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Hugh Thomas Sweeney

 

Hugh Thomas Sweeney, 1890

 

Born: 9 Apr 1867, Porter Township, Rock Co., Wisconsin

 

Parents: Miles George Sweeney and Mary McGlen

 

Siblings: Miles Glynn (1850-1938), Catherine “Kate” (1854-1948), Mary (1855-1928), Daniel (1859-1940), James Francis (1861-1939), Charles Edward (1864-1941), Matthew (1870-1870), Katherine Anna (1871-1882), John M.(1874-1961)

 

Marriage: to Mary Frances Joyce 1/28/1890 Edgerton, WI

 

 

 

Marriage announcement in Edgerton newspaper:
In St. Joseph’s Church, Edgerton, Jan. 28th, 1890, by the Rev. J.F. Bowe, Mr. Hugh Sweeney, of Porter and Miss Mary Joyce, of Stebbinsville were joined in the holy bonds of matrimony. Both bride and groom are well known and highly respected. Miss Katie Joyce, sister of the bride, filled the capacity of bridesmaid, while Mr. W.F. Flarity acted as best man. After the ceremony the happy couple was tendered a reception at the home of the bride’s parents. The occasion will long be remembered as a happy one, while all their friends unite in wishing them a long life of unalloyed happiness.

 

Love notes from Hugh to Mary

     Love drew your image on my heart of hearts and memory, preserves it beautiful

 

“When the distant sun is setting, and you mind from care is free, if of loved ones you are thinking, don’t forget to think of me.”     

              

        “Some are bound by iron, and some by leather; by strong ties of love, we are bound together”

 

Occupation: Tobacco farmer

 

Children: Hazel Agnes,  George H.,  Paul E.,  Mary Magdaline and Katherine Elizabeth (twins, died less than one month of age),  Miles Clement “Mick”,  Alice Genevieve,  Ruth Veronica,  Anna Gwendolyn,  Marie

        Sweeney family circa 1908

                                         Back row L-R: Paul, George, Miles                                 

                 Front row: Hazel, Ruth, Hugh, Gwendolyn, Mary and Alice  (Marie not born yet)   

               

Death: 13 Aug 1947 of bowel cancer. Had colectomy (bowel resection) surgery Jan. 1946.  Buried: Edgerton, WI, St. Joseph’s Catholic Cemetary

 

Obituary Edgerton Tobacco Reporter, 8/21/1947:
Hugh Thomas Sweeney, 80, a life-long resident of Rock county, died Wednesday afternoon in the home of his son, Postmaster Paul E. Sweeney, after being in failing health for the past two years.
   A well-known figure to tobacco dealers in Southern Wisconsin, Mr. Sweeney was born April 9, 1867, in the town of porter, the son of Mary McGlynn and Miles Sweeney. In 1890 he married Mary Frances Joyce at Edgerton. She died in October, 1937. The earlier years of his life were spent in farming, and in later years he became familiar as a leaf tobacco dealer in Edgerton. He was a member of the Holy Name society.
   Survivors include a brother, John, and a sister, Mrs. Kate Hyland, both of Edgerton; three sons, Chief of Police George Sweeney and Postmaster Paul E. Sweeney, both of Edgerton and Sheriff Miles C. Sweeney of Janesville; five daughters, Mrs. Albert Dampman, Evanston, Ill; Mrs. William Mills, Janesville; Mrs. Rolf Quisling, Mrs. Jean Harvey and Mrs. Perry Fess,  of Madison. Twin daughters were born to the couple and died in infancy. Fourteen grandchildren survive, and one great grandchild.
   The funeral was held at 9 a.m. Saturday in St. Joseph’s Catholic church with the Revs. Brill and Sweeney officiating. The rosary was recited at 8 p.m. Friday.

 

 

Notes from daughter, Marie Sweeney Quisling:

Hugh Thomas Sweeney, the ninth child of Miles George and Mary mcGlynn Sweeney, was born April 9th, 1867 in Union township, Rock Co, WI. There were lots of chores to do and much competition in their large family. They had their own baseball team and dance school at home. They must have given up on Hugh’s dance ability as he was a very poor dancer, nor could he carry a tune. Strange that he enjoyed music so much. He loved horses and they’d have races in the field when their father wasn’t looking. Of course their Dad would see the dust rolling up in the field and knew what was going on. Hugh attended Union grade school and then Methodist Academy at Evansville. He was especially good at mathematics so his father sent him to Albion Academy in Edgerton. It was operated by the Baptists. He rode a horse to the school everyday. I believe this was about 1884. After his stint there, he went to work for the C.M. St. Paul railroad out of Minneapolis. He’d stay in Minneapolis overnight and come home via Leyden Station and walk home from there. Many times he’d catch a ride with someone who had come in to visit a relative in the area of his home. Then too, it was customary for farmers to stop at the Leyden station to see if someone might have come in unannounced and might be waiting for a ride. It didn’t make any difference whether or not he knew him.

