Chapter XXIII: Introduction (17)

To go back to the eighteenth century, we find that Nicholas de Peyster was the owner of the vast estates, having purchased them from the Dutch farmer, Adrian Hooglandt, in 1784. In 1796 he sold the upper part, that which has been known as Claremont, to George Pollock. He was an importer of Irish linens, and it was his little son, St. Clair Pollock, to whom the simple tombstone below the house, and bearing the inscription, “To an amiable child,” was erected.

In 1807, the man who gave the name Claremont to the place, and who was one of the most notable figures among the great merchants of his day, purchased the estate. This was Michael Hogan, a famous navigator, in his early life in all parts of the world and who came to New York early in the last century. He divided his property, calling the southern portion Monte Alta and the upper part Claremont. Hogan was a native of County Clare, Ireland, and the name was in honor of his birthplace, although the statement has been made that Hogan named it in honor of the royal residence in Surrey of Prince William, Duke of Clarence, afterward King William IV., and with whom the merchant had served as midshipman in the Royal Navy.

During Michael Hogan’s occupancy of Claremont, as a summer residence it was the scene of some of the most brilliant social festivities in the city. He was a vestryman of St. Michael’s Church, erected in 1805, on the east side of the old Bloomingdale Road and Ninety-ninth Street. Robert T. Kemble and William Rogers, both of whom were early owners of the famous Furniss house, were the wardens. It was from the Rogers estate that William P. Furniss purchased the house with twenty-six lots in 1843.

Hogan was practically ruined during the War of 1812 with England, and in 1821 Joel Post purchased the property from his trustees.

The name of Michael Hogan is almost forgotten today, and the high honor that Trinity Church paid to his memory after his death in Washington in 1833, where his son, William Hogan, was a Congressman, is remembered by few. A tablet was erected to his memory, but when old Trinity was torn down, the tablet was removed to Grace Church, where it may be seen today. The inscription says:

“In early manhood a bold and successful navigator and discoverer in seas almost unknown; in maturer life a prosperous merchant. The decline of life was not unmarked by vicissitudes of fortune. But prosperity did not elate nor could adversity subdue his firm and constant spirit. Each quarter of the globe bore witness to his enterprise and its success.”

ST. PATRICK’S HALF PENCE ONCE CURRENT IN NEW JERSEY.

The only specimen in gold known of the coin called in America the Mark Newby farthing was sold in London in June, 1909. These farthings have an interesting history. Many were struck in silver, copper, brass and even lead.

The obverse shows a crowned king kneeling and playing a harp. Above the harp is a crown, while around the border is the inscription “Floreat Rex.” On the reverse the principal device shows St. Patrick, with right hand outstretched, banishing the serpents from Ireland. In his left hand he carried a double or metropolitan cross and at the extreme right is a church. The inscription of the reverse reads “_Quiescat Plebs_.”

There are many varieties of these farthings, of widely differing weights but of nearly uniform size and with both plain and reeded edges. The silver pieces are very irregular in their weight, which ranges from ninety-eight to 176 grains, but all are about the size of an old fashioned copper cent. The coins struck in copper are more uniform, averaging about ninety-eight grains.

The coin is supposed to have had its origin in Ireland in the reign of Charles I., and it has been the subject of much discussion.

A party of immigrants from Dublin, among whom were Mark Newby (or Newbie) and his family, arrived in the Colony of New Jersey on November 19, 1681. Newby brought with him a quantity of the St. Patrick’s half pence, as they were termed in Ireland. At this period fractional currency was exceedingly scarce in the Colony and on May 8, 1682, the New Jersey authorities passed an act “for the more convenient payment of small sums,” which provided “that Mark Newbie’s half pence, called Patrick’s half pence, shall from and after the said 18th instant pass for half pence current pay of this province, provided he, the said Mark, his executors and administrators, shall and will change the said half pence for pay equivalent upon demand; and provided also that no person or persons be hereby obliged to take more than five shillings in one payment.” The full text is found in the “Grants, Concessions and Original constitutions of the Province of New Jersey.”

It is not known how many of the coins were brought over by Newby, but the quantity is supposed to have been large. Indeed, he is thought to have manufactured additional coins of similar design in this country. No repeal of the act making the St. Patrick’s half pence current appears on the New Jersey records.

There were also St. Patrick’s half pence of large size, some of them a third larger than those described. The larger pieces were struck in copper and weighed on an average 144 grains. The obverse design is similar to that of the farthings but the reverse is entirely different.

It showed St. Patrick with a trefoil in his right hand, a crozier in his left, surrounded by a crowd of people. On the left side is a shield with three castles. The inscription is “_Ecce Grex_.” These coins also occur with plain and reeded edges. The larger coins were called half pennies, while the smaller were termed farthings.

The coins must have passed current for many years after they were first made, both in Ireland and in this country.

The Mark Newby coins in copper are plentiful even at the present time and command premiums of from fifty cents to five dollars, according to condition and variety. Those of silver are scarcer.

CHAMPLAIN TER-CENTENARY CELEBRATION.

The pretentious ter-centenary celebration of the discovery of Lake Champlain was opened at Plattsburgh, New York, on July 4, 1909, with religious services in all the churches. Pontifical high mass was celebrated at Cliff Haven, the home of the Catholic Summer School of America, by the Right Reverend Charles Henry Colton, D. D., Roman Catholic Bishop of Buffalo, New York, a member of our Society. The deacon was Rev. John T. Driscoll of Fonda, New York, a member of our Society, and among the attending prelates to Cardinal Gibbons was the Rev. John Grimes, coadjutor of Syracuse, also a member of our Society.

THREE “MOLL PITCHERS.” ONE WAS SURELY IRISH.

Professor Faust and other correspondents leave the reading public in a quandary regarding “the heroine of Monmouth.” One claims that she was German, another that she was American, and another, on the authority of the historian Lossing, declares that she was “a stout, red-haired, freckle faced young Irish woman.” One says she was “Moll Pitcher,” the wife of John Hays, a Pennsylvania artillery-man, and another that she was “Captain Molly,” the wife of a cannoneer from the banks of the Hudson in the State of New York.

