MICHAEL KILROY.
The present sketch presents briefly the salient points of the biography of one of the representative farmers and stock-raisers of West Oak Precinct, where, on section 16, lies a beautiful farm comprising 320 acres, in as fine condition and as fully supplied with the multitudinous details indispensable to efficiency in farming and stock-raising as any of its neighbors. This property is owned by our subject. The father of Michael Kilroy, whose given name was Peter, was born in County Sligo, Ireland, upon Easter Sunday of 1814. In the schools of that county he received his education, and afterward gave his time to the mastery of the mysteries of milling, as restricted in that county to the manufacture of flour. In the year 1836 he left his home and the green Isle of Erin, emigrated to America, and settled in Oswego, N. Y., where he followed his old occupation of miller. He was a resident of that place at the time of the great fire, shortly after which he entered into the wholesale grocery business in the same city, and continued until 1857. In that year, accompanied by his family, he went to St. Paul, Minn., purchasing an extensive farm, which he continued to work with much prosperity until 1872, when he retired and took up his residence in the city, and left his youngest son and daughter to carry on the farm.
Peter Kilroy, while a resident at Oswego, and at the age of twenty-three years, was united with Bridget McGinty, who was born in County Mayo. Their family included nine children, seven of whom it was their privilege to bring to maturity. Both the father and mother of our subject are still living, and considering their age are enjoying good health. They have always been earnest, consistent members of the Catholic Church. Miss Bridget McGinty came to this country from Ireland in 1816, when she was eighteen years of age, took up her residence at Oswego, and it was during this period that she met and was united to her husband. Her father, John McGinty, followed the occupation of farming in his native country.
Our subject was born March 28, 1847, at Oswego, N. Y., and the third child born to Mr. and Mrs. Kilroy. His education was received in the Oswego schools, where he was enabled to lay a firm foundation which to rear the various undertakings of his future life. After passing through the classes of these institutions he spent some time at Council Bluffs, where he attended and was graduated from the Business College. The next eighteen years were spent upon the road as salesman for the firm of the Chicago Company. His duties in this relation took him all through, and made him perfectly familiar with Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Nebraska, Msssouri (sic) and Kansas. Seeing so much of the conditions of life in these States, he was enabled to more intelligently select his farm when he determined to follow that occupation. The result was his location upon the property where he now resides, which he purchased in the year 1880.
It was not until the year 1886 that our subject entirely severed his connection with the firm for which he had been traveling, and left the road for the more quiet and restful life at the farm. Our subject has devoted himself with enthusiasm and energy to the work of improving his property, and the various works and buildings thereon are the result of his own efforts, and in the main the work of his own hands. He is devoting much attention to the raising and culture of all kinds of trees, both useful and ornamental. He has already over 1,000 apple trees of excellent grade and variety, and about 500 others, including plum and cherry trees. This year he has added to the already extensive and finely selected collection of forest trees over 2,000 new ones, all of them thrifty and in excellent condition. From the time of his purchasing this property our subject has been unremitting in his efforts for the improvement of his farm, and not only his orchard and grove, but the fields, testify to the care and labor bestowed. Amid the various duties and responsibilities devolving upon him in connection with the above he still finds abundant time to devote to the interests of stock-raising, in which he is extensively engaged and takes much pleasure, bringing to bear upon this department as upon the others the full vigor of his thought and benefit of his experience
When sixteen years of age our subject enlisted, but his father entered strong objections to his continuing in the service, and after seven months he was withdrawn. During this time he was connected with Company H of Hatches' Battalion, under Gen. Sibley, and the greater part of it was on duty at Ft. Snelling, but saw considerable of active service in other districts. The political sympathies of Mr. Kilroy are with the Democratic party, and although he has not been hitherto prominent before the State in the political arena, his well-known character, ability and intellectual force would seem to indicate that he has yet to be heard from in this regard. He continues his allegiance to the faith in which he was reared, and is a member of the Catholic Church and in good standing. Whether we consider Mr. Kilroy as a businessman, farmer or stock-raiser, whether we view him in his domestic relations or as a man and citizen, it is only just to him and to his fellow-citizens to say that he is the recipient of the highest possible regard of the entire community.
