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Title: The journal of the American-Irish Historical Society (Vol. IX)
Author: American-Irish Historical Society
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*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN-IRISH HISTORICAL SOCIETY (VOL. IX) ***
THE JOURNAL
OF THE
AMERICAN IRISH HISTORICAL SOCIETY
BY
THOMAS ZANSLAUR LEE
_Secretary General_
VOLUME IX
PROVIDENCE, R. I.
PUBLISHED BY THE SOCIETY
1910
[Illustration:
FRANCIS J. QUINLAN, M. D., LL. D.,
President-General of the American Irish Historical Society, 1908–1910.
]
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
QUINLAN, FRANCIS J. Frontispiece
O’BRIEN, HON. THOMAS J. 32
DELANEY, WILLIAM H. 48
MULVY, THOMAS M. 64
GILROY, THOMAS F. 72
WALSH, THOMAS F. 80
ALEXANDER, CHARLES 96
MCGOWAN, PATRICK F. 104
FULTON, ROBERT 128
EMMET, WILLIAM TEMPLE 142
FITZGERALD, JAMES 160
CONNOLLY, JAMES 176
SHEEHAN, JOHN L. 182
FARLEY, REV. J. M. 192
BLISS, ZENAS W. 208
BOURLET, JOHN W. 224
LONERGAN, THOMAS S. 236
FITZPATRICK, THOMAS B. 240
BRENNAN, JAMES F. 246
MORRISSEY, REV. ANDREW 256
KEHOE, MICHAEL P. 258
SHEEDY, BRYAN DEF. 272
GAMBLE, ROBERT J. 288
RYAN, THOMAS J. 304
MEE, JOHN J. 320
MCCALL, EDWARD E. 336
O’NEILL, JAMES L. 338
O’SULLIVAN, JOHN 352
THOMPSON, JAMES 368
RATHBUN, ELMER J. 384
GRAHAM, JAMES M. 400
CONNOR, HENRY G. 416
O’MEARA, JOHN B. 432
BRADY, JAMES D. 442
FARRELLY, STEPHEN 448
MCCANNA, FRANCIS I. 464
WHITE, EDWARD D. 480
CHANDLER, WILLIAM E. 488
BARRY, THOMAS H. 496
=American Irish Historical Society.=
[Illustration: AMERICAN-IRISH HISTORICAL SOCIETY FOUNDED A.D. 1897 THAT
THE WORLD MAY KNOW.]
INTRODUCTORY.
Volume IX of the Journal of the American Irish Historical Society,
containing the proceedings of the Annual Meeting of 1910, essays and
papers by learned members on timely subjects within the scope of our
work, and a substantial quantity of material of interest to the Society,
is now presented in the hope that it will serve the purposes of its
predecessors in making better known the Irish chapter in American
history and disseminating valuable information, not only to the
increasing number of public and private libraries, where our volumes are
always most welcome, but to the public in general. The Society is to be
congratulated on the large number of additions to its membership roll of
persons of high standing in the country’s affairs, as well as the
completion of the most prosperous year in its history.
I acknowledge with deep appreciation the kind assistance rendered by the
Executive Council, the several learned members who have contributed
articles of great historic interest and deep research, the Chairman of
the Membership Committee, and the members of the Society, through whose
hearty coöperation and helpful suggestions this Volume has been made
possible.
THOMAS ZANSLAUR LEE,
_Secretary-General_.
OFFICERS OF THE AMERICAN-IRISH HISTORICAL SOCIETY.
* * * * *
_President-General_,
FRANCIS J. QUINLAN, M. D., LL. D.,
33 West 38th Street, New York City.
————
_Vice-President-General_,
HON. THOMAS B. FITZPATRICK,
Essex Street, Boston, Mass.
————
_Secretary-General_,
THOMAS ZANSLAUR LEE, ESQ.,
49 Westminster Street, Providence, R. I.
————
_Treasurer-General_,
MICHAEL F. DOOLEY, ESQ.,
President National Exchange Bank, Providence, R. I.
————
_Librarian and Archivist_,
THOMAS B. LAWLER, ESQ.,
70 5th Avenue, New York City.
————
_Historiographer_,
HON. JAMES F. BRENNAN,
Peterborough, N. H.
* * * * *
EXECUTIVE COUNCIL.
* * * * *
The foregoing and
Hon. JOHN D. CRIMMINS, 624 Madison Avenue, New York City.
Hon. WILLIAM MCADOO, 30 Broad Street, New York City.
PATRICK F. MAGRATH, Esq., Binghamton, N. Y.
Rev. JOHN J. MCCOY, LL. D., St. Ann’s Church, Worcester, Mass.
THOMAS ADDIS EMMETT, M. D., LL. D., 89 Madison Avenue, New York City.
Hon. EDWARD J. MCGUIRE, 52 Wall Street, New York City.
Hon. JOHN F. O’CONNELL, 377 Westminster Street, Providence, R. I.
JAMES L. O’NEILL, Esq., Elizabeth, N. J.
STEPHEN FARRELLY, Esq., 39 Chambers Street, New York City.
Rev. CYRUS TOWNSEND BRADY, LL. D., Haddon Hall, Kansas City, Mo.
Hon. THOMAS J. LYNCH, Augusta, Me.
Gen. PHELPS MONTGOMERY, 48 Church Street, New Haven, Conn.
PATRICK CARTER, Esq., 32 Westminster Street, Providence, R. I.
Hon. PATRICK GARVAN, 236 Farmington Avenue, Hartford, Conn.
JOHN J. LENEHAN, Esq., 71 Nassau Street, New York City.
Col. JOHN MCMANUS, 87 Dorrance Street, Providence, R. I.
Hon. WILLIAM GORMAN, Stephen Girard Bldg., Philadelphia, Pa.
J. LAWTON HIERS, M. D., Savannah, Ga.
JOHN F. DOYLE, Esq., 45 William Street, New York City.
* * * * *
STATE VICE-PRESIDENTS.
* * * * *
Arizona—ROBERT DICKSON, Esq., Parker.
California—Capt. JAMES CONNOLLY, Coronado.
Colorado—Hon. THOMAS F. WALSH, Denver.
Connecticut—DENNIS H. TIERNEY, Esq., Waterbury.
Delaware—JOHN J. CASSIDY, Esq., Wilmington.
Florida—JAMES MCHUGH, Esq., Pensacola.
Georgia—Capt. JOHN FLANNERY, Savannah.
Illinois—Hon. MAURICE T. MOLONEY, Ottawa.
Indiana—Very Rev. ANDREW MORRISSEY, C. S. C., Notre Dame.
Iowa—Rt. Rev. PHILIP J. GARRIGAN, D.D., Sioux City.
Kansas—PATRICK H. CONEY, Esq., Topeka.
Kentucky—JAMES THOMPSON, Esq., Louisville.
Louisiana—JOHN T. GIBBONS, Esq., New Orleans.
Maine—JAMES CUNNINGHAM, Esq., Portland.
Maryland—MICHAEL P. KEHOE, Esq., Baltimore.
Massachusetts—Hon. JOSEPH F. O’CONNELL, Boston.
Michigan—Hon. HOWARD W. CAVANAGH, Homer.
Minnesota—Hon. C. D. O’BRIEN, St. Paul.
Mississippi—Dr. R. A. QUIN, Vicksburg.
Missouri—Hon. JOHN BAPTISTE O’MEARA, St. Louis.
Nebraska—Rev. M. A. SHINE, Plattsburg.
New Hampshire—Hon. WILLIAM E. CHANDLER, Concord.
New Jersey—Gen. DENNIS F. COLLINS, Elizabeth, N. J.
New York—JOSEPH I. C. CLARKE, Esq., New York City.
North Carolina—MICHAEL J. CORBETT, Esq., Wilmington.
Ohio—JOHN LAVELLE, Esq., Cleveland.
Oklahoma—JOSEPH F. SWORDS, Esq., Sulphur.
Oregon—J. P. O’BRIEN, Portland.
Pennsylvania—HUGH MCCAFFREY, Esq., Philadelphia.
Rhode Island—Hon. CHARLES ALEXANDER, Providence.
South Carolina—WILLIAM J. O’HAGAN, Esq., Charleston.
South Dakota—Hon. ROBERT JACKSON GAMBLE, Yankton.
Texas—JAMES MORONEY, Esq., Dallas.
Utah—JOSEPH GEOGHEGAN, Esq., Salt Lake City.
Vermont—Capt. WILLIAM CRONIN, Rutland.
Virginia—Capt. JAMES W. MCCARRICK, Norfolk.
Washington—DANIEL KELLEHER, Esq., Seattle.
West Virginia—JOHN F. HEALY, Esq., Thomas, Tucker County.
* * * * *
OTHER VICE-PRESIDENTS.
* * * * *
District of Columbia—Hon. EDWARD A. MOSELEY, Washington.
Ireland—Dr. MICHAEL F. COX, Dublin.
Germany—Hon. T. ST. JOHN GAFFNEY, Dresden.
Australia—FRANK COFFEY, Esq., Sydney.
Japan—Hon. THOMAS J. O’BRIEN, Tokyo.
PREAMBLE, CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAWS OF THE AMERICAN IRISH HISTORICAL
SOCIETY ADOPTED AT THE ORGANIZATION MEETING JANUARY 20, 1897.
PREAMBLE.
Believing that the part taken in the settlement, foundation and
upbuilding of these United States by the Irish race has never received
proper recognition from historians, and inspired by love for the
republic, a pride in our blood and forefathers and a desire for historic
truth, this Society has met and organized.
Its mission is to give a plain recital of facts, to correct errors, to
supply omissions, to allay passion, to shame prejudice and to labor for
right and truth.
While we as loyal citizens of this republic are earnestly interested in
all the various phases of its history, we feel that we should be false
to its honor and greatness and recreant to our own blood if we did not
make a serious effort to leave to those generations which will follow us
a clearer and better knowledge of the important work done by men and
women of the Irish race on this continent.
People of this race—men and women born on Irish soil—have been here from
the first, prompted in their flight by the motives common to all
immigration, dissatisfaction with the old order of things and the
resolve to obtain a freer and better life in the new land under new
conditions.
And so we have come together—natives of Ireland, American sons of Irish
immigrants, and descendants of immigrants even unto the seventh, eighth
and ninth American generations—to duly set forth and perpetuate a
knowledge of these things.
In the days to come that lie in the womb of the future, when all the
various elements that have gone and are going to make the republic great
are united in the American—the man who in his person will represent the
bravest elements of all the old races of the earth—we desire that the
deeds and accomplishment of our element shall be written in the book of
the new race, telling what we did and no more, giving us our rightful
place by the side of the others.
To accomplish this is the purpose of this organization. It is a work
worthy of the sympathy and aid of every American who can rise above the
environment of today and look into the broad future. Fidelity, truth,
honor are the watchwords of such a purpose, and under their noble
influences should our work be done.
ARTICLE II.
OBJECTS AND PURPOSES.
The objects and purposes of this Society are:
(1) The study of American history generally.
(2) To investigate, especially, 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.
(3) To examine records of every character, wherever found, calculated to
throw light on the work of the Irish element in this broad land.
(4) To endeavor to correct erroneous, distorted and false views of
history, where they are known, and to substitute therefor the truth of
history, based on documentary evidence and the best and most reasonable
tradition, in relation to the Irish race in America.
(5) To encourage and assist the formation of local societies in American
cities and towns for the work of the parent society.
(6) To promote and foster an honorable and national spirit of
patriotism, which will know no lines of division, which will be based
upon loyalty to the laws, institutions and spirit of the republic to
whose upbuilding the Irish element has unselfishly contributed in blood
and treasure, a patriotism whose simple watchwords will be true
Americanism and human freedom and which has no concern for any man’s
race, color or creed, measuring him only by his conduct, effort and
achievement.
(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.
(8) To place the result of its historical investigations and researches
in acceptable literary form; to print, publish and distribute its
documents to libraries, institutions of learning, and among its members,
in order that the widest dissemination of historical truth may be
obtained and placed within the reach of historians and other writers and
readers.
(9) To sift and discriminate every paper, sketch, document bearing on
the Society’s line of work before the same is accepted and given
official sanction in order that its publication may be a guarantee of
historical accuracy; to do its work without passion or prejudice, to
view accomplished facts in the true scientific historical spirit and
having reached the truth to give it to the world.
ARTICLE III.
MEMBERSHIP.
Any person of good moral character who is interested in the special work
of this Society shall be deemed eligible for membership in the same. No
tests other than that of character and devotion to the Society’s objects
shall be applied to membership.
Every applicant for membership shall be recommended by two members of
the Society before his application shall be considered by the
Secretary-General, and the application shall be accompanied by the dues
in the amounts laid down in the by-laws.
Members will be elected as follows: Candidates may send
their applications—for which blanks will be furnished—to the
Secretary-General, accompanied by the fee as provided in the by-laws,
and each application must be endorsed by two members of the Society. The
Secretary-General shall submit the application to the executive council,
and a three fourths vote of that body by ballot or otherwise will be
necessary to elect the candidate.
ARTICLE IV.
CLASSES OF MEMBERS.
The Society shall comprise life members and annual members, who shall
pay dues as provided in the by-laws. The Society may also choose
honorary and corresponding members, who shall be exempt from dues but
shall not have the right to vote.
ARTICLE V.
OFFICERS.
The officers of The Society shall consist of:
1. A President-General.
2. A Vice-President for each state and territory and for the District
of Columbia.
3. A Secretary-General.
4. A Treasurer-General.
5. A Librarian and Archivist.
6. An Historiographer.
7. An Executive Council.
(The word “General” herein to be considered equivalent to National.)
The officers of the Society shall be elected annually.
ARTICLE VI.
THE PRESIDENT-GENERAL.
The duties of the President-General shall be to open and preside over
the Society during its deliberations, to see that the Constitution is
observed and the by-laws enforced, to appoint committees, and to
exercise a watchful care over the interests of the Society, that its
work may be properly done and its purposes adhered to. In the absence of
the President-General a presiding officer _pro tem._ may be chosen.
ARTICLE VII.
THE VICE-PRESIDENTS.
It shall be the duty of the Vice-President of each state to represent
the President-General at all meetings of state chapters of the Society
and for the Vice-President of the state to which the President-General
belongs, or in which the meeting is held, to represent him at all
meetings of the parent Society when he cannot be present and in his
absence to act as chairman _pro tempore_. In the absence of both the
President-General and state Vice-President, a presiding officer _pro
tem._ may be chosen from the assembled members of the Society.
ARTICLE VIII.
THE SECRETARY-GENERAL.
The Secretary-General shall keep a record of all the proceedings of the
Society and the executive council. He shall have charge of the seal and
records. He shall issue and sign in conjunction with the
President-General all charters granted to the subsidiary chapters, and
shall with him certify to all acts of the Society. He shall, upon orders
from the President-General, give due notice of time and place of all
meetings of the body; give notice to the several officers of all votes,
resolutions, orders and proceedings of the body affecting them or
appertaining to their respective offices and perform such other duties
as may be assigned him.
ARTICLE IX.
THE TREASURER-GENERAL.
The Treasurer-General shall collect and receive all dues, funds and
securities and deposit the same to the credit of the American-Irish
Historical Society, in such banking institution as may be approved by
the Executive Council. This money shall be drawn to the check of the
Treasurer-General for the purposes of the Society and to pay such sums
as may be ordered by the Executive Council of the Society in meeting,
said orders to be countersigned by the President-General and
Secretary-General. He must keep a full and accurate account of all
receipts and disbursements and at each annual meeting shall render the
same to the Society, when a committee shall be appointed by the
President-General to audit his accounts. He shall present at annual or
special meetings a list of members in arrears.
ARTICLE X.
THE LIBRARIAN AND ARCHIVIST.
The Librarian and Archivist shall be the custodian of all published
books, pamphlets, files of newspapers and similar property of the
Society. He shall have charge of all documents, manuscripts and other
productions not assigned by this Constitution to other officers of the
Society, and shall keep the same in a place or places easy of access and
safe from loss by fire or other causes.
ARTICLE XI.
THE HISTORIOGRAPHER.
The Historiographer or official historian of the Society shall perform
the duties usually pertaining to that office.
ARTICLE XII.
THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL.
The Executive Council shall consist of the President-General,
Secretary-General, Treasurer-General, Librarian and Archivist,
Historiographer and ten members, all to be elected by the Society. The
Executive Council shall be the judge of the qualifications of applicants
for admission and if satisfactory shall elect the same. The Council
shall recommend plans for promoting the objects of the Society, digest
and prepare business, authorize the disbursement and expenditure of
unappropriated money in the treasury for the current expenses of the
Society; shall prepare and edit—or cause to be prepared and
edited—contributions of an historical or literary character bearing on
the special work of the Society for publication and distribution; may
appropriate funds for the expenses of special branches of research for
historical data and for the purchase of works to form a library for the
Society whenever it shall have a permanent home or headquarters. The
Council shall have power to fill vacancies in office until the annual
meeting, exercise a supervisory care over the affairs of the Society and
perform such other duties as may be entrusted to them. At a meeting of
the Executive Council five members shall constitute a quorum.
ARTICLE XIII.
MEETINGS.
The annual meeting of this Society shall be held on the third Wednesday
in January. A field day of the body shall be held during the summer of
each year at such time and place as the Executive Council shall select,
due regard being given to the convenience of the greatest number, and,
as far as possible, the meeting place selected shall be one whose
historical associations are of interest to American citizens.
The annual meeting shall be for the purpose of electing officers,
hearing reports and transacting such other business as may come properly
before it. Until otherwise ordered such meeting shall be held in the
city of Boston, Mass. There shall be four stated meetings each year.
Special meetings may be called at any time by the Executive Council.
ARTICLE XIV.
SUBSIDIARY SOCIETIES.
Chapters of the parent Society may be established in any city or town in
the United States upon the petition of ten persons for a charter, and
such charter shall be issued upon payment of the sum designated for such
in the by-laws.
The President, Secretary, Treasurer, Librarian and Historiographer of
all subsidiary societies shall be admitted to all meetings of the parent
Society as members during their term of office, with all the privileges
of membership except that of voting.
ARTICLE XV.
AMENDMENTS.
Amendments to the Constitution shall be submitted to the Executive
Council through the Secretary-General at least thirty days before the
meeting of the Society. A vote of two thirds of the members present at
the meeting shall be necessary for the adoption of such amendments.
BY-LAWS.
(1) The initiation fee shall be three dollars. The annual membership fee
shall be three dollars, payable not later than the first day of February
in each year.[1]
(2) Payment of fifty dollars in advance at one time shall constitute a
life membership. Life members shall be exempt from further dues.
(3) The Executive Council shall provide for each regular meeting of the
Society an address, essay or paper dealing with some topic in the
Society’s line of work.
(4) A copy of all original productions read before the Society shall be
requested for deposit in the Society’s archives.
(5) The annual field-day program shall include an oration, poem and
dinner. Other features of an appropriate nature may be added.
(6) A fraternal spirit shall be cultivated with other American
historical bodies. The Society shall also keep in touch with historical
organizations in Ireland, France and other countries.
(7) Any person elected to membership in this Society who fails to pay
his initiation fee within one year from the date of his election shall,
having been duly notified by the Secretary-General, be considered as
having forfeited his right to membership and his election shall be
cancelled.
(8) A member neglecting for two years to pay his annual fee shall be
notified of such omission by the Secretary-General. Still neglecting for
three months to pay the dues such delinquent member shall be dropped as
no longer belonging to the Society.
(9) The stated meetings of the Society shall be held in January, April,
July and October. The President-General, upon receiving a request in
writing, signed by ten members, asking for a special meeting, shall
cause the said meeting to be convened forthwith.
(10) Ten members shall constitute a quorum at any meeting of the
Society, except stated meetings, when fifteen members shall be
necessary.
(11) The general order of business at meetings of the Society shall be
as follows:
(a) Minutes of previous meeting.
(b) Report of Executive Council on candidates for membership.
(c) Balloting on candidates for membership.
(d) Reports of officers and committees.
(e) Unfinished business.
(f) New business.
(g) Adjournment.
(12) When not otherwise provided, Cushing’s Manual shall be the
authority on points of procedure at meetings of the Society.
(13) No part of these by-laws shall be amended, altered or repealed
unless proposition is submitted in writing covering the proposed
amendment at least thirty days before the meeting when it is to be acted
upon, when, if two thirds of the members present and voting express
themselves in favor of the change, the same shall be made.
NOTE.
A committee consisting of Michael J. Jordan, Esq., Hon. Patrick J.
McCarthy, Joseph T. Ryan, Esq., John E. O’Brien, Esq., and the
Secretary-General, has been appointed by the President-General to revise
the Constitution. As the report of this committee has not yet been
adopted, the foregoing Constitution is still in force.
GENERAL INFORMATION REGARDING THE AMERICAN IRISH HISTORICAL SOCIETY.
The Society was organized on January 20, 1897, in Boston, Mass., and now
has members in nearly all the states, the District of Columbia, one
territory and four foreign countries.
The object of the organization is to make better known the Irish chapter
in American history.
There are two classes of members—Life and Annual. The life membership
fee is $50 (paid once). The fee for annual members is $5, paid yearly.
In the case of new annual members, the initiation fee, $5, also pays the
membership dues for the first year.
The government comprises a President-General, a Vice-President-General,
a Secretary-General, a Treasurer-General, a Librarian and Archivist, a
Historiographer and an Executive Council. There are also State
Vice-Presidents.
The Society has already issued several bound volumes and a number of
other publications. These have been distributed to members, public
libraries, historical organizations and universities. Each member of the
Society is entitled, free of charge, to a copy of every publication
issued from the time of his admittance. These publications are of great
interest and value, and are more than an equivalent for the membership
fee.
The Society draws no lines of creed or politics. Being an American
organization in spirit and principle, it welcomes to its ranks Americans
of whatever race or descent, and of whatever creed, who take an interest
in the objects for which the Society is organized. Membership
application blanks will be furnished on request to the Secretary-General
at his office, 49 Westminster Street, Providence, R. I., or to John J.
Lenehan, Chairman of the Committee on Membership, 71 Nassau Street, New
York City. Blank applications found at the end of this volume.
The membership includes many people of prominence and occupies a
position in the front rank of American historical organizations.
The Society is a corporation duly organized under the laws of the State
of Rhode Island and is authorized to take, hold and convey real and
personal estate to the amount of $100,000.
Gifts or bequests of money for the uses of the Society are solicited. We
depend entirely on our membership fees and dues, and if we had a
suitable fund on hand its income would be most advantageously used for
historical research, printing and issuing historical works and papers
and adding to our library. The following is a form of bequest good in
any state or territory:
“I give and bequeath to the American Irish Historical Society ——
dollars.”
If desired, a donor or testator may direct the application of principal
or interest of his gift or bequest.
A FEW OF THE INTERESTING PAPERS READ BEFORE OR REPRINTED BY THE SOCIETY.
“Irish Settlers in Pennsylvania.”
“Early Irish in St. Louis, Missouri.”
“Patriots Bearing Irish Names Who Were Confined Aboard the _Jersey_
Prison Ship.”
“Commerce Between Ireland and Rhode Island.”
“Some Irish-French Officers in the American Revolution.”
“The Voyage of the _Seaflower_.”
“The Defense of Fort Stephenson on the Sandusky.”
“Irish Settlers on the Opequan.”
“Irish Pioneers in Boston and Vicinity.”
“The Irish in America.”
“Goody Glover, an Irish Victim of the Witch Craze, Boston, Mass., 1688.”
“Capt. Daniel Neill, an Artillery Officer of the Revolution.”
“Richard Dexter, One of Boston’s Irish Pioneers.”
“The New Hampshire Kellys.”
“Some Early Celebrations of St. Patrick’s Day in New York City,
1762–1788.”
“Master John Sullivan of Somersworth and Berwick and His Family.”
“Martin Murphy, Sr., an Irish Pioneer of California.”
“Historical Notes of Interest.”
“Irish Ability in United States.”
“The Affair at Fort William and Mary.”
“Incident of an Expedition under Gen. John Sullivan.”
“Irish Builders of White House.”
“Col. Francis Barber, a Soldier of the Revolution.”
“A Glance at Some Pioneer Irish in the South.”
“Walsh’s Irish Regiment of Marine Artillery, French Army.”
“Irish Influence in the Life of Baltimore.”
“A Bit of New York History.”
“The Kelts of Colonial Boston.”
“The Battle of New Orleans.”
“Battles of Lexington, Concord and Cambridge.”
“Matthew Watson, an Irish Settler of Barrington, R. I., 1722.”
“Irish Emigration During the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries.”
“Some Pre-Revolutionary Irishmen.”
“Some Irish Settlers in Virginia.”
“The ‘Scotch-Irish’ and ‘Anglo-Saxon’ Fallacies.”
“Early Irish Settlers in Kentucky.”
“The Irish in South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana and
Tennessee.”
“Hugh Cargill, a Friend of Liberty.”
“The Irish Settlers of Pelham, Mass.”
“Thomas Fawcett, Irish Quaker, American Pioneer.”
“Early New Hampshire Irish; Some Pre-Revolutionary Dennises,
Corneliuses, Patricks and Michaels.”
“The United States Torpedo Boat _O’Brien_.”
“Daniel Morgan and the Battle of Cowpens.”
“Irish Schoolmasters in the American Colonies, 1640–1775.”
“The Irish at Bunker Hill.”
“David Hamilton, a Soldier of the American Revolution.”
“Irish Pioneers in Texas.”
“The Irish Chapter in the History of Brown University.”
“Men of Irish Blood Who Have Attained Eminence in American Journalism.”
“William Prendergast, a Pioneer of Chautauqua County, N. Y.”
“The Battle of Rhode Island.”
“Rev. James MacSparran, Irishman, Scholar, Preacher and Philosopher,
1680–1757.”
“Irish Pioneers and Builders of Kentucky.”
“Rev. James Caldwell, a Patriot of the American Revolution.”
“Great Irishmen in New York’s History.”
“Life and Deeds of Major-General John Sullivan.”
“Irish Pioneers in New York.”
“Irish Pioneers of the West and Their Descendants.”
“Advantages of Historical Research to Irish Americans.”
“Proceedings and Addresses at Dedication of Sullivan Memorial.”
“Civic Value of Memorials.”
“Joseph O’Connor, Editor, Author and Poet.”
“History of the Society of the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick in the city
of New York.”
“Early Marine Wireless.”
“Sketches of William Dunlap, Thomas P. Johnson and Thomas Sharp.”
“Distinguished Irish Americans in Revolutionary Times.”
“The First Census of the United States with Pointed Comments on Taking
Same and Results Thereof.”
“Memorial to Jersey Prison Ship Heroes.”
“The Irish in the Revolutionary War.”
“Hon. Eli Thayer, One of the Early Members of the American Irish
Historical Society.”
PRESIDENTS-GENERAL OF THE SOCIETY.
1897. REAR-ADMIRAL RICHARD W. MEADE, U. S. N.
1897–1898. HON. EDWARD A. MOSELEY, Washington, D. C.
1899–1900. HON. THOMAS J. GARGAN, Boston, Mass.
1901–1902. HON. JOHN D. CRIMMINS, New York City.
1903–1904. HON. WILLIAM MCADOO, New York City.
1905. HON. JOHN D. CRIMMINS, New York City.
1906–1907. REAR-ADMIRAL JOHN MCGOWAN, U. S. N. (retired), Washington,
D. C.
1908–1910. FRANCIS J. QUINLAN, M. D., LL. D., New York City.
RECORDS OF THE TWELFTH ANNUAL MEETING AND BANQUET OF THE AMERICAN IRISH
HISTORICAL SOCIETY AT THE HOTEL PLAZA, NEW YORK CITY, JANUARY 8, 1910.
It having been voted at the Eleventh Annual Meeting in Washington to
hold the next annual meeting in New York, the Executive Council
considered the necessary arrangements and resolved to make the Twelfth
Annual Meeting and Banquet the most notable in the Society’s history.
Heretofore it had been the custom to hold the meeting and banquet of the
Society the same evening, commencing at six o’clock and ending toward
midnight. This gave little opportunity for a discussion of the papers
presented, and many members who had been invited at these previous
meetings to prepare papers were obliged to submit them to the
Secretary-General without reading, with the result that the other
members obtained information as to the contents of these only after they
were printed in the volume of the Journal issued next succeeding the
meeting.
The President-General appointed the following gentlemen a Dinner
Committee, to arrange the details of the meeting and dinner:
Mr. Stephen J. Farrelly, Chairman; and Messrs. Joseph I. C. Clarke, John
D. Crimmins, Edmond J. Curry, Victor Herbert, John J. Lenehan and Joseph
T. Ryan.
After negotiations with the various high-class hostelries in New York
and exhibiting a desire to procure for the use of the Society the best
accommodations to be found in New York, the Dinner Committee finally
decided upon the Hotel Plaza as the place and arranged for the business
meeting of the Society to commence at two o’clock in the afternoon and
terminate at six, and the dinner to begin at seven o’clock.
The following circular was issued and sent to each member of the
Society, containing the arrangements for the meeting:
THE AMERICAN IRISH HISTORICAL SOCIETY.
ANNOUNCEMENT FOR THE ANNUAL MEETING AND TWELFTH ANNUAL DINNER OF THE
SOCIETY.
The Twelfth Annual Meeting of the American Irish Historical Society
will take place at the Hotel Plaza, New York City, Saturday, January
8, 1910, commencing at two o’clock in the afternoon.
It has been the custom at previous meetings of the Society to assemble
at six o’clock, hold a short business meeting, followed by a dinner
commencing at seven o’clock, at the conclusion of which historical
papers would be read.
It has been found difficult to properly appreciate the learning and
research shown by the eminent authors of historical papers in the
meagre time between the termination of a good dinner and the hour when
the meeting should end, and this year the Executive Council has made a
new departure in this regard, which it is earnestly hoped will meet
with the approval of our members.
The meeting of the Society will be called to order at two o’clock in
the afternoon in the New Banquet Room on the first floor of the Hotel
Plaza by the President-General. The first business will be the
presentation of reports of the President-General, Treasurer-General,
and Secretary-General, followed by the election of General Officers,
Executive Council and State Vice-Presidents for the ensuing year.
The Executive Council, at a meeting held in New York, November 12,
1909, nominated a board of officers to be voted upon at this meeting,
the names of whom appear elsewhere in this circular.
The report of the Secretary-General will contain the statistics of the
Society, the list of new members, names of those dropped for
non-payment of dues, synopsis of the work the Society has done during
the past year, and other interesting information.
It is expected that the business of the Society and the presentation
of scientific papers will all be completed at an hour which will give
members ample time to dress for dinner.
The Meeting Room will be open at 12.30 o’clock, and members on their
arrival are requested to register themselves and their guests.
The annual dinner will take place in the Grand Ball Room promptly at
seven o’clock, and the Dinner Committee are informed that the
management of the hotel plan to give us a most enjoyable dinner and
extend us every possible courtesy.
The Executive Council, following the departure inaugurated at the
Eleventh Annual Meeting in Washington, D. C., January 16, 1909, have
voted that members may invite ladies and gentlemen as guests.
The price of the dinner tickets is $5.00 each, and it is advisable to
promptly send applications, accompanied by cheque to the
Secretary-General, who is Secretary of the Dinner Committee; so that
seats may be allotted. Allotments will be made in the order in which
applications are received, and parties of six or more, desiring to be
seated together, can be accommodated by making that fact known when
the tickets are purchased.
Among those who will furnish scientific papers during the afternoon
session will be Hon. Joseph F. O’Connell, Hon. Henry Groves Connor,
John Louis Sheehan, LL. D., Hon. James Fitzgerald, M. X. Sullivan, Ph.
D., Joseph I. C. Clarke, Esq., and Alfred J. Talley, Esq., Judge
Joseph T. Lawless, and others.
The speakers at the dinner will be Hon. Michael F. Dooley, Hon.
William McAdoo, Rev. J. Havergal Sheppard, D. D., Hon. William A.
Prendergast, Hon. Joseph H. O’Neil, Hon. John W. Goff, Hon. Alexander
C. Eustace and others.
Souvenirs of the occasion containing the seal of the Society, menu,
list of speakers, officers and other detailed information, have been
prepared, after competitive bidding, by the Gorham Manufacturing
Company. These are very beautiful and artistic and will be distributed
among members and guests at the dinner.
The committee of the Society having the dinner in charge is as
follows:—Stephen Farrelly, Esq., Joseph T. Ryan, Esq., John J.
Lenehan, Esq., Joseph I. C. Clarke, Esq., Hon. John D. Crimmins,
Edmond J. Curry, Esq., Victor Herbert, Esq., and Hon. Edward J.
McGuire, President-General Quinlan and the Secretary-General ex
officio.
As the seating capacity of the Grand Ball Room of the Plaza is limited
to 425, it is earnestly desired that members make applications for
dinner tickets at once, in order that the Committee may complete
arrangements as early as possible and bring about a pleasant reunion
of our members and their guests.
Yours fraternally,
FRANCIS J. QUINLAN, M. D., LL. D.,
_President-General_,
33 West 38th Street, New York City.
THOMAS ZANSLAUR LEE,
_Secretary-General_,
49 Westminster Street, Providence, R. I.
A little later an additional circular letter was issued and sent to each
of the members, giving additional information about the meeting and
dinner that was sought for by quite a few:
THE AMERICAN IRISH HISTORICAL SOCIETY.
TWELFTH ANNUAL MEETING AND DINNER AT HOTEL PLAZA, NEW YORK CITY, JANUARY
8, 1910.
The Dinner Committee are greatly pleased with the prompt purchase of
tickets by so many members of the Society, and the absolute success of
the Twelfth Annual Banquet is now an assured fact.
The President-General and the Executive Council respectfully request
that those who intend to be present at the dinner, but have not yet
taken tickets or ordered seats for themselves or guests, will do so at
the earliest possible moment so that seats may be provided and their
comfort looked after. The tickets are five dollars each, and may be
had upon application to the Secretary-General, accompanied by check.
Members may invite guests, ladies or gentlemen.
The business meeting will be called to order promptly at two o’clock
p. m. in the New Banquet Room on the first floor of the Hotel Plaza.
Scientific papers will be presented by the following members: HON.
JOSEPH F. O’CONNELL, HON. HENRY GROVES CONNOR, JOHN LOUIS SHEEHAN, LL.
D., HON. JAMES FITZGERALD, M. X. SULLIVAN, PH. D., JOSEPH I. C.
CLARKE, ESQ., ALFRED J. TALLEY, ESQ., and others.
The speakers at the dinner will be: HON. MICHAEL F. DOOLEY, HON.
WILLIAM MCADOO, REV. J. HAVERGAL SHEPPARD, D. D., COL. CHARLES
ALEXANDER, HON. WILLIAM A. PENDERGAST, HON. JOHN W. GOFF, EDWARD M.
TIERNEY, ESQ., and others.
The Secretary-General will be in attendance at the Society’s
headquarters at The Plaza after 9 a. m., the day of the meeting and
banquet, and will have on sale tickets for those who up to that time
have not been provided with them. The seats, however, will not be as
desirable for those who wait until the day of the banquet to get their
tickets, but there are plenty of desirable places remaining unsold.
The attendance of every member who can possibly be present is strongly
urged, with the hope of making this meeting and banquet the greatest
the Society has ever held. The Hotel Plaza is the most desirable place
for a banquet in New York, and was selected by the Dinner Committee
with the sole idea of having the best obtainable for our Society.
The management has given the members the benefit of a low rate for
accommodations, and authorizes the following quotations to our members
and guests:
Single rooms with bath for one person $4.00, $5.00 and $6.00 per day,
according to location.
Double rooms with bath for two persons $6.00, $7.00 and $8.00 per day,
according to location.
Dinner at seven o’clock in the Grand Ball Room. An exquisite souvenir
designed by the Dinner Committee and executed by Gorham Company,
containing program, songs and useful information about the Society,
will be presented each member and guest in attendance at the dinner.
FRANCIS J. QUINLAN, M. D., LL. D.,
_President-General_,
33 West Thirty-Eighth Street, New York City.
THOMAS ZANSLAUR LEE,
_Secretary-General_,
49 Westminster Street, Providence, R. I.
At the conclusion of the business meeting the assembly room was cleared
and properly arranged for a reception to the members of the Society, to
be given by the officers. This function was well attended, and the large
assembly hall was filled to overflowing with members and their lady and
gentlemen guests.
The programme of the evening was executed by the Gorham Manufacturing
Company from designs and suggestions furnished by the New York members
of the Dinner Committee, and is considered the most artistic programme
ever used at a similar function in New York.
The menu of the dinner, which was served under the personal direction of
Mr. C. E. Railing, the manager of the Plaza, was as follows:
Hors D’Oeuvre
————
Consomme Beatrice
Sherry
————
Supreme de Sole a la Russe
Sauterne
Filets de Boeuf Pique
Garni Bouquetiere
Pommes Fondantes
Margaux
————
Sorbet au Marasquin.
————
Poularde a la Broche
Salade
————
Bombe Surprise
Petits Fours
————
Cafe
White Rock Fonseca Cigars Cigarettes
This banquet was served in the principal dining hall of the Hotel Plaza,
which, on account of the great number of tickets sold, was crowded to
the doors with members of the Society and guests.
President-General Francis J. Quinlan presided at the meeting and later
at the banquet, and divine grace was asked at the latter by Right
Reverend James A. McFaul, D. D., Bishop of Trenton.
The Society acknowledges the many courtesies extended to it by the
management of the Hotel Plaza and the earnest effort to do everything
possible for our pleasure and comfort, and the painstaking efforts and
excellent direction of Mr. C. E. Railing, in immediate charge in behalf
of the Hotel Plaza of our arrangements, are gratefully appreciated by
the Society.
The proceedings of the twelfth annual meeting and banquet of the Society
were stenographically reported by Miss Viola Follis of Providence, R.
I., whose faithful and accurate transcription of last year’s proceedings
won so much favor.
MINUTES OF THE ANNUAL MEETING.
It was voted that the reading of the minutes of the Eleventh Annual
Meeting be omitted.
The admission of new members being the first business in order, the
following list of applicants was read by the Secretary-General, all of
whom, by unanimous vote, were duly elected:
LIFE MEMBERS.
James Butler, Esq., 230 West 72d Street, New York City. Proposed by
Francis J. Quinlan, M. D.; seconded by Hon. John D. Crimmins.
William J. Dooley, Esq., 17 Gaston Street, Boston, Mass. Proposed by
John J. Lenehan.
ANNUAL MEMBERS.
Hon. John B. O’Meara, 1413 Syndicate Trust Building, St. Louis, Mo.
Proposed by John J. Lenehan.
John J. Bealin, Esq., 2334 Valentine Avenue, New York City. Proposed by
Philip J. Kearns; seconded by Owen J. Brady and John J. Lenehan.
Thomas P. Fitzsimmons, Esq., 169 West 76th Street, New York City.
Proposed by John J. Lenehan.
James F. McNaboe, Esq., 137 West 92d Street, New York City. Proposed by
John J. Lenehan.
Dr. John Guerin, 3958 Ellis Avenue, Chicago, Ill. Proposed by Hon. M. T.
Moloney.
Rev. Edmond Heelan, Sacred Heart Church, Fort Dodge, Iowa. Proposed by
Patrick E. C. Lally; seconded by John J. Lenehan.
John P. Sutton, Esq., 134 N. 18th Street, Lincoln, Neb. Proposed by Hon.
M. T. Moloney.
Thomas O’Reilly, Esq., 8 Mt. Morris Park West, New York City. Proposed
by John J. Lenehan.
John J. Manning, Esq., 143 West 95th Street, New York City. Proposed by
John J. Lenehan.
Hon. Richard H. Mitchell, 38 Park Row, New York City. Proposed by John
J. Lenehan.
Frank Keenan, Esq., 210 West 107th Street, New York City. Proposed by
Francis J. Quinlan, M. D.; seconded by John J. Lenehan.
Jerome B. Coggins, Esq., 920 17th Street, Denver, Colo. Proposed by
James J. Sullivan; seconded by John J. Lenehan.
William J. Colihan, Esq., 141 East 95th Street, New York City. Proposed
by John J. Manning; seconded by John J. Lenehan.
James Moroney, Esq., 303 Elm Street, Dallas, Texas. Proposed by John J.
Lenehan.
George A. Hopkins, Esq., 526 West 111th Street, New York City. Proposed
by Col. David M. Flynn; seconded by John J. Lenehan.
William J. Whelen, Esq., 326 South Broad Street, Elizabeth, N. J.
Proposed by William J. McCloud.
Richard T. Potts, Esq., 73 Broad Street, Elizabeth, N. J. Proposed by
William J. McCloud.
T. A. Riordan, Esq., Flagstaff, Arizona. Proposed by John J. Lenehan.
M. D. Gallagher, Esq., 402 West 146th Street, New York City. Proposed by
Gen. Michael Kerwin.
Dr. William J. Sullivan, President Lawrence Board of Trade, Lawrence,
Mass. Proposed by Dr. M. F. Sullivan.
Cornelius J. Corcoran, Esq., City Clerk of Lawrence, Lawrence, Mass.
Proposed by Dr. M. F. Sullivan.
Thomas F. Kennedy, Esq., of Yund, Kennedy & Yund, Amsterdam, N. Y.
Proposed by John J. Lenehan.
Patrick J. Bergin, Esq., 169 Blackstone Street, Boston, Mass. Proposed
by Michael J. Jordan; seconded by John J. Lenehan.
Martin J. Wade, Esq., Iowa City, Iowa. Proposed by Hon. M. T. Moloney.
Joseph M. Feely, Esq., 304–5 Powers Building, Rochester, N. Y. Proposed
by P. F. Magrath.
[Illustration:
HONORABLE THOMAS J. O’BRIEN,
American Ambassador to Japan.
]
Joseph A. Kenefick, M. D., 78 East 54th Street, New York City. Proposed
by Francis J. Quinlan, M. D.
Dudley Field Malone, Esq., 37 Wall Street, New York City. Proposed by
John J. Lenehan.
Hon. Charles V. Fornes, 425–427 Broome Street, New York City. Proposed
by John E. O’Brien.
John F. Harrigan, Esq., 66 High Street, Worcester, Mass. Proposed by
John J. Lenehan.
Timothy J. Phelan, Esq., Narragansett Hotel, Providence, R. I. Proposed
by Michael W. Norton; seconded by Thomas F. Kilkenny.
Hon. John J. Mee, Woonsocket, R. I. Proposed by Thomas Z. Lee.
Denis A. McAuliffe, Esq., 312 E. 57th Street, New York City. Proposed by
Francis J. Quinlan, M. D.
Hon. John T. Coughlin, Mayor of Fall River, Fall River, Mass. Proposed
by Thomas E. Maloney.
Henry F. Nickerson, Esq., 524 Durfee Street, Fall River, Mass. Proposed
by Thomas E. Maloney.
Michael J. Coughlin, Esq., 178 Bedford Street, Fall River, Mass.
Proposed by Thomas E. Maloney.
Hon. W. E. Chandler, formerly U. S. Senator from New Hampshire, Concord,
N. H. Proposed by Thomas Z. Lee.
William Sydney Rossiter, Esq., The Rumford Press, Concord, N. H.
Proposed by Thomas Z. Lee.
Hon. Zenas W. Bliss, Lieut.-Governor of Rhode Island, Providence, R. I.
Proposed by Hon. Patrick J. McCarthy.
Edward S. Murphy, Esq., 1205 Park Avenue, New York City. Proposed by
John J. Manning.
James Hanley, Esq., of The James Hanley Brewing Co., Providence, R. I.
Proposed by Hon. Michael F. Dooley.
John P. Donohoe, Esq., Care of The Barclay-Westmoreland Trust Co.,
Greensburg, Penn. Proposed by John J. Lenehan.
George W. McNulty, Esq., 153 West 79th Street, New York City. Proposed
by John J. Lenehan.
John J. Powers, Esq., 424 Habersham Street, Savannah, Ga. Proposed by
Col. M. J. O’Leary; seconded by John J. Lenehan.
Lieut.-Col. John G. Butler, 20 Congress Street, West, Savannah, Ga.
Proposed by Col. M. J. O’Leary; seconded by John J. Lenehan.
Thomas M. Blake, Esq., 11 St. Luke’s Place, New York City. Proposed by
Robert E. Danvers; seconded by John J. Lenehan.
Thomas B. Fitzgerald, Esq., Elmira, N. Y. Proposed by Hon. Alexander C.
Eustace.
John F. Murtaugh, Esq., Realty Building, Elmira, N. Y. Proposed by
Alexander C. Eustace.
M. M. Shannon, Esq., 512 Davis Street, Elmira, N. Y. Proposed by Hon.
Alexander C. Eustace.
John M. Connelly, Esq., President Elmira Chamber of Commerce, Elmira, N.
Y. Proposed by Hon. Alexander C. Eustace.
Michael J. O’Brien, Esq., Superintendent’s Office, Western Union
Building, Day Street and Broadway, New York City. Proposed by Joseph I.
C. Clarke.
John L. Linehan, Esq., 165 Broadway, New York City. Proposed by Alfred
J. Talley; seconded by Patrick S. MacDwyer.
Patrick H. Harriman, M. D., Norwich, Conn. Proposed by Rev. William
Keefe.
John P. S. Mahoney, Esq., Lawrence, Mass. Proposed by Dr. M. F.
Sullivan.
W. I. Boland, Esq., Toronto, Canada. Proposed by William H. Delany.
Capt. Daniel P. Foley, Wilmington, N. C. Proposed by Michael J. Corbett.
Michael W. Rayens, Esq., 206 Broadway, New York City. Proposed by Henry
L. Joyce.
John W. Kelley, Esq., of Kelley, Harding & Hatch, Exchange Building,
Portsmouth, N. H. Proposed by Hon. W. E. Chandler.
Joseph P. Bourke, Esq., World Building, Manhattan, New York City.
Proposed by William H. Delany.
James Regan Fitzgerald, Esq., 90 West Broadway, New York City. Proposed
by Patrick S. MacDwyer.
Hon. Ernest Harvier, 1193 Broadway, New York City. Proposed by William
H. Delany.
John Taaffe, Esq., General Post Office, Yonkers, N. Y. Proposed by
William H. Delany.
Charles V. Halley, Jr., Esq., 756 E. 175th Street, Bronx, New York City.
Proposed by Charles V. Halley.
Dr. William Streker, Messer Street, Providence, R. I. Proposed by Dr. S.
E. Donovan, New Bedford, Mass.
Jeremiah P. Daly, Esq., 1747 Lexington Avenue, New York City. Proposed
by John J. Daly.
Paul J. Morrison, Esq., Asst. Chief Clerk, U. S. Immigration Station,
Department of Commerce and Labor, Ellis Island, New York. Proposed by
John J. Daly.
Peter P. Sherry, Esq., 254 West 14th Street, New York City. Proposed by
William H. Delany.
Desmond FitzGerald, Esq., Brookline, Mass. Proposed by John J. Lenehan.
The President-General, at this point, made a most interesting and
instructive address upon the work of the Society, pointing out what had
been accomplished during the past twelve months and indicating what its
general policy would be for the future. A review was made of the work of
the different officers of the Society, and recommendations of an
appropriate and timely nature were presented. Unfortunately, the text of
the President-General’s remarks cannot be given as the stenographic
clerk was temporarily absent.
The Secretary-General presented and read the following report, which, by
unanimous vote, was accepted and placed on file:
REPORT OF THE SECRETARY-GENERAL.
It is with much pleasure I present the report of my office for 1909,
which has been to the Society a year of success, prosperity and great
advancement.
At the commencement of my term of office as Acting Secretary-General in
September, 1908, there were 538 members enrolled on the books. Many of
these had not paid dues for a number of years, and had lost all interest
in the Society and its objects, while others had deceased and no record
had been kept of them because word had not been communicated to the
Secretary-General.
A general house-cleaning took place, and a list of members in arrears
for two years and more was prepared and submitted to the Executive
Council, which ordered extra notices sent to every delinquent in order
that each member in arrears might know the extent of his obligations.
The Committee on Delinquent Members appointed January 16th, 1909, sent
out printed notices, through this office, urging the necessity of prompt
payment of dues, and in short every reasonable means to stimulate
payment and activity was taken. Some responded, but the majority did not
and their names have been stricken from the roll of the Society.
January 16th, 1909, the date of the last annual meeting, the Society had
687 members, 149 applicants having been admitted since September, 1908.
During the year 1909, 239 members were admitted, largely through the
energy and recommendations of the Committee on Membership, of which John
J. Lenehan, Esq., is chairman and active head. During the year we lost 7
by death, 13 by resignation, and 23 by order of the Executive Council
for non-payment of dues. This leaves the membership of the Society in
good standing at present as follows: Life members, 74; annual members,
828; total, 951.
Although the membership is satisfactory in numbers and the Committee on
Membership has performed a wonderful work during the past year, the
Society is not as large as it should be. Efforts should be made to
ascertain the names of those Americans prominent in all walks of life,
in whose veins Irish blood flows and who are interested in seeing that
the history of our country chronicles and credits the doings of fellow
citizens of Irish blood equally with those of other nationalities, and
each member should constitute himself a committee to act in conjunction
with the Membership Committee and obtain an addition to the Society
wherever he can, always assuring himself that the applicant he presents
is of good character and intelligence and interested in the work for
which the Society is organized.
There are few distinguished families in the United States that are not
partially of Irish ancestry, and since our Society has become so well
known throughout the country it has stimulated those who have never
cared, for reasons best known to themselves, to cause it to be known
that Irish blood flowed in their veins, not only to admit the fact but
really and truly to assert it, and willingly to accept the credit that
comes from such ancestry. Many men whose entire time and energy are
devoted to extensive business will take little time to inform themselves
of the doings of our Society, unless members in different localities
will take it upon themselves to seek out just such men, inform them of
the work we are doing, and enlist their hearty coöperation in it.
We are the largest and most prominent society of our kind in the United
States, and cover a field that until we were organized had been
practically untouched. The influence of our work for the last few years
has been marked, and the average chronicler of American history will
think twice in recording events before he permits any bigotry or outside
influence to prevent him from giving the American of Irish ancestry his
share of credit for deeds performed. The magazines and newspapers bear
evidence of this, for, as soon as an attack is made upon the
American-Irishman or failure to give him his just due is discerned,
there are those who, stimulated by the influence of our Society in
different parts of the country, will immediately bring the erring party
to bar and suggest the proper corrections.
An illustration of this spirit may be gained from a recent event in
Providence. A book called “The Modern City” was published and circulated
by Professor Kirk of Brown University, and pretended to be a history of
Providence as it was and is, with sufficient general reference to
surrounding subjects to make it generally a complete history of that
city. Among the contributors were Professor William MacDonald, who
occupies the chair of American history and whose work as an historian is
highly regarded both here and abroad, Professor Dealey, Professor Poland
and others.
It was noticed upon an examination of this book that failure to give
credit to whom credit was due among our race was most marked, and
immediately the authors of these articles and Professor Kirk himself
were called to account by members of our Society, the truth properly
exhibited and demonstrated, and the evil effect of the book as a work of
history dissipated as far as Rhode Island and the city of Providence
were concerned. The members of our Society took hold of this matter with
a will, and the articles written and circulated with the purpose of
correcting the work of these professors and stating fully and truthfully
what they failed fairly to state, are now in the archives of the Society
and open to the inspection of those who may be interested.
* * * * *
On several occasions I have suggested to the Society the advisability of
having a more complete and less perfunctory business meeting. Until the
annual meeting of 1909 it had been the custom to transact all of the
business of the Society between the hours of six and seven in the
evening, and have all our scientific papers read at a dinner, which, by
reason of them, would be prolonged to an unseemly hour. Opportunity to
consider and digest excellent papers was lacking, and no time whatever
was given for the discussion of them.
At our Washington meeting we transacted all of the Society’s business,
with the exception of the reading of certain papers, during the
afternoon, so that we had the entire evening for the dinner and the
presentation of four important papers. This year the Executive Council
decided that the business meeting should commence at two o’clock in the
afternoon, and from that hour until five or half past we could present a
number of scientific papers, elect our officers, read the monographs on
deceased members, and transact the other business of the Society.
This, in my opinion, is a step in the right direction, but not a
sufficient one. There should be a session of at least two days, at which
members from all over the country would be earnestly solicited to attend
and for whom the railroads would give round-trip rates to our place of
meeting for one and one-third single fares. The first morning should be
devoted to the reading of two or three historical papers, followed by
discussion. A luncheon should take place, given by some member of the
Society or by some organization affiliated with it or having some
connection with it. The afternoon session could be devoted to more
historical papers and discussion, and in the evening a lecture should be
given by some person of international reputation on subjects connected
with our work. The next day could be similarly used, and in the
afternoon of the second day the officers of the Society for the ensuing
year might be elected; and that night the annual dinner of the Society
would take place, which, instead of being carried out with a studied
programme filled with scientific literary matter, would be truly “a
feast of reason and a flow of soul,” where our members would have an
opportunity to pass an evening of real sociability and pleasure, which
would be restful after two days’ work.
Such a convention would attract the greatest attention; our doings would
be reported in the public press, and our papers, carefully prepared by
men of ability, would in all probability be published, in part or in
full, thus doing more toward bringing the Society to the attention of
the American people in general than any other medium could possibly do.
While it might be impossible for all of our members to attend two days,
we could have more of them present at some time during the convention
than attend the dinner at present.
The movement encouraging the attendance of ladies at our dinner has
received hearty congratulations on all sides. There is no reason why
women should not be interested in American history equally with men. The
other historical societies encourage women to become members, and a step
in the right direction has been inaugurated during the past year, when
not only were two leading Chicago women admitted as members of the
Society, but the Executive Council voted that our members could invite
ladies as guests.
DONATIONS.
The Society is very much in need of endowments and donations. A fund
should be established, the income of which would be sufficient not only
to maintain a proper building of modest proportions, in which the
archives of the Society could be kept and the general headquarters
maintained, but to compensate historians and writers for work and
research on lines that would be dictated by a committee having that
branch of our work in charge, as well as to furnish competitive prizes
for historical essays.
If a substantial fund for these purposes were at hand we might reduce
the dues from five dollars per annum to three dollars, leaving the life
membership fee as at present, and place on sale copies of our
publications under the direction of a librarian, who would have charge,
with his other duties, of this branch.
All of the leading historical societies have substantial sums in their
treasury, contributed by interested members. Yet the American-Irish
Historical Society, nine-tenths of whose members are men of more or less
wealth, has never, as far as I can see from an examination of the
Society’s records, received a single dollar for these purposes, and the
Society has done its work on its own meagre revenue, with no assistance
save the dues of its members.
Contemplating the liberal endowment of other historical and antiquarian
associations, the American-Irish Historical Society may justly be proud
of its record; but this will not be a sufficient answer to the next
thousand members that join our ranks. We must have suitable
headquarters, a suitable library and a proper place for our archives;
establish an exchange list with other libraries and institutions, and
solicit additions not only of books, prints and engravings, but other
articles that are of historic interest; and all these should be under
the management of a librarian or custodian, by whom the large
correspondence now entailed on the Secretary-General should be conducted
and fostered.
It will take money to do these things, but not as large an amount as, at
first blush, one would think. The Society having been incorporated in
Rhode Island, its headquarters must necessarily be there, and it is
fitting that the centre of the work of this Society should be somewhere
in New England. Massachusetts and Rhode Island have many historical and
antiquarian societies, and nowhere in the whole United States is the
spirit of historical research and pride of ancestry more strongly
developed than in these two states.
It is possible for an investment of less than five thousand dollars to
purchase a lot and erect a building sufficient for our needs for many
years to come, within the shadow of Brown University on College Hill,
which has for so many years been regarded as the seat of learning in
Rhode Island. This amount is mentioned after thoughtful consideration of
the needs of the Society, and would equip the building to contain a
substantial library as well as the entire present equipment,
paraphernalia and archives of the Society.
In looking over the newspaper accounts of the wills of various members
of the Society who have deceased within the past two years, I have noted
no bequest to our Society, yet many bequests to other public and private
institutions. I cannot help but believe that if our needs were brought
forcibly to the attention of the members, as I am striving to do in this
part of my report, it might stimulate a bequest from those of our
members who are able and interested enough to make one, for outside of
the charitable institutions there is no organization more worthy of
staunch support than is the American-Irish Historical Society, nor one
which would put a gift to better use.
ADMINISTRATION EXPENSES.
No officer or member of this Society drawls any salary, but each officer
does the work allotted to him with a good heart and for love of the
cause. We are under no charges for rent and pay nothing for the
excellent articles which appear in our annual volume, the writers of
these coöperating with the officers and furnishing the time, energy and
ability necessary to make the researches entailed without any
compensation.
The entire expense outlay of the Society is for the printing, binding
and circulation of the annual volume, the printing of circulars,
stationery, etc., and postage, and a small sum for a stenographer in
conducting the correspondence of my office, keeping track of the dues
and other details; but I can easily see opportunities for the
dissemination of knowledge and an enlarged application of the purposes
for which our Society was incorporated if we should have at our disposal
the modest sum of money herein mentioned. The members of the Society
residing in Rhode Island will gladly contribute in accordance with their
means, and I embody this matter in my report at this time for the
purpose of bringing it sharply for the first time to the attention of
our members.
* * * * *
Although repeated at other times heretofore, I beg to make the following
suggestions to our members, not only for their benefit, but for the
convenience of the Society’s administration as well:
1. Annual dues should be paid promptly because upon these and the life
membership fees we depend for the payment of our obligations.
2. Biographical sketches should be furnished when requested by the
Secretary-General, and a member should not permit any feelings of
personal modesty to interfere with the desire of the Society to have in
its archives as complete a statement of the life and works of each
member as he or his friends can give to it.
3. Upon learning of the decease of any member, immediate notice should
be sent to the Secretary-General by telegraph, in order that the
attention of the President-General may be called and a committee
appointed to attend the funeral of the deceased member or to do whatever
may be needful or advisable under the circumstances.
4. Current local history is as much part of the work of the Society as
is the delving into ancient records, and any newspaper clipping or
account of any public or private affair that, in the opinion of any
member, is of interest to the Society or its work should be promptly
sent to the Secretary-General, who will gladly receive, index and place
it in the archives of the Society, where it may be referred to in a
convenient form at any time.
5. It is intended that the correct address of every member shall be
recorded in our files, and when a member changes his address he is
respectfully requested to notify the Secretary-General of that fact, so
that future communications may not be misdirected.
6. Suggestions as to the management and improvement of the Society in
its membership, line of work or in any other way are most earnestly
solicited, and any such suggestions, if sent to this office, wall be
brought before the Executive Council, which meets frequently, and
carefully considered by it.
7. State Vice-Presidents are strongly urged to recruit in their
respective states the ranks of the Society, and to this end they will
find active and hearty coöperation. Vice-President Moloney of Illinois
set the pace this year in obtaining fifty-one applications for
membership, all from persons who have made their mark in life and with
whom it is a pleasure for us to associate. Vice-President McCaffrey of
Pennsylvania, Vice-President O’Hagan of South Carolina, Vice-President
Corbett of North Carolina, Vice-President Connolly of California, and
Vice-President McCarrick of Virginia have all done notable work and set
a good example, while Georgia, under the guidance of Vice-President
Flannery and Dr. J. Lawton Hiers of the Executive Council, proposes to
return a significant number of applications within a very short time.
* * * * *
In conclusion, I take this opportunity of paying a heartfelt tribute to
the efficiency and earnestness of President-General Quinlan,
Treasurer-General Dooley, Chairman Lenehan of the Membership Committee,
and the members of the Executive Council, all of whom have the best
welfare of the Society continually at heart and whose courtesy and great
kindness have rendered my own shortcomings less marked and the work of
the Society a pleasure.
Mr. Michael F. Dooley, Treasurer-General of the Society, presented the
following report, covering the period from January 15, 1909, to January
1, 1910, and the same was adopted by unanimous vote:
ANNUAL REPORT OF THE TREASURER-GENERAL.
PROVIDENCE, R. I., January 1, 1910.
PERMANENT FUND—AMERICAN IRISH HISTORICAL SOCIETY.
1910.
Jan. 1. Amount of deposit with the
National Exchange Bank,
Providence, R. I. $129.20
AMERICAN IRISH HISTORICAL SOCIETY.
Balance on hand at last report, January 15, 1909 $2,438.51
RECEIPTS.
1909.
Jan. Balance remaining from 1909
dinner account $47.00
Jan. Membership fees 615.00
Feb. Membership fees 710.00
March Membership fees 820.00
April Membership fees 490.00
May Membership fees 85.00
June Membership fees 180.00
July Membership fees 516.00
Aug. Membership fees 154.80
Sept. Membership fees 265.00
Oct. Membership fees 255.00
Nov. Membership fees 605.00
Dec. Membership fees 250.00
————————— $4,992.80
Dec. From Western News Company for
one Journal 2.00
Exchange and Rebates .57
Interest on Bank Account 69.15
—————————
Total Receipts 5,064.52
—————————
$7,503.03
DISBURSEMENTS.
1909.
Jan. 16. Mrs. Murray, salary and telephones $51.50
Jan. 21. Akerman Co., record book,
Secretary-General 7.85
Jan. 23. Viola Follis, expenses as stenographer 42.20
Jan. 27. Snow & Farnham Co., printing for
Secretary-General 16.25
Jan. 29. Library Bureau, files and cards for
Secretary-General 72.55
Feb. 1. Viola Follis, clerical services,
Secretary-General office 40.00
Feb. 2. John J. Lenehan, expenses, New Members
Committee 78.49
Feb. 5. Mrs. Murray, expenses to Sea View 5.00
Feb. 18. Snow & Farnham Co., postage $40;
Secretary-General office printing
$18.98 58.78
Feb. 18. Postage, Treasurer-General 1.00
Feb. 25. Reynolds Stamp Works, stamps,
Secretary-General 2.30
March 2. John J. Lenehan, expenses New Members
Committee 41.75
March 4. Library Bureau cards, Secretary-General 5.50
March 4. Snow & Farnham Company, stamped
Envelopes, Secretary-General 22.99
March 4. Snow & Farnham, general printing,
Secretary-General 12.50
March 4. Reynolds Stamp Works, Secretary-General
office 2.00
March 8. Mrs. Murray, expenses to Sea View and
postage 6.00
March 10. Viola Follis, clerical help,
Secretary-General office 20.00
March 10. Stenographer’s services, Committee on
Revision of Constitution 4.00
March 10. Expenses of Secretary-General office 56.22
March 12. Remington Printing Company, printing,
Secretary-General’s office 5.75
March 15. E. L. Freeman Company, books,
Secretary-General’s office 1.30
March 29. John J. Lenehan, expense New Members
Committee 132.50
March 29. John J. Lenehan, expense New Members
Committee 66.00
April 6. Library Bureau cards, Secretary-General 3.00
April 15. Providence Linotype Composing Company,
printing by-laws 20.00
April 16. Expenses, Secretary-General office 127.45
April 20. Viola Follis, clerical help,
Secretary-General office 20.00
April 29. Howard W. Damon, expressing 20.00
May 3. John J. Lenehan, expenses New Members
Committee 84.00
May 4. A. J. Tally, publication of death notice 9.20
May 3. John J. Lenehan, expenses New Members
Committee 61.00
June 16. Viola Follis, clerical help, Secretary’s
office 50.14
June 19. Sun Printing Co., stamped envelopes and
printing same 24.99
June 29. General Treasurer, state of R. I.,
articles of association 5.00
June 30. Secretary of State of Rhode Island,
articles of association 1.00
July 1. John J. Lenehan, expenses New Members
Committee 57.75
July 24. Kinsley-DeFelice studio, 200 parchment
life membership certificates 262.71
July 24. Remington Printing Company, printing,
Secretary-General’s office 7.50
July 26. Rumford Printing Company, printing and
shipping 1500 Journals 1,550.19
Aug. 2. Expenses, Secretary-General’s office 41.31
Aug. 9. Viola Follis, clerical help,
Secretary-General’s office 45.00
Aug. 12. Transportation for Executive Committee 20.00
Sept. 11. T. C. Marceau 2.50
Sept. 18. Kinsley-DeFelici studio .75
Sept. 21. John J. Lenehan, expenses New Members
Committee 18.00
Sept. 27. Expenses, Secretary-General’s office 16.44
Sept. 27. Viola Follis, clerical help,
Secretary-General’s office 20.00
Oct. 15. Snow & Farnham Printing, Secretary’s
office 5.00
Oct. 16. Remington Printing Company, stamped
envelopes 47.50
Nov. 1. John J. Lenehan 194.11
Nov. 10. Dr. Quinlan, newspaper notice 4.40
Nov. 23. Expenses, Secretary-General’s office 41.06
Nov. 27. Viola Follis, clerical help,
Secretary-General office 45.00
Dec. 10. John J. Lenehan, expense Committee on New
Members 32.98
Dec. 31. Remington Printing Company, printing for
Secretary-General 46.00
—————
Total Disbursements $3,636.41
Balance on hand Jan. 1st, 1910 3,866.62
—————
$7,503.03
SUMMARY OF RECEIPTS AND DISBURSEMENTS.
From January 15, 1909, to January 1, 1910.
Balance on hand, January 15, 1909 $2,438.51
RECEIPTS.
Membership fees from old members $2,736.00
Annual fees from 236 new members 1,189.80
Life membership fees from old members 220.00
Life membership fees from 16 new members 800.00
Balance remaining from 1909 dinner
account 47.00
For one Journal 2.00
Exchange and rebates .57
Interest from bank 69.15
—————————
Total receipts $ 5,064.52
—————————
$7,503.03
DISBURSEMENTS.
Mrs. Murray, salary and expenses $62.50
Printing Journal and shipping charges 1,550.19
Expenses of Committee on New Members 766.58
Expenses of Treasurer-General, postage 1.00
Expenses of Secretary-General’s Office:
Books $9.15
Cards and files 81.05
Printing 127.46
Clerical 282.34
Postage 120.00
General and incidental expenses 289.08
————————— $909.08
Stenographers for Committee on Revising
Constitution $4.00
Printing by-laws 20.00
Expressing 20.00
Publication of death notices 13.60
Expense of articles of association 6.00
Life membership certificates 263.46
Executive Committee transportation 20.00
—————————
Total disbursements $3,636.41
Balance in National Exchange Bank of Providence, R. I.,
January 1, 1910 $3,866.62
—————————
$7,503.03
MICHAEL F. DOOLEY,
_Treasurer-General_.
REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON MEMBERSHIP.
The following report was presented by Chairman John J. Lenehan in behalf
of the Membership Committee, and was accepted by unanimous vote:
MR. LENEHAN: Mr. President, I did not expect to be called upon for any
report, and therefore am quite unprepared, and this particularly so
because my work is necessarily confined to action rather than
expression. We have an eloquent President-General, and a
Secretary-General who is surpassed by no one, either in eloquence or in
ability; wherefore it behooves those of us who labor behind the
machinery to work hard and say little.
I may, however, say briefly that when we took up the work of the
Membership Committee in October a year ago, we found the roll contained
about 545 members, of whom perhaps 100 were somewhat inactive, being
remiss in their dues and not taking all the interest they might have
taken in the affairs of our Society; so that substantially the active
membership was about 450.
Inside of fourteen months we have brought the membership up to nearly
1,000, including many life members. We introduced them into our circle
from all over the United States and even further, for they included
members from such far distant points as the Hon. Thomas J. O’Brien,
American Ambassador to Japan, and Richard Bradshaw of Fort Pickens,
Florida. United States Senators, Congressmen, generals, bankers,
merchants—the best men throughout the land have joined our ranks.
It required hard work; but, as the Treasurer-General has pointed out, we
brought in about 400 members and nearly $2,000 in money at a cost of
approximately $700, which, as a business venture, has the endorsement of
a bank president, our Treasurer-General.
The great advantage of this increase is that, if we have 500 new members
and they pay us $2,500 a year, while there is no further expense in
connection with those members, they return each year an annual dividend
of $2,500, which will readily equal the dividends paid by any good,
working trust. So much for the genius of the race.
The work progresses splendidly. This morning’s receipts, for example,
consisted of five names. I have just handed them to the
Secretary-General in the form we always pursue, but it will give you an
idea of the membership we get and the way they come in if I read them to
you:
Mr. John P. Donohoe, a director of the Barclay-Westmoreland Trust
Company of Greensburg, Pa.; Major George W. McNulty, a civil engineer
and a man very highly regarded in constructive work in this city of New
York; Mr. John J. Powers, cashier of the Exchange Bank of Savannah,
Georgia, and President of the Knights of Columbus Investment company;
John G. Butler of Savannah, Lieutenant-Colonel of the 1st Infantry
National Guard of Georgia, proposed by Colonel O’Leary, who is Colonel
of the First Regiment of Infantry of Savannah; Mr. Butler is president
of the J. G. Butler Supply Company, a director of the Citizens Trust
Company, and Grand Knight of the Knights of Columbus; Mr. Thomas M.
Blake of this City, proposed by Mr. Danvers; and Mr. Desmond FitzGerald
of Brookline, Mass., past President of the American Society of Civil
Engineers and consulting Hydraulic Engineer.
The committee would urge that each one bring in at least one new member
this year, so that we may have 2,000 members before the close of 1910.
I trust the work of the Membership Committee meets with your
approbation.
DR. QUINLAN: The next order of business will be the report of the
Constitutional Committee. I will ask Mr. O’Brien to report in behalf of
that committee.
MR. JOHN E. O’BRIEN: Mr. President and Fellow Members, the committee
appointed at the last annual meeting were called together shortly after
their appointment and decided that it was important that the
constitution should be amended in several matters. The present
constitution is somewhat antiquated, and that applies equally to the
by-laws because of changed conditions and changes in policy. For
example, under the present by-laws the dues are only two or three
dollars a year, whereas we have been charging five dollars; and the
officers provided for are somewhat different than those that have been
elected for years. The committee, therefore, have determined upon and
beg to submit the following constitution. I hesitate to read this, Mr.
President, because it is rather long.
DR. QUINLAN: Could you not read it in abstract? Then we shall get the
essence of it. Will it come before the meeting for action?
[Illustration:
WILLIAM H. DELANEY, ESQ.,
Of New York City.
A Member of the Society.
]
MR. LENEHAN: Mr. President, I would suggest that a constitution which
covers so many points ought more properly to be printed and possibly
submitted to the Executive Council for consideration, and later may be
submitted to the Society for other suggestions.
DR. QUINLAN: That is a splendid suggestion and if the reader will accept
the same and incorporate it in his report, I think it will be very wise.
As you say, Mr. O’Brien, it is rather lengthy.
MR. O’BRIEN: I think it is a very good suggestion. The present
constitution provides it may be amended at any regular meeting, so it
seems unnecessary to give notice. I second the recommendation and hope,
when this comes before the members of the Society, they will compare it
carefully with the constitution now printed in the Journal, and
recommendations of any changes will be very gladly received. Therefore I
move that this be referred to the Executive Council, and that they be
instructed to provide for the printing and distribution of the same
among the members of the Society.
DR. QUINLAN: I will ask, however, that Mr. O’Brien give in a brief way
an abstract of it, alluding to the salient changes.
MR. JOHN J. ROONEY: I will make a further suggestion. We are all of us
more or less familiar with the present constitution, and, instead of an
abstract, he might indicate the changes.
DR. QUINLAN: Very good. Mr. O’Brien, will you proceed?
MR. O’BRIEN: In the first place, we say the object of the Society is “to
make better known the Irish chapter in American history,” substituting
that in the place of about two pages.
Under Article II, entitled “Membership,” we provide for three classes of
members, life, annual and honorary. We see no necessity for
corresponding members, and, in fact, I believe there are none such in
the Society.
The provisions in regard to applications for membership are about the
same as at present. Election shall be by the Executive Council or at the
annual meetings of the Society. Dues are fixed at $5.00 for annual
membership, and are made payable on the first day of January in each
year in advance. The life membership fee remains the same.
To the officers we have added a Vice-President-General, there being no
provision for such an officer in the present constitution.
The duties of the Executive Council we have defined somewhat more
clearly, generally to manage and conduct the affairs of the Society. We
have provided that six members thereof shall be a quorum.
We have defined the duties of the officers a little more definitely than
in the present constitution. There is one thing in particular that I
would say in this regard: In the present constitution it is provided
that the duties of the Historiographer shall be the usual duties of that
office. That was rather indefinite, so we substitute this instead: “The
Historiographer shall write such histories or historical articles as the
Executive Council may from time to time require; assist in the
preparation of the annual journal and other historical works of the
society; and perform the other duties usually pertaining to his office.”
We provide for an annual meeting to be held in the month of January in
each year, the day and place to be determined by the Society in general
meeting, or by the Executive Council in case the Society fails to do so.
Special meetings of the Society may be called at any time by the
Executive Council. A quorum for the transaction of business at all
meetings of the Society is fixed at thirty-five, instead of ten, as at
present.
State Chapters: We have provided that ten or more members of good
standing in this Society may organize a subsidiary chapter by obtaining
a charter from the Executive Council; that the Vice-President of this
Society for the particular state shall, by virtue of that office, be
President of that chapter, and such chapter may elect from their own
number a Vice-Chairman, a Secretary, a Treasurer and such other officers
as may be necessary to manage its affairs; and that membership in such
chapters shall be limited to members of this Society in good standing.
Those are the principal points, Mr. President.
DR. QUINLAN: You have heard this report. What is your pleasure in the
matter?
MR. MARTIN I. J. GRIFFIN: Mr. President, why should it be referred to
the Executive Council? It will be another year before it comes before
the Society again. We have been without the revision for a whole year,
and now it is proposed to be postponed again. I believe it should be
acted upon here. I move that the report be read and acted upon.
DR. QUINLAN: That would consume more time than possibly the afternoon
session would permit, and I am afraid it would take away from the
scientific part of our programme.
MR. GRIFFIN: The same would apply next year.
DR. QUINLAN: We will take it up as a whole next year.
MR. CRIMMINS: I concur with the last speaker. It seems to me eminently
proper that we should act upon the matter at this time. I fully agree
with the remark of the last gentleman that possibly this might be
postponed for another year. It seemed to me very clear and concise
language was used, and covered all the situations that might arise in
the administration of the Society, and I move now, in general, that the
suggestion made by the gentlemen who proposed these amendments be
adopted.
MR. LENEHAN: The constitution is the most important document which this
Society could possibly pass upon. If the committee who were entrusted
with the charge of this matter had had it printed and distributed among
the members we would have come here today prepared to vote on it in an
intelligent manner. If we vote on the constitution as proposed now, we
are voting upon something about which we know little, for it has not
been read. I, for one, will not vote on a paper I have not read. If we
are going to vote intelligently we must take it up section by section,
have each read and voted upon separately.
We have struggled along for twelve years with our present constitution,
and I do not see that the Society will suffer any injury if we are
obliged to continue the work under the present constitution for twelve
months longer. In the meantime the committee can print its report and
distribute the same among the members and if there should be any need
for expedition it could be referred to the Executive Council with power
to consider the matter and adopt such constitution as they deem wise. In
that way the constitution could be adopted in three or four months’
time, and in the meantime, if we are furnished with copies, we shall
have the benefit of careful consideration of the same. If we vote now it
may be for something we shall regret later. Safety lies in thorough
consideration of the subject, and I therefore hope, Mr. President, that
the motion to adopt this constitution unread, unseen, unheard, will be
either withdrawn or defeated.
MR. THOMAS S. LONERGAN: How soon does the Executive Council of the
Society meet?
DR. QUINLAN: Subject to the chair. We meet four or five times a year.
MR. LONERGAN: I move an amendment to the last motion that the committee
on the revision of the constitution submit its report to the Executive
Council, and that the Executive Council print that report and distribute
same among the members.
MR. CRIMMINS: Mr. President, where will that leave us?
MR. LONERGAN: You will have it in three months.
MR. CRIMMINS: It seems to me, after listening to the suggestions made,
that the proposed constitution, in a few concise words, states our
annual dues and also fixes the number of members constituting a quorum
for the transaction of business. It makes another provision which I
think very important, that in relation to state chapters. I don’t like
to differ with Mr. Lenehan because there is no other member who has any
more interest in the Society than he has, and no more effective work has
been done by anyone than by him. Still I see no reason why we should not
take action on this matter today.
The salient points in the constitution are very well put, and it seems
to me we would get along a little faster if we adopted it in general.
There might be a few corrections to be made, and they could be referred
to the Executive Council, which could complete the work and then send
out printed copies to the members of the Society. You know yourself, Mr.
President, how difficult it is to get any great number together, and we
probably would not, within a year, get as large a number of members at a
meeting as today. That is my idea; I am not at all alarmed with the
haste to be made by action today.
MR. T. VINCENT BUTLER: I heartily endorse the statement of the last
speaker. I think this entire constitution could be read and passed on
intelligently inside of a space of three-quarters of an hour. It is
eminently proper that it should be brought up before this meeting. The
committee who brings this constitution, or simply an amendment in a few
features of something already existing, has done so with care and
deliberation. It will be absolutely impossible to have the excellent
results come from the same unless it is immediately adopted, and there
should be no delay in passing promptly upon the various changes
suggested. I therefore move, Mr. Chairman, as the sense of this meeting,
that we proceed to pass upon the constitution with the various
amendments outlined immediately.
DR. QUINLAN: You have heard the motion before the house. Was Mr.
Lonergan’s amendment previously made seconded?
MR. ROONEY: Yes.
MR. DELANY: Mr. Chairman, I think Mr. Lonergan is more or less
reconciled by the suggestion of Mr. Crimmins that the constitution be
referred to the Executive Council with power to act.
MR. LENEHAN: Mr. Chairman, if this committee had prepared a copy of the
constitution and sent it to the members asking for suggestions, if the
committee had discharged its duty in an orderly manner as I consider, it
would have prepared and sent this document around to the members, and we
would thereby have been prepared today to act intelligently upon the
subject.
Take, for example, the chopping off of the first paragraph of our
present constitution, and restating the purpose of this Society in two
or three lines. The purposes of this Society as expressed in the
constitution as it now stands are most beautifully expressed. It is such
an eloquent exposition of our ideas that under no circumstances should
it be erased from the constitution. I have a copy of it here, and I ask
it to be read so that we may contrast it with this proposed amendment
which puts in two or three lines the purpose of this Society. It is
splendidly, eloquently, magnificently expressed in our present
constitution by a master of the English language, and I ask any man to
read it, put it side by side with this proposed amendment, and note the
eloquence with which the purpose of our Society is expressed.
MR. T. V. BUTLER: I claim the gentleman is not in order. There is a
motion before the house.
DR. QUINLAN: This is a debatable subject.
MR. LONERGAN: My amendment, Mr. President, is to Mr. Crimmins’ motion,
that this revised constitution by the committee be sent to the Executive
body, and I wish to say here that the Executive body is more
representative of this Society than this gathering here today; and why,
because there are a thousand members in the Society, and we have less
than a hundred here today. I therefore move that this revised
constitution be sent to the Executive Council, with power to amend and
revise, and that a copy thereof be sent forward to every member within
three months’ time.
MR. O’BRIEN: This proposed constitution has been signed and approved by
Judge Lee, Mr. Joseph T. Ryan, Mr. Patrick J. McCarthy and John E.
O’Brien. It has had considerable study, and its provisions are very
simple. We think it is more businesslike and a little more artistic,
perhaps, than the present one. It has not been submitted in writing to
the members of the Society for two reasons: first, the present
constitution does not require any such submission; and in the second
place, it would take time and there would be considerable expense.
Now, these terms are very plain and simple. They are drawn in a
businesslike way rather than in beautiful language; there is no attempt
at that. And since the statement of the purpose of the Society has been
particularly spoken of, I will say that the matter was brought to our
attention by former officers of the Society, who thought the present
statement, while couched in beautiful language, was rather out of place
in a businesslike constitution.
I do believe, now, after considering the matter and talking with Judge
Lee, that this might be passed upon. He has approved it, it has been in
effect approved by the Executive Council, and I don’t think it should be
delayed for another year. If necessary, it might be read; I can read it
in ten minutes, perhaps.
DR. QUINLAN: The amendment of Mr. Lonergan is before the house. All who
are in favor of the same signify by saying “aye.”
MR. LONERGAN: It seems to me before the question is put everybody should
have a chance to speak, so that when we vote we can do so intelligently.
DR. QUINLAN: We have so much business on hand this afternoon that my
idea was to get this question disposed of, not that we wish to curtail
anything; but these matters take up so much time and there is so much
scientific matter, our programme is so lengthy, that I simply want to be
fair and just to everybody.
GENERAL COLLINS: I have no desire to take up the time unnecessarily, but
it seems to me we do not make a constitution every day in the week, and
I am heartily in accord with the suggestion made by Mr. Lenehan that it
should be left over. I do not think, as a matter of fact, we have any
right to adopt a constitution. It is a question to me why every member
of the Society ought not to be notified. Where members are living in all
parts of the country and it is practically impossible for some of them
to attend the meetings, it seems to me every member should be notified
or a copy of the new constitution should be served on them. We do not
make a constitution every day in the week, and the matter can very well
wait over. It seems to me no detriment would be incurred by reason of
holding over.
DR. QUINLAN: You have heard the motion that this constitution be
referred to the Executive Council for revision.
MR. CRIMMINS: You mean by that the Executive Council would have to
report back to the Society?
MR. LONERGAN: I want to be as brief as possible. I take it the Executive
Council is more representative of the Society at large than this
gathering is, and I therefore move that this revised constitution be
submitted to the Executive Council, with power to amend and revise, and
that a copy thereof be sent forward to every member.
GENERAL COLLINS: Can this Society delegate the power of adopting a
constitution to the Executive Council?
DR. QUINLAN: The Executive Council would have to report back to the
Society.
GENERAL COLLINS: The gentleman’s motion does not concur with that idea.
His idea is that we submit it to the Executive Council with power to
adopt, and it shall then stand.
DR. QUINLAN: I don’t think that would be constitutional. It must be
voted upon by the Society at large. Mr. Lonergan’s amendment is before
the house. All in favor signify by saying “aye.” It seems to be carried;
it is carried.
All who are in favor of Mr. Lonergan’s motion will stand until counted.
Forty-three.
All who are opposed to Mr. Lonergan’s motion will stand until counted.
Twenty-seven.
These voices must have stentorian tones, if not a re-echo. The chair
reverses its decision, and the verdict is that Mr. Lonergan’s amendment
stands.
JUDGE LEE: That was your decision in the first place.
GENERAL COLLINS: I understand the decision, as interpreted by the chair,
to be that the Executive Council report back to another meeting of the
Society.
DR. QUINLAN: That was the interpretation.
The next business in order being the election of officers for the
ensuing year, the Secretary-General read the following list of nominees
selected by the Executive Council to be voted upon at this meeting, and
the same were elected by unanimous vote to serve until the next meeting
and until others are chosen in their stead:
_President-General_,
FRANCIS J. QUINLAN, M. D., LL. D.,
33 West 38th Street, New York City.
————
_Vice-President-General_,
HON. THOMAS B. FITZPATRICK.
Essex Street, Boston, Mass.
————
_Secretary-General_,
THOMAS ZANSLAUR LEE, ESQ.,
49 Westminster Street, Providence, R. I.
————
_Treasurer-General_,
HON. MICHAEL F. DOOLEY,
President National Exchange Bank, Providence, R. I.
————
_Librarian and Archivist_,
THOMAS B. LAWLER, ESQ.,
70 5th Avenue, New York City.
————
_Historiographer_,
HON. JAMES F. BRENNAN,
Peterborough, N. H.
EXECUTIVE COUNCIL.
The foregoing and
Hon. JOHN D. CRIMMINS, 624 Madison Avenue, New York City.
Hon. WILLIAM MCADOO, 30 Broad Street, New York City.
PATRICK F. MAGRATH, Esq., Binghamton, N. Y.
Rev. JOHN J. MCCOY, LL. D., St. Ann’s Church, Worcester, Mass.
THOMAS ADDIS EMMETT, M. D., LL. D., 89 Madison Avenue, New York City.
Hon. EDWARD J. MCGUIRE, 52 Wall Street, New York City.
Hon. JOHN F. O’CONNELL, 377 Westminster Street, Providence, R. I.
JAMES L. O’NEILL, Esq., Elizabeth, N. J.
STEPHEN FARRELLY, Esq., 39 Chambers Street, New York City.
Rev. CYRUS TOWNSEND BRADY, LL. D., Haddon Hall, Kansas City, Mo.
Hon. THOMAS J. LYNCH, Augusta, Me.
Gen. PHELPS MONTGOMERY, 48 Church Street, New Haven, Conn.
PATRICK CARTER, Esq., 32 Westminster Street, Providence, R. I.
Hon. PATRICK GARVAN, 236 Farmington Avenue, Hartford, Conn.
JOHN J. LENEHAN, Esq., 71 Nassau Street, New York City.
Col. JOHN MCMANUS, 87 Dorrance Street, Providence, R. I.
Hon. WILLIAM GORMAN, Stephen Girard Bldg., Philadelphia, Pa.
J. LAWTON HIERS, M. D., Savannah, Ga.
JOHN F. DOYLE, Esq., 45 William Street, New York City.
STATE VICE-PRESIDENTS.
Arizona—ROBERT DICKSON, Esq., Parker.
California—Capt. JAMES CONNOLLY, Coronado.
Colorado—Hon. THOMAS F. WALSH, Denver.
Connecticut—DENNIS H. TIERNEY, Esq., Waterbury.
Delaware—JOHN J. CASSIDY, Esq., Wilmington.
Florida—JAMES MCHUGH, Esq., Pensacola.
Georgia—Capt. JOHN FLANNERY, Savannah.
Illinois—Hon. MAURICE T. MOLONEY, Ottawa.
Indiana—Very Rev. ANDREW MORRISSEY, C. S. C., Notre Dame.
Iowa—Rt. Rev. PHILIP J. GARRIGAN, D. D., Sioux City.
Kansas—PATRICK H. CONEY, Esq., Topeka.
Kentucky—JAMES THOMPSON, Esq., Louisville.
Louisiana—JOHN T. GIBBONS, New Orleans.
Maine—JAMES CUNNINGHAM, Esq., Portland.
Maryland—MICHAEL P. KEHOE, Esq., Baltimore.
Massachusetts—Hon. JOSEPH F. O’CONNELL, Boston.
Michigan—HOWARD W. CAVANAUGH, Homer.
Minnesota—Hon. C. D. O’BRIEN, St. Paul.
Mississippi—Dr. R. A. QUIN, Vicksburg.
Missouri—Hon. JOHN BAPTISTE O’MEARA, St. Louis.
Nebraska—Rev. M. A. SHINE, Plattsburg.
New Hampshire—Hon. WILLIAM E. CHANDLER, Concord.
New Jersey—Gen. DENNIS F. COLLINS, Elizabeth, N. J.
New York—JOSEPH I. C. CLARKE, Esq., New York City.
North Carolina—MICHAEL J. CORBETT, Esq., Wilmington.
Ohio—JOHN LAVELLE, Esq., Cleveland.
Oklahoma—JOSEPH F. SWORDS, Esq., Sulphur.
Oregon—J. P. O’BRIEN, Esq., Portland.
Pennsylvania—HUGH MCCAFFREY, Esq., Philadelphia.
Rhode Island—Hon. CHARLES ALEXANDER, Providence.
South Carolina—W. J. O’HAGAN, Esq., Charleston.
South Dakota—Hon. ROBERT J. GAMBLE, Yankton.
Texas—JAMES MORONEY, Dallas.
Utah—JOSEPH GEOGHEGAN, Esq., Salt Lake City.
Vermont—Capt. WILLIAM CRONIN, Rutland.
Virginia—Capt. JAMES W. MCCARRICK, Norfolk.
Washington—DANIEL KELLEHER, Esq., Seattle.
West Virginia—JOHN F. HEALY, Esq., Thomas, Tucker County.
OTHER VICE-PRESIDENTS.
District of Columbia—Hon. EDWARD A. MOSELEY, Washington.
Australia—FRANK COFFEY, Sydney.
Ireland—MICHAEL F. COX, M. D., M. R. I. A., Dublin.
Germany—Hon. T. ST. JOHN GAFFNEY, Dresden.
Japan—Hon. THOMAS J. O’BRIEN, Tokyo.
* * * * *
MR. HENRY L. JOYCE: I ask that the report of the nominating committee be
amended by inserting under Vice-Presidents, “Australia, Mr. Frank
Coffey.” Mr. Coffey is a native of New York, who emigrated to Australia
thirty-five years ago and makes a pilgrimage here every two years. He is
one of the leading merchants of Australia, and I proposed him at his own
request. Since his election, he has sent in the names of two others,
accompanied by his check for their dues. I think a man who takes an
interest of that kind is entitled to some recognition of it.
DR. QUINLAN: Vice-Presidents are provided for in the different States of
the Union. May I ask if the constitution provides for or permits a
Vice-President in the country suggested? I think, if the constitution
does not so provide, it ought to. Mr. O’Brien, will you kindly inform
us?
MR. O’BRIEN: I believe it is only so provided in the cases of Canada and
Ireland.
DR. QUINLAN: The motion of Mr. Joyce is in order and has been duly
seconded. All in favor of the same signify by saying “aye,” those
opposed “no.” It is carried.
MR. T. VINCENT BUTLER: Before we proceed, Mr. President, to the
intellectual treat, may I be permitted to relieve myself of a very
perplexing pecuniary situation. As the treasurer of the New York State
Chapter of the American-Irish Historical Society, in connection with the
Hudson-Fulton Celebration, I would like to make my final report to
somebody.
Question as to whether or not the speaker was in order was raised and
discussed, whereupon Dr. Quinlan remarked:
The chair will listen to Mr. Butler, but we will ask him to come to the
point quickly because our time is short.
MR. BUTLER: Gentlemen, this is simply a brief report of what became of a
contribution of $126 from twenty-seven of our members.
At a special meeting held in Delmonico’s in May, 1909, the suggestion
was made that the American-Irish Historical Society should interest
themselves by coöperating with the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick in
properly celebrating the Hudson-Fulton celebration. As an evidence of
the appreciation of our members in that direction we received at that
meeting contributions of five dollars each from the following gentlemen:
J. I. C. Clarke $5.00
Dr. Quinlan 5.00
J. O’Sullivan 5.00
Mr. McKenna 5.00
F. X. Curry 5.00
F. X. Butler 5.00
E. J. McGuire 5.00
Richard Donovan 5.00
M. J. Mulqueen 5.00
Patrick McGowan 5.00
William J. Delany 5.00
Mr. Joyce 5.00
William J. Farrell 5.00
Philip Kearns 5.00
William M. Byrne 5.00
A. J. Talley 5.00
J. J. Boyle 5.00
Dr. Mooney 5.00
Mr. O. J. Brady 5.00
Mr. O’Brien 5.00
T. V. Butler 5.00
J. J. Falahee 5.00
BY CHECK.
J. J. Rooney 5.00
D. Healy 5.00
D. Spellisy 5.00
———————
$125.00
Contribution 1.00
———————
$126.00
And $1.00 from some modest individual who didn’t give his name, making a
total of $126.00.
The disbursements are:
May 10. For printing $14.49
Delmonico’s 21.50
June 11. Delmonico’s 7.33
Oct. 6. By check to President of the State Chapter, 75.00
Mr. Clarke, for pamphlets distributed on
boat
—————— $118.32
Leaving a balance of $7.68 in the treasury for your action.
DR. QUINLAN: This is really a part of the business of the State Chapter,
and the report should be accepted through the Vice-President. I will ask
Mr. Clarke to receive the same.
MR. BUTLER: Mr. President, I think it is also eminently proper that we
recognize our obligation to the members of our Society who guaranteed
fifty dollars each towards expenses. The amount is small, but let it be
recognized as a liability.
MR. JOSEPH I. C. CLARKE: The matter that Mr. Butler has brought before
the meeting is really a matter belonging to the New York Chapter, and I
don’t think it is pertinent with this meeting at all. I shall be very
glad at a subsequent meeting of the chapter to take up this matter. The
money that was collected has been expended, and I believe there is still
a balance. I would like to see the meeting proceed to the literary end
of it.
DR. QUINLAN: The next order of proceedings will be the presentation of
scientific papers. The first to have been read was by Hon. Joseph F.
O’Connell, member of Congress from Massachusetts. Unfortunately, Mr.
O’Connell is detained unavoidably at Boston on account of a hotly
contested municipal election, and has notified us of his inability to be
present. He will, however, submit his paper to the Secretary-General
later, which, after approval by the Executive Council, will be ordered
printed.
The next is an article on Stonewall Jackson by John Louis Sheehan, LL.
D., Professor at Boston University School of Law.
DR. SHEEHAN: Mr. President-General, Officers and Members of the American
Irish Historical Society, it gives me great pleasure today to pay
tribute to the memory of that hero of the South, Thomas “Stonewall”
Jackson.
Doctor Sheehan then read his paper, which is printed in full elsewhere
in this volume.
DR. QUINLAN: As these papers are published in full in the Journal of the
Society, and as our time is getting so short, I will ask, if it be
consistent, that the readers give them in abstract.
The next article is by Mr. Joseph I. C. Clarke, Vice-President of the
Society for New York, on the Hudson-Fulton Celebration. This paper is of
great length and has been prepared with the utmost care and painstaking
effort by Vice-President Clarke, complying with a vote of the Society
requesting the same, passed October 1, 1909, at an informal meeting of
the Society on board the “Asbury Park.” The introduction to this article
not being complete at this time, the reading will be omitted, but the
paper ordered printed in its entirety in Volume IX.
The next is by Hon. James Fitzgerald, Justice of the Supreme Court of
the State of New York, on the Sixty-Ninth Regiment.
JUDGE FITZGERALD: Mr. President and Gentlemen: I felt honored by the
request to prepare a paper for this interesting meeting and was
particularly pleased that the subject suggested was one very near to my
heart as it is to the hearts of all men of Irish blood in America. We
have just listened to the splendid eulogy by the gentleman from Boston
of a great soldier who fell in the Civil War battling for the lost
cause. My paper deals with the record of the gallant 69th Regiment,
which fought so valiantly for the Union, and it is a high tribute to the
nature of our institutions and the character of our people to be able to
say that an eulogy of this regiment delivered in Charleston, Savannah or
Richmond would be as enthusiastically received as the address on
Stonewall Jackson has been received in New York.
I have prepared a paper and hold it in my hand as we say in the courts
as “the best evidence” that I have performed the work. The story of the
Sixty-ninth is, however, necessarily a long one; it involves a recital
of many glorious events, and its reading, even in the condensed form of
my paper, would, in view of the many matters to be disposed of at this
gathering, occupy too much of your time. I will, therefore, only tell
you about it in the abstract, requesting, as is frequently done in
Congress, “leave to print.”
The Sixty-ninth has existed as a regiment for nearly sixty years, and
throughout all that period, in peace and in war, its ranks have
practically been made up of men of Irish blood; it is the typical
Irish-American regiment, and its record is a source of pride and
pleasure, not only to Irishmen and their descendants, but to all
Americans. You may call us Irish-Americans or American-Irish, but we
are, nevertheless, Americans of the American. We were among the earliest
settlers upon the Continent; we kept on coming steadily from those early
times in large numbers, and under existing conditions upon the other
side of the Atlantic, it is fair to predict that the flow of Irish
emigration to the United States is liable to continue in the future. The
expressions, “Irish-American” or “American-Irish,” in their real
significance, mean intense, true Americans. We love the Union, we are
devoted to the principles of the Constitution; we are obedient to the
law; we are peaceable, industrious and loyal. For all our fellow
Americans, no matter what their national origin, we entertain a spirit
of fraternity and are bound to them by the ties of common brotherhood;
the flag of the Republic is for us the symbol of a sovereignty under
which we are proud and happy to live, and in defense of which we are at
all times ready to take up arms.
In 1861, the prompt response of Corcoran to the call of President
Lincoln sounded a bugle note of readiness electric in its effect. Nearly
forty years thereafter, upon the breaking out of the Spanish War, the
Government was desirous of obtaining exact information as to the extent
the organized militia of all the different states could be depended
upon. Major-General Roe, at that time the commander of the National
Guard of the State of New York, communicated with the different
regimental commanders, inquiring what number of men belonging to the
militia would volunteer to serve the Government beyond the territorial
limits of the state. The answer of Colonel Duffy, in 1898, rang true as
the answer from Corcoran in ’61:
“Every officer and every enlisted man of the 69th volunteers to defend
the flag in any part of the world the government may require their
services.”
When a French delegation was sent here a few years ago to participate in
the ceremonies connected with the unveiling of the Statue of Rochambeau
at Washington, its members were entertained in this city by The Friendly
Sons of St. Patrick; their escort to the banquet at Delmonico’s was the
69th Regiment, and General Brugere and Admiral Fournier were warm in
their praise of the appearance of the regiment; and later, when
President Roosevelt was the guest of the same Society at its 121st
Annual Dinner on St. Patrick’s Day, 1905, the regiment again acted as
escort to the distinguished guest of the Society.
Colonel Duffy, who served in the regiment for a period of over forty
years and commanded it during the Spanish War, has recently resigned
with the rank of brigadier-general. Lieutenant-Colonel Conley has since
been in command, and it was only last night that I received a most
interesting item of news from him. In the office of the adjutant-general
of the State at Albany, the reports contain practically no record of the
war services of the 69th, the reason being, it is presumed, that during
that time it was out of the service of the State and constituted part of
the National armed force known as United States Volunteers. Every
regiment of the National Guard is entitled to have a silver ring upon
its lances for each engagement in which it participated and for other
meritorious service rendered in times of danger. Owing to the defective
state records, the 69th, after participating in all of the battles of
the war, from Bull Run to Appomattox, has been denied the privilege of
placing these commemorative rings upon its lances. Colonel Conley
informed me last evening, and I am happy to be able to announce to you
today, that this inexcusable error is about being redressed, and in the
next report of the adjutant-general, the full record of the regiment in
the Civil War will be published, and the lance of the National
Regimental Color will for the future be practically covered with
inscribed rings bearing the name and date of the hundred battles in
which it has participated.
All these matters will be found more fully set forth in this paper which
I have prepared, and I can only express in conclusion the assurance that
as long as the spirit which animated the 69th Regiment in the past
continues to inspire the manhood of America, we need have little fear of
attempted domestic revolution or of the perils of foreign war.
Judge Fitzgerald’s paper is printed in full elsewhere in this volume.
DR. QUINLAN: The next paper is by Michael X. Sullivan, Ph. D., formerly
of the faculty of Brown University and now of the Bureau of Soil,
Washington, D. C.
Doctor Sullivan read his paper, which is printed in full elsewhere in
this volume.
DR. QUINLAN: Before we proceed to the next paper, I would like to
introduce to you the vice-president-general of our Society, Mr. Thomas
B. Fitzpatrick of Boston.
MR. FITZPATRICK: I am very glad to meet the members of the
American-Irish Historical Society here today. It has been of special
interest to listen to the excellent papers read and the speeches
delivered by some of our worthy representatives. The facts referred to
concerning the proud position held by our race in the past and in the
present, are a valuable asset of information to every man and woman of
Irish blood.
[Illustration:
THOMAS M. MULVY, ESQ.,
President of the Emigrant Industrial Savings Bank of New York.
A Member of the Society.
]
I was very much impressed by the last speaker, Judge Fitzgerald, when he
emphasized the fact that whether we are Irish-Americans or
American-Irish, we are part and parcel of this great country. It
reminded me of what I had heard a great thinker in our own city say a
few years ago (the late Mr. Edward Atkinson) upon the subject of
restricted immigration. He, with two other very representative men,
discussed this question of restricted immigration before the Beacon
Society of Boston. His opening salutation was: “Fellow Immigrants, the
Beacon Society of Boston.” It is needless to say they were surprised at
this unexpected and novel introduction. It was sufficiently explained,
however, when he said: “Some of your forefathers may have come over in
the ‘Mayflower,’ some of them fifteen generations ago, some of them ten,
some of them perhaps not more than three or four; but you must remember
that the space of time between the landing of the first immigrant and
those of today marks but a short period in the lifetime of a nation, and
therefore we are a nation of immigrants. We have no more right to say
today to the immigrant landing on our shores that he must not land, than
your forefathers and mine had to forbid the landing of the immigrants of
their day.”
I believe, Mr. President, that it would be well for us to appreciate Mr.
Atkinson’s statement that this is virtually a new country, a land of
immigrants, and that we are all Americans. As Americans, we are
interested in everything that concerns the well-being of this great and
glorious republic, being mindful at the same time of the priceless
inheritance it is to every man of our blood to sacredly treasure what
has been accomplished by the people of our race in the history and
development of this new world. I am glad that these papers are to be
published in order that they may be preserved as a fruitful means of
inspiration for future generations. It shows the great field of endeavor
that is open to this worthy association.
MR. MARTIN I. J. GRIFFIN: Mr. President, as these papers are to be
published, it is essential that no known errors should appear in them,
that is, in the papers published in the name of the Society.
In the last paper read, it was stated that James Logan was more tolerant
than William Penn in the matter of the celebration of Mass in
Philadelphia. I know that not to be a fact. The speaker has
misinterpreted what he alleges to be a fact. William Penn did not object
to Mass being celebrated in Philadelphia, and therefore James Logan was
not more tolerant in allowing it.
The Episcopalians objected to the public celebration of Mass in
Philadelphia. William Penn was in London at the time, and was notified
by the English government of the fact that Mass had been celebrated.
Thereupon Penn wrote to James Logan, his agent, to send him the fact of
the matter. He did not say anything about the “scandal of the Mass,” but
that Mass was celebrated in a “scandalous manner.”
William Penn was the Father of Religious Liberty in America, and it was
founded in Philadelphia, not elsewhere.
But a more important statement which is common belief among us Irish and
is constantly repeated, but which has no foundation in fact, is that
one-half of the Revolutionary Army was Irish, and Joseph Galloway is
quoted as proof of that.
Dr. Sullivan has only to go to the library and get a copy of the
Examination of Joseph Galloway by a Committee of the House of Commons,
and he will find that, upon his making the statement the Doctor has
recited, Galloway was asked how he knew that. His reply was, “By the
deserters that came in.”
I might state that previous to the Revolutionary War, Joseph Galloway
had been Speaker in the Assembly. When Sir William Howe took possession
of the city of Philadelphia, Joseph Galloway, having gone over to the
British side, was appointed Superintendent of the City by him.
And I would say that, if the question as to what proportion of the
Revolutionary Army was made up of men of our race is to be asked, we are
the ones who should answer it, and not let our enemies do it. Therefore,
I have always objected to that statement of Joseph Galloway’s. It is not
exactly true, for I secured his report giving figures of deserters of
Washington’s army at Valley Forge, and the galleys in the Delaware
River. It was about forty-five per cent., not fifty.
But I ask the members not to have that statement published. Joseph
Galloway was a deserter from the cause of Liberty and went over to the
British. When he was before the committee of the House of Commons he
made that statement; but we do not give the answer he made when
questioned as to how he knew. It is unfair to have that answer produced
against us when we make the statement that one-half of the Revolutionary
Army was Irish.
While all the State forces and the Continental Army were largely Irish,
I have no belief whatever that one-half of the Revolutionary Army was at
any time composed of natives of Ireland. We ought not to assert that it
was because we cannot prove it. Nothing should appear in our official
proceedings but what we can prove if called upon to do so.
That is why I speak for accuracy in all statements. I would ask that
those two, with any others that may be found, be stricken out or
revised, and that all the papers be submitted for criticism so that
nothing will appear in the records of the American-Irish Historical
Society but what we can submit to the country as well-founded. But those
statements relative to Joseph Galloway and William Penn and James Logan
ought to be revised.
DR. QUINLAN: I think it is certainly befitting that we should go before
the world as correct historians, and not state facts unless
well-founded.
DR. SULLIVAN: I don’t think there is any controversy about the matters
suggested. My research has been an entirely scientific one, and we never
let anything go out of our department unless we have good evidence to
base it upon. Before the paper goes out, those remarks will all be
verified. I see no reason for any controversy.
DR. QUINLAN: I thought the subject might be discussed. Perhaps it would
be well for you and Mr. Griffin to take it up together.
MR. RYAN: I think Mr. Talley’s point is admirably taken. There is one
thing I would like to mention that has just come to my notice. One of
the professors of Harvard University died within a very short time, and
it is interesting to know that at the time of his death he was engaged
in writing an article on the life and doings of Daniel Shay. At a recent
meeting of an historical society here, the sentiment was expressed that
the manuscript was in such shape that it would be a valuable
contribution to American history if it should be published by somebody
who would take an interest in the work.
DR. QUINLAN: We have additional papers to be submitted. At the close of
the reading of these, I shall be very happy to receive what suggestions
you may have to offer in that regard.
The next article is by Rev. Cornelius F. O’Leary of Wellston, Mo.
REV. CORNELIUS F. O’LEARY: I will follow the good example of others and
merely submit it to the Society for publication. I may give you a
preface though, showing forth the reason that led me, for I was in
harmony with the great object of this Society, to trace the footsteps,
of the Irish in America, and, as I am a resident of St. Louis, thought
well to bring forward the early history of St. Louis.
The Connors, the McKnights and the Bradys, they were foremost in
everything. The first man to open a hotel in St. Louis was a man named
Brady. The first man to publish a newspaper west of the Mississippi was
an Irishman named Charless. The first man to open an English speaking
school in that French village was an Irishman. The Irishmen were
prominent in everything.
I hope you will find this paper interesting. I will not take the time to
read it now, but will submit it this evening to Judge Lee.[2]
DR. QUINLAN: The next paper is by M. R. F. McCarthy, Esq., of
Binghamton, N. Y., entitled “A Little Mosaic of the Life of Henry W.
Grady.”[3]
JUDGE LEE: Mr. McCarthy is not here, but has sent me his paper. I have
no authority from Mr. McCarthy to read the same, but, if agreeable to
yourself and the members of the Society, after approval by the Executive
Council, I move that it be printed.
DR. QUINLAN: Those in favor of the motion signify by saying “aye”; those
opposed “no.” The motion is carried.
DR. QUINLAN: I desire to make mention at this time of an article by Hon.
Joseph T. Lawless on Daniel Morgan of Cowpens. This article was prepared
after painstaking research by Judge Lawless, and should have been
published in the Journal of the Society of 1907. For some reason or
other, it was omitted, but will now be published in Volume IX. in
accordance with the desire of the Executive Council.
Scientific papers have already been received from Michael J. O’Brien,
Esq., Thomas S. Lonergan, Hon. William J. Onahan and Hon. Patrick T.
Barry, and papers are promised and now in process of preparation by Rev.
William J. McCoy, LL. D., Michael J. O’Brien, Esq., Hon. Michael P.
Kehoe, Hon. James F. Brennan (our Historiographer), Edgar Stanton
Maclay, Esq., Prof. Andrew J. Hogan, Martin I. J. Griffin, Esq., Dr. J.
Lawton Hiers, Col. Alfred Moore Waddell, and Frank M. Coffee, Jr.
You see, gentlemen, there is no paucity now of literary material. We
simply can’t stop the flood.
The next order of business is the reading of obituaries. The first is
that of Rev. Daniel H. O’Dwyer, by Chairman John J. Lenehan of the
Membership Committee. The same has been submitted and will be published
in Volume IX.
The next is that of Mr. Patrick O’Brien, which, after its reading by the
Secretary-General, will be ordered published.
The Secretary-General read the sketch.
DR. QUINLAN: The next is the obituary of Rev. Michael Aloysius McManus,
by James L. O’Neill, Esq.
JUDGE LEE: Doubtless many of us who were present at our annual meeting
in Washington last year will remember Father McManus. His soul was so in
the work that he didn’t wait to be proposed, but proposed himself at
that meeting. The obituary notice is here, and has been well prepared by
one of the members of the Executive Council, Mr. James L. O’Neill. With
your permission, we will follow the usual course and publish the same in
Volume IX.
DR. QUINLAN: Very well. The next is that of Mr. Philip C. Walsh by
Philip C. Walsh, Jr.
JUDGE LEE: Mr. Philip C. Walsh, Jr., is not a member of the Society, but
has sent me an obituary notice of his father which is quite complete.
The same will take the usual course.
DR. QUINLAN: The next is the obituary of Mr. James McGovern by John G.
O’Keefe. I understand the same is to be turned over to the
Secretary-General for publication.
The next order of business is the reading of letters of regret by the
Secretary-General.
Communications were then read by the Secretary-General from
Ex-President-General Edward A. Moseley, Hon. William A. Prendergast,
Rev. Dr. John J. McCoy, John F. Harty, Esq., Hon. Martin J. Wade, Dr. J.
Lawton Hiers, Hon. M. F. Kennedy, John Wood, Esq., James H. Devlin,
Esq., Thomas F. Kailkenny, Esq., John H. Maloney, Esq., Daniel Hanrahan,
Esq., Rev. Edmond Heelan, Anthony McOwen, Esq., Vice-President James
Thompson, Vice-President Thomas J. Lynch, Hon. Patrick T. Barry, Rt.
Rev. Phillip G. Garrigan, D. D., Hon. Patrick E. C. Lally, M. P. Tully,
Esq., Dr. George McAleer, Hon. T. P. Linehan and others.
DR. QUINLAN: The next in order, gentlemen, is the unfinished business.
JUDGE LEE: There is none.
DR. QUINLAN: Any new business?
JUDGE LEE: None.
DR. QUINLAN: There is a communication here that I would like you to take
home for consideration:
“Members and guests will assemble in this room, which will be rearranged
for a reception room, at 6.30 p. m. A ladies’ room across the hall has
been prepared, and a gentlemen’s room a few doors down. Attendants of
the hotel under the direction of the Reception Committee will wait upon
the members and guests, and until seven a reception by the officers to
members and guests will be held under the direction of the Reception
Committee.
“Dinner will be served at seven promptly in the Grand Banquet Hall.
Seating lists have been provided and will be distributed at the
reception, so that each member and guest may know where he is to sit.
Applicants for tickets received today will be seated by the Reception
Committee to the best of its ability. Dinner tickets of members and
guests will be taken up by the hotel attendants at the entrance to the
Grand Banquet Hall.”
Before we adjourn, I want to ask Mr. Michael J. Corbett, one of our
members, to say a word.
MR. CORBETT: Gentlemen, I am glad to have been here today. I have
enjoyed all the papers that have been read, and have no doubt I shall
enjoy the banquet later in the evening.
Motion made and seconded that the meeting adjourn.
DR. QUINLAN: This closes the scientific meeting of the American-Irish
Historical Society, and I declare it adjourned.
ANNUAL BANQUET.
PRESIDENT-GENERAL QUINLAN: Ladies and Gentlemen and Honored Guests, in
the name of the American-Irish Historical Society, I bid you welcome to
our city and to the Twelfth Annual Banquet of our Society.
During the last year, some events have crowded into the history of the
Irish people in this country that give thrill and romance to the race.
One feature that is preëminent, and one that stands vividly before us as
if yesterday, was the pageant on the land and sea of the Hudson-Fulton
celebration. That grand occasion, ladies and gentlemen, brought forth in
this city and its environs a multitude of people who have come to honor
the men who have placed their names in American history and who have
perpetuated its grandeur. The conditions surrounding this great event
are only too well known to you, and it would be like bringing coals to
Newcastle were I to burden your memory by referring to that occasion.
Tonight we have assembled to commemorate an event in the history of this
Society. Some twelve years ago, in the city of Boston, a call was sent
out by the late Secretary-General of this organization to some men in
the outlying cities and suburban towns to assemble and organize a
society that would correct the wrong that had been done the
American-Irish or Irish-American, and make known what they had achieved.
The history of our country has oft been written by men of English blood,
and it was the purpose of that body that was assembled to correct
erroneous impressions and give color, feature and dignity to the men who
have made it possible for us to enjoy the beautiful flag of our Union.
(Applause.)
This Society is essentially American because its interests are coupled
with the defence of the flag, and we have everything in common with the
community of our great nation. It is Irish because its sons and
grandsons have made their weight felt in every walk of life, and are
commemorating the conditions that were given to them by their sires. It
is historic because it is our pleasure, our pride and our privilege to
record the achievements of Irishmen in every walk of life, and to make
them better known in the history of today and in the history to come,
and to give force and color and emphasis to what they have done for our
Republic. (Applause.)
As this is an historical body, it may be my privilege tonight to refer
occasionally to manuscript, in order that every word uttered by the
executive may bear the imprint of record. Sustained as I am on both
sides by the law and the Church, I could not otherwise but give
utterance to that which emanates from and has been conceived by people
who have toiled and wrought and developed a condition and a color that
has stood out for what is right.
With the inception of our country, Irishmen have been ever foremost to
proclaim their allegiance—from Charles Carroll of Carrollton, who
dedicated his life and fortune to the cause of Independence, to the
humblest wage-earner who contributes his quota, from the bleak shores of
Alaska to the Mexican Gulf. They have added lustre to Columbia’s
Coronet, and in the womb of the unborn future they will continue their
unswerving devotion to the cause of Freedom.
This is the youngest historical daughter of Erin in America. It has been
suckled at the breasts of the Mother Irish Societies here, many of whom
are older than the very country itself. It has grown and matured because
it was sustained by a spirit of justice, and it has lived and prospered
under the sheltering influence of the Stars and Stripes.
Our fathers sought this country as an asylum from the tyranny and
misrule of England, and they builded far better than they knew. For the
past two hundred years, they were deprived of every condition, social
and educational, that belonged to a country whose civilization at one
time had illumined the world. The pages of Irish history for the past
seven hundred years present little else than sorrow, privation and
oppression. During the past two hundred years, Irishmen have come to
Columbia’s open arms, and they have not been unworthy of her tender care
and affection. We stand here tonight entrenched behind the history of
our past, and Ireland’s sons and daughters have taken their place in the
household of America, and we will strive to be worthy of the position
assigned to us in her family.
I am pleased to announce that the past year has witnessed industrial and
educational changes in the Emerald Isle. One-half of the present
occupiers of the land have purchased the ground outright (Applause) and
the division of the untenanted pasture lands among the people has
stimulated thrift and neatness, as well as increased production, whilst
the Irish trade-mark has protected its home industries. Home Rule
agitation has strengthened the position of Mr. Redmond and vindicated
his Parliamentary activity. The prospects for Home Rule in Ireland,
whether from the tariff reform or from the Conservatives or Free Trade
Liberals, are now brighter than they have been since the year 1885.
(Applause.)
[Illustration:
HONORABLE THOMAS F. GILROY,
Far Rockaway, Queen’s County, New York.
Formerly Mayor of New York City.
]
It is not my thought, in this prefatory address, to invade the province
of subsequent speakers, but rather to introduce to you in a modest way
our position as an historical body in this great nation. The gentlemen
who will follow me will give you detailed accounts of our activity and
strength in this country, whereas it is my humble part to explain our
existence and ratify our importance as one of the races that make up
this glorious Republic. (Applause.)
We know no creed except the Sermon on the Mount; no race but the
community of honest purpose; no politics but those which serve for the
betterment of mankind. We want our record from the voyage of Brendan,
who antedated Columbus nine hundred and fifty years, to this country,
down to the invention of Brennan of the monorail, inscribed upon the
pages of history as products of Irish thought and ingenuity.
I will take a minute, if I may, to explain in a digressional way what I
have alluded to in my last sentence. Mr. Louis Brennan, inventor of the
Brennan torpedo and the Brennan monorail, of which he recently gave a
successful exhibition in London, was born in Castlebar, County Mayo,
Ireland. He was, from 1887 to 1896, superintendent of the Government
Brennan Torpedo Factory, of which he is at present the consulting
engineer. The first monorail for commercial purposes will soon be in
operation in the city of New York. Mr. Brennan estimates that it can
easily attain a speed of 140 miles an hour, and that danger is
practically negative.
Your Presidents-General, from Admiral Meade to Admiral McGowan, have
been men who have stood for the great ideals of this country. Their
labors in this Society have been crowned with success, and those of this
group of executives who have been removed by the hand of Death can look
from their exalted places tonight and feel proud of their meritorious
work. They have erected the edifice; it is only left for us to maintain
the structure. The work of this Society would be like a “Rope of Sand,”
as my friend Clarke would say, unless we perpetuate our traditions and
realize the anticipations of our forefathers.
This Society needs a Chapter in every State of the Union, where
semi-annual meetings should be held for the purpose of reading
historical papers, and at the same time to draw closer and closer
together our people. Bring your sons into our Society that they, too,
may enjoy the glorious association of our kinsfolk. (Applause.)
There is a tendency, however, among the young people (and this I say
with regret) to regard anything Irish as unstylish and, perhaps, a
trifle low. Now, such thoughts must be eliminated by their presence and
coöperation with us, and their participation in all our allied
interests.
My work among you has been a labor of love. The administration has been
ably seconded in all its efforts, and the Membership Committee, headed
by its indefatigable captain, has regenerated our Society by its
colossal work. In two years our forces have been increased to nearly one
thousand members (Applause) and the Society has benefited numerically
and intellectually, as well as financially.
It is a well-known fact, that, in the event of death, either by illness
or accident, of the Great Father of our Country, it was his express wish
that the command of the Continental Army should be given to General John
Sullivan. (Applause.)
That seven of the sixteen generals in that same army were Irishmen or
Irishmen’s sons. That Commission No. 1 in the Continental Navy was given
to Jack Barry of the City of Wexford. (Applause.) That the first naval
victory of the Revolution on the high seas was won by Maurice O’Brien of
Maine and his seven sons (Lexington of the Seas). (Applause.)
That four months before a shot was fired at Lexington, proclaiming the
War of Independence, a handful of patriots, mostly Irish boys, led by
John Sullivan of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, overpowered an English
garrison at Newcastle and captured guns and ammunition that were used
with deadly effect at Bunker Hill. (Applause.)
It was said this afternoon at our scientific gathering by one familiar
with the subject that the finest lot of books that ever came into
America at one time was presented to Yale College by Bishop Berkeley of
Cloyne, Ireland, and formed the nucleus of its great library. That
Thomas Dongan, Earl of Limerick, as Governor of New York, gave the
Colony its first great Charter in 1683; and that twelve of the signers
of the Declaration of Independence were Irishmen or men of Irish
extraction.
Wireless telegraphy owes its discovery to the son of a Dublin mother,
steam navigation to a son of Erin, and the great Erie Canal—it ought to
be the Erin Canal—to the descendant of a Celt. Through the bodies of
eight presidents of our Nation coursed Irish blood, and many of the
gifted dramatists and actors of our country have come from gentle Irish
stock; whilst editors and literateurs have been pleased to call their
inspiration purely Celtic. Fortified by such forces in the past, we are
here tonight to blow life into the mummified historians of our day, and
to awaken in them the honest motto of our Society, “That the World may
know.” (Applause.)
George II had reason to say: “Cursed be the laws that deprived me of
these subjects,” and how George III could re-echo these fateful words
after his unjust taxation upon the early colonists is to be marvelled
at; but the Irish were here then, as they are here now, ready to avenge
to the hills their treasured wrongs.
It is not my purpose on such an occasion as this to dim your eyes or
sadden your thoughts with unhappy reflections, but custom holds me to a
strict account; therefore a befitting allusion to our departed brothers
is not out of place, and such an omission would indeed be culpable.
Our ranks have been depleted during the past year by the Great Leveller.
Many of these we could ill afford to lose, but, by Divine Command, they
have gone where, with watchful eyes, they will continue to follow us in
spirit. Let us be worthy of the heritage they have given us, and when
we, too, part company from those we love, let it be said of us as it is
said of them, “They are absent but not forgotten.” (Applause.)
The band will now play the “Star Spangled Banner,” and I will propose a
toast to the President of our Nation, William H. Taft. (Toast drunk
standing.)
PRESIDENT-GENERAL QUINLAN: Ladies and gentlemen, you will kindly be
seated. We are only upon the threshold as yet, we shall soon invade the
building.
In my enthusiasm I forgot, in the opening part of my speech, to thank
the men who have elected me for the third time to the presidency of this
great Society.
I want the women here tonight to take this matter up with these
derelicts—I won’t say whether it is father, husband or son. You see
mothers are always before me, and I can’t get away from the mental
picture as well as the physical one. But the women can do much good.
Look what they have done tonight! If you could stand here and see this
beautiful picture, effulgent with everything lovely, it seems that the
flowers and shrubs of Paradise have been sent down here in order to give
color and radiance to this picture! And then the inspiration—Mr.
Crimmins says a feast in itself.
Now I want the good women to talk about the American-Irish Historical
Society, to boom it, so to speak, and I feel confident that much good
will be accomplished through their efforts.
I am going to ask the Secretary-General to read one or two
communications from absent members, and we will go through this
programme like Paderewski does with his touch on the piano.
SECRETARY-GENERAL LEE: Mr. President—
(Applause.)
Ladies and Gentlemen of the American-Irish Historical Society, I thank
you sincerely. At the direction of the President-General, I have three
communications to read. The first is from our fellow member, Mr. Victor
Herbert. It is a telegram to the President-General:
“NEW YORK, January 8, 1910.
“DR. FRANCIS J. QUINLAN,
“President-General American-Irish Historical Society,
“New York City.
“Am prevented from being present tonight on account of attack of
tonsilitis, confining me to residence. Wish fellow members and guests
a right good time.
“VICTOR HERBERT.”
(Applause.)
The next two are letters from ex-United States Senator William E.
Chandler, who is Vice-President of the Society for New Hampshire:
“CONCORD, N. H., January 6, 1910.
“_My Dear Mr. Lee_:
“It gives me pleasure to be allowed to apply to be a member of the
American-Irish Historical Society.
“Should I be elected, please give me the necessary notice. I find I
shall not be able to attend the meeting of Saturday; but if I can be
of service to you in Concord or Washington it will give me pleasure to
do so.
“Very truly,
“WM. E. CHANDLER.”
“WASHINGTON, D. C., January 6, 1910.
“_My Dear Mr. Lee_:
“I recommend for membership John W. Kelley of Portsmouth, N. H. I
reckon, however, he is now a member.
“Hastily yours,
“WM. E. CHANDLER.”
I move you, Mr. President, Mr. Kelley’s election as a member of this
organization.
PRESIDENT-GENERAL QUINLAN: You have heard the motion that Mr. John W.
Kelley be elected a member of the American-Irish Historical Society.
Those in favor say “aye,” those opposed “nay.” Mr. Kelley is unanimously
elected.
PRESIDENT-GENERAL QUINLAN: It is necessary that you give your undivided
attention to the next speaker. He is the financial agent, or, rather
trust president of our corporate body. Mr. Dooley has been associated
with the American-Irish Historical Society for many years. You all know
Judge Lee, because he is in touch with you constantly upon the various
matters that concern our Society, whether historical or social; but Mr.
Dooley has so little occasion to remind you of your obligations, as the
wave of financial return sweeps into him without any reminder from his
office. He is quiet, modest and dignified, like a great many of our New
Englanders.
Now, within the borders of that section of New England—notice New
“England,”—it is now nearly New “Ireland,”—Mr. Dooley represents one of
the largest moneyed organizations in the City of Providence. And he is
so proud of his Irish blood that sometimes I am fearful lest he be
overtaken with a patriotic seizure; his enthusiasm seems to know no
bounds. We will now hear him in his own plain, honest words. I have the
pleasure of presenting to you the Treasurer-General of our Society, Hon.
Michael F. Dooley.
(Band plays “Oh, Mr. Dooley” amid hearty applause.)
TREASURER-GENERAL DOOLEY: This is not the first time I have been greeted
with that song, and, while the voices here tonight have been exceedingly
delightful to listen to, I can’t help thinking of a criticism that was
once passed by the _New York Sun_ upon the “Boston Ideals,” who had been
singing English opera, and had done it splendidly. They came to New York
determined to enter the field of Italian opera, and the morning
following their first night the _Sun_, in its criticism, started in by
saying: “Ideals rush in where artists fear to tread.” I congratulate you
upon the song; you sang it so well.
I regret very much that an imperfect memory makes it necessary for me to
read this paper to you, but its brevity, I hope, will make good what it
otherwise lacks.
AN UNSOLVED PHASE OF AMERICAN HISTORY.
The hoary and honored dictum that “History is a conspiracy against
truth” is like the cry of David in his desolation calling all men liars.
There is food for meditation in the two utterances, and candor compels
the admission that the world believes there is more than a modicum of
justification for them both.
And this reminds me that a meeting of the American Historical Society
was held at New York a few days ago at which Professor Albert Bushnell
Hart of Harvard, an authority of high repute, and a man of great
critical judgment and learning, delivered an address on “Imagination in
History.” He told his hearers among many other things well worth
remembering, that “even historical scholars are not without their
failings, their prejudices and their falsehoods.”
Now, while the discovery is not new, the announcement of it has never
found more forceful expression or been backed by a more expert
opinion—and it is of more than passing interest to our Society whose
cardinal principle is “to make better known the Irish Chapter in
American History.” It emphasizes the usefulness and necessity of this
and kindred organizations to make straight the crooked ways, to save
from obscurity the names and deeds of those who achieved, and if they do
not live, to have live in our country’s annals the Irishmen and the sons
of Irishmen worthy of the honor.
In the days before the Christian era and for long after, it was not an
infrequent practice for the Roman people to deify their great men and
erect temples in their honor, worship at their shrines, and pay
reverence to their memory. Among those to whom such honors were paid
were deities of Greek origin, who had been adopted by the Romans, either
under their own names or under others that equally as well served; but
they were always Romans, their origin being obscured or totally ignored.
This custom has not been unknown among the moderns, and should a general
apotheosis occur in our country, it is but fair that among the shrines
in the temple some few be reserved, if they deserve it, for that people
who contributed at least 5,000,000 souls, living, creative and creating
to the growth and greatness of the land.
It is needless to enter upon the social, political and religious
conditions which brought to these shores in mid-colonial times, a
considerable number of Irish, whose identity became merged in the great
mass of the people. I speak of it only to note the fact that there was
such an immigration, and that the influence of this stranger people upon
the habits and character of the colonists must have been felt in some
degree, however insignificant, in the communities in which they and the
Irish dwelt together. For, in the lapse of time by intermarriage and the
daily routine of life, whether as master and servant, landholder and
tenant, or husband and wife, there could not fail to come a slow,
perhaps, but sure blending of qualities and characteristics that
influenced the evolution and development of the American man as we find
him in certain parts of the South at the time of the Revolution. This
intermixture of races can be readily understood as not difficult of
accomplishment when it is recalled that they both spoke the same tongue,
and were generally in large part of the same religion if not of the same
church.
At the outbreak of the Revolution many of those belonging to this
emigrant class, or their sons, had risen to prominence and already made
themselves felt in the trade and commerce of their communities, or had
become land owners of importance.
With rare exceptions they ardently sympathized with their fellow
colonists in their aspirations for liberty, and a very large number of
them enlisted in the American army.
The war gave further impetus to Irish immigration for reasons easily
divined, and so marked were their numbers in Washington’s forces that at
the close of the conflict, in an investigation by the English Parliament
into the causes and conduct of the war, it was said by some of the
witnesses that the Irish in no small degree contributed to the loss of
the colonies by the mother country. When I put it in this form I modify
materially the testimony of some of the witnesses who flatly declared
that it was the Irish who won the Revolution.
This to me has always appeared to be an exaggerated statement,
particularly when I read the roster of the Sons of the Revolution—for
either nearly all the Irish were killed in action or died soon after—or
possibly there has been some legerdemain in the nomenclature of the
survivors. But that there were some Irish in the Revolutionary forces
who fought well and died, history has recorded, and American historians
have admitted it, but have not chronicled the fact with any wealth of
detail or enthusiasm.
As the eighteenth century ended, the Irish began coming hitherward in
greater force than had marked the preceding years, and continued coming
in increasing volume during the succeeding fifty years, until about
1847, when their numbers grew enormously. From that time on, until 1890,
immigration statistics show that about 4,000,000 Irish came to America,
which is one of the greatest race movements, if not the greatest in the
history of the world.
Up to the beginning of this great exodus from Ireland, with the
exception of that period during which the Alien and Sedition laws were
passed and repealed, the Irish had grown into the fibre and woof of the
nation with slight friction and with little open objection, but when
every port of our eastern shore became a haven for ship after ship
bringing emigrants from Ireland, the country paused and wondered. But
they came and continued to come until wonder turned to anxiety, which
was but a step from hostile alarm, and this eventually took shape in the
formation of patriotic societies all over the thickly settled parts of
the country, for the purpose of having laws passed restricting
immigration and the granting of political rights. This situation was
further complicated by the great mass of the invaders being unlettered
and untrained in the common avocations of life, whether as tillers of
the soil, mechanics, or clerks.
As we look back to the events of that period, it is not surprising that
the people already here viewed with aversion and fear the presence of
this vast army of aliens.
[Illustration:
HONORABLE THOMAS F. WALSH.
Of Denver and Washington.
Vice-President of the Society for Colorado.
Copyright, 1909.
By J. Knowles Bishop.
]
The impossibility of assimilating this large influx of Irish, even if
assimilation had been desired, and the possibility of the Irish
eventually assimilating their not entirely voluntary hosts were
questions that deeply moved men of earnest convictions, but perhaps of
limited vision.
Unfortunately, it was just about this epoch that histories of an
ambitious and standard character began to be written, and some taking on
the passions of the time and the prejudices of the author’s environment,
have not given the Irish the place that their services and devotion to
the country’s welfare entitled them to hold. It is further to be
deplored that full recovery from the bitterness of those days has not
been hastened by incidents growing out of political and other
conditions.
Even today, when calm, cold reason has had had time to resume her sway,
it is largely magazine writers who are delving into the historic past,
and presenting to the people a panorama of national life which displays
upon its unfolding roll, not only the original settlers and their
descendants, but also the pioneer Irish and their sons who had their
part in the upbuilding and maintenance of the nation. But the healing
touch of time will change, let us hope, if it does not entirely cure,
that obliquity of vision which distorts much that it sees or fails to
see that which it may not distort.
When some full, adequate chronicle comes to be written of the Irish race
movement to this country due consideration will be given to the
influence it has had on the manners and customs of the country, and it
will not be complete if it takes not into account the contributions of
brawn and brain, labor and energy that it has given to our national
progress.
The versatility of talent and the buoyancy of spirit and the native wit
and humor which distinguish this people, have diffused themselves
through American life and infused themselves into it, softening its
severe, rigid lines, and helping to lift the gloom, that often concealed
the splendid qualities of the Puritan whose spirit has spread over the
land carrying to its uttermost limits the blessings of self government
and radiating an influence for the uplift of mankind.
While I am on this subject, permit me to digress for a moment, to speak
of a thing which is, perhaps, outside the range of this paper, and that
is the insensible, subtle change that I believe the Irish have wrought
in our Eastern section in the voice and accent of the descendants of the
first settlers. The sharp nasal tone, so common half a century ago, has
almost entirely disappeared in the cities and is fast disappearing in
the country. This is probably due in great measure to the fact that most
of the immigrant Irish brought with them the rich, rare brogue of their
fatherland, and the others the cultivated voice of the educated
Irishman, both full of music and “sweet as the dying note of a broken
harp string”—a music, whose soft, pervasive tones have added an
indescribable charm to the spoken word that the stern hills of New
England rarely knew, but which in time they have felt the touch of.
Today it is difficult to tell the origin of the speaker, whether he be a
tenth generation Puritan or a second generation Irish, in communities
where the latter abound.
The scope of this paper is general and not personal, and for that reason
I have not gone through the gamut of names of Irish origin whose owners
merited well of the country. Their fame is secure and permanent—and
while in some instances overshadowed and lost sight of through the
neglect, or let us call it the caprice, of the historian—it is safe.
Its single purpose has been to fathom the causes of the total or partial
eclipse of a great body of people whose achievements entitle them to
shine among the greater or lesser luminaries of this Republic, if not
among the greatest.
To repair the injustice and the cruel omissions of history, is a noble
mission and as patriotic as any that ever moved men to deeds of valor
and sacrifice. It is not for us to keep alive the memory of those who
have their place in the imperishable annals of our country—but it is for
us to rescue from oblivion the men that lived and worked and wrought,
whom historical writers by accident, indifference or design, have
ignored in their researches, or buried in a foot note at the bottom of a
page.
If we do this, we do not come together in vain.
PRESIDENT-GENERAL QUINLAN: This “squib” appeared in last night’s paper,
and was handed to me this afternoon: “The man who writes a poem does so
under reasonably safe conditions. Nothing more dangerous than a
bean-blower is apt to be used against him; lemons and vegetables may
come his way, but this is the worst, save the scorn of the critics. But
the McDonalds and McAdoos lived in the underground; they met irate
landlords and the general ‘cussedness’ of inanimate things, all with
smiling patience and invincible courage.”
The McDonalds and the McAdoos are famous in the annals of Irish history.
Some of the McAdoos have lived and toiled under the ground; others have
existed in the open. From the humblest walk of life to the highest
position, next to the chamber of the Executive, one of your officials
has risen. It is like naming a member of his own household to his family
to present your illustrious ex-President-General, Hon. William McAdoo.
(Applause.)
HON. WILLIAM MCADOO: Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen, I fear that
sometimes many of the elements that go to make up the very cosmopolitan
population of our country think that we of the American-Irish Historical
Society are too insistent upon the part which our people played in the
formative period of the Republic.
Now we have an affectionate feeling towards our Motherland because she
much needs the help of her children. If Ireland were a great and
powerful country, like Germany, rich with an army and navy of its own,
with its ambassadors and representatives in every land and with its
great universities spreading German ideas among the people; if Ireland
had all those accessories she would have made her claims felt in the
history of the United States without the need of societies like this;
but Ireland, “Erin, the isle of sorrows,” is an unfortunate country,
subjugated, impoverished, despoiled and misrepresented and when,
therefore, the membership of this Society, these gentlemen who have
given to it such unselfish labor, discovered the errors and mistakes and
the indifference and sometimes the prejudices of historians of the
United States in regard to Ireland in America, as so well pointed out by
Mr. Dooley, they organized this Society for the purpose of doing justice
to those brave Irish men and virtuous women who came here, especially
prior to the Revolution, and who did so much to make this a great and
free country.
Now the trouble with most of us Irish Americans—I am Irish in the first
degree, having been born in Ireland while most of you are probably only
second-class Irish or even third or fourth—is that when we are serious
and in deep earnest we are taken to be play acting, and when we are
jocose or humorous and contributing to the “gaiety of nations” we are
taken to be most in earnest. It is hard for an Anglo-Saxon to understand
an Irish Celt. One of the greatest difficulties between England and
Ireland is the fact that the mental attitude of the two races is far
apart, the intellectual agility of the one and the slow, if certain,
processes of the other are obvious to any one acquainted with both
countries. Let me illustrate it by a little story:
There was a party at an English country house, and they had been passing
a rather dull English winter afternoon by proposing and guessing at
riddles; and finally one of the guests turned to the host and said, “Sir
Charles, why don’t you propose a riddle?” He said, “Really, now, I’m not
half clever enough to do such a thing as that. I couldn’t really do it,
don’t-cher-know.” “Well, you might try; you don’t know what you can do.”
Finally Sir Charles said, “Well, it stands on one leg and it has
feathers and it barks like a dog.” So they all guessed and guessed,
everything in the animal and vegetable kingdom, and they finally gave it
up; and Sir Charles said, “Why, really, I had no idea I was so clever; I
thought you would easily guess it”; and they said, “It is impossible to
guess.” And he said, “Well, that’s easy; it’s a stork.” “Well,” they
exclaimed, “but surely, Sir Charles, a stork doesn’t bark.” And Sir
Charles replied, “Well, that’s the cleverest part of it; I put that in
to make it hard.”
And when we come to our Scotch friends we can readily understand how
hard it is for a Scotchman to thoroughly comprehend an Irishman. A
friend of mine was telling this story in Glasgow to the Board of Trade
at its annual dinner: He said an Irishman was coming down the Bowery in
New York late one night and met a policeman, and he said to him, “What
time is it?” and the policeman replied, “It’s two o’clock.” And the
Irishman said, “I’m a bit deaf and I didn’t hear you; would you mind
repeating it?” and the policeman yelled at him, “It’s two o’clock.”
“Very queer,” says the Irishman, “but really I didn’t hear you. Would
you mind saying it again?” and thereupon the policeman (one of my former
companions in arms) took his constitution-preserving stick and hit him
on one side of the head and said “One,” and then he hit him a clip on
the other side of the head and said “Two.” “Did you hear me that time?”
“I did, begorra, and I’m glad I didn’t meet you at twelve.”
A friend of mine, a Scotchman by descent, told that story to the Glasgow
Board of Trade, and there sat those Scotchman in solemn black around the
festive board, and there wasn’t a smile in the room. And finally one old
Scotchman, by way of defending the storyteller, said, “Weel, now, I
dinna blame the policeman so much; it’s very aggravating to be asked the
same question so often.”
Now this Society was formed, among other things, for the purpose of
clearing up the underbrush in American history, or, in other words,
“laying” the Scotch-Irish ghost. (Applause.)
There was a ghost in my native county of Donegal called the “Fanad
Ghost.” It was said to have been raised by a free mason skilled in the
“Black Art” while in an hilarious mood, but after it was up the mason
couldn’t put it down and the ghost began throwing things around—the
delft on the dresser, the noggins, the pots, the stones on the
chimney—pulling out the scobes in the thatch on the roof, and raising
Cain generally. The Presbyterian minister came in and prayed until he
had corns on his knees, and the ghost took a day off. The Catholic
priest was called in and did the best he could, and the ghost acted
“dacintly” for two days, at the end of which time he was more vigorous
than ever. Well, finally they sent to the city of Derry and got a
delegation of free masons, and they labored one week, night and day—with
refreshments—and at last one morning, when the refreshments were running
low, the head mason came to the door with perspiration streaming off his
face and his legs wobbly, and said, “Get a black cock without a white
feather and another keg of Charley Oge’s poteen, and with the help of
Heaven we’ll lay him before morning.” And as the last crow went of the
cock and the last drop out of the keg the Fanad Ghost was laid forever
with a whiff of sulphur up the chimney and a trembling of the kitchen
floor. (Laughter and applause.)
And so this Society is looking for the white cock of Truth to crow soon
over the Scotch-Irish ghost, for if ever there was a veritable ghost it
is the Scotch-Irishman in America. (Applause.)
The “Scotch-Irishman” in America, Mr. Dooley has told us, had his
historic origin about the time of the great famine period in Ireland,
when almost one-half of the inhabitants of that unfortunate land,
starved, diseased and in rags, were huddled in cargo ships and treated
worse than any negro slaves that ever came to this country. They died by
thousands and strewed the bottom of the Atlantic with their bodies.
A friend of mine in a thriving Western city the other night met a man
who is today one of the leading citizens in that place, and he said to
my friend, “I am the sole survivor of five of my family who came over in
those diseased and hellish ships in which England sent our people in the
black days of the famine. My sister and my brother lie in the unfathomed
caves of the Atlantic Ocean; my father and mother followed them. Twelve
thousand of our race lie beneath the monument which the Ancient Order of
Hibernians have erected on Groose Isle in the St. Lawrence below
Quebec.”
And these unfortunate people, libelled before they landed, without
means, without education, without knowledge of the people among whom
they came, were not received with open arms. The resulting Anti-Irish
feeling in the United States at that period has been most delicately and
diplomatically pointed out by Mr. Dooley tonight. Men and women
otherwise honest and unprejudiced stood appalled at the thought of
nationally assimilating this wretchedness, and in that period the bitter
prejudice against the Irish in America took root.
It was at this same time that American history began to take form, and
the omissions, which are as criminal as some of the things they tell,
crept into the books which our children read in school. And it is due to
those omissions, Gentlemen, that this grand, painstaking and
justice-seeking Society was formed.
If ever you want to get the white cock of Truth to crow over the
Scotch-Irishman, take a look into the history of North Carolina. There
is scarcely another state in America to which so many of the Northern
Irish went before the Revolution as to North Carolina, and to no other
state before the Revolution did so many Scotchmen go.
After the battle of Culloden, where the Scottish clans had so valiantly
fought for Charles Edward, a number of them were given the privilege of
leaving Great Britain and coming to America, first taking the oath of
allegiance to the English crown. A great number of these broken clansmen
came to North Carolina and they were there at the outbreak of the
Revolution; but they had been preceded by a large number of Protestant
Irishmen from the Province of Ulster.
If the Scotchman who went to Ireland in 1610, and from that until the
seventeenth century, if he still remained obdurately a Scotchman,
breaking the rule of all other races in Ireland, would he not have
fraternized and made common cause with the Scotch people he met in the
new world? On the contrary, when the Revolution broke out the broken
clansmen, the MacDonalds, the MacNeils, the MacIntoshes, and even Flora
MacDonald herself, the great heroine of story and song, became the most
desperate loyalists and Torys in that state. They organized armies, they
fought with courage and tenacity, and their leaders were guilty of
horrible atrocities in putting down the Northern Irish, who were all
patriots and Whigs and who are now called the “Scotch-Irish.”
The Irishmen in North Carolina, largely Presbyterians in religion, were
unanimously patriotic as Americans from the beginning, and they did not
assimilate with the Scotchmen, who came direct from Scotland. Flora
MacDonald, whose story we all know, her five sons and her husband,
entered the British Army and continued throughout the Revolution; that
is, such of them as were not taken prisoners and expatriated to Nova
Scotia, where her descendants are today most vigorous supporters of
English rule. Her husband was early taken a prisoner of war and confined
at Halifax, Virginia, and in 1776 Flora went back to Scotland, where she
was afterwards rejoined by him.
