John Dempsey (1829 - 1904)

Born 29 May 1829 in Montrath, Queens, Ireland

Husband of Martha C. (Davis) Dempsey — married 13 May 1858 in Shelby, Richland, Ohio

Descendants

Died 16 Aug 1904 at age 75 in Shelby, Richland, Ohio

Problems/Questions Profile managers: Claudia Breland [send private message] and Martha Leinroth [send private message]

John Dempsey was born in Ireland.

Col. John Dempsey was born on 27 May 1829 in Mont Rath (Mountrath), Ireland,^[1] the son of James Dempsey and Catharine (Keys) Dempsey.

Because of the Irish potato famine (also known as the Great Hunger) in 1848, Dempsey's father, brought the entire family—about 20 adults and children—to the United States. Sailing in steerage from Liverpool on the West Point, they landed in New York on 30 October 1848.^[2] The Dempseys headed for Chicago, but their boat was forced to land in Sandusky, Ohio, where they remained.^[3] The following summer, Sandusky was hit with a severe cholera epidemic. Five of the family died, including Dempsey's father, James.^[4]

In 1853, John Dempsey left Sandusky and moved to Shelby, Ohio.^[5] Several train lines met at Shelby and it was becoming an important commercial center. Dempsey started a very successful wholesale grocery business,^[5] and later opened a retail store at 11 High St (now East Main St).

Dempsey married Martha C. Davis on May 13, 1858 in Shelby.^[6] They were living in the town of Shelby for the 1860 census^[7]They had six children: James Howard, Mary Katherine, John George, Lou Lee, Helen Ann, and Florence Lee. Both John George and Lou Lee died before the were three years old.

Dempsey served in the military during the the Civil War. He was Lt. Col. of the 163 regiment, Ohio Infantry, formed from the National Guard, under Col Hiram Miller.^[8][9] The regiment, which was stationed in Washington, D.C., took part in several reconnaissance missions and were involved in a skirmish in Virginia.^[10] He was also a member of a militia called to defend Cincinnati in 1863. A number of them brought their own shotguns, hence they were dubbed the "Squirrel Hunters."

By 1870, the family was living in Sharon Twnp. in Richland Co., Ohio.^[11] A group of local merchants founded the First National Bank of Shelby in 1872. Dempsey was a stockholder, member of the board of directors and later became president.^[12]

After leaving the grocery business, Dempsey raised racing horses at his farm outside of Shelby which he called "Mohegan Farms."^[13] According to a family story, he had a practice racetrack for his horses in front of his house.

Dempsey died on 16 Aug 1904 in Shelby.^[14] He was buried in Lake View Cemetery in Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, Ohio, beside his wife Martha.

Sources

1. ↑ "Gallant, Veteran and Prominent Man Dead" Sandusky (Ohio) Star, August 18, 1904.
2. ↑ Ancestry.com. "New York, Passenger Lists, 1820-1957" [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. Original data: "Passenger Lists of Vessels Arriving at New York, New York, 1820-1897". Year: 1848; Arrival: New York, New York; Microfilm Serial: M237, 1820-1897; Microfilm Roll: Roll 076; Line: 1; List Number: 1208
3. ↑ Dempsey, James H. III, as told to Martha Leinroth
4. ↑ Peeke, Hewson L. "A standard history of Erie County, Ohio : an authentic narrative of the past, with particular attention to the modern era in the commercial, industrial, civic, and social development : a chronicle of the people, with family lineage and memoirs." Chicago: Lewis Pub. Co., 1916. p.187. found on ancestry.com
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1} Smith, Joseph P., Ed. "History of the Republican Party in Ohio." Chicago: Lewis Pub. Co., 1898. p.268
6. ↑ "Ohio Marriages, 1800-1958," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XDV4-G9S : 8 December 2014), John Dempsey and Martha C. Davis, 13 May 1858; citing Richland,Ohio, reference ; FHL microfilm 0388737 V. 7.
7. ↑ "United States Census, 1860", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MCLD-24H : 18 February 2021), John Dempsey, 1860.
8. ↑ Ancestry.com. 1890 Veterans Schedules [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2005.Year: 1890; Census Place: Plymouth, Richland, Ohio; Roll: 72; Enumeration District: 304. Original data: pecial Schedules of the Eleventh Census (1890) Enumerating Union Veterans and Widows of Union Veterans of the Civil War; (National Archives Microfilm Publication M123, 118 rolls); Records of the Department of Veterans Affairs, Record Group 15; National Archives, Washington, D.C.
9. ↑ "United States Civil War Soldiers Index, 1861-1865," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FS6L-F6Y : 4 December 2014), John Dempsey, Lieutenant Colonel, Company F&S, 163rd Regiment, Ohio Infantry (National Guard), Union; citing NARA microfilm publication M552 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 26; FHL microfilm 882,239.
10. ↑ The Union Army. Vol. 1 [need more source info]
11. ↑ "United States Census, 1870", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M6L2-3V1 : 29 May 2021), John Dempsey, 1870.
12. ↑ The Richland-Shelby chapter of the Ohio Genealogical Society, "The First National Bank". Rootsweb
13. ↑ A.J. Baughman, "History of Plymouth County" published in the Mansfield (Ohio) News, 28 Feb 1903.
14. ↑ "Ohio, County Death Records, 1840-2001," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F6DY-8ZK : 13 December 2014), John Dempsey, 20 Aug 1904; citing Death, Cleveland, Cuyahoga, Ohio, United States, source ID item 2 p 515, County courthouses, Ohio; FHL microfilm 1,977,439.