;
Thomas McGee – Helped Drive Petersburg Mine
Posted By Norman Gasbarro on October 9, 2019
Thomas McGee, also found in the records as McGhee and Magee, was born in Scotland on 17 March 1828 and after emigrating to America, resided in Branchdale, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania. In the early 1890s he moved to Mount Carmel, Northumberland County. He was a coal miner, who during the Civil War was involved in digging the mine at Petersburg.
According to the Veterans’ Card from the Pennsylvania Archives, Thomas McGhee enrolled at Pottsville on the 18 March 1864 in the 48th Pennsylvania Infantry, and on the same day was mustered into Company E as a Private. He was recruited for this service. At the time he declared that he was a miner by occupation, was 35 years old, and had been born in Scotland. He was 5 foot 2 inches tall, had dark hair, a light complexion, and hazel eyes. The card notes that he was mustered out with his company on 17 July 1865.
In 1890, Thomas McGee, then living in Branchdale, Schuylkill County, reported his service in the 48th Pennsylvania Infantry, and indicated that he was disabled by “sun stroke” which he claimed occurred during his service.
On 16 July 1886, Thomas McGee applied for an invalid pension based on his service in the 48th Pennsylvania Infantry. According to the Pension Index Card from Fold3, he received the pension. His death occurred on 29 April 1908, and no widow applied for benefits following his death.
From the Pennsylvania Death Certificate, found at Ancestry.com, the following can be added about Thomas McGee:
- The cause of death was “dilatation of the heart.”
- He was a widower at the time of his death.
- The parents’ names were Robert McGee and Mary [Cook] McGee, both born in Scotland.
- The place of death was Mount Carmel, Northumberland County, Pennsylvania.
- The place of burial was the Mount Carmel Cemetery.
On 29 April 1908, the Mount Carmel Item first reported his death as follows:
THOMAS McGEE DEAD
Thomas McGee, aged about 82 years, died at one o’clock this afternoon at his home on West Third Street, after a long illness.
Mr. McGee is survived by a large number of relatives in town. Full particulars will be given in tomorrow’s paper.
The Pottsville Republican also reported his death, 29 April 1908, and noted that he was a Civil War veteran:
Death of Thomas McGee
Thomas McGee, formerly of Branchdale, and a veteran of the Civil War, died at his West Third Street home in Mount Carmel yesterday, and will be buried at one o’clock on Saturday afternoon.
And, as promised, the Mount Carmel Item followed through with a more complete obituary on 30 April 1908:
DEATH OF VETERAN MAGEE
Brief mention was made yesterday of the death of Thomas Magee, who died at 12:30 o’clock at the home of his step-daughter, Mrs. Isabel Gottshallo, at No. 333 West Third Street. Disease had suffered from dropsy and heart disease.
Mr. Magee was eighty years of age and was born in Scotland. He came to America when a very young man, and located in Branchdale, Schuylkill County, where he resided until fifteen years ago, when he came to Mount Carmel.
His wife died four years ago. The survivors are an adopted son, Robert Magee, of Providence, Rhode Island; and his step-daughter, Mrs. Gottshall. He had many relatives in this city.
Deceased was a veteran of the Civil War, and served as a Private soldier in Company E, Forty-Eighth Pennsylvania Volunteers [48th Pennsylvania Infantry]. He enlisted March 9th, 1864, and was mustered out at the end of the War, July 17th, 1965. He had an excellent army record, and was one of the Schuylkill County miners who drove the famous mine tunnel at Petersburg.
The funeral will be Saturday, services to be held at the house at 1:00 o’clock, conducted by Rev. J. G. Shireman, pastor of the Mennonite Church. The 2:35 Pennsylvania and Reading train will be taken for interment in Mount Carmel Cemetery at Alaska. Undertaker McConnell directing.
The Daily News of Mount Carmel, 30 April 1908, added the following about Thomas McGee‘s Civil War service:
Although the history of the 48th does not mention Mr. Magee, it is a well-known fact that he was prominently connected with the memorable mine at Petersburg, Virginia. It is said that he handled every keg of powder that was put into the mine. The engineer in charge of the mine did not have the knowledge of mining of the experienced miners of Schuylkill County and he depended largely upon a number of miners serving with the 48th, particularly upon Mr. Magee.
__________________________________
News clippings from Newspapers.com.
On 28 April 2011, a blog post here described the monument to “The Crater” at the Petersburg Battlefield. See: Monument to the 48th Pennsylvania Infantry. Although Thomas McGee is mentioned as a known person from the Lykens Valley area who was a member of the 48th Pennsylvania Infantry, very little was known about him at the time. Today’s post is a result of recent research which includes information from sources not readily available in 2011, including Mount Carmel newspapers.
For additional information about the digging of the mine, see The Crater, published on 4 April 2013.
The military grave marker at the top of this post is from Thomas McGee‘s Findagrave Memorial. An additional grave marker (non-military) is also available on that site, which gives his wife Helen’s birth and death years as 1830-1904.
Comments