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1907 Past and Present Biographies

Peter Kane

It is alwavs interesting to follow the career of a foreign-born agriculturist. A prominent banker of the United States once said, “These citizens who have come to us from foreign points will lay up a fortune on what the American young man will starve on.” An interesting example of the truth of this statement is Peter Kane, who was born in Ireland in 1837 and is the son of Patrick and Anna (McMannis) Kane. When this worthy couple set out for America Peter was then but four years old and was one of twelve children born to these good people. They settled first in Canada and there lived until the death of Patrick Kane, in 1857, having followed the pursuit of farming all of those years.

The subject of our sketch received but a limited education in the common schools of Canada, and, being one of a large family of children, he was obliged to assist in the work upon his father’s farm. What may have seemed a hardship to him in those early days has appeared to him since as being the best preparation he could have made for life. From Canada he removed to Ogle county, Illinois, and later to Clinton county, Iowa. On January 26, 1869, he settled in Greene county, on forty acres of land, on section 13, Scranton township, which he purchased from I. D. Howard and to which he has later added eighty acres, purchased from R. D. Campbell. He has broken all of the land and has brought it to an excellent state of cultivation, where it yields abundant crops. He at first built a very small house, in which he lived until 1900, when he built a fine and comfortable home, where he now resides. He has added all the buildings which makes the place so attractive - a large barn, corn cribs and other buildings. With his eye to improving the land, he tiled it, and also set out all of the beautiful trees which add so much to his comfort. He is a well known stock-raiser, having in 1907 three hundred and fifty Poland China hogs.

In 1865 Mr. Kane was married, in Winnebago county, Illinois, to Catherine McGowen, a native of Canada. She is the daughter of Patrick and Ann (McCue) McGowen and is one of a family of twelve children. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Kane have been born thirteen children, eleven of whom are now living: Lizzie, the wife of Thomas Finnegan; Ann, the wife of Charles Bowen; Lena, the wife of J. Harkin; Laura, the wife of Fred Samson; Patrick, Hugh and Edward, who are at home; Catherine, the wife of M. Coyne; Adelaide, Edna and Alice.

In his political afliliations Mr. Kane has always been associated with the republican party and has been township trustee, as well as school director, for a number of years. Mr. Kane is a Catholic and has always been deeply interested in the church in his vicinity. He brought here the priest who said the first mass in the county and drove all over the county securing the names of some sixty subscribers to the first Catholic church here in Scranton, in 1888. He has reared his large family in the Catholic faith. In every undertaking which would add to the prosperity or improvement of the county Mr. Kane has been as active as he was in building the church and is always counted upon in every public movement throughout the county.

Transcribed from "Past and Present of Greene County, Iowa Together With Biographical Sketches of Many of Its Prominent and Leading Citizens and Illustrious Dead,"
by E. B. Stillman assisted by an Advisory Board consisting of Paul E. Stillman, Gillum S. Toliver,
Benjamin F. Osborn, Mahlon Head, P. A. Smith and Lee B. Kinsey, Chicago: The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company, 1907.

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