HON. WILLIAM E. CHANDLER.

Formerly Secretary of the Navy and U. S. Senator from New Hampshire.
A New Member of the Society.
]

It probably has not occurred to these writers that three different women representing three different sections of the country and three different nationalities help to make dubious this perplexing old story. In 1738 there was born at Lynn, Mass., a Mary Diamond, who married a man named Robert Pitcher and became a famous fortune teller. She died in 1813 and was buried in the Western Burial Ground, West Lynn, where Lynn people take pride in pointing out her grave, for barring the fact that she was a fortune teller she was a reputable woman and her memory is respected. Her fame lived after her and in 1832 Whittier wrote a poem about her which renewed and increased the interest in her. Then a Boston playwright named Jones wrote a drama called “Moll Pitcher, or the Fortune Teller of Lynn,” which for more than thirty years was a popular favorite on the New England stage. It was also played in other parts of the country and was everywhere well received. The Lynn woman is the only Moll Pitcher that figured in history; with her the name originated, and others who wear it are simply fakes and frauds.

The honors of the alleged incident at Monmouth are shared by two different women, one of whom was from the Highlands of the Hudson and was undoubtedly Irish, and the other was from Pennsylvania and undoubtedly German. Both, without any reason, are now frequently referred to as Moll Pitcher. The real name of the Hudson River woman is not known. Lossing calls her Captain Molly and E. P. Roe calls her Molly O’Flaharty. She was the wife of a gunner in Colonel Lamb’s artillery, whose name does not appear upon the records as O’Flaharty but in fiction as Larry O’Flaharty.

In May, 1876, a communication appeared in a Carlisle newspaper claiming that the Monmouth act had been performed by Molly McCauley, a woman who had lived, died and was buried at Carlisle, and that Molly McCauley was Molly Pitcher. A man who knew her in his early boyhood canvassed the town and raised a fund with which he erected and formally unveiled at her grave a handsome marker on which is inscribed: “Molly McCauley, Renowned in History as Molly Pitcher,” etc.

As a matter of fact Molly McCauley never had any renown as Molly Pitcher, but because it is so stated on a tombstone many people who read no other history believe it and quote it as conclusive proof that she was the real Molly Pitcher.

THE IRISH ORIGIN OF “YANKEE DOODLE” AND “DIXIE.”

Apropos of the recent query relative to the origin of “Dixie,” the following letter of W. H. Grattan Flood, author of the “History of Irish Music” and “History of the Harp,” may throw further light on this famous melody. Mr. Flood is a responsible authority and is not given to unqualified statements, so his claim for Irish origin deserves consideration.

“My publishers duly forwarded me your letter, and I have much pleasure in answering it, if only to vindicate the Irish origin of ‘Yankee Doodle.’ ... Marion Harland merely repeats the exploded myth as told for the past century in all published accounts of the origin of ‘Yankee Doodle’ until Charles I. and Cromwell Association was shown to be utterly absurd by Bartley Squire of the British Museum. The verses to Lucy Lockett cannot possibly have been written before the year 1728, whilst Kitty Fisher did not die until 1771.

“I state now definitely that the tune of ‘Yankee Doodle’ is Irish and was known before the year 1750 as ‘All the Way to Galway.’ The song of ‘Yankee Doodle’ was adapted to this Irish air in 1755 (1756?) and the earliest reference to it is in April, 1767, when it was included as the fourth air in the comic opera of ‘The Disappointment.’ Oliver Wendell Holmes rightly calls the air ‘a country dance,’ and a manuscript copy of the Irish dance tune dated 1750 is still preserved. It was first printed by Aird of Glasgow in 1782.

“‘Dixie’ is also an Irish air, merely arranged by Dan Emmett for Bryant’s minstrels. By the way, Bryant himself, who ran the Christy minstrel business in New York in 1850, was an Irishman. His real name was Cornelius O’Brien and he died in Brooklyn in 1902. There were three brothers in the family, Cornelius (Neill), Daniel and Jerry. Neill gave the Irish air to Dan Emmet, who sang it in New York in February, 1859.”

ARCHBISHOP McFAUL FIGHTING TUBERCULOSIS.

Archbishop James A. McFaul, of Trenton, N. J., has announced that he has purchased a farm of 131 acres near Bennington, which will be opened soon as a refuge for the consumptive people of that section of New Jersey.

They will have the run of the farm, upon which cottages will be erected, without expense and will be cared for without regard to race or creed. Sisters of Charity will serve as nurses. It is the plan of the archbishop to secure additional lands as they may be needed.

Archbishop McFaul was chairman of the commission appointed by Governor Fort to lead the fight against tuberculosis in New Jersey.

GOOD MEMBERSHIP SPIRIT.

Breathing the proper spirit of enthusiasm, Hon. James M. Graham, M. C., of Springfield, Illinois, writes to Mr. John J. Lenehan, chairman of the membership committee, in part as follows:

“Your kind letter of the 7th inst. notifying me of my election to
membership in the American-Irish Historical Society, and the
accompanying pamphlet, are received.

“I am delighted to be a member of your splendid society and I assure
you when you express the wish that I will become interested in its
work, you tell but half the truth. I have been intensely interested in
this work for many years and I never expected to lose interest in it,
but now I feel that interest will be immeasurably stimulated by
association with your organization.

“The great influence of the Celt on American History and American Life
has not only not been acknowledged or made manifest by the historians,
but a deliberate and quite successful attempt has been made to prevent
its recognition. Ordinarily, when one robs and injures another he is
bound in self-defense to give the injured party a bad name and to
prevent him from getting a hearing as to the true facts in the case.
On this theory English History and English Literature for several
centuries past have been little more than a conspiracy against our
race. They were careful that they did not tell the truth to the world,
and equally careful to arrange it so that we could not.

