THE DOWNEAST SHAMROCK NOVEMBER 2012
THE
DOWNEAST
SHAMROCK
FROM THE EDITOR, 2 QUERIES, 3 NEW MEMBERS, 5 GALWAY SURNAMES, 6 OLD PHOTOS, 9 CIVIL WAR VET MILES MURPHY, 10 GEORGE MITCHELL, 11 NEWFOUNDLAND IRISH, 13 FAMOUS IRISH HISTORY, 16
AMERICANS
IN
VOLUME 3, NUMBER 1 NOVEMBER 2012
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THE DOWNEAST SHAMROCK NOVEMBER 2012
FROM THE EDITOR Welcome once again to another issue of THE DOWNEAST SHAMROCK, a monthly journal devoted to Irish and Irish American heritage and genealogy in Maine, New England, the Northeast, and the Maritimes. Readers will notice that although this issue is Volume 3, Number 1, and is labeled November, you have not missed an issue. Due to many factors, including putting the newsletter online, we have become quite behind. We hope that by labeling this November, and not October, we can catch up! We have had great feedback with our online version and most subscribers have informed us whether they want the journal online or if they would still like to receive the printed form. But there are still many members who have not informed us either way, so we will assume that those who have not have decided to view the newsletter online. You can access this latest edition by going to maineshamrock.blogspot.com and then clicking on The Downeast Shamrock indicator. Eventually we will charge $15.00 a month to view the newsletter online, but at the present time we have decided to place it online for free for everyone to read. We will let you know how to access it when it becomes a paying site. This will probably take some time. We would like to 2
thank-‐you for your patience and time in this matter. THE MAINE IRISH HERITAGE CENTER has once again had a busy fall season. Among the many events that transpired this fall at the center was the 5th Annual Claddagh Award on October 10, 2012 (the recipient was Senator George J. Mitchell, see page ten); the annual Celtic Christmas Fair on November 10, which is part of the State Street Holiday Stroll; and the opening of the Portland Winter Farmer’s Market at the center on Saturday, December 1, which coincided with the monthly Irish Genealogy Roundtable. All of the events were a great success. It should be noted for those that reside in the Portland area that the Farmer’s Market will be in operation at the MIHC until late April 2013. I should note here that Part Three of “Criminal Records” and Part Four of “The Search For The Carrigg Family” will not appear this month, but will appear in the following month’s edition. If any of our readers and subscribers have questions about the online edition, contact the editor at mjudebark@gmail.com or PO Box 8421, Portland, Maine, 04104. Thank-‐you. Well, until next time, keep digging and may the luck of the Irish be with you in your search! Slainte. Matthew Jude Barker, Editor, Compiler, Director.
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QUERIES
207-‐3 FLANAGAN-‐COUILLARD
Send us your queries today! You can email them or send them snailmail. We will print them as space provides. Queries should be to the point, providing as many details as possible, including full names, places of birth, marriage, and death, and all relevant dates. Please remit to: Matthew Jude Barker, Editor, PO Box 8421, Portland, Maine, USA, 04104 or email them to mjudebark@gmail.com. Thank-‐you.
Seek ancestry, desc. of MARGARET FLANAGAN, d/o PETER, who m. DAVID JAMES COUILLARD (1847-‐1898) of Cohasset, MA, in Gloucester, MA, 1885. They had one known child, MARY PRISCILLA COUILLARD, b. Gloucester, 1897. What happed to Margaret & Mary? Any help appreciated. Thank-‐you. MATTHEW J. BARKER, email mjudebark@gmail.com.
205-‐3 ROACH-‐O’BRIEN-‐McTAGUE
208-‐3 KILLIAN-‐McCORMICK-‐GANNON-‐ QUINN-‐BURKE
Seek ancestry of EDWARD ROACH, born 15 May 1836, Prince Edward Island, died after 1911 PEI. He m. CATHERINE O’BRIEN, d/o James (1839-‐1901). Their son JOHN F. (1875 PEI-‐1940 Maine) m. CATHERINE McTAGUE (1877 PEI-‐1928 Maine). They had son WILLIAM F. ROACH (1912-‐1977), who d. Millinocket, ME. Any help appreciated. SUSANNA WEDGE, email sw22@Juno.com. 206-‐3 ROACH-‐McTAGUE-‐O’CONNELL Seek ancestry, desc. of OWEN McTAGUE and wife MARY O’CONNELL of Iona, Prince Edward Island. Daughter CATHERINE McTAGUE (1877-‐1928) m. JOHN F. ROACH. Any help appreciated. SUSANNA WEDGE, email sw22@Juno.com.
