PAPERS BY MEMBERS OF THE SOCIETY. (continued 3)

The “tradition” here noted is radically defective. In the first place, there is no Ulster county in Ireland. Perhaps the province of Ulster was what the writer was aiming at. In the second place, the “Irish massacre” mentioned never happened. For a long period, writers in the English interest asserted that on October 23, 1641, the Irish Catholics rose and slaughtered in cold blood thousands of English and other Protestants then in the country. But the charge is now rejected as untrue by impartial historians. W. J. O’Neill Daunt brands the story of such a massacre as “a thorough and most impudent falsehood,” and as being another of those “stupendous 115calumnies” circulated by the enemies of the Irish people. Other authoritative writers similarly testify.

“It has been represented,” says Prendergast, a Protestant,^[10] “that there was a general massacre [by the Irish], surpassing the horrors of the Sicilian Vespers, the Parisian Nuptials, and Matins of the Valtelline, but nothing is more false.”

Consequently, as there was no massacre by the Irish Catholics, then as charged, Thomas Casey’s “father and mother and all his family” could not have perished in it. In February, 1642, however, a dreadful massacre was ordered—not by the Irish Catholics, but by the English lords justices. The mandate was issued to Lord Ormund, the lords justices signing the fearful instructions, being Dillon, Rotheram, Loftus, Willoughby, Temple, and Meredith.

The mandate for the massacre as issued to Ormund was, “That his lordship do endeavor with his majesty’s forces to wound, kill, slay, and destroy, by all the ways and means he may, all the said rebels, their adherents, and relievers; and burn, waste, spoil, consume, destroy, and demolish all the places, towns, and houses, where the said rebels are, or have been, relieved or harbored, and all the hay and corn there; and kill and destroy all the men there inhabiting capable to bear arms.”

The orders were only too well obeyed. Men, women and children perished alike. The English soldiery made no distinction between age or sex. In their savage fury they committed massacre after massacre. The English garrison of Carrickfergus alone murdered 3,000 men, women and children in that neighborhood. Lord Broghill perpetrated like cruelties in Cork and Waterford. In County Wicklow Sir Charles Coote was guilty of a massacre so horrible that after it, to use his own language, “not a child, were it but a hand high, was left alive.”

It is probable that the family of Thomas Casey, the Rhode Island settler, were Irish Catholics, and if they perished in a massacre it is quite possible it was in the one thus inaugurated by the English. It is quite likely that the author of the “tradition” and “Ulster county” got matters somewhat mixed. Hosts of Irish Catholics fled the country at the period mentioned, and if Thomas Casey’s uncle did so, taking the child with him, it would be entirely in accord with the facts and conditions here described. The statement that Thomas 116eventually sailed from Plymouth, England, if he did so sail, has no particular significance and proves nothing.

Thomas Casey is first heard of in Rhode Island at Newport. His wife’s name was Sarah. They had, so far as known, three children, Thomas, Adam and Samuel. In 1692, the father and his son, Thomas, witnessed a deed given by James Sweet of East Greenwich, R. I., to Thomas Weaver of Newport. Adam Casey, another son, was a lieutenant in 1742, and in 1750 purchased 50 acres in Scituate, R. I. In 1760, Adam and his son, Edward Casey, sold 100 acres to Nathan Brown of Swanzey, Mass., and removed to Coventry, R. I. Adam Casey’s will was proved in 1765.

Samuel, the third son of Thomas Casey, the immigrant, lived at different times in Newport, Kings Town and Exeter, R. I. He held various town offices. At his death, his personal estate inventoried £2,803 18s. 6d. He had six children; his brother, Thomas, four; and Adam, five. Several members of this noted family have been distinguished in American civil and military life. The family is still represented in Rhode Island.

John Dailey and Other Early Rhode Islanders.

John Dailey, in 1689, bought 90 acres of land in Providence, R. I., and the year following exchanged certain lands with Ann Pratt. Dailey is an anglicized form of O’Dalaighe.^[11] In Irish history the O’Dalys figure as powerful chieftains. Some of the name were hereditary poets and antiquarians to the MacCarthys Mor. John Dailey here mentioned of Providence had four children, Joseph, Samuel, Elizabeth and one other, a daughter. In 1703, he deeded to Joseph for “divers good causes,” 40 acres. In 1718, Joseph sold 57½ acres to Peter Ballou with house, orchard, etc., for £336. Some years previously, Samuel had sold 40 acres to Zachariah Jones for £20. John Dailey, Sr., died about 1719.

John Macoone was another Irish settler of Rhode Island. In the records the name is variously written Macoone, Mackoone, McCoon, Mackown, etc. Late generations have sometimes abbreviated it to Coon or Cooney. It probably comes from the old Irish MacCoonan. John, the immigrant, was a resident of Westerly, R. I., as early as 1669. Ten years later he is recorded as taking the oath of allegience. 117In 1681, he officiated as a juryman. He had, at least, two children, Isabel and John. In some accounts he is said to have had two others, who went from Westerly about 1695 and settled at Oyster Bay, L. I. Isabel married Edward Bliven and had five children. Her death occurred in 1753. Her brother John received a grant of 100 acres in 1692 and 100 more in 1709. In 1724, he and his wife, Ann, deeded land to their sons, John and Daniel.

