John W McNamara
- Born
- 1 Jan 1831
- Died
- 10 May 1900
- Gender
- Male
- Place of migration
- Migrated to/Born in USA
Father may have been named James, a farmer.
John and Ann left County Clare Ireland in 1840s due to potato famine and went to Scotland before Mary and James were born. They were married on 29 April 1851 at St Andrews Church in Rothsay, a town on the island of Bede (Bute), just west of Glasgow, Scotland.
They had 2 children (Mary and Catherine) and were expecting a third (James) when they left Scotland. One daughter, Catherine, 1 year, died during the crossing and was buried at sea.
They first came to NYC on July 31, 1855 on a ship called the Andrew Foster. The trip took 5 weeks. James was born in Scotland in 1855 and Thomas was born in NY in Feb 1857. They landed in NY with $3 in their pocket. Anna took on boarders while in NYC to save money to get to Iowa. She is reputed to be the spark of the family and was an outstanding woman with enormous energy. She worked in the fields with her husband, the older children watching the younger. They homesteaded south of Prairieburg. In the end they owned over 1,000 acres. (From McNamara's of Northeast Iowa-Wahlert published 2005)
John W. McNamara
1830–1900
BIRTH ABT. 1830 • County Clare, Ireland
DEATH 10 MAY 1900 • Prairieburg, Linn, Iowa, United States
