Transcriber’s Note:
The cover image was created by the transcriber and is placed in the public domain.
HON. JOHN D. CRIMMINS, New York City,
President-General of the Society, 1901.
THE JOURNAL
OF THE
AMERICAN-IRISH
Historical Society
BY
THOMAS HAMILTON MURRAY
Secretary-General
VOLUME III
BOSTON, MASS.
PUBLISHED BY THE SOCIETY
1900
INTRODUCTORY TO THIRD VOLUME.
I here present the third annual volume of the Journal to the Society. The work records the proceedings of the organization for the year 1900, gives the historical papers contributed during the year for publication, and sets forth much other matter of interest. The Society continues on its useful and progressive career, happily performing the great mission for which it was instituted.
T. H. M.
Boston, Mass., Dec. 31, 1900.
CONTENTS.
[INTRODUCTORY TO THIRD VOLUME.]
[OFFICERS OF THE SOCIETY, A. D. 1900.]
[PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, 1900.]
[CELEBRATION OF THE LEXINGTON BATTLE ANNIVERSARY.]
[REV. JAMES MAC SPARRAN, IRISHMAN, SCHOLAR, PREACHER AND PHILOSOPHER, 1680–1757.]
[MEN OF IRISH BLOOD WHO HAVE ATTAINED DISTINCTION IN AMERICAN JOURNALISM.]
[IRISH PIONEERS AND BUILDERS OF KENTUCKY.]
[REV2. JAMES CALDWELL, A PATRIOT OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION.]
[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.]
[MATTHEW WATSON, AN IRISH SETTLER OF BARRINGTON, R. I., 1722.]
[THE FIELD, SCOPE AND OPPORTUNITY OF THE AMERICAN-IRISH HISTORICAL SOCIETY.]
[THE UNITED STATES TORPEDO-BOAT O’BRIEN.]
[THE SOCIETY’S FIELD IN CALIFORNIA.]
[THE HISTORICAL PLACE OF IRISHMEN IN CALIFORNIA.]
[PUBLICATIONS OF THE SOCIETY.]
[MEMBERSHIP ROLL, AMERICAN-IRISH HISTORICAL SOCIETY.]
[GOOD WORDS FOR VOLUME II OF THE JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY.]
[Letter from Hon. John D. Crimmins, President-General of the Society.]
OFFICERS OF THE SOCIETY, A. D. 1900.
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.
Hon. Cornelius T. Driscoll, Mayor of New Haven, Conn.
Stephen J. Geoghegan, of the firm Gillis & Geoghegan, 537–539 West Broadway, New York City.
Joseph Smith, Secretary of the Board of Police, Lowell, Mass.
Augustus St. Gaudens, Member of the National Academy of Design, New York City.
Thomas J. Lynch, Augusta, Me.
Hon. Morgan J. O’Brien, a Justice of the New York Supreme Court.
Col. James Armstrong, Charleston, S. C.
Edward A. Hall, Springfield, Mass.
Francis Higgins, 12 East 34th St., New York City.
Moses Dillon, El Paso, Texas.
John Crane, 307 West 103d St., New York City.
John F. Hayes, M. D., Waterbury, Ct.
Hon. James S. Coleman, 38 East 69th St., New York City.
Col. Henry F. Donovan, Chicago, Ill.
Joseph F. Swords, New York City; of the fourth American generation from Francis Dawson Swords, who was exiled from Ireland, 1760, and who served in the Patriot army throughout the American Revolution.
STATE VICE-PRESIDENTS.
Maine—James Cunningham, Portland.
New Hampshire—Hon. James F. Brennan, Peterborough.
Vermont—John D. Hanrahan, M. D., Rutland.
Massachusetts—Osborne Howes, Boston.
Rhode Island—Hon. Patrick J. Boyle, Newport.
Connecticut—Rev. James H. O’Donnell, Watertown.
New York—Gen. James R. O’Beirne, New York City.
New Jersey—Hon. William A. M. Mack, Elizabeth.
Pennsylvania—Gen. St. Clair A. Mulholland, Philadelphia.
Delaware—Col. John P. Donahoe, Wilmington.
Virginia—Hon. Joseph T. Lawless, Richmond.
West Virginia—Col. O’Brien Moore, Charleston.
South Carolina—Daniel M. O’Driscoll, Charleston.
Georgia—Col. C. C. Sanders, Gainesville.
Ohio—Thomas B. Minahan, Columbus.
Indiana—Very Rev. Andrew Morrissey, C. S. C., Notre Dame.
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.
REVIEW OF THE YEAR.
LEADING EVENTS IN THE CAREER OF THE SOCIETY, FOR 1900, OR OF SPECIAL INTEREST TO THE MEMBERS.
Jan. 1. Hon. Patrick J. Boyle, state vice-president of the Society for Rhode Island, was to-day inaugurated mayor of Newport for his sixth term. Jan. 1. Hon. James F. Leonard, of the Society, is inaugurated mayor of Lawrence, Mass. Jan. 11. Joseph Smith, Lowell, Mass., of the Society, addresses a Pro-Boer meeting at Lawrence, Mass. Ex-Mayor Breen of Lawrence, another of our members, presides at the meeting. Jan. 13. Joseph Smith, Lowell, Mass., just mentioned, is elected president of the Papyrus Club, Boston. Jan. 18. Annual meeting and banquet of the Society, at Sherry’s, New York City, with addresses by Hon. Thomas H. Carter, United States senator from Montana, and other gentlemen. Jan. 20. The New York World to-day mentions “The Cipher in the Plays and on the Tombstone,” a work by one of our members, Hon. Ignatius Donnelly. Mr. Donnelly is also the author of an “Essay on the Sonnets of Shakespeare,” “Atlantis, the Antediluvian World,” “Ragnarok,” “The Great Cryptogram,” “Cæsar’s Column,” and other works. He has been a member of congress, and was for two terms lieutenant-governor of Minnesota. Jan. 23. Hon. Andrew J. White, ex-police justice and former dock commissioner, dies at his residence in New York City. He became a member of the Society, Jan. 19, 1899. Jan. 24. Death of Hon. William F. Reddy, of the Society, Richmond, Va. He had been a member of the Virginia House of Delegates.
