Patrick (1861-1958) and Matilda (1864-1952) were born in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, and came to America with their parents in the late 1860's. They first came to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and lived there for a short time and then to Walcott, Iowa, and then on to Marengo, Iowa, where their father, Thomas M. Laverty, worked on the railroad.
During the 1870's, they moved to north Jasper county, Iowa just south of Laurel. That is where T. M. Laverty, their father, purchased the family farm. (part of Section 2, Range 81, Township 18.) Pat and Tillie lived there in the same house all their lives until moving to Laurel in the early 1950's. Their sisters, Margaret and Mary Elizabeth lived there with them all their lives.
Brothers and sisters living together was not that uncommon for the time, as there were not all the methods of meeting others as today. Plus, if you did not go to church or was a member of various organizations of that time, it would have been difficult to meet others. We will never know.
Tillie, however, was a member of the Laurel Methodist Church, and Order of Eastern Star. She was believed to have had a boyfriend at one time who she met at an Irish reunion. He would come down to visit from Marshalltown. It was possibly, John Coleman, shown on the marriage certificate as a witness for T. A. & Annie Laverty. It is unclear why that relationship did not work out.
Tillie was an attractive lady of average stature. No doubt, Tillie and her sisters did most of the house work. No one in the family is sure if any of the "Laverty women" worked in the field as such. One thing every one that knew her, including this grandson and writer, agreed on was that she made the best sugar cookies. It shows the importance of one little thing to remember a person by. She also loved to garden and was known to give out a Baby Ruth candy bar from time to time.
--------------to be continued.
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