The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1926-02-25

But terrible storm visited their
section taking their homes, their
f1ocks and many relatives. The sur
vivors were reduced to direst pow
erty. The older ones resigned them
selves to bare existenc; but the
younger ones, hearing of the wonder
full opportunities Of far-off America
and the discovery of gold in such
quantities to be had for the mere
washing of the sand, decided to
break away and try their luck in the
new country. 1t was a sad parting
for they all knew it would be many
years before they could return, pos
sibly never. My great grandfather
with his two brothers sailed from
Queenstown in 1854. Another broth
er went to London, England, and be-
came prosperous draper there.
The Irish lads landed in New York
and in a very short time found en-
ployment in factories there. One year
later my great grandfather met a
pretty, jolly, fat, little sixteen year
old girl who had come over with rel
atives from the same section of Ire
land. She was employed in a shirt
factory in New York. They were
married when she was sixteen and
he was seventeen. They had three
children-two girls and one boy, of
whom my grandmother was the old
est.
During years of toll and happiness,
the stories of the gold fields of Cali
fornia kept New York in a tumult.
Ny great grandfather could talk of
nothing but the wonderful chances
for great wealth. Finally he decided
to leave his wife and family with her
people in New York and go alone to
California. He left some time in
1859. He sailed around by Cape
Horn, and for nearly four years, my
great grandmother did not hear from
him. She gave him up for dead.
The Civil War came on and she
was again in great need. But these
poor immigrants had real brotherly
love and Christian charity in their
hearts. They shared each others sor-
rows and were ever ready to assist
one of their number who was in
neet. They helped the young mother
keep her little family together. She
knew little of the country in which
she lived. The stirring events of
the Civil War came to her only as
vague rumors. l remember one story
she told my mother Of the draft Or
dered by President Lincoln. Notice
came that her husband had been
called to serve as soldier. He had
been gone for months and she did
rot know how to reach him. Not
knowing the meaning of the official
locking paper, she simply ignored t..
One morning there came rappIng
at her door and three soldiers enter
ed with drawn swords. They asked
for her husband and she told them
she did not know where he was
They pushed her aside and went
through the little home turning odt
beds, closets and cupboards. They
left and she became hysterical, think
ing her husband had committed some
crime and these were police officers
Not until years later did she know the
real significance of the Civil War.
In 1864, without warning, her hus-
band returned-big, bronzed, and
rolling in wealth according to the
standards of their little Irish COM
munity. He carried his gold in a
belt about his waist and carelessly
tossed about shining nuggets to the
astonishment and awe of his old
neighbors. But restless spirit re-
turned with him. He wanted to be
away from the cities and persuaded
one of his brothers to, be off with
him. Being peasants, they wanted
land of their own above all things
So the two families set off. 1t was
a long and hazardous trip to the
West, and many times they nearly
gave up; but my great grandfather
had heard of Minnesota and nothing
would do but that his family must
push on. His brother reached the
limit of his endurance and left them
at Sterling, Illinois. He settled there
and as prosperous farmer raised
his children and their children, a
number of whom became teachers in
the early schools of Illinois.
James j.. Hill was the idol of my
great grandfather's heart. He met
him in St. Paul and was so filled
with his enthusiasm and confidence
in Minnesota and in the west, that
on his advice-that the Great North
ern railroad would open up undream-
ed of agricultural opportunities
decided to get in ahead of the rail-
road. His little stock of gold mug
gest was dwindling but it gave him
his chance. By boat and with sledge
and OK team, he took little stock of
merchandise from St. Paul and af-
ter a breathing spell in St. Cloud,
pushed on to what is now the town
of Avon. We cannot conceive the
hardships of that trip. The timber
was heavy; there were no roads
only Indian trails. They could not
use bob sleds nor did they have them
to use. They used a sort of stone
boat pulled by long horned oxen.
They built little log hut and my
grandmother told that many times she
would awake in the morning to find
snow drifted on her bed covering
which had sifted in through the
chinks in the logs.
For weeks at a time they had no
white company. There were a few
friendly Indians about but they were
always source of fear to my grand
mother who was certain they wished
to kidnap her children. She told