Part 1

THE JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN-IRISH HISTORICAL SOCIETY.

BY

THOMAS HAMILTON MURRAY,

_Secretary-General_.

VOLUME IV.

BOSTON, MASS., PUBLISHED BY THE SOCIETY, 1904.

AN INTRODUCTORY NOTE.

The present is the fourth volume of the JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN-IRISH HISTORICAL SOCIETY. This volume, like each of those preceding it, is complete in itself. It contains a record of the organization since the third volume of the JOURNAL was issued, and presents a large amount of additional material within our line of work. The Society continues to maintain the high standard established by its founders, and is doing a great amount of good in its chosen field. The organization has already secured a place in the front rank of American historical societies, and enjoys the most cordial relations with organizations long established.

T. H. M.

BOSTON, MASS., OCTOBER, 1904.

OFFICERS OF THE SOCIETY, A. D. 1904.

_President-General_, =Hon. William McAdoo=, New York City.

_Vice-President-General_, =James E. Sullivan, M. D.=, Providence, R. I.

_Secretary-General_, =Thomas Hamilton Murray=, 36 Newbury St., Boston, Mass.

_Treasurer-General_, =Hon. John C. Linehan=, State Insurance Commissioner of New Hampshire, Concord, N. H.

_Librarian and Archivist_, =Thomas B. Lawler=, New York City.

EXECUTIVE COUNCIL,

The foregoing and

=Hon. John D. Crimmins=, New York City. =Hon. Thomas J. Gargan=, Boston, Mass. =Rev. James H. O’Donnell=, Norwalk, Conn. =Thomas Addis Emmet, M. D.=, New York City. =James L. O’Neill=, Elizabeth, N. J. =Thomas J. Lynch=, Augusta, Me. =Stephen Farrelly=, New York City. =James Jeffrey Roche=, Boston, Mass. =Francis C. Travers=, New York City. =John F. Hayes, M. D.=, Waterbury, Conn. =Charles A. Geoghegan=, New York City. =M. Joseph Harson=, Providence, R. I. =Edward J. McGuire=, New York City. =John Crane=, New York City. =John Jerome Rooney=, New York City. =John J. Lenehan=, New York City. =James Connolly=, Coronado, Cal. =Rev. Cyrus Townsend Brady=, New York City.

STATE VICE-PRESIDENTS.

Maine—=James Cunningham=, Portland. New Hampshire—=Hon. James F. Brennan=, Peterborough. Vermont—=John D. Hanrahan, M. D.=, Rutland. Massachusetts—=Rev. J. W. McMahon, D. D.=, Boston. Rhode Island—=Hon. Thomas Z. Lee=, Providence. Connecticut—=Dennis H. Tierney=, Waterbury. New York—=Gen. James R. O’Beirne=, New York City. New Jersey—=John F. Kehoe=, Newark. Pennsylvania—=Hugh McCaffrey=, Philadelphia. Delaware—=John J. Cassidy=, Wilmington. Virginia—=Hon. Joseph T. Lawless=, Norfolk. West Virginia—=John F. Healy=, Thomas, Tucker County. South Carolina—=F. Q. O’Neill=, Charleston. Georgia—=Col. C. C. Sanders=, Gainesville. Ohio—=John Lavelle=, Cleveland. Illinois—=Hon. P. T. Barry=, Chicago. Indiana—=Very Rev. Andrew Morrissey, C. S. C.=, Notre Dame. Iowa—=Very Rev. M. C. Lenihan=, Marshalltown. Minnesota—=John D. O’Brien=, St. Paul. Missouri—=Julius L. Foy=, St. Louis. Michigan—=Hon. T. A. E. Weadock=, Detroit. Kentucky—=John J. Slattery=, Louisville. Tennessee—=Michael Gavin=, Memphis. Kansas—=Patrick H. Coney=, Topeka. Utah—=Joseph Geoghegan=, Salt Lake City. Texas—=Gen. A. G. Malloy=, El Paso. California—=John Mulhern=, San Francisco.

· · · · ·

District of Columbia—=Edward A. Moseley=, Washington. Arizona—=Col. O’Brien Moore=, Tucson. Indian Territory—=Joseph F. Swords=, Sulphur.

· · · · ·

Canada—=Hon. Felix Carbray=, Quebec. Ireland—=Dr. Michael F. Cox=, Dublin.

CHRONOLOGY OF THE SOCIETY.

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.