A horrifying end and a hero's farewell, November 1892

He was only fifty-eight years old, but some would argue that he had already led a full life. Born on April 29, 1834 to Irish immigrant parents Patrick and Ann Cowhey in New York City, William Cowhey had spent the latter part of his childhood in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania. He worked on the canals until the Civil War broke out, then served along with his younger brother Thomas as one of the initial three-month volunteers for the Union in Schuylkill County's Company I, 16th Regiment. Following this short term, he re-enlisted in Battery L, Fifth U.S. Artillery and served for most of the duration of the war, seeing action in the 2nd Battle of Winchester. After his discharge, William became a prominent member of the G.A.R. veterans' organization (Grand Army of the Republic) for the duration of his life.

After the war, William married Catherine Regan. The couple had five children before Catherine's untimely death from consumption in the lungs in October 1876. As a 44-year-old widower with five young children, William was quick to marry again. He and 22-year-old Margaret Foley wed in St. Patrick's Church of Pottsville on February 28, 1878. They went on to have ten children of their own. William supported his family by working for the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad.

By the year 1892, William Cowhey had worked his way up from fireman to engineer. In the dark just after 2 a.m. on November 14, 1892, he had just hopped aboard another engineer's engine no. 563 in Cressona to get home to Mount Carbon after his shift had finished when two minutes into the ride the train's boiler exploded as they passed through Conner's Crossing just north of Schuylkill Haven. The horrifying blast sent William and four other railroad men to their deaths (with one more later dying from his injuries). William was killed instantly as his body was thrown onto rocks and according to the newspaper report, all of his bones were broken.

The accident was written up in local newspapers and city papers throughout the nation, including the November 15, 1892 New York Times (which I've transcribed here).

For details on the possible cause of the accident, see The Pottsville train explosion: How & why?. Though its passengers did not, Philadelphia and Reading engine no. 563 survived the blast. Here is its photograph circa 1930s (it's wooden cab was replaced by a metal cab):

Thanks to Ronald Bailey for this photograph from the collection
of the archives of the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania.

The accident occurred at Conner's Crossing, where a huge viaduct (trestle bridge) built in 1890 allowed Lehigh Valley Railroad train tracks to cross over the valley below where two other rail lines passed: the Pennsylvania Railroad on the west, and the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad on the east (on which engine no. 563 was travelling northward to Pottsville).

Conner's viaduct showing rail line passing below. Photographer William Rau.
Photo thanks to Jim Bohrman's Lehigh Valley Railroad, Pottsville Division website. 

Conner's viaduct looking westward, 1953. Photographer Lew Hoy.
Photo thanks to Jim Bohrman's Lehigh Valley Railroad, Pottsville Division website. 

The huge viaduct was dismantled in 1953. The remains of one of the brick piers that formed the base of the structure still stands, perhaps a fitting monument to William Cowhey's life on the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad, and his death at its hand.

This surviving brick pier of the Conner's Crossing viaduct was part of the east side
of the great structure. It is located in what is now the parking lot of the Cressona Mall
on Route 61. Photo thanks to Jim Bohrman's Lehigh Valley Railroad, Pottsville Division website.

~

The day after the explosion, November 15, 1892, the Pottsville Daily Republican ran the following announcement of William Cowhey's upcoming funeral. I have transcribed it below.

"The funeral of William Cowhey, who was killed by the explosion at Connor's on Monday morning, will take place from his late residence, East Mt. Carbon, on Thursday morning at 9 o'clock, to proceed to St. Patrick's Church, where a Requiem High Mass will be celebrated at 10 o'clock. The deceased leaves a wife and twelve children to survive him. William Cowhey, the dead engineer, enlisted in the first three months' service in Co. I, 16th Regt., Capt. Joseph Anthony, and when his term of service expired re-enlisted in Battery L, Fifth U.S. Artillery, serving three years. He was a member of Gowen Post No. 23, G.A.R., who will attend his funeral."

Two days later, November 17, 1892, the Pottsville Daily Republican detailed William's farewell: a funeral deserving of a hero complete with distinguished guests from several states and members of the Grand Army of the Republic (G.A.R.) as pall bearers.

"The funeral of William Cowhey, of East Mt. Carbon, one of the engineers killed on Monday morning by the explosion of locomotive 563 at Connors, took place this morning at 9 o'clock. A large delegation of Gowen Post and Guards was present as an escort to the remains. The funeral cortege proceeded to St. Patrick's church, where a Requiem High Mass was celebrated by Rev. W.A. Duffy, the rector of the church. The attendance was very large, including friends from New Haven, Conn.; New York and Washington, D.C. The pall bearers were: N.W. Buck, James Madison, Abraham Kuhn, Abraham Nagle, members of Gowen Post; James Vail and Matthew Kerber. The cortege was under the supervision of Commander Samuel Holmes of Gowen Post. The floral offerings consisted of an anchor, wreath and two sheaves of wheat. The interment was made in No. 3 cemetery."

It is hard for me to imagine the suffering endured by William's wife Margaret, his children, family and friends caused by such a horrific tragedy. It is heartening to see how the town came together to mourn his loss.