“We are now, however, at the beginning of a new era in that regard and
it behooves every man of Celtic strain, indeed, every man who loves
truth, to put his shoulder to the wheel and help to get the machinery
in motion so that credit will be given where credit is due.

“I assure you that the pleasure you have in welcoming me to membership
in your society is but a tithe of the pleasure which I have in
entering it.”

BY COURTESY OF MR. FISKE O’HARA.

Mr. Fiske O’Hara, the talented actor now playing Irish drama, extended a few of the Rhode Island members of the Society the courtesy of a box at the performance in the Empire Theatre, Tuesday, November 16, 1909.

There were present Col. John McManus, Hon. P. J. McCarthy, Francis I. McCanna, Esq., Thomas F. Kilkenny, Esq., Dr. Michael W. Maloney, James H. Hurley, Esq., James H. Coyne, Esq., Col. John A. O’Keefe, and Lieutenant-Governor-Elect, Hon. Zenas W. Bliss.

The performance was excellent and the members present enjoyed it greatly.

SENATOR GAMBLE’S ABLE ADDRESSES.

Hon. Robert Jackson Gamble, United States Senator from South Dakota, made several interesting and well-prepared speeches in the Senate on the consideration of the tariff bill. On May 21, 1909, the subject matter was concerning mica, which is mined in large quantities in South Dakota, and during Senator Gamble’s remarks, a colloquy took place between Senator Aldrich and himself, which terminated with honors all in favor of our fellow member. On May 29, 1909, and June 22, 1909, the subjects under discussion were barley and hides respectively, and on August 4, 1909, while drawback on flaxseed was under consideration, Senator Gamble’s speech was replete with sound argument and a multitude of statistics which spoke volumes for the labor and research entailed in their preparation.

The Senator’s learned and forceful address at our Eleventh Annual Meeting in Washington, January 16, 1909, will long be remembered and may be found complete in Vol. VIII. of the Journal at page 152.

HON. LAWRENCE O. MURRAY ON PROBLEMS OF THE COMPTROLLER’S OFFICE.

Hon. Lawrence O. Murray, LL. D., Comptroller of the Currency, read a most excellent paper entitled “Some Problems of the Comptroller’s Office,” before the American Bankers’ Association, September 14 last, at Chicago. It was later published in Rand-McNally Bankers’ Monthly and circulated throughout the country. Dr. Murray takes a natural pride in seeing the banks of the country grow in number, strength and popularity; but believes expansion should be along normal, safe and conservative lines. “If we are to have a great system of banks, sound, well managed and prosperous,” says Dr. Murray, “the greatest attention and scrutiny must be exercised before the government issues a charter. In the national system we want banks organized in places where the demand is spontaneous and originates with the people living in the place who feel an actual need of banking facilities. I do not believe in the organization of banks by promoters who go about the country, calling public meetings, and by methods of advertising characteristic of the circus, endeavor to arouse enthusiasm for the organization of a bank.”

MAILING LIST OF THE AMERICAN IRISH HISTORICAL SOCIETY.

_Public Libraries._

Arlington, Mass.
Augusta, Me.
Baltimore, Md.
Bangor, Me.
Binghamton, N. Y.
Boston, Mass.
Bridgeport, Conn.
Brookline, Mass.
Brooklyn, N. Y.
No. 26 Brevoort Place.
Buffalo, N. Y.
Cambridge, Mass.
Charleston, S. C.
Chelsea, Mass.
Chicago, Ill.
Cincinnati, O.
Cleveland, O.
Columbus, O.
Concord, N. H.
Cork, Ireland.
Dedham, Mass.
Denver, Col.
Detroit, Mich.
Dover, N. H.
Elizabeth, N. J.
Elmira, N. Y.
Fall River, Mass.
Fitchburg, Mass.
Hartford, Conn.
Havana, Cuba.
Haverhill, Mass.
Holyoke, Mass.
Indianapolis, Ind.
Jamestown, N. Y.
Lawrence, Mass.
Leavenworth, Kan.
Los Angeles, Cal.
Lowell, Mass.
Lynn, Mass.
Malden, Mass.
Manchester, N. H.
Manila, Philippine Islands.
Medford, Mass.
Melbourne, Australia.
Milwaukee, Wis.
Minneapolis, Minn.
Nahant, Mass.
Nashua, N. H.
New Bedford, Mass.
Newburg, N. Y.
Newburyport, Mass.
New Haven, Conn.
New London, Conn.
Newton, Mass.
New Orleans, La.
New York, N. Y.
Norwich, Conn.
Northampton, Mass.
Oswego, N. Y.
Philadelphia, Pa.
Pittsfield, Mass.
Peabody, Mass.
Peace Dale, R. I.
Peoria, Ill.
Peterborough, N. H.
Plymouth, Mass.
Portland, Me.
Portsmouth, N. H.
Providence, R. I.
Quincy, Mass.
Richmond, Va.
Rochester, N. Y.
Sacramento, Cal.
Salem, Mass.
San Francisco, Cal.
Saratoga, N. Y.
Savannah, Ga.
Sidney, Australia.
Somerville, Mass.
Springfield, Mass.
Stamford, Conn.
St. Louis, Mo.
St. Paul, Minn.
Syracuse, N. Y.
Taunton, Mass.
Troy, N. Y.
Toledo, Ohio.
Utica, N. Y.
Waltham, Mass.
Waterford, Ireland.
Watertown, Mass.
Woonsocket, R. I.
Worcester, Mass.
Yonkers, N. Y.

