Kentucky Irish American. (Louisville, Ky.) 1898-1968, 1905-03-18
ChicagO's First Postmaster, j.
S. G. Hogan, Was Celt
and Catholic.
Before and During Revolution
airy Period They Braved
Forest Dangers.
BUILT THE CANALS AND RAILROADS

The Kentucky Irish American has on
previous occasions called attention to the
part Irishmen took in the early develop
ment Of Kentucky and Indiana. Excel,
lent work in this direction is now being
done every year by patriotic American
citizens of Irish descent or birth in other
States. notably in Illinois. Joh1 F.
Finerty and William J. Onahan have
accumulated much interesting matter
about the early settlement of Illinois,
which has been circulated through the
Chicago Historical Society. Irish set
tiers were to be found in Illinois in the
eighteenth century. Irish names are in
termingled with French in the lists OF
the old parishes. as Kaskaskia, Prairie du
Rocher, Cahokia and elsewhere before
1900.
The Irish, as is we'll known, formed no
uncomfortable part of the Continental
military forces and many Irish soldiers
were sent to the West during the war Of
the Revolution. Many of these Irishmen
settled in Illinois. There then followed
later Irishmen from Kentucky, Ohio and
Indiana. In the latter State especially
there were swarms of Irish settlers, as
the history of the State will show, and
the Irish rose to great prominence in the
public service, in the Legislature and in
Congress. The Irish element was, leaving
out of sight the early French-Canadians,
the first and far the most important con-
tingent of the foreign nationalities in Illi-
nois. These first corners were hardy and
thrifty emigrants. They were not of the
poorer class, because their coming out
here in those early days, before railroads,
implied the possession of means and grit.
There existed then no such prejudice
and hostility to the foreigners as was
aroused in later years. There was little
or no anti-Irish spirit among the old
settlers. That was later noxious out
burst. The early Irish corners were
scattered all over Illinois, and their
presence can be traced from Galena to
Cairo. Later on came the vast influx of
Irish immigrants, who found employ
meut building the Illinois and Michigan
canal and the early railroads.
Old records show large proportion of
Irish names in the State during the last
century. The old French town of
Kaskaskia, the second oldest town in
Illinois, once State capital, and hailed
as the commercial queen of the West, T"
boasts on its rolls as heads of families,
during the year 1888, the names of John
Mccormick, Thomas Hughes, James
Kinkaid, Daniel Flannery, Thomas
Flannery, Patrick Kennedy and Henry
O'Hara.
An Irishman, ]. S. c. Hogan, was the
first Postmaster of Chicago. His name
appears on petition sent to the Bishop
of St. Louis in 1888, asking that a resi-
dent priest be appointed in Chicago.
The result was the appointment of
Father St. Cyr, who became pastor of st.
Mary's, the first Catholic church in
Chicago.
A curious story is that which attributes
the heavy settlement of the State by
Irishmen to the building of the Illinois
and Michigan canal. Irishmen in large
numbers were attracted by the chances
for employment. Most of the contract
ors were Irishmen; one of the chief
engineers was Michael Ryan, and
records show that more than 300 Irish
men were employed on the work in 1910.
During the hard times the laborers were
paid in unacceptable scrip, which they
exchanged for land along the line of the
canal, and thus formed the nucleus for
what was afterward large and prosper
Gus farming community. From some Of
these early lsborers and farmers are
descended many of the prominent BUSH
ness and professional men of Illinois.
During the pioneer days of the West,
politically speaking. the years leading
up to 1913, the Irish were a prominent
factor in the affairs Of the State. The
celebrated Gen. James Shields was as
we'll known and influential in State pol
itics as his brilliant leader, Stephen A.
Douglas, or even as his famous opponent,
Abraham Lincoln. Others who were
powers in early days were Richard MUIR
ply, three times State Senator. and who
was "Long John" Wentworth's opponent
for Congress; Thomas Hoyne, the first
City Clerk; John McGovern. father Of
Rev. James McCoverD; Michael ]. Law
Ter, of Shawneetown, Captain in the
Mexican war; Richard Cady. of LaSalle,
and Michael Crotty, of Seneca, who were
large contractors on the Illinois and
Michigan canal. Among the other prom
inent Irishmen of the earlier days
throughout the State were Thomas Lar
kin. of Ottawa; William Kelly and John
Donnelly. of Danville; William Byrne
and John O'Halloran, of LaSalle; John
O'Brien. OF Bloomington. and Matthew
Henneberry and Michael Bergen. of