He was born in 1821/23, in Melton, Ireland. [sources: date: 8 (38 in 1861), 13 (39 in 1860). place: 8, 13]
On 1 January 1856, he married Matilda Patterson, at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She was born on 21 June 1832 [or 1835?], in Ireland, to James Patterson and Nancy [unknown surname]. They were married by Reverend N M Jones, and their marriage was recorded in the St Bartholomew's Church parish records. They had three children:
[sources: 10, 16]
In 1860, he was living in ward 19, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was living with his wife Matilda and their son Samuel. He was a weaver. [source: 13]
When he enlisted, he was a lab[orer]. [source: 8]
When he enlisted, he was 5 feet 7-1/2 inches tall, and had a dark complexion, blue eyes, and black hair. [source: 8]
He enlisted and was mustered into service on 11 December or 14 November 1861. He was enlisted for three years, at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, by C L Zinn. He was mustered in as a private in company H. He had rifle number 65. [sources: 1 (corp), 8 (11 Dec), 18-19 (pvt)]
On 8 August 1863, he was detailed as a guard for the supply train. [source: 5]
He reenlisted as a veteran volunteer. He enlisted on 24 December 1863, at Bealton, Virginia, and was mustered in on 26 December 1863. [sources: 1, 10]
He was killed on 18 June 1864 at Petersburg, Virginia. He grabbed a fallen flag, and was shot 'in a moment'. He was a corporal in company H. [sources: 1, 2, 6, 7, 8, 10, 17, 18-19]
On 18 July 1864, James H Closson certified that he had been killed in action. [source: 10]
On 14 November 1864, his widow, Matilda Sweeney, applied successfully for a pension, from Pennsylvania, under the Act of 14 July 1862. Her post office address was 611 Phillips Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Her application was accepted on 21 March 1865, and she received a pension of $8 per month, retroactive to 18 June 1864. [sources: 4, 9, 10]
On 2 November 1866, Matilda Sweeny applied for an increase in pension under the Act of 25 July 1866. Her application was accepted on 8 July 1867, and she received an additional $2 per month for each child less than sixteen years old, retroactive to 25 July 1866. [source: 10]
In 1870, Matilda Sweeny was living in ward 19, Philadelphia, Pensylvania. She was living with her children Samuel, Margaret, and William. She was a tailoress, and owned $1,000 in real estate [?] and $1,000 in personal property. [source: 14]
In 1880, Matilda Sweeney was living at 2044 Philip Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She was living with their children Samuel, Margaret, and William. [source: 15]
In 1900, Matilda Sweeney was living at 2044 Philip Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She was living with her daughter Margaret Brown, and Margaret's family. [source: 16]
On 15 January 1909, Matilda Sweeny died, at 2044 North Philip Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She died of pneumonia (duration 6 months 18 days), with senile dementia (duration 2 days) contributing. She was last paid her pension, at a rate of $12 per month, through 4 November 1908. She was living at 2044 North Philip Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. On 22 January 1909, she was buried at Greenmount Cemetery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. [sources: 10, 11, 12]
On 20 October 1909, Matilda Sweeny was dropped from the pension rolls. [source: 10]
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) (Samuel Sweeney)
2 [anonymous untitled article], Norristown Herald and Free Press 5 July 1864 (Sweeney)
3 Advance the colors, p.314 (James C Sweeney, co. D; this seems to be a misidentification)
4 pension index, by name (Samuel Sweeney)
5 consolidated morning report, 91st PA, 8 August 1863 (Corpl Sweeny)
6 consolidated morning report, 91st Pennsylvania, 29 June 1864 (Corpl Sweeny)
7 company H, register of deaths (Samuel Sweeney)
8 company H, descriptive roll, #87 (Samuel Sweeney)
9 pension index, by regiment, 91st PA Infantry, company H (Samuel Sweeney)
10 widow's pension certificate file, National Archives and Records Administration, record group 15, widow's, certificate WC 43,643 (Matilda Patterson widow of Samuel Sweeny)
11 death notice, Philadelphia Inquirer, 22 January 1909, page 7 (Mathilda Sweeny)
12 death certificate, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 18 January 1909, Matilda Sweeney (FamilySearch) (Matilda Sweeney)
13 1860 US census, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, ward 19, microfilm series M653, film 1170, page 746 = 246 handwritten (FamilySearch) (Patrick Sweeny)
14 1870 US census, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, ward 19, district 57, microfilm series M593, film 1404, page 129 verso = 258 handwritten (FamilySearch) (Matilda Sweeny)
15 1880 US census, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, supervisor's district 1, enumeration district 361, microfilm series T9, film 1178, page 181 = 12 D handwritten (FamilySearch) (Matilda Sweeney)
16 1900 US census, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, ward 19, supervisor's district 1, enumeration district 378, microfilm series T623, film 1460, page 103 = 11 B handwritten (FamilySearch) (Matilda Sweeney)
17 death notice, Public Ledger 18 July 1864, page 2 (Samuel Sweeny)
18 index to compiled service records of volunteer Union soldiers who served in organizations from the state of Pennsylvania (Samuel Sweeney)
