Pages 580 – 81

JOHN  McDIVITT, one of  the  oldest settlers of Tigerton,  Shawano county, and a prominent farmer and lumber man, is a Canadian by  birth, having been born January 26, 1856, in the quaint old city of Quebec, appropriately called the "Gibraltar off America." 
     
Thomas McDivitt, father of our subject, was a native of Liverpool, England whence when a young man he emigrated to Canada, settling in Quebec, where he taught in the high school twelve years with eminent success, being a man of superior education. In that  city  he  was  married to Miss  Jane Smith,   who  came  to  Canada   from the North of Ireland, and twelve children were born to them, a brief sketch of whom is as follows; Rebecca is the wife of Edward McGlin, a day laborer, of Canada East; Archibald is a farmer  in  Red River Valley, N. Dak.; Mary is the wife of John Johnson, a farmer of Canada; John is the subject of these lines; Thomas has been a lumberman in the State of Washington  for  the past  twelve years; Agnes and Jane (twins), of whom Jane is married to Harry Priest, of Canada;. William is a merchant in Canada West; Elizabeth is the wife of William Johnson, a day laborer of Canada; James who lives in Prescott, Canada, is roadmaster of railroad bridges; Emily is the wife of Charles Dillon, in Greenleaf, Wis.; Margaret is the wife of R. Leader, a printer, of Chicago.    The father of these died in Canada in September, 1878; the mother is now living with her daughter,  Mrs. Emily Dillon, in Greenleaf, Wisconsin.

John  McDivitt, whose name introduces this sketch, received but a limited education, as at the age of thirteen years he left the parental home for Toronto, Canada, from which city he went into the lumber woods in Canada West, and continued in that line of work there until he was  seventeen years old (1872), when he came to Wisconsin, making his home at Marion, Waupaca county, till the spring of 1873; he then commenced lumbering on the river, and from that time on, until his marriage in 1877, he was engaged either in the woods or on the river, cutting logs, and rafting them. Moving now to Bear Creek, Outagamie county, he there conducted an eighty-acre farm till 1880, the year of his coming to Tigerton, where he bought  some land  and  built a hotel and saloon, which he conducted nine years, at the end of which time he sold out and turned his attention to farming and lumbering; but in 1894 he sold his farm at Bear Creek, and has since confined himself to his lumber interests, which are quite extensive.  Our subject was about the first business man to set foot in Tigerton, and he  has done  much  toward aiding in its growth and advancement.
     
On July 24, 1877, Mr. McDivitt was married to Miss Mary Toomey, who was born February 22, 1859, at Cedarburg, Ozaukee Co. Wis., daughter of Timothy and Mary (O'Brien) Toomey, the former of whom was a son of James and Mary (Purcell) Toomey, who came to America when the son Timothy was a seven-year-old boy. The father was from the city of Cork, Ireland, was a capitalist, owning steamboats which he continued to run after coming to America and settling in Massachusetts, where he and his wile both died. Timothy Toomey was reared in Massachusetts, and died there. For a time he was overseer of a cotton factory in that State, thence moved to Vermont, later to Virginia, where he kept a railroad boarding house. In the South Mr. and Mrs. Toomey remained until 1860, then came to Wisconsin, locating at Cedarburg, Ozaukee county, where they were engaged in farming till 1865, in that year removing to Bear Creek, Outagamie county, and buying a farm there, whereon they lived until 1881, then coming to Tigerton to visit our subject and wife.  Mrs. Toomey died there in 1890 at the age of sixty-five years, and Mr. Toomey is now residing at Milwaukee. They were the parents of children as follows: John, deceased; Abbie, wife of Dennis Callahan, of Canada; Lawrence, deceased; John; Timothy, a resident of Wisconsin; Mary, Mrs. McDivitt; James; Ellen, deceased wife of Jerry Ford, of Tigerton, who has married since her decease (she left two children). Mr. Toomey served four years in the war of the Rebellion, enlisting in Company E. First Wis. V. I., and reenlisting in the same regiment. He has a brilliant war record, having seen some hard service, among other engagements participating in the battle of Pittsburg Landing, and was in Sherman's march to the sea.
     
To Mr. and Mrs. McDivitt have been born four children, all yet at home: Jennie May, Emily, John and Archibald. The entire family are members of the Roman Catholic Church, and in his political preferences Mr. McDivitt has always been a stanch Democrat. He is a prosperous progressive, loyal citizen, enjoying the respect and esteem of the community at large. He has a fine home in Tigerton, and owns some 200 acres of land near the town, besides lots in Milwaukee, and other property.