James Lawlor Served For 10 Months Between August 1864 & June 1865 In 2 Separate Massachusetts Regiments.

His Grave Stone in Pittsfield, Massachusetts Confirms His Birth Place in County Offaly.

He Married Mary Dunn in 1872. Their Story Was Destined To Be One Of Tragedy & Loss.

The final resting place of James Lawlor in Pittsfield, Massachusetts was ironically our starting point in unravelling what would prove to be the sometimes harrowing life story of this Irishman and his family. The stone luckily mentions his birth place as being “Gariamona” in “Kings County”, Ireland which was the former name for what is now County Offaly. While we are aware the spelling of the place name on the grave marker is slightly incorrect and the name of the county in Ireland has since changed we have got lucky that this information was added to the stone marker and it set us on the path of trying to prove that James Lawlor, who died in November of 1878 at 37 years of age was born in an area, correctly spelled Garrymona, situated close to the village of Walsh Island, County Offaly.

In another odd twist of fate, combined with luck, something that seemed to keep occurring during our research of this story, lightning strikes twice. On checking the Irish baptisms for the period in question we find John Lawlor’s name recorded in the Clonbollogue Parish Register in October of 1840. It reveals his parents were Thomas Lawlor and Elizabeth Coffey and thankfully, as it can be unusual in many of these old registers, this section of the book includes addresses of the families registered. Once again that place name “Garrymona” is clearly written beside the record for Thomas and Elizabeth Lawlor and we have two pieces of information linking the James Lawlor buried in Pittsfield, Massachusetts to the James Lawlor baptized in Garrymona, Walsh Island, Co. Offaly. Further checks within the same register yield records of 5 more Lawlor children baptized over the following 11 years. Among those children was an older brother named Peter and daughters Honora & Mary and some of these extra records help us later in verifying the fate of the Lawlor family and in particular James.

Google Maps– Garrymona, Offaly

James Lawlor Baptism 1840 (Thomas & Elizabeth Lawlor)

Peter Lawlor Baptism 1839 (Thomas & Bess Lawlor)

Honora Lawlor Baptism 1849 (Thomas & Bess Lawlor)

Mary Lawlor Baptism 1847 (Thomas & Elizabeth Lawlor)

The entire Lawlor family emigrated to the United States of America around the year 1856 or early 1857. We can estimate this date & period from the record of the youngest Lawlor child, Elizabeth. She is recorded in the 1860 US Census at 3 years of age and is the only family member born in America. The family have settled in the aforementioned Pittsfield which is situated in Berkshire County, Massachusetts and other records indicate that there are already relations of the Lawlor’s settled in this area. The census record in question lists James living along with his parents and siblings and making a living as as a day laborer. Within a few months of this Census being completed a Civil War will begin that will change the life of every citizen in the United States of America.

1860 US Census Image | findmypast.ie – Lawlor Family, Pittsfield, Berkshire County, Massachusetts

James Lawlor avoids joining the fight until August of 1864 when he enlists in the 2nd Massachusetts Heavy Artillery Regiment at Springfield, Massachusetts. Again eerily we have got lucky that his enlistment record unusually mentions his home address and again this helps to confirm that this is our James Lawlor from Pittsfield, Berkshire County. The US Civil War was at that point moving towards its 4th year and several of the Massachusetts Regiments badly needed to replenish their ranks. James joined company D of the 2nd Massachusetts and within a few weeks was stationed on guard duty at New Berne in North Carolina. In December of 1864 he was moved to nearby Plymouth where once again he was employed with his regiment guarding the coastal area around this vital entry point into North Carolina. By February of 1865 he is stationed at the close by Newport Barracks when his regiment were forced to abandon this strong hold after a surprise Confederate attack had over run the Union occupiers. After this setback the 2nd Massachusetts were re-organized and James was transferred to Company G of the 17th Massachusetts Infantry where he would remain for the rest of his service in the Civil War.

