William Mahady is the great, great grandfather of Mary Lydon Simonsen. Mahady was captured at the Battle of Petersburg in the Civil War and was made a prisoner of war at the notorious Andersonville Prison in Georgia. Because of malnutrition, his health was ruined, and he successfully petitioned the U.S. government for a pension. He lived in the Five Points section of Miner Hill, Minooka from the late 1850s until his death in 1901. Mahady was born near Killala, County Mayo, in 1830. He had emigrated to the U.S. as a ten-year-old boy with his older sister. His son, John, married Hannah Shea from County Cork. Here is his pension record:
Civil War Record of William Mahady
Feb. 8, 1864 - Joins 53rd Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteers, age 34. He is married with two children. He had been a laborer in a coal mine in Minooka.
Mar. 21, 1864 - “Enrolled” at Scranton, PA
May 1864 - Shows up on muster rolls
June 1864 - Regiment engages enemy in a futile charge at Cold Harbor.
June 16, 1864 - Regiment arrives in front of Petersburg (Army of the Potomac, 1st Div., 2nd Army, 4th Brigade, 53rd Regiment). Mahady is captured with 15 other soldiers; only he survives.
Oct. 27, 1864 - Admitted to hospital at Andersonville, Ga. With “Scorbutus.” Returned to Quarters on Nov. 2, 1864.
Nov. 11, 1864 -Sent to Millen, South Carolina.
Nov. 24, 1864 - Paroled at Savannah, Georgia.
Nov. 28, 1864 - Admitted to Camp Parole Med. near Annapolis, Md. with “chronic diarrhoea.” [sic]
Jan. 15, 1865 - Given one month’s furlough.
Jan. 21, 1865 - Returns from furlough. “Records of Annapolis, Md. From Jan. 21 to Feb. 15, 1865 furnish no additional evidence in this case.”
Feb. 15, 1865 - Sent to Camp Distribution near Alexandria, Va. where he rejoined his regiment. Under physician’s care for three weeks.
Mar./Apr. 1865 - Regiment is in action at Boydton Plank Road, Five Forks and Deep Creek, Va. and was in the front on the day of the surrender of the rebel army.
May 23, 1865 - Regiment proceeded through Richmond and Fredericksburg to Alexandria. Participated in the Grand Review of the Armies at Washington.
June 30, 1865 - Mahady mustered out with his regiment.
1873 - Pension Consolidation Act compensated veterans for conditions contracted during military service that subsequently resulted in a disability.
Oct. 5, 1878 - Applies for citizenship by reason of his military service “by Soldier’s Discharge June 30, 1865”
1879 - Pension Arrears Act granted lump sum back payments for war-related disabilities.
Sept. 22, 1879 - Mahady becomes a citizen “by Cert. Soldier’s Discharge.” Witnessed P. C. Connolly
Feb. 23, 1880 - Meeting of Andersonville Survivor’s Association in Chicago. Survivor’s certificate sent to Mahady.
Pension Record for Disability Pension
June 22, 1878 - Affidavit of William Mahady before Alderman Roesler of Luzerne County, PA stating that Mahady had contracted scurvy while in the Rebel prisons. Mahady was captured with “fifteen other soliders of his Regiment, all of whom died whilst in the Rebel prisons; these are all the comrades(?) he knew of his Regiment who were with him in Rebel prisons. He is not therefore able to furnish any evidence as to the hardships and exposures and circumstances under which he contracted said scurvy.” Mahady is illiterate and signs with his mark.
