Part 7

I have already referred to the Olney name. I take it up again. Thomas Olney came from England in 1635, and was one of the original thirteen proprietors of Providence. His descendants are widespread. Some of them were married as follows: Benjamin Olney to Mary McFadyan, Sylvester Olney to Eliza McLaughlin, Sylvanus Olney to Joanna W. Gorman, Frances M. Olney to J. P. Mahan, George E. Olney to Mary E. Gilpatrick, Thomas D. Olney to Mary A. Dunagan, Bradley Olney to Dora Fitzgerald, William N. Olney to Mary Oday (O’Day), Amanda Olney to Jerry Mackay, Louis B. Olney to Kitty Sheehan, Hattie M. Olney to Casper McManus.

This indicates that the process of assimilation has been progressing in Rhode Island for many generations, and that Irish blood courses to-day through the veins of thousands of the old Rhode Island stock.

These things we know, but there are many other facts just as important we do not know.

We depend upon you, gentlemen, and the society of which you are the official representatives, to unroll the drapery so that our knowledge may be greatly increased.

Again we say, welcome to Pawtucket!

Addresses were made by Joseph Smith, of Lowell; James Jeffrey Roche, of Boston; and Thomas B. Lawler, of Worcester.

On May 15, 1897, Hon. Edward A. Moseley, of Washington, D. C., was chosen President-General of the society, to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Admiral Meade.

A committee of three Washington members of the society was appointed to wait upon Mr. Moseley and officially notify him of his selection. This committee consisted of Mr. J. D. O’Connell of the U. S. Treasury Department; Paymaster Carmody, U. S. N., and Capt. John M. Tobin.

The committee had waited upon Mr. Moseley as instructed, and Chairman O’Connell thus presented the matter:

Mr. Moseley,—Complying with the directions of the Council of the American-Irish Historical Society, we have come to announce to you, in their name, your selection as President-General of the society.

To be the bearer of such information is generally a pleasant duty; and it would be a pleasure to us in this instance, were it not for the bereavement felt so keenly by every member of our society because of the death of its first President-General, the late Richard W. Meade, Rear-Admiral of the United States Navy—illustrious in name and lineage and in the annals of his country.

It is a great honor to you, sir, to have been selected by the unanimous voice of our council to the highest office in our society, in immediate succession to such an illustrious man. Nevertheless, we hope that under your administration the society is destined to grow with the growth and strengthen with the strength of the Republic, and that it will eventually achieve the glorious object of its institution, namely, to prove to the civilized world, and especially to the “English-speaking peoples,” that there is no distinction of blood or race among the colonists and their descendants who peopled this part of the continent from Great Britain and Ireland; that they and the succeeding and ever-increasing waves of immigration, up to and long after the Revolutionary War, were all people of the same mixture of blood—Celtic and Germanic; the Celtic—and in that the Irish Celtic—then predominant, as it still continues to be in every region of the globe where the English language is spoken; predominant also on every ocean where floats our own flag, and the flag of “our kin beyond the sea,” which bears the insignia of the “three kingdoms”—a flag we do not now respect, and never shall while it is the emblem of tyranny in any land or on any sea.

VICE-PRESIDENTS

_The President-General’s Reply._

President-General Moseley replied as follows:

Gentlemen,—Deeply appreciative as I am of the honor conferred upon me by your tendering me the position of President-General of the American-Irish Historical Society, I feel that the compliment is greatly enhanced by my having been selected to fill the place so recently made vacant by the death of one of our most illustrious fellow-citizens, the late Rear-Admiral Richard W. Meade, of the United States Navy.

Honored by all true patriots for the loyalty, courage, and professional ability which so eminently distinguished him in his country’s hour of trial, and throughout his whole career, no more fitting representative of the Irish people, to whose history our society is devoted, could have been chosen as its first President-General, than Rear-Admiral Meade, who bore a name renowned as well in the army as in the navy of our country.

While fully conscious of my being all too unworthy to occupy a position which my predecessor so adequately filled, yet, as I am most earnestly and heartily in sympathy with the objects of the American-Irish Historical Society, and willing to share in its labors and responsibilities, I cannot but accede to your wishes, whatever misgivings I may have as to my ability to fulfill your expectations.

My descent from Irish ancestry, of which I am justly proud, and also from the English and Welsh, not only enables me to regard myself as among typical Americans in respect of origin, as well as aspirations and pride of country, but renders me fondly sympathetic with the aims and purposes of this American-Irish Society.

The main purpose of the American-Irish Historical Society is to elucidate the history of the Irish element in our people and the extent of the contributions to our development and civilization since the earliest colonial period,—a rich and greatly neglected field for historical research.

