Thomas Riordan

Thomas Francis Riordan (1832-1892)

Birth, Parents & Siblings

Thomas was born on June 24th, 1832, in Ballingarry, Ireland, Limerick County, a small village of less than 500 residents located about 20 miles southwest of Limerick City and about 12 miles south of the village of Adare.

His parents, John O’Riordan and Catherine Flanagan, were both approximately 27 years old at the time.

Thomas was the third of six children including, Patrick (1829 – 1883), John (1830-1877), Michael (1836-1864), Ellen (1848-1863) and Edmond (1848 – 1911). His only sister, Ellen, died young in Ireland at 15 years of age, when Thomas was 31 years old. His brother, Michael fought and died in the U.S. Civil War in Marietta, Georgia on July 4, 1864, about a year after Ellen had died.

Growing up

To date there are no records or anecdotes available regarding his childhood years in Ireland.

Like many Irish citizen’s, the Riordan (O’Riordan, while living in Ireland and the “O” was dropped at some point) family sought to escape the horrors of the Potato Famine, which began in 1847, and emigrate to the U.S. Thomas was apparently part of the first wave of the family to leave Ireland for the U.S., along with his brothers Patrick and Michael. It seems they came over from Ireland to the U.S. sometime between 1849 and 1851, two to four years into the Potato Famine. Most likely, the three brothers travelled together on the ship, Henry Pottinger, in 1849. Patrick was listed as a passenger, but Michael and Thomas may have been stowaways. The point of entry for the ship was New York. Thomas would have been 17 years old, while Patrick would have been 20 years old and Michael would have been 13 years old.

In 1849, the barque Sir Henry Pottinger was in the news for transporting passengers to Canada in a state of extreme sickness and death during the 1847 Irish Potato Famine. Since the brothers immigrated into New York, they were likely, hopefully, not on this specific voyage.

Notably, the ship, owned by the Liverpool-based Brocklebank Line, was the subject of articles in the Liverpool Mercury reporting on the horrifying conditions of its voyage to the St. Lawrence River. The Sir Henry Pottinger sailed from Cork with 399 passengers. Upon arrival in the St. Lawrence River, she carried only 112 living passengers, with 98 having died during the voyage. This extreme suffering and high mortality rate were a documented feature of the 1847 immigration to Canada.

The ship was named for Lieutenant-General Sir Henry Pottinger, the first governor of Hong Kong. The voyage of the Sir Henry Pottinger in 1847 was part of a larger crisis, as letters to the Liverpool Mercury detailed widespread disease, particularly "ship fever". Other vessels, like the Virginius and John Munn, also experienced similar horrors, arriving with large numbers of sick and dead passengers.

The barque Sir Henry Pottinger was owned by Brocklebank Line Ltd, a prominent Liverpool shipping company. The company operated ships for transporting passengers and goods, and its vessels were sometimes involved in harrowing incidents like the one on the Sir Henry Pottinger in 1847.

The second wave of the Riordan family to emigrate to the U.S. included the boys’ mother, Catherine Flanigan Riordan (O’Riordan), her son John and his wife Catherine Hynes and their son Michael, as well as Baby John, 3 weeks old. They came over on the steamship Italy, arriving May 23, 1871. Brother Edmond son of Catherine Flanigan, brother also of Thomas and Patrick, was listed on the Italy ship’s manifest as well. They left Ireland after both Ellen and John O’Riordan died in Limerick, Ireland. John O’Riordan would have been dead for one year and Ellen would have been dead for seven years before this second wave of the family emigrated to America. There is a monument marker for both John O’Riordan and Ellen in the main church graveyard in the town center in Ballingarry.

According to a description on pages 467-468 in a book titled, "History of Dakota Territory" by George W. Kingsbury, Vol. V (1915), “Thomas Riordan left the Emerald Isle and emigrated to the United States, locating in the state of Pennsylvania, where he was employed at various occupations. Subsequently, he went to Kentucky, where he worked for a large transfer and stage company, operating over the Louisville & Nashville pike, there being at that time no railways”

The Louisville to Nashville route was established in the 1820s and ran from Louisville, through Elizabethtown, Munfordville, Bowling Green and Franklin, crossing the Salt River at West Point, the Green River at Munfordville, the Barren River at Bowling Green, and the Cumberland River at Nashville. That route, known as the Dixie Highway, is the basis for U.S. 31 today. See the article below for more details about the stagecoach service.

Marriage & Children

According to a book titled Wilcoxson & Allied Families by Dorothy F. Wulfeck, Thomas drove a stagecoach between Louisville and Nashville down the Lincoln Highway which passed the home of Elizabeth Reynolds. Elizabeth would wave to Thomas as he passed her house. On March 25, 1858, Thomas married Elizabeth Reynolds in Hart County, Kentucky when she was 21 and he was 27, nine years after he arrived in the U.S.

