The History of the Stained-Glass Windows

Researched and Written by Kevin Grady

The building of Sacred Heart Church commenced in September 1897 and was completed by May 1898—a shorter period of time than our recent renovation of the O’Hagan parish hall and related structures. The cost of construction was $25,000. The cornerstone was laid on November 21, 1897, and Bishop Thomas Becker from Savannah presided at the event. The Atlanta Constitution reported that Bishop Becker put a little copper box in the cornerstone on the northwestern end of the building near the front entrance. The box contained recent issues of both The Atlanta Constitution and The Atlanta Journal, a manuscript about the history of the erection of the Church, various coins of different nationalities, including a 513-year-old Spanish coin, the constitution and bylaws of the Manning Circle, (which was reportedly an organization under the auspices of the Church, but no direct, current vestige of the group remains), and a list of names of those who had already contributed to the building fund for the Church.

The Church was dedicated on May 1, 1898, and Bishop Becker and Father B. J. Kelly presided. Father Kelly had been pastor at The Shrine of the Immaculate Conception for many years, and at that time was residing in Savannah. The reception committee consisted of the following parishioners:

J. Carroll Payne, Louis Gholstin, J.J. Spalding, John R. Holliday,  J.M. Gresham, M. Bowden, P. Donnelly, A. Haynes, Peter F. Clarke, and Captain Lawrence O’Keefe.

There were a number of other individuals who were members of the original parish and were recognized for their contribution to the development of the Church. They included the following parishioners:

Dr. R. D. Spalding, Mrs. Ridley, Mrs. William Cox, Mrs. Hill, Mrs. Cotting, L. DeGive, Mrs. John Ryan, Master McCaslin, James Lynch, Mr. Donovan, Mr. Riordan, Mrs. McDonald, Walter Porter, John Lynch, Peter Lynch, P.J. Moran,  and Sam McGarry.

The original main altar of the Sacristy was dedicated on September 26, 1898. Bishop Becker again presided at the dedication. The altar was donated “by several gentlemen of the parish who wanted to remain anonymous.” Subsequently, The Atlanta Constitution reported that the original main altar was donated by Dr. R. D. Spalding, Louie Obolatra, and Bishop Becker at a cost of $11,750. It was constructed of Italian marble, Mexican onyx and brass. It was made in Paris and ordered especially by the Marist provincial, who received the order in Boston and forwarded it to the makers. The Atlanta Constitution reported that “It is a perfect gem, and although not massive in appearance, it is entirely suited to the church.” (This is likely the altar that the Marist Order shipped to Notre Dame des Victoires in San Francisco after the 1906 earthquake.)

The Blessed Virgin’s altar was donated by Mrs. John Evan at a cost of $375. The St. Joseph altar was donated by Mrs. W. B. Cox, also at a cost of $375.

In an article reporting on the final consecration of the Church in 1920, The Atlanta Constitution noted that “Sacred Heart owes much of its success to the generosity of Mrs. Elizabeth Burns.” Mrs. Burns was a widow from Pittsburgh, who had a special allegiance to the Marist fathers and a commitment to what they were trying to achieve in Atlanta.

The First Seven Windows

The installation of the stained glass windows began in December 1901, when the first seven windows were installed. The Atlanta Constitution described the windows as “the most magnificent in the South.” The center window above the altar was The Figure of the Sacred Heart [being adored by St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, with the words inscribed below: “Behold this Heart Which Has Loved Men So Much.”]. To its right was The Agony in the Garden. To its left was Christ Giving the Keys to St. Peter.

In the body of the Church, four windows were in place: To the right of the altar was The Annunciation of the Angel to the Blessed Virgin and The Visitation of the Blessed Virgin to St. Elizabeth. To the left of the altar was The Ascension of Christ and The Descent of the Holy Spirit. The Constitution noted that the windows were made in Munich and imported by Meyer & Co. of New York. Three additional windows were set to be installed shortly thereafter, and the total of the ten windows was “the gift of a generous eastern lady.” (The unidentified woman was most probably Mrs. Elizabeth Burns from Pittsburgh.) The Constitution reported that “the remaining windows will soon be donated by a few Catholic families of the city.”