The society intends to demonstrate the fact that this element has not been given the credit which is its due by the writers of American history, and to prove by authoritative records that from the earliest days of the settlement of this country up to the present day, it has done its part towards establishing and maintaining this great Republic, and in developing its greatness in every field of its achievements.

But it is not solely to chronicle the deeds of Irish ancestors, or their descendants, and our contemporaries that we have organized an historical society.

Ownership, or the right of possession, as well as pride of descent, tend to make one a better citizen. We, therefore, desire that as our young men grow up they may feel that they inherit the right of ownership in our great country; that their ancestors have done their part towards the up-building of the grandest nation upon earth—a part not surpassed by any other element of our people, and therefore that they should always exercise the right of citizenship as a sacred trust transmitted to them for the glory and welfare of their country.

Of all those who by immigration have helped to people our country, the Irish have come imbued with the most intense feeling of loyalty towards our institutions, and it may be safely asserted that, since our independence of English rule was proclaimed, every true Irishman has felt, on landing in America, that the American shore was not a foreign shore for him. To perpetuate this feeling is the crowning object for which the society is organized.

Again sincerely thanking the society, through the committee, for the honor conferred upon him, President-General Moseley assured them that he would discharge the duties of the office to the very best of his ability.

In answer to the subjoined call the third meeting was held Nov. 16, 1897.

OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY-GENERAL, PAWTUCKET, R. I., Nov. 1, 1897.

DEAR SIR:—You are hereby notified that the third meeting of the American-Irish Historical Society will be held at Young’s Hotel, Boston, Mass., on Tuesday evening, Nov. 16, 1897.

There will be a business session of the society at 6.30 P.M., followed, at 7.30 o’clock, by a dinner and post-prandial exercises of an interesting nature.

The after-dinner features will include:

(1) An address by the presiding officer.

(2) The reading of letters from distinguished members of the society unable to be present.

(3) A paper by Mr. Dennis Harvey Sheahan, of Providence, R. I. (ex-clerk of the Rhode Island House of Representatives), on “The Need of an Organization such as the A. I. H. S., and its Scope.”

(4) A congratulatory letter from His Excellency Elisha Dyer, Governor of Rhode Island.

(5) An address by Mr. John Mackinnon Robertson, of London, author of _The Saxon and the Celt_.

(6) A communication to the society from Hon. Joseph T. Lawless, Secretary of State, Virginia.

(7) A paper on “The O’Briens of Machias, in the Revolution,” by Mr. H. W. Chaplin, of Boston, Mass., who is a descendant of the O’Briens.

Invitations to attend the dinner have been extended Rear-Admiral Belknap, U. S. N.; Dr. John Sullivan, a descendant of Gen. John Sullivan of the Revolution; and President Andrews, of Brown University. President Andrews’s work on American history is well known, and his patriotic address recently, before the Twentieth Century Club, will not soon be forgotten.

It is earnestly desired that every member of the society who can possibly be present at the coming meeting will attend and help make the event the great success it so richly deserves.

Fraternally, and in behalf of the Executive Council of the Society,

THOMAS HAMILTON MURRAY, Secretary-General.

The third general meeting of the American-Irish Historical Society was held at Young’s Hotel, Boston, on the evening of November 16, about seventy members being in attendance. Gen. James R. O’Beirne, Vice-President for New York, presided at the business session. Secretary-General Thomas Hamilton Murray made his official report, saying:

The society is steadily growing in membership, and is receiving an excellent class of active workers. Many of these new accessions are gentlemen of national reputation. Before the year closes it is expected that between five and six hundred members will have been enrolled. Since the founding of the organization last January, three members have died. They were Postmaster Coveney, of Boston; Rear-Admiral Meade, who was the first President-General of the society; and Lawrence J. Smith, of Lowell, Mass.

Twenty-eight states, the District of Columbia, and two foreign countries are now represented in the society’s membership. Since the last gathering of the organization the council of the society has held a number of meetings, and has materially furthered the movement.

The organization has enlisted widespread attention, and requests for genealogical information, historical data and facts relating to early Irish settlers in this country have been received almost daily. Several of the society’s members are of Revolutionary stock, and some are descendants of officers who served under Washington. Some of the members, too, trace their American ancestry back to a period anterior to King Philip’s War.

Since the last meeting an excellent article descriptive of the society and its purposes has been contributed to the _Granite State Monthly_, of Concord, N. H., by the Treasurer-General, John C. Linehan. A committee of Washington members of the society now has in preparation a diploma of membership and a seal. This committee will probably be ready to submit its designs at the next meeting. The members at the national capital have extended the society a cordial invitation to hold its coming meeting in that city, and have, in fact, already begun preparations for the event, under the direction of President-General Moseley. Gen. James R. O’Beirne, on behalf of the New York members, has also tendered the organization an invitation to meet in the near future in that city.

