Descendants of Edward Fitzgerald
Generation No. 1
1. EDWARD1 FITZGERALD was born in Ireland, and died in New York.
Children of EDWARD FITZGERALD are:
2. i. JOHN2 FITZGERALD, b. Abt.
April 29, 1829, Limerick County, Ireland; d. Abt. December 30, 1894, Lincoln,
Nebraska ?.
ii. EDWARD FITZGERALD, d. Bef. 1884.
iii. DAVID FITZGERALD.
iv. (MRS. CHARLES MCENTEE) FITZGERALD, m. CHARLES MCENTEE.
v. (MRS. JOHN BLAKE) FITZGERALD, m. JOHN BLAKE.
vi. (MRS. JOHN TWOOMEY) FITZGERALD, m. JOHN TWOOMEY.
Generation No. 2
2. JOHN2 FITZGERALD (EDWARD1) was born Abt. April 29, 1829 in Limerick County,
Ireland, and died Abt. December 30, 1894 in Lincoln, Nebraska ?. He married MARY KELLY February 21,
1871 in Catholic Church, Council Bluffs, IA.
She was born August 21, 1853 in Elgin, Illinois, and died April 1940 in
Lincoln, Nebraska ?.
Notes for JOHN FITZGERALD:
John had a brother
named Edward.
At his death, John's
surviving siblings were:
Mrs. Charles McEntee
of Plattsmouth, NE
Mrs. John Blake of
Lyndon, Wisconsin
Mrs. John Twoomey of
Lyndon, Wisconsin
David Fitzgerald of
Lincoln, Nebraska
-----
{Note: The following
comes from a chapter on the Irish National League in the History of the City of
Lincoln. Pp. 299-309. Only the portions pertaining to John Fitzgerald are
excerpted here.}
As the names of
Fitzgerald, Egan and Sutton have been so prominently connected with the League
for years, and all being residents of Lincoln, it is eminently proper that this
work should give some extended personal notice of these men.
Hon. John Fitzgerald
was born over fifty years ago in Limerick County Ireland. His father was a
tenant farmer holding at the same time a small piece of free-hold property, the
remnant of a more ample estate that had once been in the possession of his
ancestors, but which had been reduced to a few acres by the operation of laws
that had proved only too successful in bringing the old landed proprietors to
beggary and ruin. Edward Fitzgerald, the father of the subject of our sketch,
was evicted from his farm, and seeing the poverty and decay that surrounded him
on all sides, leased his little free-hold, and with his sons sailed for the
United States, back in the "forties."
At that time, there
was considerable prejudice against Irish immigration to America, and if the
immigrant from the Green Isle found a fair field, he could also say that he
found no favor. Americans of that day are not be be lightly blamed. American
literature was in its infancy. The mental food of the people was mainly derived
from English sources, and the character of the Irish people was delineated by
men imbued with racial hatreds. Reared in this atmosphere of distorted teachings,
and fed upon unrefuted calumnies, it is no wonder that the mass of Americans
felt prejudiced toward poverty-stricken victims of a tyranny described by
Edmund Burke as the most perfect system ever devised by the perverted ingenuity
of man to drive a nation mad. The immigrants, too, had their serious faults,
which, though doubtless the engendered results of a century of oppression,
helped to incrase the aversion prejudice had already excited against them.
Intemperance was painfully prevalent, and faction-fighting was a vice that long
baffled the efforts of the priest and patriot to destroy it. Americans are a
just people, and are quick to fling way their prejudices when convinced that
they are in error, and few are more ready to recognize and reward true merit.
The Fitzgerald family,
after arriving in New York, pushed westward, to find employment in the great
public works which eventually made New York and Pennsylvania the leading states
of the Union. They quickly developed qualities of mind and heart which won the
confidence and respect of the leading contractors of that day. John Fitzgerald
was then a youth of seventeen summers, with a strong, muscular frame, and a
vigorous constitution. He was then, and had always been, a strict disciple of
Father Mathew, from whom he had received the pledge while yet almost an infant.
A salient feature of his character is his incontrollable desire to be doing
something.
In those early days,
after the close of the open season, it was usual for the great armies of canal
builders to withdraw for the winter to the neighboring towns, waiting for the
spring to resme work. Only too many frittered away in these idle days, all of
the oney they had accumulated by hard labor in the burning heat of summer. The
Fitzgeralds were men of a different stamp, and did not believe in making their
summers pay for their winters. They sought such work as could be found, even if
the remunerations hardly paid their living expenses. It was on one of these
occasions that John Fitzgerald accepted work from a farmer for his board and
seven dollars per month. At another time he was working for a farmer, digging
ditches, when his quick perception showed him how he could do the work by
contract, make money for himself, secure better wages for his companions, and
give greater satisfaction to the farmer. He made his propostion to the latter,
and it was accepted.
In twenty four hours,
John Fitzgerald was a contractor, his fellow-workmen became his employees, and
he stood on equal ground with his former employer. The job was finished much
quicker than the farmer had calculated, and the work was done to his complete
satisfaction. The laborers received higher wages than their agreement with the
farmer had called for and John Fitzgerald had a good round sum of money to the
redit of his profit and loss account. That was Mr. Fitzgerald's first contract,
and today he speaks of it with greater pride than of all the enterprises of
magnitude he was since completed.