Although these stained glass windows are still in place, they apparently were not the first stained glass windows donated to Sacred Heart. The Ancient Order of Hibernians had presented to Sacred Heart a stained glass window in honor of St. Patrick on August 20, 1898. The window was described as having been made in Cincinnati and was five feet by 12 feet in size. It represented St. Patrick’s banishing the snakes from Ireland. At the top of the window was the inscription “St. Patrick.” At the bottom was the inscription “Donated by Ancient Order of Hibernians.” Whatever happened to this window is a mystery, but it certainly reflected the strong influence of Irish Catholics in the early days of the parish.

It is not clear when the remaining stained glass windows were installed in the Church, and it is not clear who decided which people were to be honored with the inscriptions on the windows. Given that the parish was under the supervision of the Marist Order, it is likely that the decision was made by someone in the hierarchy of the Marist Order. It is apparent that some of the names of the people are related to the donors of the windows, but at least three of the windows are inscribed with the names of bishops and priests who were significant within the Marist Order: Most Rev. John E. Gunn, Rev. John J. Guinan, and Most Rev. M. J. Keyes. Another uncertainty is when the windows were inscribed with the names of the individuals. Because Rev. Keyes was named Bishop of Savannah in 1922, it is likely that the names were inscribed in the windows at some date after 1922.

The People Behind the Inscriptions

The background of the people honored with inscriptions on the altars or the stained glass windows provides an insight into the very history of Atlanta after the Civil War. My research reveals the following information about these individuals:

The William B. Cox Family

Major William B. Cox purchased property at the corner of Ivy Street (now Peachtree Center Boulevard) and Baker Street in 1865, just as Atlanta was rebuilding itself after General Sherman burned the town. Cox had been born in Greene County, Georgia, of very modest means. He initially worked with a merchant in Rome, Georgia, and married Kate Attaway there in 1852. He started a wholesale grocery business in Rome in 1859. After serving in the Civil War, he came to Atlanta, and became one of the town’s leading businesspeople, serving as President of Atlanta National Bank, President of the North Georgia Stock and Fair Association, running a successful wholesale liquor business, and operating a livestock farm that was described as “the finest stock farm in Georgia, if not the south.” He built a large brick and granite home in 1872 on the site of what is now the Marriott Marquis Hotel, and his house was described as “one of the most superb, convenient, and attractive residences” in Atlanta.

Major Cox was a man of considerable wealth, but when he died of a stroke in September 1883, he was remembered as a “man of great and generous heart” who performed many acts of charity. At his funeral Mass at Immaculate Conception, the celebrant, Father Hennessy, referred to him as “faithful and obedient to the commands of God, gentle and affectionate in his nature, charitable and benevolent, with a heart easily touched by the sorrows of those around him, and a hand ever responsive to the calls of the needy.” The Atlanta Constitution in an editorial referred to Major Cox as “one of the best and most honored” men in Atlanta. “Few men were more sincere and sympathetic than he. Large-hearted and earnest, he never turned away from the story of distress, or put aside with empty hand the weak or the suffering.” The Constitution’s editorial concluded by observing Major Cox: “There was not a small thing about him. He was a man of large sympathies, large heart, large brain, and large methods.”

Major Cox passed away before Sacred Heart was built, but his wife, Kate Attaway Cox, and his grandchild, Mrs. James L. Dickey, were influential parishioners. Indeed, when the Church was constructed, Mrs. Cox contributed the cost of the St. Joseph altar, which was $375.

The Thomas M. Brady Family

Captain T. M. Brady and his wife, Mrs. Elizabeth F. Brady, were originally from Boston. He graduated from Boston Tech and was a sculptor by avocation. Captain Brady was described as “scholarly, cultured, and highly educated.” He began carving bas relief when he was in Boston. He and Mrs. Brady moved to Canton, Ga., in 1888, where Captain Brady founded the Georgia Marble Finishing Works and helped establish the Canton Cotton Mills. The Georgia Marble Finishing Works was the largest marble producer in the state. Although Captain Brady was a very successful businessman, he continued his sculpting. He carved the “Lion of Lucerne,” which guards the unknown Confederate graves in Oakland Cemetery and is one of the most famous statues.

Captain and Mrs. Brady had four children: Harold J. Brady, Thomas F. Brady, Jr., Esmond Brady, and Bessie Brady. Captain Brady died of a stroke in Canton, Ga., in 1907. Father Gunn, pastor of Sacred Heart, presided at his funeral service, probably because the geographical jurisdiction of Sacred Heart at that time stretched all the way to Chattanooga, and would have included Canton, Ga.

