USA > New York > Albany County > Albany > Albany bi-centennial. Historical memoirs > Part 22
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Yet what a glad surprise to discover that the Governor was an exception to the rule, and that to-day I could truthfully depiet him in terms of almost unmeasured praise. Whether that praise is well bestowed I leave to you to judge from the historical facts which I will now present-facts which are indisputably verified in all the records and chronicles of his time.
Thomas Dongan was the younger son of an Irish baronet, and was born in 1634. He was the son of Sir John Don- gan, a representative of a very ancient Roman Catholic family. He was also a nephew of the famous Duke of Tyr-
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connel, lord-lieutenant of Ireland. There were nine sons and three daughters in the family, which was one of strong influence and devoted adherents of the house of Stuart, Charles II. being then the occupant of the English throne. When Governor Dongan was a mere boy, the English king, Charles I., met his death upon the scaffold, and the govern- ment passed into the control of Oliver Cromwell, who, when he had finished the subjugation of his English subjects, turned his attention across the water to Ireland, and made that fair land feel the effects of his bloody invasion. It may well be imagined that his native land did not afford to young Dongan an inviting abiding place. Partisans of the house of Stuart, and more especially Catholic ones, were not much in favor with Cromwell and his followers. At such a time young Dongan came to maturity, and like so many of his race was obliged to seek an asylum in exile. He became a soldier in the famous Irish brigade, and remained in the French service long after the restoration, when Charles the Second regained the English throne. The king not long after bestowed upon his brother, the Duke of York, this province, whence its name is derived, although it was at the time in the possession of the Dutch, a circumstance not regarded of much weight by English kings at any time.
While Dongan was still serving as colonel of an Irish regi- ment in the service of the French king in 1677, King Charles issued a peremptory order requiring all English sub- jects to quit France in forty-eight hours. Colonel Dongan, ever loyal, yielded prompt obedience to the royal mandate, and left France with large arrears of pay due him and re- turned to England. In 1682 the Duke of York appointed him Governor of the province of New York, which at that time included a vast territory, embracing part of Maine and extending from the west side of the Connecticut river to Delaware bay. On August 25, 1683, he arrived in the city of New York and assumed the government of the province. It is from this point that the history of Dongan becomes most interesting.
It will be necessary to take a brief retrospect of the history of the province prior to Dongan's arrival. In 1664 the province was in the possession of the Dutch, when an Eng- lish fleet bombarded the city of New Amsterdam, as they called it, and the Dutch capitulated, and Gov. Lovelace became Governor.
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Gov. Lovelace immediately dispatched some soldiers under command of Capt. John Manning, to reduce Albany to subjection to the new order of things. Manning fulfilled his mission, and Fort Orange became Fort Albany, and the Dutch garrison gave way to English soldiers. Things re- mained in this shape until 1673, when Capt. Manning, then being commander-in-chief in New York, and Deputy Gov- ernor of the province, the Dutch retook possession. It is interesting here to note that Irishmen were already residents of the province, although I am free to confess that I base the assertion simply upon the names which appear in the records of these times, and the fact that the Duke of York had a great liking for the Irish. Among the soldiers in the fort when the Dutch retook it were Captain John Manning, Sergeants Patrick Dowdall and John Fitzgerald, and Lewis Collins and Thomas Quinn. There were only fifty soldiers in all. That there were Irishmen in the province prior to that time cannot be proved from the absence of Irish names in the records, for the Dutch so modified the orthography that no linguist could trace them. As for instance, in the ancient records of this county will be found that in the year 1657 a conveyance was made to "Jan Andriesse (the Irish- man at Katskill)." Certainly without the addition, nobody would ever suspect his nationality. This great province was then governed with an iron hand ; the powers lodged in the Governor were absolute. He exercised all the functions of government. There was no representation of the people either in legislating or in matters of taxation. Yet one of Dongan's first acts was the calling of a general assembly, elected by the people, which assembled in October, 1683, one of whose first laws was the charter of liberties and priv- ileges, which provided for the election of members of assembly every three years. It also declared liberty of conscience and freedom of worship, and it further established the great principle for the maintenance of which the war of the Revolution was fought, that there should be no taxes im- posed except by act of the Governor and assembly. In 1687, the declaration of indulgence was promulgated, which authorized public worship by any sect and repealed all religious qualifications for office.
