THE JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN-IRISH Historical Society
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.
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.
Boston, Mass., Dec. 31, 1900.
CONTENTS.
OFFICERS OF THE SOCIETY, A. D. 1900. — EXECUTIVE COUNCIL. — STATE VICE-PRESIDENTS.
James Jeffrey Roche, LL. D., Editor The Pilot, Boston, Mass.
Maurice Francis Egan, LL. D., J. U. D., Professor of English Language and Literature, Catholic University, Washington, D. C.
Robert Ellis Thompson, Ph. D., President Central High School, Philadelphia, Pa.
Thomas Addis Emmet, M. D., LL. D., grand nephew of Robert Emmet, the Irish Patriot, New York City.
6Hon. Thomas Dunn English, the well-known writer; ex-Member of Congress, Newark, N. J.
Francis C. Travers, President of Travers Brothers Co., 107 Duane St., New York City.
Hon. Cornelius T. Driscoll, Mayor of New Haven, Conn.
Stephen J. Geoghegan, of the firm Gillis & Geoghegan, 537‒539 West Broadway, New York City.
Joseph Smith, Secretary of the Board of Police, Lowell, Mass.
Augustus St. Gaudens, Member of the National Academy of Design, New York City.
Thomas J. Lynch, Augusta, Me.
Hon. Morgan J. O’Brien, a Justice of the New York Supreme Court.
Col. James Armstrong, Charleston, S. C.
Edward A. Hall, Springfield, Mass.
Francis Higgins, 12 East 34th St., New York City.
Moses Dillon, El Paso, Texas.
John Crane, 307 West 103d St., New York City.
John F. Hayes, M. D., Waterbury, Ct.
Hon. James S. Coleman, 38 East 69th St., New York City.
Col. Henry F. Donovan, Chicago, Ill.
Joseph F. Swords, New York City; of the fourth American generation from Francis Dawson Swords, who was exiled from Ireland, 1760, and who served in the Patriot army throughout the American Revolution.
Maine—James Cunningham, Portland.
New Hampshire—Hon. James F. Brennan, Peterborough.
Vermont—John D. Hanrahan, M. D., Rutland.
Massachusetts—Osborne Howes, Boston.
Rhode Island—Hon. Patrick J. Boyle, Newport.
Connecticut—Rev. James H. O’Donnell, Watertown.
New York—Gen. James R. O’Beirne, New York City.
New Jersey—Hon. William A. M. Mack, Elizabeth.
Pennsylvania—Gen. St. Clair A. Mulholland, Philadelphia.
Delaware—Col. John P. Donahoe, Wilmington.
Virginia—Hon. Joseph T. Lawless, Richmond.
West Virginia—Col. O’Brien Moore, Charleston.
South Carolina—Daniel M. O’Driscoll, Charleston.
Georgia—Col. C. C. Sanders, Gainesville.
Ohio—Thomas B. Minahan, Columbus.
Indiana—Very Rev. Andrew Morrissey, C. S. C., Notre Dame.
7Illinois—P. T. Barry, Chicago.
Iowa—Rev. M. C. Lenihan, Marshalltown.
Minnesota—John D. O’Brien, St. Paul.
Michigan—Hon. T. A. E. Weadock, Detroit.
Missouri—Julius L. Foy, St. Louis.
Tennessee—Michael Gavin, Memphis.
Kentucky—Edward Fitzpatrick, Louisville.
Kansas—Patrick H. Coney, Topeka.
Colorado—J. E. Lowery, M. D., Sopris.
Nebraska—M. D. Long, O’Neill.
Utah—Joseph Geoghegan, Salt Lake City.
Texas—Gen. A. G. Malloy, El Paso.
Oregon—Henry E. Reed, Portland.
California—James Connolly, Coronado.
* * * * *
District of Columbia—Patrick O’Farrell, Washington.
REVIEW OF THE YEAR.
- 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.
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- Feb. 5.
- Article published in the New York Sun, from the pen of Secretary T. H. Murray, relative to Andrew Jackson’s ancestry.
- Feb. 10.
- Contribution appeared in The Monitor of San Francisco, Cal., descriptive of the Society’s work and urging active interest therein. The author is James Connolly, of Coronado, the Society’s state vice-president for California.
- Feb. 18.
- Rev. Michael Gilligan, rector of St. Joseph’s Catholic church, Medford, Mass., died to-day in Norfolk, Va. He was a member of the Society.
- Feb. 20.
- Lieut. Martin L. Crimmins, Sixth U. S. Infantry, a member of the Society, writes an interesting descriptive letter from the Philippines. The letter was subsequently published in the New York Sun of March 13.
