It was announced that, in addition to the foregoing, the Knights of St. Patrick, an influential organization of San Francisco, had joined the Society in a body and had forwarded their life membership fee. Congratulations were also announced from the Association Artistique et Litteraire de Saint-Patrice, of Paris, and a communication was received from the committee of the Pan Celtic Congress.
The announcement was made, and applauded, that Hon. Edward A. Moseley, recently president-general of the Society, had been elected to membership in the Society of the Cincinnati, and that Rev. Joshua P. Bodfish, of our organization, had been chosen a director of the Bunker Hill Monument Association.
A communication was read from T. M. Bryan of Montesano, Wash., giving a sketch of his great-grandfather, John Bryan, an Irishman who came to this country and served in the patriot ranks during the War of the Revolution. He is mentioned in the Pennsylvania archives and is believed to have been at Valley Forge during the terrible winter of 1777–8.
A letter was also received from Rev. Fred B. Cole, chancellor of the Protestant Episcopal diocese of Rhode Island, in which he very kindly offered his services as guide in a contemplated pilgrimage of the Society to the grave of “Old Parson” MacSparran. Rev. Dr. MacSparran was an Irishman born toward the close of the seventeenth century, and who for nearly forty years, was pastor of St. Paul’s church in Narragansett, R. I. A vote of thanks was tendered Rev. Mr. Cole.
Congratulations were extended the Rev. Austin Dowling, a member of the Society, on the completion of his history of the Roman Catholic diocese of Providence, R. I., the same containing much valuable material in the Society’s line of work.
During the evening, letters regretting their inability to be present were announced from Governor Gregory of Rhode Island, President Faunce of Brown University, R. H. Tilley, state record commissioner of Rhode Island; Hon. John C. Linehan, Concord, N. H.; Joseph Smith, Lowell, Mass.; Col. D. S. Lamson, Weston, Mass.; James L. O’Neill, Elizabeth, N. J.; Rev. Owen Kiernan, Fall River, Mass., and from other gentlemen.
The following letter, which had just been received by Secretary T. H. Murray, aroused special interest when read to the assembled company:
My Dear Mr. Murray:
Mr. R. H. Tilley has advised me to write you, as a valuable man to interest in a project which should be of interest to every loyal Rhode Islander.