To renew an old subject that was rekindled on another thread -

According to _The American Treasury: 100 Favorites_ by Theodore Raph (Dover Publications), "Katheleen" was written in 1875 by Thomas Westendorf, a public school music teacher in Plainfield, Illinois. Westendorf wrote the tune for his wife Jeanie, while she was visiting her home town of Ogdensburg, New York. The first public performance of the tune was in Plainfield's town hall.

In 1876 it was one of two most popular songs in America - the other being "Grandfather's Clock".

Super trivia - Evidently Thomas Edison liked it so much he got an autographed copy of the song and put it in his museum in Detroit...