I am a descendent of Peter and Margaret (Kevil) Callahan. I have a little bit of information on the Kevill's that lived around the Sioux City, IA.
The following is transcribed from
"Callahan's Sligo to Dakota" by Michael A. Callahan, 1979
Peter Callahan was born on April 22, 1819, probably in
the townland of Moydoo, Parish of Kilfree, County Sligo,
Ireland. The parish records for Kilfree Parish only date
from 1844, so they would not show his parents. Determination
of his parents awaits further investigation in Ireland.
Peter died on Oct. 1, 1904, in Sioux City, Iowa, at the house of
his daughter, Catharine O'Heron, and he was buried beside
his wife in the Catholic Church Cemetery, Jefferson, SD.
He married Margaret Kevill on February 22, 1852, in the
Parish of Kilfree, Co. Sligo, Ireland, when he was 32 and she
was 17. She was born in 1834, in the townland of Moydoo,
Parish of Kilfree, Co. Sligo, Ireland, and was the daughter
of James Kevill and Mary Irwood. She died on the homestead
farm 5 miles Southeast of Elk Point, Union County, South
Dakota, on Aug. 6, 1898, and was buried next to her infant
children in the Catholic Church Cemetery, Jefferson, SD.
Peter and Margaret were both born and raised in County
Sligo, Ireland, and the Kilfree Parish Register records their
marriage on Feb. 22, 1852, with Ellenora Wynne and Anne Don-
0ghue as witnesses. Peter is listed in the 1858 Property
Valuation of Kilfree Parish as owning a house and 29 acres
in the townland of Moydoo, and his father-in-law, James
Kevill, is listed as owning a house and small garden in this
same townland of Moydoo.
Peter was supposedly a leader of the Feinians in Ireland
and hated the English. Peter spoke Gaelic and English, but
his wife spoke only English. Peter always spoke Gaelic when
speaking with another Irishman, unless his wife was present,
and then he spoke English. Nothing is known of Peter's parents,
or of his brothers and sisters, other than Neil. Peter's son,
Jim Callahan, stated that two of Peter's brothers, Johnny
and Neil, came to the United States and settled in Ohio.
Neil came to Union County in 1871 from Ohio, but nothing is
known of Johnny. Jim also talked of several uncles that were
priests in Ireland, but it is not known who they were. The
one thing that is known is that Peter was a devout Catholic.
Peter's family survived the great potato famines of
Ireland in the 1840's. He was 43 years old when he decided
to move to the United States in 1863 with his wife and four
small children. It is said that his oldest son died of TB
in Ireland when he was about 7 or 8 years of age, therefore,
his son, Patrick, was the oldest child when they left for
the United States.
Peter Callaghan and family, and the Kevill's, consisting
of at least Margaret's father, James, her brother, Alex, and
her sister, Mary, apparently landed in New York and bought
railroad tickets to Omaha. When they reached Dubuque, they
found out that the railroad did not go to Omaha and they had
to go by train to St. Joseph, Missouri. In St. Joseph,
Margaret's father, James Kevill, died and was buried.
From St. Joseph, steamboats made regular trips to take
passengers to Omaha, and then the rest of the trip to Sioux
City was made by oxen and wagon.
George Callahan heard the following story from his father,
Jim, regarding this part of the trip. In Omaha, they were in
a quandry as Margaret was not in good enough health for an
oxen and wagon trip to Sioux City. Also, hostile Indians
made the trip dangerous.
While down at the river dock, in Omaha, Peter struck up
a converstion with a captain of one of the river boats then
plying the upper Missouri River. The captain agreed to take
them to Sioux City, even though the government boats were
not supposed to take any passengers [quoting Jim, "They made
the agreement in Gaelic"). Of course, the captain was also
an Irishman.
The boat trip took about two days. There had been an
Indian massacre somewhere in the area and the boat was loaded
with Indian families who were being transported up the river
to a new home on a reservation. Margaret was terrified when
the boat stopped for the Indians to go ashore for exercise,
as they ran up and down the shore with their wild antics and
war whoops. The boat captain refused to take any money for
the ride.
Peter Callaghan's obituary states that he arrived in
Sioux City on June 8, 1862. Other records and obituaries
of his family have conflicting dates as to the year, some
saying 1862 and some saying 1863. In researching copies of
newspapers for St. Joseph, Missouri, for the Spring of 1862
and 1863, no mention was found of the death of James Kevill.
However, an article in the St. Joseph 'Weekly Herald", on
May 21, 1863, stated that 800 Winnebagos were arriving from
Minnesota. This was the same tribe of Indians who engaged
in the Minnesota massacres the previous year and who had
surrendered to the Army. They were going to be transported
on the 'West Wind", a steamboat, to Ft. Randall, where they
were being resettled.
Another article appeared in the St. Joseph "Morning
Herald" on Thursday morning, May 28, 1863, as follows:
"The Winnebagos- The 'West Wind' dropped down to the
Indian Encampment yesterday, took all the gay redskins on
board, and left for Fort Randall. The braves of the tribe
continued their scalp dance from Saturday morning until last
night. The scalps over which they cut such high capers, were
taken the day before they left Minnesota. They captured
three of the Sioux Indians, and at once condemned them as
spies. The captors cut the hearts out of the victims, chopped
their bodies into small pieces and distributed them among
the tribe, and here held the first grand war dance in honor
of the dead."
These stories prove that Jim Callahan knew what he was
talking about and that the actual year of arrival in the
United States was 1863, and that they probably rode on the
'West Wind" from Omaha to Sioux City. After reading the above
story, it is no wonder that Margaret was terrified on the
trip.