To Worcester, Massachusetts, in the early Colonial days came three
hundred Irishmen from the Province of Ulster, probably many from my own
county of Donegal, to dwell among those ever hospitable and warm-hearted
gentlemen, the Puritans. Here was a fine combination—a “Scotch Irish”
Presbyterian meeting a Puritan, a Calvinistic Reunion! But how did they
act when these three hundred men and women from Ulster arrived in
Massachusetts? Perhaps some of you may think they were received with
great hospitality. Well, they were not. They were received, says a
“Scotch-Irish” historian, with marked aversion and bitter prejudice
against them as being Irish. A gentleman writing in favor of the so
called “Scotch Irish” in America says the New England colonists could
not differentiate these _Irish Protestants_, though they were different
in religion from the mass of Irishmen. Is not that a delicious
confession in the papers of the Scotch Irish Society? The Puritans could
not understand that they were anything but Irish; they recognized them
as such and did everything to make it unpleasant for them (and they were
artists in that work), and to get them out of the community as soon as
they could, short of inviting a physical controversy, for looking at
these stalwart Irishmen they made up their minds if it came to a fight,
they could, in the language of the Bowery, put up a “peach” of a one.
(Laughter and applause.)
The first man who died on the battlefield for American liberty, south of
Mason and Dixon’s line, was a great “Scotch-Irish” Anglo-Saxon named
John Grady; and when Grady died the captain of his army, Thomas Gove, a
family well known to any Donegal man, took off his sword and deposited
it with the body of Grady as a mark of respect and love for so brave and
patriotic a man.
Now our great American historians, from Bancroft and Motley and Parkman
down to Henry Cabot Lodge, have quietly ignored the Irish in America, or
have given all the credit for their achievements to this myth, the
“Scotch-Irishman.” It is a singular thing, when you read the things this
Society puts before you, the absolute facts of history, that no American
historian of Anglo-American ancestry has had the fairness and the
courage and the sense of justice to do for Ireland what so many of them
have done for other nationalities.
Mr. Motley wrote a whole library about the Dutch Republic, constituting
a standard work among the Dutchmen of today of the history of their
people and achievements. Mr. Parkman’s history of the French in Canada
is unexcelled. Even that good historian, Mr. John Fiske, never rose
above his environment; and I say it is no credit to American historians
of the highest class that they have not seen fit to do justice to the
patriotism, the sacrifices, the intellectual efforts and the financial
contributions which the great body of the Irish people made to secure
liberty to the United States. (Applause.)
Wouldn’t it have been a splendid and a generous thing if Motley had
written a little of Ireland as he wrote of the Dutch Republic and the
New Netherlands; if Parkman had done for Ireland in this country what he
did for the French in Canada? And yet, from the earliest times, there
came an unending stream to this country from Ireland of the cream of its
chivalry and virtue, courage, industry and intellect, and sacrificed it
most generously and without hope of reward at the altar of American
liberty. (Applause.)
But the “Scotch-Irishman,” as considered, let us look at him. Now we
will never understand the history of the Irish in America unless we go
back to Ireland. I have a lot of friends among Americans of other stocks
who undertake to appreciate the part the Irish have played in the
upbuilding of this nation, but they can’t estimate it correctly unless
they know something of the history of Ireland itself.
Every race that came to Ireland was assimilated. The Danes came, and
those not driven to sea quickly became converted to Irish ideas. The
Normans came, and they, too, became assimilated; and the Scotchmen came
to Ireland, to the Plantation of Ulster, a subject too broad to be
discussed now.
Commencing in 1610 and from that on to the end of the seventeenth
century, the Scotchman came to Ireland, and he hadn’t been there long
before he became civilized, smoothed, rounded, the heart of him given
free play—in equality with the head; he joined the revolutionary
societies such as the Irish had in those days, took pot shots at the
landlord, and cultivated a sense of humor, conspired against English
rule, and, coming to America, became a most bitter Rebel and a valiant
soldier in Washington’s army.
Now I intend, at the request of your worthy Ex-President, Mr. Crimmins,
who has done so much for this Society, to prepare some facts with
reference to the settlement of Ulster, and what the immigrants from
Ulster did in America, especially in the Revolutionary War. And I assert
tonight, without fear of contradiction from any historian, American or
English, that the blundering, unjust and criminal acts of England in
Ireland, and especially in the province of Ulster, did more to fill the
armies of George Washington with brave soldiers than almost any other
cause. (Applause.)
If I were asked to point out one single thing that did more to make sure
American liberty than any other, I would speak of the tithing of the
Presbyterians in the province of Ulster. When this colony had been
planted in Ulster on the “confiscated” lands of the O’Donnells and
O’Neils and other septs, when these brave, intellectual, industrious,
independent Scotch Celts (for that is what the large majority of them
were) brought over to settle this province under promises not kept—and
in this connection it should be remembered that these settlers had no
part in the conspiracy of Sir Arthur Chichester and Sir John Davies and
other English “Civilizers” and land grafters in despoiling the
O’Donnells and O’Neils and minor Irish septs of 3,000,000 acres of the
best land in Ulster—were confronted with the test oath of Queen Anne
applied to Catholics and Presbyterians alike, when they were compelled
to pay tithes, the same being taken from their fields of wheat or the
corn from their barn, to support a church into which they would not
enter in common with their Catholic fellow countrymen, upon emigrating
to this country they became American Rebels on every battlefield in the
United States. They came to the States before the Revolution in such
numbers that in one year twelve thousand Ulster Presbyterian Irish left
that province for American ports. The flow of immigration was so
continued and so great in volume that it is a matter of record, which
anyone can read in the State Papers, that the Presbyterian ministers of
the province of Ulster petitioned the King to stop the immigration by
repeal of obnoxious laws and alien injustice, or they would have no
congregations left in Ireland.
You can trace them today from Londonderry, N. H., and Dublin in the same
state, to Donegal in Pennsylvania, and down the whole Appalachian chain
into Florida; and everywhere you will find settlements and towns bearing
the good old Irish names and founded by these patriots, who stood by
Washington and whose motto was, “No surrender to the British
Government.” (Applause.)
On that subject alone I hope to be permitted, Mr. President, if I can
find the leisure, to present to this Society, with due historical
references, the truth of history as regards that period.
During the famine period that I spoke of there was a Cunard ship called
the “Cephelonia.” The “Cephelonia” was one of the most celebrated ships
of the Cunard line, and, during the famine period, she brought great
numbers of Irish immigrants to Boston. One day not many years ago I was
talking to a couple of Irish American friends of mine in Boston, when a
third man came up and gave the time of day to my friend and passed on.
One of my friends turned to the other and said, “Is he a ‘Mayflower’?”
and my friend replied, “No, he,” said he, “is a ‘Cephelonian.’ The
‘Cephelonians’ now outnumber the ‘Mayflowers.’”
Now, my friends, I am really trespassing on your good nature because I
am keeping you from a great treat. I came here tonight and found my
countryman, McManus of Donegal, and then I found I had the honor of
sitting next to a good man from County Tyrone (and next to Donegal
Tyrone is a good substitute), the Rev. Dr. Sheppard.
All I have to say in conclusion is this: I say to my American friends,
we are not seeking to inject a foreign story with foreign prejudices and
old world bitterness into your history; we are not asking for any place
in that history which we do not deserve; we are not asking you to
subvert the facts of American history; we are making no special plea for
our nationality or our race; but we are demanding justice and we are
going to get it.
You younger members will live to see the time when, a convention of
historians being called in the city of New York, as was the other day,
your honored President will be invited to fill an enviable place in that
convocation; and when the heads of our great universities, when the men
who stand for the most learned in America, undertake to pass upon the
historical phases of that period of our history from the beginning up to
1860, Ireland and Irish men and women will be given their proper place.
(Applause.)
We need no vindication after 1860. We vindicated our place in American
history on every battlefield of the Civil War. We were at Bull Run, at
Fredericksburg, at Gettysburg and Appomattox. They cannot rub the Irish
names off the records of the Civil War because they are too numerous.
There was scarcely a home in Ireland in any county or parish which had
not its representative under that flag when it was embattled and
endangered on the fields of the South. (Applause.)
And I repeat it now; I have said it before and I repeat it now, that
that horrible, fratricidal, prolonged and bloody conflict did as much
for the Irish in America as it did for the negro whom it freed. It
vindicated the patriotism and gratitude and loyalty of the Irishman, and
the valor and chivalry of his race displayed by him under that flag,
from the beginning to the close of the war, was second to none. And in
every sacrifice that has been made to found or perpetuate this nation,
Irish men and Irish women, Irish courage and Irish conscience, a never
changing faith in God, a high Celtic idealism, which is the salt that
gives savour to the gross materialism of the age, a firm belief in the
divine and national mysteries, sound morals and gratitude, and devotion
to American ideals, have played a most prominent part in the history of
this, our beloved country. (Applause.)
PRESIDENT-GENERAL QUINLAN: I will be most grateful to Mr. McAdoo, if,
before the next annual meeting of this Society, he will have the time
and inclination to pen down the beautiful remarks that are in his brain
tonight regarding the Irish in North Carolina.
His magnificent speech gives me a cleavage in my continuity of thought.
There is a Society in the history of the city known as “St. Andrew’s.”
This Society has $250,000 in its treasury. The illustrious Scotchmen
have sought, by money, by force of will and by power, to perpetuate the
traits and achievements of their race and they have done so.
Now I would appeal to all of you that when you feel the desire or when
an occasion presents itself, you will aid us in the way the Scotchmen
have aided their Society, by making a contribution to the American Irish
Historical Society in order that we, too, may have an opportunity of
exploiting our literary geniuses. This matter, ladies and gentlemen, I
lay before you for your consideration and hope it may receive from you
assimilative thought.
The most famous Irish societies in this country, the Hibernian Society
in Boston, the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick in Philadelphia and the
Friendly Sons of St. Patrick in this city, were all founded and brought
about by the intense patriotism and zeal of Irish Protestants. It has
been most gratifying for us to hear tonight that force and eloquence
from one who came from the Province of Ulster. Now we will hear a
re-echo, probably equally as eloquent, from one who came from a
neighboring county in Ireland and settled within the borders of New York
State. I have much pleasure in presenting to you the Rev. J. Havergal
Sheppard, D. D., a member of our Society and the next speaker on the
program, whose subject is
THE IRISH IN PROTESTANT DENOMINATIONS IN AMERICA.
_Rev. J. Havergal Sheppard, D. D.:_ Mr. President-General, Ladies and
Gentlemen, Honored Guests and Fellow Members of the American Irish
Historical Society: I esteem it a very great honor that you have
conferred upon me tonight in asking me to speak at this, your annual
gathering. I must confess that I feel somewhat embarrassed in facing
such a body of distinguished Irishmen and their friends. It has not
often been my lot to meet so many “Sons of the Ould Sod” or those whose
Sires settled on these shores in the passing years as it is tonight.
Nevertheless I am proud to be one of you on this occasion; in fact, I
feel like a fellow countryman of mine, who was in the company of an
Englishman and a Scotchman. They were complimenting each other, when the
Englishman asked the Scotchman if he were not a Scotchman what would he
be, and he answered, an Englishman. Then the Scotchman, not to be
outdone, asked the Englishman if he was not an Englishman what he would
be, and, of course, he answered a Scotchman. Then they turned to Pat,
who had been listening to their expressions of friendship, and they
asked him, “Pat, if you were not an Irishman, what would you be?” And
he, in turn, in true Celtic fashion, answered, “If I was not an Irishman
I would be ashamed of myself.” So if I was not an Irishman, after this
gathering and greeting and what the Irish have done for this country, I
would be ashamed of myself.
An old philosopher once said, “Let us give the past to oblivion, the
present to duty, the future to Providence,” and I am sure we agree with
him in two of his propositions, but we differ with his first. We are
willing to give the present to duty and trust the future to Providence,
but never give the past to oblivion; not until, at least, every true
American knows the Irish chapter in American history. And it is such a
body as this that will hasten that glad day for the Irish race, when men
will know that we have as much right to these shores as any race that
ever landed here. That starry flag, with its red for love and its white
for law and its blue for the hope that our fathers saw in a larger
liberty, has been consecrated with the blood of the liberty-loving sons
of the sod.
There has never been a battle for right against wrong but “That rascal,
Pat,” has been to the front, not only to fight as a private soldier, but
to often lead the van as a commanding officer. We find him on the bench
and at the bar pleading as an able lawyer; before the altar or in the
pulpit, performing the sacred duties of religion. In fact, wherever you
go or whatever profession or trade you enter you will find “That Rascal,
Pat.” They are no newcomers to these shores, for shortly after that
memorable landing of the Pilgrims at Plymouth Rock they made their way
across the trackless main for this new land.
It was not the lure of gold but the love of liberty that brought them.
Down-trodden and oppressed in the land of their birth, whether Roman
Catholic or Non-conformist, by unjust and tyrannical laws passed by a
government that had no sympathy with the suffering Irish, every possible
means of culture were denied them, until life in the land they loved
became unbearable; so those who were able to muster enough money and
courage crossed the briny deep, with many sad farewells and
heartbreaking partings.
It is true that many of those early settlers were from the north and
had, undoubtedly, been descendents of men who settled there from
Scotland and other parts of Britain and Europe; but they had been
residents of Ireland for several generations before they emigrated here,
and by the right of birth were “Sons of the Sod.” Many Americans of
later days, as well as British historians, have given the glory to
Scotland for what they did for America, and they always speak of them as
Scotch-Irish, and when you ask the reason this is done they will tell
you it is to distinguish between them and the Roman Catholic Irish, but
supposing we follow that method in our historic research. We would have
to say that every Episcopalian was an Englishman, that every
Presbyterian was a Scotchman and every Roman Catholic was an Italian.
But again they answer: These people came originally from Scotland, hence
they are Scotch-Irish; but taking that for granted, which is not the
whole truth, as we have many other races in Ireland, most of those early
Scotch settlers bear Highland names and were not the Scotch Highlanders,
the same race by blood, as the original Irish, and the only thing that
made them Scotch was the fact of birth in Scotland; hence when they
arrived back in Ireland they became Irish by the same right that they
were Scotch, that of birth. In fact, they became more Irish than the
Irish themselves. I think enough has been said to introduce my subject
tonight.
It is my purpose to put on record a few facts in regard to the great
part our fellow countrymen played in the Protestant denominations, in
America. As I have already stated, most of the early Irish settlers on
these shores came from Ulster and were of the Presbyterian faith. Cotton
Mather says that previous to 1640 four thousand Presbyterians had
arrived in New England, and there is no doubt that many of these came
from Ireland. As early as 1662 a group of Irish and Scotch Presbyterians
worshipped in Jamaica, Long Island, and it is claimed that this was the
first church of that denomination on this continent.
Between 1670–1680 a body of Presbyterians settled on the eastern bank of
the Elizabeth River in Virginia, who had with them their pastor from
Ireland, who continued to labor among them until his death in 1683.
Later one hundred families from Ireland settled Londonderry, New
Hampshire, bringing their pastor, Rev. James McGregore, who faithfully
and affectionately labored for their good.
As early as 1680 several families of Irish Presbyterians settled in the
lower counties of Maryland and erected several houses of worship, as a
letter from one of them, Colonel William Stevens, was presented in 1680
to the Laggan Presbytery in Ireland, requesting that a minister by sent
to labor in Maryland, and in 1683 the Rev. Francis Makemie arrived by
the way of Barbadoes and founded the church at Snow Hill. For several
years he labored as an itinerant preacher or missionary, founding
churches or strengthening those already started.
“This pioneer of the church,” says a Presbyterian authority, “was born
in County Donegal, Ireland, and was so earnest, fearless and
indefatigable that he persevered so well in obtaining fellow laborers,
though he must cross the ocean for them, and in 1704 brought out two
young men, one being John Hampton, a fellow countryman. He was
instrumental in organizing the first classical assembly of the
Presbyterian church in America, 1706.”
Under the name of the “Presbytery of Philadelphia,” with the Presbytery
of Dublin as a model, Makemie being elected moderator and thus logically
becoming the founder of organized Presbyterianism in America.
In 1716 there arrived in New York the Rev. William Tennent with his
three sons, Gilbert, William, Jr., and John, from the County Armagh.
After a period of labor in New York State he was called to the pastorate
of the Presbyterian church at Neshiminy, Penn., where he established
“The Log College” in 1726, himself an eminent scholar. He trained a
number of godly and useful young men for the ministry, among who were
Samuel Blair and his own three sons. This college was the foundation of
which the present Princeton University was built and all those whom I
have mentioned, as well as others who graduated, became leaders in the
denomination. It would be superfluous for me to weary you with an
account of all the great Presbyterian ministers who came to our shores
from the Emerald Isle. Suffice to say that the names of Makemie, Mackie,
Hampton, Tennent, Blair, Drs. Neill, Junkin, Elliott, Murry, Allison,
Potts, Patterson and Hall stand out in letters of gold in the successful
history of that church.
1760. A party of Irish emigrants might be seen at the Custom House Quay
in Limerick, preparing to leave their native land for these congenial
shores. One of the company, a young man with thoughtful look and
resolute bearing, entered the vessel and from the deck preached a
farewell sermon to those friends who were to be left behind. This was no
other than Philip Embury, who was destined to play a prominent part in
the Methodist denomination in America. It was in 1766 that he first
conducted services in New York in his own house to five people. As the
congregation increased he removed to a rigging loft, then building with
his own hands the first Methodist church in the new world, which was
called “Wesley Chapel” after the founder of the denomination in the old
land. It was situated on John street, and on Oct. 30th, 1768, Embury
preached the sermon of dedication.
Sometime in 1770, after Rev. Robert Williams, another fellow countryman
arrived in New York, he removed to Camden Valley with several Irish
families, then a vast wilderness, and organized the Methodist society at
Ashgrove, which was named after another Irishman, Thomas Ashton, and
there he labored until his death in 1773. At the age of 45 years his
remains, after several removals and not even a stone to mark the spot
where slept the silent dust, now rests under a marble shaft erected by
the National Local Preachers’ Association of the Methodist Episcopal
church in the village cemetery at Cambridge, N. Y., on which the
following inscription appears: “Philip Embury, the earliest American
minister of the Methodist Episcopal church, here finds his last resting
place.” Born in Ireland, an emigrant to New York, Embury was the first
to gather a little class in that city to set in motion a train of
influences which resulted in the founding of the John street church, the
cradle of American Methodism, the introduction of a system which has
beautified the earth with salvation and increased the joys of heaven.
It is worthy of note that this inscription was penned by a famous fellow
countryman of Embury, the Rev. Dr. John Newell Maffitt, the
silver-tongued orator of southern Methodism.
[Illustration:
HONORABLE CHARLES ALEXANDER,
Of Providence.
Vice-President of the Society for Rhode Island.
]
Simultaneously with Embury’s ministry in New York another Irishman, Rev.
Robert Strawbridge, who was born at Drumsnagh, County Leitrim, and who,
like Embury, had been a preacher in Ireland, settled at Sams Creek,
Frederick County, Maryland, where he organized several Methodist
societies. He had all the characteristic traits of his fellow
countryman. He was generous, energetic, versatile and somewhat
intractable to authority. During his life he was poor and his family
were often straitened for food. His members appreciated his genuine zeal
and self-sacrifice, so they took care of his little farm gratuitously in
his absence.
Strawbridge founded Methodism in Baltimore and Hartford counties, where
he raised up several preachers, among who were numbered Owen,
Stephenson, Perigau, Webster, Watters, Gatch, Haggerty, Durbin and
Garrettson. We discover him penetrating into Pennsylvania and then
arousing the population of the eastern shore of Maryland. We trace him
at last to the upper part of Long Green, Baltimore County, where an
opulent and generous public citizen, who admired his character and
sympathized with his poverty, gave him a farm free of rent for life. It
was during one of his visiting rounds to his spiritual children that he
was taken sick at the home of Joseph Wheeler and died in the summer of
1781. His grave may be seen today in the Mount Olivet cemetery at
Baltimore, where his greatest success was achieved.
Robert Williams, with whom we became acquainted on his arrival in New
York and whose passage was paid from Ireland by his friend, Thomas
Ashton, and who took charge of the John street church, New York, after
Embury, was the pioneer Methodist in Virginia, forming a society in
Norfolk, 1772, which was the germ of the denomination in the state. In
1773 he traveled in various sections of the state, preaching and forming
societies, then extending his ministry into North Carolina, where he
also was the first to plant Methodism. A signal example of his
usefulness was the conversion of Jesse Lee, the heroic founder of
Methodism in New England. He died on the 26th of September, 1775.
“He was a plain, pointed preacher, indefatigable in his labors,” says a
historian of the church, and another says, “His grave is unknown but he
will live in the history of the Methodist church forever.”
Time would fail me to tell of all the Sons of Erin who labored in those
early days for the success of the Methodist cause, but enough has been
said to prove, at least, that Irishmen can claim a large place in the
founding of that denomination on these shores.
In the year of 1809 there came to America from Ballymena, County Antrim,
Ireland, Thomas Campbell and his son Alexander. They were men of
sterling character, marked ability and decided convictions. For several
years they were active and successful workers in the Baptist
denomination and in 1823 Alexander Campbell established the _Christian
Baptist_ and continued as its editor until his break with that
denomination on doctrinal grounds, and in 1827 he organized the Church
of the Disciple of Christ. So successful became his ministry that a
college was demanded for the training of young men for the ministry and
in 1840 he established Bethany College at Bethany, West Virginia, which
has sent out in the world more than eleven thousand graduates in the
past seventy years, and the denomination which he founded ranks fifth in
the protestant denominations in America, with a membership of over one
million and a half.
He died March 4th, 1866, and his remains rest in Bethany, West Virginia.
I wish I had time to tell you of those of Irish birth who filled
prominent positions in the pulpits of these denominations in later
years. At one period three of Erin’s sons adorned the pulpits of New
York City: Rev. Dr. George S. Rainsford, of St. George’s Protestant
Episcopal Church; Rev. Dr. John Hall, of the Fifth Avenue Presbyterian
Church, and Rev. Dr. Henry M. Gallagher, of the Hanson Place Baptist
Church of Brooklyn.
I have presented these facts, not to arouse religious strife, but rather
to give glory to the land of my birth for what her sons have done on
these shores, in peace as well as in war.
I am happy to say we are not here representing any sect but a country;
in fact, we are all Irishmen tonight.
We have done much for America and well may we be proud of it, but never
forget that America has done much for us.
When it was impossible for us to develop the latent powers born in our
race in the land we loved we found the opportunities so badly needed
under the folds of that starry banner, to the joy of every true Irish
heart in this and the old land.
I hope that we will get to know each other as the years go by and that
this organization will grow and flourish to the true glory of “Dear Old
Ireland.”
God bless you, I say, however you pray;
Your faith will ne’er meet my derision.
Can’t we kindly talk o’er this matter, asthore,
And band curse, strife and division.
And we’ll love one another, my Catholic brother,
Like loyal-souled Irishmen ever.
And the heathenish strife that’s consuming our life,
We’ll bury it forever and ever.
PRESIDENT-GENERAL QUINLAN: Ladies and gentlemen, tomorrow will soon be
here, when we can all rest, but an intellectual treat such as you have
tonight is seldom offered this assemblage to participate in. One of the
great features of this Society is to have annual meetings, and these are
prefaced by holding Executive Council meetings at different places. Last
summer the Executive Council met in the city of Providence, and while
there one of our number entertained us with that pure Celtic
hospitality. This gentleman is one of the few who has participated in
every event since his advent into the Society, and it is he, Alexander,
who entertained the Executive Council in his princely style at
Macedonia. I now present to you, Ladies and Gentlemen, Colonel Charles
Alexander of Providence, Vice-President of the Society for the State of
Rhode Island.
HON. CHARLES ALEXANDER: Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen, it is
indeed a privilege and an honor for me to meet you tonight for the first
time as a new member.
I met one of the gentlemen of this association a few days ago, and
calling him by name I said, “Do you know that I have been railroaded to
the speakers table January 8th?” He said, “That is good,” but I said,
“No, that is bad, for I don’t know what to say.”
It reminded me very much of the story of two men who met. One said to
the other, “I have been married since I met you last.” “That is good.”
“Not so good; my wife has a temper.” “That’s bad.” “Not so bad; she’s
got some money.” “That’s good.” “Not so good; I put the money into sheep
and they all died.” “That’s bad.” “Not so bad; I got the wool.” “That’s
good.” “Not so good; I put the proceeds of the wool into a tavern, and
the tavern burned to the ground.” “That’s bad.” “Not so bad; my wife
burned with it.”
Mr. Toastmaster, I am from Rhode Island, and you know what that means,
Ladies and Gentlemen. It means that the hand of good cheer is always
extended to anyone visiting our shores. (Applause.)
I will take but a very few moments of your time.
The first tablet to be placed in the State House of Rhode Island in
honor of an eminent Rhode Islander is that of John Sullivan. It occupies
a conspicuous niche near the main entrance, and was placed there by this
Society. Our State House has ample provision for many more such
memorials, but this is the only one which has been erected at the
present time.
The American Irish who are making history today will be memorialized by
the descendants of some of the present gathering because of their
achievements, many of whom, I trust, are at this hour here assembled.
This Society has reason to be proud of the exploits of those whose
worthy deeds it celebrates on every such occasion, and the whole country
should share with it such pride. In all the wars in the country’s
history, they have occupied a position to be proud of, throughout the
peaceful periods, in the halls of legislation and in public life; but
the honors to be celebrated are not as yet all achieved.
Americans of Irish descent are making new names every day, contributing
new achievements to the record of the country’s service, which future
meetings of this organization in years to come will surely celebrate.
The achievements of the past will be a stimulation in the future to
every member to become worthy of the tribute of this Society; and from
this fact will be no small incentive to exalted service. So I say—from
the present generation—right from around this board, history will select
for remembrance and fame more honorable names to add to the roll, which
it will be the privilege and the duty of this Society to preserve.
Ladies and Gentlemen, you are a friend to man, and this association
means something. You are a friend to man, and may I be permitted to
recite just two or three verses in that line? They emanate from the pen
of a gentleman who has the ability to put splendid thoughts into words.
There are hermit souls that live withdrawn
In the place of their self-content;
There are souls, like stars, that dwell apart,
In a fellowless firmament;
There are pioneer souls that blaze their paths
Where the highways never ran;
But let me live by the side of the road
And be a friend to man.
Let me live in a house by the side of the road,
Where the race of men go by—
The men who are good and the men who are bad,
As good and as bad as I.
I would not sit in the scorner’s seat,
Or hurl the cynic’s ban—
Let me live in a house by the side of the road
And be a friend to man.
I see from my house by the side of the road,
By the side of the highway of life,
The men who press on with the ardor of hope,
And the men who are faint with the strife.
But I turn not away from their smiles or their tears—
Both parts of an infinite plan;—
Let me live in my house by the side of the road
And be a friend to man.
I know there are brook-gladdened meadows ahead
And mountains of wearisome height;
That the road passes on through the long afternoon
And stretches away to the night.
But still I rejoice when the travellers rejoice,
And weep with the strangers that moan,
Nor live in my house by the side of the road,
Like a man who dwells alone.
Let me live in a house by the side of the road,
Where the race of men go by—
They are good, they are bad, they are weak, they are strong,
Wise, foolish—so am I.
Then why should I sit in the scorner’s seat,
Or hurl the cynic’s ban?—
Let me live in my house by the side of the road
And be a friend to man.
I thank you, Ladies and Gentlemen. (Applause.)
PRESIDENT-GENERAL QUINLAN: We have been entertained by many
distinguished orators in the past and even on this great occasion in our
Society’s History—the classic prose is every-day work but poetry seems
almost a gift of inspiration. One of our number has again drawn his pen,
called upon the Muse, and how readily she has answered him you soon
shall know. I will only mention our Poet’s name, Mr. John Jerome Rooney,
who will read a poem which he has composed and dedicated to our Society.
MR. JOHN JEROME ROONEY: Mr. President, “Ballad of Saucy Jack Barry.” The
incident which is the subject of these lines is one of the picturesque
incidents in the life of John Barry, the father of the American Navy.
The incident occurred in the winter of 1778, February 26, and the scene
was the Delaware River. The British were occupying Philadelphia at the
time, and a British fleet was anchored in the Delaware, opposite the
city of Philadelphia. John Barry, with his ship, “Effingham,” and two or
three smaller boats, had been compelled to take refuge, in the presence
of a superior fleet, in the upper waters of the Delaware at Burlington;
but it was not the intention of John Barry to sit still while there was
a possibility of adventure of any kind, and he petitioned Congress,
after he had been there only three or four weeks, to be allowed to make
an attack upon a British war vessel that was anchored in the lower
Delaware, by name the “Alert,” that was convoying two transports filled
with food and forage for the sustenance of the British in Philadelphia.
The request was granted, and the story that I have tried to tell is the
story of how John Barry went down the river; the result I will leave to
the fortunes of the rhyme.
BALLAD OF SAUCY JACK BARRY.
(Episode of February 26, 1778.)
They have taken the old rebel city of Penn;
Lord Howe, he has filled it with red-coated men.
“What terror,” said he, “has the winter for me,
Since I hold the town and my ships hold the sea?”
But it never is safe, in making a boast,
To reckon too easy, not counting your host;
Or is it quite prudent to count on your boat
When saucy Jack Barry is up and afloat?
There were banquets for Captains and plenty for all;
The horses had forage, too much for the stall;
Double rations were served—in truth ’twas a feast,
And prospects were cheery for man and for beast.
But bins have a bottom and larders grow thin
When plenty comes out and nothing goes in;
But his Lordship smiled blandly such trifles away—
“The ‘Alert’ and two transports are down in the Bay!”
But it never is safe, in making a boast,
To reckon too easy, not counting your host;
Or is it quite prudent to count on your boat
When saucy Jack Barry is up and afloat?
The Delaware waters come down with a sweep
Past Burlington town, snow-clad and asleep,
And there lay our “Effingham,” silent and stark,
A ghost of the sea, looming up thro’ the dark.
Then, sudden, four boats sweep out from her side,
With oars swift and muffled swing down in the tide;
The moon has gone black, the wind whistles high,
And the scud of the thunder-storm darkens the sky.
Down the river they went, like the flight of a bird;
The twenty and seven said never a word—
They are after the fox of the ocean again,
And they’ll make not a stir as they enter his den.
It was three o’ the clock when, faintly ahead,
The lights of the city flashed yellow and red—
Then, sudden, a gleam, a cannon’s dull roar,
A challenge and halt from the river and shore.
But, surely, no need then to speak to them twice—
Four nautical heels were shown in a trice;
Down thro’ the night, like a hound, they’re away
To the lair of their quarry in Delaware Bay.
The sun had come up when they rounded Port Penn.
And O what a sight there for gods and for men!
A schooner (ten guns pointed out from her side,
With the flag of the Briton) swung free in the tide.
With a leap like a tiger the boats swung around,
Then straight for the Briton, with bound upon bound.
“Grapple tight!” cried the Captain, and guiding his band,
Up the side went Jack Barry, with cutlass in hand!
He is over the rails in the flash of an eye,—
“Strike, strike yonder flag or, by heaven, you die!”
But never a hand or a foot there did turn;
They were frozen with terror from stem unto stern.
With a yell the bold Britons their weapons let go,
Then, like mice in a pantry, they scurried below.
“Boys, batter the hatches,” called Jack to his men;
“We have got the red fox, at last, in his den.”
The “Kitty” and “Mermaid” awoke, with a start,
With the guns of their gallant trained straight at their heart.
Their “Alert” was caught napping (drowsy lovers, beware!)
And saucy Jack Barry had captured the fair.
“Ho, run her in shore to yonder good pier;
We’ll see how the foxes are burrowing here.
Now loosen the hatches! Come foe or come friend!
You’ll find Yankee sailors will take either end!”
Then up came a Major; forsooth, he was glum;
Two Captains, lieutenants, a man with a drum;
Ten soldiers paced out, then a hundred marines,
Like a troop in a play, strode out from the scenes!
O the twenty and seven who came down thro’ the night
Were as proud as the Cæsars to see such a sight;
Three cheers, and three more boomed up, like the seas,
As the flag of the Stars broke out on the breeze!
O it is never safe, in making a boast,
To reckon too easy, not counting your host;
Nor is it quite prudent to count on your boat
When saucy Jack Barry is up and afloat!
JOHN JEROME ROONEY.
PRESIDENT-GENERAL QUINLAN: Owing to the absence of Hon. W. A.
Prendergast, who has been kept away by illness, we will proceed to the
next speaker. I will ask you all to remain seated for a little while
longer. I introduce to you one of the most distinguished Irishmen in our
great city,—the man who, on every occasion where the cause of Ireland
could be voiced, has stood in the foremost ranks; and, although he has
petitioned me tonight to let him off, it would be like the play of
“Hamlet” without Hamlet. I will ask Hon. John W. Goff, one of the
Justices of the Supreme Court of the State of New York, to say a few
words to this assemblage. (Applause.)
[Illustration:
HON. PATRICK F. McGOWAN.
President of the Board of Aldermen and Acting Mayor
of New York. 1906, 1907, 1908, and 1909.
Life Member of the Society.
]
HON. JOHN W. GOFF: The hour is late. I beg of you to excuse me tonight
and grant the privilege of allowing me to speak at some other time, when
I shall have the advantage of being better prepared. (Applause.)
PRESIDENT-GENERAL QUINLAN: We have at our table a dark horse in the
Lists of Orators, and one who has often entertained, edified and
educated his auditors, not only by easy rhetoric, show of measured
eloquence, but also by the erudition of his thoughtful words. I take the
privilege of introducing to you Mr. Edward M. Tierney.
MR. EDWARD M. TIERNEY: Mr. Toastmaster, Ladies and Gentlemen, it would
be most ungenerous for me to make a distinction of a different character
from that already presented by the honorable gentleman who has just sat
down and attempt, at this late hour, to give you the speech that I had
prepared for this evening.
You have been regaled with oratory sublime; all that is great and
glorious to the Irishman has been brought down deep into the recesses of
his heart tonight by the preceding speakers. I have a speech that I may
twist and distort, perhaps, to suit the hour without making it too
lengthy, and, if you will bear with me for a few moments, I may interest
you before I sit down.
When your President-General invited me to make this speech he was full
of prescience, if I may call it so, for he limited me to ten minutes.
Why he placed this restriction on me some two weeks ago I was then at a
loss to understand; but it is very plain to me tonight, Ladies and
Gentlemen, the object being to give the President-General an unbridled
opportunity to furnish all the hot air for this occasion himself. That’s
all right, for he belongs to a profession that understands the
symptomatic temperament of an audience, and can tell just when to
administer the anæsthetic. It’s about time to do it now, Doctor.
I was warned not to make my speech too serious, nor yet permit it to
impinge too closely on the border line of levity, and so I am cautioned
in advance to mend my speech lest it mar my fortune.
This is a difficult feat to perform for one whose blood is tingling with
the pent-up enthusiasm of an American-Irishman, who feels a native pride
in the long line of conquests of his people in every clime the sun
shines on, and who tonight rejoices in the triumphs of this Society,
which is the medium of bringing together, under the broad canopy of
fraternity, the men and the women here assembled. Isn’t this a beautiful
spectacle to behold? Here we are, all animated by the same desire to
perpetuate in a fitting manner the names and deeds of the men with Irish
blood in their veins, who gave to the world the highest and noblest
attributes of their minds and hearts for the betterment of mankind and
for the elevation of the race.
An American-Irishman, like myself, should be very grateful to be alive,
which is saying a great deal in some localities, since the tramp of the
ancient hordes is heard in the land, and the scions of shattered
dynasties are now holding the sceptre of power through the influence of
dominant wealth.
I believe more and more in the theory that, to get the best out of an
individual or a nation, you must first subject them to some gross
injustice, which stings the pride and awakens the indignation, until
they arm themselves with stirring forces to right the wrong.
It often happens that a great man is sometimes willing to humble himself
by indifferently sitting on the cushion of advantage and going to sleep.
And it is only when he is driven, annoyed and defeated that he is put to
his wits’ end and compelled to draw on his manhood to learn the things
most essential to his preservation and his honor.
It was through such exigencies as these that the Irishmen in America
were pushed to find moderation and success in the highway of honest
endeavor, which led on and on into the field of competitive personal
rivalry, where at last the genius of the race was triumphant over every
phase of intimidation and coercion.
The success of Irishmen in this home of the exile may be due, in large
measure, to the application of the lesson that is taught by Balzac:
“To make your way in the world, you must plough through humanity like a
cannon ball, or glide through it like a pestilence.”
This axiom bears particular significance when applied to the pioneers of
our race, who were confronted with obstacles and difficulties that
loomed up like pyramids in the desert of despair, only to retard their
progress in the onward march toward the golden temple of hope, around
whose throne were clustered the cherished symbols of religious freedom
and individual liberty, that shone forth, in resplendent array, to light
the wanderer’s footsteps and guide him along the green and thriving path
of industrial and commercial supremacy that is vouchsafed to every man
of honor and thrift, who comes to this free country to escape the
thralldom and tyranny of a foreign yoke.
Here he can find the glorious sunburst of consolation in the cloudless
sky of equality that sheds its rays amid the conflicting emotions of
hope and fear, and blood and carnage, and doubt and bigotry, and
chivalry and patriotism—all alike being imbued with the warmth and glow
of its comforting and protecting influence, that ensures to every loyal
son an equal privilege to that liberty and pursuit of happiness which is
the birthright of every American citizen.
Forever float that standard sheet!
Where breathes the foe but falls before us
With freedom’s soil beneath our feet,
With freedom’s banner streaming o’er us!
Breathes there a man with soul so dead
Who never to himself hath said,
“This is my own, my native land.”
If there be such a man in all the world, I pity him. One thing is
certain, he is not an Irishman, for if he were the blood would congeal
in his veins and he would be branded as a wanderer upon the face of the
earth, with no place to lay his hypocritical head.
Much has been said about the Irishman in America, but nothing has been
said so far about the American in Ireland. It might be well for me to
touch on the subject somewhat and tell you a little of my experience in
Ireland, and by way of preface it seems to me that every Irish-American
must hold down deep in his heart a lurking desire to visit the Green
Isle, the land of his fathers, just as I did before I went over there
five years ago and saw for myself the things that have made Irishmen
great in America.
How vividly the memories of that visit rise up before me to bring added
joys to the realities of life! That you may better understand my first
impressions of Ireland, I will tell you that I was after finishing an
extended tour of the Orient, which included the Holy Land and a great
part of Continental Europe, when I entered the portals of the historic
city of Dublin. My heart leaped with joy as I felt the friendly breeze
of welcome soothe my throbbing brain, and I longed at that moment to
share the sublime satisfaction that came o’er me with some kindred
spirit who had years ago trod the same earth and looked with beseeching
glance, as perhaps millions more did before him, out beyond the great
waters, where liberty and personal freedom were to be found.
But I was alone and could not impart to another the impulses that rose
up within me and bade me view the matchless beauty of that fair city
wherein is consecrated all the glories of Erin’s past, and where today,
on the living altar of heroic patriotism, is to be seen the surpliced
messenger of Home Rule, ready with trumpet in hand to proclaim to all
the world that Emmet’s epitaph shall soon be written.
To stand upon the sod made sacred by the ties of kinship and hallowed by
memories that made the new scenes seem as familiar as though one were
born and reared among them was the sensation I experienced when I first
set my foot upon the soil where my father and mother first saw the light
of day. There was something indefinably realistic about my presence in
the small town of the Six Mile Bridge in County Clare.
The very atmosphere seemed to be full of the incense of welcome that
made me feel at home, and when I entered the old church, which had so
often been described to me in earlier days by my parents, there came
over me an awesome reverence for every stick and stone in it. I could
picture in my mind’s eye the very spot where they knelt to pledge their
plight and to offer up prayers for their safe voyage to America, whither
they were compelled to come to seek that means of subsistence which
their own impoverished village could not provide. He who has not felt
the thrill of such heart-throbs has missed the holiest emotions of
earth.
To visit Ireland and not go through the Gap of Dunloe and take a nip of
poteen and goat’s milk at Kate Kearney’s cottage on the way to the Lakes
of Killarney, and then to be safely rowed through them by four sturdy
oarsmen, with a stop at Dinas Island (for nautical purposes only), would
be a loss even as great as not to visit Blarney Castle and kiss the
Blarney Stone.
Ever since that eventful day when I hung over the parapet and essayed to
take osculatory liberties with that hammer face member of the stone
family, there seems to be an elasticity to my tongue and oleaginous
flavor to my words that are possessed only by the lovers of art and
nature, who believe in the Stone Age and in Memnon’s harp that plays a
melody, far away from the habitat of man, to give greeting each morn to
the rising sun.
A scene of lasting remembrance to me was the one I witnessed in
Queenstown the night before our good ship, “Majestic,” sailed for this
port. On every hilltop and from every vantage point one could discern,
like a silhouette athwart the blackened night, bonfires brightly
burning, each one being the harbinger of friendly greeting to the other
and all betokening the emblems of Ireland’s motto, “Hospitality, virtue
and courage.”
That scene symbolized in no uncertain meaning the genuine love and
sincerity of a loyal people, who made those beacon lights shine forth in
luminous colors to give encouragement to the faithful hearts of the
blushing maids and the fearless lads, who were about to leave the land
of their birth and sever forever the ties of friendship by coming to
America to find here a haven of safety from the thralldom and oppression
of their home land.
I will conclude by quoting a few lines from Emerson:
Teach me your mood, O patient stars;
Who climb each night the ancient sky,
Leaving no space, no shade, no scars,
No trace of age, no fear to die.
If Emerson had dedicated this sentiment to Ireland and her patriotic
sons, he could not more fittingly have described her relations to the
implacable foe whose mood, after centuries of oppression and warfare,
has not been able to dim the lustre of that patient Star of Hope which
will shine on continuously to illumine space, without shading, but with
the scars of memory to make more radiant the valor and virtue of her
people who carry on their brow no trace of age, and in their hearts no
fear to die in the cause of human freedom.
I thank you.
PRESIDENT-GENERAL QUINLAN: This concludes the Twelfth Annual Banquet of
the American-Irish Historical Society. I thank you all in the name of
the administration for your presence and your hearty coöperation in this
feast of reason and flow of soul.
Historical Papers.
THE IRISH SHARE IN THE HUDSON-FULTON CELEBRATION.
BY JOSEPH I. C. CLARKE, ESQ., VICE-PRESIDENT OF THE SOCIETY FOR NEW
YORK.
INTRODUCTION.
New York, greatest of American cities and second of all cities of the
world in point of population and perhaps of wealth, paused for a week in
September, 1909, nominally to honor two great memories, really to
celebrate itself.
It may be that Henry Hudson, when he sailed the Half-Moon up the great
North River to the head of navigation and then returned to the ocean in
1609, never set foot on the Island of Manhattan; but the settlement by
the Dutch that followed was certainly the result of his voyage of
discovery. His was, therefore, a good epoch-making name to honor. More
directly was it meet to honor the name of Robert Fulton, whose conquest
of the waters with the power of steam in 1807 was made from New York
shipyards, and upon the mighty stream that Hudson was the first white
man to navigate. That in the person of Fulton, Ireland had a share in
the memories of these celebrated men—for he was the son of Irish
immigrants—appealed powerfully, as it should, to the race pride of the
Irish-born and Irish-descended of the City of New York. It insured their
hearty coöperation in the plans for the Hudson-Fulton celebration. But
to many the event suggested the question, what share the Irish race has
had in the upbuilding of New York, and what stake it holds in its life
and its prosperity today. Others better fitted must work out the details
of the answer, of which here is presented something of a summary. At any
rate, it covers matters well worthy of the research which naturally
drifts to a society like ours. Before attempting to record the Irish
share in New York’s Hudson-Fulton celebration, let us examine briefly
Ireland’s share in New York itself.
Here came the bulk of the great successive waves of emigration from
Ireland. How large the total of the children of Ireland, who cast their
lot with this Republic, history does not tell us with any accuracy. They
were here from the very beginning of the white man’s settlement on
Manhattan Island. Before 1820, no governmental roster of immigrants was
kept, but in the eighty years from 1821 to 1900, the United States
census bureau counts up a total of 3,871,253 Irish immigrants, nearly
3,000,000 coming hither between 1851 and 1900. That this enormous inflow
came from a country that at its highest tide-mark of population never
numbered more than 8,000,000 souls is a fact at once astounding and
appalling. Ireland literally cuts itself in two to supply the emigration
to America. Besides this outflow to America, another stream ran to
England, Australia and New Zealand, but to each in much smaller volume
than crossed the Atlantic. At its highest flow it brought over nearly a
million Irish souls in ten years, namely, between 1851 and 1860. Since
then it has fallen away, but what this immigration has meant in the
upbuilding of the country at large may be imagined from the deduction
made by the United State census of 1900. It is therein stated that
“Ireland contributed more than two-fifths of the immigration between
1821 and 1850; more than one-third from 1851 to 1860; nearly one-fifth
from 1861 to 1870.” In the following decade the stream held about the
same level. Between 1881 and 1890 it rose again by nearly fifty per
cent. Thenceforward the drain upon Ireland was to lessen, and with a
total of 390,179 between 1891 and 1900 it represented barely more than
one-tenth of the total immigration for the ten years. Since 1900 it has
steadily declined, mainly for the reason that Ireland is nearly drained
of its emigration material, but also in some degree that better
conditions are obtaining there. A backward glance shows that of the
nearly twenty millions of immigrants from all lands up to 1900 one in
every five came from Ireland.
For the eighty years back of 1820 the proportion of Irish immigrants was
even larger—probably one in four. And it was not, as many of the
descendants of the early Irish immigration have imagined, entirely of
the better off and entirely from the north of Ireland. Doubtless the
Presbyterians of the northern Irish counties predominated, and counted
in their ranks men of the learned professions as well as artificers and
merchants, but of the tens of thousands of pure Celts from the central,
southern and western counties deported to the West Indies in the
seventeenth century many thousands found their way to the settlements of
what are now the southern states of the Union. Original researches among
colonial records by a member of our society show that during the century
and a half before the Revolution several thousand immigrants of Celtic
stock came direct to the colonies from Ireland.
Of the Irish emigration before the Revolution and up to 1820, the
presence in New York of numbers of Irish high in standing as well as
stalwart in activity is easily proven. One of the leading merchants in
1655 bore the historic name of Hugh O’Neale. New York City received its
first charter from the hands of Sir Thomas Dougan, an Irishman, in 1684.
Many old Irish names appear in the census of the City of New York for
1703. New York’s first mayor after the Revolution, James Duane, was the
son of a Galway man. The first governor of the State of New York, and
afterwards vice-president of the United States, George Clinton, was also
an Irishman’s son. His kinsman, DeWitt Clinton, was a mayor of New York,
United States senator and governor of the State, and is known to history
as “the father of the Erie Canal.” Christopher Colles, from County Cork,
Ireland, was the originator of our system of rail and waterways. His
grave is in St. Paul’s. Thomas Addis Emmet, a resident of New York, was
attorney general of the State. Daniel O’Brien established the first
ferry to Perth Amboy. Dominick Lynch first introduced Italian opera to
our city. He was also the founder of the Town of Rome, N. Y.
Resounding names of men of Irish blood are, indeed, plentiful, but they
are only in this paper to be taken as symptomatic of the Irish-born and
descended population, gradually growing in the city to a commanding
influence. Peter McCartee was an alderman in 1815, and John McManus
marshal of police in the same year. Irish names grew to prominence not
only in the police and fire departments, but in the ranks of the
teachers in the public schools. Of this eminence in three branches of
the public service perhaps the greatest stress should be laid on the
last. As school teachers, women and men, the Irish and Irish-descended
have held the front place, in brains as well as numbers, for a hundred
years in New York, holding it still, from William H. Maxwell, the great
superintendent of the past twenty years, down to the latest teachers in
the primary grades.
As early as 1833 it was computed that there were 44,000 of Irish birth
or descent in New York City, which at that time meant Manhattan Island
only. But the days were at hand when the combination of famine with
brutal oppression was about to result in the casting forth from Ireland
literally of millions of our people. That America should receive the
greatest share was inevitable, and that New York should receive, if only
for a temporary stay, the majority of these was natural. From 1846 to
1860 fully a million and a half of the famine-driven children of Ireland
were poured upon the shores of America. And they came, for the very
largest part, poorly clad, unlettered, uncouth, often weakened sorely in
body by prolonged semi-starvation. Thousands—men, women and
children—died of ship fever, of sea-sickness in debilitated frames, of
inability to digest the wretched food supplied them on the long passage
in the overcrowded sailing ships of the day. How many died of heartbreak
alone, God only knows. But the survivors! In their bodies, at least,
they soon vindicated the indestructibility of the Celt. Unskilled,
except in a very small fraction, they took up the hardest kind of labor.
They built the railroads, the canals; they “carried cities upon their
backs.” It was a terrible story, working slowly to a happier
consummation. They brought an instinctive loyalty to American
institutions. Bitter were the prejudices they had to face, but they
managed to outlive them all.
Naturally, in such case, they clung together. New York already had given
the Irish exiles a home. Here their real qualities had had time to
assert themselves, and here, accordingly, the newcomers of the later
forties and early fifties settled freely. In politics they became
Democrats, simply because Democracy never joined in their proscription
as emigrants unfit to be Americans, while other parties did in lesser or
greater degree. In religion they remained Catholic or Protestant as they
came, and that meant largely Catholic.
This large substratum of newcomers from Ireland found here, as has been
intimated, a large and fairly prospering Irish-born and Irish-descended
population—furnishing men of eminence to all the higher callings—judges,
lawyers, clergymen, physicians, merchants and manufacturers. With an
assimilation more rapid than with any other race, the famine-exiles took
up the order of American life. Their children filled the public schools
and found Irish teachers there. They attended and supported churches
whose hierarchy from archbishop to priest was almost wholly Irish. Thus
the Celtic complexion of the city was enhanced, and it is no doubt true
that at the outbreak of the Civil War, the population of New York
(Manhattan) was nearer to one-third than one-fourth of Irish blood.
It is not the purpose to pursue here the history of the Irish in New
York City from the outbreak of the Civil War through the half century to
our day. To the battle for the Union, however, the New York Irish
furnished magnificent quotas of fighting men, and capable officers,
earning names for bravery and skill, as would be expected of their race.
Indeed, it was the whole-souled devotion of the Irish all over the
northern states and their brilliant services in the field and on the sea
that threw down the last barriers of prejudice against their people in
America. Such a name as Phil Sheridan’s was one to charm with, not to
name another of the galaxy of great Irish captains of the war.
The Irish immigrant stream was, however, still flowing. From 1861 to
1900 they numbered over 2,000,000 souls, but this later flood came in
somewhat better estate than their forerunners—fairly equalling in
condition the concurrent German immigration and easily surpassing all
others. It is for the most part, naturally, of these comers since 1860,
that our Irish-born of today are composed, and through the entire
country they can be found in substantial positions. But it is of their
children and the children and grandchildren of the earlier immigration
that the wonder-story of worldly uprise is to be told. New York, of
course, has its share, and a large one, in this. If we can pick out from
the later decades of the nineteenth century such names as James T. Brady
and Charles O’Conor at the bar, A. T. Stewart among the merchants,
Eugene Kelly among the bankers, William H. Grace, the great pioneer
merchant of South America and twice our mayor; Archbishop Hughes,
Cardinal McCloskey among the clerics, John W. Mackay among the great
capitalists, Augustus St. Gaudens among the sculptors, O’Callaghan,
Murphy and O’Reilly among the historians, how many names of eminence in
every walk of art, science, law, religion, commerce, manufacture can be
furnished from the Irish-born and Irish-descended of today! There are
the great builders like John B. McDonald, who constructed the subway;
James Coleman, who built the great Croton dam; but why enter on a list
as long as that of the ships in Homer? Be it Thomas Fortune Ryan or John
D. Crimmins in the world of finance, the representatives of Irish brain
are there. It is of record that the second president of the New York
Chamber of Commerce, which was founded in 1768, was Hugh Wallace, an
Irishman. It is worthy of remark that Alexander E. Orr, also a native of
Ireland, was president of the same body, until a year ago, and that his
successor is J. Edward Simmons, also of Irish blood, who in his time has
been lawyer, bank president, President of the Stock Exchange, President
of the Board of Education and President of the New York Clearing House.
It is, however, to the collective work of the Irish of New York one had
better turn. From the United States census of 1900 it is deduced that
the natives of Ireland in Greater New York numbered 285,000, while the
children of Irish parents numbered 308,000, and the descendants of Irish
in the third and fourth generations numbered 200,000, or a total of
793,000 of Irish blood in a total for the city of 3,437,000—a proportion
little less than one in four. With the increase of the city’s population
since 1900 it is not quite likely that the Irish stock has kept pace,
and a diminishing ratio in point of numbers may be expected. The inflow
from southeastern Europe, from Poland, Russia and Italy has greatly (and
happily) exceeded the stream from Ireland. Yet here in New York will be
found, when the census of this year is taken, an Ireland of not far from
a million, in its expected total approaching 5,000,000 souls.
Not all of that million remembers Old Ireland as Motherland, but it must
be the task of societies like ours to awaken the sleeping memories.
There is no way of arriving directly at the proportion of the city’s
wealth which is the possession of the Irish million. It would,
doubtless, prove a mighty total, for Irish thrift and Irish talent for
accumulation have been proven here to be as existent and constant as the
carefully nurtured legend to the contrary. If there was some uproarious
spending among the earlier arrivals on their first contact with earned
American gold, and if they rose slowly, at first, from the poor estate
in which they came, yet the families they raised in decency, the
imposing array of churches and schools they paid for the building of,
and still sustain, are first hand proofs that they are sound and normal
in the greater civic virtues. The Catholic churches in Greater New York,
from the great cathedral of St. Patrick and the splendid St. Francis
Xavier of the Jesuits to the smallest suburban chapel, number 257
edifices, and it is safe to say that ninety-eight per cent. of the funds
for rearing them and keeping them have come from the Irish immigrants
and their children, not in great gifts, not often in large individual
subscriptions, but dollar by dollar and dime by dime from the building
of St. Peter’s in Vesey Street a hundred years ago down to the present
day. The Catholic parochial schools—the creation, one may say, of the
past quarter century—most of them imposingly housed, number 154,
instructing 120,000 pupils and almost all at the cost of Irish Catholic
contributions. It is not proper here to discuss the church policy, which
puts this charge upon its faithful over and above the share they pay in
common with other citizens to the public school fund but it may here be
noted that the parochial schools are a significant monument to Irish
generosity and the deeper devotion which puts the moral and religious
above the mere utilitarian. The public school pupils number over
600,000, but the seating capacity of the schools has never filled the
wonderfully growing demand. The alternative of half-day classes in the
most congested neighborhoods has even failed to take in all the children
seeking instruction. The public schools attract a large proportion of
the Irish-descended children of the great city, and, as has been noted,
the number of Irish-descended teachers is very high in comparison with
those from other nationalities. Here, however, side by side with the
great educational work of the municipality, is a school system
instructing one-fifth as many children in the name of religious ideality
and entirely supported by the resident members of the Catholic faith. In
addition to these are thirty-seven colleges and academies of higher
learning and two religious seminaries educating for the priesthood. The
450 edifices, thus scantily summarized, represent a total valuation,
according to the best authorities, of not less than $40,000,000, and
possibly, with work in progress, approach the great total of
$50,000,000. This is a very noble portion of Ireland’s monument in New
York.
Great as these sums may be, they give but a sorry measure of the value
of the churches to the Irish themselves, furnishing as they have done a
moral anchorage beyond the power of words to describe. Most necessary
were they to a people taken rudely from their homes and sent naked and
adrift in a new and strange world, where the battle was no longer the
mere struggle for existence but a conflict for power and wealth, in
which the sharpest wits, acting through the loosest morals, were often
the victors. Well may the New York Irish view this array of churches,
schools and colleges with some glow of pride—and gratitude.
It is not that the Protestant Irish of New York were wanting in their
share of church building. They more rapidly merged in the American
branches of their respective sects, but it is well to remember that an
“Irish Presbyterian Church” existed on Orange Street in New York in
1811, as well as an “Erin Lodge of Freemasons,” and that Irish
Protestant clerics like the late Dr. John Hall have in goodly numbers
filled the most important pulpits in New York and Brooklyn for over a
century and a half. The famous John Street Methodist Church was founded
by Irishmen. It is probable that in the greater city there are 200,000
persons of Protestant faith, who are either native Irish or in whole or
in part of Irish descent.
In such an establishment as St. Vincent’s hospital, in the New York
Foundling Asylum, the Roman Catholic Orphan Asylum, the Catholic
Protectory, the House of the Good Shepherd are other highly valuable
proofs of organizing genius and generous sustaining power on the part of
the Irish of New York.
Among the long-established and wisely administered savings banks of the
city, none has a prouder record or a firmer base than the Emigrant
Industrial Savings Bank, which has been distinctly, almost wholly, Irish
in its administration and until lately in its depositors. In the last
few years it has attracted great numbers of Italians, scared out of
their first implicit faith in the many irresponsible “banks” set up by
their countrymen. With its deposits over $98,000,000, an army of
depositors numbering over 122,000, and an unbroken history of successful
management of sixty years (it was incorporated in 1850) the Emigrant
Bank is surely a magnificent exhibit of Irish trust and Irish
efficiency. Its president, Thomas Mulry, was, up to the first of the
year, Commissioner of Charity for New York. In that office he was
succeeded by Michael J. Drummond, one of the Emigrant Bank’s trustees.
Like Mr. Mulry, Mr. Drummond is Irish-born, and is a former president of
the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick in the City of New York.
The individual thrift of the Irish has, indeed, been notable. Their
favorite investments have been in real estate and these, in thousands of
instances, have proved the foundation of the Irish fortunes of today.
The Catholic Club has taken a notable place among the best institutions
of the kind in the city; its membership is largely Irish stock.
In the public offices, the police and fire departments, the number of
Irish-descended is very large. An idea is abroad that this is wholly in
consequence of the adherence of the Irish population to the fortunes of
the political organization known as Tammany Hall, but it is only a
half-truth. Tammany Hall, during a great part of its history, has been
the “regular” Democracy, and that was enough for many who had grown up
with it, but the forces of revolt from within the Democratic party have
frequently overthrown Tammany, and it was generally Irish names that
then came to the front. The late Mayor William H. Grace is an instance.
In the recent election Tammany met a pretty general defeat, but its
Irish-descended nominee for mayor, William H. Gaynor, was elected, and
foremost among those of the victorious opposition, who will share the
great city’s government with him, are William A. Prendergast, son of
Irish parents, as Comptroller; George McAneny as president of the
Borough of Manhattan, and John Purroy Mitchel, grandson of John Mitchel,
the famous Irish patriot of 1848, as President of the aldermen. In the
civil service examinations the Irish hold their own and more, so that
whatever political party may be in power the racial ratio in New York’s
public offices is not likely to change for many years to come, where
merit and moral and physical fitness are at all the test of appointment.
It would be easy to point to great individual instances of successful
Irishmen in the wholesale and the greater retail business of the city,
but enough has been said here to show how strong is the hold of the
Irish here and how great their stake in the fortune and wealth of the
city. Nevertheless, one may well be surprised to note how little that is
distinctly Irish, as apart from Catholic or Protestant, Democrat or
Republican (to mention a couple of lines of emotional and rational
cleavage), meets the eye in the city’s edifices or public monuments. In
the churchyard of St. Paul’s Protestant Episcopal Church are three
notable monuments—a monolith to the memory of Thomas Addis Emmet,
another to the memory of Dr. William James MacNevin, and a monument in
the wall of the church itself over General Montgomery of Revolutionary
fame. In Trinity churchyard is the tomb of Robert Fulton. In Central
Park there is a bust of Thomas Moore, the Irish poet. The list ends
somewhere there—pretty meagrely.
There are and have been many Irish societies, patriotic, social,
benevolent, literary and musical, but although the existence of one runs
back over a century and a quarter and has always included in its ranks
the most flourishing of Ireland’s sons, without any regard to politics
or religion, it has never owned a home of its own. Like the others, it
is housed from occasion to occasion wherever the choice of its officers
may lead it, yet it has long owned a considerable building fund. Another
body, large in numbers, is understood to own a building site, but there
the matter rests. This, to the lover of Ireland, is not an encouraging
condition. One would expect to see a number of splendid edifices devoted
to Irish social, scientific and artistic objects. One would expect to
see fine monuments in public places to the great men of Irish-American
history—such even as those late-comers, the Italians, have erected to
their countrymen, to wit: the fine Columbus pillar, the Garibaldi, the
Verdi and the Verazzano monuments.
Should there not be a trumpet note of change sounded over these glaring
deficiencies? Should not there be at least one great Celtic Institute
founded with a large and imposing auditorium for Irish gatherings, and
with suites of rooms and smaller assembly halls for such organizations
as the American-Irish Historical Society’s New York Chapter, for the
Gaelic, the literary, the artistic, musical, benevolent and social Irish
organizations of the city not religious in character? It is easily
within the reach of accomplishment. It but needs the effort of a few of
the really rich and public-spirited men of Irish blood to give it the
proper financial basis and provide thereafter for its economical
management.
Among other things it would insure the much-neglected history of our
race in New York a chance to be the object of real service, instead of
as now, the hobby of comparatively few.
In another particular a deficiency is noted, which there is at present
some effort making among the churches to supply, namely, a care for the
social welfare, for the spread of uplifting, refining influences among
the young men and women of the Irish race after they have finished their
terms at school. Local Homes for the Irish young men and women informed
in their directorates with intelligent, animating spirit, should
flourish all over New York. The Y. M. C. A. has sufficiently blazed the
way. It is a great and inviting work. Such life could be given to these
Homes that their attraction would be irresistible. The good they would
do, the results they would achieve for civic uplift and domestic and
social refinement would well repay all they would cost in money and
care.
To kindred objects the New York Irish have been continual givers rather
than large donors in the American sense, but last year the gift of
$4,500,000 by John M. Burke, of New York, for founding and endowing a
Home for Convalescents indicates that the rich Celt is falling into the
line of broad and bold American philanthropy. What more vital to the
standing and the future of the race in New York can be thought of than a
great Celtic Institute or the Neighborhood Homes as outlined above?
It is true that in the case of the Irish immigration of the past sixty
years the material had to be taken as it came to these shores, and that
not everything could be done with it, or for it, at once; but the
situation is no longer the same. Looking over the external sources of
future population for the whole United States, as well as for New York
City, it becomes pretty evident that the Irish race will not furnish any
but a diminishing quota; that the future of the Irish race in America
depends almost entirely on the Irish already here. It is also true that
the social condition of the Irish stock is bettering every day. Other
European races, broadly speaking, are doing the laborers’ work of the
country as well as the city. The Irish millionaire, the Irish captain of
industry, the Irish leader in thought and education is largely
represented here. We produce great laymen as well as great clerics, and
it becomes daily more incumbent on the prosperous to turn with the open
purse and the hand of uplift to the less favored by fortune, in order
that they may make hereafter for the fame and condition of the race in
America. That there is a tendency among the very well-to-do children and
grandchildren of the Irish immigrants away from Irish association is
largely true. It is so with German-descended in a degree, as to their
racial fellows, but these latter did not have behind them the history of
bitter, poverty-smitten struggles for a foothold here, which befel the
bulk of the Irish immigration. The Germans came from a prosperous land,
seeking greater prosperity. Even the poorest Italians, coming from a
hungering country, bring with them the dower of a historic past, rich
with the highest artistic embellishment and spiritual fulfilment. Back
of the Irish immigration was an immediate past of hunger, oppression,
intolerance and passionate, ineffectual revolt, and long vague memories
of distant splendors that came to them, partly in legend and partly in
the ruins of pillar-towers, castles, abbeys and half-obliterated
carvings over graves. Out of these legends and these ruins and graves
came to them the true whisperings of the race. The Celtic renaissance in
Ireland itself grows because these whisperings are a little better
heard. A like cultivation may follow here if the race is true to itself.
It is within the memory of many like myself that to be Irish has taken
on a substantial social consideration but grudgingly accorded thirty or
forty years ago. So many have arrived at fortune, have done great public
service, have attained social heights that it becomes a matter of social
self-defense with them to see that no child of their race shall lack for
the incentive and something of the opportunity to enter and carry on the
battle of life under inspiring conditions.
In attempting to visualise the Irish share in New York itself, the
preceding considerations appear to be as necessary as the mere record of
mighty numbers and massed achievement, but enough has, perhaps, been
said to show that, by and large, the Irish here have survived their
greatest trials, have largely developed the civic virtues and reached a
plane of prosperity inferior to no race on the continent. They are
one-fourth of New York’s population, and probably hold almost an equally
high fraction of its personal wealth, bating, of course, that enormous
increment which comes to the metropolis from its commanding position as
the continental centre of investment. May the Irish chapter of New York
in the next fifty years be more inspiring still.
HOW THE CELEBRATION TOOK SHAPE.
It is worth while looking into the way the celebration shaped itself.
Much was written about it as it occurred. In a general way its story is
common property, and its great success is history. The centennial of
Robert Fulton’s most notable achievement—the first voyage of his
steamboat up the Hudson—fell in the year 1907. It did not pass without
notice at the time, but the proposal to make it the central point of a
municipal festival at once brought to mind that in another two years
(namely, in 1909) would occur the ter-centenary of Henry Hudson’s
discovery and navigation of the great river. Here then, was a chance for
a dual display. The recent date and comparative failure of the St. Louis
Exposition, combined with New York’s distaste for the prolonged
inattention to its real business involved in an international
exposition, decided against the exposition idea. A commission, to be
called after the two men whose memory the celebration was to honor, was
formed by Act of the Legislature. It was given a large fund by the
State. New York City followed with another large sum, and private local
patriotism and civic pride followed with large subscriptions. The
commission was well-founded and amply funded. At its head was placed the
veteran soldier, lawyer, Congressman, diplomatist and man of affairs,
General Stewart L. Woodford, whose courtly presence, gentle bearing,
handsome face, white hair and beard gave a pictorial dignity to the
office hard to find elsewhere. But the active leadership, the real
working headship of this affair great in scope and multifariousness,
fell upon Hermann Ridder, a New-York-born German-American of great
executive skill, whose resolute uprise in the world of journalism and
whose wide acquaintance with the city, social, racial, religious,
industrial and financial, bespoke his fitness. To aid him were appointed
many men of standing in the city, but while they came and went at his
call, and attended this meeting and that, one and all they agreed that
since the work had fallen on such competent shoulders there they would
carefully allow it to remain. Mr. Ridder took up the burden and carried
it, carried it through. He shirked nothing, he directed everything, he
organized his staff of helpers, artistic and clerical, and kept them
busy. He looked after the formation of the working committees who would
work out the enormous detail which the naval, military, police, social,
artistic and publicity problems involved. Then he let the committees
work, and wisely dealt with results. So, he kept an even keel, if one
might put it that way, amid the occasional storms that will arise in
such cases. The city surely owes him something for his whole-hearted
devotion and unwearying service that did not cost the city a cent, and
insured the memorable success of a great festival worthy of the greatest
city on the continent, all the sooner for his work, perhaps, to be the
greatest city in the world.
The celebration, then, was arranged on a scale more elaborate than
anything theretofore undertaken by an American municipality, and in this
the Commission was seconded by the wonderful natural setting of the
city, fronting the expanse of the harbor and with broad rivers on either
side of the long tongue of land—Manhattan—that gently uplifts its
serried lines of stately homes and massive buildings, from South to
North. One of these rivers, the Hudson, a stream noble in itself and the
scene of the great suggestive feats of Henry Hudson and Robert Fulton,
invited special attention. It was, therefore, early decided that New
York’s tribute to these two great men and grand memories should share
its functions between land and water. Accordingly while a section of the
Commission planned land decorations, parades, assemblies, illuminations
and banquets to fill an entire week, the officers busied themselves
first with the Federal government at Washington to invite the naval
powers of the world to send warships wreathed in flowers, as it were,
and asking for a mighty squadron of our own ocean thunderers to greet
the armored Tritons from oversea. Then Holland, in whose service Henry
Hudson sailed the blue waters, offered a gift of unique kind, namely a
duplicate of the little ship, Half Moon, in which Hudson traversed the
Atlantic and ascended the river that has rightly come to bear his name.
It was not strange, then, that the Commission should resolve to build a
replica of that other historic craft, the Clermont, in which Fulton
first went up the same river under steam.
From these starting points it was not so difficult to outline the rest
of the water programme. There should be a ceremony of receiving the two
historic craft down the bay and conducting them in a mighty parade
consisting of all the steam craft plying the nearby waters, ranged in a
fair flotilla up Hudson’s River passing the long range of seven miles of
warships and, after a ceremony of reception, returning in like order to
their berths and piers. There should be on land and water a grand
illumination by night with fireworks of the most spectacular kind. There
should again be a beautiful water pageant when the Half Moon and the
Clermont were escorted up the river that the towns and cities along its
banks might partake of the glory of the time. They would let the
procession of ships from New York end their pilgrimage at Newburg and
there let another flotilla conduct the memorial ships to Albany where
the river narrows and shoals. So was the unique water side of the
celebration outlined. For the land side the preparations were on an
equally grand scale, but here they were dealing with more familiar
material. We had had festival parades of like kind before; now we were
to have more of them than ever and each one to be more marvellous of its
kind than anything before conceived. No less than three great
processions were arranged—a grand civic procession illustrating in
floats three centuries of New York’s history, and made up of the men of
the forty races and nationalities of which our population is compounded;
a military parade to display every branch of our army service, state and
national, and in which details of sailors and marines from the foreign
warships as well as our own, should paradoxically testify to
international brotherly love by marching peacefully together armed to
the teeth. Lastly was designed a Carnival parade—a night march, devoted
to artistic symbols on illuminated floats and conducted by costumed
thousands from the German, Austrian and Swiss societies of the City.
It was natural to call on the city to drape and decorate its buildings
lavishly, to arrange for general illumination: to design a finely
pillared Court of Honor on Fifth Avenue just below 42d St. and hang it
with mazes of electric lights, to erect a grand reviewing stand facing
the Avenue and with its back to the great Library Building just emerged
from its scaffolding.
In such cases, many minor suggestions follow on the heels of the great
ones, and the week of wonders threatened to extend indefinitely. A
notable loan collection of paintings of the Dutch school was assembled
for exhibition at the Museum of Art, a rare collection of Colonial
furniture was also secured. Then came a reception with oratory at the
Metropolitan Opera House, an Irish concert at Carnegie Hall, an opera
house music festival, aquatic sports, an exhibition of flying machines
and a beautiful open air fête for 40,000 school children in the parks.
In a retrospect for our particular purpose, it is as well to grasp in
some such general way the chief features of the event. For the year in
which it had been actually incubating New York heard little and did not
care much about it, and wakened very gradually to the great festal
proportions it was to take. In fact people were returning to New York
from mountain and seaside after the heats of Summer before they clearly
understood how much was afoot in the way of civic entertainment. New
York’s self-consciousness differs from that of every other American
city. There is, for instance, no feeling that its greatness needs
proclamation. It is not worried about its growth: it has been always
growing. It is imaginatively undisturbed about its future: it is too
busy to trouble about its past. Perhaps it has never taken to any civic
phrase more kindly than describing itself as “little old New York,”
while it knows it is not little, and if it has any municipal thrill it
is over its modernity. Here was something coming which might be thought
of as an attempt to awaken “the Chicago feeling” in Gotham—that is a
somewhat delirious sensation of the bumptious and divinely ordained, the
throbbing of the inflamed nerve of Destiny. In a way of its own New York
gave way to it. The city began to hum, and when the time came in
September’s days of warm colors and genial airs the people were ready to
cheer, to march, to sail in line, to celebrate.
ORGANIZATION OF THE IRISH PARTICIPATION.
It was during the months of the previous springtime that the Irish share
in the celebration took shape, when Hermann Ridder met the
representatives of the Irish societies, and stating briefly but clearly
the general plan of the celebration, called for 10,000 Irishmen to take
part in the Historical civic parade. And to this they agreed. In a
compendious sketch he described the divisions of the procession and the
historical floats that were to make part of each—the Indian period, the
Dutch period, the Colonial period, the Revolutionary period, the Modern
period. Over forty nationalities besides the native American were to be
represented. To the Irish he conceded the right of the line. To them
would be assigned certain historic floats. In the upbuilding of New York
Mr. Ridder recognized that the immigrants from Europe had contributed
the major share. In other words it had been fed with population mainly
from oversea. Of the original Dutch stock but a trace remained: it had
largely scattered or died out. The early English stock had similarly
passed on. The influx from rural America or other American towns and
cities had been constant and latterly was increasing. Still the
immigrant and the children of the immigrant preponderated in the great
city.
[Illustration:
ROBERT FULTON ESQ^R
From a Celebrated Picture through the Courtesy of Vice-President
Joseph I. C. Clarke
of New York.
]
The American Irish Historical Society, through its New York chapter,
took part in the earliest gatherings. The Friendly Sons of St. Patrick
in the City of New York, the oldest Irish organization in the country
with a history of 126 years behind it, was also early in the field. Its
President, William Temple Emmet, was chosen chairman of the gathering of
Irish societies and Alfred J. Talley of the American Irish Historical
Society was elected Secretary. First and last some eighty Irish
societies answered to the call. Broadly these were the Ancient Order of
Hibernians, the Clan-na-Gael, the Irish American Athletic Club, the
Irish Counties Athletic Clubs, the two societies named above and a
number of Gaelic and Literary societies. There appeared at first to be
no difficulty whatever about furnishing the quota called for: indeed
there was some claim that less than 12,000 would be inadequate, judging
from the muster rolls of all the societies desiring to participate. So
there was some indignant protest when it was learned later that on
account of the inordinate length of time it would take to get the
procession past a given point on the basis first laid down, the Irish
contingent would necessarily be cut down to 5,000 men. Eventually it was
recognized that this was just as well. It developed curiously that the
Irish in New York are not as numerously organized as they would seem.
When they get the Society habit they are likely to belong to many
societies, and this possibly multiplies by four their apparent number.
Many of the delegates belonged to half a dozen of the societies
represented. Naturally they could march with only one. The falling off
from this cause was most noticeable with the Ancient Order of
Hibernians—numerically the largest on its lodge rolls.
Committees of various kinds were appointed and to one—the
Historical—fell the lot of securing the appropriate floats to escort in
the procession. It was obvious that they should claim the Clermont
float, for was not Robert Fulton the American-born son of an Irish
father and Irish mother? It was equally obvious that they should claim
the Erie Canal float with which the name of Governor De Witt Clinton,
also of Irish descent and one-time Mayor of New York was inseparably
connected. In some predacious way the Scotch societies had secured the
Fulton Ferry float, claiming Fulton to be a Scottish name. It was seen
by the Historical Committee that an omission of a grave kind had been
made by the designers of the floats in not having one to celebrate the
giving of the first charter to the City of New York by Governor Dongan—a
charter always quoted with approval by the commentators on New York’s
civic history. Now Dongan was a fine official of well-balanced mind, a
learned man and an Irishman, and his appointment came from King James
II, who did not object to him as Irish and gave him the place because he
was a Catholic as well as otherwise qualified. The Commission agreed to
rectify its omission and ordered a Dongan float. The Clermont, Erie
Canal and Dongan floats were thereafter assigned to the Irish societies,
to man and to escort.
Much amusing detail might be added to this but it can be indicated in
the joyous way in which Martin Sheridan, the great athlete and champion
hurler of the discus, was chosen to impersonate Robert Fulton and John
Flanagan, the giant hammer-thrower of the Irish Athletic club, was named
for the engineer. Thomas P. Tuite, whose admirable sketch of the life of
Fulton is one of the memorable outcomes of the celebration, was
enthusiastically impressed to act as steersman of the Erie Canal barge.
With the Dongan float there was a difficulty. Major E. T. McCrystal,
editor and soldier, was easily persuaded to stand for Governor Dongan,
and it was not hard to get representatives for the New York councilmen
who were to accept the charter, but when it came to getting
impersonators for a file of British soldiers in red coats who were to
stand as representatives of the British monarchy, there was indignation
and revolt. Finally the British soldiers were cut out, and Dongan
tendered his charter without any red-coated backing. The choosing of the
ladies for the floats was wisely left to some ladies’ societies.
The best idea that came of the work of the Irish committees was that of
a concert of Irish music. It was brought forward by Jeremiah Lawlor, of
the Ancient Order of Hibernians, and ardently worked for by him. Once
presented to the Hudson-Fulton Commission it was given a place on the
official programme. Fortunately Victor Herbert, the distinguished
operatic composer and orchestra leader, was at hand, and instantly
accepted the concert committee’s invitation to take charge of the
programme. It involved some sacrifice on his part but he gladly made it,
and the success of the result must certainly have compensated him.
It was in the springtime, too, that another Irish feature of the
celebration was arranged, the chartering of the splendid Sandy Hook
steamer, Asbury Park, for the naval parade up the Hudson River. The
American-Irish Historical Society and the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick
coöperated in this—at a cost of $5,000 for the use of the steamer for
that single day.
RECEPTION OF THE HALF MOON AND CLERMONT.
The last week in September is apt to be blessed with fine, mild weather
in New York, and this time it held good. No more beautiful day could be
wished than Saturday, September 25, 1909, when the banks of the Hudson
River for ten miles from its mouth became the vantage ground for many
more than a million sightseers, with the great stream itself a Broadway
of the water over which the floating procession was to pass. Toward the
City shore the long line of the gathered warships stretched adrape with
gay bunting. Behind the water-front packed with human beings from the
Battery Park to Grant’s tomb and beyond, rose the great mass of the
city, its lifted turrets and spires and its soaring buildings forming a
majestic background. Power spoke in every line and mass that met the
eye, and beauty of a kind seldom seen gave its impress of delight. Down
the harbor, the fleet of steamers was gathering in its hundreds, every
craft from great Hudson River and Sound steamers and private yachts to
squadron upon squadron of tugs. All were flag-draped and all were laden
with joy-bound participants. The Brooklyn shore down to Fort Hamilton at
the Narrows, and the heights and shore of Staten Island from Fort
Wadsworth curving around the harbor were black with human beings. Hard
by the Kill von Kull lay the Half Moon and the Clermont, the one a
quaint, picturesque ghost of the great days of adventure of the early
seventeenth century, the other in its long square ugliness a reminder
that adventure with steam power in a new element was concerned with
fitness and not with beauty; that Fulton was thinking of the turning of
his ridiculous paddle wheels rather than the looks of things. And on the
Dutch craft stood a make-believe Henry Hudson with a Dutch crew clad in
the sea-dogs’ garments of his time. What a dim, pathetic figure that
real Hudson of whom here was the twentieth century shadow. He must have
been a man of grim purpose and of strong flesh and blood, but never did
a man so near our time fade out into the mist more completely than he
who first sent the prow of a white man’s ship up past the Palisades and
the Highlands. On the Clermont was also a goodly company rigged out in
the habiliments of 1807 that still bore something of the lines of the
dandies of Paris in the time of the Directory. But it was a man of
Robert Fulton’s blood who impersonated the creator of the first
steamship that could truly navigate, and that meant that there was Irish
blood in him.
It was when the procession in the course of the afternoon began to move
with our long slim darting torpedo boats escorting the Half-Moon and the
Clermont and all the other steam craft following that the true glory of
the day began, and as the vessels swung into line heading northward
every piston-beat of the engines, every turn of the churning screws and
splashing paddles seemed to make a chorus of Fulton! Fulton! Fulton! and
in a precious undertone to many a thousand of the onlookers it murmured
Ireland! Ireland! Ireland! whence came the brain that had put a heart of
giant power into every floating fortress, every giant of the
transatlantic trade that the great flotilla passed as it swept up the
river. As the little ship of Hudson and the ungainly master-boat of
Fulton passed, the fleets of the world saluted them. So they passed up,
acclaimed from the banks and the stream, the Half-Moon and the Clermont
halting at the picturesque water gate on the Riverside slope for the
reception ceremonies where the dignitaries waited from the Governor of
New York state down.
THE ILLUMINATIONS ON WATER AND LAND.
For the rest of those afloat it was a sail nearly to Yonkers before the
last of the United States battleships was passed, and the turning point
reached. By this time the evening was falling rapidly in a glory of
crimson sunset that made the river glow as paven with red gold, the
Palisades rising black as ebony against the west, and the lingering rays
falling in warm ivory and pale pink on the white house-line of New York
on its hills farther down the stream. But as the light paled, and the
shadows filled with purple and presently when a misty greyness was
coming over all on land and water, another glory began which was to
gladden and grow until it made a great picture that perhaps the world
had never seen and certainly the world of Columbus and Hudson and Fulton
had never witnessed before—the festal lighting on water and on land.
Lucky were those in that day procession up the river whose craft could
linger in the upper reaches until all the glory of night was ablaze. The
warships outlined in strings of electric lamps, the lights on the moving
craft, the monuments on shore brilliantly set off with skeleton tracing
of light, building after building on both sides of the river glowing
with electric lights in every fantasy of device and color, the houses
one and all lit up at every window, the tower of Madison Square one
mighty shaft of light. Farther South the sky-piercing tower of the
Singer building like a glowing mural crown dominated the vast field of
the twenty-story office buildings, all illuminated to their roofs. In
the harbor the Liberty Statue shone in an island of light. Up the East
River a special glory was seen with its three great bridges spanning the
stream in glittering cobwebs of light that hung between the water and
the sky. All the buildings on the New York and Brooklyn shores swam in a
shimmering golden haze. The avenues were long lines of diamonds strung
from pillar to pillar, and then to the north a wonderful aurora of
fan-spread search-lights, and from a dozen points over the island and
the rivers spouted, great fountains of fireworks storming the heavens
with jets of colored fire. It was fascinating, intoxicating, and the
millions watched it in a daze from nightfall until midnight when at last
the city and the river were left to the stars.
THE IRISH CONCERT.
On Sunday, September 26, New York was fain to rest from its long outing
of Saturday. When, however, night had fallen there was no fatigue
visible in the smiling faces that gathered for the Irish Concert in
Carnegie Hall. In securing the hearty coöperation of Victor Herbert, the
famous composer and orchestra leader, the committee had armed itself for
a triumph. Mr. Herbert is Irish-born, and of true Irish stock, a
grandson of Samuel Lover, the Irish novelist and ballad writer whose
“Low-backed Car” and “Rory O’Moore” threaten to outlive most of the
lyrics of his generation. In Germany he received his musical education
which was thorough. As a student of harmony and counterpoint none
surpassed him in avidity to master all that the best could impart.
Learning successively to play well nigh every instrument in the
orchestra, he became proficient on the violoncello, acting as solo
violoncellist in the Royal Court orchestra at Stuttgart, and taking a
high rank as a virtuoso. When he came to this country in 1886 it was to
take the important post of solo violoncellist under Anton Seidl, the
great Wagnerian conductor at the Metropolitan opera house. His German
was so good that musical people around Fortieth street wondered “how
well the Dutchman spoke English,” a curious reversal of Lever’s humorous
conceit: “I knew by your French you were English, and I knew by your
English you were Irish.” Herbert, however, was not long in the land of
the free before his Irish heart made itself known to his fellow-Gaels,
and ever since it has beat in unison with them. In music he heard a
higher call than being a prominent figure among the instrumentalists of
even so famous a Wagnerian as Anton Seidl. When Patrick Sarsfield
Gilmore, of loving musical memory, passed away, it was Victor Herbert
who was called to succeed him as bandmaster of the 22d regiment, and
thereafter waved the magical baton of Gilmore’s wonderful band. To this
he added the duties of Kappellmeister to Anton Seidl’s orchestra and to
the famous organization of Theodore Thomas. In 1898 he obeyed a call to
Pittsburg to head a great orchestra, and remained there six years, his
power and talent developing all the while. Returning to New York he
recruited an orchestra of his own which soon won popular and critical
esteem. But his forte lay in musical composition. The immediate road to
success and fortune was, to his mind, by the way of comic opera, and
work after work of this nature came sparkling from his brain to the joy
of multitudes and to his own rapid enrichment. Still he led his now
famous orchestra all over the land, working day and night, for he loved
his work. The ambition to do greater things, however, never left him,
and passing from mere facile outpouring of the riches of his inspiration
he turned to the higher work in the realm of music. His oratorio, “The
Captive,” a fine work, first heard at the Worcester (Mass.) musical
festival was highly praised. Many of his serious fugitive pieces became
popular with musicians and the world of music awaits with pleasant
anticipation the grand opera into which he has for some time been
putting his soul. He has for years been a member of the Friendly Sons of
St. Patrick, always prompt to make the musical features of its
gatherings notable, and always lending freely of his geniality to its
symposiums of good fellowship.
Bear with me for this straying into the paths of biography, for Victor
Herbert’s personality, his training, and his Irish birthright should be
known to every son of Ireland in America, not merely as a matter of race
pride but of race inspiration. We pride ourselves on our love of music.
The echoes of the olden Celtic harps must be in our souls, but we have
done little enough as a people to deserve the exquisite heritage. Our
innate love of the art should be broadly cultivated and steadily
developed, and in Victor Herbert I see a man who may yet do something
great in this way for his race and ours, as he is sure to do in lofty
composition for his own enduring fame. That is why I have dwelt on his
striking career. In securing his hearty interest in the Irish Concert
success was assured, for it brought with it the services of the
magnificent orchestra trained for years under the sway of his relentless
baton.
We do not lack for solo artists of merit and skill, but in choral music
we have not done all we could. In Ireland a modern school of composers
is doing work of which we know little here. The mending of this should
be a first step in the Irish musical renaissance. If we find poets to
write the books and lyrics, and musicians to compose the vibrant
measures to fit them, we must have singers to interpret them and
instrumentalists to give them the breadth and depth of the full artistic
inspiration. Let the little band of sixty or seventy (little as choral
renderings go in these days) who came together from the Catholic
Oratorio Society for the Irish Concert be the melodious forerunners of
Irish choral societies that may gather thousands at a time in one burst
of song. At the Irish Concert the chorus sang admirably. May every
member thereof be blessed for her or his participation, and their
example give heart to a new musical impulse among our people.
The great house was filled to its capacity with a representative Irish
gathering and presented a fine picture of comely women and handsome men.
The Hudson-Fulton Celebration Commission had given the concert official
place in its programme; the visiting guests of the Commission were
invited. Governor Hughes of the State of New York, who boasts of Irish
blood, and our one-time mayor and one-time president of Columbia
College, Seth Low, as chairman of the Commission’s reception committee,
occupied with the governor’s staff the central box on the grand tier. It
was a “warm house,” then, that greeted the entry of the orchestra and
the chorus on the broad stage, and listened raptly to what proved a fine
concert of Irish music, deserving all the applause it received. And this
was the programme:—
1. Overture—“Maritana,” _W. V. Wallace_
=Orchestra.=
2. Song—(a) “Ban-Chnoic Eireann, O” _Mac Conmara_
Lyric—(b) “The Penal Days” _Davis_
=Mrs. Helen O’Donnell.=
3. Chorus—(a) “The Minstrel Boy” _Moore_
(b) “Oft in the Stilly Night” _Balfe_
=Catholic Oratorio Society.=
4. Song (Irish)—“Thuit ar an m-bu-adharg” _MacHale_
Lyric (b)—“Sweet Harp of the Days That Are Gone,” _words by Samuel
Lover; music by his grandson, Victor Herbert_.
=Mr. William Ludwig.=
5. Irish Symphony—(a) “Andante Con Moto” (two movements)
(b) “Allegretto Motto Vivace” _V. Villiers
Stanford_
=Orchestra.=
6. Irish Rhapsody—“Erin, Oh, Erin” _composed by Victor Herbert and
dedicated to the Gaelic Society_
=Orchestra.=
7. Song—“An Irish Noel” _Augusta Holmes_
=Madame Selma Kronold.=
8. Chorus—(a) “Hath Sorrow Thy Young Days” _Balfe_
(b) “The Fenian War Song” _Sir. R. P.
Stewart_
=Catholic Oratorio Society.=
9. Song—(a) “Irish Reaper’s Harvest Hymn” _Keegan_
(b) “Old Ireland Shall Be Free” (_words by J. J. Rooney, old air
arranged by Victor Herbert_)
=Mr. William Ludwig.=
10. American Fantasy _Victor Herbert_
=Orchestra.=
11. Anthem—“The Star Spangled Banner”
=Orchestra and Chorus.=
Singers and players performed delightfully. Mrs. O’Donnell, Madame
Kronold and William Ludwig—that famous veteran of the German opera and
great interpreter of Irish ballads—all won new laurels. Mr. Ludwig’s
rendition of the spirited song by John J. Rooney, author of so many fine
lyrics and ballads, was particularly impressive. But it was the work of
Victor Herbert’s orchestra that lifted the occasion to its real height.
The performance of Villiers Stanford’s Irish symphony and Herbert’s own
Irish rhapsody was as true and fine as could be conceived, and in every
way worthy of the brilliant compositions themselves. The chorus gave the
Balfe lyric and “Oft in the Stilly Night” with fine shading and their
singing of “The Fenian War Song” won an encore that would not be denied.
As a whole the concert gave an impression profoundly gratifying to all
connected with it. I have said that it was conceived in the first place
by Jeremiah Lawlor. It is right to add that Major E. T. McCrystal,
chairman of the Concert committee, worked hard with Mr. Lawlor for the
result achieved. To Mr. Lawlor, Seth Low wrote after the concert that he
found it “most enjoyable,” and added:—
“The music itself was interesting, and it was rendered in a way worthy
of all admiration. I think that those who have labored so hard for so
many years to awaken interest in Gaelic culture have not only done a
service for the members of the Irish race in this country, but, as
illustrated by this really beautiful concert, they have rendered a
valuable service to the whole country.”
It is a pleasure to bear out Mr. Low, and to formulate the hope that the
Irish Concert of that Sunday evening may be parent of great effort among
our people to justify to themselves and the world their boasted love of
the art that made Ireland famous a thousand years ago.
THE HISTORICAL PARADE.
On Tuesday, September 28, the weather in the morning held little promise
of procession weather. It had rained, and in some degree dampened ardor,
but the meteoric luck of the celebration was to prevail and by noon the
skies were opening, and just the right condition overhead and underfoot
assured. The line of the three great processions, of which this was to
be the first, had been well chosen. Assembling north of Central Park the
parade was to pass down the broad avenue of Central Park West, a
straight line of two miles and a half, turning east at 59th street for a
short half mile to Fifth avenue, then down the avenue a straight line
for another two miles and a half to the point of dispersal. For three
miles the parade was to pass between a succession of stands for
spectators, with stands at every available point on Fifth avenue and the
grand stand in the Court of Honor at 42d street, as we have noted
before.
It was a fine and suggestive parade. The fifty great floats provided
with so much care did not, perhaps, come up in all things to
expectations. Cold daylight plays havoc with such expressions of
historic symbolism. It shows the gilding, the high colors, the
make-believe material too unsparingly. It betrays the utter modernity of
the costumed posturers standing for legendary and historic figures.
Perhaps this was not the view of the cheering thousands as the floats
passed by. Art-knowledge makes one hypercritical and art-smattering
makes one expect too much. Let us take it as it seemed to the
multitude—the heroism of history on wheels.
But the parade, on its really inspiring side, was its men. As phalanx
after phalanx passed by at a marching step one felt the greatness of the
land that had beckoned to the peoples of the world with such commanding
gesture that they had sent hither the flower of their manhood to share
the great heritage of democracy on a continent of unbounded opportunity.
There they were, the Irish, the Italian, the Teuton, the Magyar, the
French, the Scotch, the Dutch, the English, the Czech, the Pole, the
Slav, the Greek, the Syrian, the Dane, the Swede; and the man of the
great conglomerate, the man of the evolving type—the American.
After the line of splendid-looking mounted police, trim-built and firmly
seated with many a Celtic face among them, marched on foot Hermann
Ridder and the Mayor—two contrasting figures—Ridder, tall and erect, the
Mayor short and dapper. Together they stepped the length of the way,
both beaming with fair satisfaction, the populace cheering and the band
playing.
Then came a line of green, Irish flags with crownless harps of gold.
The Irish had the right of the line—the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick
(with whom the American-Irish Historical Society marched) were at the
head of the parade, William Temple Emmet leading. Following came the
Ancient Order of Hibernians with many Irish banners and led by Thomas
Kelly. They wore wide-brimmed felt hats of military trim, and carried
themselves admirably. Band after band and phalanx after phalanx of this
nationality or that came on, some like the Hungarians in marvels of
hussar costume, others in military coats, the breasts covered with
multitudes of medals, won maybe at schutzenfest or turnverein, but
probably not in war.
The Clan-na-Gael made a gallant showing, and the Irish Athletic
societies, headed by the redoubtable P. J. Conway, turned out in force,
marching with a free swing that caught the onlookers immensely. A
feature was the Tammany column—a thousand or more tall-hatted and
frock-coated stalwart, presentable men, with Charles F. Murphy at their
head. They paraded, be it understood, as representing the charitable and
benevolent and not the political side of the long-lived organization.
They were popular with the crowds.
Notable was the passage of the Clermont float. It was well known to all
that Martin Sheridan and John Flannagan were to be there, and where
there was any doubt among the onlookers as to which was which, were not
the policemen along the route ready to tell them? “That’s Martin
Sheridan, the man in the bell-topper,” alluding to the remarkable
headgear under which the great athlete stood for the great inventor. So
the cheers billowed for the Clermont all the way, a cheer for Robert
Fulton and “a tiger, boys, for Martin!”
THE POLICE AND THEIR TASK.
And as to those great-bodied policemen who held the swarming, sometimes
obstreperous, but generally patient crowds in check, how finely they did
it all. I would hesitate to say whether their faces or their accents
indicated sixty or seventy per cent. of live Celtic blood in them, but
it was not less than the lower figure, and may have been more than the
greater. They won golden opinions on every side and from all classes
that day, and for the many long, arduous days until the celebration was
over. It was not merely to hold the line—a task calling for firmness,
tact, strength and continuous good nature, but handling with skill the
enormous crowds that filled the avenues when the processions had gone
by, and all were rushing for their homes, filling to overflowing every
car-line, every elevated roadway, and particularly cramming to
congestion in the subway. In addition they had at all times to be
“guide, philosopher and friend” to the full million of visitors new to
metropolitan ways and pavements. And that was a task in itself.
THE MILITARY PARADE.
For Thursday, September 30, came another splendid day when the military
parade made New York tingle with marching tunes and the rhythmic tramp
of men. Here was something that always quickens the popular pulse. We
had seen many like it in this big, thrilling town, but none that
surpassed it. The primal impulse coming from the thought: “Here are our
defenders; here our men who face death for Fatherland,” has to answer,
no doubt, for the cheers that greet the men at arms as they swing
marching by. When kingcraft added pomp, glitter and jingle to it and
tamed the trumpet to sing a siren song, and patriotism fluttered flags
above it rich in color and hung on gold-tipped spears, the magic was
complete. Yet this pageant showed us more in one way and less in
another. More, in the fact that it showed us thousands of soldiers and
armed man o’ warsmen from many alien ships and lands—some time or other
our possible enemies, our possible allies—but all keeping step with our
own brave men in the name of a pictorial friendship and in the hope of
an unbroken peace; above all paying this passing tribute to our city and
our country. Less, in that it showed us the stripping off of the gauds
and finery of war, bringing more directly home to us that war today will
none of these, but must keep the human material of battle in ready
fighting trim. Glory was marching in khaki and scorned all gold galloon.
Over the same path as the civic procession of Tuesday came Military
Glory in its ranked and regimented thousands, giving something of the
thought that if called on to take to the trenches or march to the attack
by the time it reached Washington’s arch, the men would be ready. Thus
it gave two distinct sensations to the hundreds of thousands who watched
it, outside the particular thrills that came when some well-remembered
or much-admired division of the troopers came tramping grimly by.
Our Irish citizens enjoyed it immensely, for they knew when the
“regulars” were passing that it was dotted all over with Irish faces;
that it was the army that Andrew Jackson gloried in; that Phil Sheridan,
Kearney, Meagher and a hundred other brilliant men of Irish blood and
strain had led on fields of death. Was not their own 69th there swinging
along as it had swung at any time in fifty years that the country
called? It was, and gallantly held its own for drill and trim and
soldier bearing. Did they not warm to the thought that the Irish
volunteers were marching, men soldiering for the very love of it, and
cherishing an olden hope that sometime, somewhere they might be allowed
to charge a battery or storm a height for Ireland—Ireland far away, but
Ireland ever near to their hearts. And this thought gave friendliness to
their hail of the French marines and the French sailors, for the French
had been Ireland’s friend as well as America’s in the old troubled
times, and many a one lilted under his breath “Oh, the French are on the
sea, says the Shan van Vocht” when the Gallic tri-color went dancing
past. These thoughts made it seem tolerable that the English were in the
line and went so far as to let them give the Germans a cheer or two, and
extending various degrees of approval to Italians, Brazilians and
Argentines. But the West Point cadets! There, the innate love of the
fighting man by the fighting race found intimate appeal. Many the Irish
captain, great in the battlefield, had learned the grim trade in that
battalion, and now to see how fine and supple yet tense they seemed, how
superbly they marched, how arrowlike their alignment, how wonderfully
they wheeled or countermarched, and the bands playing through it all. It
was a glorious day for all who took part and all who looked on.
THE NAVAL PARADE.
Another day on the water came with Friday, October 1, and the weather
again was all that could be wished. Early the excursion steamers took on
their loads, for the route was long of the Naval Parade. Shorn of the
hundreds of tugboats and small craft that had swarmed the water on the
Saturday before, it was a powerful and select squadron that turned its
prows upstream to escort the Half Moon and the Clermont as far as
Newburg, fifty-five miles above New York. The torpedo boats and a couple
of the new sub-marines formed the governmental escorting party—the very
old and the very new thus touching sides—and then came over one hundred
powerful craft in line, decked in vari-colored bunting and with bands
playing. It was a splendid sight, as passing the war ships they swept on
beyond Manhattan island up the broad, deep stream. Commander Peary on
his stout ship, Roosevelt, freshly arrived that morning from the North
and his conquest of the Pole, received the tribute of the thousands in
the procession. The dark rocky masses of the Palisades, now glowing here
and there with autumn foliage, towered on the left, and on the right lay
the river towns set amid fields and woods.
Many a flag of Ireland fluttered from the upper works of the great swift
steamer “Asbury Park” on which had gathered some nine hundred of the
Friendly Sons of St. Patrick and the American-Irish Historical Society
with their families and friends. Every provision for their comfort had
been made, and the occasion rapidly became one of delightful enjoyment
under the stimulation of the grand and historic scenery of the noble
river, and the glow of friendly courtesy wherever the Irish race
foregathers. The pace could not be very fast, for the greatest of the
steamers was bound by the speed of the slowest, and these latter were
the Half-Moon and the Clermont. All the more could the time of
observation of the many points of interest along the river be extended.
Dobb’s Ferry, where Washington had headquarters for so long, while his
little army watched the English forces then holding New York against the
patriots. Sleepy Hollow, Washington Irving’s home and the scene of his
romance of The Headless Horseman, were pointed out. Tarrytown, where
Major André, the British spy, was arrested, and Tappan, where he was
executed, were noted as the line of steamers ploughed through the Tappan
Zee where the Hudson broadens almost to a lake, and is four miles wide
and twelve miles long, then past the great prison of Sing Sing on the
East bank. Presently, the line was passing Stony Point, the promontory
of the Hudson near the entrance to the Highlands. And the gallant story
was retold of how the Revolutionary soldiers posted in the rude fortress
there had succumbed to an attack by the British; how the loss of the
fort rankled in the patriots’ breasts, and how, at the dead of night, in
mid-July of 1779, mad Anthony Wayne with a devoted band delivered so
sudden and overwhelming an assault that the British garrison was slain
or captured, and the stars and stripes were sent aloft never since to
give way to an alien flag. On then through the Highlands of the Hudson
where the mountains slope down to the river on either side. Old river
men aboard pointed out Fishkill Mountain, Storm King, Crow’s Nest,
Donderberg, Anthony’s Nose, names written in the history of the country
and the literature of the river. At West Point was seen perched on the
cliffs the quarters of the military academy of the United States, whence
so many great soldiers had been graduated and rich in the memory of
Ireland’s celebrated sons as well. Across the river was pointed out the
road, still winding down to the stream, by which the traitor, Benedict
Arnold, fled, taking boat to the English brig of war, when he surely
knew that his treason had been discovered in the capture of Major André.
Swinging carefully then around the West Point bend in the river, that
scene of rare beauty—the straight stretch of ten miles up to Newburg
bay—broke upon the view.
[Illustration:
WILLIAM TEMPLE EMMET, ESQ.,
Member of the Society, and President of the Society of the Friendly
Sons
of St. Patrick in the City of New York.
]
MEETING OF THE AMERICAN IRISH HISTORICAL SOCIETY.
Under the inspiration of these stirring memories, the stimulus of the
celebration and the desire of all concerned, a brief but memorable
meeting of the American-Irish Historical Society was held on the forward
covered deck of the “Asbury Park.” The Vice President of the New York
Chapter discussed the events of the day and the week, and the Irish
share therein, extending welcome to the members who had come from other
states at the Chapter’s call to meet their brethren in this festal trip,
and called on President-General, Dr. Francis J. Quinlan, to address the
company. The members warmed to the President’s appeal, for he has the
happy gifts of enthusiasm and Celtic eloquence. He spoke for the spread
of the society and its usefulness in gathering for future generations
the story of the Irish race in America, and laying a foundation for a
greater communion among its men and women of today. He was followed by
Thomas Zanslaur Lee, Secretary General of the Society, who succinctly
told of the recent remarkable gains in membership, and gave practical
hints for a still greater accession to the Society’s ranks. William
Temple Emmet, President of the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick, made a
short speech of sympathy with the aims of the Society, and the
proceedings terminated in an interchange of salutations shared by all
present.
In Newburg bay the steamers of the fleet were gathering now, hovering
and slowly circling about the Half-Moon and the Clermont and their
escorts. The ancient town rising on the west bank of the river showed a
gala front of flags, while thousands crowded the heights to view the
scene upon the bay. The steamer Providence, bearing the officials of the
day, had drawn up to the landing, and while they took part in a
procession and made speeches appropriate to the occasion, those on the
rest of the fleet dined and made merry. Never before, perhaps, had the
waters thereabout furnished such a scene as that of the flag-decked
fleet going to and fro under the blue sky, framed in the red and gold of
autumn on the hills and breaking with screw and paddle the silver of the
wide and placid stream. Would that Washington, whose fearless eyes had
often gazed in the weary days of the long-drawn war, out over the river
there, had caught that vision of young and strong America afloat and
rejoicing a century after his passing away! His, however, were the eyes
that saw across the mountains, and in the darkest day beheld the sun
upon the hills beyond, and it is not for us to say what he did not see.
From Albany far up the Hudson had come the officials to take charge of
the Half-Moon and the Clermont, and the pleasant task of the fleet from
New York was done. Down the river, then, the prows were turned, and the
homeward journey was begun. Many were the visits made and returned on
board the “Asbury Park” as she headed south. The evening was deepening
as she came by the city now breaking into light, a beautiful spectacle.
So ended a day long to live in memory. As the excursionists stepped
ashore to each one was handed a souvenir copy of Mr. Tuite’s “Robert
Fulton and His Achievement,” which is reproduced in the volume farther
on.
By the indefatigable secretary of the New York Chapter, Alfred J.
Talley, I am furnished with the following list of the members of the
Society who with their families and friends were on board:—
Albeus T. Adams, M. E. Bannon, Michael Blake, John J. Boyle, Henry J.
Breen, William J. Broderick, Francis X. Butler, Edward R. Carroll, F.
J. Cavanaugh, J. I. C. Clarke, Andrew J. Connick, Patrick J. Conway,
Hugh M. Cox, E. J. Curry, Robert E. Danvers, Thomas F. Donnelly,
Richard J. Donovan, Willis B. Dowd, John F. Doyle, M. J. Drummond,
John J. Falahee, Joseph P. Fallon, Edward D. Farrell, Frank S. Gannon,
Charles V. Halley, John H. Halloran, John Hannon, David Healy, John J.
Hickey, Michael J. Jennings, Alfred J. Johnson, James G. Johnson,
Michael J. Joyce, Phillip J. Magrath, P. J. Kelly, T. P. Kelly, Daniel
Kennedy, T. Zanslaur Lee, Charles Leslie, Warren Leslie, Thomas S.
Lonergan, Richard J. Lyons, D. H. McBride, Robert E. McDonnell, D. J.
McGinnis, James J. McGuire, Edward J. McGuire, John C. McGuire, James
A. McKenna, Stephen McPartland, Stephen J. McPartland, J. D. Morton,
John Morgan, Bartholomew Moynahan, Michael J. Mulqueen, John E.
Murphy, Thomas F. Noonan, John E. O’Brien, John O’Connell, John G.
O’Keefe, D. P. O’Neil, James O’Shea, John O’Sullivan, Sylvester J.
O’Sullivan, James W. Power, Francis J. Quinlan, Clarence W. Ramsey,
James F. Reilly, James Rorke, Joseph Rowan, James T. Ryan, John J.
Ryan, William Ryan, Dennis A. Spellissy, Thomas N. Mulry, Alfred J.
Talley, Edward M. Tierney, Frank L. Tooley, William Tully, Watson
Vredenburgh, Jr., Henry Wright, A. J. MacGuire, Harry L. Joyce, Thomas
A. Emmet, William M. Byrne, William E. Hill, James A. McKenna, William
J. Farrell, James Martin, Daniel M. Brady, John Fitzgibbon, Timothy
Murray, William T. Emmet.
The guarantors of the contract were:
On behalf of the American Irish Historical Society: J. I. C. Clarke,
Edward J. McGuire, T. Vincent Butler, William Michael Byrne, P. J.
Magrath, Harry L. Joyce, John O’Sullivan, Francis J. Quinlan, M. D.,
Alfred J. Talley.
On behalf of the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick: William Temple Emmet,
Thomas T. Fitzsimons, Morgan J. O’Brien, Edward B. McCall, Warren
Leslie, John D. Crimmins, John G. O’Keefe, Edward R. Carroll.
THE CARNIVAL PARADE.
For finish to the week of celebration came on the evening of Saturday,
October 2, the Carnival Parade, over the same route as those of Tuesday
and Thursday. It was a brilliant spectacle of lighted floats and
costumed paraders that passed down the avenues with their strings of
electric lights on either side. One cannot describe it all except in
general terms. It defies words, as a flight of rockets defies them, but
the Germans, Austrians and Swiss, who mostly furnished the human side of
the spectacle, did nobly.
It was a week to remember, and, as has been indicated, Ireland’s sons
had a handsome share in it.
“MANHATTAN.”
An Ode for the Hudson-Fulton Celebration, September, 1909.
BY JOSEPH I. C. CLARKE.
_Here at thy broad sea gate,
On the ultimate ocean wave,
Where millions in hope have entered in,
Joyous, elate,
A home and a hearth to win;
For the promise you held and the bounty you gave,
Thou, and none other,
I call to thee, spirit; I call to thee, Mother,
America!_
_Spirit of world of the West
Throned on thy lifted sierras,
Rivers the path for thy feet,
Forests of green for thy raiment,
Wide-falling cascades the film of thy veil,
Moon-glow and star-flash thy jewels,
Sunrise the gold of thy hair,
Sweet was thy lure and compelling._
_Europe, pale, jaded, had palled us,
Asia, o’ergilded, repelled us,
Africa, desert faced, haunted us,
Thou, when in freshness of morning, hadst called us,
And wanted us,
Held us._
_Over the ocean we came then,
Wondering, hoping, adoring,
Called thee our mother, kissing thy feet,
Kindling our love into flame, then
Old worlds and old loves ignoring,
Making new bondage sweet.
Bless us today, O Mother._
Hark, how the bells are chiming,
How wind the horns, how cymbals clash,
And a chorus, in might volume timing,
To tramping beat that never lags!
Heavily booming the cannons flash,
And the air is thrilled with the snapping flags!
Where passed the grim Briton with venturing prow
In the cycles fled,
The city that stands like a fortress now,
Turreted high by the edge of the water,
America’s eldest, magnificent daughter,
With garlands is twining her brow,
For joy that her laughing heart remembers
Three hundred red and gold Septembers.
To catch the glint of her proudest glance,
To hear the heartening music of her drum,
To see her banners flutter and advance,
Glad in the sunrise, let us come,
Not as came Hudson thro’ mists of the sea—
Dipping and rolling his Dutch-built ship—
Scanning the land fall with hungering eyes
And close-clenched lip,
By morning and noon,
Creeping past headland and sand-billowed dune,
Wing-weary ghost of a phantom quest,
Steering athrill but where waters led west.
Not as when taking the sweep of the bay,
Sparkling agleam in the brave Autumn weather,
Silent of man in the new dawn aquiver,
Anchored his lone ship lay.
Not as he sailed where the hills draw together
Holding his course up the broad-breasted river,
Only the dream of Beyond in his brain,
Only the seas of Cathay to attain,
On till the narrowed stream told him ’twas vain.
Then back as one baffled, undone,
Unknowing he’d won by the gate of the sea
The throne of an empire of peoples to be.
Peace to his dream that found ghastly close
Mid the sheeted wraiths of the arctic snows!
Not as came Fulton; even he
Came brooding at the level of the sea,
Elect among the genius-brood of men,
Grandson of Ireland, son of the land of Penn,
Pale-browed, nursing a great work-day dream—
Harnessing the racers of the deep to steam
Here first his Clermont turned her paddle blades,
And so, our flag above his craft unfurled,
He steamed beneath the Palisades,
The Father of all steam-fleets of the world.
Well may Manhattan glory in his fame,
And on her highest roster carve his name,
Yet, not as came he, let us come.
No: to the skies as on wings
Let us rise
And come from the east with the faint red dawn,
Haven and harbor are carpets of trembling gold,
And the silver mist to the green hills clings
Till the mounting sun has the web withdrawn,
And behold,
The city lifts up to its height at last,
With frontage of hull and funnel and mast
In the day’s full beam,
And over the sky-topping roofs in the blue,
Over the flags of many a hue
Are waving white pennons of steam.
We know thee, Manhattan, proud queen,
And thy wonderful mural crown,
With Liberty islanded there at thy knee,
Uplifting her welcome to those who’d be free,
And beckoning earth’s trodden down.
We know how the waters divide
And unite for thy pride,
And the lofty bridges of steel stretch hands
To the burg on the height that stands
For thy wealth’s overflow:
With the freighters creeping between,
And the slow, slanted sails slipping to and fro,
As the giants of ocean steam in and go forth.
We trace thy slim island reach up to the north,
Its streets in arrowy distance aloom,
Its marts, its homes, its far off tomb;
The pleasure greens dotting thy vesture of white,
And tower and steeple like spears in the light.
Lift thee, Manhattan, no peer to thy strength,
Energy crystalled in turrets of stone,
Force chained to form thro’ thy breadth and thy length,
The builders’ Gibraltar, the fortress of trade,
Might of the mart into monument fashioned,
Mammon translated to mountain man-made,
The clouds ever nigher and nigher;
And the clang of the anvil, the steam-shriek impassioned
Seem calling from girder and frontlet of steel
Upward thrown,
With the square-chiseled blocks,
As they build ever higher and higher,
And then, for firm planting thy heel,
They delve ever deeper to heart of the rocks.
Deep in thy vitals the dynamos whirring,
Are feeding thy nerves that are wires,
Thy tunnels, thy veins,
Stretch out as the human tide swerves,
And thy hidden fires
With the breath of thy bosom stirring,
Make life in the dark for thy lightning trains.
And out of it all a new beauty arising,
The beauty of force,
Winning a triumph beyond thy devising,
Height-mad and power-glad
Pinnacled, domed, crenelated,
Masonry clambering course upon course,
To a glory of skyline serrated,
Lofty and meet
For the worship of all the waves laving thy feet.
Mighty, ay mighty Manhattan,
Grown, while Time counted but three arrow flights,
From bare strand and woodland and slow rising knoll—
A handful of redmen encamped on thy heights—
To the city of millions;
Of millions too ever the goal,
City whose riches are billions,
Whose might never fails,
Whom the nations from far off salute,
And the voice of a continent hails
On thy festival day!
While the cries of the multitude roll
In praise of thy marble-hewn body majestic,
Sing to me, queen, of thy soul.
Sing of thy spirit, thy mind,
Remembering then,
The kernel and not the rind,
The heat not the fires.
We shall not judge thee by thy tallest spires,
But by the stature of thy men;
Not thy great wealth of bales and casks and gold,
Nor mounting scales of what thou’st bought or sold
Shall here suffice,
But riches thine in virtues beyond price:
Not all thy beauteous daughters costly gowned,
But of thy women chastely wived and crowned;
Not all thy gold in public service spent,
But test of equal, honest government;
Not creeds or churches, tabernacles, shrines,
But faith that lives and love that shines;
Not courts and Judges multiplied,
But justice throned and glorified;
Thy reasons clear before the world avowed,
Not voice of easy conscience of the crowd;
Not by thy thousand colleges and schools,
But culture greater than their sums and rules;
Not by thy topmost reach of speech and song,
But by their lift of light and art that’s long,
And from the mingling races in thy blood,
The wane of evil and the growth of good;
Not the high-seated but the undertrod;
The brother love of man for man,
Ideals not ambitions in the van;
Not thy lip-worship but the imminence of God.
But we who’d mete thy steps upon the heights,
And thy soul-message ask
Know well the battles that thy day’s work brought.
No Greek Atlantis are thou, Plato’s thought
Made sudden real;
No fair Utopia thou of mounts ideal,
Eased of thy burden and thy task
With long surmountings in the darkness fraught.
Swift thy foundations grew, but nights of tears
And days of dark foreboding marked thy years.
Here freedom battled with the tyrant’s might,
Here Washington—Immortal One—made fight.
Here swung the prison ships and here the jail
Whose gallows freed the soul of Nathan Hale.
The orange flag of Holland flew
Above thee for a space.
Then England’s red for decades few
Flushed crimson in thy face,
Until our arms set over thee
The flag none may displace;
That waving free shall cover thee
While lasts the human race—
The flag that to the breeze we threw
When skies of hope were bare,
Its red our blood, the sky its blue,
Its stars our watchlights there.
Full oft the ocean harvests at thy doors
Shed sodden grain upon thy threshing floors,
The sound, sweet ears with wild tares reached thee mixed,
Long-fixed beliefs came hitherward unfixed.
Long-crushed desires that freedom bids to bloom,
The yoke thrown off, for lawlessness made room.
How could it other? Shorn of lords and guides
They pressed atow’rd thee over westering tides.
From lands of Czars and Princes still they come,
Some young and lusty, open-browed, and some
Oppression-stunted, famine-driven, sad.
All praying thee for welcome fair and glad—
A niche, a shelter, honest toil and home,
And these thou givest, Queen beside the foam.
And stout their grateful millions stand on guard,
Their brain and muscle working thee reward—
The solid Dutch, the level English strain,
The gifted French, our allies tried and true,
The German staunch, the Kelt of Ireland bold,
Italian fire and Spanish pride; the Jew
Keen-witted, dragging here no ghetto chain;
Each giving thee their lore, their art of old;
Each fired by thee with hopes and raptures new.
And Queen, thy women exquisite,
Thy clear-eyed maids, thy mothers pure—
Pledge of thy greatness sweetly to endure!
By these I bless thee in thy day of joy,
Thy wide-thrown halls, thy hospitable board,
Thy heart of anxious service, and the rays
Of kindliness within thy bosom stored.
No evil shall thy graciousness destroy,
And so I bid thee with increasing days
No whit thy fair ambitions to abate;
Fulfill thy destiny of good and great.
Hark, the message of Manhattan’s soul!
_Constant my soul on the hard path of duty,
Striving to win to the levels above,
Longing my soul in the gardens of beauty,
Eager my soul in the service of love,
Tender my soul to the angels of pity,
Humble my soul to the bearers of light,
Fearless my soul at the gates of the city,
Stalwart my soul for the ultimate right._
_Mighty my dreams of a city imperial,
Radiant, free with an ordered law,
Rich, but with mind-gold beyond the material,
Powerful, merciful, just without flaw,
Thrift-strong and gentle-voiced, rippling with laughter,
Song-filled, and thrilled with the triumphs of art,
Poverty banished, and now and hereafter,
Peace in my bosom, joy in my heart._
IRISH STARS IN THE ARCHIVES OF NEW YORK PROVINCE.
BY HON. HUGH HASTINGS, FORMER STATE HISTORIAN OF NEW YORK.
The Irish have never been known as explorers or as discoverers. Their
forte is recognized as establishing success where others have tried and
failed. Stranded as they were on their desert habitat, we can easily
understand why the early annals of our country are not more frequently
embellished by Irish names. As early as October 12, 1605, Sir Arthur
Chichester wrote from Ireland to the English prime minister, Robert
Cecil, Earl of Salisbury, that it “was absurd folly to run over the
world in search of colonies in Virginia or Guiana, whilst Ireland was
lying desolate.” The first expedition that left England—almost three
years before Henry Hudson discovered the river that bears his
name—brought over the first Irishman to America, Francis Maguire, who
arrived at Jamestown Virginia, with Captain Christopher Newport, May 6,
new style, 1607. Maguire remained in the new country for nearly a year
and returned to England with Newport. He wrote an account of his voyage
to Virginia and submitted it to the Privy Council of Spain.
Many years elapse before an Irish name is discovered among the early
settlers of New York, and then it is so overwhelmed and encumbered with
Dutch orthography and Dutch pronunciation as to be well nigh
indistinguishable, even to its owner if he ever ran over it. Against an
ancient Dutch muster roll profound knowledge must bow deferentially. The
most expert linguist stands in awe of it, and his most skilful
expedients are often baffled in efforts to translate it, for the
Seventeenth Century Dutch scrivener knew, read, saw, felt, thought,
recognized nothing but Dutch—nor were mustees, Indians and negroes
exempt from this classification. All were clothed in Dutch
orthographical habiliments as religiously as they were fed with suppawn
at breakfast, whether it was welcome or not.
When the time arrived, however, for Irish names to appear officially in
the Archives of the Province of New York, it is supremely gratifying to
us, who are proud of our Irish blood and the State and country in which
we live, to discover two bright particular stars blazing steadily from a
firmament black with corruption.
When Thomas Dongan, a gallant soldier and experienced man of affairs,
arrived in New York City, in the fiftieth year of his age, as governor
of the province, liberty of action was restrained as arbitrarily as
liberty of speech was repressed. The printing press was embargoed.
Freedom of worship was circumscribed. Quakers and Jews were ostracized
and driven from the pale. Dongan was charged by his royal master with
three important duties:
1. To call an assembly of representatives of New York.
2. To allure the Indians from the French.
3. To introduce the Roman Catholic religion into the Province.
The first was easy of accomplishment, for the governor was simply
required to carry out the King’s orders, which were most agreeable to
the persons directly affected. The second was facilitated by the
governor’s recognized status as a Catholic. The third was impossible,
because of the anomalous position of the King and the avowed and
deep-rooted hostility of the people to the church of Rome. Furthermore,
in the prosecution of his work toward the fulfillment of these
obligations the governor invariably was balked by the prurient meddling
of his royal master.
The General Assembly met at Fort James in the Battery, New York, in
October, 1683, held a three weeks’ session and passed fourteen measures,
including the famous “Charter of Liberties and Privileges.” In this act
occurred the first official mention of “the people” in a constitutional
document in America, or, as it reads, the supreme authority under the
King and the duke “shall forever reside in a governor, council and the
people met in general assembly.” It was also provided that the
representatives should appoint their times of meeting and that they
could adjourn from interval to interval at their will; that no tax
should be imposed but by the consent of the governor, the council of
twenty-one and the representatives; and that no billeting of troops in
time of peace should be tolerated. Full and free liberty was granted to
all persons professing faith in God by Jesus Christ, unmolested to
exercise the mode of worship agreeable to them, provided “the good
people be not disturbed.” To Albany and New York were given charters.
In this connection before proceeding to the consideration of the broader
lines of Dongan’s policy and of the matters he accomplished or failed to
accomplish, it may not be amiss to glance at some of the restrictions
placed upon and some of the liberties enjoyed by the New Yorker of that
period. The population of the province was estimated at 20,000 souls.
None but freemen were permitted to sell by retail or exercise any
handicraft trade; a tax of £3, 12s. was laid upon every merchant and
shopkeeper and of £1, 4s. upon every handicraft man when set free; only
freemen or a resident of the city three years were permitted to trade
upon Hudson river; all the inhabitants on the Hudson river were
prohibited from trading across the sea; bakers were required to keep
good household bread made of flour, as “the meals come from the mill”;
no flour bolted or “bisket” should be made for exportation but in the
city; no flour or bread should be imported into the city from any other
part of the province; the assize for bread was established every three
months.
A few ancient police regulations of Dongan’s time will forcibly appeal
to the modern dweller in New York. Servile work on the Lord’s day was
proscribed under a penalty of ten shillings, with double the fine for
each repetition. Children were forbidden from gathering in the streets
or places to play on that day. Public houses were prohibited from
selling liquor on the Sabbath during divine service unless to
travellers. Constables were compelled to walk the streets with their
staffs to see that the law was fulfilled, and were further required to
return the names of all strangers that come to reside within the ward as
masters of public houses were ordered to report all strangers that come
to lodge or live with them, as the custom is today in every European
city. In the days of Dongan twenty carmen and no more were appointed
under proper regulations—one of which demanded that they fill up, amend
and repair the breaches in the streets and highways, in and about the
city, when required by the Mayor, gratis. No negro or other slave was
permitted to drive any cart, except brewers’ drays, within the city. The
carrying of concealed weapons was interdicted.
The high hopes the colonists had entertained of the liberal and
enlightened policy James had outlined by Dongan’s introduction were soon
dashed to the ground and they suffered all the pangs of a crushing
disappointment. The Assembly promised by the Charter of Liberties was
never convened, for in February, 1685, Charles II, King of England,
died. His brother, the Duke of York, ascended the throne and as James
the King promptly repudiated the Colonial policy of James the Duke, the
charter was vetoed, the Assembly was abolished and the province was
precipitated backward to the old Monarchial order of things.
Dongan in the meantime had won the affection and confidence of the
Iroquois, partly by means of his religious professions and by his tact
and straightforwardness in dealing with them. The innocent-hearted child
of the forest trusted Corlear most implicitly in spite of French
intrigue and French subsidies. It was the influence which Dongan had
gained that restrained the tribes from a contemplated foray in Virginia.
With the Indian situation confidently in his hand, Dongan was checked by
his King, who had entered into a religious coalition with Louis XIV, the
most powerful sovereign in Europe. James ordered the governor to prevent
the Iroquois from attending a council in Canada to entertain proposals
for peace. The lieutenant on the ground, unbiased by notions of European
politics, far better understood the situation in New York than his royal
master three thousand miles away. The governor was more far-sighted than
his King. Dongan diligently aspired to annihilate French supremacy over
the Indians, but questioned the wisdom of using Jesuits, whose
predilections for the French were well known to him. The Iroquois were
loyal to New York and had never forgiven the French for the seizure of
their sachems by order of Louis XIV. Dongan faithfully attempted to
foster the former sentiment, as he never neglected an opportunity to
remind his red allies of the latter prejudice. The efficacious methods
he had pursued were destroyed by the treaty of neutrality which
inhibited New England and France from assisting Indians who were at war
with one another.
Dongan’s crowning offense, however, in the eyes of his King was his
failure to force his faith upon a people who were in no mood, as later
events proved, to permit their religious prejudices to be tampered with.
Again were the prudence and the wisdom of the lieutenant demonstrated at
the expense of the intelligence of the King. Dongan’s loyalty and
devotion to his church never was doubted nor questioned. The course he
pursued reflects the highest credit upon his conservatism, his courage
and his fidelity to religious principle. If any event were needed in the
life of a King to prove deficiency in judgment, and incompetence as a
ruler, the action of the unfortunate James II in superseding Thomas
Dongan at this critical time and for the specific cause selected would
prove sufficient and convincing.
We all have read and listened to the marvellous tales of that jaunty
terror of the seas, Captain William Kidd, and been brought up from
childhood on the mournful ballad of William Moore—household names both
of them—but how many remember the importance of the influence exercised
in those days by the governor of New York, Richard Coote, Earl of
Bellomont, in the formation of the expedition organized by the former
and in the apprehension of the culprit for the murder of the latter. The
times were scandalously corrupt and corrupt individuals lived
extravagantly up to the times. Land-grabbing was practised as an art in
New York then as it is practised in Oregon today. Indian rings and land
grants were common and notorious and flourished brazenly. Officers of
the Crown who should have crushed them were often ringleaders in
organizing them; ministers of the gospel, who should have interceded for
and protected the innocent child of the forest, basely betrayed their
trust, and were leagued in corruption to acquire vast tracts of valuable
land from the confiding aboriginal owner. The governor of the province
seldom arose above his environment. As a rule he possessed no
capabilities for the position. If he were not bankrupt he was ignorant,
or a degenerate representative of the nobility, despatched to New York
to repair or redeem his shattered fortune or to make one by whatever
means he might employ, the province being regarded by the home
authorities as a common receptacle to be utilized for the purposes
named. Sympathy for the colonists on the part of a governor was
displayed as seldom as integrity or interest in the future of the
province. The ambition of the governor seemed to be bounded by
perquisites and he generally left the shores of New York for England
with a fortune that placed him on a plane with the richest men of the
old world. Privateering was a prolific source of revenue. No man with
ready cash disdained identity with it. It was countenanced by so
gracious a ruler as William III, who encouraged and patronized it. A
change of flag only was necessary to convert an innocent privateer into
a ferocious and bloodthirsty pirate. These wild rovers of the sea
respected neither vessel nor nation. Many bore commissions from James II
and from William III and many bore none at all. Governor Fletcher was
their acknowledged friend and alleged co-partner in their villainies.
New York City was their recognized headquarters.
It was because Bellomont had established a reputation as a man of
resolution and of integrity that he was chosen by his King as governor
of New York. His orders imposed obligations that reflected credit upon
his abilities as an executive of the purest virtue and the strongest
character. Discontent and disorder were rampant because of the cruel
murder of Leisler and Milborne. Uneasiness and anxiety prevailed
throughout the province because of the threatened attitude of the
Indians. The rapacity and greed of his predecessor, Fletcher, had
engendered enmities and jealousies that even the mighty resources of the
King were powerless to allay.
Bellomont’s requisition for a frigate to suppress piracy was vetoed, for
the reason that England needed her entire available marine force for
service in home waters because of the war with France. The suggestion of
a private ship was more successful and met with the financial assistance
of the King, the duke of Shrewsbury, lord chancellor Somers, the Earls
of Oxford and Romney, Robert Livingston and others, Bellomont assuming
the responsibility of equipment. It was this ship, the _Adventure_,
which was turned over to William Kidd, a resident of New York, then in
London. Kidd, beyond question, ranks as the transcendent specimen of his
class. He was a navigator _par excellence_, a man of the world; a type
that, when pushed by fortune into any orbit, commands the situation by
the power of his own robust characteristics. Kidd’s orders were simple.
He was to prey upon French commerce and to destroy pirates. In the first
desideratum he proved a failure; in the second, by becoming a pirate
himself he achieved a brilliant and, in the end, a fatal success. Upon
his career on the high seas, as a privateer and pirate, it is not
necessary to dilate. Two years after his departure from Plymouth he
arrived in New York, only to find that his friend, Governor Fletcher,
and other piratical sympathizers were no longer in control of the
affairs of the province. Kidd sailed Eastward along the Sound and buried
part of his plunder on Gardiner’s Island. He then proceeded to Boston,
where he appeared on the streets in the gorgeous raiment of a man of
fashion. Governor Bellomont happened to meet him, recognized him,
arrested him and shipped him to Europe. Kidd was tried and convicted for
the murder of William Moore—and was hanged as a pirate.
In the meantime Bellomont deplored the legacy his predecessor, Fletcher,
had left him: A divided people, an empty purse, a few miserable, naked,
half-starved soldiers, not half the number the King allowed pay for; the
fortifications and the governor’s house very much out of repair, and “in
a word the whole government was out of frame.” The province was rent
with turmoil and turbulence in consequence of the Leisler-Milborne
rebellion. The new governor’s sympathies had been drawn toward the
martyr Leisler, whose enemies in the aristocratic party resisted almost
to the point of violence Bellomont’s efforts to make restitution for a
monstrous crime. As a rebuke to the rascality of his predecessor
Bellomont had declared: “I will take care there shall be no
misapplication of the public money; I will pocket none of it myself nor
shall there be embezzlement by others.” To this standard he
unflinchingly held. No breath of scandal, no charge of prostitution of
duty for self-aggrandizement tainted his reputation. He loyally
protected the interests of those whom he was sent to govern. He was
distinctively a statesman of the constructive school, in marked
contradistinction to many of those governors who preceded and who
followed him, who pursued a policy of confiscation or of destruction—of
confiscation in grabbing everything in sight and of destruction by
undermining the liberties of the people and by attempted restriction of
their God-given rights. Under Bellomont’s short administration the
frontiers were strengthened, a library was established, printing was
encouraged, shipping promoted and education, which had been neglected,
stimulated. His untimely death, however, prevented the development of
many beneficent reforms which he had under contemplation.
Under the cloak of politics repressive religious measures were adopted
and inhuman persecutions practised. Dongan, an Irish Catholic, favored
an act permitting Jews to exercise their religion, but the New York
Common Council vetoed the proposition, while Bellomont, an Irish church
of England worshipper, approved the measure proscribing priests, on the
ground that Catholic prelates uniformly labored to excite the Indians
against the Anglo-Americans. Both governors recommend themselves to
posterity for enlightened statesmanship that throws into deep obscurity
the times in which they lived. Dongan brought to the province of New
York the first semblance of a representative form of government; under
Lord Bellomont the first spark of American Independence flashes, by the
demand that the colonists repudiate the laws of England because the
colonists are not represented in the parliament that frames these laws.
The board of trade of London directs Bellomont to check this heresy
because “the independence the Colonists thirst for is so notorious.”
During the Colonial epoch England assigned many men to govern New York.
The governor possessed unlimited despotic powers. He exercised authority
denied to the King. He not only made the laws but interpreted and
executed them, and when necessary unmade them. He usurped the
prerogatives of the Assembly and of the courts; his council was merely
an aggregation of automatons who danced when he pulled the string. No
act of the Assembly was placed on the statute book without his signature
and no decision of the court was valid until he, as chief justice,
passed judgment, and in this respect he exercised powers denied to the
King, for his Majesty, while permitted to sit on the king’s bench, was
prohibited from expressing judgment. There were two governors of early
New York who never have been brought under the ban of usurping the
functions of the coördinate branches of government nor of debasing the
powers confided to them by their superiors, Thomas Dongan and the Earl
of Bellomont. No charge ever has been brought that they carried away
money unworthily raised or dishonestly made. Nor has either ever been
accused of using his high position for unmeritorious or discreditable
purposes. Both, however, have received the encomiums and praise of
historians of England and America as rulers and statesmen of the highest
degree of efficiency and honesty at a time when the standard of morals
and of statesmanship was lamentably low and unquestionably debased.
Toward both every Irishman and every New Yorker should turn with
sentiments of the strongest esteem and admiration of the highest
calibre, not only in commendation of the success they gained in the
fulfillment of official obligations in the face of discouraging and
corrupt environment, but for the sturdy and sterling manhood they
displayed in the maintenance of their official honor and in the normal
performance of their official duty.
In this connection it may not be amiss for us to pay a deserved tribute
to Dr. Edmund Bailey O’Callaghan, a native of Ireland, who was more
instrumental in awakening the study of the Dutch language and of our
priceless Dutch records than any other man since the creation of the
State of New York. Dr. O’Callaghan represented the type of the pushing,
aggressive and scholarly Irishman. Two years of his early life were
devoted to the study of medicine in Paris. At the age of twenty-six he
crossed the ocean, settled in Canada and at once became prominent in the
agitation for Catholic emancipation in Ireland and England. He became
secretary of an organization for Irish immigrants to America, edited a
newspaper in Montreal, and was sent to the Provincial Parliament, where
his activity and ability placed him in the front rank as a leader. His
radical views and conduct, however, brought a mob of tories to his
office and led to the destruction of his type, press and establishment.
His neighbors, however, made it so unpleasant that he was compelled to
seek refuge in the United States when he was forty years of age. He
established his residence in Albany, was fortunate in the selection of
his most intimate friend, Chancellor Reuben Hyde Walworth, practised his
profession with more or less success, and at the same time conducted an
industrial paper called the _Northern Light_. It was at this period
that, during the anti-rent disturbances, he undertook the study of the
Dutch language. His “History of New Netherlands” made him famous and
stimulated the study of Colonial records and Colonial research
throughout the United States.
[Illustration:
HONORABLE JAMES FITZGERALD.
Justice of Supreme Court of the State of New York.
]
THE SIXTY-NINTH REGIMENT, NEW YORK CITY.
_A Paper Read before the American-Irish Historical Society, at its
Twelfth Annual Meeting, Held at the Hotel Plaza, New York City,
Saturday, January 8, 1910, by Hon. James Fitzgerald, Justice of the
Supreme Court of the State of New York._
The patriotic founders of our government looked with disfavor upon the
existence of large standing armies in times of peace for very many
reasons. Not only did they consider them a tax upon industry and a drain
upon the young manhood of the country, but they felt that their
maintenance constituted a menace to liberty, and yet these wise and far
seeing builders of the Republic realized that there could be no security
for personal liberty or property rights in a State that had not at its
command an armed force, and so we find imbedded in the fundamental law a
provision that “a well regulated militia being necessary to the security
of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not
be infringed” (Art. 2, 1st Amendts. U. S. Const. March, 1789). Freedom
had just been achieved by the sword, and that reliance for its
preservation must at all times rest upon arms was a doctrine to which
the statesmen of the Revolution unreservedly subscribed. Soldiers were
necessary but it was not necessary that all good soldiers should be
professionals. To citizens engaged in the ordinary avocations of life,
in industrial arts, in commercial pursuits, in commerce or trade, in the
professions, military instruction could be given, opportunities for
practice and drill formations afforded, including lessons in the
organization and mobilization of armies, so that when necessity
required, a well disciplined armed body might be readily summoned from
civil ranks for service in the field and as readily absorbed back into
industrial life when the hour of peril had passed, the threatened danger
had been averted and the emergency no longer existed for martial music,
emblazoned banners, marching legions and tented fields.
Since the earliest settlement of this continent, the Irish race has been
prominently identified with our history. Irishmen were among the first
settlers; they continued to come uninterruptedly, they are still coming,
and unless conditions change very much for the better in the Green Isle,
they are going to keep on coming in the future. The spirit of
Irish-Americanism is a spirit of intense Americanism; it stands for the
Union of States, the sovereignty of the flag, obedience to the laws,
loyalty to the government, good citizenship in peace, and in war, prompt
response when volunteers are called for. Volumes would be insufficient
to spread the record of the achievements of the sons of Erin upon
American battlefields; individuals might be cited by the score or by the
hundred whose intrepidity and devotion shed glory upon our arms on sea
and shore.
The Constitution of the State of New York, adopted April 20, 1777,
contained the clause: “The militia of this State at all times hereafter,
as well in peace as in war, shall be armed, disciplined and ready for
service.” The necessary enactments to carry out this provision were
provided for by legislation the following year. (Chap. 33. “An Act for
regulating the Militia of the State of New York.” Passed April 3, 1778;
Chap. 46, An Act to amend an act entitled “An Act for regulating the
Militia of the State of New York.” Passed June 30, 1778.) Outside of a
few cities, while the militia force was large upon paper, it was in
reality but a mere skeleton. Until at the end of 1860, there were less
than 15,000 men uniformed, disciplined and drilled, or in any sort of
readiness for military duty, and this meagre force was chiefly confined
to the cities of New York and Brooklyn, with contingents at Kingston and
Albany.
The first record of the 69th Regiment of New York City is the order
issued by the Adjutant General, bearing date November 1, 1851, and
designated “General Order 489.” This order provided for the
consolidation into a single regiment of a number of independent
companies which had been separately organized prior to that time chiefly
by men of Irish birth or parentage. About this period, owing to the vast
volume of immigration in the preceding decade, New York contained the
largest Irish population of any city in the world, and from the first,
the 69th became identified in the public mind as a regiment composed of
Irishmen. Among its early officers appear the names of some men who were
well-known in connection with the Young Ireland movement, which had
culminated but a few years previously. Its first commander was Colonel
Charles S. Roe, who served until 1854, and was succeeded by Colonel
James B. Ryan, who was followed August 26, 1859, by the gallant and
beloved Col. Michael Corcoran. The regiment crept early into the
affections of the people of the metropolis and was beloved by the Irish
residents. Its distinctive character was manifested in numerous and
emphatic ways,—sometimes by the wearing of green faced tunics, at others
by the display of plumes showing the green above the red, the carrying
of the Irish flag, or other similar devices. It had usually the right of
the line in the St. Patrick’s Day parades, and in all functions in which
it participated, its approach was heralded by the strains of well-known
Irish music. It rapidly became the typical Irish military organization
of the country, and for its success or failure, the children of the race
throughout the Union felt themselves responsible.
In 1860, the then Prince of Wales—now Edward VII, King of Great
Britain—visited the United States, and was scheduled to arrive in New
York City on Thursday, October 11, of that year. The First Division, New
York State Militia, was ordered out to receive him and directed to form
at the Battery for the purpose of parade and review. All the regiments
of the Division with the exception of the Sixty-ninth Regiment,
assembled at the time and place appointed for the formation. The order
received by Colonel Corcoran from headquarters was not promulgated, and
he was immediately ordered under arrest and a court martial summoned to
try him upon a charge of disobedience of orders. This circumstance fixed
firmly in the public mind the race and sentiments of the commander and
the men of the 69th.
April 12, 1861, witnessed the firing upon Fort Sumter, and on the 15th,
President Lincoln issued his proclamation calling out the militia of the
several states to the number of 75,000 men, and five days thereafter,
the court martial which had been ordered to try Colonel Corcoran was
dissolved, the pending charges were dismissed, and he was at once
restored to his command. The order dismissing the charges, which bears
date, April 20, 1861, is designated Special Order No. 9, and reads as
follows:
“In pursuance of Special Orders No. 58 from General Headquarters, the
Court Martial detailed for the trial of Colonel Corcoran is dissolved,
and the charges dismissed, and Colonel Corcoran is directed forthwith
to resume the command of his regiment.
“By order of
“CHARLES W. SANFORD,
“_Major-General_.
“GEORGE W. MORELL,
“_Div. Eng’r. and Div. Insp’r._”
Colonel Corcoran at once resumed command of the regiment and issued
General Order No. 1, an historic order concluding with the words: “The
Commandant feels proud that his first duty after being relieved from a
long arrest is to have the honor of promulgating an order to the
regiment to rally to the support of the Constitution and Laws of the
United States.” Within twenty-four hours from the posting of this order,
six thousand men had volunteered, but the instructions of Governor
Morgan prohibited the enlistment of more than the regimental compliment
of one thousand men. The twenty-third of April, 1861, dawned bright and
clear, but warmer than usual at that season, over the Empire City;
apprehension and gloom prevailed throughout the country; ten sovereign
states had formed a powerful confederacy and were in armed revolt
against the authority of the Federal Government. Many of the ablest
soldiers and statesmen of the Republic had taken their stand against the
Union; the timid were upon the verge of panic, and misgivings and
uncertainty were paralyzing even the resolute and strong. Under such
circumstances, faithful and loyal, the gallant Sixty-ninth Militia
assembled in Prince Street, near the then St. Patrick’s Cathedral, the
Cathedral of the great Archbishop of New York, the Most Reverend John
Hughes, and proceeded thence to the rendezvous at Great Jones Street.
Hope was given to the hearts of the good people of this city as they
witnessed the spirit displayed by this brave body of citizen soldiery,
and when at the appointed hour, the order to march was sounded and the
regiment proceeded down Broadway to the strains of martial music, the
surging multitude that lined the streets, the myriad spectators that
filled the windows along the route to Cortlandt Street broke into
continuous cheers. Twin flags floated everywhere on that day. Twin
banners were carried by the regimental standard bearers—the flag of
Columbia with all its stars emblazoned on its field of blue, the green
banner of Erin with the harp uncrowned. The regiment boarded the Steamer
“James Adger,” at Pier 4, North River, reached Annapolis on the
twenty-sixth of April, and proceeding up the Potomac to Washington by
Steamer “Marion,” was mustered into the service of the United States on
May 9 for three months. The following is a list of the field, staff and
company commanders at this time:
FIELD AND STAFF.
Colonel—Michael Corcoran, Commanding.
Lieutenant Colonel—Robert B. Nugent.
Major—James Bagley.
Adjutant—John McKeon.
Chaplain—Rev. Thomas Mooney.
Engineers—Hon. John H. McCunn, James B. Kirker.
Surgeon—Dr. James L. Kiernan.
Assistant Surgeon—Robert Johnson.
Quartermaster—Joseph B. Tully.
Paymaster—Martin Kehoe.
COMPANY COMMANDERS.
Company “A”—Captain Haggerty.
Company “B”—Captain Lynch.
Company “C”—Captain Cavanagh.
Company “D”—Captain Clark.
Company “E”—Captain Kelly.
Company “F”—Captain Breslin.
Company “G”—Captain Duffy.
Company “H”—Captain James Kelly.