Seek ancestry, desc. of THOMAS KILLIAN & wife MARY McCORMICK, of County Galway. Known children: BRIDGET (1821-‐ ?), m. THOMAS QUINN, three children MARY, JOHN & PATRICK (last two died Westbrook, ME) died Manchester, England; PATRICK FRANCIS (1834-‐1901), m. MARGARET GANNON, both d. Westbrook, ME, many descendants; JULIA (1835-‐1893), m. STEPHEN BURKE (1827-‐ 1922), died Westbrook; & SARAH KILLIAN (1840-‐1906), d. Portland. Any help appreciated. MATTHEW J. BARKER, PO Box 8421, Portland, ME, 04104, email mjudebark@gmail.com.
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209-‐3 CURRAN-‐CONCANNON-‐ QUINCANNON-‐NAUGHTON-‐NORTON I would like to know more about my grandmother ANNIE CURRAN, born Co. Galway 1878, d/o THOMAS & MARY NAUGHTON/NORTON CURRAN, who m. MICHAEL CONCANNON/QUINCANNON, s/o JAMES & KATE, St. Dominic’s, Portland, 1906. I don’t know if she had siblings other than an older sister who backed out from emigrating here so my grandmother took her place. She lied about her age as being 28 when she married. I think she was only 16 when she emigrated. Any help appreciated. Thank-‐you. MARY QUINCANNON COTY, m+cdec1@gmail.com. 210-‐3 BYRNE-‐NEWELL Seek ancestry of BRIDGET BYRNE, born in Tuam, County Galway, parents unknown. She married JAMES NEWELL (1802-‐1887) and had one known child, a son LAWRENCE (1846-‐1940). She died soon after his birth. A THOMAS BYRNE, a land surveyor in Tuam, was said to be her brother or nephew. Any help appreciated. Thanks. MATTHEW J. BARKER, PO Box 8421, Portland, ME, 04104. 4
Could you help us identify this gentleman? He’s from our photo archives, believed to have been taken in the early 1900’s in New England or Halifax, Nova Scotia. Contact us at mjudebark@gmail.com. Thank you!
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NEW MEMBERS
CEAD
MILE
FAILTE!
hundred
(A
thousand
welcomes!)
We
welcome
aboard the following new members for the month of November
2012.
Those
marked by an asterisk have recently
renewed
their
membership. Please let your friends, fellow
relatives genealogists
and know
about us, so that we can reach
as
many
people
as
possible! We would like to thank
you
for
your
continued support.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
“…I would like to continue to get the printed copy of the journal. I always bring it to our monthly Irish meeting here…I have just decided to join the MIHC DNA project and have ordered a kit. I have so many Galway ancestors and I am hoping for some matches. Although my Hamilton and Kirby ancestors settled in Portland, they came from County Clare. I hope Portland people with ancestors from other counties will join this project. Sincerely, Patricia “Pat” Concannon, Harwich Port, Massachusetts
ANN-‐MARIE CHANDLER, Cape Elizabeth, Maine MARY C. RAGAN, Falmouth, ME * PATRICIA A. CONCANNON, Harwich Port, MA * ROBERT W. WARD, JR., Searsmont, ME JOHN J. NELLIGAN, JR., Bangor, ME * PATRICIA J. McBRIDE, Cape Elizabeth, ME * THOMAS FLOOD, Cape Elizabeth, ME * MAUREEN COYNE NORRIS, Portland, ME * 5
“…Congratulations on the success of the Downeast Shamrock and enclosed is a check for $25 to renew my membership…I am one of those not online! Every success for a great undertaking for the Irish!” Mary C. Ragan, Falmouth, Maine
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GALWAY SURNAMES, PART FOUR
MacDERMOT: Mac Diarmada in Irish, this surname has three branches in Connacht, including Galway and Roscommon. McDERMOT, McDERMOTT, DERMOT.
This is Part Four of our on-‐going series to explore the surnames indigenous or common to the County Galway. This series will not feature every surname to be found in Galway, but hopefully the majority will be treated here. For more information on the following surnames, please consult Edward MacLysaght’s THE SURNAMES OF IRELAND (Irish Academic Press, Dublin, 6th Edition, 1999) or Michael C. O’Laughlin’s FAMILIES OF COUNTY GALWAY (Irish Genealogical Foundation, Kansas City, Missouri, 1998). MacLysaght is still considered the acknowledged expert on Irish surnames. An updated, extensive study of Galway surnames is sorely needed! DEEY: A name of uncertain origin found in Counties Galway and Mayo. It was also spelled DAAY in old records. DELAP: See DUNLOP (O) DERMODY, DARMODY: A scattered surname mainly found in Counties Cavan, Westmeath, Kilkenny, and Galway.
