O’Connor-Thompson Brokerage Co. 1104 Union Ave Kansas City Mo
now browsing by tag
Update: John J. O’Connor (1886-1943) native of Ballyfacey, Glenmore
In 1938, just five years before John J. O’Connor’s untimely death, the Citizens Historical Association compiled a book of biographical sketches of Kansas City Citizens. The Citizens Historical Association was organized in Indianapolis in 1934, to establish a national library of historical and biographical information. With a small fee, the company prepared biographical sketches which could include genealogical information on a person’s ancestors. The association disbanded in 1952 and the biographical sketches were sold to the Indiana State Library.
John J. O’Connor was a member of the Kansas City Chapter of the Citizens Historical Association. Thanks to the Kansas City Public Library for copying and sending the biography he wrote in 1938. The helpful library staff also sent a later photo of John J. O’Connor’s business premises of 1104 Union St., Kansas City, Missouri. See our post of 5 August 2024 for further information on the O’Connor family.
Biographical Sketch
The complete sketch is below and retains the abreviations used in the original publication. Non-original additional information has been placed in [ ].
John J. O’Connor, President, O’Connor-Thompson Brokerage Co., 1104 Union Street, Kansas City, Missouri (1938)
John J(oseph) O’Connor, b,, in County Kilkenny, Ireland, Mar. 2, 1886; s. of John Joseph and Brigid (Roche) O’Connor.
John Joseph O’Connor, b. in County Kilkenny, Ireland. He was a farmer in his native country prior to his death, which occurred in 1912. His wife, Brigid (Roche) O’Connor, who was b. in County Kilkenny, Ireland, died in 1905.
[John O’Connor and Brigid Roche were married at Glenmore on 4 March 1878. John was the son of George O’Connor of Ballyfacey and Brigid Roche was the daughter of Edmond Roche of Rathinure. Brigid “Conners” née Roche died at the family home in lower Balleyfacey on 1 June 1905 at the age of 58. Her son Pat was present when she died of suspected heart disease. Her husband, John “Connors” (widower) farmer died at Ballyfacey on the 16th of November 1911. His son George was present at his death. His age was recorded as 82. A baptismal record was located for John “Conors” the son of George Connors and his wife Catherine Dollard at Ballyfacey on 25 June 1830].]
John J. O’Connor, the subject of this sketch, attended rural grade schs., and the national schs. in Ireland, after which he was a student at Waterpark Coll., in Waterford, Ireland. He came to America in 1905, settling in Kansas City, Mo. and in 1908, graduated from the Kansas City School of Law with an LL.B. deg., after which he passed the bar examination. While attending law sch., he became employed as a bill clerk by the S & S Packing Company, of Kansas City, with which firm he remained 3 yrs.
He then was associated with the Commerce Trust Company, as a tell, three and a half years., following which he was identified with the Flanagan Brothers Manufacturing Company, in Kansas City, 18 mos. Mr. O’Connor subsequently was identified until 1936, with the McManus-Heryer Brokerage Company, of which he was sec., after which he organized the O’Connor-Thompson Brokerage Company, of which firm he is pres. He serves also as a dir. of the South Side Bank. Mr. O’Connor, who is an ind. Democrat, is a mem. of the following: Central Industrial Dist. Assn.; K. of C. (3rd deg.); Ancient Order of Hibernians; Milburn Gold and Country Club; Kansas City Chapter, Citizens Hist. Assn.; and Guardian Angel (Roman Catholic) Church. His hobby is golf.
In Mar. 1912, Mr. O’Connor married Catherine Queenan, who was b. in County Mayo, Ireland. Children: (1) John J., Jr. He married Loretto Fetters, and they reside in Kansas City, Mo. (2) Catherine B., who resides in Kansas City. (3) Margaret Mary, who is employed in the Kansas City (Mo.) Public Library. (4) Mary Ellen, who is in school, in Kansas City. (5) Edward Patrick, who also attends school in Kansas City.
