The Irish of Bradford County in 'Overshot'

This year I decided to tell some history of the Irish who settled in "Overshot."

Overshot takes its name from the building of and overshot sawmill on a little stream in the northwest corner of Towanda Township by Christopher L. Ward and John F. Means. I had to research further to find out what an overshot saw mill is, and found that the water wheel that powers the mill is driven by the water flowing over the wheel. If the water were to flow under the wheel it would then be an undershot saw mill. The area where the saw mill was built is where Towanda, North Towanda and Burlington townships all meet. To get to Overshot you simply drive up Plank Road from Towanda Borough about 4.5 miles and you are there.

One of the most documented Irish families from the settlement is that of Michael Lynch. I know the story of Michael Lynch because he was the great-grandfather of my late cousin Bettie O'Keefe Shearer. Bettie's mother Anita Sullivan O'Keefe (people my age and older will remember my Aunt Nita O'Keefe's grocery store just across from SS. Peter & Paul's Church in Towanda on the northeast corner of Lombard Street) was the daughter of Anna Lynch Sullivan, who was born in Overshot in 1847. She was the daughter of Michael and Elizabeth Wilde Lynch. Bettie always told me that Michael and Elizabeth Wilde Lynch had to run away from Ireland to be married, as Elizabeth was the daughter of a well-to-do English land baron for whom Michael Lynch worked as a gardener and coachman. He and Elizabeth fell in love and wished to marry, but her family strongly disapproved, so they eloped, married and came to America, landing first in Nova Scotia. According to Michael Lynch's application for naturalization, his port of entry to the United States was Troy, N.Y. in the month of June 1836.

The Lynch story is well documented because their son John Lynch enlisted in the Army during the Civil War. He was in Company "C" 7th Reg. Pennsylvania Reserves. John Lynch was wounded in White Oak Swamp in Virginia in the latter part of June 1863. His wounds were severe and he was discharged. He lived until Nov. 2, 1881, when he died while driving a horse and carriage home to Overshot from Towanda. After John's death, his parents Michael and Elizabeth applied for his Civil War Pension. I requested a copy of the pension application from the National Archives. Among the papers included in the pension application was the marriage document for Michael Lynch and Elizabeth Wilde. They were married at St. John's in Tralee, County Kerry, Ireland Feb. 8, 1834.

Michael and Elizabeth Wilde Lynch purchased land in "Overshot" from Christopher L. Ward. They cleared the land and built a home, which was later destroyed by fire. They built another home on the top of a hill overlooking the valley on the same farm this house is still standing today. They raised nine children - four boys and five girls. Their daughter Anna was working as a maid in the Ward House in Towanda when Father Patrick Toner first arrived as pastor of SS. Peter & Paul's in Towanda in 1863. Father Toner knew that young girls working in hotels could end up in trouble, so he did his best to find them other places of employment. He sent Anna Lynch to work as a housekeeper for Father Charles McFadden in Mahanoy City. Father McFadden, while pastor in Mahanoy City, had to deal with the Molly Maguire's uprisings and trials and Anny Lynch, a poor Irish farm girl from Overshot, was right there working as his housekeeper through the entire ordeal. The story of Father McFadden and his experiences with the "Mollies" will be saved for another time.

Michael and Elizabeth Lynch lived to be in their 80s. They have been recalled sitting on their rocking chairs smoking little clay pipes (Bettie Shearer had one of the clay pipes in her possession). One day Elizabeth became annoyed with Michael and remarked: "Sorry be the day I left me good home for the likes of you."

Daniel O'Sullivan was born in County Kerry, Ireland. He came to this country in 1835, coming to Towanda when the North Branch Canal was being built. He settled in Overshot in 1844 when that section was almost an unbroken wilderness, suffering many hardships. By industry and toil he cleared up and paid for a good farm. Daniel married Hannorah Teresa Curran and to them were born 12 children: Andrew, Bridget, Mary, Catherine, Daniel Jr., who was a successful farmer and blacksmith in Overshot all of his life (Daniel's home also served as the post office for Overshot), Hugh, Hannorah, Jerome, Johannah and Margaret, who married Thomas Clancy. Daniel had two sisters who also came to Bradford and settled Mary O'Sullivan and Margaret Egan Kingston.

