THE ANNUAL MEETING.
The annual meeting of the Society for 1899 was held on Thursday evening, Jan. 19, at Sherry’s, Forty-fourth street and Fifth avenue, New York city. Gen. James R. O’Beirne, the Society’s state vice-president for New York, presided, and Thomas Hamilton Murray of Woonsocket, R. I., was secretary.
A letter was received from President-General Moseley, Washington, D. C., in which he expressed regret at his inability to be present. The notice for the meeting was as follows:
THE AMERICAN-IRISH HISTORICAL SOCIETY.
NOTICE OF MEETING AND BANQUET.
Dear Sir: You are hereby notified that the annual meeting and banquet of the American-Irish Historical Society will be held at Sherry’s, Forty-fourth street and Fifth avenue, New York city, on Thursday evening, Jan. 19, 1899.
The business session will be called to order at 6:30 o’clock. Gen. James R. O’Beirne, our state vice-president for New York, will preside. Officers will be chosen for the ensuing year, the annual reports presented and such other business transacted as may properly come before the meeting.
The banquet will take place at 8 o’clock. Tickets for the same will be three dollars each. They are now ready, and may be obtained of the secretary-general, whose address is given below.
The post-prandial exercises will include addresses by the following members of the Society:
The Hon. Theodore Roosevelt, governor of New York; the Hon. Morgan J. O’Brien, a justice of the New York supreme court; the Hon. William McAdoo, recently assistant secretary of the navy; the Hon. John C. Linehan, state insurance commissioner of New Hampshire; the Hon. John D. Crimmins, New York city; the Hon. Thomas J. Gargan, Boston, Mass.; the Rev. John J. McCoy, Roman Catholic rector, Chicopee, Mass.; the Rev. Cyrus T. Brady, Protestant Episcopal archdeacon of Pennsylvania; James Jeffrey Roche, LL. D., editor of the Boston Pilot; Mr. John P. Holland, inventor of the submarine torpedo boat; Mr. Joseph Smith, secretary of the police commission, Lowell, Mass., and Thomas Addis Emmet, M. D., LL. D., a grand nephew of the Irish patriot, Robert Emmet.
The occasion will be of great interest, and it is hoped that at least five hundred members and friends will be present at the banquet. Each member is at liberty to bring with him as many personal guests as he chooses. A large attendance is desired.
It is necessary to know as soon as possible how many will attend the banquet, in order that proper arrangements can be made with the hotel people. To this end, therefore, kindly notify the secretary-general if you intend to be present.
Fraternally,
Edward A. Moseley,
President-General.
Thomas Hamilton Murray,
Secretary-General.
Secretary’s address: 77 Main street, Woonsocket, R. I.
Upon the business session being called to order, the ticket placed in nomination by the Council of the Society was presented for action.
It was unanimously accepted, adopted and declared the Society’s choice for the ensuing year. The personnel of the ticket is set forth on pages [9], [10] and [11] of this volume.
Many new members were proposed and elected to the Society.
The annual report of the secretary-general, Thomas Hamilton Murray, was presented. It was as follows:
THE SECRETARY-GENERAL’S REPORT.
The American-Irish Historical society has become a permanent institution. We are now entering the third year of our existence. Success has attended our efforts from the start, and the future is bright with prospect for continued good work.
The society already has a membership of close to 1,000, and the material will compare favorably with that of any historical organization in this country. Among our members are representatives of the Society of Colonial Wars, the Society of the Cincinnati, the Sons of the Revolution, the Military Order of Foreign Wars, the United States Medal of Honor Legion, the Society of Tammany, the Bunker Hill Monument society, the Military Order of the Loyal Legion and several other patriotic bodies.
We have also in our membership representatives of literary and educational organizations such as the Papyrus club of Boston, the Twentieth Century club of that city, the American Oriental society, the New England Historic-Genealogical society, the Royal Society of Northern Antiquarians, Denmark, and the Archæological Institute of America. Relative to the great American universities, we number in our ranks alumni of Harvard, Yale, Dartmouth, Boston, Johns Hopkins, Bowdoin, Brown, Notre Dame, the University of Vermont, the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Virginia. The Catholic University at the national capital is represented on our roll by its rector, its vice-rector and three of the faculty.
We have among our associates descendants of David O’Killia (O’Kelly), the Irishman who located on Cape Cod, Mass., as early as 1657; of Barnabas Palmer, an Irishman, born in 1725, who was present at the capture of Louisburg, and of Gen. Stephen Molyan of the American Revolution. Three great societies composed mainly of men of Irish lineage are likewise represented in our organization. I refer to the Charitable Irish Society of Boston, founded in 1737; the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick of Philadelphia, and the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick of New York city.
We have with us, too, many people who are prominent in law, medicine, and journalism, and many who have attained eminence on the bench, in science and art, and in mercantile pursuits. With this composition, the American-Irish Historical society can legitimately claim to be well equipped in personnel for the work it has in view.
