[Illustration: REAR-ADMIRAL RICHARD WORSAM MEADE FIRST PRESIDENT-GENERAL ] THE JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN-IRISH HISTORICAL SOCIETY EDITED BY THOMAS HAMILTON MURRAY _Secretary-General_ AND THOMAS BONAVENTURE LAWLER _Librarian-Archivist_ VOLUME I BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS MDCCCXCVIII ------------------------------------------------------------------------ AMERICAN-IRISH HISTORICAL SOCIETY. The American-Irish Historical Society was founded, as its constitution declares, for “the study of American history generally; to investigate specially the immigration of the people of Ireland to this country, determine its numbers, examine the sources, learn the places of its settlement; to examine records of every character wherever found; to endeavor to correct erroneous, distorted, and false views of history in relation to the Irish race in America; to encourage and assist the formation of local societies; to promote and foster an honorable and national spirit of patriotism; to place the result of its historical investigations and researches in acceptable literary form; to print, publish, and distribute its documents; to sift and discriminate every paper, sketch, document bearing on the society’s line of work, before the same is accepted and given official sanction.” The work was inaugurated by the issuance of the following invitation to prominent men throughout the country: A CALL FOR THE ORGANIZATION OF AN AMERICAN HISTORICAL SOCIETY WHOSE SPECIAL LINE OF RESEARCH SHALL BE THE HISTORY OF THE IRISH ELEMENT IN THE COMPOSITION OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE. DEAR SIR,—A number of gentlemen, interested in the part taken in American history by people of Irish birth or lineage, are about to organize themselves into an historical society for the purpose of investigating and recording the influence of that element in the up-building of the nation. People of Irish blood have been coming to this continent, voluntarily and otherwise, since the date of its earliest settlement. While they have been a valuable addition to colony and republic in all departments of human activity, their work and contributions have received but scant recognition from chroniclers of American history.