The reputation
achieved by Edward Fitzgerald and his sons did much in the districts where they
labored, to raise the character of the Irish in American opinion, and
contractors were glad not only to employ them, but to sublet to them large
portions of their work.
After the death of
their father, in New York State, the brothers, Edward and John, turned their
attention to the construciton of railroads. After satisfactorily completing
important contracts in New England during the war, they gradually worked
westward until they reached Wisconsin, where they built several hundred miles
of railroad. Following the star of empire, the brothers penetrated through Iowa
with their iron highways. After the death of his brother Edward, John assumed
control of what had become a vast business, and after building the grater part
of the C. B. and Q in Iowa, crossed the Missouri and took up work for the B
& M and Union Pacific roads, until his name became inseparably bound up
with the history of railroading from the Atlantic to the Rocky Mountains.
Mr. Fitzgerald made
his first home in Nebraska at Plattsmouth, where he owns a very large amount of
property. Since becoming a resident of this State, Mr. Fitzgerald, besides his
work in Nebraska, was associated with S. Mallory, esq. C.E., of Chariton, Iowa,
and Martin Flynn, esq., of Des Moines, Iowa in the construction of the
Cincinnati Southern road through Tennessee; also in building the Denver,
Memphis and Atlantic railway, in association with the Fitzgerald and Mallory
Construction Company. The latest enterprise of our active townsman is the
construction of the St. Louis and Canada railroad in Michigan and Indiana.
Mr. Fitzgerald has
very extensive landed property in Nebraska. The man who as a boy looked with
tear-filled eyes upon the few fields from which he and his father were evicted,
is today the owner of two of the largest and best managed farms in America,
embracing 8,000 acres of unsurprassed fertility at Greenwood, and 6,000 equally
as good in Gage county, in this state. In addition, he has several farms in
Wisconsin and other states.
His investments in
commercial lines are many and extensive. He owns the large West Lincoln Brick
and Tile Works, and also has a controlling interest in the Rapid Transit
company, of which he is President. He is also President of the First National
Bank of Plattsmouth and Greenwood, and of the Nebraska Stockyards Company, and
a Director of the First National and Union Savings Banks of Lincoln. Mr.
Fitzgerald is also largely interestedin mercantile investments and has stores
in different parts of the State.
His first experience
with Lincoln was Colonel Tom Hyde's invitation to the hospitality of a shanty,
and his first bed in the same shanty was a buffalo robe on the ground, damp
with recent rains. Today his magnificent residence and beautifully laid out grounds
crown Mount Emerald, the finest elevation in the city, and here he loves to
extend the genuine hospitality typical of Geraldine.
His splendid wholesale
busisness block at the corner of Seventh and P is rapidly approaching
completion, and it is but the precursor of other stately edifices with which
Mr. Fitzgerald's enterprise will embellish the city he has chosen for his home,
and which owes so much to his untiring energy.
Although the most
liberal and tolerant of men, Mr. Fitzgerald is a strict Roman Catholic, and a
munificent contributor to the church. The Convent of the Holy Child Jesus is
the gift of Mr. Fitzgerald to the nuns of that order, and his subscriptions in
aid of the Catholic Church of Lincoln have been generous and constant. Some
three years ago he gave a large sum to help in the construction of St.
Patrick's Church in Rome, and Pope Leo XII, in recognition of his generosity,
sent him a valuable gold medal.
The Geraldine race,
kin and Gherardini of Florence, and boasting its descent from Eneas, the Trojan
hero, has been conspicuous for its heroic fidelity to the fate and fortunes of
the Irish nation. Its blood has poured out on every battlefield for Irish
liberty, its sons have perished with stoicism in the dungeon, and looked scorn
from the scaffold. The castles of the Geraldines stud the river banks and
mountain glens of Munster, and few are the tales of fairy lore and weird
romance in which some Fitzgerald does not play a conspicuous role. With the
blood of this fiery clan in this veins, it is but natural that Mr. Fitzgerald
should be ardently attached to the cause of Ireland. From boyhood to the
present moment, he has supported every movement consecrated to Irish liberty,
and there has hardly been an Irish convention which he was not attended.
Unambitious for office, with no personal views, but influenced by an earnest
desire to see his country enjoy the liberty so many of his race had died for,
his time, and his purse, and his quiet word of sound advice, were ever at the
service of Ireland. The qualities of this man could harldy escape recognition,
and in 1886, he was chosen President of the Irish National League of America.
His period of office has been a trouble one, great events having transpired
during his administration; but he has filled the position with honor to himself
and to the Irish cause. His cool, conservative policy, his strong determination
to keep the league free from political entanglements and from alliances that
could in any way compromise the action of Parnell and his colleagues, has
merited and received the warm approbation not only of the Irish leaders, but of
the best friends of Ireland in America. To everything that can add to the
welfare of the Irish cause, and to the benefit of his race, John Fitzgerald ha
been conspicuously generous.