XXXXXXXXXXX
The featured photo above is of 1104 Union Street, the premises of the O’Connor-Thompson Brokerage Company of Kansas City, Missouri.
Website Update–We have added a large number of obits and other information to the family surname pages over the last few weeks. We are currently reviewing the website as we are outgrowing it.
If you have any corretions, additional information or thoughts on the re-structuring of the webpage please email glenmore.history@gmail.com.
Dr. Kathleen Moore Walsh
The O’Connor Brothers of Ballyfacey, Glenmore: Edward & John J. O’Connor
Recently we were asked about a grave marker in Kansas City, Missouri. It marks the graves of two Glenmore brothers Edward O’Connor (1882-1943) and John J. O’Connor (1886-1943) of Ballyfacey, Glenmore. They were younger brothers of George O’Connor (1881-1966) of Ballyfacey. Today, we are going to highlight the lives of these two brothers and their tragic deaths within two weeks of each other in 1943.
Ballyfacey, Glenmore
The name O’Connor was generally called Connors or Conners in Glenmore even in the Parish Records. The O’Connors’ originated in Wexford (Michael Hoynes, 4 Aug. 2024). The name George Connors has long been associated with Ballyfacey, and at one point two cousins bearing the name lived side by side. To distinguish the families the locals referred to them as Big George and Little George.
The first record located in the parish records of a George Connors was a baptism on 11 November 1793 at Ballyfacey. The child’s parents were Thomas Connors and Johanna née Bolger. Two years later another George Connors was baptized at Ballyfacey on 2 May 1799, the son of John Connors and Mary née Culleton.
Parents of John J. O’Connor (1886-1943) & Edward O’Connor (1882-1943)
The parents of the brothers who died in 1943 were John Connors (1830-1911) of Ballyfacey and Bridget Roche (1847-1905) of Rathinure, Glenmore. John and Bridget married on 4 March 1878 at Glenmore. John was the son of George Connors (farmer) & his wife Catherine Dollard. Bridget Roche was the daughter of Edward Roche and his wife Elizabeth Malone of Rathinure, Glenmore.
John Connors and his wife Bridget Roche had five known children all born at Ballyfacey: [1] Catherine Connors (b. 1879); [2] George Connors (b. 1881); [3] Edward Connors (b. 1882) [4] Patrick Connors (b. 1883); and [5] John Connors (b. 1886).
John J. O’Connor (1886-1943) Kansas City, Mo.
According to the Naturalisation documents that John Joseph O’Connor filed in the Federal Courts of Missouri seeking US citizenship, he emigrated from Ireland in 1905 aboard the Campania, landing in New York on 17 September 1905. He was granted citizenship at Kansas City, Missouri on 4 March 1908.
A review of the Campania’s register reveals that the ship arrived in New York on 16 September 1905. John was 19 years of age, and stated that his father paid his fare. He declared that he had $10 and was traveling to his cousin, Rev. P. Culleton at St. Mary’s Rectory, Westville, Illinois.
It is not clear how or why John went to Kansas City, Missouri, however, he attended and graduated from the Kansas City School of Law in 1908. This independent law school was founded in 1895 by three young local lawyers. Its most famous graduate was Harry S. Truman. In 1911, John married Catherine Queenan, (a native of Mayo) and the couple had 6 children. Catherine died 21 November 1941 at the age of 53.
It does not appear that John practiced law. He became a broker of food and was president of the O’Connor-Thompson Brokerage Company, located at 1104 Union Avenue. A quick newspaper search revealed that John was busy in the community. He was a member of the Committee for Friends of Irish Freedom along with Patrick J. Harpy; James Ahren; P.A. M’Kenna; C.A. Lawler; M.J. M’Nellis; and R.E. O’Malley. During de Valera’s trip to New York in 1919, the Committee telegraphed de Valera and asked him to come to Kansas City for a “monster rally.” (Kansas City Journal, Mon. 30 June 1919, p. 1). Some of the men on this Committee and other organisations that John belonged were John’s pallbearers when he died in 1943.
