following: “President Roosevelt in sending some details of
his Irish pedigree to the American-Irish Historical
Society ... has made known some information not generally
current, though often desired. To his credit be it said,
that he always was proud of his Irish blood, and from the
very outset of his public career, years ago, vaunted it as
one of his most cherished possessions. He has been
following this up by the nomination to public office of
candidates with decidedly Hibernian patronymics. W. D.
Murphy of this city, it is said, is to be the new
Assistant Secretary of the Treasury, and a diplomat named
O’Brien, from the Northwest, is to be sent as Minister to
Denmark. ‘Think of old Brian, war’s mighty lion,’ who
smote the Danes at Clontarf and drove them into the sea,
looking down from his celestial mansion above and seeing
one of his descendants made ambassador to his old enemies
from the greatest nation of the world, a nation to the
prosperity and prestige of which his countrymen have
contributed so much! Mr. Roosevelt in his genealogical
list included the O’Briens. He must have had some idea of
the poetical and historical retributions of the case when
he thought of one of the great Munster families for the
Republic’s representative to Denmark.”
Jan. 30. Hon. Anthony M. Keiley, formerly chief justice of the
International Court of Appeals at Cairo, Egypt, died on
or about this date in France. He was a native of New
Jersey and was about 69 years old. He was educated at
the Randolph-Macon College in Virginia. After graduation
he founded the _Norfolk Virginian_ and was also editor
of the Petersburg _Index and News_. He first became
prominent in the politics of Virginia in the campaign
of 1881, when he was chairman of the Democratic state
committee. He was also mayor of Richmond for one term
and then became city attorney. It was while holding this
office, in 1885, that he attracted the attention of
President Cleveland, who appointed him minister to Italy
to succeed William Waldorf Astor. The Italian government
objected, however, to the appointment and it was
cancelled. The president then appointed Mr. Keiley
minister to Austria, but the government of that country
also declared him _persona non grata_ on the ground that
he held ultramontane views, which were offensive to a
friendly government. This objection was not well received
either in official circles here or among a large and
influential class in Austria. The Austrian government
then raised other objections. Secretary of State Bayard
addressed a note to the Austrian government in which he
spoke plainly on the unreasonableness of race and
religious distinctions. He said that the appointment would
be allowed to stand even though it resulted in a rupture
of diplomatic relations between Austria and the United
States. Mr. Keiley, however, saved the administration from
further embarrassment by resigning. Afterward, President
Cleveland appointed him to the International Court at
Cairo, of which he became chief justice. His wife died in
1902, and he was so greatly distressed over her loss that
he resigned from the court and sought relief in travel.
Mr. Keiley served twelve years as president of the Irish
Catholic Benevolent Union.
Feb. 3. John C. Foley, a veteran of the Civil War, died today in
Charleston, S. C., while on a business tour. His residence
for some years past had been in New Orleans, La. He
belonged to an old and widely respected Irish family
favorably known in Kilkenny and Tipperary, members of
which emigrated to this country in the early fifties and
settled in South Brooklyn, N. Y., where some of them still
reside. On the breaking out of the Civil War the deceased
joined the Eighty-eighth Regiment, New York Volunteers, of
Meagher’s Brigade, in which he was commissioned as first
lieutenant in the company of which the late Maj. P. K.
Horgan was then captain. He served with his command
through all the engagements in which it participated, down
to Burnside’s disastrous assault on the fortified lines of
the Confederates at Fredericksburg, in which the Irish
brigade, in the assault on Marye’s Heights, was so cut up
that after the fight the New York regiments originally
comprised in it could only muster, all told, between two
and three hundred unwounded men. General Meagher applied
to the war department to have the brigade temporarily
relieved in order that its decimated ranks might be again
recruited; but the reply of the secretary of that
time,—who had never regarded the Irish organizations with
favor,—was an order relieving Meagher of his command,
consolidating the regiments into four companies, under a
lieutenant-colonel, and mustering out the other surviving
officers as supernumeraries.
Feb. 6. Michael Hicks, a member of the Society, died today at his
residence in New York City.
Feb. 7. James A. Walsh died today in Lewiston, Me. He was a member
of the Society.
Feb. 9. Hon. Carlton McCarthy, mayor of Richmond, Va., writes today,
expressing his appreciation of “The great value and
importance of the work” in which the Society is engaged.
Feb. 11. Rear Admiral John McGowan, U.S.N. (retired), is today
admitted as a Life member of the Society. His father was
born in Philadelphia, Pa., but his grandfather was born in
Ireland.