The following year, Mrs. Brady moved to Atlanta and was a prominent citizen of the city for the next thirty years. For her last twenty years, she resided at the Georgian Terrace Hotel. When she died in 1938, she was described as “a devout member of Sacred Heart Church and an active member of the Ladies Altar Society” until her health failed. Her funeral Mass was held at Sacred Heart, but she was interred in the family plot in Canton, Ga. In her estate, she left $5,000 for the pastor of Sacred Heart to be used for the Church and rectory, with the rest of her estate to be split evenly among her daughter, Mrs. Bessie Brady Bellinger, and her two remaining sons, Harold and Esmond. (Her other son, Thomas F. Brady, Jr., died during World War I of spinal meningitis at Camp Beauregard in Alexandria, La., where he was serving as a Lieutenant in the army.)

Her sons, Harold and Esmond Brady, are memorialized in the altar rail in front of the St. Joseph Altar. Esmond was a patron of the arts in Atlanta, donating some of his father’s sculptures to the High Museum of Art. Although Harold did not garner very much publicity, Esmond was often in the society news and was described as “one of Atlanta’s most sought-after bachelors.” He was also a world traveler and made an around-the-world cruise in 1939, during which time he stopped in Rome and had an intimate audience with the newly chosen Pope Pius XII and two other people. This special audience had been arranged by a high Vatican official who was a protégé of Esmond’s cousin, the late Sir Thomas Esmond, who, at his death the previous year, was the dean of the papal chamberlains.

Esmond had a famous collection of old Meissen figurines, “The Seven Senses,” that was reputedly the finest of its kind in America. They were described as lovely as many fine pieces in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and “the envy of every Atlanta collector’s eye.” Esmond was close friends and traveling companions with the Hughes Spalding family and very much involved in the high society social scene in Atlanta and New York, where he maintained an apartment.

The Lipphart Family

There is very little information about the Lipphart Family. Mr. Charles P. Lipphart was a successful carpet merchant in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He and Mrs. Lipphart were in New York City on a business and pleasure trip in October 1899. They were in a casino at 39th Street and Broadway when suddenly Mr. Lipphart fell ill. They went to Stewart’s Drug Store at 38th Street and Broadway, where Mr. Lipphart died. He was forty-eight years old.

Mrs. Lipphart was a friend of Mrs. William J. Burns, who also lived in Pittsburgh. They were also friends with Mr. and Mrs. J. J. Spalding, who lived in Atlanta and were parishioners at Sacred Heart. Apparently, Mrs. Lipphart took her three daughters along with Mrs. Burns to visit Atlanta around Christmas time in 1901. They spent several weeks in Atlanta and were entertained by Mr. and Mrs. J. J. Spalding. In April 1902, Mrs. Lipphart and Mrs. Burns leased a house together on Peachtree Street, where they lived with Mrs. Lipphart’s daughters.

On December 18, 1902, Mrs. Lipphart announced the wedding of her daughter, Marie Louise, to Paul Mosteller of Atlanta. Mrs. Lipphart apparently lived in Atlanta with her other daughters, Gertrude and Eleanor, until September 1905, when they returned to Pennsylvania. Gertrude later suffered a broken back in a traffic accident in Pittsburgh and died on November 17, 1913.

Mrs. C. P.  Lipphart is memorialized in The Annunciation stained glass window near the St. Joseph altar on the south-side aisle. Katherine and Marie Lipphart are memorialized in The Finding in the Temple stained glass window also on the south-side aisle. Katherine may have been Mrs. Lipphart’s first name, and Marie was likely her daughter who was married in Atlanta in 1902. (A review of the sacramental records might confirm the names because it seems likely that if Marie got married in Atlanta, she got married at Sacred Heart. It seems odd, however, that only one of the daughters would have been honored with an inscription in the window.)

The W. J. Burns Family

As mentioned above, Mrs. W. J. Burns was originally from Pittsburgh, Pa., and was obviously a close friend of Mrs. C. P. Lipphart. Mrs. Burns was also a good friend of Father John Gunn, pastor of Sacred Heart 1898-1911. She was credited with making very splendid contributions to the Church building and Marist College, including being largely responsible for the installation of the stained-glass windows, beginning in 1901. The first ten stained glass windows at Sacred Heart were attributed to “the gift of a generous eastern lady.” When Sacred Heart was consecrated in 1920, reflecting that the parish was debt-free, The Atlanta Constitution reported that “Sacred Heart owes much of its success to the generosity of Mrs. Elizabeth Burns.”

