LEADING EVENTS IN THE CAREER OF THE ORGANIZATION FOR THE YEARS 1901,
1902, 1903, AND 1904, OR OF SPECIAL INTEREST TO THE MEMBERS.
1901. Jan. 2. Death of Hon. Ignatius Donnelly, a member of the
Society, at Minneapolis, Minn. He was twice elected
lieutenant-governor of Minnesota, and was a member of the 38th,
39th, and 40th Congresses.
1901. Jan. 9. Death of Rev. John F. Mundy, of Cambridge, Mass., a
member of the Society.
1901. Jan. 24. A meeting of the executive council of the Society is
held this afternoon at the Murray Hill hotel, New York City,
President-General Gargan in the chair.
1901. Jan. 24. Annual meeting of the Society at Sherry’s, Forty-fourth
St., and Fifth Ave., New York City. Hon. John D. Crimmins is
elected president-general of the organization.
1901. Jan. 24. Annual dinner of the Society, this evening, at
Sherry’s, New York City. Letters expressive of regret at
inability to attend were received from Hon. John Lee Carroll,
president of the Sons of the Revolution; President Warren of
Boston University, President Hall of Clark University, President
Harper of the University of Chicago, Rt. Rev. Dr. Conaty of the
Catholic University, Washington, D. C.; President Capen of Tufts
College, and from many others.
1901. Jan. 24. At the annual gathering of the Society to-night Rev. A.
P. Doyle, C. S. P., read a paper on “Hon. Thomas Dongan,
Governor of New York, 1683–1688.”
1901. February. The _Cosmopolitan_ magazine for this month publishes a
story, “The Requiem of the Drums.” The author was Capt. “Bucky”
O’Neill, and the story was written shortly before the breaking
out of the war with Spain, while he was still acting as sheriff
of Prescott, Ariz. O’Neill became a captain in the “Rough
Riders” regiment, and fell at the head of his company before the
Spanish trenches of Las Guasimas. Hon. Theodore Roosevelt, of
our Society, termed him “one of the best captains in the
regiment.”
1901. Feb. 5. A delegation from the United Irish-American societies of
New York City waited on Mayor VanWyck to-day, and presented a
resolution which praised him for refusing to lower the flags to
half staff on the death of the British queen, Victoria. The
delegation was headed by Daniel F. Cohalan, a prominent New York
lawyer. Mayor VanWyck in reply thanked the committee and said
that he was glad Americans viewed his action with favor.
1901. Feb. 21. Francis C. O’Reilly, Orange, N. J., of the Society,
passes away. He was the head of the Watchung Coal Company of
Orange, a director of the Orange National Bank, and a member of
several organizations, including the Orange Riding and Driving
Club.
1901. March. Dennis H. Mulligan passes away in Kentucky. A news
paragraph dated Lexington, Ky., March 15, and published in the
Louisville _Times_ states that Mr. Mulligan “was one of the few
surviving types of the old-fashioned Kentucky gentleman, and his
death caused profound sorrow among all who knew him. Mr.
Mulligan was the father of the Hon. James H. Mulligan, formerly
consul to Samoa. The old gentleman was in his eighty-seventh
year when he died and had long been active in public matters. He
owned a whole town in the very suburbs of Lexington. The place
is known as ‘Grannon,’ and was incorporated as a town with
Dennis Mulligan as mayor, by an act of the Kentucky legislature,
while James H. Mulligan was in the state senate. ‘Grannon’ now
falls to James H. Mulligan.”
1901. March 19. Hon. John C. Linehan, Concord, N. H., of the Society,
speaks at a hearing, in the New Hampshire State Capitol, in
favor of erecting a monument to Hon. Franklin Pierce, a former
president of the United States.
1901. April 4. A meeting of the executive council held at the
residence of Hon. John. D. Crimmins, 40 East 68th St., New York
City. Mr. Crimmins, president-general, presided.
1901. April 13. Hon. John D. Crimmins, New York City,
president-general of the Society, delivers an address at the
laying of the corner-stone of the new Hall of Records, New York.
1901. April 19. Celebration by the Society of the anniversary of the
battle of Lexington, Concord and Cambridge. The society visits
Lexington, Mass., in the morning, and places a laurel wreath on
the battle monument on the green. In the evening, the Society
dines at the Hotel Brunswick, Boston, Congressman Henry F.
Naphen presiding.
1901. April 19. During the Society’s dinner at the Hotel Brunswick,
Boston, this evening, it was announced that the Massachusetts
Society of the Sons of the Revolution was assembled in an
adjoining room, engaged in celebrating the same anniversary.
Congratulations were exchanged between the two organizations.
1901. April 21. Hon. Edwin D. McGuinness, a member of the Society,
dies at his home in Providence, R. I. He had twice been
secretary of state of Rhode Island and twice mayor of
Providence.
1901. April 29. Death of James Murphy, Lawrence, Mass., a member of
the Society.
1901. May. President-General Crimmins writes a communication to the
New York _Evening Post_, eloquently defending the character of
Gen. Richard Montgomery.
1901. May 13. John F. Kehoe, Newark, N. J., becomes a life member of
the Society.
1901. May 23. Rt. Rev. James McGolrick, D. D., bishop of Duluth,
Minn., becomes a life member of the Society.
1901. May 24. An editorial in the Boston _Herald_ to-day, headed
“England’s failure in Ireland,” declares that “If the test of
business methods is the growth and prosperity of business, the
test of methods of government is the growth and prosperity of
the people. By this test Great Britain’s government of Ireland
is the monumental political failure of modern times. It does not
promote growth, prosperity, happiness, or loyalty. Nor is there
at present any great reason to expect a turn of the course of
population. The vigor of Ireland has been driven from it.
America has profited incalculably by the exodus, and the record
of the Irish race in this country affords a demonstration that
cannot be gainsaid that the native forces of the race are not
decadent when they have favorable opportunities of development.”