Feb. 11. Brig.-Gen. Michael Cooney, U.S.A. (retired), is admitted to
membership in the Society.
Feb. 11. Brig.-Gen. Peter Leary, Jr., U.S.A. (retired), writes
expressing his appreciation of the work in which the
Society is engaged.
Feb. 16. It is announced from Dublin, Ireland, that President
Roosevelt has sent to Lady Gregory a contribution
toward the purchase of Irish pictures for the Gallery
of Modern Art which it is proposed to establish in
Dublin. Lady Gregory has been appealing to Americans
to assist in buying pictures lately exhibited at the
Royal Hibernian Academy, and President Roosevelt, who
sent the contribution “with great pleasure,” has
written to her as follows: “I cordially sympathize
with you in your efforts to keep such a collection of
pictures in Dublin. It would be an important step
toward giving Dublin the position it by right should
have.”
Feb. 19. Gen. John M. Brennan, a well-known lawyer of Providence, R.
I., died. He served on the staff of Governor Davis of
Rhode Island as judge advocate general.
Feb. 21. Eugene M. O’Neill of Pittsburg, Pa., is admitted to the
Society as a Life member.
Feb. 22. John T. Gibbons of New Orleans, La., is admitted to the
Society as a Life member.
Feb. 27. William O’Herin of Parsons, Kansas, was today admitted to
Life membership in the Society. He is superintendent of
machinery and equipment of the Missouri, Kansas & Texas
Railway.
Feb. 27. Gen. Richard A. Donnelly, quartermaster-general of the New
Jersey National Guard, died today at Trenton. He was born
at Richmond, Staten Island. He served two terms as mayor
of Trenton.
March. John Hayes, of Manchester, N. H., a member of the Society,
died this month.
March 3. Hon. W. Bourke Cockran, New York City, is admitted a Life
member of the Society.
March 6. Among the nominations sent by President Roosevelt to the
Senate today were the following: envoys extraordinary
and ministers plenipotentiary, Thomas J. O’Brien of
Michigan, to Denmark; Edward C. O’Brien of New York, to
Paraguay and Uruguay. For consuls general: Robert J.
Wynne of Pennsylvania, at London, Eng.; T. St. John
Gaffney of New York, at Dresden.
March 6. Hon. John H. Reagan, postmaster general of the Confederacy,
died today at Palestine, Texas. He was the last surviving
member of the Confederate cabinet.
March 9. A meeting of the Council of the Society is held today at the
office of the City Trust Co., 36 Wall Street, New York
City.
March 10. Most Rev. John J. Keane, D. D., of Dubuque, Ia., becomes a
member of the Society.
March 17. Gen. Nelson A. Miles reviews the First Regiment, Irish
Volunteers, at the Grand Central Palace, New York City,
tonight.
March 17. Hon. Franklin M. Danaher of Albany, N. Y., a member of the
Society, read an historical paper before the Friendly Sons
of St. Patrick, in that city, tonight. His topic was: “An
Historical Sketch of some Celebrations of St. Patrick’s
Day in Albany, N. Y., in the Early Part of the Nineteenth
Century.”
March 17. A monument was dedicated at Houston, Texas, today to the
memory of Dick Dowling, the Confederate hero of Sabine
Pass, who with a small company of men of Irish blood
defeated, during the Civil War, a large Federal military
and naval force.
March 17. President Roosevelt attends the dinner of the New York
Friendly Sons of St. Patrick tonight.
March 17. The Charitable Irish Society, Boston, Mass., observes its
168th anniversary.
March 18. Francis C. Travers of New York City, a member of the
Society, died today.
April 4. Hon. E. F. Dunne is elected mayor of Chicago, Ill.
April 9. Michael Murphy, a pioneer oil man of central Wyoming, died
at Casper, Wyo. He was one of the best known men in
Wyoming. For twenty-five years he represented the oil
interest in Fremont County, and recently sold the famous
spouting oil wells at Dallas to a syndicate for $400,000.
Frank Murphy, who recently died, leaving more than
$2,000,000, was a brother of Michael Murphy, and left to
him a large portion of his estate, making the latter a
very wealthy man.
April 9. Daniel O’C. O’Donoghue of Portland, Me., was found dead in
bed this morning, having passed away during the night, of
paralysis of the heart. He was a native of County Kerry,
Ireland; was commissioned civil assistant on the ordinance
survey of Ireland at an early age. He arrived in New York
before the Civil War; volunteered for that conflict and
served two years with the Army of the Potomac on engineer
duty. In 1865 he was appointed chief clerk in the United
States engineer’s office at Portland, Me., charged with
the construction of sea coast defenses and harbor and
river improvements, holding that responsible position
for twenty-seven years. Colonel O’Donoghue was division
adjutant-general on the staff of Governor Chamberlain of
Maine, and later inspector of the division. He was captain
of the famous Montgomery Guards of Portland, Me., bringing
the company up to a high standard of efficiency.
