EARLY CATHOLIC FAMILIES IN PATERSON.--MEN AND WOMEN OF PROMINENCE
WHO ASSISTED IN ESTABLISHING THE CHURCH IN THIS CITY.
To give a complete list of the Catholics who assisted in the propagation
of the faith in Paterson and give each one his or her share of praise
for the noble work done in the Lord's vineyard would be a difficult
task. Most of the pioneers have passed away to reap in another world the
reward for their faithfulness and energy; others removed their families
to other States, where their descendants are still prominent in the
affairs of the Church. Some of those who did the hardest work when the
light of the Catholic Church first dawned in this country are more than
dead; they are forgotten, and their names and the remembrance of their
existence have passed away; no historian has chronicled their brave
deeds, their fortitude and their sufferings; no tombstone records the
day of their birth and the day of their death and marks the place where
rests the clay which was once imbued with life and vigor and zeal in the
service of God. Their deeds are recorded on pages more faithful than
those of the historian, more glorious than the tablets of the sculptor,
and an omniscient God, who saw their sufferings and comforted them in
the midst of their tribulations, has taken them to himself to share with
him the perfection of righteousness and happiness. There are, however,
still living men and women who figured prominently in the early history
of the Church and who remember the names and doings of those who took an
active part with them in building up that splendid edifice, the Catholic
Church of Paterson. A glance at the families who constituted the
Catholic Church in the times of Father O'Donoghue and his predecessors,
a glance through the memories of some of the old Catholics of the
present day at the Catholic Church of Paterson in 1830 and thereabouts,
will undoubtedly be of interest to a great many. The following list is
not complete, for the information therein contained was derived not from
records but from the memory of human beings. It will, however, show to
the rising generation to whom they are indebted for the success of the
church in Paterson: who the men and women were whom God made his
instruments in establishing Catholicism in Passaic County.
AGNEW, PATRICK, was among the earliest Catholic settlers in Paterson. He
was for some time employed in the Phoenix Mill but subsequently kept a
store in Cross street. His son John is in business in this city; his son
Thomas is in business in San Francisco and his daughter Margaret is the
wife of Charles H. O'Neill, of Jersey City.
BANNIGAN, PETER AND MICHAEL, were two brothers. Peter was a trustee of
the old church in Mill street and also of the Oliver street church and
resided in Ward street; he was the father of Mrs. Robert Hamil. Michael
lived in Cross street, near White's alley; he subsequently erected the
brick buildings at No. 19 Marshall street and there he died.
BINSSE, DR. DONATIAN, practiced medicine. He was brought up by Rt. Rev.
Bishop Du Bois and in Paterson resided on the corner of Hotel and Market
streets, and subsequently in the old bank building in Main street. He
left Paterson but his remains were returned to this city for interment.
His two sons are still living but not in Paterson.
BRADLEYS, three sisters, kept a boarding house for some years on Market
street, near Mill. Father O'Donoghue boarded with them, as did also
several other priests; they left Paterson about 1832.
BROWN, JOHN P., was one of the trustees of the Oliver street church when
it was building. He was in partnership with Joseph Warren in the leather
business in lower Main street and married a daughter of Mr. Warren.
BURKE, THOMAS, was a contractor. He built a house adjoining the Catholic
Church on Market and Mill streets. His house burned down some years
after it was erected and his wife perished in the flames. His only son
John was a constable and died some years ago.--Edward Burke, no relation
to the foregoing, kept a store on the corner of Oliver and Mill streets.
He subsequently removed to New Orleans. He has no descendant living in
Paterson.
BURNS was the name of a man who was employed in the Phoenix Mill with
Patrick Agnew. He had resided in Paterson only a few years when he died.
BUTLER, PATRICK, built a house next to that of Thomas Burke in Market
street. He kept a tavern for some time and subsequently became a
contractor. He was the father of Mrs. Stephen Wall, Mrs. Dr. Quin,
Richard H. Butler, Nancy Butler and Louisa Jane Butler, who are still
residents of this or New York city.
CHAPMAN, PHILIP, died a few years ago at the age of eighty years. He was
the tender of the water gates of the Society for Establishing Useful
Manufactures at the Falls and his descendants still reside here.
