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Obituary of James Dempsey – Formerly of Barry Township
Posted By Norman Gasbarro on November 28, 2018
James Dempsey, a Civil War veteran who served in the 48th Pennsylvania Infantry, Company F, as a Private, died on19 December 1905 in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania. His obituary appeared in the Miners Journal, 21 December 1905:
DEATH OF JAMES DEMPSEY
James Dempsey Sr., of Glen Carbon, died on Monday morning after a long illness. Mr. Dempsey was an old resident of the above-named place and was highly esteemed. He was a loyal soldier during the Civil War, having been seriously wounded on the field of battle. He was also an experienced and practical miner by occupation, having been a fire boss for a number of years at the now abandoned Richardson Colliery, serving as such under John Maguire, former Division Superintendent, who was at that time employed as inside foreman at the colliery. The following survive Mr. Dempsey: Kate Dempsey, of Philadelphia; Mrs. Curtis, Lizzie Dempsey, and Joseph Dempsey, of New York; James Dempsey Jr.,, Martin Dempsey, and Mrs. Bernard Koons, of Glen Carbon. The funeral will take place Friday morning, with services in St. Kyran’s Church, Heckscherville.
According to information on his Pennsylvania Veterans’ File Card, shown above from the Pennsylvania Archives, a “James Demsey,” 21 years old and born in Ireland, enrolled at Pottsville on 26 January 1865 and was mustered into service on the same day in Company F, 48th Pennsylvania Infantry. He was 5 foot 7 inches tall, had sandy hair, a light complexion, and gray eyes. He was listed as a recruit, and was discharged by direction of the War Department on 3 May 1865, although the card also states that he was discharged on 7 June 1965.
The injuries referred to in the obituary do not appear to have seriously disabled him enough for his to be able to apply for a pension immediately upon discharge.
A pension application was made on 16 December 1879. He received benefits and collected them until his death, which is recorded on the Pension Index Card (above from Fold3).
Writing on his blogspot for the 48th Pennsylvania Infantry, John David Hoptak gives the following additional information about James Dempsey:
Less than two-and-a-half months after joining the regiment, Dempsey was among the 90 casualties the 48th sustained charging Fort Mahone on that fateful April 2, 1865, at Petersburg. He was wounded in the right thigh, and injury described as “severe.” He would recover, however, and on 7 June1865, by order of the War Department, he was discharged from the service….
For the story of the battle in which he was injured, see: On This Date, 2 April 1865.
Hoptak also provides a picture of James Dempsey in his Civil War uniform:
In 1890, James Dempsey appears in the census for Foster and Barry Townships, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania.
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News clipping from Newspapers.com.
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