By Chris McHugh and Tom Kearney, Guest Columnists

A burial occurred in 1860, two years after Minnesota became a state, setting in motion events that would have an affect on the town Savage was to become in the future. Rose Ann Kearney, age 49, of Hamilton on the Minnesota River, a place now known as Savage, was being buried as her husband John Kearney, her young children and young adult step children looked on. 

Mrs. Kearney’s untimely death of a possible accidental gunshot wound and John Kearney’s death in 1863 at age 67 lead to the eventual sale of the Kearney land to Marion W. Savage. Many people in present-day Savage are familiar with the remarkable Dan Patch story and how the town of Hamilton was renamed Savage to honor M.W. Savage the owner of the famous race horse. 

But what was the story of Savage before the Dan Patch era? Land records, road petitions, Kearney family stories and a few surviving newspaper stories from the time tell a story that goes into the territorial days before Minnesota’s statehood 150 years ago. It is a story that involves tales of early death, Savage’s first murder, the first settler birth, land disputes, hidden gold and the big events of that time: the Sioux uprising of 1862 and the Civil War.

This is the story of one family, the Kearneys, who were among the earliest settlers in Savage still living here today. Like other early settlers, the Kearney family now in the eighth generation is spread throughout southern Minnesota, other parts of the state and indeed all over the country. Family names in the area that trace their ancestry to John and Rose Kearney including Boylan, McCoy, Sheridan, Fusco, Beren, Widmer, Kennedy, Cuddigan, Thomson, Phillips, Ramirez, Karlen, Scherf, Hirscher and others.

The Kearney family story is told here because of their involvement in the platting of the town just months before Minnesota became a state 150 years ago and their association with Savage’s subsequent history.

The story might have started with the Grand Excursion of 1854. To publicize the settlement opportunities in Minnesota a group of east coast businessmen organized a combination train/steamboat ride to St. Paul. The headliner for this event was former President Millard Fillmore. He traveled with 1,200 fellow excursionists, in what the Galena Illinois Jeffersonian called, “the most brilliant ever assembled in the West.”

Fliers and newspaper stories were sent over a wide area of the eastern United States and Canada and one of these may have caught the attention of John and Rose Kearney who likely followed this same route on their move from Hamilton, Ontario to present day Savage where they settled on a river side farm which would eventually be laid out as the town of Hamilton. The only certainty of the trip was that they stopped in Detroit to have their only surviving photos taken.

John Kearney was born in Ireland in 1796 and was to outlive two wives. His first wife, whose name is unknown, gave birth to four children Edward, Rose Anne, James and John all born in the 1830s.

What is known is that he married Rose Ann McKeown and had five more children: Peter, Sarah, George, Mary, Andrew and Thomas all born in Canada with Thomas arriving in 1851 and so was a toddler at the time of the family’s move to Savage sometime between 1851-1856.

Following the deaths of their parents, the children of John and Rose Kearney followed divergent paths as was common in territorial families. Daughter Rose married Patrick Boylan and stayed in the area. John Kearney, and his wife Kate gave birth in 1854 to the first child of settlers born in Savage which was then called Burnsville, a daughter Kate. The first meeting of the township of Burnsville was held in the Kearney home, as was the election of 1860 in which Abraham Lincoln was running for president. James Kearney and his wife Jenette lived on land now owned by his grand-nephew Jim Kearney and may have moved to Oklahoma.

Son Peter Kearney established the Kearney family who still reside in Savage. Sarah married Thomas Byrne of the family after which Burnsville is named and later moved to Oregon, as did her brother Thomas. Mary married Civil War soldier Andrew Welch and moved to DeGraff while Andrew walked to Stillwater in 1869 and established the branch of the family that still lives there. 

Gretchen Desautels, John and Rose’s great-great granddaughter of Grenada Hills, Calif., has documented the known descendants of John and Rose Kearney, who now number at least a thousand. Meanwhile Terry Kearney, who grew up in Savage has scanned hundreds of Kearney family pictures onto a Web site (http://familyfoto.no-ip.org). Both were done just in time to help save these early memories and give a snapshot of what Savage was like 150 years ago when Minnesota became a state. 

Next week: Burnsville or Hamilton? Name confusion as the town is platted 150 years ago.

(In addition to Chris McHugh and Tom Kearney, the following other people contributed to this column: Terry Kearney, Peggy Ramirez, Mary Phillips, Linda Thomson, Jim Kearney, Mary Pat Kearney and Gretchen Desautels. The authors of this column are all descendants of John and Rose Kearney and have contributed in various ways to writing  a series of columns to commemorate the state’s 150th anniversary.)