Mr. Fitzgerald is, in
American politics, a strong Democrat, and a warm supporter of his party, but
has invariably refused to accept any political honors. From men of all shades
of religious and political belief, Mr. Fitzgerald receives the respect due to
his strict integrity and his boundless energy.
Fortunate in his
business, he is equally blessed in his domestic life. Mrs. Fitzgerald is a most
estimable lady, and as remarkable for her kind, unostentatious benevolence, as
her husband is for his more active qualities. Their family consists of four
children and since their marriage no cloud has darkened the summer of their
lives.
-----
{NOTE: The following
is from the Lancaster County History, 1888, p. 791}
John Fitzgerald, who
is regarded as one of the best financiers of the State of Nebraska, and in fact
of the West, became a resident of the city of Lincoln in 1878, and there is no
question that to him this part of the State greatly indebted for its rapid
growth and prosperity.
A self-made man in the
closes sense of the word, he early in life became practically acquainted with
railraod and canal building, having been at an early period in his career
engaged in the construction of the Erie Canal in New York State. In this
important field of labor which is always connected with the growth of any State
or Nation, he appears to have especially adapted. He was naturally Civil
Engineer enough to know when a bridge or a culvert was properly constructed,
and while yet a young man, migrated to the West and put into practical
application his valuable knowledge, which was so easily and thoroughly acquired
as to have been almost phenomenal.
Mr. Fitzgerald from
the first brought his admirable qualities as a financier into requisition, and
this formed one of the secrets of his success. Upon crossing the Mississippi
the project of the Far Western railroad found in him a most vigorous and useful
exponent. He commenced laying his plans upon a extended and progressive scael,
and almost invariably conducted themt o successful fulfillment. He at once, as
rapidly as he was able, formed contracts and began his operations. The Lincon
& northwestern, Brownville & Ft. Kearney, Atchison & Nebraska and
parts of the Burlington and Missouri were projected and carried out by Mr.
Fitzgerald, and later he projected and built the line from Nemaha City to
Tecumseh and another in Iowa from Humeston to Shenandoah, in the Southwestern
part of the State, jointly for the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy, and the
Wabash companies. He built the Burlington and Missouri into Plattsmouth, and
also carried on the western extension of that road. It is impossible within the
brief details of a biography to mention half the labor involved and half the
details connected with the successful completion of these lines, which now
afford a thoroughfare for vast quantities of the produce of Southern Nebraska,
and transportation for hundreds of thousands of the traveling public.
As public benefactor,
the name of John Fitzgerald had attained a fame that is little short of
national. His temperate judgement and his wise foresight have guided him
successfully where other men would hve declared the scheme impossible of
execution. It is scarcely necessary to say that upon crossing the Mississipi he
was welcomed by the people of the Great West, as a most valued accession to
this portion of the continent. In Lincoln, he succeeded Amasa Cobb as President
of the First National Bank, and was also given this honored and responsible
position with the same institution at Plattsmouth. A man of his genius and lage
ideas could not otherwise than become interested in agriculture, and he is
identified in both Lancaster and Cass counties largely with farming operations,
is an extensive dealer in cattle and interestedin stock-raising generally.
Considering the labors
which he has undergone and the results which he has effected, one would
naturally suppose them the fruits of a long lifetime, but John Fitzgerald is
still an individual in his prime. It is hoped that he may long continue a
resident of this great state of Nebraska, both to witness her continued
prosperity and add still further to her importance.
-----
John Fitzgerald was in
Greenwood on Tuesday and Wednesday looking after his ranch near this place.
Source: Greenwood
Gazette, Friday, December 2, 1892, Pg. 1, Col. 1
-----
Martin Maher was a
cousin of John Fitzgerald's. Fitzgerald brought Martin to the United States
from Ireland and Maher lived with the Fitzgeralds at the Brick.
Source: Greenwood Centennial
Book, p. 180.
-----
FITZGERALD DEAD
Peaceful Close of a
Long and
Useful Life
Estate Worth
$1,500,000
Brief Biographical
Sketch of Deceased - Know Wherever the Cause of Ireland's Liberty is Revered
and Patriotism Honored.
Close of a Busy Life
Although not by any
means unexpected, the news of the death of John Fitzgerald, which was heralded
abroad yesterday morning, awakened considerable surprise. It was generally
known that Mr. Fitzgerald's condition has for some weeks past been critical,
but there were but few who knew that Father Roche, who had administered to his
spiritual needs during his last illness, was called upon as early as last
Wednesday to administer the rites usually observed at the near approach of
death. Death came to the sufferer at 2:20 yesterday morning. he died surrounded
by his family and spiritual ministers, peacefully and without pain.
He was conscious of
what was going on around im up to about an hour before his death and sought to
console the loved ones who were about him. The scene at the bedside is said to
have been a most effective one. The devoted wife, worn out with her tireless
attentions during the long illness, seemed to be the especial object of the
thoughts of the dying man, and he endeavored in every way possible to reassure
and comfort her. he had called his family about his bed on Saturday and
rendered to each the parting admonition.
