Mercer County PAGenWeb


Mark Doyle


MARK DOYLE,  deceased, was born in County Wicklow, Ireland, May 12, 1818, and was a son of William and Anne (Dowd) Doyle, natives of that county. His mother died in Ireland, and her husband followed his children to Mercer County, where he died at the home of his son Mark. Six sons and one daughter were born to William and Anne Doyle: Patrick, Mark, William, Bridget, Peter, John and James. William and Peter are the only survivors, and are both residents of Wisconsin. Mark Doyle grew to manhood in his native land, and in 1838, in company with his brother Patrick, he immigrated to Canada. He worked about one year in Hamilton, Ontario, when the Canadian rebellion of 1837-38 broke out, and he was notified to report for duty. Not relishing the idea of fighting for England, the hereditary foe of his native land, he quietly left Hamilton on foot, and by traveling all night and the following day finally reached the Niagara River in safety. After considerable difficulty he was allowed to cross that stream to the American side, and felt very much relieved when at last he stood under the protecting folds of the stars and stripes. He made his way on foot to Trumbull County, Ohio, where he began working at farm labor for $6 per month. His brother Patrick joined him a few months afterward, and they worked in that vicinity about four years. They then returned to Ireland for the purpose of obtaining helpmates to share their homes in the New World. They there met Anne and Bridget Collin, who came with them to America in the spring of 1842, accompanied by John and Bridget Doyle. Patrick was married, on his arrival at New York, to Anne Collin, and they then came westward to Kinsman, Ohio. Mark was married, in September, 1843, by Rev. Father Mitchell, in the Mercer Church, to Bridget Collin, who bore him the following children: Mrs. Anne Connelly, William F., Eliza J., wife of W. T. Phelan; Mary A. and Patrick H., all of whom are living. Mark and Patrick Doyle lived on rented farms in Ohio until the spring of 1851, when they settled on the homesteads in West Salem Township, where the balance of their lives were passed. Mrs. Bridget Doyle died February 26, 1880,and her husband survived her until May 7, 1888. They were practical members of the Catholic Church, and lived and died in that faith. Politically Mr. Doyle was an ardent Democrat, and took a deep interest in the public affairs of his township. He was one of the most energetic and successful farmers of Mercer County, and left at his death a large estate. Mark Doyle was recognized as a man of unbounded hospitality, and his door was ever open to friend and stranger alike. He was a well-read man on various subjects, and a fluent conversationalist. He was a lively, good-natured man, ever fond of a joke, and never at a loss to tell one. His death was not only an affliction to his family, but a loss to the community where he had lived nearly forty years.

History of Mercer County, 1888, pages 1175-1176


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