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Archiver > OHBUTLER > 1998-10 > 0909372708
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Subject: Re: [OHBUTLER-L] Re: St. Stephen's Catholic Church (Hamilton)
Date: Sun, 25 Oct 1998 22:31:48 -0500
I have only been half paying attention to the conversation here about
St. Stevens church, but, at the library yesterday, I found an article
about the Irish in Middletown, which I copied for my son-in-law, who is
a descendent of those same early Irish.
The article was from the Middletown Diary, written by George Crout,
Middletown Historian. Dated March 17 1852. It was in "Pathways" which
is the newsletter for of the Butler County Genealogy Society.
It was an article about the laying of the Cornerstone for the Holy
Trinity Church, on a hill overlooking Clark Street in Middletown. The
officiating Bishop was Archbishop John Baptist Purcell, who became the
Catholic bishop of Cincinnati in 1833. Father Jeremiah O'Connor was
appointed the first Pastor.
"The church will overlook the rapidly growing Irish community which lies
across Clark Street on the level land stretching westward to the
Miami-Erie Canal. Originally known as the Commons, town animals were
permitted to graze here, and children play. The land was owned by
Shobal VAIL, Son of Stephen VAIL, who had first platted the town. At a
later date Vail subdivided and sold off lots."
The article also stated that some of the first families in the
subdivision were Irish, and early names were RILEY, NAUGHTON, MCCURRY
AND KILMARTIN. The first subdivision was called Dublin.
The Irish came to Middletown to build the canal, and some were here as
early as 1825.
I can't resist a little of my own story in all of this. My family were
some of the very early settlers in the area-ROWAN,AYERS, WILLIAMS. They
were all there by 1800, some as early as 1790, and were probably
Scotch-Irish. My daughter and son-in-law met here in Indiana 3 years
ago, and we discovered that he also had Butler County roots. His
grandparents still live in Middletown, and I found his family name in
records in 1825.
This is a great list. I have learned a lot just lurking.
Ellen Rowan Taylor
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