On the 22nd of May a body of three hundred men, known as Meagher’s
Zouaves, recruited after the regiment’s departure, joined Colonel
Corcoran at the Capitol City. At midnight on the 23d of May the 69th,
together with the 5th Massachusetts, the 28th New York, and a detachment
of regular cavalry, crossed the Aqueduct Bridge at Georgetown into
Virginia. On the following morning the regiment began the construction
of Fort Corcoran, which, with Fort Runyon, constituted the first regular
works erected by Federalist forces at the beginning of the Civil War,
and the ceremonies attending the raising of the flag on the occasion
were participated in by Colonel Corcoran, Colonel David Hunter and
Captain Thomas Francis Meagher, two of whom subsequently attained the
rank of Brigadier General (Corcoran and Meagher) and the third of whom
(Hunter) afterwards became a Major General. The 69th, together with the
79th and 13th New York and 2d Wisconsin regiments, and a Battery of
Light Artillery, U. S. A., composed the 3d Brigade of the 1st Division
of McDowell’s Army, having for its Brigade Commander Colonel William
Tecumseh Sherman, of the 13th U. S. Infantry, whose distinguished
achievements in after years elevated him to foremost rank among the
great Captains of history. Brigadier General Daniel Tyler commanded the
division.
On July 21st, the regiment participated in the Battle of Bull Run
(Manassas). Col. Corcoran was wounded and fell into the hands of the
Confederates. The regiment lost one hundred and fifty of its members,
among them its gallant Acting Lieutenant Colonel James Haggerty, of whom
the eloquent Meagher said: “No braver soldier was ever produced by the
land of Sarsfield and Shields.” The three months period of service
having expired, the 69th Regiment, New York State Militia, was mustered
out of the United States service August 3, 1861, and returned to New
York City, resuming its position as a militia regiment of the State. The
time for which the regiment had been called into service had ended but
the great war had only fairly begun, and President Lincoln having issued
his call for 500,000 men for three years or the war, about 800 of the
returned militiamen volunteered to re-enlist, and on August 30, 1861,
under orders from the War Department, the 69th Regiment, New York
Volunteers, was formed. Robert Nugent was selected as Colonel; James
Kelly, Lieutenant Colonel; and James Cavanagh, Major. This regiment was
rapidly recruited to full strength, and so many additional recruits
presented themselves that it was decided to organize a brigade. The 63d
and 88th Regiments, together with the 14th and 15th Independent
Batteries, New York Light Artillery, in furtherance of this design, were
immediately formed. The organization of the brigade was entrusted to
Thomas Francis Meagher, who, on February 6, 1862, assumed its command as
Brigadier General. This gifted and daring soldier and patriot, the
Commander of the Irish Brigade, will ever be remembered as a conspicuous
figure of his time. In his early manhood, by gift of genius, he had
leaped to foremost rank among public men in his native isle. He had
pleaded the doctrine of armed resistance to tyranny with an inspired
eloquence and had defied the might of his country’s oppressors by
participating in an insurrection; he had been condemned to death and had
suffered a long imprisonment. The electric eloquence of the peroration
of a speech delivered by him in Conciliation Hall in Dublin in 1846,
during the Repeal agitation, caused him to be referred to thereafter as
“Meagher of the sword.” His fidelity to the warlike principles advocated
in his youth on behalf of Ireland was demonstrated by gallant conduct in
many of the bloodiest battles of the American Civil War, and well
established his title to high rank among the soldier sons of a fighting
race. To tell the story of the Irish Brigade would be to recite the
history of the Civil War. It participated rapidly in the Battle of Fair
Oaks, May 31st; Gaines Mill, June 28th; Savage Station, June 29th; Peach
Orchard, White Oaks Swamp, Glendale, June 30th; and Malvern Hill, July
1st, marching thereafter to Newport News, and proceeding by transports
and on foot to Falmouth, Alexandria, Arlington Heights, Falls Church,
Fairfax Court House and Centreville, crossing the Potomac at Chain
Bridge, and marching to Tenallytown, Rockville and Frederick City,
Maryland, crossing South Mountain to Antietam, participating in that
battle and leaving two hundred and one of its members either killed or
wounded to testify to the character of the resistance offered by these
sons of the Gael to the rebel line in front of the “Bloody Lane.” On
December 13th the regiment constituting part of Meagher’s Brigade took
part in the desperate attempt to carry the impregnable position of the
Confederate forces on Marye’s Heights at Fredericksburg. The valor
displayed by the officers and men on this memorable day must dwell
forever in the memory of mankind. Inspired by the traditions of the old
brigades, the brigades of O’Brien, Dillon, Lally, Sarsfield, the
brigades of Landen, Ramilles and Fontenoy; aroused by the burning
eloquence and encouraged by the intrepid daring of their fearless
leader; mindful of the wrongs which exiled them from their native
shores; grateful to the free, fair land that welcomed them to home and
liberty, there was no danger too great for them to face, no suffering
too severe to endure, no odds too overwhelming to encounter. Five
hundred and forty-five soldiers of the Irish Brigade fell in that heroic
charge in that most bloody quarter of a mile ever dashed over by armed
men in the annals of civilized warfare. The testimony of the _London
Times_ correspondent will be regarded at least as not coming from an
unduly partial source. This is his description of the charge of the
Irish Brigade: “Never at Fontenoy, Albuera, nor at Waterloo was more
undaunted courage displayed than during those six frantic dashes which
the Irish Brigade directed against the almost impregnable position of
their foe. That mortal man could have carried the position, defended as
it was, seems idle for a moment to believe, but the bodies which lie in
dense masses within forty-eight yards of the muzzles of Colonel Walton’s
guns are the best evidence of what manner of men they were who pressed
onto death, with the dauntlessness of the race which has gained glory on
a thousand battlefields and never more richly deserved it than at the
foot of Marye’s Heights on the 13th day of December, 1862.” In his
official report General Meagher says: “Of the 1,200 men I took into
action, only 280 appeared on parade next morning.”
To the achievements of Meagher’s Brigade must be added a reference to
the gallant services of the renowned Corcoran Legion, for, in simple
justice, all of the regiments composing the Brigade and the Legion must
be regarded as branches of the parent tree, the root of which was the
old 69th Regiment of ’51, which has continuously flourished so far for
nigh a decade more than a full half century. The exchange of Colonel
Corcoran as a prisoner of war was effected through the instrumentality
of President Lincoln, August 15, 1862, more than a year after his having
fallen into Confederate hands, and he was at once commissioned Brigadier
General, with rank and pay dating from the day of his capture over a
year before. His reception upon his return to the City of New York was
most enthusiastic, he having endeared himself to its people, not only by
his brilliant and daring actions in the field, but by his heroic conduct
in refusing liberty upon the condition that he would not again take up
arms in his country’s cause. The Legion was at once organized and was
composed of the 155th, 164th, 170th and 69th (subsequently changed to
the 182d to avoid confusion) Regiments, New York Volunteers. General
Corcoran reported with his command to General John A. Dix, at Fortress
Monroe, in November, 1862. The Legion was in active service for nearly
three years and participated in many of the bloodiest battles of the
war, among them Suffolk, Spottsylvania, Cold Harbor, Reams Station and
Port Hudson. Upon these and other fields it served and fought, lavish of
blood, reckless of life, mindful only of the honor of the race and the
preservation of our glorious Union of States. After Fredericksburg, the
remnant of the 69th Regiment continued in the service, fought at
Chancellorsville May 3d, 1863, and at Gettysburg July 1st, upon whose
historic ground a beautiful Celtic Cross has since been erected by the
State of New York as a testimonial of appreciation of the splendid
services rendered to the Union cause by the Irish Brigade and of the
heroism, sacrifice and patriotism of its members.
After Gettysburg, recrossing the Potomac, the regiment participated in
actions at Auburn Ford, Bristow Station and the Mine Run Campaign. By
this time it was practically wiped out and returned to New York City
January 2, 1864, where it was recruited nearly up to its original
strength and returned to the front. On May 4th, crossing the Rapidan, it
took part in the Battle of Spottsylvania, May 8, where it met with heavy
loss. It was again in action May 27th at Totopotomoy Creek, and at Cold
Harbor on June 3d. It later participated in the siege of Petersburg.
Colonel Nugent, who had commanded the regiment through the greater part
of its long campaigning, was again with it at Hatchers Run, Five Forks,
Southerland Station, South Side Railroad, Amelia Springs, Farmville, and
down to Appomattox, April 9, 1865.
When General Grant determined upon demanding the surrender of the
Confederate forces, the first communication upon this subject was
carried by Colonel Nugent to an officer of General Lee’s Army. This
famous order was as follows:
“April 7, 1865.
“_General_:
“The result of the last week must convince you of the hopelessness of
further resistance on the part of the Army of Northern Virginia in
this struggle. I feel that it is so, and regard it as my duty to shift
from myself the responsibility of any further effusion of blood by
asking of you the surrender of that portion of the Confederate States
Army known as the Army of Northern Virginia.
“(Signed) U. S. GRANT,
“_Lieutenant General_.”
Thus from Bull Run to Appomattox, from the firing upon Sumter to the
fall of Richmond, the 69th Regiment was in continuous service,
participating in all the decisive battles of a four years’ war
unsurpassed in magnitude and fierceness. When mustered out of the
service, after passing in the grand review at the National Capitol, May,
1865, with decimated ranks and shattered banners, it could claim the
proud record of never having disobeyed an order, of never having lost a
flag. In Fox’s Regimental Losses in the Civil War the 69th heads the
roll of regiments recruited in the Empire State in the number of killed
and wounded.
By Chap. 477, L. 1862, passed April 23, entitled “An Act to provide for
the enrollment of the Militia, the organization and discipline of the
National Guard of the State of New York, and for the public defense,”
the uniformed and equipped militia of the State became recognized as the
National Guard. The 69th Militia as the 69th regiment, National Guard,
entered the service of the United States in May of that year and served
until the September following, when it was mustered out. It was again in
the service of the United States for the thirty days between June 25th
and July 25th, 1863, and again in 1864, it was mustered into the service
of the general government for three months, or until October of that
year. Colonel Bagley was in command of the regiment during these years
and until February, 1866, when General Martin T. McMahon was selected to
succeed him. This distinguished citizen soldier merits more than passing
notice. He, with two of his brothers, served with distinction during the
great war; one of them—John Eugene McMahon, Colonel of the 164th
Regiment, New York Volunteers, Corcoran Legion, died of disease
contracted in the service in March, 1863, and the other, James Powers
McMahon, who after serving as Lieutenant Colonel of the 155th New York
Volunteers, was selected to succeed his deceased brother as Colonel of
the 164th. This daring soldier was killed in action at Cold Harbor, June
3, 1864, while planting the colors of his regiment on the breastworks of
the enemy, in the midst of a hailstorm of bullets, and performing “as
proud a feat of arms” as was ever recorded in history. The following
extract of a letter from General Thomas Francis Meagher shortly
preceding his death describes in glowing words the heroism of James P.
McMahon, at Cold Harbor:
“Next came the news that McMahon—planting his colors with his own hands
on the enemy’s works—planting them there with a boldness worthy of the
grand soldier name he bore, and which perhaps the recollection of the
Malakoff and its Irish Conqueror may have inspired, was stricken down by
the bullets he so splendidly defied. Who of the old Brigade—the favorite
Brigade of Sumner and Richardson—can forget the dashing, handsome,
indefatigable soldier, with his strictly defined features, oftentimes
with the enthusiasm, sometimes with the scorn and haughtiness of a true
blooded Celt, with a heart for hospitality, with a soul for glory, and
scorn and sarcasm for what was mean, and a quick look and blow for what
was treacherous—who can forget his fine bearing, erect and graceful, his
rare heartiness, the decisive character of his intellect, his high
pride, his humor, his physical activity, all those healthy and superior
gifts which made him a soldier at the start, and qualified him even in
the first hours of boyhood to be a conspicuous exponent of his martial
race and kindred—who can forget all this whenever that grand picture of
McMahon, planting the colors of his regiment in the face of the fire
storm, and foot to foot with the desperate foe, is spoken of in the Camp
and by the Survivors of the Irish Brigade of the Army of the Potomac?”
The survivor of these three young Irish American brothers, General
Martin T. McMahon, had a distinguished career alike in civil and in
military life. He was appointed Captain and Aide-de-Camp on the Staff of
General George B. McClellan, October 25, 1861, and on the 29th of
October, 1862, became Adjutant and Chief of Staff of the 6th Army Corps,
successively commanded by Colonels W. B. Franklin, John Sedgwick, and
Horatio G. Wright. He was brevetted Colonel August 1st, 1864, and
Brigadier and Major General, March 13, 1865. In civil life General
McMahon was most distinguished; he was a member of the Bar of the State
of New York, of recognized standing and ability for a great many years,
and served as a public officer in the National, State and City
Governments with ability and integrity, winning general public approval.
He was appointed United States Minister to Paraguay in 1868, and was
subsequently Corporation Attorney of New York City, Receiver of Taxes,
and in 1885 was appointed by President Cleveland United States Marshal
for the Southern District of New York. He served in the Senate and
Assembly of the State of New York, and at the time of his lamented death
on April 21, 1906, was a Judge of the Court of General Sessions, the
highest court of exclusive criminal jurisdiction. His honored remains
were accorded soldierly sepulchre in the National Cemetery at Arlington,
where thousands of his comrades of war’s dread days rest peacefully,
awaiting the trumpet of the resurrection, and over whose arched
entrances are engraven the touching lines of the hero-poet:
On fame’s eternal camping ground
Their silent tents are spread,
And glory guards with solemn round
The bivouac of the dead.
A splendid type of an American and a true scion of the stock that has
furnished statesmen and soldiers to many lands and had given to the
Second French Empire its ablest Marshal, and to the Republic of France a
President, whose fame is so universal that a single descriptive word
would be superfluous.
General McMahon’s successor was Colonel James Cavanagh, a veteran of one
hundred fields, known to many of us and beloved by all, who was retired
December 1st, 1893, with brevet rank of Brigadier General, who was
followed in command by Colonel George Moore Smith, August 9, 1895, who,
on July 1, 1901, was commissioned Brigadier General, and in October
following was assigned to the command of the First Brigade of the
National Guard.
The breaking out of the War with Spain in the Spring of 1898 afforded
another opportunity for the conspicuous display of the spirit of valor
and loyalty that at all times animates the officers and men of the 69th.
Major General Roe, the commander of the National Guard of the State of
New York, at that time was desirous of ascertaining the number of
members in the different regiments that could be relied upon to
volunteer for service beyond the territorial boundaries of the State,
and directed the various regimental commanders to question their
officers and men upon the subject. Lieutenant Colonel Edward Duffy was
then in command of the 69th, and his answer was immediate and
characteristic: “The 69th will volunteer to a unit to serve anywhere
that the country might require its services.” Upon his return to the
Armory after this interview with General Roe, Colonel Duffy issued Order
No. 47, which bears date April 1st, 1898, and contains the following
stirring words:
“The Commanding Officer, mindful of the record and traditions of the
regiment, rests assured of the enthusiastic support and co-operation
of every member, and takes occasion to impress upon all the necessity
for the vigorous recruiting of the different companies, so that our
ranks may be swelled to full numbers. The example of our heroic
predecessors of 1861 should be always before us, and it should be our
pride to emulate their glorious conduct if called upon to vindicate
the nation’s honor and defend in any quarter the flag of our country.”
The strength of the regiment at this time was thirty-one officers and
five hundred and twenty-nine enlisted men. On the 28th of April Colonel
Duffy received authority to recruit the regiment to twelve companies of
three officers and eighty-one men each, and so rapidly was this work
performed, that on the 2d of May the regiment left its armory for Camp
Black, Hempstead Plains, Long Island, with full ranks, and was mustered
into the service of the United States on May 19th following, on which
occasion it was presented with a stand of colors by the Friendly Sons of
St. Patrick of the City of New York. Describing the scene of this
presentation in _The Criterion_ the distinguished Irish-American
dramatist, poet and journalist, Joseph I. C. Clarke,[4] said:
“The deeper notes in the diapason of history vibrate in us, and Irish
brigades of other centuries and other lands seem once more enacting
their outlined braveries beneath many skies, under many banners
fluttering in a breeze as fresh as that blowing cool and damp in our
faces now. In a good round voice a civilian orator, Judge Fitzgerald,
is telling without oratorical periphrase what the gathering means. His
sentences tell clearly that the thousand men before him love the great
land of their adoption, the great State that sends them forth and the
land that gave them or their fathers birth—a Shamrock of love, he says
poetically. As he speaks, flag after flag is unfurled—first the red,
white and blue of the Stars and Stripes, eagle crowned; next the white
figured flag of the State of New York, and last the green sunburst
flag of Ireland, surmounted by a gold pikehead, all brave and
beautiful, and each one flapping and whipping from its staff like a
great tropical bird first trying its bright wings upon the wind. Cheer
upon cheer rises from the crowd, and rolls back as in echo from the
regiment. Colonel Duffy salutes, and says briefly that his regiment
thanks the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick for their silken gift, and
says for his men that they will carry the flags to the war with pride
and bring them home without stain. It is all very simple and in
proportion touching.”
The regiment left Camp Black, on Hempstead Plains, for Chickamauga,
under orders to report to General John R. Brooke, of the United States
Army, at that point, and its march through the City of New York on May
24th was a memorable and notable event. The _New York Herald_ of the
succeeding day said:
“Not since the stirring days of ‘ ’61’ has New York so thrilled with
patriotic fervor as it did yesterday, when the 69th Regiment marched
through the city on its way to the front. If they had been
battle-scarred heroes of one hundred fights, Colonel Duffy and his
boys could not have received a more enthusiastic welcome than that
which greeted them. From East to West through the city they marched
amid a flourish of flags, and the tramp of their feet was lost in the
cheers that roared from tens of thousands of throats. Fifth Avenue and
Tenth Avenue united in enthusiasm. Truck drivers and longshoremen did
not shout louder than bankers and clubmen, and the fluttering flags in
Fifth Avenue were not less numerous than the banners that waived from
factories and tenements.”
Sub-joined is a list of the officers composing the Field, Staff and Line
of the Regiment as it marched through the City on that bright May day,
when, after thirty-five years of peace, the dark shadow of war again
clouded the horizon of the Republic.
FIELD AND STAFF.
Colonel—Edward Duffy.
Lieutenant Colonel—Joseph L. Donovan.
Majors—Thomas F. Lynch, Michael J. Spellman, Edward T. McCrystal.
Adjutants—John A. Davidson, May 2–Nov. 19th; Granville T. Emmet, Sept.
21–Jan. 31st.
Quartermaster—James M. Cronin, May 2–Oct. 17th.
Surgeons—George D. Ramsey, Francis L. Oswald.
Assistant Surgeons—John H. Fuchsius, Robert M. Daly.
Chaplain—Rev. William J. B. Daly.
Co. “A”—Michael Lynch, Captain; Patrick M. Harran, 1st Lieut.; William
F. Guilfoyle, 2d Lieut.
Co. “B”—Peter W. Maguire, Captain; John J. Henry, 1st Lieut.; Martin
L. Crimmins, 2d Lieut.; Martin O’Neill, 2d Lieut.
Co. “C”—John J. Kennedy, Captain; Patrick J. McKenna, 1st Lieut.;
Felix McSherry, 2d Lieut.
Co. “D”—James Plunket, Captain; James J. Tuite, 1st Lieut.;
Christopher H. R. Woodward, 2d Lieut.
Co. “E”—Michael J. Ryan, Captain; John F. Bolger, 1st Lieut.; John P.
Scanlan, 2d Lieut.
Co. “F”—Anthony J. Griffin, Captain; Phillip E. Reville, 1st Lieut.;
James H. Little, 2d Lieut.
Co. “G”—John E. Duffy, Captain; Bernard F. Cummins, 1st Lieut.;
William J. Costigan, 2d Lieut.
Co. “H”—Daniel C. Devlin, Captain; Timothy H. Leary, 1st Lieut.;
William W. Bryant, 2d Lieut.
Co. “I”—Charles Healy, Captain; Patrick J. Mollohan, 1st Lieut.;
Daniel P. Sullivan, 2d Lieut.
Co. “K”—Daniel McCarthy, Captain; Francis J. Keaney, 1st Lieut.;
Edward P. Gilgar, 2d Lieut.
Co. “L”—Hugh J. Barron, Captain; Francis J. Cronin, 1st Lieut.;
William J. P. McCrystal, 2d Lieut.
Co. “M”—John J. Roche, Captain; John P. Devane, 1st Lieut.; Leo F.
Rooney, 2d Lieut.
May 27th the regiment arrived at Chickamauga and was attached to the 2d
Division of the Third Army Corps, and on May 30th proceeded to Tampa,
Florida, under orders to report to General Carpenter, and was assigned
to the 2d Brigade, 2d Division, 4th Army Corps. June 5th it was placed
in the 2d Brigade of the 3d Division, commanded by General Guy V. Henry,
and was sent forward to Fernandina, Florida. The regiment was honored by
visits from Governor Black of New York, Governor Shaw of Iowa, and
Secretary of War Alger, and took part in the general review of the 4th
Corps, at Huntsville, Alabama, September 23, 1898. Impressed with the
appearance of the regiment upon this occasion, the Brigade Commander
addressed the following note of congratulation to Colonel Duffy:
“_My dear Colonel_:
“I desire to express my admiration of the magnificent appearance made
by your regiment today. The Sixty-ninth is certainly a fine example of
the volunteer soldier, and you can well, with your brother officers,
feel proud of so efficient a regiment. Promptness is the foundation of
all military efficiency; your command was halted in position assigned
for the formation for review exactly on time. With best wishes for
yourself and splendid command.
“Respectfully,
“(Signed) JAMES RUSH LINCOLN,
“_Brigadier General Vols._”
The regiment remained in the service of the United States until the 31st
of January, 1899, on which date it returned home and received a
magnificent welcome, significantly demonstrative of the warm affection
and pride in which its officers and men were held by the people of the
City of New York. On the evening of this day the regiment was honorably
mustered out of the service of the United States. Upon its discharge by
the general government, the regiment at once resumed its former position
in the National Guard of the State.
The cornerstone of the new Armory was laid April 23, 1904, the
forty-fourth anniversary of the departure of the regiment for the Civil
War. This splendidly equipped building, from a military standpoint, on
the west side of Lexington Avenue, between 25th and 26th Streets, was
completed within two years. It occupies the entire front on the Avenue,
extending in depth over 300 feet, and is provided with every modern
requirement. On October 13, 1906, the regiment left its old armory over
Tompkins Market, and made its formal entry into its new home, on which
occasion it was escorted by the 7th Regiment, the Old Guard, 1st and 2d
Batteries of New York, and the 9th Regiment of Boston, that justly
renowned Irish-American Military organization of the old Bay State.
At the Dinner given by the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick on the evening
of May 20, 1902, in honor of the representatives of the government of
the French Republic, at the unveiling of the Rochambeau Statue at
Washington, the delegates were escorted by the 69th to Delmonico’s. In
response to a toast, Admiral Fournier of the French Navy said: “The 69th
Regiment reminded me by its very appearance of a crack French regiment
on parade.”
[Illustration:
CAPTAIN JAMES CONNOLLY,
of Coronado, Cal.
Vice-President of the Society for California.
]
Again on the 17th of March, 1905, the regiment escorted the Hon.
Theodore Roosevelt to the 121st Annual Dinner of the Friendly Sons of
St. Patrick, the first appearance of Mr. Roosevelt at any public
function in his native city after his installation in the high office of
President of the United States for the term for which he had been
elected. In his address upon that occasion President Roosevelt said:
“I wish to express at the outset my special sense of obligation—and I
know that no one present will grudge me doing so—my special sense of
obligation to Colonel Duffy and the officers and men of the 69th, who
were my escort today. I shall write Col. Duffy later making formal
acknowledgment to the regiment of my appreciation, but I wish to
express it thus fully tonight.”
Colonel Duffy commanded the regiment during the Spanish War and for many
years after its discharge from the service of the United States and
return to its position in the National Guard of the State. He is
entitled to great credit for the energy, industry and persistency with
which he labored, happily successfully, to secure for the regiment the
new armory into which he had the pleasure of leading it. Colonel Duffy
enlisted as a private in Company “E,” June 3, 1867; promoted Corporal
May 14, 1868; Sergeant, September 10, 1868; First Lieutenant, March 14,
1871; Regimental Adjutant, December 31, 1874; Major, September 10, 1875;
Lieutenant Colonel, March 25, 1896; Colonel, April 13, 1898, and was
brevetted Brigadier General August 14, 1903, for long and meritorious
service, and after forty-two years of continuous service was retired, at
his own request, in 1909, with the rank of Brigadier General, since
which time the regiment has been under the command of Lieutenant Colonel
Louis D. Conley, a young officer of experience and capacity, who is
zealously laboring to maintain the high record of the regiment for
efficiency.
A grave injustice has resulted for years owing to the defective records
of the Adjutant General’s Office, no mention appearing therein of the
services rendered during the Civil War by the 69th Volunteers of the
Irish Brigade or of the Irish Legion. These omissions are about being
supplied, as appears from the following letters, composing a part of a
correspondence upon the subject, and as it is a most interesting matter
of recent occurrence, I give them in full as kindly furnished me by the
courtesy of Colonel Conley:
“SIXTY-NINTH REGIMENT INFANTRY NATIONAL GUARD, NEW YORK,
“68 Lexington Avenue,
“New York, December 17th, 1909.
“LIEUT.-COLONEL CHAUNCEY P. WILLIAMS, ALBANY, NEW YORK.
“_My dear Colonel Williams_:
“Under date of August 9th, 1909, we forwarded to the Adjutant General,
S. N. Y., a summary of the record of the regiment for insertion in the
official register, together with a list of engagements for which we
requested authority to place silver service rings on our colors.
“Receipt of our communication was acknowledged over your signature on
September 3, 1909, and further information was asked in regard to
certain engagements, and as to difference in dates of others. We sent
the required information through the channel on October 8th, 1909,
together with a revised list of engagements, and we have not heard
anything further in regard to the matter.
“We would like very much to have the matter adjusted in time to permit
of its being included in the official register for 1909, and to have
the required authority as to the silver rings published in orders
before the end of the year.
“Knowing your familiarity with the subject and feeling that had you
remained at General Headquarters the matter would have been favorably
acted upon by this time, I am taking the liberty to ask if you would
be kind enough to use your good offices with the Adjutant General to
have the matter approved before January 1, 1910.
“With best wishes, I am,
“Yours sincerely,
“(Signed) LOUIS D. CONLEY,
“_Lieut.-Colonel_.”
“HEADQUARTERS DIVISION NATIONAL GUARD, STATE OF NEW YORK, “CAPITOL,
ALBANY, December 20th, 1909.
“COLONEL LOUIS D. CONLEY, 69TH REGIMENT, N. G. N. Y., NEW YORK CITY.
“_My dear Colonel Conley_:
“I have just received your favor of the seventeenth instant, having
been on duty in New York City on Friday and Saturday last.
“I have submitted the matter to Captain Reagan, Adjutant General’s
Office, who has such subjects in hand, and he tells me that the record
has been accepted and will appear in the official register when
published, and that the authority for the silver rings will be
published in the next General Orders, which cover changes in
organization and in which I believe silver rings are generally
authorized.
“With best wishes for a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, believe
me,
“Yours sincerely,
“(Signed) CHAUNCEY P. WILLIAMS.”
A separate silver engraved ring will be authorized to be placed upon the
Lance of the National Color for each of the following engagements:
CIVIL WAR, 1861–1865.
Blackburn’s Ford, Va., July 18th, 1861.
Bull Run, Va., July 21, 1861.
Rappahannock Station, Va., March 28, 29, 1862.
Yorktown, Va., April 16, May 4, 1862.
Fair Oaks, Va., June 1st, 1862.
Savage Station, Va., June 29, 1862.
Gaine’s Mills, Va., June 27–28th, 1862.
Peach Orchard, Va., June 29, 1862.
White Oaks Swamp, Va., June 30, 1862.
Glendale, June 30, 1862 (Va.).
Malvern Hill, Va., July 1st, 1862.
Antietam, Md., Sept. 17th, 1862.
Charlestown, W. Va., Oct. 16th–17th, 1862.
Snickers Gap, Va., Nov. 2d, 1862.
Hartwood Church, Va., Nov. 17th, 1862.
Fredericksburg, Va., Dec. 11th–15th, 1862.
Deserted House, or Kelly’s Store, near Suffolk, Va., Jan. 30, 1863.
Suffolk, Va., April 11th–May 4th, 1863.
Chancellorsville, Va., May 1–3d, 1863.
Holland’s House, near Carrsville, Va., May 16, 1863.
Blackwater, Va., June 15th–18th, 1863.
Gettysburg, Pa., July 1–3d, 1863.
Auburn Mills, Va., Oct. 14, 1863.
Bristoe Station, Va., Oct. 14, 1863.
Mine Run, Va., Nov. 26, Dec. 2d, 1863.
Wilderness, Va., May 5–7th, 1864.
Po River, Va., May 9–10th, 1864.
Spottsylvania (angle), May 8–21st, 1864.
Landron House, Va., May 18, 1864.
North Anna River, Va., May 22–26th, 1864.
Totopotomoy Creek, Va., May 27–31, 1864.
Cold Harbor, Va., June 1–12th, 1864.
Petersburg (Assault), Va., June 16, 1864.
Welden Rail Road, Va., June 21–23–26–29th, 1864.
Deep Bottom, Va., July 27th–29th, 1864.
Strawberry Plains, Va., August 14–18th, 1864.
Reams Station, Va., August 25, 1864.
Boydtown Plank Road, Va., Oct. 27–28th, 1864.
Hatcher’s Run, Va., Dec. 8–9th, 1864.
Hatcher’s Run or Dabney’s Mills, Va., Feb. 5–7th, 1865.
Skinner’s Farm, Va., March 25, 1865.
Crow’s House near Petersburg, Va., March 31, 1865.
Hatcher’s Run, Va., March 31, 1865.
Siege of Petersburg, Va., June 17, 1864–April 2d, 1865.
Sutherland Sta. Boydtown Plank Rd., Va., April 2, 1865.
Sailor’s Creek, Va., April 6, 1865.
Farmville, Va., April 9, 1865.
Appomattox Court House, Va., April 9th, 1865.
And for the Spanish-American War, 1898.
Also on the Lance of the State Color for meritorious services, as
follows: Quarantine Riots, 1858; Draft Riots, 1863; Fire Island, 1892;
Brooklyn, 1895.
I am also indebted to Colonel Conley for the following copy of the
Roster of the commissioned officers of the regiment at the present time
(January 7th, 1910):
FIELD AND STAFF.
Lieut. Colonel Commanding—Louis D. Conley.
Majors—Michael Lynch, John E. Duffy, Philip E. Reville, F. L. Oswald.
Captains—John J. Phelan, Thomas F. McGuire, William M. Ford, Bernard
J. Glynn, John W. Elmes, Thomas J. Barry.
First Lieutenants—Patrick J. Mulcahy, Elwyn G. B. Riley, Felix A.
Donnelly.
Second Lieutenants—Percival E. Nagle, Rhinelander Waldo. Chaplain—Rev.
James D. Lennon.
LINE.
Captains—Co. “A,” Michael J. Dwyer; Co. “B,” Edmond M. Dillon; Co.
“C,” Felix J. McSherry; Co. “D,” John P. Everett; Co. “E,” John J.
Scanlon; Co. “F,” Patrick J. Maguire; Co. “G,” Bernard F. Cummings;
Co. “H,” W. Clayton Woods; Co. “I,” Charles Healy; Co. “K,’’ William
J. Costigan.
First Lieutenants—Co. “A,” William B. Stacom; Co. “C,” T. Harry
Shanton; Co. “E,” William E. Morris; Co. “F,” Michael A. Kelly; Co.
“G,” Edward Kirkpatrick; Co. “H,” Thomas J. O’Reilly; Co. “K,” James
E. Dillon.
Second Lieutenants-Co. “B,” Jeremiah A. O’Leary; Co. “C,” John E.
Chicquette; Co. “E,” James L. Doyle; Co. “G,” John E. O’Brien.
Any sketch of the 69th would be incomplete if it failed to call
attention to the Veteran Corps, an organization which has always kept in
close touch with the regiment and has done much for its welfare
throughout all these years. Not many of the heroic followers of Corcoran
and Meagher are within its ranks today, but a few, thank God, are still
happily left among us. Each year their diminishing ranks are being still
further thinned by the inexorable ravages of time. They are but few
indeed, and all the more for this reason we delight in honoring them.
Brave veterans, may you long be spared to illustrate by your simple
lives the virtues of patriotism and courage, and to inspire the soldier
sons of the Republic with a desire to emulate your daring and sacrifice.
Captain O’Connell, the President of the Corps, has kindly furnished me
with the names of the survivors at present upon the roll of those who
followed the colors from ’61 to ’65:
Captain James J. Smith.
Captain John O’Connell.
Captain Garrett Nagle.
Captain John R. Nugent.
Captain Thomas M. Canton.
Lieutenant Richard R. Bermingham.
Sergeant John Lonegran.
Private John Kevill.
Private Thomas Smith.
Private Thomas Burns.
Private Richard Keyes.
Private Richard Finnan.
Private Patrick Barrett.
Private Charles E. Neilson.
Private John Fallon.
For very many years the writer has been favored with the friendship of
the 69th Regiment; it has conferred honors upon him, of which he is very
proud. He had the privilege of delivering the oration upon the occasion
of the laying of the cornerstone of the new armory, and was called upon
to preside at the memorable ceremonies attending the formal opening of
the completed building. The great consideration at all times shown him
will be ever gratefully remembered, and it is his hope that this paper,
prepared at the request of the American-Irish Historical Society, may
serve in slight degree to perpetuate the well-earned glory of an
historic and gallant corps, which we trust may long remain a notable and
reliable unit in the military forces of the United States. Neither the
elements of social disorder laboring from within to undermine the fabric
of our Constitution, nor the international complications possible to
arise, by which our people may be subjected to the perils of foreign
war, can menace our beloved country with permanent danger as long as the
manhood of the Nation is animated by the spirit and courage associated
with the history and traditions of the 69th Regiment.
[Illustration:
JOHN LOUIS SHEEHAN, LL. D.,
Of Boston, Mass.
Author of paper on Thomas Jonathan (Stonewall) Jackson.
Member of the Society.
]
THOMAS JONATHAN (STONEWALL) JACKSON.
_A Paper Read at the Twelfth Annual Meeting of the American-Irish
Historical Society, January 8, 1910, at Hotel Plaza in New York, by John
Louis Sheehan, LL. D. of Boston University School of Law._
In scanning the pages of American history, one pauses at the name of
Stonewall Jackson. In imagination the reader goes back more than half a
century, to fields of fierce conflict where a nation was drenched in
human blood. He hears the cry of the torn and mangled, the roar and
shriek of the bursting shell, and when for a moment the flash of cannon
clears away the smoke of battle, there is seen the form of one admired
by all, the ingenious, the courageous, the redoubtable Jackson.
Nerve and a spirit of independence appears in his great grandmother,
Elizabeth Cummins, a woman over six feet tall, who quarreled with her
father and left for America, after throwing a silver tankard at his
head, while he was keeper of “The Bold Dragoon” in London. On her
arrival she married John Jackson, a man of Irish birth. Later on, when
young Jackson compared notes, he found that his ancestors came from the
same parish in Londonderry as those of President Andrew Jackson. The
married couple settled on a farm in northwestern Virginia. It was out of
this stock that our hero was born about January 21, 1824.
Jonathan Jackson, the father of Thomas Jonathan, retained little of the
mettle of the early pioneers. His health, credit, and fortune were
gambled away, and he died leaving his widow and four children to the
care of his relatives. Stonewall was three years old at this time. Four
years later, called to the bedside of his mother, he witnessed all that
was mortal of her pass out of this life.
The orphan went to live with his uncle, Cummins Jackson, who gave him
complete freedom in the open air. The boy became a good rider and grew
fond of all out door sports. These days spent among remote kin were
looked upon by him as the saddest of his life; he never cared to talk
about them for this reason. Yet his temper as a boy was cheerful and
generous. He had a high regard for truth, and his sense of justice was
very strong. He was quick to resent an insult, would never yield to
defeat, but when fairly treated was always gentle and kind.
He was eighteen years old when he became a constable of Lewis County.
This office he held for a time, though the age required by law was
twenty-one. “But since a desire for knowledge had been the passion of
his youth,” it is needless to say that he was glad to resign on
receiving an appointment to the military academy at West Point. On his
arrival at Washington, the congressman from his district, introduced him
to the secretary of war, as a young man with a limited education, with
“an honorable desire for improvement.” His conversation must have
pleased the secretary, for he said: “Go to West Point; and the first man
who insults you, knock him down, and have it charged to my account.” The
term at the academy having already began, the youth had to hasten to
West Point. Before leaving he climbed the roof of the Capitol, and
looked out over Washington. Nobody noticed him there, nobody looked for
him in that great city; but there came a time when folks did look for
him, and when the inhabitants shook at the mere mention of his name;
yes, when the mere threat of an attack caused the greatest fear at
Washington, and disturbed the whole United States.
It is said that he was a “gawky” youth, with an ill-looking jaw, wearing
homespun clothes, when he presented himself to the officers at West
Point. His appearance led the cadets to attempt fun at his expense. In a
measure they were disappointed. After many trials they decided that the
young fellow had come to stay. But Jackson did not make great progress
in his studies. He could do the necessary riding and running, but he was
slow in his book learning, and always two or three lessons behind his
class. He barely got through his mid-year examinations, yet this pass
gave him courage, and he studied even after the taps “for lights out.”
The end of the first year, however, found him on safer ground.
When his class was graduated at the end of four years, Jackson stood
seventeenth among the seventy. The world was to hear of that class
later, for in it were many destined for distinguished honors; among them
were Generals A. P. Hill, Pickett, Maury, D. R. Jones, W. D. Smith, and
Wilcox of the Confederate Army, and Generals McClellan, Foster, Reno,
Stoneman, Couch, and Gibbon of the Federal Army. Jackson himself was no
longer an awkward boy, for the training and system at West Point had
wrought a change which clung to him through life. He was kind and
courteous, but not altogether sociable and had only a few good friends.
He was now twenty-two years old, with the brevet rank of second
lieutenant of artillery. Our country had already declared war against
Mexico, and when his whole class was ordered to the front, Jackson went
to New Orleans from whence he sailed to Mexico. General Winfield Scott
was there, and Jackson joined his army at Vera Cruz. From this time on,
fortune placed him in the centre of the stage. He took part in nearly
all the great battles of this war. He was many times mentioned for
bravery. At the storming of the Castle of Chapultepec, Captain Magruder
recommended him for promotion in the following words: “I beg leave to
call the attention of the Major General commanding, to the conduct of
Lieutenant Jackson of the First Artillery. If devotion, industry, talent
and gallantry are the highest qualities of a soldier, then is he
entitled to the distinction which their possession confers.” At once he
was brevetted a captain, and a little later made major. It is said “no
other officer in the whole army in Mexico was promoted so often for
meritorious conduct or made so great a stride in rank.”
On September 14, the American Army occupied the city of Mexico. A
garrison was finally left to guard the city, and Jackson spent pleasant
days in this life of ease among the Mexican people. He learned their
language, and took part in some of their pastimes. It was here that
religion grew upon him. He began the study of the differing forms of
creeds and service taught by soldier chaplains, Mexican priests, and
citizen ministers. The Archbishop of Mexico explained to him the system
of the Church of Rome, but Jackson was quite undecided when he had
listened to them all, and left his selection to a later day.
In 1848 the army vacated the city. Major Jackson was sent to Fort
Hamilton, on Long Island, where two uneventful years quickly passed. He
was next ordered to Fort Meade, near Tampa Bay, Florida, where he stayed
for six months. A pleasant change awaited him, for he was elected
professor of Natural and Experimental Philosophy and Artillery Tactics
at the Virginia Military Institute, where he went in March, 1851.
It was at Lexington, where the Shenandoah flows through the “Valley of
Virginia,” that Jackson spent the next ten years, teaching the cadets,
and very interesting work he found it. He loved every inch of the
beautiful grounds, and enjoyed every hour of those days. It was here
that he met Doctor White, a Presbyterian minister, in whom he found a
congenial “spiritual commanding officer.” After examination of all the
creeds, Jackson was baptized “a member of Doctor White’s congregation,”
and began straightaway, with a zeal that was all his might, the business
of leading a veritable “religious life,” and this life he lived to the
letter, as far as it is possible for man to live it in this world.
“Every act, it seemed to him, was fit occasion for a prayer,—prayer
before he drank a glass of water, in the class-room, a blessing on his
scholars, on mailing a letter, an appeal for the person to whom it was
sent,—silent prayers in most cases; for there appeared little of the
Roundhead in this simple man, who could speak out when he thought it
necessary, but shrank from uncalled for show.”
In 1853 Jackson was married to Elinor, daughter of President Junkin, of
Washington College. Less than one happy year were they together, for she
died in childbirth, and Jackson sank in despair.
There have been many descriptions of this Major Jackson. He is described
as being “tall, erect, muscular, with uncommonly large hands and feet,
and with a diffident manner of meeting people that was exaggerated by
his habitually awkward movements. He walked, it is said, like a
dismounted horseman; in the saddle sat loosely, in a kind of slovenly
ease, unless, as later, in battle, he was moved by excitement, when his
whole body became rigid with martial lines, and he rode with a
distinction as imposing, almost, as that of ‘the man on the horse
himself.’ The heavy (bearded) jaw, however, was not square, but oval,
and Jackson’s eyes, which were large and blue, had a trace of soft light
in them not accounted for in this picture of an iron warrior.”
In 1856 Major Jackson visited Europe. He scanned every inch of the
“beaten path,” and in gratifying his curiosity went to the Battlefield
of Waterloo. While he felt that Napoleon was the greatest of commanders,
he was sure that he made an error in choosing the Chateau of Hugomont as
the vital point of attack on the British line; it should have been the
village of Mont St. Jean.
In this far away land, his thoughts wandered back to the country of his
birth, and to a dear little girl he had known before his marriage. He
made her his wife a year after his return. They led a plain, simple,
Christian life.
Jackson, a keen observer, saw at last the dark clouds of rebellion on
the horizon. These signs meant much to him, and, like many another, he
was greatly concerned.
Though Jackson took no active part in the secession arguments, he
nevertheless came to the definite conclusion that the northern states
were using the power of the Washington government for the private
advantage of their section, and were seeking to oppress the south. He
believed that the Lord had ordained slavery, but apart from this he
stood for “the right of the sovereign state.” Said he: “The South ought
to take its stand on the outer verge of its just rights, and then resist
aggression, if necessary, by the sword,” and when the war came at last,
there was no question in his mind on which side he was to fight. He
thought of the days under the “Old Flag,” and what those days had been
to him; yet after all, he felt that the “act of his state” absolved
him,—Virginia was with the Confederacy.
The feeling was now running high in the South. At a meeting of the
military academy, where Jackson was called upon to speak, he arose
during the cheers of those present, and said: “Soldiers, the time may
come when your state will need your services, and, if that time does
come, then draw your swords and throw away the scabbards.”
It was on a Sunday morning that Governor Letcher sent the order for
Jackson to march his cadets to Richmond. Then he turned them over to his
superior officer. Promotions were taking place, commands were given out
to some who had had no war experience. He was now getting anxious, when
he was about to be sent to the engineers’ department. Friends from his
district interfered with such effect that he was given a commission as
colonel of Virginia troops, and the command of Harper’s Ferry.
General Beauregard held a position about sixty miles away across the
Blue Ridge Mountains. Near Manassas Junction and the Bull Run water, was
the Union General McDowell. President Davis received on July 17
Beauregard’s telegram: “The enemy has assaulted my outposts in heavy
force—send forward any reinforcements at the earliest possible instant,
and by every possible means.” The first Virginia Brigade of Johnson’s
army marching with Jackson were reserved in the woods at Bull Run to
support the left. McClellan made his first attack on the twenty-first at
this point. The battle had waged but a short time, when it looked bad
for the Confederate side. Federal troops were rapidly moving to the
front of the stream, and the Confederate line gave way. Jackson steadied
his men as the Carolina and Georgia troops rushed into the ravine. They
listened not to the shouting of their generals, Johnson and Beauregard.
The enemy turned to destroy Jackson’s line, and complete their victory,
when General Bee cried, “General, they are beating us back.” The deep
lines stood out on Jackson’s firm face as he replied, “Well, we will
give them the bayonet.” Bee rode up to his men and shouted, “Look, there
is Jackson standing like a stonewall.” This rallying cry went through
the lines, the men turned and advanced, and Jackson gave the order to
charge,—“and yell like fury.” The Federal troops fell back, and this,
the first great Confederate victory, was won.
Contrary to custom Jackson did not go into winter quarters at
Winchester. He wanted to go ahead. He felt that the duty of a soldier
was to seek out the enemy and fight him. This, he said, was the only way
to shorten the war. Accordingly he prepared to attack the Federal forces
at Bath and at Romney, up in the northwest. But the winter was a severe
one, and his men suffered greatly. The way was covered with ice and
snow. Thy had to cut through the untraveled roads; the horses could not
get a footing on the ice, and two miles a day were all they could make.
His men were dissatisfied; others spread the news in Winchester of
Jackson’s ill luck, and he was criticised severely. General Loring wrote
to Richmond of the danger of an attack on Winchester, and the secretary
of war telegraphed Jackson to recall his general. Jackson was displeased
at this. He felt on the whole that his campaign was successful. He was
indignant at the action of the war department, and, ordering General
Loring to return to Winchester, resigned from the army. General Johnson
delayed the letter, and wrote to Jackson, approving of the Romney and
Bath expeditions. Private citizens petitioned him not to resign, for the
Confederacy needed him. The “Governor of Virginia sent a kind of
ambassador to treat” with him, and later President Davis refused to
consider the acceptance of the resignation, and the governor personally
withdrew it. Jackson, with “views unchanged,” remained with his command.
General McClellan had now made up his mind to capture the Confederate
capital. General Banks commanded the right wing at Harper’s Ferry. His
plan was for Banks to force out all the southern troops from the valley,
then fall in with the army before Richmond. McClellan, thinking that
Jackson had fled from the valley, drew some of the Banks forces to him.
Jackson immediately returned and attacked the enemy at Kernstown, near
Winchester. The firing was hot and bloody, and the Confederate troops,
under Gannett in the centre, retired from the field, and the whole army
fled after them. One-fourth of Jackson’s command was lost, but he was
satisfied that the Federal loss was greater than his own, and that the
object of the attack had been gained. Banks had to stay in the valley,
the regiments which started to join McClellan were recalled, and in the
following April, President Lincoln withdrew McDowell’s whole corps to
defend the Capitol at Washington.
Jackson’s successful operation had gained much for the cause of
secession, and the Confederate government, to help him carry out his
plans, determined to let him have all the troops it could spare from the
defense of Richmond.
In May, 1862, Jackson found himself at Bull Pasture. On the eighth day
Milroy hit the “Stonewall Brigade,” and brought on the battle of
McDowell. During the three hours of fighting Jackson lost heavily in
killed and wounded. When night came on, the enemy lighting misleading
camp fires, retreated under the protection of Freemont. The Federals
reported a victory in this battle, and “God blessed our armies at
McDowell yesterday,” was the despatch Jackson sent to President Davis.
Ewell was immediately sent for, and Jackson started out for General
Banks.
On May 23, the Union forces held Fort Royal against him, then fled to
Banks, who was on a quick run to beat Jackson into Winchester. Banks
won, and planted his batteries on the outskirts of the town. Jackson
shelled him, and Ewell’s brigade drove the Federals through the town.
Jackson rested here for two days before marching on to Harper’s Ferry.
He wanted to invade the North, but Lee insisted that he first help him
drive the enemy away from Richmond. When Jackson received word to go
back into the mountains where he would be safe he answered: “Give me
fewer orders, and more men.” He evidently did not appreciate the danger,
for Lincoln had already ordered Freemont to join McDowell and Shields
and capture Jackson. A long march was ahead of him, and there was no
time to lose. His infantry which was called “foot cavalry,” on account
of its reputation for fast marching, had to travel forty miles to
Strasburg. Freemont could not reach them in time to do harm. Shields
took a wrong road, and could not repair bridges in time to overtake
Jackson, who, after a few skirmishes, reached Port Republic for a two
days’ rest.
On Sunday, June 8, Shields pierced his lines, and Jackson was almost
taken prisoner. Ewell and Freemont began the fighting at Cross Keys.
Jackson crossed the stream and joined them. Shields beat him back, and
it was only the arrival of Confederate reinforcements that saved the day
for Jackson. He made a flank attack, and Shields retreated. The
“Stonewall Brigade” now got a much needed rest of five days.
On June 11, General Lee wrote Jackson: “Your recent successes have been
the cause of the liveliest joy in this army as well as in the country.”
There was no doubt now as to Jackson’s standing as a soldier, and he was
admired and loved by his men. This confidence in him is expressed by a
song written by one of his soldiers, which carried them many times into
victory.
He’s in the saddle now! Fall in!
Steady, the whole Brigade!
Hill’s at the Ford, cut off!—we’ll win
His way out, ball and blade!
What matter if our shoes are worn?
What matter if our feet are torn?
Quick step, we’re with him before morn!
That’s Stonewall Jackson’s way.
On June 23, General Lee called to his headquarters for consultation,
Generals A. P. Hill, D. H. Hill and Longstreet of the army before
Richmond. Jackson was there, after fifty miles of continuous riding
during the night. Lee told them of his plan to attack the Federal right
wing, and left the details to them. At the end of the discussion
Longstreet said to Jackson: “As you have the longest march to make and
are likely to meet opposition, you had better fix the time for the
attack to begin.”
Said Jackson: “Daylight of the 26th.”
Longstreet said: “You will encounter Federal cavalry, and roads blocked
by felled timber, if nothing more formidable. Ought you not to give
yourself more time?”
“No, daylight of the 26th,” and Jackson returned to his men. Blunders
and mistakes delayed Jackson.
In two days he was at Ashland. He spent the nights following moving
about his men, giving orders and praying for his success. Daylight of
the 26th did not find him moving, and it was seven o’clock before his
army got under way. The generals waited for him, and finally A. P. Hill
opened his batteries on Mechanicsville “to hurry Stonewall Jackson on.”
The Confederates made an attack on the enemy at Beaver Dam Creek; “but
there was no Jackson to turn the Federal right.” The Confederates
retreated with terrible loss. Night saw Jackson’s approach. At daybreak
the enemy, learning of this, retreated down the Chickahominy toward
Gaines Mill and Cold Harbor. Jackson was after them. The firing of the
heavy guns told him that the fight was getting hotter. Jackson had gone
out of his way, and it was feared that Hill’s command would be shattered
before he could arrive, because Longstreet was held back to join with
Jackson in the attack. Lee sent word to Longstreet that, unless he could
move forward, the day would be lost. At this moment, two of Jackson’s
brigades joined Longstreet. Jackson’s men did not seem to find their
places. They were disorganized. Jackson, calling Captain Pendleton to
him, said: “Go to the line and see all the commanders. Tell them this
thing has hung in suspense too long. Sweep the field with the bayonet.”
McClellan, considering himself defeated, marched southeastward toward
the James River, under the protection of gunboats. A. P. Hill and
Longstreet were sent to head him off. Jackson was to attack the Federal
rear. Hill and Longstreet attacked McClellan at Frayzer’s Farm, but
Jackson was a day behind the battle, and when he reached White Oak
Swamp, the roads were blocked, bridges were burned, and the guns of the
enemy were trained upon the fords. He withdrew, and McClellan retreated
again when the Frayzer’s Farm battle was over.
Meantime people were asking: “What was the matter with Jackson?” His
actions puzzled them. His delays had been costly to the Confederacy. He
seemed to be not the same fighter of old. But, as General D. H. Hill
said, “Jackson’s genius never shone when he was under the command of
another.” He seemed then to be shrouded or paralyzed. The fact was that
he was tired and worn out by the wet swamps; the fever and forced
marches. Lee’s plans having miscarried, he was now forced to attack
McClellan on Malvern Hill. His loss was terrible. When the Federal
general withdrew, they were a little easier at the Confederate capitol.
Pope was now in command of the Federal Army of Virginia. It was one of
the finest armies that ever faced a foe. Lee sent Jackson to fence with
him. Jackson immediately called for reinforcements and rested his horses
and men while awaiting a reply. In August, A. P. Hill came to his aid.
Pope was now on the Rappahannock. When Jackson moved to attack him,
Banks met him with all his strength in the Battle of Cedar Mountain,
August 9. Banks seemed to be winning the battle, for the Confederate
centre was broken, but Jackson’s supports turned the balance the other
way. Jackson wrote to Lee: “On the evening of the 9th inst. God blessed
our armies with another victory.” General Lee now joined Jackson at
Gordonsville. The Federal Army was at Culpepper Court House. Pope took
shelter across the river, and Lee conceived a plan to drive him out.
Stonewall Jackson was selected for this work. On the 25th he began the
move “in his old-time mystery” across the Rappahannock and marched away
from the Federals, turning at right angles in the morning toward the
line of the Federal communication with Washington. He passed
Thoroughfare Gap, and fell on the enemy’s depot of supplies at Manassas
Junction. One of Pope’s despatches, captured the next day, disclosed his
plan to concentrate his forces at Manassas. Acting upon this, Jackson
advanced and met the enemy on the old field of Bull Run. Jackson held
his position in this bloody fight, and when the enemy fell back at
midnight, he was content not to follow him.
Both sides were ready at dawn of day. Longstreet just reached the field
as Pope with his whole army ploughed the Confederate lines. Lee, now
Jackson’s superior, helped win another victory for the South.
The great leader of the Confederate army evidently understood General
Jackson. He gave him something to accomplish, then let him alone. He had
now something of importance in his mind. It was the capture of Harper’s
Ferry. Lee was going to invade the North. The army crossed the Potomac
and entered Frederick City. Stonewall Jackson was riding ahead. They
occupied the city for several days. Meanwhile the Federal forces were
gathering around Washington. The garrison at Harper’s Ferry did not move
and Lee on September 10 sent Jackson to assault it. Four days later the
white flag was raised over it. The men were taken prisoners, and their
arms, ammunition, and supplies came to Jackson’s men. Immediately, he
joined Lee at Sharpsburg; he was wanted, for McClellan was at Antietam
Creek.
[Illustration:
MOST REVEREND JOHN M. FARLEY, D. D., LL. D.,
Archbishop of New York.
]
At midnight of the 16th a part of Jackson’s men again became engaged;
and when “at the dawn of the 17th, Hooker made his terrible attack on
the left of the Confederate battle line, Stonewall Jackson stood in the
way.”
The morning sun of this day looked down on a sight that was awful beyond
conception. In the corn field at the Dunker Church the men fought and
fell, cut down like the corn, in the order in which they were standing.
“It was never my fortune to witness a more dismal battlefield,” Hooker
wrote. “Terrible carnage,” said Jackson, and as he watched the deadly
fire, planned a new attack.
He immediately formed his cavalry to turn the Federal right. “Move your
divisions to the front, and attack the enemy as soon as you hear
Stuart’s guns,” he said. “We’ll drive McClellan into the Potomac.” But
Stuart’s guns were not heard, for the enemy was already on the river.
The Federals next pressed A. P. Hill’s division; but he was helped in
holding possession by the arrival of the remainder of the troops from
Harper’s Ferry. Lee crossed the Potomac, and the final victory was with
McClellan. The forces remained for three months in camp.
Jackson was made a lieutenant-general in October of this year. Lee now
said of him: “Such an executive officer the sun never shone on. I have
but to show him my design, and I know if it can be done, it will be
done.”
In December, when Burnside moved toward Richmond, Lee went out to meet
him. In the battle of Fredericksburg, Jackson commanded the Confederate
right, and resisted every attack. Longstreet held the left in this last
victory for the South, in this campaign.
Jackson’s wife and his child came to visit him at Hamilton’s Crossing.
To Mrs. Jackson he felt disposed to talk of the war. “We must make this
campaign an exceedingly active one,” he said. “Only thus can a weaker
country cope with a stronger. It must make up in activity what it lacks
in strength.”
On April 29, a messenger drew rein at his door. “General Early’s
adjutant wishes to see General Jackson.” Jackson looked out and said:
“That looks as if Hooker were crossing.” He was right. When Jackson’s
aide notified Lee, the latter remarked: “Say to your good general that
he knows what to do. I will join him at the front.” Jackson threw his
army against the enemy, who fell back on Chancellorsville.
The war department at Washington had made up its mind that the only
thing to be done was to march steadily on to Richmond. Hooker faced the
Confederates, determined to smash through their divisions. Lines of
telegraph were at his service, signal stations and captive balloons were
ready for his use. In the green fields behind him was “the finest army
on this planet,” as he himself said. There was no sleep in the
Confederate camp on the night of the first of May. Lee and Jackson
discussed plans of a circuit around Hooker’s right and an attack on his
rear.
“General Jackson,” said Lee, “what do you propose to do?”
“Go around here.” Jackson’s finger moved on the map before them.
“What do you propose to make this movement with?”
“With my whole corps.”
“What will you leave me?” Lee asked.
“The divisions of Anderson and McLaws,” answered Jackson. Lee paused and
then said: “Well, go on.”
Jackson saluted, saying: “My troops will move at once, sir.”
Everything was ready, every order was given, when Jackson looked at his
watch. It was six o’clock in the evening,—“You may go forward, sir.”
This whole Southern force moved like an avalanche on the unsuspecting
Federals, who received a deadly fire from behind.
They ran before the advancing foe. Here and there they took a stand to
resist the attack, then on again. Jackson followed them with his
pounding artillery. “Press right ahead, press them, press them,” cried
Jackson, as he rode by his men.
“You should not expose yourself so much,” said a staff officer as he
grabbed his rein.
“There is no danger, sir,” he replied; “the enemy is routed. Go back and
tell General Hill to press on.” But Hooker appeared before the right of
his men, ordered a stand to be taken, and Jackson was obliged to stop
and collect his scattered troops.
But half a mile now divided the Confederate and Federal lines; Jackson’s
men were scattered in the dark woods, and were running about,
“disorderly as a city mob.” Divisions, brigades, companies, all were
mixed. At nine o’clock the “rising moon lit dimly the broken, shadowed
spaces of the battlefield.” Jackson and his staff were moving quietly
about. He drew rein one hundred yards away and listened. To the North
Carolina brigade, they looked like Federal cavalry. The skirmish line
fired a few shots towards the staff, then a whole company turned a
volley to the front; two officers fell. Jackson struck the spurs to his
horse and advanced toward the lines, when a regiment blazed out upon
him. His horse jumped and started in the direction of the enemy. The
limbs of the trees whipped the face of the rider, and Jackson’s arms
fell to his side. He was lifted from his saddle to the ground, and Hill
bent over him. “General, are you much hurt?” “I think I am,” said
Jackson, “and all the wounds are from my own men.”
The North Carolina soldiers stopped firing, but soon the battle began
again. As Jackson was being removed to the rear, he said: “Tell them
simply that you have a wounded officer.” But, as he passed, a soldier
cried out: “Good God, it is General Jackson!”
When Mrs. Jackson arrived on Sunday morning, May 10, Jackson was very
low. She told him he was going to die. He tossed about during the
afternoon, and his mind began to be cloudy. In a restless sleep he
muttered, “Order A. P. Hill to prepare for action. Pass the infantry to
the front.” It was a little later, when he made his famous saying, “No,
let us pass over the river, and rest under the shade of the trees.” He
spoke no more, but fell into the sleep which knows no waking.
“Could I have dictated events,” wrote General Lee, “I should have
chosen, for the good of the country, to have been disabled in your
stead.”
It seemed strange that Jackson could die, he had survived danger so
long. It was at the closing of his grave on the hill at Lexington that
his deep loss was felt in the whole South. “The man was so much needed.
He had the mark of victory upon him, and his presence in the fight lent
faith to the cause everywhere.” A flower of the South had fallen, never
to rise again.
At a dedication of a Jackson monument sometime afterwards in New
Orleans, Father Hubert prayed, “God, when thou did’st decree that the
Confederacy should not succeed, thou had’st first to take thy servant,
Stonewall Jackson.”
Such was the brief career of a poor orphan boy,—of a Christian and
patriotic soldier,—of a descendant of an Irish immigrant, “who achieved
the last and greatest of his successes in dying for his country. He
perished doubly a martyr, and in his last breath attested the
righteousness of the cause which he sealed with his blood.”
SOME IRISH CONTRIBUTIONS TO EARLY AMERICAN HISTORY.
_Paper read before the American Irish Historical Society, January 8,
1910, at its twelfth annual meeting at Hotel Plaza, New York City._
BY MICHAEL XAVIER SULLIVAN, PH. D.
When in the course of time a new nation has become firmly established
and has taken its place among the powers of the world and leisure is
afforded men to look back to the early days of their country in an
historical way so dear to man’s heart, it is pleasing to the student to
find that the race from which he springs has played a prominent part
even in the early days of his nation.
It is in such a spirit of pleasure that we find ourselves convinced on
making but a preliminary survey of our early history that in the
foundation, the creating, the strengthening, and maintenance, of this
great republic, the Irish race from which you and I spring has done its
duty and has done it well.
In speaking of the part the Irish race has played in this great land I
do not intend to indulge in self gratification, nor to give the Irish
greater praise than they deserve nor to take from others in extolling
those in whom ran the blood that runs in you and me. Every race that
played its part in creating the American nation should be given its meed
of praise, but in loving our land for what it has been to us and for
what it has inspired, we are but the greater patriots in giving just
praise to that race from which we spring for its noble duty in the cause
of justice and of freedom.
The present paper does not purport to be a detailed study but merely
touches on the high points of the Irish contributions to early American
history.
In February, 1903, Miss Linehan[5] read a paper before the Connecticut
Historical Society. This paper contains an excellent account of the
earliest immigration of Irish to this country. From her paper may be
quoted:
“The early Irish came to this country in three distinct periods, the
first dating from 1621 to 1653, the second from 1653 to 1718, and the
third from the latter period to the Revolution.”
It is with the third period that we shall deal for the most part.
In 1737, according to Rev. J. A. Spencer,[6] “multitudes of laborers and
husbandmen in Ireland unable to procure a comfortable subsistence for
their families in their native land embarked for Carolina. The same
writer again, Vol. 1, p. 214, speaking of New Hampshire in 1738, says:
“the manufacture of linen was considerably increased by the coming of
the Irish Immigrant to this colony.”
“During the whole period of her controversy with Britain,” says Mr.
Grahame,[7] “America increased in strength from domestic growth and from
the flow of European emigration. No complete memorial has been
transmitted of the particulars of the emigration that took place from
Europe to America at this period, but (from the few illustrative facts
that are actually preserved) they seem to have been amazingly copious.
In the year 1771 to 1772 the number of immigrants to America from the
north of Ireland alone amount to 17,350, almost all of whom emigrated at
their own charge, a great majority consisting of persons employed in the
linen manufacture or farmers and possessed of some property which they
converted into money and carried with them. Within the first fortnight
of August, 1773, there arrived at Philadelphia three thousand five
hundred emigrants from Ireland. About seven hundred Irish settlers
repaired to the Carolinas in the autumn of 1773.”
Pennsylvania very early had a large Irish colony. In 1699 James Logan
accompanied William Penn to his new plantation and became one of the
leading men. According to Spencer, Vol. 1, page 186, he was many years
colonial secretary and member of the Council. He governed the Colony for
two years after the death of Penn’s widow and previously in Penn’s
absence. Charles Gookin, a gentleman of ancient Irish family, was
governor of Pennsylvania from 1709 to 1716.
According to Grahame, Vol. II., page 84, “In 1729 no fewer than six
thousand two hundred and eight European settlers resorted to this
Province.” They are thus particularized by Anderson in his Historical
Deductions of the Origin of Commerce; English and Welsh passengers and
servants, 267; Scotch servants, 43; Irish passengers, 1,155; Palatine
passengers, 243. At Newcastle, in Delaware, passengers and servants,
chiefly from Ireland, 4,500.
The colony of Maryland was founded in 1634[8] by Cecilius Calvert, with
Leonard Calvert as first Governor. Foremost among the Irish families
early in Maryland were the Carrolls, all of whom threw their influence
on the side of independence and at least three of whom played
particularly distinguished parts in the subsequent conflict. The first
of them to come to Maryland was Charles Carroll, who was a clerk in the
office of Lord Powis in the reign of James the Second and who left
Ireland on the accession of William and Mary in 1689. Before he was two
years in Maryland he was appointed Judge and register of the land office
and receiver of the rent of Lord Baltimore. His son, Charles Carroll,
was one of the most prominent men in the colony, whose son, Charles, was
a signer of the Declaration of Independence. Charles, the signer’s
cousin, John Carroll, a priest of God, was sent with Franklin, Charles
Carroll and Samuel Chase in 1776 to secure the coöperation of the French
Catholics with the American cause. After the war, Father Carroll became
Bishop and Archbishop. Daniel Carroll, cousin of both Charles and John,
was one of the foremost members of the first Congress. He was a member
of the Continental Congress for four years and a delegate to the
convention that framed the Constitution of the United States. His farm
formed a part of the site of the present City of Washington. Associated
with him in Congress was Thomas Johnson, whose grandfather, also Thomas
Johnson, came from Ireland in 1689 with Charles Carroll, the founder of
the Carroll family in Maryland. He was three times Governor of Maryland,
Chief Judge of the General Court of Maryland and Justice of the United
States Supreme Court.
In regard to South Carolina[9] Ramsay says, Vol. I., page 20, “Of all
other countries none has furnished the province with so many inhabitants
as Ireland. Scarcely a ship sailed from any of the ports that was not
crowded with men, women and children.” Among the prominent men of Irish
origin were the Moores, Rutledges, Jacksons, Lynches, Polks, Calhouns,
who distinguished themselves as patriots and statesmen.
Speaking of Kentucky, H. Marshall[10] says: “John Finley explored
Kentucky in 1767 and circulated accounts and descriptions which Boone
authenticated and enlarged.” Finley was the pilot of Boone in 1769. No
permanent settlements were made in Kentucky till 1775. According to
Marshall, page 13, in this year, a few permanent settlements were made,
particularly at Harrodsburg and at Logan’s Camp, later called St.
Asaphs, and at Boonesborough, named after Boone, the leader of the first
colony to the bank of the Kentucky River.
Associated with Boone in his hazardous labors we find Michael Stoner.
Logan, after whom the Camp was named, was of Irish parents, and was
among the earliest settlers of Kentucky. He was a man of prominence. On
page 42, Marshall says: “The names of Mrs. Denton and Mrs. McGary and
Mrs. Hogan are worthy of mention, they being the first white females who
appeared with their husbands and children at Harrodsburg.” Speaking of
Mr. McGary he says: “For enterprise and daring courage none transcended
Major Hugh McGary.” Others were Butler, McLellan and Hogan, all
Irishmen, pioneers and among the first to explore the country beyond the
Ohio. In the wars with Indians, Butler, Bulger and Logan were especially
prominent.
The Massachusetts Bay Colony legislated against the Irish of all creeds
and in 1720 ordered them out. “As early as 1632,” however, as may be
read in Haltigan’s “The Irish in the American Revolution,” we find
mention of Irish in Boston. In an old legal document of that year an
Irishman named Coogan is described as the first merchant of Boston. Miss
Linehan, previously referred to, says: “In 1718 a petition was sent to
Governor Shute of Massachusetts by three hundred and twenty leading
Irishmen, among whom were ministers, asking permission to settle in the
State. The same year one hundred and twenty Irish families arrived in
Boston and brought with them the manufacturing industry of linen and
also introduced the use of potatoes. There was not a town incorporated
from that time on but what contained the descendants of those men or of
those who followed them directly.”
“In 1730 the First Presbyterian Irish Church was founded in Boston.”
The Boston Irish Charitable Society was founded in 1737 on St. Patrick’s
Day.
James Sullivan, son of Owen Sullivan, the emigrant from Limerick and
brother of General Sullivan, represented Massachusetts in Congress in
1788 and was later Attorney General and Governor of Massachusetts.
That the Irish were fairly plentiful in Boston in pre-revolutionary days
is well brought out by Cullen.[11] He found that among the earliest
records there appeared such distinctly Irish names as Cogan, Barry,
Connors, McCarty, and Kelly.
In the register of births, marriages and deaths in Boston from 1630 to
1700 there was, according to Cullen, over two hundred entries of names
distinctly Irish and probably many others just as certainly Irish, but
not so entered. Under Cromwell’s government many Irish people were sent
to New England. In 1654 the ship “Goodfellow,” Captain George Dell,
arrived in Boston with a large number of Irish immigrants that were sold
into service to such of the inhabitants as needed them. This service was
only temporary, to pay for the expense of transportation.
During the two years, 1736–38, ten ships are on record as coming to
Boston from Ireland with a total of nearly one thousand passengers.
On the rolls of Bunker Hill are very many purely Irish names.
“In New Hampshire,” writes John C. Linehan,[12] “as early as 1631,
according to military records, the first representative of the Emerald
Isle made his appearance in the person of Darby Field, an Irish
Soldier.” According to the same writer, in Vol. I., “Provincial Papers,”
1641 to 1660, are found such names as Duggan, Dermott, Gibbon, Vaughan,
Neal, Patrick, Buckley, Kane, Kelly, Brian, Healey, Connor, MacMurphy,
Malone, Murphy, Corbett, McClary, McMillen, Pendergast, Keily, McGowan,
McGinnis, Sullivan and Toole. Later records show that the Irish were
very numerous in the early days in New Hampshire, even long before the
settlement of Londonderry.
Londonderry, New Hampshire, was settled by Irish Presbyterians in 1719.
Few settlements were more prosperous. In the process of time, according
to Barstow, in his “History of New Hampshire,” page 130 (1853), the
descendants of the Londonderry settlers spread over New Hampshire and
Vermont.
Barstow speaks of them as Scotch, but as quoted by Linehan, p. 66, Rev.
James McSparran, an Irish Protestant Clergyman of Rhode Island, writing
in 1752, referring to the New Hampshire settlement, says: “In the
province lies that town called Londonderry—all Irish and famed for
industry and riches.”
In Maine, we may mention among the early Irish, the five O’Brien
brothers, of Machias, including Captain Jeremiah O’Brien, who fought and
won the first sea fight with the British. O’Brien’s exploits are well
described by the Rev. A. M. Sherman in “The Life of Captain Jeremiah
O’Brien of Machias, Maine.” Owen Sullivan, the father of Gen. John
Sullivan and of James, Governor of Massachusetts, arrived at Boston,
1723, and settled in Berwick, Maine, about 1730. Being of an excellent
education, he was a teacher in Berwick, Maine, and Somersworth, N. H.
Several of the highest grade families of Massachusetts are descendant
from Owen Sullivan.
The Irish have always been an upbuilding part of the population in New
York. In O’Callaghan’s “Documentary History of New York,” as shown by M.
J. O’Brien,[13] are found men named Gill, Barrett, and Ferris, settlers
and Indian fighters in New Netherlands in 1657, and in 1673 Patrick
Dowdall, John Fitzgerald, Benjamin Cooley, Thomas Basset, L. Collins,
and Thomas Guinn were enrolled in the militia.
In the census of the City of New York in 1703, appear such names as
Mooney, Dooley, Walsh, Carroll, Dauly, Corbett, Coleman, Curre, Kenne,
Gilley, Gurney, Mogan, Buckley, etc., all with an Irish ring. In 1733
many others of clearly Irish origin are mentioned. In the muster roll of
the militia of New York City in 1737, are such Irish names as Welsh,
McDowell, Ryan, Mooney, Hayes, Donlon, Gill, Murfry, Magee, Kelly,
Sutton, Farley, Sullivan, McMullen, O’Brien, etc.
John Anderson of Dublin was high in the affection of the old Dutch
settlers of Beverwycks, now Albany, as early as 1645, as shown by
Danaher in “Early Irish in old Albany,” N. Y., 1903. He is mentioned in
the old Dutch records: “Jans Andriessen de Iersman van Dublingh,” and as
an instance of his popularity he is affectionately referred to as Jantie
or Jantien, meaning Johnnie or little Johnnie. As shown by the same
writer, many Irishmen were early prominent in Albany.
Thomas Dongan, the son of an Irish baronet, governed New York in 1683.
During his administration he did much to encourage education. He was a
Catholic, tolerant of all forms of religion. In 1687 he promulgated the
“Declaration of Indulgence,” which authorized public worship by any sect
and abolished all religious qualifications for office.
In a work entitled “Names of Persons for whom Marriage Licenses were
Issued by the Secretary of the State of New York previously to 1784,”
compiled by Gideon J. Tucker (when Secretary of State), page after page
looks more like a record of the province of Munster than of the province
of New York. “It is quarto volume,” says O’Brien, “printed in small type
and there are eleven pages devoted to persons whose names commence with
Mac and three to the O’s. Nearly every name common to Ireland is here
represented.”
Between 1600 to 1775, many Irishmen were teaching in the Colonies. Of
these I may mention a few. In 1640, William Collins in New Haven; Peter
Pelham, in Boston in 1734. Robert Alexander is justly regarded as the
founder of Washington and Lee University; Rev. Francis Allison of
Donegal, Ireland, came to America in 1735. In 1752 he took charge of an
educational institute in Philadelphia and became vice provost and
professor of moral philosophy in the College of Pennsylvania in 1755.
Rev. Samuel Finley, native of Armagh, Ireland, was president of the
College of New Jersey in 1761. Michael Walsh came to America in 1792. He
was a teacher in an academy at Marblehead, Mass. Among his pupils was
Joseph Storey of the United States Supreme Court. Harvard conferred a
degree upon him. In 1737, John Sullivan taught school at Somersworth, N.
H. William Donovan, an Irish schoolmaster, kept a grammar school in the
town of Weare, N. H., in 1773. Humphrey Sullivan was a school teacher of
Exeter, N. H. Darby Kelly taught school in New Hampshire, etc. Bishop
Berkeley, author of “Westward the Star of Empire takes its course,” came
from Kilkenny to Newport, R. I., in 1729. He donated to Yale College an
excellent collection of books.
At the opening of the revolutionary era, the whole Irish race threw its
weight into the colonial scale. The Irish Commons, according to T.
D’Arcy McGee in “The Irish Settlers in America,” refused to vote
forty-five thousand dollars for the war. The Irish in England, headed by
Burke, Barrè, and Sheridan, spoke and wrote openly in defense of
America. The Irish in France were equally zealous. Counts MacMahon,
Dillon, Colonel Roche-Fermoy, General Conway, etc., held themselves
ready to volunteer into the service of America and afterwards at the
desire of the American agent in Paris did so.
John Barry was the first Commodore of the American Navy. He was in many
actions and was always successful. He has been called by naval writers
“The father of the American Navy.” The first prize carried into the
United States was a British ship captured by Captain O’Brien and brought
into Marblehead.
Charles Thompson, an Irishman, was secretary to the first Continental
Congress. He wrote out the Declaration of Independence from Jefferson’s
draft. Mr. John Dunlap, a native of Strabane, Ireland, issued in 1771
the Pennsylvania Packet, the first daily paper published in America. He
was printer to the Convention of 1774 and to the first Congress, and was
the first who printed the Declaration of Independence.
Nine of the signers of the Declaration of Independence were of Irish
origin: Secretary Thompson, Thornton for New Hampshire, James Smith for
Pennsylvania, George Taylor, Pennsylvania; George Read, Delaware;
Charles Carroll, of Carrollton, Maryland; Thomas Lynch, of South
Carolina; Thomas McKean, a signer for Pennsylvania; Edward Rutledge, of
South Carolina. Six of the thirty-six delegates to the Convention for
ascertaining the Constitution were Irish: Read, McKean, John Rutledge,
Pierce Butler, of South Carolina, Daniel Carroll and Thomas Fitzsimmons.
The site of Washington is partly on the farm of Daniel Carroll, a cousin
of Charles, the signer, and was presented to Washington by him.
As regards the Continental Army it may be said that Mr. George
Washington Parke Custis, the adopted son of Washington, says in his
Personal Recollections, that Ireland contributed to the Continental Army
one hundred to one of any nation before the coming of the French. Among
the French, as is well known, there were many Irish. Others have put the
number of Irish in Washington’s army as high as fifty per cent. Since I
have not been able to get original records regarding the Irish in the
Revolutionary army I shall leave the question with the statement,
supported by fairly wide reading on the subject, that to put it
conservatively a very large number of the soldiers were Irish, or of
Irish origin, as were many of the officers. The question of the Irish,
composition of the army of the Revolution is being considered and an
investigation of the muster rolls is being made by one of our members,
so that in the near future the Irish contribution in this regard will
receive an unquestionable verification.
The Friendly Sons of St. Patrick was founded at Philadelphia in 1771,
where Catholic, Presbyterian, Quaker, and Episcopalian were united like
a band of brothers. It was composed of the most active and influential
men. The devotion of its members to the cause of freedom was
acknowledged by Washington in a letter to the President of the Society
where he described the Society as “distinguished for the firmness of its
members to the glorious cause in which we are embarked.” Of the Society
seven were generals in the Revolutionary army. Wayne, Stewart, William
Thompson, Knox, Irvine, Hand, and Moylan, the latter being the first
President of the Society. This Society rendered material assistance to
the necessities of the army. At a time when everything depended on a
vigorous prosecution of the war it was found impossible to arouse the
public spirit of the Americans. In this emergency was conceived and
carried into operation the plan of the Bank of Pennsylvania, established
for supplying the army of the United States with provisions for two
months. Ninety-three individuals and firms subscribed and the amount
realized was three hundred thousand pounds. Of this twenty-seven members
of the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick subscribed one hundred and three
thousand five hundred pounds.
John Sullivan and John Langdon, in 1774, seized the military stores at
Fort William and Mary at the entrance of the Harbor of Portsmouth, New
Hampshire, and thus enabled the so-called rebels to fight the battle of
Bunker Hill.
Richard Montgomery, who was born in the County of Donegal, Ireland, was
the first general of the Continental Army to fall.
It is quite evident, even from the present surface survey of the part
played by the Irish early in our history, that the Irish took a
prominent part in the settlement of the original thirteen colonies. It
seems strange, but yet it is true, that there is a paucity of
recognition of the splendid services of the Irish emigrant on the part
of some historians. Irish may be met with, however, everywhere in the
early records. By hardy pluck and upbuilding, energy and sterling
personality they made their way even in the face of prejudice and
bigotry which were occasionally met with.
At the present day men of the Irish race and Irish ancestry are at the
forefront in many lines of human endeavor, as might easily be shown by
the quotation of names and achievements. I feel that in this glorious
land of promise we have our eyes on the ideal and are ever improving,
ever growing, doing our duty as we go, and leaving the world better, not
only by deeds done and tasks performed, but better still by the cheering
word and hearty sympathy, by the shedding of radiant happiness and
buoyancy of spirit about us as the Irishman has been wont to do in all
times and in all climes. We Americans of Irish descent can hold our
heads high in the spirit of things done, in the fairness of our natures
and the purity of our motives, seeking pure justice and asking but the
favors that in all charity we give to others.
THE IRISH IN THE EARLY DAYS OF ST. LOUIS.
BY REV. CORNELIUS F. O’LEARY OF WELLSTON, MO.
“_Quae regio in terris nostri non plena laboris?_”
If our Mantuan bard could have looked into the not very distant future
he would have beheld a people immeasurably more cosmopolitan than the
Trojans, and infinitely more deserving of the above proud boast. Having
in mind the scattered children of the Gael, could he not ask with
greater truth: “What land on earth has not borne witness to our toil?”
Who has not heard of the military adventures of the ancient Gael
pursuing his conquering march to the very walls of Rome and dictating to
its proud citizens humiliating terms of surrender? It was on one of
these occasions that a Roman general complained of the severity of the
fine when the intrepid Gael added to the scale by placing thereon his
sword, uttering the _Vae Victis_ of the Conqueror.
Abandoning the course of horrid war, which is hell let loose, the men of
Erin turned their minds and hearts to Christianity. The land became
dotted over with churches and monasteries until the very place became
Religion. Then a beautiful chapter opens to us—the exodus of Irish
missionaries to foreign lands—to England and Scotland, to Germany and
France, to Belgium and even Italy, in allusion to which Darcy McGee
remarks that the sun rises in the West and sets in the East—“Ireland
enlightens Rome by the light derived from Rome”—
But the flight is far too long;
Weak the wings of worldly song;
David’s muse alone could rise
To a theme of such emprise
As to give in long array
Those who in that happiest day
Bore on faith’s bright flag unfurl’d
Erin’s name throughout the world.
Then came a dark night which brooded over the land, and Erin’s sons were
forced to emigrate to France and Spain and finally to America, that
Greater Island, by which name she was known ten centuries ago.
To pursue the history of the Irish in America is the pleasing and
fruitful task set before the members of this grand society, and so I
hope I am in harmony with its spirit and aim if I essay to trace the
footsteps of the Irish in the early days of St. Louis.
By the Treaty of Paris 1762 New Orleans and Upper Louisiana became the
property of Spain. The Kings of that country sent Antonio de Ulloa,
Viceroy of Louisiana, to establish Spanish authority here in 1767. The
French did not at first take kindly to Spanish domination, and so the
gentle Ulloa is ignominiously expelled from New Orleans. Spain, in its
anger, turned to an Irish officer in its military service, Count
Alexander O’Reilly, who soon brought the French of Louisiana to see the
folly of resistance. Count O’Reilly was born at Baltrassna, Co. Meath,
Ireland, A. D. 1722. He had seen much service in European wars, chiefly
under the flag of Spain. The following list of his titles shows the
prominence he attained in military life: Don Alexander O’Reilly,
Commander of Benfayon of the Order of Alcantara; Lieutenant-General of
the armies of His Most Catholic Majesty, Inspector General of Infantry,
and by Commission Governor and Captain-General of the Province of
Louisiana. Promoted to be Field Marshal, he was subsequently sent to
Havana, which he newly fortified and strengthened, and later was sent in
June, 1768, to recover Louisiana. Though never having set foot in St.
Louis, he is credited with having outlined its governmental policy.
In the year 1804, when the formal transfer of Louisiana occurred, we
find mention of John Mullanphy’s arrival in the village of St. Louis.
Born in 1758 near Enniskillen, Co. Fermanaugh, Ireland, John Mullanphy
entered the Irish Brigade in the service of France at the age of twenty.
At its dispersion, on the imprisonment of Louis XVI, Lieutenant
Mullanphy returned to Ireland, and in 1789 married Miss Elizabeth Brown.
Three years after this Mr. and Mrs. Mullanphy, with one child, sailed
for America, landing in Philadelphia, which became their home for a
time. They next resided in Baltimore, where they formed the acquaintance
of Rev. John Carroll, afterwards the first bishop of America, between
whom a strong friendship took root. Remembering the lines of Berkeley,
“Westward the star of Empire takes its way,” our citizen of the world
turned towards Kentucky, where he established his home in 1798. While
here his home in Frankfort became the stopping place of the early
Catholic Missionary, and the temporary chapel of the scattered children
of the Church. In 1804 Mr. Gratiot coming to Frankfort, his acquaintance
with Mr. Mullanphy grew into closest friendship, which led our hero to
move to St. Louis, where he was appointed Justice of the Peace. Here
fortune smiled upon him, but he was not the man whom riches could
corrupt. He made to himself friends of the Mammon of Iniquity, and so
filled his life with noble deeds. In 1827 he settled upon the Ladies of
the Sacred Heart twenty-four arpents of land, adjoining the village,
today worth millions, on which was a brick house, and gave them ready
money for its necessary furnishings. The condition of this bequest was
that the Sisters should care for and educate in perpetuity twenty young
orphan girls. Mr. Mullanphy assisted in establishing an orphan home for
boys. He likewise founded a home for aged and destitute widows, and,
assisted by Bishop Rosati, brought out the Sisters of Charity—the
spiritual daughters of St. Vincent de Paul—to take charge of a hospital,
the first of its kind in St. Louis, which is now called by his name.
Besides his never-failing daily charities, he in times of scarcity gave
sums of money to the bakers to furnish bread to the hungry poor, and
when the cholera was raging employed a young physician, Dr. Henry, to
visit the sick throughout the surrounding country. Mr. Mullanphy died in
St. Louis in 1833. His only surviving son, Bryan, was also remarkable
for his great charities. In November the 14th, 1845, Judge Bryan
Mullanphy was chairman of the Committee of Catholic gentlemen who
founded the first conference of the St. Vincent de Paul society in the
New World. He also established an immense fund for the relief of
emigrants on their way to settle in the West.
The next Irishman who figured prominently in the early history of St.
Louis was Mr. Jeremiah Connor. He came to St. Louis in 1805. He was the
third sheriff of that city, appointed by Governor Wilkinson in 1806,
serving as such for four years and acting also as collector and
treasurer. He laid out Washington Avenue, one of the finest streets of
the city, through the center of his private property, which he
generously relinquished to the city without consideration. When Bishops
Flaget and Dubourg came to St. Louis in 1818, the latter to establish
his Episcopal residence there, Jeremiah Connor donated a thousand
dollars towards his reception. Later he gave the bishop the site
afterwards occupied by the Jesuit Church and College, known as the St.
Louis University.
[Illustration:
HON. ZENAS W. BLISS.
Lieutenant-Governor of Rhode Island.
A New Member of the Society.
]
Another son of the Emerald Isle, a man of ability and prominence, was
Joseph Charless, Sr., who was born in Westmeath in 1772. Being
implicated in the Irish rebellion in 1795, he fled to France and thence
to America in 1796. After a few years’ stay in Philadelphia he removed
to Louisville, Ky. He came to St. Louis in 1808, where he established
the first newspaper west of the Mississippi River—the _Missouri
Gazette_, the name being afterwards changed to _Missouri Republican_
when under the management of his son Edward in 1822. It continues to
this day under the name of the _St. Louis Republic_.
Alexander McNair, born in Pennsylvania of Irish parents, was the fourth
sheriff in St. Louis, succeeding Jeremiah Connor in that office. During
the war of 1812 he raised a company of Mounted Rangers of which he was
elected the captain. In 1816, when Congress established a land office
for the St. Louis district, he was appointed by President Madison the
first register of the same, and held office four years until he was
elected, in 1820, the first governor of the state.
Quite a large number of Irish settlers came to St. Louis, rowing their
own boat down from Pittsburg, and reaching St. Louis early in 1809. The
leaders were John McKnight and Thomas Brady, who had formed a
co-partnership in the east. They opened a store at once, and being
enterprising, intelligent men, the house of McKnight & Brady was not
long in acquiring prominence, and soon became extensively known for its
enterprise and public spirit. In 1816 they erected a double brick house
of two stories, which was opened as the Washington Hall—the seventh
brick house in St. Louis, and the first built for a hotel, in which, on
the twenty-second of February, 1817, the first observance of
Washington’s birthday, west of the Mississippi, took place by a public
dinner presided over by Gov. William Clark, brother of Gen. George
Rodger Clark, styled the Hannibal of the Revolution, who were of Irish
descent. Mr. Brady died October, 1821. The Rt. Rev. Bishop Dubourg
officiated at the funeral obsequies. Mr. Brady’s father-in-law was John
Rice Jones, then chief justice of the Supreme Court of the state.
We may form an idea of the strength of the Irish contingent in early
history when we read of the following annals: 1818, Feb. 9—Erin
Benevolent Society. A meeting of Irishmen to form a benevolent society
was held at the house of Jeremiah Connor, Thomas Brady, Chairman, and
Thomas Hanly, secretary. A committee of five: Jeremiah Connor, James
McGunnegle, John Mullanphy, Alexander Blackwill and Arthur McGinnis,
were appointed to frame resolutions. Adjourned to meet Tuesday, 24th
inst., at 10 o’clock a. m., at the house of Thomas Brady.
1819, October 10—At meeting of Irish citizens held at the house of
Jeremiah Connor at which he presided, and James Nagle, Esq., acted as
secretary, adopted a constitution for the Erin Benevolent Society and
adjourned to Thursday 21.
October 21—Met pursuant to adjournment and proceeded to the election:
Jeremiah Connor, president; Thomas Hanly, vice-president; Hugh Ranken,
treasurer; Laurence Ryan, secretary; Thomas English, James Timon, Robert
N. Catherwood, Joseph Charles and Hugh O’Neil, standing committee; and
John Timon, Robert Ranken and Francis Rochford, visiting committee.
1820, March 17—The first observance of the day in St. Louis by a
procession of the society and a dinner at which a number of toasts and
sentiments were drunk.
Another historic character of Irish birth was Col. Luke E. Lawless, who
came to St. Louis in 1816. He was born in Dublin in 1781. He was called
to the bar in 1805. In 1810 he passed over to France and entered the
French military service under his uncle, General William Lawless. He was
appointed military secretary to General Clark—Duc of Feltre,—and
promoted to a colonelcy. On the return of Napoleon from Elba he read the
address of congratulation from his regiment to the Emperor. After the
final defeat of Napoleon, in 1815, he came to the United States, and
adopted his former profession of law. Governor Dunklin appointed him
Judge of the circuit of St. Louis. He died in 1846.
Another honored name of the early days is that of Charles Chambers, who
was born in Dublin, in 1784. His father, John Chambers, was one of the
oldest stationers and publishers of that city. He was a member of the
Society of United Irishmen, and was arrested in that memorable year,
1798. He accompanied to New York, Thomas Addis Emmet, Dr. McNevin and
Dr. Cummings. Charles Chambers came to New York in 1803. In 1817 he
married Jane, the third daughter of John Mullanphy. We find him in St.
Louis in the spring of 1819.
The Ranken brothers, Hugh, Robert and David, were born in Londonderry,
Ireland. They emigrated to America, remaining in Philadelphia for some
time. We find two of the brothers engaged in business as early as 1819,
the third brother, David, arriving as late as 1850. They had been very
successful in business.
In 1818 we find Capt. James McGunegle, a member and one of the founders
of the Erin Benevolent Society, appointed Deputy Quartermaster-General
for St. Louis. He purchased the Territorial Bank of St. Louis, which he
held until his death, in 1822. He was buried with military honors by the
St. Louis Guards.
About this time there came to America from gallant Tipperary a lad of
twenty, named Edward Walsh, Sr. He came to Missouri, where he soon made
his mark as a man of surpassing ability and indomitable courage. He
turned his attention to many of the great utilities of this progressive
age—from the mining industry to the construction of great lines of
railroads, and from street car projects to the banking business. It may
be truly said of him that he was a vital force in the life and
development of St. Louis and entitled to be numbered among the city’s
founders and promoters. He left a family of four sons and two daughters,
who added to the lustre of his name.
James Tomon came to St. Louis in 1819. He was a man of superior
character. His eldest son, John, became the much beloved bishop of
Buffalo, N. Y.
Dr. James O’Fallen, born in Athlone, Ireland, served as a surgeon in the
Continental Army under Washington. His wife was Frances Clark, the
youngest sister of General George Rodger and William. Dr. O’Fallen died
in Louisville in 1793, leaving two sons, John and Benjamin. In 1811,
John O’Fallen, then twenty years of age, fought under Col. Davies at the
battle of Tippecanoe, where he was severely wounded. While connected
with the army he won much distinction. He settled in St. Louis, of which
he became one of her most prominent and public-spirited citizens. He
died in 1865.
The Morrison brothers were among the most noted of the early Americans
of our territorial days, remarks Billon. They were of Irish origin and
settled in and around St. Louis, and even at the present day their
descendants are men of influence in Missouri and Illinois.
We find a Patrick Walsh, from the Town of Sligo, in St. Louis in 1820.
Having been a merchant, he was commissioned by the governor a justice of
the peace for the Township of St. Louis.
Patrick Dillon, from Londonderry, came to the United States in 1809. We
find him engaged in the mercantile business in St. Louis as early as
1817. He laid out several additions to St. Louis, and one of the streets
is named in his honor.
Patrick K. Dowling, a Waterford man, came to St. Louis in 1817. One of
his sons, Richard, who died not many years ago, was a very interesting
personage. He possessed a rich fund of historical reminiscences.
Thomas Hanley, who was the first secretary of the Irish Benevolent
Society, came to St. Louis in 1816. He was a merchant.
John Finney and his family came to St. Louis about the year 1818. He and
his sons acquired prominence and position in social and mercantile life.
Arthur McGinnes, born in County Antrim, Ireland, came to St. Louis in
the year 1818. He was a young lawyer of considerable ability and force
of character. He pushed his way to the front, attaining much social
prominence. He removed to Washington, D. C., about the year 1840, where
he continued to reside until his death, in 1848.
William Higgins came with his wife and family from Ireland to St. Louis
in 1820. His youngest daughter, Winifred, married a Mr. Patterson. She
became noted in later years for her princely gifts to charity. She
deserves to have her name perpetuated in marble and bronze.
James Nagle and Hugh Johnson came to St. Louis in 1820. “They were two
young Irishmen of good education,” remarks our annalist. They carried on
a successful mercantile business for many years. After the death of Mr.
Johnson, in 1825, Mr. Nagle entered into the practice of law.
And thus did the exiled children of Erin come to this Key City of the
Mississippi Valley to grace every sphere of life. There is one sphere to
which I have not alluded—that of the sanctuary. And here let me mention
the illustrious name of Most Rev. Peter Richard Kenrick, who was born in
Dublin in 1806, ordained for that diocese in 1832, and soon changed the
field of his labors for America at the earnest solicitation of his
illustrious brother, Francis Patrick, Archbishop of Philadelphia. Bishop
Rosati of St. Louis, desiring a coadjutor, his choice fell on this
brilliant young Irish priest. He was consecrated coadjutor-bishop of St.
Louis in 1841.
DANIEL MORGAN—ABLE TRIBUTE TO THE MOST UNIQUE FIGURE IN THE ANNALS OF
AMERICAN COMMONWEALTHS.
_An address delivered before the Society, copy for which was received
too late for publication in Vol. VIII of the Journal._
BY HON. JOSEPH T. LAWLESS, NORFOLK, VA.
_Mr. President and Fellow Members_:
By the grace of your invitation, I have the honor of addressing this
Society a second time. With the invitation was coupled the admonition
that I should devote myself to the subject which our distinguished
President has just announced. Deeply distrusting my ability to
discharge the commission to your entertainment and within the
limitation of time the occasion prescribes, but taking courage from
your desire to have recorded the facts of unwritten history as they
affect the objects of this organization, and relying upon your
patience to hear, though your interest should wane, I have come
tonight in obedience to your summons to speak of the most unique
figure in the annals of American Commonwealths. The place of his birth
unknown even to himself—his parentage wrapped in an oblivion which he
steadfastly refused to penetrate—a farm laborer in the Valley of
Virginia in 1755—a teamster in the British army in the French and
Indian war—he advanced without the aid of adventitious circumstances
to the command of an army of his compatriots and fought and won at the
Cowpens the battle which made possible the triumph at Yorktown!
All this, indeed, did Daniel Morgan. But he did more. He conquered his
own weaknesses, and scorned the allurements of unworthy preferments.
He overcame the excesses of youthful appetite; he flouted the
proffered temptations of a commission in the royal army of Great
Britain while a ragged prisoner of war amidst the snows of Quebec; and
in the hour of his subsequent glory on the field at Saratoga, he
disdained the persuasions of Gates to join the “Conway Cabal” and
remained loyal to Washington and to the liberties of his country.
With his lineage unknown, his birthplace unestablished, his advent
unheralded, and his history but sparsely written, no man can speak
with certainty of the race from which he sprung. But if there be aught
distinctive in racial characteristics; or aught indicative in that
accent of human speech which makes the Irish brogue sound as music on
the ear, Daniel Morgan was of that race which has ennobled Celtic
history, and the lullaby which first soothed him into sleeping was the
crooning of a mother’s voice that spake the Irish tongue. But, my
countrymen, whatever his lineage and wherever the place of his birth,
tonight, on the one hundred and twenty-fifth anniversary of his
greatest battle, when we have assembled in New York’s banquet hall to
honor his memory and to make better known a renown which should be as
firmly established as the liberties of his country, we may well pause
to trace the course of those wonderful activities which have no
parallel in Revolutionary lore.
The earliest, and perhaps his sole biographer, James Graham, declares
he was of Welsh extraction, and that he went to Virginia from the
banks of the Delaware. This declaration is based on a manuscript
prepared for the biographer by Dr. William Hall, of Winchester, who
knew General Morgan in his lifetime and attended his bedside during
his last illness. The uniform refusal of Morgan to discuss his
parentage and the resultant uncertainty which surrounds his racial
extraction, entitle such a statement on the part of a person who was
his friend in life to consideration and respect. But I submit a
statement of another person who knew him during life to substantiate
the belief which exists in Virginia that he was of Irish blood.
The grandmother of Colonel Charles Triplett O’Ferrall, a late Governor
of that Commonwealth, lived near and knew Daniel Morgan. During a
close association at Richmond, Governor O’Ferrall frequently told me
anecdotes of him which he learned from the lips of his grandmother,
who in her early life saw much of Morgan and was present at his
funeral. In reciting some of these anecdotes the Governor would
imitate the Irish brogue which appeared to distinguish the accent of
Morgan. Born within a few miles of Morgan’s home, O’Ferrall lived in
the Valley all his life and for twelve years represented that District
in the House of Representatives of the United States. Three times in
that body he introduced a bill having for its object the erection of a
monument to mark the grave of Morgan. No citizen gave more thought to
the personality of the man and his career as a soldier than did
Governor O’Ferrall. In his published memoirs he closes the last
chapter with a tribute to him and expresses the hope that some
successor in Congress from the Valley District will be able to
persuade Congress to mark his lowly grave. “I had set my heart on its
passage,” he says, on page 358; “every emotion of my soul was aroused
in its behalf. I had carefully studied the hero’s life and character
and it read like a romance to me.” Concerning Morgan’s brogue, he
could not have been misinformed by his grandmother. _Res ipsa
loquitur._ Himself of Irish extraction and as game a cavalryman as
ever drew a blade, who can doubt that it was because of the blood that
ran in Morgan’s veins, scarcely less than his services to his country,
that impelled O’Ferrall to so interest himself in his career?
When about the age of seventeen, in the year 1753, a tall, raw-boned
boy, calling himself Daniel Morgan, “turned up” near the village of
Winchester in Virginia. There was nothing about him to excite the good
opinion of those frontiersmen, except his willingness to work. He had
scant acquaintance with the three R’s. His writing was barely legible;
his reading, painful to everybody who heard—especially to himself; his
knowledge of the simplest principles of arithmetic, was small; his
manners were rude; and his conversation so unpolished as to class him
with the humblest order of men. The only occupation he understood was
that of a land-grubber and rail-splitter, and it was at these hard
tasks that he sought employment. He found it. And such was his
strength and his industry that no man engaged Daniel Morgan to clear a
piece of new land or to split white-oak rails for a snake-fence and
ever regretted his contract! Within a year he became a wagoner for
Nathaniel Burwell, Esquire. In a little more than two years his
industry and thrift enabled him to purchase a wagon and team of his
own; and then—a forerunner of the Wells Fargo—he established an
express between the Valley and points beyond the Blue Ridge, east of
the Range.
As his fortunes improved, there came improvement in his mind. His
manners, too, changed. The raw-boned boy of seventeen had developed
into the man of twenty-one, and with the development came a reputation
for great physical strength and a courage that was dauntless—great
virtues, always, on the frontier. With these qualities he coupled a
natural wit, a quick intelligence, a manliness, and a frankness of
manner which won the admiration of his sturdy neighbors.
When Braddock landed his army on the upper banks of the Potomac to
make good the claim of his sovereign to the fertile region west of the
Alleghanies, Morgan became a teamster with the ill-fated soldiers and
accompanied the baggage train of the Second Division. In 1756 he was
sent to Fort Chiswell with a wagon-load of supplies. It was while at
this post that he received the terrible beating on his bare back which
would have cost a less hardy man his life. A British lieutenant
insulted him by striking him with the flat of his sword and was
immediately stretched senseless on the ground by a blow from the
teamster’s fist. A drum-head courtmartial sentenced him to receive
five hundred lashes. He was forthwith stripped and tied to a white-oak
tree. At the end of the castigation his flesh hung in tags. But his
spirit was unbroken and King George was never forgiven for the cruelty
his soldiers then inflicted.
When he arrived at about the age of twenty-three, he was a strikingly
handsome man. In height, he was upward of six feet; his frame was
massive and symmetrical; and, without carrying an ounce of superfluous
flesh, his weight was two hundred pounds. But his conduct was not
exemplary. He became at this time a trencherman of distinction. Yet so
powerful was his constitution he was able to bear excess of liquor
without becoming entirely under its influence. As a card player, he
was as skillful as the most skillful, and he used his talent to add to
his estate. So great was his prowess at fisticuffs and so constant his
engagements thereat, that the little town of Berryville in the County
of Clarke, where these combats were always held, is called
“Battletown” to this day by the older residents of the Valley.
This, indeed, was the most unpromising time of Daniel Morgan’s life.
To most of the vices which end in ruin, he was addicted. But, in the
Providence of God, he was not overwhelmed. Grave faults, indeed, he
had in plenty; but they appear to have proceeded, not from a depraved
heart but from the rollicking, devil-may-care nature of a young
frontiersman. Without parents to advise or friends to admonish, his
bold wayward spirit was conscious of no restraint when impulse
impelled it to action. What he needed to round the man was adventurous
enterprise—dangerous commissions! The dash within him—the spirit of
command—needed war. And, war came! Like Hotspur, he must have blows
and “pass them current, too.”
First it was “Lord Dunmore’s War” for the protection of the frontier
against the Indians under Chief Logan and Cornstalk. General Andrew
Lewis, an Irishman born and thirteen years of age before he left
Ireland for Virginia, was ordered to raise four regiments in the
Southwestern counties; and while Lewis was organizing his forces,
Morgan, now holding a commission by grace of William Nelson, Esquire,
President of His Majesty’s Council and Commander-in-chief of the
Colony and Dominion of Virginia, took the field under Major Angus
McDonald. He became at once an active factor. His splendid judgment,
his knowledge of woodcraft, his understanding of the Indian character
and their methods of warfare, his boldness and his courage, soon
distinguished him among his comrades in arms as a man fit for
leadership.
“Lord Dunmore’s War” ended with the defeat of Cornstalk at Point
Pleasant and Morgan’s command turned homeward. When they reached the
mouth of the Hockhocking, those stupendous events which had been
happening in England and the Colonies during their absence became
known to these Virginians, fresh from the wilderness. They learned
that the Parliament of Great Britain had ordered the port of Boston to
be closed. They were informed that the General Assembly of the mother
colony had protested against such despotic legislation. They were told
with solemn voices that representatives of the people were then
assembled at Philadelphia to consider ways and means to resist the
encroachments of the crown. And then and there, amidst the solitude of
that wilderness, far from the outposts of civilization, Daniel Morgan
and his band of liberty-loving Virginians resolved upon their course.
“Upon hearing these things,” he wrote in an all-too-inadequate sketch
of his military services, “we, as an army victorious, formed ourselves
into a society, pledging our words of honor to each other to assist
our brethren of Boston in case hostilities should commence.” I need
not ask you New Englanders tonight how well they kept that pledge!
On the 22d day of June, 1775, by a unanimous vote of the Committee of
Safety of Frederick County, he was appointed to command one of the two
companies of Riflemen which the Continental Congress had ordered to be
raised in Virginia. “In less than ten days after the receipt of his
commission,” says Graham, “he raised a company of ninety-six young,
hardy woodsmen, full of spirit and enthusiasm and practised marksmen
with the rifle. John Humphreys, who was killed in the assault on
Quebec, was his first lieutenant. William Heth, afterwards a Colonel,
who greatly distinguished himself in the subsequent events of the war,
was his second lieutenant. His ensign was Charles Porterfield,
afterwards a Colonel, and an officer who by his many brilliant and
daring achievements had earned a proud name among the defenders of his
country, and was rapidly rising to distinction when he fell in the
bloody field of Camden. A finer body of men than those who composed
his company are seldom seen. One that rendered better service, or that
shed a brighter lustre on the arms of their country, never had
existence.”
In twenty-one days, Morgan, at the head of this company, each Rifleman
wearing a cap with the legend “Liberty or Death,” marched a distance
of six hundred miles to Boston, and when the roll was called every
member of the command was present and ready for duty.
He was now come for the first time on that broader field of action in
which he won a renown which will never die. It is not my purpose to
dwell on the hardships of that extraordinary march into Canada led by
Arnold. The sufferings endured by the Americans in the midst of the
snow’s and ice of the Canadian winter are beyond the power of human
speech to depict. Half-clad, bare of foot or shod only with moccasins,
half-starving, with their comrades in arms dropping in their weary
tracks to die—such sufferings could only be endured by men whose
natural hardihood and love of country could not be overwhelmed by the
agonies of physical torture. At intervals, some helpless hero would be
overcome by the hardships of the march and tenderly laid aside to die,
with a single devoted comrade to hunt for a squirrel or jay or to
gather wild herbs for his food, the while he watched his expiring
breath and caught the last whispered message of affection for the
loved ones at home. Morgan himself was dressed in a costume similar to
that of an Indian. He wore leggings and a cloth about the middle. His
thighs were bare and their laceration because of it was painfully
obvious. But he appeared to be impervious to pain. Judge Henry, who
was a member of the expedition, in his “Campaign” describes Morgan at
this time as being “a large, strong-bodied personage”—“with a
stentorian voice”—“whose appearance gave the idea history has left us
of Belisarius.” Those high qualifications for command, which became
more and more distinguished as the war progressed, manifested
themselves on this occasion. He led the vanguard. And in eight weeks’
time he penetrated an unexplored wilderness for six hundred miles and
stood ready with his Riflemen to assault the fortified walls of
gun-fringed and snow-crowned Quebec.
If the fame of Daniel Morgan as one of the most intrepid of soldiers
depended alone on his conduct at the storming of Quebec, it would live
as long as the heroic deeds of the Revolution are remembered of men.
At the height of a tempest in which the blinding snow was driven with
terrible effect, in the early hours of the first day of the New Year,
1775, the assault began. Armed with scaling-ladders and spontoons, as
well as rifles, Morgan’s men, with their captain at their head, were
first over the walls. With a sublime courage and a voice which rang
above the roar of the tempest he commanded his men, and they, with a
devotion as faithful as it was unquestioning, obeyed. Into the heart
of the town they fought their way. But, alas, the brave fellows were
not supported. The disastrous results of the assault—the wounding of
Arnold at its commencement, the death of Montgomery, the brave, while
leading those sixty heroes from New York, and the capture of Morgan,
of the lion’s heart—are tales of devotion which every American
schoolboy knows and which were so extraordinary as to become the
subject of public eulogy in the Commons of Great Britain. With “the
flower of the rebel army,” Morgan was “cooped up” in the town. His
half-starved and poorly clad men were all but frozen in the terrible
northeast storm. Their eyes could not endure the hail; their faces
were “hoar with frost” and weird with pendant icicles; their rifles
were practically useless. Finding himself alone with a few of his men
and a sprinkling of brave Pennsylvanians, and confronted in a narrow
street by his massed enemies, he resolved to cut his way through. The
attempt was madness itself. At last, he stood at bay with his back to
a wall. With tears streaming down his face, he refused to surrender
and challenged his enemies to come and take his sword. A hundred
muskets were levelled at his breast, when several of his men begged
him to resist no further. Denouncing his enemies as cowards, he
acquiesced in the importunities of his followers, but refused to
surrender his sword to any person save a noncombatant priest who
chanced to be near.
The heroism of the Americans in this assault attracted the admiration
of the world. Frederick, of Prussia, praised Montgomery as a military
chieftain. In the British Parliament, Barrè, Montgomery’s veteran
friend and comrade in the war with France which annexed Canada to the
crown, “wept profusely,” in extolling his virtues and the bravery of
his men. Edmund Burke pronounced him a hero and his men brave
patriots. Lord North, in reply for government, cursed the virtues of
the Americans and denounced them as rebels. “The term rebel,” retorted
Fox, “is no certain mark of disgrace. The great assertors of liberty,
the saviors of their country, the benefactors of mankind in all ages
have been called rebels. We owe the constitution which enables us to
sit in this house to a rebellion.” And North was silent!
It was during his confinement in “The Seminary,” following his
capture, that Morgan was tempted by the British to desert the cause of
his country. Had he been made of common clay he might have yielded. He
was half-naked; the few garments he wore were in tatters; he was a
thousand miles from home; he was a prisoner of war with no prospect of
release. But beneath the ragged hunting shirt of this nobleman from
the Virginia forests beat a heart as full of loyalty as of love for
his country. The polished and generous Governor-General, Sir Guy
Carleton, knew of his wonderful courage in the assault. Through the
mediation of a subordinate, he tendered Morgan in delicate and
diplomatic language “the commission, rank and emoluments of a colonel”
in the British Army. “I hope, sir,” was his disdainful reply, “I hope,
sir, you will never again insult me in my present distressed and
unfortunate situation by making me offers which plainly imply that you
think me a scoundrel.”
On the 10th day of August, 1776, the prisoners of war in Quebec were
released on parole, and a month later landed from the transports at
Elizabethtown Point. General Washington gave Morgan a flattering
reception. His high qualifications as an officer had become known
throughout the army, and the Commander-in-chief desired to avail of
his talents at once. From the Heights of Harlem, on the 20th day of
September, 1776, General Washington addressed a communication to the
President of Congress urging the appointment of Morgan to succeed
Colonel Hugh Stephenson of the Rifle Regiment lately ordered to be
raised. He stated “his conduct as an officer, in the expedition with
General Arnold last fall, his intrepid behavior in the assault on
Quebec, when the brave Montgomery fell, the inflexible attachment he
professed to our cause during his imprisonment, and which he
perseveres in,” all entitled him “to the favor of Congress.” After his
release from his parole, Congress acted on the recommendation and
Captain Morgan became “a Colonel of the Eleventh Regiment of Virginia
in the army of the United States.” Before the year 1776 closed he was
once more in the field of active operations.
He was ordered northward with a regiment of his own recruiting to
check the ravages of the Indians attached to Burgoyne’s army. During
that ever memorable campaign under Gates, Morgan and his men were in
the thick of every engagement until the capitulation of the British at
Saratoga. “Sir, you command the finest regiment in the world,” was
Burgoyne’s outburst to him when they were introduced after the
surrender. And in his “Review of the Evidence taken before the House
of Commons,” in which Burgoyne’s conduct was a subject of
investigation, in speaking of Morgan’s regiment having driven the
British light infantry from the field and attacked them in their
entrenchments, Burgoyne remarks: “If there can be any person who,
after considering that circumstance and the positive proof of the
subsequent obstinacy of the attack on the post of Lord Balcarras, and
various other actions of the day, continue to doubt that the Americans
possess the _quality_ and _faculty_ of fighting (call it by whatever
term they please) they are of a prejudice that it would be very absurd
longer to contend with.”
That is honorable testimony from an able adversary of the part Morgan
bore in those momentous days. And yet the name of Morgan was omitted
from the official account of the surrender which he did so much to
compel. The reason was not far to seek and is now well-known.
Again—this time on a triumphant field—did the innate nobleness, the
loyalty and love of country of Daniel Morgan overcome the
blandishments of the tempter and scorn his proffered preferments.
General Gates sought to persuade the honest woodsman to join him and
his co-conspirators in the “Conway Cabal,” which had for its object
the promotion of Gates over Washington. He refused. Had he yielded,
his name would have blazoned the dispatches announcing the
capitulation. When Gates had concluded his request, the frank and
honest soul of Morgan was aflame with indignation. “I have one favor
to ask of you, sir, which is never to mention that detestable subject
to me again; for under no other man than Washington as
commander-in-chief would I ever serve.”
Vain was the attempt to ignore the services of Morgan and his regiment
in the campaign against Burgoyne! The omission of his name by Gates in
the dispatches should be supplied by the mighty pen of his grateful
countrymen, and writ large, in letters of gold, upon the imperishable
annals of the Republic. His enemies paid homage to his gallantry. An
incident occurred at this time, as related by Lee in his Memoirs,
which illustrates the resentment of Gates towards Morgan and
demonstrates how unworthy and undeserved was his malice. Shortly after
the rejection by Morgan of General Gates’ proposition to join the
“Conway Cabal,” Gates gave a dinner to the principal officers of
Burgoyne’s army. The principal officers of the American army were also
present. But Morgan was not invited. Having occasion to seek an
interview with General Gates before the entertainment was concluded,
the British officers, observing the noble mien and soldier-like
carriage of Morgan and that he wore the uniform of a field officer,
made inquiries concerning his identity immediately upon his
withdrawal. When informed that he was Colonel Morgan, of the Rifle
Regiment, they arose to a man, and overtaking him in the road
severally introduced themselves and declared their admiration for his
bravery and skill as a commander.
After the surrender, Colonel Morgan, by express command of General
Washington, marched southward to join him. The commanderin-chief was
then operating on the Hudson and in New Jersey and Pennsylvania and
was anxious to avail himself of the remarkable talents of Morgan,
whose Rangers were now become the _elite_ rifle-corps of the army. To
follow him in all of his engagements while under the immediate command
of Washington would prolong this address beyond the limitations which
patience and the conventions prescribe. No undertaking having for its
object the success of the American cause was too hazardous, no service
too difficult for him to perform. It was during this period that
developed those intimate personal relations between Colonel Morgan and
General Lafayette which continued through life and which is
affectionately manifested in the correspondence of the polished
Marquis with his unaccomplished friend. In a letter from Fishkill,
November 28, 1778, Lafayette, in thanking Morgan for the friendship
and good opinion he expressed for him on the eve of his departure for
France, said: “Both are extremely dear to my heart; and I do assure
you, my dear sir, that the true regard and esteem and the sincere
affection you have inspired to me, will last forever.
* * * * *
“Farewell, my dear sir, don’t forget your friend on the other side of
the great water, and believe me ever,
“Your affectionate,
“LAFAYETTE.”
But while he was held in the highest esteem by his superior officers and
had rendered extraordinary services to his country, Congress ignored him
in dispensing its favors and continued to promote over his head men of
smaller talents who had friends at court. Finally he determined to
resign. Not even the influence of Washington, once his mind had been
formed, was powerful enough to dissuade him from his purpose. Early in
July, 1779, he presented a laudatory letter from Washington to Congress
and offered his resignation. It was accepted, and the war-worn hero
mounted his horse and rode homeward to the verdant valley of the
Shenandoah. Greatly was his departure regretted in the army. In a letter
to him dated “Haverstraw, Nov. 9, 1779,” General John Neville, then an
officer in Woodford’s brigade, said: “Then, say they, for old Morgan a
brigadier, and we would kick the world before us. I am not fond of
flattery; but I assure you, on my word, that no man’s ever leaving the
army was more regretted than yours, nor no man was ever wished for more
to return.”
For fifteen months he remained with his family, a close student of
passing events in the progress of the war. The attention of the British
was now directed towards the South and Morgan was filled with
apprehension by the preparations being made to bring it under British
subjection. Leading three thousand fresh troops from New York,
Cornwallis had arrived near Charleston to take command in that section.
So rapid and effective were his operations that on the 12th day of May,
1780, when he was ready to assault the town by land and water, General
Lincoln signed a capitulation of the city and surrendered his army. By
the end of June, the British commander was able to report that he had
put an end to all resistance in South Carolina and Georgia; and that in
accordance with his plan of operations, he would after the September
harvest reduce the province of North Carolina, continue his march to the
Chesapeake, and from that base conquer the province of Virginia.
Disregarding the wishes of Washington, Congress on the 13th day of June
unanimously named General Gates, instead of General Greene, to succeed
Lincoln in command of the Southern Department. It proved to be one of
the saddest blunders of the war.
In receiving this independent command, Gates was instructed to report
directly to Congress and not to the commander-in-chief. He was
authorized to appoint his own staff-officers; to address himself
directly to Virginia and to the States north of it for supplies; and to
engage his army in such manner for the defense of the South as his
judgment alone should approve. Ambitious as Lucifer, and vain by nature,
this mark of great distinction—bestowed in spite of the known opinion of
Washington concerning its unwisdom—gave Gates unlimited confidence in
his abilities. Miscalculating the fighting strength of his “grand army,”
two thirds of which consisted of raw militia from the various provinces
that had never been paraded together, he marched against the best
disciplined troops in the world, led by Cornwallis, at Camden, and
suffered a defeat which demoralized the entire South, deprived him of
his command and terminated his military career. “Two thirds of the army
ran like a torrent,” he wrote, forgetting to add that he ran with them
and did not quit running until he arrived, ahead of the fleetest of the
fugitives, at Hillsborough, North Carolina, two hundred miles
away—making the distance in the splendid time of three and one half
days!
[Illustration:
MAJOR JOHN W. BOURLET.
Of Concord, N. H.
Many years in charge of the printing and publishing of the volumes of
the Society.
Deceased, January 19, 1910.
]
At this juncture, Cornwallis was the most conspicuous figure in the
British Army in America. Already “the pride and delight” of Lord George
Germain, his successes vindicated the opinion which that minister
entertained of his military talents, and he was now designed by the
Cabinet to supersede Clinton as commander-in-chief—being considered “the
one man on whom rested the hopes of the ministry for the successful
termination of the war.” Proud of this favoritism on the part of the
Cabinet and conscious of the hopes and expectations of the King,
Cornwallis began preparations for his northward march. Success had
elated him. He believed he would swing from victory unto victory until
he had brought all of the people south of the Delaware again under the
dominion of the crown.
He began the work of subjugation by inaugurating a reign of terror not
excelled in point of barbarity in the annals of civilized warfare. After
his victory at Camden, he erected a gibbet, and began the summary and
indiscriminate execution of those among his prisoners who had formerly
received their parole. He gave stringent orders to his subordinates to
imprison all who refused to enter the British Army and thus became the
instrument of their own subjection. The confiscation of property and the
destruction of life assumed hideous forms. “South Carolina,” says
Bancroft, “was writhing under the insolence of an army in which every
soldier was licensed to pillage, and every officer outlawed peaceful
citizens at will.” The gold and silver plate and other valuables divided
amongst the victors at the fall of Charleston amounted in value to a
million and a half dollars, the dividend of a major-general alone being
four thousand guineas. Cold-blooded assassinations by men holding the
King’s commission, often in the presence of the wives and children of
the helpless victims, were frequent. No engagements by capitulation were
respected. Woodsmen in their rude cabins were suddenly surrounded and
put to death, not because they were in arms against the King, but
because they were not in arms for him. The tomahawking in June, 1777, of
poor Jane McRae by one of the two Indians in the British service who
were escorting her under British protection from Fort Edward, New York,
to her expectant betrothed in the British lines, and who quarreled over
the reward promised for her safe arrival, found a fitting complement
three years later in South Carolina when Colonel Tarleton, of His
Majesty’s service, personally beat the wife of a general officer of the
Continental army because of his activity in the cause of his country.
Equalling this villainy, Lord Rawdon, one of Cornwallis’ commanders on
the Santee, who had found great difficulty in forcing his Irish Regiment
to fight against the American patriots, issued an order dated July 1,
1780, in which he said: “I will give the inhabitants ten guineas for any
deserter belonging to the volunteers of Ireland and five guineas only if
they bring him in alive.”
To the disgrace of the ministry of Lord North, these practices were not
only known to but were approved by the Cabinet. Indeed, they met the
“hearty and repeated applause” of those charged with the conduct of the
war, Germain declaring in orders to Clinton that “no good faith or
justice is to be expected from them and we ought in all our transactions
with them to act upon that supposition.”
Such was the temper of the British and such was the condition of the
people of South Carolina when Cornwallis moved forward.
The army was in three divisions—the main body under Cornwallis, at
Camden; Tarleton’s Legion, at Winnsborough; and the Brigade of
Provincial troops under Major Ferguson, at Post Ninety-Six. It was at
this time that Morgan again took the field. The defeat of Gates at
Camden had stirred his patriotism to its very depths. In the distress of
his country he buried all resentment of the ill-treatment he had
received from both Gates and the Congress—the hardy warrior again drew
his sword. And Gates with his pride humbled and his heart filled with
humility by adversity, desiring to retrieve his fallen fortunes,
resolved upon giving Morgan an independent command. The British began
their march in the second week of September—a delightful season in the
southern clime, perhaps the loveliest of the year. The earlier cereals
had yielded to the sickle, and the sheaves, standing like mute sentinels
in the field, had been bound by the reapers. The maize was nearly ripe.
Supplies for the troops were plentiful. Indeed, the proud Cornwallis had
no thought of care for his army that did not dissolve in the kindling
prospect of glory and renown.
In the opinion of Bancroft, the ablest British partizan officer at that
time in America was Major Patrick Ferguson, in command of the left
division of the army. He was ordered to enlist as he passed northward,
the young loyalists who had fled to the mountains for security and those
fugitives whose love of plunder would find indulgence and protection
under the British standard. House-burners and assassins, plunderers and
wrongers of women and children, were massed in his command. But neither
Ferguson nor his desperate troops were fated much longer to pillage,
burn and kill. At King’s Mountain, on the 7th day of October, the
backwoodsmen from the Virginia mountains, the commands of Isaac Shelby
and John Sevier, the men from North Carolina under McDowell and
Cleaveland—all by common consent under the command of the redoubtable
Virginian, William Campbell, a brother-in-law of Patrick Henry—every man
armed with his own rifle and riding his own horse, determined to avenge
the wrongs which they and their kinsmen had suffered at the hands of the
British troops. A bloody battle was fought and Ferguson was pierced
through the heart. His entire command was captured.
Six days after this event, on the recommendation of Thomas Jefferson,
Governor of Virginia, and John Rutledge, the great chief magistrate of
South Carolina, Congress appointed Daniel Morgan a Brigadier-General in
the army of the United States. The news of the death of Ferguson and the
surrender of his army at King’s Mountain reached Cornwallis on the march
from Charlotte to Salisbury. The destruction of one-third of his army,
at a single blow, and the death of his ablest commander were reverses as
stunning as they were unexpected. His fears were at once aroused for the
safety of the posts in his rear, now being constantly menaced by Marion
and Sumpter.
He first halted. Then he retreated. Determining to reinforce his army,
before resuming his march, with the three thousand men under General
Leslie at Portsmouth, Virginia, he ordered that officer to join him by
way of Charleston. He recrossed the Catawba and posted himself at
Winnsborough on the 29th day of October, intending to await the coming
of Leslie. On the 4th day of December, 1780, General Nathaniel Greene
succeeded General Gates in command of the American army in camp at
Charlotte. And now began the series of stirring events which culminated
in the most remarkable and surprising battle of the war and the
destruction of the second division of Cornwallis’ proud army.
The whole American force at this time did not exceed two thousand men,
only eight hundred of whom were regulars. It was an army almost entirely
devoid of necessary equipment. It had no tents and few wagons; it was
badly armed and its supply of ammunition was short. Its men were almost
naked, with not more than three days’ provisions in store. General
Greene’s orders, under these circumstances, were as necessary as wise—he
determined to divide his force into two bodies and post them on the
right and left flanks of the British. Under his own command, the main
body was to occupy a position on the Pedee River; while a detachment
under General Morgan was to operate between the Broad and Pacolet. The
detachment under Morgan consisted of five hundred and eighty men in
all—three hundred and twenty-eight light infantry, two hundred Virginia
militia and about eighty cavalry. They were put in motion on the 20th of
December, 1780, for the country between the rivers I have just named.
Greene offered him wagons. He refused them as being incompatible with
the nature of light troops. When Cornwallis learned of Morgan’s
movement, he misinterpreted it to mean an attack on the British post
called Ninety-Six. On the 2d day of January, 1781, Cornwallis addressed
this familiar note to Tarleton, which is indicative of the close
personal relations existing between the parties to it, as well as the
wholesome respect they had for Morgan:
“DEAR TARLETON: I sent Haldane to you last night, to desire you would
pass Broad River with the legion and the first battalion of the 71st
as soon as possible. If Morgan is still at Williams’, or anywhere
within your reach, I should wish you to push him to the utmost. I have
not heard, except from McArthur, of his having cannon, nor would I
believe it, unless he has it from very good authority. It is, however,
possible, and Ninety-Six is of so much importance that no time is to
be lost.
“Yours sincerely,
“CORNWALLIS.”
Tarleton promptly obeyed these instructions and was soon in possession
of sufficient information to warrant him in assuring Cornwallis that
Ninety-Six was in no immediate danger from Morgan. He then conceived and
proposed to Cornwallis the plan of operations against Morgan which ended
in the celebrated battle which we commemorate tonight and immortalized
the name and fame of the big raw-boned boy with the Irish brogue who
came to the Valley of Virginia in 1755 “out of the land of
God-knows-where”!
That plan contemplated a joint movement against Morgan on the part of
Tarleton and Cornwallis by which they would compel him “either to fight,
disperse across the mountain or surrender.” It was at once approved.
Cornwallis sent Tarleton a reinforcement of two hundred and fifty men
and on the 7th of January put the main body in motion to act in
conjunction with him. On the 16th day of January Cornwallis reached
Turkey Creek. Filled with anxiety lest Greene should attack and defeat
the troops under Leslie, and having no doubt that the dashing Tarleton
with his superior numbers would defeat Morgan if he overtook him,
Cornwallis determined to await at Turkey Creek until General Leslie
joined the main army. It was a fatal decision. Not more than twenty-five
miles away was about to be enacted the tragedy to the British arms, in
which a rude and untutored genius, commanding undisciplined woodmen
half-naked and half-starved, was matched against an educated and
accomplished officer in command of regular troops greater in number,
well-fed, well-conditioned, and as thoroughly disciplined as any troops
in the world. The beginning of the end of British authority over
American soil was at hand.
Through his superior system of scouts and their knowledge of woodcraft,
Morgan was always thoroughly informed of the movements of his enemies.
The orders of General Greene required him to hold his ground as long as
he possibly could and not to dispirit the inhabitants by a retreat
unless it were a necessity to save his troops from destruction or
capture. But the time had now come for him to retire in haste before the
British or to give battle to Tarleton before Cornwallis could join him.
With a noble confidence in his troops, Morgan determined to fight. He
made his camp on the night of January 16, 1781, two miles from a
grazing-ground for cattle known as the Cowpens, sixteen miles from
Spartansburg, South Carolina, and five miles from the North Carolina
line. The news that he had determined to give battle to Tarleton was
received by his men with exclamations of joy. He knew the enemy’s
strength was superior to his own—that the British infantry embraced
twice his number and the cavalry three times the little force under his
command. He knew the advantage of the British because of their
artillery. But he was unafraid. Against the superiority of numbers, he
placed the skill of his riflemen and their zeal to punish an enemy who
had wantonly inflicted upon them and their kinsmen and kinswomen
personal wrongs of the most grievous character. But above all, he placed
their love of country and a willingness to die in its defense.
“The night before the battle,” says Major Thomas Young in Orion, Vol.
III., page 88, “he went among the volunteers, helped them to fix their
swords, joked them about their sweethearts, and told them to keep in
good spirits, and the day would be ours. Long after I laid down, he was
going about among the soldiers encouraging them, and telling them that
the ‘Old wagoner would crack his whip over Ben (Tarleton) in the
morning, as sure as he lived.’ ‘Just hold up your head, boys,’ he would
say, ‘three fires and you are free! And when you return to your homes,
how the old folks will bless you and the girls will kiss you for your
gallant conduct.’ I don’t think he slept a wink that night.”
It is as far beyond my purpose, Mr. President, as it is beyond my
ability, to describe the action which began at sunrise on the 17th day
of January, 1781, and ended at “two hours before noon.” In the judgment
of Bancroft, Morgan was at this time the “ablest commander of light
troops in the world,” and I content myself with saying that on that
bloody but happy day his disposition of his troops, his personal
bravery, and the result which attended it, all, all confirm the
pronouncement of the great historian. The battle was fought in an open
wood, “affording to the movements of an army all the facilities of a
plain.” Tarleton himself declared it to be “as proper and convenient a
place for an action as he could desire.” It resulted in an American loss
of twelve killed and sixty wounded. Of the enemy, “ten commissioned
officers were killed and more than a hundred rank and file; two hundred
were wounded; twenty-nine commissioned officers and more than five
hundred privates were taken prisoners besides seventy negroes.” Two
standards, upward of a hundred dragoon horses, thirty-five wagons, eight
hundred muskets and two field pieces were also captured. The British
army was practically destroyed—the fragment which survived, with the
flying Tarleton at their head, being driven pell-mell in ignominious
flight to the main body at Turkey Creek. Thus again, by a single blow,
was another third of Cornwallis’ proud army annihilated.
The fame of this surprising victory spread throughout the country.
Greene announced it to the army in general orders, saying the victors
were “the finest fellows on earth, more worthy than ever of love.” The
governors of the Southern States made proclamation of the event. The
Commonwealth of Virginia, in the plenitude of her gratitude, voted
Morgan a house and sword as a testimonial of “the highest esteem of his
country for his military character, so gloriously displayed.” From
Charlotte, under date of January 21, 1781, the gallant General Davidson,
who was so soon to yield his life in resisting Cornwallis’ passage of
the Catawba, sent Morgan a note by “Parson McCaully” extending his
“warmest congratulations on the late glorious victory,” and saying “you
have, in my opinion, paved the way for the salvation of the country.”
Greene wrote him from Camden August 20, 1781: “The people of this
country adore you.” “Great generals are scarce—there are few Morgans to
be found.” From Montok Hill, August 15, 1781, while Morgan was
recuperating his health, Lafayette wrote: “My dear Friend: I have been
happy to hear your health was better. I hope the springs will entirely
recover it; and then, my dear sir, I shall be happier than can be
expressed, at seeing you with the army. You are the general and the
friend I want.” In the Congress, a resolution was adopted placing on
record on behalf of the people of the United States “the most lively
sense of approbation of the conduct of Morgan and the men and officers
under his command.” It ordered that a medal of gold be struck and
presented to him in commemoration of the gratitude of his countrymen. It
attempted to sum up his merit in three words: “_Virtus unita valet._”
Modest, indeed, was the report of Morgan himself of the battle. “Our
success,” said he to Greene, “must be attributed to the justice of our
cause and the gallantry of our troops. My wishes would induce me to name
every sentinel in the corps.” He did name some of his officers in that
original report of the battle dated “Camp near Cain Creek, Jan. 19,
1781,” and it will arouse the pride of every man of Irish blood to read
them. Listen to this much of it: “Major McDowell, of the North Carolina
volunteers, was posted on the right flank in front of the line, one
hundred and fifty yards; and Major Cunningham, of the Georgia
volunteers, on the left, at the same distance in front. Colonels Brannon
and Thomas, of the South Carolinians, were posted in the right of Major
McDowell and Colonel Hayes and McCall, of the same corps, on the left of
Major Cunningham. Captains Tate and Buchanan, with the Augusta riflemen,
to support the right of the line.” In the Maryland Regiment, were Major
Edward Giles, Morgan’s aid; Captain Gilmore, and Ensign McCoskell.
McDowell and Cunningham and Tate and Giles and Gilmore and Hayes and
McCoskell and McCall and Brannon, commissioned officers all, in one
battle! From this array, it would seem that the Irish may modestly lay
claim to have struck at least one blow for Independence!
The military career of Morgan was now nearly ended. Immediately upon the
termination of the engagement, he began that masterly retreat for a
distance of one hundred and fifty miles before the troops of Cornwallis
and Leslie, to form a junction with Greene, which was so necessary to
save his little corps from annihilation or capture. To overtake him,
Cornwallis destroyed his entire baggage train, and converted his army
into light troops. But in vain. Though heavily encumbered by the
captured munitions of the enemy and his celerity retarded by the
prisoners of war, Morgan conducted his retirement with great prudence
and success, and in twenty-one days joined Greene at Guilford Court
House, his pursuers being but twenty-five miles in his rear. His heroic
band was saved.
Emaciated from want and crippled with disease resulting from hardships
he endured in the Canadian campaign, Morgan was now scarcely able to sit
upon his horse. When mounted he could not ride out of a walk. He “was a
sufferer to the verge of human endurance, and was forced to ask for
leave of absence to regain his broken health. Slowly and painfully he
made his way homeward; and he was never again physically fit for active
operations. But his warlike spirit was never at rest while an armed
enemy of his country was in the field. In June, 1781, when Tarleton was
raiding eastern Virginia, he raised and equipped a body of cavalry at
his own expense and at the earnest importunity of Benjamin Harrison and
Archibald Cary, Speakers of the House of Delegates and Senate of
Virginia, he placed himself at their head to join Lafayette. But in
August his old malady compelled him again to retire.
The spirit of the old hero chafed under his enforced idleness. The
termination of the titanic struggle was now discernible to his
experienced eye and he longed to participate in the closing events. The
French fleet was in the Chesapeake, cutting off the escape of Cornwallis
by sea. In his rear was Lafayette—there was no retreat to the southward.
On his flank was the Marquis of St. Simon—there was no flight to the
mountains. And from the north, at the head of the main army, marched
George Washington with his veteran troops.
The stupendous event which took place at Yorktown on the 19th day of
October, 1781, at 4 o’clock p. m., and its influence on the history of
the human race, all the world knows. Morgan was at home at that time on
a bed of sickness. He wrote Washington under date of September 20,
lamenting that his condition prevented him from serving in the field. It
was a letter full of personal and patriotic utterances—so much so that
Washington felt impelled to answer it in kind. His answer is dated
“Headquarters, before York, 5th October, 1781.” “Surrounded as I am,” he
wrote, “with a great variety of concerns on the present occasion, I can
yet find time to answer your letter of the 20th ultimo, which I have
received with much satisfaction; not only as it is filled with such warm
expressions of desire for my success on the present expedition, but as
it breathes the spirit and ardor of a veteran soldier, who, though
impaired in the service of his country, yet retains the sentiments of a
soldier in the firmest degree.
“Be assured that I most sincerely lament your present situation, and
esteem it a peculiar loss to the United States that you are, at this
time, unable to render your services in the field. I most sincerely
thank you for the kind expressions of your good wishes, and earnestly
hope that you may soon be restored to that share of health which you may
desire, and with which you may again be useful to your country in the
same eminent degree as has already distinguished your conduct.”
Within two weeks’ time from the date of that cordial letter, Cornwallis
surrendered his army, the war of the Revolution had been fought to a
finish and the military life of Daniel Morgan was ended.
To his estate in Clarke County, Virginia, which he proudly called
“Saratoga,” he now retired; and there he spent his declining days. For
two years, in obedience to the call of his people, he served them in the
Congress of the nation; but, as he had been most warlike in time of war,
in time of peace he preferred the quiet shades of private life. On the
sixth day of July in the year 1802, in about the sixty-seventh year of
his age, he passed out at Winchester, in Virginia, and there lies his
dust in an humble grave.
Mr. President, the dust of Daniel Morgan is noble dust. Saving alone
those of the commander-in-chief, his services to his struggling country
are the most remarkable in the annals of the war. From the valley of the
Hockhocking in 1774, he pledged himself to the services of his brethren
of Boston and marched his riflemen six hundred miles to their relief.
Into the hardships of the Canadian Campaign he led the van; and three
times before Quebec he guided his men to the fire-fringed heights with
the courage of a demi-god. To him belongs the chief glory of Burgoyne’s
surrender; and at the Cowpens he won what Bancroft affirms was “the most
astonishing victory of the war.” His life was a succession of sacrifices
for his country. Measure his services as you may—in number, in value, or
in brilliancy—they are not surpassed by those of any officer of the
Revolution, saving always the unapproachable Washington. In fifty
contests with the enemy he participated—eight of them being general
engagements—and in those in which he was charged with the responsibility
of command, he was either successful or achieved results which were
equivalent thereto. His patriotism was proof against British allurements
when he was a ragged prisoner of war; and his sense of honor repelled
the temptations of a superior brother-officer in the hour of victorious
exultation. Into every danger where wartime duty called him, he “fought
a good fight”; in spite of every wile of the seducer, “he kept the
faith”; into the quietude of private life he carried the praises of the
whole army and the plaudits of the civil representatives of his country.
But he did not escape calumny. He paid the inevitable penalty which
success entails, and paid it with the smile of scorn and the noble
silence of conscious rectitude. The American people, as yet, have no
Madeleine, no Valhalla, no Westminster, wherein repose the ashes of
their mighty dead. But when that national mausoleum comes, as come it
ought and come it will, to it in some future generation the dust of
Daniel Morgan will be tenderly borne and in honor inurned beneath its
vaulted halls. Meantime, he sleeps yonder at Winchester amidst the
lovely hills of Old Virginia, and, “in honored rest,” sleeps well well—
“His truth and valor wearing.”
No marble pile marks his resting place. He needs none! Congresses may,
his countrymen never will, forget his devotion to the Republic. On the
portals of St. Paul’s Cathedral, the stranger who would behold the
monument of its architect, Sir Christopher Wren, is admonished in
stately Latin to “look around him.” _Si quaeris monumentum,
circumspici!_ Ye who would behold the monument of Daniel Morgan, lift
your eyes to the towering dome of your country’s Capitol and consider
all that it represents! Read the Bill of Rights incorporated in the
charters of your commonwealths, and reflect upon the inalienable
prerogatives it preserves to eighty millions of freemen! Study the
constitution itself and realize with Gladstone that it is “the most
wonderful work ever struck off in a given time by the brain and
purpose of man!” Ponder those blessings of liberty which, in their
full flower and fruition, every American enjoys tonight! And when ye
have done this, remember that Daniel Morgan was of the fathers by
whose blood and spirit they were established. Sublimer than effigies
of brass, more enduring than granite shafts, are these memorials of
the men of the old heroic days. Upon the rights of mankind are they
founded, and they will remain even unto the last day of recorded time.
And when Time shall be no longer—when, in the ultimate convulsion of
nature, the archangel-trumpeter shall sound his summons for the living
and the dead to render final accounting of their stewardship—before
the Judge of the Nations in the group of immortals who blazed the way
for the glory of the American Republic, will stand the tall Irish
chieftain of the Virginia Riflemen, “with a countenance like the
lightning and in raiment as white as snow.”
ST. BRENDAN, AMERICA’S FIRST DISCOVERER. HOW A LEARNED AND ADVENTUROUS
IRISHMAN AND SIXTY MONKS OUTSTRIPPED COLUMBUS BY NEARLY TEN CENTURIES IN
HIS QUEST OF THE WESTERN HEMISPHERE—A GRAPHIC AND CONVINCING TREATISE.
BY THOMAS S. LONERGAN, NEW YORK CITY.
During all historic time, the Irish have been noted for their love of
adventure and travel, and had commercial intercourse with the leading
ports of Europe and Asia for centuries before and after St. Patrick’s
time, which is proof that they had sailing vessels of no mean order. The
conversion of the Irish people to Christianity, in the fifth century, is
unique in the annals of Christendom, because it was accomplished by one
man and without the shedding of a single drop of human blood—but the
discovery of America by Irish monks in the middle of the sixth century
is still a mooted question, notwithstanding the historical researches of
Irish, French, German and American scholars, which prove that St.
Brendan was the first discoverer of this western hemisphere. His
expedition was essentially a religious undertaking, as well as the
fulfillment of a well-known prophecy.
St. Brendan was born in the year 484, at a place now called Tralee, in
the County of Kerry, Ireland. He was the son of Finnlogha, of the race
of Ciar, son of Fergus. He was educated by his relative, the Bishop of
Erc, who was head of a local monastery at Kerry. When a child, young
Brendan was placed in charge of St. Ita, at Killeedy, in the County of
Limerick, where he remained for five years, after which he returned to
Bishop Erc’s monastery, and began his ecclesiastical studies with marked
ability. He was sent from there to St. Jarlath’s College of Tuan for the
purpose of studying the laws and rules of the saints of Ireland, with
the injunction to return to Bishop Erc for holy orders, and in due
course of time he was ordained.
[Illustration:
THOMAS S. LONERGAN, ESQ.,
Of New York City.
Member of the Society, Litterateur and Lecturer.
]
St. Brendan belonged to what is known as the second order of Irish
Saints. Shortly after his ordination, a passionate desire took
possession of him to go forth on expeditions for the discovery of
strange lands and the salvation of souls. At his ordination the words of
St. Luke produced a profound impression on his mind, which subsequently
formed his determination to forsake his native country and to embark on
a voyage to a mysterious land, far from human ken and beyond a mighty
ocean.
It is certain that Irishmen, in ancient days, found their way to the
Hebrides, the Shetland and Faroe Islands, and even to Iceland. St.
Brendan is said to have visited the Western and Northern Islands, and
Brittany in France between 530 and 540. When he returned home the
passion to discover the Land of Promise, as foretold in St. Patrick’s
prophecy, was stronger than ever. He went to St. Ita, his old nurse, for
counsel, and she advised him to build a ship of wood, and she told him
that he would find the distant land beyond the great ocean. He
immediately set out for Galway in Connacht, and gathered several of his
faithful monks about him, and they there and then began to build a large
wooden ship. We are told that they built a peculiar mast in the middle
of the ship, and secured all the other rigging for such a craft. They
put aboard various kinds of herbs, seeds and provisions. They sailed
from Galway along the Irish Coast to the Bay of Kerry.
In 545, according to the Irish annals and the Latin manuscripts, St.
Brendan and sixty Irish monks, sailed from the Bay of Kerry, which still
bears his name, and after an adventurous voyage of forty days, they
reached the shores of what is now Virginia or Carolina, and are said to
have remained in this western hemisphere for seven years, exploring and
preaching the Gospel of Christ to the natives, especially along the
shores of the Ohio River. Most probably they trod the soil of New
England. The reports of what they saw and endured are simply marvellous.
