Transcriber’s Note:

The cover image was created by the transcriber and is placed in the public domain.

HON. THOMAS J. GARGAN, Boston, Mass.,
President-General of the Society.

THE JOURNAL
OF THE
AMERICAN-IRISH
Historical Society

BY

THOMAS HAMILTON MURRAY

Secretary-General

VOLUME II

BOSTON, MASS.

PUBLISHED BY THE SOCIETY

1899

INTRODUCTORY NOTE TO SECOND VOLUME.

I take great pleasure in presenting the second volume of the Journal to the Society. In so doing, I desire to acknowledge many courtesies received from various sources during its preparation. I have also been favored with ideas and suggestions regarding the work and, where practicable, have incorporated the same. The present volume, covering the year 1899, shows an increase in scope over the preceding one, a fact typifying the Society’s growth in the field of American historical organizations.

T. H. M.

Boston, Mass., Dec. 30, 1899.

CONTENTS

[INTRODUCTORY NOTE TO SECOND VOLUME.]

[THE AMERICAN-IRISH HISTORICAL SOCIETY.]

[OFFICERS OF THE SOCIETY, 1899.]

[CHRONOLOGICAL RECORD OF THE SOCIETY.]

[PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, 1899.]

[ADDRESSES MADE AND PAPERS READ.]

[A MEETING IN PROVIDENCE, R. I.]

[A MEETING IN NEWPORT, R. I.]

[A MEETING IN BOSTON, MASS.]

[PAPERS CONTRIBUTED TO THE SOCIETY]

[MEMBERSHIP ROLL, AMERICAN-IRISH HISTORICAL SOCIETY.]

[THE DEAD OF THE SOCIETY.]

[GENERAL INDEX.]

[ANALYTICAL INDEX.]

THE AMERICAN-IRISH HISTORICAL SOCIETY.

When and Where Founded.

The American-Irish Historical Society was founded on the evening of Jan. 20, 1897, at a meeting called for that purpose, and held in the Revere House, Boston, Mass. Over forty gentlemen were present. The Hon. Thomas J. Gargan of Boston presided. Thomas Hamilton Murray, then editor of the Daily Sun, Lawrence, Mass., was secretary of the meeting.

The Preliminary Work.

The provisional committee that had attended to the preliminary work included Mr. Murray, just mentioned; James Jeffrey Roche, editor of the Boston Pilot; Joseph Smith, secretary of the police commission, Lowell, Mass.; Thomas B. Lawler of the publishing house, Ginn & Company, Boston, Mass., and Hon. John C. Linehan, state insurance commissioner, Concord, N. H.

Objects and Purposes.

The Society is organized for the special study of the Irish element in the composition of the American people; to investigate and record the influence of this element in the upbuilding of the nation, and to collect and publish facts relating to and illustrating that influence. The Society aims 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 in America.

Speaking More In Detail.

Speaking more in detail, it may be stated that the objects and purposes of the Society are: The study of American history generally; to investigate, specially, the Irish immigration 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 activity; to place the result of its historical investigations and researches in acceptable literary form; to print, publish, and distribute its documents to libraries, educational institutions, and among its members, in order that the widest dissemination of historical truth may be obtained; 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.

Membership Requirements.

Any male person of good moral character, who is interested in the special work of the 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. Application blanks may be obtained of the secretary-general.

The Mode of Admission.

The Society believes that for the present as little red tape as possible should prevail in the admission of applicants. A large membership is desired. Consequently, a request to be enrolled addressed to the secretary-general, to any of the members of the Executive Council, or to a member of the Society who is located in the neighborhood of the applicant, will generally be sufficient to effect the desired result. It is recommended, however, that persons desiring admission shall obtain the blanks provided by the Society, for applicants.

The Fees of Members.

Life members pay $50 in advance at one time; they are exempt from further membership dues. Annual members pay three dollars per year each. In the case of new members, of the annual class, their first payment should be made upon being officially notified of their admission.

No Lines of Creed or Politics.

The Society is constructed on a broad and liberal basis. Being an American organization in spirit and principle, it greets and welcomes to its ranks Americans of whatever race descent, and of whatever creed, who take an interest in the special line of work for which the Society is organized. It at present includes Roman Catholics, Protestant Episcopalians, Methodists, Presbyterians, Unitarians, and members of other denominations. Catholic priests and Protestant ministers are on its roll. There are no creed lines and no politics in the policy of the organization.

Officers of The Society.

The officers comprise a president-general, a vice-president-general, a secretary-general, a treasurer-general, a librarian and archivist, an historiographer (not yet elected), and an Executive Council. The constitution also provides for a vice-president for each state and territory and for the District of Columbia. It is proposed to eventually organize state and city chapters of the Society. A list of the present officers will be found contained herein.

The First President-General.

The first president-general of the Society was Richard Worsam Meade, 3d, rear-admiral, U. S. N. (retired). He was born in New York city, Oct. 9, 1837, at the home of his maternal grandfather, Judge Henry Meigs, which family has given many officers to the United States navy. He was the oldest son of the late Capt. Richard Worsam Meade, 2d, U. S. N., and was a nephew of the late Gen. George Gordon Meade, who for two years commanded the Army of the Potomac. President-General Meade died in Washington, D. C., May 4, 1897. His obsequies took place in that city. The Society contributed a floral harp. Among the mourners there were present from the Society Edward A. Moseley, secretary of the Interstate Commerce Commission; Paymaster John R. Carmody, U. S. N.; J. D. O’Connell of the U. S. Treasury Department, and Capt. John M. Tobin, all of Washington, D. C.

Meetings and Field Day.

Provision is made for quarterly meetings of the Society and monthly meetings of the Executive Council. As far as possible, each meeting, especially those of the Council, is held in a city or state different from the one where the preceding meeting was held. This prevents the Society from becoming merely local to any one state or city, and makes it what its founders intended it to be—a national body. A general field day of the organization is held annually in the summer or fall. The annual meeting for the election of officers is held in January.

Diploma of Membership.

Each member will be entitled to a diploma of membership, bearing the name of the Society, the date of his admission, and such other appropriate matter as may be decided upon. These certificates will be signed by the president-general, the secretary-general, the treasurer-general, and one or two other officers, and will be suitable for display in office, library, or study.

The Society’s Publications.

The Society issues an annual volume, called the Journal of the organization, handsomely printed and substantially bound in cloth. This volume is illustrated, contains a record of the Society’s proceedings, papers contributed by the members as the result of original research, extracts from old documents bearing upon the Irish in this country, and matter of similar interest, much of it, indeed, of almost priceless value. A copy of the Journal is annually given free to each member in good standing. The Society also issues special publications from time to time for the members.

OFFICERS OF THE SOCIETY, 1899.

President-General,

Hon. Thomas J. Gargan,

Of the Law Firm, Gargan & Keating, Boston, Mass.

Vice-President-General,

Hon. John D. Crimmins,

40 East 68th St., New York City.

Secretary-General,

Thomas Hamilton Murray,

Editor Evening Call, 77 Main St., Woonsocket, R. I.

Treasurer-General,

Hon. John C. Linehan,

State Insurance Commissioner, Concord, N. H.

Librarian and Archivist,

Thomas B. Lawler,

New York City.

(With Ginn & Co., Publishers, Boston, New York, Chicago, London.)

EXECUTIVE COUNCIL.

The foregoing and

James Jeffrey Roche, LL. D., Editor The Pilot, Boston, Mass.

Maurice Francis Egan, LL. D., J. U. D., Professor of English Language and Literature, Catholic University, Washington, D. C.

Robert Ellis Thompson, Ph. D., President Central High School, Philadelphia, Pa.

Thomas Addis Emmet, M. D., LL. D., grand nephew of Robert Emmet, the Irish Patriot, New York City.

Hon. Thomas Dunn English, the well known writer; ex-Member of Congress, Newark, N. J.

Francis C. Travers, President of Travers Brothers Co., 107 Duane St., New York City.

Stephen J. Geoghegan, of the firm Gillis & Geoghegan, 537–539 West Broadway, New York City.

Joseph Smith, Secretary of the Board of Police, Lowell, Mass.

Augustus St. Gaudens, Member of the National Academy of Design, New York City.

Hon. Morgan J. O’Brien, a Justice of the New York Supreme Court.

Francis Higgins, 12 East 34th St., New York City.

John Crane, 307 West 103d St., New York City.

Hon. James S. Coleman, 38 East 69th St., New York City.

Joseph F. Swords, New York City; of the fourth American generation from Francis Dawson Swords, who was exiled from Ireland, 1760, and who served in the Patriot army throughout the American Revolution.

STATE VICE-PRESIDENTS.

