USA > Massachusetts > Suffolk County > Boston > The story of the Irish in Boston, together with biographical sketches of representative men and noted women > Part 39
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MCDEVITT, ROBERT, 1871. MCGILVRAY, DAVID F., 1856, '57. McKENNEY, WILLIAM, 1873.
MONARY, WILLIAM S., 1886. MILLER, WILLIAM H., 1885.
MINON, MICHAEL G., 1868. MOLEY, PATRICK, 1874, '75.
MOONEY THOMAS (Ward 3), 1859.
MOONEY, WILLIAM, 1864, '65.
MULLANE, JEREMIAH M., 1869, '71, '72.
MURPHY, CORNELIUS, 1861, '62.
MURPHY, JAMES F., 1885.
MURPHY, JOHN, 1886. MURPHY, JOHN J., 1870.
NUGENT, JAMES H., 1877. O'BRIEN, CHRISTOPHER, 1886.
O'BRIEN, FRANCIS, 1879. O'BRIEN, JOHN, 1870, '71.
O'BRIEN, JOHN P., 1883.
O'DONNELL, EDWARD, 1877. O'DONNELL, PHILIP, 1861, '62, '63. POWER, RICHARD, 1875.
QUINN, JOHN, 1870. REAGAN, WILLIAM J., 1884, '85, '86. RICHARDS, WILLIAM R., 1886. RIDDLE, PATRICK E., 1885. RILEY, JAMES, 1859, '60, '61, '62.
RYAN, EDWARD, 1862, '63.
RYAN, JOSEPH T., 1868, '69, '70, '71. SLATTERY, JOHN A., 1879. SWEENEY, DANIEL J., 2d, 1880.
TAYLOR, WILLIAM, 1870, '71, '76. TAYLOR, WILLIAM, Jr., 1884, '85, '86. TEEVAN, JAMES, 1881, '82. TUCKER, JOHN C., 1858, '59, '60, '61, '62, '63, '67. WELLS, MICHAEL F., 1862, '63, '64, '67, '68, '69, '70, '73.
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BUSINESS AFFAIRS AND
MEN OF BUSINESS.
BUSINESS AFFAIRS AND MEN OF BUSINESS.
T HE geographical position of Boston makes it one of the most important commercial cities in the United States, and, as the metropolis of New England, it commands the immense volume of trade of the Eastern States.
The almost fabulous growth of our industries, and the ex- tent of our import and export trade, have won the admiration of the world. The Old World steadily receives our products, and there is an encouraging increase of exported articles each year. Boston is also the great distributing point whence the merchandise of the East is shipped to every section of the continent. The abundant capital at the disposal of its citizens places it in the front rank of the lead- ing industrial cities in the country. The position of the Irish race, as projectors and promoters of the diversified business enterprises and important factors in the present development of trade and manufact- ures, is progressive. The early Irish settlers of whom there is any record seem to have engaged in the paper and chocolate industries. Such men as John Cogan, James Boies, John Hannan, and Jeremiah Smith, for instance, were among the most able and prominent busi- ness men of early times. About Cogan much might be written. To Mr. John B. Reagan, of Dorchester, Mass., we are indebted for the discovery of Cogan's Celtic origin, and the following sketch of his work in Boston, which appeared in "The Boston Herald " of May 23, 1889, is interesting : -
(399)
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THE IRISH IN BOSTON.
JOHN COGAN, THE MAN WHO OPENED THE FIRST STORE IN BOSTON.
