Dedicated in fond and loving memories of our dearly beloved Grandmother and Grandfather O’Connor.

By: Sister Mary Redempta Galvin, Granddaughter

Transcription by Jeanne Catron

Bridget Mulhall O’Connor was born August 10, 1833, in County Mayo Ireland. She died November 6, 1928, in the

home of her youngest son, Timothy. She claimed that she was never ill and her last days seemed to bear this out, for

she seemed to have just worn out. The most serious thing being that her eyesight failed some time before her death,

and with that she became disturbed and the mind was returning to days of the past.

During the potato famine of the 1840’s, Bridget was sent to America to preserve her from the ills and tragedy of

starvation that were taking a great toll, especially of the young and aging in Ireland. In spite of her tender age, she

and another girl, slightly older, were placed in care of the ship’s captain to be brought to America, there to be

taken care of by relatives who could feed them. The parents were broken-hearted but felt that they must save these

children who would be permanently injured if left without proper food for too long. They promised to get them

home the next year or to come to America, too. However, little Bridget never returned but several years later she

did have a chance to see her mother, who came to America after her husband’s death.

The Mulhalls seem to have owned their home in Ireland and had an income that was better than many had, so they

paid her fare and then tied gold coins around her neck under the blouse and placed some inside the hose. The

latter was to be used while traveling, but the gold sewed inside the blouse was to be of help after she arrived in

America or at least until she was safe in the arms of her sisters, Ann Lawler, her half-sister, and Catherine

Mulhall, whom were expecting her, but for some reason neither of them was at the Boston port when Bridget

arrived and neither were the relatives of the other girl there. In the light of things as they were in that day -- poor

means of communications, unreliable mail and transportation services -- this is not surprising. Moreover, Ireland

is so small and people were so limited in their idea of the vast expanses of America that the older girls probably

had no idea of when the ship came in or if the children were on it. Alone and with no idea of where to seek help,

the girls began to walk the streets of Boston. At the time it was merely a little port with nothing more pretentious

than dirt roads, and certainly very little protection or help for two little foreigners. After walking for some time,

they were tired and hungry, so they sat down on the side of the road and ate the leavings of a lunch they carried

with them. The older girl had no money left, but Bridget was sure she did, so she was going to get a crown and

with it they would buy food and perhaps look for a job. "Work", that’s what they would do, and some time Ann

and Catherine would find them. Alas! to their dismay, the little bag that held the money was empty and they had

no idea of what happened to it. They were dismayed and frightened, so began to cry. Soon an elderly gentleman

came along. He questioned them, nothing their accent and took a look at their bags and knew that they had no

business on the streets alone. He took them to a friend who ran a boarding house in the neighborhood and

persuaded her to take them in until they made contact with their relatives. She did and put them to work washing

dishes and setting tables. Poor little Bridget was so small that she had to kneel on a chair to reach into a dishpan,

but she was a spunky and determined little piece of humanity, who really had some good home training. No one

seems to know how long this good woman took care of them, but it must have been for some little time because she

became fond of Bridget and wanted her to remain to help her when her sisters came.

 BRIDGET'S WORK

Not for long did this youngster stay entirely dependent upon her older sisters. She wanted to be up and doing and

to earn a little money to buy food and to send it back to the family in Ireland. She was able to sew quite well by

hand, so she was eventually apprenticed to a tailor from who she learned much, and she became an asset to her

employer. She could weave linen and woolen fabrics, cut and sew beautifully. Of course, it was all done by hand.

The button-holing and stitching and embroidery work was of the finest. There are pieces of linen spun and

embroidered by her still preserved in the family. This training was invaluable to her later when out in the new

State of Minnesota she not only made the cloth and sewed for herself and her girls, but even made the men’s suits.

It was in the days when dainty button-holing was used around men’s pockets, and all was done by hand. The

stitches were almost as small as any sewing machine makes.

While on the job, Bridget had to dress well, in good taste, and keep up with the current styles. As today, clothes

from one season to another were not worn at the tailor’s shop -- they were discarded, given away or saved for some

future need. Bridget could discriminate between materials and always got the best, even when that meant having

less. This practice she carried out all through life and taught her children to do the same, even though some

probably were not inclined to live by this principle. She was looking forward to her own home, so she saved the

clothes she would not, or could no longer, wear. If she took good care of them, they could be made into clothes for

the children she hoped to have some day. She eventually used them for just that purpose. Out in the pioneer State

it was difficult to buy or get such things. She reared a family of thirteen, and they were well dressed because she

had been so wise when so young.