In the war with Spain, just closed, our Society was well represented, and one of our members perished in battle before Santiago de Cuba. Of the Society there fought on Cuban soil: Theodore Roosevelt of the Rough Riders; Capt. John Drum of the Tenth U. S. Infantry, Major W. H. Donovan of the Ninth Massachusetts, and Sergt. E. F. O’Sullivan, also of the Ninth.
Gen. M. C. Butler of the Cuban Evacuation Commission is of us, while in the Sixty-ninth New York we are also represented.
Since our last annual meeting seven members have died. They were: Dr. Joseph H. Fay, Fall River, Mass.; Mr. Andrew Athy, Worcester, Mass.; Mr. John R. Alley, Boston, Mass.; City Marshal John E. Conner, Chicopee, Mass.; Rev. Philip Grace, D. D., Newport, R. I.; Capt. John Drum, U. S. A., and Capt. John M. Tobin, Washington, D. C.
Captain Drum, of the Tenth U. S. Infantry, was killed in battle near Santiago, Cuba, July 2, 1898. A braver soldier never lived. His obsequies took place in Boston, our Society contributing an appropriate floral offering. Captain Tobin died in December, last, at Knoxville, Tenn. Up to within a short time before his death he had been assistant quartermaster, First Brigade, Second Division, First Army Corps. During the Civil War he served gallantly in the Ninth Massachusetts regiment, particularly distinguishing himself at Malvern Hill, and being wounded at the Wilderness.
In June, last, the Society observed its first field day, the exercises taking place at historic Newcastle, N. H. The occasion proved of great interest to all participating. The place for the field day event this year has not yet been selected.
Since our last annual meeting a gathering under the auspices of our Rhode Island members has been held in Providence. It was presided over by Dennis H. Sheahan, recently clerk of the General Assembly of Rhode Island, and was an unlimited success. Among the guests were President Andrews of Brown University, Prof. Alonzo Williams of that institution, and other prominent gentlemen.
The Society is to be congratulated upon the issuance of its first bound volume of Proceedings. The edition numbered 1,100 copies and has been distributed among the members, while copies have also been sent to public libraries, colleges, and historical societies. Of the pamphlet, “Irish Schoolmasters in the American Colonies,” 2,000 copies were issued and disposed of in like manner. The pamphlet on “The Scotch-Irish Shibboleth” numbered 1,500 copies.
The Society has on hand and is constantly accumulating much valuable material relating to the Irish chapter in American history. We are hampered to some extent, however, by the absence of a publication fund. I hope that sooner or later methods will be devised and steps taken to provide for this deficiency. At present the only income the Society has is from the membership fees. The prompt payment of these when due, therefore, becomes a matter of no little importance.
Largely owing to the representations of our friends at Washington, the secretary of the navy has selected the names of three American naval officers of Irish blood for three of the new torpedo craft. These names are O’Brien, Barry and Macdonough. The first is to be applied to the torpedo boat now building at Elizabethport, N. J., and the two others to torpedo-boat destroyers. The Macdonough is now under construction at Weymouth, Mass. The O’Brien is to be launched at Elizabethport probably the coming May.[[1]] I would suggest that the occasion and the place be appropriate for our field day celebration this year.
I cannot close without calling the attention of the society to the continued good offices of Gen. James R. O’Beirne and Hon. John D. Crimmins, both of New York. This year, as last, these gentlemen have been indefatigable in arranging for our annual meeting here, and have spared no effort to make the occasion a thoroughly successful one. Mr. Francis C. Travers, Dr. Thomas Addis Emmet and other gentlemen residing in New York have also shown much active interest, and deserve the gratitude of the society.
The report of the secretary-general, thus presented, was accepted and adopted.
Hon. John C. Linehan, of Concord, N. H., submitted his report for the year. It showed the following aggregates:
| RECEIPTS. | |
|---|---|
| Balance on hand as per last report | $672.96 |
| Three life membership fees at $50 | 150.00 |
| 615 annual membership fees | 1,845.00 |
| From dinner tickets at Providence, R. I. | 80.00 |
| From dinner tickets at New York city | 160.00 |
| $2,907.96 | |
| EXPENDITURES. | |
| Various (as set forth in detail) | $2,389.36 |
| Balance on hand | $518.60 |
An auditing committee, consisting of Secretary-General Murray, James Jeffrey Roche of Boston and Joseph Smith of Lowell, Mass., reported having examined the books and vouchers of the treasurer-general, and found the same correct.
The treasurer-general’s report was thereupon unanimously accepted and adopted.
The importance of raising a fund to forward the work of the Society, especially in the matter of publications, was discussed, Judge Wauhope Lynn of New York city and other gentlemen talking to the question. The matter was finally referred to the Council for action. The business meeting then adjourned.