They found a fertile land, thickly wooded and full of birds and flowers,
strange animals and strange human beings.
There is every reason to believe that before the close of that eventful
century the story of St. Brendan’s voyages and discovery was well known
in every part of Europe. There are still extant thirteen Latin
manuscripts in the National Library of Paris which have come down from
the tenth century, and contain elaborate accounts of St. Brendan’s
discovery of America. The Bodlien Library of Oxford and the Nuremburg
Library of Germany contain several of the Brendan MSS. There are also
versions of the discovery in Gaelic, German, Spanish, Portuguese and
Italian.
In the year 1892, the late General Daniel Butterfield, the noted
American soldier and scholar, photographed one of the original Latin
manuscripts of Brendan in the Bibleothèque Nationale of Paris, which he
translated on his arrival in this country, and he subsequently prepared
a learned lecture on the subject, which he delivered before the New York
Gaelic Society. The translation, has been vouched for by Cardinal
Gibbons of Baltimore as being almost literal.
The manuscript begins with a sketch of St. Brendan’s career and of the
confession made to him by Father Barindus, which was instrumental in
firing the imagination of the great abbot to make a voyage in search of
the Land of Promise, which was America. St. Brendan laid his full
statement of the confession before the seven wisest counsellors of his
community, which concluded in the following words, as translated:
“My Beloved Fellow Warriors: I now ask of you counsel and help,
inasmuch as my thoughts and my heart are bent on one desire, if it be
the will of God. That land whereof Father Barindus has spoken, is the
land of promise of the saints. I have yet set my heart upon. What say
you? What counsel do you give me? Their answer was, ‘Abbot, your will
is ours; have we not left our parents, have we not forsaken our
inheritance, have we not delivered ourselves up unto you? Therefore
with you we are ready to go unto life or death.’”
They considered the story or confession a revelation to enable them to
reach the land, of which Patrick’s prophecy had foretold. When once upon
the highlands of Munster, and looking out upon the Atlantic Ocean, St.
Patrick said that a man of renown should arise in those lands and go out
upon the sea and find the promised land. That prophecy has been a
household word with the people in the Kerry region for more than
fourteen centuries, and was well known for several years before St.
Brendan was born. The traditions of the Brendanian voyages, like
Banquo’s ghost, will never down, because they are embodied in the
literature of many European nations.
The following passage appears in Otway’s Sketches, published in Dublin
in 1845.
“Brendan, having prosecuted his inquiries with all diligence, returned
to his native Kerry, and from a bay sheltered by a lofty mountain,
that is now known by his name, he set sail for the Atlantic land and
directing his course towards the Southwest, in order to meet the
summer solstice, or what we call the ‘tropic’ after a long and rough
voyage, came to summer seas where he was carried without sail or oar
for many a long day. This, it is presumed, was the great Gulf Stream
and which brought his vessel to shore, somewhere about the Virginia
Capes, or where the American coast tends eastward and forms the New
England States. There landing, he and his companions marched far into
the interior and came to a large river, flowing East and West, which
was evidently the Ohio River. After some years’ exploration, the holy
adventurer was about to cross the river when he was accosted by a
person of noble presence (but whether a real or imaginary man does not
appear), who told him that he had gone far enough in that direction
and that further discoveries were reserved for other men who would in
due time come and Christianize all that pleasant land. The above, when
tested by common sense, clearly shows that Brendan landed on a
continent and went a good way into the interior.”
It is now supposed that St. Brendan and his companions soon returned to
Ireland. Some writers state that he made a second voyage to this
country, but there is no proof for that statement.
In the sagas of Scandinavia, America is called Irland Mikla, or “Great
Ireland.” The Scandinavian records contain an account of three voyages
made to America after the time of St. Brendan and before the arrival of
Columbus. Voraginius, the Provincial of the Dominicans and Bishop of
Genoa in the thirteenth century, devotes much space in his “Golden
Legend” to St. Brendan’s Land. Wynkyn de Worde, the first English
printer, wrote a life of St. Brendan, which was published in 1483, just
nine years before Columbus sailed from Palos. Several Italians, who
wrote in the fifteenth century, had much to say about St. Brendan’s
discovery, and it is to be presumed that the mind of Columbus was well
stored with the traditions of America’s first discoverer, which had come
down through the Middle Ages.
Here are a few sentences spoken by St. Brendan on the banks of what is
now supposed to be the Ohio River:
“Behold the land which you have longed for so long a time.
“The reason you saw it not sooner was that God desired to show you the
secrets of the ocean.
“Return, therefore, to the land of thy nativity, carrying with you of
the fruits and gems of all that your ship will carry, for the days of
your journey are near to a close, and you shall sleep with your
fathers. But after the lapse of many years this land shall be made
known to your descendants, when Christianity shall overcome Pagan
persecution. Now, this river which you see divides the land, as it now
appears to you rich in fruits, so shall it always appear without any
shadow of night, for its light is Christ.”
If the foregoing is not positive proof, it is at least pretty good
circumstantial evidence of St. Brendan’s discovery of this western
hemisphere.
Nearly all writers on Columbus bear witness to the traditional value of
the voyage of St. Brendan in guiding and inspiring Lief Erickson in the
tenth century, and Columbus in the fifteenth, to the discovery of the
New World.
The legend of St. Brendan is treated in the general histories of
American discovery. In Winsor’s “Narrative and Critical History of
America,” volume I, page 48, there is a list of some of the different
texts of the legend. Payne’s “History of America” gives a brief summary
of the legend. He says: “No story was more popular in the end of the
fifteenth century. The critic who does not absolutely reject it, as the
Bollandists have done, may take his choice of original versions of it in
eight different languages: and St. Brandan occupies ten dense pages in
William Caxton’s version of the Golden Legend.” An English version of
the legend was published by the Percy Society in 1844 under the title,
“St. Brandan, a mediæval legend of the sea, in English prose and verse
(London, 1844).”
Gaffarel’s “Histoire de la dècouverte de l’Amerique,” volume I, contains
a chapter entitled “Les Irlandais en Amerique avant Colomb,” in which he
gives an extended account of the story of St. Brendan, with references
to authorities.
[Illustration:
HON. THOMAS B. FITZPATRICK,
Of Boston, Mass.
Vice-President-General of the Society.
]
De Roo, in his “History of America Before Columbus,” published in 1900,
says: “The story of St. Brendan was one of the most remarkable and
widely spread of the middle ages. The number of its ancient copies,
carefully preserved to the present day, its various translations and its
learned commentaries, published of late, sufficiently testify to the
living interest which the ‘Navigatio’ of St. Brendan excited. There is
scarcely a MSS. Collection in Europe, of any account, where it cannot be
found.” There is a copy of the “Navigatio” in the Vatican Library since
the Ninth Century. De Roo gives full credence to the St. Brendan
narrative.
Learned writers like Moosmuller of Germany, Gravier of France, Palfry
and De Costa of America, not to speak of Irish scholars, have written
much on St. Brendan and prehistoric America. Cardinal Moran of Australia
has recently written a very able work on St. Brendan. O’Donoghue’s
Brendaniana and Webb’s Compendium of Irish Biography make mighty
interesting reading.
There are several ancient maps in the European Libraries which mention
St. Brendan’s Land or “Great Ireland” and those maps are being closely
examined by historical students interested in pre-Columbian discoveries.
Columbus himself, while he was endeavoring to fit out his first
expedition, wrote these words: “The land of St. Brendan is the land of
the Blessed, towards the West, which no one can reach except by the
power of God.”
It is not too much to claim that the Irish chapter in American history
began with St. Brendan. It is to be hoped and expected that the future
historians of this Western Hemisphere will recognize Brendan, the Irish
monk and famous navigator, as America’s first discoverer and give credit
to whom credit is due.
There is still extant in the Monastery of St. Gall in Switzerland, an
ancient MS. containing the prayer of St. Brendan for the safety of
himself and his companions in his trans-Atlantic voyage.
“Judging by the ancient documents,” says the learned Dane, Professor
Rafn, “we can have no doubt that Great Ireland was settled long before
the year 1000 by a Christian Colony from Ireland.” What Rafn calls Great
Ireland, we now call the United States of America. Rafn also claims that
a people speaking the Irish language were found in Florida as far back
as the eighth century.
The latest book on this subject is by Mrs. Marion Mulhall, the wife of
the famous statistician, entitled “Explorers in the New World Before
Columbus,” recently published by Longmans, Green & Co. Every student of
pre-Columbian discoveries ought to read that splendid work, which deals
with a mighty interesting theme in the field of historical research.
In the sixteenth century, traces of Gaelic speech and a knowledge of the
poems of Ossian were discovered among the Indians of Florida. Ossian was
an Irish poet who flourished two centuries before St. Brendan was born.
Both Thomas Jefferson and Napoleon considered him the greatest poet that
ever lived.
In the light of modern historical research, it is absurd to claim that
Columbus was the first discoverer of America. I am fully satisfied that
Lief Erickson and his Norsemen from the islands of the Baltic discovered
this Continent 500 years before Columbus; and I am as fully convinced
that St. Brendan and his Irish Monks landed on the shores of this
country about the middle of the sixth century. Owing to the fact that no
permanent settlement or lasting results came from these discoveries,
therefore they do not take a jot or tittle from the achievement of
Christopher Columbus, whose name and fame are bound to live forever in
the annals of the human race.
The Oxford University press has just published a number of Irish
manuscripts in the English language which have been in the Bodlien
Library for centuries. Some of those Gaelic manuscripts also refer to
the Brendanian voyages and discoveries.
The early Portuguese explorers believed in the existence of the El
Dorado, the undiscovered country of St. Brendan. The strongest proof of
this is that when the Crown of Portugal was ceded to the Castilians, the
treaty included St. Brendan’s land as a certain future discovery.
The high religious reputation and singular fame of St. Brendan gave
considerable value to his manuscripts, from which sprang up an unique
literature, that planted in the brain of Columbus a desire to find the
long lost Land of Promise, which he eventually discovered in the year
1492, a year forever memorable in the history of civilization.
Why is it that nearly all the original Brendan manuscripts are in the
Latin tongue? Chambers in his “Cyclopedia of English Literature” gives
an excellent explanation: “The first unquestionably real author of
distinction is St. Columbanus, a native of Ireland, who contributed
greatly to the advance of Christianity in Western Europe and died in
615. He wrote religious treatises and Latin poetry. As yet no educated
writer composed in his vernacular tongue. It was generally despised by
the literary class, and Latin was held to be the only language fit for
regular composition.”
Both Columbanus and Columkill or Columba were contemporaries of St.
Brendan. Doubtless St. Brendan was an accomplished Latin scholar.
Throughout Europe, during the Middle Ages, Brendan’s voyage was a most
popular subject in church literature. The Brendanian Manuscripts are
still locked up in the various libraries of Europe, and only a few of
them have been translated into any of the modern languages. It is to be
hoped that some of the great scholars of Germany, as well as those of
Ireland, will soon turn their attention to those old manuscripts. The
Book of Lismore contains a life of Brendan in the Gaelic language, and
the annals of Clonmacnoise devote considerable space to the career and
achievements of the famous navigator.
In view of St. Patrick’s prophecy, which was fulfilled by St. Brendan’s
voyage, it is a singular fact that the Atlantic Cable was laid by Cyrus
W. Field in 1857 within sight of Mount Brendan, which stands out in bold
relief on the Irish coast, at an altitude of fully three thousand feet,
overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.
In childhood young Brendan inhaled the ocean breezes, and was familiar
with the magnificent scenery of his native Kerry. At the foot of his
mountain retreat was Brendan Bay, from which he sailed for this Western
continent almost fourteen centuries ago.
The Sailor Saint is known as St. Brendan the Elder, in contradistinction
to St. Brendin, the Abbot or Bishop of Birr. Some writers have
confounded those two illustrious Irishmen who flourished in the same
century.
Many beautiful poems on “The Sailor Saint” are to be found in the modern
languages of Continental Europe, and some historical ballads by Denis
Florence McCarthy, Thos. Darcy McGee and others in the English language.
Here is one stanza from McGee’s well-known ballad:
“Mo-Brendan, Saint of Sailors, list to me,
And give thy benediction to our bark,
For still, they say, thou savest souls at sea,
And lightest signal fires in tempest dark.
Thou sought’st the Promised Land far in the West,
Earthing the Sun, chasing Hesperian on,
But we in our own Ireland have been blest
Nor ever sighed for land beyond the Sun.”
It has been recently pointed out by a writer on the subject that the
ancient Irish would have turned the discoveries of St. Brendan to good
account, and would have kept up communication with America, if their
attention had not been drawn to the severe combat carried on in England
between the Britons and the Saxons. Then, at a later period, the Danes
invaded Ireland, and for almost 300 years the Irish at home were engaged
in continuous warfare against those Pagan marauders, and consequently
were in no position to carry out any great peaceful enterprise in
distant lands.
In the year 553, St. Brendan founded the famous monastery of Clonfert,
in the County Galway, Ireland. In after years that seat of learning had
over 3,000 students within its walls, most of whom came from foreign
countries. They were educated and entertained without fee or reward, and
the same was true of all the other great schools and colleges during the
Golden Age of Ireland, which embraced the sixth, seventh and eighth
centuries. History tells us that Ireland was then “the school of the
West, and the quiet habitation of sanctity and learning.”
During that age, “the monasteries at Bangor, Clonfert and elsewhere,”
says Montalembert in his “Monks of the West,” “became entire towns, each
of which enclosed more than 3,000 students. The Thebiad reappeared in
Ireland, and the West had no longer anything to envy in the history of
the East. There was besides an intellectual development, which the
Eremites of Egypt had not known. The Irish communities joined by the
monks from Gaul and Rome, whom the example of St. Patrick had drawn upon
his steps, entered into rivalry with the great monastic schools of Gaul.
They explained Ovid there; they copied Virgil, they devoted themselves
especially to Greek literature; they drew back from no inquiry, no
discussion; they gloried in placing boldness on a level with faith.”
Religion and education went hand in hand in ancient Ireland from the
birth of St. Brendan in 484 to the Danish invasion, which took place in
the closing years of the eighth century. In that period Ireland was the
most learned country in all Europe. The fame of her schools had
travelled far and wide. The languages of Greece and Rome, as well as her
old Gaelic tongue, were studied and mastered, and thousands of pilgrim
students came to her shores, among them were Alfrid, King of
Northumbria, and Dagobert II., King of France.
Love of learning has been an Irish attribute from time immemorial; no
mind, not even the Athenian, had ever a greater thirst for knowledge
than the Irish mind. Ossian, who lived in the third century of the
Christian Era, is to Gaelic literature what Homer is to Greek
literature. Intellectual vigor, spiritual fervor and love for travel
have been and still are the predominant characteristics of the Irish.
Wherever the Irish monks went they founded monasteries, churches and
colleges, and laid the foundation for modern civilization and culture.
The truest history of Ireland is to be found in the poetry of her bards
and in the writings of her exiled monks. For proof see Zimmer’s “Irish
Element in Medieval Culture” and Hyde’s “Literary History of Ireland.”
St. Columkill, a contemporary of St. Brendan, has been called the father
of monasticism in the British Isles. He and Columbanus are acknowledged
to be the two most learned men of their age. It is a well established
fact that St. Brendan visited his countryman, Columkill, at his
monastery at Iona on the west coast of Scotland in 564. On that occasion
he founded two monasteries in Scotland. He also travelled in Wales and
England, where he founded some churches and schools and converted
thousands to the Christian faith. He built the Monastery of Ailech in
Britain, which is now called St. Malo. That was several years before St.
Augustine landed on British soil. So we see that Lecky was justified in
stating that “England owes a great deal of her Christianity to Irish
monks, who labored among her people before the arrival of Augustine.”
Most of the history which has been written during the past four
centuries has been a conspiracy against truth, but in these opening
years of the twentieth century history is being rewritten in the light
of historical research, and in keeping with the spirit of truth and
justice. The late Lord Acton was the pioneer, and his example is being
followed by some of the great scholars of Germany and other European
countries, which may throw a flood of light on the chronicles and
traditions of St. Brendan, as well as on the golden Age of Hibernia.
St. Brendan attended the inauguration of Aedh Caemh (anglicized Hugh
Keeffe), the first Christian King of Cashel in Tipperary in 570, when he
took the place of the official bard, who was a Pagan. On that occasion
he converted the bard to Christianity and gave him the name of Colman,
now known as St. Colman of Cloyne, in whose honor St. Colman’s College
at Fermoy was named.
According to Ussher, St. Brendan died at Annadown in 577, in the 94th
year of his age, and was buried in his own monastery at Clonfert. His
day on the calendar is May 16—a day forever sacred to the memory of
Hibernia’s greatest navigator. No complete compilation of biographical
work fails to mention the name of St. Brendan, who is preëminently the
mariner saint of the calendar.
The literary fame of historic Clonfert is known only to the students of
history. Most of the precious manuscripts of that great institution of
learning were destroyed by the Danes and Anglo-Normans centuries ago,
and its walls have long since crumbled into ruins.
“Clonfert,” says the scholarly Butterfield, “should be dear to all
Americans, because our first discoverer was Clonfert’s Bishop. The Sea
of Clonfert will doubtless remain during future ages as a shrine of
pilgrimage to numberless tourists, for it holds in its midst an honored
grave, where rests the dust of the patriarchal navigator who first
designated this hemisphere as a paradise of loveliness, to give happy
homes and altars free to the myriad outcasts of the human family.”
During the past two centuries, countless thousands of Erin’s sons and
daughters have found happy homes and civil and religious liberty in
“Brendan’s Land,” now and forevermore the land of Washington, which has
been for more than a century and a quarter an asylum for the poor and
oppressed of every race and every clime.
Owing to the ruthless destruction of vast numbers of ancient Irish
archives by the Danes and English, our knowledge of the first discovery
of America is not as exact as could be desired, yet there is enough
known to justify Americans, regardless of race or creed, in claiming the
honor of that discovery for St. Brendan and his sailor monks, almost a
thousand years before Columbus landed on the soil of San Salvador.
[Illustration:
HON. JAMES F. BRENNAN.
Of Peterborough, N. H.
Historiographer of the Society.
]
THE IRISH SETTLERS OF SOUTHERN NEW HAMPSHIRE.
BY HON. JAMES F. BRENNAN, HISTORIOGRAPHER AND MEMBER OF THE EXECUTIVE
COUNCIL OF THE AMERICAN IRISH HISTORICAL SOCIETY, A MEMBER OF THE
NEW HAMPSHIRE HISTORICAL SOCIETY, AND HISTORIOGRAPHER OF THE
PETERBOROUGH HISTORICAL SOCIETY, PETERBOROUGH, N. H.
The men who endured the hardships of this rough climate and encountered
the dangers incident to the opening up of this wild country, had to be a
class of men with strong hearts and resolute purposes. It was no place
for the weak; each had to be a soldier in the battle for existence; each
had to do his share in conquering the hardy soil and defending himself
and his family against the ever present dangers of Indians and the wild
beasts which then infested the territory.
The Plymouth Colony, composed largely of Englishmen, had for over a
century established itself in Eastern Massachusetts, provided itself
with comfortable settlements and enacted laws as intolerant as this
country has ever known, but had not penetrated into New Hampshire. These
Puritans, who, it is said, “first fell on their knees and then on the
aborigines,” had roasted witches, driven Quakers, Baptists and all
others, who were outside the pale of the Church of England, with buck
shot into the tender mercies of the savage interior; fleeing from the
intolerance of their own church in their quest of religious liberty,
they inaugurated a system of unparalleled religious slavery here.[14]
These Puritans were not the kind of men, with their selfish views, best
calculated to extend civilization; they received with disfavor and
imprecations the hardy Irish Presbyterians who arrived in Boston in
1736. These Englishmen always treated the emigrants from Ireland in a
way calculated to discourage further Irish emigration, but this did not
deter these hardy men, who, however, found the inhospitable and cold
interior preferable to the section where the influence of Puritanism had
established itself and left the darkest record of intolerance to be
found in the history of this country.
Irish in considerable numbers had landed eighteen years before, but the
continuing antipathy, which had ever existed in these English Puritans
against the “Wild Irishmen,” as they termed them, were renewed on the
arrival of the men in 1736 who were destined to bring civilization into
New Hampshire.
In the summer of 1718 five ships, with a hundred or more emigrant
families, came over from Ireland to Boston; some of them found their way
to Worcester and thence to Palmer, Pelham, Coleraine and other towns in
Massachusetts; a large number, under the lead of the Rev. John Morehead,
founded the Federal Street Church in Boston, and one ship with some
twenty families, sailing for the Merrimac late in the autumn, was driven
into Casco Bay, and was frozen in for the winter at the place, which
soon afterwards became the town of Portland; their provisions giving
out, they suffered some hardships, but found relief among the
inhabitants there.
A few families settled in that vicinity; the rest, in the spring of
1719, sailed up the Merrimac to Haverhill, and thence proceeded to that
high and beautiful region of country that was called Nutfield, because
it abounded in nuts; and there they determined to locate their grant of
twelve miles square of land.
This grant had been made by Gov. Samuel Shute, then governor of both
provinces, upon a petition signed in Ireland, March 26, 1718, by 217
persons, all but seven signing “in a fair, legible hand,” before they
set out on their voyage. These sixteen first settlers and their families
that had thus arrived, on the 22d day of April, 1719, had come over in
company with their pastor, the Rev. James McGregor, most of them from
his parish of Aghadowey, six miles south of Coleraine in the County of
Londonderry, Ireland. Among them were Samuel Allison, James Gregg, James
McKean, John Mitchell, John Morrison, Thomas Steele and John Stuart.
They were soon joined by a large number of their compatriots, the lands
were divided out to a long list of grantees, and in 1722 the town was
incorporated by New Hampshire authority by the name of Londonderry.
In 1736, seventeen years later, another ship, with emigrants from
Ireland, landed at Boston. These families passed the winter at
Lexington, and in the next summer settled at Lunenburg, Massachusetts,
and other towns in that vicinity. Among them were the names Cunningham,
Ferguson, McNee, Little, Robbe, Scott, Smith, Stuart, Swan, White and
Wilson.
From these two colonies southern New Hampshire was first settled.
At the time when Londonderry, New Hampshire, was founded, descendants of
the English Puritans from Massachusetts had settled along the Merrimac
River as far north as the old town of Dunstable. Bitter jealousies
existed between the two sorts of people. At first it was said the
Puritans hardly knew what to make of the newcomers; they called them the
“Wild Irish.” When they started up the Merrimac in boats, and one boat
was upset in the rapids, a Puritan poet wrote:
“They soon began to scream and bawl,
As out they tumbled one and all,
And, if the devil had spread his net,
He could have made a glorious haul.”
The Puritans, in ridicule, said of these Irishmen that “they held as
fast to their pint of doctrine as to their pint of rum.”
Thus was shown the relations existing between these Englishmen and
Irishmen at that early period. Will this feeling of unfriendliness ever
change? When the English people release Ireland from bondage and permit
her to take such a position among the nations of the earth that Emmet’s
epitaph can be written, then and not till then will the Irish people
look with favor upon England and her government.
These Irish settlers were intensely anti-English long before that
sentiment found violent expression in the War of the Revolution, in
which they participated with such zeal and self-sacrifice. As recorded
in the Peterborough town history, it was the attempts to establish the
Church of England and to destroy the prevailing religious systems, so
dear to the people, together with the oppressive land laws, that created
in these Irish Presbyterians a hatred for the form of government under
which they lived. In Ireland they were made by that church the objects
of persecutions as mean, cruel and savage as any which have disgraced
the annals of religious bigotry and crime. “Many were treacherously and
ruthlessly butchered, and the ministers were prohibited, under severe
penalties, from preaching, baptizing or ministering in any way to their
flocks.”
And it is further stated that the “Government of that day, never wise in
their commercial relations or their governmental affairs, began to
recognize them only in the shape of taxes and embarrassing regulations
upon their industry and trade. In addition to these restrictions, the
landlords—for the people then as now did not own land, they only rented
it—whose long leases had now expired, occasioned much distress by an
extravagant advance of the rents, which brought the people to a
degrading subjection to England; and many of them were reduced to
comparative poverty.”
They would no longer submit to these wrongs, and “animated by the same
spirit that moved the American mind in the days of the Revolution,
resolved to submit to these oppressive measures no longer, and sought a
freer field for the exercise of their industry and the enjoyment of
their religion.” How like the present condition!
The sentiments of these people were the same as of the present emigrants
from Ireland. They were composed in a very small part of Scotchmen,
Englishmen and other nationalities, but the essential part of the
pioneers of this section, in fact, nearly all of them, were Irishmen,
for I assume that where men were born in Ireland, as they were, where
many of their fathers, some of their grandfathers and great grandfathers
were born, they were men who can unqualifiedly be called Irishmen.
Adopt any other standard and a large part of the inhabitants of Ireland
at the time they emigrated would not be considered Irishmen, and
probably few persons in this town today would be considered Americans.
These Scots (who, it must always be remembered, were of ancient Celtic
origin) from whom the pioneers of this section trace their ancestry
landed in Ireland, as the Londonderry, New Hampshire, history records
it, in 1610, more than a century and a quarter before their descendants
came to this country in 1736.
The early settlers of this vicinity may be taken as typical of the men
who settled other towns in southern New Hampshire. They were practically
all Irish, many from the northern counties, with some from the middle
and southern counties of Ireland.
The towns settled by these Irishmen were, in most instances, named in
honor of one of the settlers, or from towns in Ireland; some, however,
submitted to a change from the names first adopted by them, in order to
insure the obtaining of their charters; thus, when John Taggart and
others from Peterborough in 1769 settled in what is now Stoddard, they
named it Limerick and it was thus known up to the time of incorporation
in 1774, when its present name was adopted; the name of the township of
Boyle was changed to Gilsum when incorporated in 1763; other similar
changes were made under English régime and through English influences.
When, however, these Irish settlers themselves selected names for their
towns, no English influence obtained, for it must be remembered that the
present English and Scotch sentiments, we now hear so much about, did
not possess that sturdy, loyal Irish people; the modernly invented name
of “Scotch-Irish,” for instance—so far as we have any history, tradition
or information—was unknown, unmentioned and unrecorded by any of them at
any time, the originators and promoters of this strange and peculiar
“Scotch-Irish” theory being strictly products of our own time and of our
own country; there were, for example, no such names as London,
Liverpool, Leeds, Sheffield, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen, given to
towns where these settlers located, but the selection of names was from
their own people, or from their own Ireland, which they loved so well,
where they and their ancestors for many generations were born, where
their kinsmen and their descendants remaining are found today resenting
this modern “Scotch Irish” appellation, as these settlers would
undoubtedly do themselves if living; it was in Ireland their sympathies
centered and found expression in their selection of distinctly Irish
names for the towns they settled, such as Dublin, Belfast, Coleraine,
Boyle, Limerick, Derry, Kilkenny, Antrim and many other purely Irish
names.
These Irish, who settled southern New Hampshire—the pioneers in the
march of civilization—became the establishers and defenders of popular
government here; their blood, transmitted to the generation following
them, produced patriots who stood as a secure bulwark in defense of the
political structure their forefathers had reared; thus, Irishmen have
been identified with every movement in our state history from the time
when the Irishman Darby Field discovered the White Mountains (naming
them after Slieve Bawn or White Hills, in the barony of South
Ballintubber, County Roscommon, Ireland) down to the present day. I
cannot in this brief sketch refer to the part played by men of Irish
descent such as Gen. John Stark, Gen. John Sullivan, Gen. James Miller,
Col. Hercules Mooney and hundreds of others, who have left their impress
upon the annals of our commonwealth. In the history of our state and
nation one thing is satisfactorily settled and entirely clear, namely,
that where Irish blood is found, there you will find true, unflinching,
uncompromising defenders of the honor and integrity of our government
and laws. The late Judge Jeremiah S. Black once said: “I have seen black
swans, and have heard of white crows, but an Irish traitor to American
liberty I never saw nor even heard of.”
These early Irish settlers were, in their religious belief,
uncompromisingly rigid Presbyterians of the strictest stamp.[15] Their
progeny, however, have almost entirely abandoned that severe old
doctrine for the, so called, liberal modern modes of worship. However
well anchored these old timers may have been in their religious belief,
it seemingly was not such as commended itself to their posterity,[16]
and today we find no church of their denomination in this section, and
indeed comparatively few in the state.
In 1799 the disaffection in Peterborough with the old mode of
Presbyterian worship took tangible form; it was too strict; personal
controversies at first broke out which led to dissensions and the
somewhat easier ritual of Congregationalism attracted a considerable
number, and, having at that time only one church edifice, in the
interest of peace and convenience, communion was served at stated times
in the Presbyterian form and at other times in the Congregational form;
but liberalism was not then satisfied and Unitarianism appeared to claim
its share; with these dissensions came the Baptists and Methodists, then
other religions of modern invention and atheism with no religion at all,
finally shared in the general mix-up; a sort of go-as-you-please
condition, embodying the so-called up-to-date ideas, where each strikes
out a new religion to suit himself, or takes a hand in reforming old
notions, until the original anchorage was abandoned and entirely new
dogmas were substituted for the old.[17]
None of these old Irish settlers were Catholics, far from it; but the
Catholic Church, which they abhorred, was destined to flourish and grow
in the town they established, and today that church has a resident
priest and the largest religious congregation in Peterborough.
But the religion of these Irish settlers is not important in our present
inquiry; I merely mention it in passing. We are not asking whether they
were Catholics or Presbyterians, Whigs or Tories, but are dealing with
the more pertinent inquiry—from a cosmopolitan standpoint at
least—namely, the nationality of the men who brought civilization to
this section.
While many of us may not indeed agree with all their religious ideas, we
cannot but admire their sterling qualities and take a racial pride in
the fact that the land from which they and their forefathers came, was
the same land from which we and our forefathers came; a land where the
people possessed the fear of God, and clung to virtue, fidelity and
patriotism as cardinal principles; a people having the courage,
constancy and industry necessary for successful pioneers in this new
country.
They were in no sense “Irish Scots” or “Scotch-Irish,” but Irishmen pure
and simple; Irishmen to the manor born; Irishmen by origin, ancestry,
sentiment, names, education and tradition; Irishmen with all the
manners, traits and characteristics of the Irish. This name
“Scotch-Irish” is of modern invention. Why did it not exist in writings
of years ago? Simply because these Irishmen claimed no Scotch
relationship.
I verily believe that if a person had called one of these hardy Irishmen
a Scotch-Irishman, he would have received the same treatment Rev. James
McGregor dealt out, when an impertinent fellow replied to the parson,
that “Nothing saved him but his cloth,” he immediately threw off his
coat and squared himself for action, saying, “It shall not protect you,
sir,” and gave the fellow a thrashing.
In these latter days, as the late lamented Col. John C. Linehan well
said, a new school of writers has sprung up, whose pride of ancestry
outstrips their knowledge, and whose prejudices blind their love of
truth. With the difference in religion between certain sections of the
Irish people as a basis, they are bent on creating a new race,
christening it “Scotch-Irish,” laboring hard to prove that it is a
“brand” superior to either of the two old types, and while clinging to
the Scotch root, claim that their ancestors were different from the
Irish in blood, morals, language and religion.
This is a question not difficult to settle for those who are disposed to
treat it honestly, but, as a rule, the writers who are the most
prolific, as well as the speakers who are the most eloquent, appear to
know the least about the subject, and care less, if they can only
succeed in having their theories accepted.
The Irish origin of the Scots[18] is studiously avoided by nearly all
the “Scotch-Irish” writers, or, if mentioned at all, is spoken of in a
manner which leaves the reader to infer that the Scots had made mistakes
in selecting their ancestors, and it was the duty of their descendants,
so far as it lay in their power, to rectify the error.
These old settlers possessed the energy, faith and cheerful nature that
could make life endurable under the hardships and privations of their
situation on the frontier of civilized society. They had brought with
them the manners, customs and habits of the Ireland of the seventeenth
and first half of the eighteenth century. I need not repeat examples of
their quaint humor and queer stories, or of their use of the ardent
spirits on public occasions, church-raising, trainings, dancing parties,
weddings and funerals. They believed in ghosts and witches and of course
the devil; indeed, the devil was seen in person, if old Fiddler Baker
told the truth, at the fork of the road, with horns and cloven foot,
spitting fire.[19]
Under the conditions of this early time we need not wonder that when the
admission of a new member to the church was in question and objection
was raised that he made too free use of the bottle, “Well,” said the
grave elder, “if the Lord may have a church in Peterborough He must take
such as there be.”
Nearly all of the schoolmasters of these early times were Irishmen from
the central and southern counties of Ireland, but their history has been
suppressed by modern writers, to the extent, indeed, in some instances,
of omitting altogether the mention even of their Irish names.
Rev. John H. Morison, a Unitarian minister, wrote in 1845 a history of
Judge Jeremiah Smith,—before this system of suppressing and falsifying
history had reached its present perfection—and in recording the facts of
Smith’s boyhood of about 1771, on page 14, stated: “He began to study
Latin, when about twelve years old, with Rudolphus Greene, an Irishman,
employed by the town to keep school a quarter of the year in each of the
four quarters of the town. While he was hearing a boy recite he usually
held a stick in his hand, on which he cut a notch for every mistake,
and, after the recitation was ended, another stick was employed to give
a blow for every notch that had been cut.” On page 16 it is recorded
that “he was sent for a short time to New Boston, to be under the
instruction of an Irishman, named Donovan.”
[Illustration:
VERY REVEREND ANDREW MORRISSEY, C. S. C., D. D., LL. D.,
University of Notre Dame.
Vice-President of the Society for Indiana.
]
Some of the more recent histories, however, neglect to state that these
men were Irish. For instance, in the biographical sketch of this same
Judge Smith, the Peterborough History (1876), page 288, states: “At the
age of twelve he began to study Latin at the public school, which was
then kept in the old meeting house, by Master Rudolphus Greene. After
this he studied for a short time with a Mr. Donovan at New Boston,”
quoted, with the word “Irishman” stricken out.
It is strange what an aversion some of the recent town historians have
had to telling the truth about these Irishmen, and with what studied
efforts they have suppressed facts.
The Antrim (N. H.) Town History—which, in its dealings with the early
Irish settlers of that town, presents the work of an expert in this
perversion—in recording, on page 215, the services of that old Irish
schoolmaster, Tobias Butler, makes no mention whatever of his
nationality.
The seeker of exact truth and complete historical data will, however,
hardly consult histories written by narrow men, whose paramount idea
apparently was to twist the actual facts to conform to the way they
would have wished those facts to have been.
The only explanation or excuse for this condition is, that town
histories have to be written by persons familiar with the locality,
hence the writer could be chosen only from a comparatively small number,
and the selection, unfortunately, of men of contracted ideas sometimes
becomes unavoidable; but these writings relative to these Irishmen and
their achievements, will never be accepted by the future seeker of
truth; it remains for the present generation, advanced beyond the
prejudices of the past, to write the true history of these Irish
settlers.
THE CARROLL FAMILY IN MARYLAND.
BY MICHAEL P. KEHOE, ESQ., VICE-PRESIDENT OF THE SOCIETY FOR MARYLAND.
[The Material from which this Article is taken on the Carroll Family in
Maryland was gathered together by the late Mr. D. J. Scully, who had
compiled a great mass of material for the purpose of publishing a
History of the Irish in Maryland, when he was unfortunately stricken
down with a fatal illness. This material has been placed at my disposal
by Mr. Peter J. Scully, who is a brother of the late Mr. D. J. Scully
and his Executor. I want to offer my thanks to Mr. Scully for so kindly
tendering the material collected by his late brother at a great
sacrifice of time.]
The Carroll family of Maryland has been for three centuries a prominent
one in the Province and the State, and may be said to have left an
indelible impress upon the history of the Commonwealth. It would be
gratifying to members of the Irish race to know that the family is
distinctively a Gaelic one and occupied for centuries a high position in
Ireland, being one of royal origin. The Carrolls are descended from
Cian, the youngest brother of Eoghan (Owen or Eugene “Mor” great) and
son of Olioll Olum, first king of Munsters, who was the ancestor of
O’Cearbhaill (Cearball)—Irish for massacre or slaughter—referring to
some incident possibly of the bearer’s life, Anglicized O’Carroll Ely,
Karwell, Carroll, Gervil and McCarrell. It is therefore not to be
wondered at that the descendants of this knightly race achieved equally
knightly distinction in America. There were several different branches
of the O’Carroll family all from the same parent stock, the principal
one of which was that of the princess of Ely O’Carroll, territory which
comprised the barony of Lower Ormond in Tipperary, with the barony of
Clonlisk and part of Ballybut in the kings county, extending to the
Slieve Bloom Mountains, in the Queens County.
[Illustration:
MICHAEL P. KEHOE, ESQ.,
Baltimore, Md.
Vice-President of the Society for Maryland.
]
The title “Ely” as prefixed to the O’Carrolls is derived from Eile, a
prince of the fifth century. Cearbhaill or Carroll was also the last
king of Leinster who lived in Naas, the capitol in the County of
Kildare. He died in 909 and was a noted warrior, his sword being
treasured for centuries as a precious relic by fighting men. It is
evident from what is known of this sword of Carroll that sword-making
was a fine art in Ireland in those days. There is extant an ancient poem
in the Gaelic dedicated to the sword of Carroll which was recently
translated by Prof. Kuno Meyer of the Liverpool University, who is a
noted Gaelic scholar. The poem is addressed to the famous blade and is
taken from the “Book of Leinster.” It is written in that intricate metre
known as “Derbhde” which it is impossible to reproduce in English on
account of its difficulty and has long ceased to be practised by the
Gaelic poets. Its opening lines are as follows:
“Hail, sword of Carroll. Oft hast thou been in the great woof of war,
Oft giving battle, beheading great princes.
Oft hast thou gave a raiding in the hands of kings of high judgment.
Oft hast thou divided the spoil when with a king worthy of thee.
Oft hast thou been among kings, oft among great hands.
Many were the kings with whom thou hast been when thou madest fight.
Many a shield hast thou cleft in battle, many a head, many a chest, many
a fair skin.”
The O’Carrolls belonged to the second order of the Irish royal line that
is the provincial kings, of whose ancestors sat on the imperial throne,
although in the later days of the kingdom, since the dawn of the
Christian era, the Ard Righs were chosen from the four great families of
O’Melaghlin of Meath, O’Neill of Tyrone, O’Brien of Thomond and
O’Loghlin of Tirconnell and O’Connor of Connaught.
ARCHBISHOP JOHN CARROLL.
Baltimore and Maryland have had no citizen more distinguished or
generally respected than the Most Reverend John Carroll, first
Archbishop of Baltimore and first Primate of the United States. He was
universally beloved while living and generally regretted at his decease.
Dr. Carroll was born in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, in 1735, and was a
kinsman of Charles Carroll of Carrollton and Charles Carroll, Barrister,
springing from the same noble stock. He was the son of Daniel and
Eleanor Carroll and first saw the light within a few miles of the
birthplace of Thomas Clagget, the first bishop of the Protestant
Episcopal Church in Maryland, and the first one of that Church
consecrated in the United States. The little old-fashioned house in
which he was born is still standing. In his veins ran the blood of two
old Maryland families, his mother being a woman of many accomplishments
and one who left a deep impress upon the mind and habits of her
distinguished son. Dr. Carroll’s early training was directed by her. As
a youth of eleven years, he entered the Jesuit School at Bohemia Manor,
named St. Xaverius, where he spent one year as a preparation for
entrance into the school at St. Omers, in French Flanders. After six
years of study at St. Omers, he entered in 1753 the novitiate of the
Jesuits at Watton, where he spent two years in preparation for an
ecclesiastical career and four years later at the college of the Society
at Liege. On February 2, 1771, he was ordained a Priest and a member of
the Society of Jesus. He surrendered his patrimonial fortune to the
Jesuits under the laws of the Order. The agitation against the Jesuits
being then under way in France, and the Government having suppressed the
Order, Dr. Carroll with his colleagues was expelled from St. Omers and
fled to Bruges in Belgium. He was later chosen by the Order in France to
act as Secretary in correspondence with the French Court. His
correspondence with the Government was extensive, but was without avail
as far as causing the prohibition against the Society to be removed, yet
he created a favorable impression on both sides by his thorough
knowledge of French and Latin, and the manner in which he handled the
situation. Pope Clement XIV finally on August 16, 1773, promulgated his
famous Brief, which he had signed a month before, suppressing the
Society of Jesus, and Dr. Carroll, having shared the prosecutions and
brief captivity of his colleagues, sought and found refuge in England,
where he was selected by Lord Houston, a Roman Catholic nobleman, to be
tutor to his son and in that capacity made a tour of Europe with his
pupil.
On the breaking out of the American Revolution, Father Carroll returned
to Maryland to share the fortunes of his native land, his experiences in
England having by no means created within his breast respect or love for
her much vaunted institutions. He rejected many solicitations to remain
in England, preferring to cast his lot with his own countrymen in what
appeared at that time to be a struggle to the death. He secured
faculties as a secular Priest from the Vicar Apostolic of London “in
partibus infidelium” as it was then known in the annals of the Vatican,
and landed in Virginia on June 27, 1774. Passing over into Maryland he
took up his abode with his mother, on Rock Creek, and having placed
himself under the direction of the Vicar General, in Maryland, Rev. John
Lewis, he carried on mission work from Rock Creek to Aquia Creek, in
Virginia. The congregation gathered in a small room in his mother’s
mansion. It soon grew so large that St. John’s Church was built with Dr.
Carroll as pastor. The Revolution when it broke found the old Catholic
families in Maryland on the side of the colonists and Dr. Carroll
naturally was one of the most ardent adherents of the patriot cause.
During the Revolution he established himself near Baltimore, where he
became the assistant to the Rev. John Ashton, a zealous priest, who had
the honor of celebrating the first mass ever said in Baltimore. Father
Carroll’s talent as a Pulpit Orator soon attracted attention even from
non-catholics. St. Peter’s Church was often thronged with persons of
many religious faiths, who came to hear his sermons. Because of the fact
that his reputation for piety, learning and eloquence became so
extensive and that through his long sojourn in France, he had become
thoroughly familiarized not only with the French language but with the
French people, he was appointed in February, 1776, by the Continental
Congress, in company with Charles Carroll of Carrollton, Dr. Benjamin
Franklin and Judge Samuel Chase, on a commission to proceed to Canada in
behalf of the patriot cause. The object of the journey was to create
sympathy in Canada among the French Canadians in particular, with the
American cause and to induce them to revolt against Great Britain.
However, the Canadians proved indifferent; a survival of the intense
hatred which had existed for generations previous between the French
Catholic Colonists of Canada and the Protestant Colonists of the
Colonies, who were prior to the Revolution pro-English and anti-French
in sympathies. Therefore all hopes were disappointed and the mission
failed. This refusal to throw off the yoke of the oppressor was a
decision which it is but reasonable to suppose that the French Canadians
have long regretted, as their present unrest and discontent illustrates
they have not, even today, succeeded in securing happiness under the
rule of the English and are still an alien people in Canada. The defeat
of Montgomery before Quebec and the strong opposition of the Canadians
to union with the Colonies rendered all efforts toward inciting revolt
during the Revolution unavailing. Father Carroll and Judge Chase finally
gave up the undertaking in disgust and returned home, leaving Franklin
and Charles Carroll to continue the negotiations, which, however, proved
fruitless.
After the American Revolution was begun, the Catholics within the
several states, and they were most numerous in Maryland, became anxious
for a separation from England. Many attempts had been made to give the
Colonies now embraced in the United States a bishop of their own, as it
had been deemed impossible for them to live under the jurisdiction of
the Bishop of Quebec, who was under English rule, and the Archbishop of
Mexico, who was under Spanish rule. As political reasons had kept a
Protestant Episcopal bishop or church of England bishop from the
Colonies, so State reasons had also made the Catholics Colonists
unwilling to accept an English prelate to govern them spiritually. The
Revolution precipitated many things and solved many problems concerning
the Colonies and their inhabitants. The year of 1783 for instance after
liberty had been established found both the Catholic and the Anglican
churches in the United States both considering the question of having
bishops of their own who would be Americans and the founders of American
hierarchies. As is known, the efforts of the Protestant Episcopal
churches or Anglican, as they were then termed in Maryland and later of
those in New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware and Virginia,
resulted in the consecration of Bishop Seabury of Connecticut, by the
Scotch non-jurors in 1784, and of Bishop White of Pennsylvania and
Samuel Prevost of New York in 1787 by English prelates. Father Carroll,
while he did not engage actively in the War of the Revolution, was an
ardent and active patriot, the more so because the Bill of Rights
adopted by the First Assembly of Maryland held under the free
Government, had bestowed full citizenship upon him and all Catholics and
he was therefore in an unfettered position to work for the cause.
A portion of what Father Carroll did for the patriot cause was told in
an interesting article published in the Catholic Mirror of February 10,
1900, which is quoted: “A century ago, on February 16, 1801, it was
publicly announced that the sleeplessness of George IV. was occasioning
extreme anxiety to the British royal family. On that day William Pitt
resigned, because of the king’s refusal to give effect to the spirit of
the recent union of Great Britain and Ireland by removing the
disabilities of his Catholic subjects. It is interesting to note that an
American bishop, as recalled in the following paragraphs, was
responsible in part for the King’s insomnia: Benjamin Franklin was sent
by Congress to France to intercede with the King in behalf of the
Colonies. He was not successful. One bright morning he was sitting in
the waiting room of the King’s palace for an audience, looking
downhearted and forsaken, for he had received a letter from Washington,
saying: ‘If France did not send over her army, the cause must fail, for
his troops were commencing to mutiny and he could not raise funds to pay
them; they had no rations, their feet were on the ground and cut and
bleeding from the cold.’ Franklin, looking downcast and woebegone, as he
was revolving Washington’s letter in his philosophical mind, was aroused
from his melancholy stupor by a voice calling: ‘Mr. Franklin! Oh, Mr.
Franklin!’ Franklin jumped up and rubbed his eyes. It was the Pope’s
nuncio. ‘I have good news for you,’ he said. ‘I have just got consent of
the King to send over a French army and navy to aid your countrymen.’
Franklin, astonished, threw himself on his knees and clasped the hand of
the nuncio, kissing it several times. ‘Oh,’ he said, ‘Rome has saved my
country. America will never forget it for Rome! The Catholics shall have
all the rights the Protestants have. Convey to his Holiness the Pope my
thanks for all the American people. We shall never, no never, forget it
for Rome.’ The nuncio said: ‘Mr. Franklin, you must thank Father Carroll
(Bishop Carroll) for it was he who induced the Pope of Rome to send me
here in the interest of the American people. His letters in favor of
your cause were laid by me before the French King and Cabinet, and
success has crowned his efforts.’”
So, readers, if you want to learn something of the man who next to
Almighty God and Washington gave your flag and country, turn to the
Catholic Cathedral at Baltimore and see his tomb. Washington himself
said: “Of all men whose influence was most potent in securing the
success of the Revolution, Bishop Carroll of Baltimore was the man.” The
English King called him “the rebel bishop, Washington’s Richelieu, the
prime minister and adviser of Congress, the man who got the Pope of Rome
to use his influence at the French Court for the Americans.” “No, no,
sir,” he said, turning to Mr. Pitt, the prime minister of England, “I
shall never sign a bill granting Catholic emancipation after the action
taken by the rebel Catholic Bishop of Baltimore. He had America detached
from my dominions by the aid of the French army and navy and by the
force of Irish Catholics. No, no, Mr. Pitt, you need not stop to argue
the question with me, my mind is made up on that question.” “Then,” said
Mr. Pitt, “if that’s your majesty’s determination, I cannot remain in
office, for I am pledged in one of the articles of union between England
and Ireland to grant Catholic emancipation. It is necessary to save the
union of the British empire. I must resign.” “Then,” said the King, “do
so, do so.” So Pitt resigned like a man and Catholic emancipation was
not granted for twenty years after this.
This shows what Ireland suffered for American independence. It also
shows that Bishop Carroll’s influence was instrumental in securing our
independence. The people of Boston turned out to receive the French
army, which was led by a Catholic priest, with a crucifix in his hand,
through the streets of Boston. All the ancient burgesses of Boston
turned out and went to the Catholic Church in compliment to the French
and all the old English statutes against the Catholics were repealed.
This is the record of the day. The incidents narrated in the foregoing
article throw some light on the services of the illustrious clergyman to
the American cause and also show why he was elevated to the primacy of
the Catholic Church in America. Subsequent to the Revolution, when full
freedom dawned on the former Colonies, the Catholics in the several
states, and they were most numerous in Maryland, desired no connection
with England, religiously, because English Catholics were at that time
proscribed persons and without political rights or standing before the
law, although it is true that active persecution had ceased. Yet still
although freemen the American Catholics were under the jurisdiction of
the English Bishops, or Vicars Apostolic, and it was this connection
that it was desired to sever, so that the Americans could have absolute
independence religious as well as political. Father Carroll was one of
the six priests who met on June 27, 1783, in Baltimore and held a
conference at which the necessity of being independent of England was
considered. At this conference were present Father John Ashton, the
ex-Jesuit priest, who may be fitly styled the Nestor of the Catholic
priesthood of the Archdiocese of Baltimore, and Rev. Leonard Neale,
afterwards Archbishop of Baltimore. On October 11, 1784, Father Carroll
took part in a second conference, at which a plan of Government for the
Catholic Church in the United States was drawn up, which included
nineteen rules for the Government of the Clergy, was also adopted and a
chapter of body corporate was formed, of which Father Ashton was chosen
procurator general and he was given charge of all the church property in
the Union. The chapter at a subsequent meeting at Whitemarsh, Prince
Georges County, resolved to found Georgetown College, Father Ashton
being named as one of the first board of directors. Father Carroll was
made vicar general in 1786; in 1788 in company with Father Ashton and
Rev. Robert Molyneux, afterwards vicar general, drew up a petition
asking that the American Catholic Church be given greater liberty by
being put under the charge of a bishop directly responsible to the
Congregation of the Propaganda, which at that time was understood to be
dominated by French influence. This petition was successful, and Father
Carroll was unanimously nominated for the proposed prelacy.
Dr. Benjamin Franklin, at that time residing at Passy near Paris, as the
American Ambassador to the Court of France, who was aware of Father
Carroll’s charming manner, learning and ability, was able to use his
personal friendship to assist in having the distinguished divine
elevated to the episcopacy. But at first Father Carroll had no idea of
aspiring to be bishop, and in fact the petition which was sent to a
friend of his in Rome to be brought before the Pope asked that the Rev.
John Lewis be appointed for the United States, with power to confer
confirmation and to do temporarily other duties pertaining to the office
of bishop. But, it is said that through the French minister to the
United States a plan had been started to place a French bishop over the
church in this country and Dr. Benjamin Franklin, ignorant of the
position of the Catholics of the United States and of their wishes, was
induced at first to lend his aid to the plan; but Father Carroll’s name
was mentioned and he immediately recommended him to the Authorities at
Rome. The Vatican was impressed with the recommendations of Dr.
Franklin, whose fame was then as universal as that of Washington and who
was the idol of the Courts of the Continent; thus a Protestant Quaker
became a potent power in naming the first Primate of the Catholic Church
in the United States. On June 7, 1784, Pope Pius VII., ratified the
appointment of Father Carroll as prefect apostolic and the nuncio at
Paris calling on Dr. Franklin to acquaint him with the appointment
notified him that Father Carroll would be probably made a bishop.
Accepting the office in 1785, Father Carroll began his visitation and
made a call for more priests. At this time his salary, 210 pounds
sterling, was paid by the Chapter, the organization formed in 1784,
which was composed solely of ex-Jesuit Fathers. A few years only were
necessary to show the propaganda as well as all others interested in the
growth of the Catholic church in America, the necessity for the
appointment of a bishop for the new country, one who would be endowed
with full powers of consecration and authority. So a petition to that
effect was again forwarded to Rome signed by Father Carroll and the
Reverends Robert Molyneux and John Ashton. This petition was sent
through the Spanish minister, with whom Father Carroll had talked in
reference to the subject, during a visitation to New York. Through his
energetic course and his knowledge of the needs and hardships of the
American mission as shown in his “Address to the Roman Catholics of the
United States,” published in 1784, in reply to a paper of the Rev.
Charles H. Wharton and in his report to Cardinal Antonelli, prefect of
the Propaganda, in 1785, Father Carroll had demonstrated the wisdom of
his having been chosen prefect apostolic. Cardinal Antonelli replied to
the petition on July 12, 1788, and communicated to the signers authority
from the Pope to call a meeting of the American Clergy and nominate a
candidate for bishop and select a See. Accordingly they called a synod
or conference at Whitemarsh, Md., and by a vote of 24 to 2 selected
Father Carroll as the candidate for bishop and Baltimore was unanimously
selected as the place of the See. Father Carroll wrote in reply to a
communication from his fellow clergymen, notifying him of what they had
done, that “he was by that event deprived of all expectation of rest and
pleasure henceforward” and filled “with terror with respect to
eternity.” The nomination was approved on September 14, 1780, by the
Cardinals of the Sacred Congregation and Pius VI. issued on November 6th
following the bill erecting the See of Baltimore and appointing Rev.
John Carroll bishop. Father Carroll accepted the appointment and sailed
at once for England to be consecrated.
Father Carroll was the recipient of numerous courtesies while in
England, but soon hurried back to organize and develop his See. He
returned to America early in October, landing at Baltimore on December
7th. He was received at Light Street dock by the Catholic laity and
escorted to a palace which had been provided for him at the corner of
Charles and Saratoga Streets. On the following Sunday old “St. Peter’s
church,” which was selected as a pro-Cathedral, was crowded with
citizens of all denominations, to hear the new bishop speak. He made an
impressive address, in which he said: “In this, my new station, if my
life be not one continued instrument of instruction and example of
virtue to the people committed to my charge, it will become in the sight
of God a life not only useless but even pernicious.” Shortly after his
accession, Bishop Carroll received the Rev. Charles Nagot and several
other Sulpitian Fathers, who had been sent to Baltimore by the Superior
General of the Order at Paris, Father Emery, at the request of Father
Carroll, to establish a seminary for the education of young men for the
priesthood.
Father Emery had laid before Bishop Carroll in England shortly after his
consecration a plan for the establishment of a seminary in Baltimore. To
this plan Father Carroll had given his approval. Five seminarians
accompanied the Sulpitians to this Country. It is told that on the same
ship there was a young Frenchman who was then misled by Voltaire’s
infidel teachings, but who later became converted to the doctrines of
Christianity and consecrated his brilliant imagination and fascinating
style to the service of religion and became the author of “The Genius of
Christianity.” He was the illustrious Count de Chateaubriand. Acting
under Bishop Carroll’s advice, Father Nagot and his companions rented a
house in West Baltimore located on the present Paca Street, near
Franklin, known as “The One Mile Tavern,” and there they opened on
October 3, 1791, the now famous institution, St. Mary’s Seminary. This
institution may be indeed styled the mother of the American Catholic
priesthood. Probably more Irish-American young men have been educated
within its walls than of any other nationality.
A letter to General Washington congratulating him on his open advocacy
of religion and morals and upon the many notable honors that had been
paid him, was presented to the great tribune by Bishop Carroll, Thomas
Fitzsimmons and Thomas Lynch in 1792, on behalf of the Catholic clergy
and laity of Baltimore. This letter contained many lofty sentiments,
among them the following: “You encourage respect for religion. There is
prospect of a nationality peculiarly Democratic, because while our
country preserves independent politics and policies we shall have a
well-founded title to claim from her justice, equal rights of
citizenship, as well as the price of our blood spilt under your eyes, as
of our warm exertions for her defence under your auspicious
conduct—rights indeed the more dear by the remembrance of former
hardships. While we pray for the preservation of these rights we expect
the full justice of them, from the justice of those states which still
restrict them.” It will be observed that the gentlemen who signed this
letter were all of Irish connection, judging from their names, which are
distinctively Gaelic. At this time the Federal Constitution was being
discussed and the American Catholics had good reason to fear that the
persecution and intolerance as well as the deprivation of political
rights which had prevailed in regard to them in Colonial days, might be
favored and legally declared in the provisions of that instrument. For
there were those in and out of the State of Maryland who despite what
Catholics and Dissenters had done in the battlefield for the achievement
of American liberty and despite the aid of Catholic France which made
the securement of that liberty possible were disposed to establish a
State religion and to deny religious liberty at least to their
fellowmen, excluding Catholics from all political rights, although there
had been many Catholics in the Continental armies battling for the
political rights of New Jersey and kindred “blue law” states. But these
patriotic Catholics did not throw down their arms because of these
abominable enactments, for their patriotism was too intense to be
weakened by impulses of resentment. Therefore the American Catholic was
none too sure of his status in this Country and it is even a fact that
efforts were made before the Maryland Legislature to have an established
church; in other words, a state religion in Maryland, and that the
Anglican or Episcopalian church should retain the same relation to the
State of Maryland as it had to the colony of Maryland. But a vigorous
agitation led by Bishop Carroll on behalf of the Catholics and Rev. Dr.
Allison for the Presbyterians effectually prevented such a proposition
from being made a law. On February 22, 1800, Dr. Carroll delivered a
memorable sermon in his Cathedral on the life and character of the
illustrious Washington, who had died on the December 14 preceding.
CHARLES CARROLL OF CARROLLTON.
As an Irish-American, Charles Carroll of Carrollton easily stands first
among all of his race in the history of the past of this Republic, at
least so far as the State of Maryland is concerned, in character, in
patriotism, in self-sacrifice and in services, if not in abilities. He
was born at Annapolis on September 30, 1737, and was the son of Charles
and Elizabeth Brooke Carroll and grandson of Charles Carroll of Kings
County, Ireland. At eight years of age he was sent by his parents to
France, where he received his education, remaining six years at the
Jesuit College at St. Omers, six years at the Jesuit College, Rheims,
two years at the College of St. Louis le Grand, Paris, and one year at
Bruges, Belgium, to study civil law; returning again to college at
Paris. Mr. Carroll went to London, in 1757, and commenced to study law
in the Middle Temple, where he took his degree in 1764, and returned to
Maryland, equipped with all of the attributes and capacities of a
trained scholar and lawyer. Yet with it all as a Catholic, he had no
political rights in the Colony, where he was born and where by right of
inheritance he was the wealthiest man in the realm.
Mr. Carroll, however, had no need to earn his living in the Courts and
first rose to fame through his memorable controversy with Daniel Dulany,
in which he took the popular side, although politically without personal
status, and posed as the foremost champion of freedom. In this contest
Mr. Carroll proved an able controversialist and it was generally
conceded the victor. His superb education had equipped him with every
advantage; he was the inferior of no man in the Colony. The effect of
his bold assertions and declarations against the Proprietary Governor
was electric on the people and made them the more apt for revolution.
Mr. Carroll wrote under the nom de plume of “First Citizen” and it was
not until the controversy was at an end that his identity became known.
His popularity became intense throughout the Province. It was but
natural that when the clamors of revolution became potent among the
people that he should become a candidate for public favor and honors. In
December, 1774, he was selected as one of the Commissioners of
Observation for Anne Arundel County and also on the Committee of Safety
of the Province. He was elected to represent Anne Arundel County in
Maryland Convention on December 7, 1775, and in February, 1776, was
appointed by the Continental Congress a commissioner with Benjamin
Franklin, Samuel Chase and Rev. John Carroll to visit Canada and
endeavor to kindle the fires of revolt in that Country. Congress then
took up the discussion of a Declaration of Independence from England,
and on June 28, 1776, the Maryland Convention in session at Annapolis
resolved that the Congressional Deputies from the State be empowered and
authorized to concur with the United Colonies or a majority thereof in
declaring all of the Colonies “Free and Independent.” On July 4, 1776,
Messrs. Charles Carroll, Matthew Tilghman, Thomas Johnson, William Paca,
Samuel Chase, Thomas Stone and William Alexander were elected delegates
to Congress then in session at Philadelphia. Mr. Carroll took his seat
on July 18th, having just returned from Canada. It is related that on
August 2 an engrossed copy of the famous Declaration of Independence was
placed on the desk of the Secretary of Congress for the signature of the
members. Mr. John Hancock, the President of the body, in a conversation
with Mr. Carroll, asked him if he would sign the document. “Most
willingly,” said Mr. Carroll, who then took up a pen and signed his
name—“Charles Carroll of Carrollton.” He affixed the name of his manor
of Carrollton in order to be distinguished from his eminent relative,
Charles Carroll, Barrister, and not, as is generally supposed, to show
his defiance of England and of the consequence which might accrue in
case the Revolution would be crushed by Great Britain, which would be,
at least, the confiscation of his estates and his own reduction to
poverty, if not execution as a traitor. His act is generally interpreted
to have been caused by such an impulse alone, but chivalry as well as
the fine sense of honor, which then governed men and women, was
evidently his motive in doing so. He was then the richest man in the
Colonies and his action simply meant also that if Great Britain won, he
was prepared to sacrifice more than any man in the Colonies at the time.
His cousin, Charles Carroll, Barrister, was almost as rich as he was,
however, and either would have been a rich prize to the British if the
Revolution had failed. “There goes a few millions,” said one of the
delegates who stood around and who had seen Mr. Carroll sign the
Declaration, thus showing that all agreed at the time that Carroll’s
action was regarded as extraordinary. It was a truth that no single
signer of the greatest Charter of Human Rights ever written risked as
much intrinsically as Mr. Carroll. He was a member of the Board of War,
and served in Congress until November 10, 1776, with marked ability;
being succeeded by his namesake, Barrister Carroll. In December, 1776,
he was a member of the first Maryland Senate and in 1777 he was returned
to Congress and in 1781 was re-elected to the Maryland Senate. In 1788
he was elected one of the first United States Senators from Maryland,
and in 1789 and 1806 was elected and reëlected to the Senate of
Maryland. He was also appointed in 1797 one of the Commissioners from
Maryland to settle the boundary line dispute between Maryland and
Virginia. Mr. Carroll continued a member of the Maryland Senate until
1824, when he retired from public life. In April, 1827, he was elected a
director of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Company, and on July 4, 1828,
he laid the corner stone of the railroad at Mount Clare, Baltimore.
While in Baltimore he resided at the mansion located at the corner of
Lombard and Front Streets, which was also the home of his son-in-law,
Richard Caton, and his famous granddaughters, the beautiful Misses
Caton, called “The Three Graces.” On November 30, 1832, Mr. Carroll died
in Baltimore, full of years and of honors, having been for many years
the last of the signers of the famous Declaration. Physically he was of
slight build and below the middle size, his face being strongly
featured, his eyes quick, inquisitive, piercing and therefore thoroughly
Gaelic; his countenance was noble, and while in action and general
bearing replete with energy. His manners were graceful and easy, as
became a man of gentle breeding and education, and his expressions
elegant, refined and usually considerate, even in conversation with his
servants.
In June, 1768, he married Miss Mary Darnell, daughter of Henry Darnell,
Jr., and had three children by the union, Charles Carroll, who married
in 1799, Harriett Chew, daughter of the Hon. Benjamin Chew of
Pennsylvania and sister of the famous “Peggy” Chew of “Mischeanza” fame
and wife of Gen. John Eager Howard; Elizabeth Carroll, who married
Richard Caton, and Catherine Carroll, who married Robert Goodloe Harper.
Charles Carroll, eldest son of Charles and Harriett Chew Carroll,
married Mary Higgs Lee and was the father of Hon. John Lee Carroll, late
Governor of Maryland. Mr. Carroll, in his declining years, particularly,
was one of the best known and beloved of Baltimoreans. He attended high
mass at the Cathedral regularly every Sunday and dined frequently with
the Archbishops of Baltimore, particularly with Dr. Whitefield, with
whom he was intimate. The Archepiscopal residence was then located on
North Charles Street, on a portion of the site of the former Young Men’s
Christian Association Building, at Charles and Saratoga Streets. On one
occasion, it is related that Mr. Carroll was introduced to a number of
the altar boys, on whose heads he placed his hands as they passed by
where he stood and exclaimed: “God bless you, my boys. Love God and obey
your superiors. Honor and defend your Country’s flag, venerate your
parents and obey the authorities of the civil Government.”
[Illustration:
DR. BRYAN DEFORREST SHEEDY,
Of New York City.
A Member of the Society.
]
Mr. Carroll at the time of his death was 95 years of age, his frame
being bent, although his voice was strong, his walk firm and quick and
his eyes and face benevolent in expression. He dressed after the fashion
of his day, his apparel including a dark waistcoat and knee breeches,
black silk hose, low cut shoes and silver buckles. He attended many
functions, even just before his death, and was particularly in request
at patriotic gatherings. One of the last public events in which he took
part was that of a great dinner given to him by the great Irish merchant
William Patterson, at the latter’s country residence, “Cold Stream,”
near the City. The dinner was held July 4, 1831, the 54th anniversary of
the adoption of the Declaration to bring together the remnant of the
Revolutionary heroes, then living in Baltimore. The occasion was made
notable in every possible way, numerous invitations having been sent out
by the hospitable host, who was himself a hero of the great struggle for
human freedom. Everything set before the guests except the wines and
brandies was produced on Mr. Patterson’s estate and the dinner was, as
tradition states, a feast worthy of the distinguished company which
attended it. The reception to Mr. Carroll was a most cordial one. He
drove out to Cold Stream, as was the fashion of the time, in his own
carriage, with his own colored coachman on the box, and was escorted to
the shady grove, wherein the dinner was spread by Mr. Patterson and
several crippled veterans of the Revolution. There he was greeted by the
assembly with uncovered heads and was given a rousing chorus of cheers.
Patriotic speeches and songs were given during the dinner, which lasted
far into the evening and was enjoyed thoroughly by Mr. Carroll.
The great tribune was eminently social in his nature and many stories
are existent which illustrate this trait. One of these relates to the
famous collation given by Lloyd Dulany at his private residence at
Annapolis, now part of the City Hotel, a few days after the burning of
the Peggy Stewart, at which function Mr. Carroll was one of the guests.
At this collation there was used a punch bowl which had been brought
over from England in the Peggy Stewart, and Mr. Dulany explained how he
had come into the possession of the article, which had been sent to him
as a present. The Captain, he stated, said to him that the bowl was not
a part of the cargo of the Peggy Stewart, as it was not on the manifest.
The Captain had placed the bowl in his cabin with his private property
and had delivered it in person to him. To this observation Mr. Carroll
is said to have smilingly observed: “We accept your explanation,
provided the bowl is always used to draw the same kind of tea.” As is
well known, the Peggy Stewart was destroyed because she had a cargo
aboard of the obnoxious stamp burdened tea, but the bowl was full no
doubt of that superior kind of punch which the Marylanders of that day
so well knew how to brew. This bowl stood for years on the counter of
the City Hotel at Annapolis, and thousands of Marylanders have drank the
same kind of “tea” out of it since the time when Mr. Carroll made his
famous expression. This function, it may be well observed, was held in
the abode of an Irish American Lloyd Dulany, who was a connection of the
celebrated Daniel Dulany. Mr. Carroll was also connected in a way with
the famous episode of the burning of the Peggy Stewart at Annapolis and
the destruction of her cargo of tea by men disguised as Indians. It was
he who interceded with the mob at Annapolis in behalf of the owner of
the Peggy, Mr. Anthony Stewart, and he harangued the crowd from the
steps of Mr. Stewart’s residence and thus prevailed on them not to do
violence to the merchant, whose pro-English proclivities were well
known. He was the one to suggest that Mr. Stewart himself would destroy
the vessel, and its offensive cargo of “tea,” a suggestion which the mob
accepted with delight, and which no doubt saved Stewart’s residence from
destruction. Mr. Carroll accompanied the frightened and shaking
merchant, as a protector, on that eventful day, when he went down to
Windmill Point, where the Peggy lay, and himself applied the torch to
the brig and her cargo.
Mr. Carroll in those days lived in Annapolis and maintained the life of
a wealthy Maryland gentleman. He dwelt in a spacious mansion on what was
known as the “Spa,” in the ancient City, a quarter which was then the
fashionable one at the State Capitol, and had been the same during the
Colonial Government and was known far and wide throughout the Colonies,
as the most elegant locality in Annapolis, then termed “The Athens of
America.” His terraced garden sloped down to the brink of the lovely
“Spa” and was held in by a pavilion with sandstone walls and ornamented
by a pavilion where the owner and his guests could sit on a warm
afternoon and enjoy the cool breezes from the water. It was here that he
wrote his famous “First Citizen” letters attacking the proclamation of
Governor Eden (Colonial), imposing an extra tax on the people by
increasing official fees and by raising the special assessments on the
clergy from 30 to 40 pounds of tobacco per annum. Mr. Carroll, as has
been stated, took up the popular side and defended the people, being
antagonized by Mr. Daniel Dulany, whose nom de plume was “Antillon.” In
a reply as to whom the “First Citizen” was, Mr. Carroll wrote: “Who is
the citizen? A man, in the prosperity of his country, a friend to
liberty, a settled enemy to lawless prerogatives.” It was in this
controversy that Mr. Dulany threw the taunt to Mr. Carroll that he was a
disfranchised English citizen and could not vote. All of which was true,
for, while he could not vote, he was at that time the richest man in the
Colonies and worth at least two million pounds.
CHARLES CARROLL, BARRISTER.
Charles Carroll, termed “The Barrister,” to distinguish him from his
eminent namesake, Charles Carroll of Carrollton, with whom he is often
confounded, was of Irish descent and was descended from the elder branch
of the Carroll family, in Maryland, thus being derived from the family
of Ely O’Carroll of Ireland. About 1681 the estates of the O’Carrolls in
Ireland were confiscated to the Crown, the family being accused of being
royalists. This confiscation was the cause of the emigration of the
first ancestor of Charles Carroll, Barrister, also a Charles Carroll, to
Maryland. He accumulated a large landed estate, having friends at Court,
in the Calverts, which consisted of large tracts on the Eastern Shore,
in Frederick County, in Anne Arundel County, in and near the site of the
City of Baltimore, on Carroll’s Island, at Mount Clare near Baltimore’s
original site; and at other points. The Plains, an estate near
Annapolis, Claremont, for many years the residence of Hon. Carroll
Spence, later Minister of Turkey, and The Caves, an estate owned for
generations by the Carrolls and last held by Gen. John Carroll, which
was located in Baltimore County, were also included in the possessions
of this thrifty Gael. This Carroll was in religion a Protestant, as were
all of his descendants, including The Barrister, which gave him great
advantages politically as well as commercially, under the Colonial
Government. He was a Physician by profession and was known as Dr.
Charles Carroll. He married Dorothy Blake, daughter of Charles Blake, of
an ancient English family and had by her several children, who were
Charles Carroll, Barrister, Mary Clare Carroll, ancestress of Gen. John
Carroll of “The Cave” and John Henry Carroll, who died without issue.
At an early age, young Carroll was sent to Portugal, where he was
educated at a college in Lisbon under the immediate tuition of the Rev.
Edward Jones. At ten years of age, his parents removed him to England,
where he studied at Eton and matriculated at the University of
Cambridge, where his education was completed. Mr. Carroll afterwards
studied law at the Middle Temple, London. He returned to Maryland in
1746, where because of his thorough familiarity with general affairs
both in Europe and in this country, he made an early entrance into
public life. Thus he became one of the people’s trusty guides in the
stormy days, before and during that Revolution which accomplished so
much for the welfare of mankind. Being a talented speaker and writer as
well, he was placed on all important committees and had occasion to
prepare many public documents which were in their day influential and
are therefore historic. One of these papers, the Declaration of Rights
which was adopted by the Maryland Convention, November, 1776, was drawn
by him and is a powerful as well as uncompromising elucidation of the
rights of the people as well as arraignment of the English tyrant King
George III. He was appointed one of the Committee on Correspondence of
the Maryland Convention of 1774. The first Constitution and Laws of the
State of Maryland was also drawn by him and in August, 1775, he was
selected as one of the Committee of Safety. Mr. Carroll was also one of
the members of the Maryland Convention which assembled at Annapolis in
1775 and served on a committee which on January 12, 1776, prepared
instructions for the guidance of the first Maryland Deputies to the
Continental Congress. In 1776, he was selected President of the Maryland
convention held at Annapolis, on May 25th of that year, and was also
elected a member of the committee of Safety of that year. At this
Convention over which he presided the final acts of the separation of
Maryland from England was accomplished, in the deposition of Governor
Robert Eden and the notification of that personage that the public quiet
and safety demanded, in the judgment of the Convention, that he leave
the Province. Mr. Carroll was also an active member of the Convention
which met at Annapolis on June 23, 1776, and which declared the Colonies
free and independent States. At the Convention which assembled at
Annapolis on August 17, 1776, he was also a prominent figure and was on
August 18 chosen one of a committee to draft a Charter of Rights and a
Constitution for Maryland.
On November 10, 1776, he was elected to Congress as the successor of his
more famous relative Charles Carroll of Carrollton, by whom he was
overshadowed in reputation but not in patriotism or abilities or in
services to his country. When the State Government was formed he was
appointed Chief Justice, but he declined the honor. He was then elected
to the first Senate of Maryland, where he rendered distinguished
service. Mr, Carroll was justly regarded as being next to Daniel Dulany,
Jr., Maryland’s greatest lawyer. He was indirectly descended, as were
all of the Carrolls of Maryland, from Daniel Carroll of Ely, who
presented twenty sons all equipped and armed to the Earl of Ormond for
service under Charles I. Mount Clare, his home, was a favorite resort of
General Washington before and during the Revolution, and there is a copy
of a picture extant, showing the illustrious patriot and Mr. Carroll
going on a fishing excursion, from the latter’s mansion, their objective
point being the waters of the Chesapeake, which were easily accessible
from Mount Clare. This mansion is now incorporated in the limits of
Carroll Park, in the southwestern section of Baltimore.
Mr. Carroll at his death left his estates to his nephews, Nicholas and
James MacCubbin, the sons of his sister Mary Clare Carroll, on the
condition that they took their mother’s maiden name, “Carroll,” and that
only and use the coat of arms forever after. The will was dated August
7, 1781. The MacCubbins accepted the requirements of the will and their
names were changed by special act of the Legislature of Maryland in 1783
and approved by the Governor William Paca. These Carroll-MacCubbins left
a numerous progeny, which has intermarried and is connected with many of
the leading families of the State. Among the men of this branch who have
distinguished themselves in the public service may be mentioned Hon.
James Carroll, who was a member of Congress and also ran for Governor
against Governor Platt. He afterwards served as a Judge of the Orphans
Court, and was a highly educated and accomplished man. Hon. Charles
Carroll Spence of Baltimore was also a scion of the family, who became
distinguished. He represented Baltimore in the Maryland Legislature in
1845 and was later appointed by President Buchanan to effect the
ratification of a treaty between the United States and Persia.
Subsequently he was sent as United States Minister to Turkey, filling
the post with distinction. Gen. John Carroll of the Caves is also a
scion of the family and is a well known citizen of Baltimore County. He
was a member of the Maryland Legislature of 1860, when only 22 years of
age and was Chief of Cavalry in Maryland, with the rank of Brigadier
General in 1870.
DANIEL CARROLL.
Daniel Carroll was a brother of the great Archbishop and is of a
consequence somewhat overshadowed by his name and fame, and yet he was a
man who achieved considerable distinction in his day and was a worthy
member of his distinguished family. He was born in 1730 at Upper
Marlboro and was a man of high character and attainments. As soon as the
shackles placed upon the Catholics in Maryland were stricken off by the
Revolution and they were given free participation in public affairs, Mr.
Carroll was elected a member of the Maryland State Senate and was
constantly in public life, either as a member of the Senate or as a
Delegate to the Continental Congress, a representative to Congress prior
to the adoption of the Federal Constitution, or as a delegate to the
Federal Constitutional Convention of 1787. He was also appointed by
Washington a member of the commission to select the site of the National
Capitol, serving with Governor Johnson of Maryland and Dr. David Stewart
of Virginia. He died in May, 1796, aged 66 years. Mr. Carroll was a man
of great wealth, possessing in addition to his own share of his father’s
property, also that renounced by his brother Archbishop Carroll when he
became a Jesuit. He owned considerable real estate in the District of
Columbia and in the present boundaries of Washington, D. C., including
the site of the Capitol, and also had large real estate holdings within
the corporate limits of the City of Baltimore. In fact, with Charles
Carroll of Carrollton, he owned practically all of the original site of
Baltimore.
HOW IT BECAME PLAIN “MR. PRESIDENT”[20]—DETERMINED OPPOSITION OF AN
IRISH-AMERICAN DEFEATED THE EFFORTS OF THE TITLE SEEKERS IN THE EARLY
HISTORY OF OUR REPUBLIC.
BY MR. EDGAR STANTON MACLAY.
I.
MANY FAVORED MONARCHIAL FORMS.
So far as the writer has been able to ascertain the United States Senate
never has officially repudiated a resolution placed on its files, May
14, 1789, to the effect that it favored a title for the President and,
inferentially, titles of commensurate degrees for the members of the
Cabinet, Congress and other Government officials down to the
Sergeant-at-arms of the Senate whom Vice-President John Adams wished to
style “Usher of the Black Rod.” It was even suggested that a “canopied
throne” be erected in the Senate chamber for Washington’s use.
Among the titles seriously considered for Washington were “His Elective
Majesty,” “His Highness, the President of the United States of America
and Protector of the Rights of the Same,” “His Elective Highness,” etc.;
while his inaugural address was referred to in the minutes of the Senate
as “His Most Gracious Speech.”
It is of record that Senators were addressed as “Your Highness of the
Senate” and Representatives as “Your Highness of the Lower House,” while
it was solemnly suggested that the proper manner for the Senate to
receive the Clerk of the House of Representatives was for the
Sergeant-at-arms or “Usher of the Black Rod,” with the mace on his
shoulder, to meet the Clerk at the door. In view of the ire aroused
between the two Houses at that time, a mallet in the hands of the “Usher
of the Black Rod,” when he met the Clerk of the House of Representatives
at the door, would have carried out the feelings of some of the Senators
better than a mace.
These are some of the apings of royalty that were seriously considered
by Congress and, on May 14, 1789, endorsed in the Senate by the very
respectable vote of ten to eight. When the British burned some of the
Federal buildings in Washington, 1814, many public records were
destroyed, so there is difficulty in determining if this endorsement of
monarchial forms was rescinded at any time from 1789 to 1814. Still,
though one hundred and eighteen years have lapsed since 1789, it is not
yet too late for the Senate to purge itself of this “dreadful” contempt
of the great American people on this subject of titles.
For some reason, best known to themselves, the members of the first
Senate decided that their session should be held behind closed doors.
House rule No. 11, as inscribed on the cover of William Maclay’s
journal, reads: “Inviolable secrecy shall be observed with respect to
all matters transacted in the Senate while the doors are shut or as
often as the same is enjoined from the chair.” The result has been that
for more than a century afterward this important chapter in our history
has remained almost a blank. Fortunate it was that Maclay, who with
Robert Morris represented Pennsylvania in the first Senate, kept a daily
record of the doings of the Upper House for the two years he was
Senator.
It appears from this journal that the first great question that
confronted Congress when it held its initial session in New York, April,
1789, was whether or not this “experiment” in government was to assume
monarchial forms. Under date of May 1, 1789, Maclay records: “That the
motives of the actors in the late Revolution were various cannot be
doubted. The abolishing of royalty, the extinguishment of patronage and
dependencies attached to that form of government, were the exalted
motives of many revolutionists and these were the improvements meant by
them to be made of the war which was forced on us by British
aggression—in fine, the amelioration of government and bettering the
condition of mankind. These ends and none other were publicly avowed and
all our constitutions and public acts were formed in this spirit.
“Yet there were not wanting a party whose motives were different. They
wished for the loaves and fishes of government and cared for nothing
else but a translation of the diadem from London to Boston, New York or
Philadelphia, or, in other words, the creation of a new monarchy in
America and to form niches for themselves in the temple of royalty. This
spirit manifested itself strongly among the officers at the close of the
war and I have been afraid the army would not have been disbanded if the
common soldiers could have been kept together. This spirit they
developed in the Order of Cincinnati, where I trust it will expend
itself in a harmless flame and soon become extinguished.”
II.
A COMMITTEE ON TITLES.
Congress was to have met March 4, 1789, but a quorum of the House of
Representatives was not had until April 1 and in the Senate not until
four days later. From this time until the arrival of President
Washington, April 23—Vice-President John Adams arriving only three days
before—the attention of Congress was taken up with preliminary matters
such as providing a home for the Executive, framing rules for
themselves, considering details of the inauguration, etc.
On April 23 Senators Oliver Ellsworth, William S. Johnson (both of
Connecticut) and Richard Henry Lee of Virginia, at the instance of
Adams, were appointed a committee to confer with the House of
Representatives on titles—and thus began one of the fiercest debates in
the history of the first United States Senate. On its outcome hinged the
question whether the new government was to be monarchial in its forms or
strictly plebeian.
As a preliminary skirmish Lee, on April 23, produced a copy of the
resolution for appointing the Title Committee and moved that it be
transmitted to the House of Representatives. This was opposed by Maclay,
who records that Lee knew “the giving of titles would hurt us. I showed
the absurdity of his motion, plain enough, but it seems to me that by
getting a division of the resolution I could perhaps throw out the part
about titles altogether. Mr. [Charles] Carroll of Maryland showed that
he was against titles.” The motion, notwithstanding, was carried.
But now Adams precipitated matters by asking how he should direct a
letter to the Speaker of the House of Representatives and called on the
Senators for enlightenment. There was a manifest disinclination to
interfere, but the Vice-President persisted until the question was
pointedly put as to whether the Speaker should be styled “Honorable.” It
was passed in the negative and the first victory against titles was
scored.
It was only a few days after this, May 16, that a letter was received in
the Senate addressed “His Excellency, the Vice-President.” Adams said
that he supposed that it was intended for him but was improperly
directed. “He asked the opinion of the Senate, laughingly, and concluded
it was against all rule. I [Maclay] said that until we had a rule
obliging people to be regular we must submit to their irregularities,
more especially of this kind. Mr. Morris said the majesty of the people
would do as they pleased. All this I considered as sportive. But Adams
put a serious question: Should the letter, so directed, be read? John
Langdon [Senator from New Hampshire] and sundry others said yes, and
read it was. It proved to be from Loudon, the printer, offering to print
for the Senate.”
III.
POWERFUL LEADERS SUPPORT TITLES.
That Adams was honest in his belief in titles, insignia of rank and
outward exhibitions of authority, and that he took a leading part in the
effort to establish them in the new government, is more than probable.
In 1829 John Randolph of Virginia recorded: “I was in New York when John
Adams took his seat as Vice-President. I recollect that I was a school
boy at the time, attending the lobby of Congress when I ought to have
been at school. I remember the manner in which my brother was spurned by
the coachman of the then Vice-President for coming too near the
‘scutcheon of the viceregal carriage.’” In a letter to [James] Madison,
Jefferson wrote that the question of titles had become serious in the
two Houses. “J. Adams espoused the cause of titles with great
earnestness. His friend, R. H. Lee, although elected as a Republican
enemy to an aristocratic Constitution, was a most zealous second.... Had
the project succeeded, it would have subjected the President to a
serious dilemma and given a deep wound to our infant Government.”
Under date of June 12, 1789, Senator William Grayson of Virginia wrote
to Patrick Henry: “Is it not still stranger that John Adams should be
for titles and dignities and preëminences, and should despise the herd
and the ill-bred? It is said he was the _primum nobile_ in the Senate
for titles for the President.” “Even Roger Sherman” [Congressman from
Connecticut], wrote John Armstrong to General Gates, April 7, 1789, “has
set his head at work to devise some style of address more novel and
dignified than ‘Excellency.’ Yet, in the midst of this admiration, there
are skeptics who doubt its propriety and wits who amuse themselves at
its expense. The first will grumble and the last will laugh, and the
President should be prepared to meet the attacks of both with firmness
and good nature.”
That there existed a strong sentiment against titles can be surmised
from a caricature that appeared in New York about the time of
Washington’s inauguration. It was entitled “The Entry” and was “full of
very disloyal and profane allusions.” Washington was depicted riding on
a donkey. Colonel David Humphreys [Washington’s aide-de-camp] was
represented as leading the animal and “chanting hosannas and birthday
odes.” In the background the devil is represented as saying:
“The glorious time has come to pass
When David shall conduct an ass.”
IV.
PRECEDENTS FAVOR TITLES.
It should not be forgotten, however, that Adams, Lee and other advocates
of titles were powerfully supported in their position by precedents. It
was shown that in almost every other detail Americans had adopted
English and German—then the dominating races in the thirteen
colonies—methods of procedure. The postal service was based on imported
lines, our dollar was copied from the Bohemian “thaler,” colonial
jurisprudence had its main inspiration in British law. Churches and
custom-houses were conducted much the same as in the old countries.
The very fact that opposition to any elaborate form of divine service
being connected with Washington’s inauguration was overruled shows how
closely the founders of the “new” government followed Old World
examples. It appears that the inauguration had been planned with a view
to excluding the clergy in their official capacities and, in all
probability, this programme would have been carried out had not the
ministers in New York protested. Here again precedents from motherlands
carried the day. When, at the eleventh hour the “sacrilege” was called
to the attention of the Right Reverend Provoost, Episcopal bishop of New
York, he cautiously replied that the Church of England “had always been
used to look up to Government upon such occasions.” “The question of
holding services on the day of the inauguration,” records Ebenezer
Hazard, “had been agitated by the clergymen in town.... The bishop
thought it prudent not to do anything till they knew what Government
would direct. If the good bishop never prays without an order from
Government,” wrote Hazard, “it is not probable that the kingdom of
heaven will suffer much from his violence.”
In the light of these facts it is not strange that we find Adams, Lee
and others turning their eyes to procedures of the Old World for
guidance in the matter of titles. To be sure, the Constitution not only
declared that no titles of nobility shall be granted by the United
States but that employès of the Government, of whatever degree, shall
not accept them from any foreign potentate. Yet there was a large
question as to what kind of title might have been meant; whether a
patent of nobility with landed estates to be handed down from generation
to generation—which, undoubtedly, was the “evil” aimed at by the framers
of the Constitution—or a mere title of courtesy as “Mister” or “Mr.” or
“Sir” used in ordinary correspondence. Congress had met to put the
Constitution in operation and had the power to construe doubtful
passages. Broader interpretations of the articles have been made than
those proposed by the titleists.
Adams had spent much time in Europe and had been impressed with the
effect of formalities, titles, wigs, gowns, etc., on the “common”
people. That he was correct, in some degree, in his advocacy of these
forms is attested by the fact that gowns have come more and more into
use in the administration of the judiciary of some states and in the
Supreme Court of the United States while, in the general run of
commerce, liveries—the insignia of station or rank—are getting to be the
rule rather than the exception.
V.
FORCING THE FIGHT ON TITLES.
Acting with his usual energy, Adams forced the fighting on titles from
the start. He arrived in New York on Monday, April 20, and by Thursday,
April 23, he had the Title Committee appointed; and the discussion of
titles occupied most of the time of the Senate from then until May 14,
when it was finally disposed of. Pending the inaugural, April 30, the
subject lay in abeyance. On the morning following, May 1, the Senate met
at 11 o’clock. At the conclusion of “prayers” was the reading of the
minutes and almost the first words were “His Most Gracious
Speech”—referring to Washington’s inaugural address. Adams frankly
admitted that these words had been inserted at his instance by Samuel
Otis, the secretary of the Senate.
Maclay records: “I looked all around the Senate. Every countenance
seemed to wear a blank. The Secretary was going on. I must speak or
nobody would. ‘Mr. President, we have lately had a hard struggle for our
liberty against kingly authority. The minds of men are still heated;
everything related to that species of government is odious to the
people. The words prefixed to the President’s speech are the same that
are usually placed before the speech of his Britannic Majesty. I know
they will give offense. I consider them improper. I, therefore, move
that they be struck out and that it stand simply address or speech as
may be adjudged most suitable.’
“Mr. Adams rose in his chair and expressed the greatest surprise that
anything should be objected to on account of its being taken from the
practice of that Government under which we had lived so long and happily
formerly; that he was for a dignified and respectable government and, as
far as he knew the sentiments of the people, they thought as he did;
that, for his part, he was one of the first in the late contest [the
Revolution] and, if he could have thought of this, he never would have
drawn his sword.
“Painful as it was, I had to contend with the Chair. I admitted that the
people of the colonies had enjoyed, formerly, great happiness under that
species of government but the abuses of that Government under which they
had smarted had taught them what they had to fear from that kind of
government; that there had been a revolution in the sentiments of people
respecting that government, equally great as that which had happened in
the government itself; that even the modes of it were now abhorred; that
the enemies of the Constitution had objected to it believing there would
be a transition from it to kingly government and all the trappings and
splendor of royalty; that if such a thing as this appeared on our
minutes, they would not fail to resent it as the first step of the
ladder in the ascent to royalty.
“The Vice-President rose a second time and declared that he had
mentioned it to the Secretary; that he could not possibly conceive that
any person could take offense at it. I had to get up again and declare
that, although I knew of it being mentioned from the Chair, yet my
opposition did not proceed from any motive of contempt; that, although
it was a painful task, it was solely a sense of duty that raised me.
“The Vice-President stood during this time; said he had been long abroad
and did not know how the temper of people might be now. Up now rose
[George] Reed [Senator from Delaware] and declared for the paragraph. He
saw no reason to object to it because the British speeches were styled
‘most gracious.’ If we choose to object to words because they had been
used in the same sense in Britain, we should soon be at loss to do
business. I had to reply: ‘It is time enough to submit to necessity when
it exists. At present we are not at loss for words. The words, speech or
address, without any addition will suit us well enough.’ The first time
I was up Mr. Lee followed me with a word or two by way of seconding me;
but when the Vice-President, on being up last, declared that he was the
person from whom the words were taken, Mr. Lee got up and informed the
Chair that he did not know that circumstance as he had been absent when
it happened. The question was put and carried for erasing the words
without a division.”
VI.
ADAMS EXPLAINS.
After the adjournment of the Senate that day the Vice-President drew
Maclay aside and explained that he was for an efficient government, that
he had the greatest respect for the President; and gave his ideas on
“checks to government and the balances of power.” Maclay protested that
he “would yield to no person in respect to General Washington,” that he
was not wanting in respect to Adams himself; that his wishes for an
efficient government were as high as any man’s and begged “him to
believe that I did myself great violence when I opposed him in the chair
and nothing but a sense of duty could force me to it.”
Commenting on this day’s debate Maclay records: “Strange, indeed, that
in that very country [America] where the flame of freedom had been
kindled, an attempt should be made to introduce these absurdities and
humiliating distinctions which the hand of reason, aided by our example
was prostrating in the heart of Europe. I, however, will endeavor (as I
have hitherto done) to use the resentment of the Representatives to
defeat Mr. Adams and others on the subject of titles. The pompous and
lordly distinctions which the Senate have manifested a disposition to
establish between the two Houses have nettled the Representatives and
this business of titles may be considered as a part of the same tune.
While we are debating on titles I will, through the Speaker, Mr.
Muhlenberg and other friends, get the idea suggested of answering the
President’s address without any title, in contempt of our deliberations,
which still continue on that subject. This, once effected, will confound
them [the Senators] completely and establish a precedent they will not
dare to violate.”
On Saturday, May 2, the day following the debate on “His Most Gracious
Speech,” the Senate met and several of the members congratulated Maclay
on the stand he had taken. Langdon “shook hands very heartily with me,”
but some of the other New England Senators were “shy.” Senator William
Paterson of New Jersey “passed censure on the conduct of the
Vice-President” and “hinted as if some of the Senate would have taken
notice of the ‘gracious’ affair if I had not. I told him I was no
courtier and had no occasion to trim, but said it was a most
disagreeable thing to contend with the Chair and I had alone held that
disagreeable post more than once.”
VII.
POLITICS AND TITLES.
On Friday, May 8, on motion of Ellsworth, the report of the Joint
Committee on Titles was taken up by the Senate and the great battle was
fairly under way. Two days before this Maclay noted that “the title
selected from all the potentates of the earth for our President was to
have been taken from Poland, viz., ‘Elective Majesty.’ What a royal
escape!”
Surprise, naturally, might be expressed that Lee, elected as a
“Republican enemy to an aristocratic constitution,” should have taken
the lead in advocating titles. Light is thrown on the situation from the
following entry in Maclay’s journal under date of May 15, 1789: “Lee has
a cultivated understanding, great practice in public business.... He has
acted as a high priest through the whole of this idolatrous business....
Had it not been for Mr. Lee I am firmly convinced no other man would
have ventured to follow our Vice-President. But Lee led, Ellsworth
seconded him, the New England men followed and Ralph Izard [Senator from
South Carolina] joined them but really _haud passibus aequis_, for he
was only for the title of ‘Excellency,’ which had been sanctified by
use.
[Illustration:
UNITED STATES SENATOR ROBERT JACKSON GAMBLE.
Vice-President of the Society
for South Dakota.
]
“It is easy to see what his [Lee’s] aim is. By flattering the President
of the Senate he hopes to govern all the members from New England and
with a little assistance from Carolina or Georgia, to be absolute in the
Senate. Ellsworth and some more of the New England men flatter him in
turn, expecting he will be with them on the question of residence [of
Congress]. Had it not been for our Vice-President and Lee I am convinced
the Senate would have been as adverse to titles as the House of
Representatives. The game that our Vice-President and Mr. Lee appear to
have now in view is to separate the Senate as much as possible from the
House of Representatives. Our Vice-President’s doctrine is that all
honors and titles should flow from the President and Senate only.”
VIII.
THE GREAT DEBATE OF MAY 8, 1789.
But whatever Lee’s motives may have been, it is indisputable that he
threw his great weight and splendid abilities in favor of titles. In the
momentous debate of May 8 he declared that all the world, civilized and
savage, called for titles; that there must be something in human nature
that occasioned this general consent and, therefore, he conceived it was
right. “Here he began,” records Maclay, “to enumerate many, many nations
who gave titles—such as Venice, Genoa and others. The Greeks and Romans,
it was said, had no titles, ‘but’ (making a profound bow to the Chair)
‘you were pleased to set us right in this with respect to the Conscript
Fathers the other day.’ Here he repeated the Vice-President’s speech of
the 23d ultimo almost verbatim all over.
“Mr. Ellsworth rose. He had a paper in his hat which he looked
constantly at. He repeated almost all that Mr. Lee had said but got on
the subject of kings—declared that the sentence in the primer of _fear
God and honor the king_ was of great importance; that kings were of
divine appointment; that Saul, the head and shoulders taller than the
rest of the people, was elected by God and anointed by his appointment.
“I sat after he had done for a considerable time to see if anybody would
rise. At last I got up and first answered Lee as well as I could with
nearly the same arguments, drawn from the Constitution, as I had used on
the 23d ult. I mentioned that within the space of twenty years back,
more light had been thrown on the subject of governments and on human
affairs in general than for several generations before; that this light
of knowledge had diminished the veneration for titles and that mankind
now considered themselves as little bound to imitate the follies of
civilized nations as the brutalities of savages; that the abuse of power
and the fear of bloody masters had extorted titles as well as adoration,
in some instances from the trembling crowd; that the impression now on
the minds of the citizens of these states was that of horror for kingly
authority.
“Izard got up. He dwelt almost entirely on the antiquity of kingly
government. He could not, however, well get farther back than Philip of
Macedon. He seemed to have forgot both Homer and the Bible. He urged for
something equivalent to nobility having been common among the Romans,
for they had three names that seemed to answer to honorable or something
like it, before and something behind. He did not say Esquire. Mr.
Carroll rose and took my side of the question. He followed nearly the
track I had been in and dwelt much on the information that was now
abroad in the world. He spoke against kings.
“Mr. Lee and Mr. Izard were both up again. Ellsworth was up again.
Langdon was up several times but spoke short each time. Paterson was up
but there was no knowing which side he was of. Mr. Lee considered him as
against him and answered him—but Paterson finally voted with Lee. The
Vice-President repeatedly helped the speakers for titles. Ellsworth was
enumerating how common the appellation of President was. The
Vice-President put him in mind that there were presidents of fire
companies and of a cricket club. Mr. Lee, at another time, was saying he
believed some of the states authorized titles by their constitutions.
The Vice-President, from the chair, told him that Connecticut did it. At
sundry other times he interfered in a like manner. I had been frequently
up to answer new points during the debate.
“I collected myself for a last effort. I read the clause in the
Constitution against titles of nobility; showed that the spirit of it
was against not only granting titles by Congress but against the
permission to foreign potentates granting _any titles whatever_; that as
to kingly government, it was equally out of the question as a republican
government was guaranteed to every State in the Union; that they were
both equally forbidden fruit of the Constitution. I called the attention
of the House to the consequences that were likely to follow; that
gentleman seemed to court a rupture with the Lower House. The
Representatives had adopted the report [rejecting titles] and were this
day acting on it or according to the spirit of the report. We were
proposing a title. Our conduct would mark us to the world as actuated by
the spirit of dissension; and the characters of the [two] Houses would
be as aristocratic and democratical.”
IX.
“HIS ELECTIVE HIGHNESS.”
Finally the matter came to a vote and the report of the Title Committee,
conferring the title of “Elective Majesty” on Washington was rejected.
Then began the fight, for, at least, some kind of a title for the
President. Izard moved for the title of “Excellency,” but he withdrew
it, upon which Lee suggested “Highness” with some prefatory word such as
“Elective Highness.” Maclay records: “It was insisted that such a
dignified title would add greatly to the weight and authority of the
Government, both at home and abroad. I declared myself of a totally
different opinion; that at present it was impossible to add to the
respect entertained for General Washington; that if you gave him the
title of any foreign prince or potentate, a belief would follow that the
manners of that prince and his modes of government would be adopted by
the President. (Mr. Lee had, just before I got up, read over a list of
the titles of all the princes and potentates of the earth, marking where
the word ‘highness’ occurred. The Grand Turk had it, all the crown
princes of Germany had it, sons and daughters of crown heads, etc.) That
particularly ‘Elective Highness,’ which sounded nearly like ‘Electoral
Highness,’ would have a most ungrateful sound to many thousands of
industrious citizens who had fled from German oppression; that
‘Highness’ was part of the title of a prince or princess of the blood
and was often given to dukes; that it was degrading our President to
place him on a par with any prince of any blood in Europe, nor was there
one of them that could enter the list of true glory with him.”
X.
“ROYAL ETIQUETTE.”
This debate, beginning probably at the usual time for the Senate’s
meeting, namely 10 a. m., lasted until 3.30 p. m., by which time another
committee was appointed to consider a title for the President.
Concluding his record of the notable debate of this day, Maclay writes:
“This whole silly business is the work of Mr. Adams and Mr. Lee. Izard
follows Lee and the New England men ... follow Mr. Adams. Mr. [Charles]
Thompson [Secretary of the old Congress] says this used to be the case
in the old Congress. I had, to be sure, the greatest share in this
debate and must now have completely sold (no, sold is a bad word for I
have got nothing for it) every particle of court favor, for a court our
House seems determined on, and to run into all the fooleries, fopperies,
fineries and pomp of royal etiquette.”
When Maclay attended the Senate on the following day, Saturday, May 9,
he notes: “I know not the motive but never was I received with more
familiarity, nor quite so much, before by the members. Ellsworth, in
particular, seemed to show a kind of fondness.”
XI.
DEFEAT OF THE TITLEISTS.
After correcting the minutes, the Title Committee, appointed by the
Senate on the day before, reported “His Highness, the President of the
United States of America, and Protector of the Rights of the Same” for
Washington. Senator William Few, of Georgia, spoke to Maclay, intimating
his unwillingness to do anything hastily. He then addressed the Senate
on the same lines, although he did not pointedly move for postponement.
Meantime the clerk of the House of Representatives appeared at the bar
and announced the adoption of the report of the Joint Committee, which
rejected all titles.
At this point Maclay got up, said that what Few had said amounted to a
motion for a postponement and asked leave to second him. “I then pointed
out,” records Maclay, “the rupture that was likely to ensue with the
other House; that this was a matter of very serious import and I thought
it our indispensable duty to avoid any inconvenience of that kind; that
by the arrangement between the Houses, in case of disagreement, a
conference might be requested; that my intention was, if the
postponement was carried, to move immediately for a Committee of
Conference to be appointed on the differences between the Houses and I
had hopes that by these means all subjects of debate would be done
away.”
Now Reed moved that the report might be adopted but he was not seconded.
Senator Caleb Strong [of Massachusetts] was in favor of the postponement
but was interrupted by the Chair. Senator [Tristram] Dalton [of
Massachusetts] also was in favor of it and Maclay records: “I could now
see a visible anxiety in the Chair. Strong was up again and said among
other things that he thought the other House would follow—but there was
risk in it.”
Evidently the tide began to turn against titles, for Maclay records: “I
had a fine, slack and easy time of it today. Friends seemed to rise in
succession. Lee went over his old ground twice but owned, at last, that
there was difficulty every way but said plainly that the best mode for
the House was to adopt the [Senate] report—and then the other House
would follow. He found, however, the current began to turn against him
and he laid his head on his hands as if he would have slept.”
Finally Izard got up and said that he was in favor of a postponement. “I
could see the Vice-President kindle at him,” records Maclay. “Izard had
remarked that the House of Representatives had adopted the report
rejecting titles but the Chair interrupted him, saying: ‘No, we had no
right to know, nor could we know it until after the clerk had this
morning official information.’ The members fixed themselves and the
question was called for.”
XII.
“WHAT WILL THE COMMON PEOPLE SAY.”
At this point Adams got up and for forty minutes addressed the Senate.
Maclay writes: “He began first on the subject of order and found fault
with everything almost; but down he came to particulars and pointedly
blamed a member for disorderly behavior. The member had mentioned the
appearance of a captious disposition in the other House. This was
disorderly and he spoke with asperity. The member meant was Mr. Izard.
All this was prefatory. On he got to his favorite topic of titles and
over the old ground of the immense advantage of, the absolute necessity
of them. When he had exhausted this subject he turned a new leaf, I
believe, on the conviction that the postponement would be carried and,
perhaps, the business lost by an attention to the other House.
“‘Gentlemen’ [said Adams], I must tell you that it is you and the
President that have the making of titles. Suppose the President to have
the appointment of Mr. Jefferson at the court of France. Mr. Jefferson
is, in virtue of that appointment, the most illustrious, the most
powerful and what not. But the President must be himself something that
includes all the dignities of the diplomatic corps and something greater
still. What will the common people of foreign countries, what will the
sailors and the soldiers say, ‘George Washington, President of the
United States?’ They will despise him _to all eternity_. This is all
nonsense to the philosopher—but so is all government whatever.’
“The above I recollect with great precision; but he said fifty more
things equally injudicious which I do not think worth minuting. It is
evident that he begins to despair of getting the article of titles
through the House of Representatives and has turned his eye to get it
done solely by the Senate.”
XIII.
“HIGH-SOUNDING POMPOUS APPELLATION.”
Maclay had intended saying not another word on this subject for this
day, but some remarks in the Vice-President’s speech impelled the
Pennsylvanian to rise. He said: “Mr. President, the Constitution of the
United States has designated our Chief Magistrate by the appellation of
the ‘President of the United States of America.’ This is his title of
office; nor can we alter, add to or diminish it without infringing the
Constitution. In like manner persons authorized to transact business
with foreign powers are styled Ambassadors, Public Ministers, etc. To
give them any other appellation would be an equal infringement. As to
grades of order or titles of nobility, nothing of the kind can be
established by Congress.
“Can, then, the President and Senate do that which is prohibited to the
United States at large? Certainly not. Let us read the Constitution. ‘No
title of nobility shall be granted by the United States.’ The
Constitution goes further. The servants of the public are prohibited
from accepting them from any foreign state, king or prince. So that the
appellation and terms given to nobility in the Old World are contraband
language in the United States; nor can we apply them to our citizens
consistent with the Constitution. As to what the common people, soldiers
and sailors of foreign countries may think of us, I do not think it
imports us much. Perhaps, the less they think or have occasion to think
of us, the better.
“But suppose this is a desirable point; how is it to be gained? The
English excepted, foreigners do not understand our language. We must use
Hohen Mogende to a Dutchman, Beylerbey to a Turk or Algerine and so of
the rest. From the English, indeed, we may borrow terms that would not
be wholly unintelligible to our own citizens. But will they thank us for
the compliment? Would not the plagiarism be more likely to be attended
with contempt than respect among all of them? It has been admitted that
all this is nonsense to the philosopher. I am ready to admit that every
high-sounding, pompous appellation, descriptive of qualities which the
object does not possess, must appear bombastic nonsense in the eye of
every wise man. But I cannot admit such an idea with respect to
government itself. Philosophers have admitted not the utility but the
necessity of it and their labors have been directed to correct the vices
and expose the follies which have been engrafted upon it and to reduce
the practice of it to the principles of common sense, such as we see
exemplified by the merchant, the mechanic and the farmer whose every act
or operation tends to a productive or beneficial effect; and, above all,
to illustrate this fact that government was instituted for the benefit
of the people and that no act of government is justifiable that has not
this for its object. Such has been the labor of philosophers with
respect to government and sorry indeed would I be if their labors should
be in vain.”
XIV.
“AFFECTATION OF SIMPLICITY.”
Vice-President Adams now put the question and the postponement was
carried; immediately after which Maclay offered a resolution for a
conference between the two Houses. It was carried and the committee
appointed. But now Ellsworth drew up another resolution in which the
differences between the two Houses were to be kept out of sight and to
proceed _de novo_ on a title for the President. “I did not enter into
the debate,” records Maclay, “but expressed my fear that the House of
Representatives would be irritated and would not meet us on that ground.
And, as if they meant to provoke the other House, they insisted that the
minute of rejection should go down with the appointment of the
committee. Little good can come of it thus circumstanced, more
especially as the old committee were reappointed,” namely, Ellsworth,
Johnson and Lee.
Monday, May 11, on motion of Lee, the subject of titles was postponed to
the following day, but under date of May 12 Maclay records: “The
business of considering the title, which was laid on the table, was
postponed to see what would be the result of the conference of the Joint
Committee on that subject.” Adams’s solicitude for titles was evident,
for when the Senate met, May 13, he reminded the members that the report
for the President’s title lay on the table. The Senate was informed by
Lee that the committee on titles had met in the Senate chamber but were
interrupted by the assembling of that body and had agreed to meet on the
following morning. Again, on May 14, the Vice-President “reminded us of
the title report” but the committee was out on it. In a short time,
however, they reported that the Lower House “had adhered in the
strictest manner to their former resolution,” which was against the
granting of titles of any kind.
This, indeed, was a heavy blow for the advocates of titles. Catching at
the last straw, Lee now moved that the Senate _de novo committee’s_
report in favor of titles be taken from the table and entered on the
files of the House. The spirit of his motion was that attention should
be paid to the usages of civilized nations in order to keep up a proper
respect to the President; that “affectation of simplicity would be
injurious”; that the Senate had decided in favor of titles but, in
deference to the expressed feelings of the Lower House, the Senate, “for
the present,” should address the President without title.
XV.
“YOUR HIGHNESS OF THE SENATE.”
On the day preceding this debate the Speaker Muhlenberg of the House of
Representatives had accosted Maclay as “Your Highness of the Senate,”
saying that Congressman Henry Wynkoop, of Pennsylvania, had been
christened by them “His Highness of the Lower House.” As the question of
titles was gone all over again, Maclay records that he determined to try
what ridicule would do. He said: “Mr. President, if all men were of one
stature, there would be neither high nor low. Highness, when applied to
an individual, must naturally denote the excess of stature which he
possesses over other men. An honorable member [Ellsworth] told us the
other day of a certain king [Saul] who was a head and shoulders taller
than anybody else. This, more especially when he was gloriously greased
with a great horn of oil, must have rendered him _highly_ conspicuous.
History, too, if I mistake not, will furnish us with an example where a
great Thracian obtained the empire of the world from no other
circumstance. But, if this antiquated principle is to be adopted, give
us fair play. Let America be searched and it is most probable that the
honor will be found to belong to some huge Patagonian. This is indeed
putting one sadly over the head of another. True, but Nature has done it
and men should see where she leads before they adopt her as a guide.
“It may be said that this business is metaphorical and the high station
of the President entitled him to it. Nothing can be true metaphorically
which is not so naturally, and under this view of the proposed title it
belongs with more propriety to the man in the moon than anybody else as
his station (when we have the honor of seeing him) is certainly the most
exalted of any we know of. Gentlemen may say this is fanciful. Would
they wish to see the subject in the most serious point of view that it
is possible to place it? Rome, after being benighted for ages in the
darkest gloom of ecclesiastical and aristocratic tyranny, beheld a
reformer [Rienzi] in the fourteenth century who, preaching from stocks
and stones and the busts and fragments of ancient heroes, lighted up the
lamp of liberty to meridium splendor. Intoxicated with success, he
assumed a string of titles, none of which, in my recollection, was
equally absurd with the one before you; in consequence of which and of
his aping some other symbols of nobility and royalty, he fell and pulled
down the whole republican structure along with him; marking particularly
the subject of titles as one of the principal rocks on which he was
shipwrecked. As to the latter part of the title, I would only observe
that the power of war is the organ of protection. This is placed in
Congress by the Constitution. Any attempt to divest them of it, even
with George Washington, is treason against the United States or, at
least, a violation of the Constitution.”
XVI.
SENATE FAVORS TITLES.
With a view to “cutting up the whole matter by the roots” the
anti-titleists moved a general postponement of the Senate report on
titles—and the motion was carried. But with a tenacity worthy of a
better cause, Lee insisted on placing the report on the files of the
House as indicating that the Senate was in favor of titles. Carroll
opposed this on the ground that an imperfect resolution should not be
filed. He was seconded by Maclay as the filing carried with it the idea
of adoption. This part of the motion was lost by a general postponement.
Even after the subject had been postponed, the Senators persisted in the
discussion. Morris rose and said that he disliked the title “Highness
and Protector of the Rights of America” as protection lay with Congress.
He was told that the question of postponement had been carried. Then
Carroll rose, said he disliked the first part of the motion which stated
the acts of the Senate to be in favor of titles. But, as a matter of
fact, no such resolution had been passed in the Senate.
Maclay then rose and moved a division on the motion and was seconded by
Carroll. This precipitated another long debate on titles. Ellsworth went
over the field again; Johnson “spoke much more to the point, Paterson
said that a division should take place at the word ‘Senate’ and on this
point he was supported by Morris and Maclay, the latter withdrawing his
motion and seconding Paterson’s for a division at the word ‘Senate.’ The
division was full enough to answer all purposes which they avowed,
taking it at this place.” It was apparent, however, that the titleists
still clung to their hope and even went so far as to charge the Lower
House with affecting simplicity.
Carroll declared that it was well known that all the Senators were not
for titles, yet the idea held forth was that the Senate favored titles.
He wished to have the yeas and nays placed on record and “let the world
judge.” Senator Few said that it was too late for the yeas and nays as
they should have been called for when the report against titles was
rejected. Finally the question was put and it stood “eight with us; ten
against us. Mr. Carroll called for the yeas and nays.” None rose with
him except Senator John Henry of Maryland and Maclay “and for want of
another man we lost them”—Rule 15 of the Senate holding that the yeas
and nays can be placed on the journal of the House only when called for
by one-fifth of the senators present.
XVII.
WASHINGTON’S ATTITUDE.
It will be interesting to note Washington’s bearing on the subject of
titles while it was under debate in Congress. His position was most
embarrassing and called for tact and equanimity as the first title
considered was that for the President. On its fate depended the granting
of titles for the lesser officers of the government. That Washington
conducted himself with his usual fortitude, impartiality and
broad-mindedness is fully attested by the following entry in Maclay’s
journal: “Through the whole of this base business [granting titles] I
have endeavored to mark the conduct of General Washington. I have no
clew that will fairly lead me to any just conclusion as to his
sentiments. I think it scarce possible but he must have dropped
something on a subject which has excited so much warmth. If he did, it
was not on our side or I would have heard it. But no matter. I have, by
plowing with the heifer of the other House, completely defeated them.”
XVIII.
NO TITLES “FOR THE PRESENT.”
And so ended the momentous debate in the first United States Senate on
the subject of titles which, in one form or another, “engaged almost the
whole time of the Senate from the 23d of April, the day that our
Vice-President began it,” until May 14 when the Senate, by a vote of ten
to eight decided that they, “for the present,” would not press the
subject of titles but so arranged the records as to give the impression
that they sanctioned them. When it came to reading the minutes on the
following day, Friday, May 15, Few moved that the minute on the division
of Lee’s motion be struck out because, as it stood, it had the
appearance of unanimity. Lee opposed. Few was supported by Carroll,
Ellsworth and Maclay—but the minute stood.
One hundred and eighteen years have lapsed since this debate on a title
for the President of the United States—and the consequent “ennobling” of
the lesser officials of the “new” government—took place. That debate
left the situation as follows: the House of Representatives rejected
titles of any kind most positively. The Senate, finding that it could
not bring the whole Congress to the point of giving titles, fell back to
the position that the President and the Senate were the only fountain
heads of titles and that, merely as a matter of accommodation, “for the
present” they waived the question but put themselves on record—by
placing on the files of the Senate a resolution which never was
passed—as being in favor of appellations of nobility.
IRISH PIONEERS OF THE UPPER MISSISSIPPI VALLEY—JOHN WOOD, THE FIRST REAL
PIONEER SETTLER—FOUNDER OF QUINCY, MODEL STATE EXECUTIVE AND
PATRIOT—HEROIC SETTLERS IN VARIOUS STATES.
BY MR. MICHAEL PIGGOTT, QUINCY, ILL.
After many thousand years separation at the cradle of their race, in
India, it was the coming together and blending of pure Celtic and
Teutonic families that finally gave order and civilization to Europe
after the fall of Greece and Rome produced the dark ages. It was the
further mingling and blending of the same kindred blood in America that
produced the men, who, in 1776, gave the governments and civilizations
of the world their brightest jewel in the Declaration of American
Independence, a new civic chart to inspire and guide all nations on the
highway of justice, freedom and equality to the highest civilization. It
was a further blend of the same virile and liberty-loving blood that
enabled the immortal Lincoln to save the Republic in 1861 and place it
at the head of the nations, without a peer in ancient or modern history.
It was the marriage of an Irishman and a German woman in the Mohawk
Valley of New York in 1795 that gave America, in the person of John
Wood, one of her best and bravest sons; the Mississippi Valley, its
first real pioneer settler; Quincy, its beloved founder; Illinois, a
model executive and the republic a patriotic defender.
Governor John Wood was born in Moravia, New York, December 20th, 1798.
He was the second child and only son of Doctor Daniel Wood, and
Catherine (Crouse) Wood. His father, a surgeon and captain under
Washington during the war of freedom from British despotism, was of
Irish descent, being the grandson of Timothy Wood, of Longford, Ireland.
Doctor Daniel Wood was a man of unusual attainments as a scholar and
linguist. He was proficient in several languages; his medical books in
French and German, with his own marginal notes, indicate the high
standard of his professional acquirements.
At the close of the revolution, he settled in Cayuga County, on a large
tract of land which he received as a bounty from the government, where
he died at the ripe age of ninety-two years. His body was exhumed by his
son and brought to Quincy and buried in Woodland Cemetery on a high
natural knoll overlooking the waters of the Mississippi, in view of
George Rogers Clark’s monument, designed by a son of General Mulligan
and erected by the State of Illinois during the past year. Irish
patriotism and valor are here well represented by the names of Clark,
Wood and Mulligan.
The mother of Governor Wood, who died while he was under five years of
age, was a woman of unusual beauty and was several years younger than
her husband. She was of old “Mohawk Dutch” stock, and while well
informed could only speak the “Dutch” language.
In 1818, John Wood came West in quest of home and fortune. He spent two
years exploring the advantages offered to young men in the valleys of
Kentucky, Tennessee and Alabama, also in southern Ohio and Indiana. In
1820, while at Cincinnati, he met a young man by the name of Willard
Keyes, a native of Vermont and two years older than himself. Keyes had
spent a year at Prairie du Chien, on the Upper Mississippi, teaching
French and Indian half-breeds. They entered into a partnership to go on
the frontier and commence farming. They secured between them some young
steers, a heifer and a few swine, a plow and a limited supply of
provisions, then treked across the country into the wilderness of the
great Northwest to find a suitable location, finally stopping at a place
about thirty miles southeast of Quincy, where they established a rude
bachelors’ hall and raised three crops.
In the spring of 1821, Wood, while hunting for game, met two Irishmen
named Peter Flynn and James Moffatt, soldiers of 1812, who had located
government warrants on the banks of the Mississippi, west of the Wood
and Keyes locations. John Wood visited the Flynn and Moffatt locations
and, being a keen observer and a natural lover of beauty, admiring their
high advantages and beautiful surroundings, immediately resolved to make
his home with them.
In the fall of that year, Jeremiah Rose, wife and five-year-old daughter
came to the Wood and Keyes settlement. He was of Irish descent, born in
Rensselear County, New York. In the fall of 1822, Wood and Rose arranged
to locate at the Flynn and Moffatt settlements, but Rose took sick and
remained with his family, while Wood went on, and with the assistance of
Flynn and Moffatt built a log cabin eighteen by twenty feet, the first
white man’s home in this section of Illinois, as Flynn and Moffatt had
built no cabins on their locations but camped with the Indians who lined
the river banks north and south for several miles. John Wood being
unmarried, the Rose family occupied his cabin and remained with him
until 1826, when Rose located a mile back from the river and about a
mile north, on what is now known as Twelfth Street.
In the spring of 1824, Williard Keyes came and built a cabin sixteen by
sixteen feet at the foot of what is now Vermont Street. In the same
fall, John Drulard, a Frenchman, built a cabin a short distance south of
Wood, making a white man’s village of three cabins where Indians had
held dominion and war dances for ages. Between the cabins of Wood and
Keyes, on the high bluffs where Main Street has been cut through to the
river, there was a “Sauk” village of friendly Indians. They lingered in
the vicinity for several years, coming back annually until after the
Black Hawk war to decorate and worship at the graves of their fathers.
In the fall of 1824, John Wood caused to be inserted in the Edwardsville
Spectator a notice that application would be made at the next session of
the legislature, for the organization of a new county, defining its
boundaries. In 1825 the Legislature authorized its establishment, fixing
the boundaries described in Wood’s notice and as they now exist. Three
commissioners were appointed to locate the county seat. After going over
the boundaries, they selected the place suggested by John Wood as the
most suitable. They christened the new town Quincy and the county Adams,
in honor of the president. Thenceforth the little village of three log
cabins rejoiced in a name. A space four hundred feet square was reserved
in the center of the town for a public square, now known as Washington
Park, the home of the friendly squirrels and birds that sport in safety
amid its elms, shrubs and fountains. The first election for officers of
the county was held July 2, 1825, when forty votes were polled.
From 1825 to 1830, the growth of Quincy was very slow, caused by the
privations incident to a pioneer’s life. The little settlement was many
miles distant from mills or places where necessary family supplies could
be obtained. Instead of coffee the settlers used okra seeds, which they
cultivated for that purpose and sweetened with wild honey found in great
abundance in the neighboring woods. Their nearest blacksmith was at
Atlas, forty miles distant, where they carried their plows to be
sharpened, swung upon horses’ backs.
Among the voters who took part in the election for county officers in
July, 1825, appear the Celtic names of George Frazier, Michael Dodd,
Thomas McCreary, Louis Kinney, Daniel Moore, H. Hawley and Ben McNitt,
besides the others above mentioned. Below appear the names of the Irish
pioneers who came after the county and the town were organized.
From the beginning, John Wood was the moving spirit of the young
settlement. Its subsequent growth and prosperity were due to his
untiring zeal which he maintained to the end of his long and useful
life.
In 1827, John Wood visited the lead mines at Galena, but maintained his
home at Quincy and was constantly identified with its progress, serving
as its mayor four times and a number of years as one of its councilmen.
His influence was not confined to Quincy alone. He was early recognized
throughout the State as a rising man of mark. The manner in which he
organized Adams County and defeated a movement of men from Kentucky,
who, in 1824, desired a convention for a new constitution to allow them
to bring their slaves to Illinois, gave him prominence among the
politicians of the State.
At the time John Wood built his Quincy cabin, St. Louis and Missouri
were the attractive places of the opening West, but the black gangrene
of human slavery repelled John Wood and caused him to prefer the free
soil of Illinois. When the question was submitted to the people, John
Wood made a canvass of the Bounty Land or Military Tract as it was
called, and out of one hundred and three votes cast secured all but four
against a change. He regarded with equal disfavor the political
organization known as the abolitionists, considering them civic
disturbers.
[Illustration:
THOMAS F. RYAN, ESQ.,
Of New York City.
Life Member of the Society.
]
In 1832 John Wood served as a volunteer in the Blackhawk War. In 1848,
with two sons, he went to California, but remained there only a year. In
1850 he was elected to the State Senate and in 1856 was elected
Lieutenant Governor of Illinois, and became governor of the State in
1859 on the death of Governor Bissell. He was one of the five delegates
who, in February, 1861, represented Illinois at the peace convention in
Washington. On the breaking out of the rebellion he was appointed
Quartermaster General of Illinois, and served with great efficiency
until June, 1864, when, at the age of sixty-six years, he went to the
field of war as Colonel of the One Hundredth and Thirty-Seventh
Illinois. At Memphis, Tennessee, he was assigned to the command of a
brigade and discharged his duties gallantly while under fire.
The value of Governor Wood’s services to State and Nation were
handsomely acknowledged in 1868 by Illinois’ great war governor, Richard
Yates, then United States Senator, in a letter to Governor Wood. Senator
Yates wrote: “I have never expressed to you, though I have many times
spoken of it to others, my grateful remembrance of your great assistance
during those trying times. Often when discouraged, as we all were, I
believe, except you, I have been cheered and sustained by your
confidence and what many persons told me of your kindly mention of my
acts as governor. This, I assure you, my dear Governor, is one of the
pleasant memories connected with those eventful and trying times, and it
is not too late, I hope, for me to express my unfeigned gratitude. It
has always afforded me pleasure, when friends have given me the credit,
to tell them the truth, how vastly the State was indebted to Governor
Wood for the great energy he displayed in his office, which was the most
trying office of us all, and for his warm and enthusiastic words for his
country in those days of doubt and trial. I hope you will not consider
these words flattering, but as a grateful expression of your true
friend, Richard Yates.”
Governor Wood “was a superb specimen of the highest human type; six feet
in height; hair and beard flowing and as white as snow; ruddy face;
strong cut features; muscular frame and a pleasing dignity gave him the
appearance of a Roman Senator, causing Governor Yates and others to
refer to him frequently as the “Old Roman from Adams.” His nature was
bold, frank and generous. He was a stranger to moral or physical fear. A
few years before his death, with his wife, and a party of Quincy
friends, he visited California. While on a steamer visiting places in
Southern California, he was wrecked by the boat running on a rock. The
Captain, after placing women and children safely on boats, said: “Now,
Governor Wood, you take your place.” His answer was that of a hero.
“Send the young folks first. I am seventy years old. Save the young.””
Before 1858, Governor Wood resided in a large two-story frame dwelling
with pilastered portico, which that year he moved across Twelfth Street
into his old orchard, and on the old site he erected a magnificent
sandstone palace, the finest then in the State, costing $125,000. It is
now used as a boy’s school by the Methodist Church, while the old frame
dwelling is owned by the Quincy Historical Society, both, with immense
tracts of land within the city limits, having passed from the Governor
shortly before his death through the unfortunate speculations of his
sons on the Chicago Board of Trade; he surrendered everything to pay
their debts.
He died in Quincy, June 4th, 1880, full of honor, at the ripe age of
eighty-two years, and was buried by the side of his patriotic father in
Woodland Cemetery, on a high knoll facing the magnificent waters of the
Mississippi and within four blocks of where he built his log cabin in
1822. Immediately south of Woodland lies Indian Mound Park, and a mile
north is Riverview Park, where George Rogers Clark’s monument stands in
repose with a Continental hat in hand and arms folded, looking out in
admiration on the lands his valor had saved for American freemen. There
are numerous Indian mounds, both in the cemetery and parks, and they
extend for many miles along the bluffs, North and South of Quincy.
A life-sized bronze statue of Governor Wood is in Washington Park,
located in the business center of the city, erected by the city which he
founded, nursed through infancy with care to the full maturity of the
“Gem City” of the Mississippi, with a prosperous population of
forty-five thousand intelligent people, whom he honored by a patriotic
and a stainless Christian life.
Before the election of Governor Wood, Illinois had three governors of
Celtic descent—Duncan, Carlin and Ford. Both Ford and Carlin, previous
to their election, had resided in Quincy.
In 1812, the territory between the Illinois and the Mississippi Rivers,
was set aside by Congress as a military or bounty land district, wherein
the soldiers of the War of 1812 might locate their warrants for a one
hundred and sixty-acre land grant as a bounty from the government.
Quincy was made one of the land offices for that purpose, which brought
many of the ex-soldiers, especially from Tennessee and Kentucky, to
Adams County. The names of those who were Irish, or of Irish descent,
holding warrants issued in 1817 and 1818 and located in Adams County
before 1836, were the following: Peter Flynn, James Moffatt, Patrick
Nugent, John McDade, David Higgins, John W. McFadon, John O’Roork,
Williams McCauley, John Arthur, David Bagley, John Patterson, Nicholas
Farrell, John McKenzie, David McIntire, Hugh Cannon, John Smith, John
McIlvain, Dennis Sweeny, James Murry, Thomas Boyd, Peter Long, Thomas
Smith, Arch McCrea, Joseph Carter, David Smith, Samuel Thayer, Joseph
Clark, Butler Powers, John Thompson, Henry Kelly, William Keen, John
Manning, James Kernan, Thomas Moore, Joseph Cady, Thomas Matthews,
Thomas Rankins, James Connor, Dennis Darling, Charles Mooney, Hugh
Riley, Patrick Callahan, Robert McRey, James Doty, John Russell, John
Blevins, James Denning, Patrick Coyle, Felix McNalley, Patrick Reardon,
Dennis Kelley, Bernard Murphy, Nicholas Conner, Maurice O’Conner, Anson
Kennedy, John Dempsey, John McClure, William Currey, George McIntire,
Arch McLaughlin, James Clark, Isaac Gleason, Donald McQuinn, John
Collins, John Murry, Martin Finnagin, Daniel Daugherty, John McInelley,
John Carter, Solomon McKinney, James Welsh, John Campbell, Michael
Smith, M. Garvin, William Steward, William Hynes, Robert McCulley, James
Miles, James Flanigan, James Downey, William Green, Patrick Barrett,
Dennis Carvin, Thomas Wall, Thomas Cochran, John Hayes, James Donaldson,
William Bryant, James McKeen, Peter O’Donnel, John Fitzgerald, William
Furguson, Hugh Neely, Ben Connelley, Patrick McGaugh, James Mullen, W.
Bradley, J. H. Lancaster, James McDonald, Arthur Campbell, Michael
McGuire, John Campbell, Michael McDermott, Timothy Shields, John Smith,
Mathew Williams, Dennis Connor, Cornelius Kelly, John Ray, Simon
Bradley, William Flynn, Peter Curry, Patrick McBrierly, Michael Moore,
John Green, Jeremiah McChesney, Michael O’Cain, Hugh Brown, Barney
McHatten, John Kincaid, Jeremiah Fallon, Samuel Cochran, Thomas Redmon,
James Brannon, Daniel McDonald, Michael McKay, Daniel McNutt, Robert
Bradley, Peter Kennedy, Barney O’Neil, John Dunn, George McConley, Henry
McCleary, Thomas Burke, William Hughes, Patrick Haffey, Morris Walsh,
Martin Eaton, Jeremiah Sullivan, Daniel McWright, Gago Murphy, Isaac
Hughes, John Murphy, James Kirkpatrick, Thomas Kavin, Mathew Campbell,
Jacob McMahon, Samuel McEvans, William Clemens, George McCoy, James
Daugherty, David Hanes, James Doty, William Kelley, William McCassell,
Patrick Hart, John McKinzey, Patrick Holland, John McCurdy, George
Mahon, Richard Moody, James Kelley, Richard Harrington, William McClure,
Thomas Higgins, Owen McGaffery, Thomas Powers, Cornelius McMahon, Edward
Murphy, Hugh McDermott, John Fitzpatrick, John Butler, John Pickett,
Richard Daily, William Clark, William McCullough, John Lawrence and
William Haslett.
Many of those who located their warrants on land in Adams County before
1836, afterwards became prominent business men in Quincy, while others
immediately after filing claims sold their locations to land sharks for
a few dollars, and moved north to the lead mines at Galena.
During the decades between 1820 and 1840, large numbers of Irish
pioneers came to Quincy, many of them direct from Ireland. They were the
following: Rev. Fr. Michael Ahern, Richard and William Ahern, James
Arthur, Nathaniel, Thomas, Robert and William Benneson, Rev. William
Best and six sons (John H., Alexander, William, Jr., James, George,
Joseph), Patrick and Michael Barry, Patrick and Matthew Brady, Patrick
Britt, John Beattey, Thomas Burns, John Boles, George Callihan, Arthur
Carroll, James Campbell, Matthew Cashman, William, Matthew, Andrew and
Terence Clark, Matthew Campion, Matthew, David and John Cary, Matthew
Carmody, Patrick Curnan, Thomas Clancy, Michael Corcary, Matthew and
David Costigan, Martin Collins, John Connery, Edward Crotty, Michael
Connell, Thomas Clancy, Edward Condon, Patrick Costigan, Patrick and
John Cronin, Anthony and Montgomery Coyle, Michael Crough, Patrick Cody,
Patrick Curley, Patrick Corrigan, Perry Cushin, Rev. Fr. Derwin, Delany
Desmonde, James Dillon, Patrick Dowd, Patrick Daily, John and Thomas
Dwyer, Patrick and Michael Derry, Patrick Eagan, John Enright, Robert
Evans, Michael, William and John Fitzgerald, Dr. John and William
Fitzpatrick, James Flynn, Rev. William B., James B. and Matthew B.
Finlay and their three sisters, Ann B. Padgett, Jane B. and Mary B.
Finlay, Michael Feeney, James Fisher, Michael and Martin Farrell,
Richard and James Grant, Mathew Gorman, John and James Gregory, Michael
and Patrick Gerry, Oliver and William Geary, Jackson Grimshaw, Patrick
and Michael Haley, Joseph and Robert Hartley, John Heelan, John Hurley,
Thomas and Patrick Heires, Andrew and John Haire, Sylvester, Thomas,
Michael, Patrick and Timothy Haires, Patrick Hade, David and Dennis
Higgens, Edward Hoverton, Arthur Hughes, Daglon Hoolihan, Patrick Igo,
Michael Ives, Daniel Karns, Patrick Kirby, Patrick Kinsella, James Kane,
David Keef, Thomas Keough, Timothy, William and John Kelley, Patrick and
Maurice Lenehan, William Kennedy, Andrew, Robert, Joseph and William
Long, Thomas Landers, James Lawler, Thomas Leahy, Dr. John Leavey,
Michael Lawton, Samuel Lowry, Barney Little and son Edward, John William
and Charles Lee, Rev. Fr. Peter McGirr, James McGrath, Thomas McFall,
Bernard McCann, Michael McKevitt, Bernard McDermott, Michael McCarty,
Patrick McDonald, Joseph McConnell, Barney McCabe, John W. McFadon, John
McDade, Michael Maloney, Patrick, Edward and John Murphy, Michael, John
and Peter Meehan, John Murray, Michael Gilbert, John Mahaney, James and
Richard Montgomery, Patrick Nealon, John Nolan, Richard Nagle, Timothy
Noonan, John Nevins, James and Frederick O’Connor, Patrick, John,
Daniel, Jeremiah, William, James and Michael O’Brien, Charles O’Neil,
Michael and William B. Powers, Richard Purcell, George and John Padgett,
John Piggot, Michael Quin, Patrick Quigley, William Richards, Thomas,
Michael, George and James Redmond, Michael, James and Patrick Reardon,
James, Daniel, Patrick and William Ryan, John and Patrick Reagan, David
Roach, Patrick and Hugh Rudden, William, John and Patrick Shanahan,
Hugh, John and William Smyth, John and Thomas Sheridan, Owen, A.,
Terrence and Peter Smith, Timothy, Daniel, Florence and Henry Sullivan,
Maurice Savage, Patrick Sweeny, Darby and Jeremiah Shea, Michael
Sheehan, Thomas, Tobin, James and William Troy, Edward Trulock, Patrick
Tully, William Thompson, Sylvester and William B. Thayer, Terrence
Waters, Michael, David, Richard, Edward, John and Perry Whalen, Benjamin
Watson, James and Philip Walsh.
The following were among the farmers and land-holding taxpayers in Adams
County, as appear by the tax records for the year 1845: James, John and
Henry Burke, James Bailey, Thomas Bryan, Thomas Bray, Daniel Bradley,
Thomas Boyd, John Buckley, John Brady, Thomas Beaty, John Burns, Sr.,
William Boyle, Michael Bradly, John Calihan, Thomas, William and Hugh
Clark, Michael and James Collins, Edward Corrigan, Thomas Curry, J. W.
Cassidy, William Cadogan, James, John and William Campbell, Hugh Connor,
John Caldwell, Hugh Carlin, James Colvin, Philip Cain, John and Joseph
Craig, John Cunningham, Jacob Dailey, Alexander Donovan, Peter Donnell,
John Donnelly, Charles Dempsey, John Dorsey, Patrick and John
Fitzgerald, Hugh Furguson, William Finley, James and L. Frazier, Ben
Galliher, Jeremiah Galliger, James Galligher, Daniel Higgins, Sr., and
Daniel Higgins, Jr., John and William Hughes, James Hawley, John
Hagerty, William and Jesse Hogan, Joseph, John, James, Thomas, William
and Patrick Kelly, Maurice Kelley, Andrew Long, Richard Lee, William
Lynch, John, William, Ben and Joshua Laughlin, Michael Limbaugh, John
Lawless, James Moore, James Mehan, John Moran, James Mulligan, Edward,
William and Henry Murphy, John and Charles Mullan, John Malone, John
Murry, William McAdams, James McNutt, William McKinney, James and
Michael McCann, Mathias McNeal, Martin McNitt, Thomas McKee, James and
William McLaughlin, Dennis McCalip, John, Isaac, Samuel and Thomas
McVay, John McClarry, Dennis McKellup, John and Robert McBride, A.
McClain, Robert and John McCoy, Dennis McDaniel, Philip McKay, John
McKinzie, William and John McClintock, Samuel McNulty, William and
Michael McGingley, William, John and James McCormick, Dorsy, Smith and
James McGinnis, George McMurry, James McCorian, Robert and John
McBratney, William McCreary, Ben and Joseph McFarland, Alex McGuire,
James McAnulty, William McGaughey, William McFarlin, Robert McWiney, S.
McKinney, Robert and Andrew McCully, Ed McCafferty, John, William and
Andrew McNay, John McGibbons, Hugh Nevin, William O’Harra, Doud L.
Patterson, William Piggott, John Padget, Robert Rankin, William and Luke
Riley, Andrew Redman, Michael Rawlings, John and James Smith, William
Smyth, John and Bradley Stewart, William Stewart, Sr., John Savage,
James Shannon, Dennis Seals, John Shaw, M. Scoggan, D. Sullivan,
Michael, Peter and James Thomas, John Terry, James and Michael Welsh.
The records of the county land warrants filed in Adams County before
1836, by ex-soldiers, plainly show that Irish-Americans were as well
represented in the war of 1812 as they were in that for American
Independence. The following names are taken from Volume 9, Adjutant
General’s reports of Illinois, published by the State in 1902, giving a
complete roster of Illinois officers and enlisted men in the Blackhawk
war of 1831–2, and the Mexican war of 1846–8, both taken from the
official rolls on file in the War Department, Washington, D. C., to show
the strength of Irish-Americans among the pioneers of the Mississippi
Valley in those early days, as well as to show that the race never fails
to respond in large numbers to the war-call of their country in time of
danger.
The following served in the Blackhawk war: John and Daniel Wood, Daniel
Hayes, James McCarlin, Thomas Duncan, Bernard Fleming, Thomas Gulley, H.
Riley, Timothy Inghram, John Russell, Thomas Stanly, John, James and
George Karnes, John and James Caldwell, Richard Hogan, Aaron Quigley,
Peter Smith, William Lafferty, James and Jacob L. Reynolds, James
Pougee, James, William, John and Reubin Clark, Michael and Ezekiel
Rawlings, William, John and William C. Murphy, Charles Dunn, James
McColugh, John Dobbins, Richard Hughes, Jacob Kennedy, John McCove,
James Rose, James Duncan, James Bryant, John Lowrey, William and F. A.
Riley, John and A. S. Fitzgerald, Hugh and Robert McDaniel, Charles
Sexton, David Ray, James, William and James N. Clark, Serratt Riley,
John, Eagon, Franklin S. and I. S. Casey, William and Thomas Hayes,
James Rhea, James Flannagan, William, John and Edward Kirkpatrick, John
McMurphy, John Cain, William Finney, James Shaw, William Logan, James
Cummings, John Cowan, Patrick and I. H. Tennery, John McConkey, James
Bailey, John C. Bradley, Patrick Whalen, Josiah and Abraham Welsh,
William F. McClure, Samuel Burk, James Dunlap, Marshall Lafferty,
William and John McCabe, John McGuire, Cornelius Doherty, John McCoy,
Dennis Keen, James McMillan, Patrick, William and Robert Campbell,
Thomas McDonald, James Buchanan, Samuel Dunlap, Bonapart Gallaher,
Joseph McCreary, William McKinney, Hugh McCrakin, John Haynes, Robert
McClarney, Robert Patterson, Alexander McKinsey, Martin and John Farley,
Nathan McCarty, John McCoy, John R. Mullins, Nimrod, John, Dudly,
Richard and Benjamin Murphy, John McConnell, Edward McGovern, Nelson
McDowell, D. B. McConnell, William and John Duncan, John Dougherty,
James Kirby, William Patterson, Thomas McAdams, Joseph Burk, Thomas
Evans, Thomas C. Hughes, John McCurry, James Kincaid, William Finley,
John McFain, John Guffy, Phellonson and John Higgins, Joseph McKinney,
Jonathan McClanan, George W. McCarty, William, William R. and Samuel
McAdams, Josiah T. Bradley, Charles D. Kelley, John B. Logan, Samuel
McCully, John M. O’Harnett, John O’Mulvany, Albert B. Murphy, Hiram
Casey, Jesse Ford, Thomas McDowell, Andy and John McFarlin, Richard
Bradley, Robert Caldwell, James McCabe, Keavan Murry, Edward McNabb,
David McNair, Peter O’Leary, Patrick Clary, Patrick Gallagar, Patrick
Karnes, Daniel McKaney, John Ragan, Timothy Barrett, John and James
McDeed, Hugh Finley, John Lancaster, Thomas Welch, James, Francis, John
and William Kirkpatrick, Dennis Quinlivan, John Foley, John Brophy,
David, William and James McKee, Isaac Kilpatrick, James Patterson, John
Hughes, James Mulligan, Patrick Flaherty, James Whalen, Michael Davis,
John O’Hara, James, John and Samuel Burns, Mathew Lynch, John Nevins,
John Powers, John McMullin, Jeremiah Kelly, Hugh McGary, Michael
Brockett, Michael Fanin, John McDaniel, James Clark, Thomas Kenney,
Andrew Malone, Daniel Moore, John Sheeney, William Shaw, Mathew Bailey,
William Mallory, Thomas Kinney, William Lynch, James Green, Murry
McConnell, John Laughrey, John, William and James McKee, James McNabb,
Daniel Riley, James McGee, Michael Killion, Daniel Carter, Michael and
Jacob Kellyon, William Kelly, Daniel Doolin, Michael Horin, James
McMurty, George Higgins, Thomas McBride, Hugh Cochran, Robert McMahan,
James McElroy, Thomas McConnell, Patrick Gray, Michael Klean, Patrick
Kenney, Dennis Quinliven, John O’Neil, Patrick and John Dugan, Patrick
Gilroy and Michael Meara.
There were six Illinois regiments mustered for the Mexican war. The
first, second and third were enrolled and mustered as a brigade by Gen.
Philip Kearny at Alton, men principally from the “Bounty Land” district.
