Past and Present in Allamakee County, by Ellery M. Hancock. 2 vols. Chicago:
S. J. Clarke Pub. Co., 1913.

WEXFORD

     This was the name given to the pioneer Catholic church of Northeastern
Iowa, by its founder, Rev. Thomas Hore, who came here direct from his former
home of the same name, it is said, in Ireland, to establish a parish among
his countrymen, who were at the time rapidly settling up this vicinity. He
came here in the spring of 1851 and purchased thousands of acres of
Government lands in what is now Lafayette and Taylor townships, at various
points, at the Government price of $1.25 per acre, from the sale of which in
the following years, a large revenue was derived. A small church edifice was
at once erected, but whether this was upon the site of the present church is
not fully established. An early map, published in 1859, shows a Catholic
church and monk's house located on section 27, two miles west of the present
church. But if ever actually built there the location was very temporary.
The Trappist monks contemplated locating in this vicinity, but later decided
upon a home in Dubuque. This little church wherever located was undoubtedly
the first church built in Allamakee county; and Father Hore was the first
Catholic priest to locate in the county. Upon the map above referred to the
name Wexford is applied to a small settlement or landing-place on the bank
of Harper's channel, in the southeast corner of section 6, range 2, Taylor
township.
     As to the later whereabouts of Father Hore there are no data at hand to
determine. Not long after the parish was erected, Monona seems to have had a
Catholic settlement, as the settlements of "Monona and New Wexford" were
added to the list of charges of Rt. Rev. Mathias Loras, the first bishop of
Dubuque, as stated in an article by Rev. B. C. Lenehan, published in the
Annals of Iowa (January 1899). Father Hore was a very popular and
influential man, and drew to this point a large immigration of his
countrymen who bought the lands he had obtained from the Government. The
Wexford church is located on the southeast quarter of southeast quarter
section 25, township 98, range 3, in teh valley of the creek known as Priest
Cooley. The writer is not informed as to the date the present edifice was
erected, nor of the succession of priests having this parish in charge. In
1855 Father Welch resided here, and served the Lansing and other churches
until 1863. Rev. Matthias Hannon was stationed at Wexford from 1863 to '66.
Rev. James McGowan was pastor in 1869; Reverend Nelson about 1883; and Rev.
Thomas Laffan, the present pastor, has been here for several years.
     This, Immaculate Conception church of Wexford, became formally
incorporated February 6, 1912, with Archbishop James J. Keane ex-officio
president Pastor Thomas Laffan, vice president; John J. Keane, vicar
general, constituting the board of directors, with lay members John J. Hawes
and Thomas W. Brennan.
     Zion's Church of the Evangelical Association of North America, of
Columbus Ridge, was incorporated March 5, 1873, and in July following,
dedicated a fine new church building; the trustees at that time: Julius
Kehrberg, Frederick Martin, Ferdinand Martin, Gottlieb Goettel, Sr., and
Jr., William Gaunitz, and Herman Kehrberg. The present pastor is, we
believe, Reverend Pfalsgraff, succeeding Reverend Raecker.
     The following names include some of the earliest settlers in Layfette
township, but as the date and location cannot in many cases be given with
certainty they are generally omitted: Helge Olson, section 32; Simon
Decrevel, section 2; Thos. Gordon, section 3; H.H. Pope, section 7; John
Franklin, Thomas Bentley, John Cokran, Timothy Madden, Wm. Scanlan, Edward
and John Kelly, Edward O'Neill, Thomas Mullins, Wm. Heatly, section 25;
Michael Flynn, Austin Joyce and Wm. Fitzgerald, section 34; J.M. Rose, Peter
Valentine, Wm. C. Thompson, S.M. Thompson, Patrick O'Toole, Edward Mularkey,
section 11; Edward Dungan, section 27; E.A. Tisdale, section 31; the
foregoing in range 3, while others in range 2, were: James and Wm. Bohan,
sections 17 and 18; Patrick Lawrence and Michael Keenan, section 18; Joseph
Flood, section 31. Other actual settlers doubtless came in as early as some
of the above mentioned and bought land of original purchasers who did not
settler here.
     The population of the township in 1854 was 371, and in 1910 the census
gives it as 747.
     The present township officers are: clerk, Thomas Crowe; trustees, John
Bohrer, John J. Haws, Richard Cassidy; assessor, Mat Guider.

