HON. JOHN D. CRIMMINS, New York City,
President-General of the Society, 1901.
Title: The Journal of the American-Irish Historical Society (Vol. III)
Author: Various
Editor: Thomas Hamilton Murray
Release date: April 29, 2019 [eBook #59384]
Language: English
Credits: Produced by Richard Tonsing and the Online Distributed
Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This book was
produced from images made available by the HathiTrust
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Transcriber’s Note:
The cover image was created by the transcriber and is placed in the public domain.
HON. JOHN D. CRIMMINS, New York City,
President-General of the Society, 1901.
I here present the third annual volume of the Journal to the Society. The work records the proceedings of the organization for the year 1900, gives the historical papers contributed during the year for publication, and sets forth much other matter of interest. The Society continues on its useful and progressive career, happily performing the great mission for which it was instituted.
Boston, Mass., Dec. 31, 1900.
James Jeffrey Roche, LL. D., Editor The Pilot, Boston, Mass.
Maurice Francis Egan, LL. D., J. U. D., Professor of English Language and Literature, Catholic University, Washington, D. C.
Robert Ellis Thompson, Ph. D., President Central High School, Philadelphia, Pa.
Thomas Addis Emmet, M. D., LL. D., grand nephew of Robert Emmet, the Irish Patriot, New York City.
6Hon. Thomas Dunn English, the well-known writer; ex-Member of Congress, Newark, N. J.
Francis C. Travers, President of Travers Brothers Co., 107 Duane St., New York City.
Hon. Cornelius T. Driscoll, Mayor of New Haven, Conn.
Stephen J. Geoghegan, of the firm Gillis & Geoghegan, 537‒539 West Broadway, New York City.
Joseph Smith, Secretary of the Board of Police, Lowell, Mass.
Augustus St. Gaudens, Member of the National Academy of Design, New York City.
Thomas J. Lynch, Augusta, Me.
Hon. Morgan J. O’Brien, a Justice of the New York Supreme Court.
Col. James Armstrong, Charleston, S. C.
Edward A. Hall, Springfield, Mass.
Francis Higgins, 12 East 34th St., New York City.
Moses Dillon, El Paso, Texas.
John Crane, 307 West 103d St., New York City.
John F. Hayes, M. D., Waterbury, Ct.
Hon. James S. Coleman, 38 East 69th St., New York City.
Col. Henry F. Donovan, Chicago, Ill.
Joseph F. Swords, New York City; of the fourth American generation from Francis Dawson Swords, who was exiled from Ireland, 1760, and who served in the Patriot army throughout the American Revolution.
Maine—James Cunningham, Portland.
New Hampshire—Hon. James F. Brennan, Peterborough.
Vermont—John D. Hanrahan, M. D., Rutland.
Massachusetts—Osborne Howes, Boston.
Rhode Island—Hon. Patrick J. Boyle, Newport.
Connecticut—Rev. James H. O’Donnell, Watertown.
New York—Gen. James R. O’Beirne, New York City.
New Jersey—Hon. William A. M. Mack, Elizabeth.
Pennsylvania—Gen. St. Clair A. Mulholland, Philadelphia.
Delaware—Col. John P. Donahoe, Wilmington.
Virginia—Hon. Joseph T. Lawless, Richmond.
West Virginia—Col. O’Brien Moore, Charleston.
South Carolina—Daniel M. O’Driscoll, Charleston.
Georgia—Col. C. C. Sanders, Gainesville.
Ohio—Thomas B. Minahan, Columbus.
Indiana—Very Rev. Andrew Morrissey, C. S. C., Notre Dame.
7Illinois—P. T. Barry, Chicago.
Iowa—Rev. M. C. Lenihan, Marshalltown.
Minnesota—John D. O’Brien, St. Paul.
Michigan—Hon. T. A. E. Weadock, Detroit.
Missouri—Julius L. Foy, St. Louis.
Tennessee—Michael Gavin, Memphis.
Kentucky—Edward Fitzpatrick, Louisville.
Kansas—Patrick H. Coney, Topeka.
Colorado—J. E. Lowery, M. D., Sopris.
Nebraska—M. D. Long, O’Neill.
Utah—Joseph Geoghegan, Salt Lake City.
Texas—Gen. A. G. Malloy, El Paso.
Oregon—Henry E. Reed, Portland.
California—James Connolly, Coronado.
* * * * *
District of Columbia—Patrick O’Farrell, Washington.
CHARLES CARROLL, OF CARROLLTON.
A signer of the Declaration of Independence. His paternal grandfather was a native of King’s County, Ireland. Charles, the grandson, was born at Annapolis, Md., 1737: “inherited a vast estate and was considered one of the richest men in the colonies;” member of the Continental Congress; member of the Board of War; in 1788 was elected United States Senator from Maryland; died in Baltimore, Md., 1832; was the last survivor of the Signers.
The Society held its annual meeting on Thursday evening, Jan. 18, at Sherry’s, Forty-fourth street and Fifth avenue, New York city. Hon. Thomas J. Gargan of Boston, the president-general, occupied the chair, and Thomas Hamilton Murray of Woonsocket, R. I., the secretary-general, attended to the duties of the latter office. The following is a copy of the notice for the meeting:
Dear Sir: You are hereby notified that the annual meeting and banquet of the American-Irish Historical Society will be held at Sherry’s, Forty-fourth street and Fifth avenue, New York city, on Thursday evening, Jan. 18, 1900.
The annual meeting will be called to order at 6:30 o’clock. Officers will be elected for the ensuing year, the annual reports presented, and such other business transacted as may properly come before the meeting.
The official headquarters during the day will be at the Murray Hill Hotel, where a meeting of the executive council of the Society will be held at 4 p. m.
The banquet at Sherry’s will take place at 8 p. m., following the annual meeting. Tickets for the same will be three dollars each. They are now ready, and may be obtained of the secretary-general, whose address is given below.
Hon. Thomas H. Carter, United States senator from Montana, has announced that he will be present.
Addresses are also expected from Hon. Robert A. Van Wyck, 20mayor of New York; Hon. John D. Crimmins, New York city: Hon. William McAdoo, recently assistant secretary of the navy; Hon. Patrick A. Collins, Boston, Mass.; Hon. John C. Linehan, state insurance commissioner of New Hampshire; Gen. James R. O’Beirne, New York city; Hon. Franklin M. Danaher, Albany, N. Y.; Mr. Joseph Smith, Lowell, Mass.; Mr. James Jeffrey Roche, editor of the Boston Pilot; Thomas Addis Emmet, M. D., LL. D., New York city; Rev. James H. O’Donnell, Watertown, Conn.; and Judge Wauhope Lynn, New York city.
There will be present as guests, a delegation from the New York Knickerbocker Transvaal Committee. The event will likewise be characterized by other features of more than usual interest.
A large attendance is desired, each member being at liberty to bring with him as many personal guests as he wishes.
If you intend to be present, kindly notify the secretary-general at the earliest possible moment, so that proper arrangements can be made.
The business session was well attended, several states being represented.
Thomas Hamilton Murray, secretary-general of the Society, presented the following annual report:
The American-Irish Historical Society is on the threshold of its fourth year of existence. We are strong in numbers, representative in character and devoted to a patriotic work.
Our growth as an organization has been rapid, but not unstable; widespread, but healthy; vigorous, and of permanent value.
We have solid reason to be proud of what the Society has accomplished during the three years it has been in the field. We have been accorded a generous welcome from historical societies long in existence; our advent has been hailed with satisfaction; our motives praised; our publications eagerly sought.
To-night we meet in New York city for the third time, and for 21the third time we are indebted to our New York members for unbounded hospitality, kindliest service and tireless efforts to make our annual gathering a success.
During the year just closed, ninety-two new members have been admitted to the Society, and ten of our brothers have died. These deaths of the year removed from our ranks the following: Hon. Patrick Walsh, Augusta, Ga.; Col. Patrick T. Hanley, Boston, Mass.; Hon. John H. Sullivan, Boston, Mass.; Hon. Eli Thayer, Worcester, Mass.; Dr. William F. Cummings, Rutland, Vt.; Mr. Joseph J. Kelley, Cambridge, Mass.; Mr. William Slattery, Holyoke, Mass.; Rev. George W. Pepper, Cleveland, O.; Rev. Denis Scannell, Worcester, Mass.; and Mr. Edmund Phelan, Boston, Mass.
Since our last annual gathering in this city, meetings under the auspices of the Society have been held in Providence, R. I., Newport, R. I., and Boston, Mass. In each instance great interest was manifested in the mission of the organization, and new members were secured.
Among those in attendance at the Providence meeting was Hon. John D. Crimmins, our esteemed general vice-president. On that occasion he subscribed $500 to forward the interests of the Society, this being the largest individual gift the organization has thus far received. Among the speakers at this meeting were the Rev. S. B. Nelson, an Irish Presbyterian clergyman, and Rev. Frank L. Phalen, a Unitarian.
At the Newport meeting, the mayor of the city, Hon. Patrick J. Boyle, a member of our Society, presided and delivered an address of welcome. Addresses were also made by Hon. Charles E. Gorman of Providence; by Rev. Louis J. Deady, a Catholic rector of Newport; by City Solicitor Brown of Newport; by Dennis H. Tierney of Waterbury, Conn.; by Hon. John C. Linehan of Concord, N. H., and other gentlemen.
At the Boston meeting, President-General Gargan presided, and there were addresses by Hon. Patrick A. Collins of Boston and a number of others.
Nor, during the year, has the Society been idle in the field of research. Of our members: Mr. Edward Fitzpatrick, Louisville, Ky., has contributed a paper on “The Irish Settlers of Kentucky”; Mr. Daniel M. O’Driscoll, Charleston, S. C., has written on “David Hamilton, an Irish Soldier of the American Revolution”; Mr. Thomas F. O’Malley, Somerville, Mass., has devoted much investigation 22relative to “The Early Transportation of Irish Men, Women and Children to the West Indies, to Virginia, and to New England”; Hon. John C. Linehan, Concord, N. H., has prepared a paper “On the Irish Pioneers of Texas”; Mr. M. E. Hennessy, Boston, Mass., on “Men of Irish Birth or Extraction Who Have Attained Distinction in American Journalism”; and Mr. Joseph Smith, Lowell, Mass., on “The Irish Brigade of Rochambeau’s Army in the American Revolutionary War.” Mr. Thomas Carroll, Peabody, Mass., a member of our Society, recently delivered an historical address at a church anniversary in that place.
Two of the leading works by our members during the year are those of Rev. John J. McCoy of Chicopee, Mass., and Rev. James H. O’Donnell of Watertown, Conn. The former has written a history of the Catholic diocese of Springfield, Mass., and the latter of the Catholic diocese of Hartford, Conn. Both these productions are rich in reference to early Irish settlers, that of Rev. Father O’Donnell being practically a history of the Irish in Connecticut.
The annual bound volume of our Society is now in press. It will be larger than the book we issued last year, will be illustrated and will contain many papers, addresses and other matter of historical and literary value.
At our last annual meeting, the matter of a publication fund was discussed and referred to the council of the Society for action. The council subsequently decided to issue a circular letter inviting contributions to said fund.
It was decided to send out these circulars immediately after some important gathering under the auspices of the Society, when they would be likely to attract special interest. The launching of the United States torpedo-boat O’Brien, at Elizabeth, N. J., was finally decided upon as such event.
Owing to unavoidable delay, however, this launching has not yet taken place, and thus a desirable opportunity has not, up to this time, presented itself to formulate the circular. I would suggest, however, that this meeting possesses the desired prominence as a Society event, and that the circular can now be sent out within the next week or two.
During the year, Dr. Thomas Addis Emmet of this city has voluntarily subscribed $100 toward the publication fund, and four New York gentlemen—Mr. Myles Tierney, Mr. Stephen J. Geoghegan, Mr. James McGovern and Mr. John J. Lenehan—have each forwarded 23a check for $50 in payment of life membership fee. Mr. William Gorman of Philadelphia, Pa., has also become a life member.
In April next, the historic town of Lexington, Mass., is to have a great celebration of the anniversary of the battle of April 19, 1775, and our Society has been invited to be represented on that occasion.
Some months ago, a Franco-American Historical Society was organized at Boston, at which an official of our Society was present and made an address of congratulation. The new organization will devote itself to the French chapter in American history.
In conclusion, I desire to say that the correspondence of the Society has already become of considerable volume. Inquiries from all sections of the country are being constantly received. The writers seek information or data of an historical nature relative to the Irish and their descendants in the United States. These inquiries are promptly answered, and, in return, we receive much valuable material.
The foregoing report was accepted and adopted.
The treasurer-general of the Society, Hon. John C. Linehan of Concord, N. H., then presented his annual report. It showed the total income for the year 1899 to have been $2,228.50. Cash balance on hand Jan. 1, 1899, $518.60, thus making the total financial resources of the Society for the year $2,747.10.
The expenditures for 1899, as set forth in detail in the report, were $2,008.86, leaving a balance on hand of $738.24.
Joseph Smith of Lowell, Mass., for the auditing committee, reported having examined the books and vouchers of the treasurer-general and found the same correct.
The treasurer-general’s report was thereupon accepted and adopted.
A communication to the society was announced from Hon. Theodore Roosevelt, governor of New York, in which he 24invited the members to be his guests at the executive mansion in Albany.
The invitation was appreciatively received and acknowledged, and the president-general was authorized to appoint a delegation to represent the society by a visit to the governor.
The president-general announced that he would do so, and state the make-up of the delegation later.
Hon. T. A. E. Weadock of Detroit, Mich., an ex-member of Congress, presented the names of several applicants for membership in the Society, and the said applicants were unanimously admitted.
Various other gentlemen also presented many applications for membership, and the same were all favorably acted upon.
The annual election of officers of the Society then took place, the result being the same as given on pages 5, 6 and 7 of this volume.
Upon the conclusion of the business meeting, the members and guests formed in line and proceeded to the banquet hall.
The company around the tables numbered about one hundred and thirty gentlemen. President-General Gargan presided. An orchestra was stationed in the balcony. The decorations were profuse, and were artistically placed.
Grace was said by Rev. John J. McCoy of Chicopee, Mass.
At the head table, with the president-general and the chaplain of the occasion, were seated:
In addition to the foregoing, there were also at the banquet the following gentlemen from New York city:
26Present at the banquet, from other places, were:
The after-dinner exercises were of great interest. Vice-President-General John D. Crimmins, who was at Palm Beach, Fla., for his health, sent a telegram regretting his absence, and adding:
27“Our Society should flourish. The field is ripe, and so far the surface is only scratched. When in deeper furrows, forgotten history will be brought forth that will glorify the deeds of the Irish race in building our nation.”
Letters of regret at inability to be present were received from Mayor Van Wyck of New York city, Hon. Patrick A. Collins of Boston, Mass., and other gentlemen.
President-General Gargan, in rising to open the exercises, spoke substantially as follows:
Gentlemen of the American-Irish Historical Society: In January, 1897, the first meeting to organize this Society was called at Boston. As the reports show, we have now nearly 1,000 members residing in almost every state and territory in the United States, and representing the best elements in the several walks of life.
Our object is to see that history is written fairly and impartially. During the last twenty-five years we have adopted new methods in writing history. The historian who is to write on any epoch no longer accepts as truth the recorded facts of another historian who has written of a former epoch. He challenges every statement made unless corroborated or verified by documentary proof.
We now have access to many valuable papers and letters that throw a new light upon men, their motives and action.
The history of the United States has been largely written by men of English blood, who have unduly glorified the actions of their ancestors. More critical and scientific examinations have shown us that the Irish element contributed very largely to the settlement of the colonies from New England to Georgia, and were an important factor in bringing about the Revolution and establishing the government of the United States.
Our Society is now engaged in searching many of the colonial records, and I suggest that the members in the different states of the Union examine into the origin and ancestry of the prominent men in their states, prepare information and write papers that may be placed in the archives of this Society.
I congratulate the members on the increase in numbers, the continued prosperity of the Society, and urge all who can to contribute 28liberally to the publication fund, for spoken words are often but perishable things, and if the history of the part which our race and blood have borne in upbuilding the Republic is to be preserved, we can only keep alive the record of their sacrifices, their heroism and their patriotism by preserving them in the form of permanent memorials, books and publications of the Society.
Hon. Thomas H. Carter, U. S. senator from Montana, made an eloquent address. In the course of his speech he paid deserved compliments to Hon. P. A. Collins of Boston, Hon. John D. Crimmins and General O’Beirne of New York, and to other members of the society.
Senator Carter showed the absurdity of calling the United States an Anglo-Saxon country, and traced the expansion of the original thirteen states, and the wonderful resources of America. He said in substance:
A new race has sprung up in this country better than Saxon or Celt. The success of the Republic is due to the fact that it unbridles manhood. The special purpose of this association is to ascertain what part dear old Ireland has played in this drama.
I am gratified beyond expression that this Society insists on seeing justice done to the race from which we have sprung. The work must be logical and correct. One of the most remarkable things is the intellectuality of the Irish race.
Wherever freedom’s flag is hoisted you will find an Irishman at or near that emblem. O’Higgins in South America is synonymous with liberty. On every battlefield in North America the Irishman is found, as he also is in poetry, history, arts and sciences. I would not adulate the race. The Irishman forms only a part of the American citizenship. But whether it is in storming Manila or the capital of Great Britain the Irishman will be found doing his work enthusiastically.
I would be delighted to see the Society extended to every state of the Union. There are many, very many, incidents in connection with the Irish race in America I would like to see set down. As a rule the Irish hold the offices, not because they are Irish, but as a recognition of ability and the eternal fitness of things.
29Senator Carter spoke eloquently in praise of Gen. Thomas Francis Meagher, one of the original white settlers of Montana, who died while holding the office of governor of that territory.
Spirited addresses were also made by Hon. Thomas M. Waller, ex-governor of Connecticut; Judge Wauhope Lynn of New York city; Ex-Congressman Weadock of Michigan; Hon. William McAdoo of New York; George E. Van Siclen, who spoke eloquently in behalf of the Boers of South Africa, and Gen. James R. O’Beirne of New York.
Vocal selections were rendered during the evening, and Miss Sullivan of New York gave selections on the harp.
On April 19, 1900, the Society observed the 125th anniversary of the battle of Lexington, Mass. In connection with the celebration, two notices were issued to the members, viz.:
Brothers: You are hereby notified that the 125th anniversary of the battle of Lexington and “the Concord Fight” will be observed by our Society on Thursday, April 19, 1900.
Our programme for this patriotic occasion will comprise two leading features, namely: (1) A visit to Lexington, Mass., in the forenoon, and (2) a banquet in the evening at the Hotel Bellevue, Boston, Mass. Lady friends of the members will be welcome at both events.
The exercises prepared by the town of Lexington for the day include a national salute of 45 guns, morning and evening, a drum corps parade at dawn over the historic route of march, and a trades procession about midday. Headquarters for the society will be established in Lexington at the Russell House, where a reception committee will be in attendance.
The Society will pay its respects to the town officials of Lexington, 31will visit the several points of historic interest and will then place a laurel wreath to the memory of the heroes of 1775. Members and guests from Boston may take trains from the North Union station, that city, at such hour in the morning as may suit their convenience, all meeting at the Russell House, Lexington, about 11:30 a. m. Those desiring, may later take conveyances for Concord.
The banquet in the evening at the Hotel Bellevue, Boston, promises to be a brilliant event and should be attended by every member who can possibly be present. Preceding the banquet, from 6:30 to 8, there will be a reception and concert, and at 8 p. m. the company will proceed to the dining hall.
Tickets for the banquet will be three dollars each, and are now ready. Please notify the secretary as soon as possible if you intend to be present at the banquet, and whether you will be accompanied by guests.
Brothers: In connection with the celebration on the 19th inst., the town of Lexington, Mass., under its official seal, has extended our Society cordial recognition.
Mr. Christopher S. Ryan of Lexington has been officially designated by the citizens’ committee to meet our members on their arrival at the Russell House there and escort them to the Town Hall. Here they will be received by the town clerk and selectmen at 11:30 a. m.
Soon after, we will proceed to the monument on the historic green, and there place a memorial wreath, addresses being made by members of our Society and invited guests.
But the most interesting feature of the anniversary will be our celebration in the evening at the Hotel Bellevue, Boston, Mass. The reception and concert will be from 6:30 to 8 p. m., and the banquet at 8.
Among those who have accepted invitations to the banquet are President Elmer H. Capen of Tufts College and President G. Stanley Hall of Clark University. There will also be addresses by Gen. James R. O’Beirne of New York, Hon. William McAdoo of New York, Mayor Driscoll of New Haven, Conn., Mayor Boyle of Newport, R. I., and other prominent gentlemen.
If you intend to be present at the banquet and have not yet notified the secretary, kindly do so as soon as possible.
Among the members and friends of the Society who visited Lexington in accordance with the foregoing notices were: President-General Gargan; Secretary-General Murray; Stephen J. Geoghegan, New York city; T. St. John Gaffney, New York city; Joseph Smith, Lowell, Mass.; Hon. James F. Brennan, Peterborough, N. H.; Thomas F. O’Malley and A. A. Elston, Somerville, Mass.; D. D. Donovan, Providence, R. I.; Mr. and Mrs. M. J. Harson, Providence, R. I.; Daniel Donovan and his daughter, Miss Donovan, Lynn, Mass.; Timothy Donovan, Lynn; James Jeffrey Roche and M. A. Toland, Boston, Mass.
The delegation was received at the town hall, the latter being made headquarters for the day instead of the Russell House.
The visitors paid their respects to the selectmen and town clerk and were shown objects of historical interest connected with the battle. Christopher S. Ryan, the special committee on the part of the town to receive the members of the Society, did so in a most gratifying manner.
Shortly before noon, the members and guests proceeded to 33the battle monument on the “Green” and attached thereto a large wreath, inscribed as follows:
May the Example of the Men of Lexington be an Inspiration to the Friends of Liberty, Now and Forevermore.
Several of the members, later in the day, visited historic Concord, Mass.
The evening exercises at the Bellevue, Beacon street, Boston, were fully as enjoyable as those of the morning had been. Music was furnished by a ladies’ orchestra. President-General Gargan presided at the banquet. Among the members and guests present were:
There were also present during the evening: Hon. John W. Corcoran, Boston, recently judge of the Superior court, and J. E. Burke, superintendent of public schools, Lawrence, Mass.
Upon the conclusion of the banquet the post-prandial exercises were opened by President-General Gargan, who said:
Members and guests of the American-Irish Historical Society:
To-day we commemorate the deeds of those heroic men who on April 19, 1775, on the green at Lexington, won a fame as imperishable as the men who fought at Marathon or Thermopylæ. Well might Sam Adams exclaim, “What a glorious morning for America is this.” As a distinguished foreigner has well said, “It is their sacrificed blood in which is written the preface of the nation’s history.”
At Lexington was the opening scene of a revolution destined to 35change the character of human governments and the condition of the human race. Yet I sometimes incline to the opinion, as I read the utterances of men who in our day are called statesmen, and some of the newspapers, that the age of patriotism has gone; that an age of selfish materialists, economists, and calculators has succeeded. Let us hope there is still a saving remnant in this republic which will rekindle the love and patriotism which actuated the men who established our government.
Do some of the people really understand the meaning of patriotism? Many seem to imagine it means blind obedience to any administration which may be insidiously laboring to destroy our institutions. But I have an abiding faith in the people of this country when they fully appreciate a threatened danger. I believe with Burke “that the people never give up their liberties but under some delusion.”
Are some of us laboring under the delusion that we are called upon to govern the world, that we are to set forth with a few small Bibles and a large supply of arms to force what we call our civilization on an unwilling people in another hemisphere, while thoughtful men are staggered at the problems of government confronting us on the North American continent?
Shall we not profit by the lessons of history and recall what this day means? It was the beginning of a movement against an empire which aspired to govern the world. Yet those men on Lexington common initiated a revolution which wrested from the diadem of Great Britain the fairest jewel in her crown. May we not indulge to-day somewhat in retrospection and examine the causes which led to our revolt?
The British parliament had passed the stamp act, the tea tax and the Boston port bill, yet those did not cause war; the real cause of the battle of Lexington was the reconstruction act of 1774. Prior to this act the councilors had been chosen by the people through their representatives. By the new law the king was to appoint them, to hold office during his pleasure. The superior judges were to hold at the will of the king and to be dependent on his will for the amount and payment of their salaries; the inferior judges were to be removable by the royal governor at his discretion, he himself holding at the king’s will.
The deepest reaching provision of the acts was aimed at the town-meetings. They were prohibited, except the annual meeting 36to elect officers, but no other meetings could be held without the written permission of the royal governor. These acts of parliament sought to change self-government into government by the king, and to substitute for home rule, absolute rule at Westminster and St. James’s palace.
Then came the military act, and in February, 1775, parliament declared Massachusetts in rebellion. The instructions of Lord Dartmouth, the secretary of state for the colonies, to General Gage, the royal governor, ran like this: “Sovereignty of the king over the colonies requires a full and absolute submission.” What a striking similarity that has to some recent dispatches we have heard since we acquired distant possessions.
General Gage’s call for 20,000 men, the assembling of 5,000 troops at Boston, and the authority given to General Gage to fire on the people, made war inevitable. We see again how history repeats itself.
The people in spite of royal mandates continued to hold their own town-meetings, organized county meetings, and made a provincial congress. The convention at Middlesex “Resolved, if in support of our rights we are called to encounter death we are yet undaunted, sensible that he can never die too soon who lays down his life in support of the laws and liberties of his country.” Lexington wrote to Boston, “We trust in God that should the state of affairs require it, we shall be ready to sacrifice our estates and everything dear in life, yea, and life itself, in support of the common cause.”
Nobly did the men of Lexington fulfil that pledge. Shall we in our day forget what these men did and dared? Are we so saturated with the spirit of commercialism, are we so wedded to the worship of the golden calf, that justice and humanity have no place in our modern code?
Let us remember we shall be tried at the bar of history as have been other nations; as our opportunities have been greater, so are our responsibilities. We cannot escape our liabilities; it is for us to so act in the present that this experiment of a free government, founded upon manhood suffrage, shall not fail.
Letters of regret at inability to be present were received from ex-Gov. John Lee Carroll of Maryland, president of the Sons of the Revolution; Governor Roosevelt of New York, President Eliot of Harvard, President Hadley of Yale, Senator Hoar of Massachusetts, 37Senators Hale and Frye of Maine, Senator Mason of Illinois, David Starr Jordon, president of Leland Stanford University; E. Benjamin Andrews, superintendent of public schools, Chicago; Congressman Sulzer of New York, Rector Conaty of the Catholic University, President Harper of the University of Chicago, Rev. James H. O’Donnell, Watertown, Conn.; Hon. Thomas J. Lynch, Augusta, Me.; Hon. James S. Coleman, New York city; Col. John P. Donahoe, Wilmington, Del.; Mayor Driscoll of New Haven, Conn.; Col. James Quinlan, New York city; John J. Davis, Greenville, Pa.; James Connolly, Coronado, Cal.; Col. James Moran, Providence, R. I., and from several others.
Ex-Gov. Carroll of Maryland wrote: “If we contrast the pitiful resources of those early days with the present happiness, wealth and prosperity of our united country, we can realize the courage of those daring men who openly proclaimed that our only purpose was to obtain our freedom ‘peaceably if we could, forcibly if we must.’”
E. Benj. Andrews of Chicago declared: “I assure you that nothing but my distance from you prevents my attendance. I should be pleased to attend, not only to hear the distinguished gentlemen who will be present, but also to testify anew the reverence which all true patriots must feel for the brave men who immortalized themselves by standing for liberty on Lexington green, 125 years ago.”
Senator Hoar wrote: “It will not be in my power to attend the celebration of the 19th of April in Boston by the American-Irish Historical Society. But I am sure that the celebration will be in the spirit which animated the men who fought and the men who died on the 19th of April, 1775. You will, I am sure, reinforce the lesson that no human power can turn wrong into right, injustice into justice, or lawfully crush out the love of liberty native in every human soul and the right to independence that belongs to every people.”
Gov. Roosevelt said in his letter: “I wish I could be present with you at the celebration of the battle of Lexington. It is peculiarly appropriate for men of Irish stock to take part in this celebration, for they have always done even more than their proper share of valiant fighting for the republic.”
Congressman Sulzer wrote: “I regret exceedingly my inability to accept owing to imperative official duties here which demand my presence in Washington. If ever there was a time in the history of the republic when we should celebrate the battle of Lexington it is 38this year, and I trust your celebration will be a great success in every way.”
From Congressman Capron of Rhode Island: “I am inclined to refer to the patriots who fought in the great struggle which initiated the war for independence and human liberty with the deepest devotion akin to reverence. The event itself should be held in grateful remembrance.... Let every American if he would find the spirit which animated the men of Lexington look down into his own being and analyze the feelings lying there, and if he be a true American he will find love of God, love of country, love of home, love of liberty, love of law and love of man, all and each of which are the essential components of that which we call patriotism. My colleague, Mr. Bull, who was also the recipient of your invitation, desires me to express his thanks therefor and to say that he heartily joins in the sentiments herein expressed.”
President G. Stanley Hall of Clark University, Worcester, Mass., upon being introduced, stated that among his ancestors was a Mary Hennessy of Limerick, Ireland. He then went on to say that:
The three characteristics of the Irish race, which are most to be commended when rightly directed, are, first, their heartiness, geniality, enjoyment of life, a nameless quality made of the best elements of the German gemuth and the French esprit. This is the temperament of genius, it is the conserved youth which makes the Irishman an adolescent at whatever age, and is strongly contrasted with the sternness and reserve of the Puritan. This temperament, too, is connected with the fecundity of the race, also in contrast with the Puritan New Englanders, who even in Boston may ere long have to hail the Irish race with morituri salutamus with a new meaning in it.
Second, the Irishman, like other men, is not always a man of peace. His blood is warmer on occasion and his interpretation of the strenuous life, which makes men loved for the enemies they make, is another quality which, when rightly trained and directed, is one of the greatest powers for good in the world. To be angry aright is almost one of the definitions of education.
Third, the Irishman has a veritable genius for politics, which had 39no scope in the earlier formative days of Irish history, but which finds its legitimate sphere in this republican land. He is also a patriot, a superb soldier. Politics culminates in statesmanship, and I cannot forbear here a word which I believe will appeal to every heart which keeps a warm corner for Burke, Emmet or O’Connell.
My conception of statesmanship is higher than that of politics. The first of all conditions of success in its purer realm is utter disinterestedness. Within the last few days, this country has witnessed the rare spectacle of a senator,[1] unusually devoted to the party at whose birth he assisted, and to a president whom he has long loved, placing his convictions, matured by long experience and ripe knowledge, above both. To no temperament could the personal sacrifices have been greater than for him to give us this modern version of Aristotle’s “Plato amicus sed major amicus veritas.”
Bound by family lineage, many and long friendships, historical and literary associations, with England, his devotion to our national muse of liberty which inspired the constitution and the declaration of independence impelled him to openly declare sympathy toward the struggling patriots in the Transvaal, as in his long life he has had occasion to do for Poland, Hungary, Greece, Cuba and Ireland.
Gentlemen, there is a higher plane than that of the traditions, current methods and policies of organizing colonial dependencies. It is to believe that every growing race and ethnic stock has higher possibilities in it; to hold that the diverse ways of civilization are not all exhausted yet, and that instead of forcing other races to take up the white man’s, or the Englishman’s burden, our policy should be to keep off, where practicable, alien interference, including our own, and to develop a new policy of protection and thus to foster new and independent centers of social and political development.
To my mind the tragedy of history is the perversion, repression or destruction of budding nationalities of species, and perhaps genera, different from our own, and the threatened uniformitization of the entire world by civilization as we define and understand it. This is the method of what, I think, we may call the higher anthropology. It would be, I think, the statesmanship of the superman, who may sometime exist, and who would be a citizen of all times and a spectator of all events. To steer the ship of state in this direction is to keep it true to the pole of human destiny. It is the work of the heavenborn pilot, who keeps his tiller true, and not of the star gazer.
40These moments are big with destiny. Statesmanship is approaching the time when it must take a cosmic view of human life as a whole, and I have heard no note that rings so clear and pure to my ear with such a true flavor of conviction as the plea for a larger ken by the political nestor of this state and nation, who has grown not rich but poor from a quarter century’s service for his state; who makes no bid for the support of other parties, while speaking as many of his colleagues in both parties privately declare they would do if they spoke for themselves rather than for their constituency; a man competent to-day to fill any one of three if not four professorships; whose years admonish us that any such utterance may be his last, and whom, as in the case of no other public man, his political enemies vie with his friends to honor.
President Hall was followed by President Capen of Tufts College who also delivered an entertaining address.
The historical paper of the evening was by Thomas F. O’Malley, of Somerville, Mass., whose subject was “Hugh Cargill,” a patriot who took part in the events of April 19, 1775. The paper displayed close research.
There were also addresses during the evening by John E. Milholland, Joseph Smith and E. O’Meagher Condon.
GEN. RICHARD MONTGOMERY.
Born near Raphoe, Donegal County, Ireland, 1736; became a distinguished American soldier; was appointed a brigadier-general by the Continental Congress: acting commander-in-chief of the Northern Department; invaded Canada; captured St. John, took Montreal, and laid siege to Quebec; was promoted to the rank of major-general; killed, on Dec. 31, 1775, while attempting to carry Quebec by storm. Hon. John D. Crimmins, President-General of the American-Irish Historical Society, has the last letter that Montgomery is known to have written. It is a demand on the British commander of Quebec to surrender.
On June 18, 1900, the Society celebrated the anniversary of the battle of Bunker Hill, the following being a copy of the notice sent out in connection therewith:
Brothers: You are hereby notified that the anniversary of the battle of Bunker Hill will be observed by our Society on Monday, June 18, 1900 (the anniversary itself falling on Sunday, June 17).
Our programme will include the placing of a wreath on the memorial tablets in Winthrop Square, Charlestown, at noon, an address by Mr. Thomas F. O’Malley, of Somerville, Mass., a visit to and ascension of the battle monument, and in the evening a dinner at 8 o’clock at the United States Hotel, city proper.
Members and guests wishing to participate in the exercises at the tablets will assemble there at the hour mentioned.
The after-dinner exercises at the United States Hotel in the evening will include an historical address by Hon. John C. Linehan, state insurance commissioner of New Hampshire, on: “The Irish in the Patriot ranks at the Battle of Bunker Hill.”
There will also be addresses by members of the Society from Worcester, Springfield, Providence, Hartford, New York and other cities. Dinner tickets will be three dollars each, and are now ready. 42Please notify the secretary as soon as possible if you intend to be present at the dinner.
In accordance with the foregoing notice, a number of members of the Society assembled at the memorial tablets, in Charlestown, at noon, and witnessed the placing of a laurel wreath to the memory of the patriots of June 17.
Upon the wreath being placed in position, a card bearing the following inscription was attached thereto:
Thomas F. O’Malley then addressed the gathering substantially as follows:
To-day we meet in pious and patriotic commemoration of a great deed, performed here 125 years ago. To-day we stand in the midst of a great nation which is proud, strong and free. All is joy around us. But let us turn back a century and a quarter in the book of time. What a scene was enacted here! The hill crowned with a hastily constructed redoubt and held by an undisciplined and untrained yeomanry—farmers, with their fowling pieces and but little ammunition.
A brilliantly appointed army advancing to the attack and storming the works, supported by coöperating ships and batteries; the blaze of the burning town, coursing whole streets or curling up 43the spires of public edifices; the air above filled with clouds of dense black smoke, and the surrounding hills, fields, roofs and steeples occupied by crowds of spectators. What strange sounds came to the ear—the shouts of the contending armies, the crash of falling buildings, the roar of ship guns and mortars and the rattle of musketry.
On one side we find the high courage of men staking their lives and reputations on the uncertain issue of a civil war; and on the other, the reflection that defeat meant the final loss to Britain of her American empire.
You know the story of that battle—how the flower of England’s army were repeatedly repulsed; how in the moment of desperation the regulars laid aside their knapsacks, moved forward, relying on the bayonet and their artillery to carry the day. The American fire slackened, the ammunition was expended, there were no bayonets, and the oncoming regulars were met with clubbed muskets and stones. The fortunes of the day were reversed, and, technically speaking, it was a British victory.
After speaking of the men of Irish blood who fought in the patriot ranks that day, Mr. O’Malley continued:
The Americans are estimated to have lost in killed 140, and in wounded 271; loss by capture 30. In all, 441. The English loss was 226 killed, 828 wounded. Total—1,054.
In comparison with other battles, so far as numbers go, Bunker Hill was but a skirmish. But in results it was of the utmost importance. Before the engagement there was some hope, perhaps some chance, for a peaceful settlement of existing difficulties; but after that memorable day, all were for war and independence. Bunker Hill was the beginning of the end of British domination on the Western continent.
Mr. O’Malley was frequently applauded and upon the conclusion of his address was warmly congratulated. The banquet at the United States Hotel in the evening was a most enjoyable affair.
President-General Gargan occupied the chair. Among those present were Hon. John C. Linehan, treasurer-general of the Society, Concord, N. H.; Secretary-General T. H. Murray, Woonsocket, R. I.; William Doogue, city forester of Boston; 44Thomas F. O’Malley, the orator at the memorial tablets; Joseph Smith, Lowell, Mass.; James Jeffrey Roche, Boston; William P. Connery, Lynn, Mass.; M. E. Hennessy, Boston; Capt. Samuel McKeever, U. S. A. (retired), Somerville, Mass.; E. O’Meagher Condon, New York city; John T. F. MacDonnell, Holyoke, Mass., and others.
President-General Gargan said in his after-dinner address:
One hundred and twenty-five years have passed since the memorable battle of Bunker Hill, commemorated by yonder tall gray shaft at Charlestown, familiar to us all from early boyhood. We knew the story of that fight before we knew the multiplication table. Nominally a British victory, yet a victory purchased at such fearful cost to the victors as to inspire the colonists to believe that ultimately the triumph would be theirs.
We all know the story from the American standpoint; few read the British accounts of that battle. I was interested to read, a few days ago, some of the English accounts; one of them concludes in these words:
“The action has shown the bravery of the king’s troops, who, under every disadvantage, gained a complete victory over three times their number strongly posted and covered by breastworks, but they fought for their king, their law and constitution.”
That sounds like the account some of the emasculated Americans in our day would give of the fight. But Gage wrote to Lord Dartmouth, then minister for the colonies:
“The number of killed and wounded is greater than we could afford to lose. The trials we have had show that the rebels are not the despicable rabble too many may have supposed them to be.”
Burgoyne and Clinton, who saw the battle from Copp’s Hill, have also written their impressions of the battle in 1775. There were two English accounts, historical in their nature. One of these, it is thought, was written by Edmund Burke, and was published in the Annual Register of that year.
To all Americans, Bunker Hill was a battle cry and an inspiration during the seven long years of war necessary to obtain our independence. To-day its memories should rekindle our patriotism and prompt us to recall the story of the men who there died that a new republic might be born. We know that they believed in God and had high ideals.
45The historical paper of the evening was by Hon. John C. Linehan and was of a high order of merit.
Brief addresses were made by Capt. Samuel McKeever, U. S. A., and by several other gentlemen present, and the company adjourned, well pleased with the celebration of the day and evening.
A celebration of the anniversary of the battle of Rhode Island took place at Newport, R. I., Aug. 29, in accordance with the following notice, sent to each member:
Dear Sir: The Rhode Island members of the American-Irish Historical Society will observe the anniversary of the battle of Rhode Island on Wednesday, Aug. 29, 1900.
The celebration will take place at Newport, R. I., and every member of our Society throughout the country is cordially invited to be present and participate with us in the exercises of the occasion.
Headquarters for the day and evening will be established at the Aquidneck House, where a reception committee will be in attendance. Invitations to be present have been extended the governor of Rhode Island, the state record commissioner, and the presidents of the Rhode Island and Newport Historical societies.
During the day many points of historical interest will be visited. Dinner will be served at 8 p. m. at the Aquidneck. After dinner, patriotic addresses and other appropriate features will take place.
The battle of Rhode Island, as is well-known, was fought Aug. 29, 1778, the American forces being commanded by Gen. John Sullivan. In this battle Sullivan repulsed the British and maintained the field. The anniversary is, therefore, one of note and will, we 47hope, be observed by a very large attendance. Please notify the secretary if you intend to be present.
In response to the foregoing, a number of the members from out of the state visited Newport and were received by the local members of the Society. Mayor Boyle presided at the banquet in the evening. He made an address, as did also Mayor Driscoll of New Haven, Conn.; Hon. James F. Brennan of Peterborough, N. H.; T. F. O’Malley of Somerville, Mass., and one or two other gentlemen. A patriotic poem was recited by John J. Rooney of New York city.
Thomas Hamilton Murray, secretary-general of the Society, announced that since the annual meeting the following members of the organization had died: Hon. Andrew J. White, New York city; Hon. William F. Reddy, Richmond, Va.; Rev. Michael Gilligan, Medford, Mass.; Michael Cavanagh, Washington, D. C.; Eugene T. McCarthy, Lynn, Mass.; Dr. William H. O’Hearn, Lawrence, Mass.; Daniel B. Kelley, Haverhill, Mass.; William H. Quinn, Hallowell, Me., and Hon. John J. Hayes, Boston, Mass. Appropriate tributes were paid the memory of the foregoing and minutes adopted expressive of esteem and regret.
The accession of the following new members was announced: Michael F. Cox, M. D., M. R. I. A., of the senate of the Royal University of Ireland; Hon. James D. Phelan, mayor of San Francisco; Francis Q. O’Neill, president of the Hibernian Bank, Charleston, S. C.; M. le Comte Margerin de Cremont, Paris, France; Rev. James C. Walsh, Providence, R. I.; Joseph Madden, Keene, N. H.; P. F. Leonard, Cambridge, Mass.; Thomas O’Hagan, Toronto, Can.; William T. Cox, Elizabeth, N. J.; Christopher S. Ryan, Lexington, Mass.; Capt. James 48F. Redding, Charleston, S. C.; Hugh Ferguson, Charleston, S. C.; Dr. P. F. Gavin, Boston, Mass.; Rev. John A. Sheridan, Jamaica Plain, Mass.; William J. Storen, Charleston, S. C., and P. F. Magrath, Binghamton, N. Y.