CHARLES CARROLL, OF CARROLLTON.
A signer of the Declaration of Independence. His paternal grandfather was a native of King’s County, Ireland. Charles, the grandson, was born at Annapolis, Md., 1737: “inherited a vast estate and was considered one of the richest men in the colonies;” member of the Continental Congress; member of the Board of War; in 1788 was elected United States Senator from Maryland; died in Baltimore, Md., 1832; was the last survivor of the Signers.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, 1900.
THE ANNUAL MEETING.
The Society held its annual meeting on Thursday evening, Jan. 18, at Sherry’s, Forty-fourth street and Fifth avenue, New York city. Hon. Thomas J. Gargan of Boston, the president-general, occupied the chair, and Thomas Hamilton Murray of Woonsocket, R. I., the secretary-general, attended to the duties of the latter office. The following is a copy of the notice for the meeting:
THE AMERICAN-IRISH HISTORICAL SOCIETY.
NOTICE OF ANNUAL 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. 18, 1900.
The annual meeting will be called to order at 6:30 o’clock. Officers will be elected for the ensuing year, the annual reports presented, and such other business transacted as may properly come before the meeting.
The official headquarters during the day will be at the Murray Hill Hotel, where a meeting of the executive council of the Society will be held at 4 p. m.
The banquet at Sherry’s will take place at 8 p. m., following the annual meeting. Tickets for the same will be three dollars each. They are now ready, and may be obtained of the secretary-general, whose address is given below.
Hon. Thomas H. Carter, United States senator from Montana, has announced that he will be present.
Addresses are also expected from Hon. Robert A. Van Wyck, mayor of New York; Hon. John D. Crimmins, New York city: Hon. William McAdoo, recently assistant secretary of the navy; Hon. Patrick A. Collins, Boston, Mass.; Hon. John C. Linehan, state insurance commissioner of New Hampshire; Gen. James R. O’Beirne, New York city; Hon. Franklin M. Danaher, Albany, N. Y.; Mr. Joseph Smith, Lowell, Mass.; Mr. James Jeffrey Roche, editor of the Boston Pilot; Thomas Addis Emmet, M. D., LL. D., New York city; Rev. James H. O’Donnell, Watertown, Conn.; and Judge Wauhope Lynn, New York city.
There will be present as guests, a delegation from the New York Knickerbocker Transvaal Committee. The event will likewise be characterized by other features of more than usual interest.
A large attendance is desired, each member being at liberty to bring with him as many personal guests as he wishes.
If you intend to be present, kindly notify the secretary-general at the earliest possible moment, so that proper arrangements can be made.
Fraternally,
Thomas J. Gargan,
President-General.
Thomas Hamilton Murray,
Secretary-General (77 Main St., Woonsocket, R. I.).
Dec. 31, 1899.
The business session was well attended, several states being represented.
Thomas Hamilton Murray, secretary-general of the Society, presented the following annual report:
REPORT OF THE SECRETARY-GENERAL.
The American-Irish Historical Society is on the threshold of its fourth year of existence. We are strong in numbers, representative in character and devoted to a patriotic work.
Our growth as an organization has been rapid, but not unstable; widespread, but healthy; vigorous, and of permanent value.
We have solid reason to be proud of what the Society has accomplished during the three years it has been in the field. We have been accorded a generous welcome from historical societies long in existence; our advent has been hailed with satisfaction; our motives praised; our publications eagerly sought.
To-night we meet in New York city for the third time, and for the third time we are indebted to our New York members for unbounded hospitality, kindliest service and tireless efforts to make our annual gathering a success.
During the year just closed, ninety-two new members have been admitted to the Society, and ten of our brothers have died. These deaths of the year removed from our ranks the following: Hon. Patrick Walsh, Augusta, Ga.; Col. Patrick T. Hanley, Boston, Mass.; Hon. John H. Sullivan, Boston, Mass.; Hon. Eli Thayer, Worcester, Mass.; Dr. William F. Cummings, Rutland, Vt.; Mr. Joseph J. Kelley, Cambridge, Mass.; Mr. William Slattery, Holyoke, Mass.; Rev. George W. Pepper, Cleveland, O.; Rev. Denis Scannell, Worcester, Mass.; and Mr. Edmund Phelan, Boston, Mass.
Since our last annual gathering in this city, meetings under the auspices of the Society have been held in Providence, R. I., Newport, R. I., and Boston, Mass. In each instance great interest was manifested in the mission of the organization, and new members were secured.
Among those in attendance at the Providence meeting was Hon. John D. Crimmins, our esteemed general vice-president. On that occasion he subscribed $500 to forward the interests of the Society, this being the largest individual gift the organization has thus far received. Among the speakers at this meeting were the Rev. S. B. Nelson, an Irish Presbyterian clergyman, and Rev. Frank L. Phalen, a Unitarian.