Bridget was mentally matured at any early age. She was independent, very conservative and pious. This piety was

evident throughout all her life. While she was working in the kitchen, sewing, spinning or engaging in other

manual work, her children and grandchildren were sure to be a party to common prayers. The Rosary, the litanies

and many other beautiful prayers she had memorized seemed to others an unusual acquisition. She was neither

narrow nor prudish, but a strong moral training dominated everything she did, and she passed it on to her children.

Who was the young man who was lucky enough to win the heart and hand of this girl and how did they meet?

Michael O’Connor was born in Abby Lace, Queens County, Ireland, on August 10, 1831, and died on December

23, 1922. While quite young, the English landlord, who often visited their home, persuaded his parents to allow

him to take this bright lad with him to England to live with his family. This gentleman showed much interest in

the boy, and gave him an opportunity to attend school. No doubt the sponsoring family got service from he lad, but

Michael absorbed more literary information than most boys of that time. He read well and could quote history and

poetry that surprised many of this grandchildren, and he was certainly well informed about the church and the

duties incumbent upon a citizen and a Catholic layman. In 1904, a young priest who came out to the O’Connor

home said to Dennis Galvin -- the husband of the oldest O’Connor girl -- "Your father-in-law knows more

literature and theology than many a young priest today."

When Michael was old enough to take a job and could save some money, he and a friend, William Triggs, decided

to come to America. The trip, as these men later described it, was a stormy, slow and dangerous one. It took seven

weeks to reach the Boston port.

(There seems to be some information missing here).

half-sister and sister of Bridget Mulhall, Michael’s future wife. In all probability, this meeting was instrumental in

Michael’s meeting Bridget some years later. Some time during 1853 they became very good friends and were

married on February 26, 1854. Though the young man had a job in a boiler factory, worked hard and made good

money for those times, he was inclined to spend too much of it on his friends and on the Irish immigrants who

were pouring into the Country. Bridget’s sisters were not too happy about the marriage, and it was a standing joke

in later years that she should have lent Michael $3.00 to pay for the license.

Be that as it may be, Bridget was always ready to defend and help her husband. He was generous to a fault, but she

managed to keep him and his money pretty well where it should be serving their own family needs. the older

sisters had married well, and with their help Bridget had a fine and quite pretentious wedding as far as the

externals were concerned. Of course, they were married at a Mass in the Boston church, but there was a

white-horsed livery to take them to and from the church; then, an all day celebration with dinner and an evening

dance for their relatives and friends. After this they settled down to hard work and the job of making a home in

Boston.

The two years of toil and struggle there were difficult ones. Part of the time Michael was laid up with a broken

foot, the result of an accident at the boiler factory. Of course, he struggled back to the job too soon; so all his life

he was troubled from this injury, which later on developed varicose veins in the leg as a result of the imbalance

that the foot debility caused. He was a large, stately man who, until old age, tried hard to show no signs of any

crippling. Bridget was especially anxious to get away from Boston. Catherine had gone to Philadelphia; and,

Ann, too, soon went West. At the end of the first year of marriage, the first son was born to the Michael

O’Connors. Many friends had gone West looking for land grants and new homes and they were now writing to

them to come, too.

GOING WEST

William Triggs, Michael’s friend from England who had made the crossing of the Atlantic with him, seemed to

have the greatest influence in this quest of "going Westward." Minnesota was a new Territory with government

land available at $1.25 an acre. He described the beauty of the country with its great forests, lakes, rivers and fresh

water springs, and the fertile soil as a place where farming MUST be a success. What did either of them know of

farming? Not much, but they were sure they could learn.

Early in 1856, though Bridget was expecting the second child, in the spring, they decided to go as far as Chicago.

This was the end of the railroad line then. Here they would look around the swampy little town and see what

opportunities it offered them. It was here that Cicily, the first daughter, was born and Michael worked; but, poor

little Bridget contracted malaria. There seemed to be no cure for it, but there was an opinion prevalent that the

low, swampy land around the lakes caused it. In the fall, they decided to try to get to Minnesota. St. Paul,

Minnesota, was then bidding to become the inland metropolis of the West. Since William Triggs was the only

friend who they could expect to give them guidance, they planned to go to Spring Valley first and then perhaps to

St. Paul. This town is located about twenty miles from Rochester, Minnesota, now famed for its great medical

center, the Mayo clinic.