The last meeting of the society’s council was held in Pawtucket, R. I., as the guests of the members in that place and Providence. The meeting was very profitable to the cause. Several new members were obtained for the organization; and the entertainers’ hospitality was unbounded. The council has been invited to attend similar gatherings in Worcester, Lawrence, and other cities. This indicates the interest aroused. Massachusetts has at present the largest representation in the society; then follow in order Maine, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, and Pennsylvania.

At the conclusion of Mr. Murray’s report a committee of three was appointed to take suitable action on the death of Lawrence J. Smith, of Lowell, Mass. The committee consists of Joseph Smith, Lowell; Thomas B. Lawler, Worcester; and Capt. P. S. Curry, Lynn.

William McConway, of Pittsburg, Pa., presented a check for $50 to the society.

It was voted to hold the next meeting of the society in New York City.

The business session then adjourned, and the company proceeded to dinner.

Hon. Thomas J. Gargan presided; and seated on his right and left were John Mackinnon Robertson, of London; Admiral Belknap, U. S. N.; Gen. J. R. O’Beirne, New York; Hon. P. A. Collins, Boston; Col. John C. Linehan, Concord, N. H.; Rev. Edward McSweeney, Bangor, Me.; James Jeffrey Roche, of Boston; Thomas B. Lawler, of Worcester; and Joseph Smith, of Lowell.

Around the tables were noted: the Revs. William P. McQuaid, Boston; John Harty, Pawtucket, R. I.; J. H. Lyons, Boston; Dr. W. D. Collins, Haverhill, Mass.; Dennis H. Sheahan, Providence, R. I.; Stephen J. Casey, Providence; Osborne Howes, Boston; Humphrey O’Sullivan, Lowell, Mass.; J. F. Brennan, Peterboro, N. H.; Representative John Jolly, Alderman Thomas O’Brien, and Hugh J. Lee, Pawtucket, R. I.; Daniel Donovan, Timothy Donovan, and P. S. Curry, Lynn, Mass.; Hon. Joseph H. O’Neil, Dr. William H. Grainger, Dr. P. J. Timmins, M. A. Toland, Edward A. McLaughlin, M. J. Jordan, Dr. P. F. Gavin, Charles E. S. MacCorry, Joseph P. Flatley, Jeremiah W. Fogarty, all of Boston; Edmund Reardon, Capt. J. F. Murray, and Edward M. Manning, of Cambridge, Mass.; James Cunningham and Frank W. Cunningham, of Portland, Me.; and many others.

After dinner a short but stirring speech was made by the presiding officer, Hon. Thomas J. Gargan, who said in part:

It cannot be otherwise than interesting to analyze the materials entering into the warp and woof of our democratic fabric. We are a nation receiving emigrants from almost every country on the face of the globe. We are endeavoring to amalgamate people of different races, languages, and religions into a homogeneous mass, eliminating all that is vicious, and so refining what is good, hoping to evolve the best type of manhood and womanhood to be found in the coming century.

Doubtless the descendants of each race making contributions to our population will perform their share of the work in tracing their early settlements and their efforts in up-building the Republic. Our share of the work is to examine the data and preserve the records of the Irish and their descendants, and their contributions to the settlement of the original Colonies, the founding of the nation, the upholding of the Union, and the maintenance of democratic institutions.

Proud of our ancestry, yet loving the United States and loyal to our citizenship, we desire a fair share of credit for what they have accomplished. We respect the Germans, the French, the Italians, and the genuine Scotchman; but for that masquerading misnomer, the Scotch-Irishman, who claims no ancestry and no country as his own, we have only contempt; and he will go down to posterity as he deserves, “unwept, unhonored, and unsung.”

A distinguished man has said “the Irish have fought successfully the battles of all countries but their own.” They have also contributed their full share to the civilization and progress of all English-speaking people. That they possess brilliant qualities is not denied; but it is charged that they lack steadiness of purpose. I think a careful and critical study of the history of this country will refute this assertion.

To assert that they have imperfections is but to say they are human. For much of their humanity, I say God bless them. I wish there was a little more humanity in the world in our day.

We of this society are only asking that they may be spoken of and written of impartially, truthfully. “Nothing extenuate, nor set down aught in malice.” We will accept our share of just criticism. The malice and insolence of ignorance have unfortunately held the platform too long. It is our duty to endeavor to refute errors with clear statements of cold facts. For such purposes this society was organized; and it is very gratifying to be able to announce that in ten months since its organization we have already a list of nearly five hundred members coming from almost every state in the Union, representing some of the most distinguished men and families of the Republic. I congratulate you, fellow-members, on this signal success.

