The Cavaney Family

The Cavaney family may have three family members buried here. Michael Cavaney married Margaret McGee. They were natives of Canada and the state of New York respectively and were of Irish and Scotch descent. Michael came to Idaho in 1876 and devoted his attention to mining in connection with the development of the Rocky Bar mining camp at Atlanta, Idaho, and the Black Jack mines at Silver City. 

He was injured in a blast while working in the Ruth Mine on War Eagle Mountain and his sight was entirely destroyed. Two years later he succumbed to the blast injuries and passed away. The DeLamar Nugget newspaper reported that Mr. Cavaney was an old timer in that camp, an honest but improvident (defined as thoughtless) man. "The people of Silver City cannot be surpassed by any in the world for kindness and charity, and through Mr. Cavaney's long sufferings everything possible has been done to alleviate them. He leaves a wife and a large family of children, still too young to earn their own support."

The Cavaney’s had at least nine children, two of whom died in Silver City according to newspaper and family records. John Cyrus, a few days short of his second birthday of an unknown cause and possibly another son, also named John (as it was a somewhat common practice to name children after their deceased siblings), who was eight years old when he passed away.

The other Cavaney children scattered to various places both in Idaho and to other states. Edmund became a rancher and stock grower of Owyhee county; Edgar, died in early life; Michael was a stockman in Wyoming; James was connected with mining interests in Nevada; Margaret, served for three terms as county treasurer of Owyhee County; John, who died in Silver City at the age of eight years; Frank A., a livestock raiser of Owyhee County; Peter was a well respected attorney in Boise; and William, who was beaten to death by a fellow miner in California after a confrontation.