This file portion of www.watertownhistory.org website
James and Patrick Rogan
Rogan Home / Boyle Funeral Home
314 W Main
Many
abstracts for properties west of the Rock River began with the name of Capt.
James Rogan, the 'old salt' as he was called. Rogan captained a Great Lakes
vessel, the 'Grampus,' which carried goods from Buffalo to other Great Lakes
ports.
On a
trip inland he saw the beauties of the Rock River valley and decided to cast
his lot here. He was born in Ireland in 1801, his brother Patrick in 1808. Both came to Watertown after living for a
time in New York.
Click on Image
James
Rogan, for the sum of $1, received the first deed to a land grant given to any
individual in the present city limits of Watertown. He claimed it was first
given to him in 1833 by a government surveyor, but it is recorded in Milwaukee
with the date of 1836. (Watertown's first citizen, Timothy Johnson, made his
first land claims at Aztalan, then in Jefferson and subsequently 1,000 acres in
Watertown, but apparently this was recorded after Rogan's. Both came here in
1836).
Rogans Set Camp
The
Rogans set up camp in a two room shanty which became headquarters for new
arrivals in the area. It was referred to as the leading hotel in Johnson's
Rapids. Old letters written by James Rogan related that over 400 Winnebagoes
were his good neighbors. His family joined him here in 1837, the second family
in the area.
Homes on South Washington (such
as the Thauer home) were built on property
included in the first land grant given to an individual in the present city
limits of Watertown. James Rogan received
the early deed for $1. It was recorded at the Milwaukee Register of Deeds
office in 1836. Parcels of Rogan's
property passed through many hands.
The original Rogan land grant
covered acres of wooded land on the west side of the Rock River and was at that
time occupied by the encampments and homes of Winnebago Indians. The camps of
the Potawatomis were on the east side of the river.
The
brothers are said to have been influential in having the name changed from Johnson's
Rapids to Watertown, after their former home town of Watertown, N. Y. This was before the county government was
formed. The brothers farmed and put up a saw mill.
St. Bernard’s Land Donation
Patrick
Rogan shared in ownership of some of the land granted to James. Patrick Rogan
and his wife presented the land to St. Bernard's
where the first frame church was built in 1846. Patrick Rogan was active in
community, church and civic affairs.
Patrick Rogan
“The History of Jefferson County,
Wisconsin”, published: Chicago: Western
Historical Company, 1879.
Patrick
Rogan, farmer; born in County Down, Ireland, Sept. 26, 1808; came to Montreal,
Canada, in 1823; lived two years there, then removed to Jefferson Co., N.Y., where
he resided until 1837, when he came to Watertown, arriving here May 15 of that
year; made a claim to a fractional quarter-section, Sec. 11; was engaged in
farming where the city now stands, on west side of the river; the spring he
came here, he planted potatoes where the College of the Sacred Heart is now
located; never, since he came here, has he entirely relinquished his farming
interests.
Six or
seven years after he came here, he erected a saw mill where George B. Lewis’ factory is now located; carried on the
mill until 1858, in connection with his other business of contracting,
building, farming, etc.; he has invested largely of his means in the building
improvements of the west side of this city; he has also invested, to a great
extent, in plank roads, railroads and other enterprises likely to benefit
Watertown.
Being
among the most public-spirited of its citizens; he was a member of the first
Wisconsin Constitutional Convention; he has been four times a member of the State
Legislature; he organized the school system
here in 1855, having secured the passage of the act providing therefor; he was Postmaster of this city of eight
years; first appointed by President Tyler, reappointed in 1845, by
President Polk’
He was
one of the original corporators of the Watertown Gas Co.,
also a director of plank road and railroad companies; he has held nearly all
city and town offices within the gift of the people.
He never
attended school but three months; he acquired some book knowledge while he was
employed as errand boy in the office of a Notary Public in Montreal; experience
has been his teacher, and it would be difficult to find better informed men
than Mr. Rogan is at the present time.
