Richard CAHILL

<p>Richard immigrated from Ireland on April 15, 1856, on the Bridgewater, sailing from the port of Waterford in southern Ireland. He was 17 years old although on the Castle Garden passenger list for the Bridgewater he was listed as 20. He arrived at Castle Garden at the port of New York on May 22, 1856.</p><p><p></p></p><p><p>He signed his Delaration Of Intent to become an American citizen on August 29, 1860, in McHenry County, Illinois.</p><p><p></p></p><p><p>Between May 1856 when he arrived in New York and August 1860 when he signed his Declaration Of Intent in McHenry County, Illinois we think Richard lived for a while on Pearl Street in the lower east side of Manhattan and worked as a blacksmith. This is only a few blocks from where he got off the boat at Castle Garden. We get this from the New York City Directories for 1856 and 1857, copies of which are filed in my Cahill Family History Binder. At that time this neighborhood was a teeming slum with a lot of gang related violenceand crime. I recieved this information from my second cousin Daniel Cahill in December 2006. Daniel accessed the New York city Directories for 1856-1857 at a Mormon Family Research Library which hasthem on microfilm.</p><p><p>---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p><p>(The 1860 census shows only one Richard Cahill single and the right age in the entire country. This Richard Cahill was living and working at the Spencer House Hotel in Cincinnati. He was a waiter. This Richard Cahill was also found in the Cincinnati City Directories for 1859 and 1860, again listed as living at and working as a waiter at the Spencer House. The Spencer House was opened in 1853 and wasa large luxury hotel famous in it's day. Daniel obtained all this information from the Cincinnati Historical Society Museum by correspondence with them. The 1860 census was recorded on July 6th so ifthis is our Richard he must have left soon after to be able to sign his Declaration Of Intent in McHenry County on August 29th.</p><p><p>After further research, Daniel no longer thinks this Richard Cahill is our greatgrandfather. Daniel found a Richard Cahill in the 1870 census still working as a waiter in Kansas City. Also, how could the almost illiterate Richard go from being a blacksmith in NewYork one year to being a waiter in a ritzy hotel the next. And we have the short period of time between when the 1860 census was recorded and when our Richard signed his declaration of intent in McHenry County Illinois. So, it appears that our Richard was not recorded in the 1960 census--whereever he was--or his name was misspelled either in the census itself or in the index thereto which is usedfor searches.)</p><p><p>--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p><p>Richard and Hannah were married on September 15, 1861. The marriage license was issued by McHenry County and the marriage was registered in McHenry County. Copies of these documents are filed in the Cahill Binder of my Struckman Family History series of binders. The marriage was performed by a Roman Catholic Priest by the name of John P. Donelan who at the time of the marriage was the priest at StJames parish in Belvidere, Illinois, located in nearby Boone County. We don't know if they went to Belvidere to get married or if the Priest was in McHenry County for some reason. Belvidere is about15 miles west of Union, Illinois, where Richard and Hannah lived. We subsequently learned that the St James church may have been the closest Catholic church to Union, Illinois in 1861. The witnessesto the marriage were Dennis O'Brien and Margarot Abbot. The marriage was confirmed by the Parish Secretary in a letter dated May 3, 2010 sent to Daniel Cahill.</p><p><p></p></p><p><p>In October 3, 1864, Richard volunteered for a one year enlistment in the Union Army. He served in the Illinois Infantry Volunteers, 95th Regiment. His Army records indicated that he was five feet eight inches tall, had blue eyes, brown hair and fair complexion. He was mustered out in Selma, Alabama, on January 21, 1866.</p><p><p></p></p><p><p>Richard worked on the railroad in his early years in McHenry County. After coming home from his Civil War service he took up farming near Huntley and Union Illinois in McHenry County. He bought two lots on Main Street in Union in 1861 and two more in 1863. In 1872 he owned a farm just outside Union. All his properties were in southern McHenry County. Maps showing the location of his various properties are in the Cahill Binder of my Struckman Family History. There also are copies of numerous documents concering his Civil War service and other events in that Binder. Much of these materials I obtained from my second cousin Daniel Cahill of Elgin. Daniel has been researching Richard Cahill, his great grandfather (and mine), for many years. Daniel has also given me several narrative histories of Richard and Hannah which are filed in my Cahill Binder.</p><p><p></p></p><p><p>When Richard retired from farming he lived in the village of Huntley until his last years were spent living with my grandmother Emma Cahill at her home at 189 Mosely Street in Elgin where he passed away. My Dad, Francis Struckman, remembered his grandfather Richard when he-Francis- was a small boy. It seems that in his old age Richard re-lived his war experiences and hoped that there might be another war. He and Hannah are buried in St Mary's Catholic Cemetery in Huntley. Two infant children--Thomas and Annie--are also buried there. St Mary's Catholic Church was founded in 1871. Richard Cahill is listed among the attendees during those early years.</p><p><p></p></p><p><p>Richard's Death Certificate says he died of progressive heart failure. He had also suffered from chronic rheumatism for 12 years.</p><p><p></p></p><p><p>In 2015 my cousin Daniel Cahill of Elgin located Thomas Cahill's residence in his later years as Washington, Missouri. I am pretty sure that Thomas Cahill was Richard Cahill's older brother. Thomas' obituary indicates that he was from County Kilkenny in Ireland. From this information I deduced that my great grandfather Richard Cahill was also born in County Kilkenny.</p><p>

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