• Maine—James Cunningham, Portland.
• New Hampshire—James F. Brennan, Peterborough.
• Vermont—John D. Hanrahan, M. D., Rutland.
• Massachusetts—Osborne Howes, Boston.
• Rhode Island—Dennis H. Sheahan, Providence.
• Connecticut—John F. Hayes, M. D., Waterbury.
• New York—Gen. James R. O’Beirne, New York City.
• New Jersey—Hon. William A. M. Mack, Elizabeth.
• Pennsylvania—Gen. St. Clair A. Mulholland, Philadelphia.
• Delaware—Col. John P. Donahoe, WILMINGTON.
• Virginia—Hon. Joseph T. Lawless, Richmond.
• West Virginia—Col. O’Brien Moore, Charleston.
• South Carolina—Hon. M. C. Butler, Edgefield.
• Georgia—Hon. Patrick Walsh, Augusta. (Died March 19, 1899.)
• Ohio—Rev. George W. Pepper, Cleveland. (Died August 6, 1899.)
• Indiana—Very Rev. Andrew Morrissey, C. S. C., Notre Dame.
• Illinois—P. T. Barry, Chicago.
• Iowa—Rev. M. C. Lenihan, Marshalltown.
• Minnesota—John D. O’Brien, St. Paul.
• Michigan—Hon. T. A. E. Weadock, Detroit.
• Missouri—Julius L. Foy, St. Louis.
• Tennessee—Michael Gavin, Memphis.
• Kentucky—Edward Fitzpatrick, Louisville.
• Kansas—Patrick H. Coney, Topeka.
• Colorado—J. E. Lowery, M. D., Sopris.
• Nebraska—M. D. Long, O’Neill.
• Utah—Joseph Geoghegan, Salt Lake City.
• Texas—Gen. A. G. Malloy, El Paso.
• Oregon—Henry E. Reed, Portland.
• California—James Connolly, Coronado.
• District of Columbia—Patrick O’Farrell, Washington.

CHRONOLOGICAL RECORD OF THE SOCIETY.

1896. Dec. 26. Call issued at Boston, Mass., for a meeting to organize the Society.

PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, 1899.

THE ANNUAL MEETING.

The annual meeting of the Society for 1899 was held on Thursday evening, Jan. 19, at Sherry’s, Forty-fourth street and Fifth avenue, New York city. Gen. James R. O’Beirne, the Society’s state vice-president for New York, presided, and Thomas Hamilton Murray of Woonsocket, R. I., was secretary.

A letter was received from President-General Moseley, Washington, D. C., in which he expressed regret at his inability to be present. The notice for the meeting was as follows:

THE AMERICAN-IRISH HISTORICAL SOCIETY.

NOTICE OF MEETING AND BANQUET.

Dear Sir: You are hereby notified that the annual meeting and banquet of the American-Irish Historical Society will be held at Sherry’s, Forty-fourth street and Fifth avenue, New York city, on Thursday evening, Jan. 19, 1899.

The business session will be called to order at 6:30 o’clock. Gen. James R. O’Beirne, our state vice-president for New York, will preside. Officers will be chosen for the ensuing year, the annual reports presented and such other business transacted as may properly come before the meeting.

The banquet will take place at 8 o’clock. Tickets for the same will be three dollars each. They are now ready, and may be obtained of the secretary-general, whose address is given below.

The post-prandial exercises will include addresses by the following members of the Society:

The Hon. Theodore Roosevelt, governor of New York; the Hon. Morgan J. O’Brien, a justice of the New York supreme court; the Hon. William McAdoo, recently assistant secretary of the navy; the Hon. John C. Linehan, state insurance commissioner of New Hampshire; the Hon. John D. Crimmins, New York city; the Hon. Thomas J. Gargan, Boston, Mass.; the Rev. John J. McCoy, Roman Catholic rector, Chicopee, Mass.; the Rev. Cyrus T. Brady, Protestant Episcopal archdeacon of Pennsylvania; James Jeffrey Roche, LL. D., editor of the Boston Pilot; Mr. John P. Holland, inventor of the submarine torpedo boat; Mr. Joseph Smith, secretary of the police commission, Lowell, Mass., and Thomas Addis Emmet, M. D., LL. D., a grand nephew of the Irish patriot, Robert Emmet.

The occasion will be of great interest, and it is hoped that at least five hundred members and friends will be present at the banquet. Each member is at liberty to bring with him as many personal guests as he chooses. A large attendance is desired.

It is necessary to know as soon as possible how many will attend the banquet, in order that proper arrangements can be made with the hotel people. To this end, therefore, kindly notify the secretary-general if you intend to be present.

Fraternally,

Edward A. Moseley,

President-General.

Thomas Hamilton Murray,

Secretary-General.

Secretary’s address: 77 Main street, Woonsocket, R. I.

Upon the business session being called to order, the ticket placed in nomination by the Council of the Society was presented for action.

It was unanimously accepted, adopted and declared the Society’s choice for the ensuing year. The personnel of the ticket is set forth on pages [9], [10] and [11] of this volume.

Many new members were proposed and elected to the Society.

The annual report of the secretary-general, Thomas Hamilton Murray, was presented. It was as follows:

THE SECRETARY-GENERAL’S REPORT.

The American-Irish Historical society has become a permanent institution. We are now entering the third year of our existence. Success has attended our efforts from the start, and the future is bright with prospect for continued good work.

The society already has a membership of close to 1,000, and the material will compare favorably with that of any historical organization in this country. Among our members are representatives of the Society of Colonial Wars, the Society of the Cincinnati, the Sons of the Revolution, the Military Order of Foreign Wars, the United States Medal of Honor Legion, the Society of Tammany, the Bunker Hill Monument society, the Military Order of the Loyal Legion and several other patriotic bodies.

We have also in our membership representatives of literary and educational organizations such as the Papyrus club of Boston, the Twentieth Century club of that city, the American Oriental society, the New England Historic-Genealogical society, the Royal Society of Northern Antiquarians, Denmark, and the Archæological Institute of America. Relative to the great American universities, we number in our ranks alumni of Harvard, Yale, Dartmouth, Boston, Johns Hopkins, Bowdoin, Brown, Notre Dame, the University of Vermont, the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Virginia. The Catholic University at the national capital is represented on our roll by its rector, its vice-rector and three of the faculty.

We have among our associates descendants of David O’Killia (O’Kelly), the Irishman who located on Cape Cod, Mass., as early as 1657; of Barnabas Palmer, an Irishman, born in 1725, who was present at the capture of Louisburg, and of Gen. Stephen Molyan of the American Revolution. Three great societies composed mainly of men of Irish lineage are likewise represented in our organization. I refer to the Charitable Irish Society of Boston, founded in 1737; the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick of Philadelphia, and the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick of New York city.

We have with us, too, many people who are prominent in law, medicine, and journalism, and many who have attained eminence on the bench, in science and art, and in mercantile pursuits. With this composition, the American-Irish Historical society can legitimately claim to be well equipped in personnel for the work it has in view.

In the war with Spain, just closed, our Society was well represented, and one of our members perished in battle before Santiago de Cuba. Of the Society there fought on Cuban soil: Theodore Roosevelt of the Rough Riders; Capt. John Drum of the Tenth U. S. Infantry, Major W. H. Donovan of the Ninth Massachusetts, and Sergt. E. F. O’Sullivan, also of the Ninth.

Gen. M. C. Butler of the Cuban Evacuation Commission is of us, while in the Sixty-ninth New York we are also represented.

Since our last annual meeting seven members have died. They were: Dr. Joseph H. Fay, Fall River, Mass.; Mr. Andrew Athy, Worcester, Mass.; Mr. John R. Alley, Boston, Mass.; City Marshal John E. Conner, Chicopee, Mass.; Rev. Philip Grace, D. D., Newport, R. I.; Capt. John Drum, U. S. A., and Capt. John M. Tobin, Washington, D. C.

Captain Drum, of the Tenth U. S. Infantry, was killed in battle near Santiago, Cuba, July 2, 1898. A braver soldier never lived. His obsequies took place in Boston, our Society contributing an appropriate floral offering. Captain Tobin died in December, last, at Knoxville, Tenn. Up to within a short time before his death he had been assistant quartermaster, First Brigade, Second Division, First Army Corps. During the Civil War he served gallantly in the Ninth Massachusetts regiment, particularly distinguishing himself at Malvern Hill, and being wounded at the Wilderness.

In June, last, the Society observed its first field day, the exercises taking place at historic Newcastle, N. H. The occasion proved of great interest to all participating. The place for the field day event this year has not yet been selected.

Since our last annual meeting a gathering under the auspices of our Rhode Island members has been held in Providence. It was presided over by Dennis H. Sheahan, recently clerk of the General Assembly of Rhode Island, and was an unlimited success. Among the guests were President Andrews of Brown University, Prof. Alonzo Williams of that institution, and other prominent gentlemen.

The Society is to be congratulated upon the issuance of its first bound volume of Proceedings. The edition numbered 1,100 copies and has been distributed among the members, while copies have also been sent to public libraries, colleges, and historical societies. Of the pamphlet, “Irish Schoolmasters in the American Colonies,” 2,000 copies were issued and disposed of in like manner. The pamphlet on “The Scotch-Irish Shibboleth” numbered 1,500 copies.

