The McMahon Family

Patrick and Jane McMahon came to Silver City in 1866 and were considered pioneers in the territory. Patrick was an Irishman by birth, coming to the US at an early age. When the Civil War broke out in 1861 he threw down the pick and shovel which he was using in the placer fields of California and soon enlisted as a volunteer on the side of the Union, where he remained until honorably discharged in 1865. The newspaper reported that “Like all of his race, he loved his friends and hated his enemies, a spirit commendable in all men. He was elected as commissioner of this county for several years. His death, though a surprise to his wife and children, was not unexpected to his many friends residing in Silver City and vicinity. It is true the deceased had experienced the admonition of the approach of death, which so many have experienced who have passed over the dark river, and had sent for spiritual consolation during the last hours of his life; yet so strong was his mind, and so cheerful was he, that the family could not realize that in a few short hours the soul of the beloved husband and affectionate father would leave its mortal tenement and wing its flight to that unknown land, from which no traveler has ever returned to give us information. Yet knowing full well that he was facing death, he has no fear for he said, “I have faced it many times during the rebellion, while a volunteer in the army of my adopted country, upholding the honor of its flag, and I do not fear it now, although I feel its cold hands even now upon me.”

14 years to the day that Patrick was laid to rest in this cemetery, Mrs. Jane McMahon passed peacefully to the life beyond likely due to complications from a stroke. She was a respected resident of Silver City for forty years, living to age 71. Jane was also born in Ireland and married Patrick in Pennsylvania in 1853. They raised five daughters and one son, all born in Silver except the oldest daughter, and all except one daughter, Agnes, who died about three years before Mrs. McMahon, lived long lives. Agnes was 31 when she succumbed to Bright’s Disease, a disease of the kidneys. When she was a child she was thrown from a horse, injuring her spine, and since that time had troubles. She is also laid to rest here beside her parents.  

The surviving children were Mrs. J. W. Stoddard, Frank McMahon, Mrs. S. D. Drollinger, Mrs. J. C. Connors, and Mrs. Charles Rogers, all of whom lived in Silver City for many years.