The report of the funeral that was published in the newspaper described the three floral offerings that decorated William's funeral: an anchor, a wreath and two sheaves of wheat representing the hope of eternal life. May God's peace be with the soul of my great-great-grandfather. Requiescat in pace, William Cowhey.

~

This article has been posted in honor of the 121st anniversary of William Cowhey's death on November 14, 1892. I have also shared it as part of Thriller Thursday, a Geneabloggers Daily Prompt dedicated to thrilling stories of our ancestors including accidents such as the one that took William Cowhey's life.

A look at the veterans of the Civil War

Interested in getting a visual picture of the Civil War and its veterans? Check out the images posted to the Flickr group Veterans of the American Civil War. According to David Foster, group administrator, this collection includes all types of images of Civil War veterans: taken during or after the war, in or out of uniform.

No photos of my Union soldier ancestors yet, but I enjoyed getting a look at their comrades and those who fought on the other side. I especially enjoyed group photos like this one of a Grand Army of the Republic parade in Rochester, New York around 1910.

G.A.R. Parade, Rochester
Library of Congress image also posted at Flickr

For more Flickr groups related to Civil War research and genealogy, see Jennifer's post Flickr Civil War Pools [Tidbits] at Rainy Day Genealogy Readings.

A little Memorial Day history lesson

Ever wonder how Memorial Day got its start?

Originally observed as Decoration Day every May 30 by the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) following the Civil War, it was later renamed Memorial Day. Decoration Day was originally intended for soldiers to decorate the graves of their comrades who had died during "the Great Rebellion".

For more on the history of this holiday, see the United States Department of Veteran Affairs' webpage entitled Memorial Day Background or the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Office of History's webpage on the origins of Memorial Day, which includes some vintage photographs.

You might also enjoy reading Janice Brown's little history lesson on Decoration Day over at Cow Hampshire.

Worth remembering

About a century and half had passed. No one in today's generation of his family even knew his name, and certainly had no idea of what he had done. William Cowhey's memory had been lost to history. Or so it could have been.

It was a thrill for me to find the name of my great-great-grandfather in the U.S. Census records a few years ago. I carefully entered his name into the family tree, then over time, as I found more of the pieces of the puzzle of his life, I entered them.

The more I learned, the more I was amazed. He became a hero to me, and I wanted others to know his name and remember his life.

So on this Veteran's Day 2007, I remember with honor the life of my great-great-grandfather, William Cowhey (1834-1892). A railroad man who died in a train accident while heading home from his shift one night, William was surely a hero to his wife and many children.

He was also a hero to our nation. Serving as an early volunteer from Pennsylvania to help counter the "Rebellion", as they called the Civil War, he and his brother Thomas and their Company I-16 of Pottsville (the "Anthracite Guards") bravely set forth to protect their nation.

William and Thomas' three-month military careers were short but important at this turning point in 1861. Their company was recruited at Pottsville, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania on April 26, 1861. Twenty-six-year-old William and 21-year-old Thomas and their company did not see too much action before they were discharged on July 25, 1861. But they played a role in one of the most important parts of our nation's history: a role that I hope will not be forgotten.

On this Veterans' Day, Small-leaved Shamrock honors all veterans and all military personnel currently serving their country. Though the words may seem inadequate: Thank-you.

For more information about the Anthracite Guards of Company I-16 see the History of the Pennsylvania Volunteers by Samuel Bates at Pennsylvania Civil War website or the History of Schuylkill County, PA by W. W. Munsell online. You can also find an index to Munsell's work online.

If you are interested in learning more about Schuylkill County's contribution to the Civil War, you might be interested in the Schuylkill Civil War Round Table.

Additional Civil War posts on Small-leaved Shamrock may be found about William Cowhey's Civil War pension file, the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR), a PBS History Detectives episode on the GAR, and the Pennsylvania State Monument at Gettysburg honoring Civil War soldiers.

Note: The United States flag pictured above is a 34-star flag used during the time of the Civil War.

GAR episode on PBS' History Detectives

An episode of PBS' History Detectives show being broadcast this month features the Grand Army of the Republic. The story, describing a search for answers about this Civil War veteran's group photo depicting black and white men together, turns out to be a New York post of the GAR.

History Detectives' search for answers determines that the GAR was one of the first national groups to allow integration in the nation. They explain this occurrence to be a result of the comradeship developed between veterans of the war that transcended current racial attitudes. See the transcript of the show at this site.

The Grand Army of the Republic

William Cowhey's obituary mentions that he was "a soldier on the Union side in the late rebellion, and a prominent member of Gowen Post No. 23, G.A.R. [Grand Army of the Republic]." The Grand Army of the Republic (G.A.R.) was an organization of Civil War Union veterans. It was formed as a fraternal organization to further the interests of the men who had served the Union. This Library of Congress webpage explains what the G.A.R. was all about:

The Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) quickly became the preeminent veterans' organization formed at the close of the Civil War. Membership reached its peak in 1890, when over 400,000 members were reported. By then the GAR had well over seven thousand posts, ranging in size from fewer than two dozen members in small towns, to more than a thousand in some cities. Almost every prominent veteran was enrolled, including five presidents: Grant, Hayes, Garfield, Harrison, and McKinley.

