Patrick Geraghty

NO IRISH Landlord after landlord turned away the newly arrived Geraghty family as they searched for an acceptable home in St. Paul, Minnesota in 1884 or so the family story goes. A large burly bearded man, Patrick looked the epitome of the rowdy Irish immigrant that the landlords were hoping to discourage, but in fact he was the the opposite,  a tee-totaling, hard working, god-fearing, man.  They missed out on a great tenant.

465 Topping Street

Not finding suitable lodgings the family instead purchased land on Topping Street in 1885 and built a house.  That is a story itself, starting with the \seller of the lots not registering the sales until three years after the houses were built, to remodeling the house a year after it was built to create the second story ..... you'll find it all in 465 Topping Street: A House History.  The house remained in the family until 1936 when Patrick's daughter Bridget Geraghty sold it.

But back to Patrick.  He was born in Ireland 31 Jan 1839 probably in Islandeady Parish.  No record has been found, registers for the parish start later that year.

Patrick married Mary Killeen on 21 Feb 1863 in Islandeady RC Parish, Mayo, Ireland  

Auntie Dode wrote that ...  "The newly married Geraghty's moved to Carnaclay (Carrownaclea), near Westport in County Mayo.  They had six children.  Patrick was an Irish laborer who traveled to England to work. While he was away from home the children would work on their small farm, raising their own food. They were very poor.  The children remember spreading manure by hand and washing clothes in the bay with sticks and stones.  They lived on boiled potatoes (peeled by hand after cooking as they had no knives). They were poor, honest, and very pious people, with great faith in the Lord. The older children remember, too, the bread vans of Carnaclay, having tea in Westport, working long and hard and having little food."

Patrick and family arrived in Boston on the Scandinavian in May 1884 with the intention of traveling on to St. Paul.  They came unencumbered with goods, having only two pieces of baggage among them.  It is unknown whether they had any funds, but seems unlikely, especially considering the memories of the children.  Those memories also make it more likely they were part of an immigration scheme.  See Geraghty Immigration.

The entire family chipped in and lived in the house.  The 1888 Directory shows Patrick as a laborer, John as a plasterer, Patrick a printer, and Edward a canvassar.  After her marriage in 1892 Winifred and her husband James Tracy also lived in the household.

Patrick, never afraid of hard work, was an employee of St. Paul Water Works for many years. After his retirement he found it difficult to be idle and he took up the position of custodian at the Court House of St. Paul.  At the time of his death in 1923 of pneumonia at the age of 84 is was working as a "Watchman" for the city.