John Malavery^[12] was a resident of Providence as early as 1687. He had 56 acres of land, and other property. In 1704, he had 12 acres laid out in exchange with the town. He died about 1712. His son John was executor. The inventory included 18 loads of hay, 14 barrels of cider, gun, sword, etc. John Malavery, Jr., of Providence died in 1718. In his will he desires his wife to provide things fit and comfortable for his mother in her old age, and authorizes his wife to raise £30, which shall be levied out of his estate. The rest of movable estate to wife and income of land and use of dwelling house for life, while his widow. To sons, John and Nathaniel, equally, but if they died before of age, then the land was to go to Michael Inman, David Phillips and Daniel Mathewson, “my three sisters’ three sons.” The inventory included “4 guns, 2 swords.” A John Malavery of the third generation married Susannah Arnold in 1736.

At a session of the general assembly at Providence, in 1685, Joseph Devett, also spelled Devitt in the records, was a member of a committee appointed to consider and report concerning a petition for settling a “Plantation in the Narragansett and Niantick countries.” The difference between the names Devitt and McDevitt is not great.

Owen Higgins was a resident of Newport, R. I., very early. His wife was born in 1640. In 1701, his son Richard is recorded as a freeman in Newport.

Charles MacCarthy, a Founder of East Greenwich, R. I.

Charles MacCarthy was a resident of Rhode Island in 1677. When he came to the colony is unknown. He resided on the island of St. Christopher, otherwise known as St. Kitts, before arriving in Rhode Island, a fact mentioned in his will. Some of the recording clerks of those days were not particularly brilliant in writing proper names, Irish or otherwise. They appear to have in a way adopted 118the phonetic idea of spelling, that is, according to sound. But it frequently happened that some names sounded differently to different clerks and thus, as in the case of Charles MacCarthy, we have a variety of spelling. At the same time it should be said, in justice to the clerks, that there were instances, no doubt, when they should not be held responsible for variations that appear. Orthography was not fixed then as now.

The Rhode Island pioneer of whom we are treating has had his name rendered as Macarte, Macarta, Macarty, Mackarte, and Mecarty. In his will it is “Macarte,” but whether that was the form authorized by him, or whether it was the work of the clerk who drew up the will, cannot now be determined. The same name applied to other early Rhode Island people is also recorded as Maccartee and McCartie. The style “Mac Carthy,” used, for the sake of uniformity, in the caption of this paper, and in the text, is that common to the MacCarthys Mor, the MacCarthys Reagh, the MacCarthys Glas, and other grand divisions of this great Irish clan.

Charles, the Rhode Island settler, had a brother who went from Ireland to Spain. This brother had been exiled and may have been among the Irish troops who, in 1652, after surrendering to Cromwell and Ireton, were allowed to depart and enlist in the Spanish service. These troops embarked for Spain at Kinsale, Waterford, Galway, Limerick, and Bantry. With them also went many of the Irish nobility and gentry who had been ruthlessly dispossessed of their estates. In more propitious times some of these exiles returned from Spain. Charles’s brother did so and from Kinsale wrote to Charles whom he supposed to be still in St. Christopher, urging him to return to Ireland. But Charles had, in the meantime, left St. Christopher and was probably then in Rhode Island. Though long delayed, the letter finally reached its destination, but Charles never went back nor, it is believed, did he and his brother ever meet again.

In 1677, Charles was one of a party of forty-eight settlers to whom a grant of five thousand acres, to be called East Greenwich, was made by the general assembly of Rhode Island. The grant was awarded largely for services rendered during King Philip’s War (1675–’76). This would seem to indicate that Charles MacCarthy had been a participant in that war and it is quite within the bounds of probability that he had seen military service, too, in the Old Land. At a session of the general assembly held at Newport, R. I., May, 1677, it was

119Ordered that a certain tract of land in some convenient place in the Narragansett country, shall be laid forth into one hundred acre shares, with the house lots, for the accommodation of so many of the inhabitants of this Colony as stand in need of land, and the General Assembly shall judge fit to be supplied.

It was likewise enacted that the said tract be laid forth to contain 5,000 acres. Of this, 500 were to be laid in some place near the sea, as convenient as may be for a town, which said 500 acres “shall be divided into 50 house lots and the remainder of the 5,000, being 4,500, shall be divided into 50 equal shares or great divisions.”

