Arthur was the eldest child of Peter and Letitia Gough. He was born in Ireland, probably in either County Monaghan or County Meath (his father and mother’s respective birthplaces) and then emigrated with them to the United States in 1842. He is enumerated with his parents and younger siblings in the 1850 census in Luzerne County, PA, where he is identified as having been born about 1831.
By 1860, however, Arthur is enumerated in Chatham County, North Carolina. At first, we thought this must be a different Arthur Gough but research into his children’s vital records confirms that he moved to North Carolina, where his neighbors included many people who had been born in either Ireland or Pennsylvania. This strongly suggests that they all came as a group from Luzerne County to North Carolina sometime between 1850 and 1855.
On 28 May 1856, Arthur married Frances Sorrell in Chatham County. In the 1860 census, the couple is enumerated there with their two young children, Alice and John. Arthur was identified as a mason with $50 in personal property and no real estate.
In 1861, war broke out between the North and the South, and Arthur enlisted in the 15th NC Infantry, Company M. He was mustered out of service in July 1862.
After the was ended, we know that Arthur and Frances made at least one visit back to his parents, Peter Gough and Letitia Nulty, in Pennsylvania. Records at St. Gabriel’s Church include a baptismal record for Arthur’s son Peter, who was baptized on 20 May 1866. Baby Peter’s parents were identified as Arthur Goff [sic] and A. Frances Sorrell, and his baptismal sponsors were Arthur’s sister, Mary (Gough) Hennessy, and her second husband, Michael Hennessy.
We have not yet been able to find Arthur or Frances in the 1870 census, but this census is notorious for its unreliability and for significantly undercounting people, particularly in the Southern states.
By 1880, Frances appears to have been living alone, as she was enumerated in the census with her children Peter, Fannie, Susan, Bertha, and Agnes, along with her mother, Hannah Sorrell (77, b. NC). It is unclear where Arthur was at this time.
According to probate and court files, Arthur was mortally wounded in 1895 in a coal mining explosion at the Cumnock Mine owned and operated by the Langdon Henszey Coal Mining Company. His widow Frances filed a wrongful death suit against the company, along with other bereaved families, and was awarded $1,000 in 1897. She died two years later.
According to Arthur’s tombstone in Chatham County, he and Frances had eight children altogether; most of these children have been confirmed via baptismal, marriage, or death certificates.
One final note: Several family histories identify Arthur’s name as Arthur Wesley Gough; we have not yet found a primary source confirming that Wesley was his middle name.
Arthur Gough (b. 1831, County Monaghan or County Meath, Ireland – d. 19 Dec 1895, Chatham, NC)
m. 28 May 1856, Chatham, NC
A. Frances Sorrell (b. ca. 1835 — d. 1899, Chatham, NC)
Children:
i. Alice Eugenia Gough (b. 2 Jun 1857 — d. 9 Jul 1937); m. Duncan McIver
ii. John Gough (b. 3 Sep 1859 — d. 10 Jul 1860)
iii. William Peter Gough (b. 20 May 1866, possibly Hazleton, PA — d. 22 Sep 1898)
iv. Fannie Gough (b. 2 Feb 1870, NC — d. 4 Sep 1948, Norfolk, VA); m. Charles W. Kissell
v. Susan Hannah “Susie” Gough (b. 16 Jul 1874, NC — d. 27 Dec 1938, Greensboro, NC); m. Joseph Goldston
vi. Bertha E. Gough (b. 1876 — d. 1905, Durham, NC); m. William P. Perry
vii. Agnes Lee Gough (b. 25 Dec 1878, NC — d. 12 May 1926); m. Robert Allen Perry
viii. George Arthur Gough (b. 1880 — d. 9 Feb 1958, Seattle, WA)
Sources:
- Peter Goff household, 1850 US census of population, Hazle’s town, Luzerne Co PA, p 24; enumeration date 22 Aug 1850, dwelling #894, family #906.
- Arthur Goff (28, Ireland), 1860 US census of population, Chatham County, NC, Middle Division, enumeration date 27 Jun 1860, p. 38, Pittston post office, dwelling 318, family 297, lines 26-29).
- Frances Gough (41, NC), 1880 US census of population, Chatham County, NC, Gulf Township, enumeration date 21 Jun 1880, ED 31, SD 2, page 29, sheet 195A; dwelling #259, family #261.
- Arthur Goff to Francis Sorrell, NC Marriage Bonds, 1772-1960, Chatham Co NC, 28 May 1856
- St. Gabriel’s baptismal records, Peter Goff, son of Arthur Goff and A. Frances Sorrell, born 20 May 1866, baptized 20 May 1866; Michael Hennessy and Mary Hennessy, sponsors; Hazleton PA
- Arthur Gough & Frances Gough, Antioch Christian Church Cemetery, FindAGrave https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/34012463/frances-gough
- William P. Goff, Antioch Christian Church Cemetery, FindAGrave https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/34012506/william-p-goff