From Chicago they went by water and by stage routes as far as LaCrosse, Wisconsin. After reaching there, they

realized that to get into Minnesota was a real problem. There were no bridges over the Mississippi River, and

there was no commercial transportation available. Winter was setting in, and it was much colder than on the East

Coast, and funds were getting low. They must by all means save enough to buy a team of oxen and a wagon before

getting on to the land or claiming it. Bridget began incessant prayer while Michael went out around the town to

make inquiries. He was told that very often the farmers from southeast Minnesota brought their farm products for

sale into LaCrosse, and a ferry took wagons and teams across the river. This was late October, but those who

hoped to get a better price were still coming with corn and cattle for sale. In a few days he found the Drury boys

from Carimona, who knew of Spring Valley, as it was only about twenty miles from them. They offered to take the

O’Connors as well as another young couple, the Jim Kirwins, back as far as their home. Michael bought a food

supply, a team of oxen and a wagon and they started out.

On their arrival at the Drury home, snow and ice were in abundance and they soon realized that they were

probably snowbound for several months. There seemed to be no let-up to the severity of the cold. The Drurys and

their neighbors pointed out that there was plenty of good land around them that had not been claimed, so why not

dig in and put in a land claim right there? After finding a fresh water spring and many acres of fertile land near it,

they settled upon this place. The bubbling fresh spring was a real decisive factor for them after their Chicago

experience, and later they built the home near it. they never moved away from here. Far better locations for a

house right on their own land would have been to their advantage, and others wondered WHY this choice, but the

spring tells the story -- they must have cool, fresh water.

How did they live in this severe winter climate until a home was built? It is a tale of courage and great sacrifice,

especially for one as sensitive as the little mother. The Drury family took them in while the neighbors took in the

Kirwin family. Meanwhile, all the men available got together and dug a cave in the side of the hill for temporary

habitation. No one had space to spare and these young people did not with to depend upon others or impose

inconveniences upon them. After the cave was built, the neighbors helped Michael cut trees and build a log house.

Most of them had a sod house that was warmer, but no sod could be dug at this time of year with frost down not

inches in the ground, but fee, and snow very often as high as any of their homes. During the severe winter in those

days there was little the farmers could do except cut wood for fuel, feed their chickens, cattle and hogs if they had a

suitable place to protect them. Everyone was glad to help the neighbor, so they could get the country settled.

There were many hazards that required great self-sacrifice and close cooperation in order to even survive.

With the help of these kind neighbors, the O’Connor family was settled in he Carimona district, which is about

ten miles from the county seat of Fillmore County, Preston. At this time no counties were laid out, and there was

no railroad or any public means of communications. For some years Winona, 50 miles away, was the nearest place

for buying supplies or for selling their farm products. Though the family had not planned to make this their

permanent abode, they lived here for nearly seventy years. Only when Mrs. O’Connor became too aged and quite

helpless could anyone persuade her to move in with any of her children.

EARLY DAYS

It took some courage and stamina to face all the difficulties and privations and to accomplish so much in those

pioneer days. Frequently they were days fraught with much danger as well as self-sacrifice. For the years that this

district was fifty miles from the nearest market, a doctor or a supply center and this meant a trip requiring a week

to go and return for lumber, farm implements and household needs, or even a community doctor, until a country

doctor made his rounds on horseback. The nearest church was in or near St. Paul. (The St. Paul Mission Church

gave the city its name). No school facilities were available until the people themselves provided a school with their

own money and work.

Very often marauding Indians were a dangerous threat. One shivers when thinking of young mothers and their

small children left alone for a week or more while the husband made the trip to Winona or LaCrosse to transact

necessary business. The men on these trips were in danger, too, from bad roads with no bridges, high water, wolf

packs, etc., but even worse was the encounter with fugitives from justice. These territories had no highway

protection nor police organizations as yet. Communications, such as telephone and telegraph facilities, were

non-existent. For several years the beast of burden and the animal used to drive the wagon or sleigh was the ox, a

very slow means of transportation indeed. In these sparsely settled communities there were many timber wolves

and buffalo herds that were out in search for food, especially in the winter. In the summer snakes, particularly the

large rattlesnakes, were the menace in fields and even around the barns and homes. Part of the O’Connor land was

known as the great "Buggalo Grove." Some of it is still intact, and in 1951 people were surprised by the

appearance of a pair of buffalo which seemed to be non-existent by the turn of the century.

The only protection people had was what they, themselves, could furnish. This they did by working in close

cooperation in everything, even to their business trips. many exciting and hazardous experiences could be told of

incidents that occurred on these journeys. Even after horses were available, it was not possible to make a trip to

buy or sell in one day, so they usually had to camp for the night on some road side that provided them with water

and some protection from the severe cold, rain or insects.

On one excursion that Mr. O’Connor and some of the neighbors took, they experienced a very serious episode.