He was
married, in Chicago, Jan. 17, 1846, to Rose Crangle; she was born in County of
Down, Ireland; they have six children:
Robert Emmett, Charles Eugene, Edwin B., Louis P., Rose and Ellen E.;
lost one daughter, who died at the age of 6 years. Mr. and Mrs. Rogan are members of the
Catholic Church. Mr. R’s father, Peter
Rogan, died at Rochester, N.Y., three years after he came to America with his
family.
1872 Adeline
(Rogan) Cody Obituary Daughter
of Capt. James Rogan 08 08 WD
1885 James
Rogan Obituary
Watertown Gazette, 12
25 1885
DEATH OF CAPTAIN JAMES ROGAN
1799-1885
The Third White Settler of Watertown
Captain
James Rogan, a person known to every man, woman and child in this city, died of
paralysis at his home in the 2d ward, Friday, Dec. 18, 1885, at 11:30 o’clock
A.M., in the 87th year of his age.
For a
man of his age he was possessed of unusual good health up to the Sunday
previous to his death, at which time the disease which resulted fatally, laid
hold of him. His death is learned with
sincere regret by all old residents here, who bear the fondest friendship for
him and our citizens in general all bear a kindly feeling for the old gentleman
and learn of his death with sorrow.
He
leaves only one child, Mrs. Sarah Jane Tennien, who has lived with the Captain
since the death of his wife about two years ago. His oldest daughter, who died some 13 years
ago [1872], was the first wife of Dr. Cody.
He was
born August 12, 1799, in Down Patrick, County Down, Ireland, and came to this
country in 1823.
In
1836 he came to the present site of Watertown and made a claim and, in the
following year, located here with his family.
Below
he gave a history of his life as taken from the history of Jefferson County,
issued in 1879.
“James
Rogan, farmer; born in County Down, Ireland, Aug. 12, 1799, and came to
Wisconsin in the fall of 1835, locating in Green Bay. Mr. Rogan was engaged in the distillery
business in Zanesville, Ohio; he then moved to Cleveland, Ohio, and bought a
grocery and provision store, which he continued until he was burnt out, when he
bought a lake vessel, the Grampus, which he ran from Buffalo to other points on
the lakes; on March 2, 1837 he moved, with his family , to Watertown, Wis., and
made his claim in sec. 4, Town 9, Range 15 east; in 1848-49, he was appointed
lighthouse-keeper at Milwaukee; he was also one of the committee that named the
county and town where he lived.
He
married May 16, 1829, Sarah Duffy, of Ireland; he has one child living-Sarah
Jane, now Mrs. Tennien. Mr. and Mrs.
Rogan are members of St. Bernard’s Catholic Church.
Capt.
James Rogan is one of the few who still live [able] to relate the circumstances
of Watertown’s first settlement. The
Captain is now eighty years of age.
He
converses upon the subject of pioneer days in Wisconsin in the manner of one in
the possession of a good memory, and is gifted with the faculty of depicting
the early events with wonderful detail, and coloring them with that happy
Munchausen hue so faithfully employed by writers of the modern daily
press. He acquired the title of Captain through being the commander of a schooner
which plowed the treacherous waters of Lake Michigan, and belongs to that army
of “old salts” whose weather-eye is ever on the alert for Fortune Harbor. In 1835-36, the Captain made several trips in
his vessel from Cleveland to Milwaukee, and in the latter year he abandoned the
mission of a mariner when in port at the latter village, establishing himself
there in the general merchandise business.
In the
summer of 1836, Charles Seaton, who,
as already related, came to the present site of Watertown with Timothy Johnson and Reeve Griswold, and located a
claim, returned to Milwaukee, where he met Capt. Rogan. The beauties of Rock River Valley were
narrated by Seaton with such eloquent effect that the Captain concluded to cast
his lot in that direction. Exchanging
his schooner, which rode at anchor in the lake, for Seaton’s land claim, he
made preparations to remove, with his family, to the spot predestined to be
their home for many years.
In
January, 1837, the Captain came to the Rapids made a claim on the west side of
the river, built a house thereon, and returned to Milwaukee for his family and
friends. The party consisted of Capt.