According to John’s obituary his other business interest was that he was a director of the South Side Bank. He was also a member of the local Democrats, Co-operative club, the Allied Food club, the Knights of Columbus and the Holy Name Society. He held city, state and national offices in the Ancient Order of Hibernians. In fact, he was first elected President of the Missouri Branch of the OAH in 1916 (Kansas City Journal, Fri. 1 Sept. 1916, p. 10).
Kansas City Scandal
The only negative news story that could be located was from 1938 when a former friend sued John. Maurice J. McNellis sued Roy W. Crimm, executor for the estate of William D. Boyle; J.L. Cashen and John J. O’Connor. McNellis stated that from 1921 until December 1935 he was President of the South Side Bank of Kansas City. He alleged the defendants conspired to destroy his professional reputation and asked for damages of $200,000 (The Kansas City Times, Thu. 29 June 1938, p. 2). It is not clear what transpired that led to this suit, but it was during the Great Depression when many banks failed. We found another case that may have been the cause of the lawsuit against John.
William D. Boyle left an estate of $484,499.61 when he died on 3 June 1938 after being hit by a bolt of lightning while watching a golf tournament. Boyle was a member of the Boyle-Pryor Construction Company. This company received city contracts and was being sued by the city to recover $356,000. Boyle’s partner Pryor was indicted in the $356,000 water leak scandal. Two notes in the Boyle estate were alleged to have been executed by McNellis. Both were listed at no value (Kansas City Star, Thurs. 6 July 1939, p. 3).
The City believed that Rathford Engineering was a dummy company operated by William D. Boyle and John J. Pryor of the Boyle-Pryor Construction Company. Rathford was set up to defraud the City (Kansas City Star, Thu. 15 June 1944, p. 6). Ultimately a ten day trial was held and Judge Thomas J. Seehorn found for the defendants. The City appealed to the Missouri Supreme Court where a new trial was ordered (Kansas City Star, Tues. 6 March 1945, p. 3).
John J. O’Connor was not named and apparently had nothing to do with the “water leak scandal.” He and the other defendant, J.L. Cashen were Directors of the South Side Bank and it appears likely they took actions to protect the bank from the scandal. The deceased, William D. Boyle had stock in the bank and secured two notes from McNellis when he was President of the bank. Maurice McNellis went on to form the McNellis Real Estate Investment company, and no further newspaper coverage of his case against John J. O’Connor could be found.
Death 24 October 1943
Just two years after his wife’s untimely death, John O’Connor was killed on 24 October 1943 at 3:55 a.m. when “a motor car in which he was riding crashed into a trolley pole across the street from 5335 Ward Parkway. The motor car spun in the roadway and struck the pole broadside. The side on which O’Connor was riding was crushed. More than an hour was required to extricate him.”
Police reported that the pole was on a curve and a downhill grade. Earlier in the year it also was the scene of a crash “which killed LeRoy Simons, the president of the Simons-Wiles Buick Company.” O’Connor was the passenger in a coupe driven by Eugene P. Sheridan, 49 of 305 West 37th St., a credit manager for a rubber company. Sheridan told police that they were returning to O’Connor’s home at 4133 Mercier St., after an afternoon and night at the Milburn Golf and Country Club (Kansas City Times, Mon. 25 Oct. 1943, p. 1).
John’s wake was held in the family home. He was buried next to his wife and infant daughter, in St. Mary’s Cemetery, Kansas City, Jackson County, Missouri. John’s pallbearers were: Frank Sullivan; John J. Sullivan; Edwin M. Thompson; James P. Aylward; R.B. Lustig; John V. Hill; James A. Edwards; and Joseph M. Morrissey (Kansas City Star, Tues. 26 Oct. 1926, 1943, p. 7). A photo of the O’Connor grave marker can be viewed on Find a Grave.