The duties of Governor Dongan were very severe. At the north he had to protect Albany and the adjacent county from the attacks of the French and hostile Indians. On the
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Connecticut border he had to repel the encroachment of the New England colonists. On the Pennsylvania border Penn sought to extend his dominions. In his war with the French he was compelled, in order to raise funds, to sell his plate and furniture, and mortgage his lands, at a cost to himself of nearly his entire fortune, $50,000, which an ungrateful government never repaid him.
On the 22d of July, 1686, Governor Dongan delivered to the first mayor the charter of the city of Albany, which still exists in the municipal records. A charter which, with few changes, remained in force until the year 1870, and is a model in its way.
Of Dongan's character the records of those troublous times speak only in praise. Smith, the colonial historian says : " He was a man of integrity, moderation and genteel manners."
Hinckley, of Plymouth, a zealous Puritan, said : " He was of a noble, praiseworthy mind and spirit, taking care that all the people in each town did their duty in maintaining the minister of the place though himself of a different opinion of their way," and Dominie Selyns wrote to the classis at Amsterdam, that Governor Dongan was "a man of knowledge, politeness and friendliness."
In 1688 Governor Dongan's public life ceased and Gov- ernor Andres succeeded him. He was offered a regiment and the rank of major-general by King James, but he re- fused, and retired to his country seat on Long Island. The English revolution swept King James from his throne, and William and Mary were proclaimed. When the news of the change reached New York, Jacob Leisler, a fanatic and bigot, seized the fort and pretended that the partisans of King James had formed a plot to seize the province. Loud cries of a papist plot were raised. Governor Andres was arrested at Boston. Dongan, charged as a papist, was hunted about from place to place, and writs issued for his apprehension. After lying in the bay for a fortnight waiting to sail for England, stress of weather compelled his return. He escaped to Rhode Island and reached England in 1691. A new Governor was appointed and Leisler met a deserved fate on the scaffold. Dongan found his brother, the Earl of Limerick, an exile, and the family estates confiscated. His brother died in 1698 and Thomas Dongan became Earl of Limerick. He spent the remainder of his days in a vain
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endeavor to collect his claim from the government, £17,000. An act of parliament was passed in 1702 recognizing his claim to the family estates, but he could only redeem them on payment of incumbrances placed on them by the Dutch general to whom they were given. In 1704 he petitioned Queen Anne for a third of his debt, offering to release the rest, and stating that it would be better for him to live in Turkey than in England. But it did not seem to avail him, for in 1714 he states that, after paying his brother's debts and his own, he had little left for his support. In Decem- ber, 1715, the last Earl of Limerick of his race died peace- fully in London.
On his tombstone, at St. Pancras, is this simple inscription : "The Right Hon. Thos. Dongan, Earl of Limerick, died Dec. 14, 1715, aged 81 years. Requiscat
in pace, amen." Hon. James W. Gerard, to whose essay on the New York charter granted by Dongan about the sanie time as our charter, I am much indebted for the materials of this address, in concluding a notice of Dongan says: " He was a man of experience in war and politics, and filled the public duties of his difficult post with activity and wisdom. He was considerate and moderate in his government-just and tolerant-and his personal character was that of an upright and courteous gentleman."
I have devoted considerable time to the consideration of his deeds, but he was a noble Irishman and well deserves it, and the Irish people owe a debt of everlasting gratitude to his memory. The recent foundation of the " Dongan Club," by representative young Irishmen of the city, is a fitting, and I trust a lasting monument to his worth.
From the time of Dongan to the Revolution the records do not furnish us many data in reference to the Irish in this city. We find that Dongan himself strongly urged upon his king to send Irish colonists " who could live happily here." This appeal is published in the " Documentary History of New York." Whether they were sent or not is not neces- sary to determine, although as early as 1720 we find among the few city freeholders here such names of Daniel Kelly, William and John Hogan and John Collins, which bear a strong impress of Irish origin. In 1729 we learn that a number of Irish families from county Longford, who had landed at Cape Cod, moved westward to the banks of the Hudson river. Among these was Charles Clinton, whose family gave two governors to the State, George and De Witt
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Clinton. In 1755 Philip Mullen was firemaster of the city, and in 1755 Philip Ryley was the person in charge of the town clock. In 1770 we find Pat Clark, Pat McGrigor, Owen Lynch, James Marr, Pat Cooney, John Brien, Luke Cassidy, John O'Brien, Pat Gahigan, Ryan, McCue, Moore, Daley and Dempsey among the inhabitants.
