Entry #25

Henry O’Donnell was the husband of Sarah J. McGaughey, who was my husband’s 2nd great grandaunt and sister of Moses McGaughey Jr. Both Henry O’Donnell and Moses McGaughey Jr. were members of the Philadelphia police force, but at separate times. The two brother-in-laws were stone polishers prior to becoming police officers; perhaps they worked together. Moses died 24 October 1871 of phthisis pulmonalis (more familiarly tuberculosis) at the age of 33. He lived at 103 N. Albion Street in Philadelphia, and this was the O’Donnell family address, as well.

Based on the data in the Philadelphia City Directories, Henry O’Donnell must have joined the police force in late 1875 or early 1876, since 1876 is the first year he appears with the occupation of police.

1876 was the year of the Centennial Celebration of Independence for the United States of America, and Philadelphia was to be the scene of the greatest observance of the occasion. It was the home of the Centennial International Exhibition and, notably, was the first official World’s Fair to be held in the U.S.

Centennial Hall

The Centennial Exhibition opened in Fairmont Park on May 10, 1876.  It was a sweltering summer, though, and visitation did not meet the initial expectations. Although I could not find information that indicated that any record temperatures were set that summer, it seems that the prolonged duration of the heat spell, which began in mid-June and ran into July, is what caused problems for the Cradle of Liberty. Indeed, ten times during the heat wave, the temperatures reached 100 °F (37.8 °C).  According to the Free Library of Philadelphia, 80 deaths were attributed to heat by week ending July 15 and 30 more during week ending July 22.

I grew up outside of Philadelphia and my husband was a National Park Ranger at Independence Hall. We have been gone from there for a long time, but it is easy to remember some of the huge special events that my husband worked as a law enforcement ranger at Independence. One of those was the celebration of the Philadelphia Tricentennial. These crowded events can be full of surprises and, at times, even deadly. It really hit home when I learned that Henry O’Donnell was afflicted with heat exhaustion while on special assignment in Fairmont Park on July 4, 1876. He was taken to his home where he died at 9 o’clock that evening. The newspapers reported a few other heat-related deaths for that day and there are references to the heat prostration suffered by participants in the Parade of Military Organizations and Special Ceremonies, but there are no other details on the circumstances surrounding Henry’s death.

Henry O’Donnell Death Certificate

Henry O’Donnell Death Notice

Although he would have been considered a rookie a the time of his death, Henry O’Donnell’s demise while in service of the Philadelphia Police earned him a commemoration in the online Officer Down Memorial.