Rogan, his wife and two daughters (the eldest became the wife of Dr. Cody (died 1872)), Peter Rogan and Ezra
Dolliver. They arrived at Johnson’s
Rapids on the 2d of March, 1837, and camped on the west side of the river. Their first work was the construction of a
double log house on the site now occupied by Woodard
& Stone’s bakery. The Captain’s
shanty at once became the headquarters of all new arrivals, and was for some
time regarded as “the leading hotel at Johnson’s Rapids.” Gov. Ludington and his uncle, Harvey
Burchard, and John Hustis, are among those who have roasted Irish potatoes (the
Captain’s native fruit) in the hospitable fire place of the Hotel de Rogan.”
“Potatoes
cost me twenty shilling a bushel in Chicago,” says the Captain, “and four
shillings a bushel to bring them here from Milwaukee; but I consider them cheap
even at this price, when I think of the good, solid comfort we had baking them
in the ashes and eating them with the jackets on.
When I
came here,” continued the Captain, after a solemn pause, “there were over four
hundred Winnebago Indians camped within half a mile of the place whereon I
built my shanty. But they were the best
neighbors I ever had. I brought with me
from Milwaukee a large supply of that indispensible concomitant which figures
so largely in the complete concomitant of every frontiersman. It was of a good quality too, and when I sold
or traded it to the Indians I refrained from the reprehensible practice of
diluting it with water—a practice which, I am sorry to say, is a prevailing one
among dealers of the present day. The
Indians all liked me and my whisky; and even now the remnants of their race
still living in this vicinity, when they visit Watertown, come to my house, and
they never go away thirsty.
This
was the prettiest valley I ever saw—standing boldly out in its native grandeur;
grand groves of oaks and elms and maples and basswood; the banks of the river
on either side fringed with red cedars; resembling hedge fences. Within the forest abounded herds of
deer. I have seen at one time over one
hundred of these animals gamboling over the very spot where St. Bernard’s Church now stands.
The
Captain also relates the following “fish story:” “The waters of Rock River were alive with
fish. When the
first dam was built the stream below it was very shallow, and it was a
favorite place for teamsters to cross from one side of the river to the
other. If you’ll believe me, the fish
were so thick that hundreds of them were killed by the feet of the teams, while
others would be thrown into the air by the spokes of the revolving wheels.”
His
funeral was held Monday morning from St. Bernard’s Church, and his remains were
laid in their final resting place in St. Bernard’s cemetery, followed thither
by a large number of sorrowing friends.
Patrick Rogan Obituary
02 25 1898
Shortly
before
Patrick Rogan Home
Boyle Funeral Home, 1941-1978 (1941 or 1939 ? / see 1937 article that follows)
Patrick
built a beautiful large brick home in the 1860's at what is now
The
Rogan House, a Federal style square house, with Italianate influence, was built
in the 1860s and began as a square house with central hall and main rooms on
both sides. Arched front windows and a
cupula were on the original house, but the porch, two story pillars and the
addition of the east side of the building were completed in 1941 when the home
was converted into a funeral home.
Pleasingly designed in the hospitable manner of a
Southern colonial home. New and modern
equipment including chapel, pipe organ, show room, recreation room and family
room (text from early postcard)
Although
there have been many additions, the cupola was part of the original home, as
were the unusual palladium windows. Under the ownership of Boyle who bought the
home in 1941, additions were made. These included the porch and two story
pillars, a garage, added rooms at the side and the archway over the drive. The
home has beautiful oak woodwork throughout.
Helser was owner and operator of the funeral home from 1959 to 1978 when
the building was purchased by T. W. Weber, president of Weber Realty.
Marriage
of Miss Mary Ann Boyle and Clarence J. Corcoran
1936
Watertown Gazette, 09 10 1936
At St. Jerome’s Catholic Church in
Oconomowoc on Tuesday, September 8, 1936, Rev. Father Haggerty, pastor of St.
Bernard’s Church, Watertown, united in marriage Miss Mary Ann Boyle, daughter
of Mrs. James W. Boyle and the late James W. Boyle, 220 West Main Street, and
Clarence J. Corcoran, son of Mr. and Mrs. L. J. Corcoran of Madison.