In the era of the Revolution, while history gives but little light upon the deeds of Irishmen in this locality, save of the heroic Montgomery and Clintons, the action of the race, both at home and abroad, show that their sympathies were with the colonies. At home Burke, Barre and Sheridan eloquently defended the patriotic cause, and the Irish com- mons refused a vote of money to be used against them. Of the fifty six names attached to the Declaration of Independ- ence, nine are of Irish origin. Four Irish commodores, including the illustrious Barry and Charles Stewart, " Old Ironsides," the ancestor of the renowned Parnell, shed lustre on the Irish name. In the army, General Sullivan and Mad Anthony Wayne, both of Irish descent, fought nobly with their patriotic brethren against the British foe. So it can be fairly assumed that Albany's Irishmen in those stirring times did their duty.
From the time that America shook off the English hold, the records of Irishmen in this city are more- numerous and frequent. In 1788 we find Robert and John Barber, Long- ford county Irishmen, settled here as State printers and engaged in publishing the Albany Register. This was more than a century after the granting of the charter, and yet we find that the city had grown very slowly. This was due mainly to the fact that many of the early settlers considered it but a temporary abiding place for purposes of commerce only, and many of the Dutch, after accumulating wealth, returned either to Holland or to New York, where greater conveniences of life could be obtained. The population was in 1790 less than 3,500. But a new order of things ensued and emigrants rapidly arrived who came to stay.
In 1796, the Irish had become so numerous that they commenced the erection of the original St. Mary's church, and Thomas Barry, Daniel McEwen, Terence O'Donnell, Jeremiah Driskill, Michael Begley, William Donovan and Philip Farley were the trustees. At this time the population was about 4,000, exclusive of slaves, and was composed of people of all nations, and more tongues were spoken here
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than in any other part of the country. Ten years later the increase was so great that a special act of the legislature was passed incorporating the St. Patrick's society of the city of Albany, the objects being "to afford relief to indigent and distressed emigrants from the kingdom of Ireland." This act became a law February 6, 1807.
So that at this early day we find the Irish already in occu- pancy of their own church and organized into a society for their own protection. The officers, in 1813, were Thomas Hannan, president; Hugh Flynn, vice-president ; Cornelius Dunn, treasurer; John Reddy, secretary.
In 1813 the first directory of this city was published and is still extant, and a hasty perusal of the few names in it shows that the Emerald Isle was well represented. There were Barrys, Byers and Buckley, Burkes and Cassidys, Clarks, Coles, Connells and Connellys, Courtneys, Delaneys, Doyles, Duffys, Dunns, Flynns, Furlongs, Gillespies, Graces, Hogans, Haggertys, Harts, Kanes, Kennedys, Loudens, Lynchs, McCabes, Mccarthys, McCollums, McGills, Maguffins, Mathers, Mannings, Moores, Murphys, Murrays, Nugents, Rileys, Tierneys and Walshs, and yet at this time the population was but little over 10,000.
In the year previous, England had resorted to the extreme of boarding our vessels on the high seas and impressing such persons found thereon whom they deemed to be English subjects; in the war which resulted, the Irish of Albany were not unrepresented. James Maher organized an Albany regiment known as the "Irish Greens," which, under his captaincy, did valiant service in the battle against their hereditary enemy at Lundy's Lane and at Sackett's Harbor, and when the English were everywhere repulsed, returned to the city, and were received with the utmost enthusiasm. Captain Maher was also for a considerable period the libra- rian of the State Library.
In 1823, when a public ceremony was had in celebration of the completion of the Erie canal, a work undertaken by Governor DeWitt Clinton, a descendant of Charles Clinton, a Longford county Irishman, the St. Patrick's society of this city paraded. John Cassidy was a member of the common council committee which had the matter in charge. The society was under the command, as the records of that early day say, of that veteran river navigator, Captain Peter Donnelly.
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In 1825 we find Cassidy, Costigan and Maher in the list of aldermanic candidates.
In 1829 the little church was outgrown and a new one erected on the same site and the corner stone laid by John Cassidy. The trustees were Thomas Gough, a well-known banker, James Maher, the valiant captain of the " Irish Greens," John Reynolds, William Howe, Patrick McQuade, Timothy Hayes.
