Mike Ledwith

Michael Ledwith
(Buckie)

• Bats Unknown, Throws Unknown

• Debut August 19, 1874
• Final Game August 19, 1874
• Born 1851 in New York, NY USA
• Died March 17, 1914 in Troy, NY USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Mike Ledwith caught one game for the Brooklyn Atlantics on August 19, 1874. He may have served in the Union Army during the Civil War as a rifleman for the 100th Infantry Regiment New York. He was listed as having died in 1929, but further research by SABR has determined that this death date belonged to another Michael Ledwith, who immigrated to the US after 1880 - i.e. after the ballplayer's career. In fact, the only reliable information known about him at that time was his last name.

Researcher Justin McKinney managed to shed some light on him as, years after his playing career, he was mentioned by a newspaper in London, ON as a member of that city's championship team, the London Tecumsehs of the International Association in 1877 under the name "Buckie" Ledwith of Troy, NY. Another article about that team in the Detroit Free Press confirmed that the player's first name was indeed Michael, and yet another newspaper, this one from Port Jervis, NY linked the London catcher to the 1874 Brooklyn team. He was playing for a team called the "Brooklyn Keystones" just before he played his one game for the Atlantics, and his name was found in records in Troy, which led to the discovery of his birth and death dates.

Further Reading

• "Ledwith Becomes a Lead Weight", in Bill Carle, ed.: Biographical Research Committee Report, SABR, July/August 2009, p. 2.
• "Michael Ledwith Found", in Bill Carle, ed.: Biographical Research Committee Report, SABR, March/April 2024, p. 1.