April 13. Thomas S. Lonergan of New York City, a member of the
Society, lectures in Newark, N. J., on “Irishmen in the
American Revolution.”
April 19. A patriotic pilgrimage, under the auspices of the Society,
took place today to Lexington, Mass., the occasion being
the anniversary of the battle of Lexington, 1775.
May 18. Secretary T. H. Murray of the Society, received a letter
today from the New York State Library, saying that “We are
making as complete a collection as possible of books and
pamphlets on the Irish in America,” and asking for copies
of works issued by the Society.
May 27. The remains of Capt. John Drum, Tenth United States
Infantry, who was killed in action before Santiago de
Cuba, July 1, 1898, were reinterred today in the National
Cemetery at Arlington, Va. Interment had previously taken
place at Brookline, Mass. Services were conducted at
Arlington by his son, Rev. Walter M. Drum, S. J. Captain
Drum was a member of our Society. He was a native of
Ireland, a veteran of the Civil War, and saw much service
in campaigns against the Indians; was at one period
military instructor at St. Francis Xavier’s College, New
York City.
May 28. A memorial to Molly Pitcher, the heroine of the battle
of Monmouth in the Revolution, was dedicated today at
Carlisle, Pa. The memorial consists of a cannon placed
over her grave. The cannon weighs 1,400 pounds, and
resembles in design the field piece which Molly helped
to fire after her husband had fallen in battle. Molly
Pitcher was “a young Irishwoman.”
May 29. A dinner was given at Delmonico’s, New York City, tonight,
to Thomas Addis Emmet, M. D., LL. D., by his medical
friends, in honor of his seventy-seventh birthday. Over
one hundred physicians attended. Dr. E. C. Dudley,
Chicago, Ill., presided. Dr. Emmet is a Life member of our
Society.
May 30. Michael Brennan, a member of the Society, died today at his
home, 2 West 75th Street, New York City.
June 2. Rev. John Harty, Pawtucket, R. I., a member of the Society,
died today.
June 8. Hon. Henry F. Naphen, Boston, Mass., a member of the
Society, was found dead in bed today. He had been in poor
health for some time.
July 4. A bronze equestrian statue in honor of Gen. Thomas Francis
Meagher was unveiled today in Helena, Mont.
July 10. A paragraph in the New York _Irish American_ of this date,
states that Lieut. Martin L. Crimmins, U. S. A., has just
been graduated from the Infantry and Cavalry School at
Fort Leavenworth, successfully passing his examination
for a captaincy. Captain Crimmins is a son of Hon. John
D. Crimmins, president-general of the Society, and is
himself a member of the organization. He was a member
of the “Rough Riders” in the Spanish-American War, and
later was commissioned a second lieutenant in the
Sixty-ninth New York Volunteers, and still later a second
lieutenant in the regular service. He served four years in
the Philippines, and a year at Fort Lawton, Seattle, where
he was selected from his regiment as a student officer to
attend the school at Fort Leavenworth.
July 31. A letter is today received from James Connolly of Coronado,
Cal., in which he presents nineteen candidates for
membership in the Society.
August. Hon. John C. Linehan, Concord, N. H.,
treasurer-general of the Society, resigns his position as
such owing to ill health. He was one of the founders of
the Society, and has been treasurer-general of the latter
ever since its organization. His resignation is received
with much regret.
Aug. 14. Hon. James C. Monaghan of the Department of Commerce and
Labor, Washington, D. C., a member of the Society,
lectured at the Catholic Summer School, Cliff Haven, N.
Y., today, on “The Game of Empire.”
Aug. 28. William G. Stanard, corresponding secretary and librarian
of the Virginia Historical Society, writes concerning
Colonel Fitzgerald, a friend and staff officer of General
Washington.
Sept. 2. Michael P. O’Connor, Binghamton, N. Y., qualifies as a Life
Member of the Society.
Sept. 7. The Elizabeth (N. J.) _Times_, of this date, has an
editorial headed, “Cox again President.” It refers to
Capt. William T. Cox, a member of our Society, who has
again been reëlected chairman of the Fire Commissioners of
that city. The editorial mentioned pays a high tribute to
Captain Cox.
