Denver, History of Colorado, BIOS: MCENIRY, Matthew D. (published 1918)
***********************************************************************
USGENWEB NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any
format for profit or presentation by other organization or persons.
Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain
the written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative
of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof
of this consent.  The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb 
Archives to store the file permanently for free access.
***********************************************************************
File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by
Maggie Stewart-Zimmerman
http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00015.html#0003643
September 29, 1999
***********************************************************************

"History of Colorado", edited by Wilbur Fisk Stone, published by The S. J. 
Clarke Publishing Co. (1918)  Vol. II


p. 232, 234
photo p. 233


MATTHEW D. McENIRY.

	Matthew D. McEniry in April, 1907, was appointed chief of the 
Denver field division of the United States General Land Office, a 
position which he has since continuously filled. He was born in 
Alliance, Ohio, January 15, 1868, and is the eldest of a family of four 
children born to Thomas and Julia (Quinn) McEniry, both of whom are 
natives of Ireland.

	The parents came to America in the early '50s, settling with 
their respective families in Oswego county, New York. In 1859 Thomas 
McEniry removed to Wisconsin, and following the outbreak of the Civil 
war, responded to the call of his adopted country for military aid, and 
joined the Seventeenth Regiment of Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry in 
October, 1861. He was in command of Company K of that regiment 
practically throughout the war period. He was wounded in action at 
Vicksburg, and lost part of one of his hands.

	After the close of hostilities Thomas McEniry removed to Ohio, 
where he was married in 1866, and where he remained until 1881. At that 
time he came to Colorado settling in Custer county, and engaged in 
mining at Silver Cliff and Rosita for a number of years. Later on he 
followed this pursuit in various parts of this state, New Mexico and 
Arizona. In 1905 the elder McEniry went into Mexico, where he continued 
in mining in the state of Sonora until the Mexican troubles commenced 
and he was finally driven out of there by Villa's insurgent army in 
1914. At the present time, although seventy-nine years of age, he is 
engaged in mining operations, residing in New York city.

	Matthew D. McEniry's mother at the present time is residing in 
South Pasadena, California, and is seventy-two years old. The subject 
of this sketch has a brother, Michael S., residing there with her, and 
also a sister, Margaret. Another sister, Mrs. Mary E. Lockhart, now 
deceased, was married in Denver twenty-three years ago. 

	In early life Matthew D. McEniry was a pupil in the public 
schools of Alliance, Ohio, and when sixteen years old took a position 
with the Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne & Chicago Railroad, as a telegraph 
operator at Alliance. Subsequently, for some eight or ten years, while 
with the railroad company, he engaged in newspaper reportorial work, 
and was a special correspondent for the Cincinnati Enquirer, the 
Chicago Herald, and a number of New York papers. While engaged in this 
newspaper work, he assisted Robert P. Skinner, of Massillon, Ohio, who 
is at present consul general of the United States at London, and who at 
that time owned the Massillon Independent, in creating the publicity 
for Coxey's schemes, which eventually led to Coxey's Army. On its march 
on Washington Mr. McEniry accompanied this army as special 
correspondent for a number of metropolitan papers, and also as a 
telegrapher, wherever the army camped.

	During these years, in the '90s, Mr. McEniry was actively engaged 
in politics in eastern Ohio. Upon the election of President McKinley, 
he was tendered the appointment of consul general to the Azores islands 
at St. Michael, which he declined. Subsequently he was appointed by 
President McKinley as a special agent of the General Land Office, and 
upon his acceptance of this position was stationed at St. Cloud, 
Minnesota, and Crookston, Minnesota, where he remained for five years. 
In the winter of 1904-05 he was appointed chief of field division and 
assigned to New Orleans, Louisiana, where he remained that winter, then 
being transferred to a similar post at Fargo, North Dakota, in charge 
of the work of the General Land Office in North and South Dakota.He 
remained there until his appointment as chief of the Denver field 
division. In this latter position he has constantly had from fifteen to 
forty employes under his personal supervision. The work of his office 
pertains to the disposal of the public land of Colorado, Kansas, 
Oklahoma and Nevada, and everything that has to do with fraud in the 
acquisition of these lands comes under his observation and action.

	Through his efforts the Colorado National Monument at Grand 
Junction was created, and he also made the initial report on the 
proposed Mount Evans National Park to the government at Washington. He 
is a close student of the involved and complex problems which have to 
do with the control and use of the public lands of the west, and with 
getting it into the hands of citizens. His sympathies have always been 
with the homesteader and the citizen who is trying to get a start by 
making a homestead entry or desert land entry on the public domain; and 
an important rule of his office is to look after and assist the 
financially poor homesteader who is unable to cope with certain 
unscrupulous citizens familiarly known as "land hogs," who attempt in 
various ways to beat the poor citizen out of his lawful rights.

	On February 17, 1896, Mr. McEniry was united in marriage with 
Miss Eva M. Roach, a daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Jason B. Roach, of 
Alliance, Ohio. They are the parents of two children, Matthew D., who 
was born in Alliance in 1900 and is now a senior in East Denver high 
school, and John J., who was born at Crookston, Minnesota, in 1903, and 
is also a pupil in East Denver high school.

	The religious faith of the family is that of the Roman Catholic 
church, and Mr. McEniry is a member of the Knights of Columbus.