References and Notes Complied by Chris McHugh 50 12^th St. NW, Pine City, MN 55063 Last updated  May 15,  2008cmchugh@tsapc.net The Sesquicentennial articles appearing in the Savage Pacer during May/June of 2008 were based on information available at the time.  While a good deal of research was done there are still sources to be explored and questions to be answered. The articles are not meant as a scholarly work but rather the intent was to give the causal newspaper reader “a sense of place” about Savage through the eyes of the descendents of one of its early settler families, the Kearney’s. Corrections, comments and additional information are welcomed by the authors and contributors. 

I Savage At The Time of Minnesota Statehood

 1.     It must first be stated that the Dakota Indians established the first village at Savage. The Dakota travel routes at that time had both a trail along the river from Mendota and a trail that crossed the river at present day Savage and headed south.  So long before white settlement the site was a crossroads and settlement. In a series of legal maneuvers that certainly do not meet contemporary legal standards the U.S. government negotiated the sale of land in this area.  The Dakota left the area in 1853.2.     Name confusion exist in the Kearney family.  John is listed at various times as John Kearney, John A. Kearney, John D. Kearney and John Hamilton Kearney.  Likewise Rose was also known as Rose Ann, Rosannah and Rosanna.3.     The description of John and the children at the burial is literary only. There is much uncertainty about Rose Kearney’s place and means of death and about her burial as described in the notes below.4.     U.S. Census Office, Non-Population Census, Mortality Census. Minnesota 1860-1880. Roll 13. Ronald M. Hubbs Microfilm Reading Room, State Archives. Minnesota Historical Society St. Paul: The information for Scott County on schedule 3 gives the following: Rose H. Kearney, age 49, female, married, born in Ireland, died in March-Accidentally Shot with 0 days of illness.  This information was only discovered three days before the publication of the Kearney story in the Savage Pacer on May 17, 2008 and was a complete surprise to all the family members working on this story. A subsequent review of the few remaining newspapers in the MHS archives from Hastings and Shakopee-the only nearby towns with newspapers-had no mention of this accident.  More significantly not one of the surviving great grandchildren of John and Rose, ages 78-90: Patrick Connors and sisters Joanne Finger, Eileen Simonet, Peg McHugh, Jean Lemmer and Mary Swanson and Eli Kearney’s daughter Delores Berens as well as George Kearney’s daughter in law Mary Pat Kearney had ever heard this story.  There was also no mention of this accidental death in any of the  personal communications that one of the authors (McHugh) had in the 1960’s and 70’s with grandchildren of John and Rose Anne (Joe and Phil Kearney, Evelyn Kearney Connors (Andrew’s children) and Rose Welch Mary ‘s daughter)). More research is needed but given that this story was never heard in the last 100+ years of oral story telling with three branches of the family one has to consider if the information is accurate.5.     A log cabin Catholic Church, the predecessor of St. John the Baptist was built in 1855 on Kearney land and so could have held the Rose Kearney funeral services in 1860.  However, there was likely no priest available on short notice.  The Kearney’s may have attended the old cathedral, which was downtown since they owned a home in St. Paul.  Their daughter Mary was also married there in 1865 suggesting an attachment. The old Calvary cemetery was up the hill on Marshall Avenue on the site of St. Joseph’s Academy, now Christ’s Household of Faith.6.     An alternative explanation for Rose Kearney’s burial in St. Paul might be that the family lived during their first few years in Minnesota in St. Paul. The Kearney’s owned two lots in St. Paul at 262-268 Banfil Street.  The 262 Banfil house still exists today in good shape with a large horse barn in the rear, which is likely on the adjoining property and is now converted to a house. They also had a land patent for 40 acres in T28N R22W. It might be that initially “the boys” James, John and Edward lived in Savage and operated that end of the transport business while John and Rose Anne lived in St. Paul. As can be seen in the census records in the following notes the family seemed to move around among John’s three houses and the other houses on properties owned by the family. Further land record research is needed to clarify what is now just speculation.7.     McHugh, Christopher. Personal communication. (1970). A 3-foot by 4 inch difficult to read limestone monument was visible in 1970 at Calvary Cemetery that read: Rosey Ann- wife of John Kearney. Rose appeared before a notary in 1857 as Rosannah to sign the plat of Hamilton, appears in the 1857 census and a record (see note #4) is made of the death of a Rose Kearney in 1860 so that appears to be the likely year of her death.  