Mr. Fitzgerald's
illness began three years ago with a stroke of paralysis and he lay for many
weeks at that time at death's door, but finally rallied and in time became able
to get around town again and devote some attention to affairs of business. His
ailment at that time seems to have manifested itself chiefly in the brain and
it was predicted tht he would never regain his mental vigor. When he again
began to look after his business affairs it does not appear tht he was much the
worse mentally, but it was apparent that his physical vigor was gone. One
morning last summer he took a trip to his farm near Greenwood, and upon his return
was again taken ill. Since that time his strength has steadily failed. His
death is ascribed to general sclerosis of the arterial system, a general
breaking down. It was not due to any technical disease.
Deceased was a native
of Limerick county, Ireland. He was born April 29, 1829. He came to America at
the age of 15 years with the family of his father, the latter having been
evicted from his farm in Ireland. They settled in New York, where the father
soon afterward died. He began life as a laborer on the Erie Canal, but in
company with his brother, Edward, soon branched out into business as a railroad
contractor, a business which he pursued during the balance of his days,and in
which he was signally successful. He built railroads in New England during the
war and later came west and pursued the same business in Wisconsin and Iowa. In
1868, associated with R. C. Cushing, now of Omaha, Stephen Mallory and others
as well known, he took a contract for the extension of the Burlington road
through Iowa to Plattsmouth. They completed the work in 1869 and Mr. Fitzgerald
at once took up his abode in Plattsmouth.
He immediately
commenced the construction of the B & M and completed it to Lincoln in July
of the following year. After the B & M had been completed to Kearney to a
junction with the Union Pacific, Mr. Fitzgerald built the Atchison of Nebraska,
from Atchison, Kas. to Lincoln, besides several other branch lines. In 1875 he
commenced the long line of the B & M from Hastings to Denver, via Red
Cloud, finishing the road to the latter point in November of that year. The
work of constructing the line to Denver continued at intervals until 1882, when
it was finally completed.
There are many other
roads in the United States in the building of which the deceased and his
associates were actively interested, among which are the Denver, Memphis and
Atlantic, out of which grew the great lawsuit between deceased and a number of
eatern money kings, including Jay Gould, Russel Sage and their clique,
involving over a million, in which case deceased recently secured judgment in
supreme court for $860,000.
The St. Louis &
Canada road through Indiana and the Cincinnati Southern road through Tennessee
were also built by him and his business associates.
In addition to his
work in that line deceased was active in other lines of business. Especially
was he a factor in baking and real estate transactions. He has dealt in real
estate in many of the leading cities in the United States, and owned a large
quantity of valuable real property at the time of his death. His possessions
comprise a farm of about 4,000 acres near Greenwood in Cass county, large
tracts in Gage and Jefferson counties and a large amount of city property in
Plattsmouth and Lincoln. In the latter are notably his fine residence property
comprising four blocks in the southeast part of the city, the large five-story
building occupied by Plummer, Perry & Co's wholesale grocery house, of
which firm he was a member, the building occupied by Mayer Bros., the building
where his offices are located on the west side of government square, the vacant
quarter block at Ninth and N streets and other properties almost as valuable.
He was for years president of the First National Bank of this city and the
First National bank of Plattsmouth. He recently disposed of his interests in
the latter institution but he is still interested in the First National of this
city. He has also been connected with the banking interests of other western
cities.
Prominent as he was in
the business and financial world, it was as an Irish-American patriot tht the
deceased achieved his chief celebrity. He was always ready to give and to do
anything that was required to advance the interests of his native country. His
sympathies for the oppressed of his native land was manifested on every
possible occasion, and not only commanded his large means, but his time and
energy as well. It is said that this active sympathy was first manifest at the
time of the ill-fated Fenian invasion of Canada, when the deceased incurred a
considerable outlay in the purchase of a large quantity of arms for use in that
demonstration, which, however, were never used, but lay for years stored in
boxes in the basement of his large building at Plattsmouth.
In 1889, he was
selected President of the Irish national league and devoted a great deal of his
time to the work of that organization for several years. It was during his
presidency that the organization did its most active and effective work, and
even after he had been succeeded by M. V. Gannon, then located at Omaha, but no
in Chicago, he accompanied a delegation of prominent Irish-Americans to ireland
to endeavor to reconcile the factions that threatened the life of the league.
His name was hallowed by every Irish patriot in this and the old world and is
revered in the land of his nativity.
Deceased was a devout
Catholic, and his generosity in the character of a religious benefactor is
manifest in many institutions that owe their establishement chiefly to his
liberality. The convent of the Holy Child Jesus, formerly the state university
dormitory, was purchased outright by him and given for the work to which it is
now devoted. He gave largely of his ample means to the church in whose
teachings he had been reared, and his voice in the administration of its
affairs was a powerful one.
Deceased leaves an
estate that is estimated to be worth from $1,000,000 to $1,500,000, but it is
difficult to place anything like an accurate valuation upon it. He leaves a
family comprising his widow and four children. The latter are Ed. J., who is
grown to manhood; John, aged about 18; Paul aged 12, and Lillian a girl of nine
years. The former was not at home when his father died. He left home about a
year ago, since which time his whereabouts have been unknown to his parents.
When last heard from he was in Texas.
