CHRONOLOGICAL RECORD OF THE SOCIETY.

1896. Dec. 26.

Call issued at Boston, Mass., for a meeting to organize the Society.

1897. Jan. 20.

The meeting was held on this date at the Revere House, Boston, Mass.; the Society was organized, and a Constitution and a code of By-Laws adopted. Hon. Thomas J. Gargan presided at the meeting, and Thomas Hamilton Murray was secretary.

1897. Jan. 20.

At this first meeting addresses were delivered by Hon. John C. Linehan, Concord, N. H.; Joseph Smith, Lowell, Mass.; Hon. Hugh J. Carroll, Pawtucket, R. I.; Charles A. De Courcy, Lawrence, Mass.; George H. Moses, Concord, N. H.; Rev. John J. McCoy, Chicopee, Mass.; Osborne Howes, Boston, Mass.; P. J. Flatley, Boston, Mass., and one or two other gentlemen.

1897. Jan. 20.

Paul B. Du Chaillu, the famous explorer, author of “The Land of the Midnight Sun,” “The Viking Age,” etc., was present at the meeting as the guest of the chairman, Thomas J. Gargan, and made an address. George H. Moses, mentioned in the preceding minute, was present as the guest of Hon. John C. Linehan, and took so much interest in the movement that he signed the agreement of association. Mr. Moses is editor of the Concord (N. H.) Monitor.

1897. Jan. 20.

Rear Admiral Richard W. Meade, U. S. N. (retired), was elected as the first president-general of the Society. 13

1897. Jan. 20.

Thomas Hamilton Murray was elected secretary-general; Hon. John C. Linehan, treasurer-general, and Thomas B. Lawler, librarian and archivist. Of these, Mr. Murray then resided in Lawrence, Mass.; Mr. Linehan is state insurance commissioner of New Hampshire, and resides in Concord, while Mr. Lawler was, at the time, a resident of Worcester, Mass.

1897. Jan. 20.

The following were chosen to be members of the Executive Council of the Society: James Jeffrey Roche, Boston, Mass.; Robert Ellis Thompson, Philadelphia, Pa.; Theodore Roosevelt, New York city; Thomas J. Gargan, Boston, Mass.; Augustus St. Gaudens, New York city; Joseph Smith, Lowell, Mass.; Thomas Dunn English, Newark, N. J.; Maurice F. Egan, Washington, D. C.; Edward A. Moseley, Washington, D. C., and T. Russell Sullivan, Boston, Mass. A list of state vice-presidents was also submitted and adopted. Osborne Howes, Boston, vice-president for Massachusetts, is a descendant of David O’Killia (O’Kelly), who settled on Cape Cod as early as 1657, and who is mentioned in the old Yarmouth, Mass., records as “the Irishman.” The records show that at the close of King Philip’s War, O’Killia was assessed his proportionate part towards defraying the expenses of that struggle.

1897. Jan. 20.

Secretary-General T. H. Murray announced at this first meeting that letters expressive of interest in the new organization, acknowledging an invitation, or giving an expression of opinion, had been received from Rear Admiral Richard W. Meade, U. S. N., Germantown, Pa.; Governor Hastings of Pennsylvania; United States Senator Hoar of Worcester, Mass.; Rev. Cyrus Townsend Brady, Protestant Episcopal archdeacon of Pennsylvania; Dr. Thomas Addis Emmet, New York city; Edward A. Moseley, secretary of the Interstate Commerce Commission, Washington, 14D. C.; Joseph F. Swords, Hartford, Conn.; Ex-United States Senator Patrick Walsh, Augusta, Ga.; Gen. John Cochrane, president of the New York Society of the Cincinnati; Ex-Governor Waller of Connecticut; Rt. Rev. Thomas J. Conaty, later rector of the Catholic University, Washington, D. C.; Gen. Francis A. Walker, Boston, Mass.; Rev. George W. Pepper (Methodist), Cleveland, O.; Rev. J. Gray Bolton (Presbyterian), Philadelphia, Pa.; Ex-Congressman T. A. E. Weadock, Detroit, Mich., and John P. Donahoe, Wilmington, Del.

1897. Jan. 20.

Secretary-General Murray also announced letters from Prof. William M. Sloane, of Columbia University, New York; President Tyler of the College of William and Mary, Virginia; President Lee of Washington and Lee University, Virginia; Provost Harrison, of the University of Pennsylvania; Rev. Thomas J. Shahan of the Catholic University, Washington, D. C.; Very Rev. Andrew Morrissey, president of the University of Notre Dame, Indiana; H. B. Adams, professor of American and Institutional history, Johns Hopkins University, Maryland; Henry Stoddard Ruggles, Wakefield, Mass.; Samuel Swett Green, of the American Antiquarian Society, Worcester, Mass.; Theodore Roosevelt, New York city; Thomas Dunn English, Newark, N. J.; Judge Smith of the Superior court, Pennsylvania; Col. D. S. Lamson, Weston, Mass.; Rev. George C. Betts (Protestant Episcopalian), Goshen, N. Y., and Hon. Emmet O’Neal, United States attorney for the northern district of Alabama.

1897. Jan. 21.

The Boston Globe, Herald, and other papers contained reports concerning the formation of the Society. The Springfield (Mass.) Republican said: “The American-Irish Historical society, organized at Boston yesterday with a remarkable list of officers and the assurance of a charter membership as noteworthy, will prove without 15question a body of real public importance.... Among those present at the meeting mostly from Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island, was Edward A. Hall of this city, whose history of the Irish in Hampden county has grown into a history of the Irish in Western Massachusetts, where, in fact, they settled a great number of the hill towns, and their descendants live to this day.... It will be the work of the Society to show what a vast influence the Irish element had in building our free commonwealths whose alliance made the first great country of the people, in which with all its faults reposes the hope of the progress of the world into a world of the people instead of one of warring dynasties and vicious religious hatreds, setting nation against nation. We look to this Society for active, earnest, ardent work for the enlightenment, brotherhood and unity of this people first, and of all other peoples in the long event. God hath made of one blood all the nations of the earth.”