- Feb. 24.
- Rev. Cyrus Townsend Brady, Protestant Episcopal Archdeacon of Pennsylvania, and member of the Society, begins to-day, in the Philadelphia Evening Post, his serial, “The Grip of Honor.”
- March.
- In Donahoe’s Magazine for this month is an article by T. St. John Gaffney, of the Society, on “The Alleged European Coalition Against the United States During the Spanish-American War.” The article was subsequently reprinted in pamphlet form for the American Raad.
- Mar. 1.
- Check for $50, life membership fee, received to-day from P. F. McGowan, New York City.
- Mar. 3.
- The steamship Lucania arrived off Sandy Hook from Liverpool. Among her passengers was John E. Milholland, of New York, a member of the Society. On the passage over a British baronet bought champagne for the saloon passengers and proposed the health of the British queen and a toast to the success of the British arms in the war against the Boers. Mr. Milholland and others refused to drink the toast.
- Mar. 6.
- Richard Ryan, of the Society, was a candidate for mayor of Rutland, Vt., in to-day’s election in that city.
- Mar. 6.
- Capt. Patrick O’Farrell, the Society’s vice-president for the District of Columbia,
participated in the banquet at Washington, D. C., of the Second Army Corps Association,
he being a member of the executive committee of the Association and treasurer of the
banquet committee.
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- Mar. 8.
- President McKinley to-day sent to the senate the nomination of Second Lieutenant Hugh A. Drum, Twelfth U. S. Infantry, he to be first lieutenant. This officer is a son of our late member, Capt. John Drum, Tenth U. S. Infantry, killed in battle near Santiago de Cuba, July 1, 1898.
- Mar. 9.
- William Hopkins, member of the Society, is elected a vice-president of the Boston Press Club.
- Mar. 11.
- Gen. James R. O’Beirne, state vice-president for New York, delivered an address at the Hyperion theatre, New Haven, Ct., to-night, on the Irish patriot, Robert Emmet.
- Mar. 12.
- The editor of the Review of Reviews writes for information concerning the Society.
- Mar. 17.
- Anniversary of the evacuation of Boston by the British. The anniversary was observed to-night under the auspices of the South Boston Citizens Association. Hon. John B. Martin, a member of our Society, presided.
- Mar. 17.
- Col. James Armstrong, Charleston, S. C., member of our executive council, responded to a toast at a banquet of the Hibernian Society in Charleston to-night.
- Mar. 17.
- Hon. James A. O’Gorman, of the Society, presided to-night at a banquet of the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick, New York City.
- Mar. 17.
- Annual meeting at Boston of the Charitable Irish Society (founded, 1737). Five members of our Society were elected to offices in the organization, as follows, viz.: Edmund Reardon, president; Dennis J. Gorman, vice-president; P. J. Flatley, M. A. Toland, and M. J. Jordan, directors.
- Mar. 17.
- Hon. Theodore Roosevelt, governor of New York, a member of the Society, delivered an address to-night at a banquet of the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick, Albany, N. Y.
- Mar. 17.
- Judge John J. McDonough, of Fall River, Mass., and Mayor Boyle, of Newport, R. I., both members of our Society, participated in a banquet at Fall River this evening.
- Mar. 17.
- President Daniel M. O’Driscoll, of St. Patrick’s Society, Charleston, S. C., and state
vice-president for South Carolina of our Society, presided at a banquet in Charleston
to-night.
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- Mar. 18.
- The Boston Sunday Globe, to-day, had a symposium on “Can Ireland ever be Reconciled to the British Crown?” Two of our members, P. J. Flatley and Thomas B. Fitzpatrick, both of Boston, contributed to the discussion.
- Mar. 18.
- In the New York World, to-day, appeared a contribution from Hon. Joseph F. Daly, of the Society, on “The Fallibility of Circumstantial Evidence,” a judicial study.
- Mar. 19.
- The Augusta (Ga.) Chronicle had an editorial to-day entitled “A Sad Anniversary.” It related to the death, March 19, 1899, of Hon. Patrick Walsh, ex-United States senator from Georgia. Mr. Walsh was also editor and proprietor of the Augusta Chronicle, and manager of the Southern Associated Press. At the time of his death he was state vice-president of our Society for Georgia.
- April 3.
- Dr. Sherwin Gibbons of Lexington, Mass., a member of the patriotic celebration committee for the battle anniversary on the 19th inst., writes to the Society that Christopher S. Ryan of Lexington has been appointed a special committee to receive the members of our Society on their arrival in town that day.