O DEVALLY: A variant of DEVILLY in southern Galway. O’DEVILLY: O Duibhghiolla in Irish, from dubh, black in English, and giolla, lad in English. There were two septs located in County Galway. (O) DEVINE: O Daimhin in Irish, this surname is often found in Derry and Tyrone, but also in Connemara, County Galway, where it is probably a version of DEVANE which itself is a version of DUANE. DIVINE. DIVEEN. See DUANE. DEVANE: See DUANE (O) DILLANE: A Limerick and northern Kerry surname, also found in Galway; sometimes spelled DILLON and DELANE, and much confused with them and DILLEEN. See DILLEEN, DILLON.
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(O) DILLEEN: O Duillin in Irish, this is a variant of DILLANE and DILLON, and is found in County Clare and southern County Galway. See below.
(O) DOLLY: O Dathlaoich in Irish, this name was located in Connemara, where it was of some note, near Galway City, and in eastern Galway. DOLLEY.
DILLON: A Hiberno-‐Norman family that is spelled O Diolun in Irish Gaelic and found in Counties Meath, Westmeath, and Roscommon. In Galway it is confused with both DILLEEN and DILLANE. DILLION. (O) DIRRANE, DERRANE: O Dearain in Irish, this surname is almost exclusively a Galway name and is found especially in Connemara and on Inishmore, Aran Islands. Spelled DIRANE, DERANE, and DURANE also, it became DURAN in New England (DURAND).
DOLPHIN: Doilfin in Irish, this name is of Norse origin and came to Connacht from England during the Anglo-‐ Norman invasion settling in Galway. They became completely Hibernicized, according to MacLysaght.
(O) DISKIN: Originally from Sligo, all of the name in 1890 were found in County Galway. DISCON, DISKEN.
MacDONAGH: The name, Mac Donnchadha in Irish, means the son of Donagh and was common in several places in Ireland, including Connacht, where it was a branch of the MacDermots. In Connemara, they are a branch of the O’Flahertys according to MacLysaght. Also found in Sligo, Mayo, Roscommon. McDONAGH, McDONOGH, McDONOUGH (the common spelling in the United States), Macdonough.
(O) DOLAN: O Dubhlain in Irish, this common Irish name is found scattered throughout the country. In Galway and Roscommon, it was originally a sept named O Dobhailen (first O’Doelan, then Dolan). Sometimes interchanged with DOOLAN, wit see.
MacDONALD: A Scottish name that became synonymous with MacDONNELL in Antrim, Fermanagh, Clare, and Galway, among other places. McDONALD, McDONNELL.
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(O) DONNELLAN: O Domhnallain in Irish, this was a noted family of the Ui Maine country, especially in Galway. DONELON. (O) DONOGHUE, DONOHOE: O Donnchadha in Irish {see MacDonagh}, it is found in Counties Cork, Kerry, Galway, Tipperary, and Cavan. DONOHOE was the common spelling in Galway. DONAHUE (common spelling in America), DONAHOE, DONOUGHUE, DONAGHUE. (O) DOOLAN: In Connacht, this name is O Dubhlaing in Irish. Also found in Leinster and Munster. Sometimes interchanged with DOLAN. DOOLIN. DOWLING. (O) DRENNAN: O Draighnean in Irish, this name is derived from draighnean, blackthorn, hence the common Anglicized version THORNTON, a semi-‐ translation, especially in County Galway. O’DONNELL: O Domhnaill in Irish, this surname is almost always found with the O and is mainly found in Counties Clare, Galway, and Donegal. O’DONELL, O’DONALL, DONNELL. 8
(O) DUANE: O Dubhain in Irish, DUANE is the anglicized form in Connacht, especially Galway. DWANE. DEVANE is an occasional variant, which seems to have morphed into DEVINE sometimes. (O) DUFFY: O Dubhthaigh in Irish, this surname has been numerous all over Ireland, except in the Province of Muster. Branches were located in Galway and Roscommon. DUFFEY. DUFFIE. (O) DUGAN, DUGGAN: O Dubhagain in Irish, there were two septs in Connacht and two in Munster. Located especially in Counties Cork, Galway, and Mayo. DUNDAS: A Scottish clan in Counties Leitrim and Fermanagh and also found in Connemara, County Galway. DUNLOP: Both DUNLOP, a Scottish family, and DELAP are versions of O LAPPIN, a Donegal sept. DELAP is a synonym of DUNLOP in Derry, Fermanagh, Mayo, and Connemara. DUNLAP. DURKIN: O Duarcain in Irish, it is numerous in North Connacht (Sligo), but also found in Galway. DURKAN.
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OLD PHOTOS
The gentleman below is DANIEL EDWARD FEENEY (1892-‐1952) of Portland, Maine. The photo was taken about 1918, probably when Dan was inducted into the US Army in Portland on May 2, 1918. He became a Private, 1st Class, on December 2, 1918 and a Corporal on January 2, 1919. He was stationed in Georgia and honorably discharged on February 11, 1919.