1897. Jan. 21.

Rev. Edmund B. Palmer, Jamaica Plain, Mass., writes a congratulatory letter to Treasurer-General Linehan. Mr. Palmer states that he is a great grandson of Barnabas Palmer of Rochester, N. H., who was born in Cork or Limerick, 1725, and who emigrated from there with two brothers, and enlisted under Sir William Pepperill. Barnabas sailed from Portsmouth, N. H.,—one of the force of 3,000 men, 1745, and on the Isle of Cape Breton, under Fort Louisburg, left his right arm. Subsequently he settled in Rochester, N. H., married, had fourteen children, and was a member of the general court of New Hampshire that ratified the Constitution of the United States.

1897. Jan. 21.

Col. D. L. Lamson, Weston, Mass., writes desiring to become a member. He was lieutenant-colonel commanding Sixteenth regiment (Mass.), 1861; A. A. G., Norfolk, 1862; served on staff 16of General Hooker; is a member of the Society of Colonial Wars, Sons of the American Revolution, and Military Order of the Loyal Legion; one of his ancestors landed at Ipswich, Mass., in 1632, and received a grant of 350 acres which still remains in the family; another ancestor, Samuel, of Reading, Mass., participated in King Philip’s War and had a son in the expedition of 1711. Another member of the family, Samuel, of Weston, commanded a company at Concord, Mass., April 19, 1775, and was major and colonel of the Third Middlesex regiment for many years, dying in 1795.

1897. Jan. 21.

William Halley, editor of The Vindicator, Austin, Ill., writes a congratulatory letter. Mr. Halley came to this country from Ireland, in 1842, as a fellow voyager with Thomas D’Arcy McGee.

1897. Jan. 23.

Lieutenant Commander J. D. Jerrold Kelley, U. S. N., attached to the battleship Texas, expresses a request to be admitted to membership.

1897. Jan. 26.

Rear Admiral Richard W. Meade, U. S. N., writes from Germantown, Pa., accepting the office of president-general.

1897. Jan. 26.

T. Russell Sullivan, Boston, Mass., a descendant of Governor James Sullivan of Massachusetts, acknowledges his election as a member of the Executive Council of the Society.

1897. Feb. 3.

Hon. John C. Linehan, Concord, N. H., presents to the Society a copy of the volume issued by the state of New Hampshire and descriptive of the exercises attending the dedication, Sept. 27, 1894, at Durham, N. H., of the monument to Gen. John Sullivan of the Revolution.

1897. Feb. 4.

N. C. Steele, M. D., Chattanooga, Tenn., writes interestingly relative to the Society. He says, “I am four generations removed from Ireland.”

1897. Feb. 6.

O’Brien Moore, Washington, D. C., writes, expressing his desire to become a life member. 17

1897. Feb. 8.

Hugh McCaffrey, Philadelphia, Pa., writes, enclosing fifty dollars in payment of life membership fee.

1897. Feb. 9.

Hon. William McAdoo, assistant secretary of the U. S. navy, Washington, D. C., thanks the Society for having elected him vice-president for New Jersey, his residential state.

1897. Feb. 10.

Hon. Edwin D. McGuinness, mayor of Providence, R. I., and ex-secretary of state of Rhode Island, writes that he is entirely in accord with the purposes of the Society, and wishes to become a member.

1897. Feb. 11.

The editor of the Rosary Magazine, through Rev. J. L. O’Neil, O. P., New York city, becomes a life member. This life membership is to stand to the credit of “The Editor of The Rosary Magazine.” It is so arranged in order 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.

1897. Feb. 16.

Paymaster Mitchell C. McDonald, U. S. N., attached to the battleship Texas, cordially accepts an invitation to join the Society.

1897. Feb. 19.

Arthur H. Chase, state librarian of New Hampshire, expresses a desire to receive the publications of the Society for the state library. He says: “I assure you the publications will be of great value to us.”

1897. Feb. 23.

Henry Carey Baird, Philadelphia, Pa., writes. His grandfather was a founder of the Hibernian Society of Philadelphia (1790).

1897. March 3.

Hon. Ignatius Donnelly, author of “The Great Cryptogram,” is admitted to the Society.

1897. March 6.

Rev. Michael O’Brien, Lowell, Mass., becomes a life member.

1897. March 9.

Heman W. Chaplin, Boston, Mass., writes desiring to become a member of the Society. He is a 18descendant of the O’Briens of Machias, Me., patriots of the Revolution.

1897. March 15.

Hon. Daniel H. Hastings, governor of Pennsylvania, expresses regrets at his inability to attend the meeting on the 19th prox.

1897. March 17.

Joseph Smith, Lowell, Mass., a member of the Executive Council of the Society, reads a paper before the Irish Society of that city on “The Irish Element Among the Founders of Lowell.”

1897. March 26.

C. H. Meade, Germantown, Pa., writes informing the Society of the serious illness of President-General Meade.

1897. April 5.

Call issued for the second meeting of the Society (to be held on the 19th inst.).

1897. April 9.

Letter from Gen. John Cochrane, New York city, a descendant of an officer of the Revolution.

1897. April 10.

Letter written by Charles E. Brown, town clerk of historic Concord, Mass.

1897. April 17.

Letter written by Leonard A. Saville, town clerk of Lexington, Mass., acknowledging, on behalf of the selectmen and himself, an invitation to be present as guests on the 19th inst. They are unable to attend owing to a home celebration.

1897. April 19.

The second meeting of the Society. Held in the Revere House, Boston, Mass. Thomas J. Gargan of Boston presides. Four papers read.

1897. April 19.

The first paper at this meeting was by Thomas Hamilton Murray, the secretary-general, on “The Irish Bacons who Settled at Dedham, Mass., in 1640,” one of whose descendants, John Bacon, was killed April 19, 1775, in the fight at West Cambridge (battle of Lexington).

1897. April 19.

The second paper at the meeting was by John C. Linehan, treasurer-general, on “The Seizure of the Powder at Fort William and Mary,” by Maj. John Sullivan and his associates, some of which powder was later dealt out to the patriots at Bunker Hill. 19

1897. April 19.

The third paper was by Edward J. Brandon, city clerk of Cambridge, Mass., on “The Battle of Lexington, Concord, and Cambridge,” during which he read a list of Irish names borne by minute men or militia in the battle of the nineteenth of April, 1775.

1897. April 19.

The fourth paper was by Joseph Smith, member of the Executive Council, on “The Irishman Ethnologically Considered.”