In recognition of the many substantial donations made by Mrs. Burns and her crucial role in financing the purchase of the original stained glass windows, the Burns family is memorialized in two of the original stained glass windows. The Ascension stained glass window on the north-side aisle memorializes Mrs. William J. Burns. The Pentecost stained glass window next to it reflects the memory of Mr. W. J. Burns.

Most Reverend M. J. Keyes, S. M.

Father Michael Keyes is memorialized in The Visitation stained glass window on the south-side aisle. He was born in Dingle, County Kerry, Ireland in 1876 and educated in Ireland. Father Keyes came to the U. S. in 1903 and was ordained in D.C. in 1907. He was initially a professor of theology at Marist College in D. C., and then served as President of the College. Father Keyes was described as “a profound scholar” and “noted for his ready wit and his disposition to win the devotion of those associated with him in church work.”

Father Keyes had no direct connection with Sacred Heart, however, but is probably memorialized because he was the first Marist Father to be appointed the Bishop of Savannah. He received this honor in July 1922 and was consecrated Bishop of Savannah at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Savannah October, 1922. He succeeded Bishop Benjamin J. Kelly, who retired due to poor health and failing eyesight. Bishop Kelly, a Confederate veteran, had been pastor of Immaculate Conception for many years and had assisted Bishop Becker in the dedication of Sacred Heart on May 1, 1898.

Bishop Keyes may not have had a direct connection with Sacred Heart, but he presided over the dedication of the new Chapel at St. Joseph’s Infirmary in Atlanta on March 19, 1931. The Chapel also had stained glass windows made in Munich, Germany, and many Sacred Heart parishioners were recognized as donors of the windows. The Immaculate Conception window was dedicated in memory of Mrs. J. J. Spalding and given by her husband and noted Atlanta attorney, J. J. Spalding. The Sacred Heart of Jesus,  which now resides in the reception area of The Basilica of the Sacred Heart, was donated by the Marist Fathers. The Christ Healing the Sick window was donated by J. Carroll Payne in memory of his parents, Mr. and Mrs. P. W. Payne. The Christ Blessing Little Children was donated by Miss Ida Ryan in memory of her brother, Charles I. Ryan. The Holy Family window was donated by Mr. and Mrs. W. R. Thompson in memory of their mothers. The window depicting Christ Teaching in the Temple was donated by Mrs. James L. Dickey in honor of her mother, Mrs. Lula Cox McWhorter, who had been such a major supporter of St. Joseph’s Infirmary. The Rose Window above the front entrance to Peachtree Street was donated by nursing alumnae of St. Joseph’s Infirmary.

(When St. Joseph’s Hospital relocated to the Peachtree Dunwoody area in 1978, the windows were likely removed and taken to the current chapel at the Hospital. I have never been to the Chapel at St. Joseph’s, so I don’t know this for sure. Sr. Valentina Sheridan could probably confirm this fact, or perhaps you have seen the Chapel at St. Joseph’s. I have heard that the window of the Sacred Heart was delivered to our Church rather than taken out to the new Hospital’s Chapel, but I don’t know why. The Marist Fathers were no longer at Sacred Heart at that time, and I don’t know why the window was not delivered to the Marist campus. It apparently resided in the storage area in the basement of our Basilica for many years before it was given a prominent position in the old parish hall a few years ago.)

Bishop Keyes served as Bishop of Savannah until 1935, when he resigned his position because of ill health. He was replaced by Rev. Gerald O’Hara, who had been an Auxiliary Bishop in Philadelphia. At the time, Bishop O’Hara was only forty-years-old, and was reportedly the youngest man ever appointed an auxiliary bishop in the Catholic Church in the U. S.

The J. J. Haverty Family

J.J. Haverty was born in Atlanta on October 30, 1858. His parents, Thomas and Margaret Canaan Haverty, came to America from Ennis, County Clare, in 1854. As a small boy, J. J. Haverty remembered vividly surviving Sherman’s assault on the city and the ultimate torching of the city. He came from humble beginnings and began working after the Civil War in the dry goods store of John Ryan, who became the largest and most successful of the early dry goods merchants in Atlanta. (Mr. Ryan may be the person whose name is inscribed in Mary’s Altar at Sacred Heart.

