Jeremiah V. McCarty spent the first eight years of his life in the land
of his nativity and then accompanied his parents to the new world. He was with them on their various removals until the outbreak of the Civil war when in 1861 'he offered his .services to the government and enlisted for three years in Company E, Thirty-fourth Illinois Volunteer Infantry. He was with the Army of the Cumberland during this time, save for a short period in 186*2, when his regiment was sent to reinforce Grant's army at the battle of Shiloh, returning thence to the department in Tennessee. At the battle of Shiloh Mr. McCarty was wounded twice. He was also in the siege of Corinth and in the battles of Stone River, Liberty Gap and Chickamauga, being the only member of his regiment who took part in the last named engagement, for the Thirty-fourth Illinois had been detached to guard the bridge that crossed the river over -which his corps passed to drive Bragg out of Chickamauga. At this time Mr. McCarty was made orderly of the brigade. He was also in the engagements of Missionary Ridge, Lookout Mountain, Buzzard's Roast, Resaca, Rome, Kenesaw Mountain, Peach Tree Creek, Jonesboro and the siege of Atlanta, being engaged in continual fighting for one hundred and twenty-eight days. He was only once in the. hospital, although he was many times" exposed to the thickest fire of the enemy.
His bravery and loyalty were ever above question and after the battle of Chickamauga he received honorable mention. At Atlanta, Georgia, he was discharged September 17, 1864, by reason of the expiration of his term, and although he had been at the front for three years he was then but little past the twenty-first year of his life. No veteran of twice his years, however, was more fearless or more true to the old flag than was this soldier boy who faced the enemy in many of the most hotly contested engagements of the war.
When mustered out Mr. McCarty returned home and followed different
pursuits in order to secure a livelihood, leaving the parental roof in 1866. In 1868 he began railroading between Sterling and Rock Island on the Rockford, Rock Island & St. Louis Railroad. For two years he was employed as a locomotive engineer arid during the succeeding thirteen years was engineer for the Pennsylvania Railroad Company between Bradford, Ohio, and Chicago. For eleven years of that period he lived in Logansport, Indiana.
 Mr. McCarty was married in that city April 22, 1875, to Miss Mary Amelia Cassidy, a daughter of James and Elizabeth (Kissinger) Cassidy, the former a native of Pennsylvania and a contractor by occupation, who died in his home in Logansport, Indiana, in 1866. In addition to Mrs. McCarty there were three other children : Cecelia, who was born in Logansport and who married James Shafer, a locomotive engineer; John M., also a native of Logansport ; and William, general foreman of the roundhouse at Logansport, for the Pennsylvania Railway Company. Mr. and Mrs. McCarty have two children : Charles J., born in Logansport, Indiana, September 29, 1876, was eight years of age when his parents came to Whiteside county and in 1894 was graduated from the Rock Falls high school. He then took up the study of electrical engineering in the State University at Champaign, completing the four years' course. He is now a civil engineer in the employ of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad Company and lives in Aurora, Illinois. He was for a time engaged with his father in the coal business at Rock Falls. He married Miss Susan Nickelson, a resident of Aurora. Gertrude E., the younger child, married John Kadel, Jr., of Rock Falls, who is engaged in the hardware business with his father-in-law. Following his marriage Mr. McCarty continued to engage in railroading until 1881, when he resigned his position with the Pennsylvania Company and with his family returned to Rock Falls. Here he purchased the business interests of the Montague family and dealt in coal, lime and building materials on lot 6, block 4, River street, continuing there until 1898, when he sold out to the firm of Smith & Grater. He was then engaged in building operations until May, 1905, when he formed a partnership with his son-in-law, Mr. Kadel, in the hardware business, purchasing the stock of Derbeshier & Sons. They have since carried on the business and now have a well appointed store, in which they are receiving a liberal patronage in recognition of their reasonable prices, honorable methods and earnest desire to please their customers. Mr. McCarty suffers slightly from his old wounds but otherwise enjoys good health and is pleasantly situated socially and commercially. He belongs to the Modern Woodmen Camp and to the Grand Army of the Re- public. He has several times served as commander of the latter and also as adjutant. He is likewise connected with the Knights of Columbus. His political allegiance is given to the republican party and he was for one terms a member of the board of trustees, while for 'five consecutive years he served as assessor of the town. Aside from his business his interest centers largely in the Grand Army of the Republic and he stands with the old guard whose faces are still set to the front. Many of his old army comrades have recently passed away. In all that he does he has been actuated by the spirit of Commissioner Warner, of the pension department, who wrote, "As the setting sun shines on our faces as we march down the western slope of life to our last camp in the valley, let us go forward with the same unfaltering step as when in the days of the '60s we bore 'old glory' to the front on many a hard fought battlefield nor furled it until victory was won." Mr. McCarty has never deviated from a course that he believed to be right between his fellowmen and himself and there has been much of the spirit of the old soldier in all that he has done as year by year he has fought the battles of life and in the great majority of instances has come out victor in the strife. Transcribed by Christine Walters
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Jeremiah V. McCarty, conducting a successful business as a hardware
merchant at Rock Falls, was born June 22, 1842, in London, England, his
parents being Dennis and Johanna (Cochlan) McCarty, both of whom were
natives of Ireland. The paternal grandparents emigrated from Ireland to
America in 1855, settling near LaCrosse, Wisconsin, where they spent their remaining days. The mother of our subject died when the son was three years of age and in 1849 the father married Margaret Barry, also a native of the Emerald isle. They resided in London for twenty years and in 1850 crossed the Atlantic to the new world, remaining, however, for about a year in New England. They then continued on their westward way to McHenry county, Illinois, living for a time near Harvard, and about a year later they took up their abode near Elgin. In 1853 they became residents of Pecatonica, Winnebago county, Illinois, where they resided until 1856, when they again spent a year in Elgin. In June, 1856,- they removed to Lee county and in 1857 to Whiteside county, taking up their abode on a farm northeast of Round Grove, the place being known as the Hecker farm, in Hopkins township. There they lived until 1870, then removing to Sterling, and the father's death occurred in that city on the 3d of October, 1871. Five children were born unto him and his wife: Jeremiah V., of this review; Kate, who was married in 1872 to M. B. Fitzgerald, a contractor of Sterling; Mary; the wife of James Fitzgerald, also a contractor of Sterling; Ella, the wife of James Ballou ; a mechanic of Chicago; and Fannie, the wife of James
Wood, of Chicago.