At the Newport meeting, the mayor of the city, Hon. Patrick J. Boyle, a member of our Society, presided and delivered an address of welcome. Addresses were also made by Hon. Charles E. Gorman of Providence; by Rev. Louis J. Deady, a Catholic rector of Newport; by City Solicitor Brown of Newport; by Dennis H. Tierney of Waterbury, Conn.; by Hon. John C. Linehan of Concord, N. H., and other gentlemen.
At the Boston meeting, President-General Gargan presided, and there were addresses by Hon. Patrick A. Collins of Boston and a number of others.
Nor, during the year, has the Society been idle in the field of research. Of our members: Mr. Edward Fitzpatrick, Louisville, Ky., has contributed a paper on “The Irish Settlers of Kentucky”; Mr. Daniel M. O’Driscoll, Charleston, S. C., has written on “David Hamilton, an Irish Soldier of the American Revolution”; Mr. Thomas F. O’Malley, Somerville, Mass., has devoted much investigation relative to “The Early Transportation of Irish Men, Women and Children to the West Indies, to Virginia, and to New England”; Hon. John C. Linehan, Concord, N. H., has prepared a paper “On the Irish Pioneers of Texas”; Mr. M. E. Hennessy, Boston, Mass., on “Men of Irish Birth or Extraction Who Have Attained Distinction in American Journalism”; and Mr. Joseph Smith, Lowell, Mass., on “The Irish Brigade of Rochambeau’s Army in the American Revolutionary War.” Mr. Thomas Carroll, Peabody, Mass., a member of our Society, recently delivered an historical address at a church anniversary in that place.
Two of the leading works by our members during the year are those of Rev. John J. McCoy of Chicopee, Mass., and Rev. James H. O’Donnell of Watertown, Conn. The former has written a history of the Catholic diocese of Springfield, Mass., and the latter of the Catholic diocese of Hartford, Conn. Both these productions are rich in reference to early Irish settlers, that of Rev. Father O’Donnell being practically a history of the Irish in Connecticut.
The annual bound volume of our Society is now in press. It will be larger than the book we issued last year, will be illustrated and will contain many papers, addresses and other matter of historical and literary value.
At our last annual meeting, the matter of a publication fund was discussed and referred to the council of the Society for action. The council subsequently decided to issue a circular letter inviting contributions to said fund.
It was decided to send out these circulars immediately after some important gathering under the auspices of the Society, when they would be likely to attract special interest. The launching of the United States torpedo-boat O’Brien, at Elizabeth, N. J., was finally decided upon as such event.
Owing to unavoidable delay, however, this launching has not yet taken place, and thus a desirable opportunity has not, up to this time, presented itself to formulate the circular. I would suggest, however, that this meeting possesses the desired prominence as a Society event, and that the circular can now be sent out within the next week or two.
During the year, Dr. Thomas Addis Emmet of this city has voluntarily subscribed $100 toward the publication fund, and four New York gentlemen—Mr. Myles Tierney, Mr. Stephen J. Geoghegan, Mr. James McGovern and Mr. John J. Lenehan—have each forwarded a check for $50 in payment of life membership fee. Mr. William Gorman of Philadelphia, Pa., has also become a life member.
In April next, the historic town of Lexington, Mass., is to have a great celebration of the anniversary of the battle of April 19, 1775, and our Society has been invited to be represented on that occasion.
Some months ago, a Franco-American Historical Society was organized at Boston, at which an official of our Society was present and made an address of congratulation. The new organization will devote itself to the French chapter in American history.
In conclusion, I desire to say that the correspondence of the Society has already become of considerable volume. Inquiries from all sections of the country are being constantly received. The writers seek information or data of an historical nature relative to the Irish and their descendants in the United States. These inquiries are promptly answered, and, in return, we receive much valuable material.
Respectfully submitted,
Thomas Hamilton Murray,
Secretary-General.
The foregoing report was accepted and adopted.
REPORT OF THE TREASURER-GENERAL.
The treasurer-general of the Society, Hon. John C. Linehan of Concord, N. H., then presented his annual report. It showed the total income for the year 1899 to have been $2,228.50. Cash balance on hand Jan. 1, 1899, $518.60, thus making the total financial resources of the Society for the year $2,747.10.
The expenditures for 1899, as set forth in detail in the report, were $2,008.86, leaving a balance on hand of $738.24.
Joseph Smith of Lowell, Mass., for the auditing committee, reported having examined the books and vouchers of the treasurer-general and found the same correct.
The treasurer-general’s report was thereupon accepted and adopted.
A communication to the society was announced from Hon. Theodore Roosevelt, governor of New York, in which he invited the members to be his guests at the executive mansion in Albany.
The invitation was appreciatively received and acknowledged, and the president-general was authorized to appoint a delegation to represent the society by a visit to the governor.
The president-general announced that he would do so, and state the make-up of the delegation later.
Hon. T. A. E. Weadock of Detroit, Mich., an ex-member of Congress, presented the names of several applicants for membership in the Society, and the said applicants were unanimously admitted.
Various other gentlemen also presented many applications for membership, and the same were all favorably acted upon.
The annual election of officers of the Society then took place, the result being the same as given on pages [5], [6] and [7] of this volume.
Upon the conclusion of the business meeting, the members and guests formed in line and proceeded to the banquet hall.
ANNUAL BANQUET OF THE SOCIETY.
The company around the tables numbered about one hundred and thirty gentlemen. President-General Gargan presided. An orchestra was stationed in the balcony. The decorations were profuse, and were artistically placed.
Grace was said by Rev. John J. McCoy of Chicopee, Mass.
At the head table, with the president-general and the chaplain of the occasion, were seated:
- Hon. Thomas H. Carter, U. S. senator, Helena, Mont.