- April 10.
- Hon. William A. M. Mack, of the Society, is to-day reëlected mayor of Elizabeth, N. J.
- April 12.
- The city council of New Bedford, Mass., this evening, reëlected two of our members to official positions, viz.: City auditor, Charles J. McGurk; inspector of buildings, Edmund O’Keefe.
- April 16.
- Thomas Carroll, Peabody, Mass., a member of the Society, reads a paper before the Essex Institute of Salem, Mass., on “Bands and Band Music in Salem.” In his paper he mentions the great musician, Patrick Sarsfield Gilmore, who, in December, 1854, was elected leader of a Salem band, taking the position in 1855. He also mentions William Carroll and James Byrne, two other band leaders in Salem, and alludes to the “Jackson Musketeers, of Lowell, commanded by Capt. Patrick H. Proctor.”
- April 19.
- The Society observed the anniversary of the Battle of Lexington, Concord, and Cambridge,
Mass., by a visit to Lexington, where it deposited a laurel wreath to the memory of the
patriots who fell, April 19, 1775.
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- April 19.
- In the evening succeeding the event just mentioned, the Society held a banquet at the Hotel Bellevue, Boston. Among the guests were President Capen of Tufts College and President Hall of Clark University, Mass. Each made an address.
- April 19.
- At the banquet of the Society at the Hotel Bellevue, Boston, this evening, Thomas F. O’Malley of Somerville, Mass., read an historical paper on “Hugh Cargill,” an Irishman of Concord, Mass., who participated in the battle of April 19, 1775.
- April 22.
- M. le Comte Margerin de Cremont, Paris, France, writes to Secretary T. H. Murray. M. de Cremont is president of the Association Artistique et Litteraire de Saint-Patrice, of Paris. He presents his regards to our Society.
- May.
- Hon. James F. Brennan, Peterborough, N. H., state vice-president of the Society, has a paper in this month’s issue of the Granite Monthly on the “Peterborough Town Library.” The paper is illustrated and of great interest and value.
- May 3.
- Letter of inquiry written to Secretary Murray, by Dr. John B. Cosgrove of Worcester, Mass. He seeks information relative to the Irish Bacons who settled at Dedham, Mass., in 1640.
- May 8.
- At a convention of the Gaelic League of America, which opened in Boston on this date, Stephen J. Richardson, of New York, a member of our Society, was chosen national president of the League.
- May 9.
- Thomas F. O’Malley, Somerville, Mass., of our Society, lectured before the Somerville Historical Society this evening on “Curiosities of the Colonial Laws.”
- May 10.
- Hon. Ignatius Donnelly, of the Society, was nominated at Cincinnati, O., to-day, for vice-president of the United States.
- May 11.
- A New Haven, Ct., member of the Society, Hon. James P. Bree, is chosen national secretary of the Ancient Order of Hibernians at the latter’s convention in Boston.
- May 19.
- The Boston Globe of this date publishes an interesting notice of the
Society’s second annual volume, the notice having been written by M. E. Hennessy of the
Globe’s staff, who is also a member of the Society.
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- May 21.
- Secretary Murray to-day received a check for $50 from the Knights of St. Patrick, of San Francisco, Cal. This is a life membership fee for the Knights, the latter having voted to affiliate with the Society. The check was forwarded through John Mulhern of 124 Market St., San Francisco.
- May 27.
- Eugene T. McCarthy, Lynn, Mass., of the Society, died. He was a well-known and highly esteemed lawyer and a leader among the members of the Essex county bar.
- May 27.
- Rev. P. J. Kavanagh, rector of St. Bridget’s church, Lexington, Mass., a member of the Society, observed to-day the 25th anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood.
- May 30.
- Hon. Thomas J. Gargan, chairman of the Boston citizens committee to receive the Boer envoys, meets the latter at Providence, R. I., and escorts them to Boston; with him were James Jeffrey Roche, also of the Society, and others. The envoys were Messrs. Fischer, Wessels and Wolmarans.
- June 1.
- Notice issued to the members of the Society for an observance of the anniversary of the battle of Bunker Hill, the observance to take place in Boston on Monday, the 18th inst., the anniversary itself falling on Sunday, 17th inst.
- June 1.
- John F. Doyle, 45 William St., New York city, forwards $50 to the Society, life membership fee.
- June 1.
- A number of our members in Springfield, Mass., were on the committee to receive the Boer envoys in that city this afternoon. The members referred to included City Solicitor Wm. G. McKechnie, Ex-Postmaster John H. Clune, Dr. Philip Kilroy and James B. Carroll.