It was further decreed that the persons to whom the grant was made have the rights, liberties, and privileges of a town; also “that they, or so many of them as shall be then present, not being fewer than twelve, on the said land, [are] required and empowered to meet together upon the second Wednesday in April next and constitute a town meeting, by electing a Moderator and a Town Clerk, with such constables as to them shall seem requisite; and also to choose two persons their Deputies to sit in General Assembly, and two persons, one to serve on the Grand Jury, and one on the Jury of Trials in the General Court of Trials.”

Thus was launched the town of East Greenwich. The founders, no doubt, included “men from all parts,” and if names may be taken as a criterion several of them, in addition to Charles MacCarthy, were from Ireland. The date of the incorporation of the town was October 31, 1677, the year following the close of King Philip’s War and the overthrow of the Narragansetts. Later, the boundaries of the town were enlarged by the addition of 35,000 acres on the western border. Facing a great bay, it was hoped by the founders that the town might in time equal or surpass Newport or Providence. In 1741, the town was divided and the western part incorporated as West Greenwich. Both towns exist to-day, East Greenwich with a population of about 3,000, and West Greenwich with a population of between 600 and 700.

The most thickly settled part of East Greenwich is built mainly on a hillside and fronts Greenwich Bay. The town is a favorite summer resort. Some of the early settlers engaged in shipbuilding, and when the town was laid out two locations were set apart for shipyards. The persons named as incorporators of East Greenwich, including Charles MacCarthy, were each required to build within a year, on his lot, a house suitable for habitation, under pain of forfeiture. 120It was also required that highways be provided “from the bay up into the country” convenient for settlement. In addition to MacCarthy, the founders included Philip Long, Thomas Dungin, and John Strainge—all three names typically Irish. Among the proprietors in 1700 was Anthony Long. About 1732, the town possessed stocks and whipping post, pillory, irons for mutilating ears, branding faces, cropping, etc., and similar appliances rife at that period.

The records of the “General Assembly held at Newport, the 6th of May, 1679,” show that “Charles Mecarte” and two others “being freemen of the towne of East Greenwich, are admitted freemen of the Collony.” It does not appear that Charles ever married, at least the writer has met no record to that effect. Neither wife nor child are mentioned in the copy of the will extant. It is, of course, possible that he may have had both wife and children in the Old Land and that he survived them, but of that nothing definite is known. His will^[13] is dated “the 18th day of February, 1682,” and was witnessed by John Knight and Thomas Fry, Jr. It was the first will to be recorded in the probate record book of East Greenwich where it was entered by “John Spenser, Town Clark.” Written over two hundred years ago, its quaint phraseology is a source of much interest at the present time. The will thus begins:

Unto all Christian people unto whome these pents [presents] may com know yee that I Charles Macarte now of the towne of Est grenwich in the Colony of Rhod Island and providence planteteons Being in parfact memory but weake in body doe meake this my lastt will and testiment.

First, he requests that all his debts be paid. Then he makes John Spencer, Jr., his lawful heir and bequeaths him “my house and Land or Lands in this Towne.” He designates John Spencer, Sr., “father to the aforesaid Spencer, Guardian to his sonn to teak cere that my will be parformed.”

One Pasco Whitford owed Charles a debt. This debt the latter cancels and, in addition, gives Whitford “halfe the sheepe of mine in his keeping.” The other half he gives to Edward Carter, to whom he likewise bequeaths his arms, i. e., two guns and a sword and also his chest “with the lock and cea.” To Charles Heseltun, Jr., he bequeaths a young horse “that will be two yere old next Spring branded with IS on the shoulder.” To John Andrew is given “my 121biggest yron poot” [pot] and four narrow axes. His pewter he bequeaths Susanna Spencer, the same to be delivered to her when she is of age.

All his carpenter and joiner tools are given by testator to William Spencer “which shall be resarved for him till hee is capable unto mak youse of them,” or of age. After disposing of certain clothing and household goods to Susanna Spencer, Sr., he mentions “one piece of brod cloth that I had to make mee a wascoat”; this he gives to his heir. Unto Hannah Long, the younger, is given “one heffer of three yere” old, to be delivered her at his decease, and to “John Garard,^[14] a poor Country man of mine” he gives “three bushels of corne to be paid him presently after my desese.” But one of the most striking passages of the entire will is the following:

I have a letter that came from my Brother from Kingsile [Kinsale] after his return from Spaine Being fersed from home in the war in which Letter he sent for mee home; but the troubles in Cristifars at that time fersed me from thence to New England and soe hee herd not of mee nor I of him.... I will that that letter with another [which] within it is, be sent unto him with a letter to signifie unto him how it hath been with mee since and when and where I end my dayes.

