He was born in Ireland, in 1841/42, to Bryan Cahill and Ann Mulvaney.
They were married in County Cavan, Ireland, on 17 April 1824.
[sources:
date: 5 (19 in 1861), 8 (19 in 1861), 11 (16 in 1860).
place: 8, 11, 12.
parents: 12]
He immigrated to the United States with his parents, apparently about 1848/50.
They apparently lived in Philadelphia from the time they immigrated.
[source: 12]
When he enlisted, he was a laborer.
Two people testified that he worked 'at light laboring work', and earned five to six dollars per week, which he gave his parents.
One person testified that he worked in a grocery and provision store, earning three dollars per week.
[source: 8]
Description
When he enlisted, he was 5 feet 6 inches tall, and had a light complexion, blue eyes, and light hair.
[source: 8]
During the war
He enlisted and was mustered into service on 2 October 1861 or 3 October 1861.
He was enlisted for three years, by Lieutenant Pierce, at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
On 7 October 1861, he was mustered in as a private, at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
He was a private in company D.
[sources: 1, 5 (3 Oct), 8 (2 Oct), 12 (3 Oct), 13 (co.F), 14 (co.F)]
He was transferred to company F on 31 October 1861.
[sources: 4, 12]
During the war, he sent his parents money by Adams Express (five to fifteen dollars at a time).
He once apparently sent eighty dollars home with someone on furlough.
[source: 12]
On 17 October 1864, his mother, Ann Cahill, applied successfully from Pennsylvania for a pension, under the act of 14 July 1862.
Her husband (and Patrick's father) Bryan was 80 years old, and had chronic neuralgia of the spine, which made him unable to work.
Captain William E Michael supported her application.
Her application was accepted on 7 March 1866, and she received $8 per month, retroactive to 18 June 1864.
The certificate (number 68,025), dated 29 March 1866, was sent to the Philadelphia Agency.
[sources: 3, 9, 10, 12]
On 1 March 1865, the Pension Bureau was informed that Ann Cahill was insane.
[source: 12]
On 5 August 1866, his mother, Ann Cahill, died, at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
[source: 12]
On 28 September 1868, his father, Bryan Cahill, applied successfully from Pennsylvania for a pension.
On 4 October 1868, Ann Cahill's file was incorporated into Bryan Cahill's.
His application was accepted on 20 February 1869, and he received $8 per month, retroactive to 5 August 1866.
[sources: 3, 9, 10]
On 10 June 1872, his father's pension was reported transferred to the Washington DC Pension Agency, apparently as a foreign pensioner.
[source: 12]
Sources
1 Bates, Samuel Penniman. History of Pennsylvania volunteers, 1861-5. Harrisburg: B. Singerly, state printer, 1869-71. 5 volumes. 'Ninety-first regiment', volume 3, pages 186-233.
(In the roster)
[Bates has entries for Patrick Cahill (F, mustered in 2 Oct 61) and Patrick Cohill (D, mustered in 3 Oct 61).
Since Patrick Cohill was not on company D's muster-out roll, I have assumed they are the same person.]
(Patrick Cahill)
111860 US census, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, ward 2, microfilm series M653, film 1152, page 292 = 292 handwritten
(Patrick Cahill)
12dependent's pension certificate file, National Archives and Records Administration, record group 15, certificate 125,312
(Patrick Cahill son of Bryan Cahill and Ann Mulvaney)
13index to compiled service records of volunteer Union soldiers who served in organizations from the state of Pennsylvania
(Patrick Cahill)
14index to compiled service records of volunteer Union soldiers who served in organizations from the state of Pennsylvania
(Patrick Cohill)
Sources checked unsuccessfully
1850 US census
FamilySearch index. searched Patrick Cahill b. Ireland 1839-1845, resident Philadelphia 1850 (accessed 11 Mar 12)
Ancestry index (searched also for Bryan Cahill resident in Philadelphia) (accessed 13 Oct 13)
