Cocke County TNGenWeb
McGaha Civil War Pension Files

Submitted by Bruce Price

Robert McGaha - #119,258

• 07/29/1867, age 32, resident of 12th Civil District of Cocke County
• Co. A, 2nd TN Volunteer Cavalry
• Widow Harriet McGaha died 09/11/1913; pension #509,718
• Robert died 03/26/1900
• Married 10/20/1855 by Wm. N. Smith, MG, at or near Cosby
• Wife: Harriet McGaha, formerly Harriet James, his only marriage
• Living children: James born 08/26/1862, Joel born 05/09/1870
• 01/28/1884, age 48, enrolled 11/01/1862 in Co. A, 2nd Regiment TN Volunteer Cavalry; discharged in Vicksburg on 05/24/1865; 5'6", fair complexion, dark hair, blue eyes; his Post Office was Costner; he was a farmer
• Harriet died in the home of her son, Joel F. McGaha, of cancer of the jaw; she was buried in Dennis Grave Yard.
• Joel's address was RR2, Cosby

William R. McGaha -  #231,291

• Co. E, 2nt TN Cavalry Volunteers
• discharged 07/05/1865
• 04/26/1908, Izard Co., AR, Bigspring Township, age 70
• served from 09/16/1862 to close of war
• 5'9", fair complexion, black eyes, fair hair; farmer
• born 02/18/1838 in Cocke County, TN
• move to Arkansas in 1904
• Barren Fork PO, Izard Co., AR
• Wife: Mary Johnson, married 04/29/1861 in Cosby by William Garver, Esq.; no other marriage for either
• Living children: Ulysses G. born 02/06/1868; Nancy E. born 07/28/1870
• Died 09/25/1925 at Mt. Pleasant, AR and buried at Barren Fork Cemetery
• Mary died 07/25/1901 [NOTE: This date is incorrect]
• Death certificate in pension file: place of birth, Cosby; father, Robert McGaha; mother, Campbell

Samuel McGaha, minor heirs - #147,984
(Margaret, Linia, Sarah, Hannah)

• F.G. McGaha, guardian of the minor children of Samuel McGaha, who was a private of Co. E, 2nd Regiment, TN Cavalry Volunteers
• Jane McGaha, mother of the children, died on or about 04/18/1857 and that Samuel McGaha did not remarry after the death of his wife Jane McGaha [this is incorrect; he did remarry]
• [recorded in Jefferson Co., TN] Agnes Roberts and Lucy Large of Cocke Co. were both present at the dates of births of the following named children of Samuel McGaha: Margaret, born 11/16/1850; Lavina, born 04/09/1852; Sarah A., born 10/11/1853; Hanah, born 04/09/1855
• pension file includes a copy of the marriage license of Samuel McGaughy and Amanda Tucker, dated 05/12/1860; from Sevier Co.
• State of South Carolina, Greenville Co. - Amanda Magathey, widow of Sam'l Magatha - 07/26/1905 - She had lived in the city some thirty years; raised three small girls, daughters of her deceased daughter, Rebecca J. Mays; her son-in-law, Benj. Mays. She came to this city claiming to have come from near Brevard Court House in NC and always claimed her husband, Sam'l Magatha, was born and raised in Cock County, Tennessee, and died from disease while in the Federal army, in the Federal Hospital at Nashville, TN.
• 09/27/1880 - Amanda McGaha, widow of Sam'l McGaha, swore that the children of her late husband by his former wife never lived with her but were taken to another county by their relations before she married and she had no record of them.
• 07/26/1880 - Amanda McGaha swore that her husband, Samuel McGaha, had six children by his former wife: William, Elizabeth, Sarah A., Margaret, Hannah, and Jackson; all of them are dead except two; she does not know the names of the two living. She had two children by Samuel: Rebecca Jane, born 02/11/1861 in Transylvania County, NC; Pheby, born 07/09/1862 in Cocke County, TN.
• Amanda McGaha swore that Samuel told her that he had five children by his first wife. She saw three of them in Cocke County: William, Hannah, and Margaret. The other two lived in Blount County. Her children are Rebecca Jane and Phebe Ellen.
• Samuel McGaha died 04/06/1864 of measles.

John McGaha, widow Eliza - #202,654

• Neighbors W.H. Tritt, Joseph Campbell, John Sutton, and James Dorsey testify Eliza has not remarried, 11/20/1882; Post Office was Cosby.
• 03/16/1882, Ritty Large and Mary McGaha testify they were at the marriage of Eliza and John, who were married by George Harper, who moved west and is reported dead.
• Co. E, 2nd Reg., TN Cavalry Volunteers
• Children under 16: William A., born 04/12/1866; Albert L., born 06/02/1868; Mary, born 10/15/1870; Burton, born 05/23/1877
• Lived in Cosby, Cocke County
• Mary McGaha and Ritty Large were present at the marriage of John and Eliza on 10/16/1859 by George Harper
• John died 12/20/1881; Eliza died 03/02/1909

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