The sun., 1919-10-22
THE COLONIAL IRISH.
A Census Report and the Muster Rolls
Compared BY an Investigator.


To THE EDITOR OF THE SUN--sir: Re-
ferring to Mr.. John Hatton's letter 1
have made a thorough analysis OF the
census of 1890 and Of the muster rolls of
the Revolutionary army and can assure
Mr.. Hatton that he is leaning on very
weak reed when he depends for his in
formation as to the Irish percentage OF
the population of the United States upon
"A Century of Population Growth"
There is unquestionable proof that the
compilers of this work badly miscalcu-
lated when enumerating the numbers of
persons in the United States In 1890 Of
the different racial elements.
For example. they show only &732 per-
sons of Irish descent of both sexes in
Massachusetts In 1890. but the method
of arriving at this figure is mysterious
in view of the fact that the Boston mar
rlage records of the seventeenth and
eighteenth centuries contain nearly 1000
Irish names and the vital records of only
fifty other Massachusetts towns and
cities which 1 have examined contain
LOO entries, covering births and mar
riages of people OF the most distinctive
Irish names. When we add to these ap-
proximately 10000 other Irish names
collected from probate, land court and
church records of Massachusetts,, muster
rolls of Colonial and Revolutionary troops
and authentic publications of New Eng
land historical societies, the mystery as
to how the 3,732 were arrived at deepens
beyond human understanding.
The male and female population OF
In NJ vi IN 60
given at 5,o0S yet more than 1000 men
bearing unmistakable Irish names enlist
ed from that State in the Revolutionary
army and an exact count which I have
made of the Irish names appearing in
the colonial records at the Land Com
missioner's office at Annapolis shows a
total of 2,100. When we consider that
to these numbers should be added the
great number of Irish names that appear
in every parish register of Maryland in
the records of the surrogates' and county
courts. registrars of Wills and deeds and
the numerous public records where
names are usually found. who is pre-
pared to affirm that 5.00S is anything
moro than a fraction of the correct num-
Der Of people of Irish descent in Mary
land in 1890?
The same remarks can be made as
take up individual names that the alb
surdity OF the official figures becomes
still more amazing. Take the case of
O'Brien as an example. "a Century of
Population Growth" shows that in
Massachusetts there were thirty-seven
persons of that name in 1870, so we can
only wonder where the eighty-three
| O'Briens who served in the Massachu-
sets regiments and navy of the Revolu-
| ton could have sprung from. All told
| the census shows 376 OBriens male and
| female, and OF all ages and conditions
in the United States in 1890, yet there
are 251 O'Briens on the Revolutionary
muster rolls alone! According to all
known statistics the latter number
would mean a total of not less than 1000
O'Briens in the United States during the
war; so that, If we accept "A Century OF
| Population Growth" instead of increas-
ing Gas they naturally did we are COM
PEELED to believe that the O'Briens di-
minished in numbers by about so per
cent. between 1888 and 1890!
Comparison of the census figures with
| the Revolutionary muster rolls alone
shows many similarly glaring discrepan-
cies. The same identical result with
greater or lesser variations is shown in
the cases Of one hundred Irish surnames
which l selected for the purpose of this
analysis, and this. remember, applies to
all the colonies. And since representa-
tives of nearly every family name known
to Irish nomenclature are to be found in
American colonial records I leave 1t to
your readers imagination to form their
| own conclusions as to what this means.
Yet this publication is the basis on which
is built the theory that the Irish con-
sututed only 1.9 per cent. of the popula-
ton Of the United States in 1890, and as
a logical inference that the Irish con-
tributed very little to the achievement of
American independence.
NJ. ]. BRIEN.
Historiographer American-Irish Histori-
cal Society.
NEW YORK October 20.