It was announced that, in addition to the foregoing, the Knights of St. Patrick, an influential organization of San Francisco, had joined the Society in a body and had forwarded their life membership fee. Congratulations were also announced from the Association Artistique et Litteraire de Saint-Patrice, of Paris, and a communication was received from the committee of the Pan Celtic Congress.
The announcement was made, and applauded, that Hon. Edward A. Moseley, recently president-general of the Society, had been elected to membership in the Society of the Cincinnati, and that Rev. Joshua P. Bodfish, of our organization, had been chosen a director of the Bunker Hill Monument Association.
A communication was read from T. M. Bryan of Montesano, Wash., giving a sketch of his great-grandfather, John Bryan, an Irishman who came to this country and served in the patriot ranks during the War of the Revolution. He is mentioned in the Pennsylvania archives and is believed to have been at Valley Forge during the terrible winter of 1777‒8.
A letter was also received from Rev. Fred B. Cole, chancellor of the Protestant Episcopal diocese of Rhode Island, in which he very kindly offered his services as guide in a contemplated pilgrimage of the Society to the grave of “Old Parson” MacSparran. Rev. Dr. MacSparran was an Irishman born toward the close of the seventeenth century, and who for nearly forty years, was pastor of St. Paul’s church in Narragansett, R. I. A vote of thanks was tendered Rev. Mr. Cole.
Congratulations were extended the Rev. Austin Dowling, a member of the Society, on the completion of his history of the Roman Catholic diocese of Providence, R. I., the same containing much valuable material in the Society’s line of work.
During the evening, letters regretting their inability to be present were announced from Governor Gregory of Rhode 49Island, President Faunce of Brown University, R. H. Tilley, state record commissioner of Rhode Island; Hon. John C. Linehan, Concord, N. H.; Joseph Smith, Lowell, Mass.; Col. D. S. Lamson, Weston, Mass.; James L. O’Neill, Elizabeth, N. J.; Rev. Owen Kiernan, Fall River, Mass., and from other gentlemen.
The following letter, which had just been received by Secretary T. H. Murray, aroused special interest when read to the assembled company:
My Dear Mr. Murray:
Mr. R. H. Tilley has advised me to write you, as a valuable man to interest in a project which should be of interest to every loyal Rhode Islander.
The old historic fort on Butts Hill in Portsmouth is being surveyed with the idea of selling in small lots, and thus totally obliterating the fort where General Sullivan and his troops fought so well and so bravely. Does it not seem as if this spot should be preserved if possible? I believe a bill was introduced into the legislature some time ago, making this fort a state park, but nothing has since been heard of it, so far as I can find out.
Miss Swinburne, regent of William Ellery Chapter, D. A. R., and I are very desirous of rousing among the patriotic societies a sufficient interest to save this well-preserved relic of Revolutionary days. It seems a peculiarly fitting season to begin the agitation, and I hope that some of the speakers on Wednesday, both at the celebration by your own Historical Society and also at the meeting of the Sons of the Revolution on the same day, may feel inclined to call attention to this subject.
I talked with Mr. Tilley[2] yesterday and found him as kindly disposed to help as I could desire, and he has promised to add his 50word in support of my request whenever he may chance to see you. I can answer for my own Gaspee Chapter, D. A. R., if our assistance is needed, but with such influence as you could wield, coöperating with the S. A. R and S. R. of the state, I feel very hopeful of success in our patriotic project.
I do not feel as if I had at all adequately presented my case, but it is very hard to condense all that might be said on such a subject into the limits of a reasonable note. I hope you will recognize my endeavor to save your valuable time, and read into my words an enthusiastic interest which I have not expressed.
The following letter on the same topic as the foregoing was received by Mayor Boyle of Newport, state vice-president of our Society for Rhode Island:
Dear Sir:
At the meeting of the Irish patriotic society to be held on August twenty-ninth, to celebrate the battle of Rhode Island, would it be possible to bring up the subject of the old fortifications on Butts Hill and call attention to the danger which threatens them, namely, their destruction?
Few such spots remain on this island, and is it not the duty as well as privilege of all loyal patriots to help preserve such spots where our forefathers so hardly fought and whose names we honor and revere?
51I hope this may receive your support and that you will consider it of sufficient importance to bring before your society.
Butts Hill, to which Mrs. Lippitt and Miss Swinburne refer, is in Portsmouth, R. I. The fortifications alluded to were constructed by Gen. John Sullivan in 1778, in connection with the siege of Newport and the subsequent battle on Rhode Island.
The meeting expressed itself as heartily in favor of the project mentioned in the two letters and referred the subject-matter to the executive council of the Society.
On the same evening that this celebration of the battle anniversary was being held by our members at the Aquidneck, another celebration of the anniversary was taking place at the Newport Casino, under the auspices of the Newport Sons of the Revolution.
During the evening, greetings were sent by the Sons assembled at the Casino to our members at the Aquidneck. Messrs. Sanborn and Garrettson of Newport, and Lieutenant Commander Murdock, U. S. N., were delegated to proceed to the Aquidneck and present our members a handsome floral tribute. The presentation speech was made by Mr. Garrettson, and the tribute was accepted, on behalf of our Society, by Mayor Boyle. Later, several of our members accepted an invitation from the Sons to be their guests, and proceeded to the Casino, where they were warmly greeted and hospitably entertained.
John P. Sanborn of the Sons, who was then presiding, paid a glowing tribute to Gen. John Sullivan and to the Irish element, generally, in American history. While at the Casino, several of our members were called on for remarks and responded. Thus Mayor Boyle made a brief address, as did Mayor Driscoll of New Haven, Conn. John J. Rooney of New York recited a patriotic poem, and Hon. James F. Brennan of Peterborough, N. H., spoke eloquently of the services of General Sullivan.
Rev. James MacSparran was one of the great men given by Ireland to Rhode Island in the early half of the eighteenth century. For nearly forty years he was rector of St. Paul’s church,[5] in Narragansett, R. I., and forms one of the grand figures in Rhode Island history.
He was born in or near Dungiven, Londonderry, Ireland, about the year 1680. He received the degree of M. A. from Glasgow University in 1709, and that of D. D., from Oxford in 1731. He belonged to a Presbyterian family. His first visit within the present territory of Rhode Island was made about 1718.
He came from Boston to Bristol, then a part of Massachusetts, and stopped during his visit at the house of a relative, the Widow Pompelion, who resided at the corner of Hope and State streets. Possessing credentials as a licentiate, he preached in Bristol and was favorably received. Munro thus narrates[6] the incident:
“The pulpit was vacant, and the young Irishman was invited to preach in the meeting house on the Sunday after he reached Bristol. Mr. McSparran possessed, in an unusual degree, the remarkable eloquence with which so many of the children of Ireland have been endowed, and his wonderful oratory made such a deep impression upon the minds of his hearers that at a church meeting held on the 5316th of December, 1718, he was invited to settle in the town as its pastor. On the 22d of December the town concurred in the church’s choice, 73 votes being cast for Mr. McSparran and but three against him.”
It was voted that his salary be £100 per year, and £100 was appropriated toward the expense of his settlement. Thus far matters had gone along smoothly. Trouble now arose, however. A date had been fixed for his ordination, but the ministers who were expected to officiate refused to do so.
MacSparran[7] being desirous of a settlement, offered to submit to lay ordination. In the meantime, Rev. Dr. Mather of Massachusetts had instituted charges against him. One of these was “Unguarded conversation.” The matter came before a town-meeting in May, 1719, and MacSparran was exonerated. Angered by their defeat, his opponents then questioned the genuineness of his credentials. In order to give him an opportunity to establish his standing, the town:
“Voted, That leave be granted to Mr. James MacSparran, our present minister, to take a voyage to Ireland, in order to procure a confirmation of his credentials, the truth of which being by some questioned; and that he return to us again some time in June next ensuing and proceed in the work of the ministry with us, if he procure the confirmation of the aforesaid credentials.”
MacSparran departed, but never returned to that church or denomination. The harsh and illiberal treatment he had received from Mather and other zealots displeased him, and soon after he entered the Church of England, in which he remained until his death.
MacSparran came to these parts again in 1721, this time as a Church of England missionary. He began his ministerial labors at St. Paul’s church in Narragansett (Kingstown, R. I.), and had charge of that colonial parish until his death in 1757. The settlers in that neighborhood had been visited by two ministers previous to Dr. MacSparran’s coming, but, as he declares, “they lacked resolution to grapple with the difficulties of the mission above a year apiece.”
MacSparran married Miss Hannah Gardiner, daughter of William Gardiner, on May 22, 1722. The ceremony was performed in St. Paul’s church, Narragansett, by Rev. Samuel Honeyman, who had 54gone from Newport for the purpose. Dr. MacSparran was proud to be known as an Irishman. He could write and speak the Irish language, and always had a great affection for his native land. He was a kindly, noble-hearted man, and could, when occasion required, eloquently defend his Roman Catholic fellow-countrymen.
His very interesting work, “America Dissected,” was published at Dublin in 1753. It gives us a good idea of the extent of Irish immigration and of other matters in the colonies at that time. The work comprises letters addressed by Dr. MacSparran from Narragansett “in the colony of Rhode Island” to friends in Ireland. Here are extracts from one written by him to Col. Henry Cary, under date of August, 1752:
“There has lately been made, upon and behind the mountains of Virginia, a new Irish settlement, by a transmigration of sundry of those that, within these thirty years past, went from the north of Ireland to Pennsylvania. As the soil in that new Irish settlement is natural and friendly to grass, they will for many years to come raise great quantities of neat cattle.”
Writing of Maryland he says: “As the late Lord Baltimore was the first Protestant peer of the Calvert family, his predecessors (as it was natural they should) first peopled this province with a colony of Irish Catholics.... There are some Quakers here, in consequence of its bordering on Pennsylvania, and some Irish Presbyterians, owing to the swarms that, for many years past, have winged their way westward out of the great Hibernian hive.”
Again referring to Pennsylvania, Dr. MacSparran writes: “The Irish are numerous in this province, who, besides their interspersions among the English and others, have peopled a whole county by themselves, called the county of Donnegal, with many other new out-towns and districts. In one of these frontiers, on the forks of Delaware, I assisted my brother (who left Ireland against my advice) in purchasing a large tract of land, which by his wife’s demise, above a year ago, descends to his children. The exportations from this province are principally wheaten flour, which they send abroad in great quantities; and by the accessions and industry of the Irish and Germans, they threaten, in a few years, to lessen the American demands for Irish and other European linens.”
Alluding to New Hampshire he continues: “In this province lies that town called London-Derry, all Irish, and famed for industry and riches.”
55Then, leaving New Hampshire, he continues: “Next you enter Main,[8] which in its civilized government, is annexed to the Massachusetts, as Sagadahock also is; and both rather by use than right. In these two eastern provinces many Irish are settled, and many have been ruined by the French Indians and drove from their homes. It is pretty true to observe of the Irish,[9] that those who come here with any wealth, are the worse for their removal; though, doubtless, the next generation will not suffer so much as their fathers; but those who, when they came, had nothing to lose, have throve greatly by their labour.”
Dr. MacSparran’s reference to Rhode Island is of particular interest. He writes of it as follows: “... the little colony of Rhode Island, etc., where Providence has fixed me, and where I have resided in quality of missionary thirty-one years last April.... This little district extends itself no more than forty miles in length, and thirty in breadth, or it may be forty [for I write to you, sir, from memory]. It contains 1,024,000 acres, and is peopled with about 30,000 inhabitants, young and old, white and black.... In 1700, after Quakerism and other heresies had, in their turn, ruled and tinged all the inhabitants for the space of forty-six years, the Church of England, that had been lost here through the neglect of the crown, entered, as it were, unobserved and unseen, and yet not without some success.
“A little church was built in Newport, the metropolis of the colony, in 1702, and that in which I officiate in Narragansett, in 1707.... I entered on this mission in 1721, and found the people not a ... clean sheet of paper, upon which I might make any impressions I pleased; but a field full of briars and thorns, and noxious weeds, that were all to be eradicated, before I could implant in them the simplicity of truth. By my excursions and out labours, a church is built 25 miles to the westward of me, but not now under my care; another 16 miles to the northward of me, where I officiate once a month; and at a place six miles further off, on the Saturday before that monthly Sunday. I gathered a congregation at a place called New Bristol, where now officiates a missionary from the Society, and I was the first Episcopal minister that 56ever preached at Providence, where, for a long time, I used to go four times a year, but that church has now a fixed missionary of its own.”
In another place he tells us: “There are above three hundred vessels, such as sloops, schooners, brigantines, and ships, from sixty tons and upwards, that belong to this colony, and they are carriers for other colonies.”
The church of St. Paul was built in 1707. When Kingstown was divided, in 1722, into the towns of North and South Kingstown, the church became located about a mile over the line in the former place. In 1791 it was incorporated as St. Paul’s church in North Kingstown. In 1800 the building was removed to Wickford and the parish divided.
Dr. MacSparran was for nearly four decades closely identified with the highest social and intellectual life of the colony. His scholarly attainments made him the centre of a group[10] of cultivated minds. As pastor of St. Paul’s church, he ministered to many of the leading families in Rhode Island. He officiated at their weddings, administered baptism, preached the gospel according to his convictions, and when loved ones died uttered sweet words of condolence, sympathy and hope.
The church records contain such leading names as Updike, Arnold, Lippitt, Gardiner, Helme, Wilkinson, Potter, Robinson and a large number of others.
But “Parson” MacSparran, as he was lovingly called, was not alone the friend and associate of the well-to-do. His love for the poor and lowly was unbounded, and this sympathy found ample reciprocation in the hearts of the humble.
In order to understand the general character of Narragansett society at that period a few words may be necessary. Amos Perry[11] says: “The honor of being, par excellence, the Narragansett country is generally conceded to Charlestown and the original ‘Kings Towne,’ whose united area is 19.8 per cent. of that of the entire state.” To make it plainer, it should be said that the “Narragansett country” comprised that portion of the state of Rhode Island now known as Washington county. It was so called 57because it was the seat of the Narragansett Indians.[12] In 1654 it was named King’s Province, which in 1729 was changed to King’s county. In 1781 that monarchical designation was dropped and the name Washington substituted.
The county now comprises the towns of Charlestown, Exeter, Hopkinton, North Kingstown, South Kingstown, Richmond, and Westerly. The “Narragansett country” had long existed as an independent jurisdiction. Finally, the king in council promulgated his decision uniting the “King’s Province or Narragansett” to Rhode Island. For long years after, the name “Narragansett country” was still affectionately retained in the nomenclature of that district. In Dr. MacSparran’s time there were numbers of wealthy landholders in Narragansett. Many of these owned thousands of acres each and had great herds of cattle and flocks of sheep. Many, too, were slave owners and slave dealers. As late as 1804, Rhode Island had fifty-nine vessels engaged in the slave trade, notwithstanding an act was passed in 1787 forbidding the traffic.[13]
For a long period the slaves were practically barred out of the church. They were neither instructed, baptized, nor admitted to the communion. To bestow such favors upon them was considered inconsistent by their masters. But MacSparran, the great-hearted Irishman, combated this error. He emphatically protested against this unchristian exclusion of the slaves and ultimately prevailed in their behalf.
The Narragansett landholders and their families lived in princely style on their vast estates. They were a hospitable race, cordial in their welcomes, warm and lasting in their attachments. Fond of horse racing, they raised a breed known as “Narragansett Pacers,” which became famous throughout the country. Fox-hunting was also a favorite sport.
The glebe house occupied by Dr. MacSparran for over thirty years is yet standing. It overlooks the Pettaquamscutt river. This river is really a connected series of pretty lakes. Mr. Hazard once termed them the “Killarneys of New England.” Dr. MacSparran 58taught many pupils at his home, imparting a knowledge of the Greek and Latin classics and various other branches. Writing in 1752, he says: “Mr. Thomas Clap, president of Yale college, was my scholar when I came first to these parts, and on all occasions gratefully acknowledges his receiving the first rudiments of his learning from me, who, by the way, have not but a modicum to boast of myself.” Dr. MacSparran has left this significant entry: “In Bristol, New England, February 5th, 1722, were imprisoned in jail twelve men of the Church of England for refusing to pay for the support of the Presbyterian teacher, viz.: Mr. Nathaniel Cotton.” Others were imprisoned in 1724 for a like offense, and Dr. MacSparran says: “I have inserted this line in the church records, that the age to come may not forget the opposing spirit of New England Presbyterians.” The following extracts from the records of St. Paul’s church may prove of interest:
“July 11, 1721, four children were baptized at Providence, viz.: Mary Bernon, and Eva Bernon, Anna Donnison, and Elizabeth Donnison, by Rev. Mr. McSparran.
“November 8th, 1724. Captain Benoni Sweet was baptized at St. Paul’s, in Narragansett, by the Rev. Mr. McSparran.
“April 22d, 1730. In Westerly, Narragansett, Christopher Champlin and Hannah Hill, daughter of Captain John Hill, were joined together in holy matrimony by the Rev. Mr. McSparran, at the house of the said Captain John Hill.
“May 2d, 1730. Daniel Updike, Attorney-General of the Colony and Lieutenant-Colonel of the militia of the Islands, was baptized by immersion (in Petaquamscut river) by the Rev. Mr. McSparran, in presence of Mr. McSparran, Hannah McSparran, his wife, and Josiah Arnold, church warden, as witnesses.
“December 11th, 1735. Dr. Giles Goddard[14] of Groton, in Connecticut, was married to Miss Sarah Updike, at the house of her father, Captain Lodowick Updike, by Mr. McSparran.
“August 6, 1747. Dr. McSparran baptized Mrs. Elizabeth Wilkinson, wife of Capt. Philip Wilkinson,[15] by immersion in Petaquamscut pond. Witnesses, the Doctor, his wife, and Mrs. Coddington.
“Sept. 6th, Thursday, 1750. The bans of marriage being duly 59published at the church of St. Paul’s, in Narragansett, no objections being made, John Anthony, an Indian man, was married to Sarah George, an Indian woman, the widow and Dowager Queen of Geo. Augustus Ninegret, deceased, by Dr. McSparran.
“Nov. 18, 1750. Sunday, the banns being first duly asked, at St. Paul’s, Dr. McSparran married William Potter, youngest son of Col. John Potter, to Penelope Hazard, eldest daughter of Col. Thomas Hazard, both of South Kingstown, at Col. Thomas Hazard’s house.
“Nov. 7, 1752. Dr. McSparran, at the house of Colonel Thomas Hazard, on Boston Neck,[16] married George Hazard (son of George, the son of old Thomas Hazard) to Sarah Hazard, the third daughter of said Colonel Hazard.
“April 11th, 1756, being Palm Sunday, Doctor McSparran read prayers, preached, and baptized a child named Gilbert Stewart,[17] son of Gilbert Stewart, the snuff-grinder. Sureties, the Doctor, Mr. Benjamin Mumford, and Mrs. Hannah Mumford.”
In 1741‒2, MacSparran in a letter to the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts, writes that in the middle arm of the sea, which divides the island of Rhode Island from the Narragansett shore, lies an island called Conanicut, “about eight or nine miles long, and two wide, containing about four or five hundred inhabitants, who had never had Christianity preached to them in any shape than Quakerism,” until he addressed them upon express invitation. He was so pleased with his first visit to the island that he determined to repeat the visit monthly. In the course of his letters he expresses the wish that Ireland was at liberty to send the colonies her woolens instead of her linens, “which will soon cease to be in demand here.”
MacSparran was unalterably opposed, in season and out of season, to all efforts to form a legislative union between England and Ireland. He gives expression to his sentiments on this point, in a letter to Ireland,[18] wherein he declares:
“Our attention has for some time been taken up with the news of measures on foot to unite Ireland to England, as Scotland is. I pray God they may never take effect; for if they do, farewell 60liberty. You are greater slaves already than our negroes, and an union of that kind would make you more underlings than you are now. The accounts of the open irreligion of the greater island inclines me to imagine, that Ireland is on the brink of obtaining (as if these accounts are true, it deserves), its ancient name of Insula Sanctorum. But if ever you come into a closer connection with the more eastern island, corruption will increase.... I suppose those that are sent to rule with you, like those who sometimes are sent here, imagine fleecing to be a better business than feeding the flock. The revolution which happened before you and I were born, might be thought a wise and necessary measure, but we see it has been followed with some bad consequences. To get free from Popery, we have run into infidelity and scepticism.... Except the little revival religion had in Queen Ann’s reign, the church has gained no ground, but in America, since that period.”
Dr. MacSparran, in a letter addressed[19] to a friend in Ireland under date of 1752, again refers to Rhode Island, saying: “There are here, which is no good symptom, a vast many law suits, more in one year than the county of Derry has in twenty ... and Billy McEvers has been so long your father’s and your honor’s constable, that he would make a very good figure on the bench of our courts of sessions and of common pleas, and no contemptible one on those of our courts of assize and general gaol delivery.”
Writing to his friend William Stevenson, in Ireland, Aug. 21, 1752, MacSparran informs him that “My brother and his wife died a year ago last June.... I have to go for England for ten or twelve months, to go to the baths for better health; if I can bring matters to bear to get to England, my next push will be to be seated in Ireland.... I am in the hands of a good God, who has the hearts of men at command; and if he sees that I can serve the interests of Christ’s church, either in the use of the English or Irish language, which you know I can write and read, and upon occasion could preach in, He will raise me up friends, and restore me to my native land, or near it—if not, His will be done.”
Dr. MacSparran’s brother, whom he mentions, Archibald, sailed from Ireland for Rhode Island, but the ship made another port and he settled near New Castle on Delaware bay. He had seven children: Margaret, Eliza, Bridget, John, James, Archibald, and Joseph. Dr. MacSparran, as I have said, had no children. The Doctor and 61his wife went to England sometime before 1755. She died there in the latter year.
The Doctor returned to Rhode Island and made pastoral visits to Providence, Warwick and several other places. In 1757 he died.[20] The manner of his death was a little remarkable. It is thus described in papers in the possession of the Updike family:
“Dr. MacSparran caught his death at father’s. He went to prayer, and had read and was going to kneel, and being a fat, heavy man, and putting his hands on the table to ease himself down, the table split off and his weight came down and he hit the edge of his eyebrow against the sharp edge of the table leg and he bled profusely—but he would have nothing done till he had finished his prayer. They bound it up and he got home and never recovered.”
He was buried under the communion table of St. Paul’s. In 1781 his successor, Rev. Samuel Fayerweather, was laid beside him. It is believed that Dr. MacSparran had written a history of Narragansett, but the manuscript was not found after his death. It may have previously been sent to Ireland. He bequeathed his house and farm to church purposes and the property became a glebe for the rectors of St. Paul’s.
Sometime previous to his death he sent his diplomas as Master and Doctor to Rev. Paul Limrick, a cousin in Ireland, requesting the latter to have them registered in the parish registry of Dungiven. He asked to have this done “not through vanity, but being a pilgrim on earth and not knowing but my carcase may fall in a strange land, it would be pleasing to me that my relations in time to come might be able to speak of me with authority.”
In journalism, as in every other walk of life, men of Irish blood are, and have been, leaders of those who mould public opinion. As American newspaper men, Irish-Americans have added new laurels to the fair name of Erin’s sons. Irish in name, their intense Americanism pervades every cosmopolitan journal from the Atlantic to the Pacific and from the Canadian line to the Gulf of Mexico.
Irishmen were among the pioneers in the establishment of the early American newspapers. It would, indeed, be interesting to follow one by one, step by step, the career of the men of Irish blood who, more than a hundred years ago, braved blind prejudice and established newspapers which did so much for American freedom, and later labored so hard for internal improvements, the developing and the upbuilding of the great Republic.
Irishmen were among the first paper manufacturers in this country. Many of them, prior to the Revolutionary War, were engaged in the printing business. Naturally they drifted into publishing newspapers. At the period immediately following the Revolution, it is estimated by the census bureau that there were published in the United States two hundred papers. Of these, it is said, twenty-five were controlled by foreigners, and were, as a rule, the most influential papers published, and were issued in the large towns like Philadelphia, New York and Boston.
The election of John Adams as president, and the inauguration of his federal policy, brought into being a strong opposition press, which arrayed itself on the side of Thomas Jefferson. The editors of that period, not unlike the politicians of their time, did not mince matters. Their trenchant quills smote the Federalists with such force that the administration of Mr. Adams deemed it necessary to 63pass a law that would curb the spirit of the times and muzzle the opposition press. The result was the enactment of the Alien and Sedition act. The twenty-five papers which were controlled by the foreigners were the special mark of the alien and sedition laws.
Appleton’s Encyclopedia, speaking on this subject, says:
“The apology for the sedition act was the unquestionable licentiousness of the press, which, at that time, was chiefly controlled by refugees and adventurists from Great Britain and Ireland.”
Lossing, in his United States History, says, “that outside of New England, the most influential papers were controlled principally by foreigners.”
The majority of the refugees and adventurists, so called, were men of Irish blood; all of them men of learning, enterprise and push. They hated the Federalists for their pro-English leanings, especially President Adams, whom they believed to be friendly to England in the contest against France. Several of them had had a taste of British tyranny at home, and all were imbued with the spirit of ’98.
Among the very earliest newspaper enterprises was that of Hugh Gaine in New York city. Gaine was a native of Ireland. He began his new world career as a book-seller. In 1752 he commenced the publication of the Mercury. Hudson, in his history of journalism in the United States, says of the paper, that it was one of the best in all the colonies in the collection of intelligence. Hugh Gaine prospered as an editor, book-seller and publisher.
How noble was the attitude of Charles Carroll, of Carrollton, who lent his mighty influence to launching the Maryland Gazette. His financial and moral aid made possible its vigorous contest for the freedom of the colonies.
The alien and sedition act was particularly aimed at the Irishmen, who, almost to a man, arrayed themselves under the broad banner of Jefferson, the leader of the Republicans. The first man to suffer under the alien and sedition laws was an Irishman, Congressman Matthew Lyon of Vermont, a native of Wicklow, a printer, who started the Farmer’s Library, and later issued the Fairhaven Gazette. This “peppery, red-headed little Irishman,” as he was called by his contemporaries, hated everything that had the odor of Federalism about it, and for an article written by him, published in a Vermont paper, reflecting on President John Adams, he was indicted by the United States Court. A writer, speaking of the article for which he 64was indicted, says that “the language was decidedly Lyonesque.” He was fined $1,000 and imprisoned for three months. While in jail he was reëlected to congress, and on his release would have been rearrested on another charge under the same act, had he not availed himself of his constitutional rights and declared that he was on his way to Philadelphia to attend a sitting of Congress.
Lyon is remembered for his varied congressional life, and the episode especially with Congressman Griswold of Connecticut. Griswold referred to Lyon deprecatingly one day, and revived an old story of alleged cowardice during the Revolutionary War, which his political opponents used against him. The result was an exhibition of old-time pugilism on the floor of congress. For this offence an attempt was made to expel him from the house on two occasions, but each time it failed for want of a two-thirds vote.
Lyon had the distinguished honor of having been elected as a representative from three states to congress,—Vermont, Kentucky and Arkansas. He learned the trade of a printer when a boy, ran away from the old country and settled in Vermont. Governor Chittenden took a great interest in the young Irish lad, and helped him in many ways. He married a daughter of the governor’s, and engaged in the manufacture of iron and paper. Becoming involved financially, in trying to build a flotilla of gunboats on the Delaware for the infant American navy, he moved to Kentucky, and there set up another printing office, the first in the state. He was elected to Congress in 1804, serving until 1810.
He was the first delegate to Congress from Arkansas, having taken up his residence in Little Rock, but he died before taking his seat. To Matthew Lyon also belongs the distinguished honor of having cast the vote of Vermont for Jefferson for president against Adams in that critical period of American history, when the choice of president was thrown into the house of representatives.
His son, Chittenden, was a prominent man of his day, a member of congress, and took an active part in public affairs. In 1840 congress refunded Matthew Lyon’s son the $1,000 fine imposed upon his father under the alien and sedition act.
In Massachusetts, Attorney-General James Sullivan, afterward congressman and governor, the son of Irish emigrants, wrote and published a most able paper entitled, “A Dissertation on the Constitutional Freedom of the Press,” severely arraigning the sedition law. After enumerating the power of congress, Mr. Sullivan said:
65“It is very clear that, considering a libel as a private injury, the congress can have no authority to enact a law for its definition or punishment.... It went beyond what the constitution would warrant.” In his final summing up, Attorney-General Sullivan said, “that a reasonable, constitutional restraint, judicially exercised, is the only way in which the freedom of the press can be preserved as an invaluable privilege to the nation.”
The alien and sedition laws were soon effaced from the statute books when the Democratic party came into power under Jefferson. Inasmuch as these laws were aimed especially at the men of Irish blood, who sought freedom at home in vain and came here to enjoy it, it was especially fitting that an Irishman, Senator Smilie of South Carolina, should introduce the bill for their repeal. He was chairman of the committee on foreign affairs on the part of the senate.
John T. Morse, in his “American Statesmen” series, characterizes the alien and sedition laws as the “two great blunders of the Federal party,” and adds: “No one has ever been able heartily or successfully to defend these foolish outbursts of ill-considered legislation.”
Another Irishman, John Daly Burk of The Time-Piece published in New York city was arrested under the alien and sedition law. This John Daly Burk had a most interesting history. He published the first daily paper in Boston. Said to be of the same family as the great Edmund Burke, he was expelled from Trinity College, Dublin, for patriotic articles contributed to the Dublin Evening Post, a paper which advocated the cause of the people against the rule of England. The expulsion of young Burk from Trinity only rekindled his patriotism and he rallied around the young band of patriots who were getting ready for the uprising of ’98. A brother patriot was being led to the gallows one day. As the procession passed Trinity’s steps, where Burk, in company with about thirty young men, was standing, he called out that if there was an Irishman in the crowd, to follow him for the purpose of rescuing the prisoner. The attempt proved unsuccessful. Burk escaped to a house where lived a woman named Daly. She fitted him out in woman’s garb and in this disguise he escaped from Ireland, making his way to America, landing in Boston. Being without means and desiring to show his gratitude to his protectress, Burk assumed her name, and ever after he signed himself John Daly Burk.
Boston in those days was not a very hospitable town for an Irishman 66to settle in, but Burk fought against great odds and overcame what seemed to be insurmountable obstacles. On October 6, 1796, he issued the Polar Star and Daily Advertiser. It was the first daily paper published in the town. It was printed by Alexander Martin, at the corner of Water Street and Quaker Lane. Copies of the paper are extant, and are well worth perusal. It had considerable display advertising. It started out with a well written address to the public on the advantages of a daily paper. Speaking of the policy of the paper, the editor said: “It will have more frequent opportunities of defending the great principles of American Independence; encouraging the arts and chastising the enemies of the federal constitution whatever mask they may wear or whatever denomination they may assume.”
Further along in his address to the people, Burk apologized for calling the residents of Boston his fellow-citizens, but, he added, he was their fellow citizen, for the moment a stranger puts his foot on American soil “his fetters,” to use his own language, “are rent to pieces.”
In concluding his leading editorial, Burk said: “The Polar Star, like a stern and impartial tribune of criticism, shall be open to reasoning on both sides, but it will hear only reasoning. It will curb the spirit of faction; silence the clamor of revenge and heal the wounds of the unfortunate.”
Burk complained of the treatment accorded him by the other Boston papers of the period. In a paragraph, one day, he called attention to the fact that none deigned to notice the Polar Star, and remarked that if its promoters had not taken the trouble to register its birth in the temple of freedom, the world would not have been the wiser.
In another issue, he calls attention to the fact that “a gentleman possessing the wisdom of a Socrates,” declined to subscribe to his paper, “because the editor was an Irishman.” The italics are Burk’s.
The Polar Star and Daily Advertiser gave each political party an equal showing in its news columns, but its editor early incurred the enmity of President Adams. Of the presidential canvass preceding the election of John Adams, who was the candidate of the Federalists, Editor Burk observed in his paper:
“We hope the future president will be as good a Republican as Washington. Never has the venerable patriot been known to utter 67a sentiment favorable to royalty. He ought to be a friend to the revolution of Holland and France; he ought not to be willing to divide the people by any distinction; Americans should have but one denomination—the people.”
It would seem that President Adams kept a sharp eye on Burk while in Boston. It was his intention, says Burk’s son in his memoirs of his father, to hand the Boston editor over to the captain of a British frigate lying in Boston harbor. Great Britain at that time was claiming all her subjects, wherever found. Many an American vessel was searched for escaped Irish patriots, and on this right of search, the war of 1812 was waged. Had Burk ever been handed over to the British captain, there is no doubt but that he would have been hanged at the yard arm of the vessel. As it was, Burk was obliged to flee from Boston, fearing surrender to the British, leaving his daily paper on the hands of the printer, who soon afterwards abandoned it and removed to Philadelphia, then the seat of the Federal government.
It was Aaron Burr who gave Burk the first intimation of President Adams’ intention to turn him over to the British authorities, and in more ways than one Hamilton’s inveterate political enemy facilitated Burk’s escape to New York, where he published The Time-Piece. Thus, Boston lost a brilliant man and her first daily paper was reluctantly abandoned after six months’ existence.
While in Boston, Burk married a widow named Curtis, formerly Christine Borne. She bore him one son, John Junius Burk, who became a distinguished jurist of Louisiana. Mrs. Curtis had two boys by her first marriage. One of them married a sister of President John Tyler. John Junius Burk left several accomplished children who were justly proud of John Daly Burk, their grandfather, the pioneer of Boston daily journalism. After his New York experience Burk took up his residence among the Republicans of Virginia. Jefferson, Randolph and other distinguished patriots were proud to have him in their company. He wrote one of the best histories of Virginia published, and took an active part in public matters, being in great demand for public speaking.
In the Richmond Enquirer of May 27, 1808, were printed proposals for publishing the ancient and modern music of Ireland, by John McCreery and Skelton Jones. Burk wrote a fine essay on the subject for the work. This book, it is said, suggested to Thomas Moore his Irish melodies. Dr. Robinson, who wrote the preface to 68McCreery’s work, was a classmate of Moore at Trinity College, Dublin. Burk’s ending was dramatic. He was killed in a duel by a Frenchman in Virginia in 1808. Although Burk was the publisher of the first daily paper in Boston, the impartial historians of the Hub dismiss him by a mere mention of his name when they condescend to refer to his paper at all, but an honored son has preserved the important facts of his distinguished and interesting career.
A most interesting character in pioneer journalism in America was Andrew Brown, an Irishman who published the Federal Gazette in Philadelphia. He, too, was a graduate of Trinity college. He came to America when a young man, settled in Massachusetts, and fought on the patriots’ side at Lexington, Concord and Bunker Hill. He took an active part in the campaigns of Generals Gates and Greene.
Brown’s paper was the first to publish reports of the doings of Congress. He upheld the constitution when it was assailed, and earned the gratitude of men no less distinguished than Washington.
Another of the early Irish-American publishers was John Dunlap of the Pennsylvania Packet, the first daily published in America. He was born in Strabane, Ireland, in 1747. He died in Philadelphia in November, 1812. He was the first congressional printer, and acted as such to the Continental Congress. His paper was first to print the Declaration of Independence. He was an officer in the First Philadelphia cavalry which acted as Washington’s body-guard at Trenton and Princeton. Dunlap was an intense patriot, and during the Revolutionary War contributed more than £4,000 to the support of the Revolutionary army. He was a member of that noble band, the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick, of Philadelphia, which furnished more field officers to the Revolutionary army and rendered more material aid to the colonists in the struggle for independence than any other single society.
Another prominent Philadelphia journalist of Irish birth was Mathew Carey, a native of Dublin. He landed in Philadelphia November 15, 1784. He had just been released from an English prison for political offenses. Two months later he issued the Philadelphia Herald. The Herald was the first paper to give correct legislative reports of Congress, Carey acting as his own reporter. For his vigorous opposition to English tyranny in his native land, he found himself one day a prisoner behind the bars at Newgate. Previous 69to this he was obliged to flee, for a vigorous use of his able pen in behalf of Irish freedom. He went to Paris and there made the acquaintance of the American minister, Benjamin Franklin, who gave him employment as clerk in the American embassy. After a year’s absence he returned to Dublin. He and Franklin were life-long friends, and it was he, I believe, who remarked to Franklin one day, that he agreed with the great philosopher in everything except religion.
He remained at his post editing his paper during the yellow fever epidemic in Philadelphia, when all other editors felt obliged to desert their posts. He wrote and published much on economic and political subjects. His articles on protection were translated into different languages, and had a large sale. He fought a duel with Colonel Oswald, editor of a rival journal, and was confined to his bed for sixteen months, the result of wounds received from his antagonist. Mathew Carey was the first publisher of an American history. It was written by an Irish Presbyterian, Dr. Ramsay.
Perhaps the most interesting character among the Philadelphia editors of Irish blood was William Duane. He was the editor of the Aurora. Born in New York of Irish parents, he was sent to Ireland to be educated, graduating at Trinity College with honors. In 1794 we find him in India where he started a paper called the World and accumulated quite a fortune. With his inherent love of freedom, Duane championed the cause of the colonists against the East India Company. He was invited to breakfast one day with the governor of the colony, was arrested and sent to London in irons without any explanation. After petitioning for redress he awaited the outcome. Meanwhile he was employed editing the General Advertiser, which was subsequently merged into the London Times.
In 1795 Duane gave up his hope of redress from the Company and left London in disgust, coming to Philadelphia, where he became the editor of the Aurora, the leading organ of the Democratic party. It was to him that Jefferson attributed his election, owing to the vigorous advocacy of his candidacy through the Aurora columns which at that time was regarded as the most influential paper in America. President Jefferson made him a lieutenant-colonel in 1805, and during the war of 1812 he was adjutant-general of the army, which afforded the editor of the Aurora an opportunity to retaliate on his old enemy, England. The change of the seat of government from Philadelphia to Washington, diminished the influence 70of his paper, and later he retired from its editorship. He traveled much after retirement from his editorial labors, and on his return from abroad devoted himself to literary pursuits. He published a great many works on military subjects.
His son, who was born in Ireland, was originally a printer and paper dealer in Philadelphia. He studied law, was admitted to practice and represented Philadelphia in the state legislature for many years. He, like his father, took a deep interest in public matters, especially the building up of the great common school system of Philadelphia. He was his father’s right hand man in his editorial labors and secretary of the treasury in 1833 under President Jackson. He was removed from his position by the president after a controversy, for his refusal to remove the deposits from the United States bank during the exciting bank troubles. He was an author of note and wrote much on political and economic subjects.
The Binns family who settled in Philadelphia at the close of the eighteenth century were natives of Dublin. John and Benjamin were printers. John was tried in England for “treason,” but escaped punishment. Soon after his acquittal he was rearrested on a similar charge and served three years in jail. He came to America in 1801. In 1802 he commenced the publication of the Republican Argus at Northumberland, Penn., and in 1807 issued the Democratic Press at Philadelphia. For many years it was a most influential paper. For twenty years John Binn was an alderman of the city of Philadelphia, and was always active in matters affecting his native land. He was the first man to print an absolutely correct copy of the Declaration of Independence. For this public service he received the thanks of John Quincy Adams and General Lafayette. Appended to the copy of the document was a fac simile of the signatures of the signers of the immortal Declaration.
The proprietor of the New Jersey State Gazette which was established in 1792, the first daily paper published in that state, was William B. Kenny, the son of Irish parents. Under President Fillmore he was American minister to Sardinia.
Dr. James Hagan, the fighting editor of the Vicksburg (Miss.) Sentinel, was one of the earliest daily newspaper men in the South. He was killed in the prime of life while on his way to his office one day in 1842, by the editor of the Vicksburg Whig, with whom he had had a controversy. Dr. Hagan’s associate in the enterprise was James Ryan.
71In the early life of the nineteenth century we find Henry O’Reilly editing the New York Columbian. At seventeen he was editor of the Patriot, ably advocating, in 1842, the election of DeWitt Clinton, an Irish immigrant’s son, as governor of the Empire state. In 1826 the Rochester Daily Advertiser was issued and was the first daily between the Hudson river and the Pacific Ocean. O’Reilly was then only twenty-one years old, but was considered one of the ablest men in his profession at that time. He was a great advocate of the canal system of New York and was always ready to defend it from the attacks of designing politicians. He was one of the foremost champions of the great common school system of his state. To him belongs the credit of the establishment of the State Agricultural college. Almost every state in the Union has followed New York’s lead in this matter. As a promoter of the infant telegraph business, Mr. O’Reilly is acknowledged to have been the foremost man in the matter, assisting Morse with his pen and money. No man had more influence than O’Reilly throughout the state, and at the breaking out of the Rebellion he did yeoman service for the Union cause. He died in 1867, loved and respected by all.
William Cassidy, the son of Irish parents, was born in Albany, N. Y., in 1815. His father was a great friend of DeWitt Clinton, the governor of New York. Cassidy was the editor of the Albany Atlas and Argus which were united in 1856, taking the name of the Argus. From that date the Albany Argus has been one of the leading papers of New York state. Cassidy was a fine classical scholar, and for many years secretary of the Democratic state committee. He was a noted platform builder and often helped his party out of trying positions.
James McCarroll was a noted journalist of his day. He was born in the county Longford, Ireland, came to this country when a young man, and in 1845 was a proprietor of the Peterboro Chronicle. Later in life he was engaged as a musical and dramatic critic on New York daily papers. His father fell, fighting bravely for the Union, at Antietam.
Who is there that does not recall Fitz James O’Brien and his heroism on Union battlefields, that won him the official praise of two great generals? He lived a newspaper man, a poet, and a writer of preëminent ability. He died a Union soldier. He gave his life to his adopted country freely and without price. A record of heroic deeds on the battlefields survives him. Of him, suffice it 72to say, that during his ten years’ residence in America, this adopted citizen brought out some of the most brilliant writings of their class published. He died in Virginia, an aide in the staff of General Landers, from the effects of a wound received in a charge he led, and lies buried in Greenwood cemetery, New York, in an honored grave.
The mention of poor O’Brien recalls to mind Charles Dawson Shanley, another Irishman, who died in 1875. For eighteen years Mr. Shanley occupied a prominent place in American journalism, having been connected with several New York newspapers as editor and contributor. His poems and novels still delight the lover of realistic beauty. His old friend, William Winter, paid this tribute to him in the columns of the New York Tribune, April 19, 1875: “There is no one of the busy workers in journalism who will not be benefited by reflection upon a character so pure and simple, a life so industrious, useful and blameless, and an end so tranquil.”
