Another story written by Uncle Joe in 1972 for the Sheldon Centennial:
Laura, Winnie, Eugene, James, Tressie and Molly Mulhern attended Grant Township School #1, one fourth of a mile north of the home place. It was a beautiful, sunny, warm winter day on January 12, 1888. There was a couple of feet of light fluffy snow on the ground. As they came home from school, they ran and jumped in the snow and it flew out from them like duck feathers. While Michael Mulhern carried hay in to a hay shed for the cattle, James and Eugene tried to drive the cattle into the shed for the night, but the cattle had their heads and tails up in the air and kept running by the door. Then all at once they headed for the door, pushing and bellowing to get in. The wind came rearing in from the Northwest and all of the light snow flew up in the air, making visibility zero. Mr. Mulhern thought they better spend the night in the hay shed rather than try to make it to the house, but with the strong northwest wind came a severe drop in temperature, so sleeping in the shed would be too cold. Mr. Mulhern put his one arm around the waist of James and the other around Eugene. They got down on their hands and knees and headed in the direction of the house. All went well until they got out into where the hay shed wasn’t breaking the wind. The wind was blowing the snow between their legs into their faces so they had to fight the snow away to breathe and see. There were no fence rows, no cornstalk fields, no large set of farm buildings, no large grove to slow down the wind or snow in those days. They had to stand up and fear struck them that they’d get lost out in the snowstorm. They opened their eyes and looked toward the house. They could see a light in the north window of the house. So they headed for the light and made it safely into the house. Mrs. Mulhern figured the way the wind was blowing, it must be terrible outside. She had heard somewhere if you place a lamp next to the window, it will penetrate out into a storm a lot better. So they left the light in the window all night in case someone was wandering in the snowstorm near the house. A few days later, they learned a neighbor, Calvin Hurd, didn’t make it home from school in Sheldon that evening. He perished in the storm a couple miles southeast of their home.
Showing posts with label Eugene. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Eugene. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Eugene? Mulhern
When Eugene Mulhern (Cecilia's father) was 10, he and his father came from south-east Minnesota to Sheldon without his mother and siblings. They came by wagon, and the wheel is still at the farm. He missed his family so much, that for the year until the family came, he sucked on his upper lip. It became deformed and he wore a big mustache for his whole adult life.
(according to Margy, only vaguely remembered by Annie, who will check with her later) Picture from Kathleen, so if it's not the right guy, don't blame Annie.
(according to Margy, only vaguely remembered by Annie, who will check with her later) Picture from Kathleen, so if it's not the right guy, don't blame Annie.
The following was written in 1972 by Joe Mulhern (Cecelia’s brother) for the Sheldon Centennial.
Mrs. Mary Davis Mulhern’s brother, William Davis, worked for the Chicago Milwaukee and St. Paul railroad, laying the tracks through Sheldon, Iowa in 1876. his wife mrs. Rose Weir Davis, had relatives around Sheldon, so they spent their time between Sheldon and southeastern Minnesota. On William’s visits to Minnesota, he would say to Micheal Mulhern, “Mike, you should take a trip to Sheldon, Iowa, and take a look at that land around there, that’s the best productive soil there is”. In 1886, Michael Mulhern and Patrick Malia came to Sheldon to take a look at the land. They liked what they saw and made arrangements to buy a quarter of a section apiece. This is the history of Section 11, Grant Township, Sioux County, Iowa as recorded in the Auditors office in Orange City. On March 28, 1885, George Seney and his wife sold all of section 11 to Claus O. Collman. On May 31, 1887, Claus O. Collman and his wife sold the southeast quarter to Patrick Malia, for $15.00 an acre (total $2,400). The deed was filed on July 23, 1887. On the same day, they sold the northeast quarter to Michael Mulhern for the same price. This deed was filed Nov 7, 1887. In the fall of 186, Patrick Malia came to Sheldon and broke up a few acres on the southeast quarter. When Michael Mulhern got back to Minnesota, he spent the winter selling the eighty acres he had and trading everything he had for cattle that could make the trip to NW Iowa. The country then was covered with prairie grass, plenty of food for cows. In 1887, they headed for their new land five miles northwest of Sheldon. Eugene Mulhern was 11 years old, and James Mulhern was 9. They drove the team on the covered wagon with the cattle trailing behind. Their dad, Michael Mulhern was on horseback following the cattle. From all I gathered from what my dad Eugene Mulhern used to tell, bits at a time about that trip through with the cattle, it was on hectic trip for boys 9 and 11 years old. All went great for a few days, a lot of the relatives went along to help them get started, but they had to get back to their farmin around Wykoff MN. It took two weeks to make the 220 miles. Eugene and James had left behind 5 sisters, their mother, who was a good cook, cousins, friends, uncles and aunts. James couldn’t stomach the camp cooking, he could hardly stand to look at it, so didn’t eat very much. He soon became weary and listless and laid in the back of the wagon, but always got up and acted brave when his dad was around. People along the way weren’t very happy or friendly toward “those outfits going through”. The boys weren’t used to being treated like that. When they got to their new land, there wasn’t a tree or a post on all of section 11. It was all prairie grass, except the few acres Pat Malia had broken up the fall before. They lived in the covered wagon while Michael and a hired man built a story and a half house 18 feet by 12 feet. Eugene and James herded the cattle on the prairie and drove the cattle to the river, one mile north, to drink everyday. Life was rough, but if they had changed their mind, it was as far back as it was coming. The neighbors were good to them. Across the road to the east were the Palmitere’s. Mrs. Palmitere thought the boys looked rough after having been on the road for two weeks. Mr. Palmitere came from Virginia and did a lot of truck gardening, so they used to bring the Mulherns fresh vegetables and baked goods. He used to visit with the boys as they herded cattle and brought pieces of sugar can e which was real sweet for them to chew on. When the house was completed, Mrs. Mulhern and the girls came to Sheldon in an immigrant car. An immigrant car was a regular boxcar where you could put the household possessions and ride there with them at a much cheaper rate, because the government and the railroad wanted people to come to the unsettled areas. Then the boys had their sisters to help herd the cattle and to visit with. They still had to drive the cattle to the river to water every day until a well was dug. To add to the misery, the price of cattle went way down. For awhile the farmers would kill the calves soon after birth to save feed and have more milk for the household.
