Anamosa - A Reminiscence 1838 - 1988

assistance of Jones County Clerk Glenn Brokaw. and
Extension Director Joe Legg. and worked on the
Richard C. Smith farm near Morley. Andy graduated
from law school at the University of Iowa and settled in
Jones county to practice law. He has followed in the
footsteps of his great-grandfather and has been
representing Anamosa in the Iowa House of
Representatives since 1979. In 1983 he married
Constance Ann Hoefer. They have a daughter. Fern
Else. and a son. Evan Thomas.
McNamara family
submitted by Cletus McNamara. Nadine McNamara. and Kathleen McNamara Conmey
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Mr. and Mrs. Frank (Katie Drummy) McNamara
(SubmittedbyKathleer1 McNamaraCor1mey)
John McNamara. born in 1826. and Anna Malone.
born in 1831. were sweethearts in County Clare.
Ireland. John was a railroad worker and Anna was a
midwife.
They were married and became the parents of two
children. and were expecting another. when they left
Ireland to come to America. Traveling with John and
Anna was John's sister. Mary McNamara.
During the five-week voyage. one of the children
sickened and died. The child was buried at sea.
Upon the McNamara's arrival in New York — with $3
between them — they set about securing employment.
John. fortunately. obtained work on the railroad:
Anna. to supplement their income. opened their home
to boarders.
They worked and saved money for their goal. which
was to emigrate to Iowa.
Achieving that goal. they arrived in Iowa where they
homesteaded on land south of the little community of
Prairieburg. in Linn County. By that time their family
had increased in size to 12 children.
Part of the originally purchased land is now known as
McNamara Road.
On Jan. 24. 1894. a son. Frank. was married to
Catherine ‘Katie’ Drummey, in Ryan. Iowa. They
settled on a farm west of his parents. The first home
owned by John and Anna was burned and a new home
was built.
John and Anna's $3 in assets. upon their arrival in
this country. was eventully increased to a homestead of
1.000 acres. purchased for 50 cents an acre.
Katie and Frank had 12 children. Two of these. Frank
and Francis. named for their father. died. The
remaining ten were: Thomas. John. Elizabeth. William.
Emlin. Bernard. Anne. Berniece. Mary Genarose. and
Robert.
As the children grew. there was a question about
adequate schooling for the children. Katie wanted to
move to Anamosa where there would be more
opportunities for education. In 1916 the family moved
to their newly purchased farm one mile east of
Anamosa.
Frank died Nov. 17. 1925. and Katie followed him
April 25. 1937. At that time. two of the sons. Bill and
Bernard. rented the 200-acre farm from the estate for
$6 an acre. Six years later the heirs sold the farm to
Roland Dasenbrock for $121 an acre.
The original farm house. located northwest of the
Anamosa Care Center. is now the home of Deb and
Mark Clymer. The farm land now includes: two housing