- Hon. C. T. Driscoll, mayor of New Haven, Conn.
- Gen. James R. O’Beirne, New York city.
- George E. Van Siclen, of the Boer committee, New York city.
- Joseph Smith, Lowell, Mass.
- Hon. T. A. E. Weadock, Detroit, Mich.
- Joseph I. C. Clarke, New York city.
- Dr. Thomas Addis Emmet, New York city.
- M. E. Hennessy, Boston, Mass., and one or two others.
In addition to the foregoing, there were also at the banquet the following gentlemen from New York city:
- Hon. Joseph F. Daly.
- Hon. William McAdoo.
- Hon. Joseph P. Fallon.
- Hon. Wauhope Lynn.
- Hon. James S. Coleman.
- Hon. Thomas M. Waller.
- Dr. J. Duncan Emmet.
- Dr. William Donovan.
- Dr. M. J. Tierney.
- Dr. James Moran.
- Rev. C. B. O’Reilly.
- Rev. T. W. Wallace.
- Rev. Wm. St. Elmo Smith.
- Rev. Fr. McGolrick.
- Col. James Quinlan.
- Cornelius B. Mitchell.
- Thomas Barrett.
- Patrick Tiernan.
- Thomas S. Brennan.
- Stephen J. Geoghegan.
- Joseph G. Geoghegan.
- John Goodwin.
- Myles Tierney.
- John Crane.
- J. J. Rooney.
- E. H. Daly.
- E. T. McCrystal.
- A. E. Costello.
- R. E. Danvers.
- D. E. Lynch.
- Thomas F. Fitzgerald.
- William J. Bolger.
- Stephen Farrelly.
- James D. Murphy.
- John J. Ryan.
- John F. Doyle.
- M. A. O’Byrne.
- Pierce Kent.
- Michael Callaghan.
- Nicholas J. Hayes.
- John F. Walsh.
- Daniel F. Cohalan.
- Francis C. Travers.
- Vincent P. Travers.
- A. F. Travers.
- Daniel J. Quinlan.
- Stephen J. Richardson.
- James O’Flaherty.
- Edward O’Flaherty.
- James W. McCormick.
- F. J. Quinlan.
- B. Moynahan.
- S. J. Dugan.
- L. J. Callanan.
- W. J. Mulcahy.
- J. B. Manning.
- E. J. Curry.
- George E. Baldwin.
- E. J. McGuire.
- Michael Monahan.
- T. A. Emmet, Jr.
- Robert Emmet.
- Charles N. Harris.
- J. C. Tierney.
- E. O’Meagher Condon.
- T. St. John Gaffney.
- James Curran.
- John H. Cahill.
- J. O’Donovan Rossa.
- Joseph Kelly.
- James G. Johnson.
- T. J. Colton.
- B. F. Coleman.
- E. J. O’Shaughnessy.
- Thomas W. Clark.
- John O’Connell.
- Richard Dixon.
- Edward J. Dillon.
- James Kearney.
- John G. O’Keefe.
- Philip A. Smyth.
- William Temple Emmet.
- John C. Sullivan.
Present at the banquet, from other places, were:
- Hon. John C. Linehan, Concord, N. H.
- Hon. Franklin M. Danaher, Albany, N. Y.
- Hon. P. T. Barry, Chicago, Ill.
- Hon. J. C. Monaghan, Chemnitz, Germany.
- Dr. Philip Kilroy, Springfield, Mass.
- Dr. C. J. Downey, Springfield, Mass.
- Dr. James F. Martin, Springfield, Mass.
- Rev. John Harty, Pawtucket, R. I.
- Rev. T. P. Linehan, Biddeford, Me.
- Rev. Thomas H. Wallace, Lewiston, Me.
- Rev. Daniel Coffey, Columbus, O.
- Rev. T. P. O’Neill, Westchester, N. Y.
- Col. John McManus, Providence, R. I.
- Col. J. P. Donahoe, Wilmington, Del.
- James L. O’Neill, Elizabeth, N. J.
- Edmund O’Keefe, New Bedford, Mass.
- James B. Carroll, Springfield, Mass.
- Thomas Hamilton Murray, Woonsocket, R. I.
- John J. Cadigan, Boston, Mass.
- Thomas J. Cummins, Albany, N. Y.
- William P. Dempsey, Pawtucket, R. I.
- James O’Sullivan, Lowell, Mass.
- M. J. Harson, Providence, R. I.
- D. D. Donovan, Providence, R. I.
- John J. Moore, Springfield, Mass.
- Patrick O’Farrell, Washington, D. C.
- Edmund Reardon, Cambridge, Mass.
- Joseph P. Flatley, Boston, Mass.
- M. A. Toland, Boston, Mass.
- Fred C. Murphy, Springfield, Mass.
- William M. Sweeny, Astoria, L. I., N. Y.
- P. J. Garvey, Holyoke, Mass.
- Patrick Farrelly, Morristown, N. J.
- S. C. Farrelly, Morristown, N. J.
- J. A. Hart, Orange, N. J.
- F. C. O’Reilly, Orange, N. J.
The after-dinner exercises were of great interest. Vice-President-General John D. Crimmins, who was at Palm Beach, Fla., for his health, sent a telegram regretting his absence, and adding:
“Our Society should flourish. The field is ripe, and so far the surface is only scratched. When in deeper furrows, forgotten history will be brought forth that will glorify the deeds of the Irish race in building our nation.”
Letters of regret at inability to be present were received from Mayor Van Wyck of New York city, Hon. Patrick A. Collins of Boston, Mass., and other gentlemen.
