It is strange what an aversion some of the recent town historians have had to telling the truth about these Irishmen, and with what studied efforts they have suppressed facts.
The Antrim (N. H.) Town History—which, in its dealings with the early Irish settlers of that town, presents the work of an expert in this perversion—in recording, on page 215, the services of that old Irish schoolmaster, Tobias Butler, makes no mention whatever of his nationality.
The seeker of exact truth and complete historical data will, however, hardly consult histories written by narrow men, whose paramount idea apparently was to twist the actual facts to conform to the way they would have wished those facts to have been.
The only explanation or excuse for this condition is, that town histories have to be written by persons familiar with the locality, hence the writer could be chosen only from a comparatively small number, and the selection, unfortunately, of men of contracted ideas sometimes becomes unavoidable; but these writings relative to these Irishmen and their achievements, will never be accepted by the future seeker of truth; it remains for the present generation, advanced beyond the prejudices of the past, to write the true history of these Irish settlers.
THE CARROLL FAMILY IN MARYLAND.
BY MICHAEL P. KEHOE, ESQ., VICE-PRESIDENT OF THE SOCIETY FOR MARYLAND.
[The Material from which this Article is taken on the Carroll Family in Maryland was gathered together by the late Mr. D. J. Scully, who had compiled a great mass of material for the purpose of publishing a History of the Irish in Maryland, when he was unfortunately stricken down with a fatal illness. This material has been placed at my disposal by Mr. Peter J. Scully, who is a brother of the late Mr. D. J. Scully and his Executor. I want to offer my thanks to Mr. Scully for so kindly tendering the material collected by his late brother at a great sacrifice of time.]
The Carroll family of Maryland has been for three centuries a prominent one in the Province and the State, and may be said to have left an indelible impress upon the history of the Commonwealth. It would be gratifying to members of the Irish race to know that the family is distinctively a Gaelic one and occupied for centuries a high position in Ireland, being one of royal origin. The Carrolls are descended from Cian, the youngest brother of Eoghan (Owen or Eugene “Mor” great) and son of Olioll Olum, first king of Munsters, who was the ancestor of O’Cearbhaill (Cearball)—Irish for massacre or slaughter—referring to some incident possibly of the bearer’s life, Anglicized O’Carroll Ely, Karwell, Carroll, Gervil and McCarrell. It is therefore not to be wondered at that the descendants of this knightly race achieved equally knightly distinction in America. There were several different branches of the O’Carroll family all from the same parent stock, the principal one of which was that of the princess of Ely O’Carroll, territory which comprised the barony of Lower Ormond in Tipperary, with the barony of Clonlisk and part of Ballybut in the kings county, extending to the Slieve Bloom Mountains, in the Queens County.
MICHAEL P. KEHOE, ESQ.,
Baltimore, Md.
Vice-President of the Society for Maryland.