1901. May 31. Secretary-General T. H. Murray, of the Society, has a
communication in the New York _Sun_, calling attention to the
neglected condition of the Gen. Richard Montgomery tablet and
monument in the chancel wall of St. Paul’s church, Broadway, New
York, and urging that proper attention be given the memorial.
1901. June 10. Rt. Rev. Denis M. Bradley, D. D., bishop of Manchester,
N. H., becomes a member of the Society.
1901. June 10. R. A. Brock, secretary of the Southern Historical
society, Richmond, Va., compliments our organization and pays an
eloquent tribute to the Irish element in the composition of the
American people.
1901. June 17. Rev. Joshua P. L. Bodfish, Canton, Mass., a member of
the Society, is re-elected a director of the Bunker Hill
Monument Association.
1901. June 20. Death in Brooklyn, N. Y., of Brvt. Brig. Gen. Robert
Nugent. A cancer caused by a bullet wound received at the battle
of Fredericksburg, Va., 1862, was the cause of his death. He was
born in Ireland, 1824, and came to this country at an early age.
At the breaking out of the Civil War he was lieutenant-colonel
of the Sixty-ninth Regiment, N. Y. National Guard, and went out
with that regiment in response to President Lincoln’s first
call, taking part in the battle of Bull Run. At the expiration
of ninety days the regiment was mustered out of the service.
Lieut.-Col. Nugent then received a commission as captain in the
regular army, and at the request of Gen. Sherman, then a
colonel, he was assigned to the Thirteenth Infantry, of
which Sherman had just taken command. Shortly after, Capt.
Nugent obtained leave of absence, and going to New York
organized the Sixty-ninth New York Volunteers and became their
colonel. This was the first regiment of Gen. Meagher’s Irish
Brigade. In command of this regiment Col. Nugent served at the
battles of Fair Oaks, Gaines’ Mill, Savage’s Station, Peach
Orchard, Malvern Hill, White Oak Swamp, Glendale, Antietam and
Fredericksburg. A short time after the battle of Fredericksburg
he was sent home to recuperate. He started to return to the
front to rejoin his regiment, but was informed that he had been
appointed provost marshal for the Southern District of New York.
He had charge of this district during the draft riots, and took
command of the troops. In 1865, after the Sixty-ninth had been
mustered out of the service, Gen. Nugent rejoined his regiment,
the Thirteenth Infantry. He served with this regiment until
1876, when he was promoted, and transferred to the Twenty-fourth
Regiment. In these two regiments he gained a reputation as an
Indian fighter. He saw service in many battles in Montana,
Dakota, and Wyoming against the Sioux and other Indian tribes,
and was with Gen. Miles in the campaign against “Sitting Bull.”
1901. July 4. Rev. James N. Supple, Boston, Mass., a member of the
Society, was the official chaplain at the Boston municipal
celebration to-day in Faneuil Hall.
1901. Aug. 15. Most Rev. Patrick J. Ryan, archbishop of Philadelphia,
Pa., becomes a member of the Society.
1901. Aug. 29. President-General Crimmins, of the Society, being
unable to attend our celebration to-day at Newport, R. I., sent
a cordial letter, accompanied by a check for $50, which sum he
wished used toward promoting the success of the occasion.
1901. Aug. 29. The Society observes the anniversary of the battle of
Rhode Island by exercises at Newport, R. I. This battle took
place in 1778, the American forces being commanded by Gen. John
Sullivan. At the celebration here mentioned, Mayor Garretson of
Newport welcomed the Society to the city and delivered a
patriotic address. Letters of regret at inability to be present
were received from Dr. John Sullivan and T. Russell Sullivan, of
Boston, Mass., kinsmen of Gen. John Sullivan; and from Governor
Gregory of Rhode Island, Congressman Melville Bull, President
Faunce of Brown University, and other gentlemen.
1901. Sept. 14. Hon. Theodore Roosevelt, a member of our Society,
takes the oath of office as President of the United States.
1901. Sept. 22. Hon. Jeremiah Crowley, ex-mayor of Lowell, Mass.,
dies. He was a member of the Society.
1901. Sept. 30. Patrick J. Flatley, Boston, Mass., a member of the
Society, passes away. He was a lawyer of much ability.
1901. Sept. 30. Very Rev. Abbe John Baptist Hogan, S. S., D. D., a
member of the Society, dies in France. He had been head of St.
John’s Ecclesiastical Seminary, at Brighton (Boston), Mass.
1901. Sept. 30. Joseph Geoghegan, Salt Lake City, Utah, becomes a life
member of the Society.
1901. October. John A. McCall, president of the New York Life
Insurance Co., becomes a life member of the Society.
1901. November. Very Rev. Michael C. O’Brien, vicar general of the
diocese of Portland, Me., dies. He was a member of the Society.
1901. Nov. 14. Rev. J. H. McKechnie, Worcester, Mass., a member of the
Society, passes away.
1901. Dec. 2. The president of the United States appoints the Rev.
Edward J. Brennan of St. John’s church, New Haven, Conn., a
chaplain in the U. S. Navy with the rank of lieutenant. Father
Brennan took the oath of office in the Superior Court at New
Haven, on Dec. 30.
1901. Dec. 6. Meeting of the executive council of the Society at the
residence of President-General John D. Crimmins, New York City.
1901. Dec. 10. Hon. Patrick A. Collins, a member of the Society, is
elected mayor of Boston, Mass.
1901. Dec. 11. In to-day’s issue of the _Free Press_, Charles Town, W.
Va., appears the following: “We are gratified to observe that
Capt. James H. O’Bannon was again chosen superintendent of
public printing by the Virginia legislature. He has occupied the
position with fidelity to the state for a number of years. Capt.
O’Bannon is a native of this county, learned the printing art in
this town, and during the war of ’61–’65 was a gallant officer
in the ‘Stonewall Brigade.’”
1902. Jan. 7. Joseph G. Geoghegan, of New York City, becomes a life
member of the Society.