Col. James Mulligan once edited a Chicago paper. General Thomas Francis Meagher, of ’48 fame, was editing the Irish News in New York at the breaking out of the Rebellion of ’61.
Robert S. McKenzie, a native of Limerick, Ireland, a graduate of Fermoy, was noted for his literary work, and was engaged in general newspaper correspondence for many years.
One of the most successful journalists of Irish blood was Thomas Kinsella, editor of the Brooklyn Eagle. Mr. Kinsella was born in Ireland in 1832, learned his trade as a printer and in 1861 was editing the Brooklyn Eagle. He was postmaster at Brooklyn, member of Congress, one of the original Brooklyn bridge trustees, and at one time president of the St. Patrick club of Brooklyn.
In Indiana, no two newspaper men of their time were better known than Thomas and John Dowling in the early part of the nineteenth century.
A son of Judge John D. Phelan of Tennessee, who graduated with high honor at Nashville University, started a Democratic paper in Huntersville, conducting it with success. Editor Phelan was a leading figure in politics and at his death was a judge of the supreme court of Tennessee.
Michael Burnham was the name of the man, who, when the century was young, issued the New York Post and Herald.
Although the founder of the New York Herald, James Gordon Bennett, was of Scotch birth, his mother was an Irishwoman, being 73the descendant of an old and honorable Dublin family. Mr. Bennett studied for the priesthood in the old country, but soon abandoned the idea, came to Boston where he read proof for a while, and after a varied experience in newspaper life settled in New York and in 1835 started the New York Herald.
James Gordon Bennett’s great competitor, Horace Greeley, of the New York Tribune, was a New Hampshire boy, born of Irish parents in the town of Amherst. No man carried more influence than Greeley, and in the days of the war and the decade following it the Tribune was a great power in national politics.
One of the foremost newspaper men of the South was the late United States Senator Patrick Walsh of Georgia. He was a native of Limerick. He came to America with his parents when a child. He was a hard worker in his youth and earned enough money sticking type to pay his way at Georgetown college. He was at college when his adopted state seceded and he went home to join the Meagher Guard, an Irish company attached to the first regiment of South Carolina. He had filled every position on the paper, and in 1873 became one of the owners of the Augusta Chronicle.
Few journalists in America occupy the high position in their profession that Col. Alexander Kelly McClure, who, with the McLaughlin brothers, started the Philadelphia Times, one of the leading papers in the country to-day. Mr. McClure comes from the Pennsylvania Irish which has furnished so many remarkable men in American history. He has been an important factor in journalism for nearly half a century now and counts among his nearest friends the leading men of the nation. He was particularly prominent in the War of the Rebellion and was on the most intimate terms with President Lincoln.
As a war correspondent Joseph B. McCullagh, late editor of the St. Louis Globe-Democrat, had few equals. He was a native of Dublin, which he early left, coming to America when a boy. He had a varied and successful newspaper career. He was in the Wilderness with Grant and with Sherman on his march to the sea. In his campaign with Grant a friendship was formed which lasted until the death of the hero of the Rebellion.
One of the leading newspaper men of Pittsburg to-day is Thomas J. Keenan, the son of an Irish-American soldier distinguished for his bravery. Mr. Keenan recently gave a $30,000 home to the newsboys of Pittsburg.
74Thomas Fitzgerald, for many years connected with the New York Commercial Advertiser, and the Item, of Philadelphia, which he founded, was in his day one of the leaders in American journalism. He died in 1891, after turning his paper over to his son. He was a noted dramatist, and during the War of the Rebellion was an intense patriot. He was a noted public speaker. Charles Sumner said of a speech of his delivered in Boston, that it was one of the best extemporaneous addresses he had ever listened to.
At the head of the Scranton (Pa.) Truth is James Joseph Jordan, born of Irish parents, while the Farrells of Albany, N. Y., are also well-known and influential in the newspaper world.
The late Joseph Medill, of Chicago, the son of Irish parents, made the Chicago Tribune a great newspaper. He ranked with Charles A. Dana of the N. Y. Sun.
Thomas O’Conor, the father of New York’s greatest jurist, Charles O’Conor, was among the best known and gifted newspaper men in the early ’40’s.
Theodore O’Hara, the gifted poet of the South, was a newspaper man of wide experience. Himself a Kentucky soldier, he wrote the beautiful poem entitled “The Bivouac of the Dead,” when the remains of the Kentucky soldiers who fell at Buena Vista in the Mexican War were brought home to their native state. Lines from his poems are inscribed over the entrances of several of the national cemeteries. By a resolution of the Kentucky legislature, his remains were conveyed from Georgia, where he died, to his native state and they now lie beside those whom he had commemorated in his beautiful lines, and beside whom he had fought the battles of his country.
Daniel Kane O’Donnell as an all round newspaper man and a war correspondent, had few equals. He represented the Philadelphia Press on Sherman’s march to the sea. After the war he became connected with the New York Tribune, and was made correspondent of the paper in Mexico, and later in Cuba, his interesting letters attracting world-wide attention. Subsequently, he returned to the home office and was given charge of the foreign affairs of the paper.
At the head of the war correspondents of the Orient and Europe stands Januarius Aloysius McGahan, an Irish-American journalist. His first notable newspaper connection was as the Paris correspondent of the New York Herald. McGahan was about to return from Europe after a course in international law, when he was retained by Mr. Bennett as the Herald correspondent.
75He overtook the retreating Frenchmen at Bordeaux and accompanied them to Lyons, sending graphic dispatches to his paper in the form of interviews with the leaders of all parties. This surprised the European newspapers, as it was the introduction of newspaper interviewing in the old world. He was the only correspondent who remained in Paris during the commune, and kept the readers of the Herald thoroughly informed as to what was going on in the turbulent French capital. He was arrested by the French government for intimacy with the rebels, but through the intercession of the American minister was released.
After this he was made correspondent at St. Petersburg by the Herald, and was on the most intimate terms with the czar. He was at the bombardment of Khiva, and in 1874 reported the Carlist war, living in the saddle and being frequently under fire. To follow McGahan would require a whole evening. He continued to be the most renowned correspondent of his day, and died of fever at his post of duty during the Bulgarian war in 1875.
Another famous New York Herald war correspondent was James O’Kelly, who made a world-wide reputation in his dispatches from Cuba in the early ’70’s. Born in Ireland, a French soldier in Mexico, he came to America and engaged in the newspaper business, becoming an attache of the New York Herald. He was condemned to death for his part in the Cuban insurrection, but was saved that fate by the state department. After his release he returned to Ireland, and was elected to parliament on entering politics.
It was Daniel O’Neil, a native of Wexford, who started the Pittsburg Dispatch, one of the leading papers of the West to-day. His brother, Eugene O’Neil, is now the editor.
Ex-Mayor Hugh O’Brien, of Boston, scored a signal success as a journalist.
James McConnell, who died recently, was one of the best known newspaper men of Philadelphia. He learned to set type at the case adjoining that of the late John Russell Young. Later, he became proofreader on the Philadelphia Press, then owned by John Forney. He became night editor, and during the Civil War war correspondent of that paper. When John Russell Young became managing editor of the New York Tribune under Horace Greeley, Mr. McConnell came to New York and while with the Tribune was successively day editor, Albany correspondent, traveling political correspondent, night editor and political editor in the office. After 76serving the Tribune he went to Philadelphia and associated himself with the Evening Star, and at the time of his death was managing editor of the Star.
Add to this already remarkable list, a Grady in the South, a Blaine in the North. Nothing that I might say regarding these distinguished men of Irish origin would add to the already large stock of knowledge possessed by the public concerning them. Their names are household words. They lived but as yesterday. Their influence is still felt.
In treating a subject of this character one could hardly forget the debt of gratitude the Irish people in America owe to Patrick Donahoe, the venerable founder of the Boston Pilot, and his brilliant and scholarly successor as editor of that paper, the lamented John Boyle O’Reilly. Coming down to the present time, we would not be doing justice to ourselves did we not pause in admiration of the present gifted editor of the Pilot, James Jeffrey Roche, and also of Stephen O’Meara, the manager of the Boston Journal. Time permits only a passing notice of these brilliant lights in American journalism. In this hasty review of the men of Irish blood who have taken such an active part in American newspaper work, I doubt not that many worthy men have escaped notice. It is inevitable in such an undertaking. Experience teaches that if one were to put the works on the Irish in America together, something and somebody would be missing.
Enough has been shown to establish the fact that Irishmen by birth or blood may justly claim a large share of putting the American newspaper on its feet, so to speak. This is not said in any boastful vein. The only desire is to show that in the building up of this great industry Irishmen did their share of the work. Effort has been made to keep within the bounds of actual facts, most of them being obtained from unwilling witnesses, men who, when they are forced to include in their chronicles men of our race, endeavor oftentimes to make them out “Scotch-Irish.”
Men like Burk, Carey, Dunlap, Brown and Duane may have been “adventurists and refugees.” God grant us more such “adventurists and refugees,” for they lived useful lives here. They left their imprint on the land. The historian who would apply the term “adventurists and refugees” to such men should reflect that, had the American cause failed, Washington, Adams, Jefferson and many other patriots would have come within their term of “adventurists 77and refugees,” and probably would have been seeking liberty elsewhere, as were these men, far from the land of their nativity.
These pioneers in American journalism came here,
“They may sleep in their silent tomb,” to quote the words of Thomas D’Arcy Magee, another brilliant Irish-American journalist, “but the remembrance of their virtue will be cherished while liberty is dear to the American heart.”
A distinguished man, Gen. Patrick A. Collins, once observed that of all the brilliant Irishmen he ever knew—and he has known many—John Boyle O’Reilly and D’Arcy Magee could do more things and do them better than any of their contemporaries.
The number of distinctive Irish names met in looking over the early records of North Carolina, Virginia, South Carolina, and Kentucky is simply wonderful. When are added to them the names more distinctively Scotch, but fully as Gaelic in origin as the Irish, one is justified in believing what Ramsay wrote in 1789, that:
“The colonies which now form the United States may be considered as Europe transplanted. Ireland, England, Scotland, France, Germany, Holland, Switzerland, Sweden, Poland, and Italy furnished the original stock of the present population and have been supposed to contribute to it in the order enumerated. For the last seventy or eighty years no nation has contributed so much to the population of America as Ireland.”[23]
Dr. Hart and William Coomes were the first Catholic settlers in Kentucky, locating in Harrodsburgh in 1775. The doctor was the first medical practitioner in the state, as Mrs. Coomes was the first teacher. This credit is given them in Collins’ History of Kentucky. Among the fortified stations or forts built for protection from the Indians by the early settlers, not a few bore names familiar to Irish ears, denoting the presence of many of the old race.
79Among them may be mentioned Bryan’s Station, Dougherty’s Station, Drennan’s Lick, Feagan’s Station, Finn’s Station, Fleming’s Station, Hart’s Station, Higgins’ Block House, Irish Station, Lynch’s Station, Logan’s Fort, McAfee’s Station, McFadden’s Station, McGee’s Station, Sullivan’s Old Station, Sullivan’s New Station, Sullivan’s Station, Daniel Sullivan’s Station, McGuire’s Station, McCormack’s Station, McKeenan’s Station, McConnell’s Station, Kennedy’s Station, Givin’s Station, McKinley’s Station, McMillan’s Station, Owen’s Station, Kilgore Station, Hoy Station, Kinchelloe’s Station and Gilmore’s Station.
Ten Kentucky counties bear Irish names: Adair, Butler, Logan, Hart, Montgomery, McCracken, Boyle, Carroll, Rowan, and Casey. John Carty, the most successful merchant in Lexington, was the son of John Carty, a native of Ireland who went early to Kentucky from New Jersey; and General James Morrison, for many years one of the leading men of the state, was the son of another Irish emigrant.
As late as 1840, among the surviving veterans of the Revolutionary War residing in Kentucky were the following:
80The following served in the several companies named, during the Revolution, on detached service, mainly against the Indians, who were the auxiliaries of the British:
In Captain Bourman’s company,—William Barry, Edward Bulger, Patrick Doran, Isaac McBride, Robert McClanahan, Edward Murray, Joseph Michael and Thomas Pendergast.
Captain Logan’s company,—Capt. Benj. Logan, Lieut. John Logan, William Casey, George Flynn, Bartholomew Fenton, Stephen Houston, John McCormack, John McElhone, James McElwain, John McKaine, Archibald Mahone, William Neal.
Captain Harrod’s company,—Daniel Driskill, John Conway, Patrick McGee, John Lewis, William Smiley, James Sullivan, James Welch.
Captain Boyle’s company,—Capt. John Boyle, Barney Boyle, Elisha Clary, James Coyle, Owen Devine, Peter Higgins, Robert Moore, William Rowan, Dennis Devine.
Captain Holder’s company,—James Barry, James Bryan, John Butler, William Collins, William McGee, Hugh Ross.
Captain Boone’s company,—John Butler, Patrick Ryan, Morgan Hughes, John McFadden.
An idea can be formed of the Irish blood in Kentucky during those stirring times, from the character of the names given. Nearly all the great Gaelic family names are represented, and the absence of Scriptural (Old Testament) names, so common among those of the Presbyterian and Congregational denominations, indicates that these men were of Catholic stock when they, or their fathers, immigrated. The first settlers of the “Blue Grass” state were from Virginia, North Carolina and Pennsylvania,—nearly all of this stock, which no doubt accounts for the gallantry and beauty of the modern Kentuckians, men and women, and the superior quality of the whiskey and horses, for the usquebaugh, or “mountain dew,” was first distilled in Ireland, and when first tasted by the sluggish Saxons, the effect was such on their thick blood, muddied by beer, that they considered it good not only as a beverage, but as “cure-all” for medicinal purposes.
James McBride, an Irishman, has the credit of being the first white man to enter the territory, “paddling his canoe up the Kentucky river in 1745.” Twenty years later Col. George Croghan, the well-known Indian agent of the same stock, was at Shawane town, on the Ohio river.
When Daniel Boone left North Carolina for Kentucky in 1769, he 81was accompanied by James Mooney, John Stewart, Joseph Holden, John Findlay and William Cool, all but the leader being of Irish stock.
In 1775, James, George and Robert McAfee, and James McCowen went to the territory on a surveying tour. In 1778 Capt. James Grattan, John Tuel and John McManus were among those who laid the permanent foundation of the city of Louisville. Bryan’s station was one of the earliest garrisons for protection against the Indians, and two of the prominent Indian fighters were Captains Orr and Shannon.
Captain Flynn was one of the founders of the town of Columbia, 1787, and Dr. John Connelly was agent in 1778 for the British government in the territory. The first newspaper established northwest of the Ohio, in Cincinnati, was by William Maxwell, of the same stock.
Col. John Lutteral, an Irishman, was one of a party which left North Carolina for Boonesboro’, Ky., in April, 1775. He was one of the pioneers and a noted man for years. He was accompanied by John Hart and John Kennedy. Daniel Boone was the leader. Captain Flynn, who has been mentioned as one of the founders of Columbia, had as associates Francis Dunleavy and John Riley.
Among the first settlers of Harrodsburgh were the families of McGarry and Hogan, welcome acquisitions on account of their wives and children. Major McGarry was one of the bravest, as well as one of the best known, Indian fighters in Kentucky, having for an associate a brother Celt named Major McBride, and another named Captain Bulger. The recital of their deeds would alone fill a good-sized volume.
In an attack on Bryan’s station, a garrison named after another Celt, by a party of 500 Indians, in 1782, the savages were repulsed, but some of the women were killed. This enraged the whites in the vicinity, and a party of 160 met at the station to arrange for the pursuit and punishment of the Indians. The cooler heads, led by Daniel Boone, tried to dissuade the hotheads from making the attempt, but in the midst of the discussion the impetuous McGarry, putting spurs to his horse, cried out for all but the cowards to follow him, and galloped in the direction taken by the savage foe. Every man of the 160, nettled by the taunt, followed him, but the result which was predicted, followed. They fell into an ambuscade and sixty of the number were killed, among them McBride and Bulger. McGarry fought like a madman and escaped unhurt.
82Among the first Presbyterian ministers in the state were James McCready, William McGill, Samuel McAdoo, Henry Delaney, A. M. Bryan, William McGee, William McMahon and John Dunleavy; and among the first Methodist ministers were James O’Cull, William Burke, William McMahon and John and William McGee, all Irish enough in appearance to be staunch Catholics of the old Milesian type, and it is not unlikely their fathers may have been.
Among those who distinguished themselves in the history of the state as legislators, soldiers or writers, were Wm. T. Barry, who was chief justice of the court of appeals in 1825; one of a commission to digest a plan of schools for common education; lieutenant-governor in 1820; member of the National House of Representatives in 1810‒’11; and in the United States Senate in 1814‒’16.
Gen. John Adair held high command in the War of 1812‒’15; received the thanks of the Kentucky legislature for gallantry at New Orleans; was governor of Kentucky in 1820; in the National House of Representatives 1814‒’16, and had served in the United States Senate in 1805‒’06. John Rowan was secretary of state in 1804; Benjamin Logan was presidential elector in 1793, William Logan in 1809, and Robert Ewing, William Irvine, William Casey and William Logan in 1813.
The indomitable Matthew Lyon who went from Vermont to Kentucky was again sent from Kentucky to congress in 1829‒’33‒’35, and his son, Chittenden Lyon, was there in 1827‒’35. Colonel Chittenden Lyon was a veritable giant in size, being considerably over six feet in height and weighing over 350 pounds. The admixture of Irish and Yankee blood in his make-up, if anything, increased the pugnacious spirit inherited from his father, who had married one of the Vermont Chittendens; and the stories told of his prowess as a wrestler and a boxer are countless.
Being at one time a candidate for a public office, when the margin was close, he was approached by a political opponent, his rival in fisticuffs as well as in politics, and fully his equal in size and weight, and challenged to a boxing match, the condition being that the loser would vote for the winner. This Lyon agreed to, and they went at it, over 700 pounds of bone and muscle. After a severe contest the spectators interfered and it was declared a draw, Lyon, however, receiving his rival’s vote.
Thomas Dougherty was clerk of the House of Representatives in 1815. Among native Kentuckians who served in Congress from 83other states were James B. Foley from Indiana, 1857‒’59; Willis A. Gorman from the same state, 1849‒’53, and also a major-general in the Civil War; Edward A. Hannegan from the same state, in 1855‒’57; and Cornelius L. L. Leary from Maryland.
Among the noted military men of the Irish stock were Generals John Boyle, Adair, Croghan and Commander Prendergast.
Among Kentucky poets were Dr. John M. Harney, brother to Gen. W. S. Harney, Theodore O’Hara, Gen. W. O. Butler, W. D. Gallagher, Noble Butler and William M. Harney. Among legislators and educators, in addition to those already named, were McNamara, Hogan, Kane O’Hara, “the great educator” and father of Colonel Theodore, the poet; Judge James O’Hara, brother to Kane, and Major James O’Hara, son of the Judge. John McGill, James McGinty, Cassidy, O’Bamon, Kennan and Finley were also honored names in the “dark and bloody ground.”
Michael Cassidy, born in Ireland and a soldier of the Revolution, went to Kentucky in 1782. He was small in stature, being barely five feet in height, but he made up in courage what he lacked in size, and was, in addition, as tough and wiry as a hickory sapling. He was considered one of the most noted Indian fighters in his day, and many anecdotes have been printed about him.
Dr. John M. Harney, mentioned elsewhere, went to Kentucky from Delaware. He was born in 1789. He was the son of Major Thomas Harney. Major Benjamin F. Harney was an elder brother. In 1847 he was the senior surgeon in the United States army. A younger brother was Major-General W. S. Harney, who distinguished himself in the Florida and Mexican War. He was prominent for a while at the outbreak of the Civil War, being in command at St. Louis until relieved by General Fremont.
Dr. John M. Harney married the daughter of another Celt, the celebrated John Rowan, in his day one of the best known and respected men in Kentucky. In his latter years Dr. Harney returned to the faith of his fathers, dying in the Catholic fold at Bardstown, the original seat of Catholicity in Kentucky, on January 15, 1825. Gen. John Adair, for whom the county of that name was called, was born in South Carolina in 1757. He served in the Revolutionary War. He was one of Kentucky’s pioneers and first citizens. His name denotes his origin.
Daniel Boone, it is said, was a descendant of one of the original Catholic settlers of Maryland. Let that be as it may, some of the 84name are still found in Maryland, who cling to the old faith. His is the greatest name among the early pioneers of the state. Boyle county was named for the Hon. John Boyle, for many years chief justice of Kentucky, who was a native of Virginia. Butler county received its name from Major-General Richard Butler of Pennsylvania, who fought through the Revolutionary War and was killed in St. Clair’s disastrous defeat, November 4, 1791.
Few of the prominent families, not only of Kentucky but of any state in the Union, have been so distinguished in many ways as this of General Butler. The emigrant ancestor was Thomas Butler, born in Kilkenny, Ireland, April 8, 1720. Five of his sons attained eminence in America. Of these, Richard, William and Thomas were, like their father, natives of Ireland. Percival and Edward were born in Pennsylvania. All were officers in the Revolutionary War. Edward was too young at first, but entered it before its close. Richard was the second in command of Morgan’s rifle regiment. He was afterwards its colonel and commanded Wayne’s left in the attack on Stony Point. All these brothers and their immediate descendants were engaged in the military service of their country, in all the wars before 1800; while their survivors were in the war of 1812, and not less than nine of a younger generation were in the Mexican War.
Gen. Percival Butler migrated to Kentucky in 1784. His son, Col. Thomas L. Butler, was aide to General Jackson in the battle of New Orleans. A second son, Gen. Wm. O. Butler, also served in the war of 1812, received the commendations of General Jackson for bravery at New Orleans, was afterwards appointed on Jackson’s staff and was a major-general in the Mexican War. The third son, Richard P. Butler, was assistant adjutant-general in the campaign of 1812.
Campbell county takes its name from Col. John Campbell, a native of Ireland. He received a grant of four thousand acres of land, located near Louisville, and during life was one of Kentucky’s noted men. Carroll county takes its name from Charles Carroll, of Carrollton.
Casey county derives its name from Col. Thomas Casey, who went from Virginia to Kentucky in 1779. Daviess county was named in honor of Joseph H. Daviess, who fell at Tippecanoe. He was born in Virginia, of an Irish father and a Scotch mother. “The warm heart, free and off-hand, and ready sentiment told in language 85plainer than words, that the blood of Erin flowed fresh in his veins.”
Fleming county was named for Col. John Fleming, who was born in Virginia. Fulton county was named for Robert Fulton. Hart county derived its name from Capt. N. G. T. Hart. His father, Col. Thomas Hart, was from Maryland. Kenton county takes its name from the celebrated Simon Kenton. “His father was an Irishman, his mother of Scotch descent.” He was born in Virginia. His name is familiar to every reader of the early history of Kentucky.
Knox county was named for Gen. Henry Knox of the Revolution. He was born in Boston of Irish parents, and was a member of “The Irish Society” of that city. Logan county derives its name from Gen. Benjamin Logan. His parents came from Ireland. He was born in Pennsylvania. His is one of Kentucky’s great names. It is claimed that his son, William Logan, was the first white child born in Kentucky. McCracken county was named for Capt. Virgil McCracken, who was killed in the war of 1812. Meade county was named for Capt. James Meade, who was killed in the same engagement with Captain McCracken. Montgomery county derives its name from Gen. Richard Montgomery, who was killed at Quebec. Wayne county was named in honor of Gen. Anthony Wayne, who was born in Pennsylvania. His name appears on the roll of members of the “Friendly Sons of St. Patrick” of Philadelphia.
Another noted Kentucky family was that of the O’Haras. Kane O’Hara went to Kentucky in the latter part of the eighteenth century, and became in time one of its most distinguished educators. He was accompanied to this country by his father and two younger brothers. Of the two latter, Charles went to Georgia, where he followed the same profession; James remained in Kentucky teaching for some years, but later was admitted to the bar, and acquired the reputation of a profound lawyer and able advocate.
He was the father of Judge James O’Hara, Jr. Among the large number of pupils of Kane O’Hara who became famous after, were several of the Marshalls and Browns,—Major Croghan of the United States army, and President Zachary Taylor. When on his way to Washington to be inaugurated, General Taylor departed from his line of travel in order to visit his old teacher in Frankfort. “It was an affecting scene when the great soldier, then an old man, bowed himself in grateful homage before the venerable preceptor of his youth, and in few but earnest words, thanked him for the care 86bestowed on his early education, to which he attributed all the achievements of his after life.”
Col. Theodore O’Hara, poet, journalist, and soldier, was the son of Kane O’Hara. He was educated by his father with the greatest care, but received his collegiate finish, and graduated, at St. Joseph’s College, Bardstown, with the first honors of his class. His “Bivouac of the Dead” has made his name immortal:
A great and magnanimous government has had these verses, the composition of an ex-Confederate soldier, cast separately in bronze and set up in appropriate places in all the National cemeteries.
It is worthy of mention that a lady bearing a now historic name, at least in song, Mrs. Ann McGinty, brought the first spinning-wheel into Kentucky, and made the first linen in the territory. She is also credited with making the first butter there, and with bringing within its borders the first chickens, ducks and hogs. The first Catholic priest in Kentucky was Father Whalen, who was in Bardstown in 1787. There were then fifty Catholic families in the state. The first families to settle there were those of Daniel Boone, Hugh McGary, Thomas Denton and Richard Hogan. As has been mentioned, the first practising physician was Dr. Hart, and the first school teacher was Mrs. Coomes, both Catholics from Maryland.
Col. Matthew Lyon, mentioned elsewhere, is alluded to as the most remarkable character among the public men of southwestern Kentucky. He was born in Wicklow county, Ireland, in 1746. His 87father, for being engaged in conspiracy against the English government, was tried, condemned and executed. To secure his passage, Matthew bound himself to a sea captain to work for twelve months after his arrival in America. The captain sold him to a Connecticut farmer for two bulls; he served his time faithfully and became a free man. His favorite by-word was forever after “By the bulls that bought me.” It is worthy of record that Rudyard Kipling has put these words in the mouth of one of his recently created characters, without, however, giving Matthew proper credit. It is very evident that Colonel Lyon never forgot his father’s execution, for he was, up to the day of his death, an inveterate hater of the English government.
After he gained his freedom, he made his home in Vermont. He founded the town of Fairhaven in 1783, where he built saw and grist-mills, an iron foundry, engaged in paper making from basswood, and a variety of other occupations. He served in the Vermont legislature ten years, and for some time was assistant judge. He served in congress from his adopted state. He was one of the first arrested under the alien and sedition laws, was convicted of a libel on the president, John Adams, fined one thousand dollars, and served a jail sentence in addition.
While in congress, on the thirty-sixth ballot he decided the protracted seven days’ voting for president by casting his vote and that of Vermont for Thomas Jefferson, making him president in preference to Aaron Burr. Shortly after the beginning of the present century he went to Kentucky with his family. He served in the legislature of his newly adopted state, and from it, between 1803 and 1811, was in congress eight years.
Eighteen years after his death congress voted to refund with interest the amount of the fine inflicted on him in 1798. This was done on July 4, 1840. He had a son of the same name who was the father of Gen. H. B. Lyon. Col. Chittenden Lyon, Matthew’s oldest son, represented his state in congress eight years, and was fully as impetuous and honest as his father. Of Matthew Lyon, Gov. John Reynolds, of Illinois, said, “His Irish impulses were honest, and always on the side of human freedom. His leading trait of character was his zeal and enthusiasm, almost a madness itself in any cause he espoused.” This covered his zeal.
The opinion of the members of the first Continental congress, of the Irish in Ireland, and in the colonies, is well expressed in an address issued by that body in 1774. In part it said: “Your 88parliament had done us no wrong; you had ever been friendly to the rights of mankind, and we acknowledge with pleasure and gratitude that your nation has produced patriots who have nobly distinguished themselves in the cause of humanity and America. Accept our most grateful acknowledgments for the friendly disposition you have always shown towards us.”
The record made by the men whose names appear in this paper, is evidence that they were worthy of the tribute paid in this address. What the feeling was in Ireland, a little more than a year later, was well described by Gen. Ethan Allen, who said that the people of Cork when they found he was in the harbor, a prisoner on one of his majesty’s vessels, sent him a plentiful supply of money, food, and clothing; that it aroused the ire of Captain Simonds, his keeper, who put an end to the contributions, saying that “the damned rebels of America should not be feasted by the damned rebels of Ireland.”
GEN. JOHN SULLIVAN.
A distinguished soldier of the Revolution; born at Somersworth, N. H., 1740; a son of Irish parents; member of the Continental Congress; was made a brigadier-general, and participated in the siege of Boston; became a major-general; took part in the battles of Long Island, Trenton, and Princeton; commanded the American right wing at the battle of Brandywine; rendered valiant service at the battle of Germantown; repulsed the British at the battle of Rhode Island; attorney-general of New Hampshire; president of the Commonwealth; appointed U. S. Judge of New Hampshire by Washington; died in 1795.
The territory now occupied by Elizabeth, N. J., was formerly the abode of savage tribes unknown to fame; whence they came and how long they had dwelt on these shores are questions that neither authentic history nor plausible tradition pretends to answer. They have since passed away without memorial.
It was on Sunday, the 6th day of September, 1609, that the eye of the stranger from the old world first saw this site. Three days before, a two-masted schooner called the Half Moon, under the command of the renowned Henry Hudson, cast anchor in Sandy Hook bay. The adventurous craft was manned by twenty men, Dutch and English, in the service of the East India Company. Their design was to explore a passage to China and the Indies by the northwest.
On Sunday, the 6th, John Coleman and four other men were sent out in a boat to explore the harbor, sailing through the narrows that they found. The narrow river through which they sailed was the Kills between Bergen Point and Staten Island and the open sea was Newark bay. The site of the town that bordered on the bay was, of course, in full view. These five men are believed to have been the first European discoverers of this particular spot. Coleman was slain the same day, on his return, by the treacherous arrow of one of the natives. It is not at all unlikely that Coleman was an Irishman, as his name bears the Celtic tone, and as there is nothing to verify it to the contrary.
The most distinguished man of Irish descent who identified himself completely with this old city was the Rev. James Caldwell, the eighth pastor of the First Presbyterian church. The Rev. Mr. Caldwell was a Virginian. His father, John Caldwell, came to this country with four sisters and his wife and several children, from the 90County Antrim, Ireland—what year is unknown to the writer. He settled first at Chestnut Level, Lancaster county, Pennsylvania.
Soon after, he removed to the new settlements in the southern part of Virginia and located on Cub creek, a branch of the Staunton river, in what is now known as Charlotte county. Here in the wilderness, James, the subject of this sketch, the youngest of seven children, was born in April, 1734. The place was generally known as the Caldwell Settlement or Cub Creek. A daughter of one of his brothers, also born here, was the mother of the Hon. John Caldwell Calhoun of South Carolina, the well-known senator and leading statesman of the South.
James was prepared for college under Rev. John Todd Caldwell and entered the College of New Jersey. He came hither when the college was at Newark and formed the acquaintance, while there, of a young maiden to whom he was afterwards married. He graduated in September, 1759, and on Sept. 17, 1760, he was ordained. He received a call from the Presbyterian church of this town in November, 1761, which he accepted. He was duly installed in March, 1762, with an annual salary of £160. He was at that time in the twenty-seventh year of his age, a young man of prepossessing appearance and of more than ordinary promise as a preacher of the gospel. In the year of 1775 charges were preferred to the Presbytery by former members of the congregation affecting the orthodoxy of their pastor, Mr. Caldwell, which, however, were found to be of trivial import and not affecting at all his soundness in the faith. Whatever uneasiness may have grown out of this matter, it was speedily forgotten in the rush of events that preceded and precipitated the War of the Revolution.
On the question then at issue Mr. Caldwell’s position was a matter of public knowledge. He waited not to learn how the struggle was likely to terminate; his ardent temperament was for his country, for liberty, for independence. In all his prayers, often in his sermons and exhortations, and in all his pastoral intercourse, no religious society in the land took a bolder move or stand, and few were more efficient for their country’s cause than Reverend Caldwell and his congregation. And not a little of this patriotism was owing to the fervent zeal of their pastor. Among his congregation at the commencement of the Revolution were such men as William Livingston, governor of the state; Elias Boudinot, afterwards president of the Continental Congress; Abraham Clark, one of the signers of the 91Declaration of Independence; Hon. Robert Ogden, speaker of the assembly at an earlier day, with his three sons, Robert, Matthias and Aaron (the two last distinguished officers in the United States army); Hon. Stephen Crane, speaker of the assembly; Elias Dayton and his son Jonathan, both of them subsequently general officers of the army and the latter, speaker of congress. From this one congregation went forth about forty commissioned officers and privates to fight the battles for independence.
Among the men belonging to the militia of Elizabeth who enlisted on board of the different sloops as volunteers, in order to take the ship Blue Mountain Valley, January 22, 1776, under the command of Colonel Dayton, are to be found the following good old Irish names: Sergeant Thomas Quigley, Thomas McCarty, Timothy B. Stout, James Clancey, Timothy Burns, Moses Connell and William Higgins.
Among the commissioned officers of Reverend Caldwell’s congregation in the army are found a Capt. David Lyons, and Capt. Matthias Lyons, Irish or of Irish descent, without a doubt.
In April, 1776, Colonel Dayton’s regiment, that had been quartered in the town during the preceding winter, received orders to march to the relief of the Northern army then besieging Quebec. As most of the officers and many of the privates were members of Reverend Caldwell’s congregation, an ardent desire was expressed for his services as their chaplain.
Lieutenant Elmer in his diary, April 28, says: “Members of the Presbyterian meeting set about Reverend Caldwell’s going to Quebec with us, which was agreed upon after some debate. Drank tea at Colonel Dayton’s, then went to Major Spencer’s to lodge.” So it was determined that Reverend Caldwell, whose consent was readily obtained, should accompany his townsmen on their Northern expedition.
The troops left the town the following day, but Colonel Dayton and Reverend Caldwell did not join them until Saturday, May 11, at Albany, N. Y. The Jersey Brigade to which the regiment was attached was stationed the most of the season in the Mohawk valley. On the 16th of June Reverend Caldwell was at Johnstown and at German Flats in July, preaching twice every Sunday and taking an active part in military operations.
In July, as already related, the British troops had taken possession of Staten Island. The people of the town became greatly 92alarmed for their personal safety, and their relatives in the Northern army became exceedingly anxious for their friends at home.
Reverend Caldwell returned to his family and people early in the autumn, where his services were pressingly needed. On the retreat of the American, and the advance of the British, army the last week of November, 1776, Reverend Caldwell took his family up into the mountains and found a home for them in the town of New Providence. From this time forward Reverend Caldwell was occupied more or less continually in the service of his country to the close of his life.
The enemy having vacated the town at the end of the first week in January, he returned to his charge and resumed his ministrations, mingling the duties of the pastor and the soldier together. At various times through the long years of the war, during which his congregation were greatly scattered and their means of subsistence for the most part considerably diminished, Reverend Caldwell served not only as chaplain of the Jersey Brigade but as assistant commissary-general from the first of April, 1777, to April, 1779. Instead of a regular salary, he received for his pastoral service only what was contributed by the congregation on Sunday.
His church was burned down on the night of Tuesday, January 25, 1780, and the services of the congregation were thenceforth held in Colonel Hatfield’s red storehouse. It is probably while preaching here, or it may have been at an earlier date, that Reverend Caldwell (as related by Reverend McDowell) preached with his pistols lying on each side of him in the pulpit, and the sentinels had to keep watch during time of service.
The Sunday found him, whether at home or in camp, ready to proclaim the gospel with its message of mercy and comfort to his fellow men, while he was ever watchful at other times to improve every opportunity to promote the spiritual welfare of citizens and soldiers. He was held, therefore, in the highest esteem by officers and men, confided in by all, and regarded with enthusiastic love by the rank and file. No one, consequently, save his parishioner, Governor Livingston, was more feared and hated by the Tories and the British. Gladly would they have kidnapped him if they could.
At the fall ejection of 1780 he was chosen by his fellow-citizens a member of the State Council. He continued in the discharge of his various duties to which he was called until the 93autumn of 1781. The last record made of him by the Presbytery was at their meeting, May 7, 1782. It is in these words: “The Rev. James Caldwell departed this life, falling by the hands of a cruel murderer on the twenty-fourth day of Nov., 1781.” The circumstances attending this mournful event were very fully announced in the public prints at the time. Rivington of New York, in his Gazette (a Tory journal of that time), said: “The Rev. Caldwell was shot dead without any provocation at the Point (now Elizabethport) by a native of Ireland named Morgan.” Note the sting this allegation placed to an Irish name.
The New Jersey Journal and the New Jersey Gazette devoted much space to the murder at the time, but they never mentioned the murderer’s name nor claimed him to have been Irish. These are the only accounts written and published at the time. As that of the New Jersey Gazette is the most particular and was written after sufficient time had been allowed to obtain by means of the coroner’s inquest, and from other sources, the exact state of the case, it is apparently the most to be relied upon. It was generally affirmed at the time that the murderer, as intimated in the New Jersey Journal, was bribed by the British enemy to do the dreadful deed. And it is not strange that it should have been believed, as it was known that the British had offered a reward for the apprehension or assassination of Governor Livingston, and as no other reason could be assigned for the murder.
The body of Rev. Mr. Caldwell was carried to the public house at the Point, now Red Jacket Hotel. A homely ambulance was obtained and the body was slowly brought to town. A crowd of people, greatly excited, gathered by the way. The mournful cortege, tradition says, passed through Water street, now Elizabeth avenue, to Broad street; then to Jersey street; and then to the residence of Mrs. Noll. The day following, when the people gathered for public worship, the place where they met might well have been named “Bochim, the Weeping Place.” The people were crushed under the sad calamity.
The funeral service was held on Tuesday, the 27th, the whole town suspending all business and gathering in uncontrollable grief at the house of Mrs. Noll. An opportunity was given to the people to view the corpse in front of the house in the open street. After all had taken their last look and before the coffin was closed, Dr. Boudinot came forward leading nine orphan children, and placing 94them around the bier of the parent, made an address of surpassing pathos to the multitude in their behalf. It was an hour of deep sorrow. The procession then slowly moved to the grave and laid his body by his wife’s remains. Over his body was placed a marble slab with the following inscription:
“Sacred to the memory of Rev. James Caldwell and Hannah, his wife, who fell victims to their country’s cause in the year 1781. He was a zealous and faithful pastor of the Presbyterian church in this town, where, by his evangelical labors in the gospel vineyard and his early attachment to the civil liberty of his country, he has left in the hearts of his people a better monument than brass or marble. Here also lies the remains of a woman who exhibited to the world a bright constellation of female virtues. On that memorable day never to be forgotten, when a British foe invaded this fair village and fired even the Temple of the Deity, this peaceful daughter of heaven retired to her hallowed apartment, imploring heaven for the pardon of the enemy,—in that sacred moment she was by the bloody hand of a British ruffian despatched, like her divine Redeemer, through a path of blood to her long wished for native skies.”
The time has come when the history of the Irish people in America should be written. It will be a grand heritage for the Irish-Americans. It will show how many of their race fought and bled for liberty. This history will be a priceless gift for future generations. It will be a lasting memorial of the noble and patriotic work of the element.
It will show how nobly the men of Irish birth and lineage have illustrated old Ireland under the benign influences of free institutions and popular government, where liberty is regulated by law, where justice balances the scales between man and man without regard to race or creed, giving to every citizen equal advantages and equal opportunities in the race of life.
A people who have done so much for the honor and glory of this great republic should feel a just pride in publishing to the world the part they have taken in the progress of the United States. While there should be, in the ordinary affairs of life and of government, no discrimination on account of race or creed, as between citizens of our common country, each nationality that has borne a prominent part in its history should seek to perpetuate the record of its people.
In the war between the states Americans of Irish birth or descent stood for the right as they saw it, and fought for their principles and their convictions with a patriotic fortitude and heroic valor never surpassed in ancient or modern times. From the shot at Sumter that was heard around the world until the Confederate banner was furled forever in imperishable glory at Appomattox, the Irish and 96the Irish-Americans of the North and of the South participated in and confronted each other in battle array. They fought in the mightiest contest of all the ages, for their principles and for their altars and their firesides.
I cannot undertake to give in detail the history of the Irish and the Irish-Americans in South Carolina. It would fill a volume. The Irish immigration into South Carolina began long since. Of South Carolina history, they embrace a large part. I find the following in a reprint of the Maryland Journal of August 20, 1773, for which I am indebted to Gen. Felix Agnus, proprietor of the Baltimore American, which is the successor of the former:
“Since our last, arrived here the ship Alexander, Captain Hunter, with five hundred passengers, and the ship Hannah, Captain Mitchel, with five hundred and fifty, both from Londonderry.
“The ship Walworth, Captain McCausland, sailed from Londonderry for South Carolina, about the first of June, with three hundred passengers and servants, who were obliged to leave their native country, not for their misbehavior, but on account of the great distress among the middle and lower class of people.”
Hon. M. P. O’Connor, upon assuming the presidency of the Hibernian Society of Charleston many years ago, delivered an address in which he stated that the Hibernian Society of Charleston, S. C., was organized in 1799. “Its first president was the serene and scholarly Rev. Father Gallagher, who was worthily followed by O’Brien Smith, Simon Magwood, Samuel Patterson, William A. Caldwell, Thomas Stephens, Henry W. Conner, the father of Gen. James Conner; James E. Robinson, William Gilliland, Judge Burke, Governor A. G. Magrath, Bernard O’Neill and M. P. O’Connor. These men give dignity and character and purpose to the organization.
“Its founders were Thomas A. Malcolm, Edward Courtenay, William and James Hunter, Joseph Crombie, John S. Adams and a few others. They professed as the primary object of their union, aid and relief to the distressed emigrant. But there was latent in their bosoms an object beyond and higher. It was to preserve the traditions of their downtrodden race; to embody and cluster around a common centre, in a genial and hospitable clime, the virtues of their ancestors, and to reflect in all their splendor under the bright blaze of a Carolina sun the united rays of true Irish manhood and Irish 97intelligence.... At the base of our organization is one grand permeating idea, to give character and worth and potency to the Irishman in America. It was this society which built the first Irish-American hall in the United States.”