By 1940, Dan had become a Fire Alarm Inspector of Wires for the Electrical Department of the Portland Fire Department. He was also listed as an electrician. During World War II, he was employed locally by the New England Shipyard Company and later by Congress Square Hotel.
Daniel Feeney was born near Spiddal, County Galway, the son of DANIEL E. FEENEY (1846-‐1926) and HELEN/ELLEN DUNN (1851-‐ 1926), who had previously resided in Galway City, where they are buried. He emigrated to Portland in 1914 and for over twenty years was a switchman and brakeman for the Maine Central Railroad in Portland.
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Dan married CATHERINE VICTORIA CONNOLLY (1900-‐1995) in Portland and they had the following children, born between 1923-‐ 1939: DANIEL PATRICK; PATRICK (died young); REV. JOHN J., a longtime local priest; MARY KATHLEEN (died young), FRANCIS LOUIS; RICHARD JUDE, presently a Cumberland County commissioner; and JAMES ANTHONY FEENEY. His wife was the daughter of PATRICK and SARAH COYNE CONNOLLY. Dan died in Portland on April 8, 1952 and is buried in Calvary Cemetery.
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CIVIL WAR VETERAN MILES MURPHY OF BOSTON, MA
was transferred to Camp Porle the next day, where Miles said he had been in a rebel hospital.
Our friend and fellow genealogist MARGARET “PEG” DEVER VERZOSA HARMON let us copy the pension claim of her great-‐great grandfather MILES MURPHY of Boston.
Captain Martin O’Brian of Company K, 9th Massachusetts Volunteers, swore on oath that Murphy had a received a gunshot wound in his right thigh and had been taken prisoner at Spotsylvania; he had personal knowledge of this.
MILES MURPHY (1842-‐1879) was born in Ireland the son of MICHAEL and CATHERINE MURPHY. He emigrated to America and settled in Boston, where he married MARGARET FORD (1848-‐1892) in 1865. She was born in Ireland the daughter of LAWRENCE and JOHANNA THOMPSON FORD. In 1870 Miles was residing in Boston with his wife, son Michael, aged two, daughter Johanna, seven months old, and his mother Catherine, aged 70. He was listed as a gilder. They resided in the heavily Irish Ward 2 of Boston. In 1866, Miles, residing at Sullivan Place, Boston, applied for an Invalid Pension from the Federal Government for his active service in the Civil War. According to the application, Miles was actually reported killed at the Battle of Spotsylvania, Virginia in May 1864, according to the Massachusetts Adjutant General’s Report. He had actually been captured there on May 8, according to General Ethan Allen Hitchcock, who had been appointed commissioner for the Exchange of War Prisoners in November 1862. He was paroled from a rebel prison on April 28, 1865 at Jacksonville, Florida and arrived at Annapolis, Maryland on May 15, 1865. He 10
Doctor William H. Page examined Miles and stated that the ball had entered at the junction of the upper mid 3rd of right thigh and came out at the left of the sciatic nerve. Miles had Sciatic nerve pain at times and his “general health appears broken…thin, chocky skin.” Miles alleged that he had never been well since his year imprisonment in the notorious Andersonville Prison, where he had surgery. Miles was admitted to an Invalid Pension on June 22, 1866 and was awarded $5 a month pay. This was retroactive and thus this pay began on May 22, 1865. According to the Adjutant General, Miles was a twenty-‐two year old gardener from Boston when he enlisted and was mustered on August 23, 1862. He was discharged on May 12, 1865. Miles’ son MICHAEL A. MURPHY (1867-‐ 1927) was a Boston fireman, having been an “expressman” when he was appointed to the BFD on September 13, 1888. Thanks to Peg for this great information!
