Thomas Hickey was born in Vankleek Hill, Canada in 1839. An only son of Irish parents, he came to Potsdam early in his life and made his home here. The “Descriptive List”, filled out on his enlistment, has his profession as “mechanic”, a title that covered diverse professions at that time. From the words he used in the Valentine poem he composed for his future wife, it is easy to speculate that he might have been employed in the metal working field. The postmark on the Valentine is 1856, which means he must have courted Joanna Joy for about three years before they married in Potsdam in 1859.

Thomas was known as honest, industrious and possessed of a keen sense of humor. One of the humorous stories told about him has to do with a sign he placed above the door to the recruiting office: “COME OUT OF THE DRAFT”.As you read his letters, you will find he was a caring husband and father, and believed firmly that he was fighting for the right cause. He gave up a comfortable, prosperous life to help recruit others, and enlisted himself, to defend that cause.

In August 26, 1862 he enrolled as first Lieutenant of Company A, 164th Infantry, New York Volunteers. The following is a list of major engagements in which he fought:

        The Siege of Suffolk, VA     Spottsylvania, VA
        Blackwater, VA                  North Anna, VA
        Franklin, VA                      Totopotomy, VA
        Sangster Station, VA          Cold Harbor, VA
       
It was at the battle of Cold Harbor that men were seen writing their names on pieces of paper and pinning them to their uniforms so their bodies could be identified and their families notified. It was at Cold Harbor that Captain Hickey received five wounds, one of which shattered his right arm. While he was in Armory Square Hospital, his wife Joanna joined him and it was hoped that he would recover. Infection set in, requiring a second amputation from which he did not recover. He died on the 7th of July, 1864.

Both of his daughters, Mary, born December 1861, and Anna, born November 1864, graduated from Potsdam Normal School and became teachers. It was Mary Hickey who presented the Hickey Collection to the Potsdam Normal School Museum in 1933.

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