The Society has on hand and is constantly accumulating much valuable material relating to the Irish chapter in American history. We are hampered to some extent, however, by the absence of a publication fund. I hope that sooner or later methods will be devised and steps taken to provide for this deficiency. At present the only income the Society has is from the membership fees. The prompt payment of these when due, therefore, becomes a matter of no little importance.

Largely owing to the representations of our friends at Washington, the secretary of the navy has selected the names of three American naval officers of Irish blood for three of the new torpedo craft. These names are O’Brien, Barry and Macdonough. The first is to be applied to the torpedo boat now building at Elizabethport, N. J., and the two others to torpedo-boat destroyers. The Macdonough is now under construction at Weymouth, Mass. The O’Brien is to be launched at Elizabethport probably the coming May.[^[1]] I would suggest that the occasion and the place be appropriate for our field day celebration this year.

I cannot close without calling the attention of the society to the continued good offices of Gen. James R. O’Beirne and Hon. John D. Crimmins, both of New York. This year, as last, these gentlemen have been indefatigable in arranging for our annual meeting here, and have spared no effort to make the occasion a thoroughly successful one. Mr. Francis C. Travers, Dr. Thomas Addis Emmet and other gentlemen residing in New York have also shown much active interest, and deserve the gratitude of the society.

The report of the secretary-general, thus presented, was accepted and adopted.

Hon. John C. Linehan, of Concord, N. H., submitted his report for the year. It showed the following aggregates:

An auditing committee, consisting of Secretary-General Murray, James Jeffrey Roche of Boston and Joseph Smith of Lowell, Mass., reported having examined the books and vouchers of the treasurer-general, and found the same correct.

The treasurer-general’s report was thereupon unanimously accepted and adopted.

The importance of raising a fund to forward the work of the Society, especially in the matter of publications, was discussed, Judge Wauhope Lynn of New York city and other gentlemen talking to the question. The matter was finally referred to the Council for action. The business meeting then adjourned.

THE ANNUAL BANQUET.

Upon the adjournment of the business meeting, the company formed in line and proceeded to the annual banquet. Gen. James R. O’Beirne of New York city presided.

Back of the presiding officer’s chair were displayed an American and an Irish flag. An orchestra was stationed in the balcony.

Grace was said by Rev. Joshua P. Bodfish of Canton, Mass.

Among those seated at the tables were noted the following:

• Gen. James R. O’Beirne, New York city.
• Rev. Joshua P. Bodfish, Canton, Mass.
• Hon. Thomas J. Gargan, Boston, Mass.
• Hon. John D. Crimmins, New York city.
• Hon. Joseph F. Daly, New York city.
• Hon. Thomas Dunn English, Newark, N. J.
• Hon. John C. Linehan, Concord, N. H.
• Hon. Wauhope Lynn, New York city.
• Hon. Franklin M. Danaher, Albany, N. Y.
• Hon. Thomas F. Gilroy, New York city.
• Hon. William McAdoo, New York city.
• Hon. Patrick Garvan, Hartford, Conn.
• Hon. James A. O’Gorman, New York city.
• Hon. Joseph P. Fallon, New York city.
• Hon. Maurice J. Power, New York city.
• Hon. Andrew J. White, New York city.
• Hon. James S. Coleman, New York city.
• Hon. John E. Fitzgerald, New York city.
• Rev. John J. McCoy, P. R., Chicopee, Mass.
• Rev. Thomas Smyth, Springfield, Mass.
• Rev. M. J. Lavelle, New York city.
• Rev. Richard Neagle, Malden, Mass.
• Rev. T. W. Wallace, New York city.
• Rev. Martin Murphy, Great Barrington, Mass.
• Rev. J. J. Howard, Worcester, Mass.
• Rev. John W. McMahon, D. D., Boston, Mass.
• Rev. Philip J. Gormley, Boston, Mass.
• Rev. J. T. Danahy, Newton, Mass.
• Dr. Thomas Addis Emmet, New York city.
• Dr. Philip Kilroy, Springfield, Mass.
• Dr. Stephen J. Maher, New Haven, Conn.
• Dr. Farquhar Ferguson, New York city.
• Dr. J. F. Hayes, Waterbury, Conn.
• Dr. P. J. Cassidy, Norwich, Conn.
• Dr. T. F. Harrington, Lowell, Mass.
• Dr. Thomas J. Dillon, Boston, Mass.
• Dr. J. Duncan Emmet, New York city.
• Dr. C. E. Nammack, New York city.
• Dr. D. B. Lovell, Worcester, Mass.
• Dr. Francis J. Quinlan, New York city.
• Dr. W. M. E. Mellen, Chicopee, Mass.
• Dr. J. J. Morrissey, New York city.
• James Jeffrey Roche, Boston, Mass.
• Thomas Hamilton Murray, Woonsocket, R. I.
• Joseph Smith, Lowell, Mass.
• Thomas B. Lawler, New York city.
• John T. F. Mac Donnell, Holyoke, Mass.
• Pierce Kent, New York city.
• M. A. Toland, Boston, Mass.
• John F. McAlevy, Pawtucket, R. I.
• Stephen J. Geoghegan, New York city.
• Thomas B. Fitzpatrick, Boston, Mass.
• T. A. Emmet, Jr., New York city.
• John Crane, New York city.
• Edmund Reardon, Cambridge, Mass.
• Col. John McManus, Providence, R. I.
• P. T. Barry, Chicago, Ill.
• Capt. Wm. J. Carlton, New York city.
• Thomas F. Somers, New York city.
• R. Walter Powell, St. Joseph, Mo.
• Patrick Kilroy, Springfield, Mass.
• Capt. E. O’Meagher Condon, New York city.
• Charles F. Coburn, Lowell, Mass.
• Dennis H. Tierney, Waterbury, Conn.
• John Goodwin, New York city.
• Michael Brennan, New York city.
• M. A. O’Byrne, New York city.
• Humphrey O’Sullivan, Lowell, Mass.
• Col. John G. Healy, New Haven, Conn.
• Daniel Donovan, Lynn, Mass.
• Florence G. Donovan, Brooklyn, N. Y.
• William Lane, Brooklyn, N. Y.
• John J. Rooney, New York city.
• Joseph I. C. Clarke, New York city.
• Richard Healey, Worcester, Mass.
• James A. Fogarty, New Haven, Conn.
• J. Francis Jones, New York city.
• R. E. Danvers, New York city.
• M. E. Hennessy, Boston, Mass.
• Francis C. Travers, New York city.
• Vincent P. Travers, New York city.
• Joseph F. Swords, New York city.
• Col. Henry L. Swords, New York city.
• John F. Doyle, New York city.
• Col. John F. Doyle, Jr., New York city.
• Alfred L. Doyle, New York city.
• James Curran, New York city.
• Michael Gavin, 2d, New York city.
• Thomas S. Brennan, New York city.
• T. St. John Gaffney, New York city.
• E. A. McQuade, Lowell, Mass.
• Edmund O’Keefe, New Bedford, Mass.
• William Lyman, New York city.
• Edward O’Flaherty, New York city.
• Louis V. O’Donohue, New York city.
• Michael J. Dowd, Lowell, Mass.
• Francis W. Foley, New Haven, Ct.
• M. J. Drummond, New York city.
• E. J. O’Shaughnessy, New York city.
• John J. Pulleyn, New York city.
• Patrick Gilbride, Lowell, Mass.
• Thomas H. Boyle, Lowell, Mass.
• William P. Mellon, New York city.

The following gentlemen, all of New York city, were likewise present:

• Richard Deeves.
• John G. O’Keefe.
• James J. Phelan.
• David A. Brien.
• James G. Johnson.
• John Vincent.
• B. Moynahan.
• Mark P. Brennan.
• Edmund M. Brennan.
• Thomas F. Brennan.
• Joseph J. Ryan.
• R. M. Walters.
• Edward J. McGuire.
• John H. McCarthy.
• Michael E. Bannin.
• Thomas S. Bannin.
• J. P. Callahan.
• E. J. Farrell.
• John Vesey.
• Andrew Little.
• P. Gallagher.
• James Flynn.
• John D. Moore.
• N. J. Barrett.
• John O’Connell.
• Isaac Bell Brennan.
• George Coleman.

In addition to the foregoing, the following were also present. Residence is not given, but a majority are believed to be of New York city:

• A. Fred Brown.
• Thomas R. Hall.
• William H. Hume.
• Frederick T. Hume.
• John Connelly.
• James F. Minturn.
• John C. McGuire.
• John Kirkpatrick.
• William J. Farrell.
• T. S. Danahy.
• C. H. Conway.
• John P. Kelly.
• Wm. H. Kelly.
• A. B. Carlton.
• J. J. Gleason.
• F. C. O’Reilly.
• J. J. Clingen.
• George E. Kilgore.
• J. DeM. Thompson.
• J. F. Slevin.
• Charles Black.
• Owen J. Carney.
• Patrick C. Meehan.
• Theodore Meehan.
• M. D. Greene.
• Wm. J. Fanning.
• John McKean.
• R. W. Powell.
• John Callaghan.
• Austin Finnegan.
• George F. Crowley.
• P. A. Moynahan.
• Arthur B. Waring.
• F. C. Hodgdon.
• Richard Dixon.
• T. T. Tomlinson.
• G. B. Warriner.
• Thomas F. Glynn.

