Family Tree Maker's Genealogy Site: Genealogy Report: Genealogy Report of Jeremiah McSweeney researched by Aaron Sweeney

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Genealogy Report of Jeremiah McSweeney researched by Aaron Sweeney

Generation No. 2

2. EUGENE OWEN² MCSWEENEY (JEREMIAH¹) was born March 1832 in Ireland as listed on the 1900 census ², and died October 02, 1911 in Pickford. He married MARY E. GREEN Abt. 1860², daughter of GREEN and J. FIMOIG. She was born October 1830 in Ireland as listed on the 1900 census², and died December 10, 1920 in Pickford.

Notes for EUGENE OWEN MCSWEENEY:

ACCORDING TO THE HISTORY OF PICKFORD AREA PIONEER FAMILIES, 1972

Owen (Eugene) Sweeney was born in Ireland in 1824. He married Mary Green in Ireland and from there they moved to England. Six children were born to them: Patricia, Mary, Dennis, John, James and Richard. Dennis and Patricia died before they came to this country. Richard and Mary died before reaching adulthood. They came to New York and from there to Sault Ste. Marie. They came by boat from the Soo, the Northern Belle, and landed at Stirlingville where they homesteaded a farm now owned by Sam Ordiway.

TAKEN OFF HIS WILL

IN THE NAME OF GOD, AMEN.

I, Owen Sweeney of the Township of Pickford, County of Chippewa and State of Michigan, being of sound mind and memory, do make, publish and declare this my last WILL and TESTAMENT in manner following, that is to say;

FIRST: I give and bequeath to my wife Mary Sweeney fifty dollars, also the sum of seventy dollars per year during her life time as here inafter provided to be accepted and received by her in lieu of dower.

SECOND: I give and devise to my son James Sweeney the east half of the north west quarter of Section twenty-nine (29) Town 44 N.R. 1 East, upon the express condition that he shall pay Mary Sweeney, his mother the sum of twenty dollars per year during her life time, according to the terms of a certain agreement bearing date of September the 16th 1891.

THIRD: I give and devise all the rest, residue and remainder of my estate of every name and nature whatsoever to John Sweeney my son, to have and to hold the same, his heirs and assigns forever, upon the express condition that he shall pay or cause to be paid to Mary Sweeney, his mother, the sum of fifty dollars per year, payable annually during her life time.

FOURTH: I give and bequeath to my son James, one cow, to my son John the remainder of my personal property.

LASTLY, I do hereby nominate and appoint GEORGE WATSON and WILLIAM MURPHY to be executors of this my last will and testament, hereby revoking all former wills by me made.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF I have hereunto set my hand and seal this twenty third day of August in the year of our Lord one thousand eighty hundred and ninety five. OWEN SWEENEY x his mark.

OBITUARY TAKEN FROM THE PICKFORD CLARION, Thursday, October 5, 1911

ANOTHER OLD SETTLER GONE

OWEN MCSWEENEY PASSED AWAY MONDAY, AGED 87 YEARS

Owen McSweeney, one of the first settlers of Pickford Township, died at his home in Stirlingville on Monday at the ripe old age of 87 years. Mr. McSweeney was born in Ireland in 1824, and came to this country and settled here when this was almost an unbroken forest. He was well liked and respected by all who knew him for his kind acts and benevolent characteristics. He is survived by a widow and two sons, John and James, both of this community. Several children have preceded the father to the grave. The funeral services were held from the Donaldson Catholic Church, of which the deceased was a devout member, yesterday morning at 10:30 o'clock and burial was in the cemetery at that place.

SETTLEMENT OF STIRLINGVILE BY ELLEN (HILL) STEVENSON

It was a solemn group which sat deeply engaged in serious conversation in a Staynor living room. One subject seemed dominant in the course of conversation; it was the plauibility of moving to Michigan.

Mr. Parker, who already had been to Michigan, slapped the knee of his neighbor and exclaimed, "It's true! One hundred and sixty acres of homestead land for sixteen dollars."

"Sixteen dollars!" rejoined Mr. Eveleigh."

That's right, one hundred sixty acres of good, fertile, level land for sixteen dollars, continued Mr. Parker.