They had nine children, including James Edward (1859-1921), Archibald Wilder (1861-1937), Thomas Hooker (1863-1930), Mary Catherine (1865-1949), Albert Emmett (1868-1905), John Porter (1870-1947), Aden (1872-1931), Samuel Tilden (1875-1896), Elizabeth (1878-1899).

Three of the children were born during Civil War from 1861 to 1865. Their son, Archibald “Archie”, relocated to Hot Springs, South Dakota where he became a popular mayor and the owner of a bottling works “which make and places upon the market all kinds of soft drinks”, also according to "History of Dakota Territory" by George W. Kingsbury.

Adulthood

According to Wilcoxson & Allied Families by Dorothy F. Wulfeck, after Thomas and Elizabeth were married they built a home across the road from the Reynolds home. Margaret Wilson was told there were two log cabins in Canmer on Highway 31-E. One was the home of Thomas and Elizabeth, and the other log cabin was a church. There is one log cabin still standing in 2012, but it is not known if this was the church or Thomas Riordan’s home.

It is likely that Thomas shifted his occupation from his role as a stagecoach driver to farming as he was getting married. In the late 1850s a new train service linking Louisville and Nashville became available, which resulted in the abandonment of the stage lines by January 1, 1860. See the article below for more details about the stagecoach service.

According to "History of Dakota Territory" by George W. Kingsbury. “About 1858 he [Thomas] was married in the Blue Grass state and settled upon a farm which remained his home until his death. Although he was never ambitious for political honors, he was elected to fill several local positions of trust and responsibility and was prominent in the affairs of his county.”

In the Hart County, Kentucky, 1860 census Thomas was listed as a farmer, with wife Elizabeth age 23, their first child, James Edward, age 1, and his brother Michael (Mike) age 24, who was listed as a farm laborer.

In 1864 Thomas received approval for a claim of $70.00 via the "Act of July 4, 1864" which established a process for "loyal citizens" to claim compensation for supplies and services furnished to the Union Army during the Civil War. These claims, initially processed by the Quartermaster-General and Third Auditor of the Treasury, were eventually referred to House and Senate Committees on War Claims for review and potential payment. Claims arising from Kentucky, as well as other states, were processed under this act, though specific committees might be designated depending on the claim type.

In the Hart County, Kentucky 1870 census, Thomas is listed as Thomas Raradon age 37, with wife, Elizabeth age 33, occupation listed as “farming house”, James Edward, age 11, Archa (9), Thomas Hooker (8), Mary (5), Robert (2).

In August of 1870, Thomas’ father, died in Ireland, when Thomas was 38. Five years later, Thomas’ mother died in 1875 in Kentucky, four years after arriving in America, when Thomas was 43.

In the Hart County, Kentucky 1880 census Thomas is listed as farmer. Wife, Elizabeth, age 33, occupation listed as “farming house”. It indicates that Thomas cannot read or write and that Elizabeth can only write. Children: James Edward (21), Archa (19) no longer listed at home. At home: Thomas Hooker (18), Mary (15), Robert (12), John Porter (10), Aden (8 - shows as attending school), Samuel T (4), Elizabeth (2). In the Hardyville, Hart County, Kentucky 1880 census, Thomas is listed as having a 100-acre farm in the Schedule 2 – Productions of Agriculture.

Because the 1890 census was destroyed by fire, no information exists about Thomas at that point.

Death

Thomas died on May 7, 1892, in Hart County, Kentucky at 59 years old. He is buried in the Edmond Riordan Family Cemetery, Canmer, Hart County, Kentucky. His wife,
Elizabeth survived him by another four years and is also buried in the same cemetery.

About Stagecoaches in Kentucky in the 1800s

From SOKY Happenings, Newsletter, “SOKY Happenings…Remembering Stagecoaches” by Mary Alice Oliver, March 29, 2024:

Come. Walk with me along this pathway. It has so many interesting features for viewing – it’s worth a moment of your time. It is rather narrow, so we probably will need to walk single file or the canebrakes and other herbage will strike our arms and mark our legs. You see, these are old buffalo trails that marked the wanderings of the animal out of the grasslands of Illinois and Tennessee into the lush environment of the new Kentucky territory. The migratory animal pounded the surface of the fields, traveling from one stream to another while licking the saline grounds and seeking Kentucky’s abundant mineral waters. The “trace,” as this trail is called, is a dirt surface from years of traveling herds. It will lead us to a stream or a salt lick if we continue. Meanwhile, enjoy the giant oaks, the coveted elms and favored hickory trees in the setting. We may even be lucky enough to see some deer and other wildlife on the trace.

