Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1867-08-27
a Visit to the Old Home of Phil. Sheridan
his Family and Observation-Disclosures
of his Boyhood.
From the Cincinnati CONNER call
GENEQ DIITT GUEDInt

49, NHN9Sh hptiC- HtJ HIsL lOCd>
ted at Albany, New York, where. as
before stated, Phil. Sheridan was
born They resided there about five
years. y bile Phil was very young
his parents removed TO Somerset,
Perry County, Ohio. The parents
were IN quite limited circumstances,
and Pills catl y experience was that
Of other boys similarly situated
When the turnpike was being built
through Somerset, PhiPs. father
used TO own and drive cart. Men
OF Phlls age tell us that they have
often seen him hanging on his faith.
er's cart, and once in while, when
he would get to drive be would be
highly delighted. Phil. must have
been regarded as very honest boy,
for while very young in years, he
was taken by John L abbot, hard.
ware merchant, to serve in his store.
He served Mr. Talbot satisfactorily
about t|o years. We visited The old
store room. Il is Il two story brick,
in a good state Of preservation, and is
now used az tin and stove store
After leaving Mr.. Talbot, the subject
OF our sketch went to stand in the
store of ID. Whitehead, u dry goods
merchant of Somerset. Here we be-
lieve he renamed until he was APP
pointed a cadet ut West Point. Gen.
eral Thomas Ritchey, farmer living
five miles east Of Somerset. had been
elected to Congress for the District
composed Of Perry, Morgan and
Washington. Mr.. Ritchcy was
good judge of character. He was
acquainted with young Sheridan, took
a fancy to him and proposed OF send
him to West Point TO educate him as
a military man at the expense Of the
Government. Young Sheridan was
willing, and his parents agreed to it.
The lawyer who drew up the papers
in the case told me they were not
very sanguine that he would be ac-
copied on account of his size. He
Was very small for his age. But he
was daily accepted, and took his place
as an humble student at this great
military school. In due course of
time be graduated, received an APP
pontment and was placed on duty
west of the Rocky Mountains. Here,
in some encounter with the Indians,
he won and received his first pro
motion. There was not much OPP
pOrtunity to achieve military distinc>
ton there; but at length the war
came on, and his subsequent military
career is well known. An incident
is related by friend that will give
some little insight into his character
as boy. A travelling book seller
was stopping, with his books, at
hotel in Somerset. Phil. Sheridan,
then about nine or ten years of age,
stepped up, and in loud, clear, yet
respectful tone, inquired: 'Have
you anything OIL the human voice ?"
The man had not the kind of book
desired, but the inquiry was little
unusual for boy at that age. We
ask men about the same age as Phil,
and who knew him in Somerset, when
boy, what they remember of him,
ard the general reply is that they re
member HIM as a short>legged little
boy, who could run or Jump in the
dust or mud equal to any boy Of the
town; that he was a manly little fell
low, an invetcrate talker, and rs
"sharp as there was any use Of
The talking part, as we all know,
Phil has loft off. He must have said
it nearly all when he was a boy
THE SHERIDAN FAMILY.
The family now consists Of the
father and mother, z. IL. Sheridan,
John l.. Sheridan, Michael V. Shori>
dan, and the daughter and sister Ma
~, who, about two years since, was
married to Captain John Wilson, who
is native of Perry County, but serv-
ed through the war in a Michigan
regiment Mary is the only daught-
er, and since her marrige she and her
husband live III the house with her
parents. John Sheridan, father of
the General, is apparently about six
ty-hve years of age, of sanguine tenn
permanent, rugged, muscular, hon
est-looking Hibernian, and not afraid
of work, He can be seen at almost
any time cultivating or improving
the little farm of twenty acres that
is now his care and pride. John H.
is a lawyer by profession, and has
recently removed to Columbus, Ohio.
Michael '. has commission in the
army, and is on duty at New Orleans.
He was present at the Mechanics In
stitute, in New Orleans, at the time
the members of the Convention were
attacked and murdered. His should
er-straps were all that saved him
The Williams, it seems, had whole>
some dread of United States uni
form. Mary Sheridan, now Mrs. vii
son, is as lively and talkative as her
brother Phil is reticent and sedate.
She has pleasant greeting and a
bright smile for every one. looks al
ways on the bright side of life. car
/ ries sunshine with her wherever she
goes, and in her merry, ringing laugh
there is genuine music. She is fluent
of speech, and in her conversation
there is mingled humor and pathos
and charms. She was educated at
St. Mary Academy, and for several
years was employed as a teacher in
the public schools of Somerset. She
is proud of Phil, as she has right TO
be. Patrick Sheridan, the oldest of
the children, greatly beloved by the
family and respected by all, died when
he was about .wenty-one years of
age. He had been brought up to the
dry goods business, and short time
previous to his death had secured an
interest in firm doing business in
5 rset. Mrs. Sheridan, tie moth
er OF cur hero, is rather small wo~
man, Of dark hair and black eyes, and
of q highly sensitive, nervous organ