Sunday’s Obituary – A Little Irish for St. Patrick’s Day

[Ellicottville, Cattaraugus County, New York]
From the Ellicottville Post, Wednesday, September 30, 1896:
Obituary
Charles Cotter, aged about ninety-eight years, died at his residence in this town, Thursday at 8 o’clock. Mr. Cotter was born in Brandon, county Cork, Ireland, in about the year 1798. When twenty-one years of age he started for America and after a long and tedious voyage of twelve weeks crossing the Atlantic he landed in Boston, Mass., then a small town, where he made his home for several years, afterward spending a great portion of his time in the South. He would tell many interesting stories about those cruel slavery days.
In 1840 Mr. Cotter was united in marriage to Mrs. Mary Duffy in the city of Buffalo, where they resided for a time. In 1852 they came to Ellicottville and settled on the farm where he resided until the time of his death. Mr. Cotter was a kind neighbor, always ready to help others. He was a good Christian man, a true member of the Roman Catholic Church.
Hour after hour on long winter evenings he would sit by the fire and relate to his grandchildren the stories of his boyhood days, and the hardships which he endured when he first came on the farm, without a roof over his head to shelter him and his family from the cold winter blast.
For many years Mr. Cotter has been afflicted with rheumatism, and for the last ten years was unable to leave his home. He was a great sufferer but bore the pain with patience until death came to him as a happy release, and he died with a smile on his face.
To Mr. Cotter and wife three children were born—J.W. Cotter and Mrs. Peter Lyons of Ellicottville and Mrs. Michael O’Connor of Salamanca, who survive him; also two stepsons, Andrew and Michael Duffy. Michael was killed on the farm by a limb of a falling tree in 1856, and Andrew was killed at the battle of Fredericksburg in 1862.
He also leaves a wife, several grandchildren and a host of friends.
The services were held at the church of the Most Holy Name of Mary, Saturday morning, Rev. Fr. Caraher officiating, and the remains were laid to rest in the Roman Catholic cemetery. May God have mercy on his soul. ~

Irish Cross tombstone from Forest Lawn Cemetery, Buffalo, NY

Comments

  1. AnonymousJuly 7, 2012 at 9:53 PM

    I am a descendant of Charles Cotter and Mary Duffy. Their daughter, whose name (I believe) was Elizabeth Cotter, and Michael O'Connor were my great-grandparents. I grew up in Salamanca where Michael O'Connor and Elizabeth Cotter O'Connor are buried near my grandmother.

    I will try to contact you via e-mail in the coming week. I presume we are distant cousins.

    ReplyDelete

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