- June 4.
- William H. O’Hearn, M. D., a Lawrence, Mass., member of the Society, died in that city.
- June 9.
- The Charlestown (Mass.) Enterprise, of this date, contains a splendid article relative to the Society’s programme for the Bunker Hill anniversary celebration on the 18th inst.
- June 10.
- Daniel B. Kelley, of the Society, died to-day at his home in Haverhill, Mass. He was a
graduate of Yale University, and a lawyer by profession.
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- June 10.
- The Boston Sunday Globe, to-day, contains the Society’s programme for the Bunker Hill celebration on the 18th inst.
- June 14.
- Under this date, the Catholic Sentinel of Portland, Oregon, publishes an appreciative notice of the Society and its work.
- June 18.
- Celebration to-day, by the Society, of the anniversary of the battle of Bunker Hill. In the morning a laurel wreath was placed on one of the memorial tablets at Charlestown, and an address was delivered by Thomas F. O’Malley, of Somerville, Mass. In the evening the Society held a banquet at the United States Hotel, Boston.
- June 18.
- At a meeting to-day of the Bunker Hill Monument Association, Rev. Joshua P. Bodfish, of the Society, was elected a director of the Association.
- June 21.
- Death at Washington, D. C., to-night, of Michael Cavanagh, a member of the Society; had been long a worker in Irish national movements; was employed in the war department at Washington for many years.
- June 21.
- Hon. Theodore Roosevelt, governor of New York, and member of the Society, was to-day nominated for vice-president of the United States, by the Republican national convention assembled in Philadelphia, Pa.
- June 23.
- Obsequies at Washington, D. C., to-day, of Michael Cavanagh. The pall bearers included Edward A. Moseley, ex-president-general of the Society, and two other members—Capt. Patrick O’Farrell and J. D. O’Connell—all of Washington, D. C.
- June 23.
- Michael F. Cox, M. D., M. R. I. A., member of the Society of Antiquities, Ireland, and member of the Senate of the Royal University of Ireland, expresses his interest in our organization and states that he would be pleased to be admitted. He has since been admitted.
- July.
- The New England Bibliopolist (Boston), for this month, contains an appreciative review of Vol. II of the Journal of the Society. The review is from the pen of Frederick Willard Parke.
- July 1.
- Hon. John J. Hayes, Boston, Mass., a member of the Society, died early this morning in that city. He was a 15graduate of Trinity College, Dublin; served several terms as a member of the Boston school board, and was also elected to the Massachusetts senate.
- July 4.
- Edward A. Moseley, Washington, D. C., ex-president-general of our Society, was to-day elected to membership in the Society of the Cincinnati in place of his father, recently deceased.
- July 11.
- A contribution appears in the New York Sun, to-day, from the pen of T. St. John Gaffney, a New York member, dealing with the ancestry of President McKinley.
- July 11.
- Death of one of our members, William H. Quinn, Hallowell, Me. He had been a member of the board of aldermen of that city.
- July 16.
- Secretary Murray, of the Society, has a contribution in the New York Sun to-day relative to President McKinley’s ancestry.
- July 16.
- On or about this date a letter was written by Rev. Fred B. Cole, chancellor of the Protestant Episcopal diocese of Rhode Island, in which he very kindly offered his services as guide in a contemplated pilgrimage of the Society to the grave of “Old Parson” MacSparran. Rev. Dr. MacSparran was an Irishman, born toward the close of the 17th century and for nearly forty years was pastor of St. Paul’s church, in Narragansett, R. I. A vote of thanks was extended Rev. Mr. Cole.
- July 18.
- T. M. Bryan, of Montesano, Wash., writes to the Society desiring information regarding his great-grandfather, John Bryan, who was an officer in the patriot ranks during the American Revolution. This officer came from Ireland and Mr. Bryan is of opinion that he had served in a company from Chester county, Pennsylvania.
- July 21.
- J. D. O’Connell, a Washington, D. C., member of the Society, has an article in the N. Y. Irish World of this date on “The Irish in the Civil War.”
- Aug. 3.
- Hon. Timothy J. Howard, Manchester, N. H., of the Society, was nominated for congress to-day.
- Aug. 9.
- The Tribune, of East Liverpool, Ohio, publishes an article to-day on the “Fawcett Memorial Tablet” erected in that city to the Fawcett family. Thomas Fawcett, 16the pioneer of the family in this country, was an Irish Quaker, born in 1747. His wife, Isabella Snodgrass, was also born in Ireland, 1754. Thomas platted “Fawcettstown,” now East Liverpool, O., in 1798.
- Aug. 12.
