Page:History of Goodhue County, Minnesota.djvu/1001

 UlsToKY OF G00DH1 E I 01 ATV the Methodist Episcopal church at Goodhue. Fraternally .Mr Scovell is a member of .Mason lodge, of Elmore, and also of the Woodmen, of which he is treasurer. Politically he is a Repub- liciin and lias served five terms as mayor of the village. He has been treasurer of the school district since 1901. The Goodhue Telephone Company, in Goodhue, was organized by him and he was manager for a Dumber of years, until he sold out to Parkins Ov; Meyers, who now have 500 subscribers. Mr. Scovell occupies an important position both in business and social life, and he and his family are highly regarded throughout the community. It is to the men of his stamp that the county owes its financial and business stability. John O'Reilly has been a conspicuous figure in the life of Goodhue township for many years. He has served as town supervisor three different times, and has occupied a position on the school board for the past twenty years, being at the present time treasurer of district 37. At the organization of the Good- hue Farmers' Elevator in 1906 he was appointed manager and held that position for about a year. The Catholic Temperance Society will long remember him as one of its charter members, he being one of the six still living who w T ere present at the organ- ization in 1872. The others are : George and David Franklin, John Connell, Edward and George Row r les. In the Catholic Foresters, of which Mr. O'Reilly has long been a member, he is at the present time treasurer. The subject of this sketch first saw the light of day in "Wisconsin, November 22, 1857, and came to this county with his parents in 1864, receiving his edu- cation in the public schools of Belle Creek township. He farmed with hiss father until 18S2. when he purchased eighty acres, to which he later added eighty more. He now carries on general farming, raising the usual crops and breeding horses, sheep and cattle. He was married February 15, 1882, to Bridget Keane, daughter of John and Margaret (O'Connors) Keane, natives of Ireland, w T ho came to America in 1849 and located in New Haven township, Olmsted county, where they farmed 480 acres. The father is now deceased, but the mother still lives on the old homestead, making her home with her son. She is still in comparatively good health at the venerable old age of ninety years. Five children have blessed the O'Reilly home. Dennis W., the only one living, w r as born August 4, 1888, and took a four years' course in St. Thomas College, after which he re- turned to the home farm, where he now lives. John and James, who were twins, are dead, as are two others who did not survive early infancy. James and Hanora (Benton) O'Reilly, parents of John O'Reilly, came from Ireland in 1851, and located in Troy, N. Y., where the father worked as a farm laborer three