The journal of the American-Irish Historical Society, Vol. V, 1905Various
History
The journal of the American-Irish Historical Society, Vol. V, 1905
Various
American-Irish Historical Society -- Periodicals; Ethnology -- United States -- Periodicals; Irish Americans -- Periodicals
I will give a brief summary of the points: May 20, 1723, the town of
Dover voted to hire him to teach school one year and give him £30. Jan.
10, 1737, he wrote and witnessed a deed, Tebbets to Tebbets, and signed
as of Summersworth. Dec. 13, 1737, the parish of Summersworth voted to
hire him to keep school one year, and also sweep the meeting-house. The
_New Hampshire Gazette_ says he lived in Summersworth when his son John
was born in 1740. His wife Margery says their home was in Summersworth
when she advertised for him to come home in 1743. Capt. Thomas
Wallingford says he was a citizen of Summersworth in 1746. And last, but
not least, Michael Reade told Dr. Quint the boys were all born in
Summersworth.
On the other hand, there is nothing in the Berwick records, parish or
town, which even mentions Master Sullivan before 1753. Aug. 12 of that
year he bought his farm in Berwick of Samuel Lord; and after that his
name frequently appears.
Master Sullivan and his wife Margery were a remarkable couple. They are
two of the interesting characters in Sarah Orne Jewett’s story, _The
Tory Lover_, recently published, which, of course, you have all read, or
will read.
Master Sullivan was born in Limerick, Ireland, in 1691, during the siege
of the city by King William’s forces. His wife, Margery Browne, was born
in Cork, Ireland, in 1714. In 1723 they both set sail from Limerick in
the same ship for New England. The captain intended to land at
Newburyport, but owing to stress of weather he was compelled to land at
York Harbor, Me. In his old age, when he and his wife were calling at a
neighbor’s, they got to talking about his younger days, and he told the
following story, which was recorded by the person who heard it. Master
Sullivan said, in the presence of his wife:
I sailed from Limerick, Ireland, for New England in 1723; owing to
stress of weather the vessel was obliged to land at York, Maine. On
the voyage my attention was called to a pretty girl of nine or ten
years, Margery Browne, who afterwards became my wife. As my mother
had absolutely refused to furnish me the means for paying
transportation, and I had not means otherwise, I was obliged to
enter into an agreement with the captain to earn the money for my
passage.
After I landed at York, for a while I lived on the McIntire farm in
Scotland parish. Unaccustomed to farm labor, and growing weary of
manual occupation, I applied to Rev. Dr. Moody, pastor of the
parish, for assistance. I made my application in a letter written in
seven languages, so that he might see I was a scholar. He became
interested in my behalf, and being conversant with my ability to
teach he loaned me the money with which to pay the captain the
amount I owed for my passage. Thus set free from the McIntires, I
was assisted to open a school and earn money to repay Dr. Moody.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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