This fired the enthusiam of many of the listeners and in a few brief days a small group of men boarded the boat for Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. when they arrived in the town of Sault Ste. Marie, it was still a distance of thirty miles, which had to be made on foot.

The company left Sault Ste. Marie when the sun was high in the sky. It was soon unanimously agreed that the night should be spent at a farmhouse which was less then ten miles from the final destination. The course followed from the town was only a trail as they wanted the shortest route. By using the compass they were not afraid of going astray as they knew the land lay straight south of Sault Ste. Marie.

Late in the afternoon, instead of finding a farmhouse, the weary and footsore travelers found a rather forlorn and dilapidated log hut long deserted by trappers along the river.

Soon a fire was burning brightly outside the cabin door. The hungrey men busied themselves by toasting their roast beef sandwiches and heating the sweetened black coffee. Meanwhile, the conservation was ventured around the good, fertile, level land, one hundred sixty acres for sixteen dollars.

The bed for the night, which was on the floor, was as hard and uncomfortable as Jacob's pillow. The men were awakened to a beautiful and Serene morning and were again on their way before the sun could destroy the freshness of the night, so anxious were the searchers to find the 'dream land'.

At ten o'clock the men, who had been following the river, sighted their destination and were soon scattering in various directions in search of favorable homesteads.

Late that evening found the same men in Sault Ste. Marie's courthouse paying their dollar to secure the title to the described land.

The same men held the floor as they related tales of adventure bubbling with enthusiasm for the new land to the mother and family. Many a Mother's heart felt pangs of homesickness as she also realized the debt of devotion she owed the husband.

The next few weeks were filled with preparation necessary to move to Michigan.

The Monday morning of the ninth of June 1876, found the several families bidding tearful farewells to loved ones that starting in wagons for Michigan. Traveling by oxen was slow and boresome. The first night had to be spent in Sault Ste. Marie. Early the next morning the long, cumbersome journey was resumed. many grew weary riding up hill, down hill, and over the jolting corduroy.

After several hours of this continuous jolting a shout of "Home! Home!" was heard. All crowded and pushed to the front stretching and straining to get the first glimpse of the new land which was to be home.

Though there was no mansion to greet the housewives was a relief to dismount from the wagon and help put up the temporary home, a canvas tent.

The next month found the men engaged in constructing log homes and clearing land for cultivation.

The homes of the Everleigh's, Murphey's, Campbell's, Hill's, Warren's, McKenzie's, Fleming's, Dodd's, Hannah's, Gray's, Sweeney's, and Jolly's were soon under construction.

Mr. Jolly whose homestead was on the other bank of the Munoscong River, could be heard singing and whistling as he constructed a boat to be used to transfer passengers across the stream. No pay was asked for the service only a pleasant smile and a cheerful disposition.

Mr. Jolly's influence was soon known in the community and as a result the new settlement was called Jolly's Landing.

The new log homes with the scooped roofs had crude homemade furnishings. Tallow was burned for lights, others used a saucer with a little rag soaked in tallow to give light. The smoke from those, thought almost smothering, had to be endured.

Before the winter months came a Mr. Stirling, who owned a steamer called the Southern Belle, erected a small frame store on the river bank. The river was frozen over in winter so that expeditions to the town of Sault Ste. Marie had to be made on the ice by foot.

Transportation was mainly on foot or by oxen and a jumper. An ax and an auger were always a necessary part of the equipment. If a runner was broken the ax and auger were needed to cut a tree and bore a hole to fit the spike.

More About EUGENE OWEN MCSWEENEY:
Date born 2: February 28, 1828, As calculated from his death certificate. Lists he was 83 yrs, 7 mo.s, 4 days old when he died.
Date born 3: 1834, His obituary lists 1824, however, the obituary listed him as being 87 years old when he died so according to his age at death he was born in 1834.
Date born 4: Abt. 1835, As listed on the 1880 census
Burial: Unknown, Holy Family Cemetery, Donaldson, MI
Cause of Death: Paralysis
Fact 1: 1900, Census listed parents both born in Ireland
Fact 2: 1880 census lists name as Owen Sweeney, 45 yrs old
Fact 3: Aaron V. Sweeney believes the family is from Cork, Ireland.
Fact 4: Apparently they buried one of their daughters at sea on the trip over from England ³
Fact 5: He had jet black hair and a bright red beard ⁴
Fact 6: Jolly's Landing is the place they got off the Munuscong River at Stirlingville. This was named after a settler named Jolly who owned a dock there. The area was later named Stirlingville after William P. Sterling, who purchased the property.
Immigration 1: First to England, then to NY, then to Sault St. Marie ⁵
Immigration 2: By boat, Northern Belle and landed at Stirlingville
Immigration 3: 1877, As listed on the 1900 Census
Occupation: 1900, Census listed occupation as farmer. Grew hay and peas. Also had horses.
Property: February 16, 1889, 29 44 N 1 E 160 acres 09 965
Residence: Lived in County Cork ⁶