The “Rosey Ann” is unusual and may have been a name of affection that John used and touchingly put onto the gravestone.  He clearly must have been the one to erect the stone as she is described as “wife of” a common way men thought in the nineteenth century.  McHugh visited Calvary cemetery in 1970 and reports that the caretaker stated that the burial site of the Kearney’s was in “the old part of the cemetery that was moved from Marshall Avenue and laid out as it was there.” McHugh saw the headstone at that time.  It is no longer visible in 2008.  8.     McHugh, Christopher. Personal communication. (2008). Two Calvary Cemetery officials on May 14, 2008 stated that it is their practice to lay damaged stones four inches into the ground. However, this may not have been the original burial place of Rose as the plot purchase records inspected by McHugh show that the cemetery plot appears to have been  purchased by Peter Kearney on November 16, 1863 for $10.00.  Rose may have been buried in Savage and moved although this would be unusual. The drawing of the lots shows two small graves #3&4 (infants?) next to “Roseyann” in Grave #2 with a monument noted and “John Hamilton Kearney, age 67 d November 14, 1863” in Grave #1. The Cemetery officials were not willing to show McHugh the internment record they had because “two ladies had cross checked all the records and so no mistakes were made.” In a previous visit a few years ago McHugh discovered that the new digitized records did not include John and Rose Kearney.  However, the office worker looked up and found the original book and found the entry for them.  Subsequently the digitized record was entered as James Kearney.  The 2008 official stated that this could not be corrected but she would do a new entry for John to cross reference to the James entry for future inquiries. Another possibility is that John and Rose bought these graves when one of the infants died prior to 1856 and that these graves were moved as described in the next note with Rose being buried in 1860 and John in 1863. No one erected a stone for him after his death but the family appeared to be in short supply of cash despite having some property.9.     Reardon, James Michael (1952). The Catholic Church in the Diocese of St. Paul. St. Paul: North Central Publishing Company. Reardon substantiates the story told by the 1970 caretaker. The cemetery was moved in a bizarre ceremony on All Soul’s day 1856.  The dead were exhumed and a procession lead by Bishop Cretin brought the bodies for reburial at the present Calvary Cemetery. It was for this reason that Rose was thought to have died in 1856. The Kearney plot at Calvary may have been bought after the move to the present site even though it was in the same section that was moved or there may have been an infant or two buried at the old cemetery prior to 1856.  Bishop Cretin who caught cold during the cemetery move died within months and is buried very close to the Kearney plot.10. Preiner, George P. (1970) assistant director Calvary Cemetery.  Personal communication to Larry Moore citing Calvary Cemetery records, Calvary Cemetery, Front St., St. Paul, MN.: “John Hamilton Kearney was buried November 14, 1863 at the age of 67 in Lot North one-half of 72, section 8.  He has no marker on his grave.  Rose Ann McKeown Kearney was buried in the same lot and has a marker on her grave.” This information is slightly different than the records at Calvary viewed in 2008 (see note above).11. Brady, Tim. (2006). Minneapolis: Nodin Press. The story of Marion Savage’s operations are well documented in several books and many other sources.  A new book is due out this year (2008) Crazy Good by Charles Leershem.12. U.S. census Office, 1857 Minnesota Territorial Census, Scott County, Eagle Creek Township. Roll 1. Ronald M. Hubbs Microfilm Reading Room, State Archives. Minnesota Historical Society St. Paul: We find John Kerney [Kearney] (age 60) living in Eagle Creek Township (the name for the township before Glendale was established), Scott County, MN with his wife Rosanna (50), with children (ages) Peter (18), George (14), Mary (12), Andrew (8) and Thomas (5). The ages of the children are correct but John and Rose’s are at variance with other information.  Five out of eight of the adults over the age of fifty on this census page have an age given as a decade (50, 70, 60 etc.) The assistant marshal enumerating this information may have estimated their ages unless those questioned explicitly offered it. Living in the next house after the entry for John Kearney are a James Kearney (24), John Kearney (22)  and three apparently unrelated young men, Patrick Murphy (19), Alexander Pople (14) and Patrick Doherty (22).  This same census for T115 R21 also shows Thomas Burns age 25 and Sarah Burns age 15 living in a household.  This would be the same age as Sarah Kearney Byrnes and is likely her since she does not show up with her parents or with the family in the 1860 census.  