Charles then provides that Richard Dunn^[15] of Newport, R. I., be added unto John Spencer, Sr., the first mentioned guardian, to carry out the provisions of the will, and “if aither of these soo Before men’oned betrusted should die before that my haire is of edge [age]; then he that doth survive shall heve power; and my will is that hee chuse one to him it being one that my haire doth approve of.” The will goes on to say that “My ould mere [mare] I give to Samuel Bennett and hir foule [foal] or my young mere I give unto Mychell Spenser ... and the rest of my Chatle Goodes and catten [cattle] I give unto John Spenser Senior and all the deapts dowe to mee.... As Concaning [concerning] the Land that I Give unto my haire and the house my will is that the land and house [be] unto him and his lawful haires forever ... and for the Conformation of this my will and that it may apere unto all parsons [persons] unto whome it may come I have sett to my hand and seale this 122psent 18th day of February 1682.” Charles died soon after, his will being entered in the town records in 1683–’84.

The orthography of Charles MacCarthy’s will must not be severely criticised. It was as correct as that found in the average document of the period in which he lived. Whether it was written by Charles or by someone acting for him, due allowance must be made for the times and conditions and for the fact that educational facilities were very meagre then as compared with those available at the present day.

It is a source of deep regret that so little is known about this Rhode Island pioneer. That he was a man of sturdy character, cannot be questioned. That he was worthy to rank as a founder of a town or a state must also be admitted. He plainly possessed traits and qualities entitling him to a place in the front rank of Rhode Island settlers.

And here we may indulge briefly in a retrospective glance at the status of the MacCarthys^[16] in the land of Erin. For from these, unquestionably, the Rhode Island pioneer was descended. Then we will touch upon certain “troubles in Cristifars” which may have been the same as those to which Charles MacCarthy alludes as having forced him to New England.

Burke, Ulster King of Arms, the great authority on the British and Irish peerages, declares that “few pedigrees in the British empire can be traced to a more remote or exalted source than that of the Celtic house of M’Carty.” The learned Dr. O’Brien says that it was “the most illustrious of all those families whose names begin with Mac.” It has also truthfully been declared that “The MacCarthys may proudly defy any other family in Europe to compete with them in antiquity, or accurate preservation of the records of 123their descent.” Their patrimony was chiefly in Cork and Kerry, where they had strongholds for many centuries. They built over twenty castles there, many of them overlooking “the pleasant Bandon crowned with many a wood.”

These castles were massively constructed, the towers and battlements being equal in grandeur and strength to those elsewhere in Europe. For generation after generation they defied the attacks of time and the elements and proudly reared aloft their stately walls. The ruins of some of them still remain, crowned with ivy, and frequented by appreciative tourists. The MacCarthys have been Princes of Carbery, Earls of Clancarthy, Earls of Muskerry, Earls of Mountcashel, Viscounts of Valentia, and have also held other titles. Their history has been replete with chivalrous deeds, brave men, handsome women, noted clerics, generous benefactors, whole-souled hospitality.

The MacCarthys were the dominant family in Desmond (South Munster), at the period of the Anglo-Norman invasion. The MacCarthy Mor, lord of the elder branch, was generally inaugurated in Kerry. The O’Sullivan Mor and the O’Donoghoe Mor presided at the ceremony. The hereditary judges of the McCarthy Mor were the MacEgans; his captains of war, the O’Rourkes; and his poets and antiquaries, the O’Dalys and O’Quinns. His feudatories also included the O’Donovans and O’Hurleys. Charles, who died in 1770, was styled “the last MacCarthy Mor.” The arms of the family are thus described: “Arg. a stag trippant, attired and unguled or.” One branch of the family had as its motto: “Forti et fideli nihil difficile,” and another: “Ex arduis perpetuum nomen.” The motto of the MacCarthy Reagh was: “Fortis ferox et celer.” “The MacCarthys were a regal and princely house,” observes Burke, and he states that at one period the head of the clan could muster 3,000 men-at-arms. The MacCarthys Reagh constituted the second sept of the clan in point of importance, while the MacCarthys Glas were also a strong branch of the family.

Dermot MacCarthy, feudal lord and founder of the house of Muskerry, was killed in 1367. Cormac MacCarthy, slain in 1494, had been lord of Muskerry for 40 years. Donoch MacCarthy Mor was, in 1556, created Earl of Clancare (Clancarthy), and Viscount Valentia. Cormac Oge MacCarthy became a viscount in 1628. There was a Ceallachan MacCarthy who married Elizabeth Fitzgerald, daughter of the Earl of Kildare, and died 1676. A Charles 124MacCarthy, born about 1721, was a solicitor, seneschal of the manor of Macroom, recorder of Clonakilty, and clerk of the crown for the county of Cork. A Donoch MacCarthy, lord viscount Muskerry, was an Irish officer exiled to the continent in 1641–’42. He had commanded the king’s forces in Munster against Cromwell. At the restoration of Charles II, Donoch returned to Ireland and contested the right of Florence and Charles McCarthy to the title and dignity of “MacCarthy Mor.” He was created Earl Clancarthy, and died in 1665.

It is to be regretted that we do not know the name of the brother of Charles MacCarthy, the Rhode Island settler—the one to whom he refers in his will as having written from Kinsale. Did we have access to that letter which Charles of Rhode Island received, the desired knowledge would, no doubt, be obtained. But at this distance of time, all efforts to locate the letter have failed.

