Kentucky Irish American. (Louisville, Ky.) 1898-1968, 1899-01-21
Annual Meeting and Banquet
In New York City Thurs
day Night.
Report of Secretary General
Murray as to the Progress
Made Last Year.
MANY DISTINGUISHED MEN MEMBERS

the American Irish Historical Society
was held at Sherry's in New York City
on Thursday night. Edward A. Nose
lev. the President General, is the 'Secre-
tarv of the Interstate Commerce Com
mission in Washington City. He was i'll
and unable to attend, and Gen. James r.
O'Beirne, of New York, presided.
MANY distinguished Irish-Americans
were in attendance, and officers were
elected for the ensuing year. A number
of brilliant speeches were delivered, and
the society is reported to be growing in
numbers and influence.
Thomas Hamilton Murray, the Secre-
tary General, in presenting his report for
the year said.
The American-Irish Historical Society
has become a permanent institution. We
are now entering the third year OF our
existence. Success has attended our
efforts from the start and the future is
bright with prospect for continued good
work.
The society already has membership
Of close to 900, and the material Will
compare favorably with that of any his
torical organization in this country.
Among our members are representatives
of the Society of Colonial Wars, the
Society of the Cincinnati, the Sons of
the Revolution, the Military Order of
Foreign Wars, the United States Medal
of Honor Legion, the Society of Tam
many. the Bunker Hill Monument Soci-
ETY., the Military Order of the Loyal
Legion and several other patriotic
bodies. n
We have also in our membs 1a4'P Iep'
zeseptetises. Of Literary, and
organizations such as the Papyf'is cirb
of Boston, the Twentieth Century Club
of that city, the American Oriental So
ciety. the New England Historic, Genoa
logical Society, the Royal Society OF
Northen Antiquarians, Denmark, and the
Archaeological Institute of America.
Relative to the great American univers'-
ties. we number in ou,' ranks alumni OF
Harvard, Yale, Dartmouth, Boston, Johns
Hopkins, Bowdoin, Brown, Notre Dame,
the University of Vermont and the
University of Virginia. The Catholic
University at the national capital is rep
resented on our roll by its rector, its
vice rector and three of the faculty.
We have among our associates descend
ants of David O'Kelley, ''the Irishman,"
who located on Cape Cod, Mass, as
early as 1857; of Barnabas Palmer, an
Irishman, born in 1925, Who was present
at the capture of Louisburg, and of Gen.
eral Stephen Molyan of the American
Revolution. Three great societies COM
posed mainly of men of Irish lineage are
likewise represented in our organization.
I refer to the Charitable Irish Society of
Boston. founded in 1887; the Friendly
Sons of St. Patrick of Philadelphia and
the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick of New
York City.
We have with us, too, many people
who are prominent in law, medicine or
journalism, and many who have attained
emiuence on the bench, in science and
art, and in. mercantile pursuits. With
this composition, the American-Irish His
torical Society can legitimately claim to
be we'll equipped in personnel for the
work it has in view.
In the war with Spain just closed our
society was we'll represented and one OF
our members persisted in battle before
Santiago. OF the society there fought
on Cuban soil Col. Theodore Roosevelt,
of the Rough Riders; Capt. John Drum,
of the Tenth United States Infantry;
Major w. H. Donovan, of the Ninth
Massachusetts and Sergeant E. F. O'Sul-
Ivan of the same regiment.
Gen. M. c. Butler, Of the Cuban Evac-
nation Commission, is of us, while in the
Sixty-ninth New York we are also repre-
scented.
Since our last annual meeting six
members have died. They we're: DR..
Joseph H. Fay, Fall River. Mass; Mr..
Andrew Athy, Worcester, Mass; City
Marshal John f. Conner, Chicopee,
Mass. t; Rev. Philip ]. Grace, d. D., New
port. r. l.; Capt. John Drum, U. S. A.,
and Capt. John NJ. Tobin, Washington,
ID. c.
Capt. Drum was one OF the Tenth
United States Infantry and was killed in
battle near Santiago, Cuba, July 2, 1898.
A drawer soldier never lived His obse-
quies took place in Boston, our society
contributing an appropriate floral offer
ing. Capt. Tobin died in December last
at Knoxville, Tenn. Up to within short
time before his death he had been Assist
ant Ouartermaster, First Brigade, Second
Division, First Army Corps. During the
civil war he served CALAMITY in the Ninth
Massachusetts regiment. particularly dis
tinguishing himself at Malvern Hill and
being wounded at the Wilderness.
In June last the society observed its
first Held day, the exercises taking place