The year 1845 was another of the bitter years for the Irish. The English were still doing their best to destroy the Irish who were Catholic and blight had destroyed the potato crop causing widespread famine. Late that year, Patrick McCarty, with his wife, Mary, and their ten children left Ireland. They landed at New Orleans in February 1846. From there, they went to Daviess County, Indiana and bought a farm. Their son, Patrick Henry (1832-1894) married Elizabeth Morgan (1836-1913) in 1861, three days before the Civil War began. The first child born in Montgomery, Indiana was their son Patrick Maurice (1862-1928).

Patrick brought his family to Walnut, Iowa in 1879. Later they farmed in the Boyden-Hull area, and were there at the time of the Great Blizzard of March 14, 1888. Patrick and three sons were in the barn milking when it struck. Since the house and barn were on opposite sides of the road, Patrick and the boys wondered if they could find the house. Patrick, trusting a dog’s natural homing instincts, held onto the dog’s tail with the three boys holding onto him and each other. They got safely to the house.

That same year, Patrick bought the NW¼ of Section 9 in Carroll Township. The family lived in rented buildings on Section 4 while they farmed the land and build a house. Patrick had paid $16.50 per acre for the farm. Also in 1888, their son, James M. married Josie Dunn (1860-1945). They farmed in Floyd Township until Patrick’s death in 1894. Elizabeth and daughters moved into Sheldon and James moved onto the farm in Carroll Township. Prior to James and Josie’s wedding, Josie’s sister, Loretta had written to her warning her not to marry James as he read books, and would therefore be a poor businessman. Despite the handicap, by the time of his death he managed to own 640 acres in Carroll Township.

James and Josie had four children; Vivian (1889-1974), Lionel P. (Lyle) (1890-1943), Vetus C. (1894-1968), and Loretta (1901- ). They also raised twin girls, Arleen and Eileen (1916- ) whose mother died at childbirth. The twins’ father was James’ brother, Vetus.

Vivian married Matthew Weir (1893-1978) in 1921. They had seven children; Mary (1922), Veronica (1923- ), Ethel (1925- ), Lionel (1926- ), Rosella (1927- ), Loretta (1930- ), and Audrey (1931- ). Matt and Vivian spent all their farming days on Section 1 Carroll and were living in Sheldon at the time of their deaths.

Lyle married Mary O’Kane (1891- ) in 1912. They were the parents of fifteen children. They farmed the NE¼ of Section 8 Carroll until 1936 when they purchased the S½ of Section 26 in Hartley Township. Lyle died there. Mary moved to Sheldon and has 65 grandchildren and seventy-two great-grandchildren. Their children are:
Philip (1913- ) who married Dorothy Tilley in 1949. Three children.
James (1914- ) who married Cecelia Mulhern in 1937 and have eight children. They have always lived on Section 8 in Carroll.
John (1914- ) Zansen married Seraphine Z in 1937. They live on Section 32 in Lincoln Township. They have five children. Their daughter Karen, married Richard Kamradt in 1960 and they and their five children live on Section 4, Dale Township.
Lionel F. (1916-1921)
Rosemary (1917-1971) married Arthur Schoo in 1942. He died in 1963. They had no children.
Bernadette (1918- ) married Ed Krogman in 1945. Ed died in 1963. They had three children. Bernadette later married Harold Bell. They live in Sheldon.
LeRoy (1920- ) married Ruby Brower in 1945. They live on Section 26 in Hartley Township and have five children. Daughter, Therese married Orlan Lux in 1968 and have three children. They live on Section 26 in Lincoln Township. Daughter, Maureen married Larry Rawlings in 1969 and have two children. They live in Hartley. Son, Noel lives on Section 27 in Lincoln Township.
Edwin (Ned) (1922- ) married Ruth Wichman in 1945. They live in Sutherland and have seven children. The youngest, Todd, is still at home.
Richard (1923- ) married LaVonne Newell in 1946. They live in Hartley and have four children.
Clement (1925- ) married Beverly Shouse in 1945 and have four children.
Therese (1926-1943)
Deloris (1928- ) married Robert Bryant in 1946. They live in Sheldon and have five children.
Patrick (1929- ) married Joan McAlpine in 1953 and have five children.
Vernon (1931- ) married Ann Mosser in 1958. She died in 1961. He married Betty Brown in 1962. They have eight children.
Joan (1933- ) married Kenneth Wacker in 1953 and are the parents of nine children.

Vetus married Agnes Cajacob (1895- ) in 1919. They farmed the McCarty homeplace on Section 9 on Carroll until retiring to live in Sheldon. They had ten children and at present there are fifty-five grandchildren and ten great-grandchildren. Their children are:
Francis J. (Frank) (1920- ) married Regina Pape in 1947 and are the parents of twelve children, five of which are still living at home on Section 16 Lincoln Township.
David (1922- ) married Rita Theisen in 1947. They have ten children, two of whom are still at home on Section 1 Grant Township. A son, Dan married Donna Harris in 1976 and they live on Section 4 Omega Township.
Robert (1924- ) lives with his mother in Sheldon and is engaged in farming with his brother, William, on Section 9 Carroll Township.
William (Bill) (1926- ) married Carol Downes in 1952 and are the parents of four sons. The oldest, Patrick married Laureen Peterson in 1973. They have two children and live in Sheldon.
Thomas (1928- ) married Theresa Pape in 1951 and have five children.
Jean (1929- ) married Robert Abels in 1950. They had nine children.
Betty (1931- ) married Robert Youngers in 1955. They live on Section 26 Carroll Township. The oldest of their seven children, Tom, married Lisa Letner in 1974. They have two children and live on Section 10 Carroll Township.
Patricia (1934- ) married John Rodkewich in 1969. He died in 1974. They had two children.
Charles (1935- ) married Theresa Penning in 1964. They have two children.
Margaret (Peggy) (1938- ) married Robert Naughton in 1961 and have three sons

James and Josie’s youngest daughter married Leland Coonan in 1923. They had four children.

There are members of five generations of McCarty’s buried in St. Patrick’s Cemetery in Sheldon. Throughout the years, members of the family have been active in affairs of church, school, community, cooperatives, and the Democratic Party.

I typed this from the book (History of O'Brien County, Iowa 1976) on our shelf at home (most of the strange punctuation and grammar aren’t mine). I think Mom told me Grandpa wrote it. Apparently he first wrote something much longer, but it was edited down quite a bit. I remember him saying that was to make room for the 3 pages the Klu Klux Klan got. I’m not going to type their section up. Sorry.

NW¼ of Section 9 in Carroll Township is just ½ mile east of the farm at the top of the hill, where Pat and Laureen McCarty farm now. NE¼ of Section 8 in Carroll Township is the farm.