1888 - Death of a young woman.

Miss Kate Campbell, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. B. Campbell of Union Prairie Twp., died march 7th 1888 – born in 1870.  On Wednesday evening she had been sick but a short time and the announcement that she was dead was a great shock to her many friends in this town.  The cause of her death was inter cholera or Choler morbus.  Katie was 18 years old and the baby and pet of the family and her death has almost crazed her brothers and sisters and aged father and mother.  She is sadly missed by friends in town too, having attended the Presentation Convent School in the city during the winter and being of that kind, pleasant disposition which endeared her to all she came in contact with.  Funeral services were held in the Catholic church in this city, which was crowded with mourners, Saturday morning and a large concourse followed the body to its last resting place in the Catholic Cemetery.

Note: If cholera morbus sounds familiar - it should. Our great ancestor, Edward Hill, died of the same illness in 1879 (August).

Campbell Family of Union Prairie

Mary Rita Jacobsen said that the Ryans came to Allamakee County to join relatives who were already in the territory.   When we began our search, we reached out to descendents of the "other" James Ryan family as they farmed nearby our ancestral Waukon family. We knew that this family originated from Hollyford, Tipperary; and when we learned that our family originated from Gortnaskehy (Newport Parish), we had to start again searching for a different relative.

Barth "Bat" Campbell

As we learned several years ago, one of these relatives was Bartholomew Campbell, who lived in a neighborning section on West Ridge. We saw his name initially on Mary Ryan's baptismal register, and at the time, all he knew for certain was that he was a relative (according to he Tipperary Genealogical society). It was not until we contacted Jim Campbell in Waukon, Iowa, did we get confirmation that he was Nancy Anne Campbell Ryan's brother. Several years later this family tradition was supported by Batt's baptismal record.

The Campbells and Ryans lived only a mile from each other on West Ridge in Union Prairie township. Below is a map of both farms, along with grave stones in the Catholic cemetery in Section 26.

allamakee map

The Iowa "family" neighborhood - James Ryan, Bat Campbell, Dennis Ryan, Daniel Ryan, James Kennedy

campbell grave

Bat & Barbara Campbell final resting place in Allamakee county.

 

General Timelines

Bartholomew Campbell has been referenced several times on our website over the years. We don't have much information regarding his life in Tipperary, and while his migration may have been prompted by the famine, that is only speculation. Below is a timeline after Batt arrived in the United States.

* Immigrated to America in 1852. He was 35 years of age at the time.

* While living in Dubuque, Iowa he married Barbara O'Keefe in 1857. His age was listed as 40. They were married at the Cathedral of St. Raphael in Dubuque. Father P.A. McCabe wrote in the church registry, "A.D. 1857, August 10th I have united in the holy bonds of Matrimony Bartholomew Campbell and Barbara O'Keefe - there were present two witnesses, bans were published wice and the court license obtained.

* In 1860, the Campbells were living in Union Prairie, Allamakee county, Iowa.

* An agreement to buy land from Edward W. Jones was registered at the County Courthouse, "the sum of 295.00 & 300.00 from Edward w. Jones - William Homer & Mary McHenner - 8 Oct 1866."

* Batt died on October 29, 1905 in Allamakee, Iowa. Information obtained from a hand written obituary shows that he is buried in Mt. Olivet Cemetery, died at the age of 88, and was born in Tipperary County in 1817. 1817 - in Tipperary County, Ireland - From hand written obituary.

The Campbell Clan, nephews of Nancy Ann Campbell ryan

These are the great-grandsons of Batt and Barbara Campbell. The caption for the photo reads, "Thomas, Michael, James, John Campbell - at their brother Pat's funeral." Their grandfather would have been Batt Ryan's first cousin, and from a genealogical perspective, would be the same generation as Ruth or Mary Rita Ryan.

All that remains...

The Camel or Campbell surname is relatively "new" in Newport Parish. In the 1766 census, there were no Campbells in the Parish, and in 1815 we only see only one "Campbell" family - our ancestor James Campbell. The Campbell surname in Tipperary was uncommon, especially Campbells of the Catholic faith. In 1766 there were only five Campbell families in Tipperary, and only one was Catholic - James Camel of Killea. The family "name" continues to appear in Newport Parish in the 19th century, most likely descendents of John Campbel, who was a brother to Bat and Nancy Ann.

We know that James Ryan came from the neighborning townland of Fiddane, and we also know that the Hill families lived nearby in Killoscully.  Whether the Ryans also knew the Hills we do not know, but considering that the entire population of Kilnarath was slightly over 2,000 residents, it would be safe to say that they were aware of each other. (Kilnarath was a governmental unit that covered the townlands of Newport Parish, such as those noted above.

 

Katie Campbell (click to enlarge). Her story appears in the left-hand side bar.

bat campbell obit

Batt Campbell obit (click to enlarge). His family genealogy (and tombstone) show he was born in 1817. His baptismal record suggests it was 1824.

Leonard Campbell cemetery plot (click to enlarge).

Barbara Campbell obit. (click to enlarge)

 

Last Will & Testament for Bat Campbell

This will is a fairly simple distribution of assets. Most of the farmland was endowed to Charles (Charly) Campbell, however, each child was also to receive $600.00 apiece. Charly was to provide this amount to the heirs once he secured a mortgage for the farm. In the event he could not get a mortgage, the land was to be sold, and the money received from this sale would be divided equally among the heirs.

As with many last Wills & Testaments drafted during this time, they were generally signed within a few months prior to the death of the individual.

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