THE PRESIDENT-GENERAL’S ADDRESS.
President-General Gargan, in rising to open the exercises, spoke substantially as follows:
Gentlemen of the American-Irish Historical Society: In January, 1897, the first meeting to organize this Society was called at Boston. As the reports show, we have now nearly 1,000 members residing in almost every state and territory in the United States, and representing the best elements in the several walks of life.
Our object is to see that history is written fairly and impartially. During the last twenty-five years we have adopted new methods in writing history. The historian who is to write on any epoch no longer accepts as truth the recorded facts of another historian who has written of a former epoch. He challenges every statement made unless corroborated or verified by documentary proof.
We now have access to many valuable papers and letters that throw a new light upon men, their motives and action.
The history of the United States has been largely written by men of English blood, who have unduly glorified the actions of their ancestors. More critical and scientific examinations have shown us that the Irish element contributed very largely to the settlement of the colonies from New England to Georgia, and were an important factor in bringing about the Revolution and establishing the government of the United States.
Our Society is now engaged in searching many of the colonial records, and I suggest that the members in the different states of the Union examine into the origin and ancestry of the prominent men in their states, prepare information and write papers that may be placed in the archives of this Society.
I congratulate the members on the increase in numbers, the continued prosperity of the Society, and urge all who can to contribute liberally to the publication fund, for spoken words are often but perishable things, and if the history of the part which our race and blood have borne in upbuilding the Republic is to be preserved, we can only keep alive the record of their sacrifices, their heroism and their patriotism by preserving them in the form of permanent memorials, books and publications of the Society.
THE ADDRESS OF SENATOR CARTER.
Hon. Thomas H. Carter, U. S. senator from Montana, made an eloquent address. In the course of his speech he paid deserved compliments to Hon. P. A. Collins of Boston, Hon. John D. Crimmins and General O’Beirne of New York, and to other members of the society.
Senator Carter showed the absurdity of calling the United States an Anglo-Saxon country, and traced the expansion of the original thirteen states, and the wonderful resources of America. He said in substance:
A new race has sprung up in this country better than Saxon or Celt. The success of the Republic is due to the fact that it unbridles manhood. The special purpose of this association is to ascertain what part dear old Ireland has played in this drama.
I am gratified beyond expression that this Society insists on seeing justice done to the race from which we have sprung. The work must be logical and correct. One of the most remarkable things is the intellectuality of the Irish race.
Wherever freedom’s flag is hoisted you will find an Irishman at or near that emblem. O’Higgins in South America is synonymous with liberty. On every battlefield in North America the Irishman is found, as he also is in poetry, history, arts and sciences. I would not adulate the race. The Irishman forms only a part of the American citizenship. But whether it is in storming Manila or the capital of Great Britain the Irishman will be found doing his work enthusiastically.
I would be delighted to see the Society extended to every state of the Union. There are many, very many, incidents in connection with the Irish race in America I would like to see set down. As a rule the Irish hold the offices, not because they are Irish, but as a recognition of ability and the eternal fitness of things.
Senator Carter spoke eloquently in praise of Gen. Thomas Francis Meagher, one of the original white settlers of Montana, who died while holding the office of governor of that territory.
Spirited addresses were also made by Hon. Thomas M. Waller, ex-governor of Connecticut; Judge Wauhope Lynn of New York city; Ex-Congressman Weadock of Michigan; Hon. William McAdoo of New York; George E. Van Siclen, who spoke eloquently in behalf of the Boers of South Africa, and Gen. James R. O’Beirne of New York.
Vocal selections were rendered during the evening, and Miss Sullivan of New York gave selections on the harp.
CELEBRATION OF THE LEXINGTON BATTLE ANNIVERSARY.
EXERCISES AT LEXINGTON AND BOSTON.
On April 19, 1900, the Society observed the 125th anniversary of the battle of Lexington, Mass. In connection with the celebration, two notices were issued to the members, viz.:
AMERICAN-IRISH HISTORICAL SOCIETY.
(Founded, 1897. First President-General, Rear Admiral R. W. Meade, U. S. N.)
OBSERVANCE OF THE ANNIVERSARY OF THE BATTLE OF LEXINGTON.
Brothers: You are hereby notified that the 125th anniversary of the battle of Lexington and “the Concord Fight” will be observed by our Society on Thursday, April 19, 1900.
Our programme for this patriotic occasion will comprise two leading features, namely: (1) A visit to Lexington, Mass., in the forenoon, and (2) a banquet in the evening at the Hotel Bellevue, Boston, Mass. Lady friends of the members will be welcome at both events.
The exercises prepared by the town of Lexington for the day include a national salute of 45 guns, morning and evening, a drum corps parade at dawn over the historic route of march, and a trades procession about midday. Headquarters for the society will be established in Lexington at the Russell House, where a reception committee will be in attendance.
The Society will pay its respects to the town officials of Lexington, will visit the several points of historic interest and will then place a laurel wreath to the memory of the heroes of 1775. Members and guests from Boston may take trains from the North Union station, that city, at such hour in the morning as may suit their convenience, all meeting at the Russell House, Lexington, about 11:30 a. m. Those desiring, may later take conveyances for Concord.
The banquet in the evening at the Hotel Bellevue, Boston, promises to be a brilliant event and should be attended by every member who can possibly be present. Preceding the banquet, from 6:30 to 8, there will be a reception and concert, and at 8 p. m. the company will proceed to the dining hall.
Tickets for the banquet will be three dollars each, and are now ready. Please notify the secretary as soon as possible if you intend to be present at the banquet, and whether you will be accompanied by guests.