Oddly enough this same census for T115 R21 shows a household with a “James Mc. Kearney (30), M. Mc. Kearney (27) C. Mc. Kearney (4) born in Minnesota), John Mc Kearney (3) and Mar. Mc.Kearney (1)”. This could be an unrelated family although Kearney is not a frequent Irish surname. The names John and Mary, the Mc prefix, and the ages of the parents are not consistent with Desautels information about John Kearney Jr.(see note below). But the age of the oldest daughter C. is consistent with Desautels and Wedgewood-Curtiss (see the first child born in Burnsville in 1854, Kate Kearney, note below.) John and his family then disappear from all the records except possibly in an 1860 land patent given to a John Kearney in T114, R24. A cousin named Sparrow, a name Desautels gives as married to Kate Kearney, daughter of John and Kate born in 1854 shows up in the wedding of Eli Kearney and Clara Fahey in 1919. More research is need on the John Kearney Jr. family to clear up this confusion. 13. U.S. Census Office. Minnesota 1860 Census-Scott County, Glendale and Eagle Creek Twp. Ronald M. Hubbs Microfilm Reading Room. State Archives. Minnesota Historical Society St. Paul:  shows John, no wife, and children (ages) Peter (21), George (16), Thomas (9) as a household. Mary and Sarah are not shown as living with the family and Andrew age 13 is shown living with the William Killen family in Eagle Creek Township. Living in a separate household and not likely adjacent are James Kearney (28) living with wife Jennette (20) and three men (George (24), John (18) and William (16) Kinghorn in Eagle Creek on land with a very high real estate value ($4,000). Jennette’s birthplace is shown as New York. 14. Kearney, Eugene. Personal communication to C. McHugh (1967) “John and Roseann Kearney came from Hamilton, Ontario to Savage about 1848.  He named the settlement Hamilton after his hometown in Ontario.  We live and work on the original Kearney farm which is now the village of Savage”. Mr. Kearney’s grandfather was Peter Kearney, son of John and Rose Kearney. Peter Kearney likely sold two tracts of land along the Minnesota River shown in 1898 map (in the Heritage Room at the Scott County Library in Savage) to M.W. Savage.15.  “The Original Event,” http://www.Grand Excursion2004.com (accessed Mar. 17, 2008): Gives some of the detail of this event.16. Welch, Rose. Personal communication to C. McHugh and L. Moore (1970). “Mother came with her folks to Savage about the year 1855.” Miss Welch was the daughter of Mary Kearney Welch and Andrew Welch and is John and Rose Ann’s granddaughter. To reiterate on the note above regarding Rose Ann Kearney’s death: in two letters and a questionnaire specifically asking about rose’s death Rose Welch makes no mention of an accidental death by gunshot.17. The surviving photos of John and Rose Anne Kearney are now in the possession of Linda McCoy Thomson whose father James McCoy had them from his mother Sarah Kearney McCoy, John and Rose Anne’s granddaughter by Eli who lived in his father Peter Kearney’s homestead. The pictures show a prosperous couple.  John Kearney is thought to have emigrated from Ireland with his first wife in 1831 as oldest son Edward was born in Ireland in 1830 with daughter Rose Anne being born in Canada in 1832.  He may have been one of those more prosperous tenants who left Ireland during this time when there were disputes with landlords about rising rents.  Alternatively he may have prospered in Canada.  He was probably adventurous as he moved to Minnesota at about the age of 58.

1. Desautels, Herman and Gretchen (2006): Our Kearney Ancestry.  In this excellent and energetic effort to document the descendents of John Kearney there is both newspaper accounts and birth, marriage and death data.
2. Curtiss-Wedge, Franklin. History of Dakota and Goodhue Counties (1910) Chicago: H.C. Cooper and Co. This history uses secondary sources only, many of which also used secondary sources and oral history but often repeated by a third person. It gives the information about the James Kearney family. Kearney family records complied by Gretchen Desautels are at odds with this source and show Kate as being born to John Kearney, Jr.  In addition the 1857 census (see note above) shows James Kearney living with his brother John and three unrelated men with the 1860 census he is in Eagle Creek Township with his wife Jennette, aged 20, and no children.  Mrs. Kearney would have been 14 if she had had a child in 1854.  This is highly unlikely. A more logical story was that the first township meeting and election for which there is a record was held at one of two possible John Kearney Senior homes near the levee. Kearney family members and others in Savage remember two houses east of Highway 13 being referred to as the Kearney house-neither is standing in 2008. As noted above the Kearney’s may have moved frequently among their homes in Savage and St. Paul.