1897. April 21.

Henry A. May, Roslindale, Mass., writes for information concerning the Society. He states that he is a descendant through his mother, Roxanna Butler of Pelham, N. H., from James Butler, the planter of Lancaster, Mass. (1653), who came from Ireland, and was the largest land owner in what is now Worcester county. He owned land in Dunstable, Woburn, and Billerica, where he died in 1681. His son, Deacon John Butler, was the first child of Irish parentage born in Woburn, Mass., and John was the first settler of what is now Pelham, N. H., and lies buried there. A monument was erected to his memory on “Pelham Green,” in the centre of the town of Pelham, in 1886, by his descendants, some 1,200 being present at the dedication in June of that year.

1897. April 29.

Death of Col. Jeremiah W. Coveney, postmaster of Boston, the first member of the Society to pass away.

1897. April 30.

C. H. Meade states that his father, the president-general, is in a critical condition.

1897. May 4.

Death at Washington, D. C., of the president-general of the Society, Rear Admiral Richard W. Meade, U. S. N.

1897. May 5.

Edward A. Moseley, Washington, D. C., a member of the Executive Council of the Society, pens a letter of condolence to Richard W. Meade, Jr., on the death of the latter’s father, the Society’s president-general. 20

1897. May 6.

Edward A. Moseley, just mentioned, writes to Secretary-General Murray relative to the obsequies of the president-general. Mr. Moseley states that the matter of a floral tribute from the Society has been arranged.

1897. May 7.

Letter from Richard W. Meade, Jr., to Mr. Moseley, thanking the Society, through him, for the floral emblem contributed, and stating that it “now rests on my father’s grave.”

1897. May 15.

First meeting of the Executive Council of the Society held, Boston, Mass. Present: Thomas J. Gargan, Boston, Mass.; John C. Linehan, Concord, N. H.; Thomas Hamilton Murray, Lawrence, Mass.; Joseph Smith, Lowell, Mass.; James Jeffrey Roche, Boston, Mass., and Thomas B. Lawler, Worcester, Mass. Mr. Gargan presided.

1897. May 15.

At this first meeting of the Council, Edward A. Moseley of Washington, D. C., was chosen president-general of the Society, to fill the unexpired term of the late Admiral Meade. Mr. Moseley is secretary of the Interstate Commerce Commission, Washington, D. C. He was born in 1846, at Newburyport, Mass. He is a member of the Society of Colonial Wars, a member of the Society of the Sons of the American Revolution, a member of the Society of the Sons of the Revolution, a member of the Bunker Hill Monument Society (his great-grandfather fought there as captain in General Putnam’s brigade from Connecticut); has received the thanks of the commonwealth of Massachusetts “for distinguished services in the cause of humanity”; is the great-great-grandson of Col. Jonathan Buck; great-grandson of Col. Ebenezer Buck; also claims descent from Col. William Gilmore of New Hampshire, formerly of Coleraine, Ireland—all Revolutionary heroes.

1897. May 24.

Hon. John D. Crimmins, New York city, becomes a life member of the Society. 21

1897. June.

Among the cities officially visited this month by the secretary-general was Lynn, Mass., where special courtesies were extended him by Daniel Donovan and Capt. P. S. Curry, both of that city.

1897. June 6.

Secretary-General Murray addresses a meeting at Portland, Me., in behalf of the Society. James Cunningham of Portland presides.

1897. June 14.

President-General Moseley writes to James Cunningham of Portland, Me., thanking the latter for his interest in getting up the meeting in that city on the 6th inst.

1897. June 14.

Prof. Maurice Francis Egan of the Catholic University, Washington, D. C., becomes a member of the Society.

1897. June 24.

John R. Alley of Boston, Mass., forwards check for $50. Life membership fee.

1897. June 30.

Second meeting of the Council of the Society. Held in the Parker House, Boston, Mass. James Jeffrey Roche of Boston presided. Treasurer-General Linehan was authorized to make arrangements for the first annual field day of the Society, the same to be held at Newcastle, N. H.

1897. July.

The secretary-general visited Peabody and Salem, Mass., this month, being assisted in obtaining members there by Thomas Carroll of the former place.

1897. July 20.

Capt. John Drum, Tenth U. S. Infantry, admitted to membership.

1897. July 28.

Third meeting of the Council of the Society. Held at Salisbury Beach, Mass. President-General Moseley occupied the chair. Mr. Moseley had earlier in the day entertained the council at lunch in the Wolfe Tavern, Newburyport, Mass.

1897. Aug. 4.

Death of Henry V. Donovan, M. D., Lawrence, Mass., a member of the Society and a graduate of Harvard University.

1897. Aug. 30.

Rear Admiral Belknap, U. S. N. (retired), writes from Newport, R. I., regretting his inability to be 22present at the meeting to be held in Pawtucket, R. I., on the 1st prox.

1897. September.

An article descriptive of the Society’s purposes appears in the current issue of the Granite Monthly, Concord, N. H. It is from the pen of Treasurer-General Linehan.

1897. Sept. 1.

Fourth meeting of the Council takes place at the Benedict House, Pawtucket, R. I. James Jeffrey Roche of Boston, Mass., presided. Secretary-General Murray read extracts from old Rhode Island documents containing mention of early Irish settlers.

1897. Sept. 1.

The Council was entertained at a banquet this evening by the Rhode Island members of the Society. The event took place at the Benedict House, Pawtucket. Hon. Hugh J. Carroll, ex-mayor of the city, presided. Secretary-General Murray, then a resident of Pawtucket, delivered an address of welcome.

1897. Sept. 18.

Fifth meeting of the Council. Held in the Parker House, Boston, Mass. James Jeffrey Roche of Boston presides. A gift to the library of the Society from Gen. St. Clair A. Mulholland, Philadelphia, Pa., is announced. It comprises a copy of the “History of the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick and of the Hibernian Society,” of that city.

1897. Sept. 21.

Hon. John C. Linehan, treasurer-general of the Society, presents the library a copy of the “Addresses at the Dedication of the Monument Erected to the Memory of Matthew Thornton at Merrimack, N. H., September 29, 1892.”

1897. Sept. 24.

William McConway, Pittsburg, Pa., writes to President-General Moseley, enclosing life membership fee.