Mrs. Mary Davis Mulhern’s brother, William Davis, worked for the Chicago Milwaukee and St. Paul railroad, laying the tracks through Sheldon, Iowa in 1876. his wife mrs. Rose Weir Davis, had relatives around Sheldon, so they spent their time between Sheldon and southeastern Minnesota. On William’s visits to Minnesota, he would say to Micheal Mulhern, “Mike, you should take a trip to Sheldon, Iowa, and take a look at that land around there, that’s the best productive soil there is”. In 1886, Michael Mulhern and Patrick Malia came to Sheldon to take a look at the land. They liked what they saw and made arrangements to buy a quarter of a section apiece. This is the history of Section 11, Grant Township, Sioux County, Iowa as recorded in the Auditors office in Orange City. On March 28, 1885, George Seney and his wife sold all of section 11 to Claus O. Collman. On May 31, 1887, Claus O. Collman and his wife sold the southeast quarter to Patrick Malia, for $15.00 an acre (total $2,400). The deed was filed on July 23, 1887. On the same day, they sold the northeast quarter to Michael Mulhern for the same price. This deed was filed Nov 7, 1887. In the fall of 186, Patrick Malia came to Sheldon and broke up a few acres on the southeast quarter. When Michael Mulhern got back to Minnesota, he spent the winter selling the eighty acres he had and trading everything he had for cattle that could make the trip to NW Iowa. The country then was covered with prairie grass, plenty of food for cows. In 1887, they headed for their new land five miles northwest of Sheldon. Eugene Mulhern was 11 years old, and James Mulhern was 9. They drove the team on the covered wagon with the cattle trailing behind. Their dad, Michael Mulhern was on horseback following the cattle. From all I gathered from what my dad Eugene Mulhern used to tell, bits at a time about that trip through with the cattle, it was on hectic trip for boys 9 and 11 years old. All went great for a few days, a lot of the relatives went along to help them get started, but they had to get back to their farmin around Wykoff MN. It took two weeks to make the 220 miles. Eugene and James had left behind 5 sisters, their mother, who was a good cook, cousins, friends, uncles and aunts. James couldn’t stomach the camp cooking, he could hardly stand to look at it, so didn’t eat very much. He soon became weary and listless and laid in the back of the wagon, but always got up and acted brave when his dad was around. People along the way weren’t very happy or friendly toward “those outfits going through”. The boys weren’t used to being treated like that. When they got to their new land, there wasn’t a tree or a post on all of section 11. It was all prairie grass, except the few acres Pat Malia had broken up the fall before. They lived in the covered wagon while Michael and a hired man built a story and a half house 18 feet by 12 feet. Eugene and James herded the cattle on the prairie and drove the cattle to the river, one mile north, to drink everyday. Life was rough, but if they had changed their mind, it was as far back as it was coming. The neighbors were good to them. Across the road to the east were the Palmitere’s. Mrs. Palmitere thought the boys looked rough after having been on the road for two weeks. Mr. Palmitere came from Virginia and did a lot of truck gardening, so they used to bring the Mulherns fresh vegetables and baked goods. He used to visit with the boys as they herded cattle and brought pieces of sugar can e which was real sweet for them to chew on. When the house was completed, Mrs. Mulhern and the girls came to Sheldon in an immigrant car. An immigrant car was a regular boxcar where you could put the household possessions and ride there with them at a much cheaper rate, because the government and the railroad wanted people to come to the unsettled areas. Then the boys had their sisters to help herd the cattle and to visit with. They still had to drive the cattle to the river to water every day until a well was dug. To add to the misery, the price of cattle went way down. For awhile the farmers would kill the calves soon after birth to save feed and have more milk for the household.
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