The Ahern Family of Lyon County, Minnesota

PHILIP P. AHERN (1883) is one of the old residents of Taunton and has been prominent in business and social circles in that village. He has served as president of the Village Council ever since Taunton was incorporated in the spring of 1900. Mr. Ahern is local manager of the C. M. Youmans Lumber Company and is interested in other lines of business.

Mr. Ahern was born in Springfield, Illinois, September 22, 18 67. When he was seventeen years of age, in 1883, he moved with his parents to Lyon county, and until he was twenty-three years old he lived with them on the farm on the west half of section 8, Eidsvold township, just north of Taunton station. Then he located in the little village and for seventeen years bought grain for O. L. Marfield, of Winona. After July, 1898, he also had the management of the C. M. Youmans Lumber Company's yard and elevator, an assistant looking after the grain department until he gave up that part of the business in 1905. Since that time Mr. Ahern has given his time to the management of the lumber yard.

In other lines of business Mr. Ahern has been interested. In the spring of 1895 he was one of the organizers of the Mutual Elevator Company, served as its secretary three years, and then severed his connection with the company. He is vice president of the State Bank of Taunton and owns a quarter section of land on section 5, Eidsvold. Mr. Ahern is a member of the

Knights of Columbus and Modern Woodmen lodges.

Philip Ahern is a son of the late Garrett Ahern and Catherine { Brown) Ahern, natives of Ireland. The father came to America about 18 55, the mother a short time later, and they were married at Springfield, Illinois. They settled in Eidsvold township, Lyon county, in 1883, and in that precinct Mr. Ahern died in 1899, at the age of sixty-seven years. Mrs. Ahern lives on the old home farm with her son, J. J. Ahern. Our subject is the eldest of ten children in this family, the others being as follows: Josie, William, Ellen (Mrs. Thomas Welch), of Minneota; James J., Michael F., Catherine (Mrs. Morris Breen), of Minneapolis; Thomas, assistant cashier of the Farmers Bank of Hampden, North Dakota; Garrett F., of Montana; and Annie.

Philip P. Ahern was married at Minneota in June, 1894, to Catherine Salmon, who died July 3, 1905. As a result of this union a son, Philip, was born. The second marriage of Mr. Ahern occurred at Chatfield, Minnesota, to Agnes Moore, a native of that place. To them two children have been born, named Garrett and John.

As printed in the source¹. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.

WILLIAM C. AHERN (1884), farmer of Eidsvold township, has resided in that precinct since he was eleven years of age. He was born in Sangamon county, Illinois, May 6, 1873, and in 1884 he came with his parents to Lyon county. The father purchased land on section 8, Eidsvold, and eventually became the owner of the whole section.

William lived on the home farm until 1903, engaging with his brothers in its management after the father's death in 1896. In 1903 he was married and bought the northwest quarter of section 22 and forty acres on section 21. He moved to his new home, improved the place, and has since made his home there. Mr. Ahern served one term as a member of the township board.

Garrett and Kate (Brown) Ahern, the parents of our subject, were born in Ireland and came to America when children. They resided in Springfield, Sangamon county, Illinois, for many years and after 1884 in Lyon county. Garrett Ahern died on the farm November 27, 1896; his widow still lives on the home farm with her son James and two daughters. There were thirteen children in the family, of whom the following named ten are living: Philip P., of Taunton; Josie, Nell (Mrs. Thomas Walsh), of Fargo, North Dakota; William C, of this biography; James, who farms the home place; Mike F., cashier of the State bank Of Taunton; Katherine (Mrs. Maurice Breen), of Minneapolis; Thomas G., a banker, of Hampden, North Dakota; Garrett, a merchant of Taunton; and Annie, a school teacher.

William C. Ahern was married in Marshall June 10, 1903, to Mamie Breen, a native of Missouri and a daughter of John Breen, cue of the prominent farmers of Westerheim township. Mr. and Mrs. Ahern have five children:. Margaret, Lucile, Evelyn, Joseph and Eleanor.

As printed in the source¹. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.