- Rev. Thomas W. Broderick, a Hartford, Conn., member of the Society, died in that city to-night. He was rector of St. Peter’s church there for sixteen years.
- Aug. 26.
- Mrs. Charles Warren Lippitt, regent of Gaspee chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution, writes to Secretary Murray, from Newport, R. I., to enlist his interest, and that of the Society, in the project to preserve the old Revolutionary fort on Butt’s Hill, Portsmouth, R. I.
- Aug. 28.
- Susan P. Swinburne of Newport, R. I., regent of William Ellery chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution, writes to Mayor Boyle of Newport, state vice-president of our Society for Rhode Island. She hopes the Society will place itself on record in favor of preserving the old fortifications on Butt’s Hill, Portsmouth, R. I., near Newport. These fortifications were constructed by Gen. John Sullivan in 1778. The matter was submitted to the Society at the gathering in Newport on the 29th inst., and the project heartily commended.
- Aug. 28.
- Death in Ireland of Rev. Michael O’Brien, of Lowell, Mass., a life member of the Society.
- Sept. 24.
- The torpedo-boat O’Brien, for the United States navy, was launched to-day at the Crescent shipyard, Elizabethport, N. J. The boat was “christened” by Miss Myra Lincoln O’Brien.
- Oct. 2.
- Hon. John B. O’Donnell, ex-mayor of Northampton, Mass., was to-day nominated for lieutenant-governor of Massachusetts. He is a member of the Society.
- Oct. 3.
- Letter received to-day from Col. James Moran of Providence, R. I. He gives many valuable facts concerning Rhode Island officers of Irish blood who served in the Civil War.
- Oct. 4.
- Hon. Joseph J. Flynn, Lawrence, Mass., a member of the Society, is to-day nominated for congress.
- Oct. 15.
- A meeting of Narragansett Indians, remnant of the old, historic tribe, was held this evening at Westerly, R. I., to hear the report of their counsel, Francis M. Morrison 17of Worcester, Mass., who is one of our members. Mr. Morrison has long acted as counsel for these Indians in prosecuting certain political and property claims. He has also been attending to interests of the Mohegan, Montauk, and Shinnecook Indians.
- Oct. 17.
- Death to-day of John B. Wright, editor of The Gazette, Haverhill, Mass. Mr. Wright became a member of the Society soon after the organization of the latter.
- Nov. 2.
- Rev. Michael J. Cooke, Fall River, Mass., contributes $50 to the publication fund of the Society.
- Nov. 14.
- Very Rev. John E. Barry, a Concord, N. H., member of the Society, was killed this afternoon by a cable car on Broadway, New York city. Father Barry was vicar-general of the Catholic diocese of Manchester, N. H.
- Nov. 22.
- The torpedo-boat Blakeley, for the United States navy, was launched to-day at South Boston, Mass. She is named in honor of Capt. Johnston Blakeley, U. S. N., who was a native of Ireland, born in 1771. In August, 1814, he was appointed to the command of the United States sloop-of-war Wasp. He captured and burned the British sloop-of-war Reindeer, engaged and defeated the Avon, and also took the Atlanta. The Wasp was spoken on Oct. 9, 1814, but was never heard of afterwards. She is thought to have foundered in a storm.
- Nov. 24.
- The seventeenth meeting of the Council of the Society was held this evening at the Hotel Manhattan, New York city. Preceding the business session, the members were hospitably entertained at dinner by Hon. John D. Crimmins of New York.
- Nov. 24.
- In the Sacred Heart Review (Boston) of this date appears an appreciative notice of Vol. II of the Journal of the Society. The notice is in the nature of a review, the author being William A. Leahy of Boston.
- December.
- John P. Holland, of the Society, has an article in this month’s issue of the North American Review on “The Submarine Boat and Its Future.”
- Dec. 4.
- Hon. James F. Leonard, of the Society, is to-day reëlected mayor of Lawrence, Mass.
- Dec. 17.
- Rev. John F. Cummins of Roslindale, Mass., a member of the Society, was entertained by a reception and banquet 18this evening at the Hotel Vendome, Boston, in honor of the twenty-fifth anniversary of his ordination to the Catholic priesthood. The event was not under the auspices of the Society, although several members of the latter were present.
- Dec. 24.
- The United States torpedo-boat destroyer Macdonough was launched to-day. She is named in honor of a distinguished naval officer of Irish blood.
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. — REPORT OF THE SECRETARY-GENERAL. — REPORT OF THE TREASURER-GENERAL. — ANNUAL BANQUET OF THE SOCIETY. — THE PRESIDENT-GENERAL’S ADDRESS. — THE ADDRESS OF SENATOR CARTER.