1897. Sept. 28.

Edward Fitzpatrick, a member of the organization, contributes an article to the Louisville (Ky.) Times, on “Irish Settlers in Louisville and Vicinity.” 23

1897. Sept. 28.

Hon. Joseph T. Lawless, secretary of state of Virginia, writes a cordial letter, and desires to be admitted to membership.

1897. Oct. 7.

Death of Gen. John Cochrane, a member of the Society, New York city.

1897. Oct. 23.

Hon. Elisha Dyer, governor of Rhode Island, writes accepting an invitation extended him to join the Society.

1897. Oct. 23.

Death of Laurence J. Smith, Lowell, Mass., a member of the Society.

1897. Nov. 10.

Governor Dyer of Rhode Island writes, regretting that he will be unable to attend the meeting of the Society on the 16th.

1897. Nov. 10.

E. Benjamin Andrews, D. D., LL. D., president of Brown University, sends a letter in which he cordially expresses his appreciation of the purposes of the Society. On another occasion, he writes of the organization: “I wish it success with all my heart.”

1897. Nov. 15.

The Friendly Sons of St. Patrick, New York city, in session this evening, send fraternal greetings to the Society, the bearer thereof being Thomas B. Lawler, the Society’s librarian and archivist.

1897. Nov. 16.

The third meeting of the Society was held this evening in Young’s Hotel, Boston, Mass. Gen. James R. O’Beirne, New York, presided at the business session and Thomas J. Gargan, Boston, at the banquet immediately following.

1897. Nov. 16.

At this meeting an address was delivered by John Mackinnon Robertson of London, England, author of “The Saxon and the Celt.” Dennis Harvey Sheahan, ex-clerk of the Rhode Island house of representatives, read a paper on “The Need of an Organization Such as the A. I. H. S., and Its Scope.”

1897. Dec. 7.

Secretary-General Murray addressed the Churchmen’s Club of Rhode Island, at Providence, on “Five Colonial Rhode Islanders.” Mr. Justice Stiness of the Rhode Island supreme court presided. 24The five treated by Mr. Murray were all of Irish birth or extraction.

1897. Dec. 11.

Sixth meeting of the Council of the Society is held in the Parker House, Boston, Mass. Thomas J. Gargan of Boston presides. It is voted to prepare for publication, and publish, the first volume of the Journal of the Society’s Proceedings. The volume thus authorized was issued some months later. There is received from Dr. J. C. O’Connell, Washington, D. C., a copy of his work on “The Irish in the Revolution and in the Civil War.”

1897. Dec. 18.

Death of Hon. Owen A. Galvin, a member of the Society, Boston, Mass.

1898. Jan. 14.

Joseph F. Swords, of Hartford, the Society’s state vice-president for Connecticut at this time, contributes a letter to the Boston Pilot treating of the origin of the family name Swords in Ireland.

1898. Jan. 25.

Death of Hon. Charles B. Gafney, a member of the Society, Rochester, N. H.

1898. Jan. 29.

Seventh meeting of the Council of the Society. Held in the Parker House, Boston, Mass., Thomas J. Gargan presiding. It was decided to hold the annual meeting and banquet of the Society at the Hotel San Remo, New York city, on the evening of the 17th prox.

1898. Feb. 7.

Hon. Thomas M. Waller, ex-governor of Connecticut, qualifies as a member of the Society.

1898. Feb. 17.

Eighth meeting of the Council, held at the Hotel San Remo, New York city, Thomas J. Gargan, of Boston, presiding.

1898. Feb. 17.

Annual meeting of the Society at the San Remo, New York city, following the meeting of the Council. Gen. James R. O’Beirne of New York presides. Edward A. Moseley, Washington, D. C., is reëlected president-general.

1898. Feb. 17.

Annual banquet of the Society at the San Remo, immediately following the annual meeting. General O’Beirne also presided at the banquet. 25Resolutions of sorrow adopted on the loss of the U. S. battleship Maine, in Havana harbor, and copies of the resolutions ordered transmitted to the president of the United States, and to the secretary of the navy.

1898. Feb. 17.

At this annual banquet, Joseph Smith of Lowell, Mass., a member of the Council of the Society, contributed a paper on “Some Ways in which American History is Falsified.” Addresses were delivered by Hon. Thomas Dunn English of Newark, N. J.; Dr. Thomas Addis Emmet, New York city; Judge Wauhope Lynn, New York city, and other gentlemen.

1898. Feb. 18.

Hon. John D. Crimmins, of New York city, gives a reception to the Society and entertains the latter at lunch at his residence, 40 East 68th St.

1898. Feb. 24.

John Goodwin, New York city, forwards check for $50 in payment of life membership fee.

1898. Feb. 25.

The navy department, Washington, D. C., acknowledges receipt of the resolutions of condolence on the loss of the battleship Maine, adopted by the Society on the 17th instant, and returns thanks “in the name of the officers and men of the navy.”

1898. March 3.

Hon. Robert T. Davis, Fall River, Mass., ex-mayor of Fall River, and ex-member of congress, becomes a member of the Society.

1898. March 5.

Andrew Athy, Worcester, Mass., joins the Society as a life member.

1898. March 13.

Edward Fitzpatrick, Louisville, Ky., a member of the Society, contributes an article to the Louisville (Ky.) Courier-Journal, on “The Lost State of Clark.” He mentions Thomas Connolly, who was a fifer in Clark’s regiment.

1898. March 14.

Hon. Patrick J. Boyle, mayor of Newport, R. I., admitted to the Society.

1898. March 17.

Secretary-General Murray and Treasurer-General Linehan are guests at a banquet of the Irish 26Society of Lowell, Mass. Joseph Smith of that city presides.

1898. March 27.

Thomas J. Gargan, of the Society’s Council, and Thomas Hamilton Murray, secretary-general of the Society, contribute to a symposium in the Boston Sunday Globe on the subject of an Anglo-American alliance. Both strongly oppose the idea.

1898. April 18.

President Andrews of Brown University writes, accepting invitation to attend the meeting in Providence, R. I., on the 21st instant.

1898. April 19.

Letter written by Harvey Wheeler, chairman of the selectmen of historic Concord, Mass., sending hearty greetings to the participants in the meeting under the auspices of the Society on the 21st instant.

1898. April 20.

Hon. John H. Stiness, a justice of the Rhode Island supreme court, sends regrets that he cannot attend the meeting on the 21st instant.

