John CASSSIDY

  General Notes:

http://albanyhilltowns.com/wikiBio/index.php?title=Cassidy,_William
The Cassidy family of Albany and Altamont had a profound impact on the people of the Hilltowns region. They still influence where local residents worship, receive health care, spend their summers, and even what some call their town.

The Cassidys were an Irish family who came to the Albany area in the 1780s. James, an Irish Catholic, helped establish the first Catholic Chapel in Albany in 1797. His son John, who was a close friend of New York Governor DeWitt Clinton, laid the corner stone for the second St. Mary's Church in Albany in 1828. Margaret Cassidy, John's wife, donated a small organ to the original church in 1798, possibly the first organ in an Albany church. Cassidys, Caggers and other Irish families supported the growth of St. Mary's, which is still active in Albany today.

John's children included DeWitt Clinton, Elizabeth, and William. DeWitt Clinton Cassidy, along with his brother, was an active politician in the Albany area. The Potato Famine of 1847 in Ireland brought many impoverished immigrants to the Albany area, and the established Irish families like the Cassidys worked to help the newcomers adapt and overcome local prejudice.

Elizabeth Cassidy married the outstanding Irish Albany lawyer Peter Cagger, who was active in church affairs and Democratic politics with her brothers. Peter was thrown from a carriage while driving through Central Park in early 1869. His sudden death left her well off. To create a lasting memorial for her late husband, Elizabeth contributed $10,000 to found St. Peter's Hospital in Albany. Her step daughter, Mary Cagger, contributed another $5,000, maintaining the family tradition, and in late 1869 the hospital was open for business. Her nephew William left a trust fund that donated $70,000 to the hospital in 1945. St. Peter's remains an important resource for residents in the Albany area today.

John married.