Three sisters and one
brother also survive. They are Mrs. Charles McEntee of Plattsmouth, Mrs. John
Blake and Mrs. John Toomey, both of Lyndon, Wisconsin, and David Fitzgerald of
this city, who has been associated with the deceased in railroad building for
several years and conducted the building of the recent extension of the
Burlington to Billings.
The funeral will occur
Wednesday morning at 10 o'clock in St. Theresa's pro-cathedral and the services
will probably be conducted by Father O'Reilly of Detroit, who was prominently
associated with deceased in his work as president of the Irish national league.
If he is unable to come Father McGevney of Denver will probably officiate.
Few unlettered men
reach the prominence that was attained by John Fitzgerald in national affairs,
and many anecdotes relating to his life will long be recited by his friends. He
was generous beyond the wont of men and wealth, charitable, public spirited,
enterprising, a kind father and husband, a good citizen, thoroughly honest and
a tireless laborer in any field of usefulness in which he was found.
Source: Lincoln
Evening News, December 31, 1884, Pg. 1, Cols 1-2.
-----
All members of the old
Fitzgerald hose company and running teams are requested to meet at room 12 of
the Capitol hotel at 7:30 this evening to make arrangements to attend the
funeral of John Fitzgerald.
The funeral of John
Fitzgerald has been postponed until Thursday morning at 9:30, owing to the fact
that relatives are unable to reach here by tomorrow, the original date of the
funeral. The remains can be viewed by friends at the residence tomorrow
afternoon and evening. Rev. Dr. Chas O'Reilley of Detroit, for along time a
close friend of the deceased, having been treasurer of the national land league
at the time Mr. Fitzgerald was president, will preach the funeral service, and
Rev. Hugh Magaveny of Denver will sing high mass.
Source: Lincoln
Evening News, Jan 1, 1895, Pg. 5, Col. 3
-----
IMPRESSIVE FUNERAL
Services Over the
Remains of John Fitzgerald at the Cathedral
The impressive funeral
ceremonies of John Fitzgerald took place from St. Theresa's pro-cathedral this
morning at 9:30. There were nearly one hundred hacks in line, and the obsequies
were not concluded before one o'clock p.m. High mass was conducted by Rev. Hugh
L. Mageveney of Denver, and the Rev. Dr. O'Reilly, of Detroit, delivered the
funeral oration. The casket was of light wood, elaborately carved, and banked
with a rich profusion of the rarest flowers that could procured of florists. At
an early hour the pro-cathedral was thronged with friends of the deceased, and
by the time the ceremonies were well advanced there was not an inch of standing
room available in the spacious edifice. By the residents of Lincoln it was
claimed that it was the largest funeral ever witnessed in the city. The
procession, which extended for over three blocks, was led by the local lodge of
the Ancient Order of Ibernians, followed by the members of the Catholic Union
club and the Fitzgerald hose team pulling the old running cart decorated with
the badges of mourning. The floral tributes were of the finest.
The pall-bearers were
N. S. Harwood, R. A. Perry, F. M. Hall, T. E. Calvert, J. J. Butler, I. M.
Raymond, W. M. Clark and Judge Fitzgerald of St. Marys, Kan. The services were
very long and impressive, occupying more than three hours. At the close of the
procession was reformed and the remains escorted to their last resting-place in
St. Theresa's cemetery, where brief services were also held.
-----
Nearly a third of a
million dollars was placed in the First National Bank at Lincoln Thursday of
last week to the credit of the Fitzgerald estate. This is the sum which the
estate obtained judgment for against the Missouri Pacific. Its payment ends a
long and prominent suit at law.
Source: Greenwood
Gazette, Sat, Feb 1, 1896, Pg. 1. Col. 2
-----
More About JOHN FITZGERALD:
Burial: 1894, Calvary
Cemetery, Lincoln, NE
Immigration: Abt.
1844, Immigrated to U.S. from Ireland
Occupation: Banker,
Railroad Executive
Notes for MARY KELLY:
Mrs. Fitzgerald,
Pioneer of Covered Wagon Days, Dies;
Recalled Indian
Encounters
Widow of Burlington
Railroad Builder and Early Lincoln Banker Witnessed Growth of West; Saw Three
Nebraska Capitols
Mrs. Mary Fitzgerald,
86, Lincoln pioneer and the widow of John Fitzgerald, pioneer railroad builder,
died at 4:05 o'cock Saturday morning at her home in St. Elizabeth's Hospital. A
resident of Lincoln from 1879 to 1930, she moved to Denver, and returned to
Lincoln some time ago to make her home in the hospital. She was the grandmother
of Mrs. L. R. Doyle.
Mrs. Fitzgerald had
been ill just a few days and was seemingly recovering when she became worse
Friday evening.
She had seen
Nebraska's three capitols, helped her husband in the problems of building most
of Nebraska's Burlington railroad and saw Lincoln grow from a small raw prairie
town to a city of consequence.
A fitting tribute to
her life was expressed by Mrs. Fitzgerald herself on the occasion of her 85th
birthday, when she said that she had no regrets, "I did the best I
could."