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SENATOR GEORGE MITCHELL HONORED BY THE MAINE IRISH HERITAGE CENTER SENATOR GEORGE J. MITCHELL was honored by the MAINE IRISH HERITAGE CENTER on October 10, 2012, being the recipient of the center’s fifth annual CLADDAGH AWARD, an honor bestowed each year on an Irish American from Maine who has excelled in their chosen line of work and who has contributed greatly to the state of Maine. In the words of the MIHC, Senator Mitchell was chosen “in recognition of his many years of exceptional service to the people of Maine and of the Nation and for his success in bringing about peace in Northern Ireland.” The MIHC could not have chosen a more worthy honoree! The Fifth Annual Claddagh Award Dinner was held at the MIHC, where the house was packed to overflowing, with over three-‐hundred people in attendance. Senator Mitchell was joined by many old friends, including his former Chief of Staff, MARY E. McALENEY, the Chair of the Board of Directors of the center; GOVERNOR JOSEPH E. BRENNAN, former Maine governor and US Congressman; former Maine Governor JOHN BALDACCI; former State Senator GERARD P. CONLEY, SR., Congresswoman CHELLIE PINGREE and her husband DONALD SUSSMAN; and CYNTHIA MURRAY BELIVEAU and her husband 11
SEVERIN BELIVEAU, a Maine politician. Mary McAleney gave the opening remarks, followed by Maine Senator MARGARET CRAVEN, a native of County Galway, who read a declaration from the Maine State Senate. The US Ambassador to the EUROPEAN UNION, who happened to be in Maine, also attended, accompanied by his special aid, MAEVE O’BEIRNE, a native of County Sligo, Ireland. Governor Brennan, Senator Conley, and Cynthia Murray Beliveau were all past recipients of the Claddagh Award. Governors Brennan and Baldacci also spoke, relaying some of the humor connected with being Mitchell’s friend over the years. TOM RYAN, leader of the local CLADDAGH MHOR PIPE BAND, played the bagpipes at the beginning of the event. The event came off without a hitch and everyone thoroughly enjoyed themselves. Senator Mitchell spoke at the end of the night, after the attendees watched pieces of a new documentary by an Irish filmmaker on Mitchell and the Northern Irish peace process. In 1998, when Mitchell was in Belfast, his son Andrew was born back in New York. Much later Mitchell thought about all the babies that must have been born in the Belfast area on the same day as his son. After a little bit of research, he was able to ascertain the names of these babies, and decided to return to Northern Ireland for the first time in fourteen years and meet some of these children. He brought Andrew along and much of it was captured on film.
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Senator Mitchell gave a fascinating and at times very humorous talk that night; he especially related many of his experiences connected with the Northern Ireland peace accord (1998) and about his childhood and later career in Maine. He said he finally felt connected to his Irish heritage in a special way during his time in Ireland (almost five years, intermittently). Mitchell now felt closer to his own father, the son of Irish emigrants. He was quite proud of his work in Ireland, but humble at the same time. Mitchell said his proudest work was actually the creation of the George Mitchell Scholarship Foundation, which gives college financial aid to worthy graduating high school students throughout Maine. The ceremony ended with Mitchell receiving the Claddagh Award Crystal. Father John J. Feeney, the son of Galwegians, gave a beautiful rendition of the Irish Blessing. More than twenty people in the audience who were born in Ireland, joined the senator onstage. Senator George J. Mitchell was born in Waterville, Maine, in 1933, the son of an Irish-‐American and a Lebanese emigrant mother. His father, JOHN MITCHELL, had been adopted as a boy by a couple from Bangor, Maine. He had actually been born John Kilroy in Boston, the son of Irish emigrants MICHAEL and BRIDGET HUNT KILROY. John’s brother was FRANCIS T. KILROY of Portland, who was also adopted, but retained the familial surname. Francis, a Portland postal supervisor, was married 12
to JANE CALLAN KILROY, nine times a legislaturer from Portland. Mitchell graduated from Bowdoin College, studied law at Georgetown University Law School and worked for the Justice Department as a trial attorney. He was later a US Attorney and a Federal Judge in Portland for the US District Court. In 1980, his old friend Governor Joe Brennan appointed him to fill the vacated US Senate seat from Maine. Mitchell’s negotiation skills and strong leadership led him to be elected Senate majority leader, a position he held from 1988 until his retirement in 1995. In 1995, President Bill Clinton tapped Mitchell to serve as his economic advisor to Ireland. In late 1995 the Irish and British governments asked that he be named Independent Chairman of the Northern Ireland Peace Talks. In January 1996, Mitchell and his committee issued a report delineating the conditions for participation in the imminent all-‐party peace talks. These became known as the Mitchell Principles and asked that all parties immediately cease all military and violent actions and commit themselves to peace, patience, democracy, and decommissioning. In the end, as we all know, the Good Friday Peace Accord was reached on Good Friday, April 10, 1998. Due to his exemplary service to Northern Ireland, Mitchell was honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Clinton.