Upon the cigars being lighted, Gen. James R. O’Beirne, the presiding officer, arose and in a neat speech opened the after-dinner exercises.

He first introduced Dr. Thomas Addis Emmet of New York city, who read a paper on “Irish Emigration During the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries.”

Hon. John C. Linehan of Concord, N. H., followed with a paper on “Some Pre-Revolutionary Irishmen,” which was well received, and proved of much value and interest.

Rev. John J. McCoy of Chicopee, Mass., read an able paper on “The Irish Element in the Second Massachusetts Volunteers in the Recent War” (with Spain).

James Jeffrey Roche, editor of The Pilot, Boston, Mass., entertained the company with a paper touching upon the work of the Society, and was frequently applauded.

John Jerome Rooney of New York city recited a fine poem on “The Irish Name,” and elicited the plaudits of the company.

Thomas J. Gargan of Boston, Mass., the new president-general, delivered a stirring address relative to the Society’s mission.

Joseph Smith of Lowell, Mass., made a short address, urging the establishment of a fund to assist the organization in carrying on its work. He also read a letter from Jeremiah Curtin, the author, who was then visiting Russia.

During the evening an address from Edward A. Moseley of Washington, D. C., the retiring president-general, was presented, Mr. Moseley not being able to attend in person.

Capt. E. O’Meagher Condon of New York city made a brief address, which was well received.

At intervals during the evening the company joined in singing patriotic American and Irish selections, accompanied by the orchestra.

There were also addresses by Hon. Thomas Dunn English of Newark, N. J., and Hon. William McAdoo, recently assistant secretary of the United States navy, whose remarks aroused much enthusiasm.

Letters regretting their inability to attend the gathering were received from Hon. Theodore Roosevelt, governor of New York; Hon. George F. Hoar, Washington, D. C.; Hon. George Fred Williams, Boston, Mass.; E. Benjamin Andrews, superintendent of public schools, Chicago, Ill., and from other gentlemen.

Before adjourning, General O’Beirne reminded the members that Hon. Theodore Roosevelt, who had expected to be present to-night but was unable, would give the Society a reception the next afternoon (Jan. 20) at 4 o’clock. The reception would take place at the residence of the governor’s sister, Mrs. Cowles, Madison avenue. General O’Beirne requested the members to meet at the Hotel Savoy at 3:30 p.m., in order that they might proceed to the governor’s reception in a body. The company then adjourned.

GOVERNOR ROOSEVELT’S RECEPTION.

Pursuant to the agreement made at the meeting the previous evening, a large number of the members of the Society met at the Hotel Savoy, New York, on the afternoon of Jan. 20, 1899. About half an hour later they formed in line and walked to the residence of Mrs. Cowles, the governor’s sister, on Madison avenue.

They were received by Governor Roosevelt, assisted by Mrs. Cowles. Each member of the Society present was introduced by General O’Beirne, and was cordially greeted.

After all had been introduced, Governor Roosevelt made a charming little speech, expressing his pleasure at meeting the Society’s representatives. He also expressed regret at having been unable to attend the Society’s dinner last night, but official duties had prevented.

He complimented the Society on the work in which it is engaged, and said that such historical bodies are capable of a great deal of good. He paid an eloquent tribute to the soldier of Irish extraction in American military life, and recalled special instances where this element’s valor had been displayed. The governor spoke feelingly of Capt. “Bucky” O’Neill, one of the officers who had served under him in the “Rough Riders” during the war with Spain, and said that he was one of the best captains in the regiment.

Upon the conclusion of his address, the governor invited those present to partake of a lunch that had been prepared, and the invitation was cordially accepted.

After bidding adieu to the governor and his sister, many of the members accepted an invitation from Hon. John D. Crimmins and participated in a reception at the latter’s residence, 40 East 68th street, New York. It proved a most enjoyable occasion.

The leading addresses made, papers read, etc., at the annual meeting here follow:

ADDRESSES MADE AND PAPERS READ.

At the Annual Meeting, Thursday Evening, January 19, 1899.

LETTER FROM EDWARD A. MOSELEY, THE RETIRING PRESIDENT-GENERAL.

Edward A. Moseley, Washington, D. C., the retiring president-general of the Society, wrote as follows:

To the Members of the American-Irish Historical Society:

Brothers:—I regret very much that it will be impossible for me to attend the annual meeting of our Society on the 19th instant. I have been under medical treatment during the past ten days, and I am still far from well, and am advised by my physician that it would be very unwise for me to leave the city for some time to come.

It would be an exceeding pleasure to me to be with you, and to meet so many of the distinguished gentlemen of our Society who will be present, and who will, no doubt, illuminate with their wit and eloquence the banquet hall at Sherry’s on the evening of the 19th. I shall be with you in spirit, but as I cannot be there in person, would you kindly make a few suggestions for me at the meeting.

I have received the copy of Volume I of the Journal. It is a handsome volume, and a publication creditable to its editors and our Society. My only regret is that we cannot afford to publish such works extensively, and place one in the household of every American who boasts of his supposed Anglo-Saxon ancestry, and especially in the hands of our dear brethren, the “Scotch-Irish” advocates, who take so much pains to distinguish themselves from the mere Irish element.

In these days, when the brotherhood of man does not count for so much as in the early days of the republic, and when some are dividing themselves into classes and races and assuming superiority for the so-called “Anglo-Saxon race” over all the other races of men created by Almighty God, it seems to me that, as we do not claim to be of the “Anglo-Saxon race,” we should not submit to the implication contained in the term that all other peoples, including the Irish, are inferiors in race.

It is, therefore, high time for us to reassert and emphasize our protest against the claim that the American people belong to the “Anglo-Saxon race,” or that any of the Caucasian peoples are in any degree inferior in race to any other. Where differences exist it is a question of environment. After two or three generations, no one can perceive any radical distinctions between Americans descended from ancestors who were Englishmen, Irishmen, Scotchmen, Welshmen, Dutchmen, Germans, Scandinavians or of any other European nationality.

As there never was an “Anglo-Saxon” race—that being a term which designated two German tribes—we repudiate any suggestion that American civilization or progress is materially indebted to any supposed Anglo-Saxon element in our composition. On the contrary, we assert that all European nationalities have contributed to our advancement and magnificent citizenship.

The purpose of our Society is not to attribute all our splendid traits and achievements alone to the Irish element in our composition. Unlike our Anglomaniac brethren, who contend that everything great and good must be Anglo-Saxon, we merely claim credit for a just share in the upbuilding of the nation.

I would like the learned gentlemen of our Society to enlighten the average American, from time to time, in his local newspaper or on the rostrum, in respect to this Anglo-Saxon fetish. This has already been done for the American student by many distinguished ethnologists. It is easy to give object lessons on this line by the color of the hair and the eyes, and the shape of the skull, features which demonstrate beyond question that men of the supposed Anglo-Saxon type are the rare exceptions in our make-up, and are often very far from being at the top of the scale in any respect; while on the other hand, men of the received Celtic type compose the overwhelming majority in this country and in the British Isles—even in England itself, and in every part of England. They are in the vast majority all over the world wherever the English tongue prevails.

Many of the gentlemen of our Society can write just such admirable papers as Mr. Bocock contributed to the Cosmopolitan magazine of this month (who confined himself, however, to instances of Irishmen who achieved great fame). No one has done more in this direction than our respected vice-president for the District of Columbia, Mr. J. D. O’Connell, whose pen has ever been at the service of his countrymen, particularly in this respect.

Whenever an Irishmen attains to fame or distinction in war, literature, art, law, or statesmanship in the British Empire, he is immediately claimed to be an Englishman, and, consequently, as displaying “Anglo-Saxon” pluck and “Anglo-Saxon” intellect.

The truth is, that among all those who have achieved great prominence in the English-speaking world, the Anglo-Saxon type is conspicuous by its absence. Nine times in ten, when a man boasts of “Anglo-Saxon” pluck, enterprise, ability, and progress, he himself is not of that type of man, and nine-tenths of the incidents he cites were brought about through the pluck, enterprise, ability and progress which came from mixed blood.

I can only liken this misrepresentation of the truth of history to the rattling of peas in a bladder, shaken by one of Shakespeare’s clowns. Puncture the bladder, my friends, whenever and wherever it is shaken. Tell the clown who calls himself an “Anglo-Saxon” that he is an ass! and prove to him by the color of his hair, the color of his eyes, and the shape of his skull that he is a Celt, a Milesian, a Latin, or anything but an “Anglo-Saxon,” and that if it was ever true that the English people were Anglo-Saxon, and that the Anglo-Saxons were ever, at any time, the greatest people on earth—superior to all other races—that time has so long since passed away that no one now remembers it, and no true history chronicles when and where they flourished.