The gallant and distinguished Gen. M. C. Butler, in response to inquiries about his family, writes from his home at Edgefield, S. C.:
“I have been absent from home for a fortnight, and did not receive your letter in regard to the Irish-Americans in our late war from this state in time to aid you.
“I have a typewritten copy of the family history of the Butlers of my family, and would send that to you, but it is the only copy, and therefore do not like to risk it, as it is doubtless too late for your purpose. The Pierce Butler to whom you refer was of the same stock as my great-grandfather, James Butler, who came here from Prince Williams county, Virginia, sometime before the Revolution.
“Another branch moved to Kentucky, to which Gen. Wm. O. Butler belonged and also Col. E. G. W. Butler of Louisiana. They have always been a ‘fighting’ people—the cropping out of their Irish blood—and have taken a hand in all the wars of our past history.
“I think the most distinguished and conspicuous military man of my immediate family was my uncle, Col. Pierce M. Butler, who was killed at the head of the Palmetto Regiment on the 20th of August, 1847, at Churubusco, in Mexico. I have always understood he was held in the highest estimation by General Scott, and other general officers of rank in the United States army.
“I should think Armstrong, that witty, devil-may-care gallant Irishman of Charleston, could give you valuable information of the part the Irish-Americans of this state bore in the Confederate armies. He is himself a conspicuous example of their gallantry and patriotism.”
I publish the following extracts from letters of Col. James Armstrong, of Charleston, S. C., just mentioned, than whom there was no more gallant soldier in the army of Northern Virginia:
“Gen. John Rutledge, of Revolutionary fame, was of Irish descent. So were the Mannings, three of whom served as governors of the state. Judge J. Belton O’Neill, Judges Johnstone and Caldwell, James L. Pettigrew, George McDuffie, Governor Patrick Noble, Gen. John Barnwell, who defeated the Tuscarora Indians, were of the same race. The Rhetts are descendants of the renowned 98‘Irish Rebel,’ Roger Moore. Judge A. E. Burke, who fought in 1776, and was afterward judge in South Carolina, was an Irishman.
“The most prominent South Carolina Irishman in the war of 1812 was, as you know, Andrew Jackson. In the Mexican war Col. Pierce Butler, who was killed in command of the famous Palmetto Regiment, was of Irish extraction. This regiment was in Shields’ Brigade. Patrick Leonard was color-bearer. Many other Irishmen were in the regiment.
“Charleston had several Irish companies in the Confederate army. Nearly every company had Irishmen. The flags of the first fourteen regiments, McGowan’s Brigade, were the first Confederate colors to enter the town of Gettysburg. The Irish Volunteers was the color company of the First Regiment and the flag was borne into the town by the captain of the company, the color-bearer having been shot.
“Capt. John Mitchell, son of the Irish patriot, was in command of Fort Sumter. He had developed superb courage on the ramparts and was struck by a shell.
“There were two regiments of South Carolina regulars; about half of the men were Irish. The middle and up-country regiments contained hundreds of the descendants of our race.
“Generals Wade Hampton and M. E. Butler have Irish blood. Gen. James Connor and Gen. Samuel McGowan were of Irish descent. Also Col. Edward McCrady and Capt. W. H. Ryan and Capt. A. A. Allemong, Capts. M. P. Parker, James Mulvaney, John C. Mitchell and Sergeant Dominick Spellman, who was another Sergeant Jasper, were born in Ireland.”
After the rebellion of ’98, in Ireland, a number of Irishmen emigrated to Georgia. Several families settled in Augusta. The Irish and their descendants are to be found in all the Southern cities on the coast, and in the interior from Washington to Galveston.
There were two distinguished lawyers and jurists of Irish birth in Georgia—Judge John Erskine and Judge O. A. Lochrane. Judge Lochrane was a wonderfully gifted man. He had great personal magnetism and unusual powers of brilliant eloquence. He had a handsome person, a noble head and a pleasing countenance. He had a wonderful memory, the imagination of a poet and all the graces of oratory. He was called the Irish orator. With brilliancy and depth and familiarity with the principles of law, he 99coped successfully with the ablest lawyers before the highest tribunals. As chief justice he made a fine reputation. As lawyer, judge and business man his career was eminently successful. It is with laudable pride I speak of him as a Georgian and an Irishman.
Judge Erskine was appointed judge of the United States court in Georgia, in 1865, by President Andrew Johnson. Of him it might well be said his wisdom enabled him to temper his justice with moderation. Honest integrity and an inflexible regard for rectitude, and the recognition of his sterling worth, made him honored even by those who opposed him politically, and won for him the love and respect of his friends. It may truly be said, “He never forsook a friend, nor forgot a favor.” After nearly twenty years of service he retired from the bench in 1883, with the universal esteem of his associates at the bar. He deservedly attained a place among the honored roll of Georgia’s worthiest sons.
There was the brilliant and lamented Henry W. Grady, journalist, orator and patriot, whose grandfather was named O’Grady and whose father died on the field of battle at the head of his company, fighting for the Confederacy. The South had no more gifted son. He was proud of his Irish blood. His untimely death was a public bereavement. His genius and his talents have won for him a lasting fame.
The Hon. Alexander H. Stephens and the Hon. Joseph E. Brown were two of the most distinguished sons of Georgia. Mr. Stephens had Irish blood in his veins and Governor Brown’s ancestors emigrated from the north of Ireland to South Carolina. These were two of the wisest and greatest of Georgians. They were proud of their Irish blood and were the life-long friends of Ireland and the Irish people. They fought intolerance and proscription and stood boldly for the great principles of civil and religious liberty.
Irish names are common in the Southern states. In many instances the people who have them are removed several generations from the immigrants, thus showing that the Irish immigrant pushed his way into the South in the early settlement of the country.
A host of Irish-Americans in Georgia during the war were true to the Confederacy, and fought for its independence. Augusta sent the Irish Volunteers into the field under Captain Harvey Hull, who was succeeded by Captain T. G. Barrett. The last captain was M. J. O’Connor. This company had 100 volunteers. The men fought 100gallantly in the Army of Tennessee until the close of the war. Capt. Matt. Rice, a native of Ireland, commanded the Confederate Light Guards, in the Army of Northern Virginia. He left a leg at Gettysburg. There were twenty-five Irishmen in this company. The other companies from Augusta contained Irishmen. They were in the Clinch Rifles, the Oglethorpes and the Hussars.
There are numbers of Irishmen in Augusta who illustrated Irish valor and patriotism in the Confederate army. I regret that I have not the space to mention in detail the names of the Irishmen of Augusta who served the South during the war.
Hon. A. D. Candler, secretary of state, is proud of his Irish descent. He writes:
“Col. Robert McMillan, of the Twenty-fourth Georgia Infantry, went from Habersham county and was a gallant officer. He was born in Ireland, as was his brother, a gallant private in a company commanded by my father, who was himself of Irish lineage.
“Col. McMillan’s son, Garnett, was born in Elbert county, Georgia, but was of pure Irish blood. He was major of his father’s regiment and a splendid soldier. He was elected to congress in 1872, but died before he took his seat.
“I am of Irish extraction on both sides, I am proud to say. I I was first a private, then a lieutenant and then a captain, and finally a colonel in the Confederate army.
“Captain and afterward Lieutenant-Colonel Neal, of this city, was an Irish-American and a good officer, who died in battle. He was a brother-in-law of Capt. John Keely, a gallant officer whom you knew. At this moment I recall no other officers who were of Irish blood.
“There were others who were privates in the ranks, and every one without exception was a good soldier. Indeed, I have a thousand times thought of, and with pride endorsed, the language of the King of Poland, who said of the Irish that ‘there is nowhere on the face of the earth a people among whom there are so few fools and cowards.’”
Captain John Flannery, a native of Ireland, who commanded the Irish Jasper Greens in the Civil War, writes:
“Savannah furnished to the Georgia regiment for the Mexican War one company of volunteers, something over ninety men, a very large majority of them natural-born Irishmen. That company was 101the Irish Jasper Greens, under Captain Henry R. Jackson, who, on being promoted, was succeeded by Captain John McMahon, a native-born Irishman.
“In the late war I estimate that Savannah furnished about 1,000 men of Irish birth to the armies of the Confederate states. Nearly three fourths of these served in distinctively Irish companies, of which there were seven. As to their services in the field, that would be too long a story, even if I had the data, to write in a letter. The Irish element held up their end of the line in every duty that devolved upon them on the march, in the battlefield, or elsewhere, during the four years of the great struggle.”
Gen. John B. Gordon writes:
“I had on my staff Major Mitchell, a son of the Irish patriot John Mitchell, and who was one of the most gallant soldiers in the Confederate army. He had in him the patriotic fire, the ardent love of liberty and the devotion to principle which characterized his distinguished father. He was desperately wounded in battle, but recovered and served to the close. He was always at the post of duty and in every particular an ideal soldier.”
Mr. P. J. Moran of Atlanta says:
“In answer to your question concerning the action of the Irish in Atlanta during the war, I have obtained the following facts: The priest here at the time was Rev. Father Hassan, a born Irishman. Of course he took no immediate part in politics. When the agitation came up leading to secession, the Irishmen of Atlanta were almost a unit against it, but, after the ordinance was passed, they accepted the command of the state. Immediately upon the passage of the ordinance the native Georgians appeared on the streets wearing cockades; and the Intelligencer appeared next morning with the inquiry: ‘What’s the Matter With the Irish That They are not Wearing Cockades?’
“The answer came during the day: ‘We fight; but do not flaunt ribbons.’
“And before the day was over the Jackson Guards, composed of eighty-five Irishmen, was organized, made up from the clerks of the stores of John Ryan, Meyers and Hayden. They elected as captain, William O’Halloran, one of the bravest soldiers that ever lived. His deafness interfered with his service, however, and James H. Neal, brother of Capt. T. B. Neal, now of Atlanta, was 102elected to the captaincy, with Dennis S. Meyers, John Keely, Peter Fenelon and John McGhee as lieutenants. This company went through the war hardly ever missing a battle, and when hostilities were concluded, the remnant came back home—eleven men out of the eighty-five, who had gone to the front. In thus directing the action of the Irish people of Atlanta, Father Hassan was prominent. The policy was to be true to the Union while it lasted; but when the state spoke—it then became their duty to do what they could.”
Gen. Clement A. Evans, one of the best and bravest officers of the Confederate army, sends the following:
“It is a pleasure I have in answering your letter to say that I am proud of my Irish blood and wish that it may flow on forever. You are to take part in an interesting occasion at Nashville designed to bring before our American people the value of the generous, brave, honorable Irishmen. Your familiarity with our American history will serve you well; much of it was made by Irish valor.
“In our Confederate war the Irish were on both sides, winning distinction in both armies—and it is not at all strange that the two Irish sides were both right. No other people on earth except the Irish can espouse opposite sides and both be right. A brave and true Confederate Irishman was captured near Manassas Junction by a scouting party of soldiers. He chanced to be dressed in no uniform and betrayed by no sign that he belonged to any particular side of the pending military issue.
“The captors demanded of him, ‘Where do you belong? What’s your command?’ ‘By me faith,’ said Mike, ‘it’s an ugly question ye are asking and I’d be after asking ye by your leave the same thing.’ ‘Well,’ said the scouts, ‘we are Lincoln’s men.’ ‘All right,’ said Mike very warmly, ‘I took ye for gentlemen, an I’m the same.’ But the scouts thinking they had caught him, seized him and said, ‘You are our prisoner. We belong to Lee’s army.’ ‘Thin ye told me a lie, just now, boys, as I thought ye would, and I told ye one meself. Now tell me the truth, and I’ll tell ye the truth.’ ‘Well, then, we belong to the state of South Carolina.’ ‘So do I,’ quickly and with enthusiasm, ‘and I belong to all the other states of the country, too; and I bate the whole of you in that one thing. Do you think I would come all the way from Ireland to belong to one state when I have the right to belong to the whole of them?’ Mike’s Unionism was broader than that of nearly all the statesmen of that period.
103“In the beginning of the war the Irish boys who were scattered over the South fell in with the companies as they were formed.... One company went from my native county, Stewart, electing for its captain a young Irishman, Captain Mike Lynch, who made a reputation in the 21st Georgia regiment of Dole’s Brigade for skilful courage and kindness known throughout the command. Captain Lynch was full-blooded Irish, with all the mellow accent of the Emerald Isle. I do not think a braver, truer man fought in any army.
“Captain James Mitchell, son of the Irish exile, served with me directly on my staff. He was a brilliant young gentleman, graceful in bearing, handsome and of unsurpassed courage. His battle record is as good as that of our bravest men. His brother (I think) served in Charleston as captain at Fort Sumter. His father was a very ardent supporter of secession. Capt. James Mitchell expressed to me, at the battle of Fredericksburg, his deep regret that Confederate Irishmen were confronted by Meagher’s brave command.
“There were a considerable number of Irish troops in Louisiana regiments. Some of them were under me while I commanded a division composed of Georgia, Virginia and Louisiana brigades. There were no men ... easier to lead in battle than these Louisiana Irishmen. I saw many examples of that superb Irish dash about which I had read much in history and romance of European wars.
“I participated in the late afternoon and evening assault at Gettysburg on Lee’s left, when the Irish fighters on the Confederate side went to their death with a heroism at which I wondered. You have, of course, looked into the history of Meagher’s Irish Brigade.
“I was in the battle of Fredericksburg on the Confederate left wing, and engaged the same day when that brigade was led (at another part of the field) to slaughter. I think that there was a cruelty in the plan of Federal attack which cannot be excused. If I remember aright the splendid brigade was nearly destroyed.
“Meagher’s Brigade was specially prominent at Gaines’ Mill (or Cold Harbor), June 27; at Antietam (Sharpsburg), September 17, and at Fredericksburg, December 13, 1862. The United States government has never sufficiently recognized the services of that brigade. I wish our friend Fleming would have a resolution passed in congress to show that appreciation of their valor which has never 104been accorded. I suppose that Burnside’s friends did not want to go too deeply into the story of the fearful error which he made.
“Pat Cleburne is a name which is as lovingly mentioned among us who are soldiers as the name of Stonewall Jackson. He was actually loved by the army in the West, where he was best known. Cleburne was killed in the Confederate assault on the desperately defended trenches of the Federals at Franklin, Tenn., November 30, 1864. President Davis said: ‘Around Cleburne thickly lay the gallant men who in his desperate assault followed him with the implicit confidence that in another army was given to Stonewall Jackson, and in the one case as in the other, a vacancy was created which could never be filled.’
“I write immediately on reading your letter and on the idea that you simply want matters of my own memory. Some investigation would lead to a very interesting story of the Irish-Americans in our American wars, which I have been sometimes thinking of writing.
“You will not forget that Father Ryan gave us the sweetest of our Southern poetry. I think also that the clergy in both armies should not be forgotten in any account of the Confederate struggle.”
Col. C. C. Sanders of Gainesville, colonel of the 24th Georgia, favors me with a graphic description of the charge of Meagher’s Irish Brigade. He says:
“The writer was an eye witness to the charge of the Irish brigade at Fredericksburg. General Lee had, at the time, the finest army in history. Two formidable lines of battle were protected by a rock wall and defended by Cobb’s and Kershaw’s brigades of McLaw’s division (one-fourth of whom, I suppose, were Irishmen or of Irish extraction), and the famous Washington Artillery. In our immediate front one could walk on the dead for hundreds of yards. We were pained to see the noble fellows coming up in steady columns to be mowed down before our lines of solid flames of fire from our entrenched position behind the rock wall and the terrible fire from the Washington Artillery on Marie’s Hill, just in our rear and commanding every inch of approach.
“The Irish Brigade would receive our well-directed fire steady and firm, and when great gaps were cut through their ranks by the artillery, would reform under the incessant fire, come again, sink down and rise again, trample the dead and wounded under foot and press the stone wall of liquid fire, then recede a few feet 105and come again, like an avalanche into the very jaws of death, until strength and endurance failed, having been forced back by shell and the deadly miniè ball that no human being could withstand. The field of battle ran great streams of blood, and the immortal Irish Brigade recoiled before the living wall of fire in glory.
“I know of no charge upon the field of battle in history to compare to the charge of the Irish Brigade at Fredericksburg, unless it was Pickett’s Division at Gettysburg, or the Old Guard at Waterloo. The immortal Irish Brigade were soldiers indeed. I have heard, but I do not know whether it is correct, that after the Fredericksburg battle the United States government mustered out the Irish Brigade from service and placed all upon the pension roll. You can examine records or see for yourself as to its correctness. I have always felt proud of my one-fourth Irish blood. The Irish have fought the battles of all countries. I wish you success in your address, and three cheers for the Immortal Irish Brigade!”
Lieut. Gen. Longstreet says of the charge of Meagher’s Brigade: “The manner in which Meagher’s Irish Brigade breasted the death storm from Marie’s Heights of Fredericksburg, was the handsomest thing in the whole war. Six times in the face of a withering fire, before which whole ranks were mowed down as corn before the sickle, did the Irish Brigade run up that hill—rush to inevitable death.”
Said the adjutant-general of Hancock’s staff: “I looked with my field glasses, and I looked for a long time before I was certain of what I saw. I at first thought that the men of Meagher’s Brigade had lain down to allow the shower of shot and shell to pass over them, for they lay in regular lines. I looked for some movement, some stir—a hand or foot in motion; but no—they were dead—dead, every man of them.”
The following contribution from Mr. John L. Rapier, of the Mobile Register, is highly appreciated: “When you ask me for the names and deeds of glory of Irishmen and sons of Irishmen, in peace and war, ’tis like putting one in the Klondike fields and asking him to pick up the nuggets of gold that lie round about him. The field of my memory is full of them. To be brief as possible:
“Theodore O’Hara, poet, writer, one of the editors of the Mobile Register, wrote the immortal poem, ‘The Bivouac of the Dead,’ 106adopted now by the government. The verses are cast in bronze and cut in marble and used in every National cemetery in the country.
“The ‘Silver-tongued orator of the Chattahoochee,’ Gen. Alpheus Baker, of Eufaula, Ala., possibly the most wonderful orator that ever lived within the borders of our state.
“General Finnegan, the hero of Olustee, Fla. I suppose you have him on your list already.
“General O’Neal, ‘Old Tige,’ as the boys called him, after the war, governor of Alabama; a great old soldier and statesman.
“Every company of the Third Alabama had in its ranks a generous infusion of Irish blood, and one company, the Emerald Guards, was composed entirely of Irishmen. This company lost three captains during the war: Captain Loughry, killed at Seven Pines; Captain Branigan, killed at Gettysburg; and Captain McGrath, desperately wounded at Williamsburg, Second Manassas, the Wilderness and Spottsylvania, was brought home to die—perfectly shattered by the enemy’s bullets; no hazardous or extra duty performed by the gallant Third, but what her Irish members had their full share.
“The Sixth Alabama had an Irish company, the ‘Montgomery Grays.’ This company carried to Virginia 103 men. It is declared that but eleven of this number returned after the war, and not one of these eleven returned unscathed. I am not familiar with the history of the Mississippi troops and never met many of the men from that state.
“Of Louisiana, I recall that Wheat’s Tigers, the First Regiment of Louisiana Regulars (Gen. Gladden’s regiment); the First Regiment of Louisiana Volunteers and the Fourteenth Regiment Louisiana Volunteers were almost entirely composed of Irishmen and the sons of Irishmen. Nearly every regiment from that state had a fair sprinkling of the same blood. Even the famous Louisiana Zouaves and St. Paul’s Chasseurs, generally supposed to be entirely French, were more than one-third Irish. It always astonished me to see how accurately these Celts could obey an order given in French, especially when that order was ‘En avant’—i. e., ‘Forward.’ And did these gallant battalions furnish heroic soldiers? My dear sir, I could write a column on the subject.
“Shall I pick out one and tell you of him? Then, without effort, I select ‘Mike Nolan’—Gen. Mike Nolan. When I was a little boy 107around New Orleans, I used to collect bills for sugar at a small grocery, right opposite the Charity hospital in that city. The owner of the store was a young, blue-eyed, light-haired Irishman, named Mike Nolan. Mild and polite and friendly in his manners; and I am sure it is no shame to my foresight that at that time I did not recognize in him the to be best, bravest and grandest soldier I ever met.
“Nolan left New Orleans as a sergeant in one of the companies of the First Louisiana Volunteers; he quickly rose to a lieutenancy, then captain, lieutenant-colonel and colonel. He commanded his regiment with great bravery and ability. He was wounded at Sharpsburg, where he assumed command of his brigade upon the death of General Stark, who was killed in that battle. General Nolan’s commission as brigadier had not reached him when he was killed at Gettysburg.
“Full, full of glory is the history of the Irishmen and the sons of Irishmen in Louisiana, in every branch of life, in the press, in the professions, in commerce, in the church and in deeds of valor upon the battlefields of Mexico and the South.”
Gen. Wm. B. Bate, the able and distinguished senator from Tennessee, has furnished me with an important contribution with regard to the loyalty and gallantry of such Irishmen and Irish-Americans as were connected with the Confederate army.
To give the military career of such men would require a volume. There were no more loyal and gallant men in the Confederate army, both as soldiers and officers, and none was truer to our cause and stood by our little flag with its stars and bars and cross of St. Andrew, from the beginning to the ending, with more fidelity, pride and patriotism than did the Irishmen and Irish-Americans who were enlisted in the Confederate army.
The Irishman who won the most distinction on the Confederate side and gained the highest rank was Major-General Patrick R. Cleburne. He was formerly a private in the English army and when his connection with it ceased he came to this country and at the time of the breaking out of the war was a practising lawyer in Helena, Arkansas. He assisted in raising a regiment of Arkansas troops and became its colonel. His regiment was united with the Army of Tennessee, was at Bowling Green, Ky., in General Hardee’s command, under Gen. Albert Sidney Johnson, and went with it to Shiloh.
108General Cleburne commanded a brigade that day composed principally of Tennesseeans, which fought in Hardee’s corps and which composed the front line of battle. General Bate’s regiment, the Second Tennessee Infantry, C. S. A., composed its extreme left. He was from that time on identified with the Army of Tennessee and its campaigns and battles. He was subsequently promoted and commanded what is known as Cleburne’s Division, was an active and efficient factor in the Army of Tennessee until he was killed in the charge on the Federal breastworks at Franklin, November 30, 1864.
Next to him in our army was Brigadier-General R. C. Tyler, an Irishman by birth and an American by adoption. Gen. Tyler was living in Memphis as a levee contractor when the war broke out and enlisted as a private, became quartermaster of his regiment, went with it into the battle of Belmont, its first engagement, and so distinguished himself that it was but a short time until he was made colonel, and on its consolidation with the Thirty-seventh he became colonel commanding the consolidation. The regiment was assigned to General Bate’s original brigade and Tyler was a part of it as colonel until after the battle of Chickamauga, in which he again distinguished himself and under the recommendation of General Bate he was made brigadier-general and put in command of his old brigade, Bate having been in the meanwhile promoted to a major-generalship.
General Tyler was wounded at Missionary Ridge and being unfit for field duty, was assigned to the command at West Point, Ga. He was in command of the fort there when the surrender of Generals Lee and Johnston’s armies took place. When General Wilson with his cavalry demanded a surrender of the fort, Tyler refused to give it up, though with but a handful of men against thousands, and fell while defiantly fighting against such odds rather than surrender.
Col. Grace, of the Tenth Tennessee, was an Irishman, a splendid soldier, and was killed at the head of his regiment at the battle of Jonesboro’, Ga. Lieutenant-Colonel O’Neil, of the same regiment, a brave soldier, survived the war but died since. Company E of the Second Tennessee Regiment was a company composed of Irishmen enlisted by Captain Casper W. Hunt and served most gallantly throughout the entire war. This company and the Tenth and Fifteenth regiments were all in Gen. Bate’s command and composed of Irishmen, and no command made better records than did they.
109Senator Bate says the grandest and greatest Irishman in the Confederacy was John Mitchell. He who was banished in “Lurid—’48” and condemned to fourteen years’ imprisonment. He was sent to an English penal colony from which he subsequently escaped and came to the United States by the Pacific route and finally settled down near Knoxville, Tenn.
When the war broke out he was editing a paper in Knoxville, and was appointed an assistant secretary to one of the governmental departments at Richmond by Jefferson Davis. He had three sons, two of whom were killed in the armies of the Confederate states and one who still lives in New York City.
Mitchell was a brilliant writer and author and was imprisoned by the Federals at Fort Warren at the close of the war. He was finally released and after a few years returned to Ireland and was elected by the “Bloody Tips” to the British Parliament, but was denied his seat. He was reëlected and died during the pendency of his contest for the seat.
Thomas W. Wrenne, president of the Irish-American Centennial Association, has furnished me with information relative to the troops Tennessee gave to the Confederate cause and to the Union army:
To the Confederate states Tennessee gave (all volunteers), 108,000.
To the Federal government Tennessee gave (all volunteers), 31,092.
Possibly, excepting North Carolina, Tennessee gave more troops to the Confederate states in proportion to the population than any other.
It is worthy of note that North Carolina is populated in a great measure like Tennessee with Irish-American people. You know that most of the Tennessee early settlers came over from North Carolina and both have always been patriotic.
You will be agreeably surprised with the number of Irish-Americans among the great men of Tennessee. Andrew Jackson, James K. Polk, Davy Crockett, Sam Houston (I think Andrew Johnson), and General John Adams were Irish-Americans.
The father and mother of General John Adams came direct from Ireland and settled in Nashville. Their son was graduated from West Point. When the last war began he gave his services to the C. S. A. He was a gallant and brave soldier. His death on horseback on the top of the Federal breastworks at Franklin was as remarkable a piece of heroism as the war witnessed.
Hugh Cargill was born in Ballyshannon, Donegal, Ireland, about 1739, and came to Boston in 1774, “in connection with the British troops”[25]—probably a soldier in one of the regiments. Concerning his early life in Boston little is known other than that he soon espoused the cause of the patriots and left the British service. April 19, 1775, found him at Concord, Mass., with the Provincial forces. When the enemy fired the court house and endangered the records, Cargill, with one Bullock, assisted in removing them to a place of safety.[26]
The events of that day hastened the recruiting of companies and the formation of regiments. Cargill at once joined Capt. Abishia Brown’s company which had been raised in the region around Concord and Lexington. His military experience and training made him a valuable man in the newly-organized command, and he was at once made a non-commissioned officer, being the fourth in the list of sergeants of the company.[27]
Captain Brown’s company was attached to Colonel Nixon’s Middlesex County regiment and was one of the few companies of that command engaged at Bunker Hill.
At the conclusion of his service in the army Mr. Cargill settled in Boston and engaged in the business of a taverner or inn-keeper. In the first Boston Directory (1789) he is described as a “retailer” with a place of business on Cambridge street. After many years of close application to business, and by careful management and economy, he accumulated considerable money.
In 1790 he purchased from David Hyde the estate in which he 111carried on his business.[28] The property consisted of a two-story house on the westerly side of Cambridge street and bounded southerly on Alden lane. In 1798 at the time of the levy of the direct tax it was valued at $3,300.[29]
While in business, Mr. Cargill was active in the affairs of the community and was especially interested in the local fire companies. On April 26, 1786, he was proposed to the selectmen, by Capt. Edward Ridgeway, for membership in his engine company, and “approved.”[30] Ridgeway’s company was known as No. 6 and was a noted one at that time. Cargill remained with this company for some years, for as late as 1790 we find his name on the list of members returned to the selectmen.[31]
During the early part of the year 1790 Mr. Cargill retired, and sold his business to one Smith Coleman, evidently a fellow-countryman. In June, 1790, we find the latter applying for a license to sell spirituous liquors at the house on Cambridge street “which was licensed last year under the improvement of Hugh Cargill who is removed.”[32]
After his retirement from business Mr. Cargill spent some years in Boston, during which he invested in lands in Woburn, Westford, Carlisle and other surrounding towns.
Early in 1796 he took up his residence in historic Concord. There the early days of his life on this side of the Atlantic had been spent; there he saw his first service as an American soldier, and there he was destined to end his days. In April, 1797, he purchased an extensive tract of land “near the middle of the town,” known as the Stratton farm, and made it his home.[33]
On November 27, 1798, he married Rebecca, daughter of Robert Estabrook, of Concord, the knot being tied by the Rev. Ezra Ripley.[34] Mr. Cargill’s wedded life was, unfortunately, brief. Within two weeks after his marriage he was seized with an illness which ended his life on January 12, 1799.[35]
His will, which is on file in the probate office at Cambridge, Mass., bears the date of December 6, 1798, and was witnessed by Jacob 112Brown, Obadiah Hall and Paul Adams. The last named married the widow.[36]
By the will his widow was given the “free use and improvement of all the real estate,” that he should die possessed of, during her natural life or so long as she remained his widow. Upon her decease or marriage he gave the Cambridge street estate to Samuel Chamberlain, providing he pay to Hugh Cargill Maloney, son of Cornelius Maloney of Boston, and Hugh Cargill Barrett, son of Benjamin Barrett of Carlisle, each the sum of three hundred and thirty-three dollars and thirty-three cents. The remainder of the estate, the will continues:
“I give and bequeath to the inhabitants of the town of Concord and successors forever the residue of my real estate that I shall dye seized of in said Commonwealth of Massachusetts; to come into possession of the same at the decease or marriage of my wife above named and not before and the income thereof to be solely applied for the support of the poor of said town of Concord, and my will is that the care of the principal and income of said estate be under the particular direction of the selectmen of Concord for the time being; and that the said income be uniformly and annually delivered by them to the poor of said town to whom they shall think the proper objects of it; the sale of part of said estate if thought best by the inhabitants of Concord when they are in possession and the interest of the money coming by said sale to be applied as above ordered I am content with: But the farm I give to the town, called the Stratton farm, lying in the middle of the town of Concord, I entail the same to be improved as a poor house and the land to be improved by and for the benefit of the poor; and to be under the special direction and care of the overseers of the poor of the town of Concord for the time being for the purposes aforesd for ever.”
His widow, Rebecca Cargill, on December 27, 1800, in anticipation of her marriage to Paul Adams (which occurred August 2, 1801), executed releases to the town of all her interest in the estate devised, and thus vested the gift.[37] The estate is still used as a poor farm.
Mr. Cargill’s remains rest on the westerly slope of the Old Hill burial ground in Concord, close by the grave of his wife, Rebecca Cargill Adams, who died March 5, 1838. His grave is marked by 113a slab surmounted by an urn in relief, on which is inscribed the initials of his name. Beneath is the following inscription:[38]
This is the brief story of an humble Irish emigrant. No diarist has recorded his doings, no writer has extolled his virtues. He lived the quiet life of the ordinary man and performed his duty faithfully. His character as pictured in the affairs and acts of his life shows the man—true and noble-hearted.
Almost every civil war, rebellion, insurrection, and outbreak in Ireland, from the time of the Tudors downwards, arose more or less directly from questions connected with the possession of lands. It was the land question which helped to drive the Presbyterian Irish out, to become pioneer Irish settlers in America. Whole villages of Irish people were depopulated.
These clearances gave vast numbers of Irish settlers to America before the Revolutionary War, and supplied the American army with a body of brave, determined men. Massachusetts received a very large proportion of the Irish in the eighteenth century, and being far the most important of the old colonies, the history of its early settlement is, consequently, interesting.
One of the most interesting inland settlements in the state of Massachusetts is the town of Pelham, situated in the northwestern part of Hampshire county, settled by Irish immigrants in 1738‒9. An historical spot, as it was the dwelling place of that patriotic soldier, Daniel Shea, who, after the Revolution, was one of the leaders in “Shays’ Rebellion.”
In 1738 Robert Peibles, blacksmith, and James Thornton, yeoman, two Irish immigrants, made a contract with Col. John Stoddard of Northampton, Mass., for the purchase of his section of “Equivalent Lands,” with the purpose of establishing thereon a colony of settlers “who shall be such as were inhabitants of the Kingdom of Ireland or their descendants.”
This contract having been carried into effect, Colonel Stoddard sold the land to Robert Peibles, Patrick Peibles, James Thornton, Andrew McFarland and others named in the deed. These with their families became the first settlers of Pelham. Among the early settlers are the familiar Celtic names, McCullough, McCullom, McConkey, Dick, Taylor, Gray, McClain, Breckenridge, Gilmore, 115Macklan, McLachay, McNutt, McConnell, Cochran, Savage, Hamilton, McMullen, McCartney, Joyce, Rankin, White, McFall, Butler, Felton, Hoar, Griffin, Kelley, McNiell, McLallen, McClintock.
The new settlement was called New Lisburn, after the town of Lisburn in the southern part of County Antrim, on the banks of the Lagan, in Ireland. Some of the settlers coming from Lisburn wished to call their new home after the mother town, and until 1743 the settlement was called New Lisburn, when it was changed to Pelham.
At the time of the purchase the condition of the soil was more fertile than at present. Rye, oats, corn, and barley were raised in abundance, as well as flax. The hills furnished excellent pasturage for cattle and horses. The settlers were a quiet, honest, Godfearing people. The town grew very slowly. In 1776 the population was 729. In 1800, 1,144. Since the latter date it has decreased in population.
When the trouble arose between England and the colonies, the town of Pelham was one of the first to answer a communication from the Committee of Correspondence in Boston. A few literal extracts are interesting:
“To the Committee of Correspondence, Gentlemen: We have considered your Circular letters and are not a little shoked at the attempts upon the liberties of America ... we replied back also upon the unhappy Reign of the Stuart family & bloody Struggles to subdue a free people to Non-resistance and Passive obedience. We have still a more sense of the worth of our Liberties by the total loss of them in the conquered Kingdom of Ireland when altho made of the same one Blood they have a yoke of Iron put upon their Necks and they must serve their conquerors with as much of their money and blood as they are pleased to demand and sustain more intolerable oppressions from these Legislative Masters and unfeeling Landlords than some of the Barbarious Nations compared by the Ancient Romans before the wars of their Empire.
“This so grievous a yoke upon the Western Isle which neither they nor their fathers were able to bear has driven them by hundreds and by thousands to bide a final adue to their otherwise Dear Native Land and seek a peaceful Retreat from the bane of Oppressions in this American Wilderness. Depending upon the faith of the Nation for all the privileges chartered to American Colonies, we cannot therefore but be greatly alarmed at the news of the 116Incroachments upon the Natural and Chartered Rights of this Province where we have our abode.”
The military history of the town is an honorable one. In the War of the Revolution a large number of the male residents took part. At the close of the Revolution the town came into prominence on account of the part many of its citizens took in “Shays’ Rebellion.” This rebellion was not prompted by any spirit of disloyalty, nor was it designed or plotted to overturn the government. It was the wild and lawless expression of discontent with harsh circumstances, the natural outbreak of those who were suffering and oppressed.
Daniel Shea, one of the leaders in this rebellion, was a remarkable man. Very little is known about his early life. His birthplace has been assigned to Hopkinton, Mass., but this has been disputed. There is a tradition that his parents and young Shea came from County Cork, Ireland, and that they lived for some time on the eastern border of Pelham. He spells his name both “Shea” and “Shays.”
Wherever his birthplace was, one thing is certain concerning him, he hated England and all things English. Little is known concerning his life in Pelham previous to the Revolution except what is traditionary.
After the battle of Lexington he was among the first to join a company of minute men. He was promoted for bravery at the battle of Bunker Hill, and shared in the campaign resulting in Burgoyne’s surrender. Nothing shows more clearly the loyal spirit of Daniel Shea than his conduct during the Revolution. He took a deep interest in a cause which involved the dearest interests of his country.
Shea returned to Pelham at the close of the war, and in 1781 was chosen by the town as a member of the Committee of Safety. He was prominent in other town offices up to the time of the insurrection, and was a respected citizen. The insurrection is a matter of history and need not be dwelt on here. Out of the one hundred and fifty men who were captured, fourteen were tried and sentenced to death, but were afterwards pardoned. After remaining in hiding for some time, Shea was pardoned. Having received his pardon, he went to New York state, where all trace of him is lost.
That Pelham was a distinctively Irish settlement is clearly shown on the occasion of the settling of the first pastor, Rev. Robert Abercrombie, 117a Scotchman. Rev. Mr. Abercrombie was educated at Edinburgh University and came to this country in 1740 as a licensed preacher. He came to Pelham in 1742. There arose a division at once in the church. One of the reasons for the division was the fact of his being a Scotchman and of his demanding rigid adherence to the doctrines and requirements of the Church of Scotland.
The majority of the members of the Presbyterian church of Pelham wanted an Irish Presbyterian clergyman. After a great deal of controversy Mr. Abercrombie was settled as a pastor. He was unfortunate in having a strong element of opposition to contend against from his first connection with the people of Pelham, as shown by the strong protest against his settlement. After preaching a few years he was compelled to resign his pastorate.
While the Irish Presbyterians predominated, there were some who were members of the Church of England and some Roman Catholics. A spirit of harmony always existed in this community. The people were peaceable, respecting the rights of others and demanding the same respect in return.
These early settlers brought with them many of the customs and traditions of the Emerald Isle, and until after the Revolution they spoke with a rich Irish brogue. In 1765 many of the settlers, who had become dissatisfied with the soil and other existing conditions, moved westward, and joining a colony of settlers from Ballibay, Ireland, helped to found the town of Salem, N. Y.
Among the descendants of the early settlers who became noted were: Ira P. Rankin, collector of the port of San Francisco, appointed by President Lincoln.
Adam Johnson, one of the benefactors of Amherst College, and for whom the “Johnson Chapel” is named.
Dr. Israel Taylor, a leading physician in Amherst, Mass., until his death in 1890.
Ithamar Conkey, for a number of years town clerk of Pelham, and in 1830 appointed judge of probate. His son, Ithamar F. Conkey, one of the leading lawyers of the Massachusetts bar, was a resident of Amherst, Mass., until his death.
There are very few of the descendants of the original settlers living in the town of Pelham to-day.
The following article possesses sufficient historical interest, I think, to merit a place in the Journal of the American-Irish Historical Society. The article was evidently written by some one well acquainted with the Fawcett family and appeared in the Tribune of East Liverpool, Ohio, Aug. 9, 1900. It interested me and I thought it might also interest my fellow-members of the Society. I therefore send it to you.[39]
There has just been erected and completed a granite memorial monument in Riverview Cemetery[40] an illustration of which is given below, which is worthy of mention in the Tribune. It will be found to the right of the main driveway, and about midway in the section which slopes gently to the south, and faces the city which was founded by Thomas Fawcett about 1800[41] just one hundred years ago. Here, in a beautiful lot, have been placed the remains of these old pioneers, which were buried in the old cemetery now going to ruin, and soon to be abandoned. The Tribune takes pleasure in illustrating the memorial and giving the several inscriptions:
| JOSEPH FAWCETT. | ESTHER WHITE, his wife. |
| 1773‒1825. | 1778‒1829. |
| THEIR CHILDREN: | |
| Elizabeth Fawcett Warrick. | Robert E. Fawcett. |
| 1801‒1834. | 1803‒ ---- |
| Nancy Fawcett. | Thomas Fawcett. |
| 1809‒1834. | 1813‒ ---- |
| Joseph W. Fawcett, Jr. | Daniel W. Fawcett. |
| 1817‒ ---- | 1820‒ ---- |
The late James H. Goodwin, a descendant of Abigail Fawcett, daughter of Thomas Fawcett, had in his possession the oldest record of Thomas Fawcett’s family. He had special interest in matters historical, and gathered all the data he could find relating to the Fawcetts and Smiths. He offered to donate a lot in Riverview cemetery and share the expense of removing these old pioneers to a place where their remains could sleep in peace, and rest undisturbed forevermore.
This matter was very dear to his heart, and he contemplated doing just what has been done, when death claimed him so suddenly the night of President McKinley’s election in November, 1896. He had in his possession the original deed granting to Isaac Craig, 120of Pittsburgh, Pa., sections Nos. 23 and 24, in range No. 1, township No. 5, bought December 6, 1796, the deed being dated at Philadelphia, Pa., August 30, 1798, signed by John Adams, president.
Also the deed from Isaac Craig to Thomas Fawcett, conveying the same sections of land containing 1,090 75‒100 acres for the consideration of $3,651.00 cash; both deeds are in a good state of preservation, having been written on parchment.
These relics had been in possession of John Fawcett of Wooster, Ohio, and at his death fell into the hands of Mrs. Julia Humrickhouse, thence to her son George, deceased, and through his wife, Mrs. Clara B. Humrickhouse, to James H. Goodwin.
Thomas Fawcett and his wife, Isabella, were among the earliest settlers in Chartier’s Valley, Washington county, Pa., and lived there until about 1795, when they moved to this place, then a part of the Northwest Territory. His daughter, Abigail Fawcett, married Joseph Smith, father of the late Wm. G. Smith, and through this union James H. Goodwin, George S. Goodwin, Henry S. Goodwin, Homer S. Knowles, Mrs. Jno. N. Taylor, Mrs. Esther Thomas, Mrs. Louisa Anderson, Mrs. Susan Harker, and all their children, are descended from Thomas Fawcett.
Thomas Fawcett’s eldest son, Joseph, married Esther White, and their daughter, Elizabeth, married the late George Anderson, on whose farm Riverview cemetery is located. Of their children four are living—Matthew Anderson, John Anderson and Miss Lizzie Anderson of this city,[42] and Joseph Anderson, living in Colorado. The children of Thomas Fawcett Anderson, deceased, also live with their mother in this city. Mary Fawcett, another daughter of Joseph and Esther White, married William Hill, deceased, and two of her children are living here—Mrs. Mary Hill-Andrews, of Seventh street, and George Hill, on the old farm north of town.
Julia Fawcett-Humrickhouse was another daughter, and a sister of Mrs. Anderson and Mrs. Hill. She made her home before her marriage with her brother John, who married Julia R. Larwell. Miss Rest Humrickhouse, daughter of Mr. George A. Humrickhouse, this city, is the only living descendant of this branch of the Fawcett family.
Through Elizabeth Fawcett, who married John Nessly, are descended Mrs. Matilda Wallace of Hammondsville, Mrs. Judith 121McCoy of McCoy’s Station, Jefferson county, and Mrs. Nancy Nessly Winstanley, who was born in Jefferson county and moved to Cabrey, Ill. Her brother, Rev. John F. Nessly, is a minister of the Pittsburgh M. E. conference.
