Norfolk City Virginia USGenWeb Archives Obituaries.....Keville, Thomas (Capt.) January 23, 1898 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/va/vafiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Robert Woolfitt http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00034.html#0008401 June 6, 2023, 3:19 pm Virginian-Pilot January 25, 1898 Captain Thomas Kevill died at 5:30 o’clock Sunday evening at the home of his son-in-law, Mr. J. E. Allen, on Colonial avenue, Ghent, after an illness of about ten days. The funeral will take place from St. Mary’s Catholic church at 10 o’clock this morning. With the death of Captain Kevill the city loses one of her most substantial citizens and oldest residents. With him passes away one of the heroes of the war, and a man who gave nearly a half century of his long useful life to the service of the city in her fire department. What he did for Norfolk in that time may not be calculated in dollars and cents. Personally, Captain Kevill was a man of many sterling qualities. Those who knew him loved and respected him, for he was warm-hearted, whole-souled and as honest as the day was long. His word was as good as his bond. As a friend he was faithful and true as steel. As a public servant, he was conscientious, efficient, and trustworthy in every respect. As a soldier, he was a Southerner, through and through, brave as a lion, and commanding the highest love and devotion of his men. He was one of the most valued members of Pickett-Buchanan Camp, and only a year ago delivered before that organization an interesting and graphic address describing the engagement of the famous Confederate ram Merrimac with the Federal fleet in Hampton Roads. Captain Thomas Kevill was born in Sligo, Ireland, on August 30th, 1825, and, when quite young, moved to Sherbrooke, Province of Ontario, Canada. From there, he went to Lowell, and thence to Boston, Mass. He came from there to Norfolk in 1848 and opened up a clothing store on Water street, his principal trade being among sailors. He remained in this business until the breaking out of the war. In the meantime, in 1850, he was married to Miss Augustine Lavinia Shields, a charming Princess Anne lady. In 1849, the famous United Volunteer Fire Company was organized, Captain Kevill being one of its principal promoters and its foreman. It was mainly from this organization that Captain Kevill recruited the United Artillery Company in 1861. Captain Kevill was 36 years old when he entered the Confederate army on April 15th, 1861, as captain of the United Artillery, of Norfolk, which rank and company he still had when General Lee surrendered Appomattox. This company afterwards became a part of Smith’s Battalion of Artillery. Captain Kevill’s detailed duty was the obstructing of the Elizabeth river and capturing Fort Norfolk and Magnolia. He was stationed at Fort Norfolk during the first year of the war up to the evacuation. During that time he volunteered with thirty-one members of his company to fight on board the famous Confederate iron-clad Merrimac against the Federal fleet in Hampton Roads, and was in charge of a nine-inch Dahlgren gun, which had the muzzle shot off, but he continued to fight with the gun in that condition until the Cumberland was burned and the Congress sunk. He occupied two redoubts during the battle around Richmond. He was afterwards sent to Drury's Bluff and was in the battle at Howlett’s House, on the James river, in front of Dutch Gap. On the retreat, when Richmond fell, he was on General Gordon's left flank, and finally surrendered at Appomattox. During the entire war, Captain Kevill never had a furlough, and was in the hospital but for two months. He was noted for his daring and bravery under fire, and very much beloved by his company, from which he was never separated by the vicissitudes of war. Coming back to Norfolk, Captain Kevill again took charge of the fire company. Indeed, his own history is that of the fire department, to which he gave forty- five years of his long and useful life. When the paid department was organized on December 15th, 1871, he was immediately chosen its chief and, in that capacity, served the city through the successive changes of her government until 1894, the department growing in strength and efficiency beneath his able management. Captain Kevill leaves four children, all grown: Mrs. James E. Allen, Mrs. M. Glennan, T. Frank Kevill, of the hydrographic office, and J. Emmett Kevill, of The Virginian. The Pickett-Buchanan Camp will attend the funeral in a body and a detail of twenty firemen will follow the remains to the grave. The coffin will be borne by eight pallbearers selected from the department, as follows: D. Hickey, G. M. Seddinger, J. H. Rose, J. A. Edwards, J. H. West, R. McCauley, D. C. Bell, W. H. Knight. The firemen have ordered a very beautiful floral design to go upon his grave. File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/va/norfolkcity/obits/k/keville7901nob.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.net/vafiles/ File size: 5.2 Kb