_College and University Libraries._

Boston University, Boston, Mass.
Bowdoin College, Brunswick, Me.
Brown University, Providence, R. I.
Catholic University of America, Washington, D. C.
Clark University, Worcester, Mass.
College of the City of New York, New York City.
Columbia University, New York.
Cornell University, Ithaca, N. Y.
Dartmouth College, Hanover, N. H.
Dublin University (Trinity College), Dublin, Ireland.
Georgetown University, Washington, D. C.
George Washington University, Washington, D. C.
Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass.
Irish College, Rome, Italy.
Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Md.
Leland Stanford, Jr., Stanford Un., Cal.
Manhattan College, 130th Street and 10th Ave., New York City.
New York University, New York City.
Princeton University, Princeton, N. J.
Seton Hall College, South Orange, N. J.
Simmons College, Boston, Mass.
St. Francis Xavier College Library, No. 32 West 16th St., New York
City.
St. John’s College, Fordham University, Fordham, N. Y.
St. Laurent College, St. Laurent, near Montreal, Canada.
St. Paul’s Library, East 117th St., near Lexington Ave., New York
City.
Trinity College, Washington, D. C.
Tufts College, Medford, Mass.
U. S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, Md.
University of California, Berkeley, Cal.
University of Chicago, Chicago, Ill.
University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio.
University College, St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin, Ireland.
University of Georgia, Athens, Ga.
University of Laval, Quebec, Canada.
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Mich.
University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Neb.
University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pa.
University of Texas, Austin, Texas.
University of Vermont, Burlington, Vt.
University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Va.
University of Washington, Seattle, Washington.
Washington University, St. Louis, Mo.
Wellesley College Library, Wellesley, Mass. Professor Emily G. Balch.
West Point Military Academy, West Point, N. Y.
Yale University, New Haven, Conn.

_Other Libraries._

Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticano, Roma, Italia.
Biblioteca National, 20 Paseo de Recoletos, Madrid, Spain.
Bibliotheque Nationale, Paris, France.
Boston Athenæum, Boston, Mass.
Carnegie Library, Order Department, Schenley Park, Pittsburg, Pa.
Cathedral Library, 123 East 50th Street, New York City.
Catholic Club, 120 Central Park South, New York City.
Chase Library, West Harwich, Mass.
Essex Institute, Salem, Mass.
Fraser Institute Free Public Library, Montreal, Canada.
Howard Memorial Library, New Orleans, La.
Irish Dominicans, St. Clement’s Church, Rome, Italy.
Irish Franciscans, St. Isidore’s Church, Rome, Italy.
Library of the British Museum, London, England.
Library of Congress, Washington, D. C.
Newberry Library, Chicago, Ill.
New Hampshire State Library, Concord, N. H.
New York State Library, Albany, N. Y.
Pennsylvania State Library, Harrisburg, Pa.
Providence Athenæum, corner Benefit St. and College Hill, Providence,
R. I.
Redwood Library, Newport, R. I.
The Enoch Pratt Free Library, Baltimore, Md.

MAJOR-GENERAL THOMAS H. BARRY, U. S. A.

Copyright, 1909.

By Harris & Ewing.
]

_Societies, Etc._

The Albany Institute and Historical and Art Society, No. 125
Washington Avenue, Albany, N. Y. (Cuyler Reynolds, Curator.)

American Antiquarian Society, Worcester, Mass.

American Catholic Historical Society, Philadelphia, Pa.

Association for International Conciliation, Sub Station 84, New York
City. (F. D. Keppel, Esq., Secretary.)

Bar Association, No. 44 West 44th Street, New York City.

Cambridge Historical Society, Cambridge, Mass.

Catholic Club, 59 Jackson Street, Providence, R. I.

Connecticut Historical Society, Hartford, Conn.

Cooper Union, New York City.

Kansas State Historical Society, Topeka, Kan.

Maryland Historical Society, Baltimore, Md.

Massachusetts Historical Society, Boston, Mass.

Minnesota Historical Society, St. Paul, Minn.

New England Historical Genealogical Society, 18 Somerset St., Boston,
Mass.

Newport (R. I.) Historical Society, Newport, R. I.

New York Historical Society, 170 2d Ave., New York City.

Rhode Island Citizens Historical Association, Providence, R. I.

Rhode Island Historical Society, Providence, R. I.

Society of the Cincinnati, Providence, R. I.

Society of Colonial Wars, Providence, R. I.

Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wis.

NECROLOGY.

REV. DANIEL H. O’DWYER.

BY JOHN J. LENEHAN, ESQ., CHAIRMAN OF MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE.

The Rev. Daniel H. O’Dwyer, an esteemed member of the American Irish Historical Society and pastor of St. John’s Church at Kingsbridge Road and 232d Street, New York City, died on Sunday, November 14, 1909, of apoplexy, at the home of his mother, 122 Fordham Road West, New York City. His death occurred in the very room in which his father died on the previous Thursday night, at the age of 81 years.

Father O’Dwyer was a brother of Chief Justice Edward F. O’Dwyer, of the City Court of the City of New York; also a member of our Society, and a son of John O’Dwyer and Catherine Ryan, who came from Ireland to America in the early part of the last century.

Father O’Dwyer was born in New York City, in 1862, and was forty-seven years of age at the time of his death. He was educated at St. Francis Xavier’s College, West 16th Street, and entered Fordham University in 1882, graduating from the latter institution two years later. After graduation he entered St. Joseph’s Seminary, Troy, and was ordained on December 22, 1888.

From 1890 to 1893 Father O’Dwyer labored as assistant priest in St. Raphael’s Church, West 40th Street, and later went to the Church of the Blessed Sacrament, where he remained until 1903, when he became pastor of St. John’s.

He found St. John’s Church a frame building, unimposing and unattractive. His first effort as pastor was the establishment of a church fund to improve the place of worship of the fast growing congregation. St. John’s had been established in 1870 as a mission to the parish of St. Elizabeth at Fort Washington and was made a separate parish in 1886, sixteen years after. He immediately set about improving the parish generally. He changed and renovated the old church and began the erection of a new one. The new church, built on the site of the old one, was begun about four years ago. At the time of his death it had been finished but not yet dedicated. He devoted himself without reserve to the work of raising this splendid monument and labored tirelessly for the accomplishment of his great purpose. The result was a structure magnificent for the surrounding territory, and worthy of this great Metropolis. A spacious chapel occupied the basement, and in the rear was a Lyceum or club for boys, with athletic apparatus and other attractions for entertaining the youth of the neighborhood.