Margaret's daughter Mary Ann Egan was known nationally. Mary Ann Egan was educated by the Sisters of the Holy Child Jesus while in Towanda. She became a very successful businesswoman and gave credit for her success to her dear friend Mother Agatha Deacy. Mary Ann Egan was born in Towanda Township "Overshot" Feb. 2, 1846. Her parents Bartholomew and Margaret O'Sullivan Egan came to Bradford County from County Kerry Ireland in 1845. Mary Ann's father died in 1852. While at Holy Child Academy in Towanda, Mary Ann was encouraged by Mother Agatha to take up sewing. Like Mother Agatha, the owner of a Towanda bank had confidence in her ability and lent the money for Mary Ann to study in Paris until she excelled in making women's gowns. She opened a high-class establishment in Washington, D.C., and in time became a great success. She made gowns for the wives of presidents, senators and other distinguished people in the capital. She made several trips to Paris each year, buying materials and trims to sell in her shop. Mary Ann spent summers in Towanda and when she died at the age of 92, her remains were taken to SS. Peter & Paul's cemetery and buried with her parents.

Martin Cawley was born in Sligo, Ireland and came to the United States in 1869. He spent most of his years here as a farmer in Overshot. He married Mary Mullany on May 14, 1878. The Cawley children were Anna, Mary, Sabina, Thomas, Margaret, Theresa and Anthony. After Martin died in 1919, Mary Mullany Cawley moved to Towanda and resided on Ward Avenue until her death in 1944. As kids, we ran errands for Anna, Margaret, Mame and later Sabina when she moved home from New York City, so I got to hear the stories of their lives. Anna, the oldest, finished school in Overshot at the Pail Factory School and then left for New York City where she became a governess for a wealthy family. Anna traveled all over the world with the family she worked for. This was evident by the framed photographs hanging in the Cawley home of Rome, Italy and other sites.

Mary "Mame" attended the Susquehanna Collegiate Institute (S.C.I.) in Towanda and Mansfield State Teachers College, and then taught school in Hebron, Conn., and Luther's Mills. After her marriage to William P. Lynch, she made her home in Overshot. After Will died, she moved to Ward Avenue in Towanda to live with her sisters. I remember vividly the day Mame was doing wash in the Cawley kitchen and her hand got caught in the old fashioned wringer on the washing machine. The wringer pulled her arm into it, she had a stroke, and was hospitalized. She died a few weeks later.

Sabina Cawley graduated from the Pail Factory School and then took some courses at Towanda High School so that she could take the examination to enter nursing school in New York City. Sabina became a Registered Nurse and worked for her entire career at Kings County Hospital. She was further educated by Kings County and became the first nurse to work with education and treatment of communicable disease in New York City. Sabina, too, came home to Bradford County at the close of her career.

Thomas Cawley was born Dec. 25, 1886, and lived for eight months and 11 days. Margaret Cawley stayed on at home and cared for her mother. She was well known as a dressmaker in Towanda. Theresa Cawley graduated from Saint Agnes High School in 1914. After her graduation she entered the Religious Sisters of Mercy where she was named Sister Mary Agnita. She served the community until her death at the age of 93. The last child, Anthony, was born July 21, 1898, and died Oct. 15, 1898.

It is fascinating to follow the lives of these Irish farm girls from Overshot. They were intelligent and had a thirst to learn more, and that they did. It is also interesting to note that the female children of Martin and Mary Cawley lived to ripe old ages: Anna died at age 91, Mame was 81, Sabina was 94, Margaret was 69 and Theresa (Sister Agnita) was 93.

One last family of note from Overshot is that of Philip and Johanna Murley Lynch. They lived in Overshot and raised a family of 11 children. Their son Patrick James Lynch married Catherine Hourihan of Ridgebury. Patrick and Catherine Lynch raised a family of seven children to include the famous "Doc Lynch." Dr. Walter Lynch was a famous veterinarian in Towanda. He was born March 28, 1892 in Overshot and died in Towanda in 1987 at the age of 95. After graduating from Luther's Mills High School, Walter Lynch entered Mansfield Normal School, to prepare for a career in teaching. After teaching for several years, he came to realize that he would be happier and perhaps go further in another career. Because of his love and interest in animals, he enrolled in the School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania at Philadelphia. He had a long and successful career as a veterinarian. One of his accomplishments was in developing harness race horses. He did this for years with another local veterinarian, Dr. Francis "Todd" Sullivan (Doc Sullivan was the grandson of Anna Lynch Sullivan who was featured earlier in this article). Dr. Walther Lynch also had a brother who was a veterinarian, Dr. Raymond Lynch, who practiced in Mansfield.

Irish surnames that appear on atlas maps of the Overshot area are: Curran, Madigan, Drislane, Dorsey, Carroll, Clancy, Dunn, Flannery, Hurley, Kennedy, McCue, O'Herrron, Regan and Sheridan. I have pointed out in other articles that the Irish immigrants tended to settle with people from their home area of Ireland. Most of the Overshot Irish were from County Kerry, a few from County Clare and a few from way up north in Sligo.

Henry G. Farley is president of the Bradford County Historical Society.