To the Editor of the " Herald : " -
Among those who came over in the so-called Winthrop fleet, composed of " people from all parts," were several merchants from the maritime ports of Ireland, of whom John Cogan was one. He first went to Dorchester, and had land allotted him there in 1630. The keen and far-seeing eye of the man of business quickly discovered that Boston was destined to be the location for men of his stamp, and he moved there in 1632. He, in company with Winthrop, Bellingham, Coddington, and others, laid the foundation of what is to-day the city of Boston. He was appointed by Governor Winthrop in 1633 a commissioner to select the lands that were best adapted for agricultural purposes, that the colonists might not waste their energies in planting on land not adapted for their crop. He was one of the board of selectmen the first year of its existence, was one of the first to join the church, and so much was he esteemed by Rev. Mr. Wilson, the pastor of the first church in Boston, that Cogan was often consulted by him on worldly affairs. The lot on the north-east corner of State and Washington streets he purchased of Rev. Mr. Wilson, and erected a building on it; and on this spot, March 4, 1634, John Cogan from Ireland opened the first store in the town of Boston. To him belongs the honor of being the father of Boston merchants. He was one of the charter members of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company. The name of Mr. Cogan is insepa- rably connected with the interests and progress of the first twenty-five years of Boston's existence. He was the owner of a great deal of real estate in the city and surrounding towns. Among his property was the lot corner of Beacon and Tremont streets, known in our day as the Pavilion and Albion Hotel lot. It was 322 feet on Beacon street and 76 feet on Tremont street. After the death of Mr. Cogan it became the residence successively of Joshua Scotto, Colonel Shrimpton, and Rev. Mr. Oxenbridge, and was considered at that time one of the most desirable resi- dences in Boston. Mr. Cogan's next-door neighbor on the north, toward Pem- berton square, was Governor Bellingham. This Bellingham lot became famous afterward as the homestead of the Faneuils. The Faneuils came to Boston in 1691, and were obliged to give bonds to the town that they would not become a public charge. When Peter Faneuil died, in 1742, this property was appraised at the then enormous sum of {12,375, so that this locality must have been one of Boston's favored spots as a residence. In 1651 Mr. Cogan was married to Martha, the widow of Gov. John Winthrop, Governor Endicott performing the marriage ceremony. Among Mr. Cogan's donations to Harvard College was 175 acres of land in Chelsea. He was very wealthy for the times he lived in. Among his prop- erty was one farm in Chelsea, valued at £450, beside other parcels in that locality.
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BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
He had mills in Charlestown and in Malden, also 500 acres of land in Woburn, and two stores in Boston, with other property beside his residence. All in all, he was one of Boston's chief pillars, both in Church and State. He died in Boston, April 27, 1658. J. B. R.
DORCHESTER, May 23, 1889.
PAPER-MILLS IN MILTON.
EARLY IRISH SETTLERS IN MASSACHUSETTS.
Recent articles on the early paper industry of this country have excited the curiosity of many of our older citizens, who have re- freshed their memory by tracing up the early history of some of the founders of the paper-mills. From records which have been ap- proved by the writers of history, a Dorchester (Mass.) citizen has compiled the following story of the paper industry on the Neponset river : -
On Sept. 13, 1728, the Massachusetts General Court passed an act granting the exclusive privilege to make paper in this province for a term of ten years to some Boston merchants. Among them were Thomas Hancock and Benjamin Faneuil. A fine of twenty shillings was imposed on every ream manufactured by anybody else. These gentlemen leased a building at what is now Milton Lower Mills. Henry Deering acted as agent and superintendent. These gentlemen carried on the business until 1737, when it came under the superin- tendency of Jeremiah Smith, who had some years previously arrived from Ireland.
In 1741 he was enabled to purchase the mill from the heirs of Rev. Joseph Belcher, of Dedham, with seven acres of land lying on both sides of the Neponset river, and bounded by the public landing and also the county road. Mr. Smith continued to carry on the business until 1775, when, having accumulated a fortune, he sold out to his son-in-law, Daniel Vose, and retired from active business. If to Mr. Smith belongs the credit of being the first individual paper manu- facturer, to others of his countrymen is due the fact that the Neponset river was made the basis of paper manufacturing in the North American colonies, which, in a measure, lasts to this day.
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THE IRISH IN BOSTON.