Born August 21, 1853
in Elgin, Illinois, Mrs. Fitzgerald moved with her parents to St. Paul,
Minnesota, at the age of three. Her father wanted to go west, and nine years later
the family decided to embark for the frontier in a covered wagon.
Covered Wagon Trek
So the company set out
in 82 covered wagons, drawn by oxen, but soon split up. Mrs. Fitzgerald often
recalled that trip and told how the other half of the party was attacked by
Indians while the half she was with camped 16 days.
The company had been
promised aid from the military post in order to help them through the Black
Hills, but most of the soldiers were off hunting and with the aid of 50
cavalrymen, the migrants set out farther.
It wasn't long before
they ran into Indians.
The covered wagon
company returned to the protection of Fort Rice for the winter in order to be
safe. Mrs. Fitzgerald's father did not want to return to St. Paul, so they went
down the river to Sioux City and stayed there for two weeks.
In 1864, they moved on
to Omaha, staying there a year and a half, then moving to Council Bluffs. She
was married at 17 to John Fitzgerald, a railroad contractor. Her father was
employed by the Union Pacific and freighted between Omaha and Denver with
mules. Her father met Fitzgerald and invited him home and that was the first
meeting of the young couple.
Mrs. Fitzgerald
reminisced that Mr. Fitzgerald used to come over from Glenwood to Council
Bluffs every Sunday. They were married in February 1871 and went to live in
Plattsmouth.
In connection with his
railroad construction jobs, Mr. Fitzgerald was also a banker, having a bank in
Plattsmouth and later became connected with the Merchant's bank in Lincoln. He
soon moved over to the First National Bank and became President, with John R.
Clark as cashier. (Mr. Clark was also cashier of the Plattsmouth bank).
The Fitzgeralds moved
to Lincoln in 1879 and acquired property extending from A to D Streets and from
Nineteenth to Fitzgerald Streets (now twentieth). At that time only one house
stood between the Fitzgeralds home and the capitol.
Mr. Fitzgerald, in
addition to his railroad construction, was also active in Catholic circles and
built the Catholic school at Thirteenth and M Streets, using brick from his own
brickyard, and helped build the original St. Elizabeth hospital. He was later made
a Knight of St. Gregory by the Pope.
He was also
instrumental in bringing to Lincoln the Sisters of Holy Child Jesus and built a
convent for them at Fourteenth and U Streets. Mr. Fitzgerald's name was
commemorated by Catholic men in naming the Fitzgerald council, Knights of
Columbus.
Mrs. Fitzgerald lived
in Lincoln for 34 years following her husband's death. She went to Denver in
1930 and made her home with her son, Paul. She often visited in Lincoln after
that and was invited by the Burlington railroad to be the first person to ride
the Burlington Zephyr out of Lincoln to Denver.
Surviving Mrs.
Fitzgerald are a son, Paul; a grandson, Chauncey Abbott of Denver; a
granddaughter, Mrs. L. R. Doyle of Lincoln and five great grandchildren.
The body is at the
home of Mr. and Mrs. Doyle, 415 South Fifteenth Street.
Source: Lincoln Star,
April 6, 1940, Pg 1, Cols 2 & 3.
-----
Buried at Calvary
Cemetery, Lincoln, Nebraska
_____
More About MARY KELLY:
Burial: 1940, Calvary
Cemetery, Lincoln, NE
Children of JOHN FITZGERALD and MARY KELLY are:
3. i. EDWARD JAMES3 FITZGERALD, b. Abt.
1871; d. Aft. 1920.
ii. JOHN FITZGERALD, b. Abt. 1876; d. Aft. 1920.
iii. WILLIAM PAUL FITZGERALD, b. Abt. 1882; d. Aft. 1920; m. MONICA ?.
Notes for WILLIAM PAUL FITZGERALD:
Was this William Paul
Fitzgerald?
4. iv. MARY LILLIAN FITZGERALD, b. April 30, 1885; d. November 14, 1920, Omaha,
Nebraska.
Generation No. 3
3. EDWARD JAMES3 FITZGERALD (JOHN2, EDWARD1) was born
Abt. 1871, and died Aft. 1920. He
married MARY MULRY.
Child of EDWARD FITZGERALD and MARY MULRY is:
5. i. MARY RUTH4 FITZGERALD, b.
January 08, 1898, Lincoln, Nebraska; d. December 21, 1964, Lincoln, Nebraska.
4. MARY LILLIAN3 FITZGERALD (JOHN2, EDWARD1) was born
April 30, 1885, and died November 14, 1920 in Omaha, Nebraska1. She married CHAUNCEY ABBOTT2 October 12, 1909 in St. Theresa's Cathedral, Lincoln,
NE.
Notes for MARY LILLIAN FITZGERALD:
There is a John
Fitzgerald Abbott buried next to Lillian Fitzgerald Abbott at Calvary Cemetery.
born: April 18, 1914;
died May 2, 1914.
-----
Also a Mamie
Fitzgerald buried at Calvary Cemetery... connection??