1902. Jan. 14. Meeting of the executive council of the Society at the
Hotel Manhattan, New York City.
1902. Jan. 14. Annual meeting and dinner at the Hotel Manhattan,
Forty-second St. and Madison Ave., New York City. Hon. John D.
Crimmins, New York, was reëlected president-general. During
the evening the following telegram was received from the
president of the United States: “White House, Washington, D.
C., Jan. 14th, 1902. To Hon. John D. Crimmins, 40 East 68th
St., New York: I thank you for your telegram. Please express
at the banquet this evening my interest in the work of the
American-Irish Historical Society, and assure its members and
their guests of my hearty good wishes. Theodore Roosevelt.”
1902. Jan. 18. The New York _Herald_ of this date has a review of a
volume by J. B. Spillane, New York City, a member of the
Society. Mr. Spillane’s volume is entitled _Minor Chords_ and is
in memory of his deceased brother, Daniel Spillane. It comprises
a collection of prose, poetical, and musical writings by the
latter.
1902. Jan. 19. Hon. Thomas J. Gargan, of Boston, Mass., contributes to
a symposium in to-day’s Boston _Globe_ on the subject: “Does the
Preservation of Historic Landmarks Help or Hinder the City’s
Growth?” He contends that such preservation helps. Mr. Gargan is
an ex-president-general of the society.
1902. Jan. 23. W. H. Mahony, New York City, becomes a life member of
the Society.
1902. Jan. 25. Death of Rev. J. J. McNulty, rector of St. Cecilia’s
church, Boston, Mass., a member of the Society.
1902. Jan. 28. A dispatch from Sioux City, Ia., states that news has
been received there that Very Rev. Philip J. Garrigan, D. D., of
the Catholic University, Washington, D. C., has been appointed
bishop of the new see of Sioux City. He is a member of our
Society.
1902. February. In the _North American Review_ for this month is an
article by Hon. William McAdoo, of the Society, on “Launching a
Battleship from the Congressional Ways.” Mr. McAdoo was formerly
assistant secretary of the navy.
1902. Feb. 1. Death of Patrick E. Riddle, of Roxbury (Boston), Mass.,
a member of the Society.
1902. Feb. 3. President Roosevelt to-day sent to the U. S. senate the
name of Gen. St. Clair A. Mulholland, of the Society, for
reappointment as U. S. pension agent at Philadelphia, Pa.
1902. March 6. Letter received to-day from John Lavelle, Cleveland,
O., a member of the Society, urging the extension of the
organization throughout the West.
1902. March 6. Hon. Patrick A. Collins, mayor of Boston and member of
the Society, presides to-night at a banquet, in Boston, to
Prince Henry of Prussia.
1902. March 12. Death of Bernard McGuinness, Providence, R. I., a
member of the Society. He was the father of Hon. Edwin D.
McGuinness, who became secretary of state of Rhode Island and
mayor of Providence.
1902. March 14. Among the nominations sent to the U. S. senate to-day
by President Roosevelt, a member of the Society, were these:
Rev. Francis B. Doherty, of California, and Rev. Patrick P.
Carey, of New York, to be chaplains in the army.
1902. March 18. Death of John A. Sullivan, New York City, a member of
the Society. He was a prominent resident of New York City,
president of the Parker Manufacturing Co., president of the
Catholic Club, and was collector of Internal Revenue under
Cleveland.
1902. April 1. Death of Hon. Thomas Dunn English, LL. D., Newark, N.
J., a member of the Society.
1902. April 2. President Roosevelt to-day appointed Col. Michael V.
Sheridan to be a brigadier-general in the regular army. General
Sheridan is a brother of the late Lieut.-Gen. Philip H.
Sheridan.
1902. April 2. Gen. St. Clair A. Mulholland, Philadelphia, Pa., of the
Society, has an article in to-day’s _Public Ledger_ of that
city, on the battle of Gettysburg. He pays a tribute to the
Irish soldiers engaged therein.
1902. April 10. Death at Atlantic City, N. J., of Mrs. Robert B.
Roosevelt, wife of an uncle of President Theodore Roosevelt. She
was born in Tipperary, Ireland, her maiden name being Marion
O’Shea. Her brother, J. Augustus O’Shea, was a famous war
correspondent.
1902. April 19. The Society celebrates the anniversary of the battle
of Lexington, Concord and Cambridge. The Boston members went out
to Lexington in carriages, stopping en route at the Cambridge
city hall, where they were officially received by Mayor McNamee
and members of the city government. Arriving in Lexington, the
Society called at the town hall to pay its respects to the town
officials, and was cordially received by Selectman Hutchinson
and others. The Society then proceeded to the village green and
placed a laurel wreath on the battle monument. Later, the
organization was entertained by Selectman Taylor and family at
their home in Lexington, and then visited the quarters of the
Lexington Historical Society.
1902. April 30. Death at Englewood, N. J., of David L. Barrett, a
member of the Society.
1902. May 12. Meeting at the Hotel Manhattan, New York City, to-night
to arrange for the excursion of the Society to Washington, D.
C., to participate in the dedication of the Rochambeau monument.
A visiting delegation was present at the meeting from the French
Literary Circle of New York.
1902. May 15. Death at Somerville, Mass., of Capt. and Brvt.
Lieut.-Col. Samuel McKeever, U. S. A. (retired), a member of the
Society.
1902. May 23. The New York members of the Society left for Washington,
D. C., this afternoon, by a special train over the Pennsylvania
Railroad, to attend the Rochambeau monument dedication at the
national capital. Headquarters were established for the Society
at the New Willard Hotel, Washington.
1902. May 24. The Society attends the dedication in Washington, D. C.,
of the monument to Rochambeau. Previous to the dedication the
organization was received at the White House by President
Roosevelt, the reception taking place in the East room. About
100 members and guests of the Society were present, including a
number of ladies.
