Biographical Sketch of Rev. Thomas Ryan, Holden, Johnson County, Missouri

>From "History of Johnson County, Missouri," by Ewing Cockrell,
Historical Publishing Company, Topeka, Cleveland, 1918.
**********************************************************************

Rev. Thomas Ryan, pastor of St. Patrick's church, Catholic, Holden,
Missouri, was born at Bird Hill, Tipperary, Ireland, Newport Parish,
July 8, 1882.  He received his primary education in the local National
School of his native parish and obtained his classical education at a
private school located in Killaloe, Ireland.  After spending two and
one-half years in this preparatory school, he entered the Irish Foreign
Missionary College where he was educated for the priesthood and was
ordained for his high religious calling by Bishop Grimes of Dublin in
1908.  He left his native heath enroute for America soon thereafter and
arrived in this country on September 25, 1908.  For a period of one and
a half years, Father Ryan was located at Conway, Missouri, and in June
of 1910 went to Westport, Missouri, as assistant to Father Walsh.  In
November of this same year, he came to Holden and for the past seven
years has been in charge of St. Patrick's church.  In addition to the
Holden charge, Father Ryan has charge of the Church of St. John the
Baptist on Blackwater, located eleven miles north of Holden.  A comp-
lete history of St. Patrick's church appears in the historical section
of this work.  In connection with this brief biography it is well to
mention a predecessor of Father Ryan, who was widely known in this
section as an excellent judge of race horses.  It is a matter of 
history that W. R. S. Rankin donated the Blackwater property for the
purpose of establishing a mission church to serve as a place of worship
for the Catholic residents in the neighborhood.  Mr. Rankin made the 
donation in 1889 and in October of the following year the church was
erected and services were conducted by Father Scarey, an Itailian by
birth.  Father Scarey was a lover of horseflesh and kept a stable of
racing animals, one of which carried him to his Blackwater charge 
almost as fast as the present day automobile.  He was frequently called
upon to act as judge at racing meets and was very popular throughout
the countryside in the days when horse racing was an annual and import-
ant event. Father Scarey died in 1910.  Father James Ryan, a relative
of the present pastor of St. Patrick's, was a relative of Father Scarey
and died in Springfield in 1910.  Father Ryan is faithfully and con-
scientiously serving his people in the Holden and Blackwater parishes
and is popular with all classes of people.  He is leaving a marked
impression upon both parishes as a builder and religious leader.

====================================================================
     USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing
         free information on the Internet, data may be used by
         non-commercial entities, as long as this message
         remains on all copied material. These electronic
         pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit
         or for presentation by other persons or organizations.

         Persons or organizations desiring to use this material
         for purposes other than stated above must obtain the
         written consent of the file contributor.

         This file was contributed for use in the USGenWeb
         Archives by:  <>
		      Penny (Eisenbarger) Harrell <Incog3678@aol.com>

====================================================================