Thomas Mackey of Galion, Ohio

The Big Four Depot
in Galion, Ohio

In 1852, Thomas Mackey was born in the busy city of Galion, Ohio, among a whole clan of Mackeys who settled there before 1850. Some of Thomas' relatives worked for the railroad either as a conductor, an engineer, a boiler maker, or as an employee at a rail road shop. Thomas' father worked in the center of town as a butcher at a meat packing business. Other businesses in town included grocery stores, millinery shops, lumber companies, saloons, clothing stores, shoe shops, and other family oriented businesses that served the residents of the area.

At age 10, Thomas' mother died, leaving six young children. James, the head of the family married a new wife to help him care for his young family. Thomas attended the local schools and evidently spent time watching his father at his work at the meat packing business because Thomas, too, became a butcher.

When Thomas met pretty Anna Maus, the new lady in town, he knew he found the woman for him. They married in 1874 at the Presbyterian Church with Rev. Elcock performing the ceremony. They moved to a nice house on Atwood Avenue not far from the center of town. They were a happy couple and Anna loved having a few of Thomas' siblings living with them. (When James remarried a third time, Thomas' younger brothers and sister liked being with their older brother better. Besides, Thomas and Anna were starting to have their own family now and it was nice to have some help around the house with the babies, the cooking, and housecleaning.) Thomas and Anna had one son and four daughters and I personally knew all of them but the last daughter, Anna. I can vouch for the fact that the Mackeys were always a tightly knit family. As I mentioned at the beginning of this story, these Mackeys were also closely associated with many other Mackeys who also lived in Galion!

Sad to say, however, Thomas was widowed in 1894:

Front page 30Nov1894,"Galion Inq"="Card of Thanks....In our deep grief and sorrow over the loss of our loved wife and mother, we do not forget the kind attention paid her during her long and painful illness by neighbors and friends, and our hearts overflow with gratitude toward them. We also feel grateful to all who ministered at the last sad rites, and whose floral gifts and kind words attested their love for our departed one and sympathy for us in our bereavement and desolation. To her kind pastor we also extend thanks for his comforting words, and to all our friends we feel duly grateful. Thos. Mackey and Family.

The article above does convey the love that Thomas and his family felt towards Anna Maus Mackey. 

Other sad things were happening in Galion to cause Thomas and his son's family to leave the area and to find a better life style. They all lived on West 90th Avenue in New York City. Thomas cleaned cars at Guy's Auto Top business on 45th Street.  

Thomas returned to Galion to be with his brother, John, about 1920. But when Guy bought a house in Akron, Thomas moved in with Guy and Alma until his death in 1934. Thomas asked to be buried in his home town of Galion, at the Fairview Cemetery. Many Galion Mackeys attended his funeral and my father was one of the pall bearers.

Thomas Mackey
Born: 09 Mar 1852
Married:22 Mar 1874
Died: 22 Sep 1934
Sources: Census 1860; 1870; 1880; 1900; 1910; 1920; 1930. Birth, marriage and death records; Galion, New York, and Akron city directories; Galion Public Library records.