The Society held its annual meeting on Thursday evening, Jan. 18, at Sherry’s, Forty-fourth street and Fifth avenue, New York city. Hon. Thomas J. Gargan of Boston, the president-general, occupied the chair, and Thomas Hamilton Murray of Woonsocket, R. I., the secretary-general, attended to the duties of the latter office. The following is a copy of the notice for the meeting:
Dear Sir: You are hereby notified that the annual meeting and banquet of the American-Irish Historical Society will be held at Sherry’s, Forty-fourth street and Fifth avenue, New York city, on Thursday evening, Jan. 18, 1900.
The annual meeting will be called to order at 6:30 o’clock. Officers will be elected for the ensuing year, the annual reports presented, and such other business transacted as may properly come before the meeting.
The official headquarters during the day will be at the Murray Hill Hotel, where a meeting of the executive council of the Society will be held at 4 p. m.
The banquet at Sherry’s will take place at 8 p. m., following the annual meeting. Tickets for the same will be three dollars each. They are now ready, and may be obtained of the secretary-general, whose address is given below.
Hon. Thomas H. Carter, United States senator from Montana, has announced that he will be present.
Addresses are also expected from Hon. Robert A. Van Wyck, 20mayor of New York; Hon. John D. Crimmins, New York city: Hon. William McAdoo, recently assistant secretary of the navy; Hon. Patrick A. Collins, Boston, Mass.; Hon. John C. Linehan, state insurance commissioner of New Hampshire; Gen. James R. O’Beirne, New York city; Hon. Franklin M. Danaher, Albany, N. Y.; Mr. Joseph Smith, Lowell, Mass.; Mr. James Jeffrey Roche, editor of the Boston Pilot; Thomas Addis Emmet, M. D., LL. D., New York city; Rev. James H. O’Donnell, Watertown, Conn.; and Judge Wauhope Lynn, New York city.
There will be present as guests, a delegation from the New York Knickerbocker Transvaal Committee. The event will likewise be characterized by other features of more than usual interest.
A large attendance is desired, each member being at liberty to bring with him as many personal guests as he wishes.
If you intend to be present, kindly notify the secretary-general at the earliest possible moment, so that proper arrangements can be made.
The business session was well attended, several states being represented.
Thomas Hamilton Murray, secretary-general of the Society, presented the following annual report:
The American-Irish Historical Society is on the threshold of its fourth year of existence. We are strong in numbers, representative in character and devoted to a patriotic work.
Our growth as an organization has been rapid, but not unstable; widespread, but healthy; vigorous, and of permanent value.
We have solid reason to be proud of what the Society has accomplished during the three years it has been in the field. We have been accorded a generous welcome from historical societies long in existence; our advent has been hailed with satisfaction; our motives praised; our publications eagerly sought.
To-night we meet in New York city for the third time, and for 21the third time we are indebted to our New York members for unbounded hospitality, kindliest service and tireless efforts to make our annual gathering a success.
During the year just closed, ninety-two new members have been admitted to the Society, and ten of our brothers have died. These deaths of the year removed from our ranks the following: Hon. Patrick Walsh, Augusta, Ga.; Col. Patrick T. Hanley, Boston, Mass.; Hon. John H. Sullivan, Boston, Mass.; Hon. Eli Thayer, Worcester, Mass.; Dr. William F. Cummings, Rutland, Vt.; Mr. Joseph J. Kelley, Cambridge, Mass.; Mr. William Slattery, Holyoke, Mass.; Rev. George W. Pepper, Cleveland, O.; Rev. Denis Scannell, Worcester, Mass.; and Mr. Edmund Phelan, Boston, Mass.
Since our last annual gathering in this city, meetings under the auspices of the Society have been held in Providence, R. I., Newport, R. I., and Boston, Mass. In each instance great interest was manifested in the mission of the organization, and new members were secured.
Among those in attendance at the Providence meeting was Hon. John D. Crimmins, our esteemed general vice-president. On that occasion he subscribed $500 to forward the interests of the Society, this being the largest individual gift the organization has thus far received. Among the speakers at this meeting were the Rev. S. B. Nelson, an Irish Presbyterian clergyman, and Rev. Frank L. Phalen, a Unitarian.
At the Newport meeting, the mayor of the city, Hon. Patrick J. Boyle, a member of our Society, presided and delivered an address of welcome. Addresses were also made by Hon. Charles E. Gorman of Providence; by Rev. Louis J. Deady, a Catholic rector of Newport; by City Solicitor Brown of Newport; by Dennis H. Tierney of Waterbury, Conn.; by Hon. John C. Linehan of Concord, N. H., and other gentlemen.