The general, being the grandson of an Irishman, drew many of that race
to his standard. The following are the names: John W. Burns, William
Cassedy, William Finney, Richard Grant, John McCoy, Daniel McNeil, James
Ramsey, Patrick Higgins, William A. Clark, Patrick Mehan, Patrick Burk,
Peter Conover, Patrick Clemens, Chandler Bradley, Peter Dolin, Thomas
Cain, Dennis Griffin, Thomas Gorman, Francis Quinn, Thomas Riley, John
Smith, Jeremiah Sullivan, George Connor, Hiram Clark, R. F. Cochran,
John W. Hughes, William Long, James Murry, Hugh Fee, Thomas Turley, John
Crogan, James and Thomas Bryant, John Carter, C. McConnell, James
Neeley, Patrick O’Neil, James Stewart, Isaac Curry, James Doyle, James
T. Lawler, Daniel McClelland, John Scanland, Francis Ryan, John
McKibbin, John Hughes, Daniel Curry, James Campbell, James Cavanaugh,
Austin Daugherty, John Kincade, James McClure, Arch McBride, John
McIntosh, Francis McLeary, Daniel Shean, William Taggart, James
Buchanan, James Converse, William McAvoy, J. McCullum, Ezekiel and
Thomas Flynn, John Fisher, Dawson Cary, Michael Little, Edward and
Timothy Kelley, John Lynch, Timothy McCarty, John McDonnald, James
Stewart, Mathew Moran, Michael Brennan, James Carlin, Michael Hyde,
Michael McCarty, Frank Carney, James and Thomas Clark, John Carroll,
Arthur Hughes, Patrick Murry, Michael Page, William and James Wall,
Larkin Riley, Mathew Bradley, Benjamin Clark, Robert and Alex Kelley,
Mathew McAnnelly, James McCoy, Thomas Kinney, Ben. F. McNeil, David
Rawlings, James Russell, James McGuire, William Roach, John Tully,
Joshua Walsh, George Burk, William Barry, George Clark, Clark Higgins,
Isaac Kelly, Andrew McCauly, John Bostick, Murry Tully, Cornelius and
Asa Cochran, John Burns, Mason and Jobe Kelly, Michael McHale, James
Hayes, Michael McCarty, Michael Foy, John A. Logan, James Burk, James
Dunn, Charles McAnelly, John and Daniel McCarty, Richard McCord, Daniel
Carter, John Delancey, John Dougherty, Edward Little, Joseph and Reuben
McDade, McDaniel Welch, Hugh McElhanan, William Dempsey, John Flanagan,
John Curry, William Hughes, Patrick McGee, James Hayes, James Mulligan,
James McCru, Thomas Montgomery, David McCann, Patrick Kelly, Robert
Burk, Patrick Lanon, George Cochran, Dennis Campbell, Charles Devine,
Andrew Hayes, James Lancaster, Joseph Quigley, Hardy Carroll, Myron
Burns, William Cassidy, Martin Clark, Damon Kennedy, Josiah McCormick,
William McCassilin, Thomas Mullen, Martin McRorgh, James McDonald, James
McFadden, George Nolan, Thomas Sheridan, Patrick Casey, Thomas Carnahan,
John Connor, Warwick Flanagan, John Fitzgerald, Robert and John
McKinney, James, John and Keran McGinnis, John McMillan, James O’Leary,
John McAllister, William Donley, Patrick Flarity, George McGuire, James
Murphy, Patrick Cruis, John Duncan, John Dwyer, Charles Hunter, James
Hackney, William Kennedy, James McGovern, James O’Connor, John Quirck,
Michael Riley, James Ryan, Daniel Dougherty, James Phelan, James Regan,
Arthur Gallagher, John Kennedy, William Murry, John, Felix and Edward
Clark, George Carey, Carter Murry, John O’Brien, Daniel Sexton, James
Collins, Hugh Kelly, Levi McBride, William Bryant, Mathew Gillespie,
Patrick Green, George McConkey, James Rafferty, Andrew Shaw, Thomas
Smith, Francis Clark, Alexander Dougherty, William McMullen, Michael
Brennan, Daniel Doyle, David Sullivan, Mathew McWorter, William Bradley,
Patrick Hannon, Henry McGuire, James Shaw, Hugh Duffy, Thomas Gaffeny,
Daniel O’Melvaney, Andrew Burk, John Crowley, Patrick Murphy, John
Welch, Hugh McKinley, James Barry, John Burns, Richard Carter, James
Logan, James Fitzgerald, Timothy Ryan, Patrick and Samuel McDonald,
Thomas McGill, Hugh Riley, David Mooney, James Collins, Timothy Ryan,
Daniel Duff, William and James Flint, Jackson Larkin, Robert and John
Patterson, John Little, Davis Murphy, James McCrary, James Rearden,
Timothy and John Ingram, Patrick Scully, James Donovan, Charles Lowrey,
Logan Lynch, Thomas Reynolds, John Brady, James O’Neil, John Mahan,
George Haley, James and William Nolan, John Casey, Josiah O’Riley,
William and John Burk, Charles and John Lynch, Thomas and James Kelly,
Patrick McKelvy, James Murphy, William and Andrew McGuire, James Hughes,
William Clark, James Galliher, Thomas McDonald, Dennis Bolan, James
Eagan, Peter Murphy, John McCary, James McGuire, Patrick Toucy, Peter
Foy, William Grace, Peter Welch; Mathew Murry, James Conolly, James
McCabe, Charles Dillon, James Dailey, Michael Fitzpatrick, Daniel
Shields, Patrick McKee, Patrick Kelly, Michael King, Daniel Kennedy,
Daniel McClusky, John O’Malloy, Charles McCarty, Peter O’Neil, Cornelius
Mahoney, Thomas Mulligan, James Lancaster, James Murphy, James Phalan,
Jeremiah Sullivan, Patrick Plunkett, John Foley, Patrick Power and
Michael K. Lawler.
Many of these soldiers became very prominent in the political and social
affairs of the state and nation, especially John Wood, Murry McConnell,
Michael K. Lawler and John A. Logan.
After the Blackhawk war, two militia companies were organized in Quincy,
the “Quincy Rifles” and the “Montgomery Guards,” the latter principally
Irish, organized and commanded by Timothy Kelley, who was afterwards
killed at the battle of Buena Vista, Mexico. We were unable to secure a
roster of Captain Kelley’s Militia Company, but from men of his time, we
were informed that the following were among its members: William Kelley,
a brother of Timothy; William Kennedy, James Ryan, James O’Connor, a
veteran of 1812; Thomas Landon, Oliver and William Geary, William
Thompson, Thomas Mannix, John Dwyer, Richard Grant, James Dillon, James
Sheerin, Michael Corcary, Thomas Leahey, Bernard McDermott, John
McDaniel, James Clark, Thomas Kenney, Andrew Malone, Daniel Moore, John
Sheeney, William Shaw and Thomas Hickey, who still survives at the age
of eighty years, in the Illinois Soldiers and Sailors’ Home at Quincy.
John Kelley, a son of William, served honorably in an Ohio regiment
during the war for the Union.
There were several Kelley families in Adams County. Next to the family
of Timothy Kelley, that of Maurice Kelley became the most noted as men
of mark. Maurice Kelley came to Adams County in 1836 with his parents
and settled on a farm in the southeast part of the county. Being
temperate and industrious, the family prospered. Maurice was elected
sheriff of Adams County in 1860, and as a member of the Legislature in
1870; in 1874 as a state senator, where he served three terms. He was
collector of internal revenue at Quincy under President Cleveland. He
was for ten years a supervisor of the county, as was his brother Michael
from an adjoining township. Maurice Kelley is still living at Mt.
Sterling, Illinois.
Many of the old pioneers moved off with the human current to California
and other attractive places in the Far West. Only a few of those who
remained in Quincy are still living, but many of their children are
among the leading men of affairs in every branch of business as well as
the professions in Quincy and its vicinity.
In many instances, whole families came together, as will be noticed in
the list of names given above, as having come before 1840. The most
noted of them was that of the Rev. William Best, with his five sons and
a daughter Charlotte Best Finlay, who with her husband accompanied them.
The Reverend Best became a prominent minister of the Methodist Episcopal
Church of Illinois and lived to a ripe old age, to see his family all
successful in worldly affairs. His youngest son Joseph served as
adjutant of the Twenty-first Missouri Infantry in the Union army; the
other sons being over the military age supported the cause at home. His
grandsons and great grandsons are now among our best business men. A
grandson, John H. Best, has served as mayor of Quincy and is now
president of one of our banks, a stockholder and director in nearly
every corporation doing business here; also a large land owner in
Illinois, Missouri, Oregon, Idaho and Montana, while his brother, Ezra
Best, is president of the Best Plumbing and Steam Heating Company, one
of the largest and most successful in the West. Both brothers coöperate
and invest together. They are model citizens and have the respect and
confidence of all our people.
The Finlay family, Rev. William B., James B., Matthew B., with their
three sisters, Ann B. Padgett, Jane B. and Mary B. Finlay, became
equally prominent. They came to America with the Best family in 1839,
from County Cavan, Ireland. The Rev. William B. Finlay was an ardent
church worker, and a school teacher in Ireland. His father, before him,
was a school teacher and a member of the English church. His mother was
a primitive Methodist and a member of the Bell family, hence the initial
“B” was retained by the brothers and sisters. He had his religious
training under such noted ministers as Rev. G. B. Moffatt, Doctor
Averill and Gideon Ousley, D. D., a converted priest, who generally
preached a part of his sermons in Irish. In his twentieth year, his
father having died in 1829, the Rev. William Bell Finlay took charge of
his father’s old parish school. In 1830 he attended the Kildare College
in Dublin. He afterwards served five years as a government teacher, from
which he resigned to accept charge of a school in the Parish of
Tyholland, County Monaghan, where he married Charlotte Best and united
with the Methodist Church. He remained at Tyholland, teaching and as an
exhortor, until he started for Quincy, where he arrived June sixth,
1839, and the following Sunday united with the Methodist Church. He was
licensed to exhort in September of that year, and in 1849 was ordained
by Bishop Janes when the conference met at Quincy. The year before he
died, he prepared a little sketch of his life work, which was found by
his children after his death. The last paragraph, which we quote, shows
that his was a beautiful Christian life: “So I am now in my eighty-ninth
year, and an official member of the old Illinois Conference, still in
the church of my childhood and of my youth, and of riper years. And now,
old and grey-headed, I love the church of my choice; I love her
doctrines and her ways. Though feeble in body, praise God, my mind is
clear and sound as a bell. I don’t know how soon I may be permitted to
leave for home, but it cannot be long. But Glory, honor, power and
dominion be unto God, and the lamb, forever. Amen and Amen.” He died
October fourth, 1898, at West Point, Illinois, within a few days of his
ninetieth year. His four sons were all in the Union army and made
excellent soldiers; William J. B. Finlay is dead; Matthew G. Finlay is a
wealthy farmer; John H. Finlay is living at Warsaw, Illinois, a
prominent lawyer and wealthy; Gerald H. Finlay is a retired, wealthy
farmer and merchant in Quincy; all of fine reputations. His brother
Matthew B. Finlay was a prosperous merchant and died wealthy, about ten
years ago, leaving no children. James B. Finlay was not married. He died
shortly after coming to Quincy. Ann B. Finlay married George Padgett
before leaving Ireland. Her grandson, George H. Wilson, is a prominent
attorney at the Quincy bar, and now a member of the State Legislature.
Jane B. Finlay was married in Quincy to F. K. Carrott. Her son James
Finlay Carrott, was a graduate of Harvard, and at the time of his death
was an attorney for the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad and was
succeeded by his son, Matthew Finlay Carrott, also of Harvard, who is
married to a daughter of Judge Montgomery, president of the State
Savings, Loan and Trust Company, one of the oldest banking institutions
in Quincy, and lives in the handsome Matthew B. Finlay homestead. Her
daughter, Helen Carrott Walz, had two sons, one now being dead, the
other an attorney in Chicago. Mrs. Walz was at one time considered
Quincy’s brightest daughter. She now resides in Chicago with her son.
Mary B. Finlay married William Jones in Quincy. Three of her sons are
now railroad men in the West. One of them is in charge of the telegraph
system of the Santa Fé Railroad. William Finlay Morgan, a grandson of
Mary B. Finlay Jones, is now located in New York City. He married the
daughter and only child of Mr. Nevins, head of the American Cordage
Company. Before his marriage, he was in the employ of the company, first
at St. Louis and then in New York, and made good in every department
entrusted to his care.
The Redmond family became quite prominent. Thomas Redmond was sixteen
years of age when he came from Ireland. He first located in Vermont,
where he obtained employment at whatever offered. He came to Quincy in
1837. Being young, vigorous and industrious, success attended him from
the start. He soon accumulated sufficient capital as a common laborer to
purchase a few horses, carts and wagons, which enabled him to accept
contracts in constructing railroads, at which he made money rapidly and
invested every surplus dollar in Quincy real estate. In 1848 he was
elected a member of the city council; in 1860, mayor; in 1864 to a seat
in the State Legislature. From 1837 until his death in 1883, he was a
valuable servant of the city and state. He was one of the twenty
citizens who furnished the capital from their private funds to build and
equip the Quincy, Missouri and Pacific Railroad, from Quincy toward
Omaha, Nebraska. Possessed of large wealth, he employed it liberally to
beautify and advance the interests of the city in which it was
accumulated. His son, Patrick H. Redmond, was educated at the Catholic
College in Washington, D. C., and became a brilliant newspaper writer as
editor of the Quincy Herald, but did not survive his father. His son,
James Redmond, continued his father’s occupation as a contractor and is
still in Quincy. Two of his daughters are living here. Margaret is the
widow of Jacob Dick of the noted Dick Brothers Brewing Company. She is
very wealthy, is a shrewd financier and is a prominent worker in the
Catholic Church. She has two sons, who with their cousins manage the
great brewing business established by their fathers. The daughter of
Margaret Redmond Dick, Mrs. John B. Ellis, is a widow, who owns and
manages the Quincy Whig and is a favorite in society. A daughter of
Thomas Redmond, Catherine, is the wife of J. Frank Ricker, cashier of
the Ricker National Bank, one of the strongest financial institutions in
Illinois.
The Heire or Haire Brothers—spelled both ways—came to Quincy before
1840. They proved to be valuable and influential citizens as merchants
and professional men. Captain Thomas J. Heire, a son of Thomas, Sr.,
served his country gallantly in the Union Army. He is a printer by trade
and after the war published the Quincy Evening News. For a number of
years he held the office of city clerk. He was popular and efficient,
the soul of honor and as honest as the sun. In late years he held a
position in the Treasury Department at Washington, but is now taking
life easy among his relatives and the friends of his youth in Quincy.
The Long Brothers came in 1839 with the Best and Finlay families, to
whom they were related. They were both contractors and farmers, settling
in or near the city and becoming wealthy. Their sons are still in
Quincy. They are grain buyers and large capitalists. They stand well in
the community and are active members of the Methodist Church.
The McCormick Brothers came in company with the Longs and located on
farms close to Quincy. A number of their collaterals are still in the
city and county, all fairly prosperous and respected. James McCormick,
Jr., went to California in 1848 and became very wealthy as a merchant at
Redding. He died without direct heirs, a few years ago, leaving his
wealth to his nephews and nieces here and at other places in the West.
Thomas Rhea came in 1839. He settled on a farm near the Longs and became
wealthy. He is an admirable citizen, industrious and frugal. He has
lately moved into the city to take his remnant of life easy.
Dr. John Fitzpatrick remained unmarried. He acquired much wealth, which
he left to his nephews and nieces. It was said that he had been a
priest. He was highly eccentric, but honorable.
John W. McFadon came before 1830, after serving his adopted country in
the war of 1812. He followed merchandising and farming and became very
wealthy. He left two sons and a daughter—William and Robert McFadon,
both graduates of Harvard and lawyers of a high grade. Both died in
Chicago, where they added to their wealth in the practice of their
profession, and by largely dealing in real estate. At the time of his
death, William McFadon was attorney for the Lake Shore Railroad. He left
two sons, John W. and Donald, both of Harvard and attorneys, also a
daughter Anna. His daughter Anna is the wife of Hon. William A.
Richardson, son of Senator W. A. Richardson, who in the days of Douglas
was one of the best known democrats in the republic. They have no
children. Robert McFadon left one son, Robert, lately graduated as an
attorney from Harvard, and two daughters who are in Chicago.
James Arthur was born in Londonderry, Ireland, March 2, 1811, and came
to America in 1833. For a number of years he owned and operated
steamboats on the Illinois and Mississippi rivers. In 1840 he located in
Quincy as a pork packer and general merchant. He also operated a saw
mill. He died wealthy in 1899, at the age of eighty-eight years. He was
moral, temperate and frugal. Four sons and three daughters survived him.
The only one of the family now in Quincy is a daughter Virginia M.,
widow of Col. Edward Prince. One of his sons, James A. Arthur, owns a
large farm at La Belle, Missouri. The other sons, I. H., William N. and
W. A., are successful merchants in western cities.
The Little, Carroll and Campbell families were related by marriage and
came to Quincy direct from Ireland in 1836. Edward Little had two sons,
Patrick H. and Frank E., both well educated, and are now successful
business men in St. Louis, Missouri. James Campbell had three sons, who
are now in the lime business in Quincy, as was their father and also
their uncle Arthur Carroll.
The Benneson Brothers, Nathaniel, Thomas, Robert and William were born
in Newcastle County, Delaware. Both parents came from Ireland in 1800.
All of these brothers became prosperous citizens of Quincy. In their
youth, all learned the carpenter’s trade, except William, who was the
youngest. They came to Quincy in 1837. The carpenters worked at their
trade as journeymen until they accumulated funds that enabled them to
become contractors, in which Thomas continued until his death in 1870.
Nathaniel and Robert became successful lumber merchants. Robert retired
from the lumber business in 1872 and devoted himself to buying and
improving real estate, in which he was also successful. Many of the most
imposing and durable buildings in the city were erected and owned by
Robert Benneson. He filled many positions of trust and honor. He served
as alderman and as mayor, and for several years preceding his death was
president of the school board. He was president of the gas company,
which he helped to organize; was a director in numerous corporations,
among them the First National Bank, the Gas Company and the Quincy,
Alton and St. Louis Railroad. He was a zealous and generous supporter of
the moral, social and commercial growth of the city, and none ranked
higher in public esteem. He died at the age of eighty-five years.
[Illustration:
HON. JOHN J. MEE,
Judge of Probate, Woonsocket, R. I.
A Member of the Society.
]
William Benneson was a lawyer. His first partner was Stephen A. Douglas.
Theirs was the first law office in Quincy. Mr. Benneson had served as
clerk of the circuit court. After Mr. Douglas went on the bench, Mr.
Benneson was identified with several of the leading lawyers of Illinois.
When the civil war broke out he was made Colonel of the Seventy-eighth
Illinois. After the war, he resumed his practice. He was made postmaster
of Quincy by President Johnston. He died in 1899 at the age of
eighty-one years. Like his brothers, Colonel Benneson was a man of the
strictest integrity.
The Brothers, David and Dennis Higgins, came to Quincy before 1840. Both
were successful contractors in railroad building and street grading and
became property holders. David died several years ago at a ripe age,
leaving sons and daughters. Dennis died in 1904 at the age of
ninety-two, and although married he had no children. Both brothers were
devout Catholics. David was a staunch Democrat and Dennis equally as
staunch a Republican. They were good citizens.
James Fisher was born in 1811 near Londonderry, Ireland, and with two
sisters came to Quincy in 1833. They were strict Presbyterians. Mr.
Fisher was a successful dry goods merchant and died wealthy while
attending to his business at his store in 1898, at the age of
eighty-eight. He had three sons, who are now doing business at Kansas
City and other places in the West. Mr. Fisher’s sisters never married.
Both are now dead.
William B. Powers was born at Temple, New Hampshire, of Irish descent.
He came to Quincy in 1838; was a brickmason and followed that trade for
several years, then entered into partnership with Matthew B. Finlay in
the clothing business, where he accumulated much wealth. After the death
of Governor Wood, the beautiful Woodland Cemetery was neglected and
commenced to run down. Mr. Powers organized the Woodland Cemetery
Association, of which he was chosen president, and soon restored that
sacred garden of the dead to its former position, the most beautiful
cemetery in the West. He died in 1895 at the age of eighty-four years.
Only one son, W. C. Powers, survived him, and he is now a retired
merchant.
The Shannahan Brothers, John, William and Patrick, born in Waterford
County, Ireland, came to Quincy before 1840. They were all successful
railroad builders and constructed roads in all parts of the country. In
1852 they built sections of the Iron Mountain Railroad in Missouri. They
constructed the Northern Cross Railroad between Quincy and Clayton. Had
contracts on the Hannibal and St. Joseph road, and the Quincy, Alton and
St. Louis road. John and William lived to a ripe age. Patrick survived
them. He died in 1895 at the age of eighty-four years, leaving three
sons, James P., Richard and William, and four daughters, all in Quincy
except William, who is in California. John Shannahan had two sons, but
William had none. A brother, Thomas, came from Ireland in 1851.
John Burns, Sr., was born in Maine of Irish parents and came to Quincy
in 1834 with a family of several sons. He was a man of strong religious
convictions and a hater of slavery. John Burns, Jr., went to California
in 1849 and became a prominent man of that state. George W. Burns went
with his brother, but returned after one year and engaged in the
mercantile business in the town of Payson, eighteen miles south of
Quincy, where his father was then residing. In 1854 he returned to
Quincy, and in company with John Wood, Jr., engaged in the flour milling
business. In 1862 he was appointed paymaster in the army with the rank
of Major, and was captured on the Red River and held for three months.
He was elected a state senator in 1874. In 1880, he went again to
California, where in a gallant effort to catch a team of runaway horses
attached to a carriage containing ladies, he was killed on the streets
of Sacramento. Major Burns inherited a brave and generous disposition to
risk his own life to save that of others, as shown by the brave conduct
of his father in saving and protecting the noted Doctor Nelson, the most
brilliant man among the early pioneers. Dr. David Nelson was born in
Tennessee. He was a friend of Andrew Jackson and served under him as
surgeon during the war of 1812. He had been an infidel, but was
converted and became an ardent advocate of Christianity. He was an
extensive slave holder and moved with them to Missouri, near Palmyra,
eighteen miles west of Quincy. He was a kind and humane master and soon
caused a bitter feeling against himself among his slave holding
neighbors by persisting in teaching his negroes to read and write and
giving them religious instruction in defiance of a law then existing
forbidding the teaching of negroes. He attempted to found a college at
Palmyra, and had books shipped to him from the East. Upon opening one of
the boxes, it was found that not being quite full of books, it had been
filled with anti-slavery pamphlets, by some eastern man who knew his
desires to educate and uplift the blacks. The knowledge of the receipt
of the pamphlets spread like wild-fire among the slave holders, who
determined to take his life. The Doctor was spirited away by his friends
and hid in a cave, where he wrote the first chapter of his great work on
“Infidelity,” while his enemies were scouring the country for him, with
all of the roads guarded and every supposable means of escape cut off.
His friends implored him to come to Quincy. Making his way through a
heavy forest, he arrived at midnight on the west bank of the Mississippi
River opposite Quincy, where John Burns and other friends were to meet
him and row him across. While waiting at the edge of the forest for his
friends to appear, with the wide sweeping river before him and the
lights of Quincy on the opposite shore, he composed that beautiful hymn,
“The Shining Shore”:
My days are gliding swiftly by
And I, a pilgrim stranger,
Would not detain them as they fly,
Those hours of toil and danger.
Chorus.
For Oh, we stand on Jordan’s strand,
Our friends are passing over,
And just before, the shining shore,
We may almost discover.
When Burns and his friends arrived with boats, they informed him that a
number of infuriated slave holders were on the other side, determined to
seize him and bring him back to Missouri. To avoid them, they rowed up
the river twenty miles before crossing to Illinois, then quietly brought
him down, overland, to Quincy. Several efforts were afterwards made to
retake Doctor Nelson to Missouri, but John Burns and his loyal friends
vigilantly guarded him until the bitter feeling subsided and died out.
In Quincy Doctor Nelson established one of his four institutes to
educate young men for Christian Missionaries, in which he spent all of
his own means besides much money raised by him in the East. He died
poor, at the age of fifty-one, and was buried in Woodland Cemetery,
where friends have erected a large granite monument to his memory. He
left only a daughter, a Mrs. Rose Clapp, who, if living, is now in
California. One of John Burns’ daughters is in Quincy, Mrs.
Schermerhorn. Miss Julia Burns, long a school teacher here, is now
employed in the Treasury Department at Washington.
Samuel Hopkins Emery, D. D., born at Andover, Massachusetts, in 1815,
died in Taunton, Massachusetts, October fifth, 1901, was a Manx and
Irish Celt. His father was John Emery, who traced back to John Emery of
Newbury, Massachusetts, who, with his brother Arthur, came to America
from Ramsey, Isle of Man, England, in 1635. His mother was a daughter of
Colonel Welch of New Hampshire, who commanded a regiment under
Washington during the war for American freedom. Doctor Emery graduated
at Amherst College, a classmate of Henry Ward Beecher. He was one of the
brainy Americans, who made their age and time famous for high thought
and culture. He came to Quincy as pastor of the First Congregational
Church in 1855, at the height of the formative thought that lifted the
Republic out of the black slime of human slavery and made of it in deed,
as well as name, what their fathers of 1776 meant it should be, a real
land of the free and home of the brave. Doctor Emery remained in Quincy
fifteen years, during which time he endeared himself to all by a kind
and generous nature and an untiring interest in the public welfare.
During the war there were three military hospitals in Quincy, crowded
with sick and wounded soldiers brought up the river on boats from the
frontier. Doctor Emery was the army chaplain in charge. He comforted and
cheered as few men could, the sick and wounded, especially those on
whose brows the cold hand of death was laid, because his heart was in
the cause of the country for which they were suffering and dying. Early
in the war, he aided in organizing two patriotic bands of Quincy women
devoted to the relief and comfort of soldiers, not only in his own
hospitals, but on the fields everywhere. They were known as the “Needle
Pickets” and “The Good Samaritans,” among whom were Mrs. Governor Wood,
Mrs. Anna McFadon, Mrs. Robert Benneson, Mrs. Anna McMahon, Miss Ella
Carrott and Mrs. Finlay, the wives and daughters of Irish pioneers.
Those consecrated women devoted their time and strength and means to
furnish supplies for the hospitals at home and on the fields of
conflict. They commenced their work early, scraping lint and rolling
bandages, and remained active until the close of the war. They organized
an “Old Folks” concert company that gave entertainment in cities in
Illinois, Iowa and Missouri. They sent nurses to the front. They held a
fair in Quincy that continued two weeks and netted them $36,000. With
the consent of President Lincoln, they sent Doctor Emery to visit the
hospitals in the South and report on their condition. The following is a
copy of his pass or authority:
“WAR DEPARTMENT, WASHINGTON, D. C., April 13, 1862.
“Ordered; That permission be given to the Rev. S. Hopkins Emery of
Quincy, Ill., to pass within the lines of the United States forces to
Savanna, Tennessee, and wherever the sick and wounded soldiers of the
United States may be, together with any ladies and gentlemen that may
be in his company, for the purpose of affording care and attendance to
the sick and wounded. The quartermasters and commissaries will afford
them transportation when required and all officers and persons in the
service or employment of the United States will afford them courtesy,
assistance and protection.
“(Signed) EDWIN M. STANTON,
“Secretary of War.”
The Illinois Sanitary Fair, which was held in mammoth tents which
covered Washington Park at Quincy, Illinois, attracted the attention of
the nation. One of the things offered by them at auction was a book of
autographs signed for the occasion by some of the most distinguished men
and women of the time. The one from James Russell Lowell was accompanied
by the following note and verses:
“I couldn’t send a bare signature to a state which has sent 200,000
men to fight the battles of us all and whose regiments bear on their
tattered flags the names of our most glorious victories.
“Tears may be ours, but proud for those who win
Death’s royal purple in the enemy’s lines.
Peace, too, brings tears, and ‘mid the battle din,
The wiser ear some text of God divines.
For the sheathed blade may rust with darker sin.
“God give us peace, not such as lulls to sleep,
But sword on thigh and brow with purpose knit
And let our Ship of State to harbor sweep,
Her ports all up, her battle lanterns lit
And her hushed thunders gathering for their leap.
“(Signed) J. R. LOWELL.
“Cambridge, Mass., October, 1864.”
No grave of all the millions who maintained the Union cause on or off
the battlefield deserves to be more gratefully remembered and strewn
with flowers each recurring Memorial Day than that which in Taunton,
Massachusetts, contains the remains of the patriotic Quincy Chaplain,
Dr. S. Hopkins Emery. At the time of Doctor Emery’s death, his two sons
were among the most prominent business men in Quincy, S. H. Emery, Jr.,
was vice-president and manager of the Straw Board Paper Company; J. W.
Emery is president of one of our largest stove foundries, and father of
an interesting, growing family. S. H. Emery, Jr., died shortly after his
venerable father, leaving only a daughter, Mrs. Ellis, surviving him.
George Brophy came from Kilkenny, Ireland. He was an assistant in the
county clerk’s office for many years. In 1868 he was himself elected as
clerk and by repeated elections held the office for twenty-four years.
He had but one son, who died at about the age of thirty years, and two
years before the death of his father. His only daughter is the wife of
Duke Schroer, now one of the editors of the Quincy Journal.
John Lawless was born in Stafford County, Virginia, June 20, 1795. His
father was John Lawless of Irish blood and a slave holder. He served all
through the Revolutionary War and was wounded at the battle of Cowpens.
His mother was a Scotch lady. She was a devout Catholic and also a
doctor who practised a little. The subject of our sketch, while still a
boy, moved to Kentucky with his mother’s parents, where he received a
common school education. On February 24, 1820, he married Margaret
Skirvin, a devout Baptist, and settled in Grant County, Kentucky, on a
farm. In 1835, with a family of seven children, they came to Adams
County, Illinois, and settled on a farm twelve miles northeast of
Quincy, where his descendants are still living. It required four weeks
to come in an ox-wagon from Kentucky to Quincy. After coming to Adams
County, three more children were born to them. John Lawless was a model
pioneer. He was a fine rifle shot and enjoyed the use of a gun. He was a
very successful farmer; a good business man; an excellent hand to write
deeds and legal documents for his friends and neighbors. He was a
consistent Old School Baptist. He died May 13, 1865. All of his ten
children grew to maturity. Like their father, all may well be considered
western pioneers. His oldest son, Henry Harrison, died at the age of
twenty-one; Mary Ann, the second child, is still living at the age of
eighty-six years at Columbus, Illinois. She was married in 1846 to
William Judy, who died a year later. A son, William H., was born to
them. Her daughter-in-law and three children are living in Pawnee,
Oklahoma. Elizabeth Jane Lawless, born December 8, 1824, was married to
John P. Yeargain April 9, 1849, and died April 15, 1899. Her descendants
number thirty-two. John Quincy Lawless, born December 1, 1826, was
married to Elizabeth Pearce, February 26, 1863. Both are living in
Columbus, Illinois. They have two sons and two daughters, all married,
and five grandchildren. William Conrad Lawless was born in 1828, and was
married February 1, 1855, to Mary Ann Pierce. He died February 15, 1898.
Their descendants, including sons and daughters, number twenty-six.
Sarah Margaret Lawless was married to John Lummis, February 26, 1852.
She still lives at Paloma, Illinois, a widow. She has eight children and
twenty-three grandchildren. Thomas Lawless was born March 21, 1834; died
February 28, 1897. He married Annie M. Ferguson, in 1874. They have
three sons, a daughter-in-law and one grandchild. Susannah Lawless, born
March 18, 1836, died November 25, 1876. She married James R. McBroom
October 10, 1855. Their living descendants number twenty-eight. James
Sanford Lawless lives on the farm where he was born seventy-one years
ago. He married Clara Ferguson in 1871. They have seven children; two of
them are married. Oliver Perry, the youngest, born July 20, 1841,
married Margaret Gutherie, March 10, 1864. This branch numbers
twenty-one. They have all followed farming, taking up much of their
lands in a wild state when of but little value. They broke out the
prairie sod, fought their way through the hardships known only to the
early settler, and are now turning over these farms in a high state of
cultivation to their children. But, better than this, they are leaving
an example in their lives, which is worthy of imitation. The third
generation numbers eighty-five. The most active of all at the present
time running in age from children to sixty years of age. They represent
various avocations of life, but the greater part are farmers. There are
seventy-nine of the fourth generation, scattered among five states, and
seven of the fifth generation, a total of one hundred and eighty-four.
Very few families have held together so long in residence and
association; comparatively few are living outside of Adams County, and
those who are keep in close touch with the rest. On the twenty-first day
of August, 1909, the Lawless family held a reunion at Columbus. It was
the largest gathering of this kind ever held in Adams County. The
Lawless family of Adams County and its branches are the only ones known
in the West. It is known prominently still in Virginia.
Oan Piggott, father of the writer, came from near Thurles, County
Tipperary, Ireland, in 1844, with two sons and two daughters by a first
marriage and one son by a second marriage. He came via New Orleans to
St. Louis, Missouri. William was the oldest son. He was a steamboat mate
on the lower Mississippi and was killed in the Confederate service
during the civil war, as an officer in an Arkansas regiment. Michael,
the next son, learned the bricklayers’ trade in St. Louis, and at the
age of twenty moved to Quincy, where he commenced business for himself
as a builder. When the war commenced, he enlisted in the Union Army in
Company “F,” Birge’s sharpshooters, subsequently known as the Fourteenth
Missouri Infantry, and finally as the Sixty-sixth Illinois Infantry,
commanded by Col. Patrick E. Burk of St. Louis, Mo. At Fort Donaldson,
he was promoted as Captain of his company. In February, 1864, his
company reënlisted. On the fourteenth day of the following May, he lost
a leg at the battle of Resace, Georgia, where Burk was killed. The older
of the two girls, Honora, entered a Catholic convent at St. Louis, and
died in 1865. The younger, Mary, died in St. Louis in 1847 from cholera.
James, the youngest son, a stove moulder by trade, died at Louisville,
Kentucky, since the civil war. Two children by the second marriage were
born in St. Louis, Richard and Sarah, both now living, Richard in St.
Louis, and Sarah in Calaway County, Missouri, the wife of Christopher
Connell, a prosperous farmer. Richard served with Price in the
Confederate service, until captured at the battle of Iuka, Mississippi,
in 1863. Oan Piggott died on a farm in Warren County, Missouri, in 1876.
The Flynn, Kirby and Larkin families are well represented by grandsons,
now able managers of the J. J. Flynn Company, extensive manufacturers of
carbonated waters, syrups and extracts in Quincy.
To Joseph W. Stewart, son of the pioneer William Stewart, Sr., the State
of Oregon is indebted for the scientific development of its fruit
interests at Medford. It is said that every fruit tree in Oregon is a
monument to the memory of Joseph Stewart. His brother William is a
scientific fruit grower near Quincy and resides in the city.
The grandsons of these early pioneers are now forging their way to the
front in the professions and in business. In the forties, a poor widow,
by the name of Wall, came to Quincy, with two children, a boy and a
girl. After coming from Ireland, she and her husband located at
Baltimore, Maryland, where her children were born. There with her
brother, who was a Welch, her husband commenced contracting in the
building of railroads, moving west with the roads. They reached
Danville, Illinois, where her husband died and left her in very poor
circumstances financially. She came with her children to Quincy and
raised both to respectable positions in society. The boy, who was named
Edmond Wall, is now nearly seventy years of age and a bookkeeper for a
tobacco manufacturing company. He is the father of four sons; the oldest
is John E., a member of the law firm of Wilson & Wall. He is an eloquent
advocate and has the promise of a great political future. J. W. Wall, a
brother, is the active manager of the Gardner Governor Company, the
largest institution of its kind, perhaps, in the world, and he has two
younger brothers as assistants.
A grandson of an Irishman, C. B. McCrory, is judge of our County or
probate court, while Erde Beatty, also a grandson of an Irishman, is
clerk of our Circuit Court, and William Smith, another grandson, is an
assistant clerk in the County Court. Major George W. Green, of Chicago,
is the grandson of John McDade, a soldier of 1812. Major Green is the
head of a large lumber company in Chicago. He was major of the
Seventy-eighth Illinois Infantry during the civil war and was severely
wounded. He is a prominent member of the Loyal Legion. The grandsons of
Timothy Castle are successful managers of the Comstock Castle Stove
Company in Quincy, Keokuk and other cities.
Barney Corrigan, with his wife and ten children, came to Quincy in 1840
from Tyrone County, Ireland. In 1843 he settled on a farm southeast of
the city, purchased from a soldier of 1812 an Irishman by the name of
Constantine Clark. His children all married after coming to America, and
had large families, excepting Edward, who died a few years after his
arrival. The old homestead is still in the family, having passed from
Barney Corrigan to his son James, who raised a family of seven sons and
two daughters. James occupied the farm for fifty-three years, and at his
death it passed to his son Daniel, whose brother, James B. Corrigan, has
been Treasurer of Adams County for two terms of four years and deputy
treasurer for several terms.
Among the steamboats running from St. Louis on the upper Mississippi
between 1827 and 1836 which were owned or commanded by Irishmen were the
following: The Omega, by Captain Rafferty; the Shamrock, by Captain May;
the Emerald, the Gypsy and the O’Connell, by the Reynolds Brothers, and
the Josephine, by Captain Clark.
Our subject has run away with us and has taken us far beyond the limits
we designed when we commenced these notes. The field occupied by the
Irish-American pioneers of the upper Mississippi Valley, in even the
vicinity of Quincy, is not exhausted by these notes.
REV. FRANCIS MAKEMIE—THE PAUL OF SEAGIRT ACCOMAC, THE KNOX OF
CHESAPEAKE, AND FOUNDER OF ORGANIZED PRESBYTERIANISM IN AMERICA.
BY REV. HAVERGAL SHEPPARD, D. D., MINISTER OF THE FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH
AT SCHENECTADY, N. Y.
Just fifty-five years after the accession of the House of Stuart to the
British Crown; years born of those awful times of the Reformation, when
men hated each other for their creed rather than for their conduct; in
the year in which Cromwell died, 1658, Francis Makemie was born in that
little out of the way village of the north of Ireland, Ramelton, County
Donegal.
That beautiful arm of the Atlantic, called by the natives Lough Swilly,
lay hard by his home and undoubtedly many were the times as a boy he
played on its shores or swam in its clear, cool waters.
Like many of the world’s great preachers, he became hopefully pious at
the age of fifteen, according to his own testimony in his answer to
Keith’s “Libel Against a Catechism,” published by Francis Makemie, in
Boston, 1694, he says:
“’Ere I received the imposition of hands in that Scriptural and orderly
separation with my holy and ministerial calling, that I gave requiring
satisfaction to Godly, learned and judicious, discerning men, of a work
of grace and conversion, wrought in my heart at fifteen years of age, by
and from the pains of a Godly schoolmaster; who used no small diligence
in gaining tender souls to God’s service and fear.”
At seventeen he was enrolled in the University of Glasgow in the third
class, with the ministry in view. Next we see him, January 28th, 1860,
appearing before the Presbytery of Laggan at St. Johnstown, Ireland,
with a recommendation from his Pastor, Mr. Thomas Drummond, and so began
his theological training and examination; from time to time he presents
himself before the Presbytery and is examined by a competent committee.
Mr. William Liston reports: “September 29th, 1680, that Mr. Francis
Makemy desires some more time and that he is diligent.” Again, March
9th, 1681: “Upon the good report we get of Messrs. Francis Makemy and
Mr. Alexander Marshall, the meeting think fit to put them upon trials in
order to their being licentiates to preach and they name I. Timothy 1:5
to Mr. Makemy.”
Again, April 20th, 1681, Francis Makemy delivered his homily upon I.
Timothy 1:5 and was approved. Matt. 11:28 was appointed to him for the
next meeting.
May 25th, 1681, Mr. Francis Makemy delivered his private homily on Matt.
11:28 and was approved.
The last entry in the minute book of the presbytery of Laggan, previous
to December 30th, 1690, was on July 31st, 1681. “The meeting see fit to
lay aside their ordinary business at this extraordinary meeting, only,
if time will permit, we will hear the exegeses of the two young men who
are upon their trials.”
It is more than likely, as Dr. Briggs says in the appendix to American
Presbyterianism: “That Mr. Makemy was probably licensed in the autumn of
1681 and after several appropriate trials and having preached for Mr.
Hempton at Burt, April 2d, 1682, he was ordained to go out to America.”
Two years previous, or 1680, Colonel William Stevens laid before the
Presbytery of Laggan by letter the desire of the Presbyterian families
in the lower counties of Maryland on the eastern shore, for a minister
to labor in that part of the country.
The clergy of the established church in Virginia and Maryland were not
those who would appeal to earnest and pious nonconformists; Hammond in
“Leah and Rachel or Two Fruitful Sisters, Virginia and Maryland”
(London, 1656) used strong language in speaking of the supply of clergy
from the old land, “Yet many came, such as wore Black coats, and could
babble in a Pulpit, roar in a Tavern, exact from their Parishioners and
rather by their dissoluteness destroy, than feed their Flocks;” to this
may be added the testimony of Bishop Meade of Virginia (1829–1862)
“Immense were the difficulties in getting a full supply of ministers of
any character, and of those who came, how few were faithful and duly
qualified for the station.”
It is a well established fact that some who were discarded from the
English Church obtained livings in Virginia, there was not only
defective preaching but most evil living among them. One of them was for
years president of a Jockey Club and another fought a duel in sight of
the very church in which he had performed the solemn offices of
religion.
Governor Berkeley’s testimony in the matter has been frequently quoted,
“As to religious teaching—we have forty-eight parishes and our ministers
are well paid and by my consent should be better if they would pray
oftener and preach less, but as of all other commodities, so of this,
the worst are sent to us, and we have few that we could boast of since
the persecution in Cromwell’s tyranny drove divers worthy men hither.”
Again, according to Meade, “It is not wonderful that disaffection should
take place and dissent begin.” It was under these conditions and after
Lord Howard of Effingham succeeded Culpepper in Virginia, having
received royal instructions “to allow no person to use a printing press,
on any occasion whatsoever,” that there came into Virginia the man whose
influence in the cause of religious liberty in the colonies must be
reckoned as second to that of but few others—this was Francis Makemie,
the Irish founder of organized Presbyterianism in America. He came by
the way of the Barbadoes and settled at Rehoboth by the river and
founded the Presbyterian Church at Snow Hill, Maryland, 1683. He was
earnest, fearless and indefatigable in his labors for the spiritual
uplift of the people with whom his lot was cast, and it is worth noting
that in those days of the intolerance of the established church, that
the Presbyterian denomination began its existence in a colony founded by
a Roman Catholic nobleman, Lord Baltimore. Having raised the blue banner
in Maryland, he traveled by land as far as Norfolk and proceeded to
Carolina, where it seems he labored among the people until the spring of
the following year, as he was in North Carolina in May.
In a letter to Increase Mather, written July 22d, 1684, from Elizabeth
River, Virginia, he speaks of a voyage engaged to South Carolina, but he
met with contrary winds and was driven as far north as Delaware Bay and
eventually had to put into Virginia, where he was persuaded by Colonel
Anthony Lawson and other inhabitants of the Parish of Linhaven in lower
Norfolk County to stay that season. Their pastor, formerly from Ireland,
died the August before and left them without a leader.
Makemie seems to have remained at Elizabeth River for a considerable
time. He writes again from there to Increase Mather, Boston, N. England,
under date of July 28, 1685, in which he acknowledges the receipt of a
letter and three books and refers to a Mr. Thomas Barret, a minister
living in South Carolina and from whom he had received a letter from
Ashley River, stating that he was about to take shipping for New England
and for whom Makemie enclosed a letter. Just how long after this he
remained with this people is not known, only that in the following year
he made an extended preaching tour southward to Carolina, ministering to
the spiritual necessaries of the people in neglected communities and
performing the other duties devolving upon a true minister of the
Gospel. It was no easy task that confronted him, while nearly three
fourths of the population were dissenters from the established church.
“It is safe to say,” says Cobbs, “that no small proportion of the people
were without any definite religion.” This was especially true of North
Carolina.
As late as 1729 Colonel William Byrd wrote of Edenton, then capital of
North Carolina: “I believe this is the only metropolis in the Christian
or Mohammedan world where there is neither church, chapel, mosque,
synagogue, or any other place of worship of any sect or religion
whatever.
“They pay no tribute either to God or to Cæsar.”
With a knowledge of such conditions before him he put himself forward in
1686, with that fearlessness characteristic of his race, to preach the
Gospel to the regions beyond.
How long he labored here is impossible to tell, but he returned and took
up his residence on the eastern shore at Matchatauk, Virginia. His name
appeared for the first time on the court records of Accomac County,
Virginia, in 1690, and John Galbraith’s will, made August 12th, 1691,
refers to Makemie as Minister of the Gospel at Rehoboth town. In that
year he made a visit to England and returned either that autumn or the
following spring, after an earnest endeavor to inspire interest in the
religious life of the new colony. It was during the year 1692 that
Makemie visited Philadelphia and planted the seed of Presbyterianism by
preaching the first sermon in the Barbadoes store, northwest corner of
Second and Chestnut streets, after which, in the autumn of this year, he
sailed for the Barbadoes, where he remained several years, combining the
life of a minister and a merchant, as shown by letters dated December
28th, 1696; January 17th, 1697, and, February 12th, 1697, which are
still preserved.
It was either during the year 1697 or the early part of the succeeding,
1698, that he returned to his old home on the eastern shore and married
Naomi Anderson, according to Dr. Hill’s “Rise of American
Presbyterianism.”
In a will signed by William Anderson, July 23d, 1698, and recorded
October 10th, he refers to Mr. Francis Makemie and Naomi, his wife, my
eldest daughter. Again, the will says, “If my daughter Naomi have no
issue,” showing that no children were born at that time.
In Virginia he suffered much annoyance from the authorities, but was the
first dissenting minister to obtain a certificate under the toleration
act, 1689, of William and Mary, having previously a certificate of his
qualifications at Barbadoes, yet it was not until ten years later, 1699,
that the Virginia legislature grudgingly granted this with licenses for
two houses in Accomac, as places of dissenting worship, to which another
was added in 1704.
How much he did for the cause he espoused through the years following
cannot be computed, as he went in and out among the people, many of them
Presbyterians from Scotland and Ireland, bringing the faith of their
fathers with them, but in this new colony, in an environment opposed to
religious feeling, they drifted into many sins and habits that fared
well to spoil their early impressions of piety.
It is worthy of note that all this time he supported himself by business
pursuits; realizing the responsibility of the growing work, he executed
a power of attorney to his wife May 30th, 1704, reciting that he was
about to depart for Europe, which he did, arriving in London that
summer, he then appealed to the nonconformists ministers for men and
funds to sustain them. The London ministers responded by agreeing to
furnish support for two missionaries, for two years, and Makemie at once
secured two young men, John Hampton, a fellow countryman, and George
McNish, a Scotchman (?).
It was while he sojourned in London that he published his “Plain and
Friendly Persuasive to the Inhabitants of Virginia and Maryland for
promoting Towns and Cohabitations, by a well wisher to both
Governments,” returning in 1705 with the foregoing young men. We find
that there were five church edifices and as many organized Presbyterian
congregations in Somerset County as a result of his previous labor.
In 1706 he had the new church building at Rehoboth erected on his own
land. Indeed this was an eventful year for the Presbyterian Church, as
on March 22d the first Classical Assembly organized under the name
“Presbytery,” presumably in the building of the First Presbyterian
Church erected 1705 at Market and Banks Streets, Philadelphia.
Makemie seems to have been elected the first Moderator, as his name is
the first to appear on the oldest records extant. This body was composed
of three pastors and four missionaries, and was a happy union of men
from different parts of the British possessions—Makemie and Hampton from
Ireland, McNish from Scotland (?), Andrews, Wilson, Taylor and Davis
from New England. A marked absentee was Josias Makie, the Irish pastor
at Elizabeth River.
It claimed no authority, but it was a broad, generous, tolerant spirit
which effected this union, and it seems to have taken the Presbytery of
Dublin as a model. The record of this first meeting is lost, but,
according to Briggs, “American Presbyterianism,” after the adjournment
of the Presbytery in October, Francis Makemie took John Hampton with him
and set out on a journey to Boston, on arrival in New York he was
invited by the Dutch minister, Rev. Gualtherus du Bois to preach in the
Reformed Church, but Lord Cornbury forbade the service. The preacher,
not insisting on the use of the church, held service and preached in the
house of William Jackson “with open doors.”
[Illustration:
HONORABLE EDWARD E. McCALL.
Justice of the Supreme Court of New York.
A Life Member of the Society.
]
Hampton preaching also on the same Sunday, January 20th, 1707, at
Newtown, L. I. So bold a defiance aroused the wrath of the Governor,
who, on the 24th of the month issued a warrant for the arrest of both
men, “who have taken upon them to preach in a private house without
having obtained any license for so doing, as they have gone into Long
Island with intent there to spread their pernicious doctrines and
principles to the disturbance of the church by law, established and of
the government of this province.” The warrant was executed and the
culprits were brought for examination before the Governor when Makemie
defended his liberty on the toleration act of England—this act Cornbury
declared to be without any force in his government, and required the
prisoners to give bonds for good behaviour and to promise not to preach
in New York or New Jersey. Makemie was willing to give bonds, but
refused the promise, and both men were put in jail, where they remained
six weeks and four days, during the absence of Chief Justice Momperson.
On the return of the Judge they were brought before him on a writ of
“habeas corpus.” Hampton was discharged without trial as a “man of less
interest,” while Makemie was liberated under bonds to appear for trial
at the next session of the court, the Grand Jury having found a true
bill against him, “that he did take upon himself to preach in a
conventicle and meeting not permitted or allowed by law, under color or
excuse of religion in other manner than according to our Liturgy and
practice of the Church of England.”
On his release he immediately returned to Philadelphia with Hampton for
the meeting of Presbytery March 22d, 1707. From thence he writes to
Benjamin Colman of Boston: “Since our imprisonment we have commenced a
correspondence with our Reverend Breth of the ministry at Boston, which
we hope according to our intention has been communicated to you all,
whose sympathizing concurrence I cannot doubt of, in an expensive
struggle for asserting our liberty against the powerful invasion of Lord
Cornbury, which is not yet over.
“I need not tell you of a picked jury and the penal laws are invading
our American sanctuary without the least regard to the toleration, which
should justly alarm us all.”
At the trial, in the following June, the prosecution relied on the royal
instruction to Cornbury, rather than on the ministry act, as though
conscious that said act, while establishing a church, yet inflicted no
penalties for non-conformity.
Makemie defended himself, producing licenses from the Governors of
Virginia and Maryland, contending that there was nothing in the English
common or statute law to hold him, and nothing in the laws of New York
against the liberty he had exercised.
As to the Governor’s ecclesiastical authority, he argued that it could
not exist without the due promulgation of law.
The plea of Makemie was so forceful that a jury “Packed to convict” was
won over to his cause and unanimously acquitted him. The court, however,
would not release him until he had paid all the costs, which, together
with his expenses, amounted to £83, as sufficiently heavy burden, for
which he must yet have had great compensation in the consciousness that
he had fought a great fight and won a great victory in the cause of
human liberty. Never again did a New York Governor attempt to silence
any orderly preaching of the Gospel.
To Cornbury the issue of the case brought a bitter mortification, and he
seems to have been seriously alarmed for the consequence to himself from
the reports of the trial made by Mr. Makemie and his friends in England
and the Colonies.
Writing to the lords of trade in October, 1707, he denied that Makemie
had applied to him for a license, and said: “I entreat your Lordship’s
protection against that malicious man, who is well known in Virginia and
Maryland to be a disturber of the peace and quiet of all places he comes
into; he is a Doctor of Physic, a Merchant, and attorney or counsellor
at law, and, which is worse of all, a disturber of governments.”
It does not appear that Makemie ever took any action against Cornbury,
nor was it needed to the damage of his Lordship’s reputation, which his
course had so deeply stained.
The trial being over, Makemie seems to have continued on his journey to
New England, as he addressed a letter to Lord Cornbury from Boston in
July, 1707, and, according to a bequest in his will made soon after,
“Mr. Jedediah Andrews, Minister at Philadelphia, is given my new cane,
bought and fixed in Boston.” This will was signed April 27th, 1708, in
which he refers to his wife and two daughters, Elizabeth and Anne
Makemie.
Some time between this and August 4th, when the will was ordered to be
recorded, Makemie died, with a solemn declaration of attachment to his
mother church and so ended the career, at the age of fifty, of one of
the greatest men who ever came to our shores in the interest of the
protestant religion and it is safe to say had he lived in the times of
the Revolution, he would have been one of the many of his fellow
countrymen who went forth to fight for the flag of this new nation and
raised their voices in behalf of human liberty.
[Illustration:
JAMES L. O’NEILL, ESQ.,
Of Elizabeth, N. J.
Member of the Executive Council.
]
May 14th, 1908, a handsome monument was dedicated to his memory on the
banks of Holden’s Creek, Accomac County, Virginia.
HOLLIDAYSBURG—THE HOLLIDAY FAMILY—DEATH OF LIEUTENANT HOLLIDAY AT THE
BATTLE OF BRANDYWINE—MASSACRE OF A PORTION OF WILLIAM HOLLIDAY’S
FAMILY—JOHN HOLLIDAY, AUGHWICK—GEORGE CROGAN.
BY JAMES L. O’NEILL, ELIZABETH, NEW JERSEY, MEMBER OF THE EXECUTIVE
COUNCIL.
William and Adam Holliday, cousins, emigrated from the north of Ireland
about 1750, and settled in the neighborhood of the Manor, in Lancaster
County, Penn. The feuds which existed between the Irish and German
emigrants, as well as the unceasing efforts of the proprietary agents to
keep emigrants from settling upon their lands, induced the Hollidays to
seek a location farther west. Conococheague suggested itself to them as
a suitable place, because it was so far removed from Philadelphia that
the proprietors could not well dispossess them; and, the line never
having been established, it was altogether uncertain whether the
settlement was in Pennsylvania or Maryland. Besides, it possessed the
advantage of being tolerably well populated. Accordingly, they settled
on the banks of the Conococheague and cleared land, which they purchased
and paid for soon after the survey.
During both the French and Indian wars of 1755–56 and the war of 1762–63
the Hollidays were in active service. At the destruction of Kittaning,
William Holliday was a lieutenant in Colonel Armstrong’s company, and
fought with great bravery in that conflict with the savages. The
Hollidays were emphatically frontiermen; and on the restoration of peace
in 1768, probably under the impression that the Conococheague Valley was
becoming too thickly populated, they disposed of their land, placed
their families and effects upon pack-horses, and again turned their
faces toward the west. They passed through Aughwick, but found no
unappropriated lands there worthy of their attention. Thence they
proceeded to the Standing Stone, but nothing offered there; nor even at
Frankstown could they find any inducement to stop; so they concluded to
cross the mountain by the Kittaning Path and settle on the Alleghany at
or near Kittaning.
William knew the road, and had noticed fine lands in that direction.
However, when they reached the place where Hollidaysburg now stands, and
were just on the point of descending the hill toward the river, Adam
halted, and declared his intention to pitch his tent and travel no
farther. He argued with his cousin that the Indian titles west of the
mountains were not extinguished; and if they bought from the Indians
they would be forced, on the extinguishment of their titles, to purchase
a second time, or lose their lands and live in constant dread of the
savages. Although William had a covetous eye on the fine lands of the
Alleghany, the wise counsel of Adam prevailed, and they dismounted and
prepared to build a temporary shelter. When Adam drove the first stake
into the ground he casually remarked to William, “Whoever is alive a
hundred years after this will see a tolerable-sized town here, and this
will be near about the middle of it.” This prediction had been verified
to the letter long before the expiration of the allotted time.
In a day or two after a shelter had been erected for the families,
William crossed the river to where Gaysport now stands, for the purpose
of locating. The land, however, was too swampy, and he returned. Next
day he crossed again, and found a ravine, south of where he had been
prospecting, which appeared to possess the desired qualifications; and
there he staked out a farm—the one now owned by Mr. J. R. Crawford.
Through this farm the old Frankstown and Johnstown Road ran for many
years—the third road constructed in Pennsylvania crossing the Alleghany
Mountains.
These lands belonged to the new purchase, and were in the market at a
very low price, in order to encourage settlers on the frontier.
Accordingly, Adam Holliday took out a warrant for 1,000 acres,
comprising all the land upon which Hollidaysburg now stands.
(Hollidaysburg, named after Adam and William Hollidays, is now the
county seat of Blair County.) The lower or southern part was too marshy
to work; so Mr. Holliday erected his cabin near where the American House
now stands, and made a clearing on the high ground stretching toward the
east. In the meantime, William Holliday purchased of Mr. Peters 1,000
acres of land, which embraced the present Crawford and Jackson farms and
a greater part of Gaysport. Some years after, finding that he had more
land than he could conveniently cultivate, he disposed of nearly one
half of his original purchase to his son-in-law, James Somerville. Adam
Holliday, too, having a large lot of land, disposed of a portion of it
to Lazarus Lowry. Thus matters progressed smoothly for a time, until,
unfortunately, a Scotchman, named Henry Gordon, in search of lands,
happened to see and admire his farm. Gordon was a keen, shrewd fellow,
and, in overlooking the records of the land office, discovered a flaw or
informality in Adam’s grant. He immediately took advantage of his
discovery, and took out a patent for the land. Litigation followed as a
matter of course. Gordon possessed considerable legal acumen, and had
withal money and a determined spirit. The case was tried in the courts
below and the courts above—decided sometimes in favor of one party and
sometimes in favor of the other, but eventually resulted in Gordon
wresting from Adam Holliday and Lazarus Lowry all their land. This
unfortunate circumstance deeply affected Mr. Holliday, for he had been
grossly wronged by the adroitness and cunning of Gordon; but relief came
to him when he least expected it. When the war broke out, Gordon was
among the very first to sail for Europe; and soon after the Council
proclaimed him an attainted traitor, and his property was confiscated
and brought under the hammer. The circumstances under which he had
wrested the property from Holliday were known, so that no person would
bid, which enabled him to regain his land at a mere nominal price. He
then went on and improved, and built a house on the bank of the river,
near where the bridge connects the boroughs of Hollidaysburg and
Gaysport.
During the alarms and troubles which followed in the course of the war
Adam Holliday took a conspicuous part in defending the frontier. He
aided, first, in erecting Fetter’s Fort, and afterwards expended his
means in turning Titus’s stable into a fort. This fort was located on a
flat, nearly opposite the second lock below Hollidaysburg, and the two
served as a place of refuge for all the settlers of what was then merely
called the Upper End of Frankstown District. He, also, with his own
money purchased provisions, and through his exertions arms and
ammunition were brought from the eastern counties. His courage and
energy inspired the settlers to make a stand at a time when they were on
the very point of flying to Cumberland County. In December, 1777, Mr.
Holliday visited Philadelphia for the purpose of securing a part of the
funds appropriated to the defence of the frontier. The following letter
to President Wharton was given to him by Colonel John Piper, of Bedford
County:
“Bedford County, December 19, 1777.
“Sir: Permit me, sir, to recommend to you, for counsel and direction,
the bearer, Mr. Holliday, an inhabitant of Frankstown, one of the
frontier settlements of our county, who has, at his own risk, been
extremely active in assembling the people of that settlement together
and in purchasing provisions to serve the militia who came to their
assistance. As there was no person appointed either to purchase
provisions or to serve them out, necessity obliged the bearer, with
the assistance of some neighbors, to purchase a considerable quantity
of provisions for that purpose, by which the inhabitants have been
enabled to make a stand. His request is that he may be supplied with
cash not only to discharge the debts already contracted, but likewise
to enable him to lay up a store for future demand. I beg leave, sir,
to refer to the bearer for further information, in hopes you will
provide for their further support. Their situation requires immediate
assistance.
“I am, sir, with all due respect, your Excellency’s most obedient
humble servant,
“JOHN PIPER.”
Mr. Holliday’s mission was successful; and he returned with means to
recruit the fort with provisions and ammunition, and continued to be an
active and energetic frontier-man during all the Indian troubles which
followed. Notwithstanding the distracted state of society during the
Revolution, William Holliday devoted much time and attention to his
farm. His family, consisting of his wife, his sons, John, William,
Patrick, Adam, and his daughter Janet, were quartered at Holliday’s
Fort; and it was only when absolute necessity demanded it that they
ventured to the farm to attend to the crops, after the savage marauders
so boldly entered the settlements.
James, who we believe was next to the eldest of William Holliday’s
children, joined the Continental army soon after the war broke out. He
is represented as having been a noble-looking fellow, filled with
enthusiasm, who sought for, and obtained without much difficulty, a
lieutenant’s commission. He was engaged in several battles, and
conducted himself in such a manner as to merit the approbation of his
senior officers; but he fell gloriously at Brandywine, while the battle
was waging, pierced through the heart by a musket ball. He was shot by a
Hessian, who was under cover, and who had, from the same place, already
dispatched a number of persons. But this was his last shot, for a young
Virginian, who stood by the side of Holliday when he fell, rushed upon
the Hessian, braving all danger, and hewed him to pieces with his sword
before any defence could be made. The death of young Holliday was deeply
lamented by his companions-in-arms, for he was brave and generous, and
had not a single enemy in the line. His friends, after the battle,
buried him near the spot where he fell; and it is doubtful whether even
now a hillock of greensward remains to his memory.
About the beginning of the year 1779, the Indians along the frontier,
emboldened by numerous successful depredations, came into Bedford
County—within the boundaries of which Holliday’s Fort then was—in such
formidable bands that many of the inhabitants fled to the eastern
counties. The Hollidays, however, and some few others, tarried, in the
hope that the Executive Council would render them aid. The following
petition, drawn up on the 29th of May, 1779, and signed by William
Holliday and others, will give the reader some idea of the distress
suffered by the pioneers:
“To the Honorable President and Council:
“The Indians being now in the county, the frontier inhabitants being
generally fled, leaves the few that remains in such a distressed
condition that pen can hardily describe, nor your honors can only have
a faint idea of; nor can it be conceived properly by any such as are
the subjects thereof; but while we suffer in the part of the county
that is most frontier, the inhabitants of the interior part of this
county live at ease and safety.
“And we humbly conceive that by some immediate instruction from
Council, to call them that are less exposed to our relief, we shall be
able, under God, to repulse our enemies, and put it in the power of
the distressed inhabitants to reap the fruits of their industry.
Therefore, we humbly pray you would grant us such relief in the
premises as you in your wisdom see meet. And your petitioners shall
pray, etc.
“N. B.—There is a quantity of lead at the mines (Sinking Valley) in
this county Council may procure for the use of said county, which save
carriage, and supply our wants with article, which we cannot exist
without at this place; and our flints are altogether expended.
Therefore, we beg Council would furnish us with those necessaries as
they in their wisdom see cause.
“P. S.—Please to supply us with powder to answer lead.
(Signed) “WILLIAM HOLLIDAY, _P. M._
THOMAS COULTER, _Sheriff_.
RICHARD J. DELAPT, _Captain_.
SAM. DAVIDSON.”
The prayer of these petitioners was not speedily answered, and
Holliday’s Fort was evacuated soon after. The Council undoubtedly did
all in its power to give the frontiers support; but the tardy movements
of the militia gave the savages confidence, and drove the few settlers
that remained almost to despair. Eventually relief came, but not
sufficient to prevent Indian depredations. At length, when these
depredations and the delays of the Council in furnishing sufficient
force to repel these savage invasions had brought matters to such a
crisis that forbearance ceased to be a virtue, the people of the
neighborhood moved their families to Fort Roberdeau, in Sinking Valley,
and Fetter’s Fort, and formed themselves into scouting parties, and by
these means protected the frontier and enabled the settlers to gather in
their crops in 1780; still, notwithstanding their vigilance, small bands
of scalp-hunters occasionally invaded the county, and, when no scalps
were to be found, compromised by stealing horses, or by laying waste
whatever fell in their way.
In 1781, when Continental money was so terribly depreciated that it
took, in the language of one of the old settlers, “seventeen dollars of
it to buy a quart of whiskey,” the government was in too straitened a
condition to furnish this frontier guard with ammunition and provisions,
so that the force was considerably reduced. Small scouting parties were
still kept up, however, to watch the savages, who again made their
appearance in the neighborhood in the summer, retarding the harvest
operations. About the middle of July, the scouts reported everything
quiet and no traces of Indians in the county. Accordingly, Mr. Holliday
proceeded to his farm, and, with the aid of his sons, succeeded in
getting off and housing his grain. Early in August, Mr. Holliday,
accompanied by his sons Patrick and Adam and his daughter Janet, then
about fourteen years of age, left Fort Roberdeau for the purpose of
taking off a second crop of hay. On their arrival at the farm they went
leisurely to work, and mowed the grass. The weather being extremely
fine, in a few days they began to haul it in on a rudely constructed
sled, for in those days few wagons were in use along the frontiers. They
had taken in one load, returned, and filled the sled again, when an
acquaintance named McDonald, a Scotchman, came along on horseback. He
stopped, and they commenced a conversation on the war. William Holliday
was seated upon one of the horses that were hitched to the sled, his two
sons were on one side of him, and his daughter on the opposite side. All
of the men, as was customary then, were armed with rifles.
While this conversation was going on, and without the slightest previous
intimation, a volley was suddenly fired from a thicket some sixty or
seventy yards off, by which Patrick and Adam were instantly killed and
the horse shot from under Mr. Holliday. The attack was so sudden and
unexpected that a flash of lightning and peal of thunder from a
cloudless sky could not have astonished him more. The echoes of the
Indian rifles had scarcely died away before the Indians themselves, to
the number of eight or ten, with a loud “whoop!” jumped from their place
of concealment, some brandishing their knives and hatchets and others
reloading their rifles. Appalled at the shocking tragedy, and undecided
for a moment what course to pursue, Holliday was surprised to see
McDonald leap from his horse, throw away his rifle, run toward the
Indians, and, with outstretched arms, cry “Brother! Brother!” which it
appears was a cry for quarter which the savages respected. Holliday,
however, knew too much of the savage character to trust to their
mercy—more especially as rebel scalps commanded nearly as good a price
in British gold in Canada as prisoners; so on the impulse of the moment
he sprang upon McDonald’s horse and made an effort to get his daughter
up behind him. But he was too late. The Indians were upon him, and he
turned into the path which led down the ravine. The yells of the savages
frightened the horse, and he galloped down the path; but even the
clattering of his hoofs did not drown the dying shrieks of his daughter,
who was most barbarously butchered with a hatchet.
In a state of mind bordering on distraction, Holliday wandered about
until nearly dark, when he got upon the Brush Mountain trail, on his way
to Sinking Valley. His mind, however, was so deeply affected that he
seemed to care little whither he went; and, the night being exceedingly
dark, the horse lost the trail and wandered about the mountain for
hours. Just at daybreak Mr. Holliday reached the fort, haggard and
careworn, without hat or shoes, his clothes in tatters and his body
lacerated and bleeding. He did not recognize either the fort or the
sentinel on duty. He was taken in, and the fort alarmed, but it was some
time before he could make anything like an intelligible statement of
what had occurred the day previous. Without waiting for the particulars
in detail, a command of fifteen men were despatched to Holliday’s farm.
They found the bodies of Patrick and Adam precisely where they fell, and
that of Janet but a short distance from the shed, and all scalped. As
soon as the necessary arrangements could be made, the bodies of the
slain were interred on the farm; and a rude tombstone still marks the
spot where the victims of savage cruelty repose.
This was a sad blow to Mr. Holliday; and it was long before he recovered
from it effectually. But the times steeled men to bear misfortunes that
would now crush and annihilate the bravest.
After the declaration of peace, or, rather, after the ratification of
the treaty, Gordon came back to Pennsylvania and claimed his land under
its stipulation. He had no difficulty in proving that he had never taken
up arms against the colonies, and Congress agreed to purchase back his
lands. The Commissioners to adjust claims, after examining the lands,
reported them worth sixteen dollars an acre; and this amount was paid to
Adam Holliday, who suddenly found himself the greatest monied man in
this county—having in his possession sixteen or seventeen thousand
dollars. Adam Holliday lived to a good old age, and died at his
residence on the bank of the river, in 1801. He left two heirs—his son
John, and a daughter married to William Reynolds.
After the estate was settled up, it was found that John Holliday was the
richest man in this county. He married the daughter of Lazarus Lowry, of
Frankstown, in 1803, and in 1807 he left for Johnstown, where he
purchased the farm, and all the land upon which Johnstown now stands,
from a Doctor Anderson, of Bedford. Fearing the place would never be one
of any importance, John Holliday, in a few years, sold out to Peter
Livergood for eight dollars an acre, returned to Hollidaysburg, and
entered into mercantile pursuits.
William Holliday, too, died at a good old age, and lies buried on his
farm by the side of his children, who were massacred by the Indians. In
the ordinary transmutation of worldly affairs, the lands of both the old
pioneers passed out of the hands of their descendants; yet a beautiful
town stands as a lasting monument to the name, and the descendants have
multiplied until the name of Holliday is known, not only in
Pennsylvania, but over the whole Union.
[Note.—There are several contradictory accounts in existence touching
the massacre of the Holliday children. Our account of it is evidently
the true version, for it was given to us by Mr. Maguire, who received it
from Mr. Holliday shortly after the occurrence of the tragedy. It may be
as well here to state that the original Hollidays were Irishmen and
Presbyterians. It is necessary to state this, because we have heard
arguments about their religious faith. Some avow that they were
Catholics, and as an evidence refer to the fact that William called one
of his offspring “Patrick.” Without being able to account for the name
of a saint so prominent in the calendar as Patrick being found in a
Presbyterian family, we can only give the words of Mr. Maguire, who
said: “I was a Catholic, and old Billy and Adam Holliday were
Presbyterians; but in those days we found matters of more importance to
attend to than quarrelling about religion. We all worshipped the same
God, and some of the forms and ceremonies attending church were very
much alike, especially in 1778, when the men of all denominations, in
place of hymn-books, prayer-books, and Bibles, carried to church with
them loaded rifles!”]
GEORGE CROGAN AND AUGHWICK, HUNTINGDON COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.
BY JAMES S. O’NEILL, ELIZABETH, N. J.
George Crogan was born in Dublin, Ireland. He came to Aughwick
Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania, about the year 1742 and soon after took
up the business of an Indian trader. At first he located at Harris’
trading house, now Harrisburg, on the Susquehanna, and from there moved
over the river into Cumberland, some eight miles from his first place.
From there he made excursions to Path Valley, Aughwick and finally to
the Ohio river by way of the old Bedford trail. His long residence among
the Indians not only enabled him to study Indian character thoroughly,
but he acquired the language of both the Delaware and Shawnee tribes.
The history of Aughwick and of Crogan are identical during the years
1754–55–56. Aughwick was not originally an Indian town, as is generally
supposed, but was a settlement of whites to which the Indians came after
Crogan had made it his residence, the time of their coming being clearly
shown by official records. It is therefore difficult, if not impossible,
to give any reliable information concerning the origin of the name.
There is no certainty that it belongs to any of the Indian languages;
the probability is that it is derived from one of the European tongues.
The first settlers there, as in nearly all parts of Huntingdon County,
were Irish. They could furnish a name, or the town which they may have
proposed founding, without resort to any other vocabulary than their
own. Aughwick is said to resemble in sound two Irish words which mean
literally “Swift running steed.” In early times the orthography of the
name was almost as various as were the hands by which it was first
written. Crogan at first wrote it “Aughick,” afterwards “Aughick Old
Town” and finally “Aughwik Old Town.” Crogan—first letter—published in
the Colonial Records, is dated “May 26, 1747,” and is directed to
Richard Peters. It was accompanied by a letter from the Six Nations,
some wampum and a French scalp, taken somewhere on Lake Erie. In a
letter from Governor Hamilton to Governor Hardy, dated July 5, 1756, in
speaking of Crogan, who was at one time suspected of being a spy in the
pay of the French, Hamilton says: “There were many Indian traders with
Braddock—Crogan among others, who acted as a captain of the Indians
under a warrant from General Braddock, and I never heard of any
objections to his conduct in that capacity. For many years he had been
very largely concerned in the Ohio trade, was upon that river
frequently, and had a considerable influence among the Indians, speaking
the language of several nations, and being very liberal in his gifts to
them, which, with the losses he sustained by the French, who seized
great quantities of his goods, and by not getting the debts due to him
from the Indians, he became bankrupt, and since has lived at a place
called Aughwick, in the back parts of this province, where he generally
had a number of Indians with him, for the maintenance of whom the
province allowed him sums of money from time to time, but not to his
satisfaction. After this he went by my order with these Indians, and
joined General Braddock, who gave the warrant I have mentioned. Since
Braddock’s defeat, he returned to Aughwick, where he remained till an
act of assembly was passed here granting him a freedom from arrest for
ten years. This was done that the province might have the benefit of his
knowledge among the Indians; and immediately thereupon, while I was last
at York, a captain’s commission was given to him, and he was ordered to
raise men for the defence of the western frontier, which he did in a
very expeditious manner, but not so frugally as the commissioners for
disposing the public money thought he might have done. He continued in
the command of the companies he had raised, and of Fort Shirley, on the
western frontier, about three months; having a dispute with the
commissioners about some accounts between them, in which he thought
himself ill-used, he resigned his commission, and about a month ago
informed me that he had not received pay upon General Braddock’s
warrant, and desired my recommendation to General Shirley; which I gave
him, and he set off directly for Albany, New York.”
Crogan settled permanently in Augwick in 1754, and built a stockade
fort, and must have been some kind of an agent among the Indians,
disbursing presents to them for the government. In December of that year
he wrote to Secretary Peters, stating the wants of his Indians, and at
the same time wrote to Governor Morris as follows:
“I am Oblige to advertize the Inhabitance of Cumberland county in ye
honours Name nott to barter or sell Spirituous Liquors to the Indians
or any other person to bring amongst them, to prevent ye Indians from
Spending there Cloase, tho I am obliged to give them a bag Now and
then my self for a frolick, but that is Attended with no Expense to ye
Government nor bad consequences to ye Indians as I do it Butt onst a
Month. I hope your honour will approve of this Proceeding, as I have
Don itt to Prevent Ill consequences attending ye Indians if they
should be always be kept Inflamed with Liquors.”
That Crogan and his Indians were of some service would appear from the
fact that the assembly passed a law exempting him from arrests—for debt
it is supposed—for ten years, and commissioning him a captain in the
Colonial service. The supposition that Crogan was a spy in the service
of the French was based upon the idea that he was a Roman Catholic,
inasmuch as he was born in Dublin, Ireland. His loyalty was first
brought into question by Governor Sharpe, in December 1753, who wrote to
Governor Hamilton, informing him that the French knew every move for
defence made in the Colonies, and asked his opinion of Crogan. In
answer, Governor Hamilton said: “I observe what you say of Mr. Crogan;
and, though the several matters of which you have received information
carry in them a good deal of suspicion, and it may be highly necessary
to keep a watchful eye upon him, yet I hope they will not turn out to be
any thing very material, or that will affect his faithfulness to the
trust reposed in him, which, at this time, is of great importance and a
very considerable one. At present I have no one to inquire of as to the
truth of the particulars mentioned in yours but Mr. Peters who assures
me that Mr. Crogan has never been deemed a Roman Catholic, nor does he
believe that he is one, though he knows not his education, which was in
Dublin, Ireland, nor his religious profession.” To keep the Indians
loyal, he advanced many presents to them and the company of Indians he
commanded was fitted out at his own expense; and it was the attempt to
get what he advanced on that occasion that led to his quarrel with the
commissioners and his resignation.
From Philadelphia, Pa., he went to Onondago, in September, 1756, and
soon after was appointed deputy-agent, and again he took an active part
in Indian affairs. After the French had evacuated Fort Duquesne, in
1758, Crogan resided for a time in Fort Pitt. From there he went down
the river, was taken prisoner by the French, and taken to Detroit. Soon
after his liberation he went to New York, where he died in 1782.
Thus ended the career of George Crogan, who was an old acquaintance of
George Washington.
EXTRACTS FROM AMERICAN-IRISH HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHIES.
BY DR. MICHAEL F. SULLIVAN.
The history of a people, like the history of the literature of a people,
depends upon the historian’s accumulation and verification of knowledge
and the manner in which this knowledge is presented to the reader.
It would be an extraordinary thing, indeed, if all writers of history
and biography were to speak and write the truth; it would still be a
most remarkable condition if many people would overcome their prejudices
and recognize the truth when they saw it.
It is lamentable to see how persons of the best intentions will let
themselves be deceived when they have taken a false position and try to
maintain it.
Some British and pro-British writers have taken a prejudiced position
into which they will admit only such truthful ingredients as meet their
views and shut out all the rest; just as much truth, as much sincerity,
as much justice, as will allow them to call themselves fair and
unbiased. It cannot be said that all act wittingly and purposely, but it
seems to be the favorite practice of many writers of American history
and biography to write events and conditions as they would like to have
had them occur rather than as they really were.
What real historian, or writer of historical truths, will deny to the
Celts the credit due them for the wonderful part taken by them in the
constructing, upbuilding and general welfare of our great country? What
people have done more than the warm-hearted and susceptible Celts, the
hereditary fervor of their patriotism, the sacrifices which they have
made and which—unchecked by defeat and disappointment, and hope
deferred—they are daily making for their country and every country of
their adoption; their Celtic veneration for ancient usages, and more
than Celtic tenacity of ancient recollections; above all, their still
unextinguished spirit of nationality and imperfect amalgamation even to
this day with English interests and English feeling, could not fail, one
would suppose, to find an echo in the heart of the most prejudiced
writer of history. England has not only stolen the country of the Celt,
but she has often stolen her genius. The biographical history of Ireland
cannot be contemplated without pride and satisfaction to every one who
feels an interest in her glory and sympathy with her sufferings.
Reduced to a condition of slavery such as no other nation on earth has
endured—her name a by-word—her miseries a mockery—herself the
amphitheatre upon which the dishonest ministers of England exhibited
their games of blood and rioted in drunkenness and corruption,—it is,
nevertheless, consoling to discover that from her condition she has
partially recovered and is not completely cursed, but that the master
spirits whom she produced may well take their stand beside the highest
minds of any other nation, whether in poetry or literature, in eloquence
or statesmanship, in camp or court.
Oppression, however it may debase the physical and mental energies of a
people, cannot thoroughly destroy them; those very periods that to the
ordinary observer seem less likely to be illuminated by distinguished
minds, genius has often most splendidly adorned.
Mrs. Stopford Green, in her book, “The Making and Undoing of Ireland,”
says: “There is no more pious duty to all of Irish birth than to help in
recovering from centuries of obloquy the men of noble birth, Irish and
Anglo-Irish, who built up the civilization that once adorned their
country.
“It is by the study of this history alone that Irishmen will find a just
pride restored and their courage assured. In this effort, however,
Irishmen are confronted with a singular difficulty.
[Illustration:
JOHN O’SULLIVAN, ESQ.,
Of New York City.
A Member of the Society.
]
“In no other country in the world has it been supposed the historian’s
business to seek out every element of political instability, every trace
of private disorder, every act of personal violence, every foreign
slander and out of these alone neglecting all indications of industry or
virtue to depict a national life.
“Irish annals are still in our own days quoted by historians as telling
merely the tale of a corrupted land,—feuds and battles, murderings and
plunderings; with no town or church or monastery founded, no law
enacted, no controversy healed by any judgment of the courts. If the
same method had been found for England, what an appalling story we
should have had of that mediæval time, of its land-thefts, its women
lifting, its local wars, the feuds handed from father to son with their
countless murders and atrocious devastating for generations whole
country sides.
“The Irish have long been famed for their love of learning. By their
missionaries they gave to the English the alphabet and the Christian
faith. When the English made returns by breaking the Irish schools and
destroying their libraries, they were still forced to recognize the
talents of the people—‘sharp-witted lovers of learning, capable of any
study to which they bend themselves,’ lovers of music, poetry and all
kinds of learning.”
Bancroft says, in Volume 5, in referring to the Irish in 1763: “Their
industry within the kingdom was prohibited or repressed by law, and then
they were calumniated as naturally idle. Their savings could not be
invested on equal terms in trade, manufactures or real property; they
were called improvident. The gates of learning were shut on them and
they were derided as ignorant. In the midst of privations they were
cheerful. Suffering for generations under acts which offered bribes to
treachery, their integrity was not debauched; no son rose against his
father, no friend betrayed his friend. Fidelity to their religion, to
which afflictions made them cling more closely, chastity, and respect
for the ties of family remained characteristics of the down-trodden
race.”
Gordon’s Civil War in Ireland speaks of the literature of Ireland as
follows: “The literature of Ireland has a venerable claim to antiquity;
for, as has been already mentioned, in the centuries immediately
following the introduction of Christianity, many writers arose, whose
works principally consist of lives of Saints, and works of piety and
discipline, presenting to the inquisitive reader many singular features
of the history of the human mind. The chief glory of the ancient Irish
literature, arises from the revival of the rays of science, after it had
almost perished in Europe, on the fall of Roman Empire in the west. The
Anglo-Saxons, in particular, derived their first illumination from
Ireland; and in Scotland, literature continued to be the special
province of the Irish clergy, ’till the thirteenth century.”
Greece and Egypt, in very remote antiquity, were seminaries of learning
to the rest of the world; and Ireland, in latter days, seems to have
answered the same description to the other nations of Europe. When the
ravages of the Goths and Vandals had desolated the improvements of
Europe, and reached also to a considerable extent on the African
continent, learning appears to have flourished in Ireland. Spencer says
it is certain that Ireland had the use of letters very anciently, and
long before England; he thought they were derived from the Phœnicians.
Bede speaks of Ireland as the great mart of literature, to which they
resorted from all parts of Europe. He relates that Oswauld, the Saxon
King, applied to Ireland for learned men to instruct his people in the
principles of Christianity. Camden says, it abounded with men of
splendid genius, in the ages when literature was rejected everywhere
else; according to him and others, who wrote at the same time, the
abbeys Luxieu in Burgundy, Roby in Italy, Witzburg in Frankland, St.
Gall in Switzerland, Malmsbury and Lindisfern in England, and Jona in
Scotland, were founded by Irish Monks. The Younger Scaliger, and others,
say, at the time of Charlemagne, and two hundred years before, almost
all the learned were of Ireland. The first professors in the University
of Paris were from this Island; and the great Alfred even brought
professors to his newly founded college of Oxford from this country. It
would be too tedious to enumerate the benefits diffused through various
parts of Europe, by the numbers of distinguished and learned men from
Ireland, who imparted the early lights of Science and of Christianity,
and founded monasteries in various parts of Britain, France and Italy.
At this day, the Patron Saints, as they are called, of several nations
on the continent, are acknowledged to be Irish; hence we may see, how
Ireland obtained the name of Sanctorum Patria. We have also the
testimony of venerable Bede, that, about the middle of the seventh
century, whole flocks of nobles and other orders of the Anglo-Saxons,
retired from their own country into Ireland, either for instruction, or
for an opportunity of living in monasteries of stricter discipline; and
the Scots (as he styles the Irish) maintained them, taught them, and
furnished them with books, without fee or reward; “a most honorable
testimony,” says Lord Lyttleton, “not only to the learning, but likewise
to the hospitality and bounty of that nation.” Dr. Leland remarks, “that
a conflux of foreigners to a retired Island, at a time when Europe was
in ignorance and confusion, gave peculiar lustre to this seat of
learning; nor is it improbable or surprising, that seven thousand
students studied at Armagh, agreeable to the accounts of Irish writers,
though the seminary of Armagh was but one of those numerous colleges
erected in Ireland, and the grand ruins of them, to this day, stand as
so many learned monuments of the ancient and literary fame of the
country. Ireland retained the name of Scotia, till so late as the
fifteenth century, with the addition of Major, or Vetus, to distinguish
it from Caledonia or Albania, that is, the present Scotland, which, in
the eleventh century, began to be called Scotia Minor, as deriving its
improvement immediately from hence. The ancient Scotch writers, of the
greatest repute, are so far from denying their Irish extraction, that
they seem to glory it; and King James I, in one of his speeches, boasts
of the Scottish dynasty being derived from that of Ireland.”
The dazzling array of Irish names by which the annals of America has
been graced is far more extensive than the ordinary observer would
suppose.
To some of the friendly and to all of the unfriendly a man to be Irish
must bear a pronounced Celtic name.
It is a fact from the most reliable authority that many Irish on coming
to this country adopted English names, many taking the names of colors
and trades. Dr. Thomas Dunn English says “they often took the names of
Black, Brown, Grey and Green, or as fancy may dictate.” He says “the
names were generally retained on this side of the Atlantic.” He also
adds: “In the eighteenth century as well as the latter part of the
seventeenth century, Philadelphia, then the greatest commercial port,
was the spot of the greatest debarkation of the Irish hosts. While many
remained in the east there was a time when the greatest portion pushed
their way into the western wilds where the land could be had for the
asking. They scattered themselves over the slopes of the great Allegheny
range and its various spurs and tributaries.”
From Londonderry in New Hampshire down to Coloraine in the far south,
Dr. English says he found many Celtic names changed with the “Macs” and
“O’s” dropped. He said: “If nevertheless all these names were blotted
out and their place taken by those of English or German sound the
character of the original settlement would be known by the prevalence of
certain words and survival of certain customs.”
Spencer, the historian, says: “Multitudes of laborers and husbandmen
from Ireland embarked for the Carolinas. The first colony of these
located in 1737 near Santee.” He also says “emigration to America was so
heavy as to show the depopulation of whole country districts in
Ireland.” Ramsey, the historian of the Carolinas, declares “that of all
the European countries none has furnished this province with so many
inhabitants as Ireland. Scarcely a ship,” he says, “sailed from any
Irish port for Charlestown that was not crowded.” All this, he declares,
occurred years and decades before the revolutions.
Jenkins, in his life of President Polk, says: “About the year 1735 two
large parties from Ireland sought the wilds of America, one by the
Delaware to Philadelphia and the other by Charlestown, South Carolina.”
New York World’s History of the United States says: “An Irish colony
under Ferguson settled in South Carolina in 1679.”
There was a combined movement of Celts, Catholic and Presbyterian and
Quakers to South Carolina and of all the colonies sent out by the
prolific isle none had greater Americans than the emigration between
1750–’70.
At any rate it may challenge comparison with any other—Jackson, Calhoun,
O’Kelly, O’Grady, Polk, Crockett, Houston, McDuffie, Adair, McKemy,
McWorter, O’Farrell, McNairy. All these are of Irish extraction and
still (some of them Americanized by dropping the O’ or the Mc) adorn the
annals of their states or nation. If anyone had said, in 1692, that a
British parliament could succeed in exiling thousands of Catholic and
Protestant Irish in such a way as to make them fight side by side with
Catholic Frenchmen and non-sectarian colonists against the United
Kingdom he would have been denounced as a fool. The wise men would have
told him that legislative folly might do wonders, but it could not work
miracles. Yet that is just what parliament accomplished, for scarcely
was the ink dry on the treaty of Limerick (which provided that Catholics
should enjoy in Ireland such rights as they had enjoyed in the reign of
Charles II) when it was violated by a series of laws that now make
honest Englishmen blush. It is needless to repeat the black details.
Says one British writer: “The laws were so many and so atrocious that an
Irishman could scarcely draw a full breath without breaking a law.”
Grimshaw’s History of the United States, 1821, says: “Philadelphia in
1683, which was begun on the site of the Indian village, Coquanoc,
derives its name from a city in Asia Minor celebrated in sacred history
for its having been the seat of an early Christian church. During the
first twelve months of its foundation about a hundred houses were
erected and, since that period, it has received a continual accession of
inhabitants from Ireland and Germany.” It also says: “In the interval
between 1730 and the period when this history will relinquish the
distinct colonial proceedings to conduct the narrative of a more sublime
and awful period when individual interests combine and move forward with
a unity of action there was an annual influx of emigrants. These were
principally from Germany and Ireland. The Irish and German people at an
early day brought the useful arts and manufactures into Pennsylvania.
The Irish and French emigrants had enjoyed a large share of civil
liberty and boldly contended for total enfranchisement from regal
domination.”
Grimshaw says, in relating an incident of the war of 1812: “Scenes of
the most distressing kind were occurring in the Chesapeake. It was now
that Admiral Cockburn was satiating his unmanly and unsoldierlike
propensities in a species of warfare at once reflecting dishonor. At
first his depredations were directed against the farm houses and seats
of private gentlemen. These were plundered, their owners in the rudest
manner insulted, and cattle which could not be removed were wantonly
destroyed.
“Georgetown and Fredericktown were destroyed. The people of Frenchtown,
after firing a few shots, fled on the enemy’s approach with the
exception of an old Hibernian, named O’Neil. This heroic citizen
continued the battle alone, loading a piece of artillery and firing it
himself, until, by recoiling, it ran over his leg and wounded him
severely; and even then, exchanging his piece of ordnance for a musket,
and limping away, he still kept up a retreating fight with the advanced
column of the British. He was, at length, made prisoner, but soon
afterwards released.” Holmes (Annals of America) says: “From Dec. 31,
1728, to Dec. 31, 1729, there entered the port of Philadelphia 5,655
Irish immigrants, 243 Germans, 267 English and Welsh and 43 Scotch.”
Rev. S. F. Hotchkin, in Penn’s Greene Country Towne, writes: “In 1729
Miss Elizabeth McGawley, an Irish lady, brought hither tenantry to the
Dickson property between Nicetown and Frankford and had a chapel there.
A priest named Michael John Brown was buried in a stone enclosure not
far away. Roman Catholic services may be traced, as Watson says, to a
letter of Penn to Logan, in 1708, wherein he mentions that Mass had been
celebrated in Philadelphia and that the services were held in a frame
building on Cor. of Front and Walnut Sts.”
The _New York Sun_, in commenting on Galletin, says his sponsors were
John Smilie, Blair McClenachan, and Thomas McKean, sturdy leaders of the
strong Philadelphia Irish colony of that era, 1789.
John Sanderson’s Biography (1823) of the signers of the Declaration of
Independence, says: “In Pennsylvania the Quakers reared the most durable
monuments of their fame, and advanced of their most elevated grade the
interests of their order. The freedom, liberality and benevolence of
their policy invited among them, as well from the adjacent provinces as
from Europe, a numerous population; and the industry of the German, the
activity and enterprise of the Irishman joined to the pre-existing order
and economy of this province, raised it to a sudden height of prosperity
which has been seldom equalled in the history of nations.”
Drake, in his Landmarks of Boston, says: “About 1718 a number of
colonists arrived from Londonderry, Ireland, bringing with them the
manufacture of linen and the implements used in Ireland.”
Early records of the Town of Derryfield, now Manchester, N. H.,
1751–’82, says: “On Sept. 23, 1751, at the call of John McMurphy, the
proprietors, free-holders and inhabitants of Derryfield gathered at the
inn of John Hall for the purpose of laying the foundation of
self-government. Its early inhabitants were made up of Irish, who had
begun to settle within its bounds as early as 1718, mostly near Amoskeag
Falls. About 100 families settled there at that time.”
Harris’ Memorials to Oglethorpe (1841) says: “Governor Oglethorpe,
founder of the colony of Georgia’s Mother was Elenora Wall, an
Irishwoman of Rogane, Ireland.” Charles Dempsey was an able assistant to
Governor Oglethorpe and did much to settle differences between Florida
and Georgia. Under Governor Oglethorpe, as a military officer, was a
Patrick Sutherland. That there were thousands of Irish settled not only
in New Hampshire, Georgia, Pennsylvania, the Carolinas, but Maine,
Virginia, Massachusetts and New York, in colonial days, may be attested
if we are to believe Prendergast in his book, “Cromwellian Settlement of
Ireland,” he says: “Thousands of Irish were sold into a kind of slavery
by Cromwell to Massachusetts and the West India Islands from Ireland.
Between 1651 and 1655 over 6,000 boys and girls, namely from the south
of Ireland, were shipped to those two ports.” It seems difficult for
some writers to give credit and justice to a people against whom they
have an unwarranted prejudice—prejudice stimulated by ignorance of facts
or malice.
After the quotations from the most reliable authorities as to the early
settlement of America in colonial days by the Irish, it is to be
wondered at which of the afore-mentioned causes impelled the president
of a great university to give credit to other peoples in the settlement
and upbuilding of America and omit the important part taken by the
Irish.
Was it malice or ignorance that caused a gentleman holding one of the
two highest positions in the United States government from
Massachusetts, to give the Irish but partial credit in his paper,
“Distribution of Ability in the United States,” published in the
_Century_ Magazine? The honorable gentleman quotes Appleton’s
Encyclopedia of Biography for his authority, which, if closely examined,
it will be found that his time or vision must have been exceedingly
limited. A careful examination of the above authority will prove malice
or ignorance or delegating the examination to some Celtophobe of the
Goldwin Smith stamp. These writers can be truly accused of carelessness
or credulity. The colonial settlers from Ireland did not claim to be
anything but Irish,—God had not created at that time the new breed of
higher animals, the Scotch-Irish.
Mr. James McMillen of Cincinnati, Ohio, in the _New York Sun_, refers to
an article of Dr. Lyman Abbot in the _North American Review_, in which
“he (Dr. Abbot) declares that the great forces which contribute to our
civilization in this country are not Celtic, Slavic, Mongolian or
African, but Anglo-Saxon.” Mr. McMillen adds: “From the very beginning
we have been in the front ranks with our Anglo-Saxon brethren and will
not be crowded out at this late day by any authority who would place us
in the same category with the African, Mongolian or Slavic so long as we
continue to demonstrate our equality if not superiority to the
Anglo-Saxon.” The Abbots, Lodges, Eliots, Fisks and other minor
satellites will find it an impossibility to eliminate from the pages of
American history the absolutely necessary part taken by the Celt in the
originating and perpetuating American liberty, institutions and ideals.
The misinformers of history should stop to consider that civilization is
not made up only of heat or cold, light or darkness, but a community of
human beings, with likes and dislikes, with hopes and aspirations, with
hearts beating with passion or sentiment and while human peculiarities
are modified to a certain degree by condition and environment, they are
not wholly changed. This will apply to the early Irish and English
settlers of America. It would be a very uncertain belief to suppose that
the thousands of Irish who settled in America in colonial days to escape
the lauded Anglo-Saxon civilization, would tamely submit to a
continuance of it in this broad land of liberty and opportunities.
The Celt came to America to better his condition and not for
exploitation and plunder; and his splendid sentimental and kindly nature
did have a modifying effect on the character of the brutal Saxon and if
much of the land of America in colonial days was claimed as the land of
the Saxon the sun that gave it national heat and light was Celtic love
of God, Celtic love of justice, Celtic valor, Celtic zeal, Celtic
intelligence that made it the greatest country on earth.
He who has read American history has read it in vain, if he does not
know that had it not been for the moral and physical aid given by not
only the Irish colonists, but by the people of Ireland, American
independence would not have been achieved. Washington, himself,
acknowledged publicly the great indebtedness to Ireland.
The admirers of the prefix and hyphen in American history probably had
in mind the attempts of that brilliant young Irish scientist, John
Butler Burke, to produce life artificially. The preface to Burke’s book,
“Origin of Life,” somewhat changed, is “Although it is not the object of
this book to lend support to the doctrine of abiogenesis or the
development at the present day of living from absolutely non-living
(Scotch-Irish) matter, the more hopeful, though as it must be admitted
less gratifying view to take is that we have arrived at a method of
structural organic synthesis of artificial (Scotch-Irish) cells, which
if it does not give us organic life such as we see around us, gives us,
at least, something which, according to (Eliot, Lodge, Fisk and others)
admits of being placed in the gap, or, as it might be preferably called,
the borderland between living and dead matter.” Dr. Burke says: “The why
and wherefore we may ask, but get no answer to; the how is our only
consolation; and even in that do the most careful steering to avoid the
pitfalls and precipices of error.”
The afore-mentioned “historians” did not share Dr. Burke’s doubt, but
went ahead and created a new set of cellular tissue and called it the
Scotch-Irish. With characteristic zeal and industry begotten of their
love of justice and fair play, “that the world may know” a Murray, a
Linehan, a Roache, a Gargan and hosts of others of beloved memory have
shed lustre on Ireland not only as men of Irish blood but as
disseminators of historical truths as to the priceless part taken by men
of Irish blood from the earliest days of the country’s history until the
present time for the permanency of American institutions and government.
In no man’s heart do the Stars and Stripes awake a more sincere and
ardent patriotism than the Irish-American.
Rev. Edward Everett Hale writes in the _Boston Daily Advertiser_,
January, 1852, the following:
“PROPORTIONS OF ORIGINAL RACES IN AMERICA.
“In writing these letters to the _Boston Daily Advertiser_, I
attempted to confine myself to the facts which directly affect
legislation or charitable action. There is, however, a curious
question as to the effect to be produced on national character by
intermixture of blood and race, produced by such large emigration as
we see. What I have said in my last letter has been carefully guarded,
so as to refer everywhere to the absolutely unmixed Celtic race. Of
its value intermixed I have spoken as highly as I could.
“An anxious question is asked, however, by men of the old American
blood, whether there is not an over-preponderance of the Celtic
element coming in upon us? I do not profess to answer the question,
how far the origin of the native American blood is Celtic.
“In what proportions do the Celtic and Gothic or Germanic elements
mingle in the Englishman of today (1852) and, of course, in the
American of today? Dr. Kombst estimates in 1841 that there are of pure
German blood in England 10,000,000. Of mixed blood where the Teutonic
prevailed in England and the northeast of Ireland, 6,000,000. Of mixed
blood, where the Celtic prevailed in England, Scotland and Ireland,
4,000,000. And of pure Celtic in Scotland, Wales and Ireland,
6,000,000.
“But Dr. Lantham, with more reason, I think, doubts the purity of any
Germanic blood in England, saying that ‘a vast amount of Celticism,
not found in our tongue, very probably exists in our pedigrees.’ And
in another place he says that in nine-tenths of the displacements of
races made by conquest the female half ancestry of the present
inhabitants must have belonged to the beaten race.
“I think the history of the Saxon invasions is such as to give color
to this idea in the case of England. And I am not sure, but what it
could be made out, that the American people, before the recent Irish
invasion, showed in their proportion of black-haired men of dark
complexion and other Celtic signs that as large a fraction as
two-thirds of its blood ran in the dark ages of the past in Celtic
veins. If this be so, if the proportion, two-thirds Celtic to
one-third Gothic or Germanic, is the proportion which makes up that
‘perfect whole,’ the ‘true American,’ which considers itself so much
finer than either of the ingredients, the recent emigrations furnish a
happy co-incidence with the original law. For five past years the
arrivals at New York, which are three fourths the whole, and represent
it in kind exactly, have been 547,173 Irish; 278,458 Germanic; 153,969
English and Scotch; 71,359 others. Now keep these 71,359 ‘others’ for
condiments in the mixture. There are Norwegians and French, Belgians
and Spaniards, Swiss and Italians, balanced against each other (and a
few Magyars).
“The English, of course, we need not count; but of pure Celts and pure
Germans we have to fraction just two to one; and in that proportion
are they to affect the blood of the American people.
“This computation which I had prepared before I read a courteous
article in the _American Celt_ of January 24, 1852, will, perhaps,
show to the writer of that paper, that we are not so far apart in our
views as he supposed.”
Mr. James Anthony Froude, in his history of Ireland, maligned the Irish
people and did much to prejudice the world against them. Previous to his
death he tried to undo the injustice he had done them. The following
letter from Mr. Philbrick, superintendent of schools, explains itself:
_Donohue’s Magazine_, August, 1855, taken from _Boston Transcript_
letter by Mr. Philbrick, superintendent of schools in Boston.
“James Anthony Froude, in his recent rapid passage across the country
on the homeward stretch of his round-the-whole trip, was interviewed
in New York and among other things was asked for reminiscences of his
visit to the United States.
“The reading of the notice of his interview revived the memory of an
incident of that visit, which is perhaps worth relating.
“During this visit, Mr. Froude delivered lectures in the principal
cities on the Irish question. The theory which he propounded and
advocated was, that the troubles in Ireland were not the result of bad
government at all, but of bad blood in the Irish race. But he was
anxious to get more light on the subject, if possible, and so, when in
Boston, he wanted to visit public schools which were frequented by
children of the Irish race. Accordingly, I took him to some boys’
schools and some girls’, where the children were almost wholly of
Irish parentage. At the last of these girls’ schools, of the grammar
grade installed in a splendid new school house of large size, after
passing through twelve or fourteen rooms, filled with bright,
well-dressed girls full of animation in their recitation in the
various branches of instruction, Mr. Froude asked: ‘Do you mean to
says that these are the children of Irish immigrants?’ ‘Yes,’ I
answered, ‘I believe there is not a single pupil in this school of the
Yankee race.’ ‘Well,’ he continued, ‘I must confess I’m staggered.’
‘Now,’ said I, ‘I will take you to a mixed school (boys and girls
being in separate rooms and classes), which stands on a spot that two
years ago was a mud hole in a marsh surrounded by poor dwellings,
mostly occupied by Irish immigrants.’
“After passing through most of the rooms in the fine building, in
which were neatly-dressed pupils in the most perfect order, earnestly
engaged in their work, we came to a boys’ room where a recitation in
history was in progress. Here he took a seat and proceeded to question
the class, from which he got very prompt and appropriate answers. At
length, he singled out a little tan-headed boy of the Irish
nationality and plied him with a lot of pretty hard questions, but
every one was answered with admirable promptness and accuracy. Mr.
Froude stopped, remained silent for a short time with his eyes cast
down as though in a profound study. He then addressed the boys again
and said: ‘My boys, where did you learn this?’ ‘Out of a book, sir,’
was the ready reply. ‘And where did you get the book?’ ‘Out of the
public library,’ was the answer.
“Mr. Froude then arose to leave and I said: ‘Now, Mr. Froude, I will
take you to the Girls’ High School, where you will find
representatives of the Irish nationality in a higher grade of
instruction.’ ‘Well,’ replied Mr. Froude, ‘you may take me where you
please; it makes no difference; I’m full; I can’t hold any more.’”
Spencer says: “The Irish had the use of letters long before the English,
and that Oswald, a Saxon king, applied to Ireland for learned men to
instruct his people.”
Camden says: “Ireland abounded with men of genius and erudition when
learning was trampled on in every other quarter of the globe.”
Plutarch calls Ireland, “Ogygia,” _i.e._, the most ancient isle.
Ralph Waldo Emerson says: “The sources from which tradition derives
their stock are mainly three. And, first, they are of the oldest blood
in the world, the Celtic. Some people are deciduous or transitory.
“Where are the Greeks? Where the Etrurians? Where the Romans?
“But the Celts or Sidonides are an old family, of whose beginning there
is no memory and their end is likely to be still more remote in the
future; for they have endurance and productiveness. They planted
Britain, and gave to the seas and mountains names which are poems and
imitate the pure voice of nature.
“They are favorably remembered in the oldest records of Europe. They had
no violent feudal tenure, but the husbandman owned the land. They had an
alphabet, astronomy, priestly culture, and a sublime creed and
precarious genius. They made the best popular literature of the middle
ages in the songs of Merlin and the tender and delicious mythology of
Arthur.”
The most ancient manuscripts in the world are in the Irish language and
the oldest Latin manuscripts were written by an Irishman.
The Irish language is as old as Hebrew and more ancient than Greek or
Latin.
Matthew Arnold made the statement: “If Celticism had not moulded England
she would not have produced a Shakespeare.”
There were a few Irishmen evidently in business in Boston before 1847–8.
The Columbian Centennial of May 12 and March 17, 1812, gives James
Magee, owner of Coffee Exchange House; William Barry, Dealer in Hats and
Furs; William Sullivan, Corn Hill Square, Sale of farms; J. L. Sullivan,
Manager of Merrimac Boating Co.; William Sullivan’s orations for sale;
James Barry, Fish, Pork and Lard Dealer; Walter Welsh, Real Estate.
THE IRISH IN RHODE ISLAND, TO AND INCLUDING THE REVOLUTION.
BY JOHN J. COSGROVE, PROVIDENCE, R. I.
When it was first suggested to me that I prepare a paper dealing with
some phase of the history of the Irish in America I decided that I would
take as my subject the history of the Irish in Rhode Island up to the
present time. My belief was that the part played by the men and women of
Irish birth or descent in the early history of our state was so slight,
and the facts relating thereto so meagre, that I could in a few words
deal with the early history of the Irish in Rhode Island, and could pass
on to their history for the last three-quarters of a century.
Upon beginning my researches I was at once convinced of my mistake and
soon learned that if I adhered to my original intention, instead of
preparing a short paper I would be obliged to write a large volume.
Therefore, I have taken as my subject: “The history of the Irish in
Rhode Island to and including the Revolution,” with the hope that some
abler Irish man or woman will, at some future time, tell the story of
the part played by the men and women of Irish birth or extraction in the
modern history of the “lively experiment” of Roger Williams.
In discussing the history of the Irish in America it is not our
intention to belittle the work of others, or to steal from other nations
the glories of their achievements; neither are we seeking to dim the
lustre of the Puritan crown, nor to call our own the mighty deeds of the
pioneer Pilgrims who landed in New England and conquered the wilderness.
We have no desire to turn Plymouth Rock into a Blarney Stone. We are not
going to assert that Roger Williams was the grandson of Fin Mac Cumbal,
or that the clam was first planted in Narragansett Bay by the founder of
Clan McFadden.
Our object is simply to record the deeds of the men and women of our
race in the making of America; to enable Americans to judge us in true
perspective; to tell the world what we Irish have done and are doing in
the upbuilding of this state and nation. We are trying to bring to the
minds of the country a knowledge of the fact that we have been here from
the beginning, that we have given our service and our lives for the
promotion of America’s happiness, that, by our brain, by our brawn, by
our courage, tenacity of purpose, morality, we have fairly earned the
right to the highest and best that America can offer to its devoted sons
and daughters. We seek to tear away the veil of ignorance that has
blinded many to our worth and to bring into relief a better picture of
our race that has too often been falsely depicted. We are proving our
claim, not by appeals to race prejudice or bigotry, but by
incontrovertible evidence. In the words of the American-Irish Historical
Society, we are laboring “that the world may know.”
There is a very erroneous impression in the minds of many, even in this
enlightened age, that the struggle for liberty in Ireland has been a
religious struggle, a struggle for the principles of Catholicity and for
these principles alone. Our fight is not a religious fight. It is the
fight for the liberties of a race, not a religion; for the right of a
distinct, ethnic entity to work out its salvation in the way best suited
to its temporal needs. “Nations have no hereafter, their reward must be
of this world”; neither have they religions as nations.
Many are also of the opinion that unless a man or woman is a Catholic he
or she is not Irish, though bearing an Irish name. Thus we see people of
other faith with the name of Sullivan or Murphy classed as
“Scotch-Irish,” that race with no existence, repudiated alike by Irish
and Scotch, and which someone has called the “Equinoctial Gael.”
Another fact to be borne in mind in connection with Irish names is that
many Irish men and women have come to America, and particularly to New
England, who, for one reason or another, bore names distinctly un-Irish.
Why this is so will be explained later.
FIRST TRACE OF THE IRISH IN NEW ENGLAND.
The first trace of the Irish in New England of which we have any record
is found in the story of the “Mayflower.” In his book, “Brave Little
Holland and What She Taught Us,” Rev. William Elliot Griffiths says: “In
the Mayflower were one hundred and one men, women, boys and girls as
passengers, besides captain and crew. These were of English, Dutch,
French and Irish ancestry.” History has established beyond the
possibility of doubt that Priscilla Mullins and John Alden were both
Irish.
Plymouth was founded in 1620. William Bradford, governor of the colony,
tells us that a ship arrived at Plymouth, 1626–7, and a large number of
passengers, “cheefe among these people was one Mr. Fells and one Mr.
Sibsie, which had many servants belonging unto them, many of them being
Irish.”
In Winthrop’s Journal it is stated that on March 15, 1636, a ship
arrived “called the Saint Patrick, belonging to Sir Thomas Wentworth,
Deputy of Ireland, one Palmer, Master.”
Soldiers of Irish birth or extraction had made their mark in the
colonies as early as the Pequot War, among them Darby Field and Daniel
Patrick or Gilpatrick. Field is mentioned as having explored the White
Mountains in 1642 with a band of Indians. (Winthrop’s Journal and
Sketches of Early Irish Settlers by Linehan.)
It is now necessary to turn to the history of England for an explanation
of why so many Irish came to this country, beginning in 1641, and why
some of them did not bear Irish names.
In the reign of Charles First there occurred what is known as “The
Revolution of 1641.” At that time many of the gentry of the west of
Ireland held their lands under what parliament claimed a defective
title. Charles, after promising the Irish that we would remove the cloud
on their title, immediately went back on his word, and, in order to give
his conduct some show of justification, had thousands of Irish men and
women tried on an absurd charge of treason and their lands and goods
confiscated. The history of England, gleaned from the records of the
House of Commons, tells us that in two days over two thousand Irish were
indicted, “tried,” convicted and sentenced for treason, or one for each
one and one-half minutes in a working day of twelve hours; a fair sample
of English “justice” in Ireland. The English army overran Ireland,
slaughtered a very large number of men, women and children, besides
shipping many thousands to New England as slaves. These exiles were
obliged to change their names and adopt English names.
After the fall of Charles First, Cromwell started a similar crusade in
Ireland. He also caused to be sent to the colonies many thousands of
Irish boys and girls who were given names different from those of their
fathers. Cromwell also shipped large numbers of adults to the colonies
from Ireland where they were sold as slaves. In 1652, the Cromwell
Commission recommended that “Irish women as being too numerous now be
sold to merchants and transported to ... New England.” In 1653 Captain
John Vernon contracted with Messrs. Selleck and Leader for 250 women of
the Irish nation and 300 men “to transport them into New England”; these
to be secured in the country within twenty miles of Cork, Youghal,
Kinsale, Waterford and Wicklow.
The women thus sold into slavery were to be given in marriage to the
colonists, as it was impossible to get English women to emigrate to the
colonies willingly. Sales were conducted and each man paid for his wife
as he did for his chattels at public auction. An interesting account of
the manner of conducting these sales may be found in the histories of
Virginia and in a popular book of fiction of a few years ago: “To Have
and To Hold.”
So brisk was this trade for a time that finally the ship owners, in
their greed, forcibly abducted some English women and children, and this
led to the stopping of the traffic.
We see, therefore, some reason for the fact that many people of
undoubted Irish origin did not bear Irish names, some of them taking the
names of their owners, and others dropping their Irish names to save
themselves from persecution. In addition to this, no ship could clear
for the colonies from an Irish port. She must first proceed to an
English port and thence outward. When she did clear all her passengers
were required by law to adopt some name other than an Irish one. Lest I
be accused of romancing I will quote the law of England of the time:
[Illustration:
JAMES THOMPSON, ESQ.,
Of Louisville, Ky.
Vice-President of the Society for Kentucky.
]
“An Act that Irishmen dwelling in the counties of ... go appareled
like Englishmen, and wear their beards after the English manner, swear
allegiance, and take English sirnames; which sirnames shall be of one
town, as Sutton, Chester, Trim, Skyrne, Corke, Kinsale; or colors, as
white, black, brown; or arts or sciences, as smith, carpenter; or
office, as cook, butler, etc., and it is enacted that he and his issue
shall use this name under pain of forfeyting his goods yearly.”
(Paternalism with a vengeance. If the law had required him to wear a
monocle in his left eye the picture would have been complete, and
instead of building railroads he could have married an American
heiress.)
We can from this easily perceive the policy of England: to wipe out from
the minds of the Irish all thoughts of nationality, and to exterminate
the race.
Many of these exiles, of course, obeyed the law, as being along the
lines of least resistance. The banished children did not even know their
right names; and thus we see the names of Smith, Carpenter, Chester,
Sterling, Kinsale, White, Butler, etc., borne by Irishmen. We shall also
see that names distinctly Irish were found in Rhode Island at that
period, demonstrating one of two things, or perhaps both: that many of
the Irish were smuggled out of the country without touching at English
ports, and that many others, on arriving in this country, resumed their
original names.
The popular histories of England and the colonies make no note of these
facts, but there is a more reliable source than the histories for
confirmation of these assertions, and that is the records of England. It
is one of the established customs of English law to sacredly preserve
all papers of this character, and it is from these, even more authentic
than histories, that we have discovered the facts.
Thomas Hamilton Murray, late Secretary-General of the American-Irish
Historical Society, has compiled a list of Irish names in the records of
Rhode Island, giving the years in which the men were known to have lived
here. These are all strictly Irish names and exclude those of doubtful
origin:
Larkin, Dunn, 1655; Casey, 1663; Kelly, Macoone, 1669; Heffeman, 1671;
Martin, Macarthy, Long, 1677; Devett, 1685; Malavery, 1687; Dailey,
1689; Linniken, 1690; Cary, 1693; Dring, 1696; Doyle, 1698; Higgins,
1699; Moore, 1700; Walch, Mitchell, 1703; Coursey, 1713; Murphy, 1718;
Lawless, 1720; Carty, 1721; MacKown, 1723; O’Harra, 1728; Phelon,
1730; Shay, Joyce, 1731; Connor, Cassidy, 1732; Gallagher, 1736; Lyon,
Mackey, 1737; Hurley, McCane, Sullivan, 1740; Whelan, 1741; McGonegal,
Delaney, Farrell, Mulholland, Rourk, 1742; Dempsey, Fitzgerald, 1743;
Hanley, Egan, McDonald, 1745; Donnelly, Tally, Byrn, 1747; Lanahan,
Maguire, 1750; O’Brien, Donovan, Barrett, 1751; Cavenaugh, Flynn,
Murray, Hickey, 1752; Hartagan, 1753; McMullen, 1754; Burke, 1755;
Dwyer, O’Neil, Ryan, 1756; Magee, Donohue, 1758; Sheehan, Hearn,
McGrath, 1759; Mullen, 1760; Gorman, Lary, Dermott, Fitzpatrick, 1761;
Dunphy, 1765; Carroll, 1768; Roach, 1773; Mahoney, Rohan, 1774.
These are all names of people who lived in Rhode Island prior to the
American Revolution. When such a large number of names is found in the
records it is but fair to assume that there were many others to us
unknown and who lived and died without ever having their names recorded
anywhere.
In the early history of New England there were of course no directories
of names, few, if any, records of births, marriages or deaths, and
practically the only time when men’s names were written was in time of
war or public danger, and it is in war that we first find the names of
any large number of Irishmen in Rhode Island.
THE IRISH IN KING PHILIP’S WAR.
King Philip’s War started in 1675 and was begun for the purpose of
ending the rule of the white man in the colonies. Time will not admit of
a detailed account of the part played by the Irish in that terrible
conflict and only passing mention can be made.
Again taking the writings of Thomas Hamilton Murray (“Irish Soldiers in
King Philip’s War”) we find the names of one hundred and fourteen men of
undoubted Irish birth or descent. I have verified these names. The list
excludes the names of doubtful origin. It is to be borne in mind that
the men who wrote the names were, in many instances, guided largely by
sound, owing to the inability of the bearer of the name to spell it
correctly, or at all. The list follows:
Benjamin Barrett.
James Barrett.
John Barrett.
Peter Bennett.
William Blake.
John Bolen.
John Boyd.
Alexander Boyle.
John Brandon.
James Briarly.
Richard Brine.
Robert Bryan.
William Buckley.
Richard Burke.
Joseph Butler.
Phillip Butler.
Stephen Butler.
James Callan.
Daniel Canada.
John Cann.
James Carr.
John Cary.
Peter Cary.
John Casey.
John Clary.
Lawrence Clinton.
Joseph Collins.
Robert Corbett.
Richard Coy.
Timothy Cunnell.
John Davis.
Thomas Davis.
John Day.
William Day.
Hugh Drury.
John Drury.
James Ford.
Samuel Gary.
Thomas Gery.
John Gleeson.
Phillip Gleason.
John Good.
Daniel Gowen.
Matthew Griffin.
Richard Griffin.
John Hand.
James Harrington.
Lawrence Hart.
John Harvey.
William Harvey.
Sylvester Hayes.
John Healey.
Nathaniel Healey.
William Healy.
Daniel Herrington.
Joseph Holland.
James Hughes.
Matthew Hurley.
John Jackson.
Phillip Keane.
Lawrence Kellon.
Michael Kelly.
John Kennedy.
Henry Kenny.
Thomas Kenny.
Peter King.
John Lane.
Peter Lane.
John Larkin.
Edward Larkin.
Timothy Larkin.
Phillip Long.
John Lyon.
Thomas Lyon.
Charles Macarthy.
Daniel Magennis.
John Malone.
John Maloney.
William Manley.
Nicholas Manning.
Thomas Manning.
John Martin.
David Mead.
Peter Mellardy.
Daniel Moore.
Edward Moore.
Joseph Moore.
Patrick Moran.
Darby Morris.
Brian Murphy.
James Murphy.
Arthur Neale.
Jeremiah Neale.
Richard Nevill.
John Norton.
David O’Kelly.
James Read.
John Read.
Edward Reade.
John Riley.
James Ross.
Joseph Sexton.
Dennis Sheehy.
Thomas Tally.
Hugh Taylor.
Jeremiah Toye.
Daniel Tracy.
Daniel Warren.
Thomas Warren.
James Welch.
Phillip Welch.
Thomas Welsh.
Lawrence White.
Joseph Winn.
“Richard Brine” in the above list is undoubtedly Richard O’Brien,
“Daniel Canada,” Daniel Kennedy; and “John Cann,” John McCann. There are
many other names in the records who may have been Irish, like Owens,
Stewart, etc., but these are not claimed.
One Henchman was among the captains of the colonists in the campaign
against Philip at Mount Hope. In his command were Joseph Ford, John
Barrett, Daniel Magennis, a corporal, John Good, John Cann, or McCann,
Joseph Lyon, William Healy, Daniel Kennedy, John Moore, Patrick Moran,
William Manley and others.
Henchman marched to Dedham, along with a troop of cavalry under
Prentice, thence to Attleborough and Swanzey, where they joined Captain
Mosley. All then proceeded against Philip at Mount Hope. In Mosley’s
company were Richard Nevill, Joseph Sexton, Edward Reade, Samuel Lane,
Richard Brine, probably O’Brien, Thomas Welch, Peter Lane and Philip
Keane.
In Captain Wadsworth’s company were Matthew Hurley, James Ford, Robert
Corbett, James Stuart and William Lyon.
Under Captain Lathrop were William Buckley, Edward Moore and Stephen
Butler.
Major Willard’s command included Thomas Tally, Phillip Read, John
Barrett, John Healy, Daniel Gowen, John Gleeson.
Joseph Winn was in Captain Wheeler’s company; John Riley, Thomas Davis,
Sylvester Hayes and Arthur Neale, in Captain Appleton’s. John Lane, John
and William Day served under Captain Poole.
It was also necessary to garrison the towns and settlements to protect
the women and children from prowling Indians. Among those who did this
perilous work were John Cary, James Carr, John Malone, John Larkin,
Daniel Kennedy, Thomas Owen, Timothy Larkin, John Boyd, Thomas Welch,
Joseph Griffin, Brian Murphy, James Harrington.
In Captain Davenport’s company were Nathaniel Henly, John Drury, Daniel
Harrington, Jeremiah Toye, Patrick Moroney. Moroney is also mentioned as
having served under Captain Oliver; and Cornelius Davis is reported in
Mosley’s company.
In the Great Swamp Fight, which took place at South Kingstown on
December 19, 1675, we find Captains Mosley, Prentice, Davenport,
Appleton and Oliver, and as shown above, all these commands contained
many Irish.
In that fight Philip had assembled an army of three thousand warriors,
and had laid in his winter’s supplies, with the determination to hold
his position. We find the colonists wading through fifteen miles of snow
in the middle of winter and dislodging him; and if the history of the
Irish race on the battlefield proves anything it is fair to assume that
the Irish were not in the rear. The Swamp Fight was the beginning of the
end to Philip’s hopes.
In March, 1676, one Captain Michael Peirce had an engagement with a band
of Indians at Pawtucket. His force was wiped out and massacred. Two days
later the Indians crossed the Seekonk River and fell upon the
inhabitants of what is now Rumford. The old histories tell us that when
the Indians approached “Ye Irishman, Robert Beers, was sitting at a
window reading ye bible. He was warned of ye approach of ye Indians and
told to fly. He refused to move, saying that ‘he who was engaged in
ready Holy Writ would not be molested by ye enemy.’” The story goes on
to say that “ye Indians, disregarding ye biblical injunction,
incontinently scalped ye Irishman Robert.” Robert was a mason by trade,
and is the first Irishman of whom we have any record in the present town
of East Providence.
The war ended in 1676, on the murder of Philip at Mount Hope. The
Indians had devastated the entire colony. Crops were destroyed, or had
not been planted. There was neither food nor clothing. Nine hundred men
had fallen. Homes had been razed and starvation stared the colonies in
the face.
And here we see again of what the Irish are made. We see the people of
Ireland collecting money, food and clothing and fitting out the ship
“Katherine” and sending her to the relief of the colonies. History calls
this the “Irish Donation.”
Freeman, the historian, in mentioning the fact, says:
“It is somewhat remarkable that from ‘divers Christians’ in England
and Wales no word of cheer greeted the suffering colonists, and no
contribution, save that of Ireland, is recorded in this dark and
perilous period.” Continuing he says: “It is worthy of particular
notice, to the honor of humanity, that in the time of the distress of
the Plymouth and Massachusetts colonies, by reason of the wars, when
few families remained that were not in mourning for the loss of some
relative, and whose pecuniary embarrassments pressed upon them, the
donation from Ireland to which we referred ‘for the relief of the
impoverished, distressed and in necessity by the war’ was received. We
record with pleasure this noble instance of benevolent sympathy.”
Bailies, in “History of New Plymouth,” says:
“Ireland was the only place in the British European dominions which
bestowed any relief on the suffering colony.”
For a full account of the above see “Bodge’s Writings on King Philip’s
War”; Publications of the New England Historic, Genealogic Society;
Histories of Rhode Island and the Colonies; Writings of Thomas W.
Bicknell, and many other authorities therein cited.
In the records of the State of Rhode Island we learn that Michael Kelly
was a prominent man in the island of Conanicut as early as 1667. Michael
was apparently a Quaker, and was one of a committee of three formed in
that year for the purpose of defence against the Indians.
One of the founders of the town of East Greenwich was Charles Macarthy.
He was afterwards given five thousand acres of land by the General
Assembly for services in King Philip’s War.
Matthew Watson, another Irishman, was one of the most prominent
inhabitants of the town of Barrington as early as 1722. His history has
been written by Mr. Bicknell.
The present town of Warren was named in honor of Sir Peter Warren, an
Irishman.
Another prominent family in the life of Rhode Island from the beginning
to the present is that of Dorrance. We shall meet them again.
THE IRISH AND BROWN UNIVERSITY.
What is perhaps the most interesting of all, interesting because it
deals with the intellectual life of the state, is the story of the part
played by the Irish in the founding and maintaining of our most noted
institution of learning, Brown University.
I was always under the impression that if there was one institution in
the making of which we Irish had no part, that institution was the
college on the hill; and when I first read that the first money
contributed for its founding was obtained in Ireland, I confess that I
accused the writers of deserting the field of fact and entering the
realm of romance. Subsequent investigation, however, convinced me that
the claims of the Irish were established beyond peradventure, no less an
authority than the records of Brown itself proving our case.
To go back a little before the founding of the college, history tells us
of eight Irish schoolmasters who taught in Rhode Island during the
eighteenth century. Rev. James MacSparran, Rev. Marmaduke Brown, Stephen
Jackson, “Old Master” Kelly, Knox, Crocker, Terrence Reilly and John
Phelan.
MacSparran was an Irishman who settled here about 1718. For forty years
he was pastor of St. Paul’s Church in Narragansett, where he taught many
pupils at his home, among them Thomas Clapp, afterwards President of
Yale.
Rev. Marmaduke Brown, the son of Rev. Arthur Brown, a native of
Drogheda, county Louth, Ireland, where his mother was also born, was the
Rector of Trinity Church, Newport. He also had a school there. In 1763
he had a school of thirty, fifteen of each sex. He was a member of the
first Board of Fellows of Rhode Island College, now Brown University.
Stephen Jackson, a native of Kilkenny, came to America in 1724. In 1762
he was living on Benefit Street. One of his grandsons was for years town
clerk of the town of Providence, and one of his great-grandsons was
Governor of Rhode Island.
“Old Master Kelly” taught school at Tower Hill, South Kingstown, for a
great many years. Among his pupils was Oliver Hazard Perry, who, we
claim, was the son of an Irish mother. I have not gone into the ancestry
of Commodore Perry in detail, as the proper place for the treatment of
that subject is the history of the Irish Rhode Islanders in the war of
1812.
“Before 1800, Messrs. Knox and Crocker, natives of Ireland, taught
school at Bowen’s Hill (Coventry) and the neighborhood.” (Cole’s History
of Washington and Kent Counties.)
Terrence Reilly and John Phelan were schoolmasters in the time of the
Revolution, but after the founding of the college.
But the first man who ever caused the idea of a college to take definite
shape was none other than the ablest educator of them all, the Irish
bishop, George Berkeley, who was born in Kilkenny. He started for
America in 1729 for the purpose of educating and Christianizing the
American Indian. He arrived in Newport in the same year. His first idea
was to establish a college in Bermuda, but he soon changed his plan and
determined to establish it in this state. His plans did not mature and
he returned to Ireland. Shortly after his return he sent to Yale College
the best collection of books ever received in this country up to that
time. He also gave to the college a deed of his farm of ninety-six acres
in Rhode Island, to be held by trustees for the support of three
scholarships, to be bestowed upon the best classical scholars. The Rhode
Island farm was rented in 1762 for a period of 999 years, and the Dean’s
Bounty, as the fund is called, is still in existence and devoted to the
same purpose. He also contributed to the libraries of Harvard, King’s
College (now Columbia University), and the Redwood Library of Newport.
He was a famous scholar and poet and is best known as the author of the
line:
“Westward the star of empire takes its way.”
William E. Foster, librarian of the Providence Public Library, says of
him (in speaking of the founding of Brown): “By thus anticipating by a
third of a century the actual establishment of a college in Rhode
Island, his plans unquestionably had an important bearing on the steps
leading up to it.”
In 1762 the Philadelphia Baptist Association determined to form a
college in Rhode Island. Rev. Morgan Edwards and Rev. Samuel Jones were
placed in charge of the movement. The institution was incorporated in
1762 and was at first in Warren. In 1770 it was removed to Providence
and the name was changed to Brown University in 1804.
Doctor Guild in “The First Commencement of Rhode Island College” says:
“It is a singular and well-known fact ... that the first funds of the
college were obtained from Ireland, in guineas and half-guineas, from
Mary Murphy, Susanna Pilson, Joseph Fowke and other members of
Protestant churches and societies in Cork, Waterford, Belfast,
Ballymony, Coleraine, Londonderry and Dublin. This may be accounted for
when we learn that Mr. Edward’s first settlement in the ministry, before
coming to this country, was in Cork, where he married his wife (Mary
Nunn). The original subscription book, with genuine signatures, is one
of the most interesting documents on file in connection with the history
of the University.”
Morgan Edwards went to Ireland and England in 1767. The list of his
Irish contributors is a long one, and not all were Protestants. There
were several Catholic contributors, as shown by the histories of the
families in Ireland, still extant. Some of those who contributed were
Mary Murphy, Matthew O. Dwyer, Francis Macarthy, Humphrey Crowley,
Samuel Neale, Mrs. Luke Kelly, Rachel Connor, John Reilly, James Martin,
Samuel McCormick, James Brennan and many others.
In 1769–70, Rev. Hezekiah Smith solicited funds for the college in South
Carolina and Georgia. Among his contributors were Malachi Murfee, Edward
Dempsey, Charles Reilly, Patrick Hinds, James Welsh, Hugh Dillon, John
Boyd, Matthew Roach, John Canty and many others.
Someone has said that the names on the payrolls of the publications
controlled by James Gordon Bennett remind one of a Fenian Roster. With
as much truth could it be said that the names of the contributors to
Brown University in its infancy would be taken for the chief marshal and
his staff in a St. Patrick’s Day parade in Providence.
William Edwards, son of Morgan, was graduated from Brown in 1776.
Marmaduke Brown was a member of the first Board of Fellows. Another
graduate of Brown and afterwards one of its Board of Governors was John
Dorrance. George Dorrance and his two sons, George and James, came from
Ireland between 1715 and 1720, and settled in the town of Foster. John
graduated from Brown and was afterwards president of the Providence Town
Council for sixteen years.
Time will not admit of any further treatment of the history of Brown and
I will close this part by mentioning the names of only a few of the
graduates of Irish birth or ancestry in its early history: James
Sullivan, brother of Major-General John Sullivan, received the degree of
LL. D. in 1779; John Meredith Read, LL. D., John Mackie, A. B. 1800, M.
D. 1813; Andrew Mackie, 1814; Joseph Mulliken, 1817; John Sharp
Maginnis, 1844; Joseph Moriarty, 1830; Mark D. Shea and James G.
Dougherty, 1865.
We see from this brief account that the Irish race has done its part in
the making of Brown. From its inception until today hundreds of its
graduates of Irish birth or descent have left its halls and have gone
forth into the world, doing honor to their race and to their _alma
mater_. At present it numbers among its students many men and women of
that race. The President of the Class of 1910 in the Women’s College is,
I understand, a namesake of mine, Miss Lillian Ruth Cosgrove.
We are proud of the part played by our people in the history of Brown,
proud of its sons and daughters of our race. We are confident that some
day an Irish graduate of Brown will tell the world the whole story of
the Irish chapter in the history of Rhode Island; and may we not hope
that in the not far distant future we will see on the campus on the
hill, along with the statues of Marcus Aurelius and others, a monument
perpetuating the memory of the Irish men and women who made the dream of
the Irish Bishop Berkeley a living fact.
IRISH RHODE ISLANDERS IN THE REVOLUTION.
We now come to the greatest event in the history of our state and
nation, the American Revolution. We have heard and read so much about
the colonists throwing off the yoke of the “mother country” that it
would seem to be necessary to determine who is entitled to the credit of
being called the “mother country.”
Washington, Lee, Franklin, Custis and others, all men of English
descent, tell us that one-half of the continental army was Irish.
Galloway, Mountjoy and Robertson reported to England the same fact.
Galloway stated to a committee of the British House of Commons that:
“There were scarcely one-fourth natives of America; about one-half
Irish, the other fourth were English and Scotch.” We do not claim that
Galloway’s testimony was entirely trustworthy, and it is only quoted
here in corroboration of the testimony of the others.
In the story of the part played by the Irish Rhode Islanders in the
Revolution I have carefully omitted names of doubtful origin and have
confined myself to those whose nationality cannot be questioned.
In 1765 Rhode Island opposed the Stamp Act. In 1766 a Liberty Tree was
planted in Newport. In 1768 a similar event took place in Providence. In
1772 the “Gaspee” was attacked in the Providence River. Her commander
was wounded and Dr. Henry Sterling, an Irishman, lent him assistance. In
1775 James and Alexander Black, two Irishmen, were leading merchants in
Providence. On May 4th, 1776, the people of Rhode Island formally
renounced allegiance to England, two months before the signing of the
Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia.
The records in the State House and elsewhere show that some three
hundred soldiers of Irish birth or extraction enlisted from this state.
I have been conservative in my estimates and have excluded names which
may have been English, Irish or Scotch, as Carpenter, Chester, etc.,
although, as we have seen, these were as likely to be Irish as anything
else. A detailed list of these names may be found in Murray’s “Irish
Rhode Islanders in the American Revolution.” That publication also gives
the names of the Irish who enlisted in the Massachusetts, New Hampshire
and Connecticut regiments. These add several hundred more. In this
collection of names we find Bennets, Boyds, Carrolls, Caseys, Cooneys,
Daleys, Donohues, Dorrances, Fitzgeralds, Gallaghers, Hanleys, Hogans,
Larkins, Mahoneys, McCarthys, McDonalds, McNamaras, Murrays, Morans,
O’Briens, Murphys, Sullivans, Tracys, Watsons and Wrights. We also find
the three Irish fighting names: Kelly, Burke and Shea. These are only
some of the names found which include about every Irish name imaginable.
Likewise we find the names Blake, Bowen, Carr, Cummings, King, Harvey,
etc., but these are of doubtful origin and are not claimed by us.
Henry E. Knox, one of Washington’s generals, the son of an Irishman,
visited Rhode Island in 1776 and laid out certain forts at Newport.
At the beginning of the war Washington ordered two invading armies into
Canada. One of these was commanded by Richard Montgomery, a native of
Raphoe, County Donegal, Ireland. The other was commanded by Benedict
Arnold. In these armies were many Irish Rhode Islanders. Captain Simeon
Thayer of Providence organized a company for the expedition. In it were
John Barrett, John Carrell, Edward Connor, Thomas Garey, Patrick
Hannington, James Hayden, Cornelius Higgarty, Edward Mulligan, John
Ryan, Patrick Tracy and James Welch.
Captain Ward of Westerly also had a company on the expedition and this
included Thomas Dougherty and John Hickey. Captain Topham of Newport had
many Irish in his command. In this campaign every regiment from the
colonies contained numerous Irish soldiers, as shown by the muster
rolls.
In the spring of 1776 Washington ordered General Sullivan to the support
of the armies in Canada, assigning six regiments to his care. Owing to
the death of the commander-in-chief before Quebec the mission of
Sullivan was a failure. Sullivan’s regiments contained a large number of
Irish soldiers, but as we are concerned only with the Irish in Rhode
Island it is not necessary to mention all their names here.
Sullivan was given command of the army in Rhode Island in 1778. Under
him were Generals Lafayette and Greene, each commanding one-half of the
army, with Sullivan Commander-in-Chief. The object of Washington was to
emphasize the alliance with France by making a successful attack on the
British forces, military and naval, aided by the French fleet. Every
schoolboy knows the result of that campaign. How its complete success
was rendered impossible by a storm off Point Judith and how Sullivan,
Lafayette and Greene saved their forces from disaster by their masterly
tactics. With Sullivan were his two brothers, James and Eben, and the
muster rolls of the regiments in the Rhode Island campaign read like the
Directory of the Ancient Order of Hibernians.
I have purposely omitted to go into detail as to the history of the two
greatest Irishmen in the Revolution, Major General John Sullivan, and
Commodore Barry, “the Father of the American Navy.” My object has been
to record the deeds of the Irishmen who fought in the ranks rather than
to try to add lustre to those two men. Enough has been written of them.
Their story and their work are well known.
It is possible to mention the names of only a few Irish Rhode Islanders
who took part in the different battles of the Revolution:
George Dorrance was an ensign in the Regiment of Providence in the
“Army of Observation.” George Dorrance, probably the same, was, in
1780, lieutenant of the second company of Scituate. Again we find the
name as captain, in 1781, in a regiment raised by act of the General
Assembly and again we read of a George Dorrance commissioned Major in
the Third Regiment of Militia.
Dr. Henry Sterling, the Irish surgeon, is stated as “being in hearty
sympathy with the revolution and aided the patriot cause with his
advice and professional services.” He was born in Londonderry,
Ireland.
Patrick Tracy of Thayer’s company was killed before Quebec and Hagerty
and Hayden were wounded. In Colonel Elliot’s regiment were John
McCarthy, Cornelius Sullivan, John McCoy, John Lyon and Daniel Conway.
Thomas Hughes, known as “gallant Thomas Hughes,” was Irish, a captain
in the Revolution and a major in the War of 1812. Many articles have
been written about him, and as there are some of his descendants
living today, who have told of him better than I can do, I will pass
him with this brief mention. Miss Mary A. Greene, one of his
descendants, is a prominent Rhode Island writer and scholar.
William Ennis became a sergeant in Sherburn’s command. William Lawless
was a captain. William McCoy was a quartermaster in Colonel
Christopher Greene’s command. Rev. Erasmus Kelly lost his household
effects in Warren by pillage. James Foster, a native of Dublin, with a
name that would not indicate his Irish origin, “enlisted for the war.”
John Harrington was an ensign in Sheldon’s company. Elizabeth O’Brien
was a nurse. The name “Ensign M. Carthy,” probably Ensign McCarthy,
appears as among those of Israel Angell’s regiment. John Tracy was an
aide-de-camp on the staff of General Glover on the island of Rhode
Island under Sullivan. William Lawless, probably the person mentioned
before, was made captain in 1778 under Colonel Crary. Edward Ross was
an ensign in the Second Infantry Company of Westerly. William Creed
became a captain. John Larkin was, in 1776, a member for Hopkinton of
the “committee to procure arms and accoutrements.”
In the Rhode Island regiments at Yorktown were Dennis Hogan, sergeant;
John Butler, sergeant; Michael Kelly, Cornelius Driscoll, William
Sullivan, Nicholas Hart, Matthew Hart, Michael Doherty, Peter Burns,
James Hayes, Thomas Mitchell, Charles McAfferty, Michael Wright, John
Kirby, Matthew Henly, Christopher Moore, Anthony Griffin, Daniel and
Peter Collins, William McCall, John Haney, James Mitchell, Thomas
Melony, Francis Cavan, Hugh McDonald, John McDonald and many others.
Captain Olney’s company, known throughout the colonies for its many
deeds of courage, was the first to scale the walls of Yorktown. It
contained many Irish, as shown by its rolls.
Among the men of Irish descent in Lafayette’s army were Count Arthur
Dillon, Aide-de-Camp Isidore de Lynch (who afterwards became the
commander of the Irish-French regiment of Walsh), Lieutenant-Colonel
Barthelemy Dillon. Theobald Dillon also saw service in America and was a
member of the Cincinnati. Matthew Dillon also saw service here. M. de
McCarty was an officer with the French army at Newport and in the Rhode
Island campaign. Edward Stack, another Irishman, was with Rochambeau.
Some of the other Irishmen who served in America with the French were:
Commandant O’Neill, wounded at Savannah; Captain James Shee, Captain
MacDonnall, Captain Mullens, Lieutenant Taaffe, Lieutenant Farrell,
James O’Moran, Lacy and Whalen. Charles Geoghegan, an Irishman in the
French army, received the decoration of the Cincinnati at the hands of
Washington.
In the navy we find the Irish race well represented. It is, of course,
impossible to tell whence these sailors and marines came, but we know
that they served.
John Murphy of Rhode Island commanded a privateer. William Malone was
captain of the _Harbinger_. Francis Mulligan was the owner of the
_Chance_. Oliver Reed was master of the privateer _General Rochambeau_.
Peter Day commanded the _Molly’s Adventure_. M. Mackey was the commander
of the _Greyhound_.
Stephen Ready, John Welch, Edward McGrath, William Kelly, John Murphy
and Charles Buckley, all of Rhode Island, were imprisoned in England.
On the sloop _Providence_ we find Patrick McMullen, Matthew McCaffray,
Bernard Gallagher; on the _Alfred_, Patrick McNamara, George O’Hara,
armorer’s mate, Patrick O’Brien and William Burns; on the _Columbus_,
Edward Burke, Lieutenant of Marines, Thomas Burns, surgeon’s mate, John
McLaughlin, Peter Morris, Charles McDonald, Arthur Nagle and Thomas
Murray.
Mr. Field in his work, “Esek Hopkins, Commander-in-Chief of the
Continental Navy, 1775 to 1778,” tells us that in Hopkin’s command were
many Irishmen, some of them being Anthony Dwyer, Richard Sweeney,
Patrick Kaine, Thomas Doyle, John Connor, Andrew Magee, Thomas Dowd,
John Roatch and George Kennedy.
We also find Captain Mellaly commanding a privateer and capturing the
British sloop _Crawford_.
These are only a few of the names found in the records, but they show
unmistakably the part played by the men and women of our race in our
“Little Rhody” to and including the Revolution.
Some reliable writers have stated that the officers of the continental
army were twenty-five per cent Irish. Some of them were Generals Stephen
Moylan (first president of the Friendly Sons of Saint Patrick of
Philadelphia), Henry E. Knox (first Secretary of War), John Shee, “Mad
Anthony” Wayne, Matthew Irvine, Edward Hand, Richard Butler, Walter
Stewart and William Thompson; Colonels John Nixon, Sharp Delaney,
Charles Stewart, John Patton, George Lattimer, Thomas Robinson, Barrett,
Smith and Davis; Captain Parker and many others. As we have seen, there
were many officers of lesser rank, both in the army and the navy.
Among the first sea fights of the Revolution was the capture of the
British sloop _Margaretta_ at Machias Bay on the coast of Maine, May
11th, 1775, known as “The Lexington of the Seas.” The Americans were
commanded by Captain O’Brien, the son of a native of Ireland.
Captain Parker, killed at Lexington, was an Irishman, as were Colonels
Barrett, Smith and Davis, who commanded at Concord. The monument at
Bunker Hill is covered with Irish names.
The two most famous women of the Revolution were Molly Pitcher and Nancy
Hart, both Irish.
But it was not alone in battle that our race distinguished itself. At
Valley Forge the army of Washington was in dire peril. The troops had
neither food, clothing, shelter nor equipment. Disaster met them
everywhere and failure threatened the patriot cause. Faultfinders and
malcontents were urging the giving up of the struggle. The hopes of
Washington and his devoted band had almost disappeared, when thirty
Irishmen of the Friendly Sons of Saint Patrick of Philadelphia
subscribed six hundred thousand dollars. When we consider what that
amount of money meant in those days, is it not fair to assume that this
contribution was the real means by which the power of England was
finally driven from this continent? It entailed hardships and sacrifices
which we cannot appreciate now. Robert Morris, a banker, and Blair
McClenachan gave fifty thousand dollars each. James Mease, a native of
Strabane, County Tyrone, Ireland, and General Matthew Irvine gave
twenty-five thousand dollars each and the other members subscribed the
remainder.
Among the fifty-six signers of the Declaration of Independence were
eleven of Irish birth or descent: John Hancock, William Whipple, Matthew
Thornton, John Hart, George Taylor, George Read, James Smith, Thomas
McKean, Charles Carroll, Edward Rutledge and Thomas Lynch.
The Declaration of Independence is in the handwriting of Charles
Thompson, a native of Londonderry. It was first read to the public in
Philadelphia by John Nixon, son of a native of Wexford and a member of
the Friendly Sons of Saint Patrick, and was first printed by John
Dunlap, a native of Strabane, county Tyrone, Ireland.
