679
AN GAODHAL
SOCIETY OF THE FRIENDLY SONS
OF ST. PATRICK.
(Concluded.)
Among the guests at the quarterly and anniver¬
sary meetings are as follows:
Their Honors the Governors, in 1772 '73 and '74,
Richard Penn and John Penn. Mr. Bavard, James
Delancy, Esq.: Dr. Steel John Ross. Esq. ;
— Burnett Esq. : Colonel Fell, Philip Dick¬
inson, Mr Livingston, Mr. Halliday, Gen. Lee,
Mr Benezet Dr Sandiford Cumberbatch Sober,
Esq. ; John Ewing Mr. Junifer, Mr. Hyde, Mr.
Shippen. Mr. Maurice, Daniel Roberts, Joseph
Devonish, Pres. Reed (1781), Chevr. Paul Jones,
Pres. Huntington. Mr, Speaker Muhlenberg, Gov.
Howley, Col. Tennent, Capt. Nicholson, Gen.
Howe, Major M'Pherson, Gen. Lincoln, Gen. Steu¬
ben, Gen. Moultrie, Gen. M'Intosh, His Excellency
M. Luzerne, Mr. Secretary Rendon, His Excell¬
ency M. Hanson, His Excellency Mr. William
Moore Col. Smith, Col. French Tilghman Major
Washington, Count Dillon Count De la Touche,
M. Marbois. M Otto, M. Holker, Colonel Humph¬
reys, Major Walker, Captain Colfax, Captain
Truxton, Mr. Van Berkell, Judge M'Kean Gov.
Morris, Judge Hopkinson, the Imperial Resident,
Mr. Lear. Gov. Mifflin Judge Biddle Mr. Jefferson,
Mr. Hamilton, Judge Wilson, Mr Casseneave,
the President of the State (in 1786), the Chief Jus¬
tice,, Charles Biddle, William Smith, John Shaw,
General Armstrong, General Mifflin, Colonel
Howard, etc., etc. Many of the most distinguish¬
ed guests were in frequent attendance.
Presidents of the Society, from 1771 to 1798. viz.
Stephen Moylan, from 1771 to June 17, 1772.
J. M. Nesbitt, from June 1773 to June 1774.
William West, from June 1774, to June
1776.
Benjamin Fuller, from June 1776, to June
1779.
Thomas Barclay, from June 1779, to June
1781.
George Campbell, from June 1781, to June
1782.
J. M. Nesbitt. from June 1782 to March 1796 —
thirten years, nine months.
Stephen Moylan, from March 1796, to 1798.
Secretaries and Treasures.
Wm. Mitchell, 1771.
Benjamin Fuller, March 1772.
Samuel Caldwell, September 8, 1775.
John Brown, September 17 1792.
THE CONNECTION OF THE SOCIETY OF THE FRIENDLY
SONS OF ST PATRICK WITH THE HIBERIAN SO¬
CITY, AND THE ORIGIN OF THE LATTES.
Some time after the conclusion of the revolu¬
tionary war several members of the Society of the
Friendly Sons of St. Patrick, in connection with
other benevolent persons, formed the design of
creating a society whose object should be not
solely convival, but which, while it would tend
to keep up and cherish that friendly and social
intercourse which appears more natural to the
Irish than to the people of any other nation,
would at the same time, give exercise to other
traits not less prominent in their character — gen¬
erosity, charity and protection to the distressed,
Of the immense numbers of the surplus population
of Ireland which oppression and constant increase
cast every year on the shores of America, many,
on their arrival, were necessarily in destitute cir¬
cumstances. A little assistance to them on their
landing, and for some time afterward, might en¬
able them, by industry and good cunduct, to be¬
come prosperous men and useful citizens; where¬
as, if abandoned on their arrival, to mendicity
or destitution, they might form such associations
and fall into such habits as would lead them to
ruin and degradation, and to become inhabitante
either of the jail or almshouse. To carry these
objects into effect, and to prevent these evils, was
the original design in establishing the Hibernian
Society, and it had been uniformly adhered to down
to 1844.
The names of seventeen members of the So¬
ciety of the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick are espec¬
ially numerated in the charter, namely:
Brig, Gen. W. Stewart John Leamy, Patrick
Moore, Sharp Delany, John Crawford, John
Brown, Michael Morgan O'Brien, Oliver Pollock,
Thomas Lea, John Maxwell Nesbitt, George
Hughes, Jasper Moylan, George Meade, James
Campbell, Robert Rainey, Hugh Holmes, Charles
Heatly.
And five other members are found on the roll of
the new society, namely;
Richard Bache, James Caldwell, Francis John¬
ston, George Latimer, John Patterson.
These members placed at their head Hon. Thos.
M'Kean, the Chief-Justice, and afterward Govern¬
or of Pennsylvania, who had often enjoyed the hos¬
pitality of the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick. In
conjunction with others the formed themselves
into a charitable association under the name of
"The Hibernian Society for the Relief of Emi¬
grants from Ireland," with the laudible view and
intent (to use the words of the charter) to aid and
assist poor and oppressed persons emigrating from
Ireland into Pennsylvania. The object appears to
have met the cordial approbation of the author¬
ities, and a charter of incorporation was granted to
the society on the 27th April 1792 (signed by Gov.
Mifflin who had frequently experienced the hos¬
pitality of the Society of the Friendly Sons of St.
Patrick.) The preamble recites that it is highly
proper to promote the designs of the society, inas¬
much as they may greatly contribute to the pros¬
erity of their State and of the United States by en¬
couraging emigration from Ireland.
While the society was ready to afford advice and
assistance to the poor and oppressed emigrant from
Ireland its members assembled together at stated
periods for social enjoyments : and the celebrations
of their quarterly and anniversary meetings were
not unworthy of the successors of the Friendly
Sons of St. Patrick.
The publisher anxious to make this article every
way complete, has endeavored to obtain portraits
of the first and of the latest presidents of this cel¬
ebrated society. But no portrait of Gen. Moylan
is now in existance, nor is even the exact place of
his sepulchre known, for though it is averred that
he was buried in St. Mary's Cemetery Philadelphia
there is no stone to mark the spot where he lies.
Judge Daly, whose name is known and respected
as being for nearly half a century the leading spirit
in every movement tending to the elevation of the
Irish race in this country, has been for forty-five
years a member of the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick,
every anniversary dinner of which he has, during
that time, attended. He has been president of the