Peter immediately homesteaded 160 acres of land about
5 miles Southeast of what would become Elk Point, SD. His
homestead is legally described as the SW1/4 of Section 4,
Township 90, North of Range 49. The rest of this section
was homesteaded by Michael Curry, Michael Curry, Jr., and
Edward Morin. Peter's brother-in-law, Alexander Kevill,
homesteaded an adjacent 160 acres. Peter signed the deed
using a "G" in Callaghan, and all other papers with this
spelling. His children all dropped the "G", making Callahan.
Peter's obituary states that he moved into his house
on this homestead on Dec. 20, 1864, but it is believed that
this date is also off one year as was his date of arrival
in Sioux City. He probably moved into the house on Dec.
20, 1865, as his son, John, was born on Sept. 17, 1865 in
Sioux City. All of his younger children were born in the
Dakota Territory. Peter's first house was supposedly built
of mud, but this was probably a summer house where he stayed
while planting and harvesting the crops the first two summers,
returning to Sioux City for the winter. Peter's closest
friends were the Curry's.
Pat Callahan described his father, Peter, as a little
above average height and stocky. The height of his boys
came from their mother, Margaret. Jim was about 5'10" tall
(quoting him, "...by stretching my neck"). Pat was about
1" taller and the other boys were all over six foot, with
Eddie being the tallest at 6'3". They have been described
as big, strong men, personality plus, and the gift of gab.
Peter probably served in the Volunteer Cavalry as George
heard his father, Jim, and Pat talking about a sword and
pistol that had been issued to Peter for Cavalry service.
The danger of Indian attack was always present during the
early years on the homestead and Pat Callahan stated that he
could recall several times when his father, Peter, packed
the family in a wagon and took them to the Fort in Sioux City
when the Sioux Indians were causing trouble.
One of Peter's sons, probably William Alexander, died
as a result of a log or plank falling on him. Peter told
his other children that the fairies had taken him away.
The loss of this son changed Peter, he was never his same
light-hearted self again.
The Union County Courier of Jan. 25, 1882 states that
Peter bought the farm of Milo Chamberlain for $700.00. This
could be the second 80 acres that he owned in addition to his
homestead, although it could be another farm. Peter and
Margaret gave farms to their children when they got married
to help them get started.
It should be pointed out that Peter's wife, Margaret,
was indeed the matriarch of the family, even though she was
15 years younger than Peter. She ruled the family and those
big, wild boys of hers with an iron hand. It is said that
her daughters, Maria Mclnerney and Maggie Donnelly, inherited
this characteristic. Margaret's will settled the estate,
even though Peter survived her by six years. The provisions
of her will, signed on March 4, 1898, were as follows:
1. The payment of her just debts.
2. To bury her beside her children in the cemetery in
Jefferson.
3. To her husband, Peter, $250 a year allowance.
4. No bequests to sons Patrick, John, and James, or to
daughters, Mrs. Mary Mclnerney and Mrs. Margaret
Donnelly, because they have already received
remembrances from her and are comfortably settled
in homes of their own.
5. To Mrs. Katie O'Heron of Omaha, $500.
6. To Joseph Callahan, $2,500.
7. Any personal property remaining to sons Frederick
and William E. equally.
8. Any deficiency above to come out of real property.
9. a. To Frederick P., N1/2 of SW1/4 of Sect. 4 and the
NW1/4 of the NW1/4 of Sect. 16, all Twp. 90, N. of
Range 49.
b. To William Edward, S1/2 of SW1/4 of Sect. 4 and the
NE1/4 of the NW1/4 of Sect. 16, all Twp. 90, N. of
Range 49.
10. To Frederick and William equally 20 acres (Lots 8 and 9).
11. She revoked any previous wills.
12. She appointed John Callahan as executor and provided
$100 as payment for his services.
George Callahan recalled that Pat and Jim were not
envious of the terms of the will as their parents had helped
them get started. Joe was the oldest boy left at home and he
got first choice. He took the money, leaving the farms to
Fred and Eddie. Fred and Eddie sold the farms in 1915 during
a land boom at a record price that stood for about 40 years,
reportedly $275 an acre. The old homestead is now farmed
by Roland Rosenbaum. A building that is now being used as a
corn crib was actually lived in by Peter Callaghan's family.
After Margaret died, of dropsy, Peter moved to Sioux
City with his younger sons and lived with his daughter,
Katie O'Heron. Katie's daughter, Aileen, recalled one time
that Peter's pipe caught fire in church, but he would not
do anything about it until church was over. Peter's
youngest sons, Fred and Eddie, never married. Eddie ran a
plumbing store in Birmingham, Alabama for many years, and later
moved to California to live with Fred. Fred operated a pool
hall in downtown Los Angeles for many years, and then moved to
Long Beach, where he died in the late 1950's.
PETER AND MARGARET'S CHILDREN
Born in Co. Sligo, Ireland.
2. i. Patrick Henry, b. Feb. 5, 1855; m. Emma White.
3. ii. Maria, b. June 5, 1857; m. Simon McInerney.
4. iii. James, b. Aug. 15, 1861; m. Hortense Mulloy.
5. iv. Catharine, b. Jan. 19, 1863; m. Michael O'Heron.
Born in Sioux City, Iowa.
6. v. John, b. Sept. 17, 1865; m. Hannah Donovan.
Born in Union County, Dakota Territory.
7. vi. Margaret, b. Sept. 25, 1868; m. Edward Donnelly.
vii. William Alexander, b. Nov. 23, 1870; d Oct 24,
1876.
8. viii. Peter Joseph, b. July 31, 1872; m. Eliz. Grady.
ix. Andrew Henry, b. July 25, 1874; d. Aug. 24, 1874.
x. Frederick Paul, b. June 29, 1876; d. in late
1950's in Long Beach, CA, unmarried.
xi. William Edward, b. Apr. 14, 1882; died unmarried
in Calif. while living with brother Fred.