Albert Cashier

Albert Cashier was a name Jennie Hodgers (1844-1915), Irish-born US woman, adopted when he enlisted into Union troops in the United States Civil War.

Jennie Irene Hodgers was born in Clogher Head , Ireland sometime around 1844. According to later investigation by the administrator of her estate, she was the daughter of Patrick and Sallie Hodgers. Her later accounts of how she moved to USA and why she enlisted were contradictory; she was quite old at that time. At 1862 she was living in Belvedere, Illinois .

On August 3 1862 Hodgers enlisted into the 95th Illinois Infantry regiment using a name Albert Cashier and was assigned to Company G. Regiment served in the army of Tennessee under Ulysses S. Grant and fought in 40 battles, including in the siege at Vicksburg, the Red River Campaign and the combat at Guntown, Mississippi where they suffered heavy casualties.

Cashier fought alongside her comrades in over 40 battles. Other soldiers though that Cashier was just small and preferred to be alone, which was not that uncommon. He was once captured in battle but fled back to Union lines. Cashier fought in the regiment through the war until August 17 1865 when all the soldiers were mustered out.

After the war Cashier continued to live as a man. He worked as a farmhand and settled in Saunemin, Illinois in 1869. His first employer, Joshua Chesebro built a one-room house for him. For over 40 years he lived in Saunemin he worked as a church janitor, cemetery worker and street lamplighter. He even voted in elections and later claimed a veteran's pension. In later years he would eat with neighboring Lannon family. Later tale tells that Lannons discovered her gender when they asked a nurse to look at her but they kept their mouth shut.

In November 1910 Cashier was hit by a car and broke his leg. Physician discovered her gender in hospital but agreed to remain quiet for a time being and May 5 1911 Cashier was moved to Soldier and Sailors home in Quincy, Illinois. Cashier lived there until his mind deteriorated and he was moved to insane asylum in Watertown State Hospital for the Insane in March 1913. There couple of attendants discovered her gender they tried to give her a bath and she was forced to wear a dress.

Albert Cashier died on October 10 1915. He was buried in his uniform she had kept intact all those years and his tombstone was inscribed "Albert D. J. Cashier, Co. 6, 95 Ill. Inf."

It took W.J. Singleton, the administrator of Cashier's estate, nine years to track Cashier's identity back to Jennie Hodgers. None of the would-be-heirs convinced him and the $418.461 was deposited to Adams County, Illinois, treasury.