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St. John's Cemetery is located on the hillside just east of St. John's Catholic Church (25 First Street, Tidioute).
Map of Cemetery Location | Obituaries
Mrs. Charlotte DOWNEY 1852 - 1921
Mrs. Charlotte Plunkett Downey died at the home of her sister, Mrs. Dan Downey at Tanman [sic] on September 7th, after a long illness.
Mrs. Downey was born at Bondbrook, N.J., March 12, 1852. She was married to Dennis Downey, January 26, 1873. To this union thirteen children were born, ten of whom are living and were with there [sic] mother before her death, and are as follows, Mrs. Mary McCarthy, Tidionte [sic], Wm. Downey, Fagundas; Miss Alice Downey, Pleasantville; Thomas Downey, Trouman [sic]; Mrs. Nellie Baker, North East; Mrs. Julie McGraw, McGraw; Mrs. Katherine Peterson, Fagundas; Charles Downey, Tidioute; Mrs. Elizabeth Vrooman, Tidionte [sic]; and Mrs. Viola Vrooman, West Hickory.
Mr. and Mrs. Downey began their married life at Fagundas, where they lived until Mr. Downey was killed by a ‘glycerine explosion on August 7th, 1896. After his death, Mrs. Downey kept up her home at Fagundas and raised her family.
Two years ago Mrs. Downey, with her widowed daughter, Elizabeth, came to Tidioute, where they have made their home. During her life in and near Tidioute, Mrs. Downey has made many friends, and her pleasing manner and sincere earnest life gave her the admiration and respect of all who knew her. These friends sincerely regret her death and deeply sympathize with her sorrowing family.
Interment was made in St. Johns cemetery.
Dennis DOWNEY (1851-53 ?) - 1896
From the Monday, August 10th edition of the Titusville Morning Herald:
BLOWN INTO ATOMS.
Dennis Downey the Victim of an Explosion.
GLYCERINE’S HAVOC.
Twenty-Four Quarts of the Deadly Compound Lets Go Near Pineville – Man, House and Vehicle Realtered to the Four Winds – Nearby Property Damaged – Full Particulars of the Accident.
At about 8:30 o’clock Friday evening, Dennis Downey, of Fagundas [sic], a small producer and oil well shooter, became the victim of a glycerine explosion and was blown to atoms near Pineville, on the road leading from this city to Fagundas [sic].
Downey came to this city Friday morning to purchase enough glycerine from Adam Cupler, Jr., to fill an order which he (Downey) had for putting in two 15-quart torpedoes, one for Amos Clinger at Neilltown and the other for Carnahan & Co. Mr. Cupler accompanied Downey to the magazine, about two miles west of town, and delivered to him three eight-quart cans of the deadly explosive. Downey put the stuff into his buggy, and ordinary road vehicle and started for home. At Enterprise he stopped at General Lee’s hotel and endeavored to purchase a drink of whiskey, but the proprietor, knowing the deadly nature of the load he was hauling, refused Downey the liquor and he drove on.
The unfortunate man was last seen at the watering trough near Pineville, where he had stopped to water his horse. After the animal had slaked its thirst, Downey started onward leading the animal down the hill but the bit. A few moments afterwards the explosion occurred which blew him into eternity and scattered his body, that of his horse and the vehicle to the four winds. A nearby barn was blown down, telegraph poles broken off and windows broken in the houses in the neighborhood.
When the people living in the vicinity reached the spot after the accident occurred they found a circular hole in the ground about four feet deep, the buggy blown to slivers, the leg and head of the house, and, later, one ear and part of the jaw of the unfortunate man.
It will probably never be known how the accident happened, but it is presumed that one of the wheels of the buggy dropped off the end of a culvert bridge and the jar caused thereby set off the deadly compound.
Squire Dibble, of Enterprise, was in the city Saturday evening and informed a HERALD representative that it was his intention to hold an inquest over the remains of Downey Sunday. Whether this was done or not, could not be learned last evening. The inquisition, if one was held, was not for the purpose of investigating the cause of death – as that is very clearly established – but rather for proving Downey’s death, that no doubts can exist when the matter of settling up the dead man’s estate comes up.
Downey was between 45 and 50 years of age, and leaves a wife and nine children. He was a member in good standing of Branch 1, C.M.B.A., of this city, and carried an insnrance [sic] of $2,000 in the association. The funeral of the deceased took place Sunday.
An account from the Citizen Press, an early Venango County weekly newspaper, dated August 13, 1896 ~
A dispatch from Titusville says that the scattered remains of Denis [sic] Downey of Fagundus, an amateur oil shooter, were found along the road near Schofield a few miles from Titusville. His house and wagon were also blown to fragments the result of an explosion of 12 quarts of nitroglycerine which were on the wagon. Just how the accident occured [sic] will never be known. Downing [sic] leaves a wife and nine children.