1902. May 24. The Society was present, by invitation, at a reception
in Washington, D. C., to-night, at the French embassy.
Ambassador and Madame Cambon welcomed the visitors.
1902. June 10. Hon. John F. Finerty, Chicago, Ill., a member of the
Society, delivers an oration at the University of Nebraska.
1902. June 11. At the annual meeting of the New Hampshire Historical
Society, held at Concord, N. H., on this date, a paper was read
by John Scales, A. M., of Dover, N. H., on “Master John Sullivan
and Family of Somersworth and Berwick.” The paper has since been
published in the _Proceedings_ of the New Hampshire Historical
Society.
1902. June 17. Villanova College, Pennsylvania, confers honorary
degrees on two members of our Society, _i. e._, Hon. Morgan J.
O’Brien and Hon. Joseph F. Daly, both of New York City.
1902. June 18. Monument unveiled at Elizabeth, N. J., to Hon.
William A. M. Mack, recently mayor of that city, and state
vice-president for New Jersey of our Society.
1902. June 18. President Roosevelt sends to the U. S. senate the
nomination of Lieut.-Col. John R. McGinness, Ordnance Corps, U.
S. A., to be a colonel. Colonel McGinness is a member of our
Society.
1902. June 27. A joint resolution appropriating $100,000 for a
monument to the prison-ship martyrs, to be erected at Fort
Greene, Brooklyn, N. Y., was passed to-day by the U. S. Senate.
It provides that the appropriation of $100,000 shall be made on
condition that an additional $100,000 shall be raised, the work
to be done under direction of the Secretary of War, the Governor
of New York, and the Mayor of New York City. Many of the
prison-ship martyrs were Irish, as their names in the records
indicate.
1902. June 28. Death of M. D. Long, of O’Neill, Neb., a member of the
Society.
1902. July 9. The Boston _Transcript_ states that John E. Milholland,
a member of the Society, “is trying to get the federal
government to purchase, for $30,000, the ruins of old Fort
Ticonderoga and restore it to the exact status it bore when
Ethan Allen demanded its surrender.”
1902. July 11. Corner-stone laid at Newport, R. I., of a monument
to be erected in honor of the French who landed there during
the American Revolution. Several members of our Society,
including Mayor Patrick J. Boyle of Newport, participated in
the exercises.
1902. July 20. The Boston _Sunday Globe_ to-day contains a sketch of
the First Regiment Massachusetts Volunteers in the war with
Mexico. In the course of the article the writer states that the
entire ten companies comprising the regiment were raised in
Boston and Charlestown, though not a few of the recruits came
from more or less distant points about New England. Recruiting
was in progress for four or five months at least, during the
fall of 1846 and the winter of 1847. Edward Webster, a son of
Daniel Webster, was captain of A company, and John B. Barry was
captain of B company, which was composed entirely of men of
Irish birth or antecedents. The regiment was at the front for 18
months, first with the army of Gen. Zachary Taylor and later
with Gen. Scott.
1902. August. Ginn & Company, publishers, issued this month a volume
on _Essentials of American History_. The author is Thomas B.
Lawler, a member of the Society.
1902. August. The Society issued this month a volume on _The Irish
Scots and the “Scotch-Irish.”_
1902. August. The Society issued this month a pamphlet on _Gen. John
Sullivan and the Battle of Rhode Island_.
1902. Aug. 7. Death of John O’Hart, a member of the Society, Clontarf,
Ireland. He was the author of _Irish Pedigrees_, _Irish Landed
Gentry when Cromwell Came to Ireland_ and other works. A
sketch states that he was “a Fellow of the Royal Historical
and Archæological Association of Ireland, and a member of
the Harleian Society of London. In 1875 he published his
_Irish Pedigrees_, for the compilation of which he must have
read extensively, and he himself acknowledges over a dozen
authorities to whom he was indebted. It reached a fifth edition
in 1892, and had obtained a very extensive circulation in the
United States. A fellow-historian, Canon O’Hanlon, had for a
quarter of a century worked with him in the cause of Irish
antiquarian research. Mr. O’Hart was headmaster of the Ringsend
National School, even before Canon O’Hanlon became pastor of the
Church of the Star of the Sea, and it was during his position
as headmaster that the deceased historian devoted all his
spare time to the close research which has so enriched Irish
historical literature. Mr. O’Hart was uncle, on the maternal
side, to Maj. Richard Oulahan of Washington, D. C., late of
Corcoran’s Irish Legion.”
1902. Aug. 14. Hon. P. T. Barry, of the Society, has a communicated
article in to-day’s Chicago _Daily News_ on “Major George
Croghan.”
1902. Aug. 29. Celebration by the Society of the anniversary of
the battle of Rhode Island. The celebration took place in
Providence, R. I., headquarters being established at the
Narragansett. At the request of the Society, Governor Kimball of
Rhode Island had the national and state flags displayed on the
new marble state capitol in Providence. The Society dined at the
Narragansett in the evening, as the guest of James E. Sullivan,
M. D., of Providence. About 100 members and friends of the
Society were present, including: Hon. John D. Crimmins,
president-general, New York City; Hon. John C. Linehan,
treasurer-general, Concord, N. H.; Governor Kimball of Rhode
Island; Hon. Charles P. Bennett, Rhode Island’s secretary of
state; Adjutant-General Sackett of Rhode Island; Rt. Rev.
Matthew Harkins, D. D., bishop of the Catholic diocese of
Providence; Rt. Rev. Thomas J. Conaty, D. D., Washington, D. C.;
Hon. Asa Bird Gardiner, New York City; Hon. Morgan J. O’Brien,
a justice of the New York supreme court; Hon. Pardon E.
Tillinghast, a justice of the Rhode Island supreme court; Hon.
Royal C. Taft, Providence, R. I.; Edward A. Moseley, Washington,
D. C.; Thomas Addis Emmet, M. D., New York City, and many other
prominent people. The leading address of the evening was by Hon.