About 1744, Capt. James Boies, who had been acting as super- cargo on vessels sailing from Galway and Bristol, settled in Dorchester, and built mills and manufactured paper. In 1771 he took into partnership his son-in-law, Hugh McLean, and they became the owners of several paper-mills and slitting-mills on the Neponset river.
About 1795, a young man from New Jersey named Mark Hollingsworth was given employment in one of these mills, and after the deaths of Boies and McLean he, in company with Edward Tileston, became possessed of the mills and water privileges. The descendants of Messrs. Tileston and Hollingsworth carry on the business to this day in the same locality.
Jeremiah Smith, Hugh McLean, and James Boies may be said to be the founders and early promoters of the paper industry of Dorchester and Milton.
In the biographical sketches we have touched upon the business records of other men who were eminently among the solid men of the city in early times. The fact that the prominence of their descend- ants in business life does not stand out so boldly to-day is due to the blending of the Irish blood of the fathers with that of other nationalities. The Irish-American business men of our generation in Boston are progressing steadily towards the highest positions of profit in the commercial and mercantile world. The relative posi- tions between the Boston business men of Irish birth and descent and those of principal Western cities is very large, varying in point of wealth many millions of dollars. We have no Mackay, Flood, or other bonanza kings. The wealthy New York Irish-American capitalist has no peer in Boston. We are yet but sowers.
A prominent citizen of Boston asked Gen. Benjamin F. Butler not long since why it was that the Irish citizens of Boston had not made more visible progress among the leading manufacturers and merchants of the city. The general replied that the Irish, in this respect, were like a young, sturdy, and growing wood, encompassed and overshadowed by a larger one of full growth, and that in course of time the young wood swells to such proportions as to force the
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BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
old wood down, and burst into full view; which seems to be a very unique explanation of the difficulty. It would involve much time and space to narrate the business success of the individual. Much can be learned from the biographical sketches in this book. That the Irish have contributed to the material advancement and pros- perity of Boston, and given to it much of its industrial prominence, is a fact unquestionable.
THE UNION INSTITUTION FOR SAVINGS.
When the Rev. John McElroy, S.J., was building the Church of the Immaculate Conception and Boston College on Harrison avenue, it required a large expenditure of money, and he found it very difficult to obtain loans from the savings-banks of this city, as they were prejudiced against such loans, and there was a possibility that the work would have to stop for want of means.
Associated with Father McElroy there were a number of lay- men, who were anxious for the financial prosperity and success of the church and college, among the most active of whom were. Joseph A. Laforme, Francis Mclaughlin, John C. Crowley, Hugh. O'Brien, Geo. F. Emery, and Hugh Carey, and the question was. asked, Why not start a savings-bank that would be managed with more liberality, enable the large and increasing Catholic population: to build their churches, asylums, and institutions of learning, and also to encourage men of small means to build dwellings? They were aware of the fact that considerable money was lying idle, and that it only required a little effort to induce people to place their surplus earnings under the control of such a management, and, after consideration, it was determined to ask the Legislature for a charter.
This idea was strongly encouraged by the Right Rev. John B. Fitzpatrick, by the Very Rev. J. J. Williams, V.G.,1 by the Rev. Father McElroy, and other well-known clergymen and laymen; but it was believed at the time if Catholics alone applied for a charter, that it was doubtful if the Legislature would grant it, on account of
1 The present Archbishop of Boston, who has ever been a stanch friend of the bank.
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THE IRISH IN BOSTON.
existing prejudices. To overcome this prejudice, the cooperation of outside parties was asked, and, with the combined influence of such leading citizens as Moses B. Williams, Wm. I. Bowditch, R. S. S. Andros, Joshua D. Ball, Thomas J. Lee, Wm. H. Thorndike, and Robert H. Waters, the General Court was petitioned for a charter to the Union Institution for Savings in the city of Boston, which was granted to Moses B. Williams, Patrick Donahoe, John C. Crowley, and their associates. The act of incorporation was signed and approved by Gov. John A. Andrew, Feb. 8, 1865.