But I have already trespassed too far on this line. Permit me to wish you all, if not too late, a very happy and prosperous New Year, and also to say to you that, as I have been twice honored by election to the presidency of the Society—and that is, I think, sufficient honor for any member—I beg to invoke the national rule against a third term. Therefore, if any friend of mine should be so indiscreet as to nominate me for that office, I request and urge you to ask him to immediately withdraw the nomination.

Fraternally yours,

Edward A. Moseley,

President-General.

Washington, D. C., Jan. 17, 1899.

IRISH EMIGRATION DURING THE SEVENTEENTH AND EIGHTEENTH CENTURIES.

BY THOMAS ADDIS EMMET, M. D., NEW YORK CITY.

Irish people were among the pioneers in this country from almost the first settlement on the Atlantic coast, and continued until the line of immigration had crossed the continent to the Pacific.

The Colonial records bear testimony that Irish people were here at an early period, and so many hamlets on the frontier were designated by distinctive Irish names that had we no other proof than these facts, we could not honestly divest ourselves of the conviction that Ireland contributed more in numbers for the development of this country than came from any other one source.

Great injustice has been done the Irish people by depriving them of credit so justly due them. This has resulted partially from ignorance, but to a greater extent it is due to an influence exerted prior to the first settlement in this country. The purpose which prompts this injustice has been maintained through English influence, and has always been wanting so much in charity to the Irish people, that we can hope to accomplish little in any effort to establish the truth so long as individuals in this country are willing to have their judgment influenced by the policy of a foreign power.

The same influence has been as actively engaged in claiming that we are English; that this country is consequently “a worthy daughter of a more worthy mother!” Yet my investigations have impressed me with the belief that of the seventy-five millions forming our present population, there are a far greater number of individuals who could be more certain of their African origin, than there are those who could prove a direct English descent.

It is not sufficient to show proof of an ancestor sailing from an English port, as all such were rated during the seventeenth century as English, without reference to their nationality. Moreover the bearing of an English name would be no more conclusive, as we shall show that a large proportion of the “Wild Irish” were compelled by law to assume English surnames, which their descendants bear at the present time.

I have no precise data bearing directly upon the earliest immigration of the Irish to this country, for none exists. On the other hand, the assertion that they were among the first settlers, and the most numerous afterwards, cannot be rejected or disproved. I will now very clearly show, as circumstantial evidence, that throughout the greater portion of the seventeenth century a dire provocation existed, and that the Catholics were driven out of Ireland by a persecution which has never been equaled. The world to-day is in ignorance of the fact, since a complete history of Ireland, and of the suffering borne by a majority of the people, has yet to be written.

Whenever an advantage was to be gained by falsifying an historical event in connection with Ireland, the English government has never hesitated, in the past, to exercise its influence for that purpose. Yet with a strange inconsistency every record in the keeping of the government bearing upon its own immediate history, is zealously preserved, notwithstanding the most damning testimony is thus furnished of corruption, double dealing and crime.

As an American I would gladly have laid aside all religious appellations if it had been possible otherwise to have done justice to my subject, but unfortunately, as a consequence of the prejudices of centuries, not a few people regard the “Protestant Irishman,” the “Presbyterian Irishman,” and the “Catholic Irishman” as so many distinct species of the human family. The necessity, therefore, exists in doing justice to Ireland, that all at least in relation to the Catholic portion should be made prominent, as this precludes the plea of being either English or “Scotch-Irish.”

But as regards the race, the fact is that even within the period of which we shall treat in regard to the forced emigration, there remained in Ireland but little of the pure old Celtic stock. The inhabitants of Ireland had been gradually becoming a mixed people, and were as much of an aggregation as the population of the United States is a conglomeration of all other races. Yet there is something in the Irish climate and surroundings, which, even within a generation, exercises a powerful influence in bringing the descendants of all foreigners to a type possessing much in common, and with characteristics unlike any other people.

It was not until near the close of the reign of Charles the First, that the Irish people were forced to emigrate. Therefore, I propose to begin with a brief reference to the so-called “Rebellion of 1641.”

In this movement Charles the First of England was the active spirit, and if ever a man richly deserved his fate through retributive justice, Charles rightly suffered. His inhuman treatment of the Irish people, who had been most loyal to him, would have justified his execution if no other cause existed. No historical event, which antedates the testimony of living witnesses, can be more clearly established in all its details than the history of this forced outbreak in 1641, and this can be done notwithstanding there are few instances in history which have been more distorted by falsehood.

It would not be germane to my subject to enter into detail at greater length than to establish the provocation, or necessity existing at this time, for a large emigration of the Irish people. The English government had long held for the crown an absurd claim which involved the title of every estate in Connaught. The Catholics held nine tenths of the land and they bore in numbers about the same proportion to the population. During the reign of James an effort had been made to clear off this claimed lien, and large sums of money had been paid by the owners to the English government for this purpose, with the understanding that these transactions should be made a public record.

When Charles came to the throne it was found that James had appropriated this money for his own use, and the only record existing was one in which only the title of estates held by Protestants was established.

For an additional sum Charles promised, among many other promises which he did not keep, to have the title of the estates held by the Catholics cleared of all government claims, wherever the holder could prove his right of possession. For this ostensible purpose a commission was appointed, at the head of which was the Lord Chief Justice and the chief prosecuting officer for the crown in Ireland.

It is now known that the real object of the commission was to obtain some pretext for a general confiscation of the land, and to make a plantation of Catholic Connaught, after the people had been disposed of. As a stimulus to the zeal of these officers an additional bonus of two shillings on the pound was granted from the value of each estate confiscated to the crown, when made on the plea of a defective title. The owner was generally made foreman of the jury and whenever the verdict was a “Prevarication on the evidence,” as it was termed, and not for the crown, he was fined to bankruptcy, his estate confiscated “legally,” and the jurymen were both fined and imprisoned.

But this semblance of justice proved to be too slow a process, so the country was suddenly overrun with English troops to force an extended outbreak. Additional instructions were given to exterminate, if possible, the whole Catholic population, English as well as Irish, as is clearly proved by the writings of Leland, Clarendon, Warner, Carte, and other writers, who had no sympathy for the Irish people.

The cattle and all available property were seized; persons in all stations of life were imprisoned, without having charges preferred against them, or they were wilfully murdered without provocation; the wives and daughters of the Catholic Irish were subjected to unspeakable brutality, and it was a frequent boast that no woman was spared; the well and the sick, the young and the old were indiscriminately turned adrift, their houses were burned, and all provisions and stores which could not be used by the troops were wantonly destroyed.

No less than three thousand heads of families, constituting the Catholic nobility and gentry, and the owners of the land in the west of Ireland were imprisoned, charged with treason, and their property was seized.

A new commission was now formed, consisting of judge and jurymen in English interests, yet who were sworn, it is supposed, to investigate with some pretext to honesty the charge of treason against these individuals. As a result of their labors over one thousand indictments were drawn up by this commission in two days, by which each individual was found guilty of treason, thus losing his life, and his property was seized for the crown! If it be assumed that this jury worked continuously each day for twelve hours, the average would be about one indictment for a little less than every minute and a half. During which time it was supposed that witnesses duly sworn were examined as to the guilt of each individual, and after due deliberation, and after giving the prisoner the benefit of all doubt, where the testimony was deemed unreliable, the verdict had been rendered.

Is it possible to conceive of a more complete travesty on justice? The prisoners knew nothing of the proceedings, and the average time for conviction of less than one minute and a half was scarcely sufficient to add the signatures necessary to give each death warrant a semblance of legality.

By this one transaction the British crown came into possession of some ten millions of acres, which was a little more than one half of all the available land in Ireland.

Between five and six hundred thousand men, women, and children were slaughtered, or died from starvation. Many thousand were sent to the West Indies, or to the American colonies, and sold as slaves. A limited number escaped to the mountains, where many died from starvation, and the remainder lived for years a life in common with the wild beasts, with a price upon their heads, and were hunted as such. The whole and entire population of this great tract of country disappeared, and was literally wiped out.

Shortly after, Cromwell overran the south and southwestern portion of Ireland which was also chiefly settled by Catholics, and they received as little mercy from his army as had been meted out to those of their creed in Connaught. When Cromwell had completed his work at least two thirds of the landed property in Ireland had been confiscated; and after the greater portion of the Catholic Irish men, women, and children had been put to the sword, or driven into exile, the whole country became resettled with his soldiers, or by persons devoted to the English interest. Over one hundred thousand young children, who had been made orphans, or who were taken from their Catholic parents, were sent to the West Indies, to Virginia, or to New England, that they might thus lose their faith, as well as all knowledge of their nationality.

During this period thousands of Irishmen were driven into exile, to enter the armies of European nations, or to emigrate and settle on the frontiers of the American colonies, as a bulwark against the Indians, for the protection of the more favored settlers on the coast.

In addition, a host of both men and women who were taken prisoners, were sold in Virginia and New England as slaves, and without respect to their former station in life.