At the Boston meeting, President-General Gargan presided, and there were addresses by Hon. Patrick A. Collins of Boston and a number of others.
Nor, during the year, has the Society been idle in the field of research. Of our members: Mr. Edward Fitzpatrick, Louisville, Ky., has contributed a paper on “The Irish Settlers of Kentucky”; Mr. Daniel M. O’Driscoll, Charleston, S. C., has written on “David Hamilton, an Irish Soldier of the American Revolution”; Mr. Thomas F. O’Malley, Somerville, Mass., has devoted much investigation 22relative to “The Early Transportation of Irish Men, Women and Children to the West Indies, to Virginia, and to New England”; Hon. John C. Linehan, Concord, N. H., has prepared a paper “On the Irish Pioneers of Texas”; Mr. M. E. Hennessy, Boston, Mass., on “Men of Irish Birth or Extraction Who Have Attained Distinction in American Journalism”; and Mr. Joseph Smith, Lowell, Mass., on “The Irish Brigade of Rochambeau’s Army in the American Revolutionary War.” Mr. Thomas Carroll, Peabody, Mass., a member of our Society, recently delivered an historical address at a church anniversary in that place.
Two of the leading works by our members during the year are those of Rev. John J. McCoy of Chicopee, Mass., and Rev. James H. O’Donnell of Watertown, Conn. The former has written a history of the Catholic diocese of Springfield, Mass., and the latter of the Catholic diocese of Hartford, Conn. Both these productions are rich in reference to early Irish settlers, that of Rev. Father O’Donnell being practically a history of the Irish in Connecticut.
The annual bound volume of our Society is now in press. It will be larger than the book we issued last year, will be illustrated and will contain many papers, addresses and other matter of historical and literary value.
At our last annual meeting, the matter of a publication fund was discussed and referred to the council of the Society for action. The council subsequently decided to issue a circular letter inviting contributions to said fund.
It was decided to send out these circulars immediately after some important gathering under the auspices of the Society, when they would be likely to attract special interest. The launching of the United States torpedo-boat O’Brien, at Elizabeth, N. J., was finally decided upon as such event.
Owing to unavoidable delay, however, this launching has not yet taken place, and thus a desirable opportunity has not, up to this time, presented itself to formulate the circular. I would suggest, however, that this meeting possesses the desired prominence as a Society event, and that the circular can now be sent out within the next week or two.
During the year, Dr. Thomas Addis Emmet of this city has voluntarily subscribed $100 toward the publication fund, and four New York gentlemen—Mr. Myles Tierney, Mr. Stephen J. Geoghegan, Mr. James McGovern and Mr. John J. Lenehan—have each forwarded 23a check for $50 in payment of life membership fee. Mr. William Gorman of Philadelphia, Pa., has also become a life member.
In April next, the historic town of Lexington, Mass., is to have a great celebration of the anniversary of the battle of April 19, 1775, and our Society has been invited to be represented on that occasion.
Some months ago, a Franco-American Historical Society was organized at Boston, at which an official of our Society was present and made an address of congratulation. The new organization will devote itself to the French chapter in American history.
In conclusion, I desire to say that the correspondence of the Society has already become of considerable volume. Inquiries from all sections of the country are being constantly received. The writers seek information or data of an historical nature relative to the Irish and their descendants in the United States. These inquiries are promptly answered, and, in return, we receive much valuable material.
The foregoing report was accepted and adopted.
The treasurer-general of the Society, Hon. John C. Linehan of Concord, N. H., then presented his annual report. It showed the total income for the year 1899 to have been $2,228.50. Cash balance on hand Jan. 1, 1899, $518.60, thus making the total financial resources of the Society for the year $2,747.10.
The expenditures for 1899, as set forth in detail in the report, were $2,008.86, leaving a balance on hand of $738.24.
Joseph Smith of Lowell, Mass., for the auditing committee, reported having examined the books and vouchers of the treasurer-general and found the same correct.
The treasurer-general’s report was thereupon accepted and adopted.
A communication to the society was announced from Hon. Theodore Roosevelt, governor of New York, in which he 24invited the members to be his guests at the executive mansion in Albany.
The invitation was appreciatively received and acknowledged, and the president-general was authorized to appoint a delegation to represent the society by a visit to the governor.
The president-general announced that he would do so, and state the make-up of the delegation later.