It seems reasonable to conclude that the brother of the Rhode Island pioneer was a man of some prominence—possibly of much prominence. It has been suggested that he was Donoch, Earl Clancarthy, just mentioned, but this could hardly have been so, as the Earl died in 1665 and Charles of Rhode Island, when he made his will in 1682, speaks of his brother as still living.

There was another Donoch MacCarthy, descendant of the first named, who was privately married when but sixteen years of age to Lady Elizabeth Spencer, daughter of Robert Spencer, Earl of Sunderland. It may be recalled, purely as a coincidence, that Charles MacCarthy of East Greenwich, R. I., was an intimate friend of the Spencers of that town and made one of them his heir. It is quite possible that John Spenser,^[17] the Rhode Island settler, and intimate friend of Charles MacCarthy, was an Irish officer who, like many other chivalrous spirits of his time, was obliged by the fortunes of war to leave Ireland and reside in other parts. On the arrival of James II, in Ireland (1688), this second Donoch MacCarthy was one of the Irish officers who received him at Kinsale. At the fall of Cork in 1690, MacCarthy was captured and imprisoned in the Tower of London. He had succeeded to the title of Earl Clancarthy 125and was a man of immense estate. All this was forfeited owing to his adhesion to the cause of James II. In 1694, he escaped from the Tower and fled to France. Upon rashly going back to England in 1698 he was rearrested and exiled. He died in 1704 at a locality in Hamburg. If Charles MacCarthy of Rhode Island was “forced from home” at the same time as his brother, it would be interesting to know why one went to Spain and the other to the island of St. Christopher. The whole matter, however, is wrapped in mystery. Charles tells us that his brother returned “from Spaine,” which statement reminds us of a prominent fact. King Charles II in a famous declaration mentions a large number of Irish “restorees,” who were to be given back their former estates in Ireland for having “Continued with Us or served faithfully under Our ensigns beyond the Seas.” Among these Irish restorees is mentioned Col. Charles MacCarthy of County Cork, and Capt. Charles MacCarthy, also of Cork. In another place Charles II mentions Charles James MacCarthy, Viscount Muskerry.

A fourth Charles MacCarthy is mentioned during the Cromwellian settlement as a “Papist,” whose property was to be confiscated. These four Charles MacCarthys were all Irish officers or leading gentlemen, and the Rhode Island settler may have been one of them.

Yet another point: Charles of Rhode Island tells us that his brother, who was again in Ireland, had written from Kinsale asking him to return. Why? It may be that Charles and his brother were both “restorees,” as defined in the King’s Declaration above mentioned.

At what period Charles MacCarthy left Ireland and located in St. Christopher, or St. Kitts, is problematical. If we knew the time of his coming to New England we might be able to approximate the St. Kitts date. It is assumed, however, that he was in St. Kitts as early as 1650. In an old French atlas by Sanson, published that year, Montserrat is described as having been settled by Irish. Rev. Andrew White, S. J., who accompanied the first colonists to Maryland, in 1634, makes a like statement. He adds that these Irish Catholics had gone first to Virginia, but being refused permission to land had taken possession of Montserrat. Large numbers of Irish are heard from in St. Kitts in 1650. They were visited by Father John Destriche (also written De Stritch) disguised as a trader to protect him from persecution, or even death, at the hands of the English officials who had no tolerance for a priest of the Church of Rome.

126In time he collected on that and the neighboring islands a flock of 3,000 Catholics for whom he conducted religious services in the depths of the forest. Persecution at the hands of the English, however, soon broke up this condition of affairs and dispersed the Irish to New England and other parts along the coast. Were these the “troubles in Cristifars” that obliged Charles MacCarthy to leave that place? It is possible. Be that as it may, his coming was of benefit to Rhode Island, it being at a time when stout hearts, strong arms, and vigorous characters were especially desired in the colony.

Early Maguires and Boyds of Rhode Island.

Constant Maguire settled in Rhode Island prior to 1750. His first name as here given was probably an abbreviated form of Constantine. He was a native of the County Fermanagh, in Ireland, was evidently a man of education and seems to have taken much interest in matters pertaining to genealogy.

In one record book he is described as “Constant Maguire, son of John, son of Constantine, the younger, natives of the County Fermanagh.”

It should here be stated that Fermanagh was the ancient patrimony of the Maguires. Thomas Maguire, lord of Fermanagh, died in 1430. He was described by the Irish annalists as “a man of universal hospitality toward poor and mighty, founder of monasteries and churches, ... peacemaker for many chiefs and septs, beloved by all conditions for the excellence of his administration.”

Bryan, another of the Maguires, was made baron of Enniskillen in 1627. The title was forfeited by his son, Connor, attainted by British law in 1644.