Asa Bird Gardiner, his subject being “The Battle of Rhode
Island.”
1902. Aug. 29. Hon. Theodore Roosevelt, president of the United
States, wrote as follows to Secretary T. H. Murray, relative to
the Society’s celebration on this date: “Oyster Bay, N. Y.,
August 19, 1902. My Dear Mr. Murray: I warmly appreciate
the cordial invitation which you extend on behalf of the
American-Irish Historical Society to attend its anniversary
celebration to be held at the Narragansett Hotel, Providence, R.
I., on the evening of Friday, August 29th. It would afford me
genuine pleasure to be present on this occasion and I deeply
regret that the itinerary of the New England trip does not
contemplate my being in Providence on the evening mentioned.
Otherwise I should be most happy to send an acceptance. Accept
my best wishes for the complete success of the meeting, and
believe me, Very sincerely yours, Theodore Roosevelt.”
1902. Aug. 29. In connection with the Society’s celebration on this
date, the following letter was written by Dr. John Sullivan, of
Boston, a descendant of Gen. John Sullivan: “Your very kind
invitation to attend your banquet on the 29th inst., received.
Please accept for the Society my regrets, not being able,
physically, to attend such a jolly gathering of the true old
Irish stock. I can no longer keep up with the band. If I keep
from under the wheels of the ambulance, I will do well. Four
years at the front will give any man a reminder that he’s ‘been
there’ and he must be thankful that he got it no worse. On the
evening of your banquet I shall remain up, and at the hour of 9
o’clock will drink to the memory of the Irishmen in the American
Revolution. My best wishes for your Society, and your invited
guests, go with this from one who has the honor to be your
obedient servant, John Sullivan.” Dr. Sullivan is a member of
the Order of the Cincinnati, and was an army surgeon during the
Civil War.
1902. Aug. 29. Chief Justice Stiness of the Rhode Island supreme court
wrote concerning our celebration on this date: “I have your
very kind invitation to the banquet of your Society at the
Narragansett Hotel in Providence, on the anniversary of the
battle of Rhode Island, Aug. 29, in special honor of Gen. John
Sullivan. I regret that I shall be unable to attend as I shall
be absent from the state at that time. Your Society has reason
to be proud of the young man, born of Irish parents, ... who
held so high a place in the civil and military affairs of the
colonies, and this state has reason to be grateful for the
service he rendered in its defence at a critical period of the
Revolution. Both as a member of the judiciary of the state
and as president of the Rhode Island Historical Society, I
congratulate your Society upon its efforts to call attention to
service rendered our country by those of Irish descent.... I
greatly regret my inability to be present at so pleasant an
event and give you my best wishes for its interest and success.”
1902. Aug. 29. Hon. Pierre de Margerie, French Charge d’Affaires,
wrote relative to the Society’s celebration held on this date:
“His Excellency, Mr. Jules Cambon, being in France, I have
received the note of August 5, in which you ask the French
ambassador to be present at the exercises which will take place
on the 29th of this month, at Narragansett Hotel, Providence, R.
I. I am quite sure that, if Mr. Jules Cambon had been in this
country, it would have been for him a great pleasure to be the
guest of the American-Irish Society, on the anniversary of the
battle of Rhode Island, and that he will regret very much to
have been unable to accept your very kind invitation.”
1902. Aug. 29. In connection with the Society’s celebration in
Providence, R. I., on this date, letters of regret at not
being able to attend were also received from Governor Jordan
of New Hampshire, Governor Crane of Massachusetts, U. S.
Senator George F. Hoar, President Faunce of Brown University,
and Edward Aborn Greene, of Providence, R. I., a descendant of
Col. Christopher Greene, who served under Sullivan in the
battle of Rhode Island. Letters were likewise received from
Gen. Nelson A. Miles, Washington, D. C.; Archbishop Ryan of
Philadelphia; U. S. Senator Wetmore, Newport, R. I.; Hon.
LeBaron B. Colt, judge of the U. S. Circuit Court, Providence,
R. I.; Hon. A. L. Brown, judge of the U. S. District Court,
Providence, R. I.; Hon. Horatio Rogers, judge of the Rhode
Island Supreme Court; James Phinney Baxter, president of the
New England Historic, Genealogical Society; V. Mott Francis,
president of the Newport Historical Society; E. Benj. Andrews,
chancellor of the University of Nebraska; Stephen Farrelly, of
the American News Co., New York City; Hon. P. T. Barry,
Chicago, Ill.; Congressman Naphen of Massachusetts; John
Lavelle, Cleveland, Ohio; Congressman Bull of Rhode Island;
William Giblin, of the Mercantile Safe Deposit Co., New York
City; Frank Thompson, New York City; James Connolly, Coronado,
California; Principal Charles S. Chapin of the Rhode Island
Normal School, and from others.
1902. Aug. 30. Reception to the Society by Governor Kimball of Rhode
Island. The event took place in the state capitol, Providence.
1902. Sept. 11. Death of Rev. Thomas Scully, Cambridge, Mass.,
a member of the Society. During the Civil War he served
as chaplain of the Ninth Massachusetts infantry—an Irish
regiment—and was twice taken prisoner.
1902. Sept. 18. Announcement is made that Rev. D. J. O’Mahoney, O. S.
A., Andover, Mass., a member of the Society, has been ordered to
the Philippines by his ecclesiastical superiors.
1902. Sept. 24. Death of William Hopkins, of the Society. He was a
member of the staff of the Boston _Daily Globe_, occupying an
editorial position on that paper. He resided at Newton, Mass.
1902. Oct. 5. Under the head of “New Books,” the Charleston, S. C.,
Sunday _News_ has a review to-day of the Society’s _Irish Scots
and the “Scotch-Irish.”_
1902. Oct. 6. A dispatch from Washington, D. C., to-day announces that
the president has appointed Col. William Quinton to be a
brigadier-general in the regular army. General Quinton is a
member of our Society.