I did not find a Bryan Cahill in the 1850 or 1851 Biddle's directory (accessed on Fold3, 13 Oct 13)
the 1850 Biddle's directory page 57 has 'Cahaley Ann, 9 Relief pl', and the 1851 Biddle's directory has 'Cahill Ann, 3 Relief pl'; I was not able to use those to locate her in the census, and in any event she is not obviously the Ann married to Bryan Cahill
1860 US census
FamilySearch and Ancestry indices (accessed 13 October 2013)
the entry I transcribed below is almost certainly not the Patrick Cahill who served in the 91st, given his occupation and the occupation reported in the dependent's pension certificate file
the 1861 Biddle's directory, page 130 has 'Cahill Brian, laborer, Sydney n Federal'
Fold3's OCR index has two matches for 'Sydney n Federal', whom I was not able to locate in the census (accessed 13 October 2013):
(i) 1861 Biddle's p.180: 'Connor Bryan, dealer, Sydney n Federal'
(ii) 1861 Biddle's p.49: 'Beamey John, cabinetmaker, Sydney n Federal'
1870 US census
FamilySearch index (accessed 11 Mar 12)
there is a Patrick Cahill, 25, born Ireland, oak cooper, with James Carney et al., in district 2, ward 1, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (microfilm series M593, film 1387, page 569 verso = 236 handwritten)
Ancestry index (searched also for Bryan Cahill resident in Philadelphia) (accessed 13 Oct 13)
1880 US census
FamilySearch index (accessed 11 Mar 12)
Ancestry index (searched also for Bryan Cahill resident in Philadelphia) (accessed 13 Oct 13)
1890 US census, veterans' schedules
Ancestry index (accessed April 06)
Ancestry index (searched also for Bryan Cahill resident in Philadelphia) (accessed 13 Oct 13)
1900 US census
FamilySearch index (accessed 11 Mar 12)
Ancestry index (searched also for Bryan Cahill resident in Philadelphia) (accessed 13 Oct 13)
1910 US census
FamilySearch index (accessed 11 Mar 12)
Ancestry index (searched also for Bryan Cahill resident in Philadelphia) (accessed 13 Oct 13)
1920 US census
FamilySearch index (accessed 11 Mar 12)
Ancestry index (searched also for Bryan Cahill resident in Philadelphia) (accessed 13 Oct 13)
1930 US census
FamilySearch index (accessed 11 Mar 12)
Ancestry index (searched also for Bryan Cahill resident in Philadelphia) (accessed 13 Oct 13)
1940 US census
Ancestry index (searched also for Bryan Cahill resident in Philadelphia) (accessed 13 Oct 13)
GenealogyBank
searched for Cahill in Philadelphia newspapers in June 1864 (accessed 11 March 2012)
searched (for Ann Cahill in) death notices in Philadelphia newspapers from 5 to 10 August 1866 (accessed 13 October 2013)
Philadelphia Pennsylvania death certificates
FamilySearch index (accessed 11 March 2012)
no Patrick Cahill 1864-1866
no Ann Cahill 1864-1868
no Bryan or Brian Cahill
records of headstones of deceased Union veterans, 1879-1903
FamilySearch index (accessed 11 Mar 12)
applications for headstones for military veterans, 1925-1941
FamilySearch index (accessed 11 Mar 12)
Pennsylvania veterans' burial cards
Ancestry index (accessed 13 Mar 12)
Find a grave
searched 'Patrick Cahill died 1864' and 'Patrick Cohill died 1864' (accessed 13 Mar 12)
Display
Patrick Cahill in the 91st PA gedcom on RootsWeb WorldConnect
[1860 US census, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, ward 2, microfilm series M653, film 1152, page 292 = 292 handwritten]
[identification is extremely unlikely, since (1) his occupation does not match the occupation listed in the dependent's pension certificate file, and (2) the pension file also indicates that his father, mother, and he all lived together]
[index to compiled service records of volunteer Union soldiers who served in organizations from the state of Pennsylvania]
[transcribed 19 Mar 2014, from Fold3]
Cahill, Patrick
Co. F, 91 Pennsylvania Inf.
Pvt. | Pvt.
REFERENCE CARD.
Original filed under
Cohill, Patrick
GENERAL INDEX CARD.
[card 2, transcribed 24 March 2014]
Cohill Patrick
Co. F, 91 Pennsylvania Inf.