JAMES J. AHERN (18S2), of Eidsvold township, has been a resident of Lyon county thirty years, since he was eight years of age. He farms 400 acres of the 560 acres of his father's estate, the home place being on the southwest quarter of section 8, adjoining the village of Taunton.

Mr. Ahern is a son of the late Garrett Ahem and Kate (Brown) Ahern. The parents came from Ireland and were early settlers of Illinois. They came to Lyon county in 1882 and took up their residence in Eidsvold township. The father died in 1897 and the mother now makes her home with the subject of this review.

To these parents, in Sangamon county, Illinois, on October 9, 1874, James J. Ahern was born. In 1882 he came with the family to Lyon county, and his home has ever since been in Eidsvold township. He assisted in the management of the home farm until 1903 and since that time he has had full charge.

Mr. Ahern is a member of the Catholic church of Minneota, of the Knights of Columbus lodge of Marshall, and of the Modern Woodmen lodge of Taunton. Of the last named he is one of the managers. Mr. Ahern is not married. His brothers and sisters are Garrett, Philip P. and Michael, of Taunton; Thomas, of Hampden, North Dakota; William, of Eidsvold township; Josie and Nance, who live at home; Nellie (Mrs. Thomas Walsh), of Fargo, North Dakota; and Katherine (Mrs. M. J. Breen), of Minneapolis.

As printed in the source¹. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.

MICHAEL F. AHERN (1883) is cashier of the State Bank of Taunton and one of the prominent citizens of that village. He owns an elegant home in Taunton and 480 acres of Lyon county soil. For the past six years he has been treasurer of the village.

Mr. Ahern is a native of Springfield, Illinois, and was born September 15, 1876. When a child, in 1883, he came to Lyon county with his parents and lived on the farm on section 8, Eidsvold, until fifteen years old. During the next four years he was a student of the Marshall school and then for three years was manager of the Western Elevator Company at Taunton. He spent three years as assistant cashier of the Farmers 8c Merchants Bank of Minneota and then in 1905 organized the State Bank of Taunton, of which he has since been cashier.

Mr. Ahern married Alice G. Langan at Minneota on June 27, 1906. She is a native of Westerheim township and is the daughter of Pat Langan, one of the early settlers of that precinct. Mr. and Mrs. Ahern have three daughters: Genevieve, Catherine and Dorothy. Our subject is a member of the Knights of Columbus, Catholic Order of Foresters and Modern Woodmen lodges.

The parents of Mr. Ahern, Garrett A. and Catherine A. (Brown) Ahern, came from Ireland in the fifties and were married in Illinois. They came to Lyon county in 1883 and he died on the farm in Eidsvold in 1899, at the age of sixty-seven years. Mrs. Ahern lives with a son on the Eidsvold farm. In the family are the following named ten children: Philip P., of Taunton; Josie, William, Ellen (Mrs. Thomas Welch), of Minneota; James J., Michael F., of this review; Catherine (Mrs. Morris Breen), of Minneapolis; Thomas, assistant cashier of the Farmers Bank of Hampden, North Dakota; Garrett F., of Montana; and Annie.

As printed in the source¹. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.

GARRETT F. AHERN (1884) is associated with Henry Scheweyen in a general store in Taunton. The firm handles dry goods, groceries, shoes and notions, and has been receiving a liberal patronage.

Mr. Ahern is a Lyon county boy, having been born and brought up in Eidsvold township. He first saw the light of day February 27, 1884, and is a son of Garrett and Katherine (Brown) Ahern, early settlers of the county. Garrett in his early youth attended the country school in Eidsvold and at the age of eighteen entered the Minneota High School for a one year's course. Later he spent one year in Mankato attending the commercial college.

Our subject's first employment after finishing school was with a railroad contracting firm of Chicago, where he remained one year. He next spent a year each at Goodwin and South Shore, in South Dakota, in the employ of local banks. Moving to Karinen, South Dakota, Garrett first went into business for himself, conducting a general store two years. In September, 1911, he returned to Taunton, and in company with his present partner bought the J. F. Shimek stock of general merchandise.

Mr. Ahern is a member of the Catholic church of Minneota, and fraternally he is associated with the Knights of Columbus and the Modern Woodmen lodges.

As printed in the source¹. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.