Fraternally,
Thomas J. Gargan,
President-General.
Thomas Hamilton Murray,
Secretary-General,
77 Main street, Woonsocket, R. I.
April 2, 1900.
AMERICAN-IRISH HISTORICAL SOCIETY.
CIRCULAR NOTICE, NO. 2, RELATIVE TO THE LEXINGTON ANNIVERSARY.
Brothers: In connection with the celebration on the 19th inst., the town of Lexington, Mass., under its official seal, has extended our Society cordial recognition.
Mr. Christopher S. Ryan of Lexington has been officially designated by the citizens’ committee to meet our members on their arrival at the Russell House there and escort them to the Town Hall. Here they will be received by the town clerk and selectmen at 11:30 a. m.
Soon after, we will proceed to the monument on the historic green, and there place a memorial wreath, addresses being made by members of our Society and invited guests.
The Celebration at the Bellevue.
But the most interesting feature of the anniversary will be our celebration in the evening at the Hotel Bellevue, Boston, Mass. The reception and concert will be from 6:30 to 8 p. m., and the banquet at 8.
Among those who have accepted invitations to the banquet are President Elmer H. Capen of Tufts College and President G. Stanley Hall of Clark University. There will also be addresses by Gen. James R. O’Beirne of New York, Hon. William McAdoo of New York, Mayor Driscoll of New Haven, Conn., Mayor Boyle of Newport, R. I., and other prominent gentlemen.
If you intend to be present at the banquet and have not yet notified the secretary, kindly do so as soon as possible.
Fraternally,
Thomas J. Gargan,
President-General.
Thomas Hamilton Murray,
Secretary-General.
April 12, 1900.
Among the members and friends of the Society who visited Lexington in accordance with the foregoing notices were: President-General Gargan; Secretary-General Murray; Stephen J. Geoghegan, New York city; T. St. John Gaffney, New York city; Joseph Smith, Lowell, Mass.; Hon. James F. Brennan, Peterborough, N. H.; Thomas F. O’Malley and A. A. Elston, Somerville, Mass.; D. D. Donovan, Providence, R. I.; Mr. and Mrs. M. J. Harson, Providence, R. I.; Daniel Donovan and his daughter, Miss Donovan, Lynn, Mass.; Timothy Donovan, Lynn; James Jeffrey Roche and M. A. Toland, Boston, Mass.
The delegation was received at the town hall, the latter being made headquarters for the day instead of the Russell House.
The visitors paid their respects to the selectmen and town clerk and were shown objects of historical interest connected with the battle. Christopher S. Ryan, the special committee on the part of the town to receive the members of the Society, did so in a most gratifying manner.
Shortly before noon, the members and guests proceeded to the battle monument on the “Green” and attached thereto a large wreath, inscribed as follows:
THIS LAUREL WREATH
IS PLACED HERE BY THE
AMERICAN-IRISH HISTORICAL SOCIETY
AS A TRIBUTE TO THE PATRIOTS,
Who at this place on
APRIL 19, 1775,
Bravely Gave Battle to the English Foe.
May the Example of the Men of Lexington be an Inspiration to the Friends of Liberty, Now and Forevermore.
Several of the members, later in the day, visited historic Concord, Mass.
The Exercises in the Evening.
The evening exercises at the Bellevue, Beacon street, Boston, were fully as enjoyable as those of the morning had been. Music was furnished by a ladies’ orchestra. President-General Gargan presided at the banquet. Among the members and guests present were:
- Elmer H. Capen, president of Tufts College, Mass.
- G. Stanley Hall, president of Clark University, Worcester, Mass., and Mrs. Hall.
- Mr. and Mrs. Thomas F. O’Malley, Somerville, Mass.
- Mr. and Mrs. M. J. Harson, Providence, R. I.
- Dr. Michael Kelly and Mrs. Kelly, Fall River, Mass.
- Mr. and Mrs. A. A. Elston, Somerville, Mass.
- Mr. and Mrs. Edmund Reardon, Cambridge, Mass.
- Dr. John F. Couch, Somerville, Mass., and Mrs. Ellen M. Couch.
- Hon. James F. Brennan, Peterborough, N. H.
- Rev. P. J. Kavanagh, Lexington, Mass.
- John E. Milholland, New York city.
- Stephen J. Geoghegan, New York city.
- James Jeffrey Roche, Boston.
- Thomas Hamilton Murray, Woonsocket, R. I.
- Joseph Smith, Lowell, Mass.
- T. St. John Gaffney, New York city.
- M. A. Toland, Boston.
- E. O’Meagher Condon, New York city.
- Hon. Richard Sullivan, Boston.
- Ex-Mayor John Breen, Lawrence, Mass.
- Ex-Congressman Joseph H. O’Neil, Boston.
- M. J. Jordan, Boston.
- P. J. Flatley, Boston.
- Timothy Donovan, Lynn, Mass.
- William Doogue, City Forester, Boston.
- Dr. T. J. Dillon, Boston.
- Dr. P. F. Gavin, Boston.
- Dr. W. H. Grainger, Boston.
- Patrick Gilbride, Lowell, Mass.
- Patrick M. Keating, Boston.
- George F. McKellegett, Boston.
- John J. Ahern, Cambridge, Mass.
- Martin Fay, Boston.
- James Mahoney, Boston.
- M. E. Hennessy, Boston.
- Herbert A. Kenny, Boston.
There were also present during the evening: Hon. John W. Corcoran, Boston, recently judge of the Superior court, and J. E. Burke, superintendent of public schools, Lawrence, Mass.