Pvt | Pvt
See also [blank]
[dependent's pension certificate file, National Archives and Records Administration, record group 15]
[abstracted from 2 pages on Fold3, 10 March 2012]
[17 Oct 1864]
Ann Cahill, mother of Patrick Cahill, private, co F 91st Penn Vols, applied for a pension under the Act of 14 July 1862 (p.1)
certificate 68,025, dated 29 March 1866 (p.1)
sent to E O Jackson, Philadelphia (p.1)
received $8 per month, Philadelphia Agency, retroactive to 18 June 1864 (p.1)
4 Oct 1868
incorporated in application 165,839, B Cahill, father (p.2)
[dependent's pension certificate file, National Archives and Records Administration, record group 15, certificate 125,312, Bryan Cahill father of Patrick Cahill]
[abstracted from 39 pages on Fold3, October 2013]
17 April 1824
Bryan Cahill married Ann Mulvaney, in County Cavan, Ireland, by Rev Father Riley (pp.31, 37)
ca 1833 to ca 1848
Bryan and Ann Cahill lived in Ireland for at least 15 years as man and wife before emigrating about 1848/50 (pp.30, 32)
3 Oct 1861
Patrick Cahill was enrolled in co. D at Philadelphia (pp.10, 11)
volunteered on or about 1 September 1861 (p.37)
19 years old (p.11)
7 Oct 1861
Patrick Cahill mustered in as private in co. D at Philadelphia (pp.10, 11)
Nov/Dec 1861
transferred to co. F (p.11)
18 June 1864
Patrick Cahill was killed in action near Petersburg VA (pp.7, 10, 11, 37)
17 Oct 1864
Ann Cahill, 60 years old, mother of Patrick Cahill applied for a pension under the Act of 14 July 1862 (p.37)
resident of Philadelphia, PO address No 2 Sidney St Philadelphia (p.37)
attorney E O Jackson 138 S 3rd St Philadelphia PA (p.37)
witnesses Philip Garigan and James Smyth (residents of Philadelphia), who testified that she was Ann Cahill, mother of Patrick, dependent on him that her husband is 80 and too infirm and feeble to labor for her support (his occupation being laborer), that she is too infirm and feeble to work, and has no income, 'she not having done a hands [sic] turn for two years past' (p.38)
dated 13 Oct 1864 (p.37)
accepted 7 March 1866, for $8 per month, retroactive to 18 June 1864 (p.35)
Chas T Cotton, examining clerk (p.35)
certificate 68,025, dated 27 March 1866 (p.7)
application 68,951 (pp.10, 18)
10 November 1864
Capt William E Michael certified that Patrick Cahill (F 91 PA) volunteered at Philadelphia about 2 October 1861 was killed in battle on 18 June 1864 near Petersburg--wounded, and died of wounds on 18 June 1864 on the field (p.16)
19 January 1865
the Adjutant General's Office reported the above-summarized information to the Pension Office (p.10; see p.18 for the request)
4 Feb 1865
the Pension Bureau sent someone circular 2 (p.19)
25 Feb 1865
Wm C Harbison MD, Bryan Cahill's family physician certified that Bryan Cahill was 80 years of age, and afflicted with infirmities [?] of age and injury received on the back, which his physicians had told hiim was rheumatism but was actually a chronic neuralgia of the spine, which made him unable to support his family (p.22)
1 Mar 1865
the Pension Bureau [received or sent] a letter about the claimant's being insane, saying that 'nothing can be done until she becomes sane, or [a] guardian [was] appointed for her' (p.19)
10 June 1865
the Pension Bureau received a partial response to circular 2 (see 4 Feb 1865), about the husband's disability (p.19)
31 July 1865
Philip Garigan and Patrick Farrelly (residents of Philadelphia) swore that they know Ann Cahill well, and knew her son Patrick well, and that he left no wife or children surviving him, and that she depended on his support for more than three years before his death, that he paid rent and purchased provisions for her, that she has no real or personal property, no means of support but her daily labor, that her husband can't work because of his age and disease of the back, and that Patrick sent her money while he was in the service (p.24)
5 Aug 1865
the Pension Bureau sent circular 2 again (p.19)
27 Nov 1865
the Pension Bureau sent circular 2 again (p.19)
14 Dec 1865
Wm C Harbison MD certified that Bryan Cahill was more than 80 years old, was afflicted with 'Chronic Neuralgia of the Spine', and had been so afflicted for more than three years before his son Patrick's death, and that he because of it he was unable to support his wife (p.20)
10 Feb 1866
John Sullivan (resident of Philadelphia) swore that he knows Ann Cahill well, and knew her son Patrick well, had known them for more than ten years, that Patrick was generally regarded as her son and left no wife or children surviving him, that Ann depended on him for support for more than three years before he enlisted, that he saw Patrick pay for her provisions with his own money, that Patrick paid her rent of $2 per month--she rented a room from him and Patrick always paid him the rent--that Patrick 'worked at light laboring work and earned from five to six dollars per week', that he saw letters from Patrick saying that he had sent Ann money by Adams Express ($10 to $15 at a time), and saw the money when she received it (p.26)
