Title
MARY WHERLEY MULLANEY
Creator
Mary Mullaney and Shirley Mann Gilles
Coverage
TOWNSHIP 139N RANGE 96W
Text
MARY WHERLEY MULLANEY
Mary Wherley Mullaney was born Aug. 12, 1885 in Belle Plain, Minn. To Andrew and Annie Collins Wherley. Her father Andrew was born in 1852 to Barbara and Peter Wherley, the youngest of 12 children and the only one who was born in Switzerland before his parents migrated to the United States specifically Blakely, Minn. Her mother was born Oct. 14, 1852 to John and Sarah Hennessey Collins in Ireland and later accompanied her family to the states settling in Iowa first and then in Blakely, Minn. Where she met Andrew Wherley.
Mary's parents homesteaded five miles from Belle Plaine, where they built their home out of logs with the help of neighboring Indians. Mary, one of five children received her education at St. Peter and Paul's Catholic School in Belle Plaine. At the age of 12 she accompanied her parents to North Dakota where they homesteaded near Kenmare. This land is still owned by the Wherley family, now being farmed by Mary's brother John's son, Andrew. Another brother of Mary's, Vincent, father of Mrs. Kenneth P. Mann, homesteaded in McKenzie County, and this land is now owned by a member of his family, son Lloyd.
When Mary was a young woman she accompanied her cousin, Margaret McDermot Jennings (from Fargo) to Stark County. Margaret proved up a homestead near South Heart but didn’t live on it long. Mary homesteaded in Stark Co., north of Belfield and lived on the land only the required amount of time. It was at this time that she met Jim Mullaney, originally of Fargo who worked with his father in his land office in Dickinson. Mary and Jim were married at the old St. Patrick's Church. In 1917 they adopted a daughter, Maryanne.
They lived in Dickinson for a while and later owned a ranch north of Medora. Mary vividly recalls one time when she was crossing a creek to get to the ranch from Medora; the creek was swollen and swift and the new team of horses pulling the buggy lost their footing causing the horses, buggy and Mary to go downstream. The horses perished and Mary was saved only by clinging to a tree branch. Her husband had to take her by train to Minneapolis, to a specialist who removed the sand from her ears and nostrils.
Mary remembers helping during the flu epidemic of 1918 when she was instructed by a doctor in Belfield to chew gum while working with the patients to avoid getting the disease.
The Mullaneys ran an all-purpose store in Emerson, N.D. where Mary recalls homesteaders coming to use her telephone to call the doctor in Killdeer when births and illnesses seemed imminent.
For several ears in the 20's and 30's Jim sold Delco light plants to farmers in the tri-state area. So their daughter could attend school the Mullaneys purchased a home in Dickinson, which was owned by Mary for many years and it became an open-house for her rural nieces and nephews who were attending college or working in the city.
In the 30's and 40's Mary traveled around the state working as a corseteer for the Spencer and Barckley Corset Companies, and later worked as a housekeeper for Fr. Roessler of Belfield. Her last several years were spent in nursing homes and she was residing at St. Luke's Home at the time of her death Aug. 28, 1977.
By Mary Mullaney and Shirley Mann Gilles
Mary Wherley Mullaney was born Aug. 12, 1885 in Belle Plain, Minn. To Andrew and Annie Collins Wherley. Her father Andrew was born in 1852 to Barbara and Peter Wherley, the youngest of 12 children and the only one who was born in Switzerland before his parents migrated to the United States specifically Blakely, Minn. Her mother was born Oct. 14, 1852 to John and Sarah Hennessey Collins in Ireland and later accompanied her family to the states settling in Iowa first and then in Blakely, Minn. Where she met Andrew Wherley.
Mary's parents homesteaded five miles from Belle Plaine, where they built their home out of logs with the help of neighboring Indians. Mary, one of five children received her education at St. Peter and Paul's Catholic School in Belle Plaine. At the age of 12 she accompanied her parents to North Dakota where they homesteaded near Kenmare. This land is still owned by the Wherley family, now being farmed by Mary's brother John's son, Andrew. Another brother of Mary's, Vincent, father of Mrs. Kenneth P. Mann, homesteaded in McKenzie County, and this land is now owned by a member of his family, son Lloyd.
When Mary was a young woman she accompanied her cousin, Margaret McDermot Jennings (from Fargo) to Stark County. Margaret proved up a homestead near South Heart but didn’t live on it long. Mary homesteaded in Stark Co., north of Belfield and lived on the land only the required amount of time. It was at this time that she met Jim Mullaney, originally of Fargo who worked with his father in his land office in Dickinson. Mary and Jim were married at the old St. Patrick's Church. In 1917 they adopted a daughter, Maryanne.
They lived in Dickinson for a while and later owned a ranch north of Medora. Mary vividly recalls one time when she was crossing a creek to get to the ranch from Medora; the creek was swollen and swift and the new team of horses pulling the buggy lost their footing causing the horses, buggy and Mary to go downstream. The horses perished and Mary was saved only by clinging to a tree branch. Her husband had to take her by train to Minneapolis, to a specialist who removed the sand from her ears and nostrils.
Mary remembers helping during the flu epidemic of 1918 when she was instructed by a doctor in Belfield to chew gum while working with the patients to avoid getting the disease.
The Mullaneys ran an all-purpose store in Emerson, N.D. where Mary recalls homesteaders coming to use her telephone to call the doctor in Killdeer when births and illnesses seemed imminent.
For several ears in the 20's and 30's Jim sold Delco light plants to farmers in the tri-state area. So their daughter could attend school the Mullaneys purchased a home in Dickinson, which was owned by Mary for many years and it became an open-house for her rural nieces and nephews who were attending college or working in the city.
In the 30's and 40's Mary traveled around the state working as a corseteer for the Spencer and Barckley Corset Companies, and later worked as a housekeeper for Fr. Roessler of Belfield. Her last several years were spent in nursing homes and she was residing at St. Luke's Home at the time of her death Aug. 28, 1977.
By Mary Mullaney and Shirley Mann Gilles