1898. April 21.

Ninth meeting of the Society’s Council is held at the Narragansett Hotel, Providence, R. I. Letter read from Hon. Eli Thayer, Worcester, Mass.

1898. April 21.

In the evening, following this Council meeting, a reception and banquet was given the Council by the Rhode Island members of the Society, at the Narragansett, Providence. Dennis Harvey Sheahan of Providence presided.

1898. April 21.

The post-prandial exercises at this banquet included a paper by Thomas Hamilton Murray, the secretary-general, on “Matthew Watson, an Irish Settler of Barrington, R. I., 1722.” There were addresses by President Andrews of Brown University; Prof. Alonzo Williams of Brown; Hon. John C. Linehan, Concord, N. H.; Rev. Arthur J. Teeling, Lynn, Mass.; Joseph Smith, Lowell, Mass.; Capt. E. O’Meagher Condon, New York city; James Jeffrey Roche and Thomas J. Gargan, Boston, Mass., and other gentlemen. 27

1898. April 21.

Prof. William M. Sloane of Columbia University, New York, admitted to membership.

1898. April 28.

James G. Hickey, manager of the United States Hotel, Boston, Mass., becomes a life member of the Society.

1898. May 15.

Death of Andrew Athy, Worcester, Mass., a life member.

1898. May 15.

Secretary-General Murray addressed a meeting at Bangor, Me., in the interests of the Society. William F. Curran of Bangor, presided.

1898. May 21.

Secretary-General Murray visits Springfield, Mass., to enlarge the Society’s membership, and receives valuable assistance from Edward A. Hall and Dr. Philip Kilroy, both of that city.

1898. June.

Secretary-General Murray this month visited Portsmouth and Dover, N. H.; New Haven, Conn.; New Bedford and Holyoke, Mass. Special courtesies were shown him at Portsmouth by John Griffin; at Dover, by John A. Hoye; and at New Bedford by Edmund O’Keefe and Rev. James F. Clark.

1898. June 3.

Edward Fitzpatrick, Louisville, Ky., contributes an article to The Times of that city on “Early Irish Settlers in Kentucky.”

1898. June 21.

Death of John R. Alley, Boston, Mass., a life member of the Society.

1898. June 22.

The secretary-general addresses a meeting at Chicopee, Mass., Rev. John J. McCoy, P. R., of Chicopee, presiding.

1898. June 25.

Death of Joseph H. Fay, M. D., Fall River, Mass., a member of the Society and graduate of the University of Vermont.

1898. June 30.

First field day of the Society. Held at Newcastle, N. H., with headquarters at the Hotel Wentworth. The exercises in the evening were presided over by Hon. John C. Linehan, Concord, N. H. Bernard Corr of Boston, Mass., read a paper on “The Ancestors of Gen. John Sullivan.” Addresses were delivered by Mayor 28Tilton of Portsmouth, N. H.; Dr. William D. Collins, Haverhill, Mass.; John F. Doyle, New York city; James F. Brennan, Peterborough, N. H.; William J. Kelly, Kittery, Me.; Dr. W. H. A. Lyons, Portsmouth, N. H.; Joseph Smith, Lowell, Mass.; Capt. E. O’Meagher Condon, New York city; James Jeffrey Roche, Boston, Mass.; Charles H. Clary, Hallowell, Me.; John Griffin, Portsmouth, N. H.; James H. McGlinchy, Portland, Me.; Secretary-General Murray and other gentlemen.

1898. June 30.

Charles H. Clary of Hallowell, Me., who is here mentioned as making an address this evening, is a descendant of “John Clary of Newcastle, province of New Hampshire, who was published to Jane Mahoney of Georgetown, Me., 1750.” John settled in Georgetown presumably about the time of his marriage. Four children were born before 1760.

1898. June 30.

A communication from President-General Moseley was read at the exercises this evening by the secretary-general. Mr. Moseley called attention to the fact that Hon. John D. Long, secretary of the navy, had consented to name one of the new torpedo boats, soon to be constructed, the O’Brien, and to name two of the new torpedo-boat destroyers, respectively, Barry and Macdonough, these names to perpetuate three American patriots of Irish blood. The meeting adopted a vote of thanks to Secretary Long.

1898. June 30.

Secretary-General Murray, this evening, called attention to the fact that on Sept. 10 would occur the anniversary of the battle of Lake Erie when Commodore Perry, the son of an Irish mother, administered such a thorough defeat to the British. It was suggested that the anniversary be duly observed by the Society. Referred to the Council. The secretary-general also suggested that the anniversary of the surrender of the British General, Burgoyne, Oct. 17 and that of the surrender 29of Lord Cornwallis, Oct. 19, be celebrated by a public meeting in Boston or New York. Referred to the Council.

1898. July.

During this month Mr. Murray, the secretary-general, visited Lewiston, Augusta, Hallowell, and Gardiner, Me., in the interests of the Society, being greatly assisted in the three latter places by Thomas J. Lynch, a prominent lawyer of Augusta. Mr. Murray also visited Biddeford, Me., where he addressed a meeting, specially called, and presided over by Cornelius Horigan of that city. He was also materially assisted by Rev. T. P. Linehan of Biddeford. Secretary-General Murray likewise visited, this month, Manchester, N. H., and was introduced to prominent people there by Michael O’Dowd of Manchester. The object of the secretary-general’s visit to these places was to explain the purposes of the organization and to obtain additional members for the latter.

1898. July 2.

Capt. John Drum, Tenth United States Infantry, a member of the Society, killed in battle before Santiago de Cuba.

1898. July 25–26.

Secretary-General Murray visits Nashua, N. H., and while there addresses a gathering of several gentlemen invited to meet him. Dr. T. A. McCarthy of Nashua presides.

1898. August.

The Society issued this month a pamphlet entitled: “Irish Schoolmasters in the American Colonies, 1640–1775, with a Continuation of the Subject During and After the War of the Revolution.” The authors are Hon. John C. Linehan, the Society’s treasurer-general, and Thomas Hamilton Murray, the secretary-general. An edition of 2,000 copies was printed.