[Editor’s note: The name Aylward has long been associated with Glenmore. The James P. Aylward (1885-1982) pallbearer was an attorney and served at various times as the chairman of the Kansas City Democrats, the Jackson County Democrats and the Missouri State Democrats. In 1934 the “Pendergast” machine asked him to stand for the US Senate. Aylward declined and instead recommended a county judge named Harry S. Truman” (Kansas City Times, Mon. 26 July 1982, p. 10.) James P. Aylward (1885-1982) the pallbearer was the eldest son of Tobias John Aylward (1860-1923) a native of Rochestown, Glenmore. See our A family surname page for further information.]
Children of John J. O’Connor (1886-1943)
[1] John J. O’Connor, Jr. (1912-1959) graduated from Notre Dame and the University of Kansas City School of Law. He worked for a time as a teller at the City National Bank, and in 1940 he went into the food business as a vice-president at George Hogue Mercantile, Co. . On the death of his father in 1943 he became chairman of the board of the South Side Bank. In 1957, he sold his interest in the mercantile and became president of the South Side Federal Savings and Loan Association in Waldo. He was married and had a large young family at the time of his death aged 47 (Kansas City Star, Tues. 24 Mar. 1959, p. 13).
[2] Catherine B. O’Connor Wyrsch (1914-1976) married Frederick R. Wyrsch, Sr. who was President of the South Side Bank and died in 1964. They had a large family. After Catherine was widowed she married Leo J. Cusick who was a manager of the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority and was a consultant to the Chicago Regional Transportation. Catherine died on vacation while in London, England (Kansas City Times, Thur. 6 May 1976, p. 84).
[3] Eliz. E. “Betty” O’Connor (1916-1918) died in infancy.
[4] Margaret Mary O’Connor Barry (1916-1989) married Robert C. Barry. Prior to her marriage she attended Alvila College and was a 1938 graduate of the College of St. Catherine of St. Paul, Minnesota. During the 1940’s Margaret worked as a librarian in the Kansas City Public Library. She had 5 children (Kansas City Times, Fri. 5 May 1989, p. 50).
[5] Mary Ellen O’Connor Ervin (1921-1999) continued to live in the family home 4133 Mercier until at least her brother’s death in 1959 (Kansas City Star, Tues. 24 March 1959, p. 13). She married Robert Edward Ervin in 1945. He died in 1984. The couple had five known children. Mary Ellen died in Leawood, Kansas in February 1999. In her obituary it was noted that her best friend remained her brother Edward (Kansas City Star, Sun. 21 Feb. 1999, p. 28).
[6] Edward Patrick O’Connor (1924-2020) was a freshmen at Notre Dame in Sept. 1941 (Kansas City Journal, Tues. 16 Sept. 1941, p. 8) just two months before his mother’s death. He graduated from the ROTC Naval Program in May 1944 and served as a Lt. on the USS Alvin C. Cockwell, a destroyer escort ship. He was on the deck of the USS Missouri and watched General McArthur accept Japan’s surrender. Returning to civilian life in Kansas City he became President of the Heritage Federal Savings and Loan, married and raised a family (Kansas City Star, Wed. 29 Jan. 2020, p. A3). He was he last of his family and died at the age of 95 in 2020.
Edward O’Connor (1882-1943) Kansas City, MO to Chicago, IL
Edward O’Connor filed naturalization papers in Kansas City, Mo. stating that he was born 23 April 1882. Edward stated that he arrived in the U.S. on the 27th of September 1907.
According to the Diary of James Aylward of Ballyhobuck, Glenmore [Danny Dowling’s Notebook 2], “Edward Connors of Ballyfacey and W. Grace of Kilbride sailed for the U.S. on 18 September 1907.” The 1901 Census provides that only one Grace family resided in Kilbride, Glenmore. W. Grace was William Grace (b.c. 1881).
Armed with this information we were able to find the two young men on the Baltic’s passenger list. The Baltic landed in New York on 28 September 1907. William Grace, aged 26, stated that he was a farmer. Edward O’Connor was 24 and stated that he too was a farmer and was planning to go to Kansas City where he had a brother.