J.J. Haverty worked as a “cash boy” for seven years at John Ryan’s store, and then he was promoted to clerk. In 1885, Mr. Haverty started his furniture store, J. J. Haverty & Co., on Hunter Street, just off Whitehall Street. Under Mr. Haverty’s direction, his store grew to be one of the largest retail furniture companies in the U. S. with operations in many different cities.

Mr. Haverty was considered one of Atlanta’s most successful businessmen. In addition to serving as President of Haverty Furniture Companies, Inc., he also served as President of Rhodes-Haverty Investment Company and Haverty Realty & Investment Company. He served as director of many companies, including the First National Bank of Atlanta.

R.D. Spalding Family

R.D. Spalding’s ancestors came to Maryland in 1634 with Lord Baltimore. They subsequently moved to Kentucky, where they were successful large farm owners. R. D. Spalding was born in Union County, Kentucky, in May 1833. He was educated at a Jesuit college in Bardstown, Kentucky, and he studied to be a physician under doctors in Louisville and Philadelphia. He was regarded as one of the best young physicians in his part of Kentucky before the outbreak of the Civil War. He served with the Confederate army for four years under Generals Joe Johnston, Beauregard, Forrest, and Hood. After the war, he briefly returned home but later moved to LaGrange, Georgia. Instead of practicing medicine, he decided to go into the business of selling shoes with John R. Gramling. They sold shoes and boots throughout the southeast. They moved their business headquarters to Atlanta in 1872.

Mr. Spalding was a prominent member of the group of post-Civil War citizens who came to the city in the early 1870s and rebuilt Atlanta. He became one of the most prosperous businesspeople in the city. In addition to being President of his large wholesale shoe company, Gramling-Spalding Company, he was a director of the Georgia Railway and Electric Company, the Exposition Cotton Mills, the Georgia Railway and Banking Company, the Roswell and Gainesville national banks, Vice-President of the Roswell and Habersham Mills, a trustee of Grady Hospital, a member of the Board of Education, a leader of the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, and one of the people responsible for the Piedmont Cotton Exposition of 1886 that created the national and international publicity that cemented Atlanta’s position as the leading city in the South.

In addition to being a leading businessperson, Mr. Spalding was considered a political power broker within the Democratic Party and a force for good government, though he never held public office himself. He also had a reputation for being a leading Catholic layman. As a devout Catholic, he was a very generous donor to Catholic charities. He was also a founding member of Sacred Heart Church and helped purchase the original altar for the Church. He died suddenly at the home of his cousin, J. J. Spalding, on November 29, 1907, at the age of 74. His funeral Mass was held at Sacred Heart. He was survived by his wife, two nephews, W. F. Spalding and R. D. Spalding, Jr., and his cousin, J. J. Spalding, one of the most prominent attorneys in the city. R. D. Spalding is remembered in the Presentation stained glass window on the south side aisle.

Captain and Mrs. J. Stoddard Byers

There is little information about this couple. When Mrs. Byers died of pneumonia on November 11, 1909, she was described as a “prominent, beloved woman” and one of the people who had resided in Atlanta the longest. She lived at 619 Washington Street.

Mrs. Byers had been born in Kentucky in 1832 and was the daughter of Dr. John M. Johnson. She married Captain Josiah Stoddard Byers when she was 22 years old. Captain Byers served with distinction in the U. S. Navy during the Mexican-American war. He was also the nephew of Confederate General Albert Sydney Johnston.

Mrs. Byers was survived by her son, Anthony Stoddard Byers, two sisters, and a brother. Her husband and daughter pre-deceased her. There is no mention of Mrs. Byers or her husband as being involved with Sacred Heart. Indeed, her funeral Mass was conducted at Immaculate Conception.

Captain and Mrs. Byers are memorialized in the Wedding Feast at Cana stained-glass window on the south side aisle. It is possible that their son or other surviving family members belonged to Sacred Heart and were responsible for remembering Captain and Mrs. Byers in the stained-glass window.

Rev. John E. Gunn, S. M.

Father Gunn was born in County Derry, Ireland, in 1863. He was educated at the Marist School in Dundalk, Ireland, and joined the Marist Order. He completed his studies in Rome. He received a Doctor of Divinity degree in Rome in 1889 and was ordained in 1894 in Rome. For the next two years, he taught theology in England and Ireland. He then taught at Catholic University in D. C. as the chair of moral theology until 1898, when he came to Atlanta to become pastor of Sacred Heart in October 1898.