CONWELL, a distant relative of the late Rt. Rev. Bishop Conwell of
Philadelphia, was employed in a cotton mill. He resided in Jersey street
and his descendants still live in this city.
CORRIGAN, PATRICK, who still resides in Mechanic street with his child,
was also employed in the cotton mill.
COUGHLIN, RICHARD AND PATRICK, were two brothers. Patrick for many years
drove a stage between Hoboken and Paterson. He died in this city.
Richard is still alive and is the trusted messenger of the First
National Bank.
DEVLIN, ARTHUR, was a school teacher, and resided in Prospect street. He
removed to Rhode Island, where his sons still reside.
DIMOND, JAMES, was a cotton weaver, and resided on Main street, near
Fair. He died in Paterson and none of his descendants reside here now.
DOHERTY, ROBERT, HUGH AND JAMES, were three brothers. Robert was a
school teacher who came here in 1828 and left in 1848 for New York and
there started in the livery business. He was a bachelor. Hugh was also a
bachelor, and resided in Paterson from 1828 to 1850, when he left the
city. He died in 1867, and in his will he bequeathed the property No. 89
Cross street to St. John's Church. James lived here about as long as his
brother, and was the youngest of the three. His widow still resides in
Pine street.
DORIS, JAMES, was a blacksmith, who had a shop in Market street, near
Mill. His daughter married John O'Brien, the father of the late
ex-Assemblyman John O'Brien of the Second District.
DUNN, the father of James Dunn, was among the earliest settlers here and
for a long time resided in Van Houten street.
FANNING, JAMES, was a trustee of the Oliver street church for some time,
and was employed in the cotton mill. He resided in Jersey street, near
Market.
FINNEGAN, FRANCIS, was a contractor who lived in Main street, near
Slater. He subsequently removed to Rhode Island and none of his
descendants live in Paterson.
FARNON, MICHAEL, resided for many years in Prospect street, and was the
father of Thomas Farnon, of this city, and Peter Farnon of Philadelphia.
FULTON, was the father of Mrs. Patrick Agnew. He has other descendants
still living in this city.
GALLAGHER, ANDREW, resided for many years in Prospect street. He was a
shoemaker and subsequently a constable.
GILLESPIE, MICHAEL, resided for some years on Market street, near
Prince, and it was in his house that the first mass was celebrated by
Father Larrissy. He subsequently removed to Belleville, where Fathers
Langton and Bulger repeatedly said mass. He afterwards moved back to
Paterson and took up his residence in Market street, near Cross, where
several of his descendants still reside. He was employed in the foundry
of Godwin & Clark. At that time the Catholics had no cemetery in
Paterson but Mr. and Mrs. Gillespie, rather than see the body of one of
their children buried in unconsecrated ground, journeyed to New York
with the remains, where they were interred in a Catholic Cemetery. Mr.
and Mrs. Gillespie were the parents of nine children, of whom one still
survives, Mrs. Connolly, who lives with the Gillespies in Market street.
GRIFFITH, ANDREW AND MICHAEL, two brothers, lived on the corner of Cross
and Van Houten streets, opposite Colonel Kerr's residence. Michael died
unmarried, but Andrew, who was a trustee of the Oliver Street Church
when it was in course of erection, had numerous descendants. His
children were Mary, wife of Hugh Brady and mother of Mrs. Michael A.
Harold, who still resides with her daughter in Marshall street; George,
at one time Captain of the City Blues, whose widow is still alive;
Margaret, wife of James Shorrock, who died some years ago; Sarah,
Michael and Andrew, who died unmarried, and Elizabeth and Augustine, who
still live in Paterson.
HAGGERTY, JOHN, who still lives with his wife and child on Market
street, near Beech, was in his earlier years employed in the foundry of
Godwin & Clark.
HAMIL, the father of James, John and Robert Hamil, was among the early
settlers in Paterson. He is dead now as are also his three sons, but the
work that they did still remains and is too well known to need further
reference in this work.
HAWKINS, JAMES, was a machinist, who resided in Marshall street, near
Slater. He removed with his family to California, where he died.
HUGHES, some of whose descendants still reside in Paterson, in his
earlier years resided in Van Houten street and was employed in a cotton
mill.