Sept. 8. Hon. C. B. Tillinghast, state librarian of Massachusetts,
writes requesting a copy of _Early Irish in Old Albany, N.
Y., With Special Mention of Jan Andriessen “De Iersman
Van Dublingh.”_ The foregoing pamphlet was issued by the
Society, 1903, and comprises a paper by Hon. Franklin M.
Danaher of Albany. Mr. Tillinghast desires the pamphlet
for the Massachusetts State Library.
Sept. 10. In the New York _Herald_ today, Mrs. Clara H. Manning has
a contribution setting forth many interesting facts
concerning the family and ancestry of Gen. Richard
Montgomery. Mrs. Manning credits the information to “L.
W., London, England.”
Sept. 12. Hon. Theodore Roosevelt, president of the United States,
writes as follows to the management of the Irish
Industrial Exhibition in New York City: “Gentlemen: I
greatly regret that it is not in my power to be present at
the Irish Industrial Exposition, to be held at Madison
Square Garden. Not only should I be much interested in the
display of industries of Ireland in the matter of
textiles, laces and other branches of industrial art, but
I should be particularly pleased with the educational
feature, which I understand is to symbolize and interpret
the ‘Irish revival.’ Unfortunately, it is simply out of my
power to make another engagement of any kind whatsoever
now, and all I can do is to send you my hearty good wishes
for the success of so worthy a movement. It is peculiarly
appropriate that in our country, where so large a portion
of the blood of our mixed people is drawn from Irish
stock, there should be this movement on broad lines, and
carried out in such a wholesome and comprehensive manner,
for the purpose of illustrating the industrial talents and
artistic and literary genius of the Irish race. With all
good wishes for the success of the exposition, believe me,
sincerely yours, Theodore Roosevelt.”
Sept. 14. Hon. Patrick A. Collins, mayor of Boston, Mass., died today
at Hot Springs, Va. He was a member of the Society.
Sept. 19. Death this evening of Hon. John C. Linehan, state insurance
commissioner of New Hampshire, a founder of the Society.
He passed away at his home in Penacook (Concord), N. H.
Sept. 22. Hon. Charles T. O’Ferrall, ex-governor of Virginia, died at
Richmond, Va., today. He served in the Confederate army
during the Civil War, attained the rank of colonel, and
was wounded three times while in the service. He was a
member of the 49th, 50th, 51st and 52d Congresses.
Sept. 22. Funeral at Penacook, N. H., today, of Hon. John C. Linehan.
A requiem high Mass was celebrated at the Church of the
Immaculate Conception. The eulogy was delivered by Bishop
Delany of Manchester.
Sept. 26. Death today of Edward F. Galligan, M. D., Taunton, Mass., a
member of the Society.
Sept. 27. In accordance with an army order issued at Washington, D.
C., about this date, Capt. Michael M. McNamee, Fifteenth
Cavalry, is detailed as a member of the examining board at
Fort Ethan Allen, Vt.
Sept. 27. Mrs. Aaron Morley Wilcox writes from Washington, D. C., for
information regarding the Society.
Sept. 29. Col. James Moran, Providence, R. I., writes making practical
suggestions for a celebration next year of the anniversary
of the battle of Rhode Island.
Oct. 1. A monument is dedicated today, in Holy Cross Cemetery,
Malden, Mass., to the late Rev. Thomas H. Shahan of that
city, who was a member of the Society. The monument was
erected by the parishioners of the deceased clergyman.
Oct. 7. Among the nominations made today at the Massachusetts
Democratic State Convention in Boston were the following:
For state treasurer, Daniel J. Doherty, Westfield; for
state auditor, Patrick J. Ashe, North Adams; for
attorney-general, John P. Leahy, Boston.
Oct. 7. Notices were issued today for a meeting of the executive
council of the Society to be held on the 19th inst.,
at the Hotel Manhattan, New York City. The latter date
is the anniversary of the surrender of Cornwallis at
Yorktown. The council is to be entertained at dinner
by Mr. Crimmins, president-general of the Society.
Nov. 3. Anniversary of the birth of Gen. William Irvine, a soldier
of the Revolution. He was a native of Fermanagh, Ireland.
Nov. 23. Anniversary of the birth of Edward Rutledge, a signer of the
Declaration of Independence. He was of Irish parentage.
Nov. 29. Anniversary of the birth of Charles Thomson, the “perpetual
secretary” of Congress; a native of Ireland.
Dec. 2. Died on this date, in 1783, Thomas Burke. He was a native of
Ireland, and was chosen governor of North Carolina in
1781.
NECROLOGY.