Mr. Gargan then introduced Mr. John Mackinnon Robertson, of London, author of many striking books and pamphlets, but most widely and favorably known to members of the Society and Irish-Americans generally by his masterly work, _The Saxon and the Celt_. Mr. Robertson is a tall, handsome man of forty, with dark hair, moustache and beard, and a well-modulated voice, which without effort reached the furthest part of the room. He gesticulates very seldom, and uses none of the tricks of the practiced orator; but he held his audience in rapt attention throughout his whole discourse, evoking applause and laughter at frequent intervals. He is a firm believer in the ultimate and not far distant triumph of Home Rule; and his advice to the American friends of the cause had the merit of novelty at least.

MR. ROBERTSON’S ADDRESS.

Mr. Robertson expressed the satisfaction with which he found himself at a union of an Irish society whose purpose was the systematic and dispassionate study of a department of the history of the race. The new movement was the more hopeful, seeing that it proceeded on democratic lines. It was said that war could not be carried on by a committee. If the military gentlemen present would forgive him, he would confess that he wished it could not be done in any other way, either (laughter); but he was sure that historical research could very well be so carried on. In so far as the Nationalist movement had of late years lost headway, it could fairly be said that it was because of an imperfect application of the spirit of democracy in its ranks. A great man was at once one of the greatest boons that could befall any cause, and one of the greatest dangers, because where the great man was all in all, the powers of the lesser men were undeveloped, and their faculty of coöperation was in a measure destroyed. The Nationalist movement had been shattered somewhat as the party of Cromwell was shattered at his death; but it would find the cure which, in the old case, had not been forthcoming (applause). Every development of democratic methods would make for reconstruction.

Above all, the present movement was full of promise, because it was essentially scientific in its aim.

Dennis Harvey Sheahan, of Providence, R. I., read the following paper on “The Need of an Organization such as the American-Irish Historical Society, and its Scope”:

The history of a country is dear to the heart of the lover of that country. By the aid of historical study we learn of the origin, growth, and development of a race of people; their customs, religions, laws, governments; their accomplishments and what they have contributed to the economy of the world. The historian points out the past to the present and future. He puts aside the veil that has gathered about the dim past, opens up to the gaze of the bright present the panorama of human achievement, and blazes the way for his successor in the rosy future.

What the clergyman learns from the theological disputations of the past, the poring monk has gathered together; what the physician now acquires with comparative ease is furnished him by the knowledge garnered from the experience of his brethren from the time when man learned that pain and aches affected his being; what the lawyer gains from precedents is a guiding light which sheds its rays upon problems of jurisprudence that the legal lore of the past generations has taken from the leaves of experience; what formulæ the scientist is able to demonstrate he owes to the observations of men who, through the ages, have chronicled the phenomena of nature; the statesman is able to meet the crises of the present by being informed as to other crises in governmental affairs.

The citizen of a republic who neglects to learn the fundamental principles upon which rest the laws of the land, who does not know how the country was developed and maintained, is as a blind man, and is not able to bring to the exercise of his suffrage the amount of intelligence that the country has a right to require from him.

This obligation comes to us in a twofold capacity. We, as citizens of this great Republic, should study the history of our country from a patriotic standpoint, while as Irishmen, or descendants of that race, it should be not only a duty but a pleasure to learn of the deeds of Irishmen in America.

Therefore, an organization such as the American-Irish Historical Society, if it had no other _raison d’être_, would accomplish a patriotic purpose if it served only as an incentive to the study of the deeds of Irishmen in America.

It has become almost a maxim in historical matters that the history of events cannot be accepted as facts until the generation which lived at the time said events occurred has passed away.

The passions, influences, and conditions which generate, shape, and control events lend a coloring to their recital which, deep-lined or faint as painted by the writer at the time, are toned down or made stronger by the historian of a future generation who, unmindful of passions, influences, or conditions, and with an eye single to the preservation of history by means of the truth, makes past occurrences stand out in their true light.

Deeds that have received but a passing mention from writers whose minds were biased are rescued from an unmerited insignificance and placed high in the Temple of Fame, while highly extolled acts, given an undue prominence by a partisan writer, are consigned to a merited oblivion by the historian of a later but more impartial epoch.

It is not often true of history that the stone which was rejected by the builder becomes the corner stone of the edifice.

A member of the Society of Friends who desires to familiarize himself with the history of his sect in New England would find but little of the truth in the writings which have come from such intellectual dyspeptics as Cotton Mather and his disciples. But in the unwritten history of Quaker persecutions that have become legendary, by the purity of their lives, by their nobility of character and their Christianizing influences, the pioneers of that faith stand out in bold relief in the religious history of Puritan New England, with its dark background of scourging, mutilation, banishments, and hangings.

By analogy, how can the Irish-American race expect that the history of Irishmen in New England can be presented in just proportion to the true merits of the case?