Biographies and Obituaries
In loving memory
John W. McCarty
History of the Catholic Church in Indiana
Logansport: Bowen, 1898
John W. McCarty, ex postmaster of Washington, Daviess county, Ind., is a native of County Clare, Ireland, was born March 17, 1861, and is a son of Michael and Bridget (O'Connor) McCarty, the latter of whom died in Ireland a few months after the birth of the subject, having borne her husband nine children, viz: Margaret, deceased; Peter, now of Vincennes, Ind.,; Mary, of Denver, Colo.; Delia, Ellen and Michael, of the same city; Martin and James, deceased; and John W., the subject of this memoir.
Michael McCarty, the father of this family, brought the surviving members to the United States in the fall of 1862, and for two years was employed at general labor in Hoboken, N. J., then in 1864 came to Washington, Ind., working as a section hand on the railroad until 1867, and then went to Leavenworth, Kans., where his death took place in 1872. John W. McCarty was an attendent at the common and parochial schools of Leavenworth, Kans., until about eleven years of age, when he returned to Washington, Ind., and attended St. Simon's school until fifteen, and also attended public school in Petersburg, Pike county, Ind., a few years. He began his business life in Petersburg by handling gents' furnishing goods, but in 1883 sold out his stock, and until 1886 engaged in the livery business, when he again sold out and for a few months conducted a drug store. In the spring of 1886 he was nominated by the democratic party for county clerk of Pike county, but, with the rest of his ticket, was defeated. Early in 1887 he went to Vincennes, Ind., and kept books for a brother until May, when he returned to Washington, and, in company with a cousin, Pat McCarty, engaged in the livery business. A few years later he erected the brick barn at the corner of Vantrees and East Third Streets, where the livery business was conducted in a very satisfactory manner, both to himself and patrons, until the close of 1893, when he was commissioned postmaster of Washington, under Grover Cleveland, February 5, 1894, and entered on the duties of the office March 1, of the same year, and served until March 1, 1898.
The marriage of Mr. McCarty was celebrated in Washington, June 25,1891, when he was joined in matrimony with Miss Jennie Denver, who was born in Cincinnati in 1865, a daughter of James and Esther Denver, and this union has been blessed with two children: C. Walter and Mary Margaret. Mr. McCarty is a director of the Industrial Building & Loan association and is very popular with all classes of citizens. As postmaster he gave satisfaction to the public. As a democrat he has been very active, and was selected by his party to represent Indiana as assistant marshal at the Inaugural of President Cleveland, at Washington, D.C., in March, 1893
Contributed by: John D. McMullen