After watering and feeding the animals and setting up camp, they discovered two strangers in camp. Though they

were skeptical and on the alert, they treated the men as friends and shared their food with them. In the morning the

men got into an argument over a gun. The one named Conklin accused the other of taking his gun, claiming that

the gun had a nick in it that matched a mark in the other man’s hand. When the man refused to hand overt the

gun, Conklin quickly pulled a knife and put it through him. Fortunately, the Carimona men were able to handle

the situation without further bloodshed. they retrieved the knife and the gun; then took the murderer and the

corpse to Winona where they turned the matter over to the sheriff. When the murdered man could not be identified

and no relatives could be found, the Carimona men took the corpse and gave it a respectable burial. Conklin was

sent to jail where he remained for the rest of his life. He seemed to have no relatives, so the men who witnessed

the crime kept in touch with him and tried to do some of the little things that can be done for a prisoner of this

kind. He spoke mostly German and a little English, so they managed to get some of the German people in Winona

to help them in this matter of charity, but no one ever learned his background.

Indian scares were frequent, though there seems to be no account of violence from the natives at this time in the

vicinity. People had early learned that kindness to the Indian turned away wrath; but, of course, there were still the

wandering tribesmen who occasionally caused trouble, so people were wary and easily aroused.

An anecdote here many not be out of place. As soon as possible after horses were available, Mr. O’Connor bought

a very frisky pony and came home riding it full speed. This immediately set up an Indian scare in the

neighborhood. Women and children were rushed into caves for protection, while the men prepared to meet the

savages and defend their homes and families. Most of the families lived at a distance from each other, since they

owned or held claims to at least 160 acres, so they had to get to some centrally located home. Where was this

pre-agreed place? No where else than the O’Connor home. On reaching there, both anger and good humor were

evidenced in meeting this "Wild Irishman." Mr. O’Connor got a great thrill from seeing all his friends running

for the "kill", but his kindness and humor soon turned aside any wrath among the men. Soon everyone was

interested in the horse since it was the first in the neighborhood. What were the cost and the advantages to them

from traveling and for field work? All this had been pretty well considered and inquired into by the O’Connors, so

Mr. O’Connor tried to answer their inquiries. After the Civil war, when men had retired to their routine life and

the Infantry had released many horses for civilian use, oxen were readily replaced by horses for all.

Before land could be cultivated, acres and acres of land had to be cleared of heavy timber. Trees were immense,

compared to what most of us could imagine today. To handle the chopping and grubbing out the roots of such

trees with no tools except the hand ax and saw was a tremendous and back-breaking job. At first the men worked

together to clear one man’s place and then proceeded to the neighbor’s, so that everyone would have a few acres of

land fit for cultivation. Then as men drifted in looking for work, or as boys grew into manhood, everyone was able

to help themselves. The long cold days on such jobs, as well as caring for domestic animals and fowls of all kinds,

required extraordinary stamina when we realize that the temperature in Minnesota sometimes is as low as forty

degrees below zero. Many of these people, too, were in no way prepared for this except a few of the European

settlers, such as the German and Norwegian groups. Most of the group we are speaking of were of Irish extraction.

Much of the territory was settled by immigrants through the efforts of Bishop Cretin and Bishop Grace of St. Paul,

who hoped to have a Catholic state in the West. Richard Ireland, the father of Archbishop Ireland, and Henry

Brownson, correspondent, as well as the Irish Immigration Society, played a great part in settling the state. Of

course, many nationalities came, and those of more experience shared their "know-how" with others. Many

learned the hard way, by trial and error. All deserve credit for heroic efforts and the spirit of charity, "live and let

live." There was no discrimination as to nationality, creed or color. Everyone helped as the needs were known.

RELIGION

Religion and piety played a great part in the lives of the O’Connor family as it did in some of their neighbors.

Bridget had many prayers memorized and taught her children to have recourse to prayer on all occasions. It was

quite routine for her to lead in the recitation of some of the litanies or the Rosary while sewing, washing dishes or

engaging in any activity that kept a family group at work together. Michael, on the other hand, took on the job of

instructing his children in Christian doctrine, and he was never happier then when an argument came up that gave

him an opportunity to try to prove the truth of the Catholic doctrine. Though in those early days Bishop Cretin,

Father Revoux and Bishop Grace tried desperately to handle the work of the Church over a territory that covered

all of Minnesota, part of Iowa and the Dakotas, there was no resident priest closer than St. Paul and its vicinity. In

1855 a Father Vivaldi tried to establish a parish at Long Prairie, some distance north and west of the Carimona

district, be he seems to have entered upon this field against the Bishop’s orders, and in 1856 we find Bishop Cretin

stating that he was a dangerous person. He piled up debts that the Bishop was in no position to pay, and he

ventured upon opening a school by persuading a Sister of St. Joseph from St. Paul to gather girls for the purpose of

organizing an independent group of Nuns for this project. The Bishop had to excommunicate the priest, so the

whole thing failed to accomplish any good for the Church.

