Kentucky Irish American. (Louisville, Ky.) 1898-1968, 1917-03-17

generation the idea generally pre-
wallis that the majority. If not all
OF the pioneer settlers In the orig
inal Thirteen Colonies were mix
ture of English and Dutch, and az
@ logical corolfary the belief OBJ
tains that no other people had a
hand In laying the foundations Of
the country. That this impression
Is erroneous is proved by recent
researches of American Irish his
torical students into the racial com.
position OF the seventeenth and
eighteenth century immigrants, Aant
the fact Is now being brought &c
light that a large proportion OF
the early settlers were descendants
OF the ancient Gaelic families Of
Ireland. The records of the Land
Offices, of the Secretaries of State
of Registers of Wills. and Deeds
the County Clerks, the NSurrogates'
Courts, the parish registers, the
newspapers and other equally
authentic sources furnish abundant
proof OF early settlements in this
country by the vigorous sons and
daughters of Erin. writes Michael
y. O'Brfen. Histriographer OF the
American Irish Historical Society.
In an examination of the early
records, as we'll as the town and
county histories and the genealogi-
cal works a striking fact presents
itself 10 the student of history
namely the frequency with which
people of Irish names are men
toned as 1.-THE first settlers" in this
or that town or county, the first
Judge, the first Lawyer. the first
physician. the first schoolmaster
the first Governor OF. some province
or State. the first Mayor, the first
TO receive a land grant In some To-
cality. Many examples of these
Irish "firsts" are recorded, and
taken as a whole they furnish some
interesting sidelights into early
American history.
The first woman to whom q pub
lie monument was erected in this
country was Margaret of New Or
leans" who was Margaret Haugh-
cry, nee Gaffney, a native of Ire
land. A statue commemorative this
noble woman stands in a public
square in the city of New Orleans.
The first woman to fight for Ameri-
can liberty, and the first OF her sex
to receive a pension from the Gov
eminent for services in the war
Of the Revolution, was an Irish
woman. Margaret Cochran. the wife
of John Corbin, a cannonier In the
Pennsylvania Artillery. At the
vember 16. 1875, when her husband
was killed at his post. she in
stantly took his place and by her
dexterous handling of the gun
wrought death and destruction in
the ranks of the Hessians stormine
the fort. The first female school
teacher mentioned in American rec
ords was "the good Mistress Healy."
who taught at Cambridge. Mass,
in 1880. She was the wife of
.'Wlllyam Heally. Ierishman," who
located In that now famous uni
versity town as early as 1864
In the first voyage made by Sir
Walter Raleigh to Virginia Irishmen
are referred TO by Hakluyt, the
chronicler of the expedition. The
FIRST recorded colony to establish it
self at Newport News came from
Cork. ireland. in the year 1921, or
only one year after the landing Of
the Pilgrims of the Mayfiower. and
the first attempt OF Europeans to
establish settlement on the Merri-
mac river In Massachusetts, was "a
mixed Irish and Scotch company"
which embarked at Carrickfergus,
Ireland, in the year 1886, with "a
considerable quantity of equipment
and merchandise. The first set
tlement in the Shenandoah Valley
at Staunton, where President Will
son was born, was made by John
Lewis from Donegal, and the first
known schoolmaster in the valley
was John Wilson from County
Armagh.
With the first English expedition
to Maryland, in the Arke and the
Dove in the year 1888, Irishmen
came. How many there were has
never been determined, but in what
remains at Annapolis OF the records
of Certificates and Patents to the
Earliest Settlers" In Maryland many
Irish names are found. In the first
proclamations regarding Conditions
of Plantation" issued by Lord
Baltimore, he limited the settlers
to persons of British or Irish de-
scent"
The first Judge in Maryland and
the first Secretary of the Pro-
prietary Government was Charles
|O'Carroll. grandfather of Charles
Carroll of Carrollton. The first Sur.
veyor General of the Province ap'
pointed by the Governor and Coun-
ell In 1888. was George Talbot
| from Castle Rooney. County RIOS
common, and the first to occupy a
similar post in South Carolina was
Florence O'Sullivan, from Kerry, APP
pointed in 1871. Baltimore, the
! first city of Maryland, took its name
from an Irish Barony. and indeed
1.-THE first name (1695) given to the
| spot where the Monumental City
now stands was ely O'Carroli,
after barony in County Tipperary
| In the first voyage OF William
Penn to Pennsylvania. in 1882. h
brought with him q. number o.
| Irishmen. some OF whom are re
Iserred to as people Of propert!