Thomas Fawcett was born in Ireland, June 11, 1747.
Isabella Snodgrass was born in Ireland, March 1, 1754.
Thomas Fawcett and Isabella Snodgrass were married in Ireland, February 26, 1772.
Their children were all born in the Chartier’s Valley, Pennsylvania:
Joseph was born January 16, 1773.
Thomas was born Sept. 13, 1774.
Abigail was born July 15, 1778.
Mary was born June 30, 1780.
Elizabeth was born April 15, 1782.
John was born January 13, 1784.
Isabella was born June 4, 1792.
Benjamin was born July 2, 1794.
Thomas Fawcett, Sr., died September 19, 1820.
Isabella Fawcett, Sr., died December 4, 1825.
Joseph Fawcett was married to Esther White.
Thomas Fawcett was married to Sarah Hamilton.
Abigail Fawcett was married to Joseph Smith.
Mary Fawcett was married to Joseph Hamilton.
Elizabeth Fawcett was married to John Nessly.
John Fawcett was married to Julia R. Larwell.
Benjamin Fawcett was married to Hannah Zane.
Isabella Fawcett did not marry.
Among the Christian names common to the Irish people, especially to those of the Catholic faith, few were more numerous, a century ago, than those mentioned in the caption to this article. They were rare among the Scotch, English, or Welsh. None of them was of Gaelic or old Irish origin. They came to the ancient Irish with their religion, and, like their faith, have become nationalized.
According to Lecky, the conquest of Ireland by Cromwell’s soldiers was not more complete than the conquest of the soldiers by their Irish wives; their offspring assumed Irish given names, and were brought up in the faith of their mothers. This was the subject of a complaint against the Irish government to Henry Cromwell, the son of Oliver. How true this may have been, it is needless to discuss, but the presence of so many in New Hampshire before the Revolution bearing the names alluded to, is in part evidence of the truth of what Lecky wrote, and Prendergast commented on, for not a few of the surnames are English in appearance.
Darby Field came to New Hampshire in 1631. The date is so remote that no attempt has thus far been made to denationalize him. Consequently, he remains on the records as a plain “Irish soldier for discovery.” His home was in Exeter. He is credited with being the first in the English settlements to discover the White Mountains. That he was a useful citizen is evident from the provincial papers. How many American Fields are descended from him cannot be determined, but if there are any, there isn’t much doubt that they will locate the birthplace of their ancestor in Ulster. This fad extends even to some children of the modern Irish. The illustrious “Tim” Campbell, ex-member of congress from New York, has been classified as of “Scotch-Irish” descent, and recently a young man named Quinn, of the first generation born here, said, “His father was a 123Scotch-Irishman from Kilkenny, in the north of Ireland.” A little rough on the city paved with marble, but such is fad.
A good, sturdy representative of the Fields to-day in New Hampshire, as Irish in blood as Darby Field was, is the Hon. John H. Field, who was a member of the state senate in 1899‒1900. His home is Nashua. He is of the faith of his fathers.
Darby Kelly was the ancestor of many American Kellys. His descendants are almost innumerable. Like Darby Field, he, too, was a soldier, as well as a schoolmaster and farmer. Gen. Benjamin F. Kelly, of West Virginia, was his grandson; the latter acquired distinction in the Civil War. The name Darby Kelly appears on the muster rolls of company and regiment from 1748 to the fall of Wolfe and Montcalm.
Of the Patricks, Patrick O’Flynn possessed a military record his offspring may well take pride in. His name appears quite often in the short wars preceding the struggle for independence. He represented the town of Bedford at Bunker Hill and served through the long war which ended at Yorktown. At its close he went West, dying in Illinois. His name appears on the United States pension rolls for 1825, with his company and regiment.
Another was Patrick Cogan. He was quartermaster of the First New Hampshire regiment, serving in that capacity under Stark, Cilley and Reid. He died in the service in 1778. His regiment was in Sullivan’s brigade at Ticonderoga in 1777. He represented Sullivan’s town, Durham. Stephen Cogan, possibly a relative, was a selectman in the same town in 1780, and with him were Joseph, William and Joseph Cogan, Jr.
A namesake, if not a relative of Darby Field, was Patrick Field, a soldier in the Continental army. Patrick Guinlan was teaching school in Concord before 1770. He is given mention in Bouton’s history of that place.
A well-known town in the south of Ireland is Dungarvan, and a well-known locality in Concord is “Garvin’s Falls,” just south of the city, on the Merrimack. The falls are named for Patrick Garvin, one of the first settlers. His name appears frequently as one of the defenders of the garrison against the Indians.
New Hampshire furnished to Iowa one of her most distinguished sons, in the person of the Hon. James W. Grimes, who acquired a national reputation during the Civil War. One of the first, if not the very first, of that name in New Hampshire was Patrick Grimes.
124Patrick Gault was the ancestor of some of New Hampshire’s substantial citizens. His name appears early in the provincial papers. As much can be said of Patrick Taggart and his descendants.
Patrick White was the first of his line in the old Granite state. He came to Peterborough before 1740. Gen. Daniel M. White, commander of the New Hampshire National Guard in 1894, was one of his descendants.
Patrick Orr is a reminder of the slogan of 1798, “Remember William Orr.” Many useful citizens of the Granite state bear this name. It is not now so common as it was fifty or seventy-five years ago. John Orr served seven terms in the state senate, his legislative career ending in 1804.
Patrick Griffin represented a name as common here now as it is in Ireland. Simon G. Griffin, brevet major-general, was a New Hampshire soldier with a fine record in the Civil War.
Cornelius Connor represented a name famous in Ireland’s annals and familiar to the readers of New Hampshire state and provincial papers.
It is first mentioned in 1710. The occasion was the payment of a bill presented by him for moccasins, so it is fair to presume he was a shoemaker. The name Connor, or Conner, has been well known in the town of Exeter for nearly 200 years. An Exeter man, possibly a descendant of Cornelius, was Col. Freeman Conner, who commanded the Forty-fourth New York regiment in the Civil War. He was also assistant postmaster of Chicago under the late James A. Sexton, during the administration of President Benjamin Harrison. J. M. Connor, of Hopkinton, is one of the prominent grangers in New Hampshire, and an authority on agricultural matters.
James O’Conner, a native of Ireland, and a surgeon in the Continental army, was among the first settlers in the town of Sanbornton. One of his descendants went to the East Indies and was traffic manager of the Ganges canal in 1869. Cornelius Connor is the first of the name to appear on the provincial records. The family has been prolific—for the Connors are numerous—and is looked upon now as a distinctive New Hampshire name.
Another of the “Cons” was Cornelius Driscoll. His name appears first in 1715, attached to a petition praying for the settlement of a minister in Dover. The name is spelled Drisco, but there is no question about it being Driscoll, for two reasons: first, the given name Cornelius, as well as there also being a Teage Driscoll; 125“Tim” is the English of Teage; and second, the word Bristol is spelled Bristo. The name is still spelled Drisco by people bearing it. Later it appears spelled properly, “Driscoll,” in the state papers, but an interrogation mark is placed after the name, which is evidence of the mutilation of Irish names by those not conversant with their character. Teage Drisco’s name appears on the records of the town of Exeter in 1664, Cornelius Driscoe in 1725, and John Drisco in 1710. “Driscoll Hill,” in Francestown, is a locality spoken of in the Granite Monthly for August, 1897. Cornelius Drisco was one of the proprietors of the town of Gilmanton in 1727. Still another “Con,” who appears often in the records, is Cornelius Lary. He was in Exeter as early as 1674. Like other old Irish surnames, it was twisted out of shape by the English scribes, so that in various places it is spelled O’Leary, Lary, and Lear.
As is well-known, this is one of the great south of Ireland names. It would be of great interest to “Con’s” countrymen had he kept a diary relating his experience in those days. “The Curse of Crummill” was on the lips of many at that time, perhaps on his. Thirty-six years later, in 1710, the names of Daniel, Samuel, Thomas, and Cornelius Lary appear, perhaps the sons of the emigrant. It is still common in Maine as well as in New Hampshire as Lary. Col. Tobias Lear, of Portsmouth, was Washington’s secretary. Whether his name was Leary originally, cannot be determined. He married a daughter of Col. Pierse Long. The latter was the son of Pierse Long who came to Portsmouth from Limerick, Ireland. Colonel Long was with Sullivan at the capture of Newcastle, and commanded a regiment in the Continental army.
McDuffee has been a well-known New Hampshire family name for one hundred and fifty years. Col. John McDuffee commanded a regiment in the Continental army and some of the most substantial business men in the state are of the same clan. The “Cons” were also represented in this family in the person of Cornelius Duffee, whose name appears in the index of the provincial papers.
Of the Michaels, the most distinguished was Gen. Michael McClary. He was the grandson of Andrew McClary, who came over in 1726, to Epsom, and the nephew of Maj. Andrew McClary, who fell at Bunker Hill, and of Lieut. John McClary, who was killed in action at Saratoga. He was an ensign at Bunker Hill, and was appointed captain in the Continental army later. He filled many positions in civil life. He was the first adjutant-general of New 126Hampshire under the new constitution, and also served as United States marshal. The family was prominent in state affairs. John McClary was a member of the governor’s council five years before 1785, and of the senate six years. Michael McClary served in the senate twelve years, and James H. McClary, two years; Michael was elected, but resigned, and James H. was chosen in convention to fill the vacancy.
The original emigrant, Andrew, came over on the same vessel with James Harney. Their friendship was carried down to the third generation in the name of James Harney McClary. There were others of the same name in the state, but not of the same family. Whether as Cleary, Clary, or Clery—with or without the Mac or the O—the name is as Irish as the shamrock.
Another of the Michaels who, if not as distinguished as the one mentioned, was a useful citizen, was Michael Dwyer, who was one of the first settlers of Holderness, N. H. His name appears frequently in the state records; he was selectman of his town, and represented it in the state legislature, and it is evident that he was prominent in business and political affairs in his section of the state.
A contemporary of his in Holderness was Capt. Bryan McSweeny, a veteran of the old French, Indian, and Revolutionary wars.
Others of the name of Dwyer were in New Hampshire before Michael’s day, for the name of Edward Dwyer appears on the Exeter town records in 1695, also that of James Dwyer. Time has probably changed the name to Dyer.
Michael Johnston was one of the first two settlers of Haverhill, N. H., going there from Haverhill, Mass. His brother, Col. Charles Johnston, in point of character, it is written, was the most prominent of Haverhill’s first settlers. He also had a son Michael. Whether Irish or Scottish, Johnston is the English for McShane or McIan.
The name Carroll, borne by Maryland’s “first citizen,” was represented among the New Hampshire Michaels, in the person of Michael Carroll. A county also bears his name, and it is quite common in New Hampshire. The New Hampshire national bank examiner is the Hon. E. H. Carroll, and the labor commissioner is Col. L. H. Carroll. A brother of the bank commissioner is superintendent of schools in Worcester, Mass.
Michael Annis, perhaps Ennis, bore the name of the man who built the first house in the town of Warner. His father came from Enniskillen “in Great Britain,” so the history reads, but Ireland 127would be more correct geographically. Adding the Mac and spelling the name properly it would be McGuinis, McInnis, McGinnis, McGuinness, or Magenis.
Michael Chatterton was the first of the Michaels to appear on the New Hampshire records. He was one of the servants sent over by Capt. John Mason, coming at the same time as Darby Field, between 1631 and 1640. With him was William Dermit. Albee, the historian of Newcastle, wrote that Portsmouth’s first settlers were Celts from Devon and Cornwall. There was more or less trade between the colony in its early days and Limerick and Kilkenny, Ireland, Kilkenny rugs and Limerick bacon being spoken of.
Michael Clark represented another widely known New Hampshire family name, well represented at the bar, on the bench, and in the upper and lower branches of congress.
Michael Fitzgerald was one of the great Norman Irish clan which in time became more Irish than the Irish themselves. Edward Fitzgerald, one of the first settlers of Boscawen, was reputed to be well educated and prosperous. Col. John Fitzgerald was Washington’s favorite aid.
As a rule, the New Hampshire descendants of the Fitzgeralds have divided the name. Some are known as Fitzes, others as Geralds.
Michael Kelly was a grandson of Darby Kelly mentioned, and the brother of Gen. B. F. Kelly, of West Virginia, as well as the father of ex-Mayor F. H. Kelly, of Worcester, and of Capt. Warren Michael Kelly, of Donohoe’s Tenth N. H. regiment in the Civil War.
Michael Lyons was a namesake of the impulsive Matthew Lyons, of Vermont and Kentucky (who thanked God, when in congress, that he was not one of “Cromwell’s bastards”), and also of Gen. Nathaniel Lyons, one of the gallant soldiers and martyrs of the Civil War.
Michael Metcalf bore the same surname as the only Knownothing governor-elect of New Hampshire. The latter, maternally, was sprung from a respectable Irish family named Montague, so the historian of the town of Newport wrote, which perhaps accounts for the appearance of Michael among the Metcalfs; and here was also a Michael Metcalf, Jr., which showed that it took one generation to make the name unpopular.
Michael Smith bore a numerous family surname not confined to any one of the British Isles, but common to all. He was in New Hampshire early, and with him was Patrick Smith. No doubt both were Irish.
128Michael Butler represented another great Irish family, whose most distinguished member, produced in New Hampshire, was Gen. Benjamin F. Butler. About the first to appear in the colony was John Butler, who was in Dover in 1647. James Butler was in Woburn, Mass., in or before 1676; his son, John Butler, came to Pelham, N. H., in 1721. They are the ancestors of many of the name in the state.
The foregoing sketches have been written in order to show the kind of men some of those New Hampshire Dennises, Corneliuses, Patricks and Michaels were. A modern Irishman, bearing any of these names, would never have his nationality questioned. All are appended here so as to have them placed on record as another piece of evidence to illustrate the presence of Irish in New Hampshire before the Revolution.
This is a pre-Revolutionary list:
Dennis Andrews, Dennis Bohonnon, Dennis Bickford, Dennis Callahan, Dennis Loughlan, Dennis Hight, Dennis Haley, Dennis McLane, Dennis Johnson, Dennis Sullivan, Dennis Pendergast, Dennis Stanley, Dennis Wood, Dennis Burger, Dennis McLaughlan, Dennis Organ (O’Regan).
Cornelius Bean, Cornelius Brooks, Cornelius Boule (Boyle), Cornelius Blunt, Cornelius Busiel, Cornelius Campbell, Cornelius Cuyler, Cornelius Connor, Cornelius Cook, Cornelius Driscoll, Cornelius Clough, Cornelius Denbow, Cornelius Dunsey, Cornelius Lary, Cornelius Duffee, Cornelius Dinsmore, Cornelius Danley, Cornelius Goodell, Cornelius Innis, Cornelius Kirby, Cornelius Laurence, Cornelius Roberts, Cornelius Sturtevant, Cornelius Thompson, Cornelius Warren, Cornelius Wheeler, Cornelius Johnson, Cornelius Cornell, Cornelius White, Cornelius Cady (Cody), Cornelius Culnon, Cornelius Stowell, Cornelius Davoe, Cornelius Dillingham, Cornelius Neall, Cornelius Uart (Hart?), Cornelius Ludlow, Cornelius Lowe, Cornelius Stratton, Cornelius Osborne, Cornelius Winslow.
Patrick Bourn, Patrick Burns, Patrick Bradshawe, Patrick Campbell, Patrick Cogan, Patrick Clark, Patrick Bonner, Patrick Douglass, Patrick Donnell, Patrick Field, Patrick Furness, Patrick O’Flynn, Patrick Fisher, Patrick Fassett, Patrick Gault, Patrick Guinlon, Patrick Grimes, Patrick Henry, Patrick Jameson, Patrick Kinelty, Patrick Larkin, Patrick Lieless, Patrick McDonnell, Patrick Kennedy, Patrick McMurphy, Patrick Cavanagh, Patrick Furlong, Patrick Madden, Patrick McGee, Patrick McGrath, Patrick McLaughlin, 129Patrick McMitchell, Patrick Moore, Patrick McCutchin, Patrick Murray, Patrick Murphy 1, Patrick Murphy 2, Patrick Markham, Patrick Garvin, Patrick Tobin, Patrick Melvin, Patrick Landrigal, Patrick Roach, Patrick Tobeyne, Patrick Greing, Patrick Taggart, Patrick Straton, Patrick Jennison, Patrick Manning, Patrick Smith, Patrick Farrell, Patrick Dougherty, Patrick White, Patrick Burt, Patrick McKey, Patrick Pebbles, Patrick Thatcher, Patrick Orr, Patrick Griffin.
Michael Anderson, Michael Bowdoin, Michael Bowler, Michael Barrus, Michael Brown, Michael Arbuckle, Michael Archer, Michael Cook, Michael Carroll, Michael Chapman, Michael Annis, Michael Coffin, Michael Chatterton, Michael Cressy, Michael Carew, Michael Clark, Michael Dalton, Michael Doherty, Michael Doulton, Michael Davis, Michael Dwyer, Michael Doran, Michael Ames, Michael Dearborn, Michael Falker, Michael Fitzgerald, Michael Field, Michael Gordon, Michael Gibson, Michael Grant, Michael George, Michael Gilman, Michael Haley, Michael Hailstock, Michael Heffron, Michael Hoyt, Michael Hilands, Michael Hayes, Michael Hicks, Michael Flanders, Michael Jennings, Michael Keef, Michael Kelly, Michael Lovell, Michael Lanning, Michael Lyons, Michael Lannon, Michael Logan, Michael Ludden, Michael Looney, Michael Larney, Michael Keep, Michael Martyn, Michael Metcalf, Michael Moulton, Michael McClary, Michael Martin, Michael Mann, Michael Miles, Michael McClintock, Michael Metcalf, Jr., Michael Mitchell, Michael Mosher, Michael Poor, Michael Parke, Michael Perry, Michael Quinn, Michael Reade, Michael Ryan, Michael Saunders, Michael Sutton, Michael Stocker, Michael Sargent, Michael Smith, Michael Shalletoo, Michael Tamtor, Michael Thomas, Michael Tebo, Michael Traynor, Michael Tilton, Michael Troy, Michael Tinney, Michael Veal, Michael Salter, Michael Reed, Michael Verli, Michael Wentworth, Michael Worthen, Michael Whidden, Michael Sudrick, Michael Silk, Michael Ward, Michael Vincint, Michael Johnson, Michael Woodcock, Michael Woodcock, Jr., Michael Johnston, Michael Scruton, Michael Fowler, Michael French, Michael Mudge, Michael Herring, Michael Warring, Michael Butler, Michael Burnham, Michael Colley, Michael Dunning, Michael Duff, Michael Farley, Michael Huffuel.
The town of Barrington is picturesquely located in eastern Rhode Island. It has a fine outlook on Narragansett bay and also borders on the Warren[43] river. It was incorporated by Massachusetts in 1718. In 1746‒’47 the territory came under the jurisdiction of Rhode Island, and Barrington was merged with Warren. In 1770 Warren was divided and Barrington again incorporated, this time by Rhode Island. There are several historic sites in the town, many pleasant drives and a number of interesting caves, woods and districts. The present population is between 1600 and 1700.
One of the earliest Irish settlers in Barrington[44] was Matthew Watson. He located there[45] over 175 years ago and reminiscences of his life and times are still current among the people. Matthew was born in Ireland in 1696. His people are believed to have been Presbyterians, an element that has given many sturdy patriots to the cause of Irish nationality.[46] The family left Ireland for America about 1712. They landed in Boston.
What induced them to leave the old country can only be conjectured. It is reasonable to suppose, however, that it was due to causes that compelled thousands of other Irish Presbyterians to emigrate. These causes were the result of English oppression. The Irish Presbyterians were treated with great harshness[47] by various successive governments in England. At one time edicts of banishment were issued against their ministers; at another we find the 131government wickedly declaring their pulpits vacant and filling them with clergymen of the Established church. When England had a policy of church or state to carry out in Ireland it could be made to bear heavily on the Presbyterian as on the Catholic. England’s repeated suppression of Irish industries also caused great numbers of Presbyterians and Irish Protestants, generally, to emigrate to America.
The Watson family here mentioned consisted of Matthew, his father and mother, four brothers and one sister. Sometime after arriving in Boston the family removed to Leicester, Mass. Matthew came to Barrington in 1722, being then in his 26th year. He entered the employ of John Read, a brickmaker, and rapidly attained great proficiency in the business, winning the confidence of his employer and the esteem of his associates. In the course of time he fell in love with his employer’s daughter, Bethiah. His affection was reciprocated and the two soon became engaged. The fact becoming known, Bethiah’s father earnestly opposed it. She was his only daughter, and he eloquently represented to her the “folly” of throwing herself away on “a little poor Irishman.” His arguments were of no avail, however, and she and Matthew were married at Barrington in 1732.
It was a happy marriage and her father lived to bless the day when the “little poor Irishman” became his daughter’s husband. Subsequently Matthew purchased the farm of his father-in-law and conducted the brick-making business on an extensive scale. He erected a commodious brick mansion house which became known to the country round about as the “Great Watson Mansion,” embellished the grounds and amassed a fortune of $80,000.[48]
By some it is held that Matthew’s father had also located in Barrington. The original Watson property comprised a very large part of the town. The homestead has since been greatly reduced, however, by dividing it among the children, by bequests and by extensive sales to new-comers. The estate at present comprises about fifty acres, tillable and woodland, held by descendants of Matthew. The land is very productive. There is one six-acre lot, nearly as level as a floor, and which produces rich crops of hay, although it has not been dressed in the past thirty years.[49] Underneath 132the greater part of the estate is a stratum of the best quality of blue clay within four to six feet of the surface.
This stratum underlies nearly the entire town, cropping out on the bay and river shores. The principal industry of Barrington is brick-making, which has been carried on for an indefinite period. At present 30,000,000 are produced annually. The labor in the old brick-yards of the Watson family was done chiefly by slaves of whom Watson owned nearly fifty. All these he manumitted some time before his death. The continuous transportation of brick to the bay, by these slaves, for shipment gradually wore a roadway more than six feet in depth.[50] By plowing and cultivation this has long since been mostly filled in, though there are still places where the old roadway shows two or three feet deep. Some time in the eighteenth century a law was passed ordaining that bricks should be made of certain specified dimensions. Matthew Watson, the settler, considered this requirement as very unjust, and so decided not to change the size of his product. In order to escape prosecution, however, he ceased calling his goods brick, but instead styled them “Watson’s ware.” As there was no law regarding “Watson’s ware” the plan succeeded, and the old gentleman continued making and selling brick at their former dimensions.[51] The “Great Watson Mansion” was for a long period visited by people who had heard of its dimensions and sumptuous furnishings and who desired to feast their eyes upon so much grandeur.
It is said to have possessed some of the earliest wall paper used in America, outside of Boston. The jambs, mantels and hearth were constructed of marble and imported from Amsterdam. The carpet was made from the wool of sheep raised on the farm, and being the first carpet used in those parts attracted visitors from points even forty miles away. A part of the mansion was recently still standing, and occupied by descendants of Matthew. The present is the sixth American generation of the family. Matthew, born in 1696, died in 1807; having completed 110 years of life and started on his 111th.
It is said that up to the day of his death, his faculties were unimpaired, 133except for blindness. On the day that he was 100 years old he called for his saddle-horse, mounted without assistance and rode off briskly for a couple of miles. Upon his return, the negro servant being absent, and the great gate unopened, he touched up his horse and cleared it at a bound.
Further interesting facts regarding Matthew Watson are found in an article published[52] some years before his death. It was written at Barrington and reads as follows:
“There is now living in this town Matthew Watson, Esq., in the 105th year of his age, in a pretty good state of health, and in the enjoyment of his faculties, except being blind. He was born in Coleraine in the province of Ulster, in the north of Ireland, in March, A. D. 1696, from whence he, with his father and mother, four brothers and one sister, migrated and arrived at Boston, A. D. 1712, from whence they removed to and settled in Leicester, in the county of Worcester (Mass.), where he hath one brother, Deacon Oliver Watson, now living. Mr. Watson came to this town A. D. 1722, where by his industry he acquired a pretty handsome fortune. He hath sustained the office of a Justice of the Peace in the town, and was formerly a Judge of the Court of Common Pleas for the county of Bristol. He hath been a member of the Congregational church in this town between seventy and eighty years without censure. He hath ten children now living, the youngest of whom is fifty-three years of age, all in a married state, except his eldest and youngest daughters, who are widows. He was born in the seventeenth, lived through the eighteenth and is now progressing in the nineteenth century.”
The foregoing extract was found, in 1893, by the writer while engaged in examining files of the Providence Gazette at the rooms of the Rhode Island Historical Society in Providence. As the article was written at Barrington during the lifetime of the centenarian, some, at least, of the facts were probably obtained from his own lips. The extract may therefore be considered as authoritatively settling certain data which have long been in dispute.
Matthew is said to have had fifteen children, ten of whom were living at the time of his decease.[53] The names of these ten were Abigail, Mary, Rachel, Mercy, Bethiah, Matthew, Lydia, William, John and Samuel. There were also many grandchildren and great 134grandchildren. In Arnold’s “Vital Record of Rhode Island” appears an entry under Barrington which states in substance that “Robert Watson and Mary Orr married at Londonderry, Ireland, 1695.” They were probably the parents of Matthew, the Barrington settler, who had the names recorded for purpose of reference; or they may have been so recorded by some other member of the family. The centenarian was twice married.[54] Bethia, his first wife, died in 1778, leaving ten children. One of Matthew’s descendants, John Watson, married Ann Waterman, daughter of Capt. Asa Waterman, of Rhode Island, who was assistant commissary-general during the Revolution. She was related to Governor Cooke of Rhode Island.
Among the centenarian’s descendants were the following: Robert S. W. Watson who wedded Patience Blygh. He was born in 1804; Annie Cooke Watson, born in 1831; Dr. S. T. Watson, born 1832; John W. Watson, 1835; Mary H. Watson, 1837; Henry H. Watson, 1839; Robert S. Watson, 1843; Emily F. Watson, 1845; Robert S. Watson, 1846; Charlotte A. Watson, 1850.
Nearly every generation of the family has had a Matthew in it. A second Matthew Watson was born in 1741.[55] A Matthew Watson of a later generation married Abby B. Wheaton, of Providence, in 1818. The Providence Directory for 1844 shows “Matthew Watson, manufacturer, rear Roger Williams Bank,” and gives his residence as Angell street. In February, 1892, the following interesting communication appeared in the Providence Journal. Its author is thought to have been Matthew Watson, of Providence, a recent representative of the name.
The Cup That Cheers. To the Editor of the Journal: The first time that tea was brought to Barrington, Rhode Island, is not known to the writer of this article, but the second time it was brought by Matthew Watson something over a hundred and fifty years ago, before the famous Boston tea party.
Matthew Watson sold brick which he manufactured from the clay on his own property, which was extensive, even for those days, in Newport. On one of his trips there he bought the teapot, a sketch of which appears with this article, and six teacups.
As tea had never been used, of course there was no tea-kettle, and water to make this was boiled in a dinner pot hanging from a crane 135over the wood fire. The teapot now is in possession of one of Matthew Watson’s descendants, and is a quaint little affair of some ancient style of crockery. It stands on three legs, which adds to its unique appearance.
Once it was broken into eight pieces, but was so cleverly mended that it is almost impossible to detect this as it stands, with other heirlooms, looking down on the china and glass of later dates.
The history of a country is dear to the heart of the lover of that country. By the aid of historical study we learn of the origin, growth and development of a race of people; their customs, religions, laws, governments; their accomplishments and what they have contributed to the economy of the world.
The historian points out the past to the present and future. He puts aside the veil that has gathered about the dim past, opens up to the gaze of the bright present the panorama of human achievement, and blazes the way for his successor in the rosy future.
What the clergyman learns from the theological disputations of the past, the poring monk has gathered together; what the physician now acquires with comparative ease is furnished him by the knowledge garnered from the experience of his brethren from the time when man learned that pain and aches affected his being; what the lawyer gains from precedents is a guiding light which sheds its rays upon problems of jurisprudence that the legal lore of the past generations has taken from the leaves of experience; what formulæ the scientist is able to demonstrate, he owes to the observations of men who, through the ages, have chronicled the phenomena of nature; the statesman is able to meet the crisis of the present by being informed as to other crises in governmental affairs.
The citizen of a republic who neglects to learn the fundamental principles upon which rest the laws of the land; who does not know how the country was developed and maintained is as a blind man and not able to bring to the exercise of his suffrage the amount of intelligence that the country has a right to require from him.
This obligation comes to us in a twofold capacity. We, as citizens of this great republic, should study the history of our country 137from a patriotic standpoint, while as Irishmen, or descendants of Irishmen, it should be not only a duty, but a pleasure, to learn of the deeds of the Irish in America.
Therefore, an organization such as the American-Irish Historical Society, if it had no other raison d’être, would accomplish a patriotic purpose if it served only as an incentive to the study of the deeds of Irishmen and their descendants in America. It has become almost a maxim in historical matters, that the history of events cannot be accepted as facts until the generation which lived at the time said events occurred has passed away.
The passions, influences and conditions which generate, shape and control events, lend a coloring to their recital, which deep-hued or faint as painted by the writer at the time, are toned down or made stronger by the historian of a future generation, who, unmindful of passions, influences or conditions, and with an eye single to the preservation of history by means of the truth, makes past occurrences stand out in their true light.
Deeds that have received but a passing mention from writers whose minds were biased, are rescued from an unmerited insignificance, and placed high in the Temple of Fame; while highly extolled acts, given undue prominence by a partisan writer, are consigned to a merited oblivion by the historian of a later but more impartial epoch.
A member of the Society of Friends who desires to familiarize himself with the history of his sect in New England, would find but little of the truth in the writings which have come from such intellectual dyspeptics as Cotton Mather and his disciples. But, in the unwritten history of Quaker persecutions that have become legendary, by the purity of their lives, by their nobility of character and their Christianizing influences, the pioneers of that faith stand out in bold relief in the religious history of Puritan New England, with its dark background of scourging, mutilation, banishments and hangings.
By analogy, how can the Irish-American race expect that the history of Irishmen in New England can be presented in just proportion to the true merits of the case? As in New England, so throughout the colonies. The Virginia Cavalier was not less hostile to the Irish than the Massachusetts Puritan.
Should the American-Irish Historical Society go out of existence to-morrow, it would have already accomplished a grand mission in 138this: that it has brought forth from obscure records the deeds of Irishmen in America, and has laid the foundation for the erection of an historical monument to Irishmen, that, with its base laid in colonial times, and still being constructed, challenges the respect and admiration of all lovers of American history.
The work of this society has been thus far largely confined to research of New England records. This research has been fruitful of good results. Among other things we learn of the Irish as brickmakers at Rehobeth, Mass., and as settlers in Salem and Lynn in early colonial times.
Again, we learn that the Irish in the Granite state had become so numerous in colonial times that the general court of Massachusetts passed a law prohibiting the “wild Irishmen of New Hampshire” from coming across the state line, lest they should drive out the people of the older colony. As long as that state shall last the glory and the fame of the Sullivans and their contemporaries of the Irish race will remain illustrious.
This research has extracted from the records of Rhode Island the influence of the Irish schoolmaster, MacSparran, in moulding the intellectual development of that colony; it has called attention to the work of George Berkeley in the promotion of education here, and what is to me personally exceedingly pleasant information, that Brown University, my beloved alma mater, in its infancy was succored by the contributions of worthy people residing in Ireland.
The work of presenting to the world the achievements of the Irish in America, in its just proportion to the achievements of men of other races in the colonization, struggle for independence, and the creation of a republic, the development of that republic from a theory into a concrete nation, and the perpetuation of that nation, is a duty not only to the men whose deeds are to be chronicled, but also a debt which we owe to ourselves, which we should cheerfully assume. The labor involved in this from its very nature is such as can only be performed by an organization such as the American-Irish Historical Society.
The true status of the Irish in America, notwithstanding the fact that their brain and brawn have been interwoven in the woof and web of our nation’s fabric, has never been fully appreciated by reason of the prejudices which have been associated with anything that bore an Irish name. This prejudice, in no small part, arose from misconception and misunderstanding of the Irish nature, temperament, and 139characteristics. There is a brand of bigotry that is sometimes designated as inborn. In the case of a bigot whose bigotry is congenital, it is well to follow the Scriptural injunction to reason not with a fool lest he grow wise.
But in the case of those persons who, by reason of misconception, or want of acquaintance with Irishmen, cannot properly estimate our race, yet whose minds are broad enough to cherish the worth of a man when demonstrated, and whose patriotism counts every man a friend who has contributed to the glory of his country, an impartial history of the deeds of Irishmen in America would effectively serve to displace any prejudice.
What lover of the human race, animated by that noble sentiment of Terrence, “I am a man, and I think nothing human foreign to me,” can fail to appreciate the sturdy virtues of the Irish people in America, their patient industry, their obedience to constituted authority, their domestic constancy, their desire to provide homes for their families, and education for their children.
What patriotic American can fail to be moved by emotions of gratitude when he learns among other facts that the Irish in Ireland assisted with food and provisions the struggling settlers of Boston in a time of dire distress; that Irishmen of Philadelphia contributed large sums of money to the famished Revolutionary heroes at Valley Forge; that George Washington considered himself honored in being elected a member of an Irish society; that nine of the signers of the Declaration of Independence were men of Irish blood; that on the field of war, and in the council chamber of the nation, as well as in the administration of national, state, and municipal affairs, from the time of our earliest history to the present time, men of that race have given their lives and property to the nation’s cause. The work of this society thus far in this direction gives promise of either destroying the prejudices that have hitherto existed against the Irish people, or removing the venom from the fangs of bigotry.
To my mind the most urgent need of a society of this nature is the means it affords of preserving Irish history in America. It would be a great misfortune if the history of the Irish people in America, at present fragmentary at best, yet gathered together under favorable conditions and after the most careful and painstaking labor, could not find some secure lodgment.
What more suitable abiding place than the cabinet of the American-Irish Historical Society, from whence it could find its way into the 140private and public libraries, not only of our own country, but of the civilized world?
This Society, in the short time it has been in existence, has accomplished so much in its chosen field as already to have demonstrated quite clearly its scope. From the publications issued by its members, notably the work of Secretary-General Murray in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, Commissioner Linehan in New Hampshire, Senator Walsh in Georgia, Hon. Joseph T. Lawless in Virginia, and others, our Society has already contributed a fund of rich historical value to the history of this country. It would suffice to cite this labor to show the scope.
The thought has occurred to me that it might be well, however, to suggest a specialization of this work, and to provide avenues for its dissemination. The Society should pursue the line of procedure already mapped out by extending its membership to every state in the country. Membership should be selected from men of scholarly attainments, devoted to historical research. This membership should be so catholic as to include men of all religious denominations and nationalities.
Apropos of this, I beg leave to call attention to the great work done and being done by German scholars in the study of Celtic, to illustrate the probable value of assistance that might be rendered to us by men of other nationalities. The Society should coöperate with the movements in the other states looking to the establishment of record commissions, and in states where such movements have not been set on foot, to labor to create such movements.
With such an inviting field of labor spread out before us, this Society not only supplies a long-felt want, but also a means of inspiration. Each member can contribute to the common fund of historical data, and the sum total of these contributions will go to make up a work of great value.
The need of such an organization as the American-Irish Historical Society being demonstrated, and its scope clearly defined, all that remains to be done to perpetuate its success is to continue in the work already so auspiciously undertaken.
The torpedo-boat O’Brien,[57] for the United States navy, was launched at Lewis Nixon’s “Crescent shipyard,” Elizabethport, N. J., Sept. 24, 1900. She is named the O’Brien, to perpetuate the memory of the five O’Brien brothers,—Jeremiah, Gideon, William, John, and Joseph,—sons of Maurice O’Brien of Cork, Ireland, who had settled at Machias, Me. The boys are believed to have all been born in the latter place.
After the news of the battle of Lexington reached Machias, the townspeople erected a liberty pole, and the fact having been communicated to the British authorities, the sloop-of-war Margaretta, under the command of Lieutenant Moore of the English navy, was directed to proceed from Boston to Machias to investigate the matter.
The Margaretta went, and was captured by the O’Briens, after a sharp fight, May 11, 1775. Lieutenant Moore’s sword was presented to Joseph O’Brien, he being the “baby” of the expedition. It has been handed down from father to son ever since. The sword was exhibited at the launching and attracted no little attention.
The young lady who “christened” the O’Brien, Miss Myra Lincoln O’Brien, is a descendant of Joseph O’Brien, the “baby” above mentioned. Her father, Albert H. O’Brien, is a lawyer in Philadelphia. He served in the Civil War, and subsequently in the United States marines, from which corps he resigned as a first lieutenant in 1875. Her grandfather was Dennis W. O’Brien of Philadelphia, who died in 1878, while filling the office of judge of the Orphans’ court of Philadelphia county, and her great-grandfather was Dennis O’Brien, a merchant of Reading, Pa.
The day was a pleasant one for the launching, and despite the early hour set for the ceremony, Miss O’Brien, several of her relatives 142and friends, Lewis Nixon, Superintendent Ackerman, and the heads of the various departments were on hand. When the christening party were placed on the vessel the workmen released the huge hull and the O’Brien gracefully slid from the ways. The launching of the O’Brien marks another step in the consummation of the government plan of perpetuating the names of the more prominent figures in the American Revolution. The O’Briens were a family who possessed indomitable courage and spirit and played a conspicuous part in this country’s battle for freedom.
It is stated that on the arrival of the Margaretta off Machias, her commanding officer, Lieutenant Moore, notified the town officials that the Liberty pole must come down or the vessel would open fire on the town.
On Sunday morning, May 11, a lumber sloop commanded by Jeremiah O’Brien, with about fifty men armed with muskets and pitchforks, left the town and sailed down the bay in the direction of the Margaretta. There was a hand-to-hand fight on the decks, and though the English fought well with their small arms, the Margaretta was a prize within twenty minutes. Lieutenant Moore and ten of his men were killed and others severely wounded, the attacking party losing six men killed, while five were wounded.
This capture was the first naval engagement of the American Revolution,[58] but Jeremiah O’Brien and his brothers, William and John, subsequently received provincial commissions and participated in other engagements as commanding officers.
The O’Brien is a magnificent boat and looks the fighter, every inch of her. She is 175 feet long on her water line, 17 feet beam, and of 14 feet, 6 inches draught. Her displacement is about 165 tons. Steel has been used whenever possible, and when wood has been used it has been electrically treated so as to be fireproof. In every part unnecessary weight has been eliminated. The piston rods, shafts, connecting rods and working parts generally are of nickel steel.
There are four cylinder, triple expansion engines, one high power cylinder, 18 inches in diameter, one intermediate power cylinder, 27 inches in diameter, and two low power cylinders, 27½ inches in diameter, each with an 18‒inch stroke. The indicated horse power is 3,500, which will give 350 revolutions to the screws per minute. There are twin screws instead of a single screw. The propelling engines are located in a water-tight compartment.
143On board, there is every appliance known to modern naval engineering. The two condensers each have a cooling surface of 1,500 feet. A distilling plant for distilling salt water into fresh water is also supplied in the boat, as well as an air compressing and an electric lighting plant. Three boilers of the Mosher water-tube design give the needed power. They are powerfully constructed and will give a working pressure of 250 pounds to the square inch, with a heating surface of 8,325 square feet. Each boiler is to be supplied with a smoke-pipe standing about ten feet above the deck.
The O’Brien is low in the water and exceedingly hard to locate at night, even by the use of searchlights. She is a type of the advanced fighting machine, and her entire appearance denotes the fighter. Her armament is as follows: Three torpedo tubes, two forward, one aft, and three three-pound rapid-fire guns, located as are the torpedo tubes. When in commission she will carry a Whitehead torpedo in each tube, and additional ones on the racks near the tubes. The boat will carry sixty officers and men.
Speaking of the capture of the Margaretta, Capt. Edward O’Meagher Condon, a member of the American-Irish Historical Society, says in his excellent work:[59] “This was the first naval fight of the Revolution, and Jeremiah O’Brien was the victorious commander. Two British cruisers, the Diligence and Tapnaguish, were at once despatched to lay Machias in ashes, but they also were met and captured by O’Brien, his brothers and comrades. The young hero immediately sailed, with his prizes and prisoners, for Watertown, Mass., where the Provincial Congress was in session, and received the thanks of that body and a captain’s commission. But the British were not yet satisfied. They sent from Halifax a squadron, including a frigate, a twenty-gun corvette, a brig of sixteen guns, and several armed schooners, to crush the weak American fleet; but O’Brien, aided by Colonel Foster, was once more triumphant, and beat them off after a hard struggle.
“They then sent a strong body of land forces against Machias, but after the second day’s march from Passamaquoddy the British troops returned to Halifax, despairing of effecting a passage through the woods, or, perhaps, hopeless of accomplishing their purpose when confronted by those who had already conquered their fellow-mercenaries three times at sea. We are told that Maurice O’Brien, 144old as he was, could hardly be restrained from joining his gallant sons in their daring enterprise against the British.
“Three of the O’Briens, Jeremiah, John and William, continued in the naval service of the republic until the close of the war. Jeremiah was appointed to the command of The Liberty, and his brother William served under him as lieutenant. ‘For two years this vessel and another did good service on the northern coast, affording protection to American navigation, after which they were laid up.’ Jeremiah, with others, then fitted out a twenty-gun letter-of-marque, called the Hannibal, manned by one hundred and thirty men.
“She took several prizes; but at length falling in with two British frigates, she was overhauled after a chase of forty-eight hours and captured. O’Brien was first confined in the Jersey prison-ship, otherwise known as the Hell, at the Wallabout, where the Brooklyn navy yard now is. At the end of about six months he was sent to Mill prison, England, whence he succeeded in effecting his escape about a year later. He retired after the war to Brunswick, Me., where, at the age of over fourscore, he furnished the details of his brave achievements to a generation which had shamefully forgotten him and them.