-----
MRS. ABBOTT DIES AT
OMAHA HOME
Formerly Miss Lillian
Fitzgerald of Lincoln - Death Follows Breakdown
Mrs. Chauncey Abbott
of Omaha, who was formerly Miss Lillian Fitzgerald, of Lincoln, and prominent
in social circles here until here marriage several years ago, died at her home
in Omaha Sunday morning after suffering two years from a nervous breakdown. She
was about 35 years old.
She had been spending
the summer in Colorado accompanied by her mother, Mrs. Mary Fitzgerald, of
Lincoln, who was called back home two months ago by the tragedy of her brother,
M. C. Kelly, who with his wife was killed when their automobile was struck by a
Burlington train in Greenwood.
Since her return, Mrs.
Fitzgerald has been occupying the Kelly home, 3400 Randolph Street. She was
called to Omaha Sunday by her daughter's death.
Mrs. Abbott's husband,
Chauncey Abbott, is prominent in Nebraska business and social activity and is
vice president of the Omaha flour mills. The family home had been in Schuyler
until Mr. and Mrs. Abbott moved to Omaha three years ago.
Mrs. Abbott is
survived by her husband and a son eight years old; her mother and three
brothers, Paul Fitzgerald of Colorado; and John and Ed Fitzgerald; and an aunt,
Mrs. Ode Rector of Lincoln.
The body arrived in
Lincoln Monday afternoon and was taken to the home of Mr. and Mrs. O. E.
Rector. Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m. Tuesday at the Cathedral,
Fourteenth and K Streets.
Source: Lincoln Daily
Star, Monday, November 15, 1920, Pg 7, Col. 4
_____
Buried next to Lillian
at Calvary Cemetery in Lincoln, Nebraska is John Fitzgerald Abbott, born April
18, 1914, died May 2, 1914. Might this be a son of Lillian and Chauncey?
_____
More About MARY LILLIAN FITZGERALD:
Christening: 1920,
Buried at Calvary Cemetery, Lincoln, NE
Notes for CHAUNCEY ABBOTT:
Social Security Death
Index listing for
Chauncy Abbott
Born Sept 11, 1883;
died October 1971; Residence at Death - Omaha.
ssn 505-28-1915
No confirmation if
this is Lillian husband.
-----
Child of MARY FITZGERALD and CHAUNCEY ABBOTT is:
i. CHAUNCEY4 ABBOTT2, b. Abt. 1912.
Generation No. 4
5. MARY RUTH4 FITZGERALD (EDWARD JAMES3, JOHN2, EDWARD1) was born January 08, 1898 in Lincoln, Nebraska, and
died December 21, 1964 in Lincoln, Nebraska.
She married LEWIS RAYMOND (LUM) DOYLE3. He was born June 21, 1894, and died April 29,
1954.
More About MARY RUTH FITZGERALD:
Burial: December 23,
1964, Calvary Cemetery, Lincoln, NE
Occupation: Homemaker
Children of MARY FITZGERALD and LEWIS DOYLE are:
i. MARY D.5 DOYLE, m. MCQUIGGAN.
ii. JOHN REMINE (DUGIE) DOYLE, b. 1924; m. BARBARA B..
iii. DAVID FITZGERALD DOYLE, b. December 01, 1929, Lincoln, Nebraska; d. February
26, 1997, California; m. (1) RACHEL; d. Abt. 1968; m. (2) ANNE NATHAN, Abt. 1969.
Notes for DAVID FITZGERALD DOYLE:
ADVENTUROUS MIDWEST
SPIRIT HELPFUL TO KEEPER OF 'ANGELS'
Lincoln native David
Doyle says there may be some inherent Midwestern qualities that have helped him
to success as an actor.
"That area of the
country was settled by adventurous people; their children and grandchildren
inherited that same spirit. that's an asset in acting," he said. "The
Middle West has provided some of our greatest artists: Marlon Brando, Henry
Fonda, Dick Cavett, Sandy Dennis, myself - Lincoln and Omaha are well
represented in the acting profession."
Doyle was speaking, a
few days ago, by telephone from his home in California, but he will be in
Lincoln April 9 for a Madonna Professional Care Center benefit in conjunction
with Miller and Paine's 100th Anniversary.
His list of credits in
stage, television and movies is long but he is known to most Americans as
Bosley, the counterpoint to Charlie's jiggling trio of Angels. [Reference is to
ABC television series "Charlie's Angels" of the 1970s]. On TV, more
so than on the stage, an actor needs an expressive face and Doyle's is molded
from comedic clay. He seems to be a well-groomed boob. Even in repose he
appears a bit flushed and his mouth always looks ready to gasp for air. Over
ita ll he wears a perpetual look of smug bemusement. He's a real Bosley.
"I think of
Lincoln in the fonests of terms," Doyle says. "I gre up there until I
was 13, attending the Cathedral grade school. Then I went to prep school
(Campion, a Jesuit school in Wisconsin)," said Doyle. "I've got a lot
of friends who attended Irving Junior High, too."
Doyle said he never
really had to make a decision about pursuing an acting career. "I was born
to it from the time I was a youngster," he said. Doyle made his acting
debut at age 6 as the New Year, smoking a stogie, and played children's roles
in local stage productions.