KELLY, PATRICK, was a constable, who subsequently removed to New York,
where he died. His daughter is the wife of Matthew Nealon, of this city.
KERR, COLONEL JOHN, was one of the most prominent figures in early
Paterson. For some time he kept a grocery on the corner of Cross and Van
Houten streets, but his principal occupation was that of a contractor.
As such he constructed portions of the race-ways and roads for the
Society for Establishing Useful Manufactures. He also built a number of
houses for himself. He had two daughters and one son, who subsequently
left Paterson and took up their residence in New York City. He was
Colonel of the military of Paterson, and was buried with military pomp,
his horse, bedecked with the trappings of mourning and the empty cavalry
boots hanging on its sides, following the coffin to the grave.
KILEY, JAMES D., was one of the first trustees of the Oliver street
church. He taught a private school for some years in Passaic street and
then removed to Virginia where his son became Mayor of Richmond.
LYNCH, BERNARD--the father of Andrew, Bernard, James, Thomas, Mary and
Nancy, all of whom were prominent in church affairs--and his wife lie
buried in Sandy Hill. Bernard Lynch, his wife and children are all dead,
but their descendants still reside in Paterson. The second wife of
Andrew, the oldest son, who was one of the first trustees of the Oliver
street church, still resides in Market street, near Cross, with his two
sons, James and Bernard. Thomas left Paterson and took up his residence
in New York City, where he died.
MAGENNIS, ARTHUR, came to Paterson from Matteawan, and was the father of
the late Comptroller of the City of Paterson. He kept a store here for
some time and subsequently was employed in his son's factory.
MALLON, JOHN, was a laborer on the Morris Canal. His children are John,
Alderman from the Eighth Ward; Felix, of Jersey City; Mrs. Roe, the wife
of a police officer; Mrs. Michael Campbell, wife of the Alderman from
the Fifth Ward, and Mrs. Patrick Fitzpatrick.
MCCARTHY, JOHN, was one of the first butchers in Paterson. He died here
but his descendants have left Paterson.
MCCOLLOM, three brothers, were employed as cotton spinners. Their
descendants have nearly all sought other places to labor in.
MCCROSSEN, DANIEL, resided in Prospect street and had a portion of the
original contract for the construction of the Morris Canal. He has a
number of descendants residing in Paterson. His widow subsequently
married William Bacon.
MCGIVERN, THOMAS, and his brother were employed in the Phoenix Mill.
They both died here but none of their descendants are at present
residents of Paterson.
MCGROGAN, THOMAS, was a machinist who died in Paterson, but whose
descendants have since left for other parts.
MCKENNA, ARTHUR AND HUGH, both died in Paterson. Arthur had no children.
Hugh had three children, of whom one became a Christian Brother and the
other is Andrew McKenna, an ex-Alderman.
MCKEOWN, EDWARD, was a machinist, who, after laboring for some years in
this city, went to the South, but subsequently returned to Paterson
where he has several children living. He first resided in Elm
street.--George McKeown, no relation to the foregoing, was a teamster on
the railroad. He died in Paterson and his children still live here.
MCKIERNAN, CORNELIUS, was a contractor and subsequently kept a store.
His widow died in this city a short time ago. He has several sons living
in Paterson.--Dennis, was no relation to the foregoing. He was a
laborer and a contractor and subsequently engaged in weaving cotton. A
number of his children are dead but some are still residents of
Paterson. Among his children were Christopher, John, and Samuel.
MCLEAN, THOMAS, was a cotton weaver residing in Elm street. He
subsequently went to New York where he died suddenly in a store while
making some purchases. His daughter is Mrs. Hugh Rooney.
MCNALLY, DANIEL, kept a hotel for some years which was made famous by
the fact that General Lafayette stopped there for some time. He built
the large hotel on Market street, running from Hotel to Union street,
which was subsequently destroyed by fire. He died in Paterson but left
no children.
MCNAMEE, ROBERT, was a laborer who resided on the corner of Broadway and
Mulberry street. His son, Bernard, subsequently occupied the same
building and it was here that Father Langton celebrated mass. Both the
McNamees were cotton spinners and died in Paterson. There are no
descendants of the family in this city.