In later years, certain writers have attempted to pervert the truth by claiming that these men and women, who were refined and educated, and who had been the owners of the confiscated lands, were convicts. But I have not been able to obtain any reliable evidence to prove that Virginia or any of the American colonies were ever made penal settlements.

The Catholics of Ireland were the only people of Europe who had at this time so great a necessity for leaving their country. It is a well established fact that during the greater part of the eighteenth century thousands of able-bodied male Catholics, in the south and western portion of Ireland, left the country at an early period of life for some European port, and very few ever returned. This is corroborated by the circumstance that the Catholic population of Ireland steadily decreased during this period, and at one time it was less than half a million of individuals scattered through the bogs and wilds of the country.

The wealthy English people invested their money freely in the early settlement of the West Indies and in Virginia, but they remained at home. The middle and lower classes, who were more likely to have emigrated to a new country, were, to a great extent, contented at home. They had no cause to leave it, as the political changes which occurred in England during the seventeenth century had a decided tendency to better their condition.

I believe that with the exception of some among the first settlers in Virginia and New England, the far greater portion of the English who did emigrate during the seventeenth and the first half of the eighteenth century, went to Bermuda, Barbadoes, Jamaica, and the other West India Islands, and did not come to this country. The American colonies were mostly settled under a grant to some proprietor or corporation, with more restrictions on business pursuits than were made by the English government for the West India Islands. Consequently the field for individual enterprise was greater on the Islands.

Those of English birth who settled on the main land did so largely in Virginia and Carolina, and as a rule their business was confined to the seaport towns. I believe that a larger proportion of the English than of any other people, when successful in business, returned in after life to their native country, or went with their families to Barbadoes or Jamaica to invest their money in sugar plantations. It is from this circumstance that these islands have always been more English in character than any American colony now within the territory of the United States.

For an Irishman without means there was no opening in any of the West India Islands but as a common laborer. In the American colonies, however, he could easily reach the frontiers, free from all restriction after he had served out the time necessary to pay for his passage, and could there establish his independence with the labor of clearing off the forest from the land selected by himself.

In consequence of the restrictions made by England to destroy Irish commerce, it is well known that for several centuries the intercourse between Ireland and different continental countries, by means of vessels engaged in smuggling, was far greater than by any communication with England, which was almost an unknown land to the west coast Irishman.

It is not possible to form even an estimate as to the numbers of Irish who went by means of these smugglers chiefly to France and Spain. We only know the fact that a steady current of impoverished Irishmen passed over to the continent year after year. We also know that a very large number served in the armies of those countries, but it is doubtful, under any circumstances, if more than a comparatively small proportion of the number could have been thus provided for. Of the remaining portion but few could have had any other means of support, and no other explanation presents itself but emigration to America from necessity, and on their arrival in a foreign vessel their nationality would have been overlooked.

The English government during the eighteenth century allowed no vessel, knowingly, to sail from Ireland direct, but it was necessary by law first to visit an English port before clearance papers could be obtained for the voyage. A record was also kept for the purpose of collecting a head tax on every individual thus leaving an English port for the colonies. I have gone carefully over this register, and to my surprise scarcely a name appears which could be identified with Ireland. Notwithstanding this fact the official register has been cited in proof that there was no emigration from Ireland but those who were sent abroad in servitude, and consequently that this country for a century, at least, was settled chiefly by English people.

But we must remember that every Irishman in Ireland within reach of English authority was at that time governed by the following law: “An act that Irishmen dwelling in the counties of, etc. ... 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, Skryne, Corke, Kinsale; or colours, as white, black, brown; or arts or sciences, as smith or carpenter; or office, as cook, butler, etc., and it is enacted that he and his issue shall use this name under pain of forfeyting of his goods yearly, etc.” As a consequence, every Irish emigrant crossing in an Irish or English vessel and from either England or Ireland, appeared in the official record as English, for the voyage did not begin according to law until cleared from an English port.

By this circumstance we prove the converse, that a large Irish emigration did reach this country by some route which was not under English control. How otherwise can we explain the presence of undoubted Irish surnames unchanged, as found in early records of the country? And on the other hand we find to-day Irishmen and their descendants in this country, bearing the names of Sutton, Chester, Kinsale, White, Black, Brown, Smith, Carpenter, Cook, Butler, etc., proving thereby that this law was enforced, by which they were deprived of their pure Irish names, and that they did not change these names after coming to this country.

Virginia was undoubtedly first settled by the English, but at an early period the Irish began to come in, bound to serve a stated term in payment for their passage money, but eventually these people became free men, settling down on the frontier, and their descendants in the next generation, as indicated by their names appearing in the records, began to take part in the affairs of the colony.

Maryland was largely settled by Irish Catholics, and Calvert himself received his title of Lord Baltimore from a place in the southwest of Ireland.

William Penn spent a portion of his life in Ireland before he received his grant in America. A number of his followers were Irish, and the most prominent person next to Penn himself was James Logan, an Irishman, who acted as governor of the province for a number of years. He was most tolerant to the Irish Catholics, who were allowed free exercise of their religion, and they received protection in this colony from the first settlement.

Many of those who first settled in New Jersey were from Ireland, and there were undoubtedly some Irish in New Amsterdam. In the Jesuit Relations it is shown that Father Jogues, who afterwards suffered the death of a martyr among the Indians of Central New York, came about 1642 from Canada to administer to some of his faith then living among the Dutch and in New Jersey.

In 1634 the General Court of Massachusetts Bay granted lands on the Merrimac river for an Irish settlement, and there were many Irishmen who served in King Philip’s Indian War, whose names are still preserved in the colonial records. I have a record of the fact, but neglected to note the authority, of a reference to a contemporaneous account of a fearful storm which occurred in the winter of 1634–’35, off the north coast of Ireland.[^[2]] As one of the incidents mention is made of the shipwreck of a vessel filled with Irish emigrants, on the second day out of their voyage to join, as was stated, the Merrimac river settlement in New England.

This straw of information is a valuable indication in our current of circumstantial evidence. It establishes the fact by another source that an Irish settlement was planned on the Merrimac river as early as 1634. It also shows that however intolerant the New England Puritans were sometimes to the Irish in their immediate surroundings, they did tolerate in this instance and likely in many others, the “fighting Irish,” as they were termed. In fact they gave little thought to their religious belief so long as they remained on the frontier to fight the Indians. This incident shows that emigrants sailed from the north of Ireland for this settlement, notwithstanding it may have been necessary to have officially commenced their voyage from an English port. The fact as to their religion is established by a knowledge of the condition of the country at that particular time, which I have attempted to describe. The Catholics were fleeing in all directions from the districts of country which had been laid waste, and in some instances they had to subsist on the dead bodies of those who had preceded them, and who had died on the way from starvation. Comparatively few but Catholics left Ireland at this time, as individuals in sympathy with the English were then busy in bettering their condition by securing a portion of the spoils.

There were a number of adult Catholics, as I have stated, sent out to New England through the efforts of Cromwell, and, although they may not have come at that time as willing emigrants, they were not likely to have lost their faith under the circumstances, and their descendants must afterwards have become identified with the country.

Prendergast in “The Cromwellian Settlement of Ireland,” states the following: “As one instance out of many: Captain Vernon was employed by the commissioners for Ireland into [from] England, and contracted in their behalf with Mr. David Selleck and Mr. Leader, under his hand, bearing date of 14th of September, 1653, to supply them with two hundred and fifty women of the Irish nation, above twelve years and under the age of forty-five, also three hundred men above twelve years of age and under fifty, to be found in the country within twenty miles of Cork ... to transplant them into New England.” These men and women were seized and sold in New England at a profit for the English commissioners. Prendergast further states in this connection: “How many girls of gentle birth must have been caught and hurried to the private prisons of these men-catchers none can tell.” “But at last the evil became too shocking and notorious, particularly when these dealers in Irish flesh began to seize the daughters and children of the English themselves, and to force them on board their slave ships; then, indeed, the orders, at the end of four years, were revoked.”

If we take into consideration the total number of “Puritan Fathers” in New England at this time, it would seem not improbable that these two hundred and fifty young Irish women, with many others sent over from Ireland about the same time, must have all eventually been transformed at least into Irish Puritans. If so their progeny must in time have given quite a Hibernian tint to the blue blood of the descendants from the Mayflower. I have not found that the New England writers have noted these facts, but probably they failed to do so on evidence that they were not “Scotch-Irish” women.

From the time that William of Orange possessed himself of the British crown and until the beginning of our Revolution, a steady stream of emigrants passed out of Ireland to this country. The English government manifested a determination to destroy utterly every Irish industry, and this policy was maintained until the Volunteer movement, when for a period a portion at least of the Irish people had charge of their own affairs.

William, of “Blessed Memory,” in consequence of his hatred of the Irish people, both Catholic and Protestant, caused the destruction of all woolen manufactories, and other industries of the north of Ireland. The so-called “Scotch-Irish” were chiefly the sufferers at this time, and as a consequence thousands of them emigrated to France, where, with the assistance of the French government, these people established in that country woolen and silk industries which, for nearly two hundred years, have been a constant menace to England’s trade.

