In 1857 Patrick was born into an Irish-Catholic family in the city of Rochester. As a young child he moved to Canada with his parents. At age 17 he returned to the Rochester area.We know that he first farmed in Mendon. In 1892 Patrick purchased 20 acres in the Glen and two years later purchased an additional 10 acres. With his wife Julia he built a successful farm in the Glen. They had four daughters and four sons.
With great imagination and energy Patrick devised and built an extensive overhead irrigation system that allowed this family farm to grow fruits and wet soil vegetables including lettuce, onions, celery, and carrots. This system gave him a great advantage in supplying the local market. He became known as the “Celery King.”
Patrick was much loved by his family and well respected by the community. His grandaughter Marion Walsh (later Sister Margaret Mary Walsh, RSM) remembers him as being well-read and well-spoken with excellent “vocabulary and stucture” but he sometimes “lost out” because of poor penmanship.
The Corbett House
The builders used large timbers from the central portion of the 1853 wooden trestle that were removed to make way for the present stone arch when the trestle was buried in the embankment. The family recalls that the interior trim was made from chestnut trees cut on the farm.