Although Father Gunn was not the first pastor of Sacred Heart, he succeeded Father William Gibbons, who requested a leave of absence shortly after the Church was dedicated in May 1898. Father Gibbons left for Louisville, Kentucky, to spend the winter on a plantation and did not indicate when he planned to return. Thus, for all practical purposes, Father Gunn was responsible for getting the parish up and running. He served as pastor from 1898 until 1911 when he was named Bishop of Natchez.

Father Gunn was credited with starting Marist College, which was considered during his time as “one of the highest-class preparatory schools in the country.” He also started the parochial school at Sacred Heart in 1909 and invited the Sisters of St. Joseph to staff the school on the property of Sacred Heart. Father Gunn was also credited with paying off the debt that had been incurred to build Sacred Heart, but the debt for building the schools and rectory would not be fully paid until the pastorship of Father Peter McOscar in 1914-1920.

When Father Gunn was elevated to Bishop of Natchez, he was consecrated at Sacred Heart in August 1911. This marked the first time that a Catholic Bishop was consecrated in Atlanta. Father Gunn was also the first (and probably only) Bishop to be consecrated at Sacred Heart. Archbishop Blenk of New Orleans presided at the consecration. The Atlanta Constitution editorialized:

During his eleven years residence in Atlanta, Father Gunn has endeared himself to the people generally, without regard to religious affiliations. He has been a strict churchman…but likewise a splendid citizen. His influence has been exerted on the side of order, decency, and progress, while his work along church and educational lines has given him a national reputation.

Father Gunn was considered one of the most popular ministers in Atlanta, indeed, “in the south,” and he was lauded for his “wonderful energy and tact.” Bishop Gunn served as Bishop of Natchez until he died of heart disease at 61 in February 1924. On his death, Bishop Gunn was described as “one of the most prominent figures in the Catholic Church in America.” He was buried in Natchez. Bishop Gunn is memorialized in the Sermon on the Mount stained glass window on the south side aisle.

Rev. John J. Guinan, S. M.

Father Guinan may have been the longest-serving priest at Sacred Heart, although he was technically never pastor. He began his service as assistant pastor to the first pastor, Father William Gibbons, from 1897-98. Then, when Father Gunn was named pastor in 1898, Father Guinan served for five years as assistant pastor to Father Gunn. He was transferred to Salt Lake City from 1903-1911. He returned to Sacred Heart in 1911 when Rev. George Rapier was named as pastor to succeed Father Gunn, who had been elevated to Bishop of Natchez. Father Guinan served as assistant pastor to Father Rapier for three years and then as assistant pastor to Rev. Peter McOscar, who served as pastor from 1914-1920. In August, 1920, after serving a total of fourteen years at Sacred Heart, Father Guinan was assigned to Algiers, La.

Even though Father Guinan was never named pastor of Sacred Heart, for all practical purposes he served in that capacity from 1911-1920. During that time, the Marist Fathers divided their responsibilities among Marist College, the parochial school and the parish. For example, beginning in 1911, when Father Rapier was named pastor, he was mainly responsible for Marist College. Father Guinan was given responsibility for running the parish, and Father DuBois was in charge of the parochial school.

When Father Guinan finally left Sacred Heart in 1920, he was described as “one of the most beloved priests who has ever served here.” During his time at Sacred Heart he would have been involved with the building of the rectory, which was completed in 1913 at a cost of $44,000, and in seeing that the parish finally was debt-free and consecrated in 1920. Father Guinan is memorialized in the stained glass window of Jesus Welcomes the Children on the north-side aisle.

The John Ryan Family

John Ryan was considered to be “the pioneer retail merchant of Atlanta.” There are different stories about his background. Both stories agree that he was born in Ireland about 1822, but they disagree as to whether he was born in County Tipperary or in Belfast. They both agree that he left Ireland and came to Augusta, Georgia about 1851, where he worked for a dry goods store run by the Gray family, who had also recently come from Ireland. He came to Atlanta in 1852, forming a partnership with a Mr. Meyer to open a dry goods store named Ryan & Meyer at the corner of Whitehall and Hunter Streets. It became the biggest and most prosperous store in Atlanta. He married Isabelle Gray of Augusta, who was from the family for whom Ryan had worked in Augusta, and he and Isabelle built the first brick residence in Atlanta in 1858 on Whitehall Street, which apparently was a large home that accommodated the Ryans and their six children.