Mary Blake (resident of Philadelphia) swore that she knows Ann Cahill well, and knew her son Patrick well, had known them for more than ten years, that Patrcik was generally regarded as her son, and died unmarried with no wife or children surviving, that Ann depended on him for support for more than three years before he enlisted, that Patrick contributed to her support by purchasing provisions, that she saw Patrick give Ann money and pay the rent, that he 'worked at light laboring work and earned from five to six dollars per week', and that she saw money he sent Ann while in the army (p.28)
1 Mar 1866
the Pension Bureau [sent?] a letter about the claimant's insanity, asking whether she was still insane and whether a guardian had been appointed (p.19)
5 August 1866
Ann Cahill died (p.7)
she was paid her pension through 4 April 1866 (p.3)
28 September 1868
Bryan Cahill, father of Patrick Cahill, 82 years old, applied for a pension under the act of 27 July 1868 (p.7)
resident of Philadelphia, PO address No. 2 Sidney St near 9th + Federal (p.7)
had neuralgia of spine
attorney: Jos E Devitt + Co, 427 Walnut St, Philadelphia (pp.3, 7)
witnesses to his mark: John H Melled [?] and Thos H Rogers (p.7)
witnesses to identity (and to Ann Cahill's death) Thomas L Estrange and James Riley (both residents of Philadelphia (p.8)
application 70,301 (p.7) 165,839 (p.14)
dated 25 September 1868 (p.7)
certificate 125,312 (p.12)
originally in the Philadelphia Pennsylvania agency (p.12)
accepted 20 February 1869, for $8 per month, retroactive to 5 August 1866 (pp.3, 12)
certificate dated 27 Feb 1869, sent to Jos E Devitt + Co (p.12)
examining clerk: Chas T Cotton (p.3)
5 Oct 1868
mother's files [incorporated?] (p.15)
the pension office sent a letter to the pensioner stating something about the mother's files (p.15)
9 Oct 1868
Bryan Cahill (resident of Philadelphia) swore that he was the father of Patrick Cahill, that he and Patrick's mother Ann (nee Mulvaney) were married 'at the parish of Mullough County Cavan Ireland by Rev. Father Luke Reilly pastor Roman Catholic Church' more than 40 years ago, that he couldn't provide a copy of any church or public record and doesn't know whether one even exists, that he couldn't locate any eyewitnesses to the marriage and didn't know whether any were alive, that he never received a certificate, that the person who married them is undoubtedly dead, that he couldn't get a copy of any birth or baptismal record of Patrick (who was born in Ireland), that he provided all the evidence he could, that Ann Cahill died at Philadelphia on 5 April 1866, and that he depended on Patrick for support (p.31)
Mary Dolan and Ann Smith (residents of Philadelphia) swore that they had known Bryan Cahill for 18 years, that he and Ann Cahill lived together during that period as married and were recognized as married by their community, that for about three years before he enlisted Patrick 'was employed in a Grocery and Provision store in Philadelphia Pa and worked steady [sic] and regular [sic] during the time and earned Three Dollars per week, giving it to his parents for their support (which Garty saw personally), and sent money home from the army, once giving a man $80 to a man who came home on furlough (which they saw personally), that Ann Cahill died in Philadelphia on 5 April 1866, and that they were present at her funeral (pp.33-34)
12 Oct 1868
Owen Lynch (resident of Philadelphia) swore that he had known Bryan Cahill for more than 35 years, and knew his wife until she died in 1866, that he knew them in Ireland for more than 15 years living in the same neighborhood, that they were recognized as married by their community, that Patrick Cahill was their legitimate child, that he (Lynch) emigrated to the US about 18 years ago, about the same time as Bryan and Ann Cahill did, that after immigrating Bryan and Ann lived as married, and that Patrick lived with them until he enlisted and was recognized as their legitimate son by the community (p.30)
Philip Garty [??] (resident of Philadelphia) swore that he had known Bryan Cahill for about 35 years, and knew his wife for the same period until she died in 1866, that he knew them in Ireland, lived in the same neighborhood, knews they were regarded as married, knew that Patrick Cahill was their legitimate son, emigrated about 20 years ago, knew that they continued to live together and to be regarded as married and as Patrick's parents by their community in Philadelphia, knew that Ann died in Philadelphia in 1866 (p.32)
30 November 1868
Mary Farley and Mary Smith (both residents of Philadelphia) swore that they were present when Bryan Cahill's wife died at Philadelphia on 5 April 1866 between 2 and 3 AM, and attended her funeral on Sunday 8 April 1866 (p.5)
2 Jan 1869
the pension office sent circular 16 for the age of the soldier (p.15)
4 Jan 1868 [sic; presumably 1869]
the Adjutant General's office reported the above-summarized information to the Pension Bureau for application 165,839 (p.11; see p.14 for the request)
7 Jan 1869
the pension office received a response to their circular 16 dated 2 January 1869 (p.15)
10 June 1872
'1872 June 10 Transfd to Washington D.C. 4 Mar 1872 foreign Pensioner' (p.13; see also p.12)