Jasper Moylan was a native of the city of Cork, Ireland, and half brother of Gen. Stephen Moylan. He was educated in France, studied law, came to this country and attained eminence in his profession in Philadelphia, Pa. In addition to English, he had a splendid knowledge of the French and Spanish languages. He was a member of the First City Troop of Philadelphia. He and his brother John, and their half brother Stephen, were known in that city as “the three polite Irishmen,” owing to their elegant manners. Jasper died in 1812.
Among Virginia officers in the Revolution were Maj. William Croghan, Capt. Ferdinand O’Neal, Capt. Patrick Carnes, Capt. John Fitzgerald, Capt. Andrew Nixon, Capt. William Barrett, Capt. John Jordan, Capt. Lawrence Butler, Capt. James Curry, Lieut. Joseph Conway, Lieut. Luke Cannon, Lieut. Peter Higgins, Lieut. William McGuire, Lieut. Lawrence Manning, Lieut. John Rooney, Lieut. Matthew Rhea, Ensign William Connor and others bearing Irish names. Some of these subsequently attained higher rank than that here given.
Sharp Delany, born in County Monaghan, Ireland, established himself as a druggist in Philadelphia, Pa., about 1764. He was a patriot of the Revolution. In 1777, he was a commissioner “to seize the personal effects of traitors,” and in 1778, was an agent to look after “forfeited estates.” In 1779, he was colonel of the Second Pennsylvania regiment. He subscribed £1,000 in aid of the army in 1780; was collector of the port of Philadelphia; a member of the Society of the Cincinnati, and occupied other honorable positions in life.
John Hamilton, “an Irish servant-man,” was a Redemptioner or indentured servant who, in 1752, was held by Henry Caldwell of Chester County, Pa. Hamilton ran away that year and Caldwell advertised to recover him. Hamilton was then about twenty-two years of age. Caldwell offered a reward to “whoever takes up said servant, so that his master may have him again.” Mention of the incident is found in Karl Frederick Geiser’s recent work on Redemptioners and Indentured Servants in the Colony and Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
George Taylor, one of the Irish signers of the Declaration of Independence, was born in the Old Land, in 1716. He came to this country when twenty years of age. Having a good education, he advanced from the occupation of laborer in an iron foundry to the position of clerk; married his employer’s widow, and accumulated a generous fortune. He was a member of the Pennsylvania Assembly for five consecutive years. In 1770, he was made a judge of the Northumberland County Court, Pa., and was elected to Congress in 1776.
One of the first settlers of Waterford, Conn., was Thomas Butler. He and John Butler were there about 1681. Rev. James H. O’Donnell, now of Norwalk, Conn., says that the “name of Waterford was, no doubt, given to their new home in honor of the old, the beautiful city on the banks of the Suir,” in Ireland. He thinks it not unreasonable to infer that the founders of the Connecticut Waterford were Irish Catholics. Thomas Butler died in 1701, aged 59 years. John Butler died in 1733, aged 80 years. Thomas was, therefore, born about 1642, and John about 1653.
William Hibbins came from Ireland to Boston, Mass., on the Mary and John, about 1634. He married Mrs. Anne Moore, a widow, whose brother, Richard Bellingham, was governor of Massachusetts. Mr. Hibbins died in 1654. His wife fell a victim to the witch-hunting fanatics of the period and was hanged by order of the Massachusetts authorities, in 1656. No jury could be found to convict her and she suffered death at the hands of the General Court. She bequeathed her property to her two sons, in County Cork, Ireland, John and Joseph Moore. (See Cullen’s Story of the Irish in Boston.)
Molly Pitcher, “a young Irishwoman” having “a handsome, piercing eye,” was the wife of a cannoneer in the Patriot army during the Revolution. At the battle of Monmouth her husband was killed at his post, whereupon Molly, who was engaged bringing water from a spring, dropped her bucket, seized the rammer of the cannon and taking her husband’s place continued to serve the piece of artillery. The next morning she was presented by General Greene to Washington, who praised her heroism and made her a sergeant. She was placed upon the list of half-pay officers for life.
Anthony Gulliver, a native of Ireland, was born in 1619. He died at Milton, Mass., 1706. His children were: Lydia, born 1651; Samuel, born 1653; Jonathan, born 1659; Stephen, born 1663; John, born 1669; Elizabeth, born 1671; Nathaniel, born 1675. There were also two other children, Hannah and Mary. The children were all born in this country, Cullen’s Story of the Irish in Boston states that “Anthony Gulliver was the ancestor of a large number of able and influential men and women, who have been prominent in the history of church and town affairs of Milton for nearly two hundred years.”
From the Calendar of Colonial State Papers: “April 1st, 1653. Order of the Council of State. For a license to Sir John Clotworthy to transport to America 500 natural Irishmen.” On Oct. 3, 1655, it was ordered that “1000 Irish girls and the like number of boys of 14 years or under,” be sent to Jamaica, “the allowance to each one not to exceed 20 shillings.” May 22, 1656, an order was adopted “for the transportation of 1200 men from Knockfergus in Ireland and Port Patrick in Scotland to Jamaica.” (Quoted by Rev. James H. O’Donnell in his History of the Diocese of Hartford, Conn.)