“John O’Brien was more fortunate than his gallant brother. From a journal kept by him the following extracts are taken: On June 9, 1779, he sailed in the armed schooner Hibernia. On June 21, he took an English brig and sent her in. On June 25, he had an engagement with a ship of seventeen guns, from three till five o’clock p. m., when a frigate came up and the Hibernia was compelled to leave her anticipated prize and was pursued by the frigate till midnight. O’Brien had three men killed and several wounded in this fight. On July 7 he took a schooner, and sent her to Newburyport. On the day following, in company with Captain Leach of Salem, he took a ship carrying thirteen four-pounders; a few hours after, a brig; and then a schooner laden with molasses. On July 11, he took a brig in ballast, and then chased and captured another. He adds that if he and Captain Leach had not parted in a fog they could have taken the whole fleet. Capt. John O’Brien was never captured by the enemy. No trace is found after the capture of the Hannibal, of Lieut. William O’Brien. He was most probably among the 11,000 victims of British cruelty, whose corpses were buried, or flung on the shores of the Wallabout.”
JOHN BARRY.
Distinguished naval officer; born in Wexford County, Ireland, 1745. At the outbreak of the Revolution he abandoned “the finest ship and the finest employ in America” to enter the service of the republic; was appointed by Congress, in 1776, to prepare for sea a fleet which sailed from Philadelphia, Pa.; rendered brilliant service while commanding successively the U. S. S. Lexington, the U. S. S. Raleigh, and the U. S. S. Alliance; was publicly thanked by Washington; became senior officer of the navy; died at Philadelphia, 1803.
The American-Irish Historical Society is national, broad and comprehensive. To those familiar with the way in which our race has been misrepresented or omitted in some histories of California, nothing more is needed than the mere fact of the existence of such a society as ours as an inducement to their taking an interest in it. But there are the great majorities on the other hand who have little time to look into such matters in out of the way places, before whom I wish to place the more important purposes and scope of the Society.
Probably no great incentive to the study of the latter phases of this Society is needed than the fact that during its short existence it has been extended to over thirty states of the Union and to the District of Columbia. Most or all of the men who first conceived the need and then issued the call for its organization are of national reputation in the several walks of life. The first meeting was held at the Revere House, Boston, Jan. 20, 1897. Rear Admiral Richard Worsam Meade was then elected the first president-general. With seven generations of American ancestry back of him, and brother of the hero of Gettysburg, it would have been hard to find a more representative man of the race for that office than he.
In thus honoring him the Society was doubly honoring itself. The race that gave the new United States navy Commodore Jack Barry, might as well supply a rear admiral for president of this Society in 1897. The strides forward during the intervening century have been certainly great. And to-day the race stands as firmly and fearlessly as it did then, for freedom. Theodore Roosevelt, governor of the Empire state, who is so distinguished in literature, war and statecraft that it would be hard to tell in which he most excels, is among the members.
The mere mention of these names that have come so conspicuously before the world is not calculated to signify that there are not many others of almost or quite equal note. Scholars, statesmen 146and soldiers are numerous among the Society’s officers and members. But in such a brotherhood as ours there are no caste barriers. In the common endeavor for the common good of seeing that American history is truly written, we meet and act upon common ground.
“Fidelity, truth, honor, are the watchwords,” says the preamble to the constitution, “and under their noble influence should our work be done.” Of the nine distinct objects and purposes set forth in Article II of the constitution, two may be quoted as embodying the more essential features of our work:
“(2) To investigate specially the immigration of the people of Ireland to this country, determine its numbers, examine the sources, learn the places of its settlement, and estimate its influence on contemporary events in war, legislation, religion, education and other departments of human activity.”
“(7) To promote by union in a common high purpose a sincere fraternity, a greater emulation in well doing, a closer confidence and mutual respect among the various elements of the Irish race in America, that, by putting behind them the asperities of the past, they may unite in a common brotherhood with their fellow-citizens for the honor of the race and the glory of the Republic.”
Nor are the seven other articles of any less importance, that of the fourth pertaining to the correction of “erroneous, distorted and false views of history,” and the substitution of truth based upon documentary evidence, therefor, being amongst the most essential work to be done. Had we only to deal with our national history, voluminous as it is, the work before us would seem quite easy.
But there are the almost innumerable state, county, city and town histories, each of which needs as thorough sifting as does the national. This fact was indelibly impressed upon my mind three years ago when I was wading through California state and city histories for kernels of truth pertaining to “The Precursors of the Pioneers,” and other matter which I was then writing for publication. Never was the need more palpably illustrated of keeping well informed on the substance of all these histories than by a combination of self-constituted “protectors” of everything American, when they confronted us with accusations of disloyalty to the Republic and openly sought to insult us with taunts of being “the Pope’s Irish.” But brief as has been the interval, time has already doubly vindicated us. When there were Spanish guns to be faced our accusers stayed bravely at home.
147There are no sectarian or religious differences in our Society. Priests and ministers here unite in bands of blood and brotherhood. We now mourn the quite recent death of Rev. George W. Pepper, a Methodist minister of Ohio, one of our ablest workers. Very Rev. Andrew Morrissey, president of the Catholic University of Notre Dame, is also in our ranks.
I heartily wish that the duty of endeavoring to enlist the interest of men of Irish blood in California in the organization of a State Chapter of this Society devolved upon some of the many abler and better equipped men in the state. But even the keenest sense of one’s own shortcomings will not justify the shirking of such a duty. Here on the fag end of things [Coronado] we are few in numbers. In the hot press of the main chance there seem to be few having time or interest enough to spare to such a brotherhood. But I am quite sure that in the larger cities of San Francisco, Sacramento, Stockton and Los Angeles, there are many patriotic, true men and well-wishers of our race who will cheerfully join us in organizing a State Chapter, and to these I now appeal for coöperation to that end.
“Any person of good moral character, who is interested in the special work of the society, shall be deemed eligible to membership in the same. No tests other than that of character and devotion to the Society’s objects shall be applied to membership.” The only charge is an annual due of three dollars. Persons wishing to become members may send me their names with addresses and I will send them blanks of application for membership. These they will fill out and send to me and I will forward them to the Secretary-General, or they may write directly to him, addressing Thomas Hamilton Murray, Woonsocket, R. I.
The application must be accompanied by the annual fee. A handsome and comprehensive volume of the Society’s work is issued each year. The annual meeting and banquet was held in New York this year, and was a splendid affair. Let us have a California Chapter of this Society that will be a fit representative of our state and race.
The Knights of St. Patrick of San Francisco, an organization of gentlemen of Irish birth or descent, has recently affiliated with the American-Irish Historical Society, whose purpose is the investigation, recording and presentation in appropriate literary form of the influence of the Irish element in the upbuilding of the Republic.
The Knights undertake, as their special share of a large and commendable work, an investigation of the historical place of the Irishman in California.
Each of the races claiming to form part of the primal stock of the Republic has its own historical association and has traced the movements of its own blood by special historical investigation. We have the story of the English, the Dutch, the Huguenot, the Spaniard. The story of one of the largest fractions of the parent people of the Republic, the Irish, is being written.
These special researches are admittedly of the highest value to general history. They can be prosecuted with the greatest success by particular work in each state. To this end, the Knights of St. Patrick desire to initiate a thorough, solid, sober investigation of the Irishman’s part in the life of California. Not to satisfy a prejudice or mere pride of race, but laboring for right and truth to impartially set forth the facts of its racial life, that they may “supply omissions, correct errors, allay passions and shame prejudice.”
The pioneers of this state, the men who made history, are rapidly disappearing. With them go the original sources of the most valuable information. If the work above described be not undertaken now, our posterity will face the same difficulties that confront our Eastern brethren in their present search for authentic information.
The Society, therefore, desires to begin its investigations at once and to extend them to every part of the community, placing them under the conduct of names that, assuring painstaking research and impartial and discriminating judgment, will certainly present the results 149of their labor in attractive literary form; so that the work, commanding the respect and attention of the community, may have a definite and permanent historical value.
The work of investigation is to be influenced neither by political nor religious divisions. The race is paramount. Whether it came from this part of Ireland or that; whether it worshiped at this shrine or that, is but a qualifying incident. We seek the life and labors of the race; to record its arrival, its participation in the civil, political, and military activities of the state, “to try truthfully and fearlessly to record its achievements.”
To this end, we invite and request your coöperation in procuring facts bearing upon our subject. You may possess original information or know from whom or where it may be obtained, the location or character of relics that would be of interest or value. You may be able to suggest a line of inquiry that would aid our purpose. Historical information flows from a thousand sources. A reminiscence, a relic, an old newspaper clipping, a letter, a bit of unwritten biography, may be a clew to important evidence or the prolific source of many unsuspected facts.
In a word, we ask for any light, however small, that may assist in illuminating an important subject.
Above all, we ask you not to carelessly cast aside these words. It is the earnest request of earnest men, seeking truth for its own sake and wisely providing for the historic vindication of their race and name from the possible aspersions of future ignorance and prejudice.
The Society will, of course, bear any expense that may be entailed in the collection, transmission or publication of information proper to our purpose.
Address all correspondence and any requests for further information, which we will be pleased to give, to
The following is a list of publications thus far issued by the Society:
(1.) The American-Irish Historical Society: What It Is and What Its Purposes Are. Boston, Mass., 1897.
This was issued at Boston, some time after the founding of the Society. It was a small booklet of twelve pages containing a statement of the Society’s objects, a list of the officers, and other matter bearing upon the work of the organization. So much interest was displayed, that the edition was soon exhausted.
(2.) The American-Irish Historical Society: What It Is And What Its Purposes Are, Together With the Names of the Officers and a List of the Members. Boston, Mass., 1898.
To a certain extent, this was a second edition of the previous publication, but larger and more comprehensive. It comprised 32 pages, and had a portrait of President-General Meade as a frontispiece. The work is now out of print.
(3.) The “Scotch-Irish” Shibboleth Analyzed and Rejected. With Some Reference to the Present “Anglo-Saxon” Comedy. Washington, D. C., 1898.
This was a handsomely gotten up pamphlet of 29 pages, the author being a member of the Society, Joseph Smith, of Lowell, Mass. It was issued in September, 1898. An edition of 1,500 copies was brought out. A few copies remain on hand.
(4.) Irish Schoolmasters in the American Colonies, 1640‒1775, With a Continuation of the Subject During and After the War of the Revolution. Washington, D. C., 1898.
This work was issued in August of the year mentioned, the authors being two members of the Society, Thomas Hamilton Murray, secretary-general, and Hon. John C. Linehan, treasurer-general. 151It was a very attractive pamphlet of 31 pages and contained mention of over forty Irish teachers. The Society issued an edition of 2,000 copies of the work. Some fifty are still on hand.
(5.) The Journal of The American-Irish Historical Society. Vol. I. Boston, Mass., 1898.
A volume comprising 136 pages, substantially bound in cloth, and having 28 illustrations. It contained the call for the meeting to organize the Society, the names of the signers, the agreement of association, the preamble and constitution and much other matter relating to the founding of the organization. An edition of about 1,000 copies was issued. All have been distributed. The work was electrotyped by Ginn & Company, the Boston publishers, so that a second edition can be brought out later at comparatively small expense.
(6.) The Journal of The American-Irish Historical Society. Vol. II. Boston, Mass., 1899.
A handsome volume of 258 pages, having 41 illustrations. It is finely bound in cloth, and contains a mass of interesting facts relating to the history of the Irish element in the United States. A leading feature in the work is the Chronology of the Society, giving in regular order the leading events thus far in the career of the organization. An edition of 1,000 bound, and 100 unbound, copies was issued. The bound copies have been distributed, with the exception of 25 still left over. The unbound copies are held, subject to the direction of the Society.
(7.) The Irish at Bunker Hill: A List of American Patriots Bearing Irish Names Who Fought Against the British in the Action of the Seventeenth of June, 1775. Boston, Mass., 1900.
This was a leaflet prepared by Secretary Murray for the Society’s celebration of the 125th anniversary of the battle, June, 1900. The list comprised 189 names, including such as Burke, Callahan, Carroll, Cavenaugh, Connelly, Connor, Kelley, Leary, Lynch, Maguire, Mahoney, McCarthy, McCormack, McDonnell, McElroy, McGee, McGinnis, McGrath, McGuire, McLaughlin, McMahon, McMurphy, 152McNamara, Minihan, Mitchell, Moore, Murphy, Noonan, O’Brien, O’Connor, O’Neil, Roach, Rourke, Ryan, Scanlon, Shanahan, Shea, Sullivan, Tobin, Tracy, Welsh and the like. A few copies remain in the hands of the secretary.
(8.) The Journal of The American-Irish Historical Society. Vol. III. Boston, Mass., 1900.
The present work, of which 1,000 bound, and 100 unbound, copies are issued. Like Vols. I and II, a copy of this is sent to every member of the Society in good standing. Copies are also to be presented to public libraries, historical societies, college libraries and other educational institutions. The 100 unbound copies await the pleasure of the Society.
For continuation of this chronology, through the year 1900, see pages 8 to 18 of the present volume.
The following members of the Society died during the year 1900:
Born in Brooklyn, N. Y., June 5, 1845; was appointed police justice, New York city, in 1881, by Mayor Grace; resigned in 1893 to accept the appointment of dock commissioner from Mayor Gilroy; was a member of the Manhattan and Democratic Clubs and of the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick; admitted to the Society Jan. 19, 1899; died Jan. 23, 1900, in New York city.
Born in Waterford, Ireland; was educated in private schools in Ireland and England, and graduated at St. John’s University, Waterford. He came directly from Ireland to Richmond, Va., and prepared himself there and at the University of Virginia for the practice of law. Attained distinction at the bar; was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates in 1895 and 1897; was placed on important committees, including Courts of Justice, Counties, Cities and Towns, and Officers and Offices at the Capitol; was at one time a member of the Richmond Light Infantry Blues; died in Richmond, Jan. 24, 1900, aged thirty-six years.
Born in Sligo, Ireland, Dec. 26, 1845; came to America with his parents in 1847. The family settled in Salem, Mass. Michael, the subject of this sketch, attended school there, subsequently entering St. Charles College, Ellicott City, Md., and St. Mary’s Seminary, Baltimore, being ordained to the Catholic priesthood at the latter institution. In November, 1886, he assumed charge of St. Joseph’s church, Medford, Mass., and continued as rector until his death. He died Feb. 18, 1900, at Norfolk, Va.
Born in Peabody, Mass., Dec. 4, 1859; was graduated A. B. from Bowdoin College, 1882; admitted to the Massachusetts bar, 1884; formed a partnership with Henry H. Hurlburt, a prominent lawyer, at Lynn, Mass., 1892; enjoyed a large and lucrative practice; died in Lynn, May 26, 1900.
Born in Lawrence, Mass., about thirty years ago; was graduated from the University of the City of New York in 1891; was also an alumnus of Bellevue Hospital Medical College; died in his native city June 4, 1900.
Born in Newburyport, Mass.; was graduated from Niagara College and the Yale Law School; opened a law office in Haverhill, Mass., and acquired an extensive practice; died in Haverhill, June 10, 1900.
Born in County Waterford, Ireland, about seventy-three years ago. He was merging into manhood when the Irish rebellion of ’48 broke out, and was actively engaged in that struggle; after the collapse, he made his escape to the United States, where he soon after joined John O’Mahoney, the celebrated Fenian leader; became O’Mahoney’s private secretary and trusted adviser. He assisted in raising the Phœnix regiment and was also an energetic assistant to Gen. Michael Corcoran in recruiting the Corcoran Irish Legion at Camp Scott, S. I., in 1862. At the close of the Civil War, Mr. Cavanagh enlisted in the general service of the United States, and was employed at the war department. From the general military service he was transferred to the civil service, where he remained until the time of his death, a period of many years. He was on the pension rolls of the United States army, up to his death, for disabilities received while in the military service. He was the author of “Memoirs of Gen. Thomas Francis Meagher” and “Sketches of Waterford Celebrities,” and wrote many articles for the press. He died in Washington, D. C., June 21, 1900.
Born in Killarney, Ireland, in 1843; was graduated from Trinity College, Dublin, and then entered the service of the Bank of Ireland; came to the United States about 1863‒’64, and engaged in the importing and commission business; was a member of the school board, Boston, Mass., from 1875 to 1880, and was a state senator of Massachusetts, 1885 and 1886. Two or three of his sons have been students of Harvard. He died in Boston, July 1, 1900.
Came to this country, an orphan, when but nine years of age; went to Hallowell, Me., when twenty-three years old, locating permanently there in 1877; became prominent in business life; served on the Hallowell board of aldermen. “Whatever word he gave was the equal of a bond doubly secured.” He died in Hallowell, July 11, 1900, aged fifty years.
Born in Willimantic, Conn., May 1, 1850; was educated at Terrebonne College, Canada, finishing his studies in Belgium; was rector of St. Peter’s Catholic church, Hartford, Conn., for sixteen years, until his death in that city, Aug. 12, 1900.
Born in Ballina, County Tipperary, Ireland, May 1, 1825; completed his classical studies at Killaloe, and took his theological course at All Hallows College, Dublin; came to New York in 1848; affiliated with the diocese of Buffalo, N. Y., and was ordained to the priesthood in 1849; was made pastor of St. Patrick’s church, Rochester, N. Y., in 1854; in 1859 was made one of the vicars general of the Buffalo diocese. At the time of his death, Aug. 28, 1900, while on a visit to Ireland, he was rector of St. Patrick’s church, Lowell, Mass., and had been for several years.
Born in Charlestown, Mass., February, 1854; began his career as a newspaper man by gathering information for the Charlestown Advertiser. Later, he was in the offices of the Boston News and the Woonsocket (R. I.) Patriot. In 1876 he joined the reportorial staff of the Boston Herald, and for more than a decade faithfully and brilliantly served that paper. Mr. Wright was one of the most expert reporters of current events ever known in the state; became private secretary to Gov. B. F. Butler of Massachusetts. In 1889 he became editor and part owner of the Gazette, a daily paper of Haverhill, Mass., which position he held up to the time of his death. He passed away in Haverhill, Oct. 17, 1900.
Born in Palmer, Mass., Feb. 20, 1864; studied for two years at the University of Vermont; was graduated in medicine from the University of New York in 1886; took a post-graduate course, and then located in Pawtucket, R. I.; was appointed medical examiner for Pawtucket and Lincoln, R. I., by Governor Davis in 1890, for a term of six years; was elected to the Pawtucket school board for three years; was a member of the Rhode Island Medical Society; died in Pawtucket, Oct. 31, 1900.
Born in Eastport, Me., August, 1836; educated at Holy Cross College, Worcester, Mass., and the Grand Seminary, Montreal; ordained to the Catholic priesthood at Portland, Me., in 1864, by Bishop Bacon; was made pastor of the Catholics of Concord, N. H., in 1865. Under his direction 184St. John’s church, that city, was built, he remaining rector of the same until his death. He visited Europe in 1874, and was a personal attendant of Bishop Bacon of Maine on the return voyage of that dignitary, who died in New York soon after he reached this country. From Bishop Bacon’s death, Nov. 5, 1874, until June, 1875, Father Barry administered the affairs of the diocese of Portland until Bishop Healey was appointed. Father Barry was for a number of years a member of the school board of Concord; was three times appointed a trustee of the New Hampshire asylum for the insane, and bore a prominent part in the advancement of the interests of the New Hampshire Historical Society. At the time of his death he was vicar-general of the diocese of Manchester, N. H. He was accidentally killed by a cable car while crossing Broadway, New York city, Nov. 14, 1900.
Born in Portsmouth, Va., in 1843; resided there until 1859, when he removed to New York; entered the Union army in July, 1861, as a private; commanded Company B of the Sixty-ninth New York Volunteers in the famous charge of the Irish Brigade at Fredericksburg, where he was wounded. Subsequently, he was promoted to the ranks of major and lieutenant-colonel. After the war he returned to Virginia, and for more than a quarter of a century took a leading part in public affairs. For ten years he was the secretary and chairman of the Republican State Committee, and was a delegate from Virginia to many of the National Republican Conventions. He was representative in the Forty-ninth Congress from the Fourth Virginia District. Later, he was appointed collector of internal revenue for the Second Virginia District. He died at Petersburg, Va., Nov. 30, 1900.
Born in Charlestown, Mass., in 1845; attended Mt. St. Mary’s College, Emmitsburg, Md., and Boston University, at which latter institution he studied law; became a member of the Charlestown city council, and of the board of public library trustees; was nominated by Gov. B. F. Butler of Massachusetts, in 1883, to be judge of the Charlestown district court, but owing to the political complexion of the Governor’s council, the nomination was not confirmed; an able lawyer and valued citizen; died in Boston, Mass., Dec. 22, 1900.
Members of the Society who have died in other years:
Alley, John R., Boston, Mass., died in 1898.
Athy, Andrew, Worcester, Mass., died in 1898.
Cochrane, Gen. John, New York City, died in 1897.
185Conner, John E., Chicopee, Mass., died in 1898.
Coveney, Col. J. W., Cambridge, Mass., died in 1897.
Cummings, Dr. William F., Rutland, Vt., died in 1899.
Donovan, Dr. Henry V., Lawrence, Mass., died in 1897.
Drum, Capt. John, killed in action in Cuba, 1898.
Fay, Dr. Joseph H., Fall River, Mass., died in 1898.
Gafney, Charles B., Rochester, N. H., died in 1898.
Galvin, Hon. Owen A., Boston, Mass., died in 1897.
Grace, Rev. Philip, Newport, R. I., died in 1898.
Hanley, Col. Patrick T., Boston, Mass., died in 1899.
Kelley, Joseph J., Cambridge, Mass., died in 1899.
Meade, Rear Admiral R. W., Philadelphia, Pa., died in 1897.
Pepper, Rev. George W., Cleveland, O., died in 1899.
Phelan, Edmund, Boston, Mass., died in 1899.
Scannell, Rev. Denis, Worcester, Mass., died in 1899.
Slattery, William, Holyoke, Mass., died in 1899.
Smith, Laurence J., Lowell, Mass., died in 1897.
Sullivan, Hon. John H., Boston, Mass., died in 1899.
Thayer, Hon. Eli, Worcester, Mass., died in 1899.
Tobin, Capt. John M., Boston, Mass., died in 1898.
Walsh, Hon. Patrick, Augusta, Ga., died in 1899.
Ackland, Thomas J., editorial department, The Pilot, 630 Washington Street, Boston, Mass.
Ahern, John, 5 Highland Street, Concord, N. H.
Ahern, John J., East Cambridge, Mass.
Ahern, William J., 64 Franklin Street, Concord, N. H.; has served as a member of the Legislature of New Hampshire.
Armstrong, Col. James, Charleston, S. C.
Aylward, James F., 347 Tremont Building, Boston, Mass.
Banigan, Hon. James E., Pawtucket, R. I., a State Senator.
Bannin, Michael E., 893 Lafayette Ave., New York City.
Barrett, David L., Englewood, N. J.
Barrett, Frank B., 46 East 20th Street, New York City.
Barrett, Thomas, 10 West 90th Street, New York City.
Barrett, Dr. Thomas J., 41 Wellington Street, Worcester, Mass.; member State Board of Dental Registration.
Barry, Hon. P. T., 93 South Jefferson Street, Chicago, Ill.; has been a member of the Illinois Legislature.
Bell, Gen. George, Washington, D. C.
Bennett, Joseph M. (M. D.), 186 Broad Street, Providence, R. I.; a brother of Secretary of State Bennett of Rhode Island.
Betts, Rev. George C., Rector St. James’ Protestant Episcopal Church, Goshen, N. Y.
Birmingham, Robert M. (M. D.), Lawrence, Mass.
Black, Thomas, Berkley, Virginia.
Bodfish, Rev. Joshua P., Rector St. John’s Roman Catholic Church, Canton, Mass.
Boland, Michael J., Biddeford, Me.
Bolton, Rev. J. Gray (D. D.) (Presbyterian), 1906 Pine Street, Philadelphia, Pa.
Boyle, Hon. Patrick J., six terms Mayor of Newport, R. I.
187Boyle, Thomas H., Lowell, Mass.
Bradley, Richard E., 122 Monument Street, Portland, Me.
Brady, Rev. Cyrus Townsend, Protestant Episcopal Archdeacon of Pennsylvania, 6347 Woodbine Avenue, Philadelphia, Pa.
Brady, Patrick, 445 Seventh Avenue, New York City.
Brandon, Edward J., City Clerk, Cambridge, Mass.
Bree, Hon. James P., 820 Chapel Street, New Haven, Conn.; member of the Connecticut Legislature.
Breen, Hon. John, Lawrence, Mass.; served three terms as Mayor of Lawrence.
Brennan, Hon. James F., State Library Commissioner, Peterborough, N. H.
Brennan, Michael, 2 West 75th Street, New York City; proprietor of the Hotel San Remo, 74th and 75th Streets and Central Park West.
Brennan, Thomas S., 353 West 56th Street, New York City.
Breslin, T. J., Fries-Breslin Co., Camden, N. J.
Broderick, James A., Opera Block, Manchester, N. H.
Broe, James A., 478 Congress Street, Portland, Me.
Brogan, Rev. Farrah A., St. Vincent’s Church, South Boston, Mass.
Brophy, John P. (Ph. D., LL. D.), 321 West 137th Street, New York City.
Brosnahan, Rev. Timothy, Rector St. Mary’s Church, Waltham, Mass.
Bryson, John, 677 Elm Street, Manchester, N. H.
Buckley, Dennis T., 19 Bacon Street, Biddeford, Me.
Burke, Edmund, 377 Broadway, Milwaukee, Wis.
Burke, J. E., Superintendent of Public Schools, Lawrence, Mass.
Burke, Robert E., recently City Solicitor, Newburyport, Mass.
Burke, Tobias A., Argus office, Portland, Me.
Burke, William J., 119 Webster Street, East Boston, Mass.
Butler, Rev. Ellery C., Quincy, Mass.
Butler, Rev. Francis J., Brighton (Boston), Mass.
Butler, Rev. Thomas F., Lewiston, Me.
Butler, Hon. Matthew C., ex-U. S. Senator, Edgefield, S. C.
Buttimer, Thomas H., attorney-at-law, 27 Tremont Row, Boston, Mass.
Byrne, John, 45 Wall Street, New York City.
Byrne, Michael J., 147 Cook Street, Waterbury, Conn.
Byrne, Very Rev. William (V. G., D. D.), 6 Allen Street, Boston, Mass.
Cahill, John H., 15 Dey Street, New York City.
Cahill, M. J., dry goods merchant, Essex Street, Lawrence, Mass.
Callaghan, Lawrence, manufacturer, 95 Locke Street, Haverhill, Mass.
Callahan, John A., School Principal, 79 Lincoln Street, Holyoke, Mass.
Callanan, E. J., of Marlier, Callanan & Co., 172 Tremont Street, Boston, Mass.
Calnin, James, 101‒107 Lakeview Avenue, Lowell, Mass.
Campbell, James P., lawyer, 20 West 70th Street, New York City.
Cannon, James N., 240 Hamilton Street, New Haven, Conn.
188Cannon, Thomas H., 1235 Chicago Stock Exchange Building, Chicago, Ill.
Cantwell, John J., Brookline, Mass.
Canty, T. W., Chicopee, Mass.
Carey, Jeremiah J., office the Sunday Star, Lawrence, Mass.
Carmichael, James H., Lowell, Mass.
Carmody, John R., 1220 Sixteenth Street, N. W., Washington, D. C.
Carney, Michael, of M. Carney & Co., Lawrence, Mass.
Carter, Hon. Thomas H., recently U. S. Senator, Helena, Mont.
Carroll, Edward, Cashier Leavenworth National Bank, Leavenworth, Kansas.
Carroll, Hon. Hugh J., Pawtucket, R. I., ex-Member of the Rhode Island General Assembly; ex-Mayor of Pawtucket.
Carroll, James B., lawyer, 50 Temple Street, Springfield, Mass.
Carroll, Thomas, director of the Public Library, Peabody, Mass.
Casey, Martin, Fort Worth, Texas.
Casey, Stephen J., lawyer, Banigan Building, Providence, R. I.
Casey, William J., Palm Street, Bangor, Me.
Cashman, John, 30 Church Street, Manchester, N. H.
Casman, John P., 34 Howard Street, Springfield, Mass.
Cassidy, Patrick (M. D.), Norwich, Conn.
Cassidy, Patrick J. (M. D.), New London, Conn.
Cavanaugh, John B., 924 Elm Street, Manchester, N. H.
Cavanaugh, Thomas Jeffrey, 54 Stark Corporation, Manchester, N. H.
Chittick, Rev. J. J., Hyde Park, Mass.
Clancy, Lawrence, Oswego, N. Y.
Clare, William F., 39 Cortlandt Street, New York City.
Clark, Joseph H., Lowell, Mass.
Clark, Rev. James F., New Bedford, Mass.
Clarke, Rev. Michael, Rector Church of the Sacred Heart, East Boston, Mass.
Clary, Charles H., Hallowell, Me.
Clifford, James, El Paso, Texas.
Clune, John H., Springfield, Mass.
Coakley, Daniel H., 77 Arlington Street, Brighton (Boston), Mass.; member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives in 1892‒’94.
Coffey, John J., Neponset, Mass.
Coffey, Rev. Michael J., East Cambridge, Mass.
Cogan, D. S., 320 Congress Street, Portland, Me.
Coghlan, Rev. Gerald P., Church of Our Lady of Mercy, Philadelphia, Pa.
Cohalan, Daniel F., lawyer, 271 Broadway, New York City.
Coleman, Bernard F., 38 East 69th Street, New York City.
Coleman, Cornelius F., 162‒164 Middle Street, Portland, Me.
Coleman, James S., 38 East 69th Street, New York City.
Collins, Rev. Charles W., the Cathedral, Portland, Me.
Collins, James M., 6 Sexton Avenue, South Main Street, Concord, N. H.
189Collins, Hon. John S., Gilsum, N. H.
Collins, Hon. Patrick A., ex-Member of Congress; late United States Consul-General to London, England; Tremont Building, Boston, Mass.
Collins, Stephen J., 212 Main Street, Springfield, Mass.
Collins, Timothy J., Daily Advertiser, Quincy, Mass.
Collins, William D. (M. D.), 170 Winter Street, Haverhill, Mass.
Collison, Harvey N., member Massachusetts Legislature, 1887‒’88; has also served on Boston School Board; 5 Tremont Street, Boston, Mass.
Conaty, Bernard, 30 Cypress Street, Providence, R. I.
Conaty, Rev. B. S., 340 Cambridge Street, Worcester, Mass.
Conaty, Rt. Rev. Thomas J. (D. D.), Rector of the Catholic University, Washington, D. C.
Concannon, John S., 19 Crystal Cove Avenue, Winthrop, Mass., or City Hall, Boston, Mass.
Condon, Edward O’Meagher, 98 Fifth Avenue, New York City.
Coney, Patrick H., attorney-at-law, Topeka, Kansas.
Conley, Henry, 7 Winthrop Street, Portland, Me.
Conley, John E., 87 Weybosset Street, Providence, R. I.; ex-Clerk of the Rhode Island House of Representatives.
Conlin, Rev. John F., Webster, Mass.
Conlin, Michael, 59 South Broadway, Lawrence, Mass.
Conlon, Michael, 15 Pool Street, Biddeford, Me.
Connellan, James A., 98 Exchange Street, Portland, Me.
Conners, Edward, 31 Hammond Street, Bangor, Me.; has been a member of the Board of Aldermen, and of the Police Examining Board.
Connery, William P., Pleasant Street, Lynn, Mass.
Connolly, James, Coronado, Cal.
Connolly, Michael J., Trustee of the Public Library, Waltham, Mass.
Connolly, Rev. Arthur T., Rector Church of the Blessed Sacrament, Center and Creighton Streets, Roxbury (Boston), Mass.
Connolly, Richard, 132 Boston Street, Salem, Mass.
Connor, J. F., of Connor & Tracy, Peabody, Mass.
Connor, John J., Sunday Register office, Essex Street, Lawrence, Mass.
Connor, John W., 93 Main Street, Nashua, N. H.
Connor, Michael, 509 Beech Street, Manchester, N. H.
Conroy, Philip F., Newport Gaslight Co., Newport, R. I.
Conway, James L., 113 Worth Street, New York City.
Cooke, Rev. Michael J. (life member), Fall River, Mass.
Corbett, Peter B., Tremont Building, Boston, Mass.
Corcoran, C. J., City Clerk, Lawrence, Mass.
Corcoran, John H., 587 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Mass.
Corcoran, Hon. John W., recently a Judge of the Superior Court, Tremont Building, Boston, Mass.
Corr, Bernard, Chamber of Commerce Building, Boston, Mass.
190Corrigan, J. P. (M. D.), Benedict House, Pawtucket, R. I.
Costello, A. E., 4 East 119th Street, New York City.
Costello, John H., 40 East Brookline Street, Boston, Mass.
Coughlin, J. A., Manager, Essex Street, Lawrence, Mass.
Coughlin, John, 177 Water Street, Augusta, Me.
Cox, Michael F. (M. D., M. R. I. A.), 45 St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin, Ireland.
Cox, Michael H., 54 Commerce Street, Boston, Mass.
Coyle, Rev. James, Taunton, Mass.
Crane, John, 307 West 103d Street, New York City; member of the military order of the Loyal Legion; vice-president of the Society of the Army of the Tennessee.
Cranitch, William, New York City.
Crimmins, Hon. John D. (life member), 40 East 68th Street, New York City.
Crimmins, Lieut. Martin L. (U. S. A.), care of Hon. John D. Crimmins, New York City, or War Department, Washington, D. C.
Cronin, Capt. William, Rutland, Vt.
Croston, Dr. J. F., Emerson Street, Haverhill, Mass.
Crowell, Hon. Henry G., South Yarmouth, Mass.; a descendant of David O’Killia (O’Kelly), who settled on Cape Cod as early as 1657.
Crowley, Bartholomew, manufacturer, Haverhill, Mass.
Crowley, Hon. Jeremiah, Mayor of Lowell, Mass.
Crowley, John F., Standard Clothing Co., Bangor, Me.
Cuffe, Rev. John P., Quincy, Mass.
Cullen, Rev. John S., Watertown, Mass.
Cummins, Rev. John F., Roslindale, Mass.
Cummins, Thomas J., 65 First Place, Brooklyn, N. Y.
Cummings, Matthew J., Overseer of the Poor, Providence, R. I.
Cunningham, Christopher D., 178 Congress Street, Portland, Me.
Cunningham, Francis W., 167 Congress Street, Portland, Me.
Cunningham, James, 277 Congress Street, Portland, Me.
Cunningham, John E., Gardiner, Me.
Curran, Bartley J., 72 Exchange Street, Portland, Me.
Curran, James, President the James Curran Manufacturing Co., 512‒514 West 36th Street, New York City.
Curran, Maurice J., of the Curran & Joyce Co., Lawrence, Mass.
Curran, William F., 38 Fern Street, Bangor, Me.; has served several terms on the Board of Aldermen.
Curry, Capt. P. S., 1 Box Place, Lynn, Mass.
Curtin, Jeremiah, Bristol, Vt.; author of “Hero Tales of Ireland,” “Myths and Folk-Lore of Ireland,” “Myths and Folk-Tales of the Russians, Western Slavs and Magyars,” translator of works of Henry Sienkiewicz.
191Cusack, Peter, 38 Washington Street, Newburyport, Mass.
Cushnahan, Rev. P. M., Rector of St. Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church, Ogden City, Utah.
Dailey, Peter, real estate, etc., 209 Washington Street, Boston, Mass.
Daly, Hon. Joseph F., New York City; recently Justice of the Supreme Court.
Daly, John, South Broadway, Lawrence, Mass.
Daly, Rev. Patrick J., Rector Church of St. Francis de Sales, Vernon Street, Roxbury (Boston), Mass.
Danaher, Hon. Franklin M., Albany, N. Y.; member State Board of Law Examiners.
Danahy, Rev. J. T., Newton Upper Falls, Mass.
Danvers, Robert E., 17 West 65th Street, New York City.
Dasey, Charles V., 7 Broad Street, Boston, Mass.
Davidson, John A., 246 West 45th Street, New York City.
Davis, Charles E., 2 Park Square, Boston, Mass.
Davis, Dr. F. L., 253 Main Street, Biddeford, Me.
Davis, Hon. Robert T., Fall River, Mass.; ex-Mayor; ex-Member of Congress.
Davis, John J., 145 Clinton Street, Greenville, Pa.
DeCourcy, Charles A., of DeCourcy & Coulson, lawyers, Essex Street, Lawrence, Mass.
Deeves, Richard, Mutual Reserve Building, Broadway, New York City.
Delehanty, Dr. W. J., Trumbull Square, Worcester, Mass.
Delehanty, Hon. F. B., Judges’ Chambers, Court House, City Hall Park, New York City.
Dempsey, George C., Lowell, Mass.
Dempsey, Henry L., Stillwater, R. I.; recently Postmaster; member Smithfield Town Council.
Dempsey, Patrick, Market Street, Lowell, Mass.
Dempsey, William P., Pawtucket, R. I.
Dennison, Joseph A., of law firm, Coakley & Dennison, Pemberton Square, Boston, Mass.
Desmond, J. J., 565 Broadway, Lawrence, Mass.
Desmond, Jeremiah J., Norwich, Conn.
Desmond, John F., civil engineer, 83 Merrimac Street, Haverhill, Mass.
Devine, P. A., 100 Central Street, Manchester, N. H.
Devlin, James H., 27 Farnsworth Street, Boston, Mass.
Dignam, M. A. (D. D. S.), 295 Essex Street, Lawrence, Mass.
Dillon, Capt. Moses, El Paso, Texas.
Dillon, Thomas J. (M. D.), 121 Vernon Street, Roxbury (Boston), Mass.
Dixon, Richard, Equitable Life, 100 Broadway, New York City.
Doherty, James L., 131 Bowdoin Street, Springfield, Mass.
192Doherty, Philip J., 23 Court Street, Boston, Mass.; lawyer; has served several terms in the Massachusetts Legislature; in 1886 was nominee for Speaker of the House.
Donahoe, D. J., of Donahoe Brothers, manufacturers, Lynn, Mass.
Donahoe, Dr. Florence, 1134 Eighth Street, N. W., Washington, D. C.
Donahoe, Col. John P., Wilmington, Del.; National Commander, Union Veteran Legion; a member of the recent Constitutional Convention of the state.
Donahoe, Patrick, The Pilot, Boston, Mass.
Donahue, Dan A., Essex Street, Lawrence, Mass.
Donahue, Hugh (M. D.), 200 Winter Street, Haverhill, Mass.
Donahue, John J., Keene, N. H.
Donigan, Bernard E., 322 Essex Street, Lawrence, Mass.; formerly Postmaster at Orono, Me.
Donnellan, Col. John W., banker, Salt Lake City, Utah.
Donnelly, B. J., of Shea & Donnelly, Lynn, Mass.
Donnelly, Hugh J., 100 Central Street, Springfield, Mass.
Donoghoe, Dr. D. F., 240 Maple Street, Holyoke, Mass.; member School Board.
Donovan, Daniel, 21 High Rock Street, Lynn, Mass.; an authority on heraldry, armorial bearings, etc., particularly as the same relate to Ireland.
Donovan, Daniel A., of D. A. Donovan & Co., manufacturers, 47‒51 Willow Street, Lynn, Mass.
Donovan, D. D., 202 Power Street, Providence, R. I.
Donovan, Col. Henry F., Chicago, Ill.; late Inspector-General Illinois National Guard; served five terms as President of the County Board of Education; proprietor of the Chicago Eagle.
Donovan, Dr. James A., Lewiston, Me.
Donovan, Joseph, Central Building, Lawrence, Mass.
Donovan, M. F., of D. A. Donovan & Co., 47‒51 Willow Street, Lynn, Mass.
Donovan, Michael R. (M. D.), 128 South Common Street, Lynn, Mass.
Donovan, Timothy, of D. A. Donovan & Co., 47‒51 Willow Street, Lynn, Mass.
Donovan, Col. William H., Lawrence, Mass.
Doogue, Luke J., East Cottage Street, Dorchester (Boston), Mass.
Doogue, William, Superintendent of public grounds, Boston, Mass.
Doogue, William J., 154 East Cottage Street, Dorchester (Boston), Mass.
Doolittle, James G., Salt Lake City, Utah.
Doran, Patrick L., Salt Lake City, Utah.
Dore, John P., 40 Howland Street, Roxbury (Boston), Mass.
Dowd, Frederick C., Tremont Building, Boston, Mass.
Dowd, James J., Holyoke, Mass.
193Dowd, Michael, Tacoma, Wash.
Dowd, Michael J., 31‒39 Merrimack Street, Lowell, Mass.
Dowd, Peter A., 95 Milk Street, Boston, Mass.
Dowling, M. J., Renville, Minn.
Dowling, Rev. Austin, Providence, R. I.
Downey, Dr. Charles J., Springfield, Mass.
Downey, Daniel, 50 Piedmont Street, Worcester, Mass.
Doyle, Alfred L., 14 West 87th Street, New York City.
Doyle, James, 50 Front Street, New York City.
Doyle, John F. (life member), 14 West 87th Street, New York City.
Doyle, Col. John F., Jr., 14 West 87th Street, New York City.
Doyle, John M., 14 South Third Street, Philadelphia, Pa.
Driscoll, Hon. C. T., Mayor of New Haven, Conn.
Driscoll, Florence F., 56 Adams Street, Portland, Me.
Drummond, Michael J., 148 West 76th Street, New York City.
Duff, Dr. John, 5 Dexter Row, Charlestown (Boston), Mass.
Duff, John, 35 Purchase Street, New Bedford, Mass.
Duffy, Arthur E., 39 Ash Street, New Bedford, Mass.
Duggan, John T. (M. D.), Worcester, Mass.
Dunn, Edward P., 12 Lincoln Street, Augusta, Me.
Dunn, Hon. Robert C., State Auditor, Capitol Building, St. Paul, Minn.; publisher, Princeton, Minn., Union.
Dunne, F. L., 328 Washington Street, Boston, Mass.
Dunnigan, D. G., publisher, New Bedford, Mass.
Durac, Patrick H., Barstow, Ward County, Texas.
Dyer, Dr. William H., Dover, N. H.
Early, James, Deputy Sheriff, Worcester, Mass.
Egan, James T., of the law firm, Gorman & Egan, Banigan Building, Providence, R. I.
Egan, Maurice F. (LL. D.), Catholic University, Washington, D. C.
Egan, Rev. M. H., Rector Church of the Sacred Heart, Lebanon, N. H.
Ellard, George W., 180 Lisbon Street, Lewiston, Me.