1902. Oct. 18. Death of Pierce Kent, New York City, a member of the
Society.
1902. Oct. 19. Hon. John C. Linehan, treasurer-general of the Society,
has a communication in to-day’s _Sunday News_ of Charleston, S.
C., on “Irish Soldiers in the Union and Confederate Services
during the Civil War.”
1902. Nov. 10. Rev. D. H. Scanlon, pastor of the Berryville
Presbyterian church, Berryville, Va., writes for information
relative to the Society.
1902. Nov. 15. Hon. John C. Linehan, treasurer-general of the
Society, has an article in the Boston _Pilot_ of this date,
entitled, “New England Prejudice in 1752–1855. Was it Racial
or Religious?” He contends that it was largely racial.
1902. Nov. 22. Thomas O’Hagan, Ph. D., of Toronto, Canada, a member of
the Society, has a communication in the Boston _Pilot_ of this
date, on “How History is Taught in Secular Universities.”
1902. Nov. 29. Death of Rev. Thomas Shahan, Malden, Mass., a member of
the Society.
1902. Dec. 4. Meeting of the executive council of the Society at the
residence of President-General John D. Crimmins, New York City.
1902. Dec. 7. At a meeting in New York City to-night, in aid of the
projected Hibernian Institute building, addresses were delivered
by several members of our Society, including Hon. Thomas J.
Gargan, Boston, Mass.; Hon. T. A. E. Weadock, Detroit, Mich.,
and Hon. Morgan J. O’Brien and Hon. William McAdoo, of New York
City.
1902. Dec. 7. At the Hibernian Institute meeting just mentioned, Hon
Thomas J. Gargan spoke on “The Irish in America Before the
Revolution.” He told of the settlements they had formed, and of
the many who had come here to add their blood to the tide that
made the Revolution successful, the Irish pioneers who labored
and built and then fought for their possessions and for the
right of liberty and religious freedom. He said that modern
research proved that the Irish had discovered America long
before the advent of Columbus.
1902. Dec. 7. Hon. T. A. E. Weadock, at the Hibernian Institute
meeting, New York, this evening, spoke on “The Irish Influence
on American Polity.” He said that a splendid influence of the
Irish was that they took their part in the government, keeping
it near to its first principle: that it was to be government
by the people. If there was any great danger, it was that
the people grew too busy with their affairs to partake of
their right to the franchise and exercise their influence in
government affairs. The Irish were too patriotic to neglect that
duty, he said.
1902. Dec. 13. Death of Patrick Dempsey, Lowell, Mass., a member of
the Society. He was for many years a director of the First
National bank of Lowell.
1902. Dec. 21. Death of Capt. Patrick O’Farrell, Washington, D. C., a
member of the Society. He was a lawyer, and a veteran of the
Civil War.
1903. Jan. 19. Annual meeting and dinner of the Society at the Hotel
Manhattan, New York City. Hon. William McAdoo was elected
president-general. Hon. Franklin H. Danaher, of Albany, N. Y.,
read a paper on “Jan Andriessen, ye Iersman van Dublingh, and
His Compatriots in Old Albany.”
1903. February. The Society issues this month a volume on _Irish Rhode
Islanders in the American Revolution_. This is the first time
the subject has ever been specifically treated.
1903. March 2. John J. Slattery, Louisville, Ky., of the Society, has
a communication in the Louisville _Herald_, of this date, ably
dealing with the “Anglo-Saxon” fallacy.
1903. March 11. Hon. J. J. O’Connor, Elmira, N. Y., becomes a life
member of the Society.
1903. April 12. Death of Rev. John Flatley, Cambridge, Mass., a member
of the Society.
1903. May 19. Daniel M. O’Driscoll, Charleston, S. C., a member of
the Society, passes away. He was a native of Bantry, Ireland.
During the Civil War he was a military telegraph operator in
the Confederate service, and sent the first message out of
Petersburg, Va., announcing the surrender of Gen. Lee.
1903. June. Thomas Addis Emmet, M. D., LL.D., of the Society, New York
City, leaves there for Ireland, for the purpose of locating the
grave of the Irish patriot, Robert Emmet. His search was not
successful, but he hopes that a satisfactory result will be
attained in the near future.
1903. June 2. An order published at the War Department, Washington, D.
C., to-day, names one of the batteries at Fort Strong, Long
Island, Boston harbor, as Battery Drum, in honor of Capt. John
Drum, Tenth U. S. Infantry, who was killed in the assault on
Santiago de Cuba, 1898. Capt. Drum was an Irishman by birth, and
was a member of our Society.
1903. June 2. An order is published at the U. S. War Department,
Washington, D. C., to-day, giving names to sea-coast batteries
as follows: Fort Preble, Me., Battery Kearny; Fort Williams,
Me., Battery Sullivan.
1903. June 19. Celebration to-day of the 125th anniversary of
the evacuation of Valley Forge by the Continental army.
The celebration was under the auspices of the Valley Forge
Anniversary Association. Archbishop Ryan of Philadelphia, Pa., a
member of our Society, presided over the formal portion of the
exercises.
1903. July. Death in the Adirondacks of John A. Mooney, LL. D., New
York City, a member of the Society.
1903. July. In the _Granite Monthly_, of Concord, N. H., for this
month, is an article by Hon. John C. Linehan, of the Society, on
“New Hampshire’s Early Scotch Settlers from Ireland.” The
article is written in an ironical vein, and very effectually
disposes of the absurd claims of the imaginative “Scotch-Irish”
cult.
1903. July 7. Mrs. Edmund Burke, Milwaukee, Wis., writes informing the
Society of the death of her husband. The latter was a member of
the organization.
1903. July 17. At a meeting of the Board of Governors of the Knights
of St. Patrick, New Haven, Conn., held on this date, it was
“Voted that the freedom of the club house be tendered to the
members of the American-Irish Historical Society and its friends
on Aug. 5, 1903.” The proffered courtesy was accepted.
