Obit: Sharpe, Moore Irwin Patrick May 22, 1922
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Ireland Genealogy Projects Archives
Monaghan Index
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File contributed by: Erlene Best Erlene@Bestclan.net May 6,
2011, 12:33 pm
Perry, Iowa Newspaper (USA)
Obit for Moore Irwin Patrick Sharpe
In Memory
M. I. Sharpe
Moore Irwin Sharpe was born in Monegan County, Ireland,
August 10th 1840, and died at his home, 416 South Third
Street, Perry, Iowa, Friday, May 12th, 1922, aged 81 years,
9 months and 2 days. He came to America when a young man 18
years of age, in company with his brother, William, who was
two years older, and began his life in this new land of
opportunity assisted by no one. Locating at Mercersburg,
Pennsylvania, he at once entered upon and later completed a
three years' apprenticeship in what was then known as
carriage blacksmithing. In this vocation he acquired much
skills, and for fifty years followed it never finding
himself without employment.
On August 12th 1872, he was married to Catherine Rebecca
Johnson, at St. Thomas, Pennsylvania, and to this union
there were born nine children, all of whom are living.
They are: Attorney James J. Sharpe, Hampton, Iowa; Annie E
Sharpe, a school teacher, Akron, Iowa; William Sharpe,
Auditor Allied Chemical and Dye Corporation, New York City;
Mrs. Carl Bremmer, Ft Dodge, Iowa; Mrs. Emma K Robinson,
principal Lincoln School, Perry, Iowa;, Stewart Sharpe
Probate Judge, Delmont in South Dakota, Mrs. Harry Coleman,
Superior, Iowa; Alfred L Sharpe, a mechanic, Shakopee,
Minnesota; and John L Sharpe, Chief Clerk Auditing
Department Illinois.
There are also two brothers and two sisters surviving, Joe
Sharpe, Devils Lake, North Dakota and Samuel Sharpe, Mrs.
Margaret J Wilson and Mrs. Elizabeth Stockdale, Hampton,
Iowa; twenty eight grandchildren and one great grandchild
survive him. His beloved wife passed away November 5th,
1919 and since then his daughter, Mrs. Emma K Robinson has
been caring for the home in Perry.
All of the nine children are present at the last sad rites,
except William, who has been very sick at his home in New
York and is still under the doctor's care. Mrs. Elizabeth
Stockdale and two of her sons, Howard and Jesse, were
present from Hampton, Iowa; Mr. Carl Bremmer and three of
their children, from Ft Doge; Mrs. John Sharpe from Chicago;
and Mr. Harry Coleman, from Superior, were also present.
Mr. Sharpe was connected with Frick Shops at Waynesboro,
Pennsylvania soon after his marriage and remained in their
employ until he came west in 1885, when he settled at Iowa
Falls, Iowa. There he was employed by the old Burlington,
Cedar Rapids & Northern Railway Company and for 28 years
worked for that company and the Chicago, Rock Island &
Pacific at Iowa Falls and Des Moines. About ten year ago he
reti4red and has since been living at Perry, Iowa.
Seven of the nine children were graduated from the high
school at Iowa Falls, Iowa, another from the high school at
Hampton, Iowa, one continued his education at the State
University of Iowa, another at State University of South
Dakota and still other at Cedar Falls Normal College, Drake
University and other higher institutions of learning. Most
of the children have taught school at one time or another.
Mr. Sharpe firmly believed in the value of education and
denied himself many of the luxuries of life in order to keep
his children in school and college.
At the same time he impressed upon them the importance of
not being afraid of work. He always insisted, in season and
out of season, that a practical education is of more worth
than a legacy of great wealth, giving them something with
which to fight the battles of life. He taught them to do
right and to be true and to uphold the dignity of labor.
The children, in turn, appreciated what father and mother
died for them and for the educational opportunities they
sacrificed so much to give them.
Mr. Sharpe was highly respected and much esteemed by all who
knew him. He was a life-long member of the Presbyterian
Church, and as a laymen he did what he could to extend the
Kingdom of Chris on Earth. He made a careful and constant
study of the Holy Scriptures; was an active member of the
Union Gospel Team last winter, going out with it at his
advances age, and taking active part in its work as an
exhorter; he endeavored by precept and example to follow the
footsteps of Christ.
Additional Comments:
story written about Moore Irwin Patrick Sharpe:
My Father
My father, Patrick Moore, Irwin Sharpe, was born 10 Aug 1840
in Moaghan County, Northern Ireland, the son of James Joseph
Sharpe (1813-1888) and Elizabeth Irwin (Sharpe) (1819-1884).
