My great-uncle, William James McCartney, the eldest brother of my great-grandmother, Caroline (MacCartney) MacLea was an Episcopal priest in Mauston, Wisconsin (Diocese of Milwaukee), in 1917. I discovered this on his World War I draft card.

He was described as being medium height and slender build, with light blue eyes and light brown hair.

The Rev. William James McCartney was born 26 Feb 1888 in St. John's, Newfoundland. He served under the Rt. Rev. William W. Webb, Bishop of Milwaukee, in Mauston, Wisconsin in 1917. At the time he had a wife and one child.

Steve Lucht at the Episcopal Archives was kind enough to look him up for me and was able to determine that "he served at St. John's in Mauston and then at St. Peter's in North La Crosse until around 1923. After that he was listed in the journals as having no cure and by 1927 was not listed in the journals at all. I could not find what happened to him after that. I suggest you contact the dioceses of Milwaukee and Eau Claire (Eau Claire split off from Milwaukee in 1927)."

The Venerable Jeanne Stout, Archdeacon of the Diocese of Eau Claire, responded to the follow-up query that she could find no mention of Fr. McCartney in their diocesan convention records for the years 1928-1944. Many thanks to Mr. Lucht and Archdeacon Stout for their help in locating some information on my great-uncle!

There is still a pending inquiry with the Archivist of the Diocese of Milwaukee. But based on the information I've gleaned so far, it appears that either Fr. McCartney moved back to the eastern part of Wisconsin after 1927, or that he departed both dioceses, or that he retired from active ministry around that time.

My father has a memory that he may have ended up in Iowa as an Episcopal priest there, so perhaps that would be a good place to check as well.

But for now, we know a little more about Fr. Bill, and perhaps we'll find out more in the days or years to come.

Kyle=