How Sheridan got its name

As I climbed over a low wall and pushed through brambles snagging my clothes, it dawned on me where I was. I was on vacation in Ireland, accompanied by a distant cousin of Philip Sheridan, whom I had just met. We were only ten feet from the cottage doorway where he was born in 1830. After clearing the brambles, I reached the old wooden front door, which stood ajar. I was determined to photograph the inside of the historical cottage and bring back an artifact to present to the Town of Sheridan during Sheridan Days on July 19.

As a resident of Sheridan fascinated by local history, I had read various accounts of General Philip Sheridan's birthplace, which provided conflicting information. One version stated that his parents emigrated from Ireland in 1830, and he was born in Albany, N.Y., before the family moved to Somerset, Ohio, where Sheridan was raised. After his death in 1888 at the age of 58, Somerset proudly claimed him as its native son. However, some sources indicated that he was born in County Cavan, Ireland, the same place from which my wife's grandparents emigrated and where we had planned to visit.

During our first trip to Ireland in 2023, I asked my wife’s cousin if she knew anything about Sheridan’s birthplace. She smiled and said, “General Phil? He was born in the house across the street from where Granny Ellen raised my father, Seamus. I spent a lot of time there as a kid. I can show it to you after dinner!” We visited the old, abandoned cottage and took pictures. We returned to Ireland this year feeling more prepared. Part of that was thanks to a local resident named Jim Watret. Jim’s mother’s maiden name was Sheridan, and his great-grandfather was a first cousin of General Sheridan. He helped me gather more local information, including reports from the local history association, photos from the 1920s, and a 1933 painting of the cottage by a local artist. Both cottages—Granny Ellen's and Sheridan's—appear on an 1820 survey map of the townland of Beagh Glebe in the parish of Killinkere, north of Virginia. In Irish, "Beagh" means small or little, often referring to a town, while "Glebe" means land; historically, glebe land provided essential income for the clergy. A Church of Ireland parish was nearby, and the land and cottages were likely rented to tenant farmers whose rents supported the church in the 1700s.

The earliest photo of Sheridan’s cottage dates back to the 1920s and shows a small front room with a thatched roof. The 1933 painting also depicts this front room and features a small stone plaque in the corner of the building. Reverend Meehan, a local historian who published a 28-page booklet about Sheridan’s birthplace, installed the plaque in 1925. The front room, along with the wall and plaque, was later removed, likely to widen the original horse lane into a two-lane paved road as automobiles replaced horses and carts. The plaque remained on Granny Ellen’s cottage workbench across the street until the cottage was sold, after which it was donated to a local historic group. In 1969, a larger monument was installed and dedicated during a ceremony attended by the U.S. Ambassador to Ireland, Mr. Leo Sheridan, who, coincidentally, shares the same last name. That memorial remains today, although it has become difficult to read.

The cottage has been uninhabited for many years. Where once there was a neat walkway to the front door, we found the path to the cottage overgrown, and the aged structure was succumbing to the elements. The brick fireplace’s mortar barely held it together. Sunlight streamed through the collapsing roof into the old kitchen, filtering through the upper-story room’s floor. There was an intriguing old staircase to the second floor, but I feared it would collapse. Searching for something to take home, I found pieces of fallen slate tiles from the roof on the ground. I had found an artifact to present to the town of Sheridan.

For the full story, join me at Sheridan Days at 4 p.m. on Saturday, July 19, as I make a presentation about General Phil’s birthplace and the fascinating story of how the town was named Sheridan, along with my presentation to Sheridan Mayor Bob Stump.