This soon became a social center. The young men found themselves in possession of a club with pleasant adjuncts and friendly companionship. He organized numerous societies for both men and women and threw his great energy into the effort to make the hall a center of interest, with such force and vigor that it soon became the meeting place for the youth of the vicinage and elevated the moral and social conditions of the parish, which grew and strengthened with his success, kindling ambition and toning up the character and bearing of the neighborhood. That parish ceased thereafter to be listless or easy-going. It blossomed with animation and interest. He called the hall St. John’s Lyceum. The new church, with its various attachments, cost in the neighborhood of $200,000; but there was entertainment and amusement for all the young men and women of his parish; and as they saw it grow in beauty and utility, witnessing the excellence of his ideas and the splendid manner of their execution, they knew their pastor worked unselfishly for them, and the amelioration of all conditions in his parish, uniting entertainment and instruction in his devoted purpose.

To aid the speedy completion of the church, he sought the help of a host of lifelong friends. Willing responses to a cheery appeal brought assistance from every side; and the work, ordinarily of years, grew to fruition within a few short seasons. His tireless efforts probably undermined his robust constitution. But loving his work and his people with all his golden heart, he cast himself with streaming courage into the battle, to win, in one brief spell, a victory that was fitting crown for a lifetime’s labor.

Everywhere Father O’Dwyer went he endeared himself to all with whom he came in contact. In appearance a striking figure, handsome, tall, well-proportioned and instinct with nervous force, he was a charming companion and a delightful speaker, versatile, amusing, instructive or learned as suited his varying purposes or the needs of the hour. Jovial and sympathetic in ordinary intercourse, he never forgot the necessity of inculcating at the proper times the sterner duties. Yet he was always the same wholesome force for the cheerful as well as the simple life.

As sunshine broken in the rill,
Though turned aside, is sunshine still.

An enthusiastic admirer of athletics he ever sought to perpetuate and assist in the games of his college as well as of his parochial school and the Lyceum.

He was elected President of the Fordham University Alumni Association for two terms, 1899–1901, and materially aided the work of the Association with his usual irrepressible zeal.

The funeral took place from St. John’s Church on Wednesday, November 17, 1909. His Grace, the Most Rev. Archbishop Farley, celebrated a Solemn Mass of Requiem. The church was packed to its utmost capacity and a multitude unable to gain admittance lined the outer roadway. A large attendance of clergymen and well-known laymen included many members of our Society, among them being Hon. John D. Crimmins, Justices Edward E. McCall, and John W. Goff. Monsignor Mooney preached a touching sermon wherein he spoke eloquently of Father O’Dwyer’s zeal and attainments. Many were visibly affected to tears. He said that although a comparatively young man his work was of the highest and most praiseworthy order.

“Today,” said the Monsignor, “a mourning people and weeping children, all must send up not the exultant song of fondest hopes fulfilled, but the low, sad plaint of sorrow for the soul of him who was their pastor kind and true. Twenty-one years ago he came forth with anointed hands from St. Joseph’s Seminary at Troy to begin the work that was appointed for him. His first labors were served in St. Raphael’s, where he spread the seeds of Christianity—seeds which quickly took root. None of the vigor and zeal of that manhood were lost which characterized his early work when he was transferred to the Blessed Sacrament church. A thread of gold seemed to run through his life. It was in the city of his birth that the whole years of his labors as a priest were spent. Six years of unabated toil marked his pastorate at St. John’s—six years spent in constant labors of love till God called him forth. He gave the best that was in him, he did the best for you, while he was permitted to remain with you. All the splendid manhood he brought with him when he came—his excellent equipment of mind and heart—he used to foster in his congregation the love of God. He knew no bounds in his devotion to you and your little ones. The anguish of that awful morning was so deep, so sudden, that as yet we are not able to take in its full realization.

“It was not deigned by heaven for him that he should ascend this altar and offer sacrifice—alas!—the first ceremony enacted within these walls was over his own remains. His life labors are done; well did he perform them. The God of Justice called him away, but you shall never forget him, his memory will be to you a proper inheritance till time shall call you on into eternity, where united with him there shall be no suffering in the everlasting Trinity of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost.”

GENERAL ST. CLAIR A. MULHOLLAND.

BY THE SECRETARY GENERAL.

General St. Clair A. Mulholland, one of the best known and most highly esteemed men in public life in Pennsylvania, and a life member of the American-Irish Historical Society, died on Thursday, February 17, 1910, after an illness of less than a week’s duration. Stricken on the 11th inst. in his office in the Federal Building, General Mulholland battled bravely to regain his health, but his advanced age—he was almost seventy-one years old—proved too great a handicap. Physicians ascribe his death to a general breakdown.

Brevet Major General St. Clair A. Mulholland, who at the close of the Civil War was one of the youngest of the major generals created during that struggle, was a native of the County Antrim, Ireland, where he was born in 1839. He came to this country with his parents when but eight years old. While still a very young man he became connected with the Pennsylvania militia, and when the Civil War broke out he entered the service. For a brief period he was a recruiting officer, but in 1862 he went to the front with the One Hundred and Sixteenth Pennsylvania Volunteers, which he helped to organize, as lieutenant colonel. This was in June, 1862, when he was only 23 years of age.

Subsequently he was promoted to the colonelcy. He took part in the fights at Charlestown and Ashby’s Gap, Va., in October and November, 1862. He commanded his regiment at Fredericksburg, in the famous charge of the Irish Brigade, of which the regiment formed a part, and was severely wounded in the gallant attempt to storm Marye’s Heights. On February 27, 1863, he was appointed major of battalion. In the battle of Chancellorsville, Va., May 2, 3 and 4, 1863, he led his regiment, and distinguished himself in saving the guns of the Fifth Maine Battery, which had been abandoned to the enemy. For this he was complimented in general orders. In this campaign he was selected by General Hancock to command the picket line of the Second Corps, and while performing this duty covered the retreat of the Army of the Potomac from Chancellorsville across the Rappahannock, for which service he was awarded a Congressional medal of honor.

