Week 30 - Religious Traditions - Sheridan

When Michael Sheridan arrived in America from Ireland in 1826, he settled in Rochester, Monroe County, New York where he plied his trade of blacksmithing. The nearest Catholic parish was St. Patrick's Church in Rochester, and it had been built in 1823, but by 1831 it was replaced by a second church on the same site, twice the size of the first. Michael probably would have been involved in helping to build the second church.

In 1830 Michael was still in Rochester, Ward 5, Monroe County, New York. He was indexed as Richael Sharron in the census record which made it difficult to find him. (Always use different spellings when researching and look at the actual records). 

By 1840 Michael is found in Wheatland, Monroe County, New York, about 19 miles southwest of Rochester. There was not a Catholic Church built in Wheatland until 1870. 

In 1841, a meeting was held with the Catholic families of Wm. Tone, James W Early, Michael McDonald, Michael Sheridan, Patrick Rafferty, John O'Connor, Wm. Carson, James Scullen among others and they determined to start a church.  They began to meet in a room in a house and Rev. Father O'Reilly of Rochester held the first Mass. 

In 1843, Patrick Rafferty, Michael Sheridan and James W Early bought the lot and building where the present Church of the Assumption and parsonage now stand. The price paid was $800. By 1848, Rev. Edward O'Connor was the first resident priest appointed. The distance between Wheatland and Scottsville is only four miles, so many records intermingle.  A cemetery was not built until 1852 when Patrick Rafferty and John O'Connor purchased 5 acres of land for that use. (History of the Church of the Assumption, Scottsville, NY 1901 via Heritage Quest Online)

Church of the Assumption

In 1850, Michael and family (wife Mary, ch: John, Thomas, Ellen and James) are still in Wheatland, Monroe County, New York. He had a successful blacksmith shop and many friends. His wife Mary died in 1849 in childbirth, along with twin sons and was supposedly buried at St Patrick's but no official records were found.  Her death is recorded in the 1850 Census Mortality Schedule for Scottsville, Monroe County, NY.  Michael died a year later in November 1850, and no record of his interment has been found. Death records for St Patrick's Church are non-existent as in 1871 all remains were transferred to Holy Sepulcher Cemetery and are in a common grave which is where it is assumed Michael, Mary and the twins were buried - this information is from a researcher that I hired in 1988.

Michael's two sons Michael (Jr) and Patrick from his previous marriage in Ireland had also immigrated to America a few years (ca 1839) after their father had arrived. Michael (Jr) continued on to Michigan while Patrick stayed in New York. Following Patrick's marriage to Margaret Hughes in 1849, the newlyweds headed to the Jackson County, Michigan area to join Michael (Jr) in his endeavors there. 

Michael (Jr) along with Patrick were instrumental in building the first Catholic Church in Brooklyn, Jackson County, Michigan. It is the St Joseph Catholic Church and Shrine located on Highway US12 and was built in 1854 by the first Irish settlers in the area. There is a stained-glass window in memory of Michael and Maria (O'Brien) Sheridan and they and two of their five children are buried there.



Patrick Sheridan (my 2x great grandfather) continued north to Fulton, Gratiot County, Michigan where he settled, married and raised his family. There was not a Catholic Church in the area until one was built in Carson, City, Montcalm County, Michigan in 1896 - a distance of about nine miles. 

A traveling priest performed Mass occasionally at the Sheridan home, where religious vessels (such as a chalice and linens) were kept, per oral traditions. A cross gifted to Patrick by a priest on the occasion of his 50th Anniversary is still in the family's possession.  Based on church records, it would have possibly been Fr. Francis Gres or Rev. Michael Dangelzer who did pastoral visits in the Fulton/Perrinton area at that time.


The early Sheridan men and their families were true pioneers - bold explorers who fearlessly helped blaze a trail into new territory.  The also made sure that the religion that guided them remained a central part of their lives.

Barbie


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Week 32 - Wide Open Spaces - Prince / Bliss

Image
Uriah Bliss was the son of Jacob and Bethiah (Brown) Bliss, Jr. He was number seven in birth order of 11 children and one of seven that lived to adulthood. He was born 4 May 1803 in Rehoboth, Massachusetts. When he was a young boy his parents and his siblings traveled from Massachusetts to Huron County, Ohio. The trip would have been by wagon and taken 4-6 weeks over rugged terrain only to arrive in an area full of dense forests that would have to be cleared, and a log home built. The Bliss family settled in the Firelands of Ohio. The Firelands make up over 500,000 acres of land in northernmost Ohio and was land given by the government to those who had been burned out by the British during the Revolutionary War. March 10, 1836, Uriah married Sarah Inscho in Greenfield, Huron County, Ohio. After the birth of their children: Pardon, Miles, Asa, Uriah, Jr, Caroline, Lucinda, Charles and Sarah the family pulled up roots and headed to Jefferson County, Kansas around 1854. They left behind t...
Read more

Week 42 - Fire - Conner/Graham

Image
Isaac Graham was around 19 years old when he immigrated from Canada into Marion township, Michigan to join his older brother John in 1862. The two brothers had purchased land using funds that their father had supplied. Land was becoming too expensive in Canada, so he had sent them to Michigan to settle. Isaac's twin brother Charles had come with them, but after a bad winter and getting sickly from working in the woods, he decided to go back to Canada. Isaac purchased 80 acres in what became the town of Deckerville in Sanilac County, located in the thumb of Michigan. He cleared some acres, planted an orchard and built a small wood frame home. In 1871 Isaac returned home to Taylor's Corner in Victoria county, Ontario, Canada and there he married Charlotte Harmon on July 17th.  During the year of 1871, there was a severe drought that ran from the Dakotas, across Minnesota and into Wisconsin and also included the state of Michigan. Following lightning strikes in the Dakotas, fires ...
Read more

Week 11 - Brick Wall - Porter family

Image
There are numerous brick walls in my family research, but the hardest one to find information for is Aaron Porter. Aaron (Arron) was my 3x great grandfather. Many would say, why do you want to know more? You are already into the late 1700's. But he was an explorer, a man who had a bit of wanderlust. I connect with that. Always wanting to see what is on the other side. Is it better? Or worse? Not contented until the answer is found. A typed missive from his daughter Minerva's husbands' side (Barrick) states the following information: Our efforts to trace the Porter line have been unsuccessful, through various sources, principally through Uncle Amos, we learned that Arron Porter was a native of Vermont, and his wife was a native of New York, Lovina Chapman, born near Lake George, they settled in Indiana, do not know the location where their children were born and where Mr. Porter died. We have names of five of their children – James (a bachelor) John Jay (I remember him and...
Read more