1898. Aug. 4.

Secretary Murray addressed a meeting at Rutland, Vt., T. W. Maloney, a leading lawyer of that city, presiding. During his stay in Rutland, Mr. Murray also received valuable assistance from John D. Hanrahan, M. D., of that city. 30

1898. Aug. 18.

Tenth meeting of the Council of the Society. It was held in the Parker House, Boston, Mass. President-General Moseley occupied the chair. A minute was adopted on the death of Capt. John Drum, Tenth United States Infantry. Capt. Drum’s son, John D., of Boston, was elected to membership in the Society.

1898. Aug. 25.

Death of City Marshal John E. Conner of Chicopee, Mass., a member of the Society.

1898. Aug. 30, 31; Sept. 1.

Secretary-General Murray visits Waterbury, Conn., and obtains several new members for the Society. He receives courtesies from Dr. J. F. Hayes and other gentlemen of that city.

1898. September.

The Society issued this month a pamphlet on “The ‘Scotch-Irish’ Shibboleth Analyzed and Rejected; with Some Reference to the Present ‘Anglo-Saxon’ Comedy.” The author is Joseph Smith, Lowell, Mass. An edition of 1,500 copies was printed.

1898. Sept. 3.

Obsequies in Boston, Mass., of Capt. John Drum, Tenth U. S. Infantry, his body having been brought home from Cuba. James Jeffrey Roche of Boston represented the Society as a pall bearer. The organization contributed a floral offering.

1898. Sept. 23.

Death at Newport, R. I., of Rev. Philip Grace, D. D., a member of the Society.

1898. October.

Secretary-General Murray visited this month, among other places, Philadelphia, Pa., and was assisted in his work there by Hugh McCaffrey of that city, a life member of the Society.

1898. Oct. 21.

Henry Collins Walsh, a descendant of Gen. Stephen Moylan of the Revolution, becomes a member of the Society.

1898. Nov. 11.

James Whitcomb Riley, the “Hoosier Poet,” Indianapolis, Ind., admitted to membership.

1898. Nov. 14, 15, 16.

Secretary-General Murray visits Albany, N. Y., in the interests of the organization.

1898. Dec. 3.

Eleventh meeting of the Council. Held in the Parker House, Boston, Mass., Thomas J. Gargan 31of Boston presiding. Committees were appointed to take appropriate action on the death of City Marshal John E. Conner of Chicopee, Mass., and on that of Rev. Philip Grace, D. D., Newport, R. I.

1898. December.

Death of Capt. John M. Tobin at Knoxville, Tenn., a member of the Society. He was a veteran of the Civil War, and in the war with Spain had been a quartermaster in the First Brigade, Second Division, First Army Corps.

1899. Jan. 14.

Gen. George Bell, U. S. A. (retired), Washington, D. C., is admitted to membership.

1899. Jan. 19.

Twelfth meeting of the Council of the Society. Held at Sherry’s, 44th street and Fifth avenue, New York city. Thomas J. Gargan of Boston, Mass., presided. Among the members of the Council present were Hon. John D. Crimmins, New York; Joseph Smith, Lowell, Mass.; James Jeffrey Roche, Boston, Mass.; Francis C. Travers, New York; Hon. John C. Linehan, Concord, N. H.; Thomas B. Lawler, New York, and Thomas Hamilton Murray, Woonsocket, R. I.

1899. Jan. 19.

Annual meeting of the Society held at Sherry’s, New York city, immediately following the meeting of the Council. Gen. James R. O’Beirne, New York, in the absence of the president-general, presided. Thomas J. Gargan of Boston was chosen president-general of the Society for the ensuing year; Hon. John D. Crimmins, New York, was chosen vice-president-general; Thomas Hamilton Murray, Woonsocket, R. I., was reëlected secretary-general; Hon. John C. Linehan, Concord, N. H., was reëlected treasurer-general; Thomas B. Lawler, New York, was reëlected librarian and archivist.

1899. Jan. 19.

The annual banquet of the Society was held at Sherry’s, New York, immediately after the annual meeting. Gen. James R. O’Beirne, New York, presided. The attendance numbered about 175 gentlemen, many cities and states being represented. The post-prandial exercises included 32the reading of four original papers, viz.: By Dr. Thomas Addis Emmet, New York, a paper on “Irish Emigration During the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries”; by Hon. John C. Linehan, Concord, N. H., a paper on “Some Pre-Revolutionary Irishmen”; by Rev. John J. McCoy, P. R., Chicopee, Mass., a paper on “The Irish Element in the Second Massachusetts Volunteers in the Recent War” (with Spain); by James Jeffrey Roche, Boston, Mass., a paper on the general lines of the Society’s work. There were also several addresses.

1899. Jan. 20.

Hon. Theodore Roosevelt, governor of New York state, gives a reception to the members of the Society at the residence of his sister, Mrs. Cowles, Madison avenue, New York city. He is assisted in receiving by Mrs. Cowles, and the members are presented by Gen. James R. O’Beirne, state vice-president of the Society for New York. Governor Roosevelt delivers an address. Following the reception, lunch is served.

1899. Jan. 20.

Subsequent to the reception by Governor Roosevelt, the members are received by Hon. John D. Crimmins, vice-president-general of the Society, at his New York residence, 40 East 68th street.

1899. Feb. 9.

Rev. Richard Henebry, Ph. D., professor of Keltic languages and literature, Catholic University, Washington, D. C., admitted to the Society.

1899. Feb. 15.

James McGovern, New York city, admitted to life membership.

1899. Feb. 19.

John J. Lenehan, New York city, admitted to life membership.

1899. March.

A work is issued this month on “The Irish Washingtons at Home and Abroad, Together with Some Mention of the Ancestry of the American Pater Patriæ.” The authors are Thomas Hamilton Murray, secretary-general of the Society, and George Washington of Dublin, Ireland. The work is dedicated to the Society. 33

1899. March 9.

Myles Tierney, New York city, enrolled as a life member of the organization.

1899. March 16.

Communication written by Rev. William L. Ledwith, D. D., librarian of the Presbyterian Historical Society, Philadelphia, Pa., asking for information relative to the American-Irish Historical Society. He concludes: “The lines on which your Society and ours are working must often meet.”

1899. March 19.

Death of Hon. Patrick Walsh, mayor of Augusta, Ga., ex-United States senator, and member of the Society.