When the colonists sought the assistance of France Bishop Carroll
accompanied Benjamin Franklin to that country and it was due mainly to
the Bishop’s representations that French assistance was obtained.
[Illustration:
HON. ELMER J. RATHBUN.
Justice of the Superior Court of the State of Rhode Island.
A Member of the Society.
]
In all the battles of the Revolution, at Bunker Hill, Concord,
Lexington, Monmouth, Valley Forge and Yorktown, we did our part. In the
hour of the nation’s peril we gave freely of our substance. We helped to
kindle and keep alive the flame of liberty. Wherever and whenever men
were needed there were found Irish hearts and Irish hands ready to give
up all for the establishment of free institutions, for the right of a
nation to be free. Here at last we had found a country worth fighting
for and worth dying for. Here we had found the principle of individual
liberty a living, throbbing thing. We have been true to America,
whatever our enemies may say; we are true to it today; and America knows
that if ever the liberties of the republic are threatened the Irish, of
whatever faith or political belief, will be found doing their part as of
old.
In peace and in war we have done our part. We are doing it today and
will continue to do so as long as the fame of Washington and Lincoln
endure. We stand for patriotism, for respect for just laws, for the
sanctity of the marriage tie, for the purity of our homes, the education
of our children and the morality of the people. S. Banks Nelson, an
Irish clergyman of this state, has stated that we govern every nation
but our own. We also submit to government and the history of our own
city of Providence for the last few years has shown that religious
bigotry or race prejudice are not failings of the Irish race in Rhode
Island.
All we ask is our share of that reward that goes to labor well
performed. We ask to be treated justly. We do not claim office because
we are Irish and, on the other hand, we insist that office shall not be
denied us because of that fact. We have made mistakes and will make
them, but they are not fatal. We stand on our record as American
citizens and as such entitled to an equal share in its government. All
we ask is that you sympathize with us in our struggle, that you teach
your children some little knowledge of our history, that you learn to
know us as we are and not as we are sometimes represented. Above all we
ask you never to permit men or women, on the stage or elsewhere, to
utter indecencies or obscenities in the name of our womanhood; for all
must admit that our women, by their matchless purity and virtue, are the
honor and glory of humanity.
CAPTAIN JOHN O’BRIEN OF MACHIAS, MAINE—REVOLUTIONARY HERO—A BIOGRAPHICAL
SKETCH.
BY REV. ANDREW M. SHERMAN, LL. D., OF MORRISTOWN, NEW JERSEY.
Captain John O’Brien, the subject of this sketch, was the third eldest
son of Morris O’Brien and Mary O’Brien, and was born in 1750, in
Scarboro, on the Maine seacoast, about ten miles to the southwestward of
Portland.
At the early period under present review, the region including Scarboro
was greatly harassed by the Indians, whose depredations are said to have
sometimes been instigated by the French, who were jealous of the English
settlers in western Maine (then a part of the Province of
Massachusetts), and hoped to thus drive out the English already there,
and prevent others from coming into what was regarded as preëmpted
territory.
In consequence of the frequent attacks of the Indians upon the English,
at Scarboro, it sometimes became necessary, as a means of
self-preservation, for the settlers to flee into the surrounding
wilderness, and there carefully secrete themselves until the savages
should depart from the vicinity; when they would return to their homes,
which were sometimes found to have been despoiled and destroyed during
their enforced absence.
While John O’Brien was an infant in his mother’s arms, an attack upon
the English settlement at Scarboro, by the Indians, was threatened; and
it was therefore resolved to flee for safety into the surrounding
wilderness. Fearing that the crying of the infant would disclose to the
savages the direction to be taken by the settlers in their flight, and
also their chosen hiding-place, it was advised, and insisted that the
mother leave her infant behind, in the settlement. Against this she
earnestly protested, assuring her neighbors that she could keep the
infant quiet. She was, therefore, allowed to take the infant along.
Folding him affectionately to her breast, and soothing him as only a
fond mother could, she succeeded in keeping the infant quiet, not only
during their hasty flight but during their sojourn in the depths of the
wilderness.
This incident is related by the descendants of Captain John O’Brien as a
most impressive illustration of mother-love, which, indeed, it is. They
congratulate themselves also upon the fact that an infant who, on
reaching manhood, became so famous as he as a patriot and as a
successful privateersman in connection with the Revolution; and so
conspicuous, in later years, as a citizen and as a man of affairs,
should have been thus providentially preserved in tender infancy from
the hands of hostile Indians.
To the terrors of Indian depredations, experienced by the early settlers
of Scarboro, were added those of extensive forest fires, which sometimes
devastated the entire region about them, and threatened their
extinction.
Of the boyhood of John O’Brien, in Scarboro, little has been preserved.
He must, however, have been different from other boys of his age, if he
did not, living in such close proximity to the water, acquire a fondness
for it. This much is certainly known; that in the autumn of 1765, when
the robust boy was about fifteen years of age, the entire family,
comprising Mr. and Mrs. O’Brien and six sons and three daughters,
removed to Machias, on the southeasterly coast of Maine; the father and
two eldest sons having been down there on a prospecting trip, in a
sailing vessel, during the previous year.
From the arrival of the lad, John O’Brien, in Machias, until the
breaking out of the Revolution, little or nothing is certainly known
concerning him. That he attended school, for a time, at least; and that
he engaged in the usual sports of lusty boyhood, including swimming,
fishing and boating, may be safely inferred. Neither is it a far-fetched
conclusion, that, on attaining to a suitable age, he assisted his
father, and two eldest brothers, Jeremiah and Gideon, in the sawmills
erected by them in Dublin, as the southern village of Machias was early
named, and by which it is still known.
The Machias River, which separates the northern and southern villages of
Machias, empties into Machias Bay, about four miles to the southeastward
of the town; and the river, as far inland as Machias, is navigable for
large vessels. Machias, therefore, was, and is a seaport town; and
vessels of various kinds were constantly arriving and leaving. Machias
early became the shiretown of Lincoln County, now Washington County, and
hence was a place of considerable importance. In the light of these
facts it is not surprising that most of Morris O’Brien’s “six strapping
boys” were, in early life, at least, seafaring men; for from their
peculiar environment they naturally acquired a taste for that sort of
employment. John O’Brien, as will be seen, devoted himself, in later
life, exclusively to commercial and mercantile pursuits, with excellent
success; indeed, had the acquisition of “filthy lucre” been his chief
ambition, he might easily have become one of the wealthiest men of his
time.
It is in connection with the outbreak of the Revolution that the subject
of this sketch first comes into public notice as a citizen and an ardent
patriot; and as the war progressed, his fame as a privateersman
increased. His achievements as a privateersman have never received the
publicity they unquestionably deserve; and it will be the aim of this
sketch to acquaint the American reading people, so far as can be done in
the limited space allowed, with the story of the truly romantic career
of this hitherto “unsung hero” of New England.
John O’Brien, at the outbreak of the Revolution, was about twenty-four
years of age. He was fully six feet in height; and must have weighed at
that time not far from one hundred and seventy-five pounds. That he was
well endowed with force of character was amply demonstrated at the very
opening of his public career; as an illustration of which it may be said
that none was more resolutely opposed to, nor more fearlessly outspoken
against the repeated acts of tyranny of the mother country, than he. He
was a member of the first Committee of Safety appointed in Machias,
after the issuance of the proclamation of the Provincial Congress of
Massachusetts, authorizing and requiring preparations and efforts to be
made incident to a state of hostility.
At the first recorded gathering of the Machias patriots, held in the
east room of the Burnham Tavern,[21] John O’Brien was present, and gave
his hearty assent to the proposition for the erection of a liberty pole
in the village, as a symbol of the freedom, for the achievement of which
the people of that then isolated frontier town were willing, if need be,
to sacrifice their fortunes and their lives. In procuring, and afterward
raising the liberty pole, young O’Brien played a unique and conspicuous
part.
When Captain Moore, the gallant young Irishman commanding the British
armed schooner “Margaretta,” then lying at anchor in the Machias River,
came on shore, and demanded that the liberty pole be taken down, John
O’Brien, on behalf of the inhabitants, defiantly refused to accede to
the peremptory demand of the King’s officer, The following
conversation[22] is said to have taken place:
“Who erected this pole?” inquired Captain Moore, as he came ashore
from the “Margaretta”; to which the staunch Machias patriot, John
O’Brien, replied:
“That pole, sir, was erected by the unanimous approval of the people
of Machias.”
“Well, sir,” said Moore, “with or without their approval, it is my
duty to declare it must come down.”
“Must come down!” repeated O’Brien, with warmth. “Those words are
easily spoken, my friend. You will find, I apprehend, that it is
easier to make than it will be to enforce a demand of this kind.”
“What! Am I to understand that resistance will be made? Will the
people of Machias dare to disregard an order, not originating with me,
but the government whose officer I am?”
“The people of Machias,” replied O’Brien, “will dare do anything in
maintenance of their principles and rights!”
“It is useless to bandy words,” rejoined the officer, a little nettled
at the determined spirit manifested around him; “my orders are
peremptory, and must be obeyed. That liberty pole must be taken down,
or it will be my painful duty to fire on the town!”
From that rash act, however, Moore was dissuaded by a mutual friend; and
the liberty pole stood until it “rotted down!”
To John O’Brien, so it is said by some writers, belongs the honor of
proposing, at a meeting of the Machias patriots, held in a private house
soon after the notable gathering in the Burnham Tavern, that Captain
Moore be seized while attending the village church, on the following
Sunday; after which, in accordance with the well-conceived plan there
agreed upon, the “Margaretta” was to be captured, also. In compliance
with young O’Brien’s expressed wish, he was chosen to be the principal
actor in the proposed seizure of Moore.
John O’Brien, as he subsequently stated, hid his gun under a board,
before entering the church. He was expected, at a signal to be given by
one of the patriots outside of the church, to personally seize Captain
Moore, when his compatriots were to come to his assistance. So far as
young O’Brien was concerned, the preliminaries were well carried out.
Because of the vigilance and prompt action of the British officer,
however, the plan for the seizure miscarried. Receiving timely warning
of the trap into which he was being lured, he escaped from the church by
way of a low, open window. On reaching his vessel, he was quickly
assisted on board by an officer awaiting his arrival; and, after firing
a few shots over the villagers’ heads, for intimidation, he dropped down
the river to a place of safety.
When it had been resolved by a few of the bolder spirits of Machias to
attack and capture the “Margaretta,” by pursuing and boarding her, John
O’Brien and his five brothers, Jeremiah, Gideon, William, Dennis and
Joseph, were among the party of about thirty-five who sailed down the
Machias River in the lumber sloop “Unity,” on that extremely hazardous
undertaking. After the little American sloop had entered Machias Bay,
and the “Margaretta” had been sighted, Jeremiah O’Brien was unanimously
chosen to the command of the “Unity.”
“The first man who boards her (the “Margaretta”) shall be entitled to
the palm of honor,” said Captain Jeremiah O’Brien, soon after taking
command of the lumber sloop.
After the “Margaretta” had been sighted in Machias Bay, where she was
becalmed, the American sloop was brought alongside of her. As the two
vessels came together, the rigging of the “Unity” became entangled with
that of the British vessel. The two vessels had no sooner touched, than
John O’Brien, who was standing at the bow of the “Unity,” leaped aboard
the “Margaretta.” Almost at the same moment, the American sloop, having
no grappling-irons, the vessels suddenly parted and young O’Brien was
left alone on the quarterdeck of the British schooner. Seven Britishers
almost simultaneously fired at the intrepid Yankee boarder; but he was
unhurt. The Britishers then charged upon O’Brien with their bayonets;
and to save his life he jumped overboard and started to swim to the
Yankee sloop, which had then drifted about seventy-five feet away.
On reaching the side of the American sloop, John O’Brien was promptly
assisted on board. As he stepped upon the deck of the “Unity,” his
brother, Captain Jeremiah, grasped him by the hand, exclaiming, as he
did so:
“Brother John, you’ve won the palm;” and then addressing his men, he
continued: “But man the sweeps, my hearties, and lay us alongside once
more, and stand ready to fasten on to him when you reach him.”
For the second time the two vessels came together; and this time, in
accordance with orders, they were fastened together.[23] The
“Margaretta” was boarded, and in an hour’s time was captured, and was
taken in triumph up the river to Machias, reaching the wharf at about
sunset of the same day, which was the 12th of June, 1775. Captain Moore,
the gallant commander of the captured British vessel, was mortally
wounded, and died next day in Machias.
John O’Brien, as a recognition of the conspicuous bravery exhibited by
him in the capture of the “Margaretta,” was sent, by the Machias
Committee of Safety to the Provincial Congress, then in session at
Watertown, Massachusetts, to officially inform that body of the
brilliant victory won, and to ask protection for the feeble settlements
in eastern Maine, including Machias.
The news of the splendid victory in Machias Bay spread rapidly through
the Colonies, and everywhere the colonists were stirred with the
ambition to emulate the achievement of the Machias lumbermen.
The “Unity” was at once fitted out as a cruiser, the armament of the
“Margaretta” being transferred to her. She was re-named the “Machias
Liberty,”[24] and Captain Jeremiah O’Brien was appointed as her
commander.
After the capture, in July, 1775, of the British armed vessels
“Diligence” and “Tapnaquish,” near Buck’s harbor, in which captures John
O’Brien, on his brother Jeremiah’s vessel took part, the former vessel
was refitted as an American cruiser. Of the “Machias Liberty” (or
“O’Brien”), Jeremiah O’Brien was continued as commander; and his younger
brother, William, was appointed First Lieutenant. John Lambert was
appointed to the command of the “Diligence,” and John O’Brien was
appointed as First Lieutenant. The “Diligence” had a crew of forty men,
and carried eight guns and twenty swivels.
For nearly a year, the “Machias Liberty” and the “Diligence,” by order
of the Provincial Congress of Massachusetts, cruised, chiefly up and
down the eastern coast, protecting American shipping, and capturing
British prizes. John O’Brien contributed in no small measure to the
success of the cruise. Sometime in the early part of 1776 the
“Diligence” was laid up; but the “Machias Liberty” was continued a few
months longer in the Provincial service.
During the night following its capture, the “Margaretta” was taken up
Middle River, a branch of the Machias River, a few miles, and there
beached.[25] “We cut down trees and bushes and enclosed her from view so
much as we could and returned to Machias in season for a late
breakfast,” said one who took an active part in the disposal of the
captured British schooner.
Early in the autumn of 1776, John O’Brien, and a few others, uncovered
and floated the “Margaretta,” and brought her down the Middle River and
fitted her out as a privateer. New sails were made, a few five-pounders
were placed on board; and with a crew of about twenty men she set sail,
under the command of Captain John O’Brien, in search of British prizes,
of which he brought several into Machias.
It was late in September or early in October, 1776, that the
“Margaretta,” re-named the “Machias Cruiser,” sailed from Machias, going
westward. When in the vicinity of Mt. Desert, O’Brien espied in the
offing what he supposed was a British merchant vessel, going to the
eastward. Upon drawing nearer to the vessel, with a view to giving her
battle, O’Brien ascertained that she was a British warship. Crowding on
all sail, he turned the prow of the “Machias Cruiser” away from the
enemy, for which he well knew his vessel was no match. He hoped to be
able to reach Machias Bay, and there find harbor and shelter. The
British warship was gaining rapidly on the American vessel; sending a
shot now and then after O’Brien, whose vessel, however, remained
unharmed. When off Sawyer’s Cove, about forty miles to the eastward of
Mt. Desert, O’Brien, who saw that he would be overtaken by his fleet
pursuer, ran his vessel into the cove, beached her on the flats, and he
and his men jumped into the shallow water and swam and waded ashore.
They found shelter in half a dozen dwelling houses in the vicinity. This
was the first and the last defeat Captain John O’Brien, in his long
career, ever suffered.
As near as can now be ascertained, it was sometime during 1778 or early
in 1779, that Captain John O’Brien removed to Newburyport,
Massachusetts; and his brothers, Dennis and Joseph, soon after followed
him to the same village in Newbury township. In Newburyport, the three
brothers jointly engaged in mercantile and commercial pursuits.
On the 21st of September, 1779, Captain John O’Brien and Miss Hannah
Tappan, daughter of Richard Tappan, were united in marriage. They had
first met during a previous visit of Captain O’Brien to Newburyport. It
is said that Miss Tappan was at first attracted to Captain O’Brien
because of what she had heard of his highly meritorious connection with
the capture of the “Margaretta”; in her eyes he was, therefore, a hero.
In Newburyport, Captain and Mrs. O’Brien moved in the best society of
the place; his reputation as a prominent character in connection with
the Revolution, and his upright, manly bearing, opening to him the
avenues of entrance to society. As a full-dressed gentleman of the
period, he is said to have made a very fine appearance. One of Captain
John O’Brien’s descendants, a grandson, thus speaks of his ancestor: “In
the olden times, when my grandfather was in his prime, his ships visited
the Indies, and the rich owners lived in stately mansions and made a
great display of style in dress and manner. The gentlemen of fashion
almost outdid the ladies in the neatness of their attire. I have in my
possession some articles of dress worn by my grandfather when he lived
in Newbury; they answer to the description given by the historians of
the time of the brilliant appearance which a full-dressed gentleman must
have made in a social party. A long blue coat, with ample pockets and
silver buttons; a white satin vest, of capacious dimensions; velvet
breeches reaching to the knees and fastened there by silver buckles;
silk stockings and buckled shoes; ruffles in the bosom, and at the
wrists, and a richly embroidered scarf around the neck—all this gorgeous
array presents a striking contrast to the studied simplicity of a
gentleman’s dress in our day. Later in life, my grandfather laid off
some of this finery; but he retained his ‘small clothes’ and knee
buckles and silk stockings to the last.
During the summer of 1780, Captain John O’Brien and his brother Joseph
built in Newburyport a vessel intended for the privateer service. She
was named the “Hannibal,” and was to carry twenty-four guns and have a
crew of one hundred and thirty men. On her first cruise, to Port au
Prince, San Domingo, she was commanded by Captain John O’Brien; he
captured several important British prizes.
After the capture of the “Hannibal,” while in command of Captain
Jeremiah O’Brien, by the British,[26] late in 1780 or early in 1781,
Captain John O’Brien and a few others built in Newburyport another
vessel for the privateer service, which was named the “Hibernia.” She
was a small vessel, but a splendid sailer. The “Hibernia” carried six
three-pound guns. Of this vessel Captain John O’Brien took command
(Captain Jeremiah O’Brien was then on board the prison ship Jersey, at
Wallabout Bay). Captain John O’Brien inflicted great damage upon British
shipping with the “Hibernia.” On his first cruise, which lasted less
than four weeks, he captured three brigs, a ship and two schooners from
the enemy. During this cruise O’Brien met with a sixteen-gun British
ship of war, with which he engaged in a fight lasting nearly two hours.
From this evidently unequal encounter he escaped with the loss of three
killed and several wounded. One of the wounded men on board the
“Hibernia” had an arm shattered by a cannon-shot from the enemy. The
surgeon on board, instead of proceeding to amputate the arm, stood
trembling, afraid to undertake the operation. The wounded man was
rapidly bleeding to death. Captain O’Brien drew his pistol, and,
pointing it at the surgeon, said: “Do your duty, sir, or I’ll blow your
brains out!” The arm was speedily amputated, and the man’s life was
thereby saved.
As a result of a subsequent cruise in the “Hibernia,” Captain John
O’Brien brought into Newburyport eleven British merchant vessels, all
richly laden, out of a fleet of twelve with which he had fallen in off
the mouth of the Narrows, below New York.
Captain O’Brien, while cruising in the vicinity of New York, espied a
large vessel which he supposed was a British merchantman, and he at once
“bore down” upon the craft. Upon ascertaining that the vessel was a
British man-of-war, O’Brien immediately crowded on all sail, and,
suddenly altering the course of the “Hibernia,” ran from the enemy’s
vessel. The British man-of-war pursued the “Hibernia,” and as the former
was the faster sailer, she was rapidly gaining on the American
privateer. It was then nearly dusk. As soon as darkness settled down
upon the water, O’Brien ballasted a hogshead, set firmly in one side of
it a pole, at the top of which he placed a large, lighted lantern.
Lowering the hogshead into the water, O’Brien ordered an anchor cast;
the fog, by this time being so dense that the “Hibernia” could not be
discerned by the British man-of-war. The heavy muffled sound of booming
cannon was soon heard on board the American privateer. It proved to be
the enemy furiously bombarding the floating hogshead, which had been
taken by the British commander for the “Hibernia.” At length silence
reigned. When morning broke, the British man-of-war was nowhere to be
seen; the commanding officer no doubt congratulating himself upon the
destruction of O’Brien’s vessel.
“It has been said,” remarks a Machias friend of Captain O’Brien, “and is
doubtless in the main true, that the proceeds of the sales of the
vessels and cargoes captured by Captain John O’Brien during the
Revolution, contributed to the foundation of the fortunes of many of the
residents of Newburyport, into which they were brought.” Captain
O’Brien, upon delivering the captured prizes at the wharves or out in
the harbor, would say: “Here, boys, you take care of these, and I’ll go
out for more.” He evidently did not care so much for money as he did for
the opportunity of seeing the British flag come down.
“He had a heart as big as an ox,” is the estimate of Captain O’Brien
given by those well qualified to judge in the matter.
Of the home of Captain John O’Brien, in Newburyport, a granddaughter
says, in some papers left by her at her decease:
“Most of my childhood and youth was spent in the house of my maternal
grandfather. I loved my own home, my little flower bed, my dog, my
brothers; I reverenced my father almost to idolatry, and doted on my
sweet, indulgent mother, but I recollect no such expansion of feeling
as I always experienced at my grandfather’s. There was a life and a
movement in the family, a freedom just within the bounds of license,
and an overflowing joyfulness which suited my buoyant and eager
temper. His residence was in a large and pleasant seaport town in
Massachusetts; the dwelling, a handsome three-story house, stood on a
little eminence, withdrawn from the public road, and commanding from
the upper windows a delightful view of the town, the surrounding
country, and the distant sea.
“The house, in front, and at the ends appeared square, but on reaching
the rear it was perceived that the ends projected perhaps twenty feet
beyond the main body, leaving a deep recess which looked a little like
the interior court in eastern dwellings. This was a cool and shady
spot, the grass growing thick and green under foot, and all around the
three enclosed sides of the house, immense bushes of roses, white and
red, rich and fragrant enough for Paradise, climbed almost to the
chamber windows. Through the centre ran a narrow gravel-walk to a door
which opened opposite the large front entrance, and this arrangement
gave in summer a delightful draft, and made this little court one of
the pleasantest of retreats. A wooden platform, perhaps five feet
wide, ran the whole length of the rear, and here, in a sunny day, lay
old Bravo, that wondrous dog, who had gone through almost as many
adventures as his master, basking in the warm beams. Here, too, in a
warm afternoon, sat Uncle Joseph, that pleasantest of granduncles, in
his morning gown, with his pipe in his mouth, ready with his joke for
every passerby. I have good cause to remember him, for I was his pet
and plaything, and was teased and indulged for his amusement more than
was good for my temper.”
After the close of the Revolution, Captain O’Brien continued for several
years to reside in Newburyport. In command of his own vessels he visited
many ports, American and foreign; including Philadelphia, the West
Indies, Liverpool, London, France and Spain. During one of his visits in
London, he purchased some long silk stockings, such as were worn by
gentlemen at the time. On the voyage home he opened the package only to
discover that he had paid for a lot of stocking legs, minus feet. Being
in London a few months later, he made a second purchase of silk
stockings in the same store where the first lot had been purchased. The
English merchant did not recognize his customer. The price asked by the
merchant was very low for the quality of stockings offered. Taking
advantage of the low price asked, Captain O’Brien made a large purchase,
and laid the pay, in gold, on the counter. Upon seeing the merchant
about to take the stockings purchased, away, ostensibly to wrap them,
Captain O’Brien took the purchase from the counter, remarking, as he did
so: “Don’t trouble yourself, I’ll take them as they are”; and, to the
great disgust of the tricky Englishman, O’Brien at once left the store
with his purchase. The London merchant was outwitted by the Yankee
customer; for he intended to repeat the dishonesty of the first
transaction.
Captain John O’Brien was once challenged by a Frenchman to fight a duel;
the Frenchman having for some reason taken offense. The challenge was
accepted, and as the challenged party, Captain O’Brien chose as his
weapon, a cannon; and in accordance with the rules of duelling, he was
to have the first shot. Upon being informed of the weapon chosen by the
visiting Yankee, the Frenchman, hitherto so brave, was terrified, and
withdrew his challenge.
Having disposed of his cargo in a foreign port into which he had sailed,
Captain O’Brien went on board his vessel with the proceeds of the sale,
which was in gold. This he had placed in his capacious satin vest
pocket. During his absence on shore the crew of his vessel had formed a
plot to kill him when he came on board, and take from him, and divide
among themselves, the large amount of money they knew he would have
about his person. Captain O’Brien had no sooner stepped upon the deck of
his vessel than one of the crew, chosen for the work, struck him on the
head with a mauling spike. He fell, stunned, upon the deck. After taking
from his vest pockets the gold, several of the mutinous crew threw the
unconscious officer overboard. As he struck the water (this he
subsequently related), he partially recovered consciousness; but down,
down, down he went, until his feet touched bottom, when he gave an
energetic spring upward, and soon reached the surface. Having fully
recovered consciousness, he swam for his vessel, which was but a short
distance away. While Captain O’Brien was in the water the crew had
attempted to kill his brother, William, the first mate; but he had
escaped from his would-be murderers by seeking shelter behind one of the
big guns on board. Unseen by the crew, Captain O’Brien reached the deck
of his vessel, and immediately seizing a mauling spike, he rushed into
the midst of the mutineers, swinging the heavy instrument to the right
and left with tremendous vigor. Supposing Captain O’Brien to be an
apparition, as they took it for granted he had been drowned, the
mutineers became so thoroughly affrighted that they tumbled almost
headlong down the hatchway, hastily closing it after them. Captain
O’Brien, with the assistance of the first mate, at once securely
fastened the hatchway. He then went on shore and notified the civil
authorities of the mutiny of the crew, and of their attempt upon his
life, and that of his brother, William. The mutineers, twenty-five in
number, were arrested, tried, convicted and sentenced to death. Through
the intercession of Captain O’Brien, however, the sentence of death was
changed to banishment to a desert island. “My grandfather, though so
bold, was also tenderhearted,” said one of his descendants, “and could
not bear to have so many lives taken, especially as some of the crew
had, he believed, been dragged into the mutiny; so he interceded for
them with the government, and obtained a commutation of the penalty.”
“One day while in Madrid,” I now quote the words of a descendant, “he
(Captain O’Brien) visited a friend at his house; and when leaving,
toward evening, to return to the ship (the harbor was several miles from
the city), he was presented with a stout cane, an Irish shilelah, with
the remark that he might find it useful sometime for self-defense. My
grandfather accepted the cane, and, thanking his friend, went out to
hire a hack which should take him to the port. He passed along a row of
carriages, but no driver was willing to go out of the city at so late an
hour, till he reached the very last man of all. When asked whether he
would go, he glanced at the sun, now almost down, and intimated that he
would. He was a suspicious looking fellow, whom one would not care to
meet in a lonely place, but there was no choice. So he mounted the
carriage and was driven off. My grandfather was said to have never known
fear, and his courage stood him in good stead now. There was a partition
between the two men. When they were well out of the city, in the open
country, my grandfather observed the driver making a movement as if to
get nearer to him. Watching his chance, just as the fellow raised his
body, my grandfather planted his feet against the driver and pushed him
off the seat on to the ground. Then instantly jumping out, Captain
O’Brien stood directly over the prostrate and astonished driver, with
his stout cudgel in his hand, and exclaimed: ‘Now, get on that seat, and
drive me as I tell you, or I’ll knock your brains out!’ The wretch taken
by surprise, and perceiving that he had fallen into formidable hands,
dared not disobey. As the driver sprang to his seat, my grandfather
instantly followed him, holding over him his shilelah, ready to execute
his threat. When they reached the port, the sun was set. My grandfather
jumped off the carriage, threw some money upon the ground and went
aboard his ship.
“Some years after, he chanced to meet his friend, who expressed great
surprise at seeing him. ‘What, are you alive, Captain! When I learned
that you had left the city with that villain of a driver, I never
expected to see you again. It is notorious that he has killed many
persons under similar circumstances.’
“‘Thanks for your shilelah,’ said my grandfather, ‘which through a kind
Providence saved me from death. I shall always cherish it as a memento
of my friend, and for the good service it did me.’”
In the year 1820, Captain John O’Brien removed to Brunswick, Maine,
where he had purchased about twenty acres of land. Upon a portion of
this land he built a house, said to have been the finest in the place.
Here, Captain O’Brien resolved to spend the remainder of his days in
well-earned rest from a long, arduous and highly eventful public
career.[27]
Another grandson of Captain O’Brien thus speaks of the latter’s home in
Brunswick: “Without the slightest exaggeration I can say, that my
grandfather’s place was a ‘glowing rose-garden of rapture,’ a paradise;
and when its pearly gates now and then opened to let me in for a few
days’ visit, I was perfectly happy. When the time came to leave, though
I had a good home to go to, it was, I imagine, with some such feelings
as Adam had when he turned his back upon Eden, only that I had this
advantage over my unhappy progenitor, that I was not forbidden to return
some happy day. What a halo about that spot, to my youthful imagination!
There was no place like it in the world; how pleasant it lies in my
memory, with a brightness that has never faded.”
During his residence in Brunswick, Captain O’Brien used occasionally to
visit Machias, where his parents, and two brothers, Colonel Jeremiah,
and Gideon, resided. On one of the visits to Machias a daughter
accompanied him. As they were passing through a piece of dense, dark
woods, many miles from a human habitation, a man climbed into the rear
of the vehicle, for the purpose, evidently, of robbing Captain O’Brien.
Doubtless the would-be robber thought an aged man, such as his
prospective victim seemed to be, would be an easy case to deal with;
but, as he soon ascertained, appearances are often deceiving. Placing
the reins in the hands of his daughter, and instructing her to drive the
horse at a rapid speed, he stood up in the vehicle, and, reaching round
to the rear, he laid the whip on to the intruder with such great vigor
that he jumped to the ground, and was soon left far behind.
While a resident of Brunswick, Captain O’Brien, through the intercession
of Mr. Joseph Wheaton, a former Machias acquaintance, who then held a
position under the Government, at Washington, was appointed postmaster.
Mr. Wheaton, who it should be said, took part in the capture of the
“Margaretta,” thus writes Captain O’Brien, from Washington, with regard
to his appointment, as postmaster, at Brunswick; the letter was written
in 1823:
“I represented to him (Mr. Harris, of the House of Representatives) your
ardent zeal for the country in your youth, your manly conduct in the
affair you touched upon, relating to the Margaretta schooner and called
to his recollection that in that action we became pirates, traitors and
rebels, according to the laws of England at that time; that our success
(established) the necessity of manly resistance everywhere or the
consequences would have been more distressing than death—it would have
been universal slavery to all the people; that Captain Moore was the
first naval officer that fell in the Revolution; that your services had
been uniform and of the highest manly character, and that you were now
advanced in years and it would be most grateful to your feelings to
receive some token that you were not refused a small favor.”[28]
[Illustration:
HON. JAMES M. GRAHAM.
Of Springfield, Ill.
Member of Congress from his state and an earnest member of the
Society.
]
A grandson of the subject of this sketch thus describes the character of
his grandfather: “... my maternal grandfather developed a character in
which energy and decision were prominent qualities. It was said of him
later in life, that he never knew what fear was; but though possessed of
a strong will and prompt to exact obedience when in command, he had a
calm and reasonable temper and a gentlemanly bearing which gained for
him the respect and confidence of the community. He was not a man to
trifle with, neither was he a man to stand in dread of. He was just and
honorable in his treatment of others, and gentle to the young and
helpless.”
A most touching story is related concerning the burial of Mrs. John
O’Brien, with whom the captain had lived happily for nearly fifty years.
On the day of the funeral, held at his home, he was seen standing at the
foot of the flight of stairs, leading from their bedroom down into the
front hallway, as if he was waiting for some one to come down. For
several years it had been his custom, on Sunday morning, to thus stand,
and wait for Mrs. O’Brien to come down, to accompany him to the house of
worship in the village. For a moment, on the occasion above referred to,
he seemed to have forgotten that his wife was to be buried, and he was
watching for her to come down stairs to go with him, as usual, to the
village church. When he awoke to the fact that his beloved wife was that
day to be buried, he was well nigh overcome with grief. This was in
1826.
About six years later, on the 8th of May, 1832, Captain John O’Brien
died. He was then 82 years of age. He was buried in Brunswick, where his
remains now rest.
All honor to his memory!
* * * * *
The writer of this sketch wishes hereby to gratefully acknowledge his
indebtedness to Heman W. Chaplin, Esq., of Boston, for no inconsiderable
portion of the materials drawn from in its preparation.
THE DICKSON LETTERS.
In “The Dickson Letters,” compiled and edited by James O. Carr, Esq., of
the Wilmington, N. C., bar, appears a comprehensive sketch of the
Dickson family, and “An act to erect and establish an academy in the
County of Duplin,” the text of the act being as follows:
Whereas, the establishing an academy in the said County for the
education of Youth, will be attended with great advantages to the
State in general and the County of Duplin in particular:
1. Be it therefore enacted by the General Assembly of North Carolina,
and it is hereby enacted by the authority of the same, that Thomas
Routledge, James Kenan, Joseph Dickson, Thomas Gray, William Dickson,
David Dodd, John James, Israel Bordeaux and James Gillespie, Esquires,
be and they are hereby constituted and appointed trustees with full
power and authority to receive into their hands and possession all
monies and other property which have been or hereafter may be
subscribed for the purpose of erecting an academy on the lands lately
purchased of Nicholas Hunter in said County, by name of Grove Academy;
and the said trustees and their successors shall be able and capable
in law to ask for and demand, receive and possess of the several
subscribers all sums by them respectively subscribed, and in case of
refusal of any of them to pay the same, to sue for and recover by
action of debt or otherwise, in the name of the trustees, the sum
which such person so refusing shall have subscribed, in any
jurisdiction having cognizance thereof; and the monies when collected
and received, to be applied by the said trustees or a majority of them
towards paying for the lands already contracted for, and erecting
thereon a suitable and convenient house, to contract with and employ a
tutor or tutors, and to perform every act or thing that they or a
majority of them shall think necessary and expedient for the
advancement of the said academy and the promotion of learning therein.
2. And be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid, that the
trustees hereinbefore mentioned, shall, previous to their entering on
the execution of the trust reposed by this Act, give bond to the court
of the County, payable to the Chairman and his successor, in the sum
of One Thousand Pounds specie, with condition that they shall well and
faithfully account for and apply all gifts, donations, bequests and
monies which they may receive of and by virtue of this act for the
purposes aforesaid.
3. And be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid, that if any
of the trustees by this Act appointed shall die, refuse to act or
remove away that he cannot attend the duties of his appointment, the
remaining trustees may appoint another in his stead, who shall
exercise the same powers as trustees appointed by this Act: and when
met together within the said County shall have power and authority to
elect and constitute one or more tutor or tutors, and a treasurer, and
also to make and ordain such rules and regulations, not repugnant to
the laws of this State, for the well ordering of the students, their
morals, studies and academical exercises, as to them shall seem meet;
and to give certificates to such students as shall leave said academy,
certifying their literary merit; in general they shall or may do all
such things as are usually done by bodies corporate and politic, or
such as may be necessary for the promotion of learning and virtue; and
the said trustees, or a majority of them are hereby empowered, and
shall have lawful authority to remove the tutor or tutors, treasurer
or any of them if they shall find it necessary, and on the death,
resignation or refusal to act of any of them, to appoint and elect
others in the stead of those displaced, dead or refusing to act.
4. And be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid, that the
trustees by this Act appointed, or a majority of them, and their
successors, shall meet annually on the first Friday of March in each
and every year, or at any other time they may find more convenient,
and elect a proper person out of their own body to preside for the
term of one year, who may convene the trustees at any time he may find
it necessary. Provided always that he shall give ten days previous
notice of such meeting and that the President and Treasurer shall be
chosen on the said first Friday of March unless in cases of
unavoidable accidents.
5. And be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid, that the
treasurer of the said Board of Trustees shall enter into bond with
sufficient security to the trustees, conditioned for the faithful
discharge of the trust reposed in him by this Act, and that all monies
and chattels that shall be in his hands, at the expiration of his
office, shall be immediately paid into the hands of the succeeding
treasurer; and every treasurer shall receive all monies, donations,
gifts, bequests and charities that may belong or accrue to said
Academy during his office, and at the expiration thereof shall account
with the trustees or a majority of them for the same, and on refusal
or neglect to pay and deliver as aforesaid, the same mode of
recovering may be had against him as is or may be provided for the
recovery of money from sheriffs or other public officers.
In his sketch of the Dickson Family the author says: Simon Dickson was
born in England about the year 1607, or 1608. He was a stern English
Puritan, an ardent adherent of Oliver Cromwell, and served faithfully as
an officer in the Parliamentary army during that fierce struggle between
Parliament and the King; his official rank, however, is unknown to us.
After the Revolution was over, as a reward for his services, he received
a grant of four hundred acres of valuable land within two miles of
Dromore, in the county of Down, Ireland. Here he settled and had a
numerous offspring, but the exact number of his children is unknown. At
the restoration of Charles II, the land grants of the Cromwellian
administration were annulled, and Simon Dickson became a tenant on the
same land he had previously owned.
“Simon Dickson was the father of Joseph the first, who was the father of
Joseph the second, who was the father of Michael, who was the father of
John.” Joseph the second lived to be ninety-four years old, and Michael
passed his eighty-fourth year.
John Dickson was born in Ireland about the year 1704 and died in Duplin
County, North Carolina, on the 25th day of December, 1774, just at the
beginning of the American Revolution. He emigrated from Ireland to the
State of Pennsylvania in the year 1738 and settled in Chester County,
where he resided several years and had two sons born to him, Michael and
William. He then moved to Maryland, where he remained only a short
while, and leaving there he came to Duplin County between 1740 and 1745.
Upon his death in Duplin, in 1774, he left surviving him seven sons and
one daughter, whose names are given in order of their age, as follows:
Michael, William, Robert, Joseph, Alexander, Edward, James and Mary.
Michael Dickson moved to Georgia just before or after the Revolution,
where it is said he has many descendants, though no definite information
about them can be obtained.
William Dickson, the second son of John Dickson, and the writer of the
Dickson Letters, was born in Pennsylvania about the year 1740, and came
to Duplin County with his father when quite a small boy. Upon arriving
at manhood he took an active part in public affairs and during
Revolutionary times he was the foremost man in his county as a leader in
civil affairs, while his compatriot, Colonel James Kenan, was at the
head of all military operations. It is probable, almost certain, that he
entered the army as a regular militiaman under Colonel Kenan, and served
through the entire war. His educational advantages were very limited,
and a family tradition tells us that his school days were comprised
within a space of three months. Notwithstanding this, he was a man of
broad ideas, mature judgment, and profound wisdom; and he discussed
political affairs with an intuitive knowledge and foresight that were
remarkable. His comments on the American form of government (then an
untried theory) in his letter of 1790, his reasons why North Carolina
adopted the federal constitution, his prediction that “the southern
states will not receive equal benefit in the government with the
northern states” and that the North would eventually demand the
emancipation of slavery (and this written seventy years before the Civil
War)—all these are ideas worthy of a statesman and found conception in
no ordinary mind.
He was a man of wonderful native ability; but was modest to a fault, and
seldom in his letters to his cousin in Ireland does he even refer to the
services he rendered in the Revolution. Tradition has it that he was for
forty-four successive years clerk of the court in Duplin County; but the
writer has not examined the records for a verification of this tradition
further than to find that he served in this capacity for quite a long
time. He was a delegate to the first provincial congress, held at
Newbern on the 25th of August, 1774; to the second provincial congress,
held at Halifax on the 3rd of April, 1775; to the third provincial
congress, held at Hillsboro on the 21st day of August, 1775; and to the
fourth provincial congress, held at Halifax on the 12th of November,
1776, which framed North Carolina’s first constitution. He also
represented Duplin in the House of Commons in 1795. It is told of him
that when Cornwallis’ army marched through the county on its way from
Wilmington to Virginia he concealed the records of the county in an iron
pot in Goshen Swamp to prevent their destruction by the British. He died
in 1820, an honored and highly respected citizen.
Robert Dickson, the third son of John Dickson, moved to Virginia at the
close of the Revolution, but returned to Duplin about 1784, where he
made his permanent home. He has many descendants in North Carolina,
chiefly in Cumberland County. He was a justice of the peace for Duplin
for a number of years, and served as a member of the House of Commons in
1777, 1784, 1785, 1786, 1787 and 1788.
Joseph Dickson, the fourth son of John Dickson, emigrated west about the
close of the Revolution; but, being dissatisfied, soon returned to his
native county, where he reared a large family consisting of one
daughter, Anne, and eight sons. He served in the capacity of Register of
Deeds and also as county surveyor of Duplin, and represented his county
in the House of Commons in 1780 and 1797. Anne Dickson, his oldest child
and only daughter, married James Pearsall, many of the descendants of
whom now reside in Duplin and adjoining counties. Later in life Joseph
took his entire family of eight grown sons, together with other Dickson
relatives, and moved to Tennessee in quest of large landed estates, a
desire for which had become common in the family. Dickson County,
Tennessee, takes its name from a member of the Duplin family.
Alexander Dickson, the fifth son of John Dickson, following the dreams
of his brothers, and searching for fortunes elsewhere, emigrated to
Virginia about 1781, and afterwards to Maryland; but returned in 1784
and took up his permanent abode in Duplin, where he accumulated
considerable wealth. He died leaving no family, and bequeathed his
property, as an educational fund, to the poor children of his county.
This fund has commonly been known as the “Dickson Charity Fund”; but,
through years of mismanagement and ill-directed investments, it has
almost come to naught, and like most bequests of this kind has not
served the high purpose for which it was intended.
Edward Dickson, the sixth son of John Dickson, had no ambition for
political honors, but was one of the foremost and most prosperous
citizens of Duplin. He married and reared a family in Duplin, and there
was no man more highly esteemed and respected. His oldest daughter,
Rebecca, married Rev. Jacob Williams, by whom she had a daughter, Ann,
who married Dr. Stephen Graham, a noted physician of Duplin County in
his day. Sarah Rebecca Graham, daughter of Dr. Stephen Graham and Ann
Graham, and sister of the late Stephen Graham of Kenansville, married
Owen R. Kenan, and, as a result of this union, left the following
children: Thomas S. Kenan, of Raleigh; William R. Kenan, of Wilmington;
James G. Kenan, and Annie Dickson Kenan, of Kenansville.
James Dickson, the youngest son of John Dickson, spent his entire life
in Duplin County. He married twice and had fifteen children, eight boys
and seven girls. We are told that as a reward for military services he
received large grants of land in Tennessee from the United States
Government; but we have no information as to what services he performed,
and William Dickson in one of his letters says none of the brothers
except himself actually took up arms and joined the army. He may have
rendered some services in the war of 1812, but we have no direct
information on this point. However, James Dickson owned large estates in
Tennessee and his three oldest sons, Edward, William and Alexander,
emigrated there in the early part of this century and took possession of
them. Robert Dickson, the youngest son of James, married Mary Catherine
Sloan, and was the grandfather of the writer.
Mary Dickson, the only daughter and youngest child of John Dickson,
married William McGowan at the age of eighteen, and she has many
descendants in this and other states. She was the great grandmother of
Benjamin F. Hall of Wilmington.
The first three letters, which are made a part of the publication, and
the fourth, which is an extract taken from an old copy of the
_Fayetteville Examiner_, were written by William Dickson to his cousin,
Rev. Robert Dickson, a Presbyterian clergyman, at Narrow Water, near
Newry, Ireland; and are printed for their historical and literary value.
The fifth letter was written by William Dickson to Linda Dickson, his
niece, who was at the time visiting her older sister, Mrs. Elizabeth
Johnson, of Charleston, S. C., and is printed to show the character of
the writer in his domestic relations.
The originals of the first three letters are still in existence and bear
on them the marks of having served their mission as a messenger of good
news to a far-away cousin. Years after they were written, two young men,
the sons of Rev. Robert Dickson, we think, came to this country, and in
order to identify themselves brought the original letters with them. One
of the young men was drowned, the other returned to Ireland, and the
letters fell into the hands of John Dickson, of Cumberland County; and
the family of the late Robert K. Bryan, Sr., of Scott’s Hill, N. C., and
the Evans family of Cumberland County, who are descendants of the
Dicksons, have carefully preserved them.
The fourth letter, or rather extract, is taken from an old copy of the
_Fayetteville Examiner_, and the original cannot be produced, but there
is conclusive evidence that it is genuine.
John Dickson, the father of William Dickson, had a brother by the name
of William Dickson, who moved from Pennsylvania and settled in the
Western part of the State, where he died on the first day of January,
1775. We have no record of his family, but it is reasonable to suppose
that he was the father of General Joseph Dickson, of Lincoln County, who
rendered valuable service in the Revolution, and was Congressman about
1800.
In editing these letters the writer has preserved intact the wording and
phraseology of the original manuscript, but has made some slight changes
in regard to capitalization, spelling and punctuation, and this has been
done only for the purpose of making them conform to our modern usage in
this respect, and where the change would in no way impair the sense or
expression of the originals.
GENERAL JAMES SHIELDS, HERO OF THE MEXICAN AND CIVIL WARS AND UNITED
STATES SENATOR FROM THREE STATES.—THE FRENCH-IRISH BRIGADES IN THE WAR
OF INDEPENDENCE.—BISHOP BERKELEY AND HIS PLANS FOR A GREAT AMERICAN
UNIVERSITY.
BY HON. WILLIAM J. ONAHAN OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.
[Three very interesting articles on widely differing historical
subjects.]
GENERAL JAMES SHIELDS, HERO OF THE MEXICAN AND THE CIVIL WARS; U. S.
SENATOR FROM THREE STATES.
In the Statuary Hall of the National Capitol, Washington, may be seen
statues of the distinguished men of the different states of the Union,
placed there under authority of a resolution or act of Congress, which
provided that each state could place there two figures of its choice.
The State of Illinois, by an act of the General Assembly, determined
that the statue of General James Shields should be one of those selected
to represent Illinois. An appropriation was accordingly made for the
statue of the soldier statesman, and it now stands in the “Hall of Fame”
at the Capitol, where it was formally installed with befitting and
notable public ceremonies.
Certainly, by this act the State of Illinois gave to the nation and to
the world unequivocal testimony of the respect and esteem in which the
soldier statesman is held by the people of the state where he first won
recognition, and which he served in so many and so various public
capacities with fidelity and renown.
A most interesting and unique figure in the history of Illinois is that
presented by the career and character of James Shields. Member of the
state legislature in early days, he became subsequently auditor, judge
of the Supreme Court, general in command of a brigade of Illinois
volunteers in the war with Mexico, and finally United States senator.
These various offices and distinctions came to him from Illinois; and
these, it might reasonably be supposed, would have sufficed to crown and
complete the public career of a man so favored by political fortune. But
this was not the end.
Failing of re-election to the United States Senate at the expiration of
his term, because of changed political conditions, Shields removed to
Minnesota, then a territory, and on its subsequent admission as a state
he was elected one of the senators, the other being Henry M. Rice.
Having drawn lots for the respective terms, Shields drew the short term,
which terminated in 1860, and, having again failed of re-election from
the same cause that defeated him in Illinois—the growing ascendency of
the Republican party—he once more removed to another and more distant
state, California, where he was settled at the outbreak of the Civil
War. His sympathies and his military experience led him to offer his
services to President Lincoln, who promptly commissioned Shields as
brigadier general, and he was assigned to service in General Banks’
corps, then operating in West Virginia.
* * * * *
While in detached command he won the celebrated victory over the
hitherto invincible Stonewall Jackson. Shortly after this he was
nominated by the President as major general, but the Senate refused to
confirm the nomination, being influenced partly, no doubt, by political
considerations—Democrats were not at the time in great favor—and partly,
also, no doubt, from misrepresentations regarding General Shields’
conduct in relation to a defeat suffered by a portion of his command at
Port Republic. This defeat, as was demonstrated later, was due to the
disregard of Shields’ orders; at all events, the hostile action of the
Senate caused his withdrawal from the army. He resigned his commission
and returned to California.
Shortly again his restless spirit stirred him to another change, and
this time he sought a home in Missouri, acquiring a farm near Carrollton
in that state. Here in 1877 political fortune once more opened to him
the doors of the United States Senate. He was elected to fill an
unexpired term, so that he now had the unique distinction of having been
chosen to represent three different states of the Union—at, of course,
different periods of time. This fact, unexampled, I believe, in his
history of the Senate, excited wondering comment at the time, and may
justify an inquiry into the circumstances and character of the man who
was able to win for himself this remarkable degree of public favor from
so many different states.
* * * * *
Born in the County Tyrone, Ireland, in 1806, James Shields came of a
fighting stock. His progenitors had fought at the Boyne and Aughrim for
the Stuart king and several had followed Sarsfield after the surrender
of Limerick, to serve under the banners of King Louis on the continent.
So it was that young Shields inherited the warlike tastes and the
“rebel” sympathies common to his countrymen. The story of his boyhood
shows that he early manifested a taste for military pursuits. He was the
drill-master of his boyish companions at school, and headed them in many
juvenile skirmishes and exploits.
He never gained the opportunity and advantages of a college or
university education, but he made up for this by the industrious and
persevering use of his opportunities in later life, so that he came to
be recognized as an excellent classical scholar and even linguist.
His youthful attention was early drawn toward America—as indeed, is the
case with nearly all Irish boys. In the instance of young Shields he was
spurred to emigrate by the counsels of an uncle who had seen service in
the revolutionary war, and who had written to the mother telling her
that if James did not leave the country he would surely be shot or hung
as a rebel! In 1823, when 17 years of age, James Shields set out for
America. He first landed at Quebec. The uncle who had counseled his
leaving Ireland and from whom he naturally expected aid and counsel, was
dead, and he was thus left to his own scanty resources. He made his way
to the States, and pushed westward to Illinois, until he reached
Kaskaskia, then the capital of the state, and it was there he commenced
his career, first as a school teacher, employing his leisure hours in
reading law. That he made good use of his time, and had the knack of
making friends, may be judged by his early election as a member of the
legislature.
Shields had been admitted to the bar in 1832 and was elected to the
legislature in 1836. In 1841 he was elected auditor and in 1843 he was
elected judge of the Supreme Court of Illinois—pretty rapid promotion
for the young Irishman.
He quickly entered the arena of national renown. President Polk in 1845
appointed Shields commissioner of the general land office in Washington,
and when the war with Mexico was declared Shields offered his services
and was appointed brigadier general of volunteers—this in 1846. His
military career in the campaign in Mexico I scarcely need recall. It is
to be found in the history of that war and in the official reports of
the chiefs of the army. His dash and bravery as well as his signal
military capacity were shown in every engagement from Cerro Gordo to
Chapultepec and the City of Mexico.
He was reported by General Scott in dispatches as fatally wounded at
Cerro Gordo, a ball having passed “clean through” his body. Happily the
skill and dexterity of a Mexican surgeon—a prisoner—saved him. Some
accounts say this surgeon was an Irishman who had seen service in the
French army. This brings to mind an incident in the general’s later
life. During a visit to Chicago on a lecturing tour I introduced the
general to some of the “sights,” among other places to the board of
trade, of which I was then a member. When the fact became whispered
about that General Shields was on the floor the “pits” were quickly
deserted, the operators evidently being eager to testify their respect
or gratify their curiosity. As he stood acknowledging the salutations of
the throng around him, a member of the board shook hands with him,
saying: “General, do you remember me?” The general evidently did not and
said so.
“Don’t you remember the soldier who tore off a piece of his shirt to
stanch the blood from your wound when you lay on the field of Cerro
Gordo?”
Sure enough, it was the very man! He, too, was a veteran of the Mexican
war. I regret that I cannot now recall his name, which I heard at the
time. Of course, there was a cordial reception and hand-shake between
the two old soldiers.
On his return from Mexico at the close of the war, Shields was brevetted
major general, and was nominated by the president governor of the
territory of Oregon. This appointment Shields declined. In 1849 he was
elected United States senator from Illinois, as associate to Senator
Stephen A. Douglas.
There was a question raised in the Senate as to the regularity of
Shields’ election. My impression is—I have not the data before me as I
write—that the irregularity was on the issue of citizenship; at all
events, the legislature cured the defect by electing Shields over again.
According to the record, it was Shields who reported the bill making a
grant of lands to aid in the construction of the Illinois Central
Railroad, the credit of which is usually given to Senator Douglas who
was no doubt also a warm champion of the measure. It was Shields who
likewise introduced and pressed the passage of a bill granting “bounty
lands” to the soldiers and sailors who had served in the war with
Mexico. When England was threatening with her naval forces the little
republic of San Salvador on some pretext, Senator Shields promptly
introduced a resolution on the subject, invoking the authority of the
Monroe doctrine.
Bills to aid other railroad projects in Illinois were favorably reported
by him. At that time the West was clamoring for railroads, which were
indispensable to its development. In these days the country seems to
forget how much of its progress and prosperity has been due to the much
maligned railroads. Space will not admit of even a summary of the
important public measures that Shields had part in framing. The files of
the Congressional Record bear testimony to his unceasing industry during
his senatorial career. It is worthy of note that Shields was
consistently opposed to the extension of slavery and his record shows
it, although in this regard he was not always in harmony with his party.
* * * * *
The State of Illinois, by vote of the legislature, presented to General
Shields a costly sword in recognition of his gallant services on the
battlefields of Mexico. The State of South Carolina in like manner voted
him a sword, “in testimony of her admiration of his gallantry in the
Mexican war, and as a tribute of gratitude for his parental attention to
the Palmetto regiment.” This regiment was in Shields’ brigade in several
engagements.
At the expiration of his term in the Senate he failed to secure a
re-election, Lyman Trumbull being chosen to succeed him. This result was
due to dissensions in the party ranks in consequence of the slavery
issue, and to the growing power of the incipient Republican party.
Shortly after this Shields removed to Minnesota, gathering about his new
home the nucleus of an Irish colony which has since become the populous
and prosperous settlement known as “Shieldsville.” In fact, this was the
beginning of the colonization movement in that state to which Archbishop
Ireland afterward lent his powerful aid.
It was during Shields’ sojourn in Minnesota that the overture was made
to him to take the command of the papal army. This was at the time when
the revolutionary movement in Italy threatened the invasion and
integrity of the papal states during the reign of Pius IX. Shields
declined to accept. I had the details of the overture from the general’s
own lips at a late period of his life.
When Minnesota was admitted as a state in 1858 Shields was chosen one of
the two senators, his colleague being Henry M. Rice. Lots being drawn to
determine the respective terms, the short one—two years—fell to Shields.
At the end, as in Illinois, and from like cause, he failed of
re-election, and soon he was again on the wing—this time for California.
* * * * *
The general opened a law office in San Francisco, and it was there he
married. Soon the tumult and agitation of the secession movement,
followed by the call for volunteers, stirred his patriotic spirit and
martial ardor. He offered his services to President Lincoln, who
commissioned him as brigadier general, assigned to General Banks’ corps
in the army of West Virginia.
The veteran was quickly in the field of operations, soon at the head of
a division. It was while in this command he encountered the renowned
Stonewall Jackson, inflicting on this hitherto invincible confederate
general a defeat which sent him “whirling up the valley.” The tidings of
this remarkable victory caused great rejoicing throughout the North and
gained great applause and commendations for General Shields. The army of
Virginia up to this time had suffered a succession of disasters. The
government was in a dilemma.
The command of the Army of the Potomac was at this juncture offered to
General Shields. I make this statement on the authority of General
Shields himself. Following his victory at Winchester, he said, a member
of the cabinet arrived in his camp and on the part of the President
proposed to him the command of the Army of the Potomac. The reasons
suggested for this tender appeared to be, as I recall them, the
necessity for a change of leaders owing to previous ill success;
Shields’ established capacity for high command, as shown by his career
in Mexico, his recent campaign and the enthusiasm and confidence his
appointment would arouse in the ranks of the army, but the controlling
motive appeared to be a political consideration—that Shields, because of
his foreign birth, could not in the event of his success become a
political factor or rival in the field of national politics—that is to
say, in no event would it be possible to make of Shields a candidate for
the presidency.
* * * * *
The suggestion appears to have been given to Shields in this same
interview that the President was then contemplating and preparing to
issue the emancipation proclamation. This latter determined Shields’
decision. He rejected the proposal made to him. This, in substance, is
my recollection of the statement made by the general during one of his
visits to Chicago late in the 70’s. Others besides the writer heard
General Shields make this statement at the time.
The President sent Shields’ name to the Senate for confirmation as major
general, and as the appointment was not ratified by that body Shields
resigned and withdrew from the army. Likely this may have been partly in
protest against the threatened emancipation policy. At all events,
Shields returned to California. From there he shortly afterward removed
to Missouri, settling on a farm near Carrollton in that state and
devoting himself to the labors and duties of farm life. In 1877 he was
elected member of the general assembly of Missouri, and the same year
appointed adjutant general of the state militia. The death of Senator
Bogg the next year caused a vacancy in the representation of Missouri in
the United States Senate, and General Shields was appointed, thus giving
him the distinction of having served in the United States Senate from
three different states.
The term was short, and with its termination may be said ended General
Shields’ public service as a legislator and statesman. He nevertheless
continued an interesting figure before the public, appearing on many
occasions in different cities as a lecturer and for addresses on various
subjects of general interest. It was while engaged in a lecturing tour
that the end came. He died suddenly while visiting a convent in Ottumwa,
Iowa, June 1, 1879.
* * * * *
Few men in public life have filled so many and so various offices and
employments. He had been school teacher, lawyer, legislator, jurist,
state auditor, land commissioner, general in the Mexican and Civil wars,
United States senator, adjutant general, farmer and lecturer. He might
have been governor of Oregon, commander of the papal army and of the
army of the Potomac (possibly), and he could have led the Fenians in
their foolish raid on Canada had not his good common sense rejected the
offer and condemned the project.
General Shields was warm and earnest in his Irish sympathies, and he
showed this on many public occasions. It is to his honor that he lived
and died a poor man. He never profited or sought to profit by the
multiplied opportunities for personal gain which must have been open to
him during his public career. In his old age, after all his notable
services, he was receiving a pension of only $34 per month, and when he
died all that he left his family was the farm, the swords voted to him
by Illinois and South Carolina—and an untarnished name.
Illinois has since honored the memory of her one-time senator and
general by causing his statue to be placed in the National Capitol. This
was due largely to the active efforts and enthusiasm of a well-known
Chicago attorney, William H. Condon, since dead, who also published the
life of General James Shields.
THE FRENCH-IRISH BRIGADES IN THE WAR OF INDEPENDENCE.
The signal and important services of the French-Irish regiments in the
American revolutionary war have scarcely ever found adequate recognition
and acknowledgement at the hands of historical writers. Indeed, the same
may be said of the great part France had in that war.
Of course, every school boy has read of the exploits of the youthful and
enthusiastic Lafayette, and knows that Rochambeau with his army and De
Grasse with his fleet were conspicuous in bringing about the surrender
of Cornwallis and his forces at Yorktown. Only by the powerful
co-operation of the French army and navy at the siege was the crowning
victory of the war achieved, and that victory forced from the English
king and his ministers the recognition of American independence. All
this is well known, but the magnitude of the French aid all through the
war is less familiar to the general reader.
[Illustration:
HON. HENRY GROVES CONNOR,
of Raleigh, N. C.
An Eminent Jurist and Learned Historian.
Member of the Society.
]
The army and navy registers in the French archives show that sixty-three
ships of war, mounting 3,668 guns, manned by 32,600 officers and seamen,
were employed in the naval operations on the American seaboard, and
upward of 12,000 land forces. The financial cost to France of the fleets
and armies and the loans and gifts in money to the colonies have been
computed by a competent authority at $50,000,000.
My present design in this sketch is to emphasize the part the Irish
brigades in the French army had in the American war. I do not need to
recall to mind the historic renown of the Irish Brigade.
Almost every battlefield in Europe during the seventeenth century was
flamed by their valor and crimsoned with their blood. In France, in
Italy, in Spain and in the Low Countries these exiled soldiers fought
with such furious impetuosity that even the bitterest enemies of their
race were forced to pay them the reluctant tribute of their admiration.
King George II. is said to have exclaimed after witnessing the bravery
of the Irish brigade at the battle of Dettingen: “Cursed be the laws
that deprive me of such subjects.”
When the colonies had declared their independence of Great Britain and
the aid of France was eagerly invoked the Irish troops in the French
army pressed their request on the war office in Paris that they should
be sent to America to fight the British, who were, they declared, their
hereditary enemies. A copy of the French original of this document may
be seen in the Royal Irish Academy, Dublin. In 1779 several Irish
regiments were embarked in the French fleets for service against the
English forces in the West Indies and on the American coast. Included in
this contingent were the regiments of Dillon, Walsh, Berwick and Fermoy.
These regiments being so designated in compliment to the colonel in
command as the “Colonel Proprietaire.” In the fleet of the Count
d’Estaing there was carried a considerable land force—mostly of the
Irish brigade. Count Dillon was second in command to the admiral and at
the siege of Savannah, then held by the British, he led his own regiment
in the attack on the defenses.
* * * * *
There was, also, on the land side, an American co-operating force
commanded by General Lincoln. The assault ended disastrously for both
the French and Americans with severe loss in killed and wounded. Upward
of 1,200 of the assaulting columns fell in the space of fifty minutes;
of these 821 were of the French forces and the rest of the American. The
utmost bravery was shown, both in the attack and in the defense, but the
storming column, led by Count d’Estaing and Dillon, could not withstand
the terrific fire of the batteries and were forced to abandon the
assault.
D’Estaing was wounded and carried off the field. The gallant Pole, Count
Pulaski, who served with the American forces, was killed. He was in
command of a small force of regular cavalry of lancers. Among the list
of the killed and wounded of the French attacking column I find the
names of Brow, major in Dillon’s regiment; Moran and O’Neill, captains;
Tauffe, lieutenant, and many other familiar Irish names; officers and
subofficers of the brigade. The names of the rank and file are not
given, but it is not difficult to surmise what must have been the
gallantry of the assault when we see the heavy list of the killed and
wounded.
* * * * *
The particulars of the memorable attack on Savannah are given with great
fullness in a publication issued many years ago by the Georgia
Historical Society, compiled from original sources. The gallantry of
Sergeant Jasper, an Irishman, at the siege and his heroic death on the
battlements while attempting to raise thereon the flag of his regiment,
has immortalized his name and his bravery. A statue of Jasper in one of
the public squares of Savannah fittingly commemorates the deed and
memory of the gallant patriot.
Following the abandonment of the siege the French fleet withdrew and
undertook the reduction of several of the English possessions in the
West Indies. It is not my purpose to follow the subsequent career and
fortunes of the fleet and forces under d’Estaing except to remark that
the diversion made by these attacks on the islands under the British
flag were naturally important aids to the cause of the colonies, since
the English forces employed in their defense would otherwise have been
in service, doubtless, in the attempt to subdue the colonies.
* * * * *
I am tempted to relate another incident in Count Dillon’s career of
glory in the expeditions that followed the failure at Savannah. He had
part in the attempts made by the French fleet and forces on several of
the English possessions, notably in the attack made on the Island of St.
Eustache.
The frigates being unable to approach sufficiently near to the
fortifications to land aid, Dillon, with only 377 men, landed and in
person led the assault. The Irish were at the head of the column, and
such was the impetuosity of the attacking force that 840 regular troops
of the English army laid down their arms and were made prisoners of war
by less than half their number! Later on the Dillon regiment was
employed in the siege of the important fortress and Island of St.
Christopher, and the place was finally carried, Count Dillon remaining
in command of the island as governor.
After the treaty of peace with France and the colonies, the island,
under the terms of the treaty, was yielded back to Great Britain.
Shortly afterward Dillon paid a visit to London in the train of the
French embassy.
He was presented at the court and, having paid his respects to the king,
George III., the lord chancellor, Loughborough, who was in attendance,
crossed over to Dillon and said to him, after some preliminary
compliments: “I must thank you for the equity and fairness of your
decisions given whilst you were acting as governor of the island. My
court has had occasion to pass on some of the cases you decided and we
found no occasion to dissent from your judgments.”
* * * * *
Sad to say, this gallant soldier met his death on the scaffold, at the
hands of the ruffians who were in the ascendance during the French
revolution, as did so many thousands of the noblest and best of French
men and women.
At the last moment, as he stood at the foot of the fatal guillotine, a
lady who preceded him and who, like Dillon, was to meet her doom by the
order of the same furies, turned to the count, saying: “Would you not
oblige me by going first?”
“Certainly, madam,” was the answer of the chivalric Irishman, and
ascending before the lady, in a moment the horrible instrument had ended
the career of the heroic Count Arthur Dillon.
A namesake, Colonel Theobald Dillon, who had been with Rochambeau at
Yorktown, was another of the victims of the French Revolution, under
circumstances even more revolting. But I must stay my pen on this
subject.
* * * * *
The erection of the monument or statue of Lafayette in Paris a few years
back, as a token and testimony of America’s gratitude to France, has
since then been supplemented by the installation of a fine statue of
Rochambeau in Washington—a like tribute to the value and importance of
the aid given by France in the critical period of the Revolutionary War.
The inauguration of the Rochambeau statue, which is one of the finest
and most impressive in the nation’s capital, was made the occasion of
ceremonies and exercises of the highest dignity and importance. Of
course, these were reported with great fullness at the time, and I have
no need to dwell on the details now.
The government, by the action of Congress, has since published a large
volume in which is given, I may say, not only a full narrative of all
the proceedings in connection with the statue, but also a comprehensive
story of French aid and services in the war for colonial independence.
The volume includes the “roster” of the French naval and military
forces. The Irish regiments to which I have referred, of course, are
given due notice, like the others; that is to say, the name of the
regiment, together with the list of the chief officers, etc. Count
Dillon’s regiment was present at the surrender of Cornwallis and the
British army at Yorktown. The count himself was not there, being
occupied at his post as governor of the island already referred to. His
cousin, Colonel Theobald Dillon, was there, and many other French-Irish
officers of the brigade.
* * * * *
It will be of interest to many to learn that efforts have been made to
obtain from the French war office a full list of the officers and
soldiers of the Irish brigades who served in the war of the American
revolution. I am happy to state that a volume will soon be issued by the
French government containing these names. The search for the necessary
data was instituted at the request of M. Jusserand, the learned and
accomplished French ambassador at Washington.
I trust I am not betraying a secret in stating that the initiative in
the task of Irish historic interest has been due to Archbishop Ireland,
who was himself a conspicuous figure in the ceremonies attending the
celebration for Lafayette in Paris, and in the Rochambeau exercises at
Washington and New York.
BISHOP BERKELEY AND HIS PLANS FOR A GREAT AMERICAN UNIVERSITY.
The records of Yale College bear testimony to the beneficence and
liberality of an Irish bishop who, early in the eighteenth century, gave
proof of his zeal for learning by bestowing on that institution, then
lately founded—its charter is dated 1701—the dwelling house and farm in
Rhode Island which he had purchased and occupied during his strange
visit and sojourn in America.
The bishop likewise gave to the college on his departure the best and
largest collection of books—nearly one thousand volumes—that had ever up
to that time been brought over. The catalogue, or list of these works,
is preserved in the Yale College library. Harvard is likewise indebted
to the same benefactor for a collection of textbooks.
* * * * *
Bishop George Berkeley was a remarkable character in his day. An account
of his career cannot but possess a certain interest for the general
reader. He was the friend and associate of many of the literary
celebrities of the time, Dean Swift, Addison and Steele, who esteemed
his friendship and appreciated his amiable character and qualities.
Berkeley was born in the County Kilkenny, Ireland, the same year that
James II. succeeded to the British crown. His early education was
acquired in the same school in Kilkenny which Dean Swift had attended,
and his subsequent studies were pursued at Trinity College, Dublin. It
was said of him while at college that he was regarded by some of his
fellow students as the greatest dunce in the institution, while others
thought him a prodigy of learning and goodness, but all agreed that he
was full of simplicity and enthusiasm—indeed, these latter
characteristics remained with him through life. The results of his
application to study is shown by his college record. He was elected
“scholar” in 1702, a B. A. in 1704, and obtained his master’s degree in
1707, and the same year was admitted to a fellowship. The drift of his
mind and of his studies was shown in the formation of a college society
“to promote investigations in the new philosophy of Boyle, Newton and
Locke,” a subject upon which he wrote many papers.
* * * * *
Before leaving college to enter on his career in London, Berkeley had
already acquired some reputation as a writer on philosophical subjects.
It was Dean Swift who introduced his fellow countryman to the circles of
influence in the British capital. In the “Journal to Stella,” the dean
jots down under date of April 12, 1713: “I went to court today on
purpose to present Mr. Berkeley, one of our fellows of Trinity College.
This Mr. Berkeley is a very ingenious man and great philosopher, and I
have mentioned him to all the ministers, and have given them some of his
writings, and I will favor him as much as I can. This, I think, I am
bound to—in honor and conscience to use all my little credit toward
helping forward men of worth in the world.”
* * * * *
Swift introduced Berkeley to the Earl of Peterborough, then one of the
most extraordinary characters in Europe. He had amazed the country a few
years before by his wonderful achievements in Spain, during the war of
the succession. Soldier, scholar and diplomatist, this singular man was
eccentric in all his movements and actions—indeed, his career and
character is still a favorite study and an enigma for the historian and
biographer. The introduction obtained for Berkeley, the post of the
chaplain and secretary to Peterborough, who had been appointed
ambassador to the King of Sicily. It was little use the eccentric earl
had for a chaplain, since he was himself a well-known skeptic and
freethinker!
The post to which he had been appointed gave Berkeley the opportunity of
making acquaintance with the continent—he had taken “orders” before
Trinity College—and he now saw France and Italy for the first time. His
letters describing his experience and observations in these countries
are exceedingly interesting, but my limits will not admit of quotations.
The death of Queen Anne during his sojourn abroad and the accession of
George I. caused a change in his prospects and position. Peterborough
was recalled by the new administration, and consequently Berkeley
returned to England in August, 1714.
* * * * *
The change of administration in England blighted for a time Berkeley’s
prospects of preferment. His friend, Dean Swift, was no longer in the
ascendant, and his late patron, the Earl of Peterborough, had been
deprived of place and influence. He was, nevertheless, a welcome guest
and visitor in literary circles and in general society. He possessed a
charm of address and manners that won friends to him on all sides. He
shortly had the opportunity again to revisit the continent—this time as
companion and tutor to the son of Sir George Ashe. While in Paris he had
an interview and carried on a discussion with the celebrated Malebranche
on points of philosophy and metaphysics which, it is said, became so
animated and exciting that the Frenchman brought on himself a violent
disorder which prostrated him and resulted in his death within a few
days.
After an absence this time of five years Berkeley returned to England in
1720. He found the country in turmoil over the collapse of the South Sea
bubble. The speculative mania which had spread widely in England led as
usual to an era of extravagance and corruption. The disorders of society
consequent on these conditions was general. Berkeley gave vent to his
feelings on the situation by an essay that attracted wide attention, in
which he sought to point out a remedy for the prevailing evils.
* * * * *
His suggestions may be briefly quoted as bearing equally on certain
conditions not altogether unfamiliar to us in the United States. He
argued that the persons who compose society must become individually
industrious, frugal, public-spirited and religious. Sumptuary laws, he
thought, might do something toward mitigating existing distress, and
public amusements might be regulated, and masquerades prohibited. The
drama, too, should be reformed. But the prime necessity was that
sensuality must give way to religious love and reverence. “Let us be
industrious, frugal and religious, if we are to be saved at all,” was
his counsel.
In 1721 he returned to Ireland, from which he had been so long absent.
He had retained all along his post in Trinity College, and was now
shortly installed as chaplain to the Duke of Trafton, the viceroy.
There occurred in 1723 a curious and romantic incident in which Swift
was concerned, or rather “Vanessa”—one of the two unhappy women whose
passion for and devotion to the cynical dean have become familiar to all
readers. Vanessa, like Stella, the other victim of unrequited affection,
followed the dean to Dublin, and there learned of Swift’s connection
with Stella—to whom he had been secretly married. Heart-crushed by the
revelation, she revoked a will she had made in favor of the man she
loved, and substituted Berkeley as the beneficiary and legatee. This is
all the more curious and unaccountable as Vanessa (Esther Vanhumrigh)
seems to have met Berkeley but once, and that only by chance. At all
events he was the gainer by some 4,000 pounds.
* * * * *
Fortune had begun to favor him. He was appointed dean of Derry
(Londonderry), an important ecclesiastical dignity in the Irish church,
said to be worth £1,100 a year. While in possession of this lucrative
position the project of the great university in the new world seems to
have taken root in his mind, and quickly became a passionate enthusiasm.
This is the project which links Berkeley’s name with America—indeed it
was to recall his romantic initiative and devotion to this early scheme
for higher education that I venture on this sketch.
Swift says the design had been long in Berkeley’s mind. His generous aim
involved the surrender of his opulent position as dean, and the
employment of his means, including the Vanessa legacy, in promoting this
project, on which he had evidently set his heart, and it also
necessitated other sacrifices as we shall see. Of course, it was not
possible for him unaided to carry out or even to begin his undertaking.
He relied on obtaining aid from sympathizers, and an indispensable
charter from the king, George I.
* * * * *
It is a curious fact that he was indebted to a Catholic—the Abbe
Gualteri, whom he had met in Italy—for the opportunity of making his
application to the king under favorable conditions. The abbe was a
distinguished Venetian scientist, who had the ear of court circles, and
he interested himself warmly in Berkeley’s behalf, with the result that
a charter was granted in June, 1725, for a college in the Island of
Bermuda, and constituting “Dr. Berkeley, Dean of Londonderry, principal
of said college.”
Berkeley’s enthusiasm and persuasive eloquence enlisted promise of
support in other powerful quarters. The prime minister, Sir Robert
Walpole, promised a grant of £20,000; the private subscriptions seem to
have aggregated about £5,000.
All this took time and extensive preparation. The doctor or dean had
secured the co-operation of several of the Trinity College fellows, who
agreed to go out with him, and there was to be another addition to the
party who was to intimately share the principal’s life and fortunes
thenceforth—Mrs. Berkeley!
He had married during the progress of his negotiations for the
university scheme, a daughter of the speaker of the Irish house of
commons. The marriage took place August 1, 1728. It was said of Mrs.
Berkeley that “she shared his fortune when he was about to engage in one
of the most romantic moral movements of modern times, and when, in love
with an ideal academic life in the Bermudas, he prepared to surrender
preferment and social position at home in order to devote the remainder
of his life to the great continent of the West.”
* * * * *
In the fullest confidence that he would be able to carry out
successfully his favorite designs, Berkeley, with his wife and college
companions, set sail for the sunny isle in the golden West, of which he
had so long dreamed. He was then in his forty-fourth year. The voyage
occupied four months, and the landing was made at Newport, R. I., where
he had planned to sojourn until he should receive from England the
promised grant from the government. It was necessary also that the good
will and practical interest of the New England colonies should be
enlisted in his efforts.
The population of Newport at this time is said to have been curiously
cosmopolitan. As religious freedom prevailed there, thanks to the
Quaker, Roger Williams, and was unknown in the other New England
colonies, religious refugees found an asylum, as they did in the
Catholic colony of Maryland under Lord Baltimore. The merchants of
Newport appear to have been active and successful in the slave trade, so
we shall be less surprised at the statement that Berkeley purchased
several for service on the farm which he speedily acquired and settled
on for the time being.
* * * * *
Berkeley was quite in demand for sermons. He preached in Trinity Church,
Newport, three days after his arrival, and many times afterward. The
Rhode Island aristocracy of those days maintained, according to
accounts, a good deal of the style and manner of life of the English
gentry, and we can read of fox hunting, and races, and festivities of
various kinds as commonly indulged in. The delays reported from London,
in carrying out the promises of aid gave Berkeley many anxious hours in
his new world home. He found it expedient to build a house on the farm
in the interior, at Whitehall, which he continued to occupy with his
family until he sailed back to England. His house became the resort of
the ministers and gentry of Rhode Island, who delighted in the society
and conversation of the accomplished Irish dean.
Nearly three years passed in waiting and in expectation of the promised
means which never materialized, beyond the sum of private
subscriptions—which he afterward scrupulously returned. Meantime two
children were born to him; one of these, a girl, died and was buried in
Trinity churchyard, Newport. Three of Berkeley’s slaves, according to
the records of the same church—“Philip Berkeley, Anthony Berkeley and
Agnes Berkeley, negroes, received into the church, June 11, 1731.”
All his plans for the utopia he had nourished in his imagination faded
utterly when authoritative news from London convinced Berkeley that the
project must be abandoned. The grant of £20,000 assured by Walpole, and
other important concessions, could not be realized. The prime minister
had given up the project, and employed the proposed grant and
concessions for other purposes. So in the fall of 1731 the disappointed
philanthropist bade farewell to the new world and sailed homeward.
* * * * *
Berkeley’s subsequent career must be briefly told. On his return to
London he wrote a great deal on his favorite philosophical subjects. In
1734 he was appointed bishop of Cloyne, in Ireland, and there he spent
the next eighteen years of his life. He gave much attention to the
social condition of Ireland, attended to his episcopal duties and
occasionally occupied his seat in the Irish house of lords. His
benevolence to the poor in the dark days of famine and disease was said
to be boundless. He certainly won the esteem and gratitude of the
Catholics of Ireland by his liberality and his freedom from the spirit
of cant and proselytizing, then unhappily widespread in that unfortunate
country. His advocacy of tar water as a universal specific for the cure
of disease will be remembered as an example of his amiable philanthropic
enthusiasms. He publishes a poem in praise of his panacea. He was
offered further promotion in the Irish church—even the primacy; but he
put these allurements aside and refused. “For doing good to the world,”
he declared, “I may upon the whole do as much in a lower station.”
* * * * *
In 1752 he decided to resign his bishopric and seek retirement at
Oxford. The unusual proposal excited the curiosity of the King, George
II., who declared, when the application was made to him, that Berkeley
might live where he pleased but that he should die a bishop! So he was
permitted to retire from his see, still retaining his Episcopal rank.
He did not long enjoy the change. He died in Oxford the 14th of January,
1753, and was buried in the university chapel of Christ Church. His
widow survived him thirty-three years, dying in her 86th year. A son and
a daughter were living at the time of his death. In his will he provided
among other items—“that the expense of my funeral do not exceed £20, and
that as much more be given to the poor of the parish where I die.” He
left a very small estate. The well-known lines of his poem, in which he
sought to depict the prospects of his utopian project, may fitly close
this sketch of the amiable and benevolent Irish dean and bishop:
Westward, the course of empire takes its way,
The four first acts already past;
A fifth shall close the drama with the day,
Time’s noblest offspring is the last.
THE RENAMING OF WOLHURST.
The following remarks were made by President Taft in renaming
“Wolhurst,” the estate of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas F. Walsh, “Clonmel,” on
September 22, 1909:
_Ladies and Gentlemen_:
I think our bounteous and generous and lovely hostess and our host
should have called in the clerical profession rather than a politician
to baptize this new home, for it is a part of their profession, I
think, to make sacred places that we all venerate; but I hope to be
able to prove equal to the occasion, because a politician is subject
to every sort of exigency. Because I am asked I re-baptize with great
pleasure this beautiful estate and call it “_Clonmel_.” “_Clonmel_” is
a beautiful place in the County Tipperary. The determined immigrants
from Tipperary and from every part of the Emerald Isle have come to
the front as they deserved in America. There is no element and no
strain in our civilization that has manifested itself to be stronger,
more enterprising, more shrewd in business, more tenacious of its
principles than the Irishmen, from North and South, who come to this
country to make it their own.
I have the greatest pleasure in calling this place after that
beautiful town in the golden vale of Tipperary. I consecrate this the
estate of “_Clonmel_.” I wish I could connect with it in some way the
name of _Walsh_, but as that goes without saying, both in Denver and
throughout the country, it is unnecessary.
I congratulate the people of this vicinity that Mr. and Mrs. Walsh are
their neighbors. We in Washington feel delighted that they are
neighbors of ours. Their generosity and kindly courtesy are known the
country over.
HISTORICAL FALSIFICATIONS AGAINST THE IRISH.
BY CAPT. JAMES CONNOLLY, VICE-PRESIDENT OF THE SOCIETY FOR CALIFORNIA.
The beginning of Scotch and English falsification of history against the
Irish dates as far back as the end of the eleventh century. Taking full
advantage of the civilization and education which the Irish Monks had
gratuitously carried to them over seas and spent the best of their
lifetime in diffusing amongst them, they used the very power with which
the Monks thus endowed them to betray and despoil their benefactors.
“Those brilliant names in the history of European scholarship, who
distinguished themselves under Charlemagne, and his son and his
grandson, Clemens, Ducil and Scotus Erigena, who all taught in the Court
schools, Dungal, who taught in Pavia, Sedalius, who worked in Luttich,
Fergual who ruled in Salzburg and Morngal, the teacher of St. Gall, were
not altogether without successors,” says Douglas Hyde, in his Literary
History of Ireland.
“It is true,” he goes on, “that Ireland’s great mission of instruction
and conversion came to a close with the eleventh century, yet for two
centuries more, driven by the innate instinct for travel and adventure
which was so strong within them that it resembled a second nature, we
find Irish monks new foundations on the continent, especially in
Germany.” The number of monasteries which Dr. Hyde names as being
founded by these Irish monks on the continent during the next half
century is simply amazing. “Most of these monks who came from Ireland
brought books with them which they presented to the German monasteries.”
Says Dr. Hyde again:
“The century which succeeded the Battle of Clontarf, was the most
flourishing period of Irish monks in Germany. Once the English had
commenced the conquest of Ireland the monasteries ceased to be recruited
by men of sanctity and learning but were resorted to by men who sought
rather material comfort and a life of worldly freedom. The result was,
that towards the end of the thirteenth century most of the Irish
establishments in Germany had come to an end, being made over to the
Germans, like those of Vienna and Wurzburg, or else altogether losing
their monastic character like that of Vuremberg.
“As for the parent monastery of St. James of Ratisbon, its fate was most
extraordinary and deserves to be told at greater length. It had, of
course, always been from its foundation, inhabited by Irish monks alone,
and was known as the monasterium Scotorum, or monastery of Irishmen. But
when in process of time the word Scotus became ambiguous, or rather had
come to be exclusively applied to what we now call Scotchmen, the Scotch
prudently took advantage of it, and claimed that they and not the Irish
were the real founders of Ratisbon and its kindred institutions, and
that the designation monasterium Scotorum proved it, but the Irish had
gradually and unlawfully intruded themselves into these institutions
which did not belong to them. Accordingly it came to pass, by the very
irony of fate—analogous to that which made English writers of the last
century claim Irish books and Irish script as Anglo-Saxon—that the great
parent monastery of St. James of Ratisbon was actually given up to the
Scotch by Leo X., in 1515, and all the unfortunate Irish monks there
living were driven out. The Scotch, however, do not seem to have made
much of their new abode, for though the monastery contained some able
men during the first century of its occupation by them, it exercised,
says Zimmer, no influence worth mentioning upon the general cultivation
of the German people of that region and may be considered but a small
contribution towards medieval culture in general, for the only share the
Scotch monks can really claim in a monument like that of the church of
St. James of Ratisbon is the fact of their having collected the gold for
its erection from the pockets of the Germans. In comparison with these,
how noble appear to us those apostles from Ireland of whom we find so
many traces in different parts of the kingdom, of the monks from the
beginning of the seventh to the end of the tenth century.”
How well Germany remembers her debt of gratitude to those early Irish
monks was most eloquently expressed at the great German Catholic
Congress at Dusseldorf, less than a year ago. A pilgrimage of the
delegates to Keiserswerth to visit the grave of St. Suitbertus, the
first Irish monk who spread the light of faith and learning in that
land. During this pilgrimage Cardinal Fischer delivered an eloquent
discourse on the brotherhood of nations in faith and spoke feelingly on
the debt of Catholic Germany to the missionary monks of Ireland.
The one egregious thing which the reading of English history teaches is
the English historian’s palpable inability to be candid and unbiased
when he comes to deal with Ireland and the Irish. With the true-born
Englishman this innate prejudice against his neighboring island and her
people comes to him as a heritage of many ages. It is deep-rooted in his
very nature and is nourished and fructified by his inordinate vanity and
super-consciousness of his own real or imaginary superiority. The
average Englishman believes himself and his little islanders to be
divinely endowed with prerogatives and powers to govern the rest of the
world in their own way. He goes about it in a supercilious, patronizing
sort of fashion as though he were conferring an unspeakable kindness on
the governed, even while he is shooting or bayoneting him into
submission to his law.
The very fact, unnatural as it is, that the Englishman believes himself
right and just in all this inhumanity should seem at least to be some
palliation of his offences. But failing utterly to make the thus
governed see his treatment of them in any such “kindly light” he governs
them the more.
John Bull is, in fact, about the only ruler in the governing business
who seems not to have yet learned that a people who are least governed
are best governed. He has exploited his monarchical powers on about
every continent and ocean of the globe with more or less success. The
more heroic and manly was the resistance of a smaller country and weaker
people to his invasions the more he misrepresented and traduced them in
his press and on his platforms. England’s main purpose in this has even
been to lower, even abase the countries and peoples which she has thus
assailed, in the estimation of other nations. Nothing can be more
offensive to the delicate sensibilities of truth and justice than the
false show of benevolent unselfishness with which England has embarked
upon her campaigns of conquest. She has ever been conspicuously,
unmercifully cruel to her Irish subjects in their protests against her
oppression. There is scarcely any limit to the extremes into which an
individual or a nation’s vanity may lead them. England’s claiming
Irishmen of great distinction in arts, arms, statesmanship, and the like
to be real Englishmen is probably the most absurd case in point.
But it was left to the Scotch historian, David Hume, to most falsely and
malevolently chronicle the dominant characteristics of the Irish people.
He was, of course, writing English history from the then English
standard viewpoint, at the time when the American colonists were about
to rebel against the intolerable tyranny of George III. The Sons and
Daughters of Liberty were, in fact, holding their meetings under the old
Liberty tree in Boston at the very time Hume was writing his most false
annals of Ireland and the Irish. Hearing of Jerry O’Brien’s capture of
the British schooner Margaretta, in Machias Bay, several months before
the Battle of Bunker Hill, no doubt intensified Hume’s dislike of the
Irish. Nor does that “flavor of the old classical culture of Scotland,”
pervading his work extenuate in the least the enormity of his falsehood.
Nay, the very fact that he must have known better—he to whom was given
as a historian “first rank among English writers,”—makes his offence
against intellectual integrity all the more despicable. And yet it has
been by just such means as this that England has, throughout the past
ten centuries, succeeded in keeping the greater part of the rest of the
world more or less ignorant of the real characteristics and acquirements
of the Irish.
On page 99, Vol. 1, of Hume’s History of England, writing of the “State
of Ireland—1172,” he says: “The Irish from the beginning of time had
been buried in the most profound _barbarism_ and _ignorance_....”
Now, with Hume’s wide knowledge of the civilized world, it can scarcely
be believed that he wrote in real ignorance of the general status of the
Irish people. His classical culture and profound erudition must
certainly have enabled him to know the real facts in the case. He could
not have so closely surveyed and studied the past history of “the Irish”
without knowing that for centuries before the time of which he wrote,
Ireland had excelled England in culture “to a very marked degree.” It
had, indeed, been the custom for ages for the better class of Englishmen
to not only send their sons to Ireland but to go themselves for their
education, that they might learn Irish Gaelic, so that by means of it
they might study Greek and Latin. “The fame of these early Irish
schools,” says Dr. Douglas Hyde in his Literary History of Ireland, page
220, “attracted students in the seventh, eighth and ninth centuries from
all quarters to Ireland, which had now become a veritable land of
schools and scholars.” English, French and German princes flocked to
Ireland to reap the benefits of the better educational advantages there
than were to be had in their own countries. King Alfred of Northumbria,
who was educated in Ireland, had been so pleased with the Irish ways
that he ever after “aided and abetted the Irish in England in opposition
to Wilfred, who opposed them.”
[Illustration:
HONORABLE JOHN B. O’MEARA,
Of St. Louis.
Ex-Lieutenant-Governor of Missouri, and
Vice-President of the Society for Missouri.
]
But the brilliant Irish scholar, Johannas Scotus Erigend, finally went
over to England for the sole purpose of establishing at Oxford
University the beginning of classical learning on English soil. He was
also summoned to France by King Charles the Bold to lay the foundation
of the classics in his kingdom. Yet for more than a century after the
classics had been established at Oxford, well-born Englishmen continued
to send their sons to Ireland, where the older seats of such learning
offered more effective advantages for such studies. Nor was it for the
study of the Humanities alone that they were sent. The arts of writing,
illuminating and music were also taught with the success that is made
possible only by centuries of cultured experience.
Speaking of King Edward’s last visit to Ireland at that time, Harper’s
Weekly recently said, editorially, after relating in detail the many
other ways in which “Ireland was England’s superior in culture” ... “the
Harp, which is the National symbol of Ireland, is really the record of
centuries of Musical culture.”
Knowing, as King Alfred certainly must have known, that as early as the
beginning of the sixth century the heathen classics were taught by
learned Irish monks in their schools of theology, it is easily
understood how he came to have such admiration for the Irish and
Ireland. Their skill in Greek and Latin poetry as well as in Irish
appealed to him so that on leaving Ireland he wrote a poem of sixty
lines in the Irish bardic manner. In this poem he compliments the five
provinces for their several hospitalities and courtesies to himself. It
breathes the spirit of thankful gratitude to the whole nation for all it
had done for him.
No people buried in barbarism and ignorance “from the beginning of time”
could have evoked such a tribute to their culture and hospitality as
that, from an English King whom they had educated. (Pardon the
hyperbole.)
But it had not yet become the well established custom and purpose of the
writers of English history to pervert their chronicles so as to traduce
the Irish people all that their subject matter would bear without
seeming to be deliberate untruth. There was, in fact, no English
historian at all at the time Ireland’s scholars were thus laying the
foundations of classical learning over a great part of Europe. The
crowds of strangers that were meantime flocking to Ireland to receive
the classical educations which could not be had in their own countries
were not only warmly welcomed but were entertained and fed every day
free of cost. Free books were furnished them and they were given
gratuitous instructions by the Irish masters.
In this atmosphere of culture, hospitality and true Christian refinement
was fostered that love of learning and of the unselfish characters of
the men who imparted it to those strange princes and kings, which they
took home with them to their own countries. Englishmen, especially, had
long looked upon Ireland as “the land of scholars and the nurse of
arms.”
This marvelous educational activity and open-handed generosity of the
Irish had, in fact, become the wonder and admiration of the nations
whose sons were being most benefited thereby. “This outburst of
religious zeal, glorious and enduring as it was,” says Dr. Hyde,
“carried with it, like all sudden and powerful movements, an element of
danger.” The danger to which he here refers was that of a clash between
the civil and religious authorities on some minor points of the
administration of justice at home. Such obstacles in the way of human
and spiritual amity seem to have never been for long inseparable from
the lives of nations. They spring up suddenly. They are balked at for a
time, and it often seems as if such barriers were destined to be the
stumbling blocks over which kingdoms would fall.
But it was not until the Norman invasion and complete subjugation of
England, and Norman laws, customs and ideals had completely dominated
that country and the semi-Latin tongue now known as English had taken
the place of the Anglo-Saxon spoken till the Normans came, that the real
breach of amity between the English and Irish happened.
It was against the aggressive spirit of this Anglo-Norman power that
Ireland first rebelled and rebels to this day. The Normans found the
conquest of Ireland a far more difficult undertaking. They were, it is
true, by their under-handed system of parceling out portions of the
conquered sections to the traitor native chiefs, successful in dividing
Ireland against herself. Yet during all the centuries of the persecution
made possible by the weakness caused by this division, the Normans
failed to dominate Ireland. The free Irish spirit outlived those
centuries of “warfare and famine and prison.” Throughout the greater
part of that beleaguered land Irish princes and Irish laws ruled. The
soul of the nation was nurtured and sustained by the continued use of
the mother tongue. To the ranks of the native Irish who were rendered
disloyal to their country by Norman influences, the religious schism of
the Reformation added many more. Cromwell’s disastrous invasion nearly a
century later cut still wider gaps in the loyal ranks of the Irish. In
addition to those who were starved or persecuted into submission to
Cromwellian rule, many more who could not be tortured into such
submission fled the country. Those were “the wild geese,” that flew
hither and yonder, lighting, like birds of passage, where instinct or
destiny led them.
But wherever they found refuge from the iniquitous powers, that thus
made them exiles, they remained true to the ideals for which they were
banished. In many instances they became in time honored acquisitions to
the countries where they found homes, fitting in as leaders in arts,
arms and statecraft. All this is, of course, no more than must be
expected of men possessing heritages of many centuries of freedom, based
on the American elective system of choosing their governing officials.
From her very earliest colonial days down to the present, America
derived more of her strength from Ireland, numerically as well as
otherwise, than from any other single source. However, much of the fact
of Irishmen’s numbers and achievements, in the upbuilding of this nation
may have been omitted from our histories purposely or knowingly the
facts remain. These mistakes the future historian must see corrected.
Nor this alone. The Hume spirit and atmosphere must be forever
eliminated from our history. It was the Hume falsehoods which half a
century or more ago created in the youthful American mind such false
impressions of the Irish character. Bancroft had not yet been introduced
in the public schools during my early school days, so it was from Hume
that as a twelve-year lad I first learned this false lesson of my native
land. Nor can we wonder that Bancroft, with all his learning, has
signally failed in many instances to give renowned historical characters
their due. This fact came home to me quite recently, while canvassing
for a petition to a certain congressman, urging him to press the passage
of the bill for an appropriation to erect a monument in Washington to
Commodore Jack Barry, Father of the American Navy. On presenting the
petition the second time to this “representative and influential
citizen,” he demurred, saying: “I don’t find much of anything about this
Barry, in Bancroft’s History of the United States entitling him to any
such honor as you folks are aiming to give him. So I don’t see how I can
sign your petition.”
Such mistakes, or intentional omissions, of our country’s history,
mischievous as they may otherwise appear, are here recurred to only to
show the great need of a true history of the nation. It is no reflection
upon the intellectual integrity of Bancroft to infer that he may have,
in some ways been influenced by Hume, nay, is it not very probable that
he was in dealing with the Irish heroes of our Army and Navy?
But in the light of modern research and scholarly devotion to truth such
old world falsehoods and misrepresentations are being doomed to the
oblivion that awaits all such evil doing. The causes and ideals for
which Irishmen have lived, fought, suffered and died, need no apologist
or vindicator, ancient, mediæval or modern, since St. Patrick’s time, at
least. These causes have been mainly God, country, truth and freedom. It
was Ireland’s devotion to her ideals and her sacrificial tenacity to her
causes which, of course, led to England’s merciless, wholesale
confiscation of Irish lands and estates, when she had gained sufficient
mastery there by her Norman intrigues. During the reign of James I.,
Irish commerce and about all Irish industries were destroyed in like
manner. The Irish schools in which English princes and kings had
received their first lessons in classical learning were leveled to the
ground, and the schoolmasters forced to teach under hawthornes and
hedges. But even this did not, as was intended by the destroyer, quite
destroy the love of culture in the Irish heart. Nor did the English
soldiers’ desecration of the sanctuaries and the banishment of the
priests in the least hinder the continuance of God’s eternal truth. Men
died manfully for it. But the truth lived on and became more true
because of their martyrdom.
In every land to which these “wild geese” bore their messages of those
eternal verities for which they were banished from their own country,
their Irish ideals have, under a more human tolerance than that from
which they flew, been steadily extending and exerting more beneficent
influences over the lives of men and nations. This could not have been
otherwise. Here, where they came more numerously for a century or more
than was the emigration from nearly all the rest of Europe together,
Irish ideals of the form of the modern elective system of government
have been more dominantly interwoven into the web of our national life,
more obvious still is the heritage of ancient Celtic culture to be seen
in American art, literature and hospitality. Too faintly, perhaps, is it
felt in poetry or heard in music, as if, as in Goldsmith’s time, “they
wept their own decline.” Yet, as the old art spirit seems now to be
steadily regaining its wonted power, it may shortly overcome the evil
commercial craze which now infests the earth.
Oxford University, in which, as I have said before, the great Scotus
Erigena first established the beginning of classical learning in
England, is now having prepared for publication a volume of prose and
verse to be printed in fac simile from old Celtic manuscripts, preserved
in the great Bodleian library. This is being done under the direction of
the great German scholar, Kunz Meyer. He is writing an introduction and
notes to the work. No other man living, not even Dr. Douglas Hyde
himself, is a more profound Gaelic scholar or a more ardent lover of
that Gaelic culture which, as has been seen, did so much toward the
enlightenment of the world, than he.
There are many other notable instances of the healthy and vigorous
revival of the Gaelic culture spirit and language which space forbids
being here added. The selfless interest and liberal aid taken in and
extended to this movement by men of other races evinces the fact that it
is more of a world-wide out-reaching for the lost inestimable treasures
of what the movement means than any narrow exploitation of the
achievements of a single race. If, by means of it we shall succeed in
expurgating the histories of the civilized world of such pernicious
falsehoods as that of Hume’s, we shall certainly have conferred a
lasting benefit upon mankind.
THE LATE COL. JOHN F. FINERTY.
BY P. T. BARRY.
Col. John F. Finerty, who died in Chicago on June 10, 1908, was born in
Ireland in 1846. In his youth he became connected with the Irish
revolutionary movement and was forced to leave Ireland in consequence.
He arrived in America in 1864 and immediately joined a New York
volunteer regiment in which he served until its disbandment.
Mr. Finerty became connected with the Chicago daily press in 1866. In
1876 he was detailed by Editor Storey of _The Times_ to accompany the
column of General Crook against the hostile Sioux and Cheyenne Indian
tribes. He was present at most of the Indian battles of that memorable
year and was especially mentioned by General Crook in orders for good
conduct in the field.
In 1877 he wrote up, among other things, the Rio Grande frontier trouble
from both the Texan and Mexican sides of the river. In 1879 he made an
almost complete tour of old Mexico, traveling on horseback or by
buckboard from the capitol to El Paso del Norte. In July of that year he
joined General Miles’ expedition against the Sioux in Montana, crossed
the British line and visited the hostile village of Sitting Bull. In
October he accompanied General Merritt’s column, operating against the
Ute Indians, who had murdered Agent Meeker and killed Major Thornburgh
in Colorado. In 1880 he made a complete tour of the southern states and
later wrote up the country traversed by the Canadian and Northern
Pacific Railroads, then in process of construction.
In 1882 Colonel Finerty severed his connection with the Chicago daily
press and founded the _Chicago Citizen_, which he edited until his
death. He was elected to congress in that year and distinguished himself
in the House by effective speeches in advocacy of the new navy and coast
fortifications bills. In 1884 he supported Mr. Blaine for the
presidency. He was an enthusiastic supporter of Parnell in his struggle
for Irish autonomy and was twice elected president of the United Irish
League of the United States.
Colonel Finerty delivered the Washington oration at the University of
Michigan, Ann Arbor, February 22, 1891, and received an ovation from
both the faculty and the students. He was also a principal speaker at
the James G. Blaine and John A. Logan memorial meetings in Chicago.
In 1890 he published his personal narratives of the Sioux Wars, entitled
“Warpath and Bivouac,” which was favorably received and had a large sale
in the United States, Canada and England. He had another book in course
of preparation at the time of his death. Mr. Finerty was a veteran
lecturer on American, Irish and cosmopolitan subjects. He never used
notes or manuscript, but having made himself familiar with his subject
relied upon his memory for words fitting the subject.
During his journalistic career he reported the lectures of Wendell
Phillips, Henry Ward Beecher, Carl Schurz, Edward Everett Hale, Father
Tom Burke and many other celebrities, and became convinced that the
speaker who did not use manuscripts took best with the American people.
No one could be intimately acquainted with Colonel Finerty without
becoming fondly attached to him for his many noble qualities of head and
heart. He was a fascinating conversationalist, a brilliant writer and a
truly eloquent orator. The great storehouse of his mind unfolded itself
in private conversation with the freshness of the running brook, in his
writings with the diction and elegance of the classics and in his
oratory like a mountain torrent.
Although a firm believer in the Catholic faith himself, every human
being who loved justice and liberty and had the courage to avow it he
regarded as his brother, no matter in what creed he saw fit to dedicate
his thoughts to the Almighty.
In the death of John F. Finerty, Ireland has lost as devoted and
self-sacrificing a son as was ever born upon that sacred soil, and the
United States has lost as loyal and patriotic a citizen as ever fought
either in the defense or in the assertion of American freedom; and the
friends of liberty the world over have lost as true and generous an
advocate of universal freedom as any country has ever produced.
At the big John F. Finerty memorial meeting, held in the new Seventh
Regiment Armory, Chicago, in November, 1908, Hon. P. T. Barry presiding,
Hon. Bourke Cockran delivered a most eloquent address in which he said
in part:
“_Mr. Chairman, ladies and gentlemen_: If there could be the slightest
doubt in the mind of anyone here as to the effect and power of that
gift (oratory) which the chairman has described in terms so glowing,
he himself has illustrated it in the highest degree. (Applause.)
“I know of no person who has presented the subject, for which a
gathering has assembled, in terms so glowing, with an eloquence so
splendid, with pathos so tender and with a feeling so true and
sincere. I have come tonight to add the tribute of my admiration, my
sincere respect and my affection as an Irishman to the memory which we
have gathered to commemorate and honor. (Applause.)
“Listening to the words of your chairman, I feel most deeply that a
great light has been extinguished which had lit for many thousands and
hundreds of thousands the pathway of duty and of honor. A mighty oak
under whose umbrageous shade many had been refreshed on the long,
trying journey from aspiration to accomplishment, who otherwise would
have fallen and fallen forever. A watchman, upon the tower of liberty
had been relieved, who had never slumbered at his post. The earth had
taken unto her bosom him who had been the embodiment of manly virtue,
of manly faith and manly courage while he trod her surface—John F.
Finerty lies in a Chicago cemetery. (Applause.)
“This gathering, vast in its numbers and intense in its feeling, is
the most eloquent tribute to the respect he inspired, to the influence
he wielded, to the fame he acquired, to the memory that he left. What
can I say of his life, his achievements, of his personal virtues, to
you who are his neighbors, the friends before whose edified eyes every
day of his life was passed?
“I know of no life that has been fuller of achievement, more vibrant
with strenuous effort and which is absolutely without stain, from the
very hour, when he first raised his voice in behalf of his country to
the period when he was followed to the grave by a long line of
mourners who were privileged to assist at his interment. His death was
mourned by hundreds of thousands of his countrymen whose cause he had
served, and who had admired his virtues during his life.”
MEMORIAL TO JEFFREY ROCHE.
On May 31, 1909, a beautiful tablet was dedicated to Jeffrey Roche and
the exercises in connection therewith in Holyhood cemetery, Brookline,
Mass., were attended by hundreds who had known and loved the editor,
poet and author. The eloquent eulogy was pronounced by Mr. Joseph Smith,
one of the founders of our Society, and a devoted admirer of Mr. Roche.
The huge granite memorial was the gift of the John Boyle O’Reilly Club
and bore a bronze plate with the following inscription in Gothic
capitals:
Beneath This Stone Rests
All that is mortal of
JAMES JEFFREY ROCHE.
Born Mountmellick, Ireland,
31st May, 1847.
Died at Berne, Switzerland,
3d April, 1908,
An American Consul.
* * * * *
A writer—he gave freely of his genius to humanity that the strong
might be restrained, the weak strengthened and right might reign; a
poet—patriotism, heroism and justice were the burden of his song; and
author—his kindly wit and gentle satire were turned on folly and
hypocrisy; an editor—his pen fought stoutly for the oppressed and
persecuted of all races and creeds; a man—he never surrendered his
principles to temptation, keeping his conscience clear and his mind
free.
* * * * *
This tablet is erected by his friends, who loved and admired him in
life and mourn and honor him in death.
MAY HE REST IN PEACE.
JAMES JEFFREY ROCHE,
Born in Mountmellick, Ireland, May 31, 1847.
Died in Berne, Switzerland, April 3, 1908.
Under the skies of that brave mountain land,
Where Alpine shepherds feudal might defied,
Where struggling freedom warring cent’ries spanned,
There in the shadows of the hills he died.
The whisp’ring woods to murm’ring rills gave voice,
The snowy heights caught faint the lowlands’ sighs,
Dead Pan returned and bade his hosts rejoice,
For Heav’n is richer when a singer dies.
He died as dies some long sweet summer day,
When fruits are golden on the burdened trees;
The sun’s pale glory on the sky’s blue gray,
And night comes fragrant on the cooling breeze.
They brought him home and laid him down to rest,
To sleep forever in his narrow bed,
Amid the scenes and friends that he loved best,
At rest forever with his sacred dead.
Like the red roses that have bloomed and died,
Whose withered sweetness scents each hallowed nook,
Shall the dead singer’s spirit still abide
To hush dissension and pale hate rebuke.
—_Joseph Smith._
A BRIEF SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF COLONEL JAMES D. BRADY.
(_Through the courtesy of Joseph P. Brady, his son, Clerk of the U. S.
Circuit Court of the Eastern District of Virginia._)
Colonel James D. Brady was born at Portsmouth, Virginia, April 3, 1843,
and died at Petersburg, Virginia, November 30, 1900.
The death of his father in 1855, his mother having died during his
infancy, made it necessary for him to leave his home in Virginia when a
boy of eleven years of age, and go to New York City to live with a
kinsman, and he was residing in that city at the time the Civil War
broke out.
He enlisted March 9, 1861, as a private in Company A, 37th New York,
“Irish Rifles.” On December 7, 1861, he was transferred to the 63d New
York Volunteer Infantry, Meagher’s Irish Brigade, and commissioned its
first lieutenant. Very shortly thereafter he was made the adjutant of
the regiment. He was for gallant and efficient conduct successively
promoted to Captain, Major, Lieutenant-Colonel and Colonel of the
regiment, and as such last named officer was honorably mustered out of
service May 26, 1865, claiming to be the youngest colonel in the Army of
the Potomac.
[Illustration:
COL. JAMES D. BRADY.
One of the founders of the Society and the father of Hon. Joseph P.
Brady of Richmond, Va. Col. Brady deceased in 1900, honored and
respected by all who knew him.
]
Colonel Brady was at different times Judge Advocate, Adjutant-General
and Inspector General of the First Division of the 2nd Army Corps.
Colonel Brady participated in all of the great battles in which the
Irish Brigade was engaged. He commanded “The Color Company” in the
battle of Fredericksburg, December 17, 1862, and while leading his
company in the assault of the Irish Brigade upon Marye’s Heights on that
day was wounded in the head. General Thomas Francis Meagher specially
mentioned his conduct in that battle in his official report. He was
slightly wounded in the leg in the “second day” battle of Fair Oaks, the
morning that General Howard lost his arm. He was wounded in the mouth at
Malvern Hill, and again wounded in the arm at Cold Harbor, June 3, 1864,
in which battle he was dangerously wounded in the body. He was
personally complimented by General Hancock at the battle of
Fredericksburg on the afternoon General Zook was mortally wounded,
Colonel Brady being with General Zook at the time he was shot.
After the war, Colonel Brady returned to Virginia, and was shortly
thereafter elected Clerk of the Court of his native city. He held that
position until President Hayes appointed him Collector of Internal
Revenue for the Eastern Division of Virginia, which position he held
under the administrations of Garfield, Arthur, Harrison and McKinley.
He was elected a member of the Forty-ninth Congress from the Fourth
Virginia District, and held many other positions of emolument and trust,
both under the State and Federal Government.
ENTERTAINMENT OF THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL BY OUR FELLOW MEMBER, HON.
CHARLES ALEXANDER, AT MACEDONIA, HIS SUMMER HOME, IN BARRINGTON, R. I.
The meeting of the Executive Council held in Providence, R. I., July 22,
1909, had a pleasant termination. Francis J. Quinlan, M. D., LL. D.,
President-General, Michael F. Dooley, Esq., Treasurer-General, Thomas
Zanslaur Lee, Secretary-General, Hon. Edward J. McGuire, Hon. Thomas B.
Fitzpatrick, Rev. John J. McCoy, D. D., John F. Doyle, Esq., Patrick
Carter, Esq., Patrick F. Magrath, Esq., and Colonel John McManus,
members of the Executive Council, assembled at the Society’s
headquarters and, after considering the business that was brought to
their attention, adjourned to accept the very kind invitation of Hon.
Charles Alexander to spend the day with him at Macedonia, his beautiful
summer home in Barrington, R. I.
The circular calling the meeting of the Council and notifying the
members of the invitation was as follows:
PROVIDENCE, R. I., July 15, 1909.
There will be a meeting of the Executive Council Thursday, July 22d,
at the summer home of Hon. Charles Alexander in Barrington, Rhode
Island, who has invited, through Treasurer-General Dooley, the Council
to partake of his hospitality on that day. As it is necessary that Mr.
Alexander know just how many of the Council are to be present, will
you kindly signify immediately on enclosed postal whether or not you
will be present?
The members of the Council will assemble at the office of the
Secretary-General, seventh floor Industrial Trust Company Building,
No. 49 Westminster Street, Providence, Rhode Island, at 10.30 a. m.,
July 22d, 1909, and will be conveyed to Barrington, twelve miles
distant, by automobiles, passing some of the most beautiful shore
scenery in Rhode Island.
Luncheon will be served at twelve o’clock, and a genuine Rhode Island
clambake will follow at two o’clock. The members will be brought back
to the city in time to take trains for New York or other distant
points.
The New York members may take the Providence Line Boat if they choose,
leaving Pier 18, New York City, at 5.30 o’clock p. m., and arriving in
Providence at 7. a. m. the next morning.
As there is much business of importance to be transacted at the
meeting, it is earnestly requested that you be present.
Yours respectfully,
THOMAS ZANSLAUR LEE,
_Secretary-General_.
The members and invited guests were conveyed by automobiles through East
Providence and along the shores of Narragansett Bay to Mr. Alexander’s
house, where they arrived in season for luncheon, which was served at
one o’clock in the casino adjoining his residence.
Following that the members inspected the beautiful grounds and
buildings, engaged in the game of bowls on the lawn, examined the
extensive plant for the artificial cultivation of Rhode Island clams,
and spent a delightful time in social intercourse until three p. m.,
when a Rhode Island clambake was served, the menu of which was as
follows:
Clam Chowder Clam Cakes
Broiled Scrod a la Alexander
Baked Clams
Baked Sweet Potatoes Rhode Island Johnny Cake
Baked Lobsters French Fried Potatoes
Watermelon Indian Pudding
Coffee Cordials
At the conclusion of the dinner Colonel Alexander invited
Treasurer-General Dooley to act as toastmaster, and the latter made a
most interesting and timely address. Brief addresses were made by
Colonel Alexander, President-General Quinlan, Monsignor Doran, Rev. Dr.
McCoy, Mr. Fitzpatrick, Mr. Lee, Mr. McGuire, Judge Rathbun and Mr.
Magrath.
The meeting of the Executive Council, not having taken an adjournment,
was called to order again, and the following gentlemen, upon their
application, were unanimously elected members of the Society: Hon.
Charles Alexander, Rt. Rev. Mgr. Thomas F. Doran, V. G., LL. D., Hon.
Elmer J. Rathbun, Charles B. Humphrey, Esq., and Rev. Owen F. Clarke.
It was unanimously voted “that the thanks of the Executive Council be
and they hereby are tendered our most genial host for the splendid
dinner and entertainment that the Executive Council have this day
received at his hands.”
At the conclusion of the exercises the members and guests, after bidding
Colonel Alexander good-bye and wishing him happiness and prosperity as
long as he lives, returned to Providence and departed for their
respective homes.
To Treasurer-General Dooley is rightly due the happy suggestion that
brought about the invitation, and it was entirely through his influence
that this excellent and dignified entertainment of the Executive Council
took place.
PRESENTATION TO COLONEL ALEXANDER.
The local members of the Executive Council, deeply appreciative of the
nature and extent of the entertainment on July 22nd, 1909, decided to
show their appreciation of Colonel Alexander’s generous hospitality in a
substantial manner, and Treasurer-General Dooley caused to be made by
the Watson & Newell Company of Attleboro, Mass., a punch bowl eleven
inches high, holding two and one-half gallons, the edges of which are
mounted with massive silver ornaments; two large silver shields are
mounted on the bowl, one on the front and one behind. The front one has
the American and Irish flags crossed, with the American eagle above and
a wreath around the outside of the flags and eagle, the wreath being
composed of shamrock entwined with stalks of ripened grain. On the
reverse side of the bowl is a large shield with similar wreaths of grain
and shamrock, within which is engraved the following inscription:
“_Memoria tenere diem ambrosianam apud Macedoniam, Alexandri Maximi
Domum, Societatis Historicæ Americo-Hibernicæ Sodales hanc crateram
dedicaverunt die sexta decima julii A. D. MDCCCCIX._”
“_In poculo pleno nostri non obliviscare._”
the translation of which is as follows:
“To perpetuate the memory of an ambrosian day at ‘Macedonia,’ the home
of Alexander the Greatest, the members of the American Irish
Historical Society have dedicated this bowl, the 16th day of July,
1909.”
“May we be in the flowing cup remembered.”
The letter accompanying the punch bowl when it was delivered to Colonel
Alexander was prepared by Mr. Dooley and is as follows:
THE AMERICAN IRISH HISTORICAL SOCIETY.
OFFICE OF TREASURER-GENERAL.
PROVIDENCE, R. I., October 14, 1909.
MR. CHARLES ALEXANDER,
129 Benefit St.,
Providence, R. I.
_Dear Mr. Alexander_:—We beg you to accept the accompanying souvenir
of an occasion fraught with pleasure for all who participated in it.
It is sent by the local members of the Executive Council of the
American Irish Historical Society, and carries with it their best
wishes for you and yours.
May “Macedonia” be its habitat and the scene of its triumphs, and
while it will not add lustre to the glories of the “Home of
Alexander,” nor bring greater sunshine within its portals than the
gracious host himself always sheds about him, it will, we hope, abide
with him as a pleasant remembrance of the donors who keep him in
living, loving memory.
Very sincerely yours,
MICHAEL F. DOOLEY.
THOMAS Z. LEE.
JOHN MCMANUS.
PATRICK CARTER.
That our genial host was greatly pleased with the gift is evidenced by
his very courteous letter in reply, which is as follows:
October 19, 1909.
MESSRS. MICHAEL F. DOOLEY, THOMAS ZANSLAUR LEE, JOHN MCMANUS, and
PATRICK CARTER, Local Members of the Executive Council of the
American Irish Historical Society:—
_Gentlemen_: I am in receipt of your cordial letter of October
fourteenth and the splendid punch bowl for Macedonia. I heartily thank
you for them both, and you may be sure that the home of the bowl will
be Macedonia.
It certainly brings to my mind one of the pleasantest days of my life,
and I truly hope that Father Time will deal gently with us so that at
no distant date we will all meet again at Macedonia, and with good
fellowship drink from the bowl to good luck and prosperity for all.
Thanking you for the kind remembrance, I remain,
Most truly yours,
CHARLES ALEXANDER.
The whole event from beginning to end was well managed and the gentlemen
present enjoyed every minute of the time spent at Macedonia. The affair
was managed by Colonel Alexander and Mr. Dooley, and not a single detail
for the comfort or pleasure of the Executive Council was omitted. July
22d, 1909, and Macedonia will be long remembered by the members of the
Executive Council who participated in this most enjoyable occasion.
FORT SHERIDAN.
BY LIEUT. ERNEST VAN D. MURPHY, FT. SHERIDAN, ILL.
In 1888 the United States Government, following its traditional policy
in the bestowal of names on its fortifications and the stations of its
armed forces, selected and gave to the new military post recently
established on the shores of Lake Michigan, the name of “Fort Sheridan,”
in commemoration of that illustrious Irish-American soldier, General
Philip H. Sheridan, who had, but a few years previously, died while in
chief command of the army. Placed as it is, on the high bluffs
overlooking the blue waters of our exclusively American Sea, the natural
advantages of the site combined with the carefully thought out scheme of
construction, to say nothing of the care and interest that has been
manifested by the various commanding officers, who have, since its
foundation been charged with the carrying out of the designs of the War
Department, all combine to make the post, as a whole, a worthy memorial
of its gallant namesake.
The French, far back in the colonial period, recognized the importance,
to their schemes of trade and colonization, of the control of the great
natural channels of communication between the Great Lakes and the
Mississippi Valley, and to secure their supremacy established a number
of military posts in northern Illinois—Fort St. Joseph on the eastern
side of Lake Michigan; Fort Crevecœur and Kaskasia among others.
Following the French, the British and afterward the American Governments
continued the policy of the French and kept up a number of
establishments whose functions were mainly to provide a measure of
control over the Indian inhabitants. Fort Dearborn, on the present site
of the City of Chicago, was built in 1804 and was kept up until the
settling of the country and the consequent removal west of the
aborigines made its further maintenance unnecessary.
[Illustration:
STEPHEN FARRELLY, ESQ.,
Of New York City.
A Life Member of the Society, and a Member of the Executive Council.
]
These early posts in the northwest were, as a rule, mere stockades, with
such block-houses and angles let into the trace as were necessary to
prevent dead spaces and command the ditch. They provided shelter from
the rifle fire of that day but were of little value against artillery.
So today, Fort Sheridan, the successor of Fort Dearborn, is not, from a
military standpoint, a place of even temporary defense, much less a
stronghold. The control of the natural and artificial ways of
communication between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi, is dependent
now, as a century ago, not on heavy ordnance and great fortifications,
nor on our naval strength on the lakes, for unfortunately we have
none—but depends directly upon such forces of the mobile army as the
government may have available at a crisis. Thus it may be seen that Fort
Sheridan, as one of the largest stations of the regular army, plays an
important part in the subject of the strategical defenses of our
northern frontier. Its central location, with the unparalleled railroad
facilities of Chicago at hand; the water routes of the lakes and the
excellent road system of the northern-central states permit the garrison
to be moved rapidly and surely to the points at which its presence, in
time of national need may be necessary.
The reservation consists of about 700 acres of grass and woodland,
nearly level and but very little cut up ravines. Not being handicapped
by the presence of old structures, the barracks, quarters and other
buildings built when the post was started present a handsome appearance.
They represent the most approved methods of construction of their time
and through their simplicity of design and large details they permit of
ready and economical maintenance and bid fair to endure for years.
During the summer months, from April to November, and in the winter when
weather conditions are favorable the garrison, a regiment of Infantry, a
squadron of cavalry, a battalion of Field Artillery, and such details of
the special arms, the Signal Corps, Hospital Corps, etc., is busy
carrying on its training for active service or in providing for its own
immediate necessities. For it must be understood the government’s
immense plant,—two hundred and odd buildings, five hundred horses and
mules, the grounds and the valuable machinery of war must be cared for
by the ones who use them. Thus it is that the soldier not only does his
own cooking and general housekeeping but works for the general good of
the little city in which he lives; grooming horses, driving teams,
hauling supplies, or if his capabilities lie in that direction working
as carpenter or mason on the buildings of the post. His housekeeping and
other work, that in civil life is usually looked out for by his mother
or wife, he must, in the army, do to live, after that comes the training
in the fighting arts which finally decide wars. The military year is
divided into two seasons, the season of practical work, carried out in
the open, and the season of theoretical work, carried on indoors and
outside as circumstances permit. The theoretical training is carried on
usually in the winter but as a matter of fact there is some overlapping.
The pleasant summer weather brings thousands of the residents of Chicago
to the post. Lunch basket in hand, they make a peaceful invasion and
forget the heat, smoke and soot of their city surroundings as they
wander through the clean grass and shady groves. Then, too, the training
of the soldier, be he of the cavalry, the “eyes of the service”; the
artillery with its scientific leanings; or of the “walk-a-heaps,” as the
Indians call the infantry—the backbone of all armies; all present much
of interest to the civilian, who, unless he visits their stations rarely
sees the regular soldier, save, perhaps as he marches by in some
celebration of national importance, or toils, in heavy marching order
through the country districts carrying out some manœuvre problem.
Thus it may be seen that the American people, through their
representatives, have, in Fort Sheridan, erected and maintained, to the
memory of their gallant general, not a cold, dead memorial of stone, but
a living, vital monument, a link in the defenses of the nation, and have
placed it where his deeds and the work going on under the shadow of his
name, serve as an inspiration to the patriotism of the youth of our
second city.
THE IRISH ELEMENT IN AMERICA.
BY MR. R. C. O’CONNOR OF SAN FRANCISCO, CAL.
The Irish people have been coming to this country from the time of its
earliest settlement. Many came involuntarily, having been deported
hither by order of the Cromwell Government, and some historians assert
that during the ten years succeeding the close of the Cromwellian war,
in 1652, a hundred thousand young men and young women were shipped to
the West Indies and to the colonies. Voluntary emigration, however, had
not begun to any great extent before the opening of the 18th century. We
have historical evidence, however, in support of the statement that the
Irish came with the earliest settlers of the colonies.
Reverend William Elliott Griffis in his work, “Brave Little Holland and
What She Taught Us,” says on page 208: “In the ‘Mayflower’ ... were one
hundred and one men, women, boys and girls, as passengers, besides
captain and crew. These were of English, Dutch, French and Irish
ancestry and thus typical of our national stock.” We know from Hatten’s
“Original Lists,” and other authorities, that Irish immigration to
Virginia was in progress as far back as 1634–35. And Felt’s
“Ecclesiastical History of New England” says that William Collins led a
number of Irish refugees to Connecticut from the West Indies about the
year 1640. Previous to the beginning of the 18th century Irish emigrants
turned their faces towards Europe, where the young men entered the
armies with the hope of some day returning to achieve the independence
of their country. An idea can be formed of the extent of this emigration
from a statement made by the Abbe Macgeoghan, who was chaplain to the
Irish Brigade in France, who says that “the records of the War Office of
France show that during the fifty years preceding the battle of
Fontenoy, in 1745, over 450,000 Irishmen entered the service of that
country alone.” When peace with England was declared in 1748 the Irish
found, much to their disgust and contrary to their hopes and to the
promises held out to them, that France had left them out of her
reckoning and that their blood so lavishly shed for that country had
been shed in vain, as far as any advantage to their native land was
concerned. After that time the Irish ceased to emigrate to Europe to any
great extent, and turned their faces to the great West, then opening up
before the world, and since that time, now two hundred years ago, they
have been coming in a steady stream to this country.
No statistics of the nationality of immigrants were kept by this
Government until 1820, and we are kept in more or less doubt as to the
exact number of our people who came here previous to that time. We have,
however, historical evidence that this number was very large. Wilson in
his “History of the American People,” speaking of the early years of the
18th century, says: “For several years after the first quarter of the
new century had run out (that is, after 1725) immigration from the North
of Ireland came crowding in twelve thousand strong to the year. In 1729
quite 5,000 of them entered Pennsylvania alone. From Pennsylvania they
passed along the broad, inviting valley, southward, into the western
part of Virginia.” Thomas Bond, British Consul at Philadelphia from 1787
to 1812, who is described as the most efficient of the British officials
of the United States, writing to the Duke of Leeds, head of the English
Foreign Office, in 1789, says: “The immigrants hither since the peace,
my lord, that is since the conclusion of the war in 1783, have been much
greater from Ireland than from all other parts of Europe. Of 25,716
passengers, redemptioners and servants imported since the peace into
Pennsylvania, 1,893 only were Germans; the rest consisted of Irish and a
very few Scotch. Of 2,167 already imported in the present year, 114 only
were Germans; the rest were Irish.... I have not yet been able to obtain
any account of the number of Irish passengers brought hither for any
given series of years before the war, but from my own recollection I
know the number was very great, and I have been told that in one year
6,000 landed at Philadelphia, Wilmington and Newcastle upon Delaware.”
Ramsay, the historian, writing in this same year (1789) says: “The
colonies, which now form the United States, may be considered as Europe
transplanted. Ireland, England, France, Germany, Holland, Switzerland,
Sweden, Poland and Italy furnished the original stock of the population,
and have been supposed to contribute to it in the order named. _For the
last seventy or eighty years no nation has contributed so much to the
population of America as Ireland._” [The emphasis is mine.]
This is significant and valuable testimony to our numbers in the years
preceding the Revolution, and justifies the statements that have been
made that the Irish element formed one-third of the population at the
close of the colonial period. Doctor Lynch, Bishop of Charleston, South
Carolina, says: “The Irish immigration almost took possession of the
State. Irish family names abound in every rank and condition of life,
and there are few natives of the State in whose veins there does not run
more or less Irish blood.”
Sims’ “Life of General Marion” says: “The people of Williamsburg were
sprung generally from Irish parentage. They inherited in common with all
the descendants of the Irish in America a hearty detestation of the
English name and authority. This feeling rendered them excellent
patriots and daring soldiers wherever the British lion was the object of
hostility.
“The most numerous name in the First Census of South Carolina is Murphy,
there having been fifty distinct families of that name, although the
forty-eight Kelly families gave them a close race. The Gill and McGill
families run nip and tuck with the O’Neills and Nealls; there were
thirty-four of the former to thirty-three of the latter. The O’Briens
and O’Bryans ran the gauntlet of many changes. The Census enumerators
failed to appreciate the significance of the regal prefix ‘O,’ so they
wrote the name Obrient, Obriant, Bryan and Briant. There were
fifty-three of these in South Carolina in 1790. The Celtic ‘Macs’ make a
great showing. There are upwards of 1,000 of such families in all. When
we consider that in 1790 the total number of free white males of 16
years of age and upward in South Carolina was only 35,766 we can readily
understand that one thousand heads of families, with their wives and
children, must have constituted a large percentage of the population.
Among the ‘Macs’ are McCarts, McCarthys, McMahon, McClures, McMullens,
McNeils, etc. Then there are forty-one distinct families of Bradleys,
twenty-four Sullivans, twenty-eight Reynolds, twenty-three Connors and
O’Connors, twenty-one Carrolls, etc.” (I have taken the foregoing from a
very instructive article by Michael J. O’Brien in Vol. 8 of “The Journal
of the American Irish Historical Society.”) The names are interesting as
showing that the emigrants from Ireland to the colonies during the 18th
century were not all from the North of Ireland, as is generally
supposed.
But the Irish were even more distinguished, if not more numerous, in
Virginia than in South Carolina. I will mention only a single family,
that of John Preston, who was born in Ireland and came to Virginia in
1735. Dr. R. A. Brock in his “Virginia and Virginians” says: “Scarce
another American family has numbered as many prominent and honored
representatives as that of the yeoman founded Preston, with its
collateral lines and alliances. It has furnished the national Government
a Vice-President (Hon. John Cabell Breckenridge); has been represented
in several of the executive departments and in both branches of
Congress. It has given Virginia five governors—McDowell, Campbell,
Preston and the two Floyds—and to Kentucky, Missouri and California, one
each, in Governors Jacobs, B. Gratz Brown and Miller; Thomas Hart
Benton, John J. Crittenden, William C. and William Ballard Preston,
leading molders of public sentiment; the Breckenridges, Dr. Robert J.
and William L., distinguished theologians of Kentucky; Professors
Holmes, Venable and Cabell of the University of Virginia, besides other
distinguished educators.” To this family also belonged Generals Wade
Hampton, Albert Sydney Johnston, Joseph E. Johnston, John B. Floyd, John
C. Breckenridge and John S. and William C. Preston.
The families of Charles Carroll of Maryland and John Sullivan of
Massachusetts, with their collateral branches, became as distinguished,
if not as numerous, as the Preston family.
I cannot dismiss this part of my subject without mentioning one other
distinguished Irish immigrant, the renowned Dean of Derry, known later
as Bishop Berkeley, the friend of Swift and the founder of the school of
philosophy which bears his name. He was a native of Kilkenny. He came to
America to found a college for the conversion and education of Indians.
Before he returned to Ireland he gave his private library to Yale
College, the most magnificent collection of books that had been brought
to America down to that day. Our University Town across the Bay is named
after him.
Let me now call attention briefly to the part which the Irish element
played in the Revolution. Did they ally themselves with the patriots of
the day and were their services in any degree commensurate with their
numbers and their wealth? In regard to the numbers of Irish in the
Revolutionary army, the following testimony should be considered
conclusive:
In the British House of Commons’ report, fifth session, fourteenth
Parliament, Vol. 13, page 303, the following report of an investigation
of the causes of the defeat in the war with the colonies will be found.
The investigation was held in 1779. Major General Robertson, who had
served twenty-four years in America, was asked: “How are the Provincial
Corps composed, mostly from native Americans or from emigrants from
various nations from Europe?” He answered: “Some of the corps mostly of
natives; others, I believe the greatest number, are enlisted from such
people as can be got in the country and many of them may be emigrants. I
remember General Lee telling me he believed half the rebel army were
from Ireland.” In Vol. 13, British Commons’ Reports, page 431, Joseph
Galloway, a native of Pennsylvania, speaker of the Assembly of the
Colony for twelve years and a delegate to the first Continental
Congress, who became a violent Tory in 1773, was examined for several
days by members of the House of Commons. Among the questions asked was:
“That part of the rebel army that enlisted in the service of Congress,
were they chiefly composed of natives of America, or were the greater
part of them English, Scotch, or Irish?” Galloway answered: “The names
and places of their nativity being taken down I can answer the question
with precision. There were scarcely one-fourth natives of America,
_one-half Irish_, the other one-fourth English and Scotch.” So much for
the rank and file.
Among those who distinguished themselves during the Revolution were:
General John Sullivan, the son of an Irish teacher; O’Brien, who, with
his sons, won the first naval battle of the Revolution, known as the
“Lexington of the seas”; Montgomery, who, after capturing Fort St. John
and Montreal, was killed at Quebec; General Knox, commander of the
artillery in the American army, and who commanded the American troops
when they marched into New York after the evacuation of the British;
General Reed, Major General Stark, the hero of Bennington, General
Walter Stewart, who was a colonel in the American army before he was 21;
John Barry, “Father of the American Navy”; General Anthony Wayne,
General George Clinton, General Stephen Moylan, General John Fitzgerald,
General William Irvine, General Richard Butler, Generals Campbell,
Cochran, McDowell, McCall, McCreary, Jasper, Graham, Pickens and many
others. It has been officially ascertained that out of 131 of the most
prominent officers in the war for American Independence twenty were of
English ancestry, twenty-five of French, ten of German and Dutch, eight
of Scotch, two of Polish, and eighty-four of Irish and Welsh.
But the Irish were not less conspicuous in commercial and industrial
life during the Colonial period, and the assistance which they gave to
Washington and his army during the darkest days of the long struggle for
independence contributed materially to his final success. In 1780, when
the finances of the nation were at their lowest ebb, when the patriot
army encamped at Valley Forge had neither sufficient food nor clothing,
when discontent among the troops, in consequence, almost bordered on
mutiny, when Congress importuned by Washington was unable to comply with
his repeated demands for supplies, the business men of Philadelphia
raised 315,000 pounds sterling and gave it to Congress. Of this amount
the “Friendly Sons of St. Patrick” contributed £103,000. This timely
contribution saved the national cause from disaster.
Among the signers of the Declaration of Independence of Irish birth or
blood were John Hancock, descended from a County Down family; James
Smith, George Taylor, George Read, Thomas McKean, William Whipple,
Edward Rutledge, Charles Carroll, Matthew Thornton, born in Ireland;
Thomas Nelson, Thomas Lynch, Robert Treat Paine, whose real name was
O’Neill, but his father, to save an estate, changed his name from
O’Neill to Paine, his mother’s family name. Thomas Nelson was also
descended from the O’Neills of Ulster. He succeeded Jefferson as
Governor of Virginia, and commanded the State’s troops during
Lafayette’s campaign against Cornwallis, down to the surrender of
Yorktown.
From the foregoing it will be seen that the Irish element contributed
their full share to the building of the nation, pledging their lives and
their fortunes to the cause of liberty, standing faithfully by
Washington in every crisis of the prolonged struggle until the
promulgation of the Declaration of Independence heralded the birth of a
new nation, which was sealed and confirmed by the glory of Yorktown.
After the independence of the country had been established the Irish
still continued to come in ever increasing numbers. It was not, however,
until the great famine of 1846–1848 that the Irish began to come to this
country in large numbers. That fearful calamity, that within two years
sent into famine graves over 1,250,000 of the population of Ireland,
sent millions to seek a home in foreign countries. The great bulk of the
emigration came to this country, and even of those who emigrated to
Canada and other countries thousands subsequently found their way into
the United States. Between the years 1821 and 1890 Ireland gave
3,781,253 emigrants to the United States, a number greater than the
entire population of this country at the time of the Revolution. Ireland
contributed more than two-fifths of all immigrants from 1821 to 1850,
more than one-third from 1851 to 1860, and very nearly one-fifth from
1861 to 1870. From 1891 to 1900 it gave but little more than one-tenth.
The wonder is that after the fearful drain of the previous half century
any were left. So much for the original stock. Of the children born of
foreign parents, according to the census of 1900, 4,981,047 were born of
Irish fathers, and those born of Irish mothers, with fathers of other
nationalities, numbered 236,627. The census of 1900 shows that Irishmen
and their descendants in the first degree in that year numbered nearly
7,000,000 in round numbers. When you consider the figures which I have
given, taken from the most reliable sources, is it an exaggeration to
assert, as some do, that one-third of the population of the country is
of Irish descent, especially when the fecundity of the race, which is
not excelled by that of any other people, is taken into account. To
write the history, therefore, of the Irish element in the United States
is to write the history of the country. When we add to the Irish element
the German element, which for the past twenty-five years has largely
outnumbered the Irish, is it not amusing to hear certain Anglo-maniacs
speak of this country as “Anglo-Saxon?”
The part which the Irish immigrants played in the war of 1812 and in the
war of the rebellion was not less conspicuous than that which their
countrymen played in the Revolution. They gave to the Union cause an
army greater by many thousands than that by which Wellington defeated
Napoleon at Waterloo. Let me quote but two instances from many that
could be given in which men of Irish blood rendered conspicuous services
to the country.
For more than two years after the commencement of the rebellion the war
was confined almost entirely to the Southern States. Soon after the
opening of the campaign in 1863 Lee conceived the idea that he would
change the theater of war by marching into Pennsylvania, defeat the
Union army opposed to him, capture Washington and thus, perhaps, end the
war and make secession an accomplished fact. The plan was cleverly
thought out and to a man of Lee’s unquestioned military genius did not
seem impossible of accomplishment. He therefore proceeded to put his
plan into execution. With a force of 61,000 men he attacked Hooker, with
an army of 105,000 men, at Chancellorsville and defeated him. Lincoln
was in despair and preparations were made to evacuate Washington. Lee
led his victorious army through the valley of Virginia, crossed the
Potomac and entered Pennsylvania. The army of the Potomac retreated
before him, keeping between the Confederates and the National Capital.
On June 28 a new commander was given to the National army, Hooker was
removed and General George G. Meade was appointed to succeed him. Meade
was the grandson of George Meade, who was one of the founders of “The
Friendly Sons of St. Patrick” in Philadelphia, twenty-seven of whom
contributed £103,000 to Congress, to which I have already alluded. Three
days after the armies came together again. On July 1, 1863, Lee attacked
the Union forces on the heights of Gettysburg. For three days the awful
conflict raged, each side knowing full well what the consequences of
victory or defeat would be. After a battle almost unparalleled in human
warfare, the army which Lee had whipped at Chancellorsville whipped him
at Gettysburg, broke the back of the Confederacy, saved the National
Capital and compelled Lee to recross the Potomac. Thus the descendant of
an Irish emigrant saved the Nation from disaster, perhaps from
dismemberment.
Once more, in 1864, Lee, hard pressed by the army under Grant, tried to
create a diversion in favor of his army by sending General Jubal Early,
the ablest of his cavalry generals, to surprise the national forces in
camp at Cedar Creek, advance to the National Capital and thus compel the
withdrawal of Grant’s army for the defense of Washington. With great
quickness and secrecy he marched up the Shenandoah Valley, and on the
morning of October 19th, under cover of a thick fog, which concealed his
approach, he suddenly attacked the Union forces. Completely surprised,
they hastily retreated and a great disaster threatened the army. The
Eighth Corps was rolled up, the center gave way and soon the whole army
was in rapid retreat. Sheridan had been in Washington, and was then in
Winchester, twenty miles away, on his way to join his army, when he
heard the firing. Rapidly riding toward the conflict, he found his army
retreating in confusion. Raising his hat he shouted to his men, who were
panic-stricken: “Face the other way, boys, face the other way; we are
going back.” “Who is that?” a soldier asked of his comrade, for Sheridan
is scarcely recognizable through the dust on his clothes and the foam on
his black steed from hard riding. But there was no mistaking the manner
of the man, and after closely scrutinizing the flying horseman, the
comrade replies, “Little Phil, by G—!” and in his enthusiasm shouted,
“Hurrah for Sheridan.” The enthusiasm spread, along the whole retreating
line the shout went up, again and again repeated, and men who were
flying in panic before the victorious army of Early, inspired with full
confidence in that leader who had never lost a battle, reformed their
lines and long before the close of that eventful day Sheridan was able
to telegraph to Washington this characteristic despatch: “We have met
the enemy under Early and have sent him whirling up the valley.”
Thus a second time was the National Capital saved by the genius and dash
of the son of an Irishman.
Grant paid Sheridan the compliment of saying that he was the only man
which the war developed capable of commanding a hundred thousand men
under his own eye.
But it is not as soldiers alone that the Irish have won distinction;
they have been conspicuous in every walk of life, in every department of
human activity. They have filled with distinction the highest office in
the gift of the American people, in giving to the Presidency such men as
Andrew Jackson, who was the son of an Irish farmer; James Buchanan, the
son of an Irish emigrant; James K. Polk, the grandson of Irish parents;
Chester A. Arthur, the son of an Irish Episcopal clergyman; William
McKinley, whose granduncle was executed by the British Government for
participation in the Irish Rebellion of 1798. Claims of Irish descent
have also been made for Taylor, Johnson and Cleveland (see “The Puritan
in Holland, England and America,” Vol. 2, p. 493). In the long roll of
distinguished names of the Senate and House of Representatives none
stand higher for eloquence and statesmanship than those who trace their
ancestry to Ireland.
In journalism men of Irish blood have been among the leaders of those
who have moulded public opinion. Hugh Gaine, a native of Ireland, began
the publication of the “Mercury” in 1752; Matthew Lyon, of Vermont, a
native of Wicklow, started the “Farmers’ Library” and later the
“Fairhaven Gazette.” He was known as a “peppery, red-headed Irishman.”
He was indicted by the United States Court for an article reflecting on
President John Adams, and was fined $1,000 and imprisoned for three
months. One of the most interesting characters in the early history of
journalism in this country was John Burk, a native of Ireland, who
published “The Time Piece” in New York. John Dunlap, a native of
Strabane, was the first Congressional printer. I can only give the names
of a few of those who were prominent as publishers during colonial times
and in the early days of the Republic. John Binn, William B. Kenny,
proprietor of the “New Jersey State Gazette,” the first daily paper in
that State; Henry O’Reilly, editor of the “Patriot” and later of the
“Rochester Daily Advertiser,” the first daily paper between the Hudson
River and the Pacific Ocean. We have Fitz James O’Brien, Col. James
Mulligan, Thomas Francis Meagher, soldier, orator and writer; Robert S.
McKenzie, Thomas Kinsella of the “Brooklyn Eagle.” James Gordon Bennett,
Scotch by birth, was the son of an Irish mother. The roster of employees
on the staff of the “Herald” during his life reads like the roll call of
a Fenian regiment. Horace Greeley, one of the greatest of newspapermen,
was the son of Irish parents. He made the “Tribune” the most influential
paper in the United States during the war, and for ten years thereafter
was a power in National politics. I cannot close this brief mention of
Irishmen in journalism without naming one whose writings stirred not
only America but all Europe, J. A. MacGahan. He was largely instrumental
in bringing about the Bulgarian war of 1875, which changed the geography
of Europe. John Boyle O’Reilly, of the “Boston Pilot,” exercised a wide
influence by his writings, as did also his successor, James Jeffrey
Roche. Patrick Forde, of the “Irish World,” has been a power in
journalism for more than a quarter of a century.
It is unnecessary to call attention to the part which the Irish have
played in the ecclesiastical history of this country. We need only look
around us to see what they are doing today. From the Prince of the
Church, Cardinal Gibbons, down through a long line of illustrious
Archbishops and Bishops, to the latest arrival from Carlow or All
Hallows, all zealous workers in the vineyard of the Lord. And what a
harvest they have gleaned! And what the Irish are doing today they have
been doing from the beginning—zealous, eloquent, self-sacrificing,
untiring in the discharge of their duty, giving ungrudgingly to God’s
service the best that is in them.