In 1833 an act was passed incorporating the Hibernian Provident society, one of whose objects was "to bring be- fore the American people the republican features of the Irish character." The incorporators were James Halliday, James Maher, William Osborne, Peter C. Doyle, Thomas Gough, William O'Donnel, Michael Cagger and others.
This society became a prominent institution of the city, and in its long and honorable career did much to advance the patriotic and charitable purposes of its incorporation.
From this time onward the annals of the city are replete with the records of distinguished Irishmen and their de- scendants. Here ministered Father McCloskey, first bishop of the city and first cardinal of the church in America. Dr. Edmund B. O'Callaghan here wrote his History of the New Netherlands and the Documentary History of New York. Peter Cagger, the brilliant lawyer, the astute politician, the Warwick of his time. William Cassidy, the brilliant jour- nalist and accomplished scholar. John Tracey, the philan- thropic and public spirited citizen. John McKnight, John Manning, Dennis B. Gaffney, John J. Marrin, George Hill, David Orr, James Quinn and his son, Terence J. Quinn, all kindliness and charity. But their names are legion, and it would be invidious to make any selections. Suffice it to say that in all the walks of life, professional or commercial, the Irish race, for the past half century, has played a promi- nent and creditable part, as it has in the official prepara- tions for the week, wherein we are chiefly represented by the Hon. Michael N. Nolan, Albany's first Irish-born Mayor. And when a quarter of a century ago the dark clouds of civil war swept over the land, no race of men in this nation rallied so quickly and so numerously to secure the safety of the Republic as the Irish. The Irishmen of Albany were no exception. The heroes of that race were legion. The thrilling scenes, the fearful havoc, the valiant deeds of that conflict are fresh in the minds of our people.
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Among the first to respond to President Lincoln's call for volunteers was the Twenty-fifth regiment of this city, under the command of that heroic Irishman, Col. Michael K. Bryan. The enthusiasm which greeted these noble fellows as the colors of the regiment were handed to the colonel by Mrs. Thacher, the respected wife of the then mayor and father of the gentleman who now fills that honorable office, cannot now be described. And when the news was borne to this city that the fearless soldier had been killed at Port Hudson, on June 14, 1863, the city was wrapped in sorrow. Col. Bryan's memory should ever be kept green in the hearts of his grateful countrymen. But the list of those brave fellows who fought and bled and died that their country might live, is a long and a sad one, and time will not allow more than a brief mention of their sad fate. Col. James P. McMahon, a Wexford boy, fell at Cold Harbor in 1864 with the colors in his hands. Col. Michael B. Stafford, Major Miles McDonald, Capt. Edward B. Carroll, Capt. John McGuire, Capt. John Sullivan, Lieut. Dempsey, Lieut. William Emmet Orr, Lieut. Patrick Maher, Capt. William Murray, Hugh Hammill, were among those brave soldiers who on the battlefield went down, and whose courage in that memorable conflict shed lustre on the Irish name. Let us in this moment of rejoicing not forget the sad fate of these heroes, at the same time remembering that
" Whether on the scaffold high, Or in the battle's van, The fittest place where man can die Is where he dies for man."
The growth of the Irish race in this city is remarkable. The best authority puts the Irish population, including those of immediate Irish descent, at not less than one-third of the entire population of 100,000, while some put it at one-half, The last State census of 1875 shows the number of inhabit- ants actually born in Ireland to be 14, 184 out of a total of 86,541, or nearly one-sixth. The last United States census of 18So ascertains the number of our inhabitants actually born in Ireland to be 12,575 out of a total of 90,578, or nearly one-seventh. A careful examination of the assess- ment rolls of the city show that out of the 18, 134 pieces of property assessed (which does not include corporations) that
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5,927 are assessed to persons of distinctive Irish names. And this property has not been acquired for a song or a string of beads from the Indians, but has been purchased by honest beads of perspiration and literal " sweat of the brow " of the possessors. From these figures it can readily be seen that the Irish and their children will be called upon to take a prominent part in the future of this city, as they have in the past. Even if the tide of emigration from the Emerald Isle should entirely cease the number of the race now here, and their descendants " to the manner born," will necessarily make them a potent factor in municipal affairs.
