_Dear Sir_: It gives me great pleasure to notify you that a
reception to Rear-Admiral John McGowan, U. S. N., President-General
of our Society, will take place in New York City on Thursday
evening, April 26, 1906, at 8 o’clock.
Owing to the kindness of our fellow member, the Hon. John D.
Crimmins, the reception will be held at the home of the latter, 40
East 68th Street, and it is hoped that every member of the Society
who possibly can will be present on this occasion.
Few events under the auspices of the organization will possess as
much interest as this, and all who participate in the forthcoming
reception to our President-General will find it a red-letter event
in the history of the Society. Each member is at liberty to invite a
friend to accompany him to the exercises.
Kindly inform the Secretary, upon receipt of this notice, whether
you will attend the reception, as it is desirable to know,
approximately, how many will be present.
Fraternally,
THOMAS HAMILTON MURRAY,
_Secretary-General._
36 NEWBURY STREET, BOSTON, MASS.,
April 5, 1906.
Among those present from New York City, were: Hon. James Fitzgerald, a
justice of the New York Supreme Court; Hon. Edward F. O’Dwyer, chief
justice of the New York City court; Hon. Samuel Adams, Robert E.
Danvers, M. E. Bannin, Richard Deeves, John J. Rooney, William F. Clare,
M. J. Drummond, Cyril Crimmins, J. Henry Haggerty, Nathaniel Doyle, Col.
James Quinlan, formerly of Meagher’s Irish Brigade; Sylvester J.
O’Sullivan, James O’Flaherty, Robert T. Dyas, Edward J. McGuire, John W.
Donovan, Dr. Hugh M. Cox, Henry Wright, Rev. Dr. Henry A. Brann, John A.
Brann, John Jay Joyce, Willis B. Dowd, Rt. Rev. Mgr. Charles McCready,
William J. Broderick, J. J. Hickey, W. E. Callahan, Charles V. Halley,
J. H. Rohan, John J. Ryan, Thomas S. Lonergan, John O’Sullivan, Owen J.
Brady, James J. Phelan, and other people of note.
Present from other places were: Rt. Rev. Mgr. William Byrne, D. D., V.
G., Boston, Mass.; Rt. Rev. Arthur J. Teeling, D. D., Lynn, Mass.; Rev.
Gerald P. Coghlan, Philadelphia, Pa.; Hon. P.T. Barry, Chicago, Ill.;
Hon. Patrick Garvan, Hartford, Conn.; James L. O’Neill, Elizabeth, N.
J.; Hon. Thomas Z. Lee, Providence, R. I.; Thomas A. O’Gorman,
Providence; John F. O’Connell, Providence; Dr. J. F. Hayes, Waterbury,
Conn.; P. F. Magrath, Binghamton, N. Y.; James J. Higgins, Elizabeth, N.
J.; City Clerk Kenah, Elizabeth; Hon. P. J. Ryan, Elizabeth; John
Moriarty, Waterbury, Conn.; Prof. J. E. Madigan, Waterbury; Philip A.
Curran, Waterbury; William M. Sweeny, Astoria, L. I., N. Y., a son of
the late Gen. Thomas W. Sweeny; Dr. A. J. Anderson, Astoria, L. I., N.
Y.; Fire Commissioner Cox, Elizabeth, N. J.; Dr. John D. Hanrahan,
Rutland, Vt.; William P. Connery, Lynn, Mass., and a number of others.
Letters expressing interest in the occasion, and regretting inability to
be present, were received from Hon. Joseph T. Lawless, Norfolk, Va.;
Hon. Thomas H. Carter, Washington, D. C.; Hon. Andrew C. Smith, M. D.,
Portland, Ore.; Hon. Patrick Egan, New York City; Hon. Edward A.
Moseley, Washington, D. C.; Hon. M. T. Moloney, Ottawa, Ill.; Hon.
Franklin M. Danaher, Albany, N. Y.; Rt. Rev. Thomas J. Conaty, D. D.,
Los Angeles, Cal.; Rt. Rev. Mgr. D. J. O’Connell, S. T. D., Washington,
D. C.; Brig-Gen. Michael Cooney, U. S. A. (retired), Washington, D. C.;
Rev. John J. McCoy, LL. D., Worcester, Mass.; John J. Lenehan, New York
City; William Doogue, Boston, Mass.; James A. Fogarty, New Haven, Conn.;
Michael J. Ward, Brookline, Mass.; William Lyman, New York City; James
Connolly, Coronado, Cal.; M. P. O’Connor, Binghamton, N. Y.; R. J.
Donahue, Ogdensburg, N. Y.; James G. Hickey, Boston, Mass.; Patrick H.
Garrity, Waterbury, Conn.; P. C. Walsh, Jr., Newark, N. J.; Rev. M. J.
Cooke, Fall River, Mass.; F. L. Dunne, Boston, Mass.; J. J. O’Connor,
Elmira, N. Y.; J. T. Gibbons, New Orleans, La.; Maurice O’Meara, New
York City; Rev. J. C. Harrington, Lynn, Mass.; D. H. Tierney, Waterbury,
Conn.; Rev. D. W. Fitzgerald, Penacook (Concord), N. H.; Dr. J. E.
Sullivan, Providence, R. I.; W. H. Mahony, New York City; Gustav W.
Lembeck, Jersey City, N. J.; Myles Tierney, New York City; Roger G.
Sullivan, Manchester, N. H.; Richard W. Meade, New York City; John L.
Carroll, Newark, N. J.; W. J. O’Hagan, Charleston, S. C.; James McMahon,
New York City; John C. Griffin, Skowhegan, Me.; Stephen Farrelly, New
York City; M. J. Morkan, Hartford, Conn.; Osborne Howes, Boston, Mass.;
James W. Kenney, Boston, Mass.; P. J. Byrnes, New York City; Frank S.
O’Neil, Binghamton, N. Y.; D. H. McBride, New York City; Rev. J. P.
McCaughan, Warren, Mass.; Hon. George J. Gillespie, New York City; J. A.
O’Keefe, Lynn, Mass.; Laurence Clancy, Oswego, N. Y., and Patrick J.
Lawlor, Waterbury, Conn.
The company inspected Mr. Crimmins’ splendid library and his costly
collections of rare old manuscripts and original letters. Among the
latter were notes written by Washington, Adams, Calhoun, Jackson,
Jefferson, Carroll, and other historic personages.
Among the Washington letters was one in which the father of his country
mentions his contemplated purchase of an Irish wolfdog, on the
recommendation of Lafayette. In a letter by Andrew Jackson occurs this
sentence: “For you know my parents were Irish.” This very effectually
disposes of those who have classed Jackson as “Scotch-Irish.”
Attention was called to Cyrus Townsend Brady’s new work, _The True
Andrew Jackson_, which is dedicated to Mr. Crimmins and the
American-Irish Historical Society, Doctor Brady being a member of the
latter. Much interest was also displayed in a new volume by Mr. Crimmins
himself, entitled _Irish-American Historical Miscellany_, which has
recently been brought out. It is a volume of some five hundred pages and
is replete with interesting data.
After the exercises in the drawing-room, lunch was served, and was
followed by addresses, readings and musical selections. The whole
occasion was one of unusual interest.