1903. Aug. 5. The Society holds a field-day at New Haven, Conn., and
participates in the dedication of a monument to the Ninth
regiment, Connecticut Volunteer Infantry, in the Civil War. This
was an Irish regiment, and enlisted, from first to last, over
1,600 officers and men.
1903. Aug. 5. Headquarters for the Society on the field-day just
mentioned, were established at the Tontine Hotel, New Haven. A
dinner under the auspices of the organization, and in honor of
the Ninth regiment, took place in the evening. Hon. William
McAdoo presided. Among guests were Hon. Abiram Chamberlain,
governor of Connecticut; Hon. Morgan G. Bulkeley, ex-governor
of Connecticut; Hon. John P. Studley, mayor of New Haven; Hon.
N. D. Sperry, member of congress from Connecticut; Hon. Eli
Whitney, New Haven; Hon. Edward Griswold, Guilford, Conn.;
Hon. John F. Hurley, ex-mayor of Salem, Mass.; Gen. Phelps
Montgomery, New Haven; Maj. John Q. Tilson, New Haven, and a
number of others. Letters were received from Hon. Theodore
Roosevelt, president of the United States; U. S. Senator O. H.
Platt, of Connecticut; M. Jusserand, the French ambassador to
the United States, and Baron Speck von Sternberg, the German
ambassador.
1903. Aug. 5. Relative to the Society’s field-day at New Haven, Conn.,
on this date, the following letter was received by Secretary T.
H. Murray from the president of the United States: “Oyster Bay,
N. Y., June 29, 1903. My Dear Mr. Murray: I wish I could be
present with you on the occasion of the annual field-day of the
American-Irish Historical Society. From early colonial days the
Irish have been one of the great factors in our growth as a
nation. Naturally, I take a particular interest in what they
have contributed to our national history, inasmuch as I am
myself of part Irish blood. From the days of Sullivan in the
Revolutionary War to those of Sheridan in the Civil War, the
Irish element in our country, conspicuous everywhere, has been
especially prominent in deeds of arms, and, therefore, it is
peculiarly appropriate that the meeting of your Society this
year should be to commemorate the record of an Irish regiment in
our great war. Sincerely yours, Theodore Roosevelt.”
1903. Aug. 5. An invitation was extended the organization, on behalf
of the New Haven Colony Historical Society, to visit the rooms
of the latter to-day. The invitation was accepted.
1903. September. T. H. Murray, secretary-general of the Society, is
the author of a volume of 446 pages, issued about this time. The
work is entitled a _History of the Ninth Regiment, Connecticut
Volunteer Infantry, “The Irish Regiment,” in the War of the
Rebellion, 1861–’65_. The volume is illustrated, and was brought
out under the auspices of the Veteran Association of the
regiment.
1903. September. About this time, the Colorado State Library, Denver,
sends a request for publications of our Society.
1903. Sept. 7. Death of Stephen J. Geoghegan, New York City, a life
member of the Society and a member of the executive council of
the latter.
1903. Sept. 15. About this time G. P. Putnam’s Sons, New York City,
issued a new work by Thomas Addis Emmet, M. D., LL. D., on
_Ireland Under English Rule: a Plea for the Plaintiff_.
1903. Oct. 19. The Society observed the anniversary of the surrender
of Lord Cornwallis and the British army at Yorktown (1781). The
anniversary exercises took place at the Hotel Brunswick, Boston,
Mass., James Jeffrey Roche, of Boston, presiding.
1903. Nov. 11. Meeting of the executive council of the Society at the
office of the City Trust Co., 36 Wall St., New York City. Hon.
John D. Crimmins presided.
1903. Dec. 26. Meeting of the executive council of the Society at the
Catholic Club, 120 Central Park South, New York City.
1904. Jan. 2. Meeting of the executive council of the Society at the
Catholic Club, 120 Central Park South, New York City.
1904. Jan. 12. Annual meeting and dinner of the Society at the Hotel
Manhattan, New York City. Hon. William McAdoo presided and was
reëlected president-general of the organization. Rev. Andrew M.
Sherman, of Morristown, N. J., read a paper dealing with “The
O’Briens of Machias, Me., Patriots of the American Revolution.”
He is a descendant of these O’Briens. The paper, together
with an account of the meeting and dinner, was subsequently
published in book form, the expense of publication being
generously defrayed by Hon. John D. Crimmins, New York City,
ex-president-general of the Society.
1904. Jan. 28. Death of Rev. James L. O’Neil, O. P., editor of
_Dominicana_, San Francisco, Cal. He had previously been editor
of the _Rosary Magazine_, New York City. At his initiative, “the
editor of the _Rosary Magazine_” became a life member of the
organization. The membership is arranged so that successive
editors of the publication may enjoy the rights and privileges
of the Society. Father O’Neil was the first to represent the
magazine in the organization.
1904. Feb. 5. A. B. Olson, Denver, Col., writes for information
concerning the Society. He states that the Swedish-Americans
contemplate forming an organization on similar lines.
1904. Feb. 13. T. H. Murray, secretary-general of the Society, opens
temporary quarters at 509 Fifth Ave., New York City, to advance
the interests of the organization.
1904. Feb. 15. Death of James F. Redding, Charleston, S. C., a member
of the Society.
1904. Feb.-March. The following gentlemen have become life members of
the Society at this time: Rev. Henry A. Brann, D. D., New York
City; P. E. Somers, Worcester, Mass.; George J. Gillespie, New
York City; Hon. Patrick Garvan, Hartford, Conn.; Stephen
Farrelly, New York City; Patrick Gallagher, New York City;
Robert A. Sasseen, New York City; and Hon. Jeremiah O’Rourke,
Newark, N. J.
1904. March 2. Death of Hon. James M. Fitzsimons, New York City, a
member of the Society. He was chief justice of the City Court of
New York.
