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Patrick O'Harran

One of the highly respected and worthy representative of the Emerald Isle, now living in Fayette county, Iowa, is Patrick O’Harran, who was born in Ireland about 1836, the son of Patrick and Bridget (McNamara) O’Harran, the mother dying in Ireland, where she was born and reared, but the father came to America about 1844 and settled at Utica, New York. His son, Patrick, of this review, joined him here in 1846, having remained in his native land the meanwhile. Owing to the fact that the latter was only about ten years old when he came to Utica, he did not engage in regular work for some time, but he finally went to work on a farm near that city, after receiving his education in the public schools there. His father was a drayman in Utica. After remaining in that city ten years, the subject came West, locating in Illyria township, Fayette county, Iowa in 1856, buying eighty acres of land there which he developed into a good farm by hard work, remaining there until 1908 when he moved to West Union, after laying by a competency by general farming operations, and he has since lived retired.

Mr. O’Harran was married in Janesville, Wisconsin, to Maggie Manahan, who proved to be a faithful helpmeet, and this union resulted in the birth of three children, all living at this writing, namely: John, Mary Ellen and Charles. The daughter is the wife of J.J. Fennell, whose sketch is to be found elsewhere in this work.

Mr. O’Harran and his family are faithful members of the Catholic church. The subject is a Republican in national politics and has taken much interest in local affairs, at one time serving very ably as constable of Illyria township.

~transcribed for the Fayette Co IAGenWeb Project by Claudia Hamilton Meyer