1899. March 30.

Maj. William H. Donovan of the Ninth Massachusetts is commissioned colonel of the regiment. He was one of the majors of the command in the war with Spain, and participated in the gallant work of the regiment on Cuban soil. Colonel Donovan is one of our members in Lawrence, Mass.

1899. March 31.

Death at Boston, Mass., of Col. Patrick T. Hanley, a veteran of the Civil War, and member of the Society.

1899. April 9.

Death of Hon. John H. Sullivan, East Boston, Mass., a member of the Society.

1899. April 11.

The selectmen and town clerk of Lexington, Mass., express regrets that they will not be able to attend the meeting at Providence, R. I., on the 19th inst. Their letter bears the official seal of the town.

1899. April 13.

E. Benjamin Andrews, superintendent of public schools, Chicago, Ill., writes expressing his regret that he cannot attend the meeting on the 19th inst.

1899. April 15.

Death of Hon. Eli Thayer, Worcester, Mass., a member of the organization.

1899. April 16.

Death of William F. Cummings, M. D., Rutland, Vt., a graduate of the University of Vermont, and member of the Society. 34

1899. April 19.

The thirteenth meeting of the Society’s Council is held in the Narragansett Hotel, Providence, R. I., on this, the anniversary of the battle of Lexington (1775). Thomas J. Gargan, president-general of the Society, occupies the chair. Stephen J. Richardson, New York city, is introduced, and explains the plan and scope of a projected “Encyclopædia Hibernica.” The Council approves the work. It is voted that the annual field day of the Society, this year, be held at Elizabeth, N. J., on the occasion of the launching of the U. S. torpedo-boat O’Brien.

1899. April 19.

Hon. John D. Crimmins, New York city, vice-president-general of the Society, at this meeting of the Council personally subscribes five hundred dollars for the general purposes of the organization. This is the largest individual gift the Society has thus far received.

1899. April 19.

Lieut. Martin L. Crimmins, 18th U. S. infantry, is admitted to membership. Lieutenant Crimmins is at this date with his regiment in the Philippines. He is a son of Hon. John D. Crimmins, New York city.

1899. April 19.

Thomas J. Gargan, Boston, Mass., and Stephen J. Geoghegan, New York city, request to be recorded as life members.

1899. April 19.

Following the meeting of the Council the members thereof are received and banqueted at the Narragansett, in Providence, by the Rhode Island members of the Society. M. J. Harson of Providence presides. Addresses are made by President-General Gargan, Vice-President-General Crimmins, Treasurer-General Linehan; Thomas F. O’Malley, Somerville, Mass.; Rev. S. Banks Nelson (Presbyterian), Woonsocket, R. I.; Rev. Frank L. Phalen (Unitarian), Concord, N. H.; Capt. E. O’Meagher Condon, New York city, and Joseph Smith, Lowell, Mass. 35

1899. April 20.

Miss Annetta O’Brien Walker, Portland, Me., writes to President-General Gargan, with reference to the forthcoming launching of the torpedo-boat O’Brien. She is a great-granddaughter of Captain O’Brien, brother to the patriot in whose honor the boat is named. Miss Walker desires to be present at the launching.

1899. April 29.

Death of Joseph J. Kelley, East Cambridge, Mass., a member of the Society.

1899. May 8.

William Gorman, Philadelphia, Pa., enrolled as a life member.

1899. May 17.

Order issued by the war department to Major William Quinton, 14th U. S. infantry, a member of the Society, to proceed from Boston to San Francisco, and thence to Manila, for service in the Philippines.

1899. May 19.

Dr. Thomas Addis Emmet, New York city, subscribes one hundred dollars for the publication fund of the Society.

1899. May 27.

Lewis Nixon, builder of the U. S. torpedo-boat O’Brien, writes from the Crescent shipyard, Elizabeth, N. J., that: “The uncertainty as to the delivery of certain forgings, making in Pennsylvania for the O’Brien, renders it impossible, at this time, for me to give you even an approximate date for the launching. I am endeavoring to get some information in this matter, and just as soon as I receive it I shall communicate with you.” Mr. Nixon states that he takes pride in the fact that he is “building the O’Brien, which is a name honorably and valorously associated with the early history of our navy.”

1899. May 30.

Secretary-General Murray attends a preliminary meeting held in Boston, Mass., to form a Franco-American Historical Society, and makes an address expressing good wishes on behalf of the American-Irish Historical body.

1899. July.

Announcement is made that a member of the Society, Rev. Cyrus Townsend Brady, Philadelphia, 36Pa., has written a novel entitled, “For the Freedom of the Sea,” the same being a romance of the War of 1812.

1899. July 22.

Death of William Slattery, a member of the Society; associate justice of the police court, Holyoke, Mass.; graduate of Harvard University.

1899. Aug. 2.

Rev. Frank L. Phalen, of the Society, is commissioned chaplain of the Second Regiment of Infantry (Massachusetts).

1899. Aug. 6.

Death of Rev. George W. Pepper, D. D., Cleveland, O., vice-president of the Society for that state.

1899. Aug. 18.

The librarian of the University of Washington, Seattle, Wash., requests for the institution copies of the reports and other publications of the Society. He says: “We are very anxious to obtain these, and will gladly pay all transportation.”

1899. Aug. 20.

Death of Rev. Denis Scannell, rector of St. Anne’s church, Worcester, Mass., a member of the Society.

1899. Aug. 29.

Fourteenth meeting of the Council. Place: Aquidneck House, Newport, R. I. Hon. John C. Linehan of Concord, N. H., presides. This is the anniversary of the battle of Rhode Island, 1778, in which the American forces were commanded by Gen. John Sullivan.

1899. Aug. 29.

Suggestion made at this Council meeting, and favorably considered, that the Society erect a bronze tablet to the memory of soldiers of Irish birth or lineage who were at the battle of Bunker Hill, 1775, fighting in behalf of American liberty. A committee is appointed to further consider the matter.

1899. Aug. 29.

This evening, subsequent to the Council meeting, dinner was partaken of at the Aquidneck by some 25 gentlemen including members of the Society and prominent citizens of Newport who had been invited to be present. The post-prandial exercises were presided over by Hon. Charles 37E. Gorman of Providence, R. I. Hon. Patrick J. Boyle, mayor of Newport, R. I., delivered an address of welcome, as a member of the Society and as mayor of the city. The paper of the evening was by Thomas Hamilton Murray, secretary-general of the Society, on “The Battle of Rhode Island, 1778.” Addresses were made by Hon. John C. Linehan, treasurer-general of the Society; by Rev. L. J. Deady of Newport, R. I.; by Dennis H. Tierney of Waterbury, Conn.; by P. J. McCarthy of Providence, R. I., and by J. Stacy Brown, city solicitor of Newport. An original letter written by Gen. John Sullivan in 1778, was read and exhibited.

