Biography
B. 3 May 1846 in Ireland
M. 7 Jan 1867 in Henderson, Minnesota
Husband: Patrick McGuire
D. 14 Dec 1904 in Minneapolis, Minnesota
Mary Toole was born in an unknown part of Ireland on May 3, 1846 to Timothy Toole and Hanora Coleman, probably their oldest child. The young family lived through the potato famine and it's probably the reason Timothy left for America in December 1849. Hanora and Mary came over nearly 4 years later, arriving in July of 1853.
The Tooles settled in Ohio, possibly the Cincinnati area. It's believed that Mary didn't have an education, as she was illiterate. When she was an adolescent, the family moved to Sibley County, Minnesota and lived on a farm in the town of Green Isle, which was an Irish community. By this time, Mary had at least two siblings, a brother Thomas and a sister Margaret, both born in Ohio. There was also a family headed by a man named Dominick Toole who lived nearby; it's not known how Dominick was related to Timothy.
On January 7, 1867, Mary married an Irish immigrant named Patrick McGuire in Henderson, Minnesota. He was a widower with three children. The family lived in nearby Scott County at the time of the 1870 census. They were listed back in Green Isle in 1880. Mary had six children born between 1871 and 1881; two of them died young.
It was said that Mary's family often searched the roads for items that fell off of people's carts so they could resell the things at a profit. The family knew which roads near their farm had ruts and sharp turns, and did their collecting there.
In 1882, Mary's husband died, leaving her to try and manage the farm. She gave it up by about 1885 and moved to the city of Minneapolis, where her widowed mother was already living. Her two oldest girls took jobs. Mary was recorded in the 1893 city directory as having a job at a confectionery, the only time she appears to have worked.
Mary's daughters got married, but her son John did not. He was described as a "cripple" on the 1900 census, living with his mother, and was unemployed the entire year. He sometimes worked as a street peddler around this time. There's a family story that he was a triple amputee from an accident involving collecting coal near a train track.
In early winter of 1904, Mary died at the age of 58 of pneumonia. She was buried in St. Mary's Cemetery. The family trait of bargain hunting was passed on to some of Mary's descendants in the form of having a passion for garage sales and swap meets.
Children:
1. Julia A. McGuire ? B. 30 Mar 1871, Washington Lake, Minnesota; D. 18 May 1922, St. Paul, Minnesota; M. Louis Martin La Brie (1868-1911), 1 Jun 1891, Minneapolis, Minnesota
2. Margaret McGuire ? B. 7 Aug 1873, Washington Lake, Minnesota; D. 19 Oct 1923, Minneapolis, Minnesota; M. Harry Albert Whittaker (1873-?), about 1902
3. William McGuire ? B. 14 Aug 1874, Washington Lake, Minnesota; D. before 1880
4. John McGuire ? B. 19 Feb 1876, Washington Lake, Minnesota; D. after 1915
5. Alice McGuire ? B. 1 Apr 1879, Washington Lake, Minnesota; D. 1893, Sibley County, Minnesota
6. Johanna McGuire ? B. 3 Sep 1881, Washington Lake, Minnesota; M. William Henning (1877-~1904), 25 Apr 1899, Hennepin County, Minnesota
Sources:
Death certificate of Mary McGuire, Minneapolis, Minnesota, Dec 1904
Passenger list of the ship Queen of the West, 17 Dec 1849
Marriage certificate of Patrick McGuire and Mary Toole, Henderson, Minnesota, 7 Jan 1867
Declaration of Intent to become a U.S. Citizen of Hanora Toole, Sibley County, Minnesota, 16 Oct 1873
1870, 1880, 1900 and 1910 U.S. Census
1865 Minnesota State Census
City Directories for Minneapolis, 1887-1917
Interview of Hazel Swenson and Florence Maxwell, 1978
Birth certificate of Julia McGuire, 23 Jun 1871, Washington Lake, Minnesota
Death certificate of Julia La Brie, 19 May 1922, St. Paul, Minnesota
Marriage certificate of Louis La Brie and Julia McGuire, 2 Jun 1891, Minneapolis, Minnesota
"Ends Life in Cell at Rondo Station," St. Paul Pioneer Press, 5 Mar 1911
Death certificate of Margaret Whittaker, 22 Oct 1923, Minneapolis, Minnesota
World War I draft registration card index
Minnesota marriages index, 1849-1950
St. Brendan's cemetery inscriptions, Green Isle, Minnesota
Letter from Hazel Swenson, 30 May 1977, Minnesota
- Hung Himself In A Jail Cell ? Louis Martin La Brie
B. 6 Feb 1868 in Barron County, Wisconsin M. 1 Jun 1891 in Minneapolis, Minnesota Wife: Julia A. McGuire D. 4 Mar 1911 in Rondo Police Station, St. Paul, Minnesota There isn't much good to say about Louis Martin La Brie. He was born on February 6,...