June 22, 1878 - Affidavit of John Howley who had known Mahady for 30 years. “He has lived a near neighbor not more than two hundred yards away from Mahady’s residence: that prior to his enlistment said Mahady was a strong robust vigorous healthy man in every respect and free from all evidence of disease, especially of scurvy, or any disease of kindred nature; that he and said Mahady worked together in the coal mines and from his constant association with him that he was as stated above in every respect an able-bodied healthy man, that according to the best of his recollection he was home from the service (9th Penna.) about two weeks before said Mahady reached home, and that he well remembers the appearance and condition of said Mahady upon his arrival home after his discharge. He was in very feeble health, much emaciated in flesh and very weak, was scarcely able to be about, and was suffering from a disease he contracted in the Rebel prisons said to be scurvy.” He also stated that Mahady “recovered very slowly and for a long time was able to do nothing and he has ever since remained in a feeble condition, part of the time able to work at light work, and part of the time disabled. [Howley] verily believes he has never recovered from the injuries caused by his said imprisonment in Rebel prisons and in consequence of said injuries is not now a sound healthy man and is not able to perform full manual labor.” Mahady is illiterate and leaves his mark. Signed John Howley
Dec. 7, 1878 - Acknowledgment by War Dept. of receipt of Mahady’s petition for disability pension.
May 12, 1886 - General Affidavit of Mahady (57) restating how and where he contracted “diarrhoea.”
Sept. 2, 1886 - Surgeon General’s Office, War. Dept., Record and Pension Division reporting on hospital treatment that Mahady received at Camp Parole in Annapolis.
Dec. 17. 1886 - Affidavit of C. G. Boland 32 (a grocer in Scranton) in front of Alderman Roesler of Lackawanna County, PA stating that he had known Mahady for about 20 years and “know him not to work for about 7 years, also know him to complain of being sick with scurvy and chronic diarrhoea said to be caused from the effects of being in the Army.”
Dec. 20, 1886 - Affidavit of Patrick DeLacy, age 50, a resident of Scranton, in front of Alderman Roesler stating that he knew Mahady for 20 years and that “since the war I have seen him most every month. Some months three or four times. I always considered him as a man broken down in health and complaining of having contracted the chronic diarrhoea and scurvy during his imprisonment in the Rebel Prison. He has not been able to do any work for a number of years on account of said afflictions. He looks more like a living skeleton than anything else.” (Signs with his mark.)
July 16, 1890 - Mahady appeared before John L. Keogh, Justice of the Peace, of Lackawanna County, to complete an affidavit in connection with the Act of June 27, 1890, Declaration for Invalid Pension stating that Mahady was “greatly unable to earn a support by reason of scurvy, also deafness of both ears, and eye sight now badly effected.” Witnessed by E. J. Fallon, Old Forge (knew Mahady for one year) and John Heis, Minooka (who knew Mahady for 15 years). Declaration stated that Mahady “makes this declaration for the purpose of being placed on the pension roll of the United States under the provisions of the act of June 27, 1890. He hereby appoints M. V. Tierney, of Washington, D. C. his true and lawful attorney to prosecute his claim. That he hereby agrees to allow his attorney the legal fee of $10 when the claim is allowed.”
Feb. 5, 1898 - Request from Dept. of Interior, Bureau of Pensions, asking about Mahady’s wife and children. Mahady states that he obtained a copy of his marriage certificate from the parish priest, Rev. J. A. O’Rily [sic].” “2 children dead. Both married and left 8 children behind them. I am their grandfather.”
Feb. 10, 1898 - Same request as requested in 1/15/98. Mahady asks for the return of his marriage license.
Aug. 4, 1901 - Mahady receives pension check in the amount of $17.00. This is a quarterly payment.
Aug. 5, 1901 - Request by Bureau of Pensions requesting “a full military and medical history of the solider.” “A personal description is requested.”
Sept. 3, 1901 - Mahady died.
Nov. 6, 1902 - Mary Mahady dies.
June 25, 1904 - United States Pension Agency, Philadelphia, PA. “Pensioner Dropped, Certificate No. 179294. The Commissioner of Pensions: Sir: I have the honor to report that the above-named pensioner who was last paid at $17.00 to August 4, 1901 has been dropped because of death Sept. 3, 1901.
July 5, 1902 - “No other claim.” Pension Agent.
Contributed by Mary Lydon Simonsen
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