"The sketchy early history states the parish was established in 1888 and that Father D. J. Kelly, pastor of Parkersburg, was given charge of Aplington and New Hartford. The early Catholic directories indicate that the Parkersburg pastor has had…
"For over fifteen years the first Catholics of Butler County in the Parkersburg area west of Cedar Falls were cared for by the missionary priests who ventured beyond parish territory. The first of these, Father John Sheils, pastor of Waverly,…
"While Father Patrick Feeley of Charles City visited the Mitchell County pioneers in the 1870s, the New Haven area Catholics decided to build a church that would unite the Irish to the north and the Germans to the south and west. In the spring of…
"Saint Mary Parish is the second parish to be founded in New Hampton. Its beginning is unusual. The school was established and in operation for three years before the first church was built. The German speaking parents in Saint Joseph Parish wanted…
"Saint Joseph Parish in New Hampton was organized on April 3, 1870 and was the first Catholic parish in the town. The first settlers came in 1854. Until the church was built in 1870, the early Catholics attended Mass in homes and business places.…
"Father Thomas J. Murtagh came from Masonville and Father Patrick S. O’Connor from Oelwein to celebrate mass for the Catholics of the area in the 1890s. They were of Czech, German, and Irish ancestry. In 1895 Father O’Connor brought together the…
"From 1872 to 1875 Father Michael Quirk, pastor of Elkport served the needs of the Littleport parish and the earliest records go back to his time.Father Edward L. Dullard next served as pastor from 1893 to 1898.In the fall of 1898 Father Daniel T.…
"Landolm Haas, a veteran of the Mexican War, was the first settler in Saint Mary Parish, arriving in 1851 to take advantage of choice land at a low price. Father David Slattery was the first resident pastor and began the parish records. He came in…