The Irish standard., 1898-04-02
THE CELTS IN OHIO
THE FAMOUS IRISH SETTLEMENT IN
THE BUCKEYE STATE.
VERI1ABLE NURSERY OF GREAT MEN,
GEN. PHI. SHERIDAN SPENT MOST OF
HIS BOYHOOD DAYS
IN The COLONY OF PERRY COUNTY.
INTERESTING "REMINISCENCES OF
THE IRISH-AAERICANS.

The Irish, as rule, are not colonists.
Unlike the German, the Swede, the
French, who move in community, the
Irishman generally, in his migrations,
"goes it alone" Among the exceptions
to this characteristic is the colonization
of the Irish in Perry county, the central,
and In some regards the sun spot, of
pivotal Ohio, says writer in the Irish
World. The settlement of this COM
munity was not race impulse, but an
act of obedience to the judgment of a
priest, trait in Irish character that
CLEANS the brightest feature in this race
of saints and heroes.
Along about the beginning of the CEN
tury, in 1903, Catholic church and set
tlement were established in the back
woods of Ohio at st. Joseph's, on the
Zane Trace, midway between the Mus
kingum and the Hooking crossings,
Zanesville and Lancaster. To this
church occasionally would come an
Irishman, a float along on the tide Of
immigration from the East.
When the National road and the Ohio
canal were built, the Irishmen were the
principal workers. They came in droves
from the East, under the control of the
contractor, and did the work Of ditch
making these great enterprises which
advanced the state to the generation
that has passed.
Along with the Irish gang on the
about the finishing Of the Ohio canal, at
tho Deep Cut" near Newark, O., in 1886,
young priest, Father O'Brien, was of
the company. Whence he came, on
| whose order he came is not known; but
he was a man for the occasion. When
| time struck for new era in Irish his
| tory in Ohio he, it seems, was the man
! for the opportunity. He assumed to be
! guardian for the children of his flock"
/ f1o collected the money due to Them
Such honest bills as they owed he paid; !;
ern Perry was a wilderness A great
scope of land had not yet been ''en-
| tered" Father O'Bren went into these
wilds, took up the land in the names of
the men whose money was in his pocket
for forty, sixty, hundred or two hun
dred acres, as the respective individuals
fund afforded, and at the close Of the Job
he moved his wards on their farms
In the bringing of the company on to
farms Father O'Brien wisely divided his
crowd, establishing six colonies in the
southern hills. ten and more miles apart,
and somo seven hundred in all.
First, and before "Pat" had roof on
his shanty, he offered his services to
(, build church.
For number Of years things went on
in a "Wild West" kind of a way. Then
the children came on, and cvilizing and
pacifying angels began to blossom and
beautify The shanty was succeeded by
a loghouse. The yard grew posies in
stead Of weeds. The old church of logs
and poles was substituted with a struc-
ture Of stone and brick on it was a
steeple. Seven churches today as grand
and imposing in size, as elegant in finish
as tho open country Of any place on this
earth, stand in testimonial of the faith.
as we'll as the good works of Father
O'Brien among those wild men of by
gone generations.
The men of this early settlement were
great, big fellows, full of fun and fight.
The women were good and prayerful and
OF keenest intellect. The Drawn and
brain, the tempestuous temper of the
man and the pure heart of the woman
bred a race of heroes.
Let us for moment contemplate the
possibility Of the Irishman when in q
position to command himself, not hire
ling, not a tenant, but man and master
OF property across whose fields not a
king can ride, and whose house is q
castle which no ono dares to enter until
he knocks at the door and is invited
Here in these southern Perry county
hills Father O'Brien settled a gang OF
people who, If not fathered in this wise
would probably have passed as has the
Indian whom the Jesuit cherished.
Here Phil Sheridan spent most of his
boyhood summer days. among his moth
ers people, the Minaughs, breaking
colts on the farm and taking boys
part in the free fights. Here were set.
tied by Father O'Brien, the McGahans
the father mild man, the mother g
woman of learning beyond her com.
pany. The boy Janarius, took to books
seldom frolicked or fought but chased
butterflies when his mates at schoo
fought each other for bloody noses and
black eyes.
The old man Creighton was one O,
the residenters. His bones rest In the
graveyard here, with the others of the
old day. His descendants have beer
mainly the builders of Omaha, and 6
4 gaa.a. -aHs 5.s-g.4a