He participated in the fight at Thoroughfare Gap, Va., June 25, 1863. In the battle of Gettysburg he again led his regiment, which was practically annihilated. He then took command and led into action the One Hundred and Fortieth Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteers. He was engaged in the fight at Jones’ Cross Roads, July 10, 1863; at Falling Waters, July 14, and in the battle of the Wilderness, May 5, 1864, where he was again wounded. For his gallant conduct on this occasion he was made brevet brigadier general. He was in the fight at Tod’s Tavern, May 10, 1864, and in the battle of Po River, where he was a third time wounded.

Having been sent to the hospital at Washington, he remained only ten days, and then resumed his command. He was engaged in the fight at North Anna and on the Pamunkey River, May 28, 30 and 31, 1864. At the battle of Topotomy Creek he was dangerously wounded by a musket ball through the groin.

He commanded his brigade in all the actions around Petersburg until the end of the war. He particularly distinguished himself during this time by storming a rebel fort in front of his brigade, and for this he was brevetted major general October 27, 1864.

When, in 1868, Daniel M. Fox was elected Mayor he called to his aid as chief of police General Mulholland, and it was due to the discipline which the latter inculcated that the force, before that time in some disorder, was brought to a fine condition.

After the election of President Cleveland General Mulholland was appointed pension agent at Philadelphia, a position he held continuously since 1894.

The activities of General Mulholland covered a large field, and he was known all over the State. As a speaker at Grand Army celebrations and in educational institutions he was always welcomed, and his vivid descriptions of events in war times were listened to with interest.

For many years he was a member of the Board of Prison Inspectors, and it is said of him that he personally helped more unfortunates to start life anew than any other man in the State. He made the subject of prison discipline and its reform a study, and it was he who formed the committee that drafted the new parole law, as presented in the Legislature by Senator Ernst L. Tustin.

He was a member of the Grand Army of the Republic, Loyal Legion, life member of the American-Irish Historical Society, Medal of Honor Legion and Friendly Sons of St. Patrick (of which he was president from 1892 to 1894). He was chairman of the committee of the Friendly Sons which had charge of the erection of the Barry monument in Independence Square, and at the time of his death chairman of the commission appointed by Governor Stuart to provide for the erection of the monument to the Pennsylvania soldiers participating in the battle of Gettysburg. He was a former president of the Catholic Alumni Sodality, and at the time of his death, as chairman of a committee of the sodality, was working to raise funds for the erection of a monument to Rev. William Corby, chaplain of the Irish Brigade, showing Father Corby in the act of administering absolution to the soldiers about to enter into battle at Gettysburg.

Himself an artist in water colors, General Mulholland during his trips abroad gathered many valuable paintings, which form a collection of worth at his home.

General Mulholland was twice married. His first wife was Mary Dooner, sister of the late Peter S. Dooner. His second wife was Mary Heenan, daughter of Colonel Heenan and sister of Dr. Thomas E. Heenan, now United States Consul at Warsaw, Russia. The daughters of the deceased are: Mrs. Ludwig E. Faber, Mrs. Joseph I. Comber, Miss Mary Mulholland, Miss Genevieve Mulholland, Miss Claire Mulholland.

General Mulholland was a brother of the late Rev. James E. Mulholland, rector of St. Patrick’s Church, who died suddenly in Alexandria, Egypt, in 1886.

The following Sunday the general’s old comrades in arms and members of the Loyal Legion, Grand Army of the Republic and delegations from other organizations visited the residence and held memorial exercises. About one hundred members of the parish Holy Name Society, of which the deceased was a member, accompanied by the rector, Rev. M. J. Crane, and the spiritual director, Rev. Thomas J. Hanney, recited the Office for the Dead at the house, as did also the Alumni Sodality, which had forty members present.

The funeral took place Monday morning, from the late residence of the deceased, 4202 Chester Avenue. Solemn Requiem Mass was sung in St. Francis de Sales’ Church by the rector, Rev. M. J. Crane. Rev. Joseph A. Whittaker was deacon; Rev. Thomas J. Hanney, sub-deacon, and Rev. Alfred C. Welsh, of Kennett Square, master of ceremonies.

The absolution of the body was performed by Right Rev. Monsignor William Kieran, D. D., rector of St. Patrick’s. In compliance with the wishes of the deceased, there was no sermon, but Monsignor Kieran, who read the funeral service in English as well as in Latin, made a brief address, alluding to the virtues and patriotism of this great man. The interment was in Old Cathedral Cemetery.

One of the leading journals of Philadelphia states editorially:

“After seventy-three years of life’s battling, General St. Clair A.
Mulholland lies in a soldier’s grave. ‘After life’s fitful fever, he
sleeps well.’ Those who live well and die well surely sleep well. And
truly may it be said of the great and gallant Irishman who has laid
down his sword and gone to rest in his soldier’s cloak that he did all
a soldier could to live well and die well for the country of his
adoption, since he could not offer it for that of his nativity. It was
not his lot to fall on the field of his fame, but to rise from the
blood-soaked soil more than once to take up the task of the
soldier-saint, Louis of France, and reveal the tender heart of the
woman beating beneath the cuirass of the soldier. To visit the prisons
and to bear the message of solace to the despairing victims of a cruel
fate was the task which he marked out for himself, and carried out to
the very last healthful day of his official career. Many a stout and
steadfast heart has ‘the black North,’ as his native Ulster is
erroneously called, brought to the defense and glorification of the
American Union, but none surpassing in beautiful qualities that of the
quiet and unassuming soldier who now lies in a friendly grave in the
land he served, but far from the hills of his native Ulster, the land
of the O’Neills and the O’Donnells, and all the representatives of the
modern chivalry of ‘the Red Branch’—saints like Columbkille and
martyrs like Archbishop Plunkett.

