by Diane Fitzpatrick Haberstroh

There were many Irish-American periodicals published in New York during the 1800s. The Citizen Weekly, Freeman’s Journal, Irish Nation, and The Shamrock to name just a few. These papers contained a mix of news from both Ireland and America. They reflected the concern Irish immigrants had, not only for their own political and social well-being, but also for that of their relatives back home. Some of the newspapers were more political than others. The Irish Nation, for example, generally did not report personal news such as obituaries or society events.

One weekly newspaper that did have an obituary column, however, was the Irish-American which began publishing in August 1849. A typical death notice which appeared in the June 20, 1863 issue reads as follows: "In New York, on Friday morning, June 10, of consumption, Mary Moore, daughter of Patrick Moore of Bittistown, County Westmeath, Ireland, aged 17 years and 3 months." The number of obituaries varied but, on average, issues in earlier years (1860s) consisted of about 20 entries. In later years (1880s) the numbers decreased to about a dozen. A later notice dated January 22, 1881 states, " O’Sullivan – Jan. 13 at 160 Ninth Ave., N.Y., Patrick O’Sullivan, a native of Corbally, parish of Killorglin, County Kerry, Ireland, aged 80 years." These obituaries can be of vital importance to anyone trying to discover an ancestor’s place of origin in Ireland, since other records of this period often provide sparse information in this regard. Most entries did include a parish or town name, though others, less fortunately, just stated the county. The Irish-American also contained an obituary column for those who died in Ireland, but information in these entries generally had less genealogical detail as can be seen from the following example: "Jan 7 at 16 Ellis’s-quay, Dublin, Mary, the dearly beloved wife of Mr. Patrick Flynn" (February 13, 1864). This is one of the better entries because it at least listed the spouse’s name; most did not.

One of the most interesting features of the paper, which if indexed could be of even greater value to family historians, is the "Information Wanted" advertisements. These are similar to those that ran in the Boston Pilot. For a dollar, ads could be placed in three issues of the paper requesting information on missing relatives. They were arranged by the county of origin of the person being sought. One from the July 8, 1865 issue read, " Tyrone: of Sarah Grames, a native of the parish of Donagheady, County Tyrone, Ireland, who arrived in New York on the 24^th of June, 1865, on board the ship Village Belle. Any intelligence of her will be thankfully received by her brother, Patrick Grames, Verplank’s Point, Westchester County, N.Y." Another example dated May 9 1863: "Mayo: of Patrick and Peter Flinn, of Ballina, County Mayo, Ireland, by their nephew, James Flinn, when last heard of Patrick worked in New York, between 10^th and 11^th Avenues. Both are blacksmiths by trade. Any information of them will be thankfully received by their nephew, James Flynn, Co.D. 69^th Regt, N.Y. S.N.G., Corcoran’s Irish Legion, Suffolk, Va., or elsewhere. Pennsylvania papers, please." As in this example, quite often there were notations at the end of the entries for other papers to copy.

The Irish-American appears not to be indexed, but the death notices can be looked up fairly easily if a date of death is known. As is the case with many other sources of information on Irish immigrants, finding an ancestor’s obituary in this paper it is a matter of luck rather than a certainty. The "Information Wanted" column, though interesting and potentially valuable even without being indexed, could require a tedious search over an indeterminate period of time with negative results. The Irish-American can be accessed at The New York Public Library and The New York State Library. Although the newpaper began publication in 1849, the holdings at both repositories may not be complete. The issues available are listed in their catalogs, which can be accessed on the Internet. They can then be obtained through the interloan program at your local public library.

The Irish-American is a potentially valuable secondary source that should be checked when other sources fail to provide that often elusive county or townland in Ireland. The articles also provide interesting insight into the social and political concerns of the Irish immigrants and how they maintained their connections to Ireland.

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