1904. March 4. Death of Rev. Francis D. McGuire, rector of the
Cathedral, Albany, N. Y., a member of the Society.
1904. March 8. Hon. Edward F. O’Dwyer becomes chief justice of the
City Court, New York. He is a member of the Society.
1904. March 9. Death at Exeter, N. H., of Miss Margaret Sullivan, a
granddaughter of Gen. John Sullivan of the Revolution. Her
father, George Sullivan, son of the general, was an able lawyer,
attorney-general of New Hampshire many years and held other
prominent positions.
1904. March 16. Edward F. McSweeney, Boston, Mass., of the Society,
delivers an address entitled “A Forecast of Irish Influence on
American Life.”
1904. April 21. Obsequies of Bernard Foley, Roxbury (Boston), Mass., a
member of the Society.
1904. April 23. Death of Patrick Farrelly, New York City, of the
American News Co. He was a member of the Society.
1904. May 11. H. Warren Phelps, Columbus, O., applies for admission to
the Society.
1904. June. T. H. Murray, secretary-general of the Society, assembled
a loan collection of Irish-American memorials to be exhibited at
the Louisiana Purchase Exposition, St. Louis, Mo. A national
supervisory committee was formed in connection with the project
and included many members of the Society. The collection was
placed on exhibition at St. Louis and attracted much attention.
Among those who contributed articles to the collection were Hon.
John D. Crimmins, New York City; Major Patrick Maher, New Haven,
Conn.; William M. Sweeny, Astoria, L. I., N. Y.; Miss Mary Boyle
O’Reilly, Boston, Mass.; Capt. Laurence O’Brien, New Haven,
Conn.; Hon. Alexander C. Eustace, Elmira, N. Y.; Thomas Addis
Emmet, M. D., LL. D., New York City; Capt. John J. Coffey,
Neponset, Mass.; Thomas M. Cahill, M. D., New Haven, Conn.;
Jeremiah O’Donovan (Rossa), New York City; Dennis H. Tierney,
Waterbury, Conn.; Rev. James H. O’Donnell, Norwalk, Conn.;
James E. Kelly, New York City, and Meagher’s Irish Brigade
Association, New York City.
1904. June. Among the articles loaned the collection just mentioned,
for the Irish-American exhibit at St. Louis, Mo., was an
Irish flag carried by the Twenty-eighth Massachusetts (the
“Faugh-A-Ballagh” regiment) in the Civil War. The regiment
formed part of Meagher’s Irish Brigade, First Division, Second
Corps. The flag was loaned by Capt. John J. Coffey, of Neponset,
Mass., a member of the Society, who wrote as follows to
Secretary T. H. Murray concerning it: “This flag has a precious
history. It was presented to the Twenty-eighth regiment, through
the late Patrick Donahoe, by the Irish women of Boston, on Sept.
24, 1861, at the same time Governor Andrew presented the
regiment with the flag of the State of Massachusetts. My company
[C], was selected as the right centre or color company, and my
brother, Michael J., whose height exceeded mine by two inches,
was selected as color sergeant of this green flag and carried it
until he fell mortally wounded at the second battle of Bull Run,
August 30, 1862; after that it went through Chantilly, South
Mountain, and Antietam. On the memorable day of the attack on
Marye’s Heights, at Fredericksburg, it was the only green flag
unfurled—and by this I do not intend to cast any reflections on
the four other regiments of the Irish brigade. Sometime before
Chancellorsville, in May following, Colonel Byrnes and the other
officers of the regiment concluding that it was too cumbersome,
subscribed among themselves and procured a flag of lighter
fabric (worsted), and laid the old flag (this one) aside, but in
safe keeping, and you may rest assured that it has been
scrupulously cared for and treasured by the custodian.”
1904. June. Meagher’s Irish Brigade Association loaned to the
Irish-American collection for the World’s Fair at St. Louis,
Mo., two battle-flags carried by the Sixty-ninth regiment, New
York, in the Civil War. One of these was an American flag and
the other an Irish flag. Regarding the two flags, the following
letter is of interest: “Mr. Thomas Hamilton Murray, New York
City. Dear Sir: I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter
regarding the Historic Loan Collection of Irish-American
Memorials you are getting together for the St. Louis Exposition.
I placed the matter before the Irish Brigade Association at last
Sunday’s meeting, and they resolved to send you two of their
best preserved battle flags. Also other relics which, I
believe, will be of interest to visitors at the World’s Fair.
These flags were presented to the Irish Brigade after the
battle of Fredericksburg, Va., and were carried with honor
through the battles that followed in which the Army of the
Potomac participated. The flags were presented by a body of
public-spirited citizens of American birth from the city of New
York who, on hearing that the battle flags of the Irish Brigade
had become so torn and shattered by shot and shell of the many
battles, resolved to present them a new stand of colors.
The presentation took place in the old Catholic church at
Fredericksburg. I believe it is needless to caution you as to
the preservation of these battle-scarred relics. I know that you
and the gentlemen who compose your organization realize what
these flags mean to us; how many recollections they tend to
stimulate amongst us, for they are part of our very life, and
were anything to happen to them it would be an irreparable loss.
Money could never compensate for the tender memories they
inspire of our comrades who died beneath them and the noble
lessons of patriotism and duty that they bring to our minds, and
will teach to the generations of the future. It has always been
our unswerving custom never to allow these flags out of our
custody, but when we read the names of the gentlemen that make
up your organization, and the worthiness of the project
contemplated, we felt that we could safely trust these sacred
relics in your hands. Respectfully yours, Capt. John O’Connell,
president Irish Brigade Association, 440 East 14th St., New York
City, June 7, 1904.”
1904. July 28. The Librarian of Congress writes, requesting
publications of the Society for the Congressional Library.
1904. August. Hon. John W. Corcoran, of Boston, Mass., a member of the
Society, passes away. He was a lawyer by profession, had been a
judge of the Superior Court of Massachusetts, and held other
positions of trust and honor.