Edward was naturalized on 6 July 1914 at Kansas City, Missouri. One of his witnesses was Maurice O’Connor of 1822 Summit St., Kansas City, Missouri. Maurice O’Connor per the 1911 City Directory was with the Fire Department. According to the 1910 Census, Maurice (b. 1870 in Ireland) was single, an Assistant Chief, and lodged with his cousin Joseph R. Scanlon who was also employed by the City.
Edward O’Connor remained a bachelor and lived for several years with his brother John J. O’Connor and his family in Kansas City. He worked as a clerk, an accountant and later sold life insurance. In the 1940 Census he recorded that he finished his education after the sixth grade.
Around 1926 Edward moved to Chicago, and died there in 1943. He appears to have remained close to his brother and his family the newspapers reported that he was “an out of town guest” at his niece’s wedding (Kansas City Journal, Sat. 25 Oct. 1941, p. 19). No newspaper articles could be found for Edward prior to 1943. By all appearances he led a quiet life, but here in Glenmore it was reported that he was robbed and killed on his way home one evening. Another rumour was that he was shot. We were unable to find any Chicago newspaper articles that indicated that Edward was the victim of a robbery or other violence that caused his death.
Death of Edward O’Connor (1882-1943)
The Kansas City Times (Tues. 9 Nov. 1943, p. 4) reported the following:
A Second Brother Killed: Tragedy Strikes John J. O’Connor Family Twice in Two Weeks—Tragedy has struck twice in two weeks in the family of John J. O’Connor, 4133 Mercier St. Mr. O’Connor was killed in a motor car crash near 53rd St and Ward Parkway October 24th, and yesterday his family was informed that M. O’Connor’s brother, Edward O’Connor, 61 years old, was found dead along a railroad right-of-way on Chicago’s near North Side early yesterday morning.
Friends of Edward O’Connor in Chicago said he was apparently in good health and spirits when they last saw him. Edward O’Connor, a bachelor, has made his home in Chicago for the last 16 years. He was in the life insurance business. Born in Ireland, Mr. O’Connor came to the United States and Kansas City in 1905. For many years he worked for Bruce Dodson & Co., and was a member of the Knights of Columbus. He left Kansas City in 1926.
He is survived by a brother, George O’Connor who lives in Ireland. A nephew, John J. O’Connor, Jr., East 61st St. Terrace, left last night for Chicago. He said that funeral services would be held in Kansas City.
The Culleton Cousin
The Rt. Rev. Mons. Culleton of Peoria was Patrick Culleton (1877-1960) of Kilbride, Glenmore. He was the son of James Culleton (1845-1912) and his wife Margaret Connors (1839-1918). His parents were married 3 February 1876 at Glenmore. Patrick was ordained in 1900 and appointed to diocese of Peoria on American Mission. He had two brothers, Michael & George Culleton (b. 1881). Margaret Connors Culleton (1839-1918) was a sister of John Connors (1830- 1911) the father of John J. O’Connor (1886-1943) and Edward O’Connor (1882-1943). Thus, the three men were first cousins.
Patrick served in the Peoria Diocese all his religious life. He officiated at the marriage of John J. O’Connor’s daughters in Kansas City in the early 1940’s. Patrick died in 1960 in Miami Beach, Florida. He is buried in St. Mary’s Cemetery of West Peoria, Illinois. To view Monsignor Patrick O’C Culleton’s headstone, see Find a Grave.
It is not known why Patrick used O’C for his middle initial. It is believed that there may have been other priests with the same or similar names, and he wished to distinguish himself by using his mother’s maiden name as his middle name. One of his nephews later became a priest and was also assigned to the Peoria Diocese.
Please send any corrections, additional information or photos to glenmore.history@gmail.com. Special thanks to Michael Hoynes of Ballybrahee, Glenmore for helping sort out the Ballyfacey Conners. The featured photo above is John J. O’Connor’s (1886-1943) yearbook photo from the Kansas City School of Law (1908).
We located a chapter in a book concerning John J. O’Connor which is held in the Kansas City Library. It is not available on line and when we secure a copy we may update this post.
Dr. Kathleen Moore Walsh