From Wexford, Ireland to Wexford, Iowa
by Hilary Murphy

From Irish Family History
Vol 3, 1987

In the wake of the Famine in Ireland a Wexford priest Fr. Thomas HORE,
brought a group of his parishioners to start a new life in America, and the
place where they eventualy settled in Iowa, has ever since been called
Wexford.  It is located in Allamakee County in the diocese of Dubuque,
precisely eight miles southwest of Lansing and six miles northwest of
Harper's Ferry on the Great River Road.

Fr. Hore had previous experience of life in America, having spent six years
in the new diocese of Richmond, Virginia after his ordination in 1820,
before his appointment as a parish priest of Annacurra-Killaveney, the
Wicklow parish of Ferns diocese.

On October 20, 1850, he and his emigrating group set sail from Dublin for
Liverpool where he was met by Most Rev. Dr. Andrew Byrne, the Meath born
first bishop of Little Rock. Bishop Byrne had returned to Ireland a few
times seeking priests and nuns who [could] help him to run his new American
diocese. The Bishop immediately appointed Fr. Hore as his Vicar General.

On November 2nd, Fr. Hore's group were among more than 450 Irish passengers
who embarked for New Orleans aboard the 1500 ton ship Ticonderoga.

When Fr. Hore and his group reached Arkansas, after a 400 mile trip up the
Mississippi in a river-boat, they found that most of the land was already
occupied and a suitable place could not be found on which to settle. Fr.
Hore then began to search for a second location in Iowa with the approval of
the Bishop of Dubuque, Rt. Rev. Mathias Loras, a French missionary. Another
influencing factor was that the Abbott of Mount Melleray in Waterford, Dom
Bruno Fitzpatrick, had established a monastery in Dubuque, and Fr. Walsh,
the prior of Mount Melleray, took up duty as prior of the new foundation in
1850.

The location which Fr. Hore finally selected in Allamakee county seemed to
embrace all the natural advantages necessary for a prosperous settlement. He
purchased over a thousand acres at $1.25 per acre in Lafayette and Taylor
townships, adding to these shortly afterwards.

The Irish settlers began clearing the land of trees which they then used to
build their houses. On April 23, 1851, they either commenced or completed
the building of a small church at Wexford itself, just three miles from the
Mississippi. They also erected a two-story house on Fr. Hore's farm. There
he raised crops and fine herds of cattle and sheep.

By 1854 this new farming community at Wexford, Iowa had a total of 371
settlers, and two large churches were built there between 1852 and 1870.
Having seen his colony firmly established in Wexford, Fr. Hore returned to
Ireland in 1857, leaving over 6,000 Catholics in Allamakee County. He
subsequently became parish priest of Cloughbawn in Wexford where he died in
June 1864 during his 69th year.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Other Notes from the Palimpsest, February, 1964, "The Irish in Iowa" p. 50:
The first real colony of Irish was established by Rev. Thomas Hore in
Allamakee county. Hore, a native of Wexford county, came to Arkansas in 1850
but could find no satisfactory location. He arrived in Dubuque on January
23, 1851.
After staying several days with the Trappists, he set out to explore the
country. He selected and obtained title to several thousand acres. Only
eighteen families arrived at Lafayette Landing that spring. Apparently most
of the large party left Ireland and stayed in St. Louis. Those who did come
to Iowa built homes and started a log church. Soon other Irish families
joined them.

I think there is also a book written called "A Farewell to Famine" by Jim
Rees that has been written about Fr. Hore's group.

I have the entire passenger list from the Ticonderoga and believe the
settlers to Wexford, Iowa from this group were:
James Brickley (56)
Paul Brickley (36)
Daniel Brickley (25)
Sarah Esmond (43)
Mary Heyfron (44)
Esther Heyfron (25)
Mary Anne Heyfron (8)
Daniel Heyfron (7)
Michael Heyfron (25)
Martin Heyfron (22)
Andrew Nolan (20)
William Heatley (50)
Eliza Heatley (40)
Christina Heatley (16)
Abraham Heatley (14)
Eliza Heatley (12)
Fanny Heatley
Edward Heatley (7)
Daniel Heatley (5)
Lucy Heatley (2)
Mary Fennell (22)
John Bulger (50)
Kate Bulger (55)
Fanny Bulger (25)
Patt Bulger (5)
Michael Bulger (24)
Mary Bulger (22)
Ellen Bulger (20)
Daniel Finn (28)
Edmond Stafford (26)
Frank Murphy (26)
George Murphy (22)

Back table of the book  "A Farewell to Famine" by Jim Rees
Transcribed and submitted with permission of the author by Patrick Coleman