- Setting Out Alone From Ireland ? Timothy Toole
B. Ireland M. Ireland Wife: Hanora Coleman D. before 1870 in (probably) Sibley County, Minnesota Emigrated: 14 Dec 1849 on the ship Queen of the West Timothy Toole (sometimes spelled Tool, O'Toole or McTool) was born in Ireland, but it's not known...
- The Man From County Wexford ? Martin Furlong
B. 12 Nov 1797 in County Wexford, Ireland M. (1) 15 Jun 1818 in Rathangan, Ireland Wife: Ellen Radford M. (2) about 1826 in (probably) County Wexford, Ireland Wife: Mary Butler D. 28 Jul 1889 in Pine Bend, Minnesota Emigrated: December 1851 on the ship...
- Naturalized Woman ? Hanora Coleman
B. about 1825 in Ireland M. before 1846 in Ireland Husband: Timothy Toole D. 2 Sep 1890 in Minneapolis, Minnesota Emigrated: July 1853 Hanora Coleman was born in about 1825 in an unknown part of Ireland; nothing is known about her childhood except that...
- The Battered Wife ? Julia A. Mcguire
B. 30 Mar 1871 in Green Isle, Minnesota M. 1 Jun 1891 in Minneapolis, Minnesota Husband: Louis La Brie D. 18 May 1922 in St. Paul, Minnesota Julia McGuire was born on March 30, 1871 in Green Isle, Minnesota to Patrick McGuire and Mary Toole. She was their...
Biography
The Bargain Hunting Gene ? Mary Toole
B. 3 May 1846 in Ireland
M. 7 Jan 1867 in Henderson, Minnesota
Husband: Patrick McGuire
D. 14 Dec 1904 in Minneapolis, Minnesota
Mary Toole was born in an unknown part of Ireland on May 3, 1846 to Timothy Toole and Hanora Coleman, probably their oldest child. The young family lived through the potato famine and it's probably the reason Timothy left for America in December 1849. Hanora and Mary came over nearly 4 years later, arriving in July of 1853.
The Tooles settled in Ohio, possibly the Cincinnati area. It's believed that Mary didn't have an education, as she was illiterate. When she was an adolescent, the family moved to Sibley County, Minnesota and lived on a farm in the town of Green Isle, which was an Irish community. By this time, Mary had at least two siblings, a brother Thomas and a sister Margaret, both born in Ohio. There was also a family headed by a man named Dominick Toole who lived nearby; it's not known how Dominick was related to Timothy.
On January 7, 1867, Mary married an Irish immigrant named Patrick McGuire in Henderson, Minnesota. He was a widower with three children. The family lived in nearby Scott County at the time of the 1870 census. They were listed back in Green Isle in 1880. Mary had six children born between 1871 and 1881; two of them died young.
It was said that Mary's family often searched the roads for items that fell off of people's carts so they could resell the things at a profit. The family knew which roads near their farm had ruts and sharp turns, and did their collecting there.
In 1882, Mary's husband died, leaving her to try and manage the farm. She gave it up by about 1885 and moved to the city of Minneapolis, where her widowed mother was already living. Her two oldest girls took jobs. Mary was recorded in the 1893 city directory as having a job at a confectionery, the only time she appears to have worked.
Mary's daughters got married, but her son John did not. He was described as a "cripple" on the 1900 census, living with his mother, and was unemployed the entire year. He sometimes worked as a street peddler around this time. There's a family story that he was a triple amputee from an accident involving collecting coal near a train track.
In early winter of 1904, Mary died at the age of 58 of pneumonia. She was buried in St. Mary's Cemetery. The family trait of bargain hunting was passed on to some of Mary's descendants in the form of having a passion for garage sales and swap meets.
