John McGovern

John McGovern was born March 10, 1809 in County Fermanagh. I have been unsuccessful in locating the Parish or the Townland where John lived in Ireland, and therefore, have no information on his ancestors.

I know that he first married "Rose" (I'm not sure if they married in Ireland) and that at some point, they were living in Glasgow, Scotland.  John and Rose had one son: John, Jr., born March 23, 1838 (I'm not sure if John Jr. was born in Ireland or Scotland.  John Sr.'s papers say Ireland, but John Jr.'s records say that he was born in Scotland.)

According to John's Civil War pension file in the United States, Rose died and was "buried in the graveyard north and east of St. Mary's Catholic church, which is situated on Abercrombie Street, Glasgow, Scotland."  I contacted the archivist at the Scottish Catholic Archives in Scotland and she told me that this would have been St. Mary's Calton and the graveyard would have been the Old Dalbeth Cemetery in Glasgow, Scotland. I found the record for Rose's burial, which occurred on March 18, 1852. It did not list Rose's maiden name - just "Rose McGovern."   

When the pension application was filed out, his second wife and son both seemed to be unsure of Rose's death and when John MdGovern exactly emigrated to the United States.  They thought that it might have been around 1845, but I believe that the burial record I found was accurate.

I have been unable to find when John McGovern and his son actually came to the United States, but he first turns up in the 1860 United States census, living in Wilmore, Cambria County, Pennsylvania.  This is where John lived for the remainder of his life. (If his second wife and son were correct about when he came to the US, I should have been able to find him in the 1850 census, too)

On August 1, 1860, John married a second time - to Catherine Moore Trainer, a widow with three children. (She was actually only widowed 2 months earlier). Catherine was born 14 JAN 1833 • Mayobridge, Newry Parish, Down, Northern Ireland. She married her first husband, John Trainor in Ireland on Feb 22, 1853. According to the 1900 US Census, she arrived in the United States in 1857.

John and Catherine had 10 children together:

1. Edward, born 1862

2. Margaret Ann, born May 13, 1863

3. Patrick, born March 18, 1865

4. James Jacob, born June 22, 1867

5. Thomas, born Jan. 27, 1869

6. Cornelius, born Dec. 22, 1870

7. Charles, born Dec. 1872

8. Mary Ann, born Sept. 28, 1873

9. Bridget, born Jan. 2, 1874

10. Annie, born Nov. 21, 1874

During the Civil War, John served with a unique group of older men from Cambria County, Palmer's Independent Silver Grays. During the Civil War, the cut-off age for service was 45, but these men were closer to 60 years.  John enrolled on Nov. 30, 1861.  They served at Camp Curtin in Harrisburg and were charged with taking care of the arsenal and warehouse containing the public stores in Harrisburg.  The Silver Grays were disbanded, and John  was honorably discharged at Harrisburg Pennsylvania on the 30th day of April, 1862.  Although this was a short period of service time, it was long enough for him to earn a pension, which came in handy later in life when John suffered a stroke. 

John died Sept. 4, 1893 and is buried in the old graveyard at St. Bartholomew's Church in Wilmore, Cambria County, Pennsylvania.