Lack of religious facilities for so many Catholic families gave the O’Connors great concern, so after some time Mr.

O’Connor began gathering the neighbors for Mass prayers and the recitation of the Rosary on Sundays in his

home. Then he began teaching Catechism to the children of these families. In a short time, there were enough

children coming for instructions, so that the three older girls--Cecily, Elizabeth, and Mary--had to help their

father. The porch and the yard were the Church in good weather; but, when the cold and inclement weather came,

the living room and the upper floor of the granary were converted into a class room and a Church. But, Mr.

O’Connor and a few of the other Catholics worried about the indifference that began to show. Children were not

baptized; marriages needed to be blessed or rectified, and all had need for the Mass and other Sacraments. As soon

as he could make the trip to St. Paul, he took some of the neighbors and they begged the Bishop for the services of

a priest. Soon after, a priest was making the circuit on horseback. He said Mass at the O’Connor home, dispensed

the Sacraments to those who came, and visited homes. People were very happy to have an opportunity to receive

the Sacraments or to even be in contact with a priest. The day that Mass and the Sacraments were available people

came early in the morning; women fixed breakfast for all who came and often dinner and supper for those who

were still there. It was a day of rejoicing. No one complained of the inconvenience, long distances, the cold or

heat, nor of the work it demanded. Frequently, children were two or three years old before they were baptized by

the priest. Of course, the better instructed parents had them baptized by some lay person and then conditional

baptism was giving when the priest came.

Some years later, this group of Catholics banded together and built a rural Church in the hope of getting a resident

priest. They also laid out a cemetery which still serves people who live in the district, and for some who have

moved elsewhere but who wish to be buried near their own families.

The Church has never had a resident priest, but has been served from various other parishes such as Preston,

Fountain and Wykoff. Neither did a railroad or shopping center come closer to them than Preston, which is the

county seat of Fillmore County, 10 miles away. At most, Mass was said out at this rural Church two Sundays of

the month, so children have always been taken long distances in preparation for making their First Communion

and Confirmation. Today the Church is used only for special occasions and for funerals, but people take pride in

caring for it and for the cemetery. In such a situation, it is surprising how few have fallen away from the faith

that was brought down to them through so much inconvenience. When one reflects upon "What-might-have-been"

if no one had take the initiative in the apostolic work, we can realized the good done in those pioneer days. the

O’Connor family alone reared thirteen children, or whom twelve married and in turn reared children of their own

that numbered eighty-four in 1904 on the occasion of the Golden Wedding of Mr. and Mrs. O’Connor. May other

families were equally as large. It would be impossible to estimate the loss within the next two or three generations

if all had been left to chance or to convenience.

SCHOOL

For years the problem of educating the children was entirely up to the parents throughout this whole southern

district of the state. In this particular district of Carimona, it was many years before either County or State aid was

made available since the hoped for railroad center and shopping center never became a reality. Though there was

work on these farms even for the children, people were looking to the future good of the children, so out of the

Sunday meetings for religious purposes came the discussion of how to provide at least the basic training for the

"Three R’s." Mr. O’Connor offered space for taking care of the group while George Drury (the young man who

came with the O’Connors from LaCrosse) was the first volunteer teacher. He served well and with no demands for

remuneration, though those who could helped him out is some way, because he was also running a farm. The

upper floor of the O’Connor granary was usually the class room; but, if the weather was very bad, the pupils were

brought into the living room. the men went together and made rather crude looking desks and a blackboard of a

kind was provided. Years later, when the grandchildren went to visit this home, the one great delight was to play

up in this old "funny" classroom, which remained intact until after Mr. O’Connor’s death. Here they met cousins

and were out of the way of parents who preferred a little quiet conversation on subjects that were beyond their

interest or were taboo for young ears.

Subsequently, the families agreed to build a school that would accommodate the growing population and they

would hire a teacher. Again the men banded together and built a school on the O’Connor property, and the

building, even today, functions for rural elementary school. When the State set up County schools, the building

functioned for many years as an eight-grade County school; but, when schools consolidated and the school bus

came into use for this district, the older students were taken into Preston where there is a public grade and high

school of good standing.