The Irish standard., 1909-07-17
| ECTURE ON IRISH PIONEERS IN
THE NATIONS GREAT METROPOLIS
Summary of Interesting Address Recently Read by Justice Victor
Bowling the Annual Banquet Of the Ameran-Irish sor-
ical Society Held in the City Of Washington D. c., Before
Large and Select Audience.

The impression is current that up to
the famine years, 1S46-4S. Irishmcn and
their descendants constituted only an
insignificant not to say a negligible.
element in the population of what usod
| to be the city OF New York. That the
fact was otherwise is set forth in an
address, now published in book form,
Washington at a banquet OF the Amer
icn-Irish Historical Society by the
Hon. V. j. Bowling, Justice of the
New York Supreme Court, says the
New York Sun.
During the occupation Of New Am
sterdam by the Dutch wc find but few
Irish names. One of these. however
was that of Thomas Lewis. who in
1914 was credited with the possession
figured seventeenth on a list of in
| habitants recorded in the order of their
wealth. We first encounter many Irish
names after the beginning of the nd-
ministration of Thomas Dongan. sec
ond Earl of Limerick, who having
been appointed Governor of the Pro-
vince of New York reached Manhat-
tan Island in August, 1858. 1t was
through him that a charter was grant
ed to the city of New York which has
since continued to he the basis OF it's
rights and privileges. Governor DON
gan's town residence was on Broad
way. between Maiden Lane and Ann
street. but his homestead was at
Hampstead. T.. L., and he also had
a hunting lodge on his estate at Castle
ton. Staten Island. He is charactcr
+! izcd by Winsor as "an excellent and
as Il imam Of integrity, moderation
and gcntccl manners who may be
rlHSsrd among tho best Of our COVER
nors." ,Justir Dowlng recalls that tho
colony had three other royal governors
of Irish birth. namely tho Earl nf
Fcllcmont. William Cosby. Colonel OF
tho Royal Irish Regiment and Sir Will
liam 1ryon,
For Il time after Dongan's disappear
ancc we meet with but feW details con :
corning Irishmcn in the annals of
New York. BY 1920, however, VIC read
that "of late the inhabitants Increase
day by day from the north of Ire
land Among these newcomers Wcr"
the Rev Charles Ineis, eventually
rector Of Trinity church, and Philip
t,nbury, who was among the founders
of the Methodist Episcopal church in
America. In the year 1866 IA number
of cmigrantS. described as Irish
Palatincs," landed. Others came from
Dublin, ono Of whom. Major Henry
Dawson. served as Clerk of tho Com
mon Council for twcntysix years
Among the frccmen of the city in the
nine years 1740-49 Justice Bowling
enumeratcs tWcnty-sx Irishmen: in
1861 the poll list included seventy -four
Irish names. An eminent irish citi-
zen of New York in the first half OF
the eighteenth century was Sir Peter
Warren. born in Meath i'm 1762, an
uncle Of the famous cmigrant William
johnson, born in the same county. Tnc
former, after whom Warren street is
!. named, owned some $50 acres Of city
real estate and was notable figure IN
Colonial life.
; Among those WHO were active COM
mcrcially in New York city before tho
Revolution were many Irishmen who
became succcssful> and reputable mcr-
chants. Justice Bowling names nine
of them, among them Hugh Wallace
) second president OF the Chamber c1
Commerce, and Miles Sherbrooi,, one
Of the founders of that body. Ii
Revolutionary days and directly after
ward We encounter many other proD1in-
ent merchants who were Irish either
by birth or by descent. a distinguish
Lieutenant General John Maunscll
who in 1853 came to New York city
and married Elizabeth Stillwcli al
Trinity church. He lived fO.' 4 time
with his wife a. Greenwich on prop.
erty belonging to oliver DE- Lanccy
but In 1875 went to Ireland in order te