Hon. T. A. E. Weadock of Detroit, Mich., an ex-member of Congress, presented the names of several applicants for membership in the Society, and the said applicants were unanimously admitted.
Various other gentlemen also presented many applications for membership, and the same were all favorably acted upon.
The annual election of officers of the Society then took place, the result being the same as given on pages 5, 6 and 7 of this volume.
Upon the conclusion of the business meeting, the members and guests formed in line and proceeded to the banquet hall.
The company around the tables numbered about one hundred and thirty gentlemen. President-General Gargan presided. An orchestra was stationed in the balcony. The decorations were profuse, and were artistically placed.
Grace was said by Rev. John J. McCoy of Chicopee, Mass.
At the head table, with the president-general and the chaplain of the occasion, were seated:
- 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:
- 25Hon. 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.
26Present 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:
27“Our Society should flourish. The field is ripe, and so far the surface is only scratched. When in deeper furrows, forgotten history will be brought forth that will glorify the deeds of the Irish race in building our nation.”
Letters of regret at inability to be present were received from Mayor Van Wyck of New York city, Hon. Patrick A. Collins of Boston, Mass., and other gentlemen.
President-General Gargan, in rising to open the exercises, spoke substantially as follows:
Gentlemen of the American-Irish Historical Society: In January, 1897, the first meeting to organize this Society was called at Boston. As the reports show, we have now nearly 1,000 members residing in almost every state and territory in the United States, and representing the best elements in the several walks of life.
Our object is to see that history is written fairly and impartially. During the last twenty-five years we have adopted new methods in writing history. The historian who is to write on any epoch no longer accepts as truth the recorded facts of another historian who has written of a former epoch. He challenges every statement made unless corroborated or verified by documentary proof.
We now have access to many valuable papers and letters that throw a new light upon men, their motives and action.
The history of the United States has been largely written by men of English blood, who have unduly glorified the actions of their ancestors. More critical and scientific examinations have shown us that the Irish element contributed very largely to the settlement of the colonies from New England to Georgia, and were an important factor in bringing about the Revolution and establishing the government of the United States.
Our Society is now engaged in searching many of the colonial records, and I suggest that the members in the different states of the Union examine into the origin and ancestry of the prominent men in their states, prepare information and write papers that may be placed in the archives of this Society.
I congratulate the members on the increase in numbers, the continued prosperity of the Society, and urge all who can to contribute 28liberally to the publication fund, for spoken words are often but perishable things, and if the history of the part which our race and blood have borne in upbuilding the Republic is to be preserved, we can only keep alive the record of their sacrifices, their heroism and their patriotism by preserving them in the form of permanent memorials, books and publications of the Society.
Hon. Thomas H. Carter, U. S. senator from Montana, made an eloquent address. In the course of his speech he paid deserved compliments to Hon. P. A. Collins of Boston, Hon. John D. Crimmins and General O’Beirne of New York, and to other members of the society.
Senator Carter showed the absurdity of calling the United States an Anglo-Saxon country, and traced the expansion of the original thirteen states, and the wonderful resources of America. He said in substance:
A new race has sprung up in this country better than Saxon or Celt. The success of the Republic is due to the fact that it unbridles manhood. The special purpose of this association is to ascertain what part dear old Ireland has played in this drama.
I am gratified beyond expression that this Society insists on seeing justice done to the race from which we have sprung. The work must be logical and correct. One of the most remarkable things is the intellectuality of the Irish race.
Wherever freedom’s flag is hoisted you will find an Irishman at or near that emblem. O’Higgins in South America is synonymous with liberty. On every battlefield in North America the Irishman is found, as he also is in poetry, history, arts and sciences. I would not adulate the race. The Irishman forms only a part of the American citizenship. But whether it is in storming Manila or the capital of Great Britain the Irishman will be found doing his work enthusiastically.
I would be delighted to see the Society extended to every state of the Union. There are many, very many, incidents in connection with the Irish race in America I would like to see set down. As a rule the Irish hold the offices, not because they are Irish, but as a recognition of ability and the eternal fitness of things.
29Senator Carter spoke eloquently in praise of Gen. Thomas Francis Meagher, one of the original white settlers of Montana, who died while holding the office of governor of that territory.
Spirited addresses were also made by Hon. Thomas M. Waller, ex-governor of Connecticut; Judge Wauhope Lynn of New York city; Ex-Congressman Weadock of Michigan; Hon. William McAdoo of New York; George E. Van Siclen, who spoke eloquently in behalf of the Boers of South Africa, and Gen. James R. O’Beirne of New York.
Vocal selections were rendered during the evening, and Miss Sullivan of New York gave selections on the harp.