Francis McFarland was taking the waters in Virginia Springs

1. It is not entirely clear where “Virginia Springs” was, except that It really does seem to have been in Virginia. His obituary reports that he was in Richland Springs, but it could also have been either Warm Springs or Hot Springs, two natural mineral springs that were collectively known as the “Virginia Springs Resorts.”
2. Also according to his obituary, his brother, who was a physician living in Tiflin, OH, accompanied him on this trip.

On March 7, 1874, Francis McFarland was in Florida for his health.

McFarland would be back in Hartford by June 25, 1874.

Hugh Carmody was the pastor of Saint John’s Catholic Church in New Haven.

Unattributed.  “Death of the Right Rev. Bishop McFarland,” Hartford Daily Courant, October 13, 1874, page 2.

Unattributed.  “Hartford and vicinity,” Hartford Daily Courant, June 2, 1874, page 2.