Upon the conclusion of the banquet the post-prandial exercises were opened by President-General Gargan, who said:
Remarks of President-General Gargan.
Members and guests of the American-Irish Historical Society:
To-day we commemorate the deeds of those heroic men who on April 19, 1775, on the green at Lexington, won a fame as imperishable as the men who fought at Marathon or Thermopylæ. Well might Sam Adams exclaim, “What a glorious morning for America is this.” As a distinguished foreigner has well said, “It is their sacrificed blood in which is written the preface of the nation’s history.”
At Lexington was the opening scene of a revolution destined to change the character of human governments and the condition of the human race. Yet I sometimes incline to the opinion, as I read the utterances of men who in our day are called statesmen, and some of the newspapers, that the age of patriotism has gone; that an age of selfish materialists, economists, and calculators has succeeded. Let us hope there is still a saving remnant in this republic which will rekindle the love and patriotism which actuated the men who established our government.
Do some of the people really understand the meaning of patriotism? Many seem to imagine it means blind obedience to any administration which may be insidiously laboring to destroy our institutions. But I have an abiding faith in the people of this country when they fully appreciate a threatened danger. I believe with Burke “that the people never give up their liberties but under some delusion.”
Are some of us laboring under the delusion that we are called upon to govern the world, that we are to set forth with a few small Bibles and a large supply of arms to force what we call our civilization on an unwilling people in another hemisphere, while thoughtful men are staggered at the problems of government confronting us on the North American continent?
Shall we not profit by the lessons of history and recall what this day means? It was the beginning of a movement against an empire which aspired to govern the world. Yet those men on Lexington common initiated a revolution which wrested from the diadem of Great Britain the fairest jewel in her crown. May we not indulge to-day somewhat in retrospection and examine the causes which led to our revolt?
The British parliament had passed the stamp act, the tea tax and the Boston port bill, yet those did not cause war; the real cause of the battle of Lexington was the reconstruction act of 1774. Prior to this act the councilors had been chosen by the people through their representatives. By the new law the king was to appoint them, to hold office during his pleasure. The superior judges were to hold at the will of the king and to be dependent on his will for the amount and payment of their salaries; the inferior judges were to be removable by the royal governor at his discretion, he himself holding at the king’s will.
The deepest reaching provision of the acts was aimed at the town-meetings. They were prohibited, except the annual meeting to elect officers, but no other meetings could be held without the written permission of the royal governor. These acts of parliament sought to change self-government into government by the king, and to substitute for home rule, absolute rule at Westminster and St. James’s palace.
Then came the military act, and in February, 1775, parliament declared Massachusetts in rebellion. The instructions of Lord Dartmouth, the secretary of state for the colonies, to General Gage, the royal governor, ran like this: “Sovereignty of the king over the colonies requires a full and absolute submission.” What a striking similarity that has to some recent dispatches we have heard since we acquired distant possessions.
General Gage’s call for 20,000 men, the assembling of 5,000 troops at Boston, and the authority given to General Gage to fire on the people, made war inevitable. We see again how history repeats itself.
The people in spite of royal mandates continued to hold their own town-meetings, organized county meetings, and made a provincial congress. The convention at Middlesex “Resolved, if in support of our rights we are called to encounter death we are yet undaunted, sensible that he can never die too soon who lays down his life in support of the laws and liberties of his country.” Lexington wrote to Boston, “We trust in God that should the state of affairs require it, we shall be ready to sacrifice our estates and everything dear in life, yea, and life itself, in support of the common cause.”
Nobly did the men of Lexington fulfil that pledge. Shall we in our day forget what these men did and dared? Are we so saturated with the spirit of commercialism, are we so wedded to the worship of the golden calf, that justice and humanity have no place in our modern code?
Let us remember we shall be tried at the bar of history as have been other nations; as our opportunities have been greater, so are our responsibilities. We cannot escape our liabilities; it is for us to so act in the present that this experiment of a free government, founded upon manhood suffrage, shall not fail.
Letters and Patriotic Sentiments.
Letters of regret at inability to be present were received from ex-Gov. John Lee Carroll of Maryland, president of the Sons of the Revolution; Governor Roosevelt of New York, President Eliot of Harvard, President Hadley of Yale, Senator Hoar of Massachusetts, Senators Hale and Frye of Maine, Senator Mason of Illinois, David Starr Jordon, president of Leland Stanford University; E. Benjamin Andrews, superintendent of public schools, Chicago; Congressman Sulzer of New York, Rector Conaty of the Catholic University, President Harper of the University of Chicago, Rev. James H. O’Donnell, Watertown, Conn.; Hon. Thomas J. Lynch, Augusta, Me.; Hon. James S. Coleman, New York city; Col. John P. Donahoe, Wilmington, Del.; Mayor Driscoll of New Haven, Conn.; Col. James Quinlan, New York city; John J. Davis, Greenville, Pa.; James Connolly, Coronado, Cal.; Col. James Moran, Providence, R. I., and from several others.
Ex-Gov. Carroll of Maryland wrote: “If we contrast the pitiful resources of those early days with the present happiness, wealth and prosperity of our united country, we can realize the courage of those daring men who openly proclaimed that our only purpose was to obtain our freedom ‘peaceably if we could, forcibly if we must.’”
E. Benj. Andrews of Chicago declared: “I assure you that nothing but my distance from you prevents my attendance. I should be pleased to attend, not only to hear the distinguished gentlemen who will be present, but also to testify anew the reverence which all true patriots must feel for the brave men who immortalized themselves by standing for liberty on Lexington green, 125 years ago.”