Elston, A. A., Preston Street, Somerville, Mass.
Emmet, Dr. J. Duncan, 91 Madison Avenue, New York City.
Emmet, Robert, 54 West 53d Street, New York City.
Emmet, Dr. Thomas Addis, 89 Madison Avenue, New York City; grandnephew of Robert Emmet, the Irish patriot.
English, Hon. Thomas Dunn (LL. D.), 57 State Street, Newark, N. J.; ex-Member of Congress.
Esler, Frederic B., Union Surety Co., Dun Building, 290 Broadway, New York City.
Fallon, Hon. Joseph D., 789 Broadway, South Boston, Mass.
Fallon, Hon. Joseph P., 170 East 121st Street, New York City.
Fallon, Michael F. (M. D.), 9 Portland Street, Worcester, Mass.
194Farrell, Edward D., 329 West 50th Street, New York City.
Farrell, Henry W. (M. D.), 1913 Westminster Street, Providence, R. I.
Farrell, John F., 45 Lake Avenue, Albany, N. Y.
Farrell, John P., 230 Grove Street, New Haven, Conn.
Farrell, Joseph A., 598 Madison Avenue, Albany, N. Y.
Farrell, William, Carnation Street, Pawtucket, R. I.
Farrelly, Frank T., 424 Main Street, Springfield, Mass.
Farrelly, Patrick, American News Co., New York City.
Farrelly, Stephen, American News Co., New York City.
Fay, Martin, 55 Bainbridge Street, Roxbury (Boston), Mass.
Feehan, Rev. Daniel F., Fitchburg, Mass.
Feeley, William J., treasurer of The W. J. Feeley Co., silversmiths and manufacturing jewelers, 185 Eddy Street, Providence, R. I.
Feenan, Bernard, 85 Harbor Street, Salem, Mass.
Ferguson, Hugh, 21 George Street, Charleston, S. C.
Field, Hon. John H., 27 High Street, Nashua, N. H.
Finerty, Hon. John F., 69 Dearborn Street, Chicago, Ill.; Editor of The Citizen; ex-Member of Congress.
Finn, Rev. Thomas J., East Portchester, Conn.
Finnigan, James C., 139 Broad Street, Bangor, Me.
Finnigan, Patrick J. (M. D.), 361 Cambridge Street, East Cambridge, Mass.
Finnigan, Thomas J., 121 Somerset Street, Bangor, Me.; member of the Park Commission.
Fitzgerald, David E., 179 Church Street, New Haven, Conn.
Fitzgerald, Rev. E. J., Clinton, Mass.
Fitzgerald, Edmund P., 88 Bank Street, Waterbury, Conn.
Fitzgerald, Patrick J., 44 Nichols Street, Haverhill, Mass.
Fitzgerald, William T., High Street, Nashua, N. H.
Fitzmaurice, Charles R., Rossland, British Columbia.
Fitzpatrick, Daniel E., Waterbury, Conn.
Fitzpatrick, Edward, editorial department of The Times, Louisville, Ky.
Fitzpatrick, J. M., 120 West 59th Street, New York City.
Fitzpatrick, John B., 23 Court Street, Boston, Mass.; was for several years an officer of the Massachusetts Supreme Court.
Fitzpatrick, Thomas B., of the wholesale dry goods firm of Brown, Durrell & Co., Boston, Mass.
Fitzpatrick, Rev. William H., 2221 Dorchester Avenue, Boston, Mass.
Fitzsimons, Hon. James M., Chief Justice of the City Court, New York.
Fitzsimons, Thomas P., 1477 Broadway, New York City.
Flaherty, Thomas H., 62 Gray St., Portland, Me.
Flannagan, Dr. Andrew J., 29 George Street, Springfield, Mass.
Flannery, Capt. John, Savannah, Ga.; of John Flannery & Co., cotton factors and commission merchants.
195Flatley, Joseph P., 916 Beacon Street, Boston, Mass.
Flatley, P. J., lawyer, Tremont Building, Boston, Mass.
Flatley, Rev. John, Rector St. Peter’s Roman Catholic Church, Cambridge, Mass.
Flynn, Hon. Joseph J., Opera House, Lawrence, Mass., a State Senator.
Flynn, Rev. James A., Biddeford, Me.
Flynn, Thomas J., 18‒20 Essex Street, Boston, Mass.
Fogarty, James A., New Haven, Conn.
Fogarty, Jeremiah W., assessors’ department, City Hall, Boston, Mass.; Secretary of the Charitable Irish Society (founded 1737).
Foley, Bernard, 39 Edgewood Street, Roxbury (Boston), Mass.
Foley, Frank W., 284 Grand Avenue, New Haven, Conn.
Ford, Hon. Peter J., 501 Rodney Street, Wilmington, Del.
Foy, Julius L., 408‒409 Continental Bank Building, St. Louis, Mo.
Frawley, John P., 73 Main Street, Bangor, Me.
Gaffney, T. St. John, 41 Riverside Drive, New York City.
Gallagher, Cornelius J., 271 State Street, Bangor, Me.
Gallagher, Hugh T., 11 Birch Street, Bangor, Me.
Galligan, Edward F. (M. D.), 63 Washington Street, Taunton, Mass.
Gallivan, Maurice, 58 Dracut Street, Dorchester, Mass.
Galvin, Rev. John B., Rector St. Ann’s Church, Somerville, Mass.
Galvin, John E., 14 Bailey St., Dorchester, Mass.
Gargan, Thomas J. (life member), ex-President Boston Charitable Irish Society (founded 1737); member of the law firm, Gargan & Keating, 30 Court Street, Boston, Mass.
Garrigan, Rev. Philip J., Catholic University, Washington, D. C.
Garvan, Hon. Patrick, President Park Commission, 236 Farmington Avenue, Hartford, Conn.
Garvey, Patrick J., lawyer, Holyoke, Mass.
Gavegan, Matthew, 57 Prospect Street, New Haven, Conn.
Gavin, Michael, of M. Gavin & Co., wholesale grocers and cotton factors, 232‒234 Front Street, Memphis, Tenn.
Gavin, Dr. P. F., 331 Broadway, South Boston, Mass.
Geoghegan, Charles A., 537‒539 West Broadway, New York City.
Geoghegan, Joseph, Salt Lake City, Utah.
Geoghegan, Joseph G., 20 East 73d Street, New York City.
Geoghegan, Stephen J. (life member), 20 East 73d Street, New York City.
Gibbons, T. F., with Theodore M. Roche & Co., 203 Broadway, New York City.
Giblin, William, Mercantile Safe Deposit Co., 120 Broadway, New York City.
Gilbride, Patrick, of O’Donnell & Gilbride, Lowell, Mass.
Gilman, John E., 28 Court Square, Boston, Mass.
Gleason, Joseph J., 142 West 76th Street, New York City.
196Glynn, John W., Manager the Mansion House, Springfield, Mass.
Glynn, Thomas H., Water and Federal Streets, Newburyport, Mass.
Goggin, John, Nashua, N. H.
Goggin, John F., 57 Locust Street, New Bedford, Mass.
Goodwin, John (life member), 70‒72 West 23d Street, New York City.
Gorman, Hon. Charles E., Banigan Building, Providence, R. I.; ex-Speaker of the Rhode Island House of Representatives; ex-U. S. District Attorney; member of the recent Commission to revise the State Constitution of Rhode Island.
Gorman, Dennis J., 62 Forest Street, Roxbury (Boston), Mass.
Gorman, James J., 406 Spring St., Fall River, Mass.
Gorman, William (life member), Stephen Girard Building, Philadelphia, Pa.
Graham, Andrew M., 27 Middle Street, Newburyport, Mass.
Graham, Rev. John J., St. James’s Roman Catholic Church, Haverhill, Mass.
Grainger, William H. (M. D.), 408 Meridian Street, East Boston, Mass.
Griffin, John, 110 State Street, Portsmouth, N. H.
Griffin, Martin I. J., 2009 North 12th Street, Philadelphia, Pa.
Griffin, Rt. Rev. Mgr. (D. D.), St. John’s Church, Worcester, Mass.
Grimes, Robert W., Pawtucket, R. I.
Guiney, John, 9 Harvey Street, Biddeford, Me.
Haggerty, J. Henry, 50 South Street, New York City.
Hall, Edward A., member of the Connecticut Valley Historical Society, 66 Spring Street, Springfield, Mass.
Halligan, Rev. J. M., Wellsville, Ohio.
Haltigan, Patrick J., Government Printing Office, Washington, D. C.
Hanley, Frank L., Olneyville, R. I.
Hanlon, Marcus, Room 234, 641 Washington Street, New York City.
Hanrahan, Dr. John D., Rutland, Vt., Surgeon in U. S. Navy during Civil War; ex-Postmaster of Rutland; first President Rutland County Medical and Surgical Society.
Hanrahan, William J., 200 Essex Street, Lawrence, Mass.
Harney, Hubert J., of the manufacturing firm Harney Bros., 103 Washington Street, Lynn, Mass.
Harney, Patrick J., of Harney Bros., 103 Washington Street, Lynn, Mass.
Harney, Thomas F., of Harney Bros., 103 Washington Street, Lynn, Mass.
Harrigan, M. R., Bangor Commercial, Bangor, Me.
Harriman, Dr. Patrick H., Norwich, Conn.
Harrington, Rev. J. C., Rector of St. Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church, Lynn, Mass.
Harrington, Rev. John M., Lewiston, Me.
Harrington, Thomas F. (M. D.), Lowell, Mass.
Harrington, William, Manchester, N. H.
197Harris, Charles N., 89 Madison Avenue, New York City.
Harson, M. Joseph, Providence, R. I.; member of the Rhode Island Historical Society.
Hart, Frank M., Passaic, N. J.
Hart, James A., Orange, N. J.
Hart, J. G., 965 Second Avenue, Brooklyn, N. Y.
Harty, Rev. John, Rector of the Church of the Sacred Heart, Pawtucket, R. I.
Hastings, Hon. Daniel H., recently Governor of Pennsylvania, Harrisburg, Pa.
Haverty, Frank, 14 Barclay Street, New York City.
Hayes, John, Concord Street, Manchester, N. H.
Hayes, Dr. John F., Waterbury, Conn.; member of the Board of Education.
Hayes, Dr. S. W., New Bedford, Mass.
Healey, Col. D. F., Manchester, N. H.; served on the staff of Governor Goodell of New Hampshire; was high sheriff of Hillsborough County, N. H., for over twelve years; supervisor of census, 1900, for N. H.
Healey, Jere, Newburyport, Mass.
Healy, John F., Davis, Tucker County, W. Va.
Healy, Col. John G., 117 Sherman Avenue, New Haven, Conn.; served in Ninth Connecticut Regiment during Civil War; has been first Vice-President of the Nineteenth Army Corps Association.
Healey, John A., 85 West Hollis Street, Nashua, N. H.
Healy, Richard, President Bay State Savings Bank, Worcester, Mass.
Hearn, Edward L., South Framingham, Mass.; prominent official of the Knights of Columbus.
Heery, Col. Luke, 99 Fairmount Street, Lowell, Mass.; recently on the staff of Governor Waller of Connecticut.
Heery, James, 99 Fairmount Street, Lowell, Mass.
Heffern, Peter J. (D. D. S.), 255 Main Street, Pawtucket, R. I.; member of the State Board of Registration in Dentistry.
Hegerty, Stephen J., Hallowell, Me.
Henebry, Rev. Richard (Ph. D.), Catholic University, Washington, D. C.
Hennessy, Dr. Daniel, 5 High Street, Bangor, Me.
Hennessy, H. E., Daily Globe, Boston, Mass.
Henry, Charles T., 120 Liberty Street, New York City.
Hickey, James G. (life member), Manager U. S. Hotel, Boston, Mass.
Hickey, Michael J., 80 Emerson Street, Haverhill, Mass.
Hickey, Rev. William A., Holyoke, Mass.
Hicks, Michael, 147 West 121st Street, New York City.
Higgins, Francis, 12 East 34th Street, New York City.
Hogan, Capt. Thomas J., 225 Middle Street, Portland, Me.
Hogan, Very Rev. John B. (S. S., D. D.), President of St. John’s Ecclesiastical Seminary, Brighton (Boston), Mass.
198Hogan, John W., lawyer, 4 Weybosset Street, Providence, R. I.
Holland, D. A., Opera Block, Manchester, N. H.
Holland, John P., 65 Nelson Place, Newark, N. J.; inventor of the submarine torpedo-boat.
Hopkins, William, Assistant Day Editor Boston Globe; the talented “Bud Brier.”
Horigan, Cornelius, Biddeford, Me.; ex-Member Maine Legislature.
Howard, Rev. J. J., St. Peter’s Roman Catholic Church, Worcester, Mass.
Howard, Hon. T. J., Manchester, N. H.
Howes, Osborne, Secretary of the Board of Fire Underwriters, 55 Kilby Street, Boston, Mass.
Howley, Edward B., El Paso, Texas.
Hoye, John A., 40 Third Street, Dover, N. H.
Hughes, Rev. Christopher, Fall River, Mass.
Hurley, Rev. E. F., Rector of St. Dominic’s Roman Catholic Church, Portland, Me.
Hurley, John E., care of Remington Printing Co., Providence, R. I.
Johnson, James G., 301 West End Avenue, New York City.
Jordan, M. J., lawyer, 42 Court Street, Boston, Mass.
Joyce, Bernard J., 82 Devonshire Street, Boston, Mass.
Kane, Dr. John H., Lexington, Mass.
Kane, John P., Central Building, Lawrence, Mass.
Kavanagh, Rev. Patrick J., Lexington, Mass.
Keating, James E. (M. D.), 143 Pine Street, Portland, Me.
Keating, Patrick M., of the law firm, Gargan & Keating, Boston, Mass.
Keating, William H., 15 Vaughn Street, Portland, Me.
Keefe, Dennis F. (D. D. S.), Butler Exchange, Providence, R. I.
Keefe, Patrick H. (M. D.), 257 Benefit Street, Providence, R. I.
Keegan, Rev. James J., Woburn, Mass.
Keely, George, 270 Brackett Street, Portland, Me.
Kehoe, John B., Portland, Me.
Kelley, J. D. Jerrold, Lieutenant Commander U. S. N.; address, care Navy Department, Washington, D. C.
Kelley, Michael F. (M. D.), 225 Third Street, Fall River, Mass.
Kelley, Patrick, 19 Davidson Street, Lowell, Mass.
Kelly, James, 13 Greenleaf Street, Portland, Me.
Kelly, James E., Ogdensburg, N. Y.
Kelly, John F., 284 West Housatonic Avenue, Pittsfield, Mass.
Kelly, John P. (D. D. S.), 12 Essex Street, Newburyport, Mass.
Kelly, T. P., 544 West 22d Street, New York City.
Kelly, William J., 9 Dove Street, Newburyport, Mass.
Kelly, William J., Kittery, Me.
Kendricken, Hon. Paul H., 75 Maple Street, Roxbury (Boston), Mass.; ex-State Senator; member of the Military Order of the Loyal Legion.
199Kenefick, Owen A., Essex Street, Lawrence, Mass.
Kennedy, Charles F., Brewer, Me.
Kennedy, Daniel, 197 Berkeley Place, Brooklyn, N. Y.
Kennedy, Dr. Francis M., 446 County Street, New Bedford, Mass.; trustee of Public Library.
Kennedy, Joseph P., 311 South Water Street, New Bedford, Mass.
Kennedy, Hon. P. J., 165 Webster Street, East Boston, Mass.; has been a State Senator.
Kennedy, P. J., 322 and 324 Nicollet Avenue, Minneapolis, Minn.
Kenney, James W., Treasurer Union Brewing Co., Roxbury (Boston), Mass.
Kent, Pierce, 356 East 57th Street, New York City; recently lieutenant in the 69th Regiment.
Kiernan, Rev. Owen, Rector Church of the Immaculate Conception, Fall River, Mass.
Kiernan, Patrick, 18 East 83d Street, New York City.
Kiley, Daniel F., Essex Street, Lawrence, Mass.
Killoren, Hon. Andrew, Dover, N. H.; ex-State Senator.
Kilroy, Patrick, 475 Main Street, Springfield, Mass.
Kilroy, Philip (M. D.), Glen-Rath, Springfield, Mass.
King, Thomas E., 104 Howard Street, Springfield, Mass.
Kinsela, John F., 509 Gorham Street, Lowell, Mass.
Kirby, John P., Chicopee, Mass.
Kivel, Hon. John, Dover, N. H.
Knights of St. Patrick, San Francisco, Cal. (life member), care of John Mulhern, 122‒124 Market Street, San Francisco.
Lally, Frank, 161 Saratoga Street, East Boston, Mass.
Lamb, Matthew B., 516 Main Street, Worcester, Mass.
Lamson, Col. Daniel S., Weston, Mass.
Lane, Rev. Florence A., Chicopee, Mass.
Lane, Thomas J., 120 Havre Street, East Boston, Mass.
Lannan, P. H., The Tribune Office, Salt Lake City, Utah.
Lappin, J. J., 7 Grant Street, Portland, Me.
Larkin, Very Rev. Thomas J. (S. M.), President of All Hallows College, Salt Lake City, Utah.
Lavelle, John, Inquiry Division, Post-office, Cleveland, Ohio.
Lawler, Thomas B., 70 Fifth Avenue, New York City; with Ginn & Co., publishers; Librarian and Archivist of the Society; member, American Oriental Society and of the Archæological Institute of America.
Lawless, Hon. Joseph T., Secretary of State, Richmond, Va.
Leahey, Dr. George A., Lowell, Mass.
Leary, Daniel E., Springfield, Mass.
Leary, Denis F., 254 Central Street, Springfield, Mass.
Lee, Hugh J., Pawtucket, R. I.
Lee, Rev. Robert F., 156 Danforth Street, Portland, Me.
200Lee, Thomas C., 277 Central Street, Lowell, Mass.
Lenehan, John J. (life member), 165 Broadway, New York City.
Lenihan, Rev. M. C., Marshalltown, Iowa.
Lennox, George W., manufacturer, Duncan Street, Haverhill, Mass.
Leonard, Hon. James F., mayor of Lawrence, Mass.
Leonard, Thomas F., musical director, Essex Street, Lawrence, Mass.
Leonard, Peter F., 343 Harvard Street, Cambridge, Mass.
Linehan, James C., 18 Foster Street, Peabody, Mass.
Linehan, Hon. John C., State Insurance Commissioner, Concord, N. H.
Linehan, John J., manufacturer, Springfield, Mass.
Linehan, Rev. Timothy P., Rector of St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church, Biddeford, Me.; was for ten years Rector of the Cathedral, Portland, Me.
Linehan, Timothy P., Wolfe Tavern, Newburyport, Mass.
Long, M. D., O’Neill, Nebraska.
Lovell, David B. (M. D.), 32 Pearl Street, Worcester, Mass.; member New England Ophthalmological Society.
Lowe, Hon. Robert A., Waterbury, Conn.
Lowery, Dr. James E., Sopris, Las Animas County, Colorado.
Lowery, William H., 86 Adams Street, Portland, Me.
Lowney, Rev. T. B., Marlborough, Mass.
Lucey, Rev. Thomas P., Northampton, Mass.
Lyman, William, 51 East 122d Street, New York City.
Lynch, Charles E., 367 Main Street, Springfield, Mass.
Lynch, Cornelius J., 331 Pine Street, Bangor, Me.
Lynch, J. H., Fort Hamilton, N. Y.
Lynch, James M., Daily Democrat, Waterbury, Conn.
Lynch, John E., Principal Thomas Street School; Director Free Public Library, Worcester, Mass.
Lynch, Gen. John J., 145 Spring Street, Portland, Me.
Lynch, Dr. M. H., Chicopee Falls, Mass.
Lynch, Thomas J., Augusta, Me.; member Augusta Board of Trade.
Lynn, Hon. Wauhope, 280 Broadway, New York City.
Lyons, Rev. Francis X., Laconia, N. H.
Lyons, Rev. John J., Manchester, N. H.
Lyons, Michael R., 243 Main Street, Fitchburg, Mass.
Lyons, Dr. W. H. A., Portsmouth, N. H.
MacDonnell, John T. F., manufacturer, Holyoke, Mass.
MacGoldrick, Rev. D. J., St. Thomas College, Scranton, Pa.
McGolrick, Rt. Rev. James, D. D., Duluth, Minn.
Madden, Joseph, Keene, N. H.
Magee, John A. (M. D.), 203 Haverhill Street, Lawrence, Mass.
Magenis, James P., lawyer, 1 Somerset Street, Boston, Mass.
Magner, Thomas, Sup’t Metropolitan Life Insurance Co., Rutland, Vt.
201Magrane, P. B., dry goods merchant, Lynn, Mass.
Magrath, P. F. (life member), 244 Front Street, Binghamton, N. Y.
Maguire, John C., Brooklyn, N. Y.
Maguire, John E., manufacturer, Haverhill, Mass.
Maher, James J., Augusta, Me.
Maher, Dr. Stephen J., 212 Orange Street, New Haven, Conn.
Mahoney, Daniel D., of D. D. Mahoney & Son, Essex Street, Lawrence, Mass.
Mahoney, James, Hotel Nottingham, Boston, Mass.
Mahoney, James V., Commissioner of the Commercial Association, Sioux City, Iowa.
Mahoney, John P. S., Central Building, Lawrence, Mass.; recently President of the Common Council.
Mahoney, Rev. Martin, Mendota, Minn.
Mahoney, M. J., Hampshire & Bradford Streets, Lawrence, Mass.
Mahoney, Dr. Michael P., 63 East Street, Providence, R. I.
Malloy, Gen. A. G., El Paso, Texas; a veteran of the Mexican and Civil Wars; during the latter conflict he was successively Major, Colonel, and Brigadier-General; has been Collector of the Port of Galveston.
Maloney, Cornelius, publisher, Daily Democrat, Waterbury, Conn.
Maloney, Dr. Thomas E., 278 Franklin Street, Fall River, Mass.
Maneely, John, 309‒311 Arch Street, Philadelphia, Pa.
Mangan, John J. (M. D.), 55 North Common Street, Lynn, Mass.
Manning, Timothy T., care of James & Marra, Springfield, Mass.
Mannix, Cornelius A., 40 Sheridan Street, Portland, Me.
Marshall, Rev. George F., Rector of St. Paul’s Roman Catholic Church, Milford, N. H.
Martin, Rev. Farrell (D. D.), Waterbury, Conn.
Martin, Dr. James F., Springfield, Mass.
Martin, Hon. John B., 762 Fourth Street, South Boston, Mass.
May, Henry A., Roslindale, Mass.
McAdoo, Hon. William, Assistant Secretary of the Navy (under Cleveland), 15 Wall Street, New York City.
McAleer, George, Treasurer Bay State Savings Bank, Worcester, Mass.
McAlevy, John F., 26‒50 North Main Street, Pawtucket, R. I.
McAuliffe, John F., with the Livermore & Knight Co., Westminster Street, Providence, R. I.
McCabe, Rev. Michael, St. Joseph’s Hospital, Providence, R. I.
McCaffrey, Hugh (life member), Fifth and Berks Streets, Philadelphia, Pa.
McCann, Daniel E., 37 Preble Street, Portland, Me.
McCarrick, James W., Clyde’s Steam Lines, Norfolk, Va.
McCarthy, Charles, Jr., Portland, Me.
McCarthy, Rev. Jeremiah, Gardiner, Me.
McCarthy, John H., 8 West 125th Street, New York City.
202McCarthy, Patrick J., Industrial Trust Building, Providence, R. I.
McCarthy, T. A. (D. D. S.), Main Street, Nashua, N. H.
McCaughey, Bernard, 93‒105 North Main Street, Pawtucket, R. I.
McClallen, Edward C., Rutland, Vt.; of the fifth American generation.
McCluskey, James J., 31 Milk Street, Boston, Mass.
McConnell, James E., Fitchburg, Mass.; candidate for Lieutenant-Governor of Massachusetts, 1896.
McConway, William (life member), manufacturer, Pittsburg, Pa.
McCoy, Rev. John J., Permanent Rector of the Church of the Holy Name, Chicopee, Mass.
McCrystal, Maj. Edward T., 69th Regiment Infantry, N. G. N. Y., New York City.
McCullough, Edward (M. D.), 123 Union Street, Bangor, Me.
McCullough, John, 55 Maxfield Street, New Bedford, Mass.
McCusker, John F. (M. D.), 96 Broad Street, Providence, R. I.
McDermott, Rev. William A., Redwood, N. Y.; under the nom-de-plume “Walter Lecky” he has produced much literary work.
McDermott, Thomas J., Biddeford, Me.; proprietor of Biddeford Iron and Brass Works.
McDonald, Dr. Edward W., Waterbury, Conn.
McDonald, Dr. J. A., 116 Main Street, Charlestown (Boston), Mass.
McDonald, John, 70 Leicester Street, Boston, Mass.
McDonald, Mitchell C., Paymaster U. S. N.; address care Navy Department, Washington, D. C.
McDonnell, Thomas F. I., 17 Custom House Street, Providence, R. I.
McDonnell, Thomas H., School Street, Quincy, Mass.
McDonough, Edward J. (M. D.), 333 Congress Street, Portland, Me.
McDonough, Hon. John J., Fall River, Mass.
McDonough, Rev. M. C., Bath, Me.
McEleney, William, 45 Cedar Street, Portland, Me.
McElroy, Rev. Charles J., Rector St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church, Derby, Conn.
McEvoy, John W., 137 Central Street, Lowell, Mass.
McGauran, Michael S. (M. D.), Lawrence, Mass.
McGillicuddy, Hon. D. J., Lewiston, Me.; Mayor, 1887‒’90.
McGinnis, Rev. John J., Sandford, Me.
McGinnis, Lieut.-Col. John R., ordnance corps, U. S. A.; care War Department, Washington, D. C.
McGlinchy, J. H., 128 Danforth Street, Portland, Me.
McGoey, J., 78 Worth Street, New York City.
McGolrick, Rev. E. J., 84 Herbert Street, Brooklyn, N. Y.
McGolrick, Rt. Rev. James (D. D.), Duluth, Minn.
McGovern, James A. (life member), New York City.
McGovern, Joseph P., 193 Green Street, New York City.
203McGowan, Joseph A., 263 Congress Street, Portland, Me.
McGowan, P. F. (life member), Board of Education, New York City.
McGrath, Rev. Christopher, 264 Washington Street, Somerville, Mass.; Rector St. Joseph’s Church.
McGuinness, Bernard, 32 Westminster Street, Providence, R. I.
McGuinness, Hon. Edwin D., Providence, R. I.; has served two terms as Mayor of Providence, and two as Secretary of State of Rhode Island.
McGuire, Edward J., 54 Wall Street, New York City.
McGuire, Rev. Francis D., The Cathedral, Albany, N. Y.
McGurk, Charles J., City Auditor, New Bedford, Mass.
McGurrin, Frank E., Salt Lake City, Utah.
McIntyre, John F., lawyer, 220 Broadway, New York City.
McKechnie, Rev. James H., Worcester, Mass.
McKechnie, William G., 366 Walnut Street, Springfield, Mass.
McKeever, Capt. Samuel, U. S. A., 74 Belmont Street, Somerville, Mass., (Brev’t Lieut.-Col.).
McKellegett, George F., 27 Tremont Row, Boston, Mass.
McKeon, Francis P., Millbury Street School, Worcester, Mass.
McLaughlin, Edward A., Tremont Bldg., Boston, Mass.; was for several years clerk of the Massachusetts House of Representatives.
McLaughlin, Henry V. (M. D.), 29 Kent Street, Brookline, Mass.
McLaughlin, James M., 56 Bowdoin Street, Dorchester (Boston), Mass.; Supervisor of Music in Boston Public Schools; author of “The Educational Music System.”
McLaughlin, Marcus J., 250 West 25th Street, New York City.
McLaughlin, Thomas, Hallowell, Me.
McLaughlin, William H., 24 C Street, Knightville, Portland, Me.
McLaughlin, William I., State Mutual Building, Worcester, Mass.
McMahon, Edward J., Walker Building, Worcester, Mass.
McMahon, James, 51 Chambers Street, New York City.
McMahon, James H., 17 Main Street, Fitchburg, Mass.
McMahon, Rev. John W. (D. D.), Rector St. Mary’s Church, Charlestown (Boston), Mass.
McManus, Col. John, 145‒147 Westminster Street, Providence, R. I.; served on the staff of Governor Davis of Rhode Island.
McManus, Michael, of McManus & Co., clothiers, 670 Washington Street, Boston, Mass.
McManus, Gen. Thomas, 333 Main Street, Hartford, Conn.
McManus, Rev. Michael T., Rector St. Mary’s Church, Brookline, Mass.
McMunn, R. H., Roxbury (Boston), Mass.
McNamee, John H. H., 51 Frost Street, North Cambridge, Mass.
McNeely, Richard, 309 East 42d Street, New York City.
McNeirny, Michael J., Gloucester, Mass.
McNulty, Rev. John J., St. Cecilia Street, Boston, Mass.
204McQuade, F. A., 75‒77 Market Street, Lowell, Mass.
McQuaid, Rev. William P., Rector St. James Church, Harrison Avenue, Boston, Mass.
McQueeney, Henry J., of the Post-office staff, Lawrence, Mass.
McSweeney, Edward F., Assistant U. S. Commissioner of Immigration, Ellis Island, N. Y.
McSweeny, Rev. Edward, Rector St. John’s Roman Catholic Church, Bangor, Me.
McVey, Edward D., 519 Westford Street, Lowell, Mass.
McVicar, P. A., Auburndale, Mass.
McWilliams, Daniel A., 16 Hamilton Street, New Haven, Conn.
Mehan, Charles, El Paso, Texas.
Mehegan, Daniel J. (M. D.), 31 Broadway, Taunton, Mass.
Mellen, James H., 119 Providence Street, Worcester, Mass.
Mellen, Hon. W. M. E., ex-Mayor, Chicopee, Mass.
Milholland, John E., Tubular Despatch Co., Tribune Building, New York City.
Millea, William H., 154 Washington Street, Salem, Mass.
Minahan, Hon. T. B., Board of Trade, Columbus, Ohio.
Miskella, James, 10 Chase Street, Lowell, Mass.
Molloy, Hugh J., State Normal School, Lowell, Mass.
Moloney, T. W., of Butler & Moloney, counselors-at-law, Rutland, Vt.
Molony, Henry A., 16 New Street, Charleston, S. C.
Monaghan, Rt. Rev. John J. (D. D.), Bishop of Wilmington, Del.
Monohan, Michael, 874 Broadway, New York City.
Mooney, J. G., 154 Exchange Street, Bangor, Me.
Mooney, John A., 353 West 27th Street, New York City.
Moore, Dr. James A., 223 Grand Avenue, New Haven, Conn.
Moore, O’Brien (life member), recently of the Washington (D. C.) bureau of the St. Louis Republic; publisher of the Daily Gazette, Charleston, W. Va.
Moran, Col. James, Providence, R. I.; served in the Fifth R. I. Heavy Artillery during the Civil War; recently commanded the Second Regiment, Rhode Island Militia.
Moran, Dr. James, 333 West 51st Street, New York City.
Moran, Thomas, Jr., Biddeford, Me.
Moran, William, Biddeford, Me.
Morrissey, William T., Portsmouth, N. H.
Morrissey, Very Rev. Andrew (C. S. C.), president of the University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Ind.
Morrissy, Thomas, 48‒50 West 14th Street, New York City.
Morrison, Francis M., 492 Main Street, Worcester, Mass.
Moseley, Edward A., Secretary of the Interstate Commerce Commission, Washington, D. C.
205Moses, George H., editor The Monitor, Concord, N. H.
Moyes, Rev. David (D. C. L.), West Springfield, Mass.
Moynahan, Bartholomew, 120 Broadway, New York City.
Moynihan, Michael A., Portsmouth, N. H.; U. S. Internal Revenue Office.
Mulcahy, Rev. John, Arlington, Mass.
Mulholland, Gen. St. Clair A., U. S. Pension Agent, Philadelphia, Pa.
Mullaney, Rev. John F., Rector Church of St. John the Baptist, Syracuse, N. Y.
Mullen, Hugh, of Brown, Durrell & Co., Boston, Mass.
Mullen, John F., 14 Pennsylvania Avenue, Providence, R. I.
Mulligan, B. J., 37 Warren Street, Salem, Mass.
Mulvihill, Henry, 825 Market Street, Parrott Building, San Francisco, Cal.
Murphy, Chas. B., Augusta, Me.
Murphy, D. P., Jr., 31 Barclay Street, New York City.
Murphy, Daniel D. (M. D.), Amesbury, Mass.
Murphy, David E., 8 Perley Street, Concord, N. H.
Murphy, Edward J., 327 Main Street, Springfield, Mass.
Murphy, Frank J., lock box 161, Olean, N. Y.
Murphy, Fred C., Dickinson Building, Springfield, Mass.
Murphy, J. H., attorney-at-law, Portland, Oregon.
Murphy, Hon. John R., Boston, Mass.; ex-State Senator of Massachusetts.
Murphy, James, real estate and insurance, Essex Street, Lawrence, Mass.
Murphy, James, 42 Westminster Street, Providence, R. I.
Murphy, James R., lawyer, 27 School Street, Boston, Mass.
Murphy, John A., 276 Union Street, Springfield, Mass.
Murphy, Thomas, 144 Elm Street, Biddeford, Me.
Murphy, William, 2 Lewis Park, Roxbury (Boston), Mass.
Murray, Capt. John F., police department, Cambridge, Mass.; residence, 9 Avon Street.
Murray, Frank E., 47 Park Street, Worcester, Mass.
Murray, Joseph T., 131 Pearl Street, Manchester, N. H.
Murray, Michael J., attorney-at-law, 27 School Street, Boston, Mass.
Murray, Thomas Hamilton, Secretary-General of the Society, Woonsocket, R. I.
Nammack, Dr. Charles E., 42 East 29th Street, New York City.
Naphen, Hon. Henry F., 42 Court Street, Boston, Mass.; member of Congress.
Neagle, Rev. Richard, Malden, Mass.
Neagle, Thomas J., 66 Franklin Street, Haverhill, Mass.
Neilon, John F., Saco, Me.
Nicholson, George, 40 Oak Street, Lynn, Mass.
Nolan, Frank F., 224 Thames Street, Newport, R. I.
O’Bierne, Gen. James R., 357 West 117th Street, New York City.
O’Brien, Capt. Lawrence, 70 Beach Street, New Haven, Conn.
206O’Brien, Frank J., of Donigan & O’Brien, 322 Essex Street, Lawrence, Mass.; late a member of the City Council.
O’Brien, Hon. C. D., 212 Globe Building, St. Paul, Minn., ex-Mayor of St. Paul.
O’Brien, John D., Bank of Minnesota Building, St. Paul, Minn.; of the law firm Stevens, O’Brien, Cole & Albrecht.
O’Brien, Hon. Morgan J., 42 West 44th Street, New York City; a Justice of the Supreme Court.
O’Brien, Patrick, 399 South Broadway, Lawrence, Mass.
O’Brien, Rev. James J., Somerville, Mass.; a son of the late Hon. Hugh O’Brien, Mayor of Boston.
O’Brien, Thomas, 155 Main Street, Pawtucket, R. I.
O’Brien, Very Rev. Michael C., 30 Cedar Street, Bangor, Me.; Vicar-General of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland.
O’Byrne, J. J., 206 57th Street, Brooklyn, N. Y.
O’Byrne, M. A., 370 West 118th Street, New York City.
O’Callaghan, P. J., Lawrence, Mass.
O’Callaghan, Rev. Denis (D. D.), Rector St. Augustine’s Roman Catholic Church, South Boston, Mass.
O’Connell, Dr. J. C., U. S. Pension Office, Saginaw, Mich.
O’Connell, John, 302 West End Avenue, New York City.
O’Connell, Patrick, 81 Westland Avenue, Boston, Mass.
O’Connell, Timothy, 140 State Street, Newburyport, Mass.
O’Connor, Charles A., 135 Lawrence Street, Manchester, N. H.; member State Constitutional Convention; two terms in the State Legislature.
O’Connor, Charles J., 4 Weybosset Street, Providence, R. I.
O’Connor, D. F., 341 Central Street, Manchester, N. H.
O’Connor, Dr. Joseph M., 204 Main Street, Biddeford, Me.
O’Connor, Edward DeV., 4 Weybosset Street, Providence, R. I.
O’Connor, Francis, Siegel, Cooper & Co., New York City.
O’Connor, James, 37 Prospect Street, Biddeford. Me.
O’Connor, John D., The Washington Press, 18 Essex Street, Boston, Mass.
O’Connor, Patrick, 99 Mill Street, New Haven, Conn.
O’Conor, P. H., Washington Street, Peabody, Mass.
O’Donnell, Rev. James H., Watertown, Conn., author of a recently published history of the Catholic diocese of Hartford, Conn.
O’Donnell, James J., 65 Taylor Street, Holyoke, Mass.
O’Donnell, Hon. John B., ex-Mayor, Northampton, Mass.
O’Donnell, Rev. Philip J., 887 Shawmut Avenue, Boston, Mass.
O’Doherty, Hon. Matthew, Louisville, Ky.
O’Doherty, Rev. James (life member), Rector St. James Roman Catholic Church, Haverhill, Mass.
O’Donoghue, Col. D. O’C., 75 Emery Street, Portland, Me.
O’Dowd, Michael, 922 Elm Street, Manchester, N. H.
207O’Driscoll, Daniel M., Western Union Telegraph Co., Charleston, S. C.
O’Dwyer, Hon. E. F., 37 West 76th Street, New York City.
O’Farrell, Charles, 173 Devonshire Street, Boston, Mass., an earnest, scholarly worker in the Irish language movement.
O’Farrell, Patrick, of O’Farrell, Fowler & O’Farrell, lawyers, Solicitors of American and Foreign Patents, 1425 New York Avenue, N. W., Washington, D. C.
O’Farrell, Rev. Dennis J., 7 North Square, Boston, Mass., Rector St. Stephen’s Church.
O’Flaherty, James, 150 Nassau Street, New York City.
O’Flaherty, John (M. D.), Hartford, Conn.; served during the Civil War in Corcoran’s Legion as a member of the 170th Regiment, New York Volunteers.
O’Flynn, Thomas F., 25 Grosvenor Street, Worcester, Mass.
O’Gorman, Hon. J. A., 312 West 54th Street, New York City.
O’Hagan, Thomas (A. M., Ph. D.), 151 Mutual Street, Toronto, Canada.
O’Hart, John, 1 Woodside, Vernon Avenue, Clontarf, Ireland; author of “O’Hart’s Irish Pedigrees,” “The Last Princess of Tara,” etc.
O’Keefe, Daniel T. (M. D.), 183 Green Street, Jamaica Plain (Boston), Mass.
O’Keefe, Edmund, Inspector Buildings, New Bedford, Mass.
O’Keefe, John A., lawyer, 25 Exchange Street, Lynn, Mass.; formerly Principal of the High School in that city; recently candidate for Attorney-General of Massachusetts.
O’Kennedy, J. J. Karbry (LL. D.), 77 Broadway, New York City.
O’Laughlin, Patrick, lawyer, 23 Court Street, Boston, Mass.
O’Mahoney, Daniel J., Essex Street, Lawrence, Mass.; ex-Superintendent of Streets.
O’Mahoney, Michael, of Moulton & O’Mahoney, contractors, Lawrence, Mass.
O’Malley, Rev. John, St. Anne’s Church, Worcester, Mass.
O’Malley, Thomas F., law office, Union Square, Somerville, Mass.
O’Neil, Hon. Joseph H., Boston, Mass.
O’Neil, James, 521 7th Street, N. W., Washington, D. C.
O’Neil, James, Hampshire and Common Streets, Lawrence, Mass.
O’Neill, Rev. Daniel H., 935 Main Street, Worcester, Mass.
O’Neill, Rev. D. P., Westchester, N. Y.
O’Neill, Eugene C., 51 Lee Avenue, Newport, R. I.
O’Neill, Francis Q., President Hibernian Trust and Savings Bank, Charleston, S. C.
O’Neill, James L., 220 Franklin Street, Elizabeth, N. J.
O’Neill, John, 131 Cook Street, Waterbury, Conn.
O’Neill, John E., 53 Lee Avenue, Newport, R. I.; member of the Board of Aldermen; cashier New York and Boston Despatch Express Company.
208O’Neill, Thomas J., The Aquidneck, Newport, R. I.
O’Neill, William F., Chicopee Falls, Mass.
O’Reilly, F. C., Orange, N. J.
O’Reilly, Luke F., 825 7th Street, N. W., Washington, D. C.
O’Reilly, Rev. James T. (O. S. A.), Rector of St. Mary’s Church, Lawrence, Mass.
O’Reilly, Thomas B., Salt Lake City Utah.
O’Rourke, Timothy, 91 Scoville Street, Waterbury, Conn.
O’Shaughnessy, E. J., 912 St. Nicholas Avenue, New York City.
O’Shea, J. F. (M. D.), 116 Union Street, Lynn, Mass.
O’Sullivan, Humphrey, 105 Butterfield Street, Lowell, Mass.
O’Sullivan, James, of O’Sullivan Bros., Merrimack Street, Lowell, Mass.
O’Sullivan, James T., real estate and insurance, Lawrence, Mass.; ex-City Marshall.
O’Sullivan, John, The H. B. Claflin Co., Church Street, North Street, and West Broadway, New York City.
Patterson, Rev. George J., Rector St. Vincent’s Church, South Boston, Mass.
Penney, William M., 34 West 26th Street, New York City.
Perry, Dr. Charles J., World Building, New York City.
Phalen, Rev. Frank L., pastor Church of the Unity, Worcester, Mass.; chaplain of the First New Hampshire Regiment, U. S. Volunteers (war with Spain).
Phelan, Dr. Daniel J., 123 West 94th Street, New York City.
Phelan, Hon. James D., Mayor of San Francisco, Cal.
Phelan, James J., 66 West 85th Street, New York City.
Phelan, John J., 66 West 85th Street, New York City.
Phelan, Rev. J., Rector of St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church, Rock Valley, Iowa; recently editor of the Northwestern Catholic.
Philpott, Anthony J., Daily Globe, Boston, Mass.
Piggott, Michael, 1634 Vermont Street, Quincy, Ill.
