The evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1907-1908, 1907-08-29
O2 YEAR OLD
TRUSTEE OF
CHURCH
lcontInued from FIr.t Pages

In this country Mr.. Rowe a a va
| ried experience and Travelled extern
| sively outside the United States In his
| early days, as well as in his later life.
| before he settled down finally In this
city.
Mr.. Rowe was superintendent of the
Cemetery OF the Holy Sepulchre from 1873
until two years ago, when he retired be-
cause of increasing feebleness In body and
mind. He lives In the old frame house at
the Grove street entrance to the cemetery.
While able to go out he attended services
at st. Joseph's Church, Newark, of which
he has been n member and trustee since
the building was dedicated.
Mr.. Rowe was born In County Meath,
ireland. He walked two Irish miles to
| school n back daily from his seventh
to his tenth year. His parents sailed
for the United States in the
spring of 1896, the trip consuming
seven weeks on the ocean. After stopping
at Halifax. where sixty British soldiers
were landed. the ship sailed for New York,
then a small city, where it arrived in the
summer of 1926.
Mr.. Rowe had four brothers--James,
| Patrick. Edward and John-and he has
survived them all, though he was the
oldest. James Rowe was for many years
a private night Waterman in Broad street
| north OIL Market SlItcl, ulu Wdb hiiOWh ~
ali, the old merchants and newspaper men,
When the Rowes settled In Newarls there
was no Catholic Church in the town. MIS-
sion priests from New York heard con-
| LESSONS Mt the homes of Catholic families.
| Services were held first at the home or
! Daniel burning, father of John c. Burning,
who was for many years clerk OF the rs
| sex County Grand jury The house was
at the corner Of what is now the corner OF
| - - ~, Do~1 ctronfd Mass
was celebrated In the old stone house
which stands at Orange and High streets
until about fifteen years ago, when 1t was
torn down, md the present large brick
factory building erected on the site.
A church organization society collected
money from the Catholics In Newark and
Belleville, and got the most money in the
latter place., where the greater number OF
| Catholics lived at that time.
In 1923 the central part Of the present st.
Johns Church. In Mulberry street. was
dedicated. and the Rev. Gregory B. Par
due. was the first pastor. He established a
Sunday school, which young Rowe at
tended.
For several terms the lad went to the
private school of Bernard Kearney, many
of whose pupils were nfterward successful
in business and the professions. There was
no public or parochial school in Newark
then. The Newark Academy was In Broad
street near the present Morris Canal, which
was not In existence at the time. Neither
was theresa steam railroad. Travel to New
York was by boat and stage. Nathan
Hedges, Bernard Kearney and John Nugent
had private schools.
In 1893 the Rev. Patrick Moran became
pastor Of ST. Johns Church. He opened
q day school in a two-story frame house
In Plane street. near Market street, and
secured John Nugent. a graduate of May
nooth College. Dublin. Ireland, as teacher
for the boys. with a Miss Love as teacher
of the girls. Mr.. Nugent later became
private secretary to United States Sem
ator William Wright, publisher Of a week
ly paper. 1.-THE Vindicator." and then went
to California. where he founded in San
Francisco a paper called 1.-THE Herald"
and he fought three duels before he died.
Bernard Keafney succeeded him In
charge of st. Johns School. and a Miss
Quinn succeeded Miss Love. Father Moran
later built the present st. Johns School
in Mulberry street, put up the front of st.
Johns Church and placed the first chimes
of bells in New Jersey. He also estab-
lished st. Johr's Circulating Library, the
first Catholic public library In the State.
While these things were being done Mr..
Rowe was learning the coach and carriage
making trade In the factory of o D..
Sayre. When he became n journeyman
he was called an expert at bis trade. He
saw the Morris Canal dug and finished
and the first boat that passed through It.
He also saw the first train Of cars that
ram over the New Jersey Railroad be-
tween Newark and Jersey City, and he
made n round trip,
He worked In the Sayre factory until
tho panic of 1897. which was a hard blow
to Newark. Mechanics were forced to
work on the streets for fifty cents a day
and were paid In 'shin-plasters." Mr..
Rowe got work at the trade in Phiiadel-
phia for n year. Then he went to Vtr-
ginia and worked I'm Richmond two years:
afterwarl at Charlottesville. where the
University of Virginia is. and then worked
four years In Petersburg, after which he
returned to Newark.
In the late %forties. Mr.. Rowe went to
Cuba in the service Of Don Gasiard Belt
ancourt. who WAS building a steam rail-
road. Mr.. Rowe superintendent the con-
struction of passenger coaches for the road.
When he returned TO Newark the Rev.
Father Moran. who drew the plans for
st. Patrick's Church, now the Cathedral,
and the Rev. Dominic Senez, had the
building finished except the roof. They
could not get a loan from the few local
banks. Mr.. Rowe lent the money for
completing the roof. He worked in a
coach and carriage shop until the place
was burned, when he went to Canada for
a year. and then tried Cuba again.
After his return to Newark he became n
member Of st, Patrick's parish. and for
years Bernard Kearney and he collected
the new rents at the entrance doors at
the Sunday masses. He had many talks
with the Rev. Bernard McQuaid. now bish-
on Of Rochester.-N. Y. when the latter
was pastor of st. Patrick's Church. And
when Bishop james Roosevelt Bayley came
to Newark md the church became the
cathedral of the new diocese he was an
Active aid to the bishop.
When the Civil War broke out Father
McOuaid made an eloquent appeal at a
great Union meeting In front of the old
Court House to Catholic men, urging them
to enlist. The late Monsignor George Ho-
bart Doane, then a young convert and
priest, was also intensely patriotic.
Bishop Bayley said one of the two should
90 to the war. and the one who did would
be made pastor Of the cathedral when he
returned to Newark. Father Doane went
to the front and served as a chaplain in
the First New Jersey Brigade, When he
returned home he was appointed pastor of
the cathedral and Father McQuaid became
president of Seton Hall College.
Mr.. Rowe was made q trustee of the
college. He was also elected a trustee OF
the Cemetery Of the Holy Sepulchre, which
was opened in 1859.
When st. Joseph's parish was organized
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