Senator Hoar wrote: “It will not be in my power to attend the celebration of the 19th of April in Boston by the American-Irish Historical Society. But I am sure that the celebration will be in the spirit which animated the men who fought and the men who died on the 19th of April, 1775. You will, I am sure, reinforce the lesson that no human power can turn wrong into right, injustice into justice, or lawfully crush out the love of liberty native in every human soul and the right to independence that belongs to every people.”
Gov. Roosevelt said in his letter: “I wish I could be present with you at the celebration of the battle of Lexington. It is peculiarly appropriate for men of Irish stock to take part in this celebration, for they have always done even more than their proper share of valiant fighting for the republic.”
Congressman Sulzer wrote: “I regret exceedingly my inability to accept owing to imperative official duties here which demand my presence in Washington. If ever there was a time in the history of the republic when we should celebrate the battle of Lexington it is this year, and I trust your celebration will be a great success in every way.”
From Congressman Capron of Rhode Island: “I am inclined to refer to the patriots who fought in the great struggle which initiated the war for independence and human liberty with the deepest devotion akin to reverence. The event itself should be held in grateful remembrance.... Let every American if he would find the spirit which animated the men of Lexington look down into his own being and analyze the feelings lying there, and if he be a true American he will find love of God, love of country, love of home, love of liberty, love of law and love of man, all and each of which are the essential components of that which we call patriotism. My colleague, Mr. Bull, who was also the recipient of your invitation, desires me to express his thanks therefor and to say that he heartily joins in the sentiments herein expressed.”
PRESIDENT HALL OF CLARK UNIVERSITY.
President G. Stanley Hall of Clark University, Worcester, Mass., upon being introduced, stated that among his ancestors was a Mary Hennessy of Limerick, Ireland. He then went on to say that:
The three characteristics of the Irish race, which are most to be commended when rightly directed, are, first, their heartiness, geniality, enjoyment of life, a nameless quality made of the best elements of the German gemuth and the French esprit. This is the temperament of genius, it is the conserved youth which makes the Irishman an adolescent at whatever age, and is strongly contrasted with the sternness and reserve of the Puritan. This temperament, too, is connected with the fecundity of the race, also in contrast with the Puritan New Englanders, who even in Boston may ere long have to hail the Irish race with morituri salutamus with a new meaning in it.
Second, the Irishman, like other men, is not always a man of peace. His blood is warmer on occasion and his interpretation of the strenuous life, which makes men loved for the enemies they make, is another quality which, when rightly trained and directed, is one of the greatest powers for good in the world. To be angry aright is almost one of the definitions of education.
Third, the Irishman has a veritable genius for politics, which had no scope in the earlier formative days of Irish history, but which finds its legitimate sphere in this republican land. He is also a patriot, a superb soldier. Politics culminates in statesmanship, and I cannot forbear here a word which I believe will appeal to every heart which keeps a warm corner for Burke, Emmet or O’Connell.
My conception of statesmanship is higher than that of politics. The first of all conditions of success in its purer realm is utter disinterestedness. Within the last few days, this country has witnessed the rare spectacle of a senator,[[1]] unusually devoted to the party at whose birth he assisted, and to a president whom he has long loved, placing his convictions, matured by long experience and ripe knowledge, above both. To no temperament could the personal sacrifices have been greater than for him to give us this modern version of Aristotle’s “Plato amicus sed major amicus veritas.”
Bound by family lineage, many and long friendships, historical and literary associations, with England, his devotion to our national muse of liberty which inspired the constitution and the declaration of independence impelled him to openly declare sympathy toward the struggling patriots in the Transvaal, as in his long life he has had occasion to do for Poland, Hungary, Greece, Cuba and Ireland.
Gentlemen, there is a higher plane than that of the traditions, current methods and policies of organizing colonial dependencies. It is to believe that every growing race and ethnic stock has higher possibilities in it; to hold that the diverse ways of civilization are not all exhausted yet, and that instead of forcing other races to take up the white man’s, or the Englishman’s burden, our policy should be to keep off, where practicable, alien interference, including our own, and to develop a new policy of protection and thus to foster new and independent centers of social and political development.
To my mind the tragedy of history is the perversion, repression or destruction of budding nationalities of species, and perhaps genera, different from our own, and the threatened uniformitization of the entire world by civilization as we define and understand it. This is the method of what, I think, we may call the higher anthropology. It would be, I think, the statesmanship of the superman, who may sometime exist, and who would be a citizen of all times and a spectator of all events. To steer the ship of state in this direction is to keep it true to the pole of human destiny. It is the work of the heavenborn pilot, who keeps his tiller true, and not of the star gazer.
These moments are big with destiny. Statesmanship is approaching the time when it must take a cosmic view of human life as a whole, and I have heard no note that rings so clear and pure to my ear with such a true flavor of conviction as the plea for a larger ken by the political nestor of this state and nation, who has grown not rich but poor from a quarter century’s service for his state; who makes no bid for the support of other parties, while speaking as many of his colleagues in both parties privately declare they would do if they spoke for themselves rather than for their constituency; a man competent to-day to fill any one of three if not four professorships; whose years admonish us that any such utterance may be his last, and whom, as in the case of no other public man, his political enemies vie with his friends to honor.
President Hall was followed by President Capen of Tufts College who also delivered an entertaining address.
The historical paper of the evening was by Thomas F. O’Malley, of Somerville, Mass., whose subject was “Hugh Cargill,” a patriot who took part in the events of April 19, 1775. The paper displayed close research.
There were also addresses during the evening by John E. Milholland, Joseph Smith and E. O’Meagher Condon.