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T RACING
THE
IRISH OF NEWFOUNDLAND Many Americans have Irish ancestry in Newfoundland, Canada. Thousands left the island and came to the “Boston States,” as they referred to New England, from the mid-‐1800s until well into the 20th Century. In this, Part One of a series, we will explore some of the history of the Newfoundland Irish. Newfoundland was called Thalamh an Eisc, “Land of the Fish,” or “Fishing Ground,” by the Irish. Irish author and historian Tim Pat Coogan has called it, “the most Irish place in the world outside of Ireland.” According to a 2006 census, at least 21.5% of Newfoundlanders still claim Irish ancestry. The surnames, music, religion, sports, and accents of the island still remind one of Ireland. As early as 1536, a ship out of Kinsale, County Cork, Ireland, is recorded as returning from Newfoundland with fish and cod liver oil. A Waterford mariner named PATRICK BRANNOCK sailed yearly to the island around 1608. The English government, under royal charter, established seven colonies in Newfoundland between 1610 and 1628. London-‐based mercantile companies imported Welsh and Irish peasants to settle and work there. According to one estimate, 90 % of the Irish who arrived 13
there during the 17th and 18th Centuries were native Irish Gaelic speakers. Irish emigrants and migrants started to come in greater and greater numbers beginning about 1670 and between 1750 and 1830, thousands arrived. In 1836, according to a census taken at the time, 38,000 residents of Newfoundland were Irish. There were 400 settlements and these were at least half Irish. Most settled in and around St. John’s, on the Avalon Peninsula. The coast from Renews to Carbonear is still called the Irish Shore. The great majority of the Irish migrants and emigrants to Newfoundland were from the Counties of Wexford, Waterford, Kilkenny, Tipperary, Carlow, Cork, and the Dingle Peninsula. This was no accident of fate. Waterford City was the main port of embarkation and those Irish who went to Newfoundland were mostly within a sixty-‐ mile radius of this port. They came from the townlands and parishes along the main routes of travel, transport, and communication, especially along the Suir and Nore rivers. Historians of the Newfoundland Irish have narrowed down the origins of these Irish even more, stating that most came from southern Kilkenny, southwestern Wexford, southeastern Tipperary, eastern Cork, and Waterford. Galwegian JOHN J. MANNION, a Professor of Geography at the Memorial University of Newfoundland, even went so far as to state that “Never before in the history of European migration has an ethnic group migrated over such a long period of time from such a small zone of
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origin to such a small destination zone” (as paraphrased in Newfoundland: The Most Irish Place Outside of Ireland, by Brian McGinn, irishdiaspora.net). Mannion, native of Dunmore, County Galway, has studied the Irish emigration and history of Newfoundland for over thirty-‐five years. His son PATRICK MANNION is a fellow researcher and member of this journal. St. John’s, Newfoundland was so Irish in 1800 that a faction of the local Irishmen had formed a cell of the Society of United Irishmen, a society almost obliterated by the 1798 Irish Uprising. They formed a plot that was uncovered almost immediately, as many members were stationed in St. John’s garrison. This was one of the few instances outside of Ireland in which the 1798 rebellion had lasting effects. JAMES LOUIS O’DONEL was the first bishop of Newfoundland. In 1806, under his patronage, a Benevolent Irish Society was formed. It was a charitable, non-‐ sectarian, non-‐profit society that many of the local Irish, both Catholic and Protestant, joined. In 1823, under their guidance, St. John’s School was opened. In 1833, Bishop Fleming of St. John’s traveled to Galway to bring back to Newfoundland a contingent of the Sisters of the Order of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary so that they could open a girls’ school. In 1847, members of the Irish Christian Brothers began to teach at St. John’s School.
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Between 1839 and 1855, stones imported from Ireland were used to construct The Basilica of St. John the Baptist in St. John’s, the island’s main port and capital. Later, Archbishop Michael Howley became the first native-‐born bishop of Newfoundland. It was said that he could speak and understand both Irish and Scottish Gaelic. Newfoundland had its own dialect of Irish Gaelic, a form of Munster Irish. It was spoken heavily until the 1820s, especially on the Avalon Peninsula. Also unique to Newfoundland was the recognition of St. Sheila’s Day on March 18th, the day after St. Patrick’s Day. There is some question if in fact St. Shelia ever existed, but there was a common term used there for generations: “Sheila’s Brush,” used for any blustery snowstorm that occurred on or around March 18! It is said that there are still many people in Newfoundland who carry common southeastern Ireland surnames, including WADE, McCARTHY, O’ROURKE, WALSH, NASH, POWER, NEVILLE, BAMBRICK, DILLON, LAKE, MURPHY, RYAN, GRIFFIN, WHELAN, PHELAN, O’BRIEN, KELLY, HANLON, HALLEY, BYRNE, and FITZGERALD. E. R. Seary, a native of England, compiled an amazing book on the surnames of Newfoundland in 1977. It has been reissued many times. One of the most recent editions was entitled, FAMILY NAMES OF THE ISLAND OF