Plunkett, Thomas, 257 6th Street, East Liverpool, Ohio.
Power, James D., U. S. Custom House, New York City.
Power, Rev. James W., 47 East 129th Street, New York City.
Powers, Patrick H., President Emerson Piano Co., 110 Boylston Street, Boston, Mass.
Pulleyn, John J., Catholic Club, 171 West 94th Street, New York City.
Quinlan, Daniel J., 53 East 127th Street, New York City.
Quinlan, Prof. Francis J. (M. D., LL. D.), 33 West 38th Street, New York City; recently President New York Celtic Medical Society; late surgeon in the U. S. Indian service.
Quinlan, Col. James, 120 Liberty Street, New York City.
Quinn, Hon. John, 66 Broadway, New York City.
Quinn, John J., 154‒160 West 124th Street, New York City.
209Quinn, Joseph F., 6 Broad Street Court, Salem, Mass.
Quinton, Lieut.-Col. William, U. S. A., care of War Department, Washington, D. C.
Radikin, Edward F., Pawtucket, R. I.
Rafferty, Dr. James J., Worcester, Mass.
Ratigan, John B., Walker Building, Worcester, Mass.
Ray, Hon. Harry P., Manchester, N. H.
Reardon, Edmund, 24 Commerce Street, Boston, Mass.; residence, Cambridge, Mass.; Member Boston Chamber of Commerce; Director Commercial National Bank.
Redding, Capt. James F., 59 Broad Street, Charleston, S. C.
Redican, Rev. J. F., Leicester, Mass.
Reed, Henry E., Portland, Oregon, care of The Oregonian.
Regan, W. P., architect, Lawrence, Mass.
Reilly, Robert J., Cedar Street, Bangor, Me.
Reynolds, James F., 12 Belmont Place, Somerville, Mass.
Rice, James D., 39 Hammond Street, Bangor, Me.
Rice, John H., Eastern Trust and Banking Co., Bangor, Me.
Richardson, Stephen J., 1785 Madison Avenue, New York City.
Riddle, Patrick E., East Cottage Street, Dorchester (Boston), Mass.
Riordan, John H., 136 Fort Hill Avenue, Lowell, Mass.
Roche, James Jeffrey (LL. D.), editor of The Pilot, 630 Washington Street, Boston, Mass.
Roche, Martin J., 23 City Square, Charlestown (Boston), Mass.
Rock, Thomas H., Main Street, Pawtucket, R. I.
Roe, James V., Harbor View, East Boston, Mass.
Rodwaye, Alfred J., 44 Kingston Street, Boston, Mass.; a member of the Jacobite Order of the White Rose; Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, England; Fellow of the Royal Society of Northern Antiquarians, Denmark; member of the Royal Italian Heraldic Academy.
Rooney, John J., of Rooney & Spence, customs brokers, 66, 68 and 70 Beaver Street, New York City.
Rorke, James, 40 Barclay Street, New York City.
Rosary Magazine, editor of the (life member), Somerset, Ohio.
Rossa, Jeremiah O’Donovan, New York City.
Roosevelt, Hon. Theodore, Vice-President of the United States, Washington, D. C.
Ruggles, Henry Stoddard (ninth American generation), Wakefield, Mass.; a member of the Sons of the Revolution and of the Sons of the American Revolution.
Rush, John, 16th and Farnham Streets, Omaha, Neb.
Ryan, Charles V., Springfield, Mass.
Ryan, Christopher S., Lexington, Mass.
Ryan, Felix L., 47 Main Street, Bangor, Me.
210Ryan, John, 789 Westfield Street, Lowell, Mass.
Ryan, John J., 204 Merrimack Street, Haverhill, Mass.
Ryan, John J., 59 South Broadway, Lawrence, Mass.
Ryan, John J., 158 East 95th Street, New York City.
Ryan, Patrick H., 789 Westfield Street, Lowell, Mass.
Ryan, Philip, 79 Portland Street, Worcester, Mass.
Ryan, Richard, Rutland, Vt.
Ryan, Sylvester A., 565 Chestnut Street, Springfield, Mass.
Sanders, Col. C. C., Gainesville, Ga.; President of the State Banking Co.; commanded the 24th Georgia Regiment in the Civil War.
Sasseen, Robert A., Equitable Life Assurance Society, 120 Broadway, New York City.
Scanlan, Rev. M. A., 1276 Woodland Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio.
Scully, Martin, Daily Democrat, Waterbury, Conn.
Scully, Rev. Thomas, Cambridgeport, Mass.
Sexton, Sergt. Patrick G., U. S. A., Augusta, Me.
Shahan, Rev. Thomas H., Malden, Mass.
Shahan, Rev. Thomas J. (D. D.), Catholic University, Washington, D. C.
Shanahan, Rev. Edmund T. (Ph. D., D. D.), Catholic University, Washington, D. C.
Shea, C. J., of Shea & Donnelly, Lynn, Mass.
Shea, John B., 19 Maiden Lane, New York City.
Shea, John T., 119 3d Street, East Cambridge, Mass.; member of the Board of Aldermen.
Shea, Richard J., City Hall, Lawrence, Mass.; clerk of the Council; City Auditor.
Sheahan, Dennis H., Providence, R. I., ex-clerk of the Rhode Island House of Representatives.
Sheahan, Dr. Joseph M., 6 School Street, Quincy, Mass.
Sheehan, John A., Pickering Building, Manchester, N. H.
Sheehan, Joseph, southwest corner 6th and Market Streets, Philadelphia, Pa.
Sheran, Hugh F., 46 Woodbine Street, Roxbury (Boston), Mass.
Sheridan, Bernard H., principal of the Oliver School, Lawrence, Mass.
Sheridan, Rev. John A., 97 South Street, Jamaica Plain (Boston), Mass.
Sherman, P. Tecumseh (son of Gen. W. T. Sherman), 59 Wall Street, New York City.
Shortell, Joseph P., 28 Cabot Street, Salem, Mass.
Shuman, A., 440 Washington Street, Boston, Mass.
Slattery, James A., Boston, Mass.
Slattery, John J., President Todd-Donigan Iron Co., Louisville, Ky.
Slocum, Rev. Wm. J., Waterbury, Conn.
Smith, Rev. James J., 88 Central Street, Norwich, Conn.
Smith, Joseph, Secretary of the Police Commission, Lowell, Mass.
Smith, Dr. Thomas B., Wyman’s Exchange, Lowell, Mass.
211Smyth, Eneas, Brookline, Mass.
Smyth, Philip A., 11 Pine Street, New York City.
Smyth, Rev. Hugh J., New Bedford, Mass.
Smyth, Rev. Hugh P., Rector St. Joseph’s Church, Roxbury (Boston), Mass.
Smyth, Rev. Thomas, Springfield, Mass.
Smyth, Rev. Thomas M., East Liverpool, Ohio.
Somers, James F., 83 West 132d Street, New York City.
Somers, P. E., 17 Hermon Street, Worcester, Mass.
Somers, Thomas F., 349 Broadway, New York City.
Spillane, J. B., 3 East 14th Street, New York City.
Steele, Hon. John H., Phœnix Building, Minneapolis, Minn.
Stevens, Walter F., 176 Winter Street, Haverhill, Mass.
Storen, William J., 232 Calhoun Street, Charleston, S. C.
Sullivan, Eugene M., Chicopee, Mass.
Sullivan, Dr. James E., 254 Wayland Avenue, Providence, R. I.
Sullivan, James J., 18 Margaret Street, Springfield, Mass.
Sullivan, James O., 245 Main Street, Biddeford, Me.
Sullivan, Jeremiah D., 431 Purchase Street, New Bedford, Mass.
Sullivan, John A., The Catholic Club, New York City.
Sullivan, John D., 113 Palm Street, Nashua, N. H.
Sullivan, John J., 140 Chestnut Street, Nashua, N. H.
Sullivan, John J., 61‒63 Faneuil Hall Market, Boston, Mass.; of Doe, Sullivan & Co.
Sullivan, Hon. M. B., Dover, N. H., ex-State Senator.
Sullivan, M. F. (M. D.), Oak Street, Lawrence, Mass.
Sullivan, M. J., of Buckley, McCormack & Sullivan, Lawrence, Mass.
Sullivan, Patrick F., of Sullivan Bros., 9 School Street, Boston, Mass.
Sullivan, Patrick H., Opera Block, Manchester, N. H.
Sullivan, Hon. Richard, Hemingway Building, Boston, Mass.
Sullivan, Roger G., 803 Elm Street, Manchester, N. H.
Sullivan, Timothy P., Concord, N. H.; furnished granite from his New Hampshire quarries for the new National Library building, Washington, D. C.
Sullivan, William J. (M. D.), Lawrence, Mass.
Supple, Rev. James N., Rector St. Francis de Sales Church, Charlestown (Boston), Mass.
Sweeny, William Montgomery, 120 Franklin Street, Astoria, L. I., N. Y.
Swords, Joseph Forsyth, Room 500 Bank of Commerce Building, Nassau and Cedar Streets, New York City.
Tack, Theo. E., 52 Broadway, New York City.
Tally, Philip, 353 Westminster Street, Providence, R. I.
Teeling, Rev. Arthur J., Rector St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church, Lynn, Mass.
212Tennian, Rev. John C., Rector Church of the Assumption, Potter’s Avenue, Providence, R. I.
Thomas, Robert J., Water Department, Lowell, Mass.
Thompson, Frank, 544 West 22d Street, New York City.
Thompson, Robert Ellis (Ph. D., S. T. D.), President Central High School, Philadelphia, Pa.: recently a professor in the University of Pennsylvania.
Tierney, Dennis H., 167 Bank Street, Waterbury, Conn.
Tierney, John C., 1317 Park Avenue, Hoboken, N. J.
Tierney, Rev. John D., Salem, Mass.
Tierney, Myles (life member), 317 Riverside Drive, New York City.
Tigh, Frederick (M. D.), 132 High Street, Newburyport, Mass.
Timmins, Patrick J. (M. D.), 487 Broadway, South Boston, Mass.
Toland, M. A., The Pilot Office, 630 Washington Street, Boston, Mass.
Toomey, Daniel J., manager Donahoe’s Magazine, Washington Street, Boston, Mass.
Toomey, R. A., with Forbes & Wallace, Springfield, Mass.
Travers, Ambrose F., 107 Duane Street, New York City.
Travers, F. C., President of Travers Brothers Co., 107 Duane Street, New York City, cordage manufacturers.
Travers, Vincent P., 107 Duane Street, New York City.
Treanor, J. O., 211 Union Street, Nashville, Tenn.
Tuckey, James F., 26 Grove Street, New Haven, Conn.
Vail, Roger, associate editor The Irish Standard, Minneapolis, Minn.
Vance, Thomas F., Main Street, Pawtucket, R. I.
Ver Planck, William G., 149 Broadway, New York City.
Waldron, Thomas F., 74 Washington Street, Haverhill, Mass.
Wallace, Rev. T. H., Lewiston, Me.
Wallace, Rev. Thomas W., 437 West 51st Street, New York City.
Waller, Hon. Thomas M., ex-Governor of Connecticut, 15 Wall Street, New York City.
Walsh, Henry Collins, care of the New York Herald, New York City; a descendant of Gen. Stephen Moylan of the American Revolution.
Walsh, James A., Lewiston, Me.; agent Lewiston Bleachery.
Walsh, Michael (LL. D., Ph. D.), editor of the Sunday Democrat, 32 Park Row, New York City.
Walsh, Philip C., 22 Grant Street, Newark, N. J.
Walsh, William P., 247 Water Street, Augusta, Me.
Ward, Edward, Kennebunk, Me.
Ward, John T., Kennebunk, Me.
Ward, Michael J., Hotel Ilkley, Huntington Avenue, Boston, Mass.
Ward, Patrick, 13 Casco Street, Portland, Me.
Ware, Alfred, Lowell, Mass.
Weadock, Hon. Thomas A. E., Detroit, Mich.; member of the 52d and 53d Congresses.
213Welsh, John P., Portland, Me.
Whalen, Maurice H., 8 Vetromile Street, Biddeford, Me.
Whalen, Nicholas J., 97 Merrimack Street, Manchester, N. H.
Whall, William B. F., 57 Monmouth Street, East Boston, Mass.
Williams, Hon. George Fred, 209 Washington Street, Boston, Mass.
Willis, John R., 1164 Elm Street, Manchester, N. H.
Wilson, Hon. Thomas, St. Paul, Minn.; care of Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha R. R.
Wilson, William Power, Exchange Building, 53 State Street, Boston, Mass.
Woods, John J., 54 Federal Street, Newburyport, Mass.
Woods, Robert J., treasurer University Settlement, 6 Rollins Street, Boston, Mass.
Woods, William S., City Solicitor, Taunton, Mass.
Wynne, Peter, 301 East 105th Street, New York City.
Carney, Owen J., Lowell, Mass.
Conlon, William L., Portsmouth, N. H.
Cox, William T., 12 South Second Street, Elizabeth, N. J.
Curry, E. J., 1267 Lexington Avenue, New York City.
Doyle, Nathaniel, New York Club, 35th Street and 5th Avenue, New York City.
Ford, Prof. J. D. M., 7 Thayer Hall, Harvard College, Cambridge, Mass.
Harbison, Hon. Alexander, Mayor of Hartford, Conn.
Harrington, William, Manchester, N. H.
Kenny, Rev. John, Northampton, Mass.
Kent, D. V., city auditor, Kansas City, Mo.
Leary, William, 450 Fifth Avenue, New York City.
Note.—On pages 24, 29, for George E. Van Siclen read George W. Van Siclen. In transmitting her valuable paper on “The Irish Settlers of Pelham, Mass.,” Miss Linehan of Hartford, Conn., writes relative to Shays’ Rebellion: “Daniel Shea,” the acknowledged leader, had his name spelled in various ways. In American histories it is spelled “Shays.” The writers of these histories have evidently never taken very great pains to look up this Irishman. I find that the name is spelled Shea, Sheas, Sha, Shays, Shay, also Shess and Shass. Spelling in his day was, very evidently, phonetic. As he is said to have come from Cork, Ireland, I have no doubt whatever but that he originally spelled his name as they do in that country to-day,—Shea. In a receipt given before the war he spells the name “Shea.” In a note given after the war he spells his name “Shays.” My authority, outside of the receipt and note are the town records of Pelham, Mass., where the various spelling of the name is given. The correspondence between him and Gen. Lincoln, 1787, may be found in the Massachusetts Archives, State House, Boston, Mass.
Volume II of the Society’s Journal, covering the year 1899, was greeted with sentiments of high commendation as Volume I (1898) had been. The following extracts are reproduced from a mass of acknowledgments, received by Secretary T. H. Murray, relative to the second volume:
From Mr. William Montgomery Sweeny, Astoria, L. I., N. Y.: “The volume is a very handsome one and an addition to any library.”
From Mr. Henry Stoddard Ruggles, Wakefield, Mass.: “I acknowledge with thanks the receipt this day of the most creditable volume of our Society for the year 1899.”
From Rev. M. S. Lenihan, Marshalltown, Ia.: “I desire to thank you for Volume II of the Journal of our Society, which I prize very much as it is full of valuable information.”
From P. J. Timmins, M. D., South Boston, Mass.: “I thank you for Volume II, Journal of the American-Irish Historical Society. It seems to be even more interesting than Volume I.”
From Mr. John P. Farrell, New Haven, Conn.: “The Journal for ’99 was duly received. I am very much pleased with it, and wish yourself and officers of the Society success for the coming year.”
From Paymaster John R. Carmody, U. S. N.: “I acknowledge with thanks the receipt of Volume II of the Journal of the Society, and congratulate you heartily upon the good work you are doing.”
From Mr. Frank Haverty, New York City: “Enclosed you will please find $3, my annual dues as a member of the American-Irish Historical Society. I have just received Volume II; it is a magnificent work.”
From Mr. John A. Mooney, New York City: “I beg to acknowledge with thanks Volume II of the Journal of the American-Irish Historical Society, a handsome volume and one most creditable to the Society and to yourself.”
From the Public Library, Portland, Me.: “The library has received your gift, Journal of the American-Irish Historical Society, Volume II, which is hereby gratefully acknowledged for the trustees. Alice C. Furbish, Librarian.”
215From Mr. Marcus Hanlon, New York City: “I have duly received Volume II of the Journal of the American-Irish Society for 1899. Would be glad to have a copy of Volume I of these exceedingly able and interesting reports.”
From the Dartmouth College library: “The trustees have received a copy of the Journal of the American-Irish Historical Society, Volume II, a gift to this library which is hereby gratefully acknowledged. Respectfully, M. D. Bisbee, Librarian.”
From Mr. M. D. Long, O’Neill, Nebraska: “I desire to acknowledge receipt of Volume II, Journal of the American-Irish Historical Society, and I thank you for the same. The book is creditable alike to the cause, the author and the mechanic.”
From Rev. John F. Cummins, Roslindale (Boston), Mass.: “The Journal of the American-Irish Historical Society which you so kindly forwarded to me reached here intact. I prize the volume very highly and I thank you exceedingly for your kindness.”
From Mr. James Connolly, Coronado, Cal.: “Your Journal of the American-Irish Historical Society for 1899 received. It is a well edited and neatly printed and bound book, reflecting credit alike upon the Society’s officers, members and the race.”
From J. H. Kane, M. D., Lexington, Mass.: “Have just received the Journal of the American-Irish Historical Society, Volume II. It is a very creditable production from the standpoints of typography, arrangement, information and general interest.”
From J. D. Hanrahan, M. D., Rutland, Vt.: “I received the Journal of the American-Irish Historical Society a few days ago, for which please accept sincere thanks. I am sure you must have put a great deal of labor into it. It certainly does you credit.”
From the Public Library, Los Angeles, Cal.: “The board of directors take pleasure in acknowledging the receipt of the Journal of the American-Irish Historical Society, Volume II, for which please accept sincere thanks. Mary L. Jones, Clerk and Librarian.”
From Col. Henry F. Donovan, Chicago, Ill.: “Please accept my thanks for the handsomely-bound Volume II of the Journal of the American-Irish Historical Society, which came to hand to-day. I must congratulate you upon its general appearance and make-up.”
From Col. James Quinlan, New York City: “I am in receipt of the second volume of the Journal of the American-Irish Historical Society, for which please accept my sincere thanks. It is a most valuable work, for which the compiler deserves the credit and thanks of every member of the Society.”
216From Mr. D. P. Murphy, Jr., New York City: “I beg to acknowledge the receipt of your Journal of the American-Irish Historical Society, with many thanks for your kindly remembrance, and to compliment you very highly upon the beauty and historical value of the work.”
From Mr. John E. Lynch, Worcester, Mass.: “My Dear Mr. Murray:—I am pleased to acknowledge receipt of the second volume of the Proceedings of the American-Irish Historical Society. It is a finely prepared and executed volume. I congratulate you on its excellence.”
From Rev. C. T. McGrath, Somerville, Mass.: “I write to acknowledge receipt of the Journal of the American-Irish Historical Society, with which I am much pleased. Appreciating your noble work, and thankful for your kindness, I am yours sincerely, Chris. T. McGrath.”
From the Librarian of Columbia University, New York City: “In behalf of the trustees of Columbia University, I hereby acknowledge, with thanks, the receipt of Journal of the American-Irish Historical Society, Volume II, as a gift to this library. James H. Canfield, Librarian.”
From E. C. Richardson, librarian of Princeton University: “I am directed to convey to you the thanks of the trustees of Princeton University for your gift which has been received and placed in the library. I have the honor to be yours very truly, E. C. Richardson, Librarian.”
From Mr. Edward J. McGuire, New York City: “I have received the annual volume of the American-Irish Historical Society. It is an admirable piece of work, upon which you are to be congratulated. I hope that some day you will reap the reward of your great labors in the cause.”
From J. E. Lowery, M. D., Sopris, Colorado: “It gives me great pleasure to be able to acknowledge receipt of Volume II of our Journal, and to learn that the Society is so well fulfilling its mission. I congratulate you and the other executive officers upon your good work.”
From Mr. T. J. O’Neill, Hotel Aquidneck, Newport, R. I.: “I beg to acknowledge for myself and my brother, E. C. O’Neill, the receipt of your Journal, embodying the work and progress of the Society for the year 1899. The volume is, indeed, carefully compiled and reflects credit upon you.”
From the City Library, Oswego, N. Y.: “I write to acknowledge the receipt of a copy of the Journal of the American-Irish Historical Society, Volume II, 1899, for which favor we are under many obligations. Yours very respectfully, Robert Seeley Kelsey, City Librarian, Oswego, N. Y.”
From the Public Library, Cambridge, Mass.: “The trustees of the Cambridge public library have received your very kind gift for the library, as per memorandum below, and return to you their grateful acknowledgment. William Taggard Piper, President. Received, Journal of the American-Irish Historical Society, Volume II.”
217From the Redwood Library, Newport, R. I.: “The directors of the Redwood library take pleasure in acknowledging the receipt of the Journal of the American-Irish Historical Society, Volume II, presented by you to the library, for which they return their sincere thanks. Richard Bliss, Librarian.”
From the State Library, Albany, N. Y.: “The library has received from you Journal of the American-Irish Historical Society, Volume II, for 1899. The gift, which is gratefully acknowledged, has been officially registered, and due credit will be given in the report to the legislature. Melvil Dewey, Director.”
From the American Antiquarian Society: “The American Antiquarian Society has received your donation of the Journal of the American-Irish Historical Society, Volume II, 1899, for which I have the honor, on behalf of the council, to return a grateful acknowledgment. Edmund M. Barton, Librarian.”
From the Public Library, Utica, N. Y.: “The trustees acknowledge with thanks the gift of Journal of the American-Irish Historical Society, Volume II, from Thomas Hamilton Murray. The same has been officially entered in the records of the library. Nicholas E. Devereux, President; C. M. Underhill, Librarian.”
From Mr. Pierce Kent, New York City: “I beg to acknowledge, with many thanks, receipt of copy of Journal of the American-Irish Historical Society, Volume II, 1899, which you have kindly sent me. I congratulate you on the handsome work, and on the sterling and meritorious character of its literary contents.”
From the New York public library, Astor, Lenox and Tilden foundations: “I am instructed by the trustees to acknowledge, with thanks, the receipt of Volume II of the Journal of the American-Irish Historical Society, which you have been so kind as to present to this library. Very respectfully, J. S. Billings, Director.”
From the Librarian of Congress, Washington, D. C.: “I beg to acknowledge, with thanks, the receipt of the publication noted below, a gift to this library. Very respectfully, Herbert Putnam, Librarian of Congress. By Arthur R. Kimball, Chief of Order Division. Journal of the American-Irish Historical Society, Volume II.”
From Mr. D. F. Leary, Springfield, Mass.: “Volume received. It reflects great credit on you for the executive ability shown by the very interesting manner in which you have recorded the doings of our Society. ‘The right man in the right place.’ Wish I could have a copy of first volume issued. Please put my name down for a copy if you have any more to distribute.”
218From Librarian Robert H. Kelley: “The New York Historical Society has received the Journal of the American-Irish Historical Society, by Thomas Hamilton Murray, secretary-general, Volume II. Boston, 1899; a gift from the American-Irish Historical Society, for which I am instructed to return a grateful acknowledgment.”
From the Public Library, New Bedford, Mass: “I am directed by the trustees to return you their thanks for your donation of the Journal of the American-Irish Historical Society, Volume II, Bost., 1899, 8vo, which has been placed in our library, and will be duly acknowledged in our next annual report. William L. Sayer, Secretary.”
From Mr. T. J. Ackland, Boston, Mass.: “Many thanks for the Journal of the American-Irish Historical Society. It is a handsome book, and, better still, it is a most interesting and valuable work. You are deserving of great credit for your labors, which have given the members of the Society a record of its doings which is a model in its way.”
From the Maryland Historical Society: “The Maryland Historical Society presents its acknowledgment and thanks to the American-Irish Historical Society for the gift to its library of the Journal of the American-Irish Historical Society, by Thos. H. Murray, secretary-general. By order of the Society, Mendes Cohen, Corresponding Secretary.”
From Librarian John D. Parsons: “The directors of the Newburyport [Mass.] public library acknowledge, with thanks, the receipt of the Journal of the American-Irish Historical Society, Volume II, which will be placed with works of like nature and made available to the public. By order of the board, John D. Parsons, Librarian and Secretary.”
From Rev. George F. Marshall, Milford, N. H.: “The second volume of the American-Irish Historical Journal to hand. It is a wonder, considering the age of the Society and its resources. A few more years’ work of the Society, and the mythical Anglo-Saxon and threadbare Scotch-Irish will have only a small place in the upbuilding of Yankeedom.”
From Mr. William F. Clare, New York City: “I beg to acknowledge receipt of the Journal of the American-Irish Historical Society for 1899. Thanking you for the same, and complimenting you upon its tasty appearance and the evidence of careful work, which is manifest upon the most cursory examination, I remain, yours, etc., W. F. Clare.”
From Mr. Bernard Corr, Boston, Mass.: “The second volume of the American-Irish Historical Society is just received. From a hasty glance through its pages it seems to be quite comprehensive in its contents, and the make-up and typographical work are very creditable. Altogether it is a valuable historical document and you deserve great praise for your editorial work.”
219From Mr. T. B. Fitzpatrick, Boston, Mass.: “I received this morning a copy of the Journal of the American-Irish Historical Society, and thank you sincerely for the precious volume. I shall value highly the possession of the records and essays it contains, and appreciate the satisfaction it must give the members to find these put in so convenient a form.”
From Harvard College: “The president and fellows of Harvard College have received the Journal of the American-Irish Historical Society, by T. H. Murray, Volume II; a gift to the library of the university from Mr. Thomas H. Murray, for which they return grateful acknowledgment. Wm. C. Lane, Librarian. Gore Hall, Cambridge, May 21, 1900.”
From Mr. P. H. Coney, Topeka, Kan.: “Please accept my thanks for the splendid volume of the Journal of the American-Irish Historical Society, Volume II. I am very proud of it, and consider it one of the most valuable contributions to our history ever published. The Society deserves the support of all true Americans in the noble work it is pursuing.”
From the Public Library, Worcester, Mass.: “The directors have received from you, as a gift to the library, Journal of the American-Irish Historical Society by Thomas Hamilton Murray, Volume II, for which they return their grateful acknowledgments. T. C. Mendenhall, President of the Board. Placed in the library. Samuel S. Green, Librarian.”
From Hon. John J. Hayes, Boston, Mass.: “In acknowledging receipt of the Journal of the American-Irish Historical Society, allow me to add my gratitude for the superb work you have done with splendid intelligence and untiring energy. The men of our race are deeply indebted to you, and I trust your next volume will show a very large increase in membership.”
From Librarian George William Harris of Cornell University: “I beg to acknowledge with best thanks the receipt of your gift to the library,—Journal of the American-Irish Historical Society, Volume II, 1899. Your continued remembrance of this library is gratefully appreciated, and we shall be glad to receive and preserve for reference the future volumes of the Journal.”
From Mr. Edward A. McLaughlin, Boston, Mass.: “I have just received, by express, the second volume of the Journal of the American-Irish Historical Society. I had a chat with Colonel Linehan the other day, in which he spoke of the Journal and some of the articles contained therein. I congratulate you on the neat manner in which the Journal is gotten up. It marks the progress of the Society and does credit to its enterprising secretary-general.”
From the University of California: “The Regents of the University of California acknowledge the receipt of the gift named below, for which I am instructed to return their grateful thanks. Very respectfully yours, W. A. McKowen, Acting Secretary. Placed in the library. J. D. Laymn, 220Assistant Librarian. Volume II, Journal of the American-Irish Historical Society, 1899.”
From Brown University: “The corporation of Brown University in Providence, R. I., have received the Journal of the American-Irish Historical Society, Volume II, a gift to the University Library from Thomas Hamilton Murray, secretary-general, for which the corporation return a grateful acknowledgment on the part of the university. H. L. Koopman, Librarian, for the president.”
From the New Jersey Historical Society: “The New Jersey Historical Society has received from Mr. Thomas Hamilton Murray the Journal of the American-Irish Historical Society, Volume II, Boston, 1899, for which addition to its collections I am directed to present the society’s grateful acknowledgments. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, Henrietta R. Palmer, Librarian.”
From Rev. Frank L. Phalen, minister of the Church of the Unity, Worcester, Mass.: “I am in receipt of Volume II of our Journal. I am sure it must bring pleasure to every member of our Society, and it certainly reflects credit upon our secretary-general. Some day I hope I may be able to offer an essay or address that will be worthy of the high purpose and splendid personnel of the Society.”
From Mr. John J. Davis, Greenville, Penn.: “I am very grateful for the copy of Volume II of the Journal of the Society, which you sent me. I appreciate it very much. Careful scrutiny must have been exercised in the preparation of a work of this kind. It is indeed a work of priceless value, and it contains a fund of information for future reference which all the members will appreciate, I am sure.”
From the State Librarian of New Hampshire: “In behalf of the trustees I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of Journal of the American-Irish Historical Society, Volume II, 1899, a gift from you to the New Hampshire State Library, and to extend thanks for the same. It will be their pleasure to give the book a fitting place upon the shelves of the library. Very truly yours, Arthur H. Chase, Librarian.”
From Yale University: “The president and fellows of Yale University have received from Thomas Hamilton Murray, Esquire, the following gift to the library for which I am instructed to return their sincere thanks: ‘The Journal of the American-Irish Historical Society, by Thomas Hamilton Murray, secretary-general, Volume II. Boston, 1899.’ Very respectfully, A. Van Name, Librarian. New Haven, Conn., May 22, 1900.”
From the State Librarian of Massachusetts: “I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt for the state library of Massachusetts of a copy of Volume II of the Journal of the American-Irish Historical Society, and I 221beg that you will accept my thanks for the gift. We shall be grateful to continue to receive copies of all the publications of your Society as they may be issued. Yours most cordially, C. B. Tillinghast, Librarian.”
From Mr. Edward Fitzpatrick, Louisville (Ky.) Daily Times: “I thought I would take occasion to write to acknowledge the receipt of your recent annual publication. It is very fine, indeed, and I want to compliment you on its splendid typographical appearance. It is carefully edited, and I think reflects great credit upon you and the Society. The indexing is perfect, and the chronology detailing the work heretofore done could not, in my opinion, be improved upon.”
From Hon. P. T. Barry, Chicago, Ill.: “Accept my apology for not acknowledging receipt of the second volume of the American-Irish Historical Society work before now. The fact is, I have been East, and only came across the volume to-day among the accumulation of matter that had piled up in my absence. The work is creditable in all particulars, and will make a suitable companion to the first volume, issued last year. I congratulate you upon its appearance and completeness.”
From Mr. Edward J. McMahon, Worcester, Mass.: “I beg leave to acknowledge the receipt from you of Volume II of the Society’s Journal, and, in thanking you for this most valuable addition to my library, I desire to express something of the pleasure which its perusal has given to me this peaceful Sunday afternoon. I am sure that my interest in the Society and in its grand work has been immensely quickened and that, in the future, I shall try to give much more tangible evidence of my membership than I have in the past.”
From the Public Library, Sacramento, Cal.: “The board of trustees of Sacramento Free Public Library desire to return their thanks for your generous donation of Volume II of the Journal of the American-Irish Historical Society. The book has been placed on the shelf with the other publications, free to the reading public. By order of the board. Samuel H. Gerrish, Secretary. In accordance with a resolution of the board of trustees, I hereby acknowledge that I have received the above named book. Caroline G. Hancock, Librarian.”
From Mr. Charles McCarthy, Jr., Portland, Me.: “I thank you very much for the second volume of the Journal of the American-Irish Historical Society which I received a few days ago, but have not yet had time to read much of. I did, however, read Dr. Emmet’s paper on ‘Irish Emigration During the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries,’ and your ‘Irish Chapter in the History of Brown University,’ both of which place not only the members of the Society under obligation to you, but the Irish race as well. Such papers cannot but be of service in wearing away the prejudice of many of our American fellow-citizens.”
222From Mr. Joseph Geoghegan, Salt Lake City, Utah: “Dear Mr. Murray:—You must excuse my delay in acknowledging the receipt of the second volume of the American-Irish Historical Society. I received it and was very much pleased, indeed, at its completeness and feel that you are to be very highly complimented on your work. It is a credit to a society that might have been in existence for a hundred years. If at any time the funds of the Society should get into such a shape that a call would be necessary, I will be only too pleased to respond for any amount that you might suggest.”
From the librarian of the Long Island Historical Society, Brooklyn, N. Y.: “It is with pleasure that I acknowledge your Journal of the American-Irish Historical Society, Volume II. From the note at the end of the volume, I presume that it will be impossible for us to secure your first volume, which we much regret, as it is the kind of work that should find a permanent home in a library such as ours, which is for reference only. Would it be possible for us to obtain any other of your writings, such as the Irish Schoolmasters in the Colonies and the Irish Washingtons at Home and Abroad? We would appreciate any publication of this kind. We have a library of over 64,000 volumes.”
From Hon. James F. Brennan, Peterborough, N. H., state library commissioner: “Bro. Murray:—I am in receipt of the second volume of the Journal of the American-Irish Historical Society, and I wish to congratulate you upon its excellent appearance. It shows conscientious work on your part. The Chronological Record of the Society is a most excellent thing, and the index that you give is certainly matchless. I think an index is the most important thing about a book of this character, and your work in that regard has fulfilled every desire. There is no danger of having an index contain too much, but there is great danger of having it contain too little. Your earnest work is visible on every page of this volume, and I wish to thank you, as a member of the Society, for your conscientious labors.”
My Dear Mr. Murray:—It is with pleasure I acknowledge the receipt of your advice that the Annual Volume of our Historical Society is about ready for distribution to our members.
This will be the third volume so distributed, the series showing a constant increase in historical value and interest. We have undertaken a task and set a high standard, to which are attached great responsibilities, which must be maintained and continued. I trust the end of the twentieth century will find our society still vigorous.
During the last century many pretentious efforts were made to collect and publish matters of general interest in regard to the Irish and their descendants in America. They failed primarily for want of an organization to support their efforts. The organization we have; the means we require. Work of this character costs much, and cannot be continued on a scale to do it justice, without a substantial treasury.
We would have ample means modestly to continue 244our work without extending it beyond prudent requirements, if each member of the Society would pay his annual dues.
The honor of belonging to such a Society as ours should be a matter of pride with our members and everyone should keep in good standing. It is a requirement that dues should be paid. It would certainly be a reflection on a member to be dropped, and still there is no alternative.
Any of our annual members may become life members by the payment of $50. A number of gentlemen have already taken this step, and their generosity is to be commended as having been specially helpful to the Society. If this letter be circulated among our members, I would urge as many as possible to present their names for life membership. From the dues thus derived, I hope to see established a permanent fund, which when wisely and safely invested, will assure the Society an income with which to go forward and enlarge its work.
It should be borne in mind that the American-Irish Historical Society is not a political organization. Its object is the study and handing down of Irish and Irish-American history, and it should be brought to the highest possible standard.
Thus far, our career as an historical organization has been replete with earnest and successful work. The future is bright for a continuance of our great mission; the field is large, the cause noble, the end patriotic, far-reaching, magnificent.
245In conclusion let me again urge our members to come forward in answer to this appeal, with their contributions, large and small. There are but a few hundred dollars in our treasury, when there should be thousands.
It will be highly encouraging to the officers of the Society to see that this appeal is met with a prompt and generous response.
With my heartiest and kindest greetings to all our members, believe me
1. Hon. George F. Hoar.
2. State Record Commissioner of Rhode Island.
3. Mrs. Charles Warren Lippitt.
4. Secretary-General of the Society.
5. See Updike’s History of the Narragansett Church.
6. History of Bristol.
7. This name appears in the writings of the subject of this paper both as “MacSparran” and “McSparran.” In his work “America Dissected,” he repeatedly spells it “MacSparran,” while on other occasions he frequently uses the abbreviated form “McSparran.”
8. In Mac Sparran’s time great latitude was exercised, even by educated people, in the matter of orthography, including proper names.
9. It will be noticed that Dr. Mac Sparran never uses the cant term “Scotch-Irish.” His education, good sense and patriotic spirit raised him above such a subterfuge.
10. Dean Berkeley, the famous “Kilkenny scholar,” located near Newport, R. I., in 1729, and on various occasions visited MacSparran. Berkeley was subsequently made Anglican bishop of Cloyne, in Ireland.
11. Recently deceased. Librarian of the Rhode Island Historical Society.
12. A small remnant of the Narragansett nation still exists, chiefly at or near Westerly, R. I. Few, if any, of these survivors, are of pure Indian blood.
13. The claim has been made that the slaves were kindly treated in Rhode Island. No doubt they were in many cases, but so, in some instances, were those in the South. Still, at the best it was slavery, and the very nature of this traffic in human beings must have been equivalent to injustice, oppression and cruelty.
14. This Dr. Giles Goddard was the father of William Goddard who, in 1762, established the Providence (R. I.) Gazette, the first paper ever printed at Providence.
15. Captain Wilkinson was an Irishman who resided at Newport, but was an intimate friend of Dr. MacSparran, Col. Updike and other prominent Narragansett people.
16. In Narragansett, R. I.
17. This was Gilbert Stuart, who afterwards became the famous painter. The name in MacSparran’s time appears to have also been spelled Stewart.
18. “America Dissected.”
19. “America Dissected.”
20. A monument to MacSparran stands in North Kingstown, R. I. A hill in that section of the state also bears his name.
21. On the staff of the Boston Daily Globe.
22. Treasurer-General of the Society, and State Insurance Commissioner of New Hampshire.
23. Ramsay’s History was written by the son of an Irish Protestant. An edition was published in 1805 by Mathew Carey, a native-born Irish Catholic. A list of subscribers to the work was printed with it and here also is another instance of the presence of the Gael. The name of Thomas Addis Emmet appropriately heads the list, and the names following are Irish enough to please the most blue-blooded Milesian: James Buckley, Matthew Carroll, Philip Whelpley, Katherine Mulligan, James Doyle, J. W. McFadden, Charles O’Neal, John D. Toy, Henry C. Neal, Daniel Fagan, Andrew Fleming, William Hickey, John McLeod, Bernard O’Neal, John H. Riley, William Carroll, Patrick Gill, John McDermott, John McBride, M. Sullivan, Francis D. Riordan, Peter Kerr, John Carney, John Carey, John Cowan, Anthony C. Curley, Hamson Kelly, James McElhinney, Hugh McGuire, John McDonald, A. D. Murphy, Harvey Bryan, C. P. Butler, Lydia Bryan, Bartholomew Carroll, Richard Cunningham, Catherine Fitzsimmons, Christopher Fitzsimmons, Daniel Flood, Richard Fair, Andrew Flynn, Peter Murphy, Richard McCormack, Samuel Nolan, Cornelius Driscoll, Dennis O’Driscoll, Henry O’Hara, Thomas H. Egan, Peter McGuire, John Murphy, Joseph Kelly, Patrick Noble, John B. O’Neal, Timothy Dargan, Patrick H. Carns, Patrick Gatlin, Robert Malone, J. S. Bryan, and Daniel Murphy.
24. Recently deceased. Mr. Walsh was a founder of our society and was vice-president for Georgia. He had been a United States senator from that state, and was editor and publisher of the Augusta (Ga.) Chronicle, one of the leading dailies of the South. The article here given is a condensation of an address delivered by him a few years ago at Nashville, on “Irish-American Day” at the Tennessee Exposition.
25. Shattuck’s History of Concord, p. 215. But little is known of Cargill’s life. When Shattuck wrote (1852) he said, “What little is known of his life is better stated in his epitaph than from any information I possess.”
26. McGee’s Early Irish Settlers, p. 34 n. (6th Edit.)
27. Mass. Revolutionary Soldiers and Sailors, vol. 3, p. 93.
28. Suffolk Deeds, Libro 167, folio 133.
29. Direct Tax, 22d Report Boston Rec. Com., p. 256.
30. Selectmen’s Minutes, 25th Report Boston Rec. Com., p. 300.
31. Braley’s History of Boston Fire Dept., p. 95.
32. Selectmen’s Minutes, 27th Report Rec. Com., p. 123.
33. Middlesex Deeds (So. Dist.), Lib. 125, folio 415.
34. Concord Births, Marriages and Deaths, p. 362. This is said to have been his third marriage.
35. Ibid., p. 323.
36. Concord Births, Marriages, and Deaths, p. 362. This is said to have been his third marriage.
37. Middlesex Deeds, folio 140, p. 277.
38. Cargill’s Epitaph has been published in Shattuck’s Concord, p. 215; Barber’s Historical Collection of Mass. (Edit. of 1839), p. 215; and in McGee’s Early Irish Settlers in North America, p. 35 n.
39. In the East Liverpool Tribune the article was entitled: Fawcett Memorial Tablet. Erected in Riverview Cemetery by the fourth generation in 1900, in memory of the founders of “Fawcettstown,” now East Liverpool.
40. East Liverpool.
41. The exact year as shown in the inscription was 1798.
42. East Liverpool.
43. The river takes its name from the town of Warren, the latter having been named in honor of Sir Peter Warren, an Irishman.
44. Then, and for many years after claimed as a part of Massachusetts.
45. Bicknell’s Historical Sketches of Barrington.
46. The Society of United Irishmen was largely composed of Presbyterians. Several Irish Presbyterian ministers were executed as “rebels” to English law.
47. Encyclopædia Britannica.
48. There is a tradition that it was he who first introduced potatoes to Rhode Island, bringing them from Ireland.
49. From a letter written to the author, by a descendant of Matthew, some years ago.
50. After Matthew Watson’s death, the clay pits remained idle for years, and a young forest gradually grew up.
51. Watson sold his brick in Newport and New York, as well as in other places. Bicknell says that “the brick mansions of some of the old Manhattan families were probably made of Barrington clay.”
52. Providence Gazette.
53. One account says he died in 1803, aged 107 years.
54. His second wife, Sarah, died in 1798.
55. In 1781 he is described as a “gentleman soldier.”
56. Recently clerk of the Rhode Island House of Representatives.
57. For an interesting note concerning the O’Brien, see Chronology of the Society, in this volume, date of June 30, 1898.
58. Cooper refers to it as the “Lexington of the Seas.”
59. The Irish Race in America.
60. This membership roll is brought down to March, 1901.