MSS 638 William McVey Papers

              MSS 638
William NcVey Papers
1/ 4 cubic foot
Standard inventory
Collection Synopsis
Provenance: The Ohio Historical Society acquired the William
McVey papers prior to 1970. Keith A. Maneese processed the
collection in February 1980.
Property riab.* j: The Ohio Historical Society owns the property
rights to 7.1s collection.
Copyrights: Copyrights have not been dedicated to the public.
Consideration of the requirements of copyright i s the responsi-b
i l i t y of the author and publisher.
Access: This collection i s open under the rules and regulations
of the Ohio Historical Society.
Citation: Researchers are requested to c i t e collection name,
collection number, and the Ohio Historical Society in a l l foot-note
and bibliographic references.
Transfer: The following items were transferred to the History
Division in February 1980: one bone ring; one medal of the 126th
Ohio Volunteer Infantry; and one envelope which contained the
above items and explained t h e i r provenance.
Biographical sketch: William McVey was born August 1, 1837, in a
log cabin on his father's farm near Rix Mills, Muskingum County,
Ohio. He enlisted in the Union army on August 19, 1862, a t the
age of twenty- five. YcVey's unit, Company H, 126th Regiment of
the Ohio Volunteer Infantry, was mustered in on September 5 , 1862,
a t Camp Steubenville, Ohio. McVey spent nearly three years with
the Army of the Potomac in Virginia and Maryland, and on June 25,
1865, was mustered out of the service with his unit near
Washington, DC. Throughout his l i f e McVey maintained an associ-ation
with his military comrades by annual reunions of his regi-ment.
After the war McVey returned to Muskingum County, Ohio, and married
Rachel J. Pollock on May 1 7 , 1866. He bought land and farmed for
the next three years near Washington, Ohio. In 1870 McVey pur-chssed
a drug store in Chandlersville, Ohio, and remained there
u n t i l 1873 when he moved back to Washington, Ohio, and opened a
drug and grocery business. In 1884 McVey moved to New Concord,
Ohio, and opened a furniture store and funeral parlor. McVey
sold these businesses in 1898 and opened a shoe and hat shop.
McVey was a religious man and in 1892 he helped to organize the
2nd United Presbyterian Church of New Concord and became a charter
member. William McVey's papers contain no record of his death.