Henry "Harry" J. Meagher
Henry "Harry" is my 2nd great-grandfather.
May, circa 1848-1853 ~ November 14, 1914
Henry "Harry" Meagher (pronounced meer) was the first Canadian I found on our family tree. His surname is Irish and his father was indeed born in Ireland, while his mother was born in either Scotland or Ireland. Other than that, I have no additional information on his parentage. Historically speaking, there was an influx of Irish people in the mid-19th century who immigrated to Canada first and then to the United States and it appears that Harry's parents did just that. While Harry was born in Canada, he immigrated to the U.S. in 1859 when he was a child. He was somewhere between six and eleven years old at the time. Because of his age, it seems likely that he came with his parents.
Harry was born in the month of May. The year is a bit of a mystery, because the records show various years ranging from 1848-1853, but all the records have the same family members and address, so it is definitely the same person. Perhaps he changed his birth year to suit him or perhaps each of the transcribers made an error, or perhaps he didn't know exactly when he was born.
On September 4th, 1890, he married Agnes Finnigan McCabe. McCabe was the last name of her first husband who had passed away. When he married Agnes, he became a step-father to Thomas McCabe, Jr. who was 5 years old at the time. They were married by a Catholic Priest named Father Bender on Manitou Avenue in Colorado City (later to be known as Colorado Springs), Colorado.
While I do not know anything about his education, Harry could read and write.
On April 15, 1893, a special meeting of the town board was held where officers were elected for the following fiscal year. Harry was elected Marshall. He served in this position for many years and was well-respected and well-liked in this role. He apparently was a "pioneer" in his field, according to the Colorado City Iris newspaper. Considering the fact that Colorado City, in its infancy, was a den for prostitution, opium, and it had a multitude of saloons, it was in need of a cleanup crew. When the tides of the city turned, and the government began cracking down on the red light district, particularly in the 1890's, I am not surprised that as a lawman during this time frame, he was considered to be a great leader by his constituents.
In 1900, the Meaghers owned a home on Colorado Avenue, Colorado City, in you guessed it—Colorado. In that year, the census record shows that Agnes was a landlady, while his profession was listed as a painter. Initially, it was unclear to me if he was an artist or a house painter. However, Susie has a few paintings that were painted by the Meaghers. While Agnes signed her full name on her work, the other signature, which is clearly made by a different person, is simply signed Meagher. It seems more than likely that the paintings with the surname only are actually his work and not hers.
By 1910, both Harry and Agnes no longer had a profession. They were not listed as being unemployed, however. They had come into some money somehow and they were able to live off of this income. Their mortgage was paid in full by this time, as well.
At some point, certainly by 1910, he jumped back into the political arena, first as an alderman, which is an elected member of a municipal council, and then as a justice of the peace.
Harry had been reelected as a justice of the peace for a second term, just prior to his death. According to his obituary, he had been involved with politics for several years and was thought to be "perhaps one of the best known men" in the city. He was "well-known and liked by everyone with whom he came in contact, being a jolly, pleasant man and good companion."
He died on a Saturday evening as the clock struck midnight on November 14th, 1914. The cause was due to "bowel trouble complicated with pneumonia," according to one of his obituaries. His funeral was held three days later at St. Mary's Cathedral. He is buried with his wife at Fairview Cemetery in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Supposition:
* I could not find any record of how he acquired his "personal income." Perhaps he fared well as an artist. I can't find any historical information on him as an artist, but he did claim to be a professional painter in 1900. The Finnigans were well off, so it's also possible that Agnes inherited some money or there could have been an entirely different way they obtained their new income.
* By 1910, he had still not become an American citizen, but he was able to hold an elected office. It's possible that it either didn't matter if the candidate was American, or the powers that be did not look into the matter very deeply or perhaps he became a citizen in the last four years of his life and I just haven't found the record for it. That being said, he was definitely involved in politics in 1910 and he was not a citizen at that point, so it seems more than likely that he never became a naturalized citizen.
* Anything written with quotation marks are direct quotes from newspaper articles written about him.
The Meaning of His Names:
Personal Name Meaning: Henry ~ Ruler of household.
Surname Meaning: Meagher ~ Recorded as Maher, Meagher, Meagar, and possibly others, this is an Irish surname primarily from County Tipperary. It derives from the medieval Gaelic O' Meachair,meaning the male descendant of the kindly and hospitable chief.
In 1900, the Meaghers owned a home on Colorado Avenue, Colorado City, in you guessed it—Colorado. In that year, the census record shows that Agnes was a landlady, while his profession was listed as a painter. Initially, it was unclear to me if he was an artist or a house painter. However, Susie has a few paintings that were painted by the Meaghers. While Agnes signed her full name on her work, the other signature, which is clearly made by a different person, is simply signed Meagher. It seems more than likely that the paintings with the surname only are actually his work and not hers.
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| Painting attributed to Harry. |
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| Signature on the painting. |
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| St. Mary's Cathedral in Colorado Springs |
At some point, certainly by 1910, he jumped back into the political arena, first as an alderman, which is an elected member of a municipal council, and then as a justice of the peace.
Harry had been reelected as a justice of the peace for a second term, just prior to his death. According to his obituary, he had been involved with politics for several years and was thought to be "perhaps one of the best known men" in the city. He was "well-known and liked by everyone with whom he came in contact, being a jolly, pleasant man and good companion."
He died on a Saturday evening as the clock struck midnight on November 14th, 1914. The cause was due to "bowel trouble complicated with pneumonia," according to one of his obituaries. His funeral was held three days later at St. Mary's Cathedral. He is buried with his wife at Fairview Cemetery in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
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| Harry and Agnes' Headstone |
Supposition:
* I could not find any record of how he acquired his "personal income." Perhaps he fared well as an artist. I can't find any historical information on him as an artist, but he did claim to be a professional painter in 1900. The Finnigans were well off, so it's also possible that Agnes inherited some money or there could have been an entirely different way they obtained their new income.
* By 1910, he had still not become an American citizen, but he was able to hold an elected office. It's possible that it either didn't matter if the candidate was American, or the powers that be did not look into the matter very deeply or perhaps he became a citizen in the last four years of his life and I just haven't found the record for it. That being said, he was definitely involved in politics in 1910 and he was not a citizen at that point, so it seems more than likely that he never became a naturalized citizen.
* Anything written with quotation marks are direct quotes from newspaper articles written about him.
The Meaning of His Names:
Personal Name Meaning: Henry ~ Ruler of household.
Surname Meaning: Meagher ~ Recorded as Maher, Meagher, Meagar, and possibly others, this is an Irish surname primarily from County Tipperary. It derives from the medieval Gaelic O' Meachair,meaning the male descendant of the kindly and hospitable chief.
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