19 index to compiled service records of volunteer Union soldiers who served in organizations from the state of Pennsylvania (Samuel Sweeny)
| line | 19 | 20 | 21 |
| Dwelling number | [1798] | ||
| Family number | 2011 | ||
| Name | Patrick Sweeny | Matilda " | Samuel " |
| Age | 39 | 33 | 1 |
| Sex | M | F | M |
| Color | |||
| Occupation | Weaver | ||
| Value of real estate owned | |||
| Value of personal estate | |||
| Place of birth | " [sc. Ireland] | " | Phil |
| Married within year | |||
| Attended school within year | |||
| Cannot read & write | |||
| Deaf, dumb, blind, etc. |
| line | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 |
| Dwelling-house number | 1674 | |||
| Family number | 2761 | |||
| Name | Sweeny Matilda | Samuel | Margaret | William |
| [the first digit of Matilda's age is hard to read; it could be '30'] | ||||
| Age | 50 | 11 | 10 | 6 |
| Sex | f | m | f | m |
| Color | w | w | w | w |
| Occupation | Tailoress | Attending school | Attending school | Attending school |
| Real estate value | 1000 [?] | |||
| [the number is light enough that it might have been erased] | ||||
| Personal estate value | 1000 | |||
| Birthplace | Ireland | Penna | Penna | Penna |
| Father foreign born | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Mother foreign born | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Birth month if born within year | ||||
| Marriage month if married within year | ||||
| Attended school past year | 1 | 1 | ||
| Can't read | 1 | |||
| Can't write | 1 | |||
| Deaf, dumb, blind, etc. | ||||
| Male US citizen at least 21 years old | ||||
| Male US citizen at least 21 years old who can't vote ... | ||||
| line | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 |
| street name | Philip Street | |||
| house number | 2044 | |||
| dwelling visit # | 99 | |||
| family visit # | 116 | |||
| name | Sweeney Matilda | - Samuel | - Margaret | - William H |
| color | W | W | W | W |
| sex | F | M | F | M |
| age | 45 | 21 | 19 | 16 |
| month born if born in year | ||||
| relationship | Son | Daughter | Son | |
| single | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| married | ||||
| widowed/divorced | 1 | |||
| married during year | ||||
| occupation | Keeping House | Works in Woolen Mill | " " Hosiery " | Drives Milk Wagon |
| months unemployed | ||||
| currently ill? | ||||
| blind | ||||
| deaf/dumb | ||||
| idiotic | ||||
| insane | ||||
| disabled | ||||
| school this year | ||||
| can't read | ||||
| can't write | ||||
| birthplace | Ireland | Penna | " | " |
| father's birthplace | Ireland | " | " | " |
| mother's birthplace | Ireland | " | " | " |
| line | 56 | 57 | 58 | 59 | 60 |
| street | Philip | ||||
| house number | 2044 | ||||
| dwelling number | 202 | ||||
| family number | 209 | ||||
| name | Sweeney Matilda | Brown Geo W | - Margaret | - Geo W Jr | - Samuel |
| relationship | Head | S-in Law | Daughter | Son | Son |
| color | W | W | W | W | W |
| sex | F | M | F | M | M |
| birth date | June 1835 | Oct 1857 | Dec 1861 | Dec 1886 | Sept 1890 |
| age | 64 | 42 | 38 | 13 | 9 |
| married? | Wd | M | M | S | S |
| # years married | 7 | 15 | 15 | ||
| [the '7' is crossed out] | |||||
| mother of how many children? | 3 | 2 | |||
| # of children living | 3 | 2 | |||
| birthplace | Ireland | Penna | Penna | Penna | Penna |
| father's birthplace | Ireland | Penna | Ireland | Penna | Penna |
| mother's birthplace | Ireland | Penna | Ireland | Penna | Penna |
| immigration year | 1855 | ||||
| # years in USA | 45 | ||||
| naturalized citizen? | |||||
| occupation | Teamster | School | School | ||
| # months not employed | 0 | ||||
| # months in school | 10 | 10 | |||
| can read | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes |
| can write | no | yes | yes | yes | yes |
| speaks English | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes |
| owned/rented | R | ||||
| free or mortgaged | |||||
| farm/house | H | ||||
| # of farm schedule | |||||
SWEENY.--On January 18, 1909, MATHILDA [sic], widow of Samuel Sweeny, aged 76 years. Relatives and friends are invited to attend the funeral, on Friday, at 2 PM, from her late residence, 2044 North Philip st. Interment at Green Mount Cemetery.
I HEREBY CERTIFY, That I attended deceased from June 1908 to Jan 18 1909 that I last saw her alive on Jan 18 1909 and that death occurred, on the date stated above at 11.45 P.M. The CAUSE OF DEATH was as follows:
Chief, Pneumonia DURATION 6 Mos. 18 DaysSWEENY--Killed, June 18th, 1864, while charging on the rebel works before Petersburg, Va., SAMUEL SWEENY, Co H, 91st Regiment Veteran Volunteers
Actuated by a sense of his duty and patriotism he was among those who [illegible] themselves to [?] defence of their country's flag. He went forth with the martial host, and was always at his post, and to the front [?] of the battle. After participating in all the [hard fought struggles (?)] in the valley of Virginia [illegible] his life as a sacrifice on the altar [?] of freedom. He leaves [?] a loved wife and four [??] children [?], and [illegible] of friends illegible]. [Though his body lies (?)] in an unknown grave unmarked by storied [?] urn [?] and [??] yet his memory will ever remain green in the hearts of those left behind.
For there's a fame that never dies,
A wreath that withers never,
And from its buds [?] fresh garlands rise
To bloom and live in ever.
A tired soldier, bold and brave
Now rests his weary feet
And in the shelter of the grave,
He's found a safe retreat
To him the trumpet's piercing blast
Shall call to arms in vain.
He is quartered in the arms of death.
Samuel will never march again.