After the departure of a large portion of these people from Ulster, the country became again gradually settled up from England, and by Catholic, Presbyterian, and Protestant Irish from different parts of Ireland, who were not Scotch.

In a few years later a large proportion of the Irish Presbyterians, with a limited number of Catholics in Ulster, became engaged in commerce and various manufacturing interests. But all these people were ultimately ruined by England’s policy, that Ireland should not prosper, and they were gradually forced to leave the country to better their condition by emigration to the American colonies.

The Presbyterians who settled in the north of Ireland, after the early part of the eighteenth century, had come chiefly from the central portion of England, and as a rule represented the better element among the new settlers. They, like Cromwell, hated the Scotch, and would never have accepted the term “Scotch-Irish” for themselves. After “the Restoration” these people in common with the Catholics, were only tolerated as non-conformists, and were not allowed by the Protestant authorities to take any part in public affairs.

From adversity these people became in time more tolerant towards their fellow sufferers, the Catholic portion of the population, and were finally moulded into a remarkably fine and self-reliant type of men. Those who emigrated to the colonies were well fitted to help lay the foundation of the American Republic, and those who remained behind proved sturdy patriots. A little more than one hundred years ago they originated in Belfast the United Irishmen movement, and they were the first to make the demand for religious tolerance in Ireland, that their Catholic countrymen might be free to worship God according to the dictates of their conscience.

During the last century, Maine, New Hampshire, the greater part of Vermont and west Massachusetts, west Pennsylvania, a large portion of Maryland, the western part of Virginia, between the Blue Ridge and the Alleghany mountains, into North Carolina, along the French Broad river, to the upper part of South Carolina, and into the territory now forming Tennessee and Kentucky, with a part of the northwest territory, to the north of the Ohio river, and which then belonged to Virginia, was largely, and in some sections was entirely, settled by Irish, who did not change their names before or after leaving Ireland. From the latter circumstance the course of settlement can be traced by the surnames of the first settlers, and the indications are rendered all the stronger by the names of so many settlements which clearly indicate the localities in Ireland whence these people came.

It can be claimed that some of these Irish emigrants were of English descent from some period more or less remote. This was doubtless true, but they became Irish by birth, and were no longer in sympathy with English interests, or they would not have left the country. Notwithstanding the severe penalties, which were so long in operation, for “taking up with the Irishy,” the fate of many of the invaders was the same after each invasion. In time they yielded to the charms of the Irish women, and their progeny became often more Irish than those from the original Celtic stock. The descendants of many a Cromwellian soldier can be found in Ireland and abroad, who are to-day bitter and uncompromising foes to England’s rule in Ireland, and are a potent check to her influence elsewhere.

I have found reported among the debates in the Irish Parliament, a speech by the Hon. Luke Gardiner, delivered April 2d, 1784, on Irish Commerce, and from which I quote: “America was lost by Irish emigrants. These emigrations are fresh in the recollection of every gentleman in this house. I am assured, from the best authority, the major part of the American army was composed of Irish, and that the Irish language was as commonly spoken in the American ranks as English. I am also informed it was their valor determined the contest, so that England had America detached from her by force of Irish emigrants, etc.”

I find in Marmion’s work, “The Ancient and Modern History of the Maritime Ports of Ireland,” some interesting facts bearing upon a portion of the exodus to this country.

In 1771, 1772, and 1773, over twenty-five thousand emigrants left Belfast, and other ports in that immediate neighborhood, for the American colonies, in consequence of having been evicted from one of the estates of the Marquis of Donegal, in Antrim.

Marmion states, “The emigrants were chiefly farmers and manufacturers who, it was calculated, by converting their property into specie, which they took with them abroad, deprived Ulster of one fourth of its circulating medium, which then consisted altogether of specie; and also a portion equal thereto to the most valuable part of its population.”

Could Robert Morris, the financier of the Revolution, enlighten us as to the effect from bringing this amount of specie into the country, we would realize that the benefit was an incalculable one, and it is a matter of surprise that writers of our history have not noted so important a circumstance.

What credit we had in this country after the paper money had depreciated, was based upon this specie throughout the greater part of the Revolution. Among many instances to this purpose was its use in moving the army to Virginia with such expedition as to ensure the capture of Cornwallis, which event contributed more to the termination of the war than any other; and without the credit based on this specie the struggle would have terminated long before the alliance was made with France.

The Irish people throughout this country were with few exceptions in sympathy with the cause of the colonies, and immediately after the battle of Bunker Hill thousands among them entered the army, but particularly such was the case with these emigrants from the north of Ireland, who, from their continuous service and discipline, became a mainstay of the organization until the end of the war. These Irishmen, who had settled in Pennsylvania, turned out chiefly under the command of Col. Edward Hand and Col. William Irving. They were both Irishmen, and had served as surgeons in the British service, the first in the army and the latter in the navy.

Hand was certainly of Catholic parents from the north of Ireland, and his command, composed largely of Presbyterians, joined the army before Boston shortly after Washington took command. But the arrival of Hand’s troops, it is claimed, had been preceded a few days by a body of Catholic Irishmen from Maryland and lower Pennsylvania, under the command of Col. Stephen Moylan, who was a personal friend of Washington, an aide on his staff, and an active officer throughout the war. Moylan was a brother of the Catholic bishop of Cork, Ireland, who was a devoted friend to the American cause.

Joseph Galloway, a native of Maryland, but long a resident of Pennsylvania before the Revolution, was one of the best informed men in the colonies, and probably, with the exception of Franklin, had no equal as to his accurate knowledge relating to the general condition of affairs in the country. He was an early and active sympathizer in the American cause until the Declaration of Independence, when he became a Loyalist. During a visit to England he was examined in June, 1779, before an investigating committee of the House of Commons, and his testimony has been frequently published. When asked as to the composition of the Rebel army—his answer was—“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; about one half Irish,—the other fourth were English and Scotch.” He might have stated more in detail, that the fourth part was composed of some English, very few Scotch, and more Germans, or Dutch, as they were called, from Pennsylvania and the valley of Virginia, who formed the brigade under the command of Muhlenberg, and the Eighth Virginia regiment.

Galloway’s testimony was in relation to his experience while superintendent of the police in Philadelphia during the British occupancy. It is but just to state that to a subsequent question, “Do you know anything of the army of the Rebels in general, how that is composed—of what country people?” His answer was, “I judge of that by the deserters that came over.” Had we no other testimony to corroborate Galloway’s first statement it would be to the discredit of the Irish, but taken as a whole it is shown that no larger proportion of them deserted than of any other nationality; and if the proportion of native born from Irish parents could be ascertained, the number of deserters among those of Irish blood would be shown to have been less than any other.

I have estimated that about one fourth of all the American officers were Irish by birth or descent.

A large number of Irish were in the Continental Congress or prominent as leaders in every station of life. I may mention that even Washington was possibly descended on his father’s side from a Washington who had lived in Ireland, and his mother’s family, the Balls, beyond doubt came from the neighborhood of Dublin. Walford in his “Country Families of the United Kingdom” shows that at the present time the only families with any property bearing the name of Ball, are to be found in Ireland. The family, it is stated, came to Ireland in the Fourteenth century as Flemish emigrants. The De Wessyngtons, it is also claimed, were Flemish, who settled about the same time in both England and Ireland. But the head of the English family, it seems, died some years before the planting of Jamestown, Va. The members of the Irish branch[^[3]] have all been traced and some of them to this country. One, a son of Henry Washington, who was a prominent man, disappeared from Ireland during the troubles I have described. He probably escaped to Bermuda, where many vessels first stopped on their way to the American colonies.

During a visit to Bermuda in 1852, I had occasion to examine some of the early church records. I there saw several references made in the minutes of the Vestry meetings to one Washington, “a sojourner,” who was several times fined for not conforming by attending the service of the Established church. He seemed to have proved incorrigible as he was finally ordered “to go his way.” He probably did so to Virginia, from the known fact that his father had been a friend of Lord Baltimore, and others who were connected with the Virginia settlements.

The Irish Presbyterians and Catholics were in full sympathy with this country during the Revolution, while in Ireland or elsewhere there were very few Scotch who favored the American cause. A noted exception to the rule was John Witherspoon, a signer of the Declaration of Independence from New Jersey, who was a devoted patriot. The only large settlement of Scotch in the colonies was formed in North Carolina by the British government, after the battle of Culloden, by transplanting the Highlanders. Among them was Flora McDonald, whose husband, with every other man in the settlement, espoused the English cause and fought against the Americans.

It is full time that we divest ourselves of English influence in this country. Until this be done we will remain in ignorance of the truth relating to a large portion of our history, which has yet to be written in strict accord with the facts.

HON. MORGAN J. O’BRIEN,
A Justice of the New York Supreme Court.

MR. JOHN CRANE,
New York City.

MR. STEPHEN J. GEOGHEGAN,
New York City.