"I was a member of
hte Community Theatre in Lincoln when we did shows at Muny Pool," Doyle
recalled, a note of incredulity creeping into his remembrance. "I did
"Life with Father" at age 10 with Abe Schimmel. That was great."
Although some childhood
pals remember Doyle was somewhat introverted as a kid, he evidently had a
rambunctious streak, too. Bosley's demeanor makes one think that Doyle might
have been at a disadvantage running pell-mell from the scene of a boyhood prank
but once cornered by authority the odds for escape would tip in his favor.
Grabbed by the collar by a nun one occasion, Doyle told a People magazine
report, "I fell to the floor in a phony faint. She thought she'd killed
me."
When he entered the
University of Nebraska in 1945, Doyle felt some pressure to study for the legal
profession. Four generations of his family have been lawyers, including his
father, the late L. R. Doyle, and brother, John "Dugie" Doyle, a
Lincoln attorney. While supposedly studying Latin, Doyle spent most of his time
in the theatre department.
"That was really
the first groundwork," he said. "It was a dynamic department. The
study of acting is neverending. I'm still learning. You try to stay abreast of
the things that will appeal to an audience."
Doyle took law school
entrance exams and ranked sixth in the state. "I didn't attend law school,
but I was admitted," he said. "I surprised both myself and my father
that I could do it. Then I begged off and went to New York."
His sister Mary also
headed for New York. Although she has not earned the same popular acclaim that
her brother's career has won him, she continues to work on television and
stage.
Doyle got his big break
in 1956 whe, at age 20, he replaced Walter Matthau in "Will Success Spoil
Rock Hunter?" on Broadway.
His smirky mug and
raspy voice amde him a natural comedian, but he also played dramatic roles.
Some parts, of course, didn't work out too well, such as the two-week flop in
"Something for a Soldier" with Sal Mineo. But by 1965 he was
receiving rave reviews for his multiple-role performance in S. J. Perlman's
free-wheeling comedy "The Beauty Part."
Doyle's first wife,
Rachel, died in a freak stairway fall in 1968. A year later he met Anne Nathan
while they were doing a revivial of "South Pacific" and they were
married.
In 1972, after starring
in six Broadway hits, he moved to California to play a leading role in the
short-lived TV series "Bridget Loves Bernie." When "Charlie's
Angels" was cast, Doyle got the part of Bosley: guardian, confidante and
straightman for the Angels.
Bosley is an officious
character but Doyle has tried to keep him from seeming to be a dumbbell.
"I see him as a Robert Benchley type," he told a reporter. "In tune with the younger generation but
not necessarily in agreement."
The popular success of
the show has given Doyle room to sretch his talents. "I plant o stay with
"Charlie's Angels"" he said. "We won't quit until the last
drop of fun is drained from it."
"I hope to branch
into producing. I'll direct two episodes of 'Angels' this season and I did some
before. (He's also directed dozens of plays). When it's over I might like to
star in a New York show."
NEPHEW WILL HELP HONOR
TALE-TELLING AUNT
Kathleen Doyle Halligan
tells tales that span the years.
The daughter of
Tennesseans, she tells about her parents' decision to move west where the
opportunities seemed most interesting.
She remembers when
William Jennings Bryan was welcomed home to Lincoln by brass bands and crowds
of admirers. And when escalators were the newest contraptions in Lincoln
stores.
"They rode up and
down all day," said Mrs. Halligan, spilling the deepest secrets of nephew
David Doyle and his sister Mary. Leave it to an aunt to remember all the
moments you'd rather forget.
Mrs. Halligan, now 90,
moved with her family from the country to the city at a time when Lincoln was a
boom town. Educated in the classics in Catholic schools and accomplished at the
piano, she was widowed at a young age. Her husband Paul Rolfe Halligan - a
bright attorney with a promising career - was called to active military duty in
World War I and died in a military hospital in 1921.
In 1927, Mrs. Halligan
began what was to become a 25-year career at Miller & Paine where she was a
personal shopper and mail order supervisor. Retired in 1952, she still lives in
her own home, near her daughter and son-in-law, Nancy and Don McGinley [note:
Nancy Halligan Childs; McGinley was a Nebraska state senator and served as
Nebr. Lt. Governor 1983-87], grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Mrs. Halligan will be
honored April 9 at a dinner sponsored by Miller and Paine in recognition of the
store's 100th anniversary. Presenting the tribute to Mrs. Halligan will be her
nephew, David Doyle.
Proceeds from the event
will go to the Madonna Professional Care Center where a fund is being
established in Mrs. Halligan's name to continue Madonna's work of caring for
the elderly and the disabled.
Source: Sunday Journal & Star Focus magazine,
Lincoln, Nebraska, March 30, 1980
-----
David Doyle portrayed
the role of attorney "Ted Holmes" on ABC Television's "General
Hospital" during 1986.
_____
Source: Social Security
Death Index:
At time of death,
resided in Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles, CA 91436
SS #: 506-24-3835
_____.
Endnotes
1. Lincoln Daily Star, November 15, 1920,
Pg. 7, Col. 4.
2. Lincoln Daily Star.
3. A. J. Sawyer, Lincoln The Capital City and
Lancaster County Nebraska, Volume II,
(The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company, 1916).