Fitzgerald Family of Beaver County Pennsylvania
Beaver County, Pennsylvania (1914)
FITZGERALD: The Fitzgerald family of Beaver county, Pennsylvania traces its ancestry to the “Emerald Isle,” where the forebears were for the most part engaged in agricultural pursuits. With a natural love for the beautiful particularly in nature, they devoted themselves extensively to gardening.
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John Fitzgerald, whose entire life was spent in Ireland, married Mary Conway and had children: James and Thomas.
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Thomas Fitzgerald, son of John and Mary (Conway) Fitzgerald was born in county Kerry, Ireland, 1846, and came to the United States at the age of twenty-five years. The greater part of his life has been spent in and in the vicinity of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he was in the employ of wealthy families as a gardener. He came to Beaver county, Pennsylvania, in 1885, resided there three years, then removed to Dixmont, where he remained for a time, and finally settled in Beaver permanently ten years ago. He married Mary, also a native of Ireland, daughter of Anthony Healey, and they have had children: Joseph, born Jun 10, 1865, died Jun 4, 1884; John, born November 3, 1866, manager of the Plumber’s Supply Company in Erie, Pennsylvania; Thomas M., see forward; James, born September 16, 1869, married Gertrude Potts and lives in Pittsburgh; Anna, born November 7, 1870, died, unmarried, October 20, 1909; Mary Catherine, born April 8, 1875, died in April 1905, married Edward Kennedy; Edward Lawrence, born August 13, 1879, married Catherine McConnell [Conville]; William A., born March 20, 1881, died November 27, 1884.
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Thomas M. Fitzgerald, son of Thomas and Mary (Healey) Fitzgerald, was born in Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, February 27, 1868. His school education was commenced in the city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, after a time he was sent to Ireland, and at the expiration of three years returned to this country and completed his education in this country. He has always been identified with business as a florist, and has achieved a more than satisfactory amount of success. He came to Beaver county, Pennsylvania, with a fortune consisting of one hundred dollars, and from this small beginning he has attained his present prosperity, owing to his indefatigable energy, his perseverance and his excellent business methods. At first he leased the Dravo place, remaining in that location for a period of eight years. By this time he had amassed a sufficient capital to enable his to purchase the Campbell place on Fifth street. At first he devoted the greater part of his time to raising vegetables, but later turned his attention to floriculture. At the present time he has six men constantly in his employ, and at times is obliged to add to this number. He is called upon to fill orders for all parts of the Untied States, the superiority of his output having become recognized far and wide. He commenced with one thousand feet of glass, and now was about thirty thousand; at first he had the ordinary wooden benches to support his plants in the greenhouses, now he has model cement benches. Altogether he now has twelve greenhouses of large size, covering a huge tract of ground. He understands fully the needs and requirements of the different plants, the soil best adapted to their growth, the temperature and all the other conditions necessary to produce the most healthful and beautiful specimens. He is a member of the Pittsburgh and Allegheny Florist Association and of the Horticultural Association of the United States.
Mr. Fitzgerald married, July 20 1895, Nora, daughter of Jeremiah and Catherine Miniham, and has had children: Catherine, John and Joseph, twins, Helen, Anna, Agnes, all still at home. The family attend the Catholic Church, and Mr. Fitzgerald is Independent in his political opinions. He keeps well in touch with all current events, and takes pleasure in forming his opinions in an unbiased manner.