The following members of the Society died during the year 1905, much and
deservedly regretted:
BRENNAN, MICHAEL, New York City; owner of the Hotel San Remo, Central
Park West, New York, and other property. He was born in Sligo,
Ireland, 1832; died at his home, 2 West 75th Street, New York, May
30. He was a member of the New York Friendly Sons of St. Patrick and
of the Catholic Club. He became a member of the American-Irish
Historical Society soon after the organization of the latter, and
the first meeting and dinner held by the Society in New York took
place at his hotel, the San Remo, just mentioned.
COLLINS, HON. PATRICK A., mayor of Boston, Mass. He was born in
Fermoy, County Cork, Ireland, March 12, 1844, died at Hot Springs,
Va., Sept. 14, 1905. His mother brought him to this country when he
was but four years of age. They settled in Chelsea, Mass. In the
course of time, Patrick entered the law school of Harvard University
and was graduated therefrom in 1871. He had gone into political
affairs while he was a student and had been elected a member of the
Massachusetts House of Representatives in 1868. He served two terms
there and one in the State Senate. When he was admitted to the bar,
in 1871, Mr. Collins made public announcement of his determination
not to hold public office again in ten years. He kept to the
resolution, but he stayed in politics. He became chairman of the
Boston Democratic Committee in 1873 and held the responsibilities of
the place for two years. He served as judge advocate-general on the
staff of Governor Gaston of Massachusetts. While in the Legislature,
Collins was identified with the passage of such liberal and
reformatory legislation as freedom of worship for Catholics in
penal, correctional and charitable institutions, the abolition of a
distinct oath for Catholics, the ten-hour law, and legislation
looking towards equal rights for foreign-born citizens. He was
married in 1873 to Mary E. Cary. They had three children, Paul,
Agnes and Marie. After serving two terms as congressman from the
fourth Massachusetts district, he declined a third term, but was
forced in his party’s interest to reconsider his decision. During
his three terms in Congress he served on the Committee on the
Judiciary, and sometimes in addition on the Committees on Pacific
Railroads, French Spoliation Claims and other important bodies. He
was delegateat-large to the National Democratic Conventions of 1876,
1880, 1884 and 1892. He was permanent chairman of the 1888
convention and made an address which attracted admiring attention
from the whole country, as did his speech seconding the nomination
of Grover Cleveland four years later. It was generally understood
that Mr. Cleveland offered Mr. Collins a cabinet office, but Mr.
Collins declined to take such office. Mr. Cleveland gave him instead
one of the highest-paid government posts, that of consul-general at
London, where the salary is $5,000 a year, and the fees in Mr.
Collins’ time amounted to about $25,000 a year or more. Mr. Collins
resigned from the chairmanship of the Democratic State Committee and
went to London. When he was consul-general Mr. Cleveland again asked
him to come into the cabinet as secretary of war. Mr. Collins
refused. He was quoted as saying that he refused because he “didn’t
care for second-hand clothes.” He never denied the remark. At the
opening ceremonies of the Hotel Cecil, Mr. Collins’ remarks
regarding the good will of Mr. Cleveland toward the British people
were jeered by some of his hearers. He turned on them and said:
“There is no antagonism between the United States and any
well-meaning state on earth. If the rest of the world understood the
United States as well as the United States understands the rest of
the world there would never be any danger to peace between my
country and other nations.” There were no more jeers. In 1897 Mr.
Collins returned to the practice of law in Boston. He was nominated
for mayor in 1899, but was beaten by differences in his own party.
He was elected the next term, was re-elected, and held the office at
the time of his death.
GALLIGAN, EDWARD F. (M. D.), Taunton, Mass. He was a native of that
city and was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Patrick Galligan. He studied
medicine and was graduated from the medical department of Harvard
University. In 1884, he was appointed city physician of Taunton and
filled the position for several years. He was a trustee of the
Morton Hospital, a member of the Taunton Physicians’ Club, of the
North Bristol Medical Society and of the American Medical
Association. He died Sept. 26, 1905.
HARTY, REV. JOHN, a Roman Catholic clergyman; rector of the Church of
the Sacred Heart, Pawtucket, R. I. He was a native of Ireland, and
was ordained to the priesthood in Dublin, 1874. He died, June 2. He
was at one period connected with St. Patrick’s Church, Providence,
R. I., and was later rector of the church in East Providence.
HAYES, JOHN, Manchester, N. H. He was a native of Ireland, and was of
a splendid type as a man and a citizen. He died at Manchester in
March. One of his sons, the late Hon. John J. Hayes, of Boston,
Mass., was also a member of the Society.