Dick Casey (1867-1896), Augusta Herald Editor

August 10, 2014

Dick Casey wrote the obituary for John Francis Armstrong, his wife’s father, that appeared in the Augusta Herald on November 10th, 1893. JF’s obituary is the main source of information his descendents have about the circumstances surrounding his detention in Ireland sometime between his arrival there in February or March of 1891 and his return to the United States in August of 1893.

A Short Biography of William Celestin “Dick” Casey

Dick Casey was born in Augusta, Georgia on February 5th, 1867 to Luke and Mariah Mitchell Casey. After finishing school, Dick worked as a news reporter for the Augusta Chronicle.

In 1890, he, Patrick Cronin, and Thomas D. Murphy started the Augusta Herald, where he worked as managing editor. He married May Armstrong at Sacred Heart Church in Augusta on February 3, 1892.

Dick died from complications from appendicitis on September 29th, 1896 at the age of twenty-nine. He was survived by his wife, May, and their four young children: Frankie, Joe, Sarah, and Gerald.

Image

This image of William Celestin “Dick” Casey was scanned from a photograph inherited by Mary Van Sant Wheeler from her maternal aunt, Frances Armstrong Casey. It dates from circa 1895.

References

Hudson, Marie Van Sant. “Van Sant-Hudson Family Tree.” Compilation of genealogical research including historical photographs, U.S. Census data, newspaper articles, and other records. Ancestry.com. March 20th, 2013. http://trees.ancestry.com/tree/63557738/family (accessed 9 July 2014).

Love, Edith Bell. “Herald’s Past Is Also Filled With Much Color.” Newspaper article. Genealogybank.com. From the Augusta Chronicle newspaper, Augusta, Georgia, 13 November 1949. Accessed through Genealogy Bank on 10 August 2014.

“Obituary: William C. Casey.” Newpaper obituary. Genealogybank.com. From Irish World newspaper, New York, 10 October 1896. Accessed through Genealogy Bank on 10 August 2014.