The rest of James time in the Union Army was spent in the Carolina’s and in March of 1865 James and his regiment were in action in what was their only major engagement of the civil war. Once again while researching this soldier, we get lucky with the available records as among his service record a notation at the bottom of one document confirms James presence at the 2nd Battle of Kinston, also known as The Battle of Wyse Fork, which occurred between the 7th & 10th March 1865. The battle was joined when the Confederate Army attempted to halt the advance of the Union Army and gain control of a vital railway hub situated close by. After 3 days of skirmishing the Union army prevailed and the Confederates, who at this stage of the Civil War were struggling to maintain a well organized fighting force, were forced to retreat. Within 6 weeks of this small battle the Confederates in North Carolina under the command of General Joseph E. Johnson surrendered to Union General William Tecumsah Sherman and the US Civil War was effectively at an end. It was a short period of 10 months service for our Offaly born soldier and he was eventually mustered out of service at Greensboro, North Carolina on the 30th June 1865. Patrick Lawlor was free to once again return to his life in Pittsfield, Massachusetts.

Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston – Wikipedia

By the time of the 1870 Census James is settled back into life in Pittsfield and is at that point still unmarried. He is living in the same area with some of his younger siblings & Father. He is once again working as a laborer and interestingly this record states that he is unable to read and write. His Mother, Elizabeth “Bess” (Coffey), passed away in February of that year and some of his other siblings have married but are living in the locality. The Lawlor family name has already by then begun to increase its numbers in this small area of Massachusetts.

1870 US Census Image | findmypast.ie – Lawlor Family

In July of 1872 James Lawlor married Mary Dunn in Pittsfield and over the next few years the couple will have 4 children. Elizabeth was born in 1873, William in 1875, Catherine in 1877 and finally James Jr in 1878. Its probably safe to presume that James and Mary Lawlor were at this point solely focused on providing for and rearing their young family to the best of their ability and oblivious as to what might lay ahead. By the close of that year of 1878, and in the most unfathomable and profoundly sad way, the Lawlor family will have suffered the most horrific series of losses that completely decimate their young family.

On November 16th 1878 at only 5 years of age Elizbeth Lawlor dies. On 24th November Catherine, who is almost 2 years old, also dies. 6 days later on the 30th November, at almost 4 years of age, William passes away. Sandwiched between the deaths of his young children is the death of our Civil War soldier, James Lawlor, who died on the 28th of November.

It took only 15 horrific days for the Lawlor family to be left with only two surviving members, Mother Mary and youngest son James. It is a sad irony that the last of the Lawlor children, who was then the only surviving child, was likely named in honor of his now dead Father, a man that he would never know.

The Lawlor Children – Find a Grave Memorial

So how was this heartbreaking set of events possible ? What caused the deaths of these 3 young children and their Father over that short 2 week period in November of 1878? Newspapers reports for the period do not seem to have any specific obituaries or reports to completely explain the circumstances surrounding these 4 deaths. Just as it seems we are likely to hit a dead end in this story we once again got lucky and uncover other small snippets of information which give answers to these questions and confirms the reason behind the sad fate of the Lawlor family.

The disease of Diptheria was a deadly one in the 1870s with no cure and no defined method of treatment. It claimed the lives of thousands of children annually and was at that point in history often referred to as the “children’s plague”. Its a chilling name but one that rings true in the case of the Lawlor’s. One by one Diptheria strangled the life out of their young family and, as the above newspapers report confirms, it tried to claim the life of Mary Lawlor. She would prove strong enough to recover and, as with the rest of her life, demonstrate huge resilience to continue along with her youngest child, James Lawlor Jr.

Only 2 years later the completed 1880 US Census confirms that she remained in Pittsfield and her “Civil Condition” is that of a Widow. This return from 1880 seems innocuous at a cursory glance at the lines recorded for Mary Lawlor and her young son. Only when we look closer and combine the detail recorded within the special census taken 10 years later in 1890 of surviving soldiers of the Civil War and their widows do things become much clearer and we learn more of what next happened to Mary Lawlor.

Recorded as living next door to Mary in that 1880 Census is a widower named Patrick Fleming. He is recorded along with his mother and youngest son. His circumstances are similar in ways to Mary’s and maybe as a result of shared experiences Mary Lawlor marries Patrick Fleming in 1884 and the widow and widower begin a new life together. That earlier mentioned 1890 census adds more detail to their marriage by confirming their home address as being in an area close to Housatonic Street in Pittsfield. It also helpfully confirms that she is indeed the widow of James Lawlor, that he was a member of the 17th Massachusetts Infantry, and re-iterates that James Lawlor had died in 1878. All of this important information on these surviving documents are vital in corroborating what we already now know and help us to bring this story moving along and towards its conclusion. As hard as it may be for the reader to believe there is yet more unspeakable tragedy just around the corner for Mary Lawlor.

