MARK
DOYLE, deceased, was born in County Wicklow, Ireland, May 12,
1818, and was a son of William and Anne (Dowd) Doyle, natives of that
county. His mother died in Ireland, and her husband followed his
children to Mercer County, where he died at the home of his son Mark.
Six sons and one daughter were born to William and Anne Doyle: Patrick,
Mark, William, Bridget, Peter, John and James. William and Peter are
the only survivors, and are both residents of Wisconsin. Mark Doyle
grew to manhood in his native land, and in 1838, in company with his
brother Patrick, he immigrated to Canada. He worked about one year in
Hamilton, Ontario, when the Canadian rebellion of 1837-38 broke out,
and he was notified to report for duty. Not relishing the idea of
fighting for England, the hereditary foe of his native land, he quietly
left Hamilton on foot, and by traveling all night and the following day
finally reached the Niagara River in safety. After considerable
difficulty he was allowed to cross that stream to the American side,
and felt very much relieved when at last he stood under the protecting
folds of the stars and stripes. He made his way on foot to Trumbull
County, Ohio, where he began working at farm labor for $6 per month.
His brother Patrick joined him a few months afterward, and they worked
in that vicinity about four years. They then returned to Ireland for
the purpose of obtaining helpmates to share their homes in the New
World. They there met Anne and Bridget Collin, who came with them to
America in the spring of 1842, accompanied by John and Bridget Doyle.
Patrick was married, on his arrival at New York, to Anne Collin, and
they then came westward to Kinsman, Ohio. Mark was married, in
September, 1843, by Rev. Father Mitchell, in the Mercer Church, to
Bridget Collin, who bore him the following children: Mrs. Anne
Connelly, William F., Eliza J., wife of W. T. Phelan; Mary A. and
Patrick H., all of whom are living. Mark and Patrick Doyle lived on
rented farms in Ohio until the spring of 1851, when they settled on the
homesteads in West Salem Township, where the balance of their lives
were passed. Mrs. Bridget Doyle died February 26, 1880,and her husband
survived her until May 7, 1888. They were practical members of the
Catholic Church, and lived and died in that faith. Politically Mr.
Doyle was an ardent Democrat, and took a deep interest in the public
affairs of his township. He was one of the most energetic and
successful farmers of Mercer County, and left at his death a large
estate. Mark Doyle was recognized as a man of unbounded hospitality,
and his door was ever open to friend and stranger alike. He was a
well-read man on various subjects, and a fluent conversationalist. He
was a lively, good-natured man, ever fond of a joke, and never at a
loss to tell one. His death was not only an affliction to his family,
but a loss to the community where he had lived nearly forty years.
History of Mercer County, 1888, pages 1175-1176
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