Histories

The connection of Michael McLaughlin’s wife Bridget Sheridan to Civil War General Philip Henry Sheridan. According to family legend the General was Bridget’s uncle. 

First, I found a genealogy done by Diana Guthrie that takes The General’s lineage back to Beagh, Co Cavan, Killinkere, Ireland. In this genealogy she lists the General’s parents and siblings and some of the siblings children. Of course for The General to be Bridget’s uncle she would be a child of one of his male siblings. There are Bridgets listed there; one of his siblings married a Bridget and one of the other siblings had a Bridget who was way too young to be Micheal’s wife.

So I started looking from the other end. We did not know of either Michael’s or Bridget’s parents names from the research I received from Mary McLaughlin but did have their wedding date and Bridget’s birth date. So I found some genealogy records online provided by the Mormon Church (these are rather new to being available online and they are still loading up many records) and looked up Saint Joseph, Mo. I went through many files with hundreds of records each and finally found their Church marriage record. It lists Micheal’s parents as John McLaughlin and Ann Devinney. It also lists Bridget’s parents as Henry Sheridan and Bridget (no maiden name given).

Now the interesting thing is that there was one of the General’s siblings who married a Bridget and his name was listed as Patrick H. Sheridan. So if the H stands for Henry he could be the brother of The General to make the connection. Especially since the mother’s name is the same as his wife’s and his birthdate is 17 years before Bridget’s. This would confirm the relationship of General Philip Henry Sheridan being Bridget’s uncle!…Walt Sterneman

“John Sheridan (Philip's father) was born in Ireland, probably Co. Cavan. He immigrated to Quebec, Canada in 1829 with Mary (Maigh) Sheridan (Philip's mother) and 2 children Patrick and Rosa. From Quebec, then to St. John's, New Brunswick, then to Portland, Maine, then to Albany, New York in 1830, then to Somerset, Ohio. John was a contractor on Maysville Turnpike and a railroad sub-contractor in Somerset, OH. He died in Ohio in 1875.

“Father of Civil War hero Gen. Philip H. Sheridan, John Sheridan, age 73, was a native of Beagh, Killinkere, in County Cavan, Ireland, where he married his second cousin Mary Minah (Meenagh) on April 10, 1826, the bride's 25th birthday. After working as tenant farmers on a local estate called Cherrymount, the Sheridans were encouraged to emigrate to America by John's maternal uncle, Thomas Gainor, who lived in Albany, New York. Early in the year 1831 they embarked for the United States with their two young children: 3-year-old Patrick, and Rosa, a baby who died during the voyage. After a brief stay in Albany, the couple moved on to Somerset, Ohio, where John found better employment opportunities to support his growing family, which by this time included the newborn Philip, and would in swift succession also include another daughter, Mary, and two more sons, John and Michael. Known as a devout, sober, and industrious man, Mr. Sheridan came to hold responsible positions in canal and railroad construction, but the work frequently kept him away from home. His steady character never-the-less exerted a positive influence on his five surviving children, as did that of their mother. Predeceased by their children Rosa, Patrick, and Mary (Mrs. John Wilson), he was survived by Mrs. Sheridan and their sons Philip, John, and Michael. With the exception of Rosa, who was buried at sea, and Generals Philip and Michael Sheridan, who were interred in Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia, all are interred here.

“Older brother of Civil War hero Gen. Philip H. Sheridan, 23-year-old Patrick Sheridan was the first of the six children of John and Mary Minah (Meenagh) Sheridan, and had been born on their second wedding anniversary and Mary's 27th birthday. He was not yet three years old in early 1831 when he emigrated from Ireland with his parents and younger sister Rosa, a baby who died on ship during the voyage. After debarking in Boston, the Sheridans lived for a brief time in Albany, New York, before settling in Somerset, Ohio, later in the year. In addition to Patrick, the family by that time included the newborn Philip, and in the years ahead, three more children: Mary, John, and Michael. Patrick and his siblings attended the local public school, and as their father's construction jobs often kept him away from home for long periods, the youngsters were responsible for much of the work on the family farm. Patrick died a few weeks after his brother Philip's suspension from West Point for a parade ground altercation, and more than a decade before his meteoric rise to fame. Unmarried at the time of his death (this may be due to no known records at the time of writing), he was survived by his parents and four younger siblings. All have since been united here in Holy Trinity Cemetery with the exception of the infant Rosa, who was buried at sea, and Generals Philip and Michael Sheridan, who were interred in Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.”… by Diana Guthrie

However this conflicts with this account.

“The Sheridan family arrived in New York from Ireland with five children.  With so many immigrants coming to the United States, work became scarce.  The family went by boat down the Atlantic, around Florida, into the Gulf of Mexico to New Orleans.  They then traveled up the Mississippi River.  Railroad work was in great demand at this time.  The railroad was being built between Atchison, KS and St. Joseph, MO.  The family decided on St. Joseph probably because it was the larger of the two towns.

She was widowed three times.  Her 1st husband Michael died in his 30's.  She bought rental property in St. Joseph and ran a boarding house for Railroad workers.  She also ran a grocery store out of her living room”…by Mary McLaughlin