Constantine, or Constant, the Rhode Island settler, located in Warwick, R. I., but later removed to East Greenwich, R. I. His wife’s name was Ruth. Among their children were Mary, born February 16, 1750; Mercy, born March 28, 1753; and John, born April 19, 1755. Mary was born in Warwick and the others in East Greenwich.

Another numerous family in East Greenwich and vicinity were the Boyds. Some of them were born in Ireland; all are believed to have been of Irish blood. Several bore the name Andrew. One Andrew Boyd is mentioned as having been born in the County Antrim, Ireland, of which his mother, Sarah (Moore) Boyd, was also a native. Another Andrew, probably of the same stock, is thus 127mentioned in the records of the Rhode Island Assembly, October, 1776:

In Council was read the return of Andrew Boyd, clerk of the company of Kentish Guards, choosing Christopher Greene, of Warwick, son of Nathaniel, second lieutenant of said company, in the room of Thomas Holden, who refused.

The action of the Guards was approved. The East Greenwich records show the marriage of Andrew Boyd and Abigail Moor in 1763; Mrs. Sarah Boyd and a Mr. Weeden in 1783; Andrew Boyd and Elizabeth Spencer in 1788; William Boyd and Freelove Arnold, daughter of Capt. Thomas Arnold, in 1792; Hannah Boyd and Capt. Michael Spencer in 1805; William Boyd and Rhoda Andrews in 1819. In the Warwick records is found noted the marriage, in 1797, of Catherine Boyd and Timothy Bentley. In 1798, Hannah Boyd and Darius Havens were married.

A Rhode Islander Becomes an Irish Baron.

A brother of the Baron Kinsale, of Ireland, settled in Newport, R. I., about 1720. Some hold that he was married in the old country; others, that his wife was a Newport woman.

They had a son^[18], Thomas, born in Newport, who early displayed a love for the sea. In due time he was bound an apprentice to Captain Beard. The latter had command of a Newport merchantman and ranked among the ablest captains of his day.

Thomas de Courcy, the apprentice, advanced rapidly in nautical accomplishments and became a general favorite. After serving under Captain Beard, he enlisted in the navy and participated in the honor of taking Porto Bello in 1740.

The manner in which he succeeded to the title and estates of his uncle is thus told by himself. He was serving aboard Admiral Vernon’s flagship. The latter was returning to England from the West Indies. While on the voyage they fell in with a merchantman bound from London to Jamaica. She was spoken and on inquiry, her captain sent aboard the flagship two late papers for the gratification of the admiral. The latter read them attentively. Suddenly he exclaimed:

“Ah! the Baron of Kinsale is dead!”

128A steward overhearing the remark quickly carried the news to a gallant young tar in the forecastle whose name was De Courcy.

“Is he dead? Then by the powers! something will come to me,” was the reply.

The incident was reported to Admiral Vernon who immediately sent for De Courcy. The following conversation then ensued between the two:

“My lad, what is your name?”

“De Courcy, sir.”

“Where were you born?”

“In Newport, Rhode Island, sir.”

“Are you related to the late Thomas de Courcy, Baron of Kinsale?”

“He was my uncle, sir—he was my father’s eldest brother.”

“What induced your father to leave Ireland and settle at Newport?”

“That reason was my father’s secret, your Honor, and not mine.”

“Well, my lad, return to your station, and whatever may be your change of condition hereafter, I hope you will continue to do your duty faithfully till you shall be discharged.”

“Your Honor may rely on that!”

The foregoing anecdote was told by De Courcy, many years after, to Captain Benjamin Pearce of Rhode Island who dined with him at Kinsale. The Baron always entertained great affection for Newport, his native place. It is told of him that no Rhode Islander ever, to his knowledge, came within fifty miles of his residence without being invited to partake of his hospitality. To Captain Beard of Newport his former commander, he annually sent a cask of rare old wine. For years the people of Newport took a special interest in all that concerned their distinguished townsman, The Right Honorable Thomas de Courcy, Lord Baron Kinsale.

Interesting Reminiscences of Newport, R. I.

Edward Thurston writing from Newport, R. I., March 5, 1767, to James Coggeshall informs the latter that “Mac Gee the baker has failed.” Mac Gee was, no doubt, quite an important personage in the community.

Under date of November 15, 1764, is recorded at Newport the marriage of “John Robinson of Ireland and Mary Cawdry of Newport.” Rev. Ezra Stiles performed the ceremony.

129Richard Field, a native of Dublin, Ireland, resided in Newport. He died in 1769.

Another prominent Newport family were the Dillons. James Dillon was a native of the County Roscommon. His wife died at Newport in 1799 and was laid away in Trinity churchyard.

Thomas Green advertised in the Newport Mercury, August, 1772, that he had for sale Irish poplins, sheetings, and other goods. He also announces “Lately come to hand, a trunk of choice Irish linens.” In May, 1793, Thomas Green & Son advertise in the Mercury that “at the sign of the buck, near the red market” they have for sale, Irish linens and muslins “at 14½d. and upward.” In the Mercury of April 27, 1772, appears a legal notice regarding “the estate of Edward Keeney, late of Newport, shipwright, deceased.” Students of Irish names will recognize in Keeney a typical one.