Father's clan of Sharpes originated in Scotland and because
of the constant internal disorders between the Scots and the
Engish in which the various religious sects fought for
control, many of the Scots, particulary those of
Presbyterian Faith, found it necessary to leave Scotland to
save their lives. These Scots immigrated to the North part
of Ireland, among them the Sharpes.
Father told my brother John Sharpe many times that his
ancesty could be traced bck to Mary Stuart, the Queen of
Scotland. Stuart has been a family name (with variations in
the spelling to Sewart) for generations back. We are also
connected with the Moores and the Irwins, both Scotch and
Irish names. Thus father's name of Moore Irwin Sharpe were
family names.
Ten children were born of this family: Susan M (Parriott)
1837; William 1838; Patrick Moore Irwin, 10 Aug 1840; Emma
(Giggs) 1842; James 1846, (believed died in infancy);
Margaret Jane (Wilson) 1850; Jemina (or Jane or Marky Jane)
1856; Samuel Stewart 1858; Joseph James 1859; Elizabeth
(Stockdale) 1860.
Moore was educated in a school that taught Arithmetic and
Reading, base on the Bible, so he was an exceptional
student. Each student in school had to bring thier own peat
to school, otherwise they couldn't be near the stove to
keep warm, which was in the center of the classroom. They
only text books were the Bible and the arithmetic book. In
his earlier years, used to walk to Monaghan and carry his
shoes and socks with him and put them on when getting to
town as was the custom at the time.
Moore and two Aunts. One of them "Auntie Sharpe", possibly
Aunt Nancy, the wife of Stewart Sharpe, who were resideing
in a borough of Mercersburg, Pa.; according to the 1860
Census, gave him and his brother William, the necessary
funds in gold to purchase two 3rd class steerage tickets on
a boat sailing for American, the land rich in gold and full
of opportunities.
My sister Emma wrote, Jim Sharpe under date of 11 Nov 1918
at father's dictation, "that he left Dundalk Port Ireland,
Saturday, 8 May 1864 and sailed for Liverpool, England,
leaving there 18 May 1864, arriving at Philadelphia, Pa., 23
Jun 1864."
The potato famine in Ireland forced further immigration.
America, with it vast resources, offered opportunities for
these Irish and our clan of Sharpes went on move again, this
time to the States. It is believed most of this family came
to America before James Joseph and Elizabeth Sahrpe migrated
in 1872, James settling in Butler County, Iowa, then to
section 22 of Hamilton Townshipe, Franklin County, near
Hampton, Iowa, in 1875 where his son Joseph James had bought
had bought an eighty acre farm. They raised Durham Cattle,
having fifty head of stock, besides five horses and a graded
Norman horse. James was a presbyterian, a republican,
Elizabeth a member of the Reformed Presbyterian Church and
son Joseph a Presbyterian.
Back to Mercersburgh, Pennsylvania, where Moore and William
had come to live in the home of thier uncle Stewart Sharpe,
a person of great means, and wife Nancy, who were without
children, Stewart decied in 1864 to "bind them out" to learn
a trade, for three years of apprenticeship. Father was
"bound" to learn carriage blacksmithing and William to learn
the carpenter work required to making buggies. They were
set thus to work there in or near Mercersburg. The Civil
War was then on, in its last stages.
Now William did not exactly like the thing for some reason,
and after a while, he quit. He came to father one day,
maybe at a picnic, clothes in a package in his hand and
declared he was running away. He wanted father to go with
him the worst kind, but father refused and stuck it out,
learning his trade, and it was a good trade in those days,
and father became a skilled work man. Father once related
that a carriage commanded a price of $250.00. Apparently
Uncle Stewart figured that his two nephews could work
together and make these high priced carriages. Father was
leaning the trade when President Lincoln was shot (1865).
Since father was over 18 years of age, he had to be
naturalized. His declaration to become a citizen of the
United States was filed at Chambersburg, Franklin County,
Pennsylvania, 14 Dec 1870. He was sworn and admitted as a
citizen of the United States, according to a statement given
Jim Sharpe 15 Nov 1918, by W.S. Kolb, Prothonotary,
Chambersburg, Pennsylvania.
Incidentally, nothing was ever thereafter heard of Uncle
William, and what became of him, non of us ever found out.
Father thought he went to Georgia.
After father learned the trade, he worked at different
places: Mercersburg, Newville, New Castle, Waynesboro, Saint
Thomas. In Waynesboro, he worked in the Frick Machine Shope
and learned a trade that became very useful thru his entired
life. Mother told Jim Sharpe that father wore laundried
white linen pants, while at work in the blacksmith shop. In
or near St. Thomas, he worked for a similar proprietor.
Douglas S Sharpe,
(provided by Dale and Dean Sharpe, 2010) rewritten by Erlene
2010 and posted to the family tree.