We have no reason to hang our heads at the part which our people have
played in the history of the United States. No element that enters into
the cosmopolitan population of this country has contributed more in
every quality that goes to make a great people than the Irish. We have
given eloquence to the bar, dignity to the bench, learning and virtue to
the pulpit, wisdom to the Senate, and glory to the sword. We were
present at the birth of the Nation and sustained its infantile arms
during the years of its struggle for liberty, sharing in the hardships
of Valley Forge and in the glory of Yorktown. We fought with Jackson at
New Orleans and with Perry in Lake Erie; stormed Chapultepec with
Shields, rode from Winchester down the valley of Shenandoah with
Sheridan; stormed Marye’s Heights with Meagher and his brigade, and
later climbed the heights of San Juan with Buckey O’Neill and “Rafferty
of ‘F’.” On every field the Irish marched to the battle-front side by
side with the Puritan from New England, the Knickerbocker from New York,
and the liberty-loving dweller of the rolling prairies of Iowa and
Illinois. In the same deep grave they sleep “the silent sleep that knows
no waking.” The snows of winter, like a winding sheet, lie coldly above
them, and as each returning spring awakens into life and beauty the
sleeping forces of nature, the green grass grows and the wild flowers
bloom above their common grave.
I will close by quoting the following tributes to the Irish by men who
were not of our race: Col. John Parke Custis, the adopted son of
Washington, says: “Then honored be the old and good services of the sons
of Erin in the war of Independence. Let the shamrock be entwined with
the laurels of the Revolution; and truth and justice, guiding the pen of
history, inscribe on the tablets of American remembrance: ‘Eternal
gratitude to Irishmen.’”
Similar sentiments were expressed by the late Senator Bayard, in the
Senate of the United States. “If,” said he, “the names of the men of
Irish birth and of Irish blood who have dignified and decorated the
annals of American history were to be erased from the record, how much
of the glory of our country would be subtracted? In the list of American
statesmen and patriots, theologians and poets, soldiers and sailors,
priests and orators, what names shine with purer lustre or are mentioned
with more respect than those of the men, past and present, we owe to
Ireland. On that imperishable roll of honor, the Declaration of
Independence, we find their names, and in the prolonged struggle that
followed there was no battlefield from the St. Lawrence to the Savannah
but was enriched with Irish blood shed in the cause of civil and
religious liberty.”
THE REMINISCENCES OF AUGUSTUS SAINT-GAUDENS, ONE OF THE FIRST MEMBERS OF
THE SOCIETY, EDITED BY HIS SON, HOMER SAINT-GAUDENS, AND PUBLISHED
THROUGH THE COURTESY OF THE CENTURY MAGAZINE.
My father began his reminiscences in the early spring of 1906, while
recovering from a surgical operation in the Corey Hill Hospital of
Brookline, Massachusetts. As he had spent a most active life, he chafed
at that confinement until this scheme was devised to pass his hours;
whereupon, to his great amusement, he dictated the first quarter of the
work. Later, after his return to Windsor, when, to his bitter
disappointment, he found that he could not for any length of time remain
on his feet to model, he continued to write at odd moments up to the
middle of the summer.
The contents of my father’s text itself I have left intact, save where
exceptionally rough; but the order of thought and anecdote, which was
badly tangled, owing to the lack of revision, I have shifted back and
forth into a semblance of methodical progression.
My father begins:
“Reminiscences are more likely to be tiresome than otherwise to the
readers of later generations; but among the consoling pleasures that
appear over the horizon as years advance is that of rambling away
about one’s past....
* * * * *
“I was born March 1, 1848, in Dublin, Ireland, near 37 Charlemount
Street. If that is not the house, no doubt the record in the nearest
Catholic church would give the number.”
My uncle, Mr. Louis Saint-Gaudens, who visited Dublin in the summer of
1890, found the building at number 35, near the head of Charlemount
Street and not far from a bridge built over the canal which runs by the
southeastern part of the city. There, under the trees that line the
banks and in sight of the Wicklow Hills, my father as a baby must have
been carried by my grandmother.
The reminiscences continue:
“My mother’s maiden name was Mary McGuiness. Of her ancestry I know
nothing except that her mother was married twice, the second time to a
veteran of the Napoleonic wars.”
My father’s maternal grandmother’s name was Daly. She married Arthur
McGuiness, of whom it is only recalled that he worked in the Dublin
plaster mills and that he was a Freemason. Neither of the couple lived
to be old. Their daughter Mary McGuiness was born to them at Bally
Mahon, County Longford.
To return to the autobiography:
“Of my mother’s family the only member of which I have had a glimpse
was her brother George McGuiness, whom I saw in Forsyth Street. I have
a daguerreotype of his delightfully kind and extremely homely face—a
face like a benediction, as I have heard some one describe it. He, of
all men, became the owner of two slaves in the South, and, judging
from a daguerreotype, married an equally homely and kindly-looking
woman. He was in some way connected with the navy yard at Pensacola.
The war cut off all further communication with him.
“Of my father’s birth and ancestry I am as ignorant as of my mother’s,
knowing only that his father was a soldier under Napoleon, who died
comparatively young and suddenly after what I suspect was a gorgeous
spree.”
My father’s paternal grandfather was called André Saint-Gaudens. His
wife’s maiden name was Boy. Tradition has it that she sold butter and
eggs in the market-place at Aspet, and that she became a miser, leaving
under her bed upon her death the conventional box crammed with gold
pieces.
The reminiscences continue:
“My father’s full name was Bernard Paul Ernest Saint-Gaudens; Bernard
Paul ‘Honeste,’ if you please, he called it later in life; it sounded
nicer. He was born in the little village of Aspet, about fifty miles
from Toulouse, at the foot of the Pyrenees, five miles south of the
town of Saint-Gaudens, in the arrondissement of Saint-Gaudens, in the
department of the Haute-Garonne, a most beautiful country, as the many
searchers for health at the baths of Bagnères-de-Luchon know.”...
Three years my grandfather passed in London and, later, seven years in
Dublin before he met his future wife in the shoe store for which he made
shoes and where she did the binding of slippers. There, previous to my
father’s birth, two sons, George and Louis, died, George at the age of
six, and Louis in infancy. But when my father was six months old,
“red-headed, whopper-jawed, and hopeful,” as he would repeat, the famine
in Ireland compelled his parents to go with him to America, setting out
from Liverpool, England, in the sailing-ship _Desdemona_.
The autobiography goes on:
“Father told me that an overcrowded passenger-list prevented his
leaving Dublin with my mother, with me at her breast, in a ship named
the _Star of the West_ that burned at sea during the trip. But because
he told me this does not mean that it was so. His Gascon imagination
could give character or make beauty wherever these qualities were
necessary to add interest to what he was saying.
“They landed at Boston town probably in September, 1848, he a short,
stocky, bullet-headed, enthusiastic young man of about thirty, with
dark hair cf reddish tendencies and a light red mustache, she of his
height, with the typical long, generous, loving Irish face, with wavy
black hair, a few years his junior, and ‘the most beautiful girl in
the world,’ as he used to say.
“Leaving mother in Boston,—where, by the way, I am beginning this
account in the hospital fifty-six years afterward,—he started to find
work in New York. In six weeks he sent for her. He said we first lived
in Duane Street. Of this I knew nothing.
“From there we went to a house on the west side of Forsyth Street,
probably near Houston Street, where now is the bronze foundry in which
the statue of Peter Cooper which I modeled was cast forty-five years
later. There my brother Andrew was born on Hallowe’en in 1850 or 1851,
and there I made the beginning of my conscious life.
[Illustration:
FRANCIS I. McCANNA, ESQ.,
of Providence, R. I.
A Valued Member of the Society.
]
“The beginnings of my father’s business were peculiar, since what
interested him infinitely more than his store were the two or three
societies to which he belonged and of which he was generally the
‘Grand Panjandrum.’ There were constant meetings of committees and
sub-committees when there were not general ones. The principal society
was the ‘Union Fraternelle Française,’ a mutual-benefit affair of
which he was one of the founders and for many years the leading
figure.”
My grandfather enjoyed as well the making of speeches at Irish
festivals, where he would round off his conclusions with spirited
perorations in the Gaelic tongue. Also he became an abolitionist, a
“Black Republican,” during the Civil War; while, to involve matters
still further, he was a Freemason who insisted on associating with the
Negro Freemasons, and presiding at their initiations. The white
Freemasons thereupon blacklisted him.
The reminiscences say of him:
“In the daytime, notwithstanding mother’s gentle pleadings, instead of
preparing work, he was constantly writing letters about these
societies, all naturally to the serious detriment of his affairs.
“Nevertheless, for so small an establishment, father had an
extraordinary clientèle, embracing the names of most of the principal
families in New York—Governor Morgan, General Dix, some of the Astors,
Belmonts and the wife of General Daniel E. Sickles.”
Horace Greeley also was a steady purchaser, for he delighted to wrangle
with this argumentative shoemaker upon the philosophy of footwear.
The reminiscences continue:
“No doubt those who came were attracted by my father’s picturesque
personality, as well as by the fact that at that time everything
French was the fashion, and by the steadiness of his assurance as to
the superiority and beauty of his productions. His sign, ‘French
Ladies’ Boots and Shoes,’ must have been irresistible when taken
together with the wonderfully complex mixture of his fierce French
accent and Irish brogue. This bewildering language was just as bad at
the end of fifty years as when he first landed. In the family he spoke
English to mother and French to the three boys; we spoke English to
mother and French to him; mother spoke English to all of us.”
Moreover, further to adorn his discourse, my grandfather constantly
embroidered his remarks with fantastic proverbs of uncertain and
international origin. “As much use as a mustard plaster on a wooden
leg,” he would say; or, “Sorry as a dog at his father’s funeral”; or “As
handy with his hands as a pig with his tail”; or “A cross before a dead
man”; or (and this my father repeated after him through all his life)
“What you are saying and nothing at all is the same thing.”
“In addition, close to that time my mother’s cousin, John Daly, a marine
on one of the United States government ships, paid us a visit, when he
read to us in papers brought from Honolulu and showed us great walrus
teeth that had come from the Pacific. And finally I can see myself among
the other children who attended the Sunday school of St. Patrick’s
Cathedral in Elizabeth Street.”
THE BATTLE OF COLLIERVILLE.
BY CAPT. P. J. CARMODY.
On a lovely October morning the battalion left Memphis by rail. It was
the 11th day of the month,—Sunday—1863. The battalion consisted of the
headquarter guard, with General Sherman and his staff, destined to
reinforce Grant at Chattanooga. We got away from Memphis about ten
o’clock, General Sherman, the staff and officers occupying the coaches.
The rest of the battalion took places on top of the cars. Everything
went smoothly enough until we got to Collierville, a small station about
twenty-six or seven miles out of Memphis. I did not feel exactly right
that morning; I had a premonition that something was going to happen,
and, as first Sergeant of E Co., 13th U. S. Infantry, I was
over-vigilant. I took particular pains to see that the men did not
remove accoutrements.
Within something like a mile from Collierville, as the train panted
along, I discovered three men riding hard towards the track. They were
armed with crowbars instead of guns. One of our men let fly a shot at
them, and the battalion was immediately in arms. The train stopped at
the station. It was nearly mid-day, and no time was lost in action. The
first work of General Sherman was to telegraph to Germantown, about
twelve miles away, for hasty reinforcements, saying he had to cope with
a division of Confederates numbering 3,100, with five pieces of
artillery. It was the one opportunity of a generation for the
Confederates to make a great capture; and the result would have been
simple if those three men with crowbars and wire-cutting apparatus had
got in their work in time. But it was not to be; fortune was on our side
and the telegram for reinforcements reached its destination in time.
The battalion was detrained and ordered to form a line of battle. I will
never forget that line. I looked to the right and to the left, scanning
about two hundred and forty as good and brave officers and men as ever
met an enemy. We marched in battle line two or three hundred yards from
the train towards the enemy, and were ordered to lie down. We observed
that communication was being made in the rebel lines with a flag of
truce. This communication was received by Col. Irish, commander of the
little dismantled fort, with 240 or 250 men stationed at that point.
General Chalmers demanded the unconditional surrender of General
Sherman, his troops and supplies. He added that refusal would mean a
useless sacrifice of lives, because he had 3,100 cavalry, infantry and
artillery in his command. What do you think your “Uncle Billy” said?
“Give my compliments to General Chalmers,” said he, “and tell him that
the government pays me to fight, not to surrender.”
As soon as the rebel aide rode back to his command, the ball opened with
grape and cannister; but they overshot us and only a few were wounded.
They threw four or five rounds into us, and the order was given to stand
up and then to fall back on the fort and entrenchments. This was done in
fairly good order, but let me tell you, comrades, we made awfully fast
time in the three hundred yards to the fort. I cast the heel of my
shoe—shot off.
The men were disposed of to the very best advantage. It was an easy
matter to distribute the 240 of our battalion, and I suppose Col. Irish,
with his six companies of the 66th Indiana, did not have much trouble in
placing them where they would do most good. Well, here we were partially
protected by rifle pits, a dismantled fort, and a train of cars—480 men
against an army of 3,100. Comrades, think of it!
I had been paid at Memphis and I had two fifty dollar bills with me. I
was so sure of being captured, I cut the sole of my shoe open and
slipped the two fifties in there. I knew that if we were taken
prisoners, they would shake us down; and made up my mind that the money
would help my chances of escaping during the night if captured. It was
hammer and tongs until about four o’clock in the afternoon.
This was the first time I had seen General Sherman under fire, and he
was certainly worth watching. He was mad as a march hare at being
trapped in such a manner; something was wrong in the line of
communication—somebody had made a mistake. But he was Sherman all the
time that afternoon. I could not help studying this remarkable man
whenever I got the opportunity. Great as his anger was at the beginning,
he became later on, calm and resolute. The interior of this earthwork
contained about thirty or forty men and quite a number of cooks, waiters
and followers of the headquarters’ guard. The general with his hat off
in the broiling sun was a marvel to look at. When a man was shot he
would get one of these headquarters’ employees and say to him: “Don’t
you see that man is killed? Take his cartridge box and his gun and load
it. Fight for your country, sir.”
I had four men with me in defending one point. Two were wounded, which
left myself and two others, Privates Warner and Klineham. Pretty soon
Warner was shot in the neck and killed instantly. The rebels had gotten
in the trees around the fort, and were doing serious damage to those
inside. The General was ever moving about, and I was afraid they would
hit him. The only one of my companions from my company was shot in the
breast, and, I supposed, mortally wounded. When he was hit he said to
me, “Sergeant, give me my knapsack, I want to go home.” I said, “Harry,
what is the matter?” “Huh,” he said, and pointed to his breast. The
blood was spurting from his wound, and I put my finger to his back to
find out if the ball had gone through. My finger sunk into a cavity, and
I thought he was done for. I put him in a protected position and went
direct to General Sherman, who was only a few feet away.
I said, “General, these men are being killed from the trees and you will
surely be hit if you don’t keep under cover.” What do you suppose I got
for an answer? “Sergeant,” said the General, “attend to your business,
sir; attend to your business, I will take care of myself, sir.” I
stopped at once making suggestions to the General as to his safety.
Of course, I was not in a position to see anything of the fighting
outside. I was a “lone fisherman” guarding my post. I was the only one
left.
The behavior of the battalion in the earthworks and other shelter
enabled us to hold our own until reinforcements came about four o’clock.
The first man to reach the fort and report to General Sherman was Col.
Tim O’Meara and his orderly bearing a green Irish flag of the 90th
Volunteer Irish regiment.
The advance of reinforcements caused the rebels to fall back—without
Sherman and his “Little Battalion of Regulars,” as he always called
them.
The next order of business was to look after the wounded and bury the
dead, which was done as soon as possible. It was now dark. Officers were
being congratulated by the General with instructions to convey these
congratulations to their men.
A singular thing happened that night. A captured rebel lieutenant was
shot through the kneecap, which was shattered by the ball. Amputation
about the knee was necessary. He waited calmly until his turn came to be
treated. He was a fine handsome fellow. I felt sorry for him. He was a
large heavy man. I helped put him on the improvised operating table and
held his limb while the surgeon was taking it off. He wore high, cavalry
boots up to the knee. In removing the boot, I discovered a paper inside.
It was a pass through the lines for the day before. This man was
evidently the spy who brought news of Sherman’s departure for Iuka,
Sunday morning.
In conclusion I think we did a good day’s work, even if it was the
Sabbath day. The 13th U. S. Infantry and the 66th Indiana Volunteers are
entitled to equal credit in this memorable engagement. They displayed
the highest soldierly qualities and genuine American manhood.
After we had taken an invoice of the humanity on hand, we found that we
had lost in killed, wounded and missing a little over twenty-five per
cent. of our command. I shall never forget the moment I saw that green
flag and poor Colonel O’Meara saluting the General after the battle of
Collierville. Being an Irishman myself, I naturally felt proud that the
flag of the Emerald Isle had led the way to help save Sherman.
MEMORIAL TO ROBERT EMMET.
A unique memorial to Robert Emmet, to be erected by the subscriptions of
Americans of Irish birth or descent, is proposed by Miss Anna Gallagher
of Boston, Mass., to take the form of a ship to bear the name of the
Irish patriot.
It is proposed that the craft shall be a combination of merchantman and
steamship to ply between ports in Ireland and America for the
transportation of Irish merchandise and passengers.
Miss Gallagher and those who are associated with her in the project
intend that the Robert Emmet shall be built in an Irish shipyard,
probably Belfast, by Irish workmen, and the materials used in the
vessel’s construction shall be of Irish production or manufacture. The
furnishings of the vessel are also to be of Irish make.
Laying patriotism and sentiment aside, the promoters of the enterprise
hope to open a wider market and create a more general demand for the
products and manufactured articles of the Emerald Isle.
For three months each year the Robert Emmet will be used for a vacation
ship, enabling those who so desire to take an ocean voyage in
comparative luxury at an expense, the promoters claim, less than that
now demanded for steerage passage by the regular steamship lines. All
passengers will be carried in one class and one rate.
Miss Gallagher is the originator of the Daniel O’Connell memorial, which
is to take the form of a building somewhere in Boston or its suburbs for
business or other purposes, including a hall of fame to perpetuate the
memory of great Irish men.
CELTIC CROSS ON IRISH FAMINE VICTIMS’ GRAVE.
In the presence of about 7,000 American and Canadian Irishmen a monument
was unveiled and dedicated at Grosse Isle, Quebec, Aug. 15, 1909, to
commemorate the spot where 12,000 Irish immigrants, victims of the
famine fever and the ship fever of 1847–48, are buried in the long
trenches at the Quarantine Station on Grosse Isle, in the St. Lawrence
River, forty miles from Quebec. The monument is a beautiful Celtic cross
and it was erected by the Ancient Order of Hibernians. The solemn
ceremony was attended by many prominent Americans and Canadians of Irish
blood.
The story which the monument will bring to the new people flocking to
this great country will be a story filled not only with the heart’s
blood of a great race, but with undying evidence of the equal faith,
charity and hospitality of the French, who were the first settlers on
these shores. A tale of terror and suffering, of faith and courage, of
devotion to fellowman and unswerving loyalty to the faith of their
fathers under the most bitter adversity is entwined about the great
cross which now stands to mark the graves of ten thousand unknown
martyrs.
Dignitaries of the Church, high officials of state, priests and laymen,
Irish and French, humble and of high degree, stood side by side beneath
the open sky, or kneeled silently before the great cross with but one
thought—the honor of the martyrs who had died for their faith. To do
honor to their memories men had gathered from a score of Provinces and
States; many had traveled thousands of miles. Awe inspiring in its
solemnity, the scene carried to every bowed heart a meaning far beyond
the words of the speakers and left a mark which should last through a
lifetime. A new epoch, a renewal of faith and brotherly love, was begun,
and few there were in attendance who will not carry the spirit of the
great gathering with them into daily life.
From every standpoint the great ceremony was a success. Not a flaw
occurred in the arrangements or their execution. In spite of the
comparative inaccessibility of Grosse Isle, every man, woman or child
who wished to attend the ceremonies was provided for. A perfect day
smiled on the scene, as boat after boat, crowded with passengers, left
Quebec in the early morning. No one was left. No accident marred the
occasion. Thousands had gathered in the city during the day and night.
Special trains from Ottawa and Montreal brought their quota of members
of the Ancient Order of Hibernians, of church dignitaries and government
officials.
To the untiring zeal and energy of the A. O. H. officials was due the
success of the great undertaking. P. Keane, P. Doyle, T. Heavers, P.
Scullion, T. Heaney, J. Foley, H. N. Morrow, H. Cundy and other officers
of the order in Montreal were in charge of the excursion from there.
Having already taken a leading part in the movement with the national
convention of the order in Indianapolis last year, which resulted in the
decision to erect the great memorial cross, these men were vitally
interested in the successful completion of the plan and their efforts
were fully rewarded.
The train from Montreal, carrying a delegation of several hundred, left
Saturday night, and the party arrived in Quebec by six o’clock Sunday
morning. There they scattered about the old town until the sailing of
the boats, between nine and ten o’clock.
From Ottawa almost an equally large delegation was in attendance. From
Toronto, Winnipeg and other cities representatives of the Ancient Order
of Hibernians flocked to the great celebration, and many States
contributed their quota. As far away as Colorado branches of the order
sent representatives, while four delegates traveled from Winnipeg. The
States represented were Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Vermont, New
York, Wisconsin and Colorado.
The sail down the river from Quebec to Grosse Isle was a fitting prelude
to the program which followed. Forming at the wharf on Grosse Isle the
procession, headed by the band, moved toward the cemetery. Following
were the Hibernian Knights of Montreal, Halifax, St. John, etc., the
Hibernian Cadets of Montreal and Quebec, the National Board and
officers, Hibernians of Montreal, Quebec and other cities, clergy, altar
boys, invited guests and congregation. There Low Mass was celebrated by
Father Hanley, C. SS. R., and following the sermon and attendant
ceremonies the vast audience moved to the high promontory of Telegraph
Hill, where the granite cross with its tablets overlooked the placid
river.
Almost more impressive than the scene of the kneeling thousands before
the open altar near the old cemetery was the scene at the foot of the
great cross. Chief among the speakers at the monument was the Hon.
Charles Murphy, Secretary of State. Introduced by Chairman C. J. Foy as
a man who needed no introduction for his prominence in the country and
his rise to power and influence, Mr. Murphy took the platform facing the
cross and the broad expanse of the river, with the eager audience
gathered in a natural amphitheater on the rock at his feet.
Tears came very near the surface as Mr. Murphy opened his address with
the reading of a telegram which he had received from Vancouver, B. C., a
day or two before. “This telegram,” he said, “means to me the undying
loyalty and devotion of the Irish people, and coming as it does from a
family scattered throughout the continent, for the memory of a
grandmother long since dead, is particularly touching and typical.”
The telegram is self-explanatory. It follows:
VANCOUVER, B. C., Aug. 11, 1909.
HON. CHARLES MURPHY:
Our beloved grandmother Graham was one of the fever victims of 1847.
Enclose $10 for flowers for the monument, and accept thanks of,
JAMES HARRISON BROWNLEE,
(_Prov. Surveyor, Vancouver_).
ARCHIBALD GRAHAM BROWNLEE,
(_Mining Engineer, Denver, Colo._).
MRS. STANTON,
_Chicago_.
Continuing Mr. Murphy took as the keynote of his address the fact that
the monument now stood as much an evidence of an enduring bond between
the Irish and the French as it did to the memories of the martyrs whose
graves it marked.
Sir Charles Fitzpatrick, Chief Justice, also spoke briefly at the
monument. The whole terrible tragedy was a manifestation of faith and
loyalty, said he, which has helped and through the ages will help men to
die as men should, or live as men should.
Continuing, he thanked the Papal Delegate and the Lieutenant-Governor
for their presence and closed with the remark: “Ireland has not been
desecrated and persecuted for nothing. It is her pride and her glory but
to point to the Cross.”
At the early services at the open altar near the old cemetery the Rev.
Father Maguire, Provincial Chaplain, A. O. H., preached an eloquent
sermon, telling of the trials and sufferings of the ship fever victims
and the devotion of the priests.
Mr. C. J. Foy, National Director A. O. H., presiding at the ceremonies
at the monument, made a stirring address. Speaking briefly of the
history of Ireland, he drew the great fact that though always
persecuted, and always hounded, the Irish had never bowed in submission,
and had never allowed a stain upon their religion or upon their homes.
In this he cited the French as a nation of similar pride.
Mr. Matthew Cummings, National President of the A. O. H., made a
touching and eloquent address, citing points in Irish history showing
the sadness of the nation’s history.
Mr. J. Turcotte, M. P., delivered an effective speech in French,
expressing the sympathy of the French Canadians with the Irish, their
admiration for the abiding faith and their pleasure in assistance at
this memorial for their martyrs.
A short address in Gaelic by Major McCrystal, National Director A. O.
H., concluded the speeches.
Monsignor Sbaretti, Papal Delegate, then blessed the cross and the
ceremonies were at an end.
Returning to Quebec in the early evening, the beauty and solemnity of
the sunset on the river lent the final touch of grandeur to the day. In
Quebec the delegations scattered and took their various trains during
the course of the evening.
Among the prominent men present were Monsignor Sbaretti, Papal Delegate;
Lieutenant-Governor Pelletier, Sir Charles Fitzpatrick, Chief Justice;
Hon. Charles Murphy, Secretary of State; Mr. M. Cummings, National
President, A. O. H.; the Hon. E. B. Devlin, M. P.; the Hon. C. R.
Devlin, J. A. Turcotte, M. P.
Beautiful floral pieces were presented by the provincial government, the
Ste. Jean Baptiste Society of Montreal and Ste. Jean Baptiste Society of
Quebec, and an anchor from Mrs. Lemieux of Quebec.
IRISH PIONEERS IN SPRINGFIELD, MASS.
The early history of the Irish in Springfield and vicinity is of deep
interest to those who are in sympathy with the sturdy people who are so
important an element in our City, State and Nation. There are
revelations in even a cursory insight into early Irish history
hereabouts. Few persons imagine how early Irish people were settled in
the vicinity of Springfield.
In “The Irish Pioneers of the Connecticut Valley,” by Edward A. Hall,
and published in the “Papers and Proceedings of the Connecticut Valley
Historical Society,” one may learn of the earliest records of the Irish
in this vicinity. In 1684 Henry Chapin sold sixteen acres of land on the
west side of the Connecticut to John Riley and this was described as
“north of the Riley tracts,” so this was not the first land hereabouts
owned by an Irishman. This is part of the so-called “Ireland parish” and
the present site of the Brightside home. Miles Morgan made his mark upon
the deed in the form of a pickaxe in witnessing it and it was recorded
by John Holyoke.
It is probable that the Irish who were in New England at that time were
those who came, under the contract made in 1642, to supply three hundred
men and two hundred and fifty women in the prime of life for immigration
to New England. These Irish men and women were drawn from near Cork,
Kerry, Waterford, Wexford and Tipperary, from the purest blood of the
south of Ireland. The early Irish who came to this city and vicinity
probably numbered among them some who were in this first large migration
to New England. Other towns about Springfield were able sooner to
support a Catholic Church, for until about 1840 Springfield was a
mission of Hartford or Chicopee. Rev. George Reardon, the first pastor,
was not a resident pastor, but lived in Worcester and conducted many
missions for miles about. Rev. John Dougherty, who came from Boston in
1848, was the first resident pastor. A house for him on Howard street
was bought from Noah Porter.
The first church was bought of the Baptists and moved by George Dwight
from its location at the corner of Maple and Mulberry streets to the
corner of Willow and Union streets. This was bought in 1846 and cost
$3,500. The lot on Union street added another $1,000 to the expense of
getting the little seventy by forty-five foot church ready for the first
Catholic services held in Springfield in a church building. Pastors from
Hartford and other places had for years before this said Masses in the
open air or in homes. But even with the starting of the new St.
Benedict’s Church there was interruption of the regular services. The
first resident pastor remained but three years, and for a time another
could not be secured, services being conducted by the Chicopee priest.
Many Springfield Catholics walked to Sunday morning services at Cabot,
now Chicopee Center. Rev. Michael P. Gallagher, the next priest, was the
early Catholic clergyman here whose work was of the deepest importance.
He bought in 1860 the property at the corner of State and Elliott
streets, which has been added to until it has reached its present size
and importance. Father Gallagher was a keen business man. The numbers of
the Irish in Springfield increased rapidly during the second quarter of
the nineteenth century. Two localities where the first Irish gathered
their little houses were Ferry street and along old Mechanics row, which
ran between Howard and Bliss streets. Some of these people came all the
way from Ireland to the back yards of their future homes by boat. Irish
residents of Springfield now can recall relatives of theirs who came
from Ireland to New York, New York to Hartford and from Hartford to
Springfield in little steamboats.
William Hart and Mrs. Timothy Kenefick came from Ireland in the same
vessel in 1833, and records say that their children were the first
Irish-Americans baptized in the city. Fathers Reardon and Brady
performed the ceremonies at the time, when Mass was being said there
once a month or so in the family of some Catholic. The numbers of Irish
coming from their native country to America rapidly increased because of
the inducements which labor held out in the building of railroads and
the demand for factory employees caused by the rapid development of the
country. The famine of 1847 caused a veritable stampede to America. It
is said that there were twelve hundred Irish Catholics in the city when
Rev. M. P. Gallagher took the pastorate in 1856.
There were well-known names among the early Irish who lived in
Springfield. One of the most famous of these was Gen. Robert Emmet
Clary, who fought in the Civil War. He and his brothers and his sisters
were born in the home of their father, which was situated on Benton
Park, at the corner of State and Federal streets. The father, Ethan
Allen Clary, was a well-known figure in Indian wars and in the war of
1812, when he was Commissary of the Port of Boston. John Mulligan,
president of the Connecticut River Railroad, was a well-known
Irish-American. He came to the city nearly seventy years ago from
Hartford, where his father lived. He was the first child of Irish
parents born in that city. Mr. Mulligan came to Springfield to work for
the Western Railroad and later came to be chief executive of the
Connecticut River road, which was later absorbed by the Boston and
Maine.
Those who remember the early Irish as they were characteristically are
filled with astonishment at the contemplation of what some of the
descendants of those people have become. Along in the first of the time
the Irish were in Springfield in large numbers almost all of them were
laborers. The men were employed any way that they could earn money
without much skill. Many of the women were employed as servants. There
was hardly an Irishman in business and for years not one in a
profession. Many remember Malley’s little dry goods store, which was
near where the Gilmore hotel is now, and which was burned in the big
fire which took the Haynes Opera House. For years there was also a
little shoe store on Main street, between Harrison avenue and Hilman
street, kept by James Burke.
No one needs to have pointed to him the contrast which the virility of
those early Irish have made possible in their descendants. Irish are in
every activity of the city life, and the best of them are filling
creditably positions in every profession and business.
CONFERENCE WITH THE VICE-PRESIDENT FROM VIRGINIA AND MEMBERS OF THE
SOCIETY FROM THAT STATE.
In response to an invitation from Capt. James W. McCarrick,
Vice-President of the Society for Virginia, to the general officers for
a conference at Norfolk, Va., to discuss ways and means of adding to the
Society’s membership rolls from the lists of eligible Americans of Irish
blood in that State, President-General Quinlan, Chairman Lenehan of the
Membership Committee, and the Secretary-General visited Norfolk June
24th last and were met at the steamship wharf by Capt. McCarrick,
General McGinnis and Mr. John Burke, and were escorted to the Virginia
Club, which was made headquarters during the day.
After a short visit to points of interest throughout the city the party
returned to the club and from there went to Ocean View, where they were
joined by Hon. Joseph T. Lawless, Mr. John O’Connell, Mr. George Maxwell
of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, President W. R. Boutwell of the Pilot
Association, and Capt. Foster of the William A. Graves Company, where a
bountiful southern dinner was served, which for novelty and excellence
was greatly appreciated by all present.
Further consideration of the work of the Society took place, and
speeches were made of an encouraging nature by all present and plans
laid for a campaign of membership in Virginia.
The party dispersed late that afternoon, and the officers returned to
their homes in the north well pleased with their visit.
SPLENDID ACHIEVEMENT IN ILLINOIS.
No less enthusiasm in the good work of swelling the ranks of the
American Irish Historical Society is displayed by the Illinois Chapter
thereof, and it is with great pleasure we are able to state the results
of the excellent work done in that regard.
On October 19th, 1909, in response to a call from Vice-President
Moloney, a meeting of the Illinois members was held at the Auditorium
Annex in the city of Chicago, and, as a result of that meeting,
fifty-one members of high standing and ability were enrolled on our
books, forty-two of whom thus far have qualified.
To Mr. Moloney is due most of the credit for obtaining these valuable
acquisitions to our membership roll, and the thanks of the Society are
hereby tendered him for the ability and painstaking efforts expended in
its behalf. Our roster for Illinois is a constant reminder of the noble
work accomplished by him, and a no more fitting tribute to his interest
in the welfare of the Society can be paid than the character of the
individuals whom he has submitted for membership and who represent the
highest type of American citizenship.
GOOD NEWS FROM CALIFORNIA.
The Knights of St. Patrick, one of the most worthy and respected
organizations on the Pacific Slope, composed of Irish Americans, who are
not only interested in the land from which their ancestors came but in
the United States and its institutions, conceived a plan in April last
to bring together a number of leading citizens who would become members
of the American Irish Historical Society, with a view to joining in its
work and if possible forming a State Chapter thereof.
Capt. James Connolly, Vice-President of the Society for California, and
John Mulhern, Secretary of the Knights of St. Patrick, with earnest and
most commendable effort discussed their plans with various individuals,
and on February 17, 1910, sent the names of the following gentlemen to
Treasurer-General Dooley, with checks for membership fees:
February 17th, 1910.
R. C. O’Connor, 1835 Scott St., San Francisco, Cal.
Thomas V. O’Brien, Haywards Hotel, Haywards, Cal.
Jeremiah Deasy, 808 Cole St., San Francisco, Cal.
P. F. McGrath, 709 Castro St., San Francisco, Cal.
J. S. McCormick, 1524 Masonic Ave., San Francisco, Cal.
Thomas I. Dillon, 712 Market St., San Francisco, Cal.
J. F. Gibbons, M. D., 1944 California St., San Francisco, Cal.
Thomas F. McGrath, 215 Parnassus Avenue, San Francisco, Cal.
Joseph Patrick O’Ryan, 4381 17th St., San Francisco, Cal.
John H. McGinney, 766 McAllister St., San Francisco, Cal.
Dr. R. B. Corcoran, Presidio, San Francisco, Cal.
James D. Phelan, Phelan Building, San Francisco, Cal.
John F. Seymour, 52 Pierce St., San Francisco, Cal.
Eugene McCoy, 80 Liberty St., San Francisco, Cal.
Neal Power, Mills Building, San Francisco, Cal.
William F. Stafford, Grant Building, San Francisco, Cal.
Rt. Rev. D. J. O’Connell, 1100 Franklin St., San Francisco, Cal.
Joseph S. Tobin, Hibernia Bank, San Francisco, Cal.
James H. Barry, 1122 Mission St., San Francisco, Cal.
J. H. Dignan, 774 Cole St., San Francisco, Cal.
Richard Bunton, 1148 O’Farrell St., San Francisco, Cal.
Martin W. Fleming, 3821 Sacramento St., San Francisco, Cal.
Dr. William B. Howard, 400 Stanyan St., San Francisco, Cal.
Dr. J. H. O’Connor, 2572 California St., San Francisco, Cal.
Robert P. Troy, Call Building, San Francisco, Cal.
Peter O’Reilly, 835 Octavia St., San Francisco, Cal.
Maurice J. McNellis, 115 Fell St., San Francisco, Cal.
Judge Daniel C. Deasy, Mills Building, San Francisco, Cal.
LIFE MEMBERS.
James V. Coleman, 711 Balboa Building, San Francisco, Cal.
John Mulhern, 140 Second St., San Francisco, Cal.
Immediately upon receipt of the applications for membership a copy of
Volume VIII of the Journal of the Society, published in 1909, was sent
to each of the new members, and a personal letter written apprising each
member of the work and purposes of the Society and asking for
biographical sketches.
At a meeting of the Executive Council held in New York March 12th last
the efforts of Vice-President Connolly and Mr. Mulhern being called to
its attention, a unanimous vote of appreciation and thanks was directed
to be extended to these gentlemen. As the Knight of St. Patrick is a
Life Member of the Society, it was also voted that the thanks and
appreciation of the Society go forth to it as a body for the assistance
it rendered in adding to our membership rolls this list of eminent men.
* * * * *
As an evidence of the appreciation of the work of our Society and the
desire of gentlemen to join it, we cite the case of a gentleman high in
banking and financial circles in one of the western states, who was so
much impressed with what we are doing that he sent in his application
for membership, accompanied by his membership fee, and in a few days
later sent in an application, again accompanied by check.
[Illustration:
HON. EDWARD D. WHITE,
Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.
A Friend of the Society.
]
MISCELLANEOUS.
(COMPILED BY THE SECRETARY-GENERAL FROM MATERIALS FURNISHED DURING THE
YEAR BY MEMBERS OF THE SOCIETY.)
For information concerning Irishmen in the Civil War, persons desirous
of enlightenment may consult with profit any of the following
publications:
“Journal of the American Irish Historical Society,” Volumes I to IX.
“American Irish Historical Miscellany,” by John D. Crimmins.
“The Irish Ninth of Massachusetts in Bivouac and War,” by MacNamara.
“The Gallant Sixty-Ninth,” by F. S. Root.
“Life of Thomas Francis Meagher,” by Cavanaugh.
“Irish Soldiers,” by Colonel McGee.
“Life of General Sweeny,” by William M. Sweeny.
“The Irish Brigade,” by D. P. Conyngham.
“The Irish in America,” by Maguire.
“The Irish Race in America,” by Condon.
HONOR FOR CAPT. G. S. ANTHONY.
Mr. Dennis H. Tierney, who was active in the collection of funds for
Capt. George S. Anthony, of New Bedford, received a very nice letter
from the Captain and in return sent him a letter of which the following
is a part:
“WATERBURY, CONN., December 8, 1909.
“_Captain George S. Anthony, New Bedford, Mass._:
“_My Dear Captain_—I received your kind letter of the 4th inst.
containing the endorsed checks which the contributors to your fund
desire to hold as souvenirs. A press of business prevented me from
replying at once. It is indeed a great pleasure for me to be among the
Irish gentlemen who have contributed towards the creation of a fund
which will release the mortgage from the home of a man who exposed
himself to the dangers incidental to the rescue of Irish political
prisoners who were confined in bondage in western Australia; ‘their
only crime being love of country,’ and for that brave and meritorious
service in their rescue which occurred April 17th, 1876; and in
reviewing the danger which you and your companions in a small boat
were exposed to on that stormy night of April 17th, 1876, it is an
incident worthy of the brush of Raphael and the pens of Moore and
Davis; even those great geniuses in their respective professions would
inadequately portray the thrilling incident, and therefore it is with
pride and pleasure that I, an Irishman, extend to you the right hand
of fellowship, and I believe my countrymen the world over are in
sympathy with me in it and do approve of my act.”
Previous to going to New Bedford on December 17, the delegation, headed
by Lawrence H. O’Brien and Mr. Tierney, paid a visit to headquarters in
Providence, where they met Hon. Jno. W. Cummings of Fall River and Hon.
Harry C. Curtis of Providence, and discussed the object of their visit
to New Bedford, where they made formal presentation to Capt. Anthony of
a check for $1,037.
THE FRENCH CAMP AT WATERBURY.
Mr. D. H. Tierney, vice-president of the Society for Connecticut, has
erected on the camp ground of the French army to commemorate its march
through Waterbury, Conn., enroute to Yorktown, June 27, 1781, a handsome
monument of rustic construction with a good foundation, securely
cemented and with a polished granite slab on top on which the following
words are cut: “Camp of the French Army enroute to Yorktown, June 27,
1781.” The date of the erection of the monument is cut on the lower
left-hand corner which is “1904.” Mr. Tierney writes:
“The erection of this monument brought out and emphasized the fact
that in the French army there were a large contingent of Irishmen. At
the unveiling exercises, the monument was draped with the American,
French and Irish flags. An American boy raised the American flag; a
French boy raised the French flag; and my son, Mark Tierney, raised
the Irish flag. At the unveiling of the monument, we had a large
gathering of representatives of patriotic societies and citizens, and
it was learned for the first time that in the French army there was a
large delegation of Irishmen who participated with the French in
helping the continentals to throw off the English yoke. It created
such a controversy that I was compelled many times to give authentic
proof concerning the fact that there were Irishmen in the French army
on that occasion.
“At the time of the erection of this monument, I entertained hopes
that others along the route of the French army would see fit to erect
monuments in the different states commemorating the march of the
French army while enroute to Yorktown.”
COUNTY NAMES OF IRISH ORIGIN.
Eight of the counties of North Carolina are called after plain Irishmen:
Burke, from Governor Thomas Burke, born in Galway; Harnett, from
Cornelius Harnett, a member of the Continental Congress, born in Dublin;
Dobbs, for Gov. Arthur Dobbs, born in Carrickfergus; Rowan, for Robert
Rowan, a Colonial President of the Council, also a native of
Carrickfergus; Montgomery, for Gen. Richard Montgomery of Donegal;
Moore, for Gov. Maurice Moore, a distinguished Colonial soldier;
Rutherford, for General Griffith Rutherford of the Revolution, and
Davidson, for William Davidson. The places of birth of the last three
are not given, but their biographers say they were natives of Ireland.
In addition Gaston, Jackson, McDowell and Wayne counties, N. C., were
named in honor of descendants of Irishmen.
In Maryland are Baltimore, Carroll, Garrett, Montgomery, and Talbot
counties. Baltimore got its name from an Englishman, of course, but he
got it from Baltimore, County Longford. Talbot was named after George
Talbot of Castle Rooney, County Roscommon, the founder (in 1680) of
extensive colonial estates in Maryland, called New Connaught, which with
New Munster and New Leinster were subdivisions of a larger territory
called New Ireland, and now embraced in Hartford and Cecil counties,
Maryland, and part of New Castle county, Delaware.
In Michigan are Antrim, Clare, Roscommon and Wexford, Barry, Calhoun,
Clinton, Emmet, Jackson, Macomb and Wayne counties.
Twelve states of the Union have embalmed the name of Carroll, eleven
that of Calhoun, eight that of Butler and six that of Sullivan in the
nomenclature of their counties. Carroll was the famous “Signer”; Calhoun
a Vice-President of the United States, the son of Patrick Calhoun of
Donegal; Butler, the distinguished Major-General, one of five officers
of the Revolutionary Army, all brothers, and all but one born in
Ireland, and Sullivan was the famous Major-General from New Hampshire,
son of John Sullivan, a County Kerry schoolmaster.
San Patricio County, Texas, was named by a Spanishized Irishman, and it
is not unlikely that Patrick County in Virginia was called after some
Irish “Paddy.”
There are counties in the United States named O’Brien, Conway, Ulster,
Kearny, Kane, McDonough, McKean, Fergus, Meagher, Harney, McHenry,
Taney, Shannon, Sheridan, Dunn, McCurtain, Sharkey, Walsh and many
others of similar origin. In Texas are Callahan, Nolan, Reagan, Donley,
McMullen, McLennon, Dawson, Calhoun, Cochran, Crockett, Fannin,
Gillespie, Hayes, Jackson, Jasper and Montgomery counties.
In Georgia, Burke, Bryan, Carroll, Coffee, Calhoun, Dawson, Dooly,
Dougherty, Earley, Fannin, Fulton, Glynn, Brady, Hart, Heard, Jackson,
Jasper, McDuffie, Montgomery, Pickens, Talbot and Wayne. Eleven of these
counties were called after native Irishmen who were prominent at one
time or another in the Cracker State. In Kentucky there are no less than
twenty-five counties, ten of which were named in honor of natives of the
Green Isle, and fifteen from descendants of Irish pioneers, while in
Kansas there are fourteen bearing Irish names.
Indian names are in the majority in the nomenclature of our counties.
HONOR FOR ENSIGN MONAGHAN.
One of the torpedo boat destroyers recently authorized by Congress will
be named Monaghan, in memory of Ensign John Robert Monaghan, U. S. N.,
who was killed on April 1, 1899, by hostile natives in Samoa while
engaged in a reconnaissance made by a combined force of British and
Americans.
Ensign Monaghan was at that time attached to the Philadelphia. The
expedition ashore was in charge of Lieutenant Lansdale. Ensign Monaghan
stood steadfast by his wounded superior and friend—one rifle against
many—one brave man against a score of savages. He knew he was doomed. He
could not yield. He died in heroic performance of duty.
Ensign Monaghan was appointed to the Naval Academy on September 7, 1891,
from the State of Washington. He was a son of Hon. James Monaghan, a
member of the Society, who kindly contributed to the Society’s library a
valuable and interesting work entitled “Life of John Robert Monaghan,
the Hero of Samoa.”
MICHAEL HOGAN NAMED “CLAREMONT.”
Reminiscence of early New York days, when all of the upper west side
fronting the river was occupied by the summer homes of the wealthy
downtown merchants, were revived by the announcement last December that
the last plot of land owned by the Post estate had been sold. The
historic Claremont house, which for over half a century has been noted
as a public house where the good things of life have been dispensed to
the elite of the town, was for many years the summer home of the Post
family.
The Claremont House, although removed from its original site several
years ago when Riverside Park was laid out in 1872, is now the only one
of these old-fashioned residences that remains very much in its original
appearance.
To go back to the eighteenth century, we find that Nicholas de Peyster
was the owner of the vast estates, having purchased them from the Dutch
farmer, Adrian Hooglandt, in 1784. In 1796 he sold the upper part, that
which has been known as Claremont, to George Pollock. He was an importer
of Irish linens, and it was his little son, St. Clair Pollock, to whom
the simple tombstone below the house, and bearing the inscription, “To
an amiable child,” was erected.
In 1807, the man who gave the name Claremont to the place, and who was
one of the most notable figures among the great merchants of his day,
purchased the estate. This was Michael Hogan, a famous navigator, in his
early life in all parts of the world and who came to New York early in
the last century. He divided his property, calling the southern portion
Monte Alta and the upper part Claremont. Hogan was a native of County
Clare, Ireland, and the name was in honor of his birthplace, although
the statement has been made that Hogan named it in honor of the royal
residence in Surrey of Prince William, Duke of Clarence, afterward King
William IV., and with whom the merchant had served as midshipman in the
Royal Navy.
During Michael Hogan’s occupancy of Claremont, as a summer residence it
was the scene of some of the most brilliant social festivities in the
city. He was a vestryman of St. Michael’s Church, erected in 1805, on
the east side of the old Bloomingdale Road and Ninety-ninth Street.
Robert T. Kemble and William Rogers, both of whom were early owners of
the famous Furniss house, were the wardens. It was from the Rogers
estate that William P. Furniss purchased the house with twenty-six lots
in 1843.
Hogan was practically ruined during the War of 1812 with England, and in
1821 Joel Post purchased the property from his trustees.
The name of Michael Hogan is almost forgotten today, and the high honor
that Trinity Church paid to his memory after his death in Washington in
1833, where his son, William Hogan, was a Congressman, is remembered by
few. A tablet was erected to his memory, but when old Trinity was torn
down, the tablet was removed to Grace Church, where it may be seen
today. The inscription says:
“In early manhood a bold and successful navigator and discoverer in seas
almost unknown; in maturer life a prosperous merchant. The decline of
life was not unmarked by vicissitudes of fortune. But prosperity did not
elate nor could adversity subdue his firm and constant spirit. Each
quarter of the globe bore witness to his enterprise and its success.”
ST. PATRICK’S HALF PENCE ONCE CURRENT IN NEW JERSEY.
The only specimen in gold known of the coin called in America the Mark
Newby farthing was sold in London in June, 1909. These farthings have an
interesting history. Many were struck in silver, copper, brass and even
lead.
The obverse shows a crowned king kneeling and playing a harp. Above the
harp is a crown, while around the border is the inscription “Floreat
Rex.” On the reverse the principal device shows St. Patrick, with right
hand outstretched, banishing the serpents from Ireland. In his left hand
he carried a double or metropolitan cross and at the extreme right is a
church. The inscription of the reverse reads “_Quiescat Plebs_.”
There are many varieties of these farthings, of widely differing weights
but of nearly uniform size and with both plain and reeded edges. The
silver pieces are very irregular in their weight, which ranges from
ninety-eight to 176 grains, but all are about the size of an old
fashioned copper cent. The coins struck in copper are more uniform,
averaging about ninety-eight grains.
The coin is supposed to have had its origin in Ireland in the reign of
Charles I., and it has been the subject of much discussion.
A party of immigrants from Dublin, among whom were Mark Newby (or
Newbie) and his family, arrived in the Colony of New Jersey on November
19, 1681. Newby brought with him a quantity of the St. Patrick’s half
pence, as they were termed in Ireland. At this period fractional
currency was exceedingly scarce in the Colony and on May 8, 1682, the
New Jersey authorities passed an act “for the more convenient payment of
small sums,” which provided “that Mark Newbie’s half pence, called
Patrick’s half pence, shall from and after the said 18th instant pass
for half pence current pay of this province, provided he, the said Mark,
his executors and administrators, shall and will change the said half
pence for pay equivalent upon demand; and provided also that no person
or persons be hereby obliged to take more than five shillings in one
payment.” The full text is found in the “Grants, Concessions and
Original constitutions of the Province of New Jersey.”
It is not known how many of the coins were brought over by Newby, but
the quantity is supposed to have been large. Indeed, he is thought to
have manufactured additional coins of similar design in this country. No
repeal of the act making the St. Patrick’s half pence current appears on
the New Jersey records.
There were also St. Patrick’s half pence of large size, some of them a
third larger than those described. The larger pieces were struck in
copper and weighed on an average 144 grains. The obverse design is
similar to that of the farthings but the reverse is entirely different.
It showed St. Patrick with a trefoil in his right hand, a crozier in his
left, surrounded by a crowd of people. On the left side is a shield with
three castles. The inscription is “_Ecce Grex_.” These coins also occur
with plain and reeded edges. The larger coins were called half pennies,
while the smaller were termed farthings.
The coins must have passed current for many years after they were first
made, both in Ireland and in this country.
The Mark Newby coins in copper are plentiful even at the present time
and command premiums of from fifty cents to five dollars, according to
condition and variety. Those of silver are scarcer.
CHAMPLAIN TER-CENTENARY CELEBRATION.
The pretentious ter-centenary celebration of the discovery of Lake
Champlain was opened at Plattsburgh, New York, on July 4, 1909, with
religious services in all the churches. Pontifical high mass was
celebrated at Cliff Haven, the home of the Catholic Summer School of
America, by the Right Reverend Charles Henry Colton, D. D., Roman
Catholic Bishop of Buffalo, New York, a member of our Society. The
deacon was Rev. John T. Driscoll of Fonda, New York, a member of our
Society, and among the attending prelates to Cardinal Gibbons was the
Rev. John Grimes, coadjutor of Syracuse, also a member of our Society.
THREE “MOLL PITCHERS.” ONE WAS SURELY IRISH.
Professor Faust and other correspondents leave the reading public in a
quandary regarding “the heroine of Monmouth.” One claims that she was
German, another that she was American, and another, on the authority of
the historian Lossing, declares that she was “a stout, red-haired,
freckle faced young Irish woman.” One says she was “Moll Pitcher,” the
wife of John Hays, a Pennsylvania artillery-man, and another that she
was “Captain Molly,” the wife of a cannoneer from the banks of the
Hudson in the State of New York.
[Illustration:
HON. WILLIAM E. CHANDLER.
Formerly Secretary of the Navy and U. S. Senator from New Hampshire.
A New Member of the Society.
]
It probably has not occurred to these writers that three different women
representing three different sections of the country and three different
nationalities help to make dubious this perplexing old story. In 1738
there was born at Lynn, Mass., a Mary Diamond, who married a man named
Robert Pitcher and became a famous fortune teller. She died in 1813 and
was buried in the Western Burial Ground, West Lynn, where Lynn people
take pride in pointing out her grave, for barring the fact that she was
a fortune teller she was a reputable woman and her memory is respected.
Her fame lived after her and in 1832 Whittier wrote a poem about her
which renewed and increased the interest in her. Then a Boston
playwright named Jones wrote a drama called “Moll Pitcher, or the
Fortune Teller of Lynn,” which for more than thirty years was a popular
favorite on the New England stage. It was also played in other parts of
the country and was everywhere well received. The Lynn woman is the only
Moll Pitcher that figured in history; with her the name originated, and
others who wear it are simply fakes and frauds.
The honors of the alleged incident at Monmouth are shared by two
different women, one of whom was from the Highlands of the Hudson and
was undoubtedly Irish, and the other was from Pennsylvania and
undoubtedly German. Both, without any reason, are now frequently
referred to as Moll Pitcher. The real name of the Hudson River woman is
not known. Lossing calls her Captain Molly and E. P. Roe calls her Molly
O’Flaharty. She was the wife of a gunner in Colonel Lamb’s artillery,
whose name does not appear upon the records as O’Flaharty but in fiction
as Larry O’Flaharty.
In May, 1876, a communication appeared in a Carlisle newspaper claiming
that the Monmouth act had been performed by Molly McCauley, a woman who
had lived, died and was buried at Carlisle, and that Molly McCauley was
Molly Pitcher. A man who knew her in his early boyhood canvassed the
town and raised a fund with which he erected and formally unveiled at
her grave a handsome marker on which is inscribed: “Molly McCauley,
Renowned in History as Molly Pitcher,” etc.
As a matter of fact Molly McCauley never had any renown as Molly
Pitcher, but because it is so stated on a tombstone many people who read
no other history believe it and quote it as conclusive proof that she
was the real Molly Pitcher.
THE IRISH ORIGIN OF “YANKEE DOODLE” AND “DIXIE.”
Apropos of the recent query relative to the origin of “Dixie,” the
following letter of W. H. Grattan Flood, author of the “History of Irish
Music” and “History of the Harp,” may throw further light on this famous
melody. Mr. Flood is a responsible authority and is not given to
unqualified statements, so his claim for Irish origin deserves
consideration.
“My publishers duly forwarded me your letter, and I have much pleasure
in answering it, if only to vindicate the Irish origin of ‘Yankee
Doodle.’ ... Marion Harland merely repeats the exploded myth as told for
the past century in all published accounts of the origin of ‘Yankee
Doodle’ until Charles I. and Cromwell Association was shown to be
utterly absurd by Bartley Squire of the British Museum. The verses to
Lucy Lockett cannot possibly have been written before the year 1728,
whilst Kitty Fisher did not die until 1771.
“I state now definitely that the tune of ‘Yankee Doodle’ is Irish and
was known before the year 1750 as ‘All the Way to Galway.’ The song of
‘Yankee Doodle’ was adapted to this Irish air in 1755 (1756?) and the
earliest reference to it is in April, 1767, when it was included as the
fourth air in the comic opera of ‘The Disappointment.’ Oliver Wendell
Holmes rightly calls the air ‘a country dance,’ and a manuscript copy of
the Irish dance tune dated 1750 is still preserved. It was first printed
by Aird of Glasgow in 1782.
“‘Dixie’ is also an Irish air, merely arranged by Dan Emmett for
Bryant’s minstrels. By the way, Bryant himself, who ran the Christy
minstrel business in New York in 1850, was an Irishman. His real name
was Cornelius O’Brien and he died in Brooklyn in 1902. There were three
brothers in the family, Cornelius (Neill), Daniel and Jerry. Neill gave
the Irish air to Dan Emmet, who sang it in New York in February, 1859.”
ARCHBISHOP McFAUL FIGHTING TUBERCULOSIS.
Archbishop James A. McFaul, of Trenton, N. J., has announced that he has
purchased a farm of 131 acres near Bennington, which will be opened soon
as a refuge for the consumptive people of that section of New Jersey.
They will have the run of the farm, upon which cottages will be erected,
without expense and will be cared for without regard to race or creed.
Sisters of Charity will serve as nurses. It is the plan of the
archbishop to secure additional lands as they may be needed.
Archbishop McFaul was chairman of the commission appointed by Governor
Fort to lead the fight against tuberculosis in New Jersey.
GOOD MEMBERSHIP SPIRIT.
Breathing the proper spirit of enthusiasm, Hon. James M. Graham, M. C.,
of Springfield, Illinois, writes to Mr. John J. Lenehan, chairman of the
membership committee, in part as follows:
“Your kind letter of the 7th inst. notifying me of my election to
membership in the American-Irish Historical Society, and the
accompanying pamphlet, are received.
“I am delighted to be a member of your splendid society and I assure
you when you express the wish that I will become interested in its
work, you tell but half the truth. I have been intensely interested in
this work for many years and I never expected to lose interest in it,
but now I feel that interest will be immeasurably stimulated by
association with your organization.
“The great influence of the Celt on American History and American Life
has not only not been acknowledged or made manifest by the historians,
but a deliberate and quite successful attempt has been made to prevent
its recognition. Ordinarily, when one robs and injures another he is
bound in self-defense to give the injured party a bad name and to
prevent him from getting a hearing as to the true facts in the case.
On this theory English History and English Literature for several
centuries past have been little more than a conspiracy against our
race. They were careful that they did not tell the truth to the world,
and equally careful to arrange it so that we could not.
“We are now, however, at the beginning of a new era in that regard and
it behooves every man of Celtic strain, indeed, every man who loves
truth, to put his shoulder to the wheel and help to get the machinery
in motion so that credit will be given where credit is due.
“I assure you that the pleasure you have in welcoming me to membership
in your society is but a tithe of the pleasure which I have in
entering it.”
BY COURTESY OF MR. FISKE O’HARA.
Mr. Fiske O’Hara, the talented actor now playing Irish drama, extended a
few of the Rhode Island members of the Society the courtesy of a box at
the performance in the Empire Theatre, Tuesday, November 16, 1909.
There were present Col. John McManus, Hon. P. J. McCarthy, Francis I.
McCanna, Esq., Thomas F. Kilkenny, Esq., Dr. Michael W. Maloney, James
H. Hurley, Esq., James H. Coyne, Esq., Col. John A. O’Keefe, and
Lieutenant-Governor-Elect, Hon. Zenas W. Bliss.
The performance was excellent and the members present enjoyed it
greatly.
SENATOR GAMBLE’S ABLE ADDRESSES.
Hon. Robert Jackson Gamble, United States Senator from South Dakota,
made several interesting and well-prepared speeches in the Senate on the
consideration of the tariff bill. On May 21, 1909, the subject matter
was concerning mica, which is mined in large quantities in South Dakota,
and during Senator Gamble’s remarks, a colloquy took place between
Senator Aldrich and himself, which terminated with honors all in favor
of our fellow member. On May 29, 1909, and June 22, 1909, the subjects
under discussion were barley and hides respectively, and on August 4,
1909, while drawback on flaxseed was under consideration, Senator
Gamble’s speech was replete with sound argument and a multitude of
statistics which spoke volumes for the labor and research entailed in
their preparation.
The Senator’s learned and forceful address at our Eleventh Annual
Meeting in Washington, January 16, 1909, will long be remembered and may
be found complete in Vol. VIII. of the Journal at page 152.
HON. LAWRENCE O. MURRAY ON PROBLEMS OF THE COMPTROLLER’S OFFICE.
Hon. Lawrence O. Murray, LL. D., Comptroller of the Currency, read a
most excellent paper entitled “Some Problems of the Comptroller’s
Office,” before the American Bankers’ Association, September 14 last, at
Chicago. It was later published in Rand-McNally Bankers’ Monthly and
circulated throughout the country. Dr. Murray takes a natural pride in
seeing the banks of the country grow in number, strength and popularity;
but believes expansion should be along normal, safe and conservative
lines. “If we are to have a great system of banks, sound, well managed
and prosperous,” says Dr. Murray, “the greatest attention and scrutiny
must be exercised before the government issues a charter. In the
national system we want banks organized in places where the demand is
spontaneous and originates with the people living in the place who feel
an actual need of banking facilities. I do not believe in the
organization of banks by promoters who go about the country, calling
public meetings, and by methods of advertising characteristic of the
circus, endeavor to arouse enthusiasm for the organization of a bank.”
MAILING LIST OF THE AMERICAN IRISH HISTORICAL SOCIETY.
_Public Libraries._
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Waltham, Mass.
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Watertown, Mass.
Woonsocket, R. I.
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_College and University Libraries._
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The Enoch Pratt Free Library, Baltimore, Md.
[Illustration:
MAJOR-GENERAL THOMAS H. BARRY, U. S. A.
Copyright, 1909.
By Harris & Ewing.
]
_Societies, Etc._
The Albany Institute and Historical and Art Society, No. 125
Washington Avenue, Albany, N. Y. (Cuyler Reynolds, Curator.)
American Antiquarian Society, Worcester, Mass.
American Catholic Historical Society, Philadelphia, Pa.
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Catholic Club, 59 Jackson Street, Providence, R. I.
Connecticut Historical Society, Hartford, Conn.
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Maryland Historical Society, Baltimore, Md.
Massachusetts Historical Society, Boston, Mass.
Minnesota Historical Society, St. Paul, Minn.
New England Historical Genealogical Society, 18 Somerset St., Boston,
Mass.
Newport (R. I.) Historical Society, Newport, R. I.
New York Historical Society, 170 2d Ave., New York City.
Rhode Island Citizens Historical Association, Providence, R. I.
Rhode Island Historical Society, Providence, R. I.
Society of the Cincinnati, Providence, R. I.
Society of Colonial Wars, Providence, R. I.
Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wis.
NECROLOGY.
REV. DANIEL H. O’DWYER.
BY JOHN J. LENEHAN, ESQ., CHAIRMAN OF MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE.
The Rev. Daniel H. O’Dwyer, an esteemed member of the American Irish
Historical Society and pastor of St. John’s Church at Kingsbridge Road
and 232d Street, New York City, died on Sunday, November 14, 1909, of
apoplexy, at the home of his mother, 122 Fordham Road West, New York
City. His death occurred in the very room in which his father died on
the previous Thursday night, at the age of 81 years.
Father O’Dwyer was a brother of Chief Justice Edward F. O’Dwyer, of the
City Court of the City of New York; also a member of our Society, and a
son of John O’Dwyer and Catherine Ryan, who came from Ireland to America
in the early part of the last century.
Father O’Dwyer was born in New York City, in 1862, and was forty-seven
years of age at the time of his death. He was educated at St. Francis
Xavier’s College, West 16th Street, and entered Fordham University in
1882, graduating from the latter institution two years later. After
graduation he entered St. Joseph’s Seminary, Troy, and was ordained on
December 22, 1888.
From 1890 to 1893 Father O’Dwyer labored as assistant priest in St.
Raphael’s Church, West 40th Street, and later went to the Church of the
Blessed Sacrament, where he remained until 1903, when he became pastor
of St. John’s.
He found St. John’s Church a frame building, unimposing and
unattractive. His first effort as pastor was the establishment of a
church fund to improve the place of worship of the fast growing
congregation. St. John’s had been established in 1870 as a mission to
the parish of St. Elizabeth at Fort Washington and was made a separate
parish in 1886, sixteen years after. He immediately set about improving
the parish generally. He changed and renovated the old church and began
the erection of a new one. The new church, built on the site of the old
one, was begun about four years ago. At the time of his death it had
been finished but not yet dedicated. He devoted himself without reserve
to the work of raising this splendid monument and labored tirelessly for
the accomplishment of his great purpose. The result was a structure
magnificent for the surrounding territory, and worthy of this great
Metropolis. A spacious chapel occupied the basement, and in the rear was
a Lyceum or club for boys, with athletic apparatus and other attractions
for entertaining the youth of the neighborhood.
This soon became a social center. The young men found themselves in
possession of a club with pleasant adjuncts and friendly companionship.
He organized numerous societies for both men and women and threw his
great energy into the effort to make the hall a center of interest, with
such force and vigor that it soon became the meeting place for the youth
of the vicinage and elevated the moral and social conditions of the
parish, which grew and strengthened with his success, kindling ambition
and toning up the character and bearing of the neighborhood. That parish
ceased thereafter to be listless or easy-going. It blossomed with
animation and interest. He called the hall St. John’s Lyceum. The new
church, with its various attachments, cost in the neighborhood of
$200,000; but there was entertainment and amusement for all the young
men and women of his parish; and as they saw it grow in beauty and
utility, witnessing the excellence of his ideas and the splendid manner
of their execution, they knew their pastor worked unselfishly for them,
and the amelioration of all conditions in his parish, uniting
entertainment and instruction in his devoted purpose.
To aid the speedy completion of the church, he sought the help of a host
of lifelong friends. Willing responses to a cheery appeal brought
assistance from every side; and the work, ordinarily of years, grew to
fruition within a few short seasons. His tireless efforts probably
undermined his robust constitution. But loving his work and his people
with all his golden heart, he cast himself with streaming courage into
the battle, to win, in one brief spell, a victory that was fitting crown
for a lifetime’s labor.
Everywhere Father O’Dwyer went he endeared himself to all with whom he
came in contact. In appearance a striking figure, handsome, tall,
well-proportioned and instinct with nervous force, he was a charming
companion and a delightful speaker, versatile, amusing, instructive or
learned as suited his varying purposes or the needs of the hour. Jovial
and sympathetic in ordinary intercourse, he never forgot the necessity
of inculcating at the proper times the sterner duties. Yet he was always
the same wholesome force for the cheerful as well as the simple life.
As sunshine broken in the rill,
Though turned aside, is sunshine still.
An enthusiastic admirer of athletics he ever sought to perpetuate and
assist in the games of his college as well as of his parochial school
and the Lyceum.
He was elected President of the Fordham University Alumni Association
for two terms, 1899–1901, and materially aided the work of the
Association with his usual irrepressible zeal.
The funeral took place from St. John’s Church on Wednesday, November 17,
1909. His Grace, the Most Rev. Archbishop Farley, celebrated a Solemn
Mass of Requiem. The church was packed to its utmost capacity and a
multitude unable to gain admittance lined the outer roadway. A large
attendance of clergymen and well-known laymen included many members of
our Society, among them being Hon. John D. Crimmins, Justices Edward E.
McCall, and John W. Goff. Monsignor Mooney preached a touching sermon
wherein he spoke eloquently of Father O’Dwyer’s zeal and attainments.
Many were visibly affected to tears. He said that although a
comparatively young man his work was of the highest and most
praiseworthy order.
“Today,” said the Monsignor, “a mourning people and weeping children,
all must send up not the exultant song of fondest hopes fulfilled, but
the low, sad plaint of sorrow for the soul of him who was their pastor
kind and true. Twenty-one years ago he came forth with anointed hands
from St. Joseph’s Seminary at Troy to begin the work that was appointed
for him. His first labors were served in St. Raphael’s, where he spread
the seeds of Christianity—seeds which quickly took root. None of the
vigor and zeal of that manhood were lost which characterized his early
work when he was transferred to the Blessed Sacrament church. A thread
of gold seemed to run through his life. It was in the city of his birth
that the whole years of his labors as a priest were spent. Six years of
unabated toil marked his pastorate at St. John’s—six years spent in
constant labors of love till God called him forth. He gave the best that
was in him, he did the best for you, while he was permitted to remain
with you. All the splendid manhood he brought with him when he came—his
excellent equipment of mind and heart—he used to foster in his
congregation the love of God. He knew no bounds in his devotion to you
and your little ones. The anguish of that awful morning was so deep, so
sudden, that as yet we are not able to take in its full realization.
“It was not deigned by heaven for him that he should ascend this altar
and offer sacrifice—alas!—the first ceremony enacted within these walls
was over his own remains. His life labors are done; well did he perform
them. The God of Justice called him away, but you shall never forget
him, his memory will be to you a proper inheritance till time shall call
you on into eternity, where united with him there shall be no suffering
in the everlasting Trinity of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost.”
GENERAL ST. CLAIR A. MULHOLLAND.
BY THE SECRETARY GENERAL.
General St. Clair A. Mulholland, one of the best known and most highly
esteemed men in public life in Pennsylvania, and a life member of the
American-Irish Historical Society, died on Thursday, February 17, 1910,
after an illness of less than a week’s duration. Stricken on the 11th
inst. in his office in the Federal Building, General Mulholland battled
bravely to regain his health, but his advanced age—he was almost
seventy-one years old—proved too great a handicap. Physicians ascribe
his death to a general breakdown.
Brevet Major General St. Clair A. Mulholland, who at the close of the
Civil War was one of the youngest of the major generals created during
that struggle, was a native of the County Antrim, Ireland, where he was
born in 1839. He came to this country with his parents when but eight
years old. While still a very young man he became connected with the
Pennsylvania militia, and when the Civil War broke out he entered the
service. For a brief period he was a recruiting officer, but in 1862 he
went to the front with the One Hundred and Sixteenth Pennsylvania
Volunteers, which he helped to organize, as lieutenant colonel. This was
in June, 1862, when he was only 23 years of age.
Subsequently he was promoted to the colonelcy. He took part in the
fights at Charlestown and Ashby’s Gap, Va., in October and November,
1862. He commanded his regiment at Fredericksburg, in the famous charge
of the Irish Brigade, of which the regiment formed a part, and was
severely wounded in the gallant attempt to storm Marye’s Heights. On
February 27, 1863, he was appointed major of battalion. In the battle of
Chancellorsville, Va., May 2, 3 and 4, 1863, he led his regiment, and
distinguished himself in saving the guns of the Fifth Maine Battery,
which had been abandoned to the enemy. For this he was complimented in
general orders. In this campaign he was selected by General Hancock to
command the picket line of the Second Corps, and while performing this
duty covered the retreat of the Army of the Potomac from
Chancellorsville across the Rappahannock, for which service he was
awarded a Congressional medal of honor.
He participated in the fight at Thoroughfare Gap, Va., June 25, 1863. In
the battle of Gettysburg he again led his regiment, which was
practically annihilated. He then took command and led into action the
One Hundred and Fortieth Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteers. He was
engaged in the fight at Jones’ Cross Roads, July 10, 1863; at Falling
Waters, July 14, and in the battle of the Wilderness, May 5, 1864, where
he was again wounded. For his gallant conduct on this occasion he was
made brevet brigadier general. He was in the fight at Tod’s Tavern, May
10, 1864, and in the battle of Po River, where he was a third time
wounded.
Having been sent to the hospital at Washington, he remained only ten
days, and then resumed his command. He was engaged in the fight at North
Anna and on the Pamunkey River, May 28, 30 and 31, 1864. At the battle
of Topotomy Creek he was dangerously wounded by a musket ball through
the groin.
He commanded his brigade in all the actions around Petersburg until the
end of the war. He particularly distinguished himself during this time
by storming a rebel fort in front of his brigade, and for this he was
brevetted major general October 27, 1864.
When, in 1868, Daniel M. Fox was elected Mayor he called to his aid as
chief of police General Mulholland, and it was due to the discipline
which the latter inculcated that the force, before that time in some
disorder, was brought to a fine condition.
After the election of President Cleveland General Mulholland was
appointed pension agent at Philadelphia, a position he held continuously
since 1894.
The activities of General Mulholland covered a large field, and he was
known all over the State. As a speaker at Grand Army celebrations and in
educational institutions he was always welcomed, and his vivid
descriptions of events in war times were listened to with interest.
For many years he was a member of the Board of Prison Inspectors, and it
is said of him that he personally helped more unfortunates to start life
anew than any other man in the State. He made the subject of prison
discipline and its reform a study, and it was he who formed the
committee that drafted the new parole law, as presented in the
Legislature by Senator Ernst L. Tustin.
He was a member of the Grand Army of the Republic, Loyal Legion, life
member of the American-Irish Historical Society, Medal of Honor Legion
and Friendly Sons of St. Patrick (of which he was president from 1892 to
1894). He was chairman of the committee of the Friendly Sons which had
charge of the erection of the Barry monument in Independence Square, and
at the time of his death chairman of the commission appointed by
Governor Stuart to provide for the erection of the monument to the
Pennsylvania soldiers participating in the battle of Gettysburg. He was
a former president of the Catholic Alumni Sodality, and at the time of
his death, as chairman of a committee of the sodality, was working to
raise funds for the erection of a monument to Rev. William Corby,
chaplain of the Irish Brigade, showing Father Corby in the act of
administering absolution to the soldiers about to enter into battle at
Gettysburg.
Himself an artist in water colors, General Mulholland during his trips
abroad gathered many valuable paintings, which form a collection of
worth at his home.
General Mulholland was twice married. His first wife was Mary Dooner,
sister of the late Peter S. Dooner. His second wife was Mary Heenan,
daughter of Colonel Heenan and sister of Dr. Thomas E. Heenan, now
United States Consul at Warsaw, Russia. The daughters of the deceased
are: Mrs. Ludwig E. Faber, Mrs. Joseph I. Comber, Miss Mary Mulholland,
Miss Genevieve Mulholland, Miss Claire Mulholland.
General Mulholland was a brother of the late Rev. James E. Mulholland,
rector of St. Patrick’s Church, who died suddenly in Alexandria, Egypt,
in 1886.
The following Sunday the general’s old comrades in arms and members of
the Loyal Legion, Grand Army of the Republic and delegations from other
organizations visited the residence and held memorial exercises. About
one hundred members of the parish Holy Name Society, of which the
deceased was a member, accompanied by the rector, Rev. M. J. Crane, and
the spiritual director, Rev. Thomas J. Hanney, recited the Office for
the Dead at the house, as did also the Alumni Sodality, which had forty
members present.
The funeral took place Monday morning, from the late residence of the
deceased, 4202 Chester Avenue. Solemn Requiem Mass was sung in St.
Francis de Sales’ Church by the rector, Rev. M. J. Crane. Rev. Joseph A.
Whittaker was deacon; Rev. Thomas J. Hanney, sub-deacon, and Rev. Alfred
C. Welsh, of Kennett Square, master of ceremonies.
The absolution of the body was performed by Right Rev. Monsignor William
Kieran, D. D., rector of St. Patrick’s. In compliance with the wishes of
the deceased, there was no sermon, but Monsignor Kieran, who read the
funeral service in English as well as in Latin, made a brief address,
alluding to the virtues and patriotism of this great man. The interment
was in Old Cathedral Cemetery.
One of the leading journals of Philadelphia states editorially:
“After seventy-three years of life’s battling, General St. Clair A.
Mulholland lies in a soldier’s grave. ‘After life’s fitful fever, he
sleeps well.’ Those who live well and die well surely sleep well. And
truly may it be said of the great and gallant Irishman who has laid
down his sword and gone to rest in his soldier’s cloak that he did all
a soldier could to live well and die well for the country of his
adoption, since he could not offer it for that of his nativity. It was
not his lot to fall on the field of his fame, but to rise from the
blood-soaked soil more than once to take up the task of the
soldier-saint, Louis of France, and reveal the tender heart of the
woman beating beneath the cuirass of the soldier. To visit the prisons
and to bear the message of solace to the despairing victims of a cruel
fate was the task which he marked out for himself, and carried out to
the very last healthful day of his official career. Many a stout and
steadfast heart has ‘the black North,’ as his native Ulster is
erroneously called, brought to the defense and glorification of the
American Union, but none surpassing in beautiful qualities that of the
quiet and unassuming soldier who now lies in a friendly grave in the
land he served, but far from the hills of his native Ulster, the land
of the O’Neills and the O’Donnells, and all the representatives of the
modern chivalry of ‘the Red Branch’—saints like Columbkille and
martyrs like Archbishop Plunkett.
“It is a unique glory that the flag of the American Union owns. She
has lured the bravest and the most unselfish from all lands to defend
her cause, and she lays the proud tribute of her gratitude and her
sorrow on their biers with a hand that knows no discrimination as to
nationality. The soldier from Antrim who gave his strong right arm, as
well as his unselfish heart, to her service was worthy of her, and she
of him. And so may it ever be as between America and Ireland. ‘_Quis
separabit?_’”
MGR. B. C. LENEHAN.
BY THE SECRETARY GENERAL.
Mgr. B. C. Lenehan, who died September 21 last at Fort Dodge, Ia., was
born February 3, 1843, in New York City, and was baptized in the old New
York cathedral. He settled in Dubuque with his parents when ten years of
age, and received his education in the Dubuque schools and took his
classical course at Vinentra college, Cape Girardeau, Mo., completing
his work at Milwaukee, Wis. He was ordained December 8, 1867, by
Archbishop Hennessey. He was stationed at Mount McGregor, Iowa, for some
time before going to Sioux City.
Nowhere was the deceased clergyman better known or more loved than in
Sioux City, where he spent fourteen of the most active years of his
ministry.
In March, 1872, while a young priest, the monsignor was appointed pastor
of Sioux City and during his fourteen years there he saw many changes in
the city and the surrounding territory. The completion of new railroads
had opened northwestern Iowa to settlement, and new settlers were coming
in by thousands, many being Catholics. Sioux City was the nearest place
where there was a church or a priest, and Father Lenehan was called on
to attend to the spiritual wants of those settlers, scattered over an
immense territory, including all that portion of Iowa west of the Little
Sioux River and north to the Minnesota line, and consisting of about ten
counties.
After several months of strenuous missionary work Father Lenehan was
given an assistant in Sioux City in the person of Rev. John J. Cadden,
who remained nearly two years, doing good work in city and country,
wherever his services were needed. After leaving there he was sent to
southern Iowa, and died several years later in the Davenport diocese.
In 1874 it became apparent that the congregation had outgrown the old
frame church on West Seventh and Perry streets and that a larger and
better building was needed. Father Lenehan erected a handsome brick
church, which was dedicated under the patronage of St. Mary, Help of
Christians, on the Sunday within the octave of the Assumption, on
August, 1875, by Very Rev. John F. Brazil, of Des Moines, vicar general
of the diocese. Rev. T. M. Lenihan, of Fort Dodge, was celebrant of the
mass.
In February, 1886, after fourteen years of continuous and satisfactory
service, Father Lenehan resigned his charge in Sioux City to the great
regret of all, both Catholic and Protestant. He intended to become a
Jesuit and took preliminary steps, but, the confinement not agreeing
with his health, he returned to Iowa. A delegation was sent from Sioux
City to Dubuque to make an effort to secure his return to Sioux City,
but other arrangements had already been made for Sioux City, and Father
Lenehan had been assigned to Denison. Later he was transferred to Boone,
where he remained about sixteen years.
With the organization of the diocese of Sioux City and the appointment
of Rt. Rev. P. J. Garrigan as its first bishop, there were several
changes. At the close of the first diocesan retreat for the priests on
August 22, 1902, the first diocesan synod was held, and diocesan
officers were announced. Among the appointments was that of Father
Lenehan as vicar general. In November, 1903, he was transferred from
Boone to Corpus Christi Church, Fort Dodge, the oldest and one of the
best parishes in the diocese.
During Father Lenehan’s long residence in Sioux City he endeared himself
not only to his own flock, but to the people of every denomination and
those of none at all. All admired him for his eloquence and his
affability.
Honors only added to his natural and innate dignity of character. As Rt.
Rev. Mgr. Lenehan, domestic prelate to the pope and vicar general of the
diocese of Sioux City, he remained the same modest, unassuming priest,
the same “teacher of the silver tongue,” the same genial, companionable,
Christian gentleman, as when he was pastor of old St. Mary’s, and
missionary teacher of half a diocese thirty years ago.
Mgr. Lenehan was a great friend of the younger priests, and his death
will be sincerely mourned by many a clergyman who got much inspiration
through acquaintance with this exceptional man.
JAMES McGOVERN.
BY MR. JOHN G. O’KEEFFE OF NEW YORK.
James McGovern, a life member of this Society, was born of Irish parents
in Brooklyn, N. Y., on the 31st day of August, 1854. When but fourteen
years of age he began his business life in the employ of Coleman
Benedict, a stock broker. His progress was remarkable. In twelve years
he became a partner in the firm. He was elected a member of the New York
Stock Exchange in 1880 and during his long business career he was
universally regarded as one of the ablest and most honorable men on
’Change. He was honored time and again by election to its Board of
Governors, serving on its most important committees. Because of his high
character and broad knowledge of values his judgment on investments was
widely sought. For example, he was for years a prominent member of the
Finance Committee of the Emigrant Industrial Savings Bank and a director
in the Kings Co. Trust Company, the Corn Exchange National Bank and the
Home Life Insurance Company. He was also a member of the Chicago Stock
Exchange, the New York Chamber of Commerce, Metropolitan Museum of Art,
Museum of Natural History, the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick, the
Catholic and a number of other clubs in which he took an active and
prominent interest.
Mr. McGovern’s charities were most liberal and carried on quietly,
without ostentation. He was a benefactor of the Society of St. Vincent
de Paul (a member of its Finance Committee) the Ozanam Club for Working
Boys and many similar Societies. He was the President and best friend of
the Dominican Sisters of the sick poor, a charity that appealed directly
to his generous heart.
Mr. McGovern was especially proud of his Irish ancestry and never failed
to respond to any call for help from the land of his forefathers.
He died on November 6, 1909, and in his death the community at large
suffered a great loss.
REV. MICHAEL A. McMANUS.
BY JAMES L. O’NEILL OF ELIZABETH, N. J.
Rev. Michael A. McManus, D. D., rector of St. Aloysius Church, Newark,
N. J., died November 16, 1909. Deceased was the son of Lawrence A.
McManus of Paterson, N. J. It was in that city that he was born
September 29, 1849. When a boy he evinced his religious tendency and
determined to become a priest. After obtaining permission from his
parents, he went to Newark to consult with the late Archbishop Bayley,
then Bishop of Newark. Bishop Bayley noticing the slight figure before
him, at first did not appear inclined to give his consent but the
determined manner and speech of the young man soon won the Bishop over.
When he was quite young his father sent him to St. Charles College,
Ellicott City, Md., to begin his ecclesiastical training. He had
previously received a classical education at a private school in
Paterson. After four years at St Charles he entered Seton Hall College,
where he was graduated, and then entered the seminary of the Immaculate
Conception. He was ordained April 26, 1874, by the late Archbishop
Michael Austin Corrigan, who was then Bishop of the diocese of Newark,
which then comprised all of New Jersey. He was first sent to St.
Michael’s Church, Jersey City. While attached to that Parish he became
seriously ill and had to be sent to St. Francis Hospital. After
recovering he went to the Southern States and did missionary work for a
couple of years. On returning north he was sent as an assistant to the
Church of the Assumption, Morristown, N. J. Within a couple of years he
was made pastor of St. Patrick’s Church of Woodbury. He remained there
until 1881, when the single dioceses comprised in the entire state, was
divided by the establishment of the Trenton diocese.
In 1881 he was sent to St. Joseph’s, Newton, N. J., remaining there
until 1890, when Bishop Wiggar transferred him to Newark, and assigned
to him the task of establishing the parish of the Sacred Heart. Finally
he was transferred to St. Aloysius’ Church of the same city in June,
1906. Seton Hall College conferred on Father McManus the degree of
Doctor of Philosophy. His unostentatious charity was something the
extent of which was ever widening and often surprised those closest to
him. In public affairs he was always interested. He served on the grand
jury several years ago, being the first priest in the county who ever
officiated as a member of that body.
St. Aloysius School is his monument. He had been secretary of the Board
of Trustees of St. Michael’s Hospital for many years and was one of the
prime movers in the movement for a public park in the twelfth ward,
Newark, a movement which culminated in the establishment of Riverbank
Park, now in process of completion. He was known for his sturdy loyalty
to the cause of Ireland, and he never lost an opportunity to lend it his
aid. He was strong also in his liking for the German people, whose
language he spoke fluently.
The keynote of Father McManus’ character was a rugged honesty buttressed
by a courage that brooked no opposition. His convictions were clear cut
and what he thought, that he said, and that he fought for, even though
his words occasionally gave some offense and his intensity provoked his
opponents.
But it happened with him as it always happens with an honest man—it
became apparent that he meant not to offend but to convince. With Father
McManus the smile always beamed after a remark, before the frown had
scarcely time to gather. He was never bitter though always earnest and
sincere. With such a man there is always satisfaction in dealing, one
knows where he stands and what to expect; the entanglements of deceit
are absent. Father McManus was well-read and his scholarship won for him
the degree of Doctor of Laws, from his Alma Mater. His administrative
ability was great, as the numerous works and foundation of his parish
attest.
He was a pious priest, but his piety was of the manly kind that rejects
show or sentimentality. His faith was deep and earnest. He had a
wholesome contempt for the modern juggling with fundamental tenets of
Christianity.
He was an ardent American, and believed in accepting all the duties and
burdens, as well as the privileges of citizenship.
PHILIP C. WALSH.
BY PHILIP C. WALSH, JR.
Philip C. Walsh, a member of the American Irish Historical Society since
1897, died at his residence, 22 Grant Street, Newark, N. J., May 19,
1909, in the seventy-fifth year of his life. He was born in the City of
Kilkenny, in 1834, was educated at St. Keren’s in that city, and
emigrated to America in 1854, being associated with his uncle, Mathew
Nolan, a retired seaman of the United States navy, at New Brunswick, N.
J., where he married Annie Walsh of Gowran, Ireland, in 1858, removing
to Newark, N. J., in 1865; while there he was engaged in the cattle
business until 1880, when he began the iron and steel business of Walsh
& Sons, of which he was the head, until his death.
From his youthful associations in Ireland, he imbibed a characteristic
Irish antipathy to the government which had wrought such a malign
influence upon his native land, and in America he promptly became a
member of the Irish organizations that were laboring for Ireland’s
cause, offering his time and his services as occasion demanded, to the
Hibernian, Clan-na-Gael, Irish Volunteers and the American Irish
Historical Society, the success of which he was very proud, as well of
the Society as an organization tending to the uplift of the Irish, as he
was of the distinguished eminence so many of its individual members had
achieved.
During his long life, Mr. Walsh steadily acquired every conceivable kind
of book relating to Ireland, the Irish people, and their just cause, for
which they had struggled so valiantly, gradually obtaining a very large
library of Irish works, some of them exceedingly rare and venerable, and
by constant reading, study, and discussion with those well qualified,
became a veritable encyclopedia upon Ireland and Irish history, being
known as one of New Jersey’s great Irishmen, a position which he proudly
enjoyed as one of the best distinctions he had.
Although not in good health, for the last two years, Mr. Walsh was about
during the pleasant weather, meeting old friends, discussing with them
Irish affairs, showing as devoted an interest as ever, and at the
mention of any proposition that would benefit Ireland his eye would
brighten and he would eagerly discuss every phase, from a position of
genuine interest actuated by a sincere, pure, high-minded desire, for
the progress and advancement of his native land which he always claimed
would equal any nation in the world if but given a fair opportunity, and
whose people, upon their native soil, would exhibit the same
intelligence, ability and capacity, that they have exhibited in every
walk of life elsewhere throughout the world.
Mr. Walsh’s personal traits were the admirable ones characteristic of
the true Irishman, gentleness, kindliness and affection, mingled courage
and tenacity. His family, to which he was most endeared, will ever
regret his demise, and the sweet, gentle ties of father and children
will ever remain with them, as long as life remains.
* * * * *
In a letter transmitting to the Secretary-General the above sketch “for
the record of the Society,” Philip C. Walsh, Jr., a member of the
municipal corporations committee of the New Jersey Senate, says:
Father had a very high regard for the Society, and was especially
proud of the older members, who like himself, had been transplanted
here, and never losing for a moment the great affection they bore
their native land. The progress and advancement of the Society and its
members always brightened his eye, and brought forth approving
sentiments.
He was a typical Irishman—gentle, kind, affectionate and indulgent as
a woman on one side and as fierce and courageous as a lion upon the
other, the fighting spirit of his race, dominant when necessary; a
curious combination of admirable characteristics, opposite in their
nature, characteristics that seem more peculiar to Irishmen than any
other people.
During his long life, he collected a great number of books dealing
with Ireland and Irish affairs, all of which the writer is happy to
state were given to me, and I earnestly hope that I may ever be as
Irish as my dear father.
MAJOR JOHN W. BOURLET.
BY THE SECRETARY GENERAL.
Major John W. Bourlet, secretary of the Rumford Printing Company of
Concord, N. H., and for several years an esteemed member of the
American-Irish Historical Society, died at Concord, January 19, 1910,
after a protracted illness. Mr. Bourlet was born in New York City, March
7, 1850, but in 1859 removed with his parents to Concord and resided in
or near that city until his death, more than half a century later.
At the age of seventeen, he entered the office of the Concord Monitor,
as an apprentice to learn the printer’s trade and quickly became a
proficient workman. He was advanced to the position of foreman of the
job room and acquired prominence in his profession in the State of New
Hampshire and beyond as the organizer of the first printers’ association
in the capital of New Hampshire. In 1893, Mr. Bourlet was nominated by
Governor John B. Smith as commissioner of the New Hampshire Bureau of
Labor. This position he occupied until 1896 when upon the reorganization
of the book and job printing department of the Monitor Company into a
separate corporation, Mr. Bourlet was made superintendent of the plant
and a director in and clerk of the corporation. These positions he held
until ill-health compelled him to retire from active work in the autumn
of 1909.
He was widely known as one of the most prominent Odd Fellows in the
State and long published a magazine devoted to this order. There were
indeed few members of the fraternity who were not acquainted with this
devoted member and worker. The highest honors of the subordinate and
grand orders were conferred upon him. He was Grand Master in 1891–2, and
Grand Representative to the Sovereign Grand Lodge in 1892–3. He was also
secretary of the Merrimack County Odd Fellows Relief Association. Mr.
Bourlet was a member of the New Hampshire Press Association also for
many years and a member of the Universalist Church of Concord. In 1871
Mr. Bourlet married Abbie A. Webster, who survives him. One son, John W.
Bourlet, Jr., and two grandchildren survive.
In the course of his long and highly respected residence in Concord, Mr.
Bourlet was honored by his fellow citizens with various positions of
responsibility. In 1887 he was elected a member of the Legislature from
the city of Concord and served as chairman of the Committee on Printers’
Accounts and as clerk of the Committee on Labor. He was clerk of the
Merrimack County Convention and for two years was auditor of Merrimack
County. His exemplary life, his agreeable personality, his extensive
knowledge of his calling and widespread acquaintance made Mr. Bourlet
one of the representative citizens of his city and state. The
expressions of sorrow from a large number of persons in his own city and
elsewhere in the state and beyond its borders brought forth by the
announcement of his death were tributes of those who have known and
appreciated his strong qualities as a citizen and a friend.
Every volume of the Journal of the Society was printed and published
under Major Bourlet’s supervision, and most of its pamphlets and other
publications passed through his hands.
MAURICE O’MEARA.
Mr. Maurice O’Meara, who died of heart failure Friday, January 14, 1910,
in his seventy-sixth year, at his home, No. 83 Eighth Avenue, Brooklyn,
was born in New Street, New York City, and early became an expert in the
various kinds and grades of paper and paper stock. He built up an
immense trade, and in 1890 organized the O’Meara Paper Company of which
he became president, with his three sons, Maurice, Jr., William and
David, respectively, vice-president, treasurer and secretary. A year ago
Mr. O’Meara celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of his business career,
and a little later, on March 6, his golden wedding was an event that
brought him congratulations from friends far and near. He left three
sons and seven daughters. He was an earnest member of the American-Irish
Historical Society; vice president of the New York Paper Dealers’
Association; a trustee of the Brooklyn Catholic Orphan Asylum, also a
trustee of St. Francis Xavier’s Church, a member of the Montauk Club and
many benevolent organizations.
GEORGE J. S. MURPHY.
George J. S. Murphy, secretary to the Elizabeth (N. J.) Board of Fire
Commissioners and a valued member of this Society, died suddenly of
heart disease September 2, 1909, in his thirty-ninth year, in a New York
restaurant, as he was ordering dinner.
Mr. Murphy was a son of the late Walter and Margaret M. Murphy, who were
well-known residents of the old Eighth ward, Elizabeth, where he was
born, his parents then residing at 726 Eugenia Place. His father was a
carpenter and builder and for twenty years or more was an election
officer in the Eighth ward.
As a boy, Mr. Murphy attended St. Mary’s parochial school and later on
the Morrel street school, from which he was graduated high in his class.
He next attended St. Peter’s College, in Jersey City, from which he also
was graduated with honors.
Mr. Murphy entered upon his duties as secretary to the Board of Fire
Commissioners when it was organized in 1901, and during all the years he
served he never missed a single meeting, a record of which he felt
justly proud. Mr. Murphy was a young man who believed in method, and the
affairs of his office were conducted in a thorough, businesslike manner.
He kept a record of everything of importance connected with his office
and was able at an instant’s notice to place his hands on whatever
record might be desired. He was of a genial, pleasant disposition and as
one of the commissioners said: “He was the right man in the right
place.” There were few men better known in Elizabeth than was Mr.
Murphy.
He was a communicant of St. Mary’s Church and a member of the Holy Name
Society connected with that parish. He was also a member of the Young
Men’s Catholic Literary Association of St. Mary’s parish, and at one
time a member of the board of directors connected with that association.
He was also a member of and, at the time of his death, secretary of
Elizabeth Council, No. 253, Knights of Columbus, and also a member and
secretary of the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick, an organization in which
he took a very deep interest. He was interested in the Elizabethport
Building and Loan Association and served as one of its auditors.
He was unmarried and is survived by two brothers, John J. and William B.
Murphy, the former manager of the Barrett Manufacturing Company. Mr.
Murphy’s mother died nine years ago of heart trouble.
PATRICK O’BRIEN.
BY MARK O’BRIEN OF LAWRENCE, MASS.
Patrick O’Brien, one of Lawrence’s leading citizens and business men,
and a member of this Society, died shortly after noon Monday, June 21,
1909, at his home, 399 South Broadway. The deceased suffered a shock
some time ago and had since steadily failed until death relieved his
sufferings.
Mr. O’Brien was born in South Reading, now Wakefield, about fifty-seven
years ago.
He was a member of Lawrence Council, No. 67, K. of C., Division 8, A. O.
H., and Phil Sheridan Colony, U. O. P. F. He was alderman for one year
from ward six.
His wife, Anna; two daughters, Mrs. John Dempsey of Wakefield, and Mrs.
Frank Cotter, and four sons, Michael, Mark, Patrick, Jr., and Robert;
one sister, Mary, and one brother, Dennis, survive him.
The funeral took place at St. Patrick’s Church, when a solemn high mass
was celebrated. Rev. Fr. James T. Landrigan was the officiant, and was
assisted by Rev. Fr. Farrell as deacon and Rev. Fr. John J. Gilday as
sub-deacon. At the offertory Miss Mary Dolan rendered the “De
Profundis.” The church was crowded with mourning relatives and friends
of the deceased. Delegations attended from Division 8, A. O. H., and
Lawrence Council, No. 67, K. of C.
The deceased was one of the older residents of the city and was held in
high esteem and respect by all who knew him. He was prominent in the
business world for many years and constructed many of the large
buildings in the city.
The body reposed in a solid oak drop side, full couch casket, with
oxidized silver extension bar handles, and the plate bore the following
inscription: “Patrick A. O’Brien, 1850–1909.”
The following acted as pallbearers: John A. Driscoll, Michael Roache,
William J. Carroll, James O’Neil, Thomas Gilmartin and Cornelius F.
Lynch. Burial was in the family tomb in the Immaculate cemetery.
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES OF NEW MEMBERS.
_The members named below furnished biographical sketches at the request
of the Secretary-General, and it is earnestly requested that those who
have not furnished such sketches do so at their earliest convenience, as
the Society desires to have its files complete as may be._
BRADY, JOSEPH P., was born May 26, 1869, at Portsmouth, Virginia. He is
a son of Margaret E. and the late Colonel James D. Brady, both natives
of Portsmouth, Virginia. His paternal grandparents were born in Ireland.
His maternal grandmother was also born there. Mr. Brady was educated at
McCabe’s University School, the University of Virginia and Georgetown
University, from which last named institution he graduated in 1896 with
degree LL. B. He was admitted to practice law June 29, 1896, and was so
engaged when appointed Clerk of the United States District Court for the
Eastern District of Virginia on October 3, 1898. Mr. Brady was appointed
United States Commissioner for the Eastern district of Virginia on April
6, 1897, and was on January 2, 1905, appointed Clerk of the United
States Circuit Court for the Eastern district of Virginia, all of which
positions he now holds with headquarters at Richmond, Virginia.
* * * * *
BURKE, JOHN E., was born in historic Richmond on the James, in the year
1858, where he received a public school education, graduating in the
High school in 1874. His father and mother were both natives of Ireland,
but came to Virginia in early life, the former being but eleven years of
age and the latter nine; therefore the son can justly claim to be a
thorough Irish-American. He was compelled, through force of
circumstances, to go to work on the completion of his common school
education. He selected as his avocation the printing business, and
served a long and faithful apprenticeship in one of the largest
establishments in the Capital city. He was ambitious, however, and after
working for a short period in the capacity of journeyman printer in his
native city, determined to make Norfolk his home, get down to hard and
incessant toil, and eventually establish a business of his own. He was
tendered the position of foreman of the Virginian job printing office by
the late lamented Michael Glennan, the owner thereof, which he accepted,
and at once entered upon his duties with that earnestness and vim which
is characteristic of the man. His energy and executive ability proved
valuable factors in making his administration a successful one, and he
was highly commended therefor by his employer. A few months thereafter
the business over which he had presided was purchased, a co-partnership
was formed, and Mr. Burke became the senior proprietor. Today there
stands in his adopted city, as a monument to his skill and good
management, the largest and best equipped printing plant in this section
of the Southland—owned and controlled by Burke & Gregory, sole
proprietors. Mr. Burke was a member of Norfolk Typographical Union and
worked hard with his fellow members for the uplift of the craft. He has
also been an officer and influential member of the United Typothetæ, an
organization of the employing printers, and his wise council was always
invoked when questions of great moment presented themselves. He is
generally considered an indefatigable worker for Norfolk’s interest. He
is a member of the Business Men’s Association, 200,000 League, and
kindred organizations. As an evidence of the people’s appreciation of
him, Mr. Burke was elected sheriff in 1894, which position of trust he
filled with signal ability. In 1902 he was elected a member of the City
Council, and he championed the people’s interest on every question
before that body. For his faithful performance of duty he was returned
to the Council at two subsequent elections and remained a member thereof
until he resigned, on account of change of residence into another ward
of the city.
* * * * *
CAVANAGH, HOWARD W., was born in Alpena, Michigan, June 12, 1867, and is
the son of James and Mary Cavanagh, each of whom are of Irish
extraction, James Cavanagh, who was born in Jefferson County, New York,
being the son of Michael Cavanagh, who came to New York State from
Ireland in 1826, and of Mary Wilkinson, his wife, born in Canada and the
daughter of James Williamson, who came to Ontario from Ireland about the
same time. Michael Cavanagh was a Catholic and James Williamson a
Protestant. When the subject of this sketch was only four years old, his
father and mother removed from Alpena, Michigan, to Oakville, Canada,
where he remained and attended school, being an undergraduate of the
University of Toronto, until the fall of 1885 when he started to attend
the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, taking the law course and being
admitted to the bar in April, 1887, and graduating with the degree of
LL. B. in June, 1887, being then only 19 years of age and the youngest
member of his class. Mr. Cavanagh spent one winter in Detroit in the law
office of Hon. John W. McGrath, afterwards Chief Justice of the Supreme
Court of the State of Michigan, and when he was twenty-one he went to
Alpena, Michigan, his birthplace, and practiced law for five years and
subsequently, in 1896, he removed to Battle Creek, Michigan, and opened
an office, from which place he removed to Homer, Michigan, where he has
remained since. He is prosecuting attorney for Calhoun County with
offices at Homer and Battle Creek, Michigan. His family consists of his
wife and one daughter, having married Miss Ula M. Cunningham in 1899.
His daughter, Helen M., was born in July, 1904. Mr. Cavanagh has held
several offices in the town in which he has been living, having been
village attorney, trustee, justice of the peace, member of the school
board and has been identified with many fraternal orders, being a
Shriner and Knight Templar.
* * * * *
COLTON, RIGHT REVEREND CHARLES HENRY, D. D., Catholic bishop of Buffalo;
born in New York City, October 15, 1848; son of Patrick S. and Theresa
(Mullin) Colton. He was graduated from St. Francis Xavier College, New
York City, 1872; and in theology from St. Joseph Seminary, Troy, N. Y.,
1876. He was ordained priest, June 10, 1876, and became assistant,
1876–1886, and rector, 1886–1903, of St. Stephen’s Church, New York
City. He was chancellor of the archdiocese of New York, 1896–1903, and
was consecrated bishop of the diocese of Buffalo, N. Y., August 24,
1903. Bishop Colton is author of: “Seedlings,” “My Trip to Rome,” “The
Holy Land.” The Father of Bishop Colton was born in Ireland near Omagh,
County Tyrone, and came to this country about 1818, settling first in
York, Pa., afterwards in Baltimore, Md., till when he settled in New
York City and remained till his death, August 11, 1876. He had one
brother and three sisters, who remained in Baltimore and died there,
leaving small issue. The mother of Bishop Colton was born in Ireland
about 1824, of Thomas Mullin of Fintona, County Tyrone, and Mary Boyle
of Donegal, County Donegal. She came to this country with her parents
about 1827 and settled in New York City, St. Patrick’s Cathedral parish,
Mott and Price streets. In 1846 she was married to Patrick Smith Colton
by Bishop Loughlin of Brooklyn, N. Y., who then was Vicar General of the
diocese of New York. She bore her husband nine children, viz.: John
Smith, Charles Henry, Thomas Joseph, Francis, Mary Teresa, Catharine
Alici, Margaret Anne, Josephine Baptista, and Mary Agnes. Francis and
Catharine Alici died as infants. The rest are all living (April 25,
1909). Son John Smith Colton, who was ordained priest December 21, 1873,
and died assistant pastor of St. Peter’s church, New Brighton, Staten
Island, April 6, 1878, much beloved by everyone. Mrs. Teresa Augusta
Colton lived in New York City from her coming about 1827 till her death,
April 6, 1891. She had a brother and a sister, both born in New York
City. The brother was John J. Mullin, who died September 17, 1861,
unmarried. A young man of the highest character. He lived with his
sister and her husband till death, aged thirty-one years. The sister,
Mary Elizabeth Mullin, also made her home, as did her brother John, with
Patrick S. Colton. Teresa A. Colton—She was born about 1836. When
twenty-one years old, about 1859, she joined the Sisters of St. Joseph
in the diocese of Brooklyn, and after filling several minor charges she
was elected Superior of the Community in the year 1868 and continued
Reverend Mother till August 15, 1892 (twenty-four years). She died aged
fifty-six years, on January 1, 1893.
* * * * *
CONLON, REDMOND P., was born on the family homestead near Amargh,
Ireland, June 23, 1851. His father, William Conlon, was the only son of
Redmond Conlon, who was a descendant of an old Irish family of that
name, and who resided on the homestead farm where William and young
Conlon first saw the light of day. His grandmother’s name was Phœbe
Passmore, and his mother’s Catherine Sheridan, a descendant of the
Sheridan family of Ballinarea. The subject of this sketch came to
Newark, New Jersey, at the age of thirteen years and attended private
schools and Bryant-Stratton and Newark business colleges. He spent one
year at the carpenter’s trade, and was salesman for a local manufacturer
for five years. In 1873, he entered the fire insurance business and is
the senior member of the firm of R. P. Conlon & Son, Newark, New Jersey.
He was commissioned by Governor Ludlow, lieutenant of Company A (Irish)
First Regiment, N. G. N. J., in 1882, and was offered a higher command
which he declined. He was appointed by Governor Abbett in 1891, Judge of
the Second Criminal Court of the City of Newark, in which position he
served until 1894, when the Courts were changed by the legislature. He
has been an active member of the Newark Board of Trade for many years
and is chairman of one of its most important committees. He has been a
member of the society of The Friendly Sons of St. Patrick of Newark, New
Jersey, since its incorporation in 1871. The two years he served as
president were among the most successful in its career. It was during
his term as president of the society that a _real Irish_ musical
entertainment was organized to celebrate the 124th anniversary of the
birth of Thomas Moore, of which “The Newark Evening News” spoke in part
as follows:—
“Irish folk songs, sung in the Gaelic tongue; old Celtic airs played
by a band of harpists; the skirl of bagpipes in quicksteps to which
the ancient clans of Erin marched to battle, and melodious settings of
some of the lyrics which have immortalized Thomas Moore, helped to
make the concert, commemorating the 124th anniversary of the birthday
of that poet and patriot, given under the auspices of the Friendly
Sons of St. Patrick in the New Auditorium last night, the most unique
and one of the most interesting and enjoyable musical entertainment to
which attention has been invited here. The majority of persons in the
large auditorium boasted Irish ancestors, but even to the most knowing
music lovers among them much of what was heard was a revelation of
Ireland’s riches in folk songs and other music of racial character and
coloring, and of the beauty and charm of the Gaelic as a means of
melodious utterance. It is generally conceded that the Italian
language is more mellifluous than any other, when used in song. This
assumption might well be disputed after listening to Mrs. O’Donnell’s
singing in the Gaelic. Coming from her lips, the words which look so
strange in print, and so opposed to beauty in utterance, melted into
one another with a liquid smoothness comparable only to the purest
effect obtained in Italian.”
It was on his advice that Grover Cleveland was invited to Newark on
October 27, 1894, and acted as the Adjutant General in organizing the
great demonstration which was the turning point of the campaign. In
1893, he was elected the first president of the New Jersey Association
of Fire Underwriters and was four times re-elected. He was also
president of the Underwriters’ Protective Association (Salvage Corps)
Newark. At the formation of the Newark Fire Insurance Exchange in 1902,
he was chosen president and declined re-election. On October 12, 1876,
Mr. Conlon married Margaret Agnes Heery, daughter of Philip and
Elizabeth Heery, of Newark, New Jersey. They have three daughters and
four sons living. The eldest son, William R., is affiliated with his
father in business. Francis is a surveyor and engineer. Philip is due to
graduate from the University of Pennsylvania in June, 1910, and Joseph
is a law student at the New York University.
* * * * *
CONNOR, HENRY GROVES, LL. D. Judge Connor was born in Wilmington, N. C.,
July 3, 1852; the son of David and Mary C. (Groves) Connor. He was
educated in the town schools of Wilson; married in Wilson, Kate
Whitfield, daughter of George Whitfield, afterwards his law partner; he
practised at Wilson; was State Senator; Superior Court Judge, 1885–1893;
Speaker of the House of Representatives, 1889; again member of the House
of Representatives in 1901; was elected Associate Justice of the Supreme
Court January 1, 1903, and still continues to perform the duties of that
office. Judge Connor has always been a consistent Democrat, and his
party has shown appreciation of his value, in the high offices to which
he has been chosen. For many years he was President of the Branch
Banking Company, Wilson, N. C. He was President of the State Literary
and Historical Association, 1901–1902. He delivered an address before
the Law Class of the University of North Carolina in 1899; and at the
Civic Celebration at Trinity College, February 22, 1899; before the
Colonial Dames of North Carolina on their annual pilgrimage to Old
Brunswick, 1902. He contributed to “Great American Lawyers” a sketch of
Judge William Gaston; to the Biographical History of North Carolina
sketches of Judges George Howard and Charles M. Cooke; to the North
Carolina Booklet, Vol. IV., an article entitled “The Convention of
1788,” and in the present number one on “The Convention of 1835.” In
1908 the State University conferred on Judge Connor the honorary degree
of LL. D.
* * * * *
DELEHANTY, JOHN S., was born on April 6, 1851, in Albany, N. Y., was
educated in the Christian Brothers Academy and finished schooling under
the Rev. William Arthur, the father of the late President Chester A.
Arthur, at Newtonville, N. Y. His early business training was with
Edward Wilson & Co., successor to Erastus Corning & Co., in the hardware
line from 1865 to 1870 inclusive. He left this concern to join his
father in 1870, became a partner in 1880 and succeeded to the business
on his father’s retirement in 1892. The concern is now in its seventieth
year, being established in 1840. He has never held any political
position but is a director of the Albany First National Bank, and a
member of the Knights of Columbus, C. M. B. A. and Elks. He lost his
wife in 1892 and has one daughter, Ethel M., and three brothers, Captain
Daniel Delehanty, U. S. Navy (retired), Judge Francis B. Delehanty and
William E. Delehanty, all of New York City. An elder sister is the wife
of Ex-United States Senator Edward Murphy, Jr., of New York. There are
two other sisters, Mary F. and Helen J.
* * * * *
DEVINE, THOMAS J., life member of the Society, was born at Rochester, N.
Y. He is senior member of the firm of Burke, FitzSimons, Hone & Co.,
engaged in the general dry goods business; is first vice-president of
the Merchants’ Bank of Rochester; director and member of the executive
committee of the Rochester Trust and Safe Deposit Company, and trustee
of the Monroe County Savings Bank. Address, 122 Main Street, E.,
Rochester, N. Y.
* * * * *
DOYLE, JAMES G., son of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Doyle, born in La Salle,
Ill., Feb. 20, 1880. Editor of The Daily Post of La Salle and Bureau
counties, Ill.; member of the Democratic state central committee from
the Twelfth Congressional district.
* * * * *
DWYER, W. M., was born in 1879 in Utica, N. Y. Primary schooling
received at Christian Brothers Academy of that city. Classical course
made at Manhattan College, taking his A. B. in 1899. Theological studies
made at St. Bernard’s Seminary, Rochester, N. Y., from which institution
he received the degree of S. I. B. in 1903. In 1907 Manhattan gave him
an M. A. Since ordination he has been curate at the Cathedral of the
Immaculate Conception, without intermission, having refused a
professorship in St. Bernard’s, tendered by the Rt. Rev. B. J. McQuaid.
He has lectured more or less during the past five years, chiefly on
Irish topics. Last summer he delivered a brief course of lectures at the
Champlain summer school on “The Irish Monks and Their Services to
Literature,” and also contributed a few articles on historical topics to
different Catholic magazines.
* * * * *
FLEMING, MARTIN W., No. 3821 Sacramento Street, San Francisco, Cal.;
born in Spencer, Mass., in 1859; educated in the public schools of
Spencer and took a commercial course in Boston; entered the employ of
the leading boot manufacturers of Spencer, and two years later removed
to San Francisco; seven years ago was appointed Superintendent of the
Municipal Hospital, and then Superintendent of the Hospital for
Children, a private institution. He was married nearly twenty years ago,
but his wife has deceased, leaving three children; is a member of the
Knights of St. Patrick and The Young Men’s (Catholic) Institute, having
been one of the founders of the latter organization.
* * * * *
FLEMING, JOHN J., of Burlington, Iowa, was born in Donaldsonville, La.,
March 19, 1851, and moved with his parents, in 1858, to Burlington,
Iowa, where his father, Judge Michael Fleming, was for a number of years
Judge of the Municipal Court. He was educated in the Parochial Schools
and public High School of Burlington, and Notre Dame University. After
leaving university he became assistant paymaster C., B. & Q. R. R.;
later employed by National State Bank, Burlington, of which institution
he became cashier, holding the position for fifteen years. He is at
present vice-president of the Burlington Savings Bank; president of the
Burlington Construction Co., and manager of the Rand estates; was State
Deputy for Iowa of the Knights of Columbus from 1906 to 1909, and is a
member of the board of governors of the Catholic Church Extension
Society of America; one of the auditors of the same society; a member of
the Catholic Club of New York; vice-president of the Burlington Free
Public Library.
* * * * *
FOLEY, DANIEL, was born August 3, 1846, in Kilgarven, Kerry, Ireland. He
came to America at the age of seventeen and took employment with the
Indiana Central R. R. Co., as laborer. At nineteen he was a foreman, at
twenty-three a justice of the peace at Cumberland, now a suburb of
Indianapolis, being elected. After two years he resigned to accept a
position as a telegraph operator with the B. & O. and the Chicago and
Lake Huron R. R. Two years later, he took charge of the Indianapolis end
of the Panhandle R. R., as roadmaster, being twenty-seven years old
then. He continued in that position until he was thirty-five when he
entered into the grocery business. At thirty-eight he was a state
representative and at forty and forty-two was elected to the state
senate. At forty-four he was a contractor and at fifty-four he organized
the American Construction Co. and became its president and is now in the
same business doing general contracting. He is also a director of the
Fidelity Trust and a stockholder, besides being interested in real
estate and other business. He is considered successful financially and
in good standing as a citizen of Indianapolis.
* * * * *
FRENCH, CHARLES F., born in Dublin, Ireland, June 26, 1861, of the
Frenches of Castle French, Galway, Normans who settled in Ireland with
Strongbow and later became prominent as one of the tribes of Galway.
Educated in England, he was for a time subaltern in English service and
militia. Took up newspaper work in London. Came to the United States in
1892 and interested himself in some unsuccessful electric railway
investments. Returned to newspaper work. Was foreign editor on “Kansas
City Journal” for a year, then took up residence in Chicago and was
engaged editorially on leading dailies of that city and also in magazine
work. In 1899 purchased “Iron and Steel,” a prominent trade organ, and
two years later, with his wife, Florence French, the well-known critic
and writer on musical topics, established “The Musical Leader,” now a
weekly paper of world reputation published in Chicago with offices in
New York, Berlin, Paris and London, and representatives in all the
leading musical centers of this country and abroad. “The Concert Goer”
of New York was purchased and combined with “The Musical Leader” in 1905
and this contributed materially to the paper’s success. Mr. French
edited and published “The American-Irish in Chicago,” an expensive work,
but the best-known history of Irishmen and those of Irish descent in the
West. Also “History of Music in Chicago,” etc., and is an occasional
contributor as his time permits to the magazines.
With his wife, formerly Florence Burt of London, and a family of six,
two boys and four girls, he has his own home at 5850 Rosalie Court. He
has a fine library and some notable paintings, old masters in the
possession of his family for over a century. Mr. French is a life member
of the Press Club of Chicago, the Chicago Athletic Association and the
South Shore Country Club. Also of the Lotos Club, New York. With his
closest friend, the late Colonel John F. Finerty, he was intimately
associated in all the Irish movements of recent years in the West.
* * * * *
GALLAGHER, JAMES T., was born in County Sligo, Ireland, in 1857.
Educated in Queen’s College, Galway. Came to America in 1880. Studied
medicine in Bellevue Medical College, New York; graduated 1888. Moved to
Salem, Mass., 1892. Was elected to the board of education, served four
years. Moved to Charlestown, Mass., in 1896, where he has since
practiced his profession. Published one volume of poems in 1899, and is
a popular lecturer on Irish historical subjects.
* * * * *
GAMBLE, ROBERT JACKSON, LL. D., of Yankton, South Dakota, United States
Senator, was born in Genesee County, N. Y., February 7, 1851; removed to
Fox Lake, Wis., in 1862; graduated from Lawrence University, Appleton,
Wis., in 1874, and received the degree of LL. D. from that institution
in 1909; located at Yankton, S. D., in 1875, where he has since been
engaged in the practice of law; was district attorney for the second
judicial district of the Territory in 1880; city attorney of Yankton for
two terms; State Senator in 1885, under the constitution adopted that
year; was elected to the Fifty-Fourth and Fifty-Sixth Congresses, and
was elected to the United States Senate, January 23, 1901, and
re-elected in 1907. He was married to Miss Carrie S. Osborne in 1884.
They have one son, Ralph A., who graduated from Princeton University in
the class of 1909. He is a member of the Cosmos Club of Washington, D.
C.
* * * * *
GARVAN, EDWARD J., appointed last April member of the new Connecticut
juvenile commission for one year, has devoted many years to the city’s
service. He was born in East Hartford in 1871, the son of the Hon.
Patrick Garvan, now of this city. Judge Garvan attended the Hartford
Public High school, was graduated from Yale college in 1894 and from the
Yale Law school two years later. For four years after beginning practice
in Hartford he was clerk of the city court, and was also first clerk and
attorney for the Hartford Business Men’s Association. In 1902 he was
elected judge of the police court in which position he served five
years, up to January 1, 1908. Under his régime two important movements
were initiated, namely, the probation system for prisoners and the
juvenile court. He resigned as judge to become vice-president of the P.
Garvan Co., Inc. He organized the Riverside Trust Company in 1907 and
made the nominating speech naming Lieutenant-Governor Everett J. Lake
for governor at the last Republican State Convention. He is assistant
quartermaster, with the grade of lieutenant, on the Staff of Major Frank
L. Wilcox of the Governor’s Foot Guard, and is a member of the Hartford
Club, Hartford Golf Club, the Farmington Country Club, the University
Club of Hartford, the Twentieth Century and the Republican Clubs. He is
not married.
* * * * *
GLEASON, JOHN H., 25 North Pearl Street, Albany, N. Y.; was born in Troy
February 25, 1857; educated at the Christian Brothers Academy there;
admitted as an attorney and counsellor at law January 30, 1880, at
Albany, N. Y., and has since been engaged in active practice of the law
at Watervliet and Albany; corporation counsel for West Troy and City of
Watervliet several years, and is in partnership with his son at above
address, and also at No. 1595 Broadway, Watervliet, N. Y.
* * * * *
GORMAN, PATRICK FRANCIS, of Alexandria, Virginia, is an old “Confederate
Veteran.” He was born in Powerstown, Kilkenny County, Ireland, February
14, 1842. His father was Edward Gorman of Mount Loftus, his mother
Bridget Whitehead of Powerstown, his grandfather Patrick Gorman, a noted
stone mason, architect and builder, of Mount Loftus, Kilkenny County.
His father and family came to the United States in 1846, landed at
Baltimore, Maryland, but soon went North, resided at Worcester, Mass.,
about two years, came South and settled in Alexandria, Va., in 1849,
where he has resided ever since. He received his education at St. Johns
Academy (a private school), was indentured apprentice to Green & Bro.,
large furniture manufacturers, in 1859. With permission from Messrs.
Green & Bro. he enlisted as private in the Alexandria Light Artillery
(better known as Kempers Battery), April 17, 1861, and served all
through the Civil War. In 1863, on account of the scarcity of horses
this company was transferred to the 18th Virginia Battalion Heavy
Artillery, and served as infantry until the end of war. He was promoted
to sergeant, was color guard at the Battle of Sailors Creek, April 6,
1865, just three days before the surrender of General Lee, was badly
wounded in this battle, captured and sent to prison at City Point,
thence to Baltimore and Fort McHenry, Md. He was released and sent home
June 23, 1865, and was compelled to use crutches about a year and a
half. He commenced boiler making with a partner early in 1867 under the
firm name of Germond & Gorman, afterwards Gorman & Pettit, and later P.
F. Gorman. He was married October 24, 1867, has eight children, five
boys and three girls, all living at this time. Was elected City Tax
Collector in 1889, and held office continuously and received democratic
nomination (equivalent to election) for four years more, beginning
January 1, 1910. He is a director in the leading building association of
the city, also in the Alexandria National Bank and is an ex-Commander of
R. E. Lee Camp, Confederate Veterans, and a Fourth Degree member of the
Knights of Columbus.
* * * * *
HAMILL, JAMES A., A. M., of Jersey City, New Jersey, was born in Jersey
City, New Jersey, March 30, 1877; received his education at St. Peter’s
College, Jersey City, from which institution he was graduated in 1897,
receiving the degree of A. B., and in the subsequent year that of A. M.;
completed the regular course of lectures in the New York Law School and
in 1899 obtained the degree of LL. B., was admitted to the bar of New
Jersey in June, 1900; was elected in 1902 a member of the New Jersey
house of assembly, where he served four consecutive one-year terms,
during the last two of which he was leader in that body of the
Democratic minority; was elected to the Sixtieth Congress and re-elected
to the Sixty-first Congress.
* * * * *
HOGAN, JOHN P., B. A., was born in Chicago, Ill., June 12, 1881 (son of
Denis John Hogan, also born in Chicago December 8, 1856); graduate
University Preparatory School, Chicago, Ill., 1899; Harvard College, A.
B., 1903; Lawrence Scientific School, Harvard University, S. B., 1904.
Since leaving college he has been engaged in civil engineering work in
New York City and vicinity and at present is Assistant Engineer, Board
of Water Supply, City of New York, on construction of the Catskill
Aqueduct, stationed at High Falls, N. Y.; member of Harvard Engineering
Association, Municipal Engineers of New York City and Junior American
Society of Civil Engineers.
* * * * *
HOGAN, RIGHT REV. JOHN J., D. D., Bishop of Kansas City, Missouri; born
in County Limerick, Ireland, May 10, 1829; ordained Priest in the
Cathedral of St. Louis, Missouri, April 10, 1852; consecrated Bishop of
St. Joseph, Missouri, September 13, 1868; transferred to the See of
Kansas City, Missouri, September 10, 1880.
* * * * *
HOGAN, JOHN J., was born at Lowell, Mass., July 10, 1857. His father’s
name is William Hogan, and his mother’s name Ellen (Ahearn) Hogan. Both
his parents came to America in the year 1854, and lived continuously at
Lowell, Mass., until their death. The family consisted of five boys and
three girls, four of the boys now living, all the rest of the family
being deceased. The sons now living are: John J. Hogan, William A.
Hogan, David H. Hogan and Daniel E. Hogan, all of whom reside at Lowell,
Mass. John J. Hogan attended the public schools of Lowell, and was
graduated from the Lowell High School. He afterwards was tutored
privately, and studied law in the office of Hon. Jeremiah Crowley of
Lowell. He was admitted to the bar as an attorney-at-law in 1881, and
has continued in active practice until the present time. He was city
solicitor of the city of Lowell during the years 1891, 1892, 1893, 1894
and 1895, and tried as such a large number of cases, and is considered
one of the best trial lawyers in the State of Massachusetts. He also has
held many public offices. In 1883 and 1884 he was a member of the Common
Council of the city of Lowell, and was president of that body in 1884.
In 1885 and 1886 he was elected to the Massachusetts House of
Representatives and served in that body during those years on important
committees. He is a member of the Knights of Columbus, and a very
prominent member of the Royal Arcanum, having served as Grand Regent of
Massachusetts in the year 1908, and is now a member of the Supreme
Council of that body. He is a director and counsel of the Lowell Trust
Company, and is president of the Washington Savings Institution of that
city, and is also president of the Washington Club of Lowell. Mr. Hogan
married Marietta McEvoy on January 18, 1888, and has five children,
viz.: Miss Marietta F. Hogan, Miss Helen L. Hogan, Miss Elizabeth I.
Hogan, John J. Hogan, Jr., Miss Margaret Hogan. Mr. Hogan has offices at
Lowell, Mass., and has associated with him his brother, William A.
Hogan, the firm name being John J. & William A. Hogan.
* * * * *
HOPKINS, GEORGE A., Attorney at Law, 27 William Street, New York City,
born in Detroit, Michigan, July 13, 1883; graduate of St. Mary’s
Institute, Amsterdam, New York, 1901. Graduated from Princeton
University, 1906, with degree of Litt. B.; received degree LL. B. from
New York Law School.
* * * * *
JOHNSTON, MARY H. S., was born in Red Wing, Minn., February 28, 1865.
Her father was James Gallup Stoddard, a direct descendant of Elder
William Brewster, who came in the Mayflower in 1620, and of Gov.
Theophilus Eaton, one of the founders of New Haven Colony, Conn.; his
father, Jonathan Stoddard, was the son of Mark Stoddard, sergeant of
10th Co., 6th Regiment, Connecticut Troops, at Battle of Bunker Hill,
and Lucy (Ally) Stoddard, who was a sister to Captain Samuel Allyn, who
was killed at Fort Griswold, Conn., at the time of Arnold’s invasion of
Connecticut. The mother of James Gallup Stoddard was Hannah Morgan, a
daughter of Captain Israel Morgan of Groton, Conn., who served under
Gates during the Revolutionary War, and who was one of the defenders of
Stonington, Conn., at its bombardment during the war of 1812; she was
also a direct descendant of James Fitch, chaplain of the Connecticut
forces during King Philip’s War under Majors Treat and Talcott, of Henry
Wolcott, one of the early settlers of Windsor, Conn., and of Rev. Henry
Whitfield of Guilford, Conn. The mother of the subject of this sketch
was Margaret Barr, daughter of Andrew and Mary (Auld) Barr. Andrew Barr
was born in Ireland in 1815 and was the son of Andrew and Martha
(Douglas) Barr; he married in Ireland, in 1838, Mary Auld, daughter of
Robert and Margaret (Stewart) Auld; they resided in Parish of Carmony,
Town of Ballyhone, County Antrim, Ireland, until August, 1840, when they
came to America, settling first at Henrietta, N. Y., thence to
Wisconsin, then to Red Wing, Minn.; he enlisted in Company E, 3d
Minnesota Volunteers, at the outbreak of the Civil War, where he served
for five years, the latter part of his service acting as regimental
veterinarian. She was educated in the schools of Humboldt, Iowa,
graduating from the High School at the age of fifteen years. Upon
leaving school she accepted a position with the Humboldt County Bank,
now the Humboldt State Bank, where she has worked ever since, at the
present time being one of the directors, secretary of the board of
directors and assistant cashier. She was married June 27, 1888, at
Humboldt, Iowa, to Robert J. Johnston, son of John and Jane (Porter)
Johnston. Mrs. Johnston is interested in the work of patriotic societies
and club work, and at the present time is State Historian of the Iowa
Daughters of the American Revolution, vice-president of the Iowa United
States Daughters of 1812, and state treasurer of the Iowa Federation of
Women’s Clubs.
* * * * *
KEENAN, FRANK, was born April 8, 1859, in Dubuque, Iowa, where he lived
for one year, moving to Boston with his parents, and attending the old
Rice school in Boston. He made his first theatrical appearance on any
stage at the Boston College in “Wild Oats” in 1876, and then started to
learn the wholesale dry goods business. After several years he was sent
out as a salesman on the road, later going into the wholesale cigar
business as a traveling salesman. During this time he began to take up
amateur theatricals, and gave imitations of popular actors whom he had
never seen. Securing employment with the largest importers of German
cutlery in New York, he left his samples in Connecticut town, slipped up
to Boston and played “Green Jones” in “The Ticket of Leave Man,” in an
amateur performance at Chelsea. On the strength of his performance he
was engaged as leading man for “Musical Thompson’s repertoire company,”
about to play the state of Maine, at a salary of $9 a week and board. He
opened as Archibald Carlisle in “East Lynn,” and the next night played
Tom Badger in “The Streets of New York.” This company carried its own
scenery as the halls played had no scenery. The engagement was
short-lived as salaries soon ceased to appear. His next professional
engagement was with the tragedian Joseph Proctor. The part was Wenonga,
the Indian chief in “Nick of the Woods,” under the management of that
veteran stage manager and splendid actor, J. W. Lanergan, at his own
theatre, the Lawrence Opera House at Lawrence, Mass. The repertoire
included “Virginius,” “Damon and Pythias,” “Othello,” “The Red
Pocketbook,” “Lady of Lyons,” “La Tour de Nelle,” and other sensational
old timers. Under the direction of Lanergan this proved a successful and
splendid school, such a one as does not exist today, for the young
actor, for then one learned the trade, received the ground work of
instruction—dramatic expression, movement, and grace. Following this
came an engagement with Sol Smith Russell as the Deacon in his first
play, “Edgewood Folks,” after which came an engagement with the Boston
Museum Company, in the original production in this country of “Nunky,”
afterwards called “The Private Secretary.” Then came the position of
stage manager of a large company, having thirty-two plays in repertoire,
touring New England; and engagements with prominent stars, including
James A. Hearne, in “The Minute Man.” Then a starring engagement of his
own in repertoire through the West, followed by “The Counterfeiter” in
the original production of Steele Mackeye’s play, “The Noble Rogue,” in
Chicago. This engagement was followed by a starring tour as “Terry
Denison” in James A. Hearne’s play, “Hearts of Oak,” and a season
co-starring with the Irish comedian, Billy Barry, in “McKenna’s
Flirtation.” He then played “Fagin” in “Oliver Twist,” followed by the
gypsy, “Miles McKenna,” in “Rosedale,” and stock starring in his own
companies in Providence and Boston. A long engagement followed with the
late Charles H. Hoyt and Frank McKee—in the New York production of “The
Milk White Flag,” and “The Contented Woman.” This followed by his own
production, the greatest scenic production ever made of “Oliver Twist.”
This was followed by a return to the Hoyt forces. The next engagement
was with “The Texas Steer,” in the part of “Maverick Brander,” under the
late Sam S. Shubert, his first experience as a manager. Then came an
engagement in Augustus Thomas’ play, “The Capitol,” under the management
of James Hill, at the Standard Theatre, New York. This was followed by a
performance of “The Major” in Jacob Litt’s original production of “The
War of Wealth.” Then as director of the Pike Stock Company for a season
in Cincinnati, Ohio, and on the collapse of the late Sol Smith Russell
came a starring tour of two years in “The Poor Relation,” followed by
another season starring in “The Honorable John Grigsby.” Then two
seasons in vaudeville, after which came an engagement under the
management of David Belasco, which lasted four years, including the
parts of “Jack Rance” in “The Girl of the Golden West,” and “General
Buck” in “The Warrens of Virginia.” Mr. Keenan is starring this season
in “The Heights” under the management of Henry B. Harris.
* * * * *
KEENAN, WALTER F., was born in Philadelphia on October 20, 1855. His
parents were Michael F. Keenan and Hannah Elizabeth Quigg, both also
born in Philadelphia.
* * * * *
KEHOE, MICHAEL P., was born in Baltinglass, County Wicklow, Ireland, in
1873; son of Nicholas and Catherine Kehoe; was reared in
Leighlingbridge, County Carlow, Ireland, and educated in the National
schools. He quickly realized that the old land, under its alien rulers,
offered very little encouragement for a patriotic, ambitious young man,
so he turned towards this “land of opportunity,” arriving in the United
States in 1893 and settling in Baltimore, Md. He became connected with a
mercantile agency and diligently applied himself to master the business.
With this end in view, while working daily at his regular duties, he
attended a business college at night and became proficient in
typewriting, stenography, accounting and the usual commercial studies.
Later he attended the evening classes of the Baltimore Law School. He
was admitted to the Baltimore Bar in 1904. In association with Robert W.
Mobray, he formed the law firm of Kehoe & Mobray with offices at 502–506
Law Building, Baltimore, Md.
To add to his legal training he took post-graduate courses at the
Catholic University of America at Washington, D. C., making a special
study of corporation law. The University conferred on him degrees of LL.
M. in 1906 and J. D. in 1907. He was elected to serve as a delegate from
Baltimore County in the Maryland legislature for 1907–1908. He was a
member of the corporations, claims and various other important
committees. In the Spring of 1909, he delivered, by request, before the
Philosophical students of the Catholic University, several lectures on
the “Procedure of Legislative Bodies,” drawing upon his practical
experience in the Maryland legislature. Mr. Kehoe has maintained
unflagging, fervent interest in the movement to restore Home Rule to the
land of his birth. Indeed, at one time he contemplated a return to
Ireland to offer himself as a candidate for Parliament. He has been
actively identified with the United Irish League of America, being among
the first to welcome Messrs. Redmond, O’Donnell and McHugh when those
gentlemen visited the United States to establish the League. He was a
member of the Provisional Committee of the League which met at the
Hoffman House, New York City, in 1901. He was also a delegate to the
National Convention of the United Irish League when it met at Boston,
Mass., in 1902. Mr. Kehoe has managed to make a thorough study of Irish
history and the Irish National cause. He is especially well versed in
the speeches of the great Irish orators, having made a careful study of
them. He is in great demand by the various Irish societies as an orator.
Not content with using his voice in behalf of the Irish race, he has
also used his pen. He wrote an extended series of “Studies in Irish
History,” for the Baltimore Catholic Mirror a few years ago. They
attracted considerable attention and displayed extensive research and
wide reading. He is a student of political and economic subjects. In
politics, Mr. Kehoe is a Democrat, takes an active part in the
management of the party, and is one of its recognized leaders in his
county. He is County President of the Ancient Order of Hibernians in
Baltimore County, and is an active member of the Catholic Benevolent
Legion, the Elks, Knights of the Golden Eagle, Royal Arcanum, and the
Tribe of Ben Hur. In 1900 he married Miss Catherine Byrne; the couple
have six children. He is a director of and counsel for the Suburban
Trust Company of Govans, Baltimore County, Maryland, where he resides.
* * * * *
KELLEY, JOHN W., was born December 3, 1865, in Portsmouth, N. H.
Educated in public schools of Portsmouth. Graduated from Dartmouth
College in 1888. Studied law with Hon. J. S. H. Frink at Portsmouth from
the summer of 1888 to the spring of 1894, in the last three and one-half
years of which he was principal of the Whipple school in Portsmouth. He
has been in constant practice of law in Portsmouth since, up to the
present time. Was City Solicitor of Portsmouth for two years, County
Attorney of Rockingham County for five years, member of the School Board
of Portsmouth for three years, member of the Water Board of Portsmouth
three years. Roman Catholic; Republican; member of the State Republican
Committee; United States Commissioner for the District of New Hampshire
for the past eight years and is now; was a member of the United States
Assay Commission in 1906. Mother born in County Clare, father born in
County Cork; came to this country about 1850. He has a wife and two
children, a boy and a girl.
* * * * *
KELLY, JAMES E., was born in Ogdensburg, N. Y., November 23, 1853, and
was educated in the public schools of Ogdensburg and the Ogdensburg
Educational Institute, under the late Julius S. Grinnell, District
Attorney of Chicago, and A. Barton Hepburn, of New York, the New York
banker. He began life in 1866 as bookkeeper in the old Crichton brewery.
About this time he lost his father and was suddenly left with a mother
and her young family to care for. In 1871 he entered the employ of C. B.
Herriman as bookkeeper in the largest wholesale and retail grocery store
and butter business in Northern New York. In 1876, through the influence
of Hon. Daniel Magone, Mr. Kelly was appointed as manager of the
manufacturing department of Clinton prison, serving in that capacity for
two years. In 1880 the Ogdensburg Coal & Towing Company was organized
with Hon. John Hannan as president, and Mr. Kelly entered that
well-known and successful corporation, acting first as secretary and
bookkeeper and from 1883 to 1892 as local manager of the concern’s
interest in Montreal. In 1892 he was appointed sales agent at Utica for
the N. Y. & O. W. R. R. in Central and Northern New York and Eastern
Canada. About this time he entered the retail coal business in
Ogdensburg with L. B. Leonard, which still continues. In 1894 Mr. Kelly
was appointed postmaster of Ogdensburg by President Cleveland, holding
the office for five years. Mr. Kelly is a Democrat in politics and has
been a delegate five times in recent years to the State Convention of
his party. He has been chairman of the Democratic city committee, for
three years, and in 1902 was elected chairman of the county committee,
succeeding Mayor Hall. Mr. Kelly has been on the city school board since
1895, being president in 1901 and 1902. Upon the establishment of a
municipal civil service board in 1900 Mr. Kelly was made chairman of
that board by Mayor Hall. Mr. Hall appointed Mr. Kelly president of the
Board of Public Works in 1907 and Mayor Hannan reappointed him in 1908.
When the St. Lawrence County Savings Bank was established in 1908 Mr.
Kelly was chosen trustee and manager. He is an active member of the C.
M. B. A., Knights of Columbus and Century Club. He is president of the
Holy Name and St. Vincent de Paul Societies. The Oswegatchie
Agricultural Association was reorganized in 1909 and has been conducted
to the present year by Mr. Kelly as president. It is now the best
agricultural fair in Northern New York. Mr. Kelly was married in 1886 to
Miss Mary Spratt and has a family of one son and three daughters.
* * * * *
KELLY, JOHN JOSEPH, General Agent in Missouri, State Mutual Life
Assurance Company of Worcester, Mass., born in Albany, N. Y., May 23,
1871. Son of Thomas and Mary (Raleigh) Kelly, both of whom were born in
Ireland; was educated in public schools of Albany, N. Y.; graduated with
honors from St. Louis Law school, Washington University, LL. B., 1899;
unmarried. Began business career as clerk in First National Bank,
Albany, N. Y. Engaged in the life insurance business in 1893 and went to
St. Louis same year; in 1903 received the appointment to present
position with the State Mutual Life Assurance Company. Member of the
Glen Echo Country Club and Aëro Club. Both parents born in Ireland.
* * * * *
KERNEY, JAMES, editor; born Trenton, N. J., April 29, 1879; son of
Thomas Francis and Maria (O’Farrell) Kerney; educated in parochial
schools; married Miss Sarah Mullen, of Trenton, October 4, 1897;
employed as clerk in store 1887–1891; stenographer, Trenton and New
York, 1891–1895; became reporter, 1895; editor of Trenton Times since
1903; vice-president Times Corporation; director Trenton Trust Company.
Civil Service Commissioner for New Jersey, named by Governor Fort in
1908. Inaugurated movement for establishment of national park at
Washington’s Crossing to commemorate place where the revolutionary
general made his famous strategic move on night of Christmas, 1776;
member of New Jersey Commission to coöperate with similar commission
from Pennsylvania in establishing park. Independent in politics. Roman
Catholic; member of Knights of Columbus, Lotus and Country Clubs. Home
373 West State street, Trenton.
* * * * *
LALLY, PATRICK E. C., was born about June 8, 1856, in the Townland of
Slyngan Roe, Parish of Kilmaclasser, in the Barony of Burrishool South,
County of Mayo, Ireland, the fifth child in a family of seven children,
born to Peter and Nancy Corcoran Lally. In his eighteenth year he came
to the United States, without a dollar, and took hold of the first thing
that came to hand, to wit: working in a grocery store in Chicago, but
not liking that method of making a livelihood, he left, went farther
West, finally studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1880. On the first
day of September of the same year, he married Kittie Hughes Lally, and
they have been blessed with a family of eleven children, each and all
alive and well. He is a Fourth Degree member of the Knights of Columbus,
and tries to maintain an ideal Catholic home, surrounding his family
with everything that makes for Christian refinement. There is scarcely a
valuable book on Catholic topics, in the English language, for sale in
American book stores, that has not a place on his library shelves, one
of his aims and purposes being that his children shall know and be able
to give a reason for the faith that is in them. He is a grandfather,
four times over, and his daughters all graduated, those old enough, from
convent schools. His oldest son graduated from the University of Notre
Dame, and later from the law department of Harvard.
* * * * *
LARKIN, ROBERT E., was born May 9, 1879, on a farm in Eagle Township
about two miles west of Streator, Illinois, to Thomas Larkin and Delia
(Conners) Larkin, both of whom were born in County Galway, Ireland, and
were married in Eagle Township in 1863. He received his education in the
public school at Kangley, Illinois, and in the high school at Streator,
Illinois, completing the classical course at St. Bede College at Peru,
Illinois. He then commenced the study of law in the law office of Lloyd
Painter of Streator, Ill., in the Fall of 1903, under whom he studied
law until his admission to the Illinois Bar, October 11, 1906.
Immediately thereafter he opened up a law office at Streator and
practiced alone until September 4, 1907, when he formed a law
partnership with Patrick J. Lucey of that city, with whom he is still
connected. He is unmarried and is a member of the Knights of Columbus.
* * * * *
LONERGAN, JOHN E., of Philadelphia, was born at Nicholastown, Parish of
Grange, County of Tipperary, Ireland, May 25, 1841, of Pierce and Mary
Tobin-Lonergan; when about five years of age, attended private school;
later attended the “Model School” in Clonmell. In March, 1852, father,
mother and three children, comprising entire family, came to America,
settled in Bennington Co., Vermont; in 1862, moved into Massachusetts,
where he learned the machinist’s trade. In 1867, he married Miss Mary A.
Bowes, of Saxonville, Mass. He continued to follow his trade in various
capacities for several years, and later engaged in locomotive
engineering for a number of years and left it to engage in the
manufacturing of mechanical appliances, under United States patents,
which were granted him in 1872, first in Sacramento City, California,
and in Philadelphia, Pa., since 1875. He is now president of the J. E.
Lonergan Company, vice-president of the H. Brinton Company, both of
Philadelphia, Pa., and president of the Cuba Fruit Company, of Von
Tanamo, Cuba. His father died in 1884, in his seventy-fourth year, at
North Adams, Mass., where his mother still lives in her ninety-seventh
year, enjoying good health and retaining all her faculties practically
unimpaired.
* * * * *
LONERGAN, THOMAS S., 408 East One Hundred and Forty-Ninth street, New
York City, was born in Mitchelstown, Ireland, in the year 1864. He
received his education in the schools of the Christian Brothers of his
native town and at St. Colman’s College, Fermoy. He came to America in
1883 and became a full-fledged citizen in 1888. He had been only two
weeks a citizen when his name was placed on the list of campaign
speakers by the Democratic State Committee of New York. He is the author
of “The Golden Age of Ireland,” and “The Fallacies of Socialism,” and
numerous magazine articles on Irish, historical and political subjects.
He is an able writer and brilliant lecturer. His eulogy on “Abraham
Lincoln” is a master-piece. He is one of the lecturers of the Knights of
Columbus. During the past ten years he has devoted considerable time and
labor to historical research. His article entitled: “St. Brendan,
America’s First Discoverer,” which was written specially for Volume IX.
of the Journal of the American-Irish Historical Society, speaks for
itself. He is very much interested in the history of the Irish element
in America. He has been with the New York World during the past sixteen
years and has been for the past four years manager of its Bronx office.
Mr. Lonergan is the author of “St. Brendan, America’s First Discoverer,”
published elsewhere in this volume.
* * * * *
LUCEY, HON. D. B.—One of the best known citizens of Ogdensburg is the
Hon. Dennis B. Lucey. In his infancy, Mr. Lucey, who was born in
Massachusetts, moved with his parents to St. Lawrence County, N. Y.