Moses M. Hays, a Hebrew, advertises under date of August 3, 1772, that he has, among other goods, “a few barrels of Irish beef for sale.” That is, beef from Ireland.

The name Murphy has figured in Newport from an early period. Frequently it appears as Murfey. The original comers were, of course, from Ireland. They, doubtless, arrived directly from the old country, from some of the colonies adjacent to Rhode Island or by way of the West Indies. Many of the Newport Murphys have been mariners, and some of them figured prominently in the Revolution. Edward Murphy died at Newport in 1809, “in the 62d year of his age.” In March, 1809, the death also occurred at Newport of “Phœbe Murfey, comfort of Capt. John Murfey, aged 29.” The Providence Gazette of February 17, 1810, announces the marriage at Mansfield, Conn., of “Capt. John Murfey of Newport to Miss Adaliza Southworth, daughter of Capt. Samuel Southworth.”

An entry in Trinity church Annals, Newport, states that on “May 1, 1775, Lieut. James Conway died and was buried in the churchyard, aged 45 years.” Conway was lieutenant of marines on the man-of-war Rose, which was then in the bay. He was probably of Irish origin. Another entry in the same annals informs us that on “October 5, 1783, Gilbert Eames died and was buried in the churchyard.” He was a native of the County Limerick, Ireland, and was 54 years of age at the time of his death. For several years prior to the reduction of Granada by the French in 1779, Mr. Eames had been a member of the Honorable Council for the island.

Rev. Erasmus Kelly, a native of Pennsylvania, was born in 1748, 130and came to Newport about 1771. On the outbreak of hostilities he removed to Warren, R. I. When the British overran the latter town they burned the house in which he resided together with its contents. He removed to Connecticut and later to Pennsylvania. At the close of the Revolution, he returned to Newport, and died there on November 7, 1784.

In February, 1801, there died in Newport, Mrs. Lucia C. Grattan. She was the widow of Colonel Grattan, cousin-german to Henry Grattan, the Irish orator. Her brother was Lord Viscount Falkland. An obituary notice states that “Her remains were interred with every mark of respect.”

Among the Newport marriages noted in the Trinity church records are the following: Miles Coursey to Abigail Williams, December 13, 1713; William Cook to Catherine Fallon, August 20, 1723; John Murphy to Mary Casside, March 1, 1732; James Gallagher to Bathsheba Fairchild, March 21, 1736; John Rourk to Ann Drower, January 23, 1742; Patrick Delaney to Margaret McFarling, October 29, 1742; Patrick Rogers to Eleanor Dowling, October 29, 1742; Edward Murfee to Catherine Fitzgerald, October 25, 1743; Patrick Durfey to Elizabeth Lacy, January 17, 1748; Patrick Cenfill to Meriam Powers, October 15, 1752; Edward Pye to Deborah Bourke, January 4, 1756; John Brown to Mary Kelly, March 13, 1756; Thomas Collins to Margaret Bourke, May 29, 1756; John Dwyer to Elizabeth McDaniel, October 10, 1756; Thomas Holland to Mary Dwyar, June 1, 1775; James Dillon to Sarah Dupay, October 13, 1778; James O’Brien to Margaret Dunton, November 23, 1778.

In the records of Newport, the following additional early marriages are noted. To simplify matters the writer gives only the year in which each marriage took place: William Mackey and Eliza George, 1737; Ebenezer Murphy and Mercy Reynolds, 1739; Michael Sullivan and Elizabeth High, 1740; John Lashley and Katherine McKane, 1740; Robert Odlin and Mary Conner, 1742; Patrick Farrell and Rachel Beere, 1742; John Mulholland and Elizabeth Hooper, 1742; James Harkins and Amy Higgins, 1743; Timothy Egan and Hester Wilson, 1745; James Murphy and Margaret Pitman, 1746; John Vial and Elizabeth Donnelly, 1747; John Donnelly and Jane Mence, 1747; Joseph Tally and Elizabeth Naps, 1747; George Smith and Sarah Tally, 1747; William Byrn and Jemima Jant, 1747; Daniel McGow (or McGowan) and Miss Donnelly, 1747; Jeremiah Ross and Mary Brayton, 1749; Elisha Newcome and Elizabeth 131O’Brien, 1751; James Hickey and Mary Carr, 1752; Thomas Jones and Mary Higgins, 1753; John Dyer and Mary Hickey, 1754; Jeremiah Heffernan and Elizabeth Mackee, 1755; William Cowdry and Mary Murphy, 1756; Michael Ryan and Leah Kelly, 1756; John Magee and Phebe Fairchild, 1758; Mr. Ross and Katherine McGowan, 1758; John Wyatt and Martha Magrah, 1759; John Fairbanks and Amey Heffernan, 1760; Alexander Mullen and Mary Chapman, 1760; James Bourk and Eleanor Whiting, 1761; Edward Kenney and Patience Chadwick, 1762; Nathaniel Locke and Mary Burk, 1764; Daniel Dennison and Amey Murphy, 1766; Lawrence Carroll and Susannah Holden, 1768; Daniel Read and Ann McMahon, 1793; Eleazer Read, Jr., and Elizabeth Murphy, 1795.