1899. Sept. 9.

In answer to an inquiry on behalf of the Society, the United States navy department replies, giving information as to the percentage of completion attained by the torpedo boats Blakely and O’Brien and the torpedo boat destroyers Barry and Macdonough.

1899. Oct. 2.

J. F. Hayes, M. D., the Society’s state vice-president for Connecticut, is reëlected to the Waterbury, Conn., board of education.

1899. October.

Reitz, secretary of state for the Transvaal, announces the appointment of Gen. James R. O’Beirne, New York city, as commissioner extraordinary to represent the Transvaal’s interests in the United States. General O’Beirne is our Society’s state vice president for New York.

1899. Oct. 7.

Fifteenth meeting of the Council of the Society is held in Boston, Mass. President-General Gargan occupies the chair. There are also present Messrs. Linehan, Smith, Murray and Roche. It is voted to invite Sir Thomas Lipton, owner of the yacht Shamrock, to be a guest of the Society on such date as may suit his convenience. A letter is received from Hon. John D. Crimmins, New York city, proposing Hon. Thomas H. Carter, United States senator from Montana, and Thomas J. Cummins, of New York 38city, for membership in the Society. Both gentlemen are admitted.

1899. Oct. 11.

Sir Thomas Lipton, owner of the yacht Shamrock, challenger for the America’s cup, writes to Secretary-General Murray, cordially acknowledging the invitation to be a guest of the Society. Sir Thomas’s letter is dated “Steam Yacht Erin, Sandy Hook.” He says: “Nothing would give me greater pleasure than to avail myself of their [the members’] hospitality but under the present uncertain conditions of weather it is doubtful when the contest will be finished, which renders it impossible for me, meantime, to make any arrangements of the nature you are good enough to suggest.”

1899. Oct. 12.

Letter received stating that James F. Brennan, Peterborough, N. H., has recently been appointed by the governor and council of New Hampshire to be a member of the board of state library commissioners. Mr. Brennan is our Society’s vice-president for New Hampshire.

1899. Nov. 7.

Hon. Patrick J. Boyle, of the Society, is elected mayor of Newport, R. I., for the sixth consecutive time.

1899. Nov. 15.

Reception and banquet at the Bellevue, Beacon street, Boston, Mass., under the auspices of the Society. President-General Gargan presided. Among the guests was William Ludwig, the Irish baritone. The paper of the evening was by Michael E. Hennessy of the Boston Daily Globe, his topic being, “Men of Irish Blood Who Have Attained Eminence in American Journalism.”

1899. Nov. 17.

Letter received from Col. James Armstrong, Charleston, S. C. Colonel Armstrong is an editor on the Charleston News and Courier; harbor master of the port. He served on the staff of Governor Wade Hampton, and is of Irish parentage. 39

1899. Nov. 20.

Hon. Patrick A. Collins, a member of the Society, is nominated for mayor of Boston, Mass., by the Democratic convention. He is an ex-member of congress and ex-United States consul-general to London, England.

1899. Nov. 20.

President-General Gargan delivered an address before the Charitable Irish Society in Boston, Mass., this evening. His subject was, “Naval Heroes of the Revolutionary War.” In the course of his address he paid a tribute to the patriotic O’Briens of Machias, Me., who bravely figured in that struggle.

1899. Nov. 21.

Letter received from Henry E. Reed, Portland, Ore., state vice-president of the Society for Oregon. He regrets that he has not been able to give more attention to the Society, but his duties for the past two years having taken him up and down the Pacific coast from Alaska to the Mexican boundary, he has been pressed for time. However, he has interested a number of Oregon people in the Society, and requests to be supplied with membership application blanks.

1899. Nov. 26.

Dr. Stephen J. Maher of New Haven, Conn., a member of the Society, presided at a public reception in the Hyperion, that city, to Lord Mayor Tallon of Dublin, and Hon. John E. Redmond, M. P. Col. John G. Healy, another member of the Society, opened the exercises.

1899. Nov. 27.

An official declaration in behalf of the Society is issued in Boston to-night, endorsing the project to bring the remains of John Paul Jones back to this country from France, where he died in 1799.

1899. Nov. 28.

The News and Courier, Charleston, S. C., contains an editorial to-day, speaking highly of the Society and its work.

1899. Nov. 29.

Death of Edmund Phelan, a member of the Society, at his home, 32 Adams street, Roxbury (Boston), Mass. 40

1899. Dec. 2.

Col. James Gadsden Holmes, Charleston, S. C., presents to the Society a copy of the “History of the Calhoun Monument” in that city. This monument was erected in honor of Hon. John C. Calhoun, whose father was an Irishman by birth, and was dedicated April 26, 1887.

1899. Dec. 7.

Henry Stoddard Ruggles of Wakefield, Mass., calls the Society’s attention to a work recently published by the Massachusetts chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution. It is entitled, “Honor Roll of Massachusetts Patriots, Heretofore Unknown; being a List of Men and Women who Loaned Money to the Federal Government, 1777–1779.” Among the names in this list are Daniel McCarthy, Dennis Tracy, Patrick Wade and Daniel Ryan.

1899. Dec. 12.

Hon. Jeremiah Crowley, of the Society, is reëlected mayor of Lowell, Mass.

1899. Dec. 13.

Thomas Carroll of Peabody, Mass., a member of the Society, delivers an historical address at the twenty-fifth anniversary celebration of St. John’s Catholic parish in Peabody.

1899. Dec. 19.

Thomas F. O’Malley, Somerville, Mass., a member of the Society, delivers an historical lecture on “The Colonial Irish” before the St. Peter’s Catholic Association, Cambridge, Mass.

1899. Dec. 30.

The Boston Pilot of this date contains an article from Joseph Smith, Lowell, Mass., of the Society, on “The Irish Brigade of Rochambeau’s Army,” giving an account of its services in behalf of American independence.

41