MORGAN, DANIEL, was a laborer who came to Paterson in 1826. When a short
time afterwards work was to be begun on the Catholic Church in Oliver
street he and a number of other laborers were sent to the site. Before
they began to dig the superintendent inquired whether there were any
Catholics among the laborers. Mr. Morgan stepped forward and the
superintendent said to him:--"Then you dig the first shovelful of dirt,"
and Mr. Morgan did so. Mr. Morgan is still alive and resides at No. 77
Jersey street. He is the grandfather of Mrs. Dr. O'Grady.
MORRIS, MICHAEL, came to Paterson from Godwinville and was at first
employed as a cotton weaver, but subsequently devoted his attention to
dealing in waste. He was well known to nearly every Catholic in Paterson
and vicinity, and his death, which occurred a short time ago, was
lamented by all. He has two sons living, Michael J. Morris and the Rev.
John P. Morris. His only daughter died, leaving one child.
MOONEY, TERENCE, was employed in the cotton mill, and resided on Main
street, near Slater. He died in Troy, N. Y., whither he had removed with
his family; several of his sons are now in Florida.
MULHOLLAND, CHARLES, a cotton weaver, resided on the corner of Prospect
street and White's alley. He died in Paterson and his children removed
to other places.--James Mulholland, another of the pioneers of the
Catholic Church in this city, died some years ago after a long and
active life. His descendants still reside in Paterson.
MURPHY, PATRICK, resided on the corner of Pine and Grand streets and was
in the employ of the Society for Establishing Useful Manufactures. His
children still live in Paterson.
MURTAGH, MICHAEL, was the first superintendent of the Paterson level of
the Morris Canal. His son Bernard is dead, but his other son John is in
business in this city and some time ago represented the Eighth Ward in
the Board of Aldermen.
O'CALLAGHAN, JEREMIAH, was employed in a cotton mill. He left three
daughters, but no sons. One of his daughters is in business in this
city; another is the wife of Thomas Dynan and the third resides in
Baltimore.
O'DONNELL, WILLIAM, another employee of a cotton mill, removed from
Paterson many years ago and went South. None of his descendants reside
in this city.
O'KEEFE, THOMAS, resided in Ellison street, near Lynch's alley, and was
employed in the Phoenix Mill. His descendants subsequently removed to
New York and elsewhere.
O'NEILL, CHARLES, came to Paterson in October, 1828, and went to work in
Prospect street as a shoemaker. Assiduous attention to his business
impaired his health, and his physician advised him either to take a sea
voyage or obtain some employment in which he could have outdoor
exercise. Mr. O'Neill went into the lumber business to which he
subsequently added coal and building material. He has always been
prominently connected with Catholic Church matters in Paterson, and was
one of the first trustees of the Oliver street church. Although
eighty-two years of age he still enjoys the best of health and vigor.
His son Charles Henry is in business in Jersey City and has held a
number of offices, including that of Mayor, to which he was elected for
three terms. His second son, Thomas E., assists him in his business, and
a third son, John, died some years ago, leaving a wife and three
children. His daughter, Susan, is the wife of John Agnew; another
daughter is Mrs. Catherine Sharkey and a third Mrs. Dr. Kane. Another
daughter, Theresa, has taken the veil and is in the convent at Madison.
Ellen and Esther still reside with their parents in Mill street.--John
and Barney O'Neill were brothers of the foregoing. John established the
shoe business conducted by his sons at No. 122 Main street. He and his
wife are dead, leaving three sons and three daughters. Barney married a
daughter of James Wade; he was an insurance agent, a justice of the
peace and a lay judge of the Court of Common Pleas in this county. Three
daughters and two sons still survive him.--Charles and Patrick O'Neill,
two brothers, no relation to the foregoing, were employed in a nail
factory which stood where the Gun Mill is now situated. They resided in
Prospect street and none of their descendants at the present day live in
Paterson.--Edward O'Neill, of another family from the foregoing, was
also employed in the Phoenix Mill and has several descendants living in
Paterson.
O'REILLY, EDWARD, kept a dry goods store, and subsequently removed to
New York city, where he married and where he is still in business.
