|
John (Emanuel) Charles House was born in Menominee MI on 3/26/1901. His wife, Elizabeth Iola McGrath was born in Mitchell SD on 8/6/1913. They met in Milwaukee, WI, married and raised a family of two sons and a daughter.
John's father Michael J. House was from Blind River, Canada with ancestors in Alsace Lorraine, France. His mother, Rosa Albel was born in Graz, Austria in 1861 and immigrated to the US in 1881. She first married a widow with several children, Jack Benner of Philadelphia, PA. He was killed in an industrial accident before their daughter, Sue (Suisse) was born. She took all of the children and moved to Menominee MI area to be near his relatives for assistance with raising the family. There she later met and married Michael and expanded the family with four more sons - Randolph, Joseph, John (twin sister Anna died at 5) and the youngest, Arthur.
Elizabeth parents were of Irish and Scottish heritage. Her father was Edward Thomas McGrath (1880-1925). His grandfather, Patrick McGrath with his wife Annastasia, immigrated to Boston, Massachusetts in the mid-1800's; Annastasia (Donegal?) was from west of Pettigo, Ireland. Their son, Patrick Henry McGrath (1850-1932), married Elizabeth Sullivan (b.1852-1928) and in 1877 moved to Milwaukee, WI to have their first child, Mamie (1878). They moved to Mauston where Edward Thomas McGrath was born, next to Perry, IA, then to Sanborn, IA adding three sons and a daughter to their family (James "Walt" Walter 1882, Nellie Cecelia 1883, John "Wild Bill" William 1889, and Francis "Frank" Henry 1894). Edward met his wife, Margaret Irene Cooper, in Sanborn, IA. In 1907 - a railroad transfer took both him and his father's families to Mitchell SD.
Margaret's parents were William Cooper, descended from Samuel Cooper (Ireland) and Isabell Brown (Scotland). William's wife was Julia Ann McDonald. Julia's parents were Michael McDonald and Ellen Donavon (Ireland). The first records of William and Julia place them in Clinton, IA and there is no knowledge of their or their parent's immigration. After living in several places in Iowa (Wall Lake, Odebolt, Paullina), they settled in Sanborn, Iowa. Together they had nine children: Ellen Isabell 1880, Margaret Irene 1882, Elizabeth May (Aunt Lizzie) 1884, Wiliiam 1885, Mary (Mamie) Agnes 1886, Anna Adelaide 1888, Rose Carolyn 1891, Julia Roleffa (Aunt Effie) 1894 and George 1899.
Margaret and Edward married in 1911 in Mitchell SD and had three children: Elizabeth Iola (1913-2001), Margaret Wilma (1915-1919, influenza), and Harold Anthony "Uncle Mac" (1920-1997). Edward passed away in 1926 several months after an injury on the railroad; Margaret died in August 1929 from a growth in her neck, likely a cancerous tumor. Iola had just turned 16 and her younger brother was 9 years old. After a brief stay at Aunt Effie's (her mother's sister), they moved in with Aunt Nellie (her father's sister). She was single, never had a family, but raised Uncle Mac like he was her own son. Elizabeth stayed in Mitchell attending Notre Dame in pursuit of Nurse's training. Shortly before graduation, she and her girlfriend, Marcella Dwyer, used their railroad pass to visit Marcella's friends in Milwaukee. Iola stayed and found a position as housekeeper for a wealthy North shore family. With their encouragement and support, she later returned to Milwaukee North to attain her diploma.
John and Iola's children are Michael John House (1941) married to Kathleen Brownell (1942), live in Wautoma WI and have four children: James John 1962, Randolph (1963-1988), Jeffrey 1964, and Irene Annette 1965; James Patrick (1944) to married Carol Kerr (1946), live in New Berlin WI and have three children: John Charles 1966, Laurie Anne 1967 and David 1970; and daughter, Kathryn Jean (1947), lives in Milwaukee WI.
|