The first president was John C. Crowley, and treasurer, George F. Emery, who held the position until his death, April 14, 1886. The " Union " commenced business at No. 238 Washington street, May 1, 1865. On the 25th of March, 1869, the corporation approved of the purchase of a site for a bank building, corner of Chauncy and Bedford streets, and Messrs. John C. Crowley, Hugh O'Brien, and Joseph A. Laforme were appointed a building committee with full powers. A handsome stone structure was erected, to which the bank was removed Aug. 5, 1870, occupying No. 37 Bedford street, with the significant emblem of a large beehive in gilt pro- jecting over the entrance.
This institution broke down the prejudice existing against loans on Catholic-church property, and savings-banks, whose depositors were, to a very large extent, Irish Catholics, and some of whom had positively refused any loans on such property, soon came to their senses, and now, and for a long time, such loans are eagerly taken, and considered among the safest investments.
The bank has now been in existence twenty-four years, has been managed with care and ability, and successfully withstood the great run on savings-banks that occurred some years ago. In fact, during that panic, it proved to be one of the strongest savings-banks in the State, as the bank had a large amount of quick assets on hand, and was enabled to meet all demands in accordance with the by-laws of the institution. The rates of interest paid during these years have been from eight to three per cent. One commendable feature of the bank is the number of small mortgages held, - a far greater pro-
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BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
portion than any similar bank in the State, - and in this way it has encouraged persons of small means to build and own their home- steads.
The gentlemen who have been connected with the active man- agement of the bank during these twenty-four years are : -
Moses B. Williams, Joseph A. Laforme, Hugh O'Brien, Patrick Donahoe, John C. Crowley, Francis Mclaughlin, Thomas J. Lee, Robert H. Waters, Theodore Metcalf, Wm. H. O'Brien, Hugh Carey, James Collins, Francis A. Peters, John W. Cartwright, Thomas B. Williams, Bernard Foley, Owen Nawn, John J. Hayes, Cornelius P. Harkins, Joseph D. Fallon, Michael J. Ward, James W. Dunphy, P. H. Kendricken, John Curtin, Edward Harkins.
The following as trustees : -
R. S. S. Andros, John G. Blake, M.D., P. O. Burrough, Rev. Wm. Byrne, P. A. Collins, Tristram Campbell, Wm. T. Connelly, Michael Doherty, T. J. Dacey, James G. Davis, Cor. F. Driscoll, Wm. A. Dunn, M.D., George F. Emery, Rev. James Fitton, John E. Fitzgerald, M. F. Gavin, M.D., P. F. Griffin, Rev. Geo. A. Hamil- ton, Rev. Geo. F. Haskins, Owen H. Hanlon, Ambrose Kohler, James F. Mullin, William Murray, Dugald McDougall, John M. Maguire, W. J. Porter, Wm. S. Pelletier, Henry Pazolt, P. H. Powers, Henry L. Richards, Thomas F. Ring, P. F. Sullivan, Rev. J. Simeon, S.J., James H. Tallon, Samuel-Tuckerman, Denis H. Tully, Joseph Walker, N. M. Williams.
The bank is now located at the corner of Washington street and Hayward place, - a very prominent corner in a great business centre, -and since this estate was purchased it has largely increased in value. The bank has on hand a large guarantee and surplus fund, which insures perfect safety to all depositors. The present officers of the bank are : -
1888-89.
President. - Hugh O'Brien.
Vice-President. - Joseph D. Fallon. Treasurer. - William S. Pelletier.
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THE IRISH IN BOSTON.
Clerk. - John J. Mccluskey.
Trustees. - John G. Blake, John Curtin, James G. Davis, C. F. Driscoll, William A. Dunn, James W. Dunphy, Joseph D. Fallon, John E. Fitzgerald, M. F. Gavin, C. P. Harkins, Edward Harkins, . P. H. Kendricken, John M. Maguire, Owen Nawn, Hugh O'Brien, William S. Pelletier, William J. Porter, P. F. Sullivan, Joseph Walker, Michael J. Ward, Nicholas M. Williams.