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NEWFOUNDLAND, a 1998 “Corrected Edition” by William J. Kirwin, with the assistance of Sheila M. P. Lynch. This book, at 573 pages, is an invaluable resource for tracing Newfoundland people. There are entries on thousands of English, Welsh, Irish, Scottish, French, Micmac, Syrian, and Lebanese names, the names found on the island since the 1600s. The entries give “Early instances” and “Modern Status” of the surnames. For an example, we list below the following: “McGRATH, a surname of Ireland Mac Graith, the Irish equivalent of the surname of Scotland McCRAE (MacLysaght). Traced by {Edward} MacLysaght in Cos. Clare, Donegal, Fermanagh, and Waterford. In Newfoundland: Family traditions: Bartley, from Ireland, settled at Devil’s (now Patrick’s) Cove, before 1810 (Mannion).-‐-‐-‐, from Carrick-‐ on-‐Suir (Co. Waterford), settled at Little Placentia (now Argentia) in 1799 (MUN Folklore). Tobias (1765-‐1841), of Tilton Harbour (now Tilting) (Green). Early instances: Thomas, servant at Salmon Cove (Conception Bay), ? 1752 (CO. 194.13); Phillip Mckgra, fisherman of Trinity (Trinity B.), 1757 (DPHW 64); James McGrath, fisherman of St. John’s, 1794-‐5, “30 years in Newfoundland,” this is 1764-‐5 (Census 1794-‐5); John, cooper, of Torbay…” 15
You now get an understanding of how detailed the entries are. This is an indispensable volume that allows genealogical researchers to trace the earliest Irish inhabitants of certain name in Newfoundland. Anyone tracing Irish ancestry must examine this book. It can be found at the Maine Historical Society, the New England Historic Genealogical Society, and at most other major historical and genealogical libraries. Another book researchers should be aware of is Mike McCarthy’s THE IRISH IN NEWFOUNDLAND, 1600-‐1900, THEIR TRIALS, TRIBULATIONS, & TRIUMPHS which was created by Creative Publishers of St. John’s in 1999. This book, at 216 pages, is a handy reference guide to the overall history of the Irish in Newfoundland. McCarthy mentions by name many actual Irishmen and Irishwomen found in the old records. In some places he will list the inhabitants of a certain settlement at a given time. We will explore this book in depth next month. We will close for now, but we would like to hear from anyone with Newfoundland Irish ancestry so that we can help you explore your Irish ancestry from the Land of the Fish. -‐MJB
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IRISH AMERICANS THROUGHOUT HISTORY, A LOOK
1650s and made her way to Boston. Due to her religion mostly, she was convicted of being a witch. She spoke English, but mostly spoke in Irish.
There have been countless Irish and Irish Americans who have participated in national events; they have left their mark in every field and endeavor in United States history. Here we will explore some of the more notable examples; many were at the scene of numerous important American events.
The Boston Massacre occurred on March 5, 1770 and five men were shot dead by British troops. This incident had a particularly Irish flavor, as one of those killed was a thirty-‐year old Irish sailor named PATRICK CARR and the British troops who did the firing were almost all Irish. Anglo-‐Irish Captain Thomas Preston was their leader (the Twenty-‐ninth Regiment) and four of the six privates who shot into the crowd were Irish, surnamed Hartigan, McCauley, Kilroy, and Carroll. Privates MATTHEW KILROY and HUGH MONTGOMERY were later found guilty of manslaughter for the killing of Crispus Attucks, whose heritage was described as African and Native American.
When Columbus came to the Americas in 1492, it is reputed that one WILLIAM AYERS (ERIS), a native of Galway, was onboard. RICHARD BUTLER, a Tipperary native, was one of the first known Irish persons to set foot in America (1584). He was a page for Sir Walter Raleigh and journeyed with him on his first expedition to explore North Carolina’s shore. Butler was with him again a year later when they left behind the Roanoke Settlement, including settler EDWARD NUGENT, an Irishman who would kill Pemisapan, “the King of the Indians,” in 1586. Irishman FATHER CHRISTOPHER A. PLUNKETT of Virginia was imprisoned and exiled to Barbados in 1689-‐1690 by the colonial powers for being a Catholic priest. In 1688, four years before the Salem Witch trials, ANN GLOVER was executed in Boston for being a witch. She had been one of the thousands of Irish people who had been transplanted to Barbados and the Caribbean by Oliver Cromwell in the 16
FATHER JOHN CARROLL (1736-‐1815), cousin of CHARLES CARROLL of Carrollton, Maryland, became the first American bishop in 1789, when Baltimore was established as the first Catholic diocese in the United States. Charles Carroll (1737-‐ 1832) was the only Catholic to sign the Declaration of Independence and its last surviving signer. Four Irish-‐born men signed the US Constitution, including THOMAS FITZSIMMONS, a Catholic. Another Catholic, DANIEL CARROLL, son of Charles, also signed it. It is said CATHERINE O’HARE of Ulster bore the first known child of European