POWERS, JAMES, for some years kept a store in Cross street, opposite
Elm, and erected the brick building situated just below Dr. Quin's
office. His only surviving son is ex-Alderman John Powers. His daughter,
Margaret, became a Sister of Charity and adopted the name of Sister
Regina. She died while at St. Agnes' Institute in this city, and her
remains rest in Paterson. Another daughter of Mr. Powers is Julia, wife
of William McNair.
QUIN, PATRICK, was a contractor and resided in Passaic street. He was
for a long time one of the trustees of the Oliver street church. All his
children left Paterson after their father's death.--Arthur Quin resided
near Clifton and was a contractor, the principal field of his operations
being New York city. He subsequently removed to Paterson and put up a
number of buildings in West and Main streets. One of his sons is still
alive and is a resident of New York city. Dr. John Quin is distantly
related to Arthur and Patrick Quin, who were brothers.
RAFFERTY, PETER AND PHILIP, were two brothers. Peter removed to
California, returned to Paterson for some time, but again turned his
face to the Pacific coast; he is now a resident of San Francisco. He was
married in Paterson to Miss Susan Russell, a niece of Charles O'Neill.
Philip was for many years trustee of the Oliver street church. He was
the junior member of the firm of Todd & Rafferty, and died in this city.
His first wife was a daughter of Joseph Warren, and his second a
daughter of Hugh Brady.
RILEY, HUGH, kept a grocery on the corner of Cross and Market streets.
None of his descendants live in Paterson.
ROSSITER, MARTIN, whose tragic death by being carried over the Falls in
the freshet of 1882 was deplored by all, was for many years a farmer in
the employ of the Society for Establishing Useful Manufactures. His son
Richard is still in the employ of that corporation; another son is a
priest belonging to the order of Passionists, and a daughter is a Sister
of the Sacred Heart. Paul and George, two sons, are employed in New
York.
SHEA--OR SHAY--BRIAN, was one of the first Catholics who settled in
Paterson. He had a private school on the old York road where it strikes
the river near the present site of the Cedar Lawn Cemetery. Among his
scholars was Henry P. Simmons, of Passaic, recently Lay Judge of the
Common Pleas of this county. The building on the York road was used
partly as a school and partly as the residence of the teacher. The
rising generation of those days referred to it as "The Bellows," from
the fact that the wind blew in at the many crevices in the building. Mr.
Shea had a son, James, who studied law in New York, and a daughter
Harriet. He subsequently owned the property adjoining the Oliver street
church, and sold it to McKinney, from whom the church obtained it.
SHIELDS, CHRISTOPHER AND PATRICK, two brothers, were in the dry goods
business for some years on the corner of Main street and Broadway. They
removed from Paterson and have no descendants here.
SLAVIN, JOHN, kept a bowling alley on the corner of Ellison and Prospect
streets. He died in Paterson, but none of his descendants live here at
the present day.
TAGGART, PETER, was employed in the cotton mill. His widow, a daughter
of Joseph Warren, died quite recently, and his daughter is still living
in Paterson, the wife of William S. Kinch.
TILBY, DR. JOHN, practised medicine in Paterson and resided in Cross
street, near Market. He died in this city, but his two sons and one
daughter removed to other places.
VELASQUEZ, J., a Spaniard, owned the Phoenix Mill, and subsequently
formed a partnership with John Travers and embarked in the manufacture
of cotton. He subsequently sold out and left Paterson.
WADE, JAMES, according to the most reliable accounts, enjoyed the
distinction of having been the first Catholic Sunday school teacher in
Paterson, having a class in the old church building on Mill and Market
streets. He lived at the corner of Cross and Ellison streets. His
daughters are Mrs. B. O'Neill of this city, Mrs. See of Totowa and Mrs.
Coughlin of Hoboken. Mr. Wade was a cotton spinner by occupation.
WARD, PETER AND JAMES, two brothers, were engaged as butchers, although
James for some time worked in the Phoenix Mill. Both subsequently
removed to Rochester, where they died and where their descendants still
reside.
WARREN, JOSEPH, in partnership with Brown, conducted a tannery and a
leather store in lower Main--then Park--street, almost opposite Bank
street. Mr. Brown's grandson still resides there. Brown boarded with
Warren and subsequently married his daughter, after which the family
removed to Division street. Mr. Warren was one of the trustees of the
Oliver street church when it was building.