Executive Committee. - Hugh O'Brien, ex officio; Joseph D. Fallon, John Curtin, C. P. Harkins, Edward Harkins, P. H. Kendricken, M. J. Ward.
Deposits, $3,422,698.27. Surplus, $144,686.50.
ANDREW CARNEY.
Of the many representative Irishmen whom Boston can claim as an honored citizen, and refer to the history of his life with the utmost pride, none, perhaps, could have a more exalted position than Andrew Carney. He was, in the words of a business asso- ciate, " one of God's best noblemen." To the poor of this city in times of sickness and poverty he was a kind-hearted, whole- souled, generous friend and protector. To the Catholic Church and the charitable institutions in existence about the middle of the nineteenth century he was a ready provider, and always liberally subscribed large sums of money for their maintenance. Many a poor apple-woman of his time, presiding over her "little stand," was approached by the Irish merchant and tendered a half-dollar, "with no change," in payment of his purchase of an apple. He would walk away with the exclamation, " Hush, my dear woman, don't say a word about it !" Incidents of this kind would sometimes be so frequent, that on riding home in a street car at the close of the day, he would not have money enough to pay his fare, necessitating a loan from a neighbor, which he always made it a rule to pay on the following day.
Andrew Carney, the founder of the Carney Hospital, was born in Ballanagh, County Cavan, Ireland, May 12, 1794; he died at Boston, Mass., April 3, 1864, within a month and nine days of being seventy
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years of age. He was of humble origin, and received but a meagre education. At an early age he learned the tailor's trade, and in 1816, when twenty years of age, came to this country. He located in Boston, where he obtained employment as a tailor " at the bench," and for a time worked for Kelley & Hudson, tailors, on State street. " He began life," said the Rev. Father McElroy, in his eulogy, " with nothing but health and labor to rely upon." Young Carney was, however, self-reliant, confident, industrious, persevering, economical, and regular in his business habits, and he won. He held the key of success in his hand, turned it at the opportune time, and opened the door to a substantial fortune. In or about the third decade of the present century he became associated in business with Hon. Jacob Sleeper, under the firm style of Carney & Sleeper, cloth- iers, North street. This association continued until he was about fifty years of age, and resulted very satisfactorily financially to both partners. Few business firms of that period could show a business record as honorable, or one indicative of more commendable enter- prise. Mr. Carney was always punctual, and regarded his word with the sincerity and security of a bond. It is said of him that he was a very keen business man, was exceedingly shrewd, and could see " money " in a transaction when others would be blind to the possi- bilities of the occasion. In 1845 the firm of Carney & Sleeper dis- solved, and during the last nineteen years of his life he was not actively engaged in business. During this time, however, he held trusts of responsibility and honor. He was one of the originators of the Bank of the Republic and the Safety Fund Bank, now the First National Bank, the John Hancock Mutual Life Insurance Company, and many other successful institutions.
His donations for charity were many, and of large amounts. In the three years preceding his death he gave away over $300,000, an average of $100,000 a year. At the fall of the Pemberton Mills in Lawrence, Mass., about the year 1860, which caused so much suffer- ing to poor families, he sent a telegram carly in the morning to the authorities of the city informing them that his check had been sent by mail to aid the sufferers. He bought and presented to the good
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THE IRISH IN BOSTON.
Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul, the land and buildings now occupied by the Carney Hospital, at a cost of $13,500; and in the codicil to his will, dated June 25, 1863, he bequeathed $20,000 addi- tional, and one-half of the rest and residue of his estate, which amounted to $45,295.99. The Church of the Immaculate Conception also received $20,000.