“It is a unique glory that the flag of the American Union owns. She
has lured the bravest and the most unselfish from all lands to defend
her cause, and she lays the proud tribute of her gratitude and her
sorrow on their biers with a hand that knows no discrimination as to
nationality. The soldier from Antrim who gave his strong right arm, as
well as his unselfish heart, to her service was worthy of her, and she
of him. And so may it ever be as between America and Ireland. ‘_Quis
separabit?_’”

MGR. B. C. LENEHAN.

BY THE SECRETARY GENERAL.

Mgr. B. C. Lenehan, who died September 21 last at Fort Dodge, Ia., was born February 3, 1843, in New York City, and was baptized in the old New York cathedral. He settled in Dubuque with his parents when ten years of age, and received his education in the Dubuque schools and took his classical course at Vinentra college, Cape Girardeau, Mo., completing his work at Milwaukee, Wis. He was ordained December 8, 1867, by Archbishop Hennessey. He was stationed at Mount McGregor, Iowa, for some time before going to Sioux City.

Nowhere was the deceased clergyman better known or more loved than in Sioux City, where he spent fourteen of the most active years of his ministry.

In March, 1872, while a young priest, the monsignor was appointed pastor of Sioux City and during his fourteen years there he saw many changes in the city and the surrounding territory. The completion of new railroads had opened northwestern Iowa to settlement, and new settlers were coming in by thousands, many being Catholics. Sioux City was the nearest place where there was a church or a priest, and Father Lenehan was called on to attend to the spiritual wants of those settlers, scattered over an immense territory, including all that portion of Iowa west of the Little Sioux River and north to the Minnesota line, and consisting of about ten counties.

After several months of strenuous missionary work Father Lenehan was given an assistant in Sioux City in the person of Rev. John J. Cadden, who remained nearly two years, doing good work in city and country, wherever his services were needed. After leaving there he was sent to southern Iowa, and died several years later in the Davenport diocese.

In 1874 it became apparent that the congregation had outgrown the old frame church on West Seventh and Perry streets and that a larger and better building was needed. Father Lenehan erected a handsome brick church, which was dedicated under the patronage of St. Mary, Help of Christians, on the Sunday within the octave of the Assumption, on August, 1875, by Very Rev. John F. Brazil, of Des Moines, vicar general of the diocese. Rev. T. M. Lenihan, of Fort Dodge, was celebrant of the mass.

In February, 1886, after fourteen years of continuous and satisfactory service, Father Lenehan resigned his charge in Sioux City to the great regret of all, both Catholic and Protestant. He intended to become a Jesuit and took preliminary steps, but, the confinement not agreeing with his health, he returned to Iowa. A delegation was sent from Sioux City to Dubuque to make an effort to secure his return to Sioux City, but other arrangements had already been made for Sioux City, and Father Lenehan had been assigned to Denison. Later he was transferred to Boone, where he remained about sixteen years.

With the organization of the diocese of Sioux City and the appointment of Rt. Rev. P. J. Garrigan as its first bishop, there were several changes. At the close of the first diocesan retreat for the priests on August 22, 1902, the first diocesan synod was held, and diocesan officers were announced. Among the appointments was that of Father Lenehan as vicar general. In November, 1903, he was transferred from Boone to Corpus Christi Church, Fort Dodge, the oldest and one of the best parishes in the diocese.

During Father Lenehan’s long residence in Sioux City he endeared himself not only to his own flock, but to the people of every denomination and those of none at all. All admired him for his eloquence and his affability.

Honors only added to his natural and innate dignity of character. As Rt. Rev. Mgr. Lenehan, domestic prelate to the pope and vicar general of the diocese of Sioux City, he remained the same modest, unassuming priest, the same “teacher of the silver tongue,” the same genial, companionable, Christian gentleman, as when he was pastor of old St. Mary’s, and missionary teacher of half a diocese thirty years ago.

Mgr. Lenehan was a great friend of the younger priests, and his death will be sincerely mourned by many a clergyman who got much inspiration through acquaintance with this exceptional man.

JAMES McGOVERN.

BY MR. JOHN G. O’KEEFFE OF NEW YORK.

James McGovern, a life member of this Society, was born of Irish parents in Brooklyn, N. Y., on the 31st day of August, 1854. When but fourteen years of age he began his business life in the employ of Coleman Benedict, a stock broker. His progress was remarkable. In twelve years he became a partner in the firm. He was elected a member of the New York Stock Exchange in 1880 and during his long business career he was universally regarded as one of the ablest and most honorable men on ’Change. He was honored time and again by election to its Board of Governors, serving on its most important committees. Because of his high character and broad knowledge of values his judgment on investments was widely sought. For example, he was for years a prominent member of the Finance Committee of the Emigrant Industrial Savings Bank and a director in the Kings Co. Trust Company, the Corn Exchange National Bank and the Home Life Insurance Company. He was also a member of the Chicago Stock Exchange, the New York Chamber of Commerce, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Museum of Natural History, the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick, the Catholic and a number of other clubs in which he took an active and prominent interest.

Mr. McGovern’s charities were most liberal and carried on quietly, without ostentation. He was a benefactor of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul (a member of its Finance Committee) the Ozanam Club for Working Boys and many similar Societies. He was the President and best friend of the Dominican Sisters of the sick poor, a charity that appealed directly to his generous heart.

Mr. McGovern was especially proud of his Irish ancestry and never failed to respond to any call for help from the land of his forefathers.

He died on November 6, 1909, and in his death the community at large suffered a great loss.

REV. MICHAEL A. McMANUS.

BY JAMES L. O’NEILL OF ELIZABETH, N. J.