The stories then differ about what happened when the Civil War broke out. One story said that Ryan was opposed to secession, and he split with his partner, left Atlanta, and pursued real estate investment opportunities in Indianapolis and Minnesota during the War. He made substantial money in these investments, and returned to Atlanta after the Civil War ended to open his own dry goods store that again became the leading store in Atlanta.

The other story is that Ryan was on a tour in Europe when the Civil War broke out, and he remained there until after the Civil War ended. He then took his family to Indianapolis, where he made much money investing in real estate. Regardless of which story is true, they both agree that Mrs. Ryan remained in Atlanta in their house on Whitehall Street throughout the War. The house was one of the best-known in Atlanta from its earliest days. It was spared destruction because it was used as the headquarters for a high-ranking Union officer after Atlanta was captured. One story told about Mrs. Ryan and her house was that during the Battle of Atlanta, a Union soldier had been wounded near the Ryan’s house, and Mrs. Ryan had summoned a priest, in whose arms the soldier died. Because of the inability to transport the soldier to a cemetery, Mrs. Ryan had the soldier buried initially in her front yard.

Despite the differing stories about John Ryan’s activities during the Civil War, there is no disagreement that when John Ryan returned to Atlanta after the War, he became the leading dry goods merchant in the city. He employed and trained many future successful businessmen, such as J. J. Haverty. He also invested heavily in Atlanta real estate, and it was said that he made most of his fortune in real estate. John and Isabelle also hosted many brilliant social activities at their home after the War, entertaining the city’s distinguished visitors, including state and national political leaders.

John Ryan had a reputation for his sagacity and honesty. He retired from his dry goods business in 1887 to concentrate on his real estate investments, and he gave his two oldest sons, John F. Ryan, Jr., and Stephen Ryan his stock in the store and the store property. At the time it was estimated that this was the largest gift ever given in Georgia and was valued at approximately $325,000.

When John Ryan passed away in November, 1897 at the age of 75, the Atlanta Constitution had an editorial in which it described John Ryan as a “prime factor in the growth and progress of this city” and said that he had been one of Atlanta’s “most useful and respected citizens.” It noted that in his forty-year business career, he “labored as zealously to promote the welfare of the city as to advance his own interests.” The editorial praised him for “business sagacity, wide-awake ideas and upright principles.” It concluded that he had a led a life “of commanding enterprise and uprightness.” In honor of Mr. Ryan, all of the merchants in Atlanta closed their businesses for two hours while they attended Mr. Ryan’s funeral Mass at Immaculate Conception and then processed to Oakland Cemetery where Mr. Ryan was buried.

Similarly, when Mrs. Isabella Ryan died in April, 1914, she was praised for her generosity to Immaculate Conception Church and her efforts to help build and maintain Sacred Heart. She was known for her special interest in Catholic orphanages and schools in Georgia. Her obituary stated that “Mrs. Ryan was known and beloved for her charity,” and it described how Mrs. Ryan would go to the homes of the needy and personally provide food and money to them. She lived in the family home until her death, and was celebrated as having the distinction of being the Atlantan living the longest in the same house—fifty-six years!

While both John Ryan, Sr., and Isabella Ryan led estimable lives, some of their children left a little to be desired. Shortly after John Ryan had given his dry goods store to John Ryan, Jr., and Stephen Ryan in 1887, Stephen Ryan bought his brother’s share of the business. Within four years, Stephen Ryan had led the store into the South’s biggest bankruptcy at the time with a financial failure estimated at between one and three million dollars. In an effort to drive his competitors out of business, Stephen allegedly would buy goods and then sell them at substantially reduced prices, drawing customers on trains from such distant locations as Charlotte, Richmond, Charleston, Augusta, Savannah, Montgomery, Birmingham, Columbus, Miss., Dallas, Texas, and Mobile. Buying goods on credit and selling them below cost eventually led to the collapse of the most successful dry goods store in Atlanta. Stephen allegedly defrauded creditors about his company’s financial condition, and then was accused by creditors of not turning over more than $120,000 in cash assets to the receiver when he declared bankruptcy.