On Tuesday, August 18, the following appeared in the Titusville Morning Herald, under Brevities ~
— P.N. Robinson, of Pineville, was a caller at the HERALD office yesterday. He was foreman of the coroner’s jury empanelled to render a verdict upon the death of Dennis Downey, the victim of the nitro-glycerine explosion near that place two weeks ago last Saturday, as already related in these columns. Mr. Robinson said that the newspaper reports of the accident were quite erroneous. It was the general verdict of those on the scene that Downey was sitting in the wagon, with the explosive between his feet, when the front axle broke and precipitated both driver and glycerine to the ground, where the impact caused the explosion. The pieces of the body recovered, which weighed about thirty pounds, were mutilated in such a way as to warrant the assumption that the dead man must have been sitting almost directly over the explosive when it let loose.
EDWARD F. McCARTHY 1867 - 1936
Edward F. McCarthy, aged 68 years, died at the Warren General hospital on Monday, February 3rd, after a brief illness. He was a resident of Tidioute for a good many years. His wife preceded him in death eleven years ago.
He is survived by one son, Maurice McCarthy, Tidioute; two sisters, Margaret McCarthy, Tidioute, and Mrs. M.A. Brewster, Oil City, and one brother, Charles McCarthy, Kellettville.
Funeral services in his memory were held at the St. John’s church on Wednesday morning, February 5th, Father J.J. Downing officiating. Interment was made in St. John’s cemetery. Pallbearers were Thomas King, George King, Joseph McCloskey, Albert Tompsett, John Lawson and A. Gilson.
Out-of-town relatives that attended were: Mr. and Mrs. M.A. Brewster, Oil City; Charles McCarthy, Kellettville; Frank Downey and Thelma Downey, Warren; Mr. and Mrs. Charles Downey, Colorada [sic], Pa., and Mr. and Mrs. Elmer Peterson, Fagundus.
Source: Warren, Pennsylvania, newspaper: Warren Times Mirror, dated February 7, 1936; page 11, column 4.
Frank McCarthy 1893 - 1918
Tidioute, Nov. 18.- Frank E. McCarthy died at the home of his parents here Friday morning after being ill with pneumonia. He was 25 years of age and was born at Fagundus, this county. Besides his parents, he is survived by a wife and little daughter Marie, and one brother, Maurice. His father was in Utah where he is employed in the oil business, when the word came of Frank McCarthy’s death. The father was expected to arrive today and the funeral be held tomorrow. Interment will be in St. Joseph’s cemetery.
Source: Pennsylvania newspaper: Warren Evening Mirror, November 18, 1918, page 2, column 4.
[Warren County coordinator's note: Frank was actually buried in St. John's Catholic Cemetery in Tidioute.]
Mrs. Mary McCarthy 1874 - 1925
Mrs. Mary McCarthy, wife of E.F. McCarthy, died at her home on Scott street on Saturday morning, February 7, after a lingering illness.
She was born at Fagundus on March 15, 1874. Besides her husband, she leaves to mourn her death, one son, Maurice, at home and the following brothers and sisters: Miss Alice Downey of Pleasantville, Mrs. F.F. Baker, of North East; Mrs. Elmer Peterson, of Fagundus, Mrs. Lizzie Vrooman, of Tidioute; Mrs. E.S. McGraw of El Dorado, Kansas, William and Charles Downey of Tidioute.
Mrs. McCarthy was held in high esteem by all those who knew her. She was a loving mother, a kind and gentle wife, and the entire community mourns her untimely death.
Funeral services were held on Tuesday morning from St. Johns church with the Rev. Father Jos. Kuntz officiating. Many beautiful offerings were evidence of the high esteem in which she was held by her friends. The music was furnished by the Misses Florence and Madora Weaver of Oil City.
Interment was made in the family plot and the pallbearers were W.H. Christy, Thomas King, George King, Clarence Tompsett, C.H. Eisenman and Charles Owens.
Those in attendance from out of town were Mr. and Mrs. Elmer Peterson of Fagundus, Mr. and Mrs. Frank Baker of North East, Mr. and Mrs. Maurice Brewster and son of Oil City; Mr. and Mrs. Dan Downey and Mr. and Mrs. Earl Downey of Porkey; Miss Alice Downey and Frank Geltz of Pleasantville, and Mrs. Jessie Wyatt and daughter, Marie, of Pittsburgh.
[Warren County coordinator's note: Jessie (maiden name unknown) McCarthy, the widow of Mary's older son Frank, had remarried (to a Martin Wyatt) and relocated to Pittsburgh with her daughter Marie.]
View St. John's Catholic Cemetery in a larger map
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