The bride’s sister, Mrs. F. H. Carlson of
this city, was her bridesmaid, and Dr. P. C. Dier of Milwaukee was the best
man.
Mr. Corcoran, who is a graduate of River
Falls State Teachers’ college and the University of Minnesota School of
Embalming, is the mortician and funeral director at Boyle Funeral Home. His bride attended Edgewood academy at
Madison and is a graduate of Mercy High School in Milwaukee.
They will make their home at 220 West Main
Street.
Both are well known in Watertown and very
highly esteemed, and enter married life with the good wishes of hosts of
friends, including The Gazette
editor.
1937
Watertown
Daily Times, 01 14 1937
The
new Boyle Funeral Home, shown in this artist’s sketch, has now been completed
and is not ready for business. This was
announced by Mrs. James W. Boyle, who is operating the place with her
son-in-law and daughter, Mr. and Mrs. Clarence J. Corcoran.
The
new home, located in
The
funeral establishment is confined to the main floor, while the private
apartments of Mrs. Boyle and Mr. and Mrs. Corcoran are located on the second
floor.
The
main floor contains, in addition to the large and beautiful chapel and
sanctuary, an office, several private and semi-private rooms for mourners and a
large casket display section, besides the modern and complete preparation
room. There is also a music room with piano
and organ. There are several lavatories
on the main floor and there is also a smoking room.
Beautifully
selected furniture is scattered throughout the main floor, giving at once a
home-like and inviting appearance. The
front entrance brings the visitors to a reception hall from which the office
quarters and the chapel lead off on each side.
The stairway to the second floor gives an additional atmosphere of
beauty.
In
converting the old Rogan home into a modern funeral home, the architect, Frank
S. Moulton, of Madison, has achieved everything Mrs. Boyle planned. The general contract for the work was carried
out by George Schleicher, local contractor.
Must
of the old beauty of the original house has been retained. This is especially true of the main staircase
and the woodwork throughout. Another
feature that was retained from the old place is an antique fireplace which has
been moved into and become part of the chapel room.
In
announcing the completion of the new home Mrs. Boyle said that she carried out
the dreams of her husband, the late James W. Boyle, who long before his death
had begun plans for a modern funeral home.
He did not live to see the work begun, but his widow brought them to
completion. She said she feels she has
built a place much as her husband would have liked to have and which, had he
lived, would have met with his fullest approval.
Mr.
Boyle was a resident of Watertown from the time of his boyhood, served this
community as a funeral director most of his life, being active in the
profession until the last. He was in
business for himself, after serving partnerships for some years earlier in his
career. He built up a large practice in
this section and since his death, his wife and daughter, and later the
son-in-law, have carried on the business.
1959
06 20 One of Watertown's
older and well known business establishments has changed hands . Mr. and Mrs.
Clarence Corcoran, owners of the Boyle Funeral Home, 314 West Main Street,
today announced the sale of the property and the business to Mr. and Mrs.
Bernard G. Helser, East Troy. Mr. and
Mrs. Helser have operated a funeral home at East Troy for the last 11
years. Mr. Helser is a graduate of the
Wisconsin College of Mortuary Science, Milwaukee. Before establishing himself at East Troy, he
worked as a mortician at Rochester, Minn., Ashland, Wis., and at Milwaukee for
two years. He spent three years in the
Air Force. WDT
Image Portfolio
Click to enlarge
Viewed from Church and
Main
Cross-References:
No 1: Main,
W, 220 1909, Brooks & Boyle,
general mdse, undertakers
1930,
First funeral home: Nowack’s
Main,
W, 220 1935, Jas. W Boyle,
undertaker
Main,
W, 314 1937, Boyle Funeral Home
1909 Louis Rogan has
accepted a position as clerk at the New Belvidere
Hotel in West Main Street. Louis is
one of Watertown’s best know and reliable citizens and all his many friends
predict that he will make a success of his new position. WG
09 17 1909
