Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1910-03-17
In Peace and War Irishmien Have
Added to Glory of Home of
Their Adoption.
BY MARGARET QUIGLEY HEERY.
The Day We Celebrate.

0O lcdl dlQ ldlI dlQ lONll6t
No wonder the wandering Ceit should
think
And dream of you in his rowing.
The alien home nay have gems and
gold,
Shadows may never have gloomed it,
But the heart will sigh for the absent
land
Where the love light first illumed it."
March II, 1910, we are told by the
older generation is much different from
the early st. Patrick's Day in the his
tory of Newark. Now, everyone, from
the king to the clown is age to pay
homage to st. Patrick, the patron
saint of Ireland-the land of saints,
songs and Old-timers are
amazed at the broad-minded spirit of
the day. We are told that in spite of
March winds and stormy weather, the
early Irish began the day by attend
ing mass, and then assembled around
the Military Commons for the annual
parade. Our famous Essex Troop of
today, and there is none finer, never
caused more enthusiasm or more f1ut-
tering hearts than did the Erina
Guards, the crack military organiza-
ton of the early fifties, which gathered
at Starrs's Hotel Gather of the late
Edward E. Starrs) on Broad street,
previous to forming their line of march.
They were followed by distinguished
visitors and citizens. and In the pageant
were o II carriages filed with young
ladies dressed in green, representing
the four counties of Ireland. In the
evening the Erina Guards held their
annual ball, in the hotel, corne of
Broad and William streets. afterward
the old City Hall, and here the Irish
lads and lassies tripped the light fan
tastic until the wee sma' hours of the
morning.
Here the late John c.. burning, the
able lawyer, wooed and won Miss Julia
F%innegan. one of the bellies of her day.
and likewise John Fee, of Pennington
street, first met and courted his wife.
Rose Quigley. MI. and Mrs. Fee are
now about the only couple left of
those who attended the Erina balls.
and they are considered the youngest
old couple in Newark today. The late
Michael j. Ledwith and his sisters, the
Misses Ledwith, were also faithful at
tendants at the Erina gatherings. The
late Judge George Noonan. of San An
tonic, Tex; his brother, William Nelson
Noonan, and the Misses Noonan also
participated in the merrymaking.
Debt Owed to the Irish.
The wealth of Newark has been in
creased by Irish Drawn and brains, and
among those whose names will always
be identified with the early history of
the city might be mentioned Thomas
Corrigan, who conducted a large gro
Gerry in Market street, just below Broad
street. He gave to the church three
distinguished sons, Michael Augustine,
the second bishop of Newark, and later
archbishop of New York; the late Rev,
James Corrigan, one of the former
presidents Of Seton Hall College, AND
the Rev. George, pastor of st. Joseph's
Church, this city, while a daughter be-
came q nun in France. DIR. Corrigan,
a noted physician, of Florida, is another
son.
Two natives Of Donegal started in the
leather business in Newark in 1884
They were George and John Dougherty-
The former was styled the Irish King
on account of his wealth n grandeur
He has the credit of introducing the
manufacture of morocco leather In
Newark. His factory was in Washing
ton street, near Market, which locality
on account of it's marshy character, was
called "the swamp" He was a great
lover of horses, his three most famous
being Irish Lad, Goshen and Morocco
and he exercised them on the swamp
i'm Plane street. He thought nothing
of driving in a sulky from Newark to
| Philadelphia in one day, with no ap-
parent harm to the sturdy little nag
One of his daughters. Miss Susan, mar
ried the ate DIR. William OGorman
Another became the bride of William u
Robinson, a native of Ireland, and MS
name is mentioned in Atkinson's inter-
esting History of Newark
Mr.. Robinson was editor of the New
ark Daily Mercury, started in 1S4S, ano
under the nom de plume of Richeleu'
he gained fame in the columns OF the
New York Tribune. Charles K. Bishop,
owner of the Newark Morning Eagle
and Robinson had many wordy battles
Bishop wrote one morning in the Eagle
that his antagonist of the Mercury
.fourished his shillelah with but little
grace and less vigor," and Robinson
was not slow to retaliate. Two OF the
printers on the Mercury staff at that
time were Patrick and James Heery'
who afterwards served in the Clvll
war. brothers of Mrs. Thomas Halpin'
of Kearny.
Another one of Erin's SONS to engage
in the leather business was William
Dunn. who began business in 1845, and
his numerous descendants are all high
ly respected citizens of the community
In 1859 the firm of c. Nugent, Kelly
e. Co. was started and became in tins
the largest morocco mandatory in the
world. other members of the firm were
James Nugent, father or City Counsel
Nugent; Thomas Hughes, Thomas
Farrell and Bernard Moran.
John Dwyer had a prosperous leather
business on the south side of Market
street. Others were the Cogans, Reillys
McClatcheys, Hugh Smith, Cars, Con
holly, Charles Smyth and the McCor-
macks.
Among the weavers-a lucrative trade
in those days-was Charles Burning
in whose homestead, corner of Null
berry and East Park streets, the first
mass was read in Newark. His son
Daniel burning, was the first native
Newarker to be ordained to the priest
hood in Newark. Thomas McNair. who
lived in Bank street, near Washing
ton, wove fine carpets, as his numer-
Gus customers were willing to testify,
Prominent bakers were John Quinn
In Mulberry street. whose son. Miles