These imaginary trails just taken were the early roads of initial explorers and settlers of this new land. The hunters, on arrival, found not only an abundance of animals for survival and use, but neat pathways made by buffalo roaming and enhanced by Indian travel. First it was foot trails, along with equine tromping, next the small wheeled carriages, then finally the covered wagon. By then, the state’s road system was clearly defined for travelers. With convenient roads, the people came, the communities grew and the need to travel among the different locations gave rise to the early taxi service called the stagecoaches. There is no more colorful age of history of our state than the era of this public travel.

The wagon trails were not in the best shape, often having been washed out by wind, rains and heavy traffic. Attempts were made to improve them by local efforts and attempts by the General Assembly of Kentucky in the large population area around Lexington and the Bluegrass lands. According to the season, either dust or muddy rutting of the roads made travel difficult.

Nevertheless, wagon-road travel became more frequent, increasing the population of the state. Post-riders provided news to and from the different districts, inspired trade between the communities and increased travel by individuals between the settlements. As a result, the stagecoach services made their appearance.

John Kennedy, a Lexington gentleman, established the first stagecoach service in the Kentucky commonwealth on Wednesday August 9, 1803. The service ran from Lexington to Winchester, on to Mt. Sterling and finally to Olympian Springs, a popular mineral springs resort in Montgomery County. By leaving Lexington at four o’clock in the morning, the service traveled the approximately 47 miles, arriving at the end of the trip the same day. The trip made stops in the four mentioned cities where stage managers in each town handled the exiting of or greeting of new riders and drivers. The needs of the team of horses were managed by the stock tenders. The initial service was well designed, listing the cost of a seat in the stagecoach depending on where you joined the trip.

Even the cost of baggage and the limit on amount allowed for each customer were listed in their notices. The coach service was so successful, a new trip from Lexington to Frankfort was soon established.

The comfort of a seat and services provided along the trip were preferred by most people compared to walking or riding horseback. The stage travel, though desired, was not always so pleasant. The first stagecoaches were not that comfortable. One entered the early-style carrier by the front entrance, no side doors. The entire inside consisted of flat benches with no back rest. One climbed over the bench to reach their seat and placed their baggage under their seat. The roadway traveled did not add comfort to the rider.

The wagon-roads were still rough surfaces that bounced the rider back and forth and often up toward the ceiling.

The stage had no windows, of course… only leather strips to help keep the rain out and limit the undesirable dust and heat from the roadway. Often the wagon-roads were muddy, so riders would have to descend and walk around a muddy quagmire to prevent the wheels getting stuck or a disaster occurring. Using the same narrow passageways, a team of pack-horse men, who were not pleased with the new ways of carrying people and merchandise, often created a problem, refusing to go in a ditch to let the stage go by. Early means of travel by stagecoach experienced many challenges in its conception but the value of the service for travelers continued to expand. From 1803 to 1850, travel connecting with Cincinnati, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Washington centers became routine yet cosmopolitan.

Meanwhile, during the first half of the 1800s, Southern Kentuckians were experiencing related growth in connection with other communities. Merchants had already made connection in sending products and merchandise to the major northern cities and southern ports. Postal service and the latest headlines were being received through the Louisville, Nashville, and Lexington post riders. Either by wheel transport or horseback travel, the communities welcomed the usual once-a-week blast of the rider’s horn. Folks joyously welcomed the mail, the newspapers and gossip from distant regions.

Bowling Green benefitted greatly by the establishment of the Louisville-Nashville Turnpike, also known as the Telford Road, in the 1820s. The road ran from Louisville, through Elizabethtown, Munfordville, Bowling Green and Franklin, crossing the Salt River at West Point, the Green River at Munfordville, the Barren River at Bowling Green, and the Cumberland River at Nashville. All crossings were by ferry service charge, according to Col. H.A. Sommers of Elizabethtown, a former stagecoach driver for years on the new turnpike. He described the turnpike as well built, “much like the old Appian Way out of Rome. The first course was large stone put in piece by hand, over which the second layer of smaller stone was laid. It is the old base that the present highway, known as the Dixie Highway, and to tourists as U.S. 31, was built.” As with most state roads in Kentucky, they were maintained by money taken in by toll gates.

