By the Treaty of Paris 1762 New Orleans and Upper Louisiana became the property of Spain. The Kings of that country sent Antonio de Ulloa, Viceroy of Louisiana, to establish Spanish authority here in 1767. The French did not at first take kindly to Spanish domination, and so the gentle Ulloa is ignominiously expelled from New Orleans. Spain, in its anger, turned to an Irish officer in its military service, Count Alexander O’Reilly, who soon brought the French of Louisiana to see the folly of resistance. Count O’Reilly was born at Baltrassna, Co. Meath, Ireland, A. D. 1722. He had seen much service in European wars, chiefly under the flag of Spain. The following list of his titles shows the prominence he attained in military life: Don Alexander O’Reilly, Commander of Benfayon of the Order of Alcantara; Lieutenant-General of the armies of His Most Catholic Majesty, Inspector General of Infantry, and by Commission Governor and Captain-General of the Province of Louisiana. Promoted to be Field Marshal, he was subsequently sent to Havana, which he newly fortified and strengthened, and later was sent in June, 1768, to recover Louisiana. Though never having set foot in St. Louis, he is credited with having outlined its governmental policy.
In the year 1804, when the formal transfer of Louisiana occurred, we find mention of John Mullanphy’s arrival in the village of St. Louis. Born in 1758 near Enniskillen, Co. Fermanaugh, Ireland, John Mullanphy entered the Irish Brigade in the service of France at the age of twenty. At its dispersion, on the imprisonment of Louis XVI, Lieutenant Mullanphy returned to Ireland, and in 1789 married Miss Elizabeth Brown. Three years after this Mr. and Mrs. Mullanphy, with one child, sailed for America, landing in Philadelphia, which became their home for a time. They next resided in Baltimore, where they formed the acquaintance of Rev. John Carroll, afterwards the first bishop of America, between whom a strong friendship took root. Remembering the lines of Berkeley, “Westward the star of Empire takes its way,” our citizen of the world turned towards Kentucky, where he established his home in 1798. While here his home in Frankfort became the stopping place of the early Catholic Missionary, and the temporary chapel of the scattered children of the Church. In 1804 Mr. Gratiot coming to Frankfort, his acquaintance with Mr. Mullanphy grew into closest friendship, which led our hero to move to St. Louis, where he was appointed Justice of the Peace. Here fortune smiled upon him, but he was not the man whom riches could corrupt. He made to himself friends of the Mammon of Iniquity, and so filled his life with noble deeds. In 1827 he settled upon the Ladies of the Sacred Heart twenty-four arpents of land, adjoining the village, today worth millions, on which was a brick house, and gave them ready money for its necessary furnishings. The condition of this bequest was that the Sisters should care for and educate in perpetuity twenty young orphan girls. Mr. Mullanphy assisted in establishing an orphan home for boys. He likewise founded a home for aged and destitute widows, and, assisted by Bishop Rosati, brought out the Sisters of Charity—the spiritual daughters of St. Vincent de Paul—to take charge of a hospital, the first of its kind in St. Louis, which is now called by his name. Besides his never-failing daily charities, he in times of scarcity gave sums of money to the bakers to furnish bread to the hungry poor, and when the cholera was raging employed a young physician, Dr. Henry, to visit the sick throughout the surrounding country. Mr. Mullanphy died in St. Louis in 1833. His only surviving son, Bryan, was also remarkable for his great charities. In November the 14th, 1845, Judge Bryan Mullanphy was chairman of the Committee of Catholic gentlemen who founded the first conference of the St. Vincent de Paul society in the New World. He also established an immense fund for the relief of emigrants on their way to settle in the West.
The next Irishman who figured prominently in the early history of St. Louis was Mr. Jeremiah Connor. He came to St. Louis in 1805. He was the third sheriff of that city, appointed by Governor Wilkinson in 1806, serving as such for four years and acting also as collector and treasurer. He laid out Washington Avenue, one of the finest streets of the city, through the center of his private property, which he generously relinquished to the city without consideration. When Bishops Flaget and Dubourg came to St. Louis in 1818, the latter to establish his Episcopal residence there, Jeremiah Connor donated a thousand dollars towards his reception. Later he gave the bishop the site afterwards occupied by the Jesuit Church and College, known as the St. Louis University.
HON. ZENAS W. BLISS.
Lieutenant-Governor of Rhode Island.
A New Member of the Society.
Another son of the Emerald Isle, a man of ability and prominence, was Joseph Charless, Sr., who was born in Westmeath in 1772. Being implicated in the Irish rebellion in 1795, he fled to France and thence to America in 1796. After a few years’ stay in Philadelphia he removed to Louisville, Ky. He came to St. Louis in 1808, where he established the first newspaper west of the Mississippi River—the Missouri Gazette, the name being afterwards changed to Missouri Republican when under the management of his son Edward in 1822. It continues to this day under the name of the St. Louis Republic.
Alexander McNair, born in Pennsylvania of Irish parents, was the fourth sheriff in St. Louis, succeeding Jeremiah Connor in that office. During the war of 1812 he raised a company of Mounted Rangers of which he was elected the captain. In 1816, when Congress established a land office for the St. Louis district, he was appointed by President Madison the first register of the same, and held office four years until he was elected, in 1820, the first governor of the state.
Quite a large number of Irish settlers came to St. Louis, rowing their own boat down from Pittsburg, and reaching St. Louis early in 1809. The leaders were John McKnight and Thomas Brady, who had formed a co-partnership in the east. They opened a store at once, and being enterprising, intelligent men, the house of McKnight & Brady was not long in acquiring prominence, and soon became extensively known for its enterprise and public spirit. In 1816 they erected a double brick house of two stories, which was opened as the Washington Hall—the seventh brick house in St. Louis, and the first built for a hotel, in which, on the twenty-second of February, 1817, the first observance of Washington’s birthday, west of the Mississippi, took place by a public dinner presided over by Gov. William Clark, brother of Gen. George Rodger Clark, styled the Hannibal of the Revolution, who were of Irish descent. Mr. Brady died October, 1821. The Rt. Rev. Bishop Dubourg officiated at the funeral obsequies. Mr. Brady’s father-in-law was John Rice Jones, then chief justice of the Supreme Court of the state.
We may form an idea of the strength of the Irish contingent in early history when we read of the following annals: 1818, Feb. 9—Erin Benevolent Society. A meeting of Irishmen to form a benevolent society was held at the house of Jeremiah Connor, Thomas Brady, Chairman, and Thomas Hanly, secretary. A committee of five: Jeremiah Connor, James McGunnegle, John Mullanphy, Alexander Blackwill and Arthur McGinnis, were appointed to frame resolutions. Adjourned to meet Tuesday, 24th inst., at 10 o’clock a. m., at the house of Thomas Brady.
1819, October 10—At meeting of Irish citizens held at the house of Jeremiah Connor at which he presided, and James Nagle, Esq., acted as secretary, adopted a constitution for the Erin Benevolent Society and adjourned to Thursday 21.