A Celtic Chronology

1845 The potato bight returns, destroying a third of the crop in Ireland.

John L. Sullivan, a newspaper editor, coined the phrase “Manifest Destiny” meaning an American empire from sea to sea.

The Fremont Bear revolt flag was raised and independence declared at the ranch of Martin Murphy near Sacramento. The Murphys earlier broke the trail through the Sierra Nevada’s with their guide and a family of Sullivans. In the Winter of 1846 the Donner party tried the same route. Among the members of that ill fated party was Patrick O’Brien, his wife and two children, and a Patrick Dolan. It was O’Brien’s diary that told the world of their last days.

1846 The Young Irelanders broke with O’Connell because he insisted they accept the principle of non-violence.

Philip Augustin Roach, of Cork, Ireland, was the last Alcalde; and the first Mayor of Monterey, California.

1847 Famine was widespread in Ireland. More Irish leave the intolerable conditions in Ireland, but in their escape many found they left more than Ireland behind them. On the Virginius, a ship carrying 476 Irish passengers to America, 267 died on board before reaching America. Others died on the front steps of their new country where they were quarantined and died. The Montreal Emigrant Society reported that at cemetaries near Canadian points of entry “… are to be found the final resting places of the sons and daughters of Erin.” Twenty thousand and upwards went down to their graves never really having entered Canada.

On Grosse Island, near Detroit, an old immigration entry point has a plaque that reads; “In this secluded spot lie the mortal remains of 5,294 persons who, flying from pestilence and famine in Ireland in the year 1847, found in America but a grave.”

O’Connell died.

Bram Stokes of Dublin writes the novel, Dracula.

William Brady is Governor of New York.

1848 Inspired by a revolution in France, the Young Irelanders raised their own tricolor of independence. There is little support from a population ravaged from the famine. All the leaders, William Smith O’Brien, Thomas Meagher, John Mitchell, Thomas D’Arcy McGee, among them, were caught and tried.

General Lewis Cass, U.S. Senator from Michigan was the Democratic nominee for President of the United States, his Vice President on the ticket was General William O. Butler. Both men were of Irish descent. General Zachary Taylor won the election, his descendants come from that same part of south-western England as did Washington’s, the Celtic southwest.

The Order of the Star Spangled Banner, a secret anti-immigration, anti-Catholic society is formed. Its members later become known as the Know Nothings as that is there response to any questions. The organization grew to control the politics of several states to the Governor level. In 1856, they are powerful enough to support Millard Filmore for President. The organization died when those who were elected proved ineffective or criminal.

1849 Tom Maguire arrived in San Francisco. He opened a lavish saloon and gambling house, fire destroyed the building and he built a bigger one. It was too big and he had to sell it, it became the City Hall of San Francisco.

Territorial Governor of California is General Bennett Riley, the first Mayor of San Francisco is Malachi Fallon. Fallon Street in the city is named for him.

1850 The Tenant Right League was formed by Charles Gavan Duffy and lasts until 1859 when internal dissension kills the movement.

Patrick Flanagan of Bainbridge, Ireland, founded Umpqua City, Oregon. In 1853, he founded Empire, Oregon.

During this decade over 900,000 Irish immigrants came to the United States.

1853 John “Old Smoke” Morrissey, born in Tipperary, defeated “Yankee Sullivan at the four corners in New York in the bare knuckle Heavyweight Championship. Morrissey was still champ in 1858 when he defeated John Heenan. Morrissey then retired handing the crown to Heenan to defend. “Old Smoke” went on to become a U.S. Congressman. He got his nickname from a fight in which he knocked over a stove and fell on the coals, he got up and knocked out his opponent, while his coattails were smoking.

1854 Editor John L. Sullivan is appointed U. S. Minister to Portugal.

Irish-born Bishop Mathias Loras of Dubuque, Iowa organized Saint Patrick’s Colony in the Nebraska Territory. The first settlement of the colony was made by Irish born Father Jeremiah Tracey at St. John’s City. It later became Jackson, Nebraska.

1855 Thirty four percent of New York’s voters are Irish-born. Twenty seven percent of the city’s police force is Irish-born.

Andrew Mellon is U.S. Secretary of the Treasury.

Father Jeremiah T. Treacy led a group of Irish from Iowa to found a colony called St. Johns, Nebraska. One of the families was the Creightons. Two Creighton brothers, Edward and John helped pioneer Nebraska. Later they founded Creighton University.

Cris Mahoney established a trading post in the Dakota Territory.

1856 James Buchanan, grandson of John Russell Buchanan of County Donegal, is elected President of the United States.

1857 William Kelly invents and patents a converter for making steel.

Twelve Irishmen sign the statehood constitution for Oregon.

1858 The Irish Republican Brotherhood, otherwise known as the Fenians, was founded in Ireland and in the United States by James Stephens and John O’Mahony respectively. Their movement was based on the idea that only an armed force would free Ireland, they therefore began to organize a secret military organization.

John O’Donahue founded the Long Island Ferry.

1859 William W. Corcoran, son of an Irish immigrant, founded the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington D. C.

The Comstock Lode is discovered in Nevada. John MacKay and his partners; Flood, Fair, and O’Brien soon own the mine.

Andrew Gregg Curin was Governor of Pennsylvania.

Irish born John Stanage established a trading post that became Mission Hills, South Dakota. John McHenry founded a trading post the became Bloomindale, South Dakota.

The settlement of Gary Owen is established in the Dakota Territory.

Bishop James O’Connor, through the Catholic Colonization Bureau in Omaha, Nebraska, founded the settlements of Greely and O’Neil, Nebraska.

1860 New York became the biggest Irish city in the world with a population of 203, 740 Irish born residents. Neighboring Brooklyn had a population of 56, 710 Irish born residents.

Thomas Moore, of Irish ancestry, was elected Governor of Louisiana.

Dooley Mountain, Oregon named for John Dooley who operated a toll road.

Twelve Mile House established by Michael Ryan was the beginning of Jefferson, South Dakota.

1861 The American Civil War during which Fenians joined and trained for the day when they would bring the training and manpower to use to free Ireland. The Civil War and the Irish is discussed in the text of The Celtic Connection in the chapter entitled Confederate Texas. The Celtic Connection is another part of the website and can be found by going back to the main page. Some Irish not mentioned are: Charles Halpin, a propagandist, hired by Lincoln for the Irish community at large; and Anna Ella Carroll who was a member of Lincoln’s Cabinet. She was important in that she:

> Helped defeat secession in Maryland
> Suggested the strategy of cutting the South in two.
> Encouraged and pushed for Grant’s promotions.

Major Martin Delany held the highest rank of more than 180,000 Blacks in the Union Army.

Acting Governor of Oregon was Henry McGill, he was followed by L.J.S. Turney.

John G. Downey of Roscommon is Governor of California. Anaheim is named for his sister, Downey is named for him.