How will that influence be exercised ? The future alone will answer, but in this time of crying need for a better ad- ministration of the government of cities, I have confidence in the good sense of the Irish race to endeavor to secure needed reforms. If they must take part in the municipal affairs, why should they not lead in the direction of economy and pure government ? Why should they not emulate the example of their fellow countryman, the illustrious Dongan, and follow in the paths he has made ? We could pay no greater tribute to his memory and worth than by endeavoring manfully to secure a wise, economical and honest adminis- tration of public affairs. . Such a course would commend us to our fellow-citizens, and increase the respect and esteem in which they already hold us.
The Irish race can have no sympathy or affiliation with socialism or communism. While they will struggle manfully in a lawful manner for the rights of the masses, yet when, if ever, the red tide of anarchy assails us, they will be found on the side of law and order, of protection to property and the family relations. In this, as in other duties of citizen- ship, I have implicit faith in the people whose hearts are filled with too much gratitude to the land of their adoption, which received them with open arms in their distress, to per- mit them to destroy or aid in destroying the institutions and laws they have sworn to obey.
A duet, Venetian boat song, was then rendered by the Messrs. Phenie and Effie Gannon, and Mr. T. J. Lanahan gave a very excellent recitation, followed by a medley double quartette by Messrs. E. F. Yorke, J. McCormack, C. Colarn, E. Hanlon, J. O'Neill, J.
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Gallagher, H. Brown, J. Frenidan. Then Mr. M. J. Louden rendered an excellent poem, written for the occasion.
At the conclusion of the exercises at the rink all of the members of the Irish societies marched to Wash- ington park, headed by the Tenth Regiment band, for the purpose of planting their memorial tree. The crowd was so great and pressing that it was necessary for the Hibernian Rifle corps to form a line about the tree. The Rev. Father Burke officiated and assisted in filling the excavation. He made some fitting re- marks, as did also several representative Irish citizens who were present. The tree is set on the east side of the German tree, and in a line with that and the one planted by the colored citizens.
GERMAN EXERCISES.
PLANTING MEMORIAL TREES.
At the conclusion of the parade, the German socie- ties -- The Cæcelia, Liederkranz, Mozart, Liederkranz O. S. D. F., Eintracht and Harmonia-headed by the Albany City band, proceeded to Washington park to plant the memorial oak. A large crowd had already gathered. In the centre of the croquet lawn a large platform had been erected, which was beautifully decorated, being festooned with the United States colors and bearing the flags of all nations. This stand was occupied by the several societies. Several selections were played by the band. "Das ist der Tag des Herrn " was then sung by the united socie- ties. On its arrival, the Germans headed by Presi-
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dent Bissikummer, proceeded to the location, where the tree was placed in the excavation made for it by the president, who made some appropriate remarks.
The location of the tree is directly north of the plot set aside for the King fountain. After the earth had been thrown about the roots of the tree the soci- eties returned to the grand stand, where the remainder of the exercises were carried out, " Das Deutsche Lied " being sung by a chorus of united singers.
AN ELOQUENT ADDRESS
was then delivered in German by Emmanuel Labi- shiner. He said that from time immemorial it had been a custom of the Germans to appropriately ob- serve extraordinary historical events by the planting of an oak. The custom was probably brought by the German forefathers from their early home, and it has been retained until the present day. He then spoke in a feeling manner of the commemoration of the two hundredth anniversary of Albany. He op- portunely compared the growth of Albany to the slow and sturdy growth of the oak, which, after a century, is the emblem of strength. In conclusion, he said that the Germans, who were thorough Alba- nians, took a great interest in the growth and pros- perity of the city. The gentleman's remarks were well received. "Schlachtenchor " was then sung by the chorus and a selection rendered by the band. The exercises concluded by singing "America." The societies were then photographed by a well known artist.
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EXERCISES BY COLORED SOCIETIES.
AN ELM TREE PLANTED WITH IMPOSING CEREMONIES.
After the Germans had concluded their exer- cises, the colored citizens proceeded in a body to where their elm tree was to be planted. It is on the same plot, a few rods from the German oak. Reach- ing the place the tree was placed in position, and a short but fervent prayer offered by the Rev. Mr. Der- rick. He thanked God that, as representative of a once down-trodden and despised race, which had been lifted up, they had the privilege enjoyed on that occasion. At the conclusion of the prayer, " Coro- nation " was sung, after which Mr. T. H. S. Pennington, president of the colored society. but residing at Sara- toga Springs, spoke as follows :
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