Children:
1. Julia A. McGuire ? B. 30 Mar 1871, Washington Lake, Minnesota; D. 18 May 1922, St. Paul, Minnesota; M. Louis Martin La Brie (1868-1911), 1 Jun 1891, Minneapolis, Minnesota
2. Margaret McGuire ? B. 7 Aug 1873, Washington Lake, Minnesota; D. 19 Oct 1923, Minneapolis, Minnesota; M. Harry Albert Whittaker (1873-?), about 1902
3. William McGuire ? B. 14 Aug 1874, Washington Lake, Minnesota; D. before 1880
4. John McGuire ? B. 19 Feb 1876, Washington Lake, Minnesota; D. after 1915
5. Alice McGuire ? B. 1 Apr 1879, Washington Lake, Minnesota; D. 1893, Sibley County, Minnesota
6. Johanna McGuire ? B. 3 Sep 1881, Washington Lake, Minnesota; M. William Henning (1877-~1904), 25 Apr 1899, Hennepin County, Minnesota
Sources:
Death certificate of Mary McGuire, Minneapolis, Minnesota, Dec 1904
Passenger list of the ship Queen of the West, 17 Dec 1849
Marriage certificate of Patrick McGuire and Mary Toole, Henderson, Minnesota, 7 Jan 1867
Declaration of Intent to become a U.S. Citizen of Hanora Toole, Sibley County, Minnesota, 16 Oct 1873
1870, 1880, 1900 and 1910 U.S. Census
1865 Minnesota State Census
City Directories for Minneapolis, 1887-1917
Interview of Hazel Swenson and Florence Maxwell, 1978
Birth certificate of Julia McGuire, 23 Jun 1871, Washington Lake, Minnesota
Death certificate of Julia La Brie, 19 May 1922, St. Paul, Minnesota
Marriage certificate of Louis La Brie and Julia McGuire, 2 Jun 1891, Minneapolis, Minnesota
"Ends Life in Cell at Rondo Station," St. Paul Pioneer Press, 5 Mar 1911
Death certificate of Margaret Whittaker, 22 Oct 1923, Minneapolis, Minnesota
World War I draft registration card index
Minnesota marriages index, 1849-1950
St. Brendan's cemetery inscriptions, Green Isle, Minnesota
Letter from Hazel Swenson, 30 May 1977, Minnesota
- Hung Himself In A Jail Cell ? Louis Martin La Brie
B. 6 Feb 1868 in Barron County, Wisconsin M. 1 Jun 1891 in Minneapolis, Minnesota Wife: Julia A. McGuire D. 4 Mar 1911 in Rondo Police Station, St. Paul, Minnesota There isn't much good to say about Louis Martin La Brie. He was born on February 6,...
- Setting Out Alone From Ireland ? Timothy Toole
B. Ireland M. Ireland Wife: Hanora Coleman D. before 1870 in (probably) Sibley County, Minnesota Emigrated: 14 Dec 1849 on the ship Queen of the West Timothy Toole (sometimes spelled Tool, O'Toole or McTool) was born in Ireland, but it's not known...
- The Man From County Wexford ? Martin Furlong
B. 12 Nov 1797 in County Wexford, Ireland M. (1) 15 Jun 1818 in Rathangan, Ireland Wife: Ellen Radford M. (2) about 1826 in (probably) County Wexford, Ireland Wife: Mary Butler D. 28 Jul 1889 in Pine Bend, Minnesota Emigrated: December 1851 on the ship...
- Naturalized Woman ? Hanora Coleman
B. about 1825 in Ireland M. before 1846 in Ireland Husband: Timothy Toole D. 2 Sep 1890 in Minneapolis, Minnesota Emigrated: July 1853 Hanora Coleman was born in about 1825 in an unknown part of Ireland; nothing is known about her childhood except that...
- The Battered Wife ? Julia A. Mcguire
B. 30 Mar 1871 in Green Isle, Minnesota M. 1 Jun 1891 in Minneapolis, Minnesota Husband: Louis La Brie D. 18 May 1922 in St. Paul, Minnesota Julia McGuire was born on March 30, 1871 in Green Isle, Minnesota to Patrick McGuire and Mary Toole. She was their...