Ironically, Sacred Heart parishioner, J. J. Spalding, was the lead attorney for the creditors, and he had many acrimonious encounters with both Stephen and his brother John during the bankruptcy proceedings. Indeed, he was instrumental in having criminal charges brought against Stephen, which led to Stephen’s spending time in jail for contempt of court and being tied up in legal proceedings defending himself for over two years. Although Stephen denied he had hidden any such funds, the judge overseeing the receivership concluded that Stephen Ryan had destroyed checks, check stubs, and cash books. Indeed, Stephen publicly admitted in pleadings filed in the case that he had engaged in “reckless public extravagances” and lost immense sums of money in New York at gambling halls and at horse races. He also admitted he had lost at least $12,000 on the prize fight between Dempsey and Fitzsimmons in 1891, and frequently gave large dinner and theatre parties. He acknowledged that in the past two years he had squandered at least $50,000 beyond his legitimate personal expenses, and that during his partnership with his brother, John, he had lost and squandered at least $20-30,000 on buying fine horses and equipment.

While J. J. Spalding fought to retrieve funds from Stephen, he also accused his brother John of squandering his portion of the funds he was paid for his interest in the business. In one testy exchange, J. J. Spalding accused John, Jr., of leading an extravagant life style, spending large sums of money on fast horses and diamonds. John, Jr., acknowledged his “fast life” and admitted he had indulged his tastes as other unmarried men would do in similar circumstances, but claimed that his horses were worth more than he had paid for them. He told J. J. Spalding that he enjoyed his articles of jewelry and that what he had done was “nobody’s business but his.” John, Jr., ultimately left Atlanta and lived in Kansas in his later years in either Kansas City or Atchison. It is not clear what he did there.

Stephen ultimately abandoned any thoughts of a retail marketing career and focused his last years on private banking. He was frequently written about in the papers for violent encounters, however, such as physically attacking from behind the Judge who oversaw his receivership proceedings and physically beating a salesman who had publicly stated that Ryan had “made money like a prince and spent it like a thief.”

Stephen passed away in June, 1908, at the age of fifty, after a year-long illness in which he was paralyzed. His obituary didn’t mention any of the aspects of his involvement in the demise of the dry goods store his father had founded. Instead, it emphasized that he had received “first honor” in the first graduating class of Boys High in Atlanta, even though he had been the youngest member of the class. It also said that had been engaged in private banking for the fast few years. He left behind a wife and an eleven-year old daughter.

The other children of John and Isabella Ryan led more quiet lives. Charles I. Ryan spent his career working in banking, ultimately becoming the Senior Vice-President of the Fourth National Bank in Atlanta. Augustus J.  Ryan was a real estate dealer in Atlanta, who primarily managed his family’s extensive real estate holdings. Robert A. Ryan was the cashier of the Chattahoochee Brick Company. Their sister, Ida Ryan, also continued to live with their mother in the family home at 190 Whitehall Street. Charles lived there until his death in July, 1929. None of them apparently ever married. One sister, Mrs. Mary Ryan Kuhrt, obviously did marry Henry Kuhrt and was not mentioned as still living at home.

After Charles passed away in 1929, the three remaining children living at the family home on Whitehall Street finally decided to move together in August 1930 to a home in Buckhead at 3380 Peachtree Road, near the intersection of Peachtree and Stratford Road. The family home on Whitehall Street was finally destroyed in February 1931. By this time the address of the house had changed to 226 Whitehall Street. It was considered to be the oldest home in Atlanta, having been built in 1858, and except for its abandonment after the Battle of Atlanta, only the Ryan family had ever lived in it—seventy-three years being occupied by the same family! Because the house was now in a highly commercialized area, the house was torn down and replaced by “some modern building.”

Louis Gholstin

I could find only two references to Louis Gholstin, who is memorialized in the stained glass window of The Last Supper on the north-side aisle. He was one of sixteen founding members of the Young Men’s Library Association, which became the Carnegie Free Library. He was listed, along with people like Henry W. Grady, in 1874 as being one of the most prominent and progressive citizens in Atlanta. He obviously was interested in educational matters. Mr. Gholstin was also listed as one of the early Sacred Heart parishioners involved in the founding of the parish, along with people like Dr. R. D. Spalding, Mrs. John Ryan, and Mrs. Kate Cox.

Mrs. S. C. Hood

Mrs. S. C. Hood is commemorated in the stained-glass window of The Crucifixion on the north-side aisle. Even though this is one of the most significant depictions of all the stained-glass windows, I could find absolutely nothing about her or any member of her family. Perhaps she was another friend of Mrs. Burns. In any event, I can only speculate.

This completes my search through the digital archives of The Atlanta Constitution about people who have been commemorated in the windows and altars of Sacred Heart. I hope you found this interesting.