Rev. Michael A. McManus, D. D., rector of St. Aloysius Church, Newark, N. J., died November 16, 1909. Deceased was the son of Lawrence A. McManus of Paterson, N. J. It was in that city that he was born September 29, 1849. When a boy he evinced his religious tendency and determined to become a priest. After obtaining permission from his parents, he went to Newark to consult with the late Archbishop Bayley, then Bishop of Newark. Bishop Bayley noticing the slight figure before him, at first did not appear inclined to give his consent but the determined manner and speech of the young man soon won the Bishop over.

When he was quite young his father sent him to St. Charles College, Ellicott City, Md., to begin his ecclesiastical training. He had previously received a classical education at a private school in Paterson. After four years at St Charles he entered Seton Hall College, where he was graduated, and then entered the seminary of the Immaculate Conception. He was ordained April 26, 1874, by the late Archbishop Michael Austin Corrigan, who was then Bishop of the diocese of Newark, which then comprised all of New Jersey. He was first sent to St. Michael’s Church, Jersey City. While attached to that Parish he became seriously ill and had to be sent to St. Francis Hospital. After recovering he went to the Southern States and did missionary work for a couple of years. On returning north he was sent as an assistant to the Church of the Assumption, Morristown, N. J. Within a couple of years he was made pastor of St. Patrick’s Church of Woodbury. He remained there until 1881, when the single dioceses comprised in the entire state, was divided by the establishment of the Trenton diocese.

In 1881 he was sent to St. Joseph’s, Newton, N. J., remaining there until 1890, when Bishop Wiggar transferred him to Newark, and assigned to him the task of establishing the parish of the Sacred Heart. Finally he was transferred to St. Aloysius’ Church of the same city in June, 1906. Seton Hall College conferred on Father McManus the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. His unostentatious charity was something the extent of which was ever widening and often surprised those closest to him. In public affairs he was always interested. He served on the grand jury several years ago, being the first priest in the county who ever officiated as a member of that body.

St. Aloysius School is his monument. He had been secretary of the Board of Trustees of St. Michael’s Hospital for many years and was one of the prime movers in the movement for a public park in the twelfth ward, Newark, a movement which culminated in the establishment of Riverbank Park, now in process of completion. He was known for his sturdy loyalty to the cause of Ireland, and he never lost an opportunity to lend it his aid. He was strong also in his liking for the German people, whose language he spoke fluently.

The keynote of Father McManus’ character was a rugged honesty buttressed by a courage that brooked no opposition. His convictions were clear cut and what he thought, that he said, and that he fought for, even though his words occasionally gave some offense and his intensity provoked his opponents.

But it happened with him as it always happens with an honest man—it became apparent that he meant not to offend but to convince. With Father McManus the smile always beamed after a remark, before the frown had scarcely time to gather. He was never bitter though always earnest and sincere. With such a man there is always satisfaction in dealing, one knows where he stands and what to expect; the entanglements of deceit are absent. Father McManus was well-read and his scholarship won for him the degree of Doctor of Laws, from his Alma Mater. His administrative ability was great, as the numerous works and foundation of his parish attest.

He was a pious priest, but his piety was of the manly kind that rejects show or sentimentality. His faith was deep and earnest. He had a wholesome contempt for the modern juggling with fundamental tenets of Christianity.

He was an ardent American, and believed in accepting all the duties and burdens, as well as the privileges of citizenship.

PHILIP C. WALSH.

BY PHILIP C. WALSH, JR.

Philip C. Walsh, a member of the American Irish Historical Society since 1897, died at his residence, 22 Grant Street, Newark, N. J., May 19, 1909, in the seventy-fifth year of his life. He was born in the City of Kilkenny, in 1834, was educated at St. Keren’s in that city, and emigrated to America in 1854, being associated with his uncle, Mathew Nolan, a retired seaman of the United States navy, at New Brunswick, N. J., where he married Annie Walsh of Gowran, Ireland, in 1858, removing to Newark, N. J., in 1865; while there he was engaged in the cattle business until 1880, when he began the iron and steel business of Walsh & Sons, of which he was the head, until his death.

From his youthful associations in Ireland, he imbibed a characteristic Irish antipathy to the government which had wrought such a malign influence upon his native land, and in America he promptly became a member of the Irish organizations that were laboring for Ireland’s cause, offering his time and his services as occasion demanded, to the Hibernian, Clan-na-Gael, Irish Volunteers and the American Irish Historical Society, the success of which he was very proud, as well of the Society as an organization tending to the uplift of the Irish, as he was of the distinguished eminence so many of its individual members had achieved.

During his long life, Mr. Walsh steadily acquired every conceivable kind of book relating to Ireland, the Irish people, and their just cause, for which they had struggled so valiantly, gradually obtaining a very large library of Irish works, some of them exceedingly rare and venerable, and by constant reading, study, and discussion with those well qualified, became a veritable encyclopedia upon Ireland and Irish history, being known as one of New Jersey’s great Irishmen, a position which he proudly enjoyed as one of the best distinctions he had.

Although not in good health, for the last two years, Mr. Walsh was about during the pleasant weather, meeting old friends, discussing with them Irish affairs, showing as devoted an interest as ever, and at the mention of any proposition that would benefit Ireland his eye would brighten and he would eagerly discuss every phase, from a position of genuine interest actuated by a sincere, pure, high-minded desire, for the progress and advancement of his native land which he always claimed would equal any nation in the world if but given a fair opportunity, and whose people, upon their native soil, would exhibit the same intelligence, ability and capacity, that they have exhibited in every walk of life elsewhere throughout the world.

Mr. Walsh’s personal traits were the admirable ones characteristic of the true Irishman, gentleness, kindliness and affection, mingled courage and tenacity. His family, to which he was most endeared, will ever regret his demise, and the sweet, gentle ties of father and children will ever remain with them, as long as life remains.

* * * * *

In a letter transmitting to the Secretary-General the above sketch “for the record of the Society,” Philip C. Walsh, Jr., a member of the municipal corporations committee of the New Jersey Senate, says: