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A Biographical Portrait of John J. and Elizabeth (Shields) McDermott and of Their Children and Their Grandchildren
John J. McDermott was born in 1811 in County Donegal, Ireland.
During the time John grew up, the great majority of the Irish in Donegal were landless farmers who were subservient to their British absentee landowners. The British, in an attempt to suppress the Irish, forbid the practice of the Catholic religion, despite the fact that the Irish were the staunchest of Catholics.
As a young man John was a stonemason.
Around 1841 John married Elizabeth Shields in County Donegal. Elizabeth was born about 1824.
John and Elizabeth had these seven children:
1. Patrick McDermott (1842- ?)
2. Susan (McDermott) Roarty (ca. 1844 - ?)
3. Mary (McDermott) McAlpine (ca. 1847 - 1889)
4. John McDermott (ca. 1849 - 1873)
5. Michael T. McDermott (ca. 1852 - 1890)
6. William J. McDermott (ca. 1859 - 1889)
7. Edward C. McDermott (ca. 1861 - 1896)
John and Elizabeth were a young married couple with two children in 1846 when the potato blight brought on the Great Famine, resulting in the deaths of more than one million and the mass emigration of over another million.
About 1847 John and Elizabeth and their children, Patrick and Susan immigrated to America. They arrived at Castle Garden in New York City, where they resided for the next five years. Their family grew with the births of Mary, John, and Michael.
Around 1853 they relocated to the western shore of the Hudson River in Hoboken, Hudson County, New Jersey. Hoboken was rapidly transforming itself into an urban city.
Their two youngest children, William and Edward, were born in Hoboken in 1859 and 1961.
Sadly, Elizabeth died in May 1862 at the age of 38. She was buried in St. Peter’s Cemetery in Jersey City.
Susan and Mary helped their father raise their young brothers. It is not known what happened to Edward, for his name does not appear on the 1870 US Census.
After working for a number of years as a mason, John became a contractor, where he assisted in the erection of a number of important buildings in Hoboken such as the Church of Our Lady of Grace, Martha Institute, and the Castle in Schuetzen Park, as well as many streets and sewers.
John became a financial success, earning enough money to live a comfortable life in Hoboken. He also owned property in Manhattan.
About 1865 John was elected councilman, beginning a 20-year career in public service. He later held such public offices as chairman of the council, tax commissioner, commissioner of appeals, and water board commissioner, where he served as president for a several years.
In February 1873 son John died at the age of 24.
Patrick was thought to have severed ties with his father. It is thought that as an adult he moved to New York City. John’s other children all remained in Hoboken.
About 1875, 30-year-old Susan married James Roarty, an Irish immigrant. They had at least these children: Mary (ca. 1876 - ?), John (ca. 1878 - ?), and Stephen (ca. 1879 - ?). James worked as a stevedore.
Mary married James McAlpine sometime in the 1870s. They had at least one daughter who was named Elizabeth. James died sometime before 1885, leaving Mary a young widow.
Michael worked as a bookkeeper.
William and Edward both joined the Hoboken police force.
On May 22, 1882 Edward married Catherine Meagher at the Church of Our Lady of Grace in Hoboken. They had at least these children: John (1884-1885), who died as an infant, and Edward.
In April 1885, John lost his bid for re-election to the board of water commissioners because he ran on the democratic party ticket. An editorial in the The Evening Journal declared that “he was not defeated because of his record or his unpopularity. His long service in the Board has been that of an honest and careful man.” However, a vacancy soon opened up when a member resigned, and John was reappointed.
On April 15, 1885, William married Mary Ellen Courtney (1864-1935), the daughter of Irish immigrants Peter and Bridget (nee Ford) at the Church of Our Lady of Grace Church. They hosted a reception at their new home at the “Shippen Flats" on Willow Avenue. At midnight Wareing’s Theater orchestra, under the direction of Professor Dollinger, played for the guests. Because of John’s esteem in the community, his son’s wedding was a minor event in Hoboken and written about in the Hudson County newspapers.
In his later years, John was fondly known by his peers as both “Honest John” and “Uncle John”.
In the later months of 1885 74-year-old John became ill and was bedridden. On October 21, 1885 John died of kidney failure. He is buried beside his wife Elizabeth at St. Peter’s Cemetery.
His death was felt throughout the burgeoning city of Hoboken, where the US flag was flown at half-mast in front of the city hall.
In an obituary the Hudson County Democrat-Advertiser remarked that John was “one of the old citizens and was known and esteemed throughout the city, and the Jersey City Argus stated simply “he was an old resident and a good one.”
In a special meeting of the Board of Water Commissioners on October 23, a resolution was passed declaring “testimony to the nobility of character and the unvarying kindness of our deceased friend.”
The Evening News and Hoboken, published in 1893, described John as “a man of large charity and much beloved as a citizen and neighbor.”
John moved around quite a bit. His address in 1873-5 was 348 Willow St, Ho boken. In 1876 it was Sixth and Meadow. In 1877 it was 432 Garden. In 1878 it was 446 Garden. In 1882-4 it was 384 Bloomfield, and in 1885 it was 36 10th St.
At the time of his death, John owned a residence in NYC on 45th St. between 9th and 10th streets.
John had a horse and carriage in a shed in Hoboken. He also had about $3000 dollars in three separate banks, two in Hoboken and one in NYC. He left his estate to his children.
Sources
Hudson County Will: PB1885 04587 and 04588. |
McDermott 
