The Irish and Gloucester City, NJ

Back in the 1680's the first currency used in West Jersey would have had St. Patrick's image on it. "An Irish coin popularly known as "St. Patrick's Pence" became the first official currency of West Jersey. This was due to the efforts of Mark Newbie, an Englishman who had lived in Ireland briefly before emigrating." If you find one of these today; your in luck, it worth could be worth anywhere between a couple hundred dollars to a couple of thousand. http://www.dvrbs.com/camden-ethnic/CamdenNJ-IrishInCamdenCounty.htm

In the 1620's long before the English took over the Delaware River and New Jersey, the Dutch would attempt to establish trade with the Native Lenape people who had lived along the Delaware River.

Once the English forced the Dutch from North America, the English settled Gloucester in 1680's and a group of Irish who belonged to the Society of Friends more commonly known as Quakers, who arrived in the area that would become present day Camden County, NJ.

This area would be termed as the "Irish Tenth" since West Jersey was divided in ten parts.

The newly arrived English would settle Gloucester Town in the 1686 which Gloucester Town being the County Seat of the newly former Gloucester County.

Leading up the American Revolution, the descendants of these Irish Quakers would hold important leadership positions in Gloucester County.

In 1844, Camden County would be created from the northern parts of old Gloucester County.

In the 1840's Gloucester Town was part of a larger "Union Township" but Gloucester Town's population would greatly expand when the textile industrial created large factories along the Delaware River in Gloucester. At this point Gloucester Town would become known as Gloucester City since it's population was so much larger then the other rural communities in Union Township.

As the Irish population was being attacked in Philadelphia during the nativist riots in the 1840s, in Gloucester City, Irish Catholics could find work and housing. In 1848 those Catholics would also establish Saint Mary's parish in southern New Jersey along with a catholic school in 1853.

[ To read more about the Irish in Camden County click on the link below:

http://www.dvrbs.com/camden-ethnic/CamdenNJ-IrishInCamdenCounty.htm ]

Gloucester’s location quickly became the center of activity for the Irish Quakers and in 1686, Thomas Sharp, the son of a Dublin merchant was hired to draw up a