MR. JOSEPH FORSYTH SWORDS,
New York City.

FOUR MEMBERS OF THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL.

SOME PRE-REVOLUTIONARY IRISHMEN.

BY HON. JOHN C. LINEHAN, CONCORD, N. H.

Two hundred and fifty years ago, the Five Nations, better known later as the Six Nations, was the most powerful confederacy of Indians in North America. The governor of the province of New York, in a communication to the committee of trade dated February 22, 1687, said, “The Five Nations are the most warlike people in America. They go as far as the South sea, the Northwest passage, and Florida to war. They are so considerable that all the Indians in these parts of America are tributary to them.” To gain the friendship of these people, was the constant aim of the French in Canada, and the English in New York and New England.

The latter at the outset had an advantage from the fact, well-known, that the former under Champlain, had antagonized the confederacy, by forming an alliance with the Hurons whom it had not, up to that time, subjected to its rule. This advantage, however, there is good reason to believe, would not have inured to the benefit of the English, were it not for the influence of two men of Irish blood, who by their tact, discretion, and humanity, secured the alliance of the Six Nations for the British government. The union thus created was of the greatest possible benefit to the English colonies, and existed until the power of the confederacy was destroyed forever, and the Indians themselves, connected with it, almost swept from the face of the earth.

This deed was performed by troops under the command of another man of Irish blood, who is credited with being the first in the English colonies to commit an overt act against the British government by leading a body of armed men against the Royal troops at Newcastle, N. H., on Dec. 14, 1774. Thus will the names of three men, Thomas Dongan, William Johnson, and John Sullivan, be forever inseparably connected with the annals of the Six Nations, and the records of the province and state of New York.

The ferocity, the cruelty, and the barbarism of the Indians comprising the Six Nations, are described at length on the pages of the various works written by Francis Parkman. Their very name terrorized the other Indian tribes, almost from the Gulf of St. Lawrence to the Mississippi, and in their efforts to dominate all others, they devastated the entire country. It was not, therefore, surprising that their enmity was feared, and their friendship sought. After the conquest of New York, and during the dominion of the three first governors appointed by the English government, no effort had been made to secure the latter.

The appointment, however, by James II, of Col. Thomas Dongan, placed at the head of affairs in New York a man of distinguished character as a soldier, and, as events subsequently proved, possessed of abilities in civil affairs that entitle him to the rank of a statesman. He was a native of Ireland, a Catholic in religion, and had been, through weal and woe, a stanch adherent of his royal master. He had seen service in the French army, and in both Britain and France was looked upon as a brave and skilful officer.

He was commissioned governor on Sept. 30, 1682. Under his administration the first legislative assembly met in the colony and under it a law was enacted granting religious toleration to the members of all Christian churches. He had not been long in his new position before he realized the importance of securing for his government the good will of the Five Nations. It goes without saying that, in their intercourse with the American Indians, the French, for one reason or another, had been able to get along with them better than did the English, and up to the time of Colonel Dongan’s arrival, they were doing all in their power to secure an alliance with the Indians whose prowess they feared as well as respected. He saw that action, immediate action, was necessary to counteract the influence being exercised by the French.

One of the first steps taken by him was to oblige the Jesuit missionaries who were among them to return to Canada; thus proving that his religion was no obstacle in the way of loyalty to his government. For this, and for other similar acts, he was complained of by the Canadian authorities, who wrote at length to the king of France, who in turn complained to the king of England in relation to the matter.

This did not deter Dongan, however, and during his entire administration, extending over a period of nearly six years, he labored incessantly to effect a union between his government and the Indians, which, through his tact, and his good judgment, was finally effected to his satisfaction before his departure. No man of British birth or of the Protestant religion, labored more diligently, zealously, or successfully for his government, than did this Irish-born Catholic. His address to the Indian Nations in City hall, Albany, on Aug. 5, 1687, near the close of his administration, as published in the documentary history of New York, is most interesting reading, as well as a good illustration of the condition of affairs then existing between the French and the English nations on this continent.

Dongan was so fair, honorable, and equitable in his dealings with all men, that, to this day, none of New York’s rulers, before or since the Revolution, stands higher with historical writers. An unpublished life of him, written more than seventy-five years ago, by ex-Governor Plumer, of New Hampshire, is now in possession of the New Hampshire Historical Society. During Dongan’s term as governor, all the New England governors looked to him for counsel and advice. It was not uncommon in those days to appeal to him to send the Mohawks to their aid in repelling the attacks of the French and Indians. It can safely be said that from the settlement of New Amsterdam down to the day of his departure, no one man had done more than he in shaping the course of events which ultimately led to the success of the English government, and the final establishment, in consequence, of the republic. It is not too much to say that, had the French been successful thus early in securing the coöperation of the Indians mentioned, the result to the English colonies would be easy to conjecture.

From 1688 to 1746 it is safe to say that the colony of New York contained no man who can be considered equal to Dongan in the capacity of either a soldier or a statesman. In the latter year, however, a young man arrived in America, commissioned by the royal government as “colonial agent and sole superintendent of all the affairs of the Six Nations and other Northern Indians,” who became in time his legitimate successor. For nearly thirty years he was the greatest power in New York, and his reputation extended far beyond its borders.

His name was William Johnson. He was the son of Christopher Johnson, of Smithtown, County Meath, Ireland, who was descended from a distinguished Irish family. His mother was Anne Warren, daughter of Michael Warren, of the same county, and sister of Admiral Sir Peter Warren, who was second in command, under Admiral Lord Boscawen, at the reduction of Louisburg, Cape Breton. Christopher Johnson was the son of William McShane, afterwards anglicized to Johnson, and of Anne Fitzsimmons, of Westmeath, Ireland.

William McShane was the son of Thomas McShane, and Thomas McShane was the son of John O’Neill, who was a descendant of the O’Neills of Ulster. Four steps backward, consequently, places William Johnson where he properly belongs as a descendant of one of the greatest of the Northern Gaelic clans. The Warrens, from whom his mother was descended, came to Ireland in 1170. This record is taken from the order book of Sir John Johnson, the son of William, and a major-general in the British army during the Revolution.

William Johnson was adopted by his uncle Admiral Warren, and accompanied him to America in 1746, or thereabouts. From the first he took an active part in the affairs of the province and it was not long before his reputation extended beyond it. His services were duly recognized by the home government and a baronetcy was the expression of its satisfaction with his management of the affairs committed to his charge.

His power over the Indians of the Six Nations was unbounded. The union effected by Dongan was strengthened and perfected by him. In the various conflicts occurring from his arrival in New York, until the final downfall of the French power in Canada, he was looked up to as a leader by all the eastern provincials. He was commander-in-chief of the forces engaged in the expedition against Crown Point, to which soldiers were furnished by the four New England colonies and New York.

In consequence, his form and features became familiar to Rogers, Stark, and others from New Hampshire, who were with him at Lake George and Fort William Henry. Of him it was said at this period by a well known historical writer, that “he was perhaps the most prominent man in the province of New York, during the decade that preceded the Declaration of Independence.”

The sturdy Knickerbocker, Peter Van Shaak, in alluding to him, said, on July 24, 1774, “I own I consider him as the greatest character of the age.”

Another writer said of him, “Coming to America at the age of twenty-three, although of good birth and family, he set out to make his own fortunes, and plunged into the forests. He opened a store, bought furs, and traded with the natives. He won their admiration, for he was athletic, brave and true-hearted. He won their confidence, for he always told the truth, and treated them with justice. He was made superintendent of Indian affairs, but he never took advantage of his place to rob his wards.

“He was made a baronet, but he never forgot his humble friends. For nearly thirty years he stood up as the advocate of the Six Nations, compelling a recognition of their rights. The struggle often was severe, for he encountered every obstacle that the greed or avarice of the whites could suggest, but he triumphed, enforced good faith towards the red men, and retained their friendship.”

The correspondence between Sir William and the governors of the New England colonies, in those trying times, takes up considerable space in the Provincial records. In considering the present condition of New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island and New Hampshire, so far as population and resources are concerned, it cannot but be of interest to make a comparison with the situation then. On the authority of Theodore Atkinson, provincial secretary of New Hampshire, in the spring of 1755, that province fitted out a regiment of 500 men for the Crown Point expedition and had them in the woods fully two months before the other provinces had their men on the Hudson river.

In addition, the province supplied its own troops with rations during that period. Colonel Blanchard of this regiment was post-commander at Fort Edward. The New York regiment was also under his command. Colonel Blanchard’s regiment experienced hard service, and acquitted itself creditably. Sir William wrote Governor Wentworth, Nov. 4, 1755, and said: “The activity and usefulness of Colonel Blanchard’s regiment would prejudice me in favor of any other from your province.” In September of the same year a second regiment, numbering 300 men, was raised and placed under command of Colonel Gilman.

In the formation of this expedition the following apportionments were made for the colonies named: Massachusetts, 1,200; Connecticut, 1,000; New York, 800; Rhode Island, 500; New Hampshire, 600.