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heritage west of the Rocky Mountains in 1802. She had the aid of Native American midwives. Irish scouts THOMAS DAUGHERTY and HUGH MENAUGH accompanied Zebulon Pike on his 1806 expedition to explore the Rocky Mountains. Among the twelve families who survived the Donner Party Tragedy in 1846 were the PATRICK and CATHERINE BREEN family, including seven children. They were only one of two families who did not lose any of its members. We skip ahead many years and find one MICHAEL O’LAUGHLIN arrested as one of the co-‐conspirators of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln in 1865. He was found guilty and shipped to Fort Jefferson in the Dry Tortugas to serve a life sentence, where he died of yellow fever in 1867. One of the most famous Old West outlaws of all time was BILLY THE KID (1859-‐1881), who had been born as HENRY McCARTY in New York City, the son of Irish emigrants. And most people know the story of the UNSINKABLE MOLLY BROWN, who became famous for her actions during the sinking of the TITANIC. She was born MARGARET TOBIN in Missouri in 1867, the daughter of an Irish native. Many other Irish families and individuals, of course, made their mark in early American history, but we will now look at some Irish-‐American “firsts” and records. 17
CHARLES O’CONOR (1804-‐1884) was the first Catholic nominated for the presidency by a major party, in 1872, when a faction of the Democratic Party picked him to represent them. He turned them down! County Clare native JOHN HOLLAND was the inventor of the first practical submarine and sold it to the US Navy in the 1890s; he also sold it to many others. He had constructed an earlier version (THE FENIAN RAM) for the CLAN NA GAEL in the US in 1879. The famous Kewpie Doll was invented by ROSE CECIL O’NEILL (1874-‐1944) at the turn of the century. DAVID I. WALSH (1872-‐1947) was elected the first Catholic governor of Massachusetts and served 1913-‐1915. EDWIN C. SHANAHAN was the first FBI agent killed in the line of duty, in 1925. One of the bureau’s first directors was WILLIAM J. FLYNN (1919-‐21), who was followed by WILLIAM J. BURNS. The latter appointed J. Edgar Hoover assistant director. Both were Irish American. TYPHOID MARY was actually an Irish emigrant from County Tyrone named MARY MALLON. Irish emigrant ANNIE MOORE was the first official person to register at ELLIS ISLAND, on its opening day, January 1, 1892, when she was fifteen. JAMES BRENDAN CONNOLLY and THOMAS BURKE were Boston Irish who
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received the first medals in the modern day OLYMPICS in Athens in 1896; Burke won the Gold.
Either PETER J. MAGUIRE (1852-‐1906), General Secretary of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners, or machinist MATTHEW MAGUIRE created LABOR DAY. The dispute goes on as to who actually first formed it!
The image on our cover this month is of THE CATHEDRAL OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION as it appeared about 1878. Work on an earlier version of the Cathedral had commenced in 1860, after a chapel had been erected in 1856. The work was halted during the Civil War and resumed in earnest in 1865. A terrible tragedy, The Great Fire of Portland on July 4, 1866, destroyed what had been constructed of the cathedral to that point, along with many other church buildings. Again work resumed and the church you can still see in Portland was completed and dedicated in September 1869.
Irish-‐American brothers RICHARD and MAC McDONALD founded the original McDonald’s Restaurant in San Bernardino, California in 1937. They sold their first franchise to Ray Kroc in 1955 and sold the business outright to him in 1961 for 2.7 million dollars! MARGARET GORMAN CAHILL (1905-‐ 1995) was the first Miss America in 1921. She had been picked as “Miss District of Columbia” earlier in the year at the age of sixteen. MAUREEN CATHERINE “LITTLE MO” CONNOLLY, born in San Diego in 1934, was the first woman to win the penultimate tennis game—Wimbledon—in 1953. FR. JOHN CORRIDAN (1911-‐1984) was the inspiration for the “waterfront priest” in the famous movie, ON THE WATERFRONT. Well, we hope you have enjoyed this little foray into Irish American trivia. Hopefully some of you have had your appetite whetted enough to dig further on some of these notable American Irish! -‐ MJB 18
On The Cover
This cathedral was the brainchild and dream of Portland’s first bishop, Brooklyn native DAVID WILLIAM BACON, who never gave up on the project and worked tirelessly for its eventual completion. He died only five years after it was dedicated (1874) and the second bishop of Portland, the famous JAMES AUGUSTINE HEALY (1830-‐1900) worked on and maintained it over the next twenty-‐five years. You can take self-‐guided tours of the church today. For more historical information, see maineirishheritagetrail.org.
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THE DOWNEAST SHAMROCK
A Monthly Journal of Irish Heritage and Genealogy in Maine, New England, the Northeast, and Canada
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