Col. Sommers says the trip from Louisville to Nashville took two days and a night at a speed of eight miles an hour. The coaching line maintained a stable about every eight or nine miles along the turnpike to be used in emergencies. The Colonel discusses the various taverns and homes that served as eating and/or resting places along the trip, especially mentioning Bell’s Tavern at the Glasgow Junction which was the destination of many riders visiting Mammoth Cave. Just as memorable is the Old Stagecoach Stop built in 1841 eight miles east on U.S. 31W by Samuel Murdrell. A historical marker marks the spot on the side of the road at its location.

The Louisville-Nashville Turnpike stage lines were abandoned before January 1, 1860, being replaced by the L&N railroad – a sad day in a colorful history of our state.

The facts, the folklore, the trials and tribulations of this great era of stagecoach life will always capture our thoughts, our hearts, the literature and film world. Thankfully, there is a wealth of information available.

-by Mary Alice Oliver

About the Author: Mary Alice Oliver is a Bowling Green native who is a 1950 graduate of Bowling Green High School. She retired from Warren County Schools after 40 years in education. Visiting familiar sites, researching historical records and sharing memories with friends are her passions.

https://www.sokyhappenings.com/2024/03/soky-happenings-remembering-stagecoaches/

Biography of Archie W. Riordan, Aden’s brother, which appears on pages 467-468 in "History of Dakota Territory" by George W. Kingsbury, Vol. V (19150)

Archie W. Riordan, the popular mayor of Hot Springs, South

Dakota, is the owner of a bottling works there which makes and places

upon the market all kinds of soft drinks. He was born in Hart county,

Kentucky, June 30, 1861, a son of Thomas and Elizabeth (Reynolds)

Riordan, who were born in County Limerick, Ireland, in 1830 and in Hart

county, Kentucky, in 1834, respectively. Thomas Riordan left the

Emerald isle and emigrated to the United States. locating in the state

of Pennsylvania. where he was employed at various occupations.

Subsequently he went to Kentucky, where he worked for a large transfer

and stage company, operating over the Louisville & Nashville pike,

there being at that time no railways. About 1858 he was married in the

Blue Grass state and settled upon a farm which remained his home until

his death, which occurred in 1892. Four years later his widow died upon

the old homestead. Although he was never ambitious for political honors

he was elected to fill several local positions of trust and

responsibility and was prominent in the affairs of his county. To him

and his wife were born nine children, of whom our subject is the second

in order of birth.

Archie W. Riordan had but little opportunity for acquiring the

knowledge that is contained in books and is indebted to the district

schools of Kentucky for the advantages along that line that were

accorded him. He left Kentucky in 1879 and made his way into Missouri

but did not remain there long, as in December, 1879, he went to Sidney,

Nebraska. He was employed as a cowboy for five or six years and then

removed to Buffalo Gap, South Dakota, where he was made city marshal.

His marriage occurred in that city and after the expiration of his term

as marshal he entered the hotel business, which he carried on for a

number of years. After abandoning that field of endeavor he engaged in

farming for two years but returned to the hotel business because of a

drought. Later he conducted a drug store in Buffalo Gap for about three

years and then removed to Hot Springs, where he engaged in the drug

business for two years. At the same time he became interested in the

manufacture of soda water and established a bottling works which has

been continuously in operation to the present time. All kinds of soft

drinks are manufactured and the celebrated Kidney Spring and Minnekahta

waters are shipped from that establishment. The product of the bottling

works is an important factor in the advertisement of Hot Springs and

the virtues of its waters, and in this way Mr. Riordan has contributed

to the development of his section. He is now giving the greater part of

his time and attention to the bottling works but is, however, connected

with the Hot Springs Feed & Fuel Company and is the owner of

considerable land in this state.

Mr. Riordan was married on the 25th of September, 1888, to Mrs.

Lulu E. Tuthill, who was born in London, England. By her first marriage

she has a son, James W. Tuthill, who is a resident of Sioux City, Iowa,

and is a traveling salesman for the Washburn Crosby Milling Company.

Mr. Riordan is a democrat and is now serving his second term as

mayor of Hot Springs, his reelection proving the acceptability of his

administration. In the early days of the Black Hills district he was

city marshal of Buffalo Gap and served as deputy sheriff of Custer

county in 1885 and 1886. As a member of the blue lodge and chapter, the

commandery and the Shrine of the Masonic order and of the Elks he is

quite prominent in local fraternal circles. He has made many friends in

Hot Springs and has the confidence of the community, which he is ably

serving as chief executive and of which he has for a number of years

been a valued citizen.

Riordan-Durant Family Tree

Connecting Generations, Sharing Stories

Thomas Francis Riordan (1832-1892)

Capturing Memories: An Ancestral Photo Album

Riordan-Durant Family Tree

Connecting Generations, Sharing Stories

Thomas Francis Riordan (1832-1892)

Capturing Memories: An Ancestral Photo Album

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