Mr. Carney was a noble-hearted, devoted Christian, and his death was a source of sincere sorrow to a large number. The obsequies were held at the Church of the Immaculate Conception, which were attended by Governor Andrew and council, the immediate business associates and merchants, many of whom closed their places of busi- ness at the hour of the funeral. At the church a grand requiem mass was celebrated, with Very Rev. John J. Williams, V.G., celebrant ; Rev. Father Bapst, S.J., and Rev. Father O'Hagan, S.J., of Holy Cross College, deacon and sub-deacon; and Rev. Father James A. Healey, master of ceremonies. An appropriate eulogy was delivered by the Rev. Father McElroy. Mr. Carney is understood to have left property to the amount of $717,354.99, which would now amount to a million and a half of dollars.
CHRISTOPHER BLAKE.
Christopher Blake, who for many years was prominently iden- tified with the furniture manufacturing interests of Boston, is a repre- sentative citizen of Irish birth, and a successful and retired merchant.
From a comparatively small beginning, by his industry, perse- verance, good judgment, and strict business integrity, he has accumu- lated a comfortable fortune which now allows him a rest from the labor incidental to active business life. He was born in Balbriggan, County Dublin, Ireland, Jan. 24, 1830. His early education was re- ceived at a private school. In September, 1846, he arrived in Boston, where he has since made his home. He served four years' appren- ticeship at the furniture manufacturing trade with Joseph L. Ross, on Hawkins street, and afterwards worked as journeyman, until 1856, when he commenced business for himself at 94 Utica street, with a capital of only $300. His means were limited, but, with characteristic
1
CHRISTOPHER BLAKE.
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BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
push, he was equal to the obstacles of the occasion, and subsequently became proprietor of a very large establishment. In 1866 he built a factory on Dorchester avenue, his salesrooms being located at 100 North street. He employed, on an average, one hundred and fifty men in a building completely equipped for the manufacture of centre tables, hall-stands, etagères, writing-desks, and bookcases. The patterns made consisted of over two thousand five hundred designs, and the production amounted to about $175,000 per year, - an average consumption of four hundred thousand feet of lumber, prin- cipally walnut, cherry, oak, mahogany, and white-wood. A forty- horse power engine was used to run seven circular saws, three band saws, three planers, five boring machines, four irregular moulders, one sandpaper machine, four jig saws, four turning-lathes, one pointer, and several other machines. The working-floor room covered about thirty-seven thousand square feet, and the kilns for
drying lumber had a capacity of thirty thousand feet. His trade ex- tended all over the United States, with large exportations to South America. On April 4, 1887, he retired from business, leaving as suc- cessors Joseph M. Blake (son) and C. H. W. Schlimper, under the firm style of the C. Blake Furniture Manufacturing Company. Mr. Blake never accepted public office, although many times asked to do so. He is a member of the Charitable Irish Society, Massachusetts Charitable Mechanics' Association, City Point Citizens' Association, Boston Furniture Club, a director of the Home for Destitute Catholic Children, and an honorary member of both Post 2, G.A.R., and the New England Furniture Exchange.
THOMAS B. FITZ.
Thomas B. Fitz, merchant, born in Grafton, Mass., Dec. 17, 1844. He attended the public schools of Hopkinton, Mass., and was a graduate of the High School of that place. He came to Boston when eighteen years of age, and became employed by E. D. Bell & Co., retail dry and fancy goods, at a salary of two and one-half dol- lars a week. The concern sold out shortly afterward, and young Fitz engaged with L. S. Schofield (formerly Bell's superintendent),
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THE IRISH IN BOSTON.
later, Schofield, Barron, & Co. The latter firm subsequently estab- lished a branch house in New York City, where Mr. Fitz became confidential clerk. In less than two years the firm dissolved, and he was offered and accepted a copartnership with Mr. Schofield, but, upon finding that less capital was put into the business than was rep- resented, he withdrew. In 1865 he engaged with Mason, Tucker, & "Co., wholesale fancy goods, as a travelling salesman, where he re- mained for seven years. In July, 1872, he engaged with Brown, Dutton, & Co .; but the great Boston fire, November 9, of that year, brought about a dissolution, and in December both partners com- menced business separately.
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