1890 U.S. Census, Civil War Union Veterans and Widows Image | findmypast.ie – James Lawlor (Mrs Patrick Fleming -Widow)

East Housatonic Street to Pittsfield, MA, USA – Google Maps

On a freezing afternoon in January of 1886 the sole surviving child from the marriage of James Lawlor and Mary Dunn, the aforementioned James Jr., tragically drowned in a local river after falling through thin ice. He was only 8 years of age and newspaper reports at the time recount witnesses seeing him testing the ice with a stick before stepping forward to what would prove to be his death.

Mary Lawlor had lost her last remaining child and must have been completely devastated and inconsolable. From this distance in time it truly seems like too much tragedy for any one person to have to endure. Part of the newspaper article reporting the death of James Jr recount the earlier tragedies that have beset Mary and also confirm her then relatively recent marriage to Michael Fleming.

The life of Mary Lawlor Fleming becomes more difficult to trace over the next years as the census returns from 1900 and 1910 seem to indicate that she is not living with her second husband Patrick. When he passes away in 1917 there is no mention made of Mary in the obituary which does seem odd. By the time of the 1920 Census Mary Lawlor Fleming is living in Pittsfield along with the McLaughlin family and records indicate that Mary is the Aunt of Mary McLaughlin also living at this address. Mary is then 70 years of age and has managed to survive and continued to persevere for so much of her life. This census record is another stark reminder of her tragic past as she has no immediate family to surround her and is obviously now reliant on the generosity of her relations to survive

Mary Lawlor Fleming died in early March of 1926 in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. She was 76 years old at the time of her death and had been sick for a short while previously. Reports in the local newspapers only make reference to the funeral service and burial and do not mention her tragic past and it is of course likely that the general public in Pittsfield were oblivious to the tragedy that had unfolded in their community 50 years earlier. But that newspaper report does mention the pallbearers at Mary’s funeral and it is another sad irony in this story that they include members of her early family, The Dunns, and members of her later family, The Flemings. While not there there physically her husband and children from her first marriage were surely present in spirit to help carry her from the church on that morning in March 1926.

Mary was buried in St. Josephs Cemetery, Pittsfield in the same graveyard as her children and both her husbands and it is noticeable that her headstone, which likely was added at a much later date, is inscribed with the name Mary Dunn Lawlor (1851-1926). It had been a tough and often tragic life but she was now finally at rest.

Mar 06, 1926, page 2 – The Berkshire Eagle at Newspapers.com

So what of some of the other Lawlor family members born in Garrymona who we mentioned at the outset of this story ? We were able to find newspapers reports confirming the death of old Thomas Lawlor in 1883 and also another member of his family. Peter Lawlor was the brother of James Lawlor (referenced earlier by way of a baptism record) and he passed away in December of 1892 in Pittsfield. His obituary mentions that he was born in “Kings County” (Offaly) and as on countless occasions while researching this story we find another helpful piece of information linking the Lawlor’s of Garrymona in County Offaly to the Lawlor’s of Pittsfield, Berkshire County. Its a name that lives on strongly on both sides of the Atlantic to this day with many descendants of the Lawlor clan still living in both communities. Maybe some already know the history of their Offaly ancestors and, if not, hopefully this story will help to reveal some aspects of that history that they may not have been previously aware.

It is almost a year ago, in October 2024, when we first recorded the name of James Lawlor on to our site and began some further research into his service in the US Civil War. As we delved deeper it quickly became clear that his was a complicated life and one that would prove difficult to unravel. At several junctures we reached moments where it was likely that our research was at a dead end. Somehow on each occasion we came across a small, but often vital, source of information linking us to the next stage of the story which eventually revealed itself to be one of truly tragic proportions. We sincerely hope that the life of James Lawlor and his wife Mary Dunn has now been finally and carefully recorded here on americasoffalyheroes.com

Kevin Guing

24th October 2025

**If anyone has further information on this story please do contact us.