The GAR uniform was a double-breasted, dark blue coat with bronze buttons, and a black wide-brimmed slouch felt hat, with golden wreath insignia and cord. A bronze star badge hung from a small chiffon flag. The star in relief depicted
a soldier and sailor clasping hands in front of a figure of Liberty. Members wore these insignia in their lapels, so they could be easily identified. This led to them being sarcastically termed "bronze button heroes." They referred to each other as "comrade."

I'd like to find a photo of the Gowen Post members all dressed up in their finery, if one exists. The photo at left is George B. Kiehl, another prominent member of G.A.R. Gowen Post #23 at Pottsville, Pennsylvania.

Now for some more explanation of what types of activities in which the G.A.R. was active:

The organization of the GAR was based upon three objectives: fraternity, charity, and loyalty. The first ideal was encouraged through regular, locally scheduled meetings and joint gatherings with members from other posts. Their "camp-fire" was the most popular activity. Here, a group of comrades sat in their hall or around dinner tables, singing old war songs, recounting wartime experiences, and swapping accounts of their deeds. The annual state and national meetings, called encampments, attracted thousands of members. Cities in twenty-two states from Maine to Oregon hosted the veterans. Railroads offered special discounted rates and scheduled special trains. Many members who wished to relive their war years found quarters in tents.

To promote its second objective, charity, the veterans set up a fund for the relief of needy veterans, widows, and orphans. This fund was used for medical, burial and housing expenses, and for purchases of food and household goods. Loans were arranged, and sometimes the veterans found work for the needy. The GAR was active in promoting soldiers' and orphans' homes; through its efforts soldiers' homes were established in sixteen states and orphanages in seven states by 1890. [Including the home where Thomas Cowey lived in Dayton, Ohio.] The soldiers' homes were later transferred to the federal government.

The GAR also had a number of auxiliaries: the Woman's Relief Corps (organized on a national basis in 1883); the Ladies of the Grand Army of the Republic (1896); and the Sons Of Union Veterans of the Civil War (1881). These three organizations along with the Daughters of Union Veterans of the Civil War, and the Auxiliary to the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War still carry on the work begun by the GAR in establishing and improving veterans facilities.

I am currently in the process of applying for membership to the Daughters of Union Veterans of the Civil War (DUVCW). It has been an interesting process to gather all the applicable records in order to prove my relationship to my great-great-grandfather.

More on the activities of the Grand Army of the Republic:

Loyalty, the third ideal, was fostered through constant reminders to those who had not lived through the war of the significance of the GAR in reuniting a divided nation. The organization spent much of its time soliciting funds for monuments and memorials, busts and equestrian statues of Union soldiers and heroes, granite shafts, tablets, urns, and mounted cannon. The GAR also encouraged the preservation of Civil War sites, relics, and historic documents. Cannons and field-pieces were placed in many towns or courthouse squares and parks. The members also gave battle-stained flags, mementos, and documents to local museums.

In its early days, the GAR limited its activities merely to fraternal activities. But soon, members began discussing politics in local gatherings. A growing interest in pensions signaled the beginning of open GAR participation in national politics. The rank and file soon realized the value of presenting a solid front to make demands upon legislators and congressmen. The GAR became so powerful that the wrath of the entire body could be called down upon any man in public life who objected to GAR-sponsored legislation. In 1862 President Lincoln approved a bill granting pensions for soldiers who received permanent disability as a result of their military service. An 1879 act was liberalized to include conditions of payment. After that, the GAR became a recognized pressure group. The fate of some presidential elections was dependent upon the candidate's support of GAR-sponsored pension bills. President Grover Cleveland was defeated for re-election in 1888 in large part because of his veto of a Dependent Pension Bill. President Benjamin Harrison was elected because of his definite commitment to support pension legislation. The Disability Pension Act of 1890, insured a pension to every veteran who had ninety days of military service and some type of disability, not necessarily incurred during or as a result of the War. Since most ex-soldiers were at least middle aged, the act
became an almost universal entitlement for every veteran. For many decades the federal Government paid claims to all Union veterans of the Civil War and their survivors. [Including a pension to Thomas Cowhey. I have not been able to find any records of pensions paid to William Cowhey or either of his wives, however. April 2008 update: William Cowhey's pension file found October 2007!]

The GAR's principal legacy to the nation, however, is the annual observance of May 30 as Decoration Day, or more recently, Memorial Day. General John A. Logan, Commander-in-Chief of the GAR, requested members of all posts to decorate the graves of their fallen comrades with flowers on May 30, 1868. This idea came from his wife, who had seen Confederate graves decorated by Southern women in Virginia. By the next year the observance became well established. Members of local posts in communities throughout the nation visited veterans' graves and decorated them with flowers, and honored the dead with eulogies. The pattern thus set is still followed to the present day. It was only after the first World War, when the aged veterans could no longer conduct observances, that the Civil War character of Decoration Day was replaced by ceremonies for the more recent war dead.