After some time spent on a farm he graduated from the classical course
of the Potsdam Normal School and for three years taught mathematics in
the Ogdensburg Free Academy. In 1886 he was admitted to the bar. He
entered partnership with the Hon. George R. Malby, and today the firm of
Malby & Lucey is one of the most highly esteemed in the State. Mr. Lucey
is a member of the State and National Bar Associations and also of the
Bar of the U. S. District and Circuit Courts. His energies have been
principally devoted to trial court work. In his work of referee in
important cases referred to him, his decisions have been well sustained
by the appellate courts. Politically Mr. Lucey is a Democrat. He has
served as Mayor of Ogdensburg with great benefit to the city at large.
He has also been president of the Board of Education, where his counsel
has always been of valuable service. Mr. Lucey has also taken an active
interest in commercial matters. He has been for a number of years a
director of the National Bank of Ogdensburg. He is also a director of
the O’Connor & Jones Tobacco Company and of the John B. Tyo & Sons Dry
Goods Company, and a Trustee of St. Lawrence County Savings Bank and its
attorney. He is also a veteran of the Spanish-American War. Socially Mr.
Lucey is a member of the Century Club and of the Ogdensburg Club, and
his home on Washington street is one which helps to make Ogdensburg
noted as a city of beautiful homes.
* * * * *
MAHONEY, DANIEL EMMET, was born in St. Louis, Mo., on October 25, 1860,
where his father, Daniel Q. Mahoney, a carpenter and builder, erected
some fine churches, and served in the militia guarding government
property on and along the Mississippi River at the time of the war
between the North and South. His father was born in County Kerry,
Ireland, near the Lake of Killarney, and his mother was born in County
Kerry also. About the closing of the war his parents moved to New York
City where they lived a few years, then moved to or near Matawan,
Monmouth County, New Jersey. There the subject of this sketch began to
till a few acres of land, and sell the vegetables from it, later moving
to Keyport, where he opened a store for the sale of vegetables and
fruits, then adding groceries, hay and grain, which he continues with
his four other stores in neighboring towns, and his two farms to supply
fruits and vegetables for the stores and hay for the horses. Strictly
attending to business, and taking no part in politics, he styles himself
a farmer and merchant.
* * * * *
MCBREEN, PATRICK FRANCIS, 404 Monroe street, Brooklyn, N. Y., of P. F.
McBreen & Sons, printers, 47 Ann street, New York City.
* * * * *
MCGINNEY, JOHN H., No. 766 McAllister Street, San Francisco, Cal.; born
in Providence, R. I., April 28, 1853, being the eldest son of Thomas and
Margaret (Smith) McGinney; educated in the public schools of Providence
until the age of eleven, when the family removed to San Francisco;
education was completed in this city, and the trade of carriage
blacksmithing was learned; worked at blacksmithing for twenty years and
was appointed State Wharfinger April 7, 1887, serving for four years;
married in June, 1889, Miss Mary Elizabeth Russell of Boston, two
children being born of this union; appointed Deputy Superintendent of
Streets in 1894; later was appointed Deputy Surveyor in the Engineering
Department, Board of Public Works, which position he holds at the
present time; has been treasurer of the St. Patrick’s Mutual Alliance
Association of California for thirteen years, and a trustee of the
Knights of St. Patrick for four years.
* * * * *
MCGUIRE, FRANK A., M. D., was born in the old Sixth Ward, No. 78 Bayard
street, New York City, July 1, 1851, his father, James, keeping a bakery
there. James McGuire was the eldest son of Philip and Ellen McGuire, his
grandmother not changing her name when she married, all from Cloues,
County Monaghan, North of Ireland, he coming here in 1847, and bringing
out all his people, one of his sisters marrying a Fitzsimmons, who
settled in Lonsdale, R. I., bringing up a large and respectable family
among the number being the Hon. Frank E. Fitzsimmons, chairman of the
Democratic State Committee of Rhode Island. His mother was a native New
Yorker, her name being Catherine Ann McGuire. Her father was Daniel
Joshua Thomas, born in Camavon, Wales; he served in the artillery in
Canada, in the 1812 war on the American side, and her mother was a
native of Philadelphia. The subject of this sketch was educated in De La
Salle Institute, going there in the Fall of 1860, his father dying in
December, 1860, being then a well-known flour merchant, member of the
firm of Coulter & McGuire, 30 Front street. He afterwards went to
Manhattan College, but took no degree, leaving school in 1868 and began
the study of medicine in 1873, entering the University Medical College
of the City of New York and graduated in 1877; was connected later with
the Northeastern Dispensary and also assistant in the Demalt Dispensary
Heart and Lung Division. Was President of the Metropolitan Medical
Society and also of the Celtic Medical Society, serving two terms in the
latter. Is a member of the County Medical Society, State Medical
Society, American Medical and Physicians Mutual Association. He entered
the public service receiving the appointment of visiting physician to
the Penitentiary and Work House, Blackwell’s Island, on April 27, 1899,
and on May 23, 1904, was transferred to the City Prison (or Tombs) with
the title of City Physician. He has contributed to medical literature, a
report of a case of bloody sweating (Hæmadrosions) before the
Neurological Section of the Academy of Medicine, in 1879, a case of
tumor of the Corpus Callosur (with autopsy), a contribution of work done
and reported from the laboratory of Dr. E. C. Spitzka, the distinguished
alienist and neurologist, and various other scientific papers. He has
testified many times before lunacy commissions and in celebrated trials
like that of Harry K. Thaw for murder. August 15, 1873, he married Emma
L. Denmark, daughter of Alexander and Eleanor Denmark of Ireland, and
they have five children living: Emma Frances, wife of Mr. William F.
O’Connor of Syracuse, N. Y.; James Alexander, Harriet Lewis, wife of
William Henry Herbst; L. Marion and Gertrude Eleanor, the latter in
Normal College.
* * * * *
MCGUIRE, PATRICK HENRY, was born in the city of Pittsburg, County of
Allegheny, State of Pennsylvania, August 13, 1869, the ninth child and
sixth son of Patrick McGuire and Margaret Wheeler, both Irish immigrants
who came to this country about the year 1849, settled and were married
in the city of Philadelphia, and came to Pittsburg about the year 1860.
Two years after his birth, his folks moved to the city of Allegheny,
Pennsylvania, where they lived until he was twenty years of age; in
September, 1889, they moved to the Borough of Homestead, Allegheny
County, Pennsylvania, where he has since lived. He attended the public
and parochial schools of the city of Allegheny until he was thirteen
years of age, at which time he went to work in a rolling mill; and
followed the iron and steel mills until the month of August, 1897. From
1889 to 1897 was employed in the Homestead Steel Works as a steel
worker. February 18, 1895, was married to Mollie A. Boyle, of Pittsburg,
Pennsylvania, by Rev. Daniel Devlin, in St. Stephen’s R. C. Church,
Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, and at once started housekeeping in Homestead.
They have five children, all living, as follows: Margaret, fourteen
years of age, January 20, 1910; Paul, twelve years of age, September 23,
1909; Francis, ten years of age, September 5, 1909; Mary Paulus, six
years of age, February 14, 1910, and Patrick Henry, Jr., two years of
age, August 5, 1909. In 1897, he was elected Grand Secretary of the
Pennsylvania Grand Council Jurisdiction of the Young Men’s Institute, at
a salary of $1,000.00 per year—when he quit the mill,—to which office he
was re-elected five times and filled for nine consecutive years; after
which he was elected Grand President. Almost immediately after his
election as Grand Secretary of the Young Men’s Institute, he began to
prepare himself for the study of law. This required him to pass a
preliminary examination consisting of all the common school branches,
natural science, civil government, Latin and higher mathematics, to do
which he engaged private tutors, who instructed him during the evening
hours. In addition, the Very Reverend John Murphy, C. S. Sp., and the
Very Reverend M. A. Hehir, C. S. Sp., successive Presidents of the
Pittsburg College of the Holy Ghost, very kindly assigned professors of
that institution to teach him Latin and natural science, before the
regular school hours in the morning. To Very Reverend John Murphy, C. S.
Sp., he owes a debt of gratitude. After six years and a half of close
study, he was admitted as a member of the Bar of Allegheny County,
Pennsylvania, of the State Courts and of the United States Courts, where
he is still practicing. The last three of said six and one-half years
were spent at the Pittsburg Law School, from which institution he was
graduated on the sixteenth day of June, 1904, with the degree of LL. B.
Served two terms as Solicitor of the Borough of Homestead—1905–1906 and
1906–1907, and is now serving as a member of the town council. He is a
member of the Young Men’s Institute, Knights of Columbus, Ancient Order
of Hibernians, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks and the Grand
Fraternity.
* * * * *
MCHUGH, JAMES, was born in the townland of Kelleter, Parish of Kel,
County of Longfed, January 1, 1847. Got a very limited education; went
to serve apprenticeship at Grog business in Longfed when thirteen years
old. Later went to Liverpool, England, and served as clerk in gents’
furnishing goods. Left Liverpool the same day the Abyssinia expedition
sailed, September 26, 1867; arrived in New York September 26. Left New
York October 2 for New Orleans, La., where he went in the grocery
business again as clerk. Opened business for himself in 1869 and
married, from which union there were three children. In 1874 he moved to
Pensacola. The city then had 4,000 population and now has 35,000. After
vicissitudes his business was put on a foundation. He lost his first
wife in 1878 and was again married in 1884, from which union there is a
daughter that will be graduated from the Convent of Visitation, Mobile,
Ala., in June next. His father was Patrick McHugh and his mother Anne
Byrne, both of the County of Longfed. They arrived in America with six
other children in 1869 and moved to St. Clair County, Mo., where the
elder McHugh operated a large farm and died in 1901. A younger brother
now operates the farm. The subject of this sketch has served the City of
Pensacola as an Alderman for eighteen years and his last term would not
expire until 1911, but having moved from his district he resigned. He
served for seven years as a member of a volunteer fire company and also
in the Escaubie Rifles of which company he was second sergeant. He has
travelled extensively in the north and west. Mr. McHugh is Deputy Grand
Knight, K. of C., Pensacola Court No. 778.
* * * * *
MCKEE, EDWARD L., of Indianapolis, is the son of Robert S. McKee, son of
James and Agnes McMillan McKee. Robert S. McKee was born January 8,
1823, at Tully Carey, County Down, Ireland. His mother died in 1836, and
was buried at Slan in County Down. His father died in 1864 at Wheeling,
West Virginia. Robert S. McKee died June 10, 1904, at Indianapolis. He
was the youngest of six children, William, James, Sophie, Margaret and
Eliza. Edward was born at Madison, Indiana, March 13, 1856, his mother
being Celine Lodge McKee, born January 16, 1826, died April 2, 1861.
* * * * *
MCNABOE, JAMES F., attorney-at-law, 68 William street, New York City;
born at Manchester, Vermont, in 1866; son of Owen McNaboe and Mary
(Kelly) McNaboe, both parents born in Ireland. Prepared for college in
Burr and Burton Seminary; graduate of Middlebury College; studied law in
New York Law School and New York University.
* * * * *
MEAGHER, FREDERICK JEFFERSON—Born December 21, 1876, at Binghamton, N.
Y.; educated Binghamton public schools; graduated Hamilton College,
1899, Phi Beta Kappa Key; studied law at Binghamton 1899–1901; admitted
to bar November, 1901; practiced law at Binghamton 1902–1907;
consolidator with State Board of Statutory Consolidation, 1905–1907, at
Albany; assistant corporation counsel of Binghamton, 1908; January 1,
1909, appointed district attorney of Broome County by Governor Hughes.
* * * * *
MITCHELL, RICHARD H., was born in McKeesport, Pa., in 1869. He was
educated at the Morrisania public school, then known as Grammar School
No. 61, at the College of the City of New York, where he graduated in
1888, and at Columbia University Law School in 1890 and 1891, and in
June of the latter year was admitted to the bar. He associated himself
with Morgan & Ives, a well-known law firm of New York City, and soon
after became a member of the firm with Rollin M. Morgan. The firm of
Morgan & Mitchell has, during the last ten years, taken charge of much
important litigation, and both members of the firm have been active in
public affairs.
Mr. Mitchell is the younger son of Dr. James B. Mitchell and Emma Henry
Mitchell. He is a descendant of Irish and German ancestors, his
grandfather, James Henry, having been a native of the town of Coleraine,
County of Londonderry, Ireland, and he is also related to the Eckfeldt
family, of whom Adam Eckfeldt was an appointee of President Washington
in the United States Mint. He has lived for the last thirty-four years
in the Borough of the Bronx, in the part formerly known as Morrisania,
and since 1890 has been well-known as a Democrat and a strong adherent
of Tammany Hall. In 1897 he was elected Member of Assembly for the
Thirty-Fifth Assembly District by a majority of 1,462 and the following
year, 1898, he was elected Senator by a majority of 6,606. He remained
in the Senate during the years 1899 and 1900, serving on the Judiciary
Committee and the Committee on Privileges and Elections. In February,
1904, Corporation Counsel Delaney selected Senator Mitchell as one of
his assistants, and placed him in charge of the Corporation Counsel’s
Office in the Borough of the Bronx. He was continued in that office by
Corporation Counsel Ellison and Pendleton. Mr. Mitchell is now a member
of the Bar Association of the City of New York, Democratic Club, New
York Yacht Club, Larchmont Yacht Club, Fordham Club, Jackson Democratic
Club, Schnorer Club, Jefferson Tammany Club, Friendly Sons of St.
Patrick, Kane Lodge, No. 454, F. and A. M., Jerusalem Chapter, Cœur de
Lion Commandery, Pennsylvania Society, Pawnee Club League of American
Wheelmen, Bar Association of the Borough of the Bronx, Alumni
Association of College of City of New York, and Bronx West Side
Association. Mr. Mitchell resides at 1362 Franklin avenue, Borough of
the Bronx, New York City.
* * * * *
MORAN, JAMES T., lawyer and business man; born North Haven, Conn.,
September 19, 1864; son of Thomas and Maria (Cullom) Moran; grad.
Hillhouse High School, New Haven, 1883; LL. B. Yale Law School, 1884; M.
L., 1885; married, New Haven, April 27, 1898, Mary E. McKenzie. Has
practised in New Haven since 1884; vice-president, director and general
attorney, the Southern New England Telephone Co.; president New Haven
Union Co. (newspaper); director Merchants’ National Bank, National
Folding Box and Paper Co., Acme Wire Co.; trustee Conn. Savings Bank;
member New Haven Board of Education, 1893–1909. Roman Catholic. Clubs,
Graduates’, Knights of St. Patrick (New Haven); Yale (New York).
Residence, 221 Sherman Avenue. Office, Southern New England Telephone
Co., New Haven, Conn.
* * * * *
MULHERN, JOHN, 140 Second Street, San Francisco, Cal., is a dealer in
soda water machinery and supplies; was born in County Roscommon,
Ireland, in 1848; came to Dorchester, Mass., in 1853, where he attended
the old Mather School on Meeting House Hill; arrived in San Francisco in
1874. Member of Knights of St. Patrick, Celtic Union and Celtic Union
Hall Association. Life member of the Society.
* * * * *
O’BRIEN, JAMES, LL. D., was born at Castle Tymon, parish of Barn Dearig,
in the County of Wicklow, Ireland, on Whit Monday, 1836. Left there with
parents in May, 1849. Settled in Clark County, Ohio. Father was a
carpenter. He attended school in Springfield, Ohio, till 1851, then went
to Catholic colleges, winding up with Notre Dame University, where he
was graduated as A. B. in 1859. He was then employed there as teacher
till 1862, and thereafter studied law, and was admitted to practice in
Dubuque, Iowa, in 1866. Practiced there and in Lansing, same state, till
1870, when he settled in Minnesota at Caledonia, the county seat of
Houston County. Was soon after elected District Attorney, and re-elected
successively for about twelve years. Was elected State Senator
thereafter serving in that capacity in the years 1883 and 1885. Was
chosen delegate to the National Republican Convention which nominated
General Harrison for president, acting as chairman of the delegation.
Was afterwards appointed Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of New
Mexico, by President Harrison, which position he held till October,
1893. He then returned to Caledonia, where he has since resided. The
University of Notre Dame, Ind., conferred on him the degree of LL. D. in
1908. Was married to Catherine Lyons, daughter of Michael and Mary
Lyons, in 1864, at Galena, Ill. Ten children were the fruit of the
union, five of whom survive. His life has been wholly uneventful,
devoting himself exclusively to the study of law, and to the history of
the Middle Ages. He has made a specialty of the Inquisition,
particularly that of Spain.
* * * * *
O’BRIEN, THOMAS J., diplomat and lawyer, born at Jackson, Michigan, July
30, 1842; son of Timothy O’Brien and Elizabeth (Lauder) O’Brien. His
early education was procured in the public schools of Michigan, and he
then entered the law department of the University of Michigan, from
which he was graduated as LL. B. in 1865. He then engaged in the
practice of law with success, becoming assistant general counsel for the
Grand Rapids and Indiana Railway in 1871 and its general counsel in
1883, and continuing in that capacity until 1905 when he was appointed
envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary of the United States to
Denmark, in which position he continued until May 18, 1907, when he was
appointed ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to Japan. Mr.
O’Brien is a Republican; in 1883 he was the candidate of his party for
Justice of the Supreme Court of the State of Michigan. He was a
delegate-at-large to the National Convention at St. Louis in 1896 which
nominated McKinley, and was again a delegate-at-large and chairman of
his delegation to the Chicago Convention of 1904 which nominated
Roosevelt. Mr. O’Brien married September 4, 1873, Delia Howard, and they
have their home at Grand Rapids, Michigan. Address: American Embassy,
Tokyo, Japan.
* * * * *
O’MEARA, JOHN B., was born in 1850 in St. Louis, was graduated A. B. in
the Jesuit College (St. Louis University); worked as bank clerk, stock
and bond broker and finally contractor. He married in 1874 Sallie Helm
Ford (now deceased), granddaughter of Governor Helm of Kentucky, and
grandniece of Brigadier-General Hardin Helm, late C. S. A., the latter
being married to a Miss Todd, sister of the wife of the ever lamented
Abraham Lincoln. He is secretary of the Hill-O’Meara Construction
Company, and although offered minor political offices many times he
declined to serve until 1894, when he was elected Lieutenant-Governor of
Missouri on the Democratic ticket. He takes a very great interest in the
National Guard, having been connected with it since 1872 and is now
Paymaster General of the Missouri troops. Among the soldiers who
surrendered at Limerick with Sarsfield, was an ancestor, Patrick
O’Meara, who became a colonel of the Irish Brigade or more correctly
speaking the “Legion Irlandais de France.” He afterward married a lady
of a distinguished house of France, and reared a family, two sons of
which, Jean Baptiste and Daniel, followed the footsteps of their father.
When they became able to bear arms they also entered the “Legion,” one
of them becoming “Lieutenant en premier” in Walsh’s Regiment, the other
“Lieutenant en second” in Dillon’s Regiment of that corps. When
Washington made his earnest and final appeal to Louis for more troops,
the French king sent some twenty thousand picked men, with a splendid
fleet under Count d’Estaing, and among these troops came Dillon’s and
Walsh’s Regiments, bringing Jean Baptiste and Daniel O’Meara, John B’s
grandfather and granduncle. The French ships engaged the British fleet
off Savannah, Georgia, and although it was a drawn battle, owing to a
severe storm, they bottled up the British fleet in Savannah, and
prevented them from carrying out their plan to come to the assistance of
Cornwallis. Meantime d’Estaing moved some of his ships lower down the
coast, disembarked several regiments including Dillon’s and Walsh’s,
which marched overland and happily met the retreating forces of
Lafayette who were being pursued by a portion of the British force from
Yorktown. Lafayette now being reinforced turned on his enemies, and
drove them back to Yorktown where coöperating with Washington soon
forced Cornwallis to surrender. When d’Estaing and his fleet, shortly
after, sailed back to France, his grandfather and uncle being Frenchmen,
went back with them. The revolution soon broke out, and his folks being
Royalists and hating the sans culottes and proletariats, stood with the
Legion which suffered terribly defending the King, until overpowered by
numbers. His grandfather, disgusted with affairs in France, went back to
the land of his forbears and settled in a little town called Athey,
County of Kildare, the birthplace of the Duke of Wellington. There his
grandfather married and there his father, Patrick, was born. He came to
this country in 1832 and after living in New Orleans and in Boston
settled and brought up his family, one of whom, a sister, Madame
O’Meara, was superior of the Sacred Heart Order in New York City and is
now superior of that order in New Orleans, Louisiana. The facts of the
revolutionary story as above are in “United States Senate Document No.
77” entitled “Combattants Francais es dans Le Guerre Americain—1777–83.”
* * * * *
O’SHAUGHNESSY, JAMES, 2252 Giddings street, Chicago, son of James
O’Shaughnessy of Gort and Catherine, née Mulholland; was born in St.
Catherine, Mo., and educated in the parochial schools; took up the
profession of teaching and then the study of law, which he abandoned to
enter newspaper work. He was editor and publisher of the Catholic
Tribune, St. Joseph, Mo., and afterwards engaged as reporter,
correspondent and editor of daily papers in St. Joseph, Mo., Chicago and
New York, and as syndicate correspondent in Europe in 1894 when he was a
member of the International Jury of Awards of the Antwerp Exposition.
Served as correspondent in Cuba for the Chicago Chronicle during the
Spanish-American war and in the later Indian troubles in the Northwest.
Political editor of the Chicago American until he abandoned editorial
work to enter the field of advertising as writer and counsellor. Former
president of Western Catholic Writers’ Guild, and Irish Fellowship Club
of Chicago. He married Miss Mary Hynes, of the Hynes family of Galway.
* * * * *
OLCOTT, CHAUNCEY, has never appeared in a play that was not clean and
wholesome, or that contained a line, or an episode that was vulgar or
even suggestive. Mr. Olcott is of Irish descent, and was born in the
city of Buffalo. He was educated at the Brothers schools, from which he
graduated with high honors. He was gifted by nature with an unusually
sweet tenor voice, and at an early age started his professional career
as a ballad singer in traveling minstrel days. During these years he won
his first public recognition by his wonderful singing of favorite
ballads. He then went to England for a short time, where his voice won
praise for its sweetness and purity. During his sojourn in England he
devoted his spare time to study. On his return he went to San Francisco
and in connection with his appearances on the stage assumed the
management of the Standard Theatre in that city. His next step was to
desert minstrelsy and join Denman Thompson in “The Old Homestead.” After
this he became the tenor of the Duff Opera Company and the McCaull Opera
Company. At this period he determined to go to London, secure an
engagement if possible and thoroughly cultivate his voice under the
tuition of some good master. During Mr. Olcott’s stay in London he
played for one year at the Lyric Theatre and one year at the Prince of
Wales Theatre. He returned to America under engagement to his present
manager, Mr. Augustus Pitou, to star in Irish singing light comedy
rôles, making his first appearance in Mavourneen in November, 1893, at
Yonkers, New York. That was sixteen years ago. During these years Mr.
Olcott has produced eleven plays and written more popular songs than any
other song writer of the day. On September 28, 1897, Mr. Olcott was
married to Margaret O’Donovan, of San Francisco. The union has been a
most happy and ideal one. Mr. Olcott has won for himself both fame and
wealth, and what is better still, the admiration and respect of
thousands of personal friends.
* * * * *
PHELAN, JAMES DUVAL, ex-mayor of San Francisco; born San Francisco
April, 1861; sire James Phelan, a California Pioneer; A. B., St.
Ignatius College; Ph. N., Santa Clara College; studied law at the
University of California; unmarried; was lieutenant-colonel of the
California National Guard; Commissioner and Vice-President of the
World’s Columbian Commission; after the San Francisco disaster was
President of the Relief and Red Cross Funds (a corporation); was
designated by President Roosevelt’s proclamation to receive funds and
use the U. S. Mint as depository; was a member of the committee of fifty
and forty for relief and reconstruction; Chairman of the Charter
Association which gave the new Charter to San Francisco; President of
the Adornment Association, which procured the Burnham plans for the
city; President of the Art Association; President of the California
Branch of the American National Red Cross; President of the Native Sons’
Hall Association and Boys’ Club; member of the Society of California
Pioneers. Clubs: Metropolitan, Washington; Metropolitan, New York;
Pacific Union, Bohemian, University, Olympic. Director of the First
National Bank; Mayor of San Francisco from 1896 to 1902; received
complimentary vote for U. S. Senator in the California legislature in
1900; President of the Mutual Savings Bank. Office in the Phelan
Building, San Francisco.
* * * * *
QUINN, PATRICK HENRY, born December 16, 1869, at Phenix Village, town of
Warwick, Rhode Island, son of Peter and Margaret (Callaghan) Quinn.
Father born in Armagh and mother in County Monaghan, Ireland. Was
educated in public schools of Warwick, admitted to practice at Rhode
Island bar in August, 1895, and in United States courts in January,
1897. Has practiced in Providence ever since; was Probate Judge and Town
Solicitor of native town in 1899–1900, and again in 1905–1906. Was
senior aide on personal staff of Governor L. F. C. Garvin.
* * * * *
HON. ELMER J. RATHBUN, A. B., LL. B., Justice of the Superior Court of
the State of Rhode Island, was born in Coventry, R. I., April 16, 1870.
He graduated from the East Greenwich Academy in the class of 1892, from
Brown University in the class of 1896, and from the Boston University
School of Law in the class of 1898, from the last institution with the
highest honors. He was elected Justice of the Fourth Judicial District
Court on November 8, 1900, and served until January 22, 1909, when he
was elected Justice of the Superior Court of the State of Rhode Island.
He was elected a member of the General Assembly of the State of Rhode
Island from the town of West Greenwich May, 1897, and at the time of his
election to the position of Justice of the Superior Court was the senior
member of the lower branch in continuous service, having been elected
representative twelve consecutive times, and was, for several years,
chairman of the House Committee on Corporations. Judge Rathbun is the
son of James and Melissa Rathbun.
* * * * *
RIGNEY, JOSEPH, was born in Dublin, Ireland, May 11, 1847, being the
seventh in a family of eleven children of Hugh and Margaret Rigney. The
name “Rigney” is that of a French Huguenot who came with William to
Ireland and who was credited with the distinction of doing more than the
average of his fellows in destroying the good Irishmen who upheld the
cause of Shamus (Na Hocha) at the bloody battle of Auchram. He had the
award usually given his kind—a gift of the plunder of the vanquished.
Many generations of Rigneys lived more or less respected in King’s
County, where all traces of the Huguenot’s religion disappeared from
amongst them. The writer accompanied his father and mother, two brothers
and two sisters, from Ireland to this country in October, 1868, to join
four brothers who emigrated from Ireland five years before. His family
settled in Bridgeport, Conn., November, 1868, where he lived until July,
1878, working part of the time as a machinist and later as mechanical
engineer and superintendent of the Pacific Iron Works of that city. In
1878 he went to Havana, Cuba, where he engaged in engineering and later
on in sugar manufacturing. His partners in the ownership of a sugar
plantation were Franklin Farrel of Ansonia, Conn., and the late Hugh
Kelly of New York. He greatly prizes his associations with these good
men and mourns the loss of the best of friends in the untimely end of
Hugh Kelly. At present he is associated with the engineering firms of
“The Dyer Company” and Allis-Chalmers Company, with office at 71
Broadway, New York. He is a member of the Catholic Club and the Friendly
Sons of St. Patrick of New York City. He married in 1878 and has been
supremely happy ever since.
* * * * *
RIORDAN, CHARLES F., was born in North Easton, Mass., the first day of
April (Easter Sunday) in the year 1866, to John S. and Catherine M.
Riordan, both of the best type of Irish people. Has been for many years
the New England representative of several large distilleries. During an
active business life in Boston has taken a prominent part in politics
but has never accepted public office. Is very popular in his native
State and many large banquets attended by leading citizens have been
tendered him at various times.
* * * * *
ROSSITER, WILLIAM S., publisher, Concord, N. H., was born in Westfield,
Mass., September 9, 1861. Educated Columbian University (now George
Washington University), Washington, D. C., and Amherst College (Class
1884). Assistant to business superintendent, New York Tribune,
1884–1888; manager circulation, New York Press, 1889; treasurer New York
Printing Company, The Republic Press, 1889–1899; in charge publications,
U. S. Census, 1900–1903; chief clerk U. S. Census Office, 1903–1909;
expert special agent, U. S. Census, for printing and publishing, 12th
Census (1900) and Industrial Census, 1905; in editorial charge of all
12th Census Reports; selected by the President upon the recommendation
of the Printing Commission of Congress to take charge of the Government
Printing Office upon the suspension of Public Printer Stillings and
prepare a complete report upon conditions in that office. Twenty-eight
days later an exhaustive report was submitted to the President, and upon
its findings, he at once requested the Public Printer’s resignation.
Author of the Census Reports upon Printing and Publishing, 1900 and
1905, A Century of Population Growth in the United States (U. S. Census
office 1909), and many statistical and historical papers in the Atlantic
Monthly, North American Review, Review of Reviews, Outlook, World’s
Work, the Printing Art, etc.
* * * * *
SEYMOUR, JOHN F., 52 Pierce Street, San Francisco, Cal., born in New
York of Irish parents and in 1863 removed to California; in 1872 he
started as an apprentice in a brass foundry, learning the trade of brass
finisher, and worked at this trade until 1884, when he joined the San
Francisco police department as patrolman. He was successively appointed
Corporal, Detective Sergeant and Captain of Police, and in April, 1900,
Captain of Detectives; served in this capacity about two years, during
which time he earned distinction by his strict attention to duty and
ability which he displayed in handling criminal cases of national note;
in January 1902, he resigned from the police force to take a responsible
position with the vast Fair estate; recently he was appointed Chief
Special Agent of the Pacific Department of the Wells Fargo Express
Company, which position he holds at the present time.
* * * * *
SHANAHAN, DAVID E., Representative in the General Assembly from the
Ninth (Ill.) district, was born on a farm in Lee County, Illinois,
September 7, 1862, and from the time he was three months old has resided
in Chicago. He received his education in the public schools, and
graduated successively from the Holden grammar school, South Division
high school and the Chicago law college. For the past twenty-five years
he has been an active and potential factor in City, County and State
politics. In 1885 he was elected South Town supervisor and the year
following was re-elected to this position. He is best known by his long
and valued service as a legislator. His first election to the House of
Representatives occurred in 1894, and he was re-elected in 1896, 1898,
1900, 1902, 1904, 1906 and 1908. As a member of the Lower House of the
lawmaking body of Illinois, Mr. Shanahan has been closely identified
with the best legislation of recent years and has served as a member of
every important committee. He was elected temporary Speaker in the
Forty-Third General Assembly and was chairman of the Republican steering
committee. In the Forty-Fifth and Forty-Sixth General Assemblies he was
chairman of the committee on appropriations. He has served as a delegate
to many of the City, County and State Republican conventions, was an
alternate delegate to the Republican National convention of 1904 from
the Fourth Congressional district, and in 1908 was elected a delegate to
the Republican national convention held in Chicago. He is a member of
the Knights of Pythias and the Royal Arcanum, and is engaged in the real
estate and insurance business at 185 Dearborn street.
* * * * *
SHEEDY, BRYAN DEFOREST, graduate of the N. Y. U. Medical College, LL. B.
Yale, Adjunct Professor Rhinology and Laryngology Fordham University
School of Medicine, Instructor of Disease Nose and Throat N. Y.
Post-Graduate Medical School and Hospital, member of American Medical
Association, member of State and County Medical Societies of the State
of New York, etc., etc., 164 West 73d street, New York City.
* * * * *
SMITH, JAMES E., was born in Rhode Island, graduated from Brown
University in 1892, admitted to the New York Bar in 1894, member of the
New York State Legislature 1899–1902.
* * * * *
SULLIVAN, JEREMIAH B., was born in Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, January 1, 1859.
His father was born in the City of Cork, Ireland, and his mother the
city of Kanturk. Mr. Sullivan first attended Parochial school at Mt.
Pleasant, Iowa. He read law in the office of McDill & Sullivan at Afton,
Iowa, and admitted to the Bar of the State of Iowa in 1881 and has been
in the active practice since that time. Was City Solicitor of the City
of Creston one term and elected on the Democratic ticket. Was a member
of the Board of Education of that city two terms; was a Democratic
candidate for Governor of the State of Iowa in 1903. Is now a resident
of Des Moines, Iowa, and President of the Board of Education of that
city. Is engaged actively in the practice of law; is interested in all
Irish matters, having been State President of the Ancient Order of
Hibernians for the State of Iowa. Was delegate-at-large from Iowa to the
Democratic National Convention at Denver in 1908; is interested in
educational matters. Belongs to the Ancient Order of Hibernians and
Knights of Columbus and did his part in the promotion and advancement of
these organizations; is interested in political matters and civic
affairs and has at all times taken part in the public discussion of the
topics in which the people are interested.
* * * * *
TULLY, MICHAEL P., was born near the historic village of Ballinamuck,
County Longford, Ireland, October 15, 1836; arrived in New York in 1858,
and after a few years in that city took up his residence in Newton, N.
J., where he has lived continuously ever since. Was married in
September, 1873, and is a life member of the Newton County Historical
Society, trustee of the Dennis Library Association, member of the
Catholic Club, and a director of the Merchants’ National Bank of Newton.
ADDITIONAL BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
The following sketches of new members were received too late to
incorporate in their proper alphabetical order.
CHANDLER, WILLIAM E., was born in Concord, New Hampshire, December 28,
1835, second son of Nathan S. and Mary Ann Chandler. He was educated in
the public schools and the academies at Thetford, Vermont, and Pembroke,
New Hampshire. He began his law studies in Concord and attended the
Harvard Law school, being graduated with prize honors in 1855. In the
same year he was admitted to the bar and for several years practised in
Concord. In 1859 he was appointed law reporter of the New Hampshire
Supreme Court and published five volumes of Reports. Mr. Chandler was a
Republican from the formation of the party, was the secretary of its
first state committee and in 1864 and 1865, its chairman. He was elected
to the legislature in 1862–3–4 and was twice chosen speaker. In
November, 1864, he was employed by the Navy Department to prosecute the
Philadelphia Navy Yard frauds and on March 9, 1865, was appointed the
first Solicitor and Judge Advocate General of that Department. On June
17 of the same year he became assistant secretary of the treasury,
resigning the position November 30, 1867. The next 13 years he devoted
to his profession, except that he was a member of the state
constitutional convention of 1876, a delegate to the Republican national
convention in 1868 and secretary of the national committee from that
time until 1876. In that year he was one of the counsel for the Hayes
electors in Florida before the canvassing board of the state and the
electoral commission in Washington. In 1880 he was a delegate to the
Republican national convention, and a member of the national committee
during the subsequent campaign. On March 23, 1881, he was nominated by
President Garfield for Solicitor General, but was refused confirmation
by the Senate, the vote being nearly upon party lines. In June of that
year he was a prominent member of the New Hampshire Legislature. He
served as Secretary of the Navy from April 7, 1882, to March 7, 1885,
and is known and honored as “the father of the new navy.” He was elected
to the United States Senate June 14, 1887, and served by re-elections
until March 3, 1901. He was then appointed a member of the Spanish
Treaty Claims commission and served until 1907, when he resigned. Since
that date his time has been employed in the practice of his profession,
his name being connected with several important cases. Through all his
long, active and distinguished career he has been a prolific contributor
to newspapers and periodicals, his style being remarkable for its vigor,
force and clearness.
* * * * *
CORCORAN, RICHARD B., veterinarian, United States Army; Knight of
Columbus; first vice-president of the Knights of St. Patrick, San
Francisco; was born in Clonmel, County Tipperary, Ireland, in December,
1844; is the son of Patrick Corcoran, mayor of that old borough and one
of the oldest members of the reformed corporations in Ireland. His uncle
was Rev. John Baldwin, parish priest of St. Mary’s, Clonmel. Doctor
Corcoran was educated at St. Patrick’s College, Carlow, Ireland; came to
New York in 1867, and resided there until his appointment as
veterinarian, United States Army, in 1877. He has served in all Indian
campaigns of note; on the frontier since that time, and was also in
Cuba, being the first of his profession to land on that island. His
record in the War Department is equalled by none in his branch of the
service. Doctor Corcoran has been stationed at the Presidio of San
Francisco for more than eight years, and takes a deep and active
interest in everything pertaining to the welfare of his race and native
land.
MEMBERSHIP ROLL
OF THE
AMERICAN IRISH HISTORICAL SOCIETY.
ADAMS, HON. SAMUEL, 129 West 85th Street, New York City.
ADAMS, T. ALBEUS, 525 West Street, New York City.
ALEXANDER, HON. CHARLES, 63 Dyer Street, Providence, R. I.
(Vice-President of the Society for Rhode Island.)
ASPELL, JOHN, M. D., 139 West Seventy-seventh Street, New York City.
BAGSHAWE, MRS. THEODOSIA E., 4002 Lake Avenue, Chicago, Ill.
BANNIN, MICHAEL E., 83 and 85 Worth Street, New York City.
BANNON, HENRY G., 107 East Fifty-fifth Street, New York City.
BARRETT, MICHAEL F., 308 Spring Street and 574 Hudson Street, New York
City.
BARRY, HON. PATRICK T., 87–89 South Jefferson Street, Chicago, Ill.
(Life member of the Society.)
BARRY, MAJOR-GENERAL THOMAS H., Washington, D. C.
BARRY, WILLIAM F., 249 Magnolia Avenue, Elizabeth, N. J.
BARRY, WILLIAM J., Barristers’ Hall, Boston, Mass.
BARRY, JAMES H., 1122 Mission Street, San Francisco, Cal.
BAYNE, PROF. WILLIAM, 53 Third Avenue, New York City.
BEALIN, JOHN J., 2334 Valentine Avenue, New York City.
BERGIN, PATRICK J., 169 Blackstone Street, Boston, Mass.
BLAKE, MICHAEL, 149 Broadway, New York City.
BLAKE, THOMAS M., 11 St. Luke’s Place, New York City.
BLISS, HON. ZENAS W., Providence, R. I.
BODFISH, REV. JOSHUA P. L., 60 Robinwood Avenue, Jamaica Plain, Mass.
BOLAND, W. I., Toronto, Canada.
BOUCHER, RICHARD P., M. D., 116 Academy Avenue, Providence, R. I.
BOURKE, JOSEPH P., World Building, Manhattan, New York City.
BOYLE, JOHN J., 251 West Fifty-first Street, New York City.
BOYLE, HON. PATRICK J., Newport, R. I.
BRADSHAW, SERGT. RICHARD, Fort Pickens, Fla.
BRADY, REV. CYRUS TOWNSEND, LL. D., Haddon Hall, Kansas City, Mo.
(Member of Executive Council of the Society.)
BRADY, DANIEL M., 95 Liberty Street, New York City.
BRADY, JAMES B., 170 Broadway, New York City.
BRADY, HON. JOSEPH P., 1634 West Grace Street, Richmond, Va.
BRADY, OWEN J., 224 Church Street, New York City.
BRANAGAN, WILLIAM I., Emmetsburg, Ia.
BRANDON, EDWARD J., Cambridge, Mass.
BRANN, REV. HENRY A., D. D., LL. D., 141 East Forty-third Street, New
York City. (Life member of the Society.)
BREEN, HENRY J., 243 West Ninety-ninth Street, New York City.
BREEN, HON. MATTHEW P., 243 West Ninety-ninth Street, New York City.
BRENNAN, EDWARD, Shamokin, Pa. (Life member of the Society.)
BRENNAN, GEORGE E., 206 LaSalle Street, Chicago, Ill. (Life member of
the Society.)
BRENNAN, HON. JAMES F., Peterborough, N. H. (Historiographer of the
Society and member of its Executive Council.)
BRENNAN, JAMES F., 203 Maple Street, New Haven, Conn.
BRENNAN, REV. M. J., Immaculate Conception Church, Carthage, Ill.
BRENNAN, P. J., 624 Madison Avenue, New York City.
BRENNAN, P. F., 34 Lincoln Street, Shamokin, Pa.
BRESLIN, JOSEPH J., 890 Broadway, New York City.
BRETT, FRANK P., 3 East Main St., Waterbury, Conn.
BRITT, PHILIP J., 27 William Street, New York City.
BRODERICK, WILLIAM J., 52 Morton Street, New York City.
BROSNAHAN, REV. TIMOTHY, St. Mary’s Church, Waltham, Mass.
BROSNAN, REV. JOHN, Cornwall-on-Hudson, N. Y.
BRYAN, HON. J. P. KENNEDY, 11 Broad Street, Charleston, S. C.
BUCKLEY, JOHN J., 99 Nassau Street, New York City.
BUNTON, RICHARD, 1148 O’Farrell Street, San Francisco, Cal.
BURKE, JOHN, 60 West Fifty-first Street, New York City.
BURKE, JOHN E., 322 Pembroke Avenue, Norfolk, Va.
BURKE, ROBERT E., Newburyport, Mass.
BURKE, WILLIAM E., 143 Liberty Street, New York City.
BURR, WILLIAM P., Corporation Counsel’s office, New York City.
BUTLER, FRANCIS X., 42 Broadway, New York City.
BUTLER, JAMES, 230 West 72nd Street, New York City. (Life member of
the Society.)
BUTLER, LIEUT.-COL. JOHN G., 20 Congress Street West, Savannah, Ga.
BUTLER, JOHN R., 307 Sixth Avenue, New York City.
BUTLER, T. VINCENT, 120 Central Park South, New York City.
BUTTIMER, THOMAS H., Hingham, Mass.
BYRNE, C. E., M. D., 229 East Forty-first Street, New York City.
BYRNE, JOSEPH M., 800 Broad Street, Newark, N. J.
BYRNE, THOMAS F., 353 East Seventy-eighth Street, New York City.
BYRNE, RT. REV. MGR. WILLIAM, D. D., V. G., St. Cecelia’s Church, St
Cecelia Street, Boston, Mass.
BYRNE, WILLIAM MICHAEL, 220 Broadway, New York City.
BYRNES, PATRICK J., 105 East 31st Street, New York City.
BYRNS, WILLIAM FRANCIS, M. D., 1923 Calvert Street, N. W., Washington,
D. C.
CAHILL, JOHN H., 15 Dey Street, New York City.
CAHILL, REV. WILLIAM F., Visitation Rectory, 843 West Garfield
Boulevard, Chicago, Ill.
CALNIN, JAMES, 101 Lakeview Avenue, Lowell, Mass.
CANNON, THOMAS H., Stock Exchange Building, Chicago, Ill.
CANTILLON, THOMAS J., Lander, Wyoming.
CANTILLON, WILLIAM D., 928 Buena Terrace, Chicago, Ill.
CAREY, PETER J., 536 West Twenty-third Street, New York City.
CARMODY, THOMAS F., Waterbury, Conn.
CARNEY, MICHAEL, of M. Carney & Company, Lawrence, Mass.
CARR, JAMES O., Wilmington, N. C.
CARROLL, EDWARD, Leavenworth, Kansas.
CARROLL, JOHN L., 23 Division Place, Newark, N. J.
CARROLL, MICHAEL, Gleason Building, Lawrence, Mass.
CARROLL, THOMAS F., M. D., 219 Central Street, Lowell, Mass.
CARTER, PATRICK, 32 Westminster Street, Providence, R. I. (Life member
of the Society and a member of its Executive Council.)
CARTER, HON. THOMAS H., United States Senate, Washington, D. C.
CARTY, JOHN J., Short Hills, N. J.
CASEY, MICHAEL, Pittsfield, Mass.
CASHMAN, W. T., 88 Grasmere Street, East Cleveland, Ohio.
CASSIDY, JOHN J., 509 West Street, Wilmington, Del. (Vice-President of
the Society for Delaware.)
CASSIDY, GEN. PATRICK, Norwich, Conn.
CAVANAGH, HON. HOWARD W., Linn Block, Homer, Michigan.
CAVANAUGH, F. J., 31 Union Square, New York City.
CHANDLER, HON. WILLIAM E., Concord, N. H. (Vice-President of the
Society for New Hampshire.)
CHITTICK, REV. JAMES J., 5 Oak Street, Hyde Park, Mass.
CLANCY, LAURENCE, West Bridge Street, Oswego, N. Y.
CLARE, WILLIAM F., 71 Nassau Street, New York City.
CLARKE, JAMES, 29 West Thirty-second Street, New York City.
CLARKE, JOSEPH I. C., 26 Broadway, New York City. (Vice-President of
the Society for New York.)
CLARKE, REV. OWEN F., Church of the Holy Name, 104 Camp Street,
Providence, R. I.
CLARY, CHARLES H., Hallowell, Me.
CLUNE, FRANK R., 185 Dundaff Street, Carbondale, Pa. (Life member of
the Society.)
COCKRAN, HON. W. BOURKE, 31 Nassau Street, New York City. (Life member
of the Society.)
COFFEE, FRANK, Box 335, Australia. (Vice-President of the Society for
Australia.)
COFFEE, F. M., Jr., Box 1314, Vancouver, B. C.
COGGINS, JEROME B., 920 17th Street, Denver, Colo.
COGHLAN, REV. GERALD P., 2141 North Broad Street, Philadelphia, Pa.
COHALAN, DANIEL F., 2 Rector Street, New York City.
COLEMAN, CAPT. JOHN, 1100 Fourth Avenue, Louisville, Ky.
COLEMAN, JAMES V., 711 Balboa Building, San Francisco, Cal. (Life
member of the Society.)
COLIHAN, WILLIAM J., 141 East 95th Street, New York City.
COLLIER, ROBERT J., 416 West Thirteenth Street, New York City.
COLLINS, JAMES M., 6 Sexton Avenue, Concord, N. H.
COLLINS, HON. JOHN S., Gilsum, N. H.
COLLINS, BRIG.-GEN. DENNIS F., 637 Pearl Street, Elizabeth, N. J.
(Vice-President of the Society for New Jersey.)
COLTON, RT. REV. CHARLES HENRY, D. D., 1025 Delaware Avenue, Buffalo,
N. Y.
COLTON, FRANK S., 227 Riverside Drive, New York City.
CONATY, BERNARD, 30 Cypress Street, Providence, R. I.
CONATY, REV. B. S., 596 Cambridge Street, Worcester, Mass.
CONATY, RT. REV. THOMAS J., D. D., Los Angeles, Cal.
CONEY, PATRICK H., 316 Kansas Avenue, Topeka, Kan. (Vice-President of
the Society for Kansas.)
CONLEY, LIEUT.-COL. LOUIS D., 11 East 93d Street, New York City.
CONLON, REDMOND P., 35 James Street, Newark, N. J.
CONLON, WILLIAM L., Portsmouth, N. H.
CONNELLY, CORNELIUS E., 252 Court Street, Binghamton, N. Y.
CONNELLY, JOHN M., Chamber of Commerce, Elmira, N. Y.
CONNELLY, L. J., Lieutenant U. S. Navy, U. S. S. “Missouri,” care of
Postmaster, New York City.
CONNERY, JOHN T., 125 Monroe Street, Chicago, Ill.
CONNERY, WILLIAM P., Wheeler and Pleasant Streets, Lynn, Mass.
CONNOLLY, CAPT. JAMES, Coronado, Cal. (Vice-President of the Society
for California.)
CONNOLLY, REV. ARTHUR T., Center and Creighton Streets, Roxbury, Mass.
CONNOR, HON. HENRY GROVES, Wilson, N. C.
CONNOR, MICHAEL, 509 Beech Street, Manchester, N. H.
CONROY, REV. PATRICK EUGENE, St. Martin’s Church, 1908 North Capitol
Street, Washington, D. C.
CONVERY, WILLIAM J., 113 Jackson Street, Trenton, N. J.
CONWAY, JAMES J., Attorney at Law, 117 East Washington Street, Ottawa,
Ill.
CONWAY, JAMES P., 296 East Third Street, Brooklyn, N. Y.
CONWAY, PATRICK J., 159 East Sixtieth Street, New York City.
COOKE, REV. MICHAEL J., Fall River, Mass. (Life member of the
Society.)
COONEY, BRIG.-GEN. MICHAEL, U. S. A., 500 T Street, N. W., Washington,
D. C.
COONEY, TERRENCE, JR., Pittsfield, Mass.
CORBETT, MICHEL J., Wilmington, N. C. (Vice-President of the Society
for North Carolina.)
CORCORAN, CORNELIUS J., Lawrence, Mass.
CORCORAN, DR. RICHARD B., Presidio, San Francisco, Cal.
COSGROVE, HON. JAMES, Charleston, S. C.
COUGHLIN, JOHN, 177 Water Street, Augusta, Me.
COUGHLIN, HON. JOHN T., Fall River, Mass.
COUGHLIN, MICHAEL J., 178 Bedford Street, Fall River, Mass.
COX, HUGH M., M. D., 285 St. Nicholas Avenue, New York City.
COX, MICHAEL FRANCIS, M. D., F. R. C. P. I., M. R. I. A., 26 Merrion
Square, Dublin, Ireland. (Vice-President of the Society for Ireland.)
COX, MICHAEL H., 28 Windemere Road, Dorchester, Mass.
COX, WILLIAM T., 12 South Second Street, Elizabeth, N. J.
COYLE, REV. JAMES, Taunton, Mass.
COYLE, REV. JOHN D., 79 Davenport Avenue, New Haven, Conn.
CREAMER, WALTER H., 4 Prescott Place, Lynn, Mass.
CRIMMINS, CYRIL, 624 Madison Avenue, New York City. (Life member of
the Society.)
CRIMMINS, HON. JOHN D., 40 East Sixty-eighth Street, New York City.
(Member of the Executive Council and life member of the Society.)
CRIMMINS, CAPT. MARTIN L., Fort Crook, Neb.
CRONIN, CAPT. WILLIAM, Rutland, Vt. (Vice-President of the Society for
Vermont.)
CROSTON, J. F., M. D., 83 Emerson Street, Haverhill, Mass.
CROWLEY, HARRY T., 91 Essex Avenue, Orange, N. J.
CRUIKSHANK, ALFRED B., 43 Cedar Street, New York City.
CUMMINGS, MATTHEW J., 616 Eddy Street, Providence, R. I.
CUMMINS, REV. JOHN F., Roslindale, Mass.
CUNNIFF, MICHAEL M., 1032 Beacon Street, Brookline, Mass.
CUNNINGHAM, HON. JAMES, 277 Congress Street, Portland, Me.
(Vice-President of the Society for Maine.)
CURLEY, MICHAEL H., 115 Broad Street, Boston, Mass. (Life member of
the Society.)
CURRAN, PHILIP A., Waterbury, Conn.
CURRY, EDMOND J., 28 East 95th Street, New York City.
CURTIN, DANIEL I., 332 East Twenty-fifth Street, New York City.
DALY, EDWARD HAMILTON, 54 Wall Street, New York City.
DALY, JEREMIAH P., 1747 Lexington Avenue, New York City.
DALY, JOHN J., 212 Lenox Avenue, Westfield, N. J.
DALY, HON. JOSEPH F., LL. D., 54 Wall Street, New York City.
DALY, WILLIAM J., 820 Tremont Building, Boston, Mass.
DANAHER, HON. FRANKLIN M., Bensen Building, Albany, N. Y.
DANVERS, ROBERT E., 428 East 18th Street, New York City.
DAVIES, WILLIAM GILBERT, LL. D., 32 Nassau Street, New York City.
DAVIS, JOHN H., Seaboard National Bank, New York City.
DAY, JOSEPH P., 31 Nassau Street, New York City.
DAYTON, CHARLES W., Jr., 27 William Street, New York City.
DEASY, HON. DANIEL C., Mills Building, San Francisco, Cal.
DEASY, JEREMIAH, 808 Cole Street, San Francisco, Cal.
DEEVES, RICHARD, 305 Broadway, New York City. (Life member of the
Society.)
DELANEY, J. C., Harrisburg, Pa.
DELANEY, REV. WILLIAM, S. J., University College, Dublin, Ireland.
DELANEY, WILLIAM J., Saratoga Springs, N. Y.
DELANY, PATRICK BERNARD, E. E., Derrymore, Nantucket, Mass.
DELANY, CAPT. WILLIAM H., 254 West Fourteenth Street, New York City.
DELEHANTY, HON. F. B., Court House, New York City.
DELEHANTY, JOHN S., 107 Grand Street, Albany, N. Y.
DEMPSEY, GEORGE C., Lowell, Mass.
DEMPSEY, WILLIAM P., Pawtucket, R. I.
DENNEN, REV. CHRISTOPHER, St. Thomas’ Church, Wilmington, N. C.
DEROO, REV. PETER, St. Joseph’s Church, 1127 Corbett Street, Portland,
Ore.
DEVINE, JOHN T., The Shoreham, Washington, D. C.
DEVINE, THOMAS J., Rochester, N. Y. (Life member of the Society.)
DEVLIN, JAMES H., 35 Parsons Street, Brighton, Boston, Mass.
DEVLIN, JAMES H., Jr., Barristers’ Hall, Boston, Mass.
DEVLIN, THOMAS, Third and Lehigh Avenues, Philadelphia, Pa. (Life
member of the Society.)
DICKSON, ROBERT, Parker, Ariz. (Vice-President of the Society for
Arizona.)
DIGNAN, J. H., 774 Cole Street, San Francisco, Cal.
DILLON, THOMAS I., 712 Market Street, San Francisco, Cal.
DIXON, RICHARD, 52–54 William Street, New York City.
DIXSON, SAMUEL GIBSON, M. D., LL. D., Bryn Mawr, Pa.
DOLAN, JAMES A., 346 Broadway, New York City.
DOLAN, THOMAS E., M. D., 250 Elizabeth Avenue, Elizabeth, N. J.
DOLAN, THOMAS S., 105 Fifth Avenue, New York City.
DONAHUE, DAN A., 178 Essex Street, Salem, Mass.
DONAHUE, RT. REV. PATRICK JAMES, D. D., corner of Thirteenth and Byron
Streets, Wheeling, West Va.
DONAHUE, R. J., Ogdensburg, N. Y.
DONNELLY, HON. THOMAS F., 257 Broadway, New York City.
DONOHOE, JOHN P., care of Barclay-Westmoreland Trust Company,
Greensburg, Pa.
DONOVAN, DANIEL, 21 High Rock Street, Lynn, Mass.
DONOVAN, E. I., M. D., Langdon, North Dakota.
DONOVAN, COLONEL HENRY F., No. 504 Teutonic Building, Chicago, Ill.
DONOVAN, JOHN JOSEPH, Bellingham, Washington.
DONOVAN, JOHN W., 360 West One Hundred Twenty-fifth Street, New York
City.
DONOVAN, RICHARD J., 170 Broadway, New York City.
DONOVAN, DR. S. E., New Bedford, Mass.
DONOVAN, THOMAS F., Young Building, Joliet, Ill.
DONOVAN, COL. WILLIAM H., Lawrence, Mass.
DOOLEY, MICHAEL F., Westminster Street, Providence, R. I. (Life member
and Treasurer-General of the Society.)
DOOLEY, WILLIAM J., 17 Gaston Street, Boston, Mass. (Life member of
the Society.)
DOONER, EDWARD J., Dooner’s Hotel, Philadelphia, Pa. (Life member of
the Society.)
DORAN, PATRICK L., Salt Lake City, Utah.
DORAN, VERY REV. MGR. THOMAS F., V. G., LL. D., 92 Hope Street,
Providence, R. I.
DORDAR, JOHN E., Forty-first Street and Park Avenue, New York City.
DORVER, REV. WILLIAM J., St. Charles’ Church, Pittsfield, Mass.
DOWD, WILLIS B., 141 Broadway, New York City.
DOWLING, REV. AUSTIN, 30 Fenner Street, Providence, R. I.
DOWLING, HON. VICTOR J., County Court House, New York City.
DOWNEY, WILLIAM F., 1622 L Street, N. W., Washington, D. C.
DOWNING, BERNARD, City Hall, New York City.
DOWNING, D. P., Cambridge, Mass.
DOYLE, ALFRED L., of John F. Doyle & Sons, 45 William Street, New York
City.
DOYLE, DAVID A., Katonah, N. Y.; postmaster.
DOYLE, JAMES, 455 West Twenty-eighth Street, New York City.
DOYLE, JAMES G., LaSalle, Ill.
DOYLE, JOHN F., 45 William Street, New York City. (Life member of the
Society and a member of its Executive Council.)
DOYLE, NATHANIEL, 455 West Twenty-eighth Street, New York City.
DOYLE, HON. THOMAS F., LaSalle, Ill.
DRISCOLL, REV. JOHN T., Fonda, N. Y.
DRUMMOND, M. J., 182 Broadway, New York City.
DUFFICY, PETER J., 120 West Fifty-ninth Street, New York City.
DUFFY, VERY REV. FELIX, Danville, Ill.
DUFFY, REV. FRANCIS P., St. Joseph’s Seminary, Dunwoodie, Yonkers, N.
Y.
DUFFY, PATRICK J., Ansonia Hotel, 73d Street and Broadway, New York
City.
DUNCAN, STUART, LaSalle, Ill.
DUNCAN, VINCENT J., Attorney at Law, Ottawa, Ill.
DUNNE, F. L., 328 Washington Street, Boston, Mass.
DUNNE, FINLEY PETER, 341 Fifth Avenue, New York City.
DUVAL, C. LOUIS, 143 Liberty Street, New York City.
DWYER, THOMAS, Amsterdam Avenue and One Hundred and Thirty-ninth
Street, New York City. (Life member of the Society.)
DWYER, W. D., 202 Despatch Building, St. Paul, Minn.
DWYER, REV. WILLIAM M., Cathedral Rectory, Syracuse, N. Y.
EDITOR OF “THE ROSARY MAGAZINE,” Somerset, O. (Life member of the
Society.)
EGAN, REV. M. H., St. Bernard’s Church, Keene, N. H.
EGAN, HON. PATRICK, 18 Broadway, New York City.
ELLARD, GEORGE W., 180 Lisbon Street, Lewiston, Me.
ELLIOTT, DR. GEORGE W., Immigration Office, Ellis Island, N. Y.
EMMET, J. DUNCAN, M. D., 103 Madison Avenue, New York City.
EMMET, ROBERT, Moreton Paddox, Warwick, England.
EMMET, THOMAS ADDIS, M. D., LL. D., 89 Madison Avenue, New York City.
(Life member of the Society and a member of its Executive Council.)
EMMETT, WILLIAM TEMPLE, 52 Wall Street, New York City.
ENRIGHT, THOMAS J., 71 Center Street, Lowell, Mass.
EUSTACE, HON. ALEXANDER C., 334 East Water Street, Elmira, N. Y.
FAHY, THOMAS A., 14 South Broad Street, Philadelphia, Pa.
FALAHEE, JOHN J., 120 West Fifty-ninth Street, New York City.
FALLON, HON. JOSEPH D., LL. D., 789 Broadway, South Boston, Mass.
FALLON, HON. JOSEPH P., 1900 Lexington Avenue, New York City.
FARLEY, MOST REV. JOHN M., D. D., 452 Madison Avenue, New York City.
FARRELL, EDWARD D., 18 West Eighty-sixth Street, New York City.
FARRELL, LEO F., 171 Westminster Street, Providence, R. I.
FARRELL, JOHN F., 89 Worth Street, New York City.
FARRELL, JOHN T., M. D., 1488 Westminster Street, Providence, R. I.
FARRELL, WILLIAM J., 115 Maiden Lane, New York City. (Life member of
the Society.)
FARRELLY, FRANK T., Main Street, Springfield, Mass.
FARRELLY, STEPHEN, 9 Park Place, New York City. (Life member of the
Society and member of its Executive Council.)
FARRELLY, T. CHARLES, 39 Chambers Street, New York City.
FEELY, JOSEPH M., 304 Powers Building, Rochester, N. Y.
FEELEY, WILLIAM J., 203 Eddy Street, Providence, R. I.
FENLON, JOHN T., 71 Nassau Street, New York City.
FERGUSON, HUGH, George Street, Charleston, S. C.
FERGUSON, THOMAS D., 528 Walnut Street, Philadelphia Pa. (Life member
of the Society.)
FINLEY, JAMES D., Board of Trade, Norfolk, Va.
FINN, REV. THOMAS J., Box 242, Port Chester, N. Y.
FITZGERALD, CHARLES, 904 Main Street, Hartford, Conn.
FITZGERALD, DESMOND, Brookline, Mass.
FITZGERALD, REV. D. W., 9 Pleasant Street, Penacook, N. H.
FITZGERALD, HON. JAMES, County Court House, New York City.
FITZGERALD, JAMES REGAN, 90 West Broadway, New York City.
FITZGERALD, THOMAS B., Elmira, N. Y.
FITZGERALD, HON. WILLIAM T. A., Court House, Boston, Mass.
FITZGIBBON, JOHN C., 38 West 34th Street, New York City.
FITZPATRICK, EDWARD, New Albany, Ind.
FITZPATRICK, HON. THOMAS B., 104 Kingston Street, Boston, Mass.
(Vice-President-General of the Society and member of its Executive
Council.)
FITZSIMONS, THOMAS P., 169 West 76th Street, New York City.
FLANNERY, CAPT. JOHN, Savannah, Ga. (Vice-President of the Society for
Georgia.)
FLEMING, JOHN J., 415 Tama Building, Burlington, Iowa.
FLEMING, MARTIN W., 3821 Sacramento Street, San Francisco, Cal.
FLYNN, COL. DAVID M., Princeton, N. J.
FLYNN, THOMAS P., 172 East Washington Street, Chicago, Ill.
FOGARTY, JAMES A., 264 Blatchley Avenue, New Haven, Conn.
FOGARTY, JEREMIAH W., City Hall, Boston, Mass.
FOLEY, DANIEL, 1530 E. Washington Street, Indianapolis, Ind.
FOLEY, CAPT. DANIEL P., Port Townsend, Washington.
FORD, HON. JOHN, County Court House, New York City.
FORNES, HON. CHARLES V., 425 Broome Street, New York City.
FRENCH, CAPT. CHARLES F., 5850 Rosalie Court, Chicago, Ill.
GAFFNEY, HON. T. ST. JOHN, Dresden, Germany. (Vice-President of the
Society for Germany.)
GALLAGHER, CHARLES H., 11 Riverdrive Avenue, Trenton, N. J.
GALLAGHER, DANIEL P., 27 East Twenty-second Street, New York City.
GALLAGHER, JAMES, Cleveland, N. Y.
GALLAGHER, JAMES T., M. D., 172 Bunker Hill Street, Charlestown,
Boston, Mass.
GALLAGHER, M. D., 402 West 146th Street, New York City.
GALLAGHER, PATRICK, 11 East Fifty-ninth Street, New York City. (Life
member of the Society.)
GAMBLE, HON. ROBERT JACKSON, United States Senate, Washington, D. C.
GANNON, FRANK S., 251 West End Avenue, New York City.
GARRIGAN, RT. REV. PHILIP J., D. D., Sioux City, Iowa. (Vice-President
of the Society for Iowa.)
GARRITY, P. H., 221 Bank Street, Waterbury, Conn.
GARVAN, HON. EDWARD J., 36 Pearl Street, Hartford, Conn.
GARVAN, HON. FRANCIS P., 23 Fifth Avenue, New York City.
GARVAN, HON. PATRICK, 236 Farmington Avenue, Hartford, Conn. (Life
member of the Society and a member of its Executive Council.)
GELSHENEN, WILLIAM H., 100 William Street, New York City.
GEOGHEGAN, CHARLES A., 537 West Broadway, New York City.
GEOGHEGAN, JOSEPH, Salt Lake City, Utah. (Life member of the Society
and its Vice-President for Utah.)
GEOGHEGAN, JOSEPH G., 537 West Broadway, New York City. (Life member
of the Society.)
GEOGHEGAN, WALTER F., 537 West Broadway, New York City.
GIBBONS, J. F., M. D., 1944 California Street, San Francisco, Cal.
GIBBONS, HON. JOHN, Chicago, Ill.
GIBBONS, JOHN T., corner of Poydras and South Peters Streets, New
Orleans, La. (Life member of the Society.)
GIBBONS, PETER J., M. D., 49 Park Avenue, New York City.
GIBLIN, JOHN A., 10 East Main Street, Ilion, N. Y.
GILDAY, WALTER C., M. D., 44 West Thirty-seventh Street, New York
City.
GILLESPIE, GEORGE J., 56 Pine Street, New York City. (Life member of
the Society.)
GILMAN, JOHN E., 43 Hawkins Street, Boston, Mass.
GILPATRIC, WALTER J., Saco, Me.
GILROY, HON. THOMAS F., Far Rockaway, Queens County, N. Y.
GLEASON, JOHN H., 25 North Pearl Street, Albany, N. Y.
GLEASON, JOSEPH F., 905 Trinity Avenue, Bronx, New York City.
GOFF, HON. JOHN W., Court House, New York City.
GORMAN, CAPT. DENNIS J., City Hall, Boston, Mass.
GORMAN, JOHN F., Stephen Girard Building, Philadelphia, Pa.
GORMAN, PATRICK F., Alexandria, Va.
GORMAN, WILLIAM, Stephen Girard Building, Philadelphia, Pa. (Life
member of the Society and member of its Executive Council.)
GRAHAM, HON. JAMES M., Springfield, Ill.
GRAINGER, J. V., Wilmington, N. C.
GRIFFIN, JOHN C., Skowhegan, Me.
GRIFFIN, MARTIN IGNATIUS JOSEPH, 1935 North Eleventh Street,
Philadelphia, Pa.
GRIFFIN, PATRICK FRANCIS, 322 West Seventy-seventh Street, New York
City.
GRIFFIN, RT. REV. MGR. THOMAS, Worcester, Mass.
GRIMES, RT. REV. JOHN, Syracuse, N. Y.
GUERIN, DR. JOHN, 3958 Ellis Avenue, Chicago, Ill.
GUILFOILE, FRANCIS P., Waterbury, Conn.
HAGGERTY, J. HENRY, 50 South Street, New York City.
HAIGNEY, JOHN J., Brooklyn, N. Y.
HALLEY, CHARLES V., 756 East One Hundred and Seventy-fifth Street, New
York City.
HALLEY, CHARLES V., JR., 756 East 175th Street, The Bronx, New York
City.
HALLORAN, JOHN H., 213 Sixth Avenue, New York City.
HALTIGAN, PATRICK J., Washington, D. C.
HAMILL, HON. JAMES A., 239 Washington Street, Jersey City, N. J.
HANECY, HON. ELBRIDGE, 3116 Michigan Avenue, Chicago, Ill.
HANLEY, JAMES, Jackson Street, Providence, R. I.
HANNAN, HON. JOHN, 46 Water Street, Ogdensburg, N. Y.
HANRAHAN, DANIEL, 1718 West 56th Street, Chicago, Ill.
HARBISON, HON. ALEXANDER, Hartford, Conn.
HARDIMAN, MICHAEL J., Watertown, N. Y.
HARKINS, RT. REV. MATTHEW, D. D., 30 Fenner Street, Providence, R. I.
HARRIGAN, JOHN F., 66 High Street, Worcester, Mass.
HARRIMAN, PATRICK H., M. D., Norwich, Conn.
HARRINGTON, REV. J. C., St. Joseph’s Church, Greene Street, Lynn,
Mass.
HARRIS, HON. CHARLES N., 31 East Forty-ninth Street, New York City.
HARSON, M. JOSEPH, 200 Broadway, New York City.
HARTY, JOHN F., Savannah, Ga.
HARVIER, HON. ERNEST, 1193 Broadway, New York City.
HASSETT, HON. THOMAS, 299 Broadway, New York City. (Life member of the
Society.)
HAYES, HON. NICHOLAS J., 299 Broadway, New York City.
HAYES, COL. PATRICK E., Pawtucket, R. I.
HEALY, DAVID, 220 West Twenty-first Street, New York City.
HEALY, JOHN F., Elkins, W. Va. (Vice-President of the Society for West
Virginia.)
HEALY, RICHARD, 188 Institute Road, Worcester, Mass.
HEELAN, REV. EDMOND, Sacred Heart Church, Fort Dodge, Iowa.
HENDRICK, HON. PETER A., County Court House, New York City.
HENNESSEY, MICHAEL E., Daily Globe, Boston, Mass.
HENRY, CHARLES T., 120 Liberty Street, New York City.
HENRY, DR. FRANK C., 260 State Street, Perth Amboy, N. J.
HERBERT, PRESTON, 503 West One Hundred and Twenty-first Street, New
York City. (Life member of the Society.)
HERBERT, VICTOR, 321 West One Hundred and Eighth Street, New York
City.
HERNAN, J. J., Coronado, Cal.
HICKEY, JAMES G., United States Hotel, Boston, Mass. (Life member of
the Society.)
HICKEY, JOHN J., 8 East One Hundred and Twenty-ninth Street, New York
City.
HICKEY, REV. WILLIAM A., Clinton, Mass.
HIERS, JAMES LAWTON, M. D., 8 Liberty Street, East, Savannah, Ga.
(Member of the Executive Council.)
HIGGINS, FRANCIS, Manhattan Club, Twenty-sixth Street and Madison
Avenue, New York City.
HIGGINS, JAMES J., 171 First Street, Elizabeth, N. J.
HILL, WILLIAM E., 23 Greene Street, New York City.
HOBAN, RT. REV. M. J., D. D., Scranton, Pa.
HOEY, JAMES J., 206 Broadway, New York City.
HOGAN, ANDREW J., 5250 Prairie Avenue, Chicago, Ill.
HOGAN, JOHN J., 53 Central Street, Lowell, Mass.
HOGAN, RT. REV. JOHN J., LL. D., Kansas City, Mo.
HOGAN, JOHN PHILIP, High Falls, N. Y.
HOGAN, HON. JOHN W., 4 Weybosset Street, Providence, R. I.
HOGAN, MICHAEL S., 4903 13th Avenue, Brooklyn, N. Y.
HOLLAND, JOHN P., 11 William Street, East Orange, N. J.
HOPKINS, GEORGE A., 526 West 111th Street, New York City.
HOPKINS, MISS SARA M., 3150 Michigan Avenue, Chicago, Ill.
HOPKINS, JOHN P., 77 Jackson Boulevard, Chicago, Ill. (Life member of
the Society.)
HORIGAN, HON. CORNELIUS, 229 and 231 Main Street, Biddeford, Me.
HOWARD, DR. WILLIAM B., 400 Stanyan Street, San Francisco, Cal.
HOWLETT, JOHN, 49 Portland Street, Boston, Mass.
HUGHES, MARTIN, Hibbing, Minn.
HUGHES, PATRICK L., 466 Pleasant Street, Winthrop, Mass.
HUMPHREY, CHARLES B., 72 Orchard Avenue, Providence, R. I.
HURLEY, JAMES H., Union Trust Building, Providence, R. I.
HURLEY, JOHN E., 63 Washington Street, Providence, R. I.
HURLEY, HON. JOHN F., Salem, Mass.
HUSSEY, D. B., 5811 Cabanne Avenue, St. Louis, Mo.
INND, THOMAS C., 42 John Street, New York City.
JAMESON, W. R., 1786 Bathgate Avenue, Bronx, New York City.
JENKINSON, RICHARD C., 289 Washington Street, Newark, N. J.
JENNINGS, MICHAEL J., 753 Third Avenue, New York City.
JOHNSON, ALFRED J., 14 Central Park West, New York City.
JOHNSON, JAMES G., 649 Broadway, New York City.
JOHNSTON, MRS. MARY H. S., care of Humboldt State Bank, Humboldt,
Iowa.
JORDAN, MICHAEL J., 42 Court Street, Boston, Mass.
JOYCE, BERNARD J., 45 Grover Avenue, Winthrop Highlands, Boston, Mass.
JOYCE, HENRY L., 143 Liberty Street, New York City. (Life member of
the Society.)
JOYCE, JOHN J., 47 McDougal Street, New York City.
JOYCE, MICHAEL J., 51 Chambers Street, New York City.
JUDGE, JOHN H., 259 Broadway, New York City.
KEANE, MOST REV. JOHN J., D. D., Dubuque, Ia.
KEARNEY, JAMES, 220 Broadway, New York City.
KEARNS, BERNARD T., 197 St. Mark’s Place, St. George, Staten Island,
New York City.
KEARNS, PHILIP J., 2311 Concourse, Bronx, New York City.
KEATING, PATRICK M., Pemberton Building, Boston, Mass.
KEEFE, PATRICK H., M. D., 257 Benefit Street, Providence, R. I.
KEEFE, REV. WILLIAM A., St. Mary’s Church, Norwich, Conn.
KEENAN, FRANK, 210 West 107th Street, New York City.
KEENAN, JOHN J., Public Library, Boston, Mass.
KEENAN, THOMAS J., Security Mutual Building, Binghamton, N. Y.
KEENAN, WALTER F., 350 Broadway, New York City.
KEHOE, JOHN F., Rector Street and Trinity Place, New York City. (Life
member of the Society.)
KEHOE, MICHAEL P., Law Building, Baltimore, Md. (Vice-President of the
Society for Maryland.)
KELLEY, COMMANDER JAMES DOUGLAS JERROLD, 25 East Eighty-third Street,
New York City.
KELLEHER, DANIEL, 1116 Spring Street, Seattle, Washington.
(Vice-President of the Society for Washington.)
KELLEY, JOHN W., Exchange Building, Portsmouth, N. H.
KELLY, DANIEL E., Salyer Block, Valparaiso, Ind.
KELLY, EUGENE, Templecourt Building, New York City.
KELLY, GERTRUDE B., M. D., 130 East Twenty-seventh Street, New York
City.
KELLY, JAMES E., Ogdensburg, N. Y.
KELLY, JOHN FOREST, Ph. D., Pittsfield, Mass.
KELLY, JOHN J., 812 Chemical Building, St. Louis, Mo.
KELLY, JOSEPH THOMAS, N. Y., N. H. & H. R. R. Company, New Haven,
Conn.
KELLY, MICHAEL F., M. D., Fall River, Mass.
KELLY, P. J., Main Street, Buffalo, N. Y.
KELLY, THOMAS, M. D., 357 West Fifty-seventh Street, New York City.
KELLY, T. P., 544 West Twenty-second Street, New York City.
KELLY, WILLIAM J., 9 Dove Street, Newburyport, Mass.
KELLY, WILLIAM J., 3 Market Square, Portsmouth, N. H.
KENAH, JOHN F., Elizabeth, N. J. (Vice-President of the Society for
New Jersey.)
KENEFICK, JOSEPH A., M. D., 78 East 54th Street, New York City.
KENNEDY, CHARLES F., Brewer, Me.
KENNEDY, DANIEL, 197 Berkeley Place, Brooklyn, N. Y.
KENNEDY, JEREMIAH JOSEPH, 52 Broadway, New York City. (Life member of
the Society.)
KENNEDY, HON. M. F., 32 Broad Street, Charleston, S. C.
KENNEDY, THOMAS F., Amsterdam, N. Y.
KENNEY, DAVID T., Plainfield, N. J.
KENNEY, JAMES W., Park Brewery, Terrace Street, Roxbury, Mass.
KENNEY, JOHN J., New Brighton, Staten Island, N. Y.
KENNEY, THOMAS, 143 Summer Street, Worcester, Mass.
KENNY, W. J. K., 44 Broad Street, New York City.
KEOUGH, PETER L., 41 Arch Street, Pawtucket, R. I.
KERBY, JOHN E., 481 Fifth Avenue, New York City.
KERNEY, JAMES, 373 State Street, Trenton, N. J.
KERWIN, GEN. MICHAEL, 485 West One Hundred and Forty-fifth Street, New
York City.
KIERNAN, PATRICK, 140 West Forty-second Street, New York City.
KIGGEN, JOHN A., 125 West Street, Hyde Park, Mass.
KILKENNY, THOMAS F., East Greenwich, R. I.
KILMARTIN, THOMAS J., M. D., Waterbury, Conn.
KILROY, PHILIP, M. D., Springfield, Mass.
KINGSLEY, WILLIAM JOSEPH, 261 Broadway, New York City.
KINSELA, JOHN F., 509 Gorham Street, Lowell, Mass.
KNIGHTS OF ST. PATRICK, San Francisco, Cal. (Life member of the
Society.) John Mulhern, Secretary, Twenty-fifth and Hampshire Streets,
San Francisco, Cal.
LALLY, PATRICK E. C., Crawford County Bank Bldg., Denison, Iowa.
LAMSON, DANIEL S., Weston, Mass.
LANNON, JOSEPH F., 68 Main Street, Susquehanna, Pa.
LARKIN, ROBERT E., Streator, Ill.
LAVELLE, JOHN, 3148 West Forty-fourth Street, S. W., Cleveland, O.
(Vice-President of the Society for Ohio.)
LAWLER, JAMES G., St. Charles, Mo.
LAWLER, JOHN F., Norfolk, Va.
LAWLER, JOSEPH A., 308 West Fourteenth Street, New York City.
LAWLER, THOMAS B., 70 Fifth Avenue, New York City. (Librarian and
Archivist of the Society and member of its Executive Council.)
LAWLESS, HON. JOSEPH T., Norfolk, Va.
LAWLOR, P. J., 417 East Main Street, Waterbury, Conn.
LAWLOR, THOMAS F., 65 Bank Street, Waterbury, Conn.
LAWRENCE, JOSEPH W., 155 East 80th Street, New York City.
LEAHY, JOHN S., 807 Carleton Building, St. Louis, Mo.
LEAHY, MATTHEW W., 257 Franklin Street, New Haven, Conn.
LEARY, JEREMIAH D., 131 Clark Place, Elizabeth, N. J.
LEE, HON. LAWRENCE P., 348 West Twentieth Street, New York City.
LEE, THOMAS ZANSLAUR, Industrial Trust Building, Providence, R. I.
(Secretary-General, member of the Executive Council and life member of
the Society.)
LENANE, THOMAS, SR., 307 West Street, New York City.
LENEHAN, JOHN J., 71 Nassau Street, New York City. (Life member of the
Society, chairman of the Membership Committee and member of its
Executive Council.)
LENEHAN, HON. JOHN T., Wilkes-Barre, Pa.
LENIHAN, RT. REV. M. C., Great Falls, Mont. (Vice-President of the
Society for Montana.)
LENNOX, GEORGE W., Haverhill, Mass.
LEONARD, PETER F., 343 Harvard Street, Cambridge, Mass.
LESLIE, CHARLES J., 565 West One Hundred and Sixty-first Street, New
York City.
LESLIE, WARREN, 165 Broadway, New York City.
LINEHAN, JOHN L., 165 Broadway, New York City.
LINEHAN, REV. T. P., Biddeford, Me.
LONERGAN, JOHN E., 211 Race Street, Philadelphia, Pa. (Life member of
the Society.)
LONERGAN, THOMAS S., 408 East One Hundred and Forty-ninth Street, New
York City.
LOUGHLIN, PETER J., 150 Nassau Street, New York City.
LOUGHRAN, M. F., 108 Loughran Building, Joliet, Ill.
LUCEY, HON. DENNIS B., Gilbert Block, Ogdensburg, N. Y.
LUCEY, HON. P. J., 208 North Park Avenue, Streator, Ill.
LUDDY, TIMOTHY F., Waterbury, Conn.
LYNCH, JOHN E., 19 Benefit Street, Worcester, Mass.
LYNCH, JOHN H., 81 Fulton Street, New York City.
LYNCH, THOMAS J., Augusta, Me. (Member of the Executive Council.)
LYNCH, MICHAEL LEHANE, Chief Engineer of St. Louis Southwestern
Railway System, Tyler, Texas.
LYNN, JOHN, 48 Bond Street, New York City.
LYON, JAMES B., Albany, N. Y.
LYONS, RICHARD J., 39 Union Square West, New York City.
LYONS, WILLIAM, 25 Hillside Street, Boston, Mass. (Life member of the
Society.)
MACDONNELL, JOHN T. F., Holyoke, Mass.
MACDWYER, PATRICK S., 229 Broadway, New York City.
MACGUIRE, CONSTANTINE J., M. D., 120 East Sixtieth Street, New York
City.
MCADOO, HON. WILLIAM, 50 Church Street, New York City. (Member of the
Executive Council of the Society.)
MCALEENAN, HENRY, 1330 Broadway, New York City.
MCALEER, GEORGE, M. D., Worcester, Mass.
MCALEVY, JOHN F., 26 North Main Street, Pawtucket, R. I.
MCALISTER, JOHN, 165 Meeting Street, Charleston, S. C.
MCAULIFFE, DENNIS A., 312 East 57th Street, New York City.
MCAULIFFE, JOHN F., Boston, Mass.
MCBREEN, PATRICK FRANCIS, 404 Monroe Street, Brooklyn, N. Y.
MCBRIDE, D. H., 10 Barclay Street, New York City.
MCCAFFREY, HUGH, 57 Berks Street, Philadelphia, Pa. (Life member of
the Society and its Vice-President for Pennsylvania.)
MCCABE, JAMES, Bracewell Block, Dover, N. H.
MCCALL, HON. EDWARD E., 321 West 86th Street, New York City. (Life
member of the Society.)
MCCANNA, FRANCIS I., Industrial Trust Building, Providence, R. I.
MCCARRICK, CAPT. JAMES W., Norfolk, Va. (Vice-President of the Society
for Virginia.)
MCCARTHY, CHARLES, JR., Portland, Me.
MCCARTHY, GEORGE W., Portsmouth, N. H.
MCCARTHY, JAMES, 129 Howard Street, Lawrence, Mass.
MCCARTHY, M. R. F., 82 Court Street, Binghamton, N. Y.
MCCARTHY, HON. PATRICK JOSEPH, 49 Westminster Street, Providence, R.
I.
MCCARTY, T. J., 20 George Street, Charleston, S. C.
MCCARTY, REV. THOMAS J., 1011 Douglas Street, Sioux City, Iowa.
MCCAUGHAN, REV. JOHN P., St. Paul’s Church, Warren, Mass.
MCCAUGHEY, BERNARD, Pawtucket, R. I.
MCCLEAN, REV. PETER H., Milford, Conn.
MCCLOUD, WILLIAM J., 114 Broad Street, Elizabeth, N. J.
MCCLURE, HON. DAVID, 22 William Street, New York City.
MCCONWAY, WILLIAM, Pittsburg, Pa. (Life member of the Society.)
MCCORMICK, EDWARD R., New York City.
MCCORMICK, JAMES W., 79 New England Avenue, Summit, N. J.
MCCOY, EUGENE, 80 Liberty Street, San Francisco, Cal.
MCCOY, REV. JOHN J., LL. D., St. Ann’s Church, Worcester, Mass.
(Member of the Executive Council of the Society.)
MCCOY, WILLIAM J., 37 Virginia Avenue, Indianapolis, Ind.
MCCORMICK, J. S., 1524 Madison Avenue, San Francisco, Cal.
MCCREADY, RT. REV. MGR. CHARLES, 329 West Forty-second Street, New
York City.
MCCULLOUGH, JOHN, 38 So. Sixth Street, New Bedford, Mass.
MCDONALD, CAPT. MITCHELL C., Naval Home, Philadelphia, Pa.
MCDONNELL, ROBERT E., 52 Broadway, New York City.
MCDONOUGH, HON. JOHN J., Fall River, Mass.
MCDONOUGH, JOSEPH P., 417 West 141st Street, New York City.
MCFARLAND, STEPHEN, 44 Morton Street, New York City.
MCFAUL, RT. REV. JAMES A., D. D., 153 North Warren Street, Trenton, N.
J.
MCGANN, JAMES A., 413 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, Pa.
MCGANN, JAMES E., 902 Chapel Street, New Haven, Conn.
MCGANN, COL. JAMES H., 7 Kepler Street, Providence, R. I.
MCGAURAN, MICHAEL S., M. D., 258 Broadway, Lawrence, Mass.
MCGILLEN, JOHN, 181 LaSalle Street, Chicago, Ill. (Life member of the
Society.)
MCGILLICUDDY, HON. D. J., Lewiston, Me.
MCGINN, P. F., 79 Friendship Street, Providence, R. I.
MCGINNESS, DANIEL J., Astor Place, New York City.
MCGINNESS, BRIG.-GEN. JOHN R., Union Club, Cleveland, Ohio.
MCGINNEY, JOHN H., 766 McAllister Street, San Francisco, Cal.
MCGOLRICK, REV. MGR. EDWARD J., 84 Herbert Street, Brooklyn, N. Y.
MCGOLRICK, RT. REV. JAMES, D. D., Duluth, Minn. (Life member of the
Society.)
MCGOVERN, JOSEPH P., 23 Washington Place, New York City.
MCGOWAN, REAR-ADMIRAL JOHN, 1420 Sixteenth Street, N. W., Washington,
D. C. (Life member of the Society.)
MCGOWAN, HON. PATRICK F., 224 East Twelfth Street, New York City.
(Life member of the Society.)
MCGRATH, P. F., 709 Castro Street, San Francisco, Cal.
MCGRATH, THOMAS F., 215 Parnassus Avenue, San Francisco, Cal.
MCGUIRE, HON. EDWARD J., 52 Wall Street, New York City. (Member of the
Executive Council of the Society.)
MCGUIRE, FRANK A., M. D., 74 West 85th Street, New York City.
MCGUIRE, JAMES K., 30 Church Street, New York City.
MCGUIRE, JOHN C., Hotel St. George, Brooklyn, N. Y.
MCGUIRE, P. H., 1267 Frick Building Annex, Pittsburg, Pa.
MCGUIRE, PETER J., 94 Pleasant Street, Malden, Mass.
MCGURRIN, F. E., Security Trust Building, Salt Lake City, Utah.
MCHUGH, JAMES, Box 836, Pensacola, Florida. (Vice-President of the
Society for Florida.)
MCISAAC, DANIEL V., 416 Old South Building, Boston, Mass.
MCINTYRE, HON. JOHN F., 25 Broad Street, New York City.
MCKEE, EDWARD L., 25 South Pennsylvania Street, Indianapolis, Ind.
MCKENNA, JAMES A., 62 William Street, New York City.
MCLAUGHLIN, ALONZO G., of McLaughlin & Stern, 15 William Street, New
York City.
MCLAUGHLIN, HENRY V., M. D., 40 Kent Street, Brookline, Mass.
MCLAUGHLIN, JOHN, 346 East Eighty-first Street, New York City.
MCLAUGHLIN, HON. JOHN J., 145 LaSalle Street, Chicago, Ill.
MCLOUGHLIN, JOSEPH F., 2 Rector Street, New York City (Life member of
the Society.)
MCMAHON, JAMES, 67 McDonough Street, Brooklyn, N. Y.
MCMAHON, REV. JOHN W., D. D., St. Mary’s Church, Charlestown, Mass.
MCMANN, HENRY W., 104 John Street, New York City.
MCMANUS, JAMES H., 42 West Twenty-eighth Street, New York City.
MCMANUS, COL. JOHN, 87 Dorrance Street, Providence, R. I. (Member of
the Executive Council of the Society.)
MCMANUS, MICHAEL, Fall River, Mass.
MCMANUS, REV. MICHAEL T., St. Mary’s Church of the Assumption,
Brookline, Mass.
MCMULLEN, JOHN R., 120 West Fifty-ninth Street, New York City.
MCNABOE, JAMES F., 137 West 92nd Street, New York City.
MCNAMARA, THOMAS CHARLES, M. D., 613 Hudson Street, Hoboken, N. J.
MCNAMEE, REV. W. J., St. Mary’s Church, Joliet, Ill.
MCNELLIS, MAURICE J., 115 Fell Street, San Francisco, Cal.
MCNULTY, GEORGE W., 153 West 79th Street, New York City.
MCOWEN, ANTHONY, 515 Wales Avenue, New York City.
MCPARTLAND, JOHN E., 29 Park Street, New Haven, Conn.
MCPARTLAND, STEPHEN, 134 West Ninety-second Street, New York City.
MCPARTLAND, STEPHEN J., 391 West End Avenue, New York City.
MCQUADE, E. A., 75–77 Market Street, Lowell, Mass.
MCQUAID, REV. WILLIAM P., St. James’ Church, Harrison Avenue, Boston,
Mass.
MCSWEENEY, EDWARD F., Summer Street, Boston, Mass.
MACK, JAMES F., 257 Broadway, New York City.
MACLAY, EDGAR STANTON, Greenlawn, Long Island, N. Y.
MAGRANE, P. B., 133 Market Street, Lynn, Mass.
MAGRATH, PATRICK F., 244 Front Street, Binghamton, N. Y. (Life member
of the Society and a member of the Executive Council.)
MAGUIRE, P. J., 223 Third Avenue, New York City.
MAHER, STEPHEN J., M. D., 212 Orange Street, New Haven, Conn.
MAHONEY, DANIEL EMMET, Keyport, Monmouth County, N. J.
MAHONEY, DANIEL S., 277 Broadway, New York City.
MAHONEY, E. S., Portsmouth, Va.
MAHONEY, JOHN P. S., Lawrence, Mass.
MAHONEY, PATRICK S., 113 East Marquette, Ottawa, Ill.
MAHONEY, WILLIAM H., 844 Eighth Avenue, New York City. (Life member of
the Society.)
MALONE, DUDLEY FIELD, 37 Wall Street, New York City.
MALONEY, CORNELIUS, 71 Grand Street, Waterbury, Conn.
MALONEY, JOHN H., 1619 Greene Street, Harrisburg, Pa.
MALONEY, THOMAS E., V. S., 1095 North Main Street, Fall River, Mass.
MANNING, JOHN J., 143 East 95th Street, New York City.
MARSHALL, REV. GEORGE F., St. Patrick’s Church, Milford, N. H.
MARTIN, HON. JAMES J., 132 West Forty-eighth Street, New York City.
MARTIN, HON. JOHN B., 762 Fourth Street, South Boston, Mass.
MARTIN, PATRICK, 3396 East Street, San Diego, California.
MAYNES, MICHAEL, Jefferson House, Boston, Mass.
MEADE, RICHARD W., 216 East Seventy-second Street, New York City.
MEAGHER, FREDERICK J., Binghamton, N. Y.
MEE, HON. JOHN J., Woonsocket, R. I.
MEHAN, WILLIAM A., Ballston Spa, N. Y.
MITCHELL, HON. RICHARD H., 38 Park Row, New York City.
MOLONEY, FRED G., Ottawa, Ill.
MOLONEY, HON. MAURICE T., Moloney Building, Ottawa, Ill.
(Vice-President of the Society for Illinois.)
MOLONY, FRANK T., 70 Jane Street, New York City.
MOLONY, HENRY A., 16 New Street, Charleston, S. C.
MONAGHAN, JAMES, 217 East Boone Avenue, Spokane, Wash.
MONAGHAN, PROF. J. C., 277 Broadway, New York City.
MONTGOMERY, GEN. PHELPS, 48 Church Street, New Haven, Conn. (Member of
the Executive Council.)
MOONEY, EDMUND L., 37 Wall Street, New York City.
MOONEY, LOUIS M., M. D., 164 West Seventy-sixth Street, New York City.
MOORE, HON. ROBERT LEE, Statesboro, Ga.
MORAN, COL. JAMES, 26 South Water Street, Providence, R. I.
MORAN, JAMES T., 221 Sherman Avenue, New Haven, Conn.
MORGAN, JOHN, 343 West Thirty-ninth Street, New York City.
MORGAN, RICHARD J., 115 Broadway, New York City.
MORIARTY, JOHN, Broadway, Waterbury, Conn.
MORONEY, JAMES, 303 Elm Street, Dallas, Texas. (Vice-President of the
Society for Texas.)
MORRISSEY, VERY REV. ANDREW, C. S. C., D. D., LL. D., University of
Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Ind. (Vice-President of the Society for
Indiana.)
MORRISON, PAUL J., Department of Commerce & Labor, Ellis Island, New
York.
MORRISSY, THOMAS, 48 West Fourteenth Street, New York City.
MORTON, JOHN D., 41 Mercer Street, New York City.
MOSELEY, HON. EDWARD A., Washington, D. C. (Vice-President of the
Society for the District of Columbia.)
MOYNAHAN, BARTHOLOMEW, 120 Broadway, New York City.
MULHERN, JOHN W., Bloomington, Ill.
MULHERN, JOHN, 140 Second Street, San Francisco, Cal. (Life member of
the Society.)
MULLANEY, BERNARD J., City Hall, Chicago, Ill.
MULLEN, JAMES B., 431 Hammond Street, Bangor, Me.
MULLEN, JOHN F., 26 Trask Street, Providence, R. I.
MULQUEEN, MICHAEL J., 253 Broadway, New York City.
MULRY, THOMAS M., 543 West Twenty-first Street, New York City.
MURPHY, D. P., JR., 31 Barclay Street, New York City.
MURPHY, EDWARD J., Springfield, Mass.
MURPHY, EDWARD S., 1205 Park Avenue, New York City.
MURPHY, LIEUTENANT ERNEST VAN D., Fort Sheridan, Ill. (Life member of
the Society.)
MURPHY, FRANK J., 119 Mason Street, Salem, Mass.
MURPHY, FRED C., Fuller Building, Springfield, Mass.
MURPHY, JAMES, 42 Westminster Street, Providence, R. I.
MURPHY, REV. JAMES J., Ph. D., 1011 Douglas Street, Sioux City, Iowa.
MURPHY, JAMES R., 27 School Street, Boston, Mass.
MURPHY, JOHN E., The Addison, Detroit, Mich.
MURPHY, THOMAS, Irvington-on-Hudson, N. Y.
MURRAY, JOHN F., 9 Avon Street, Cambridge, Mass.
MURRAY, JOHN L., 228 West Forty-second Street, New York City.
MURRAY, JOSEPH 1190 Madison Avenue, New York City.
MURRAY, HON. LAWRENCE O., LL. D., Washington, D. C.
MURRAY, PATRICK, 318 West Fifty-second Street, New York City.
MURRAY, TIMOTHY, 165 Broadway, New York City.
MURRIN, JAMES B., Carbondale, Pa.
MURTAUGH, JOHN F., Realty Building, Elmira, N. Y.
NAGLE, JOHN T., M. D., 163 West One Hundred Twenty-sixth Street, New
York City.
NEAGLE, REV. RICHARD, 2 Fellsway East, Malden, Mass.
NEE, P. J., 1341 Girard Street, Washington, D. C.
NEVINS, COL. P. J., 109 Merrimac Street, Haverhill, Mass.
NICKERSON, HENRY F., 524 Durfee Street, Fall River, Mass.
NOONAN, DANIEL A., 725 Broadway, New York City.
NOONAN, THOMAS F., 252 West Twenty-fifth Street, New York City.
NOONAN, WILLIAM T., 155 Main Street, West, Rochester, N. Y.
NORTON, MICHAEL W., 450 Friendship Street, Providence, R. I.
NUGENT, EDWARD, 68 Broad Street, Elizabeth, N. J.
O’BRIEN, HON. C. D., Globe Building, St. Paul, Minn. (Vice-President
of the Society for Minnesota.)
O’BRIEN, DENNIS F., 106 West Ninety-second Street, New York City.
O’BRIEN, HON. JAMES, LL. D., Caledonia, Minn.
O’BRIEN, REV. JAMES J., 179 Summer Street, Somerville, Mass.
O’BRIEN, JOHN D., St. Paul, Minn.
O’BRIEN, JOHN E., 115 Broadway, New York City.
O’BRIEN, HON. JOHN F., City National Bank, Plattsburg, N. Y.
O’BRIEN, J. P., Portland, Oregon.
O’BRIEN, MICHAEL C., M. D., 161 West One Hundred Twenty-second Street,
New York City.
O’BRIEN, MICHAEL J., Western Union Building, New York City.
O’BRIEN, HON. MORGAN J., LL. D., 2 Rector Street, New York City.
O’BRIEN, HON. THOMAS J., American Embassy, Tokyo, Japan.
O’BRIEN, THOMAS V., Haywards Hotel, Haywards, Cal.
O’BRIEN, WILLIAM C., 7 East Thirtieth Street, New York City.
O’BYRNE, MICHAEL ALPHONSUS, room 400 Germania Bank Building, Savannah,
Ga.
O’CALLAGHAN, CHARLES J., Spuyten Duyvil, N. Y.
O’CALLAGHAN, RT. REV. MGR. DENIS, D. D., St. Augustine’s Church, South
Boston, Mass.
O’CONNELL, RT. REV. MGR. DENIS JOSEPH, S. T. D., Catholic University,
Washington, D. C.
O’CONNELL, RT. REV. D. J., 1100 Franklin Street, San Francisco, Cal.
O’CONNELL, JOHN, 251 West One Hundredth Street, New York City.
O’CONNELL, JOHN, 302 West End Avenue, New York City.
O’CONNELL, HON. JOHN F., 306 Broadway, Providence, R. I. (Member of
the Executive Council.)
O’CONNELL, JOHN F., Norfolk, Va.
O’CONNELL, HON. JOSEPH F., 53 State Street, Boston, Mass.
(Vice-President of the Society for Massachusetts.)
O’CONNELL, P. A., 154 Tremont Street, Boston, Mass.
O’CONNELL, RT. REV. D. J., 1100 Franklin Street, San Francisco, Cal.
O’CONNOR, MAJOR DANIEL, Wilmington, N. C.
O’CONNOR, EDWARD, 132 Nassau Street, New York City.
O’CONNOR, FRANCIS P., 157 Tremont Street, Boston, Mass.
O’CONNOR, HON. JEREMIAH J., 414 Carroll Street, Elmira, N. Y. (Life
member of the Society.)
O’CONNOR, DR. J. H., 2572 California Street, San Francisco, Cal.
O’CONNOR, JOHN L., Ogdensburg, N. Y.
O’CONNOR, MICHAEL P., Binghamton, N. Y. (Life member of the Society.)
O’CONNOR, REV. P. J., St. Joseph Catholic Church, Sioux City, Iowa.
O’CONNOR, R. C., 1835 Scott Street, San Francisco, Cal.
O’CONNOR, HON. W. A., Santa Cruz County, Nogales, Ariz.
O’DOHERTY, REV. JAMES, Haverhill, Mass. (Life member of the Society.)
O’DOHERTY, HON. MATTHEW, Louisville, Ky.
O’DONOHUE, CAPT. LOUIS V., 25 West Forty-second Street, New York City.
(Life member of the Society.)
O’DRISCOLL, DANIEL M., 22 Church Street, Charleston, S. C.
O’DWYER, HON. EDWARD F., 37 West Seventy-sixth Street, New York City.
O’FARRELL, PATRICK ALOYSIUS, The Oaks, Cohasset, Mass. (Life member of
the Society.)
O’FLAHERTY, JAMES, 22 North William Street, New York City.
O’GORMAN, HON. JAMES A., 318 West One Hundred Eighth Street, New York
City.
O’GORMAN, THOMAS A., 215 Doyle Avenue, Providence, R. I.
O’HAGAN, WILLIAM J., Charleston, S. C. (Vice-President of the Society
for South Carolina.)
O’HEARN, DANIEL A., M. D., 640 Westford Street, Lowell, Mass.
O’HEARN, PATRICK, 282 Riverside Street, Lowell, Mass.
O’HEARN, WILLIAM, 298 Boylston Street, Brookline, Mass.
O’HERIN, WILLIAM, Parsons, Labette County, Kan. (Life member of the
Society.)
O’KEEFE, EDMUND, 174 Middle Street, New Bedford, Mass.
O’KEEFE, LT.-COL. JOHN A., Broadway, Providence, R. I.
O’KEEFE, JOHN A., 25 Exchange Street, Lynn, Mass.
O’KEEFFE, JOHN G., 66 Broadway, New York City.
O’LEARY, REV. CORNELIUS F., Notre Dame Church, Wellston, Mo.
O’LEARY, JEREMIAH, 445 Fifty-eighth Street, Brooklyn, N. Y.
O’LEARY, JEREMIAH A., 38 Park Row, New York City.
O’LEARY, COL. M. J., 122 Bay Street, East, Savannah, Georgia.
O’LEARY, P. J., 161 West Thirteenth Street, New York City.
O’LOUGHLIN, PATRICK, 18 Tremont Street, Boston, Mass.
O’MALLEY, CHARLES J., 530 Atlantic Avenue, Boston, Mass.
O’MEARA, HON. JOHN B., 1413 Syndicate Trust Building, St. Louis, Mo.
(Vice-President of the Society for Missouri.)
O’NEIL, FRANK S., LL. D., O’Neil Building, Binghamton, N. Y. (Life
member of the Society.)
O’NEIL, HON. GEORGE F., Binghamton, N. Y. (Life member of the
Society.)
O’NEIL, HON. JOSEPH H., Federal Trust Company, Boston. Mass.
O’NEIL, JOSEPH S., 38 Front Street, Binghamton, N. Y.
O’NEIL, REV. JOHN P., Peterborough, N. H.
O’NEILL, COL. C. T., 315 N. 4th Street, Allentown, Pa.
O’NEILL, REV. CLEMENT P., St. Mary of the Woods, Princeville, Ill.
O’NEILL, REV. DANIEL H., 935 Main Street, Worcester, Mass.
O’NEILL, REV. D. P., Westchester, N. Y.
O’NEILL, EUGENE M., Pittsburg, Pa. (Life member of the Society.)
O’NEILL, JAMES L., 220 Franklin Street, Elizabeth, N. J. (Member of
the Executive Council.)
O’REILLY, REV. FRANCIS J., Cathedral, Peoria, Ill.
O’REILLY, PETER, 835 Octavia Street, San Francisco, Cal.
O’REILLY, THOMAS, 8 Mt. Morris Park West, New York City.
O’ROURKE, HON. JEREMIAH, 756 Broad Street, Newark, N. J. (Life member
of the Society.)
O’RYAN, JOSEPH PATRICK, 4381 17th Street, San Francisco, Cal.
O’SHAUGHNESSY, MAJOR EDWARD J., 912 St. Nicholas Avenue, New York
City.
O’SHAUGHNESSY, JAMES, 2252 Gidding Street, Chicago, Ill.
O’SHAUGHNESSY, MICHAEL MAURICE, Union Trust Building, San Francisco,
Cal.
O’SHEA, D. G., Red Lodge, Montana.
O’SHEA, G. HARRY, 29 Broadway, New York City.
O’SHEA, JAMES, 31 West Eighty-eighth Street, New York City.
O’SHEE, JAMES A., Alexandria, Louisiana.
O’SULLIVAN, HUMPHREY, Lowell, Mass.
O’SULLIVAN, JAMES, Lowell, Mass.
O’SULLIVAN, JOHN, care of H. B. Claflin Co., New York City.
O’SULLIVAN, SYLVESTER J., 66 Liberty Street, New York City.
OLCOTT, CHAUNCEY, 1193 Broadway, New York City. (Life member of the
Society.)
OVER, SPENCER H., 18 Medway Street, Providence, R. I.
PATTERSON, REV. GEORGE J., V. G., the Cathedral rectory, Boston, Mass.
PERRY, CHARLES J., World Building, New York City.
PHELAN, JOHN J., 7 Wall Street, New York City.
PHELAN, REV. J., Marcus, Ia.
PHELAN, JAMES D., Phelan Building, San Francisco, Cal.
PHELAN, TIMOTHY J., Narragansett Hotel, Providence, R. I.
PHILBIN, HON. EUGENE A., 52 William Street, New York City.
PIGGOTT, MICHAEL, 1634 Vermont Street, Quincy, Ill.
PIGOTT, WILLIAM, Alaska Building, Seattle, Wash. (Life member of the
Society.)
PLUNKETT, THOMAS, 326 Sixth Street, East Liverpool, O.
POTTS, RICHARD T., 73 Broad Street, Elizabeth, N. J.
POWER, REV. JAMES W., 47 East One Hundred Twenty-ninth Street, New
York City.
POWER, NEAL, Mills Building, San Francisco, Cal.
POWERS, JOHN F., 518 Hudson Avenue, Weehawken, N. J.
POWERS, JOHN J., 424 Habersham Street, Savannah, Ga.
POWERS, PATRICK H., Danube Street, Roxbury, Mass.
PRENDERGAST, HON. WILLIAM A., Register’s Office, Brooklyn, N. Y.
QUIN, R. A., M. D., P. O. Box 234, Vicksburg, Miss. (Vice-President of
the Society for Mississippi.)
QUINLAN, FRANCIS J., A. M., M. D., LL. D., President-General of the
Society, life member and member of its Executive Council, 33 West
Thirty-eighth Street, New York City.
QUINN, FRANK J., Old Library Building, Peoria, Ill.
QUINN, JOHN, 31 Nassau Street, New York City.
QUINN, COL. PATRICK HENRY, 19 College Street, Providence, R. I.
QUIRK, REV. M. A., Ottawa, Ill.
RAMSEY, CLARENCE J., 132 West Twelfth Street, New York City.
RATHBUN, HON. ELMER J., Court House, Providence, R. I.
RAYENS, MICHAEL W., 206 Broadway, New York City.
REARDON, EDMUND, Cambridge, Mass.
REARDON, TIMOTHY, 726 Dayton Avenue, St. Paul, Minn.
REARDON, WILLIAM J., Pekin, Ill.
REGAN, JOHN H., 261 Broadway, New York City.
REGAN, W. P., 296 Essex Street, Lawrence, Mass.
REILLY, F. JAMES, 122 Centre Street, New York City.
REILLY, JOHN P., M. D., 215 Elizabeth Avenue, Elizabeth, N. J.
RICHARDSON, STEPHEN J., 372 East 147th Street, New York City.
RIGNEY, JOSEPH, 17 East 11th Street, New York City.
RIORDAN, CHARLES F., 39 Melville Avenue, Dorchester, Mass.
RIORDAN, T. A., Flagstaff, Arizona.
ROACH, JAMES F., 5822 Fifth Avenue, Brooklyn, N. Y.
RODDY, JOHN T., 254 Meeting Street, Charleston, S. C.
ROGAN, JOHN H., 145 Nassau Street, New York City.
ROHAN, JOHN D., 49 Wall Street, New York City.
ROONEY, JOHN JEROME, 24 State Street, New York City.
RORKE, JAMES, 40 Barclay Street, New York City.
ROSSITER, W. S., care of Rumford Press, Concord, N. H.
ROTHWELL, BERNARD J., 608 Chamber of Commerce, Boston, Mass.
ROWAN, JOSEPH, 32 Liberty Street, New York City.
RYAN, CHARLES B., 112 Freemason Street, Norfolk, Va.
RYAN, CHARLES V., Springfield, Mass.
RYAN, CHRISTOPHER S., Lexington, Mass.
RYAN, DANIEL C., 461 Fargo Avenue, Buffalo, N. Y.
RYAN, JAMES T., P. O. Box 1010, New York City.
RYAN, JOHN J., 280 Broadway, New York City.
RYAN, JOSEPH E. G., Chicago, Ill.
RYAN, JOSEPH T., 149 Broadway, New York City.
RYAN, GEN. MICHAEL, Spring Grove Avenue, Cincinnati, O.
RYAN, MICHAEL J., Waterbury, Conn.
RYAN, MICHAEL P., 377 Broadway, New York City.
RYAN, HON. MORGAN M. L., 30 Westervelt Avenue, New Brighton, Richmond
County, N. Y.
RYAN, NICHOLAS W., 1444 Boston Road, borough of the Bronx, New York
City.
RYAN, HON. PATRICK J., 205 Broad Street, Elizabeth, N. J.
RYAN, MOST REV. PATRICK J., D. D., the Cathedral, Philadelphia, Pa.
RYAN, PATRICK J., 172 East Ninety-fourth Street, New York City.
RYAN, HON. THOMAS F., 60 Fifth Avenue, New York City. (Life member of
the Society.)
RYAN, TIMOTHY M., M. D., Meara Block, Torrington, Conn.
RYAN, HON. WILLIAM, 375 Irving Avenue, Port Chester, N. Y.
SASSEEN, ROBERT A., 165 Broadway, New York City. (Life member of the
Society.)
SCOTT, CORNELIUS J., 439 West Fifty-seventh Street, New York City.
SCOTT, JOSEPH, 706 Equitable Savings Bank Building, Los Angeles, Cal.
SCULLY, HON. P. JOSEPH, 4 Columbia Street, New York City.
SEYMOUR, JOHN F., 52 Pierce Street, San Francisco, Cal.
SHAHAN, VERY REV. THOMAS J., S. T. D., J. U. L., Catholic University,
Washington, D. C.
SHANAHAN, HON. DAVID E., 185 Dearborn Street, Chicago, Ill.
SHANAHAN, VERY REV. EDMUND T., Ph. D., S. T. D., J. C. L., Catholic
University, Washington, D. C.
SHANLEY, JOHN F., Newark, N. J.
SHANLEY, THOMAS J., 344 West Eighty-seventh Street, New York City.
SHANNON, REV. JAMES, 211 Bradley Avenue, Peoria, Ill.
SHANNON, JAMES A., 607 West 40th Street, New York City.
SHANNON, M. M., 512 Davis Street, Elmira, N. Y.
SHEA, DANIEL W., Ph. D., Catholic University, Washington, D. C.
SHEEDY, BRYAN DEF., M. D., 164 West Seventy-third Street, New York
City.
SHEEHAN, GEORGE H., 7 Water Street, Boston, Mass.
SHEEHAN, JOHN LOUIS, LL. B., LL. M., LL. D., Barristers’ Hall, Boston,
Mass.
SHEEHAN, HON. WILLIAM FRANCIS, 16 East Fifty-sixth Street, New York
City.
SHEEHY, M. J., foot of West Thirty-ninth Street, New York City.
SHEPPARD, REV. J. HAVERGAL, D. D., First Baptist Church, Schenectady,
N. Y.
SHERAN, HUGH F., 46 Woodbine Street, Roxbury, Mass.
SHERMAN, HON. P. TECUMSEH, 15 William Street, New York City.
SHERRY, PETER P., 254 West 14th Street, New York City.
SHINE, REV. M. A., Plattsmouth, Nebraska.
SHIPMAN, ANDREW J., 37 Wall Street, New York City.
SHUMAN, A., 440 Washington Street, Boston, Mass.
SILO, JAMES P., 128 West Seventy-third Street, New York City.
SIMONS, THOMAS A., 241 Marshall Street, Elizabeth, N. J.
SINNOTT, HON. PHILIP J., 516 West 143d Street, New York City.
SLATTERY, JOHN J., 930 South First Street, Louisville, Ky.
SLAVIN, DENNIS J., Waterbury, Conn.
SLOANE, CHARLES W., 54 William Street, New York City.
SMITH, DR. ANDREW C., The Dekum, Portland, Ore.
SMITH, JAMES, 26 Broadway, New York City.
SMITH, JAMES E., 38 Park Row, New York City.
SMITH, REV. JAMES J., 88 Central Street, Norwich, Conn.
SMITH, JOSEPH, Boston Traveller, Boston, Mass.
SMITH, THOMAS F., 32 Chambers Street, New York City.
SMYTH, SAMUEL, 41 Liberty Street, New York City.
SMYTH, REV. THOMAS, Springfield, Mass.
SMYTH, REV. THOMAS M., East Liverpool, O.
SOMERS, PATRICK E., 17 Hermon Street, Worcester, Mass. (Life member of
the Society.)
SPELLACY, THOMAS J., 756 Main Street, Hartford, Conn.
SPELLISSY, DENIS A., 256 Broadway, New York City.
SPILLANE, J. B., 1 Madison Avenue, New York City.
STAFFORD, WILLIAM F., Grant Building, San Francisco, Cal.
STREKER, WILLIAM, M. D., Providence, R. I.
SULLIVAN, FRANCIS J., 1312 Rector Building, Chicago, Ill.
SULLIVAN, JAMES E., M. D., 254 Wayland Avenue, Providence, R. I.
SULLIVAN, JAMES J., 818 Ernest & Cranmer Building, Denver, Col.
SULLIVAN, JEREMIAH B., Clapp Block, Des Moines, Iowa.
SULLIVAN, JOHN J., 203 Broadway, New York City.
SULLIVAN, HON. M. B., M. D., Dover, N. H.
SULLIVAN, HON. MICHAEL F., M. D., Oak Street, Lawrence, Mass.
SULLIVAN, MICHAEL H., 34 School Street, Boston, Mass.
SULLIVAN, MICHAEL W., Century Building, Washington, D. C.
SULLIVAN, MICHAEL X., Ph. D., Bureau of Soil, Washington, D. C.
SULLIVAN, ROGER G., 803 Elm Street, Manchester, N. H.
SULLIVAN, HON. ROGER C., 115 Dearborn Street, Chicago, Ill. (Life
member of the Society.)
SULLIVAN, T. P., D. D. S., 318 South Main Street, Fall River, Mass.
SULLIVAN, TIMOTHY P., Concord, N. H.
SULLIVAN, WILLIAM B., Tremont Building, Boston, Mass.
SULLIVAN, DR. WILLIAM J., Lawrence, Mass.
SULLIVAN, W. R., Wilmington, N. C.
SUPPLE, REV. JAMES N., St. Francis de Sales Church, Charlestown, Mass.
SUTTON, JOHN P., 134 North 18th Street, Lincoln, Nebraska.
SWEENEY, JAMES F., 709 Sears Building, Boston, Mass.
SWEENEY, JOHN F., 256 Main Street, Buffalo, N. Y. (Life member of the
Society.)
SWEENEY, REV. TIMOTHY P., Fall River, Mass.
SWEENY, WILLIAM MONTGOMERY, 120 Franklin Street, Astoria, L. I., N. Y.
SWORDS, JOSEPH F., Sulphur, Oklahoma. (Vice-President of the Society
for Oklahoma.)
SYNNOTT, MARTIN J., M. D., 30 Tulleston Avenue, Montclair, N. J.
TAAFFE, JOHN, Yonkers, N. Y.
TACK, THEODORE E., 52 Broadway, New York City.
TAGGART, HON. THOMAS, French Lick Springs Hotel, French Lick, Ind.
TALLEY, ALFRED J., 165 Broadway, New York City.
TEELING, RT. REV. ARTHUR J., Lynn, Mass.
THOMPSON, FRANK, 126 Liberty Street, New York City.
THOMPSON, JAMES, 127 West Main Street, Louisville, Ky. (Vice-President
of the Society for Kentucky.)
TIERNEY, DENNIS H., 167 Bank Street, Waterbury, Conn. (Vice-President
of the Society for Connecticut.)
TIERNEY, EDWARD M., Hotel Marlborough, Broadway, New York City.
TIERNEY, HENRY S., 59 Prescott Street, Torrington, Conn.
TIERNEY, MYLES, 317 Riverside Drive, New York City. (Life member of
the Society.)
TOBIN, JOSEPH S., Burlingame, California.
TOBIN, JOSEPH S., Hibernia Bank, San Francisco, Cal.
TOOLEY, FRANK L., D. D. S., 157 East Seventy-ninth Street, New York
City.
TOWLE, FELIX S., 332 Broadway, New York City.
TRAVERS, VINCENT P., 41 Worth Street, New York City.
TROMBLY, HON. JOHN BRUNO, Altona, N. Y. (Life member of the Society.)
TROY, ROBERT P., Call Building, San Francisco, Cal.
TULLY, MICHAEL P., 33 Spring Street, Newton, N. J.
TULLY, HON. WILLIAM J., Corning, N. Y.
TWOHIG, WILLIAM, Galesburg, Ill.
TWOHY, GEORGE J., Norfolk, Va.
TYRRELL, PATRICK, 1368 Fullerton Avenue, Chicago, Ill.
VREDENBURGH, WATSON, Jr., 135 Broadway, New York City.
WADE, HON. MARTIN J., Iowa City, Iowa.
WADDELL, COL. ALFRED MOORE, Wilmington, N. C.
WALDRON, E. M., 84 South Sixth Street, Newark, N. J.
WALLER, HON. THOMAS M., New London, Conn.
WALSH, DAVID I., Fitchburg, Mass.
WALSH, FRANK, 868 Broad Street, Newark, N. J.
WALSH, P. J., 503 Fifth Avenue, New York City.
WALSH, PHILIP C., Jr., 260 Washington Street, Newark, N. J.
WALSH, WILLIAM P., 247 Water Street, Augusta, Me.
WALSH, HON. THOMAS F., Colorado Building, Washington, D. C. (Life
member of the Society and Vice-President for Colorado.)
WARD, EDWARD, Kennebunk, Me.
WARD, JOHN T., Kennebunk, Me.
WARD, MICHAEL J., 17 Shailer Street, Brookline, Mass.
WHALEN, HON. JOHN S., Albany, N. Y.
WHEELEHAN, MATTHEW J., 115 Broadway, New York City.
WHELEN, WILLIAM J., 326 South Broad Street, Elizabeth, N. J.
WHITE, JOHN B., 121 East Eighty-sixth Street, New York City.
WINTER, JOSEPH, Advocate Office, Melbourne, Australia.
WOODS, JOHN, 308 Athens Street, South Boston, Mass.
WRIGHT, HENRY, 2559 Third Avenue, New York City.
ZABRISKIE, GEORGE A., 123 Produce Exchange, New York City.
A FEW OF THE LETTERS RECEIVED CONCERNING VOLUME VIII.
The following are a few of the letters received by the
Secretary-General, commenting on Vol. VIII. of the Journal, which was
distributed last year:
JOHN F. O’CONNELL, PROVIDENCE, R. I.
Some time ago I received a copy of the 8th Volume of the American
Irish Historical Society’s records. I want at this time to apologize
for not acknowledging receipt of it before. While I have not been
asked by any publishing house to fill a 5-ft. shelf of the best
sellers, I will cheerfully recommend this book to anybody in search of
a liberal education of the Irish chapter in American History. The book
and yourself reflect credit upon one another.
M. R. F. MCCARTHY, BINGHAMTON, N. Y.
The purpose of this note is to acknowledge receipt of Volume Eight,
Journal of the American Irish Historical Society. It is a very
creditable work indeed and most interesting. The merits of the book
are many and I desire to thank you for my copy.
J. B. SPILLANE, NEW YORK CITY.
The latest volume, bearing on the proceedings of the American-Irish
Historical Society, has just reached me, and I congratulate you most
heartily on its general excellence, both from literary and
typographical view-points.
These volumes have become a veritable encyclopedia of important data
bearing upon the achievements of people of Irish birth in America, and
they supplement the work of the Society in a most valuable way, for
the facts presented within the covers of these volumes will last long
after its members shall have passed away.
Up to the time the American Irish Historical Society was organized
nothing had been done in a really practical way to identify those of
Irish birth and descent with the history and development of the
Colonies and the United States outside of fugitive articles in the
daily press. But now we have a permanent record of actual
accomplishments, the value of which will grow with the years.
The members are, indeed, much indebted to the late lamented Thomas H.
Murray for the time bestowed, as well as the patience and ability
which he displayed in the compilation of these volumes, and when I say
that the volume just to hand is of equal interest and importance to
any of its predecessors little more need be said in complimenting you.
WILLIAM BEER, NEW ORLEANS.
I am duly in receipt of the copy of the American Irish Historical
Society Journal, Volume Eight. I thank you for it and for placing us
on your mailing list.
The section on late publications interesting to members is one of
great value and should be cultivated until it covers not only the
names of books interesting to members but of periodical articles.
THOMAS DWYER, NEW YORK CITY.
I beg to gratefully acknowledge the receipt of the Journal of the
American Irish Historical Society. I think the American Irish
Historical Society deserves great credit for the publishing of this
book, and I trust it will periodically issue such publications, as
they are most encouraging and instructive to everybody interested in
the story of Ireland and its people.
CHARLES MCCARTHY, JR., PORTLAND, ME.
Volume Eight of the Journal of the American Irish Historical Society
was received a few days ago, for which I thank you and congratulate
you on its general arrangement and appearance.
CLARENCE W. STOWELL, PROVIDENCE.
I was pleasantly surprised to find in my mail this morning a copy of
The Journal of the American Irish Historical Society, Volume Eight.
Please accept my sincere thanks for the same, and let me congratulate
you upon the very interesting volume you have compiled. I will read
its contents with great pleasure.
CARNEGIE FREE LIBRARY.
I beg to acknowledge the receipt of—with best thanks—The Journal of
the American Irish Historical Society, Volume Eight, which shall be
duly placed in the Reference Library of this Institution. It will be
considered a great favor if your Council can see their way to donate
the seven preceding volumes to this Library, also to place the name of
this Institution on your free-list for future issues of your annual
volume.
JAMES WILKINSON,
_Secretary and Librarian_.
WILLIAM J. KELLY, PORTSMOUTH, N. H.
I beg to acknowledge receipt of Volume Eight of the Journal and thank
you for the same. This is the best ever.
JAMES CONNOLLY, CORONADO, CAL.
I thank you for Volume Eight of Journal of American Irish Historical
Society, at hand just now.
I take pleasure in tendering yourself and the Society sincere
congratulations on the excellence of this work. It shows that you and
your co-laborers in the field are fully alive and awake to the great
and salutary duties which you have in hand.
WILLIAM J. BARRY, BOSTON.
Permit me to express my appreciation of your work and the work of your
assistants in compiling the Eighth Volume of the Journal of the
American Irish Historical Society. Upon receipt of same I started to
glance it over, but spent all the afternoon and evening reading it and
found the Journal deeply interesting.
EDWARD J. MCGUIRE, NEW YORK.
I want to congratulate you heartily upon the excellent work done in
the preparation of the American Irish Historical Society’s Journal. It
is a handsome volume, excellently arranged. I have looked it over
carefully. I think you can readily qualify as a member of the Authors’
Club.
REV. GEORGE F. MAGUIRE, HARWICH, MASS.
I am in receipt of your Journal of the American Irish Historical
Society, for which please accept my sincere thanks. The information it
contains will add greatly to the popular knowledge of what Irishmen
have achieved, to enlarge the domain of their honest efforts in
securing for themselves recognition as potent factors in the
upbuilding of national thought and success.
I am rejoiced to accept the above mentioned Journal as an evidence of
your sterling worth, in placing before the public _names_ and _facts_
which will strengthen the claim we make for our race, of having
entered largely as a component of the many national privileges which
we enjoy.
JAMES H. DEVLIN, JR., BOSTON.
Many thanks for the Journal that you have just sent me. The Society
has good reason to be proud of its Journal and of its
Secretary-General who is responsible for it.
WILLIAM J. KINSLEY, NEW YORK CITY.
Volume Eight of the Journal of the American Irish Historical Society
just at hand and I wish to thank you for sending it and at the same
time to congratulate you upon the makeup of the book. It is edited
with literary ability and reflects credit on you as well as to the
contributors of the various articles, and the artistic mechanical
makeup are also both very fine. It is a book that is a credit to the
organization and its circulation is bound to do much good for the
cause.
JOHN D. CRIMMINS, NEW YORK CITY.
I have this moment received and opened Volume Eight of the Journal of
the American Irish Historical Society.
My warmest congratulations to you on this excellent production, which
is a credit to the Society. It is by far the best volume yet brought
out.
HENRY L. JOYCE, NEW YORK CITY.
I beg to acknowledge receipt of the Society’s annual book for the year
1909. I want to congratulate you upon the splendid work you have
turned out. It is well done, very interesting, and fully appreciated.
JOSEPH F. O’CONNELL, M. C., BOSTON.
I have received today Volume Eight of the Journal of the American
Irish Historical Society, and I wish to extend to you my compliments
on the splendid way in which it is gotten up.
JAMES F. BRENNAN, PETERBOROUGH, N. H.
Volume Eight of the Journal of the American-Irish Historical Society
is at hand. It is a beautiful and worthy volume; the only one we have
had clothed as it should be. I am delighted that you have improved its
looks so much, and I congratulate you on the taste displayed; no
better style could be adopted.
RT. REV. JAMES MCGOLRICK, DULUTH, MINN.
I beg leave to acknowledge the receipt of Volume Eight of the Journal
of the American-Irish Historical Society.
It is a real pleasure to read a volume so interesting, so well
illustrated and so full of information. You are to be congratulated on
the excellent work.
JOHN J. LENEHAN, NEW YORK CITY.
I was prepared for something extra, for with you it is _nullum quod
tetegit non ornavit_, but Volume Eight of the Journal has completely
surpassed all my anticipations. It is a wonder.
It is the best book ever issued by the Society, and marks the highest
point reached in its work.
Between the pages—nay, between the very lines themselves—I see your
thought and care for every detail. Well written, carefully read,
appropriately collocated, profusely illustrated, full of information
and suggestion, the book only partly shows the wealth of labor
expended on its preparation.
No one will ever know or thoroughly realize the time you necessarily
gave to this task. The American Irish Historical Society will long
feel proud of the zeal and devotion of its distinguished
Secretary-General.
In these days of the strenuous life it may truly be said that greater
love hath no man than this, that he gives up some of his time for his
friends. This work will bear great fruit. May you long be spared.
M. P. TULLY, NEWTON, N. J.
Enclosed herewith please find receipt for Volume Eight American Irish
Historical Journal, which came duly to hand on 19th inst., for which
you will accept my sincere thanks. It is intrinsically priceless to
any Irish person or a person of Irish descent if they have any regard
for their ancestors. It is one of the greatest privileges of my life
to be admitted as a member of such an organization. The work before it
will be of incalculable benefit to the Irish race. May it live long
and prosper!
PATRICK CARTER, PROVIDENCE.
It is indeed a great pleasure for me to thank you with all my heart
for the time you have spent and the space you have given me in The
Journal of the American Irish Historical Society, a book so well known
and so largely circulated among the good people of the country.
WILLIAM O’HERIN, PARSONS, KAN.
I beg to acknowledge receipt of Volume Eight of the Journal of the
American Irish Historical Society, and desire to express my
appreciation of its contents and the admirable manner in which it is
gotten up.
PATRICK J. MCCARTHY, PROVIDENCE.
Received Volume Eight, Journal of the American Irish Historical
Society, the latest and best. With grateful respect to the memory of
the pioneer editor and Secretary-General, Thomas H. Murray, I express
my admiration for your zeal, ability, industry and patriotism in the
cause as Secretary-General and as editor of Volume Eight. It will
commend the Society to the Irish race and inspire us to persevere and
will also command the respect of other races for the Irish.
JAMES L. O’NEILL, ELIZABETH, N. J.
Volume Eight of the American Irish Historical Society received. You
are deserving of the highest commendation from the members of the
Society. All who read the pages will readily see the compiling of the
work was an arduous task, but no doubt an extreme pleasure to you.
I trust you will be spared to the Society for many years to come, and
thus continue in the noble work of your late predecessor, and also
that your zeal will have the subservient effect.
JOHN J. SLATTERY, LOUISVILLE, KY.
I thank you for Volume Eight of the Society’s publications sent to me,
which came in due time, and the receipt of which I would have
acknowledged sooner, had I not been desirous of first examining its
contents.
This volume, like its predecessors, is replete with valuable historic
matter, and should be found in every well-selected library. Please
accept my thanks and best wishes for the success of the Society.
INDEX.
Administration Expenses, 40
Alexander, Hon. Charles, Address by, 99
American History, Unsolved Phase of, 78
American Irish Historical Society, Conference of Officers of, 478
American Irish Historical Society, General Information, 20
American Irish Historical Society, Mailing List of, 493
American Irish Historical Society, Members of, 555
American Irish Historical Society, Constitution of, 12
American Irish History and Biography, 351
Annual Banquet, 71
Anthony, Capt. G. S., Honors for, 481
Aughwick, Pa., 348
Barry, P. T., Paper by, 438
Berkeley, Bishop, 421
Biographical Sketches of New Members, 516
Bourlet, Major John W., 512
Brady, Col. Jas. D., Sketch of, 442
Brady, Jos. P., Sketch by, 442
Brennan, Hon. J. F., Paper by, 247
Carmody, Capt. P. J., Paper by, 466
Carroll Family in Maryland, 258
Champlain Tercentenary, 488
Claremont, Named by Michael Hogan, 485
Clarke, J. I. C., Ode by, 146
Clarke, J. I. C., Paper by, 113
Clonmel,—See Walhurst.
Collierville, Battle of, 466
Connolly, Capt. Jas., Paper by, 429
Cosgrove, John J., Paper by, 365
Crogan, George, 348
Dickson Letters, The, 402
Donations, 39
Dooley, M. F., Address at Banquet, 78
Dooley, M. F., Treasurer, Annual Report of, 43
Early American History, Irish Contributions to, 196
Eleventh Annual Meeting, Minutes of, 31
Emmet, Robert, Memorial, 470
Executive Council, Entertainment of, 444
Falsifications, Historic, Against Irish, 429
Finerty, Col. John F., 438
Fitzgerald, Hon. James, Paper by, 161
Fitzpatrick, Thomas B., Address by, 64
Fort Sheridan, 448
Gamble, Senator R. J., Address of, 492
Griffin, Martin I. J., Address by, 65
Hastings, Hon. Hugh, Paper by, 152
Historical Papers, 111
Holliday, The Family and Town, 339
Hudson-Fulton Celebration, Irish Share in, 113
Introductory, 7
Irish Element in America, 451
Irish Famine Victims’ Grave, Cross on, 471
Irish in Protestant Denominations in America, 92
Irish Names of Counties, 483
Irish Origin, Yankee Doodle and Dixie, 490
Irish Pioneers in Upper Mississippi Valley, 301
Irish Settlers in Southern New Hampshire, 247
Jackson, Stonewall, 183
Kehoe, M. F., Paper by, 258
Lawless, Hon. Joseph T., Paper by, 213
Lee, Thomas Z., Secretary-General, Report of, 35
Lenehan, Mgr. B. C., 505
Lenehan, John J., Committee Report, 47
Letters Received Concerning Volume VIII, 578
Lonergan, Thomas S., Paper by, 236
Makemie, Rev. Francis, 331
Manhattan, Ode for Hudson-Fulton Celebration, 146
McAdoo, Hon. William, 83
Maclay, Edgar S., Paper by, 279
McFall, Archbishop, Fighting Tuberculosis, 491
McGovern, James, 577
McManus, Rev. M. A., 508
Membership Committee, Report of, 47
Membership, Good Spirit, 491
Membership Roll of the American Irish Historical Society, 555
Moll Pitcher, Surely Irish, 488
Monaghan, Ensign, Honors for, 485
Morgan, Daniel, 213
Mulholland, General St. Clair A., 501
Murphy, George J. S., 513
Murphy, Lt. E. Van D., Paper by, 468
Murray, Hon. L. O., On Official Problems, 493
Necrology, 498
New Jersey, St. Patrick’s Halfpence, 487
New Members, 31
O’Brien, Capt. John, 386
O’Brien, Patrick, 515
O’Connor, R. C., Paper by, 451
O’Dwyer, Rev. Daniel H., 498
Officers 1910, 9, 56
O’Hara Fiske, Courtesy of, 492
O’Leary, Cornelius F., Paper by, 206
Onahan, Hon. William J., Paper by, 409
O’Meara, Maurice, 513
O’Neill, Jas. L., Paper by, 339, 348
Papers, Partial List of Those Read Before Society, 21
Piggott, Michael, Paper by, 301
Quinlan, President-General, Address at Banquet, 71
Rhode Island, Irish in, 365
Roche, Jeffrey, Memorial to, 441
St. Brendan, 236
Saint-Gaudens, Homer, Paper by, 462
Saint-Gaudens, Reminiscences of, 462
St. Louis, Irish in the Early Days of, 206
St. Patrick’s Halfpence in New Jersey, 487
Secretary-General, Report of, 35
Sheehan, John L., Paper by, 183
Sheppard, Rev. J. Havergal, Address at Banquet, 92
Sheppard, Rev. J. Havergal, Paper by, 331
Sherman, Rev. Andrew M., Paper by, 386
Shields, Gen. James, 409
Sixty-Ninth Regiment, The, 161
Springfield, Mass., Irish Pioneers in, 475
Stars, Irish in the Archives of New York Province, 152
Sullivan, Dr. Michael F., 351
Sullivan, Michael X., Paper by, 196
Tierney, Edward M., Address at Banquet, 105
Titles in Early American History, 279
Treasurer-General, Annual Report of, 43
Twelfth Annual Meeting and Banquet, Records, 25
Walhurst, Renaming of, 428
Walsh, Philip C., 510
Waterbury, French Camp at, 482
Wood, John, First Pioneer, 301
-----
Footnote 1:
Amended so that annual membership fee is now $5.
Footnote 2:
Father O’Leary’s paper appears elsewhere in the Journal.
Footnote 3:
Mr. McCarthy since the meeting requested that his paper be returned to
him, presumably for additions and corrections. Later he notified the
Secretary-General that he preferred his article be not published.
Footnote 4:
Mr. Clarke is Vice President of this Society and author of an article
printed elsewhere in this volume.
Footnote 5:
Miss Mary L. Linehan, The Colonial Irish in New England.
Footnote 6:
J. A. Spencer. Hist. of U. S., Vol. 1, p. 198, 1774–76.
Footnote 7:
James Grahame. Colonial History of the United States, Vol. II, p. 481,
1850.
Footnote 8:
Spencer. The Hist. of the United States, Vol. I, p. 80.
Footnote 9:
Ramsay. The History of South Carolina, 1809.
Footnote 10:
H. Marshall. The History of Kentucky, 1824.
Footnote 11:
The Story of the Irish in Boston, 1889.
Footnote 12:
The Irish Scots and the Scotch Irish, page 44.
Footnote 13:
Irish Colonists in New York. A Lecture Delivered before the New York
Historical Association at Lake George, New York, 1906.
Footnote 14:
Prof. E. D. Sanborn writing of these Puritans (1 _Granite Monthly_,
34), said: “Some portion of the bigotry, intolerance and persecution
of Massachusetts Puritans migrated to New Hampshire with their laws.
The result was a few prosecutions of witches and Quakers, but no
capital convictions. After the lapse of a century some disabilities
and distraint of goods for the support of ‘the standing order’ or
clergy were inflicted on dissenters from the established creed. This
petty intolerance continued until about 1819, when the Toleration Act
became a law of New Hampshire.”
Footnote 15:
The late L. A. Morrison, of Derry, N. H., said of them (10 _Granite
Monthly_, page 249), that “They were hard-hearted, long-headed,
level-headed, uncompromising, unconquered and unconquerable
Presbyterians. They were of a stern and rugged type. They clung to the
tenets of the Presbyterian faith with a devotion, constancy and
obstinacy little short of bigotry and in it was mingled little of that
charity for others of a different faith, ‘which suffereth long,’ and
it was said of them in 1790: ‘They have a great deal of substantial
civility, without much courtesy to relieve it, and set it off to the
best advantage.’ The bold idea of rights and privileges, which seem
inseparable from their Presbyterian church, renders them apt to be
ungracious and litigious in their dealings. On the whole the middle
and lower ranks of people, in this quarter of the kingdom, are a
valuable part of the community; but one must estimate their worth as a
miner often does his ore, rather by its weight than its
splendor.”—Letters concerning the Northern Coast of the County Antrim
Island, by William Hamilton, Dublin, 1790, page 117.
Footnote 16:
“From the notices given and extracts taken from records, it will be
seen that Presbyterianism in New England had passed its noonday, and
that its tide had begun to ebb.” History of Presbyterianism in New
England, by Alexander Blaikie, 1882, page 197. With reference to the
condition in Peterborough, it was stated: “The number of members of
the church in 1850 was 175, in 1856 their roll was reduced to 67
members and in 1859 Presbyterianism became extinct in Peterborough.”
_Ib._, page 367.
Footnote 17:
As an instance of this evolution may be mentioned the efforts of a
very estimable lady of our town in 1896 at a church meeting, called
for the purpose, who proposed the substitution of water for wine in
the church service; the question was solemnly and prayerfully
discussed, was not voted down, but the motion was laid on the table,
where it still remains for future determination; the matter was not
decided then; possibly their progressiveness had not sufficiently
advanced. But less important questions have been the foundation of
some modern church doctrines. Who will say that this theory, advanced,
as then alleged, in the interest of temperance, may not find favor in
some new church of, so called, advanced ideas, which will profoundly
urge—as is already urged by individuals—that the wine mentioned in the
Bible was not in fact wine at all, nothing more or less than water?
A strange spectacle indeed, ten persons of only ordinary intelligence
and scholarship—who came together after a few hours’ notice—essaying
to make a corrected interpretation of the Bible and radically changing
one of the most important church dogmas which has received the
consideration and approval of the great theologians of the past;
absurd you may say, but it is in a very similar manner that many of
the churches composing the present religious medley came into
existence. Oh shades of old Presbyterianism, could your ancient
devotees but see the wanderings of their progeny in the groping for
the true path!
Footnote 18:
They were from an ancient race of pure Celtic (Irish) origin, whose
ancestors had emigrated from Ireland to southern Scotland, and, in
1612–20, returned to their ancestors’ former home; remaining in
Ireland over a century before the emigration to America in 1718–36. In
other words, from Ireland to Argyle (Scotland) these Irish went, to
Ireland from Scotland they returned in the seventeenth century and to
America their descendants came over a century later. Strange indeed it
is that the history of the Irish origin of these so called Scots is
suppressed by these modern “Scotch-Irish” writers. (See Vol. 2, pages
333 and 712, and Vol. 7, page 555, of Chambers Encyclopædia.)
These hardy and opinionated Celts, while in Scotland, left their
indelible and unmistakable imprint on the language and character of
the people, in the design of their humble dwellings and churches and
more pretentious round towers. In reference to the Round Towers of
Ireland, Hamilton wrote in 1790: “There have been but two buildings of
this species hitherto discovered out of Ireland; they are both in
Scotland, and the fashion of them has probably been borrowed from this
country (Ireland), where they are still extremely numerous. One of
these usually called a Pictish tower, stands at Abernethy in
Perthshire, and seems to be of very ancient date; the other is at
Brechin in Angusshire, probably much more modern than the former.”
Letters concerning the Northern Coast of the County Antrim, Ireland,
by William Hamilton, Dublin, 1790, page 62.
Footnote 19:
Rev. David Annan made a fiddle with his jackknife and would sit with
his Bible open before him and his inspiring glass standing by, and
play tunes while the children danced. His people were shocked,
however, on one occasion when he told them in one of his sermons that
“he had prayed over one bed of onions and fiddled over another to see
which would fare the best.” The result of the experiment was not
reported.—Judge Nathaniel Holmes’ Address of Oct. 24, 1889, page 23.
Jonathan Smith, a lawyer in Clinton, Mass., in his recently published
“Home of the Smith Family” on page 56, gives a description of a wake
held in Peterborough on the occasion of the death of Elizabeth Smith,
April 18, 1769, as follows: “The near relatives and neighbors
assembled in the evening to watch through the night with the body in
the dimly lighted room. The exercises began with the reading of the
Bible, followed by prayer; then words of consolation and comfort were
spoken to the mourners, and the virtue and character of the deceased
were passed in review. Soon stories of ghosts, witches and demons were
exchanged, tales of death warnings to the deceased and her friends.
Later, stimulants were freely circulated, and before morning there was
eating as well as drinking.” Mr. Parker, in speaking of the custom,
says: “The affair often ended by shouts of laughter and revelry
breaking up the company.”
Footnote 20:
It is not generally known that the Society of St. Tammany (the present
Tammany Hall) was more directly associated than any other organization
or party in securing the fight for titles of plain “Mr. President” for
the President of the United States. While not actually a member of the
St. Tammany Society, William Maclay, who was Senator from Pennsylvania
1789–1791, gave his great influence to St. Tammany by making an
address at one of its first meetings, May 12, 1790. Under this date he
records in his Journal: “This day exhibited a grotesque scene in the
streets of New York. Being the old First of May the Sons of St.
Tammany had a grand parade through the town in Indian dress. I
delivered a talk at one of their meetinghouses and went away to
dinner. There seems to be some sort of a scheme laid of erecting some
sort of order or society under this denomination, but it does not seem
well digested as yet. The expense of the dresses must have been
considerable and the money laid out on clothing might have dressed
some of their ragged beggars. But the weather is now warm.”
Without doubt Maclay was in sympathy with the democratic spirit of
this association and it was Maclay who led the successful fight
against titles and royal forms in the first session of Congress.
Footnote 21:
The Burnham Tavern is still standing in Machias, and is now owned by
the local Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. It is
the repository of relics of the Revolution. The building is
practically the same, in appearance, as when the “O’Brien boys,” and
other Machias patriots gathered there at the opening of the War for
Independence, and discussed ways and means for the defense of their
liberties.
Footnote 22:
From “The Liberty Pole; A Tale of Machias.”
Footnote 23:
For a detailed account of the armament of the “Margaretta,” and of the
engagement between her and the American sloop, see “Life of Captain
Jeremiah O’Brien, Machias, Me.,” by the writer of this sketch.
Footnote 24:
According to at least one authority, the “Unity” was re-named the
“O’Brien.”
Footnote 25:
Words fail me to describe my emotions, when, a few years ago, I
visited the spot where the “Margaretta” was beached by the
victory-elated young men who had wrested her from her foreign
commander and crew, a century and a quarter before.
Footnote 26:
For an account of the capture of the “Hannibal,” see Life of Captain
Jeremiah O’Brien.
Footnote 27:
In July, 1902, the writer of this sketch received a letter from Mr. G.
F. Dunning, of Farmington, Connecticut. From this letter I quote the
following words, which I am certain will be of deep interest to the
readers of the sketch of Captain O’Brien: “I was born in Brunswick,
Maine, in 1817, three years before Captain O’Brien removed from
Newburyport to Brunswick, in 1820. My mother, eldest of his three
daughters, was Mary O’Brien, whom my father, Robert D. Dunning,
married in 1802—just 100 years ago. I am the eighth of eleven children
and I am ‘the last leaf on the tree.’ _I remember my grandfather
distinctly_, as he died in May, 1832, when I was 15 years old.
Footnote 28:
The above is a verbatim transcript of Mr. Wheaton’s letter, as sent me
from the Maine Historical Society a few years since.—A. M. S.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES
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95 that a minister by sent to labor that a minister by sent to labor
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