Notes for MARY E. GREEN:
OBITUARY, EVENING NEWS, SAULT STE. MARIE, MI 12-16-1920 Pg. 2

MRS. MARY SWEENEY

Mrs. Mary Sweeney, Sr., widow of the late Eugene Sweeney, Sr., passed away at the home of her son, John Sweeney, Friday morning, after a very short illness. Death was due to old age. The deceased has made her home in this locality for over forty-five years and leaves to mourn her death two sons, James and John, both of this place.

RECOLLECTIONS BY AARON V. SWEENEY

Although he was quite young he remembers that she was tall and always wore black. He was afraid of her because she looked scary. She lived with John and Elizabeth after her husband died.

More About MARY E. GREEN:
Name 2: Mary Flenwick or Mary Fenwick ⁷
Date born 2: Abt. 1836, As listed on the 1880 Census
Date born 3: 1838, As listed on tombstone
Burial: Unknown, Holy Family Cemetery, Donaldson, MI
Cause of Death: Mitral Insufficency
Child: The children that died all died young ⁸
Fact 1: 1900 census showed 9 children, 2 living, however, 1910 census showed 8 children with only 2 living. Aaron Sweeney believes they lost three children in England.
Fact 2: Aaron and Richard Sweeney purchased her cemetery headstone⁸
Fact 3: Aaron V. Sweeney stated he remembers Mary and was afraid of her because she used to always wear black and was very tall. Aaron was only 3-4 years old.
Fact 4: She spoke Gaelic.⁹
Fact 5: 1900, Census listed Mother born in Ireland and Father born in England
Fact 6: 1900, Census showed she could not read or write English but she could speak it
Immigration: 1877, As listed on the 1900 Census

More About EUGENE MCSWEENEY and MARY GREEN:
Marriage: Abt. 1860 ¹⁰

Children of EUGENE MCSWEENEY and MARY GREEN are:

	i.	UNKNOWN³ MCSWEENEY, b. WFT Est. 1853-1882; d. WFT Est. 1858-1964.
	ii.	UNKNOWN MCSWEENEY, b. WFT Est. 1853-1882; d. Unknown.
	iii.	UNKNOWN MCSWEENEY, b. WFT Est. 1853-1882; d. Unknown.
	iv.	PATRICIA MCSWEENEY, b. WFT Est. 1853-1882; d. WFT Est. 1858-1964.
	v.	MARY MCSWEENEY, b. WFT Est. 1853-1882; d. WFT Est. 1858-1964.
	vi.	DENNIS MCSWEENEY, b. WFT Est. 1853-1882; d. WFT Est. 1859-1961.
3.	vii.	JAMES JERIMIAH MCSWEENEY, b. June 1860, England as listed on the 1900 and 1910 census; d. July 05, 1940, State Hospital, Newberry, MI.
4.	viii.	JOHN MCSWEENEY, b. December 1863, England as listed on the 1900 and 1910 census; d. March 03, 1928, Stirlingville, Michigan at his home.
	ix.	EUGENE RICHARD MCSWEENEY, b. Abt. November 1871 ¹¹; d. June 15, 1885.

More About EUGENE RICHARD MCSWEENEY:
Date born 2: Abt. 1870, 1880 census lists birth in Canada and is 10 at time of census. He is also listed as Richard Sweeney.
Burial 1: Unknown, Ashmun Hill Cemetery, Sault Ste. Marie, MI
Burial 2: His gravesite is actually underneath a sidewalk which was moved when the road next to the cemetery was widened.
Nickname: Richard

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