From which it will be seen that the Irish began coming to Newport, and were numerous there, at much earlier periods than has been generally supposed.

Irish Names in Rhode Island Previous to 1776.

The following is a list of Irish surnames found in the official records^[19] of Rhode Island, and in books, papers, and documents relating to the history of the latter. The names appear as early as the year mentioned in each case, but in some instances may have been represented at even an earlier period:

Banon, 1766.

Barret, 1751.

Baxter, 1751.

Bennett, 1646.

Blake, 1675.

Bourk, 1755.

Boyd, 1741.

Boyle, 1675.

Brandon, 1675.

Brian, 1675.

Burg (Burk?), 1667.

Burk, 1764.

Burns, 1772.

Butler, 1670.

Byrn, 1747.

Cain (Kane), 1738.

Carroll, 1768.

Carty, 1721.

Cary, 1693.

Casey, 1663.

Casside (Cassidy), 1732.

Cavenaugh, 1752.

Clinton, 1752.

Cogin, 1755.

Coleman, 1702.

Collins, 1642.

Conner, 1732.

Connor, 1742.

Coursey, 1713.

Crane, 1775.

Creman, 1746.

Cummings, 1739.

Curley, 1775.

Dailey, 1689.

132Daley, 1710.

Daly, 1736.

Darcey, 1718.

Day, 1677.

DeCourcy, 1720–25.

Delaney, 1742.

Dempsey, 1743.

Dermott, 1761.

Devett, 1685.

Devitt, 1685.

Donnelly, 1747.

Donohoe, 1758.

Donovan, 1751.

Dowling, 1742.

Downer, 1760.

Downing, 1731.

Doyle, 1698.

Driskell (Driscoll), 1774.

Drury, 1675.

Dunn, 1682.

Dwyer, 1756.

Egan, 1745.

Farrell, 1742.

Fitzgerald, 1743.

Fitzpatrick, 1761.

Flannagan, 1762.

Flynn, 1752.

Ford, 1675.

Fox, 1704.

Gallagher, 1736.

Geery, 1675.

Gibbons, 1636.

Glenn, 1756.

Gorman, 1761.

Hagerty, 1775.

Haley, 1719.

Hanley, 1745.

Harvey, 1746.

Harvie, 1665.

Hartagan, 1753.

Hayes, 1675.

Healey, 1675.

Hearn, 1759.

Heffernan, 1671.

Hefernan, 1671.

Hickey, 1752.

Higgins, 1699.

Holland, 1729.

Hurley, 1740.

Joyce, 1731.

Keeny, 1765.

Kelly, 1669.

Kenney, 1675.

Lanahan, 1750 (about).

Lane, 1675.

Larkin, 1655.

Lawless, 1720.

Linniken, 1690.

Long, 1677.

Lyon, 1737.

Macarte, 1677.

Macfarline, 1759.

Mackenny, 1720.

Mackey, 1737.

Mackown, 1723.

Macoone, 1669.

MacSparran, 1718.

McCane, 1740.

McCarty, 1677.

McClure, 1748.

McCone, 1740.

McCorrie, 1765.

McDonald, 1745.

McGee, 1767.

McGonegal, 1742.

McGoron, 1758.

McGow, 1747.

McGowan, 1747.

McGrath, 1759.

McKane, 1740.

McMillen, 1754.

Magee, 1758.

Magenis, 1675.

Magill, 1749.

Maguire, 1750.

Mahoney, 1774.

Malavery, 1687.

Maloney, 1675.

133Manning, 1762.

Martin, 1677.

Mitchell, 1703.

Moore, 1700.

Mulholland, 1742.

Mullen, 1760.

Mulligan, 1775.

Murphy, 1675.

Murray, 1752.

Neale, 1675.

Nevill, 1675.

Nixon, 1722.

Norton, 1716.

O’Brien, 1751.

O’Harra, 1728.

O’Kelly, 1774.

O’Neil, 1756.

Orr, 1695.

Phelon, 1730.

Read, 1667.

Reed, 1727.

Rily, 1675.

Ring, 1755.

Roach, 1773.

Ross, 1751.

Russell, 1736.

Ryan, 1756.

Shay, 1731.

Sheehan, 1759.

Sheen, 1754.

Stewart, 1724.

Sullivan, 1740.

Sullivant (Sullivan?), 1733.

Tally, 1747

Tracy, 1675.

Ward, 1677.

Watson, 1722.

Walch, 1703.

Welch, 1675.

Welsh, 1738.

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