Some of the notes Hugh wrote to Mary Francis Joyce while he was in Minneapolis are contained in this history. Her parents, the Michael Joyces, lived in Stebbensville, not far from the Sweeneys. They met at St. Michaels church functions and the Town Hall dances, the social life of the community. They were wed at St. Joseph’s church Jan 28, 1890. They lived on farms at Hanerville, Stebbinsville (1897-1900), Cooksville (1902-1903) and Edgerton (1903-1926).

Hugh purchased the Biederman farm west of Edgerton (town of Albion). It was a large farm and managed to keep everyone of us busy. The land was divided by the highway so that the homesite was in Dane county and the other acreage was in Rock Co. Since we lived on the Dane County side, the Edgerton school system charged us $36 a semester per child to attend school there. As a result, until 1907, the children went to the red brick school and then to Edgerton High School. Alice, Ruth, Gwen and I attended Edgerton grade school as well. I’ve always wished I could have gone to that one room “Red Brick School” (Marie was born in 1910).

We raised quantities of tobacco. It was a good money crop, but required too much hand labor. One year we had 42 acres of that back breaking crop under cultivation. That meant every plant had to be hoed by hand and that same year a hard frost early in Sept. took about seven acres of the field. With a lot of pressure from mother, Dad reduced the tobacco acreage and spent his time buying tobacco. He enjoyed that game of tobacco buying. It was a big race to see who could get to the farmers first and sew up a purchase contract. A few were perpetual customers and he’d leave them for the last stops and have coffee and lots of conversation; then on to his warehouse.

All tobacco ends up in York, PA for processing, and Dad would go out there when his was shipped. I think it was like a buyers convention. Anyway, he was there when his Edgerton warehouse burned to the ground. This was after many farmers had delivered their bundles of tobacco. They had not received their checks as Dad always took care of that himself. The fire insurance on the warehouse was 5 days overdue and his agent, Henry Johnson, hadn’t sent in the payment for him. The notice had come after Dad left for PA.  Now of course there is a 30 day grace period, and we paid everyone of those farmers on the strength of their weight slip duplicates. This made a big hole in his finances and necessitated his mortgaging the farm. His brother, C.E. Sweeney held the mortgage and forclosed on him in 1926 when Dad could not pay the balance due from 1925.  The really bad part of this whole thing was that mother had never been told about this mortgage as Dad didn’t want to worry her about his finances. Then Charlie (C.E.) came to tell her she’d have to move or they could stay and leave the farm. She told him that she’d rather deal with a snake and that there would be no further business dealings with him. They realized enough from the auction to buy the Nichols home in Edgerton. This was a good move and turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Dad continued buying tobacco for eastern firms and lived next door to two of his old “tobacco friends”. Mary was close to church and could be active in its social circles. She had many more conveniences and a smaller house to clean. She missed her farm friends who belonged to the Larken Club, but they but they wanted her to stay in the club so she entertained them once a month. The day the club met in the country Dad would take her there at noon and pick her up at 5 o’clock. It was interesting to hear the difference between this group and the St. Pose Society church group. The latter being more formal probably because they really didn’t know each other well like the farm women did. The farm girls knew each others problems and joys and accepted people as they were.

There never seemed to be any bitterness about the foreclosure and one time after mother died, I talked with Dad about that. He said, “I learned a long time ago not to spend myself being unhappy. Envy, hate, jealousness, bitterness are things that destroy you - not the person they are vented on.” Very sagacious, wasn’t he?

Dad had some favorite sayings, including: “The only place you start at the top is in digging a hole”, and “Mistakes and failures are learning processes. Once made we must be smart enough to make them work for us”.

One time when we were on the farm, the Klansman came out and lighted a cross in our front yard. I remember clinging to mother because she was upset. It must have scared her half to death to see Dad go out of the front door with a shot gun in hand. He said, ” I’d hide under a sheet too, if I were doing what you are doing. I know every one of you. Now take that cross down and take it with you before I start blasting away.”  They took the thing down and left. We never had anymore trouble with the Klan. Mother said that she didn’t know that there weren’t any shells in the gun, but that she knew what it was to be terrified by the thought of his spending his life in prison for shooting a bunch of hooded Klansmen.

Dad enjoyed people and had many friends because he was a friend. He loved a good joke and laughed a lot but would never tell a dirty story nor laugh at one. He’d just go on and talk about something else or talk about something funny that had happened.

Corn husking was done by hand in those days, and I remember Dad sewing up those cracked fingers  with a needle and white linen thread. Then he’d apply some Carbo - salve - and tie a white handkerchief around the hand. In the morning he’d put on his clean canvas gloves and go at husking again. He was tough as nails when something happened to him, but he’d faint at the sight of blood if one of us got hurt. Paul cut the end of his finger almost off and mother said “Hugh, soak that cloth in salt water and wrap it” - and before she could even finish her sentence he was on the floor. By the time she got it wrapped he came to and he drove Paul to the Doctor. The finger never gave Paul any trouble.

In his late years, Dad developed cancer of the bowel which necessitated a colostomy. He was embarrassed by this contraption and didn’t want to go to play cards, etc. After a few short sessions and a few tricks on the care of it and himself, he got along fine. He’d say, ‘I’m going down to the office”, which meant he’d be at Fritzke’s Cigar Store playing cards and shooting the breeze with his cronies.

When Rolf (Marie’s husband) left to go overseas, the children and I lived with Dad. He had adjusted to being a widower and had come from only being able to boil water to roasting a chicken or a ham, but welcomed someone to cook and clean for him. He had lost a lot of the old spirit but still insisted on putting up storm windows in the fall and would not let anyone else do it. He had a coal fired hot air furnace system which was always in need of attention of some kind - firing up or dampering down. The 5:00 a.m. coal feeding I hated, but I didn’t want Dad to do that. I was afraid that he’d fall down the stairs. We weathered that fall of 1945, but we had to go back to Madison for Patricia’s birth on March 11, 1946. I felt so guilty leaving Dad but he would not move in with us. He’d come up weekends sometimes, but not often. He had had a few blackouts when we were with him in Edgerton, and he had to give up his car. After a conference, it was decided to ask him to take an apartment at Paul and Gert’s, which he reluctantly did. They took good care of him and always invited him to their social things. He was active and very mentally alert until about 10 days before his death. The cancer went into his liver and caused him much pain. Bill Sweeney had just come home from the Navy, where he was a Med Corpsman, and he gave Dad shots and bathed him. Ruth and I stayed with him the last few says of his illness. He died at Paul’s on Aug. 13, 1947 and was buried in St. Joseph Cemetery, Edgerton, WI. I remember that Rolf , my second child, felt very cheated because he could not be at Grandpa’s funeral. Rolf was just recovering from the red measles. They had been able to play a lot with Gramps while we lived with him. John Hugh was at kindergarten in the morning so didn’t get as much time with grandpa. He went with me to see “where they put him.”

In my brother George’s notes these things were written about H.T. Sweeney: Doc Johnson - Vet “He was the most reliable man I knew”; Ben Springers, Police Chief at Edgerton for years, said ” He was a very loyal friend who respected confidences.”

 

Granddaughter Jackie recalls a lovely home and good food when she stayed with Grandpa Hugh and Grandma Mary. Grandpa Hugh came to the prom when she and her now-husband Gene were prom king and queen. She recalls dancing with him at the prom on May 5th, 1944. She rode with him in his Model T 4-door to a baseball game or just for fun for a ride. Jackie recalls walking into town while still under the age of 6 or 7 to go to the cigar store to buy an ice-cream lollypop. But first she had to go to the back room and beg grandpa for a cigar store “chip” to pay for the treat. He always seemed to get a kick out of that. If the men were playing cards, the room was often quite smokey from cigars.
When Hugh was younger he harness raced at Race track Park in Edgerton, which was just a short distance from the farm they owned.

Marie recalls that he loved talking about his race horses, especially about El Paso, a mudder (meant to run on muddy tracks). He’d go on about how he bought him for less than the silver cost that he had brought home for mother. He was in El Paso on a tobacco trip and I suspect got him for a gambeling debt. He’d talk about “Big Red” with the same enthusiasm, but the one that could run on a muddy track got his vote, I think. One called “Johnny S. could run like a deer, but could not run any distance. Most of the tobacco men had race horses but only Conway and Dad drove their own sulkies (two wheeled cart like a chariot used to harness race). Most of the racing was done at the county fairs and at the Irish Picnic which was a gala affair in Edgerton. People dressed up like they were at Churchill Downs. Ike Spike Jr. used to tell about the horses and races when I’d bring my ponies into his stable for care during my school day. He’d tell about knowing which horse was Hugh’s by how shiny it’s harness was. On the way home, I’d pretend my ponies were race horses and they would really get put through their paces.  Mr. Spike was so good to those horses left in his stable. He must have loved them too. The only thng I remember about the race horses was that Gwen and I cleaned the harnesses.

 

 Bank statement deposits for farm in 1927

 

 

Census:

1930 U.S Census, Rock Co, Edgerton, Fulton Township:

Hugh T., head, owned home, value 3300, does not live on farm; white male, age 61, married, married at age 21, able to read and write. Born WI, father and mother born Irish Free State. Employed as laborer at “job warehouse”, not a veteran. Mary F., wife, white female, age 61, married at age 21, able to read and write. Born WI, mother and father born Irish Free State. Marie, daughter, age 19, single, attended school in last year. Born WI, not currently employed.
Ruth E., daughter, age 21, single, attended school within past year, born WI. Not employed.

 

1920 U.S. Census, Dane Co, Albion Township (listed as Sweeny, not Sweeney): (enumerated 1/1/1920)
Hugh T., head, owns home with mortgage, white male age 50, married, farmer on “general” farm (owns).
Mary E. wife, age 50, Paul E., son age 22; Miles G, son, age 14; Alice G, daughter, age 17; Ruth B. daughter, age 14; Ana G daughter, age 11; Marie J. daughter, age 9.

 

1910 U.S Census, Dane Co, Albion Township: (April 27th)
Hugh T. Sweeney, head of house, married, white male, age 43. Married 20 years. Born WI, both parents born Ireland. Tobacco dealer. Owns home, no mortgage.
Mary F., wife, age 41, 9 children born, 7 alive. Born WI, parents born in Ireland. George H., son, 18 years old, single.; Hazel A., daughter, age 16; Paul E. son, age 14; Miles C., son age 10; Alice G. daughter, age 7, Ruth, daughter, age 5, Anna G., daughter, age 2
Kathreen Joyce, mother-in-law, age 85, born Irish free state, 5 children born, 3 alive, emigrated 1865, blind

 

1905 WI state census, Dane county, Albion:
Hugh F. Sweeney, age 38, borm WI, parents born Ireland, farmer
Mary, wife, age 37
George, age 13
Hazel, age 11
Paul, 9
Miles, 5
Alice, 3
Ruth, 6 months
Catharine Joice, mother-in-law, age 69, born Ireland

 

1900 U.S. census, Dane Co, Township of Dunkirk: (6/1/1900)
Hugh Sweeney, head, born April 1867, age 33, married 10 years, born WI, parents born Ireland, farmer, can read and write, owns farm with mortgage. Mary, wife, born Dec 1869, age 30, married 10 years, 6 children born with 4 living, born WI, parents born Ireland; George, son born Oct 1891, age 8 born Wi; Hazel daughter born Mar 1894, age 6; Paul son, born Feb 1896, age 4; Miles son, born Mar 1900, age 2 months; Kate Joice, in-law, female born Jan 1840, age 60, married 36 years, 4 children born, 3 alive. Born in Ireland, both parents born in Ireland. 3 servants.

 

1890 census destroyed by fire

 

1880 Census, WI Rock Co, Porter Township:
Miles age 53, married farmer, born Ireland; Mary age 48, keeping house, born Ireland; Daniel age 21, farmer, born WI; James age 18; Charles age 16; Hugh age 12; Annie age 9, John age 5.

 

1870 Census, WI Rock Co, Porter Township: enumerated 6/1/1870
Miles (looks like age 49, but should be 46), farming, value of  Real Estate $1600, value of personal estate $800, born Ireland, both parents of foreign birth, column marked as unable to read or write; Mary, age 35 (should be 40), keeping house, born Ireland, parents of foreign birth, unable to read/write; Miles age 20, at home, (all children able to read and write); Mary age 15; Daniel age 10; James age 7; Charles age5; Hugh age 3.

 

Hugh age 16, picture dated 1883

 

Sweeney family circa early 1940’s

Back Row, L-R: Fred Harvey, Bill Mills, Gwendolyn Mills, Ruth Sweeney Harvey, Hazel Sweeney Dampman, Jerry Mills

Sitting: Perry Fess, unknown female, Hugh Sweeney, Alice Sweeney Fess, Jackie Mills, Al Dampman and daughter Ann

Notice photos on mantle of daughter Marie and son-law, Ralph Quisling (in service)

 

Brothers Hugh, Charles, James and Miles

 

 Hugh and Mary, circa early 1930’s

 

Hugh and grandson Jerry Mills sitting on Hugh’s front porch on the 4th of July, circa 1936/37

 

 

Hugh Sweeney’s farm, on Dane and Rock Co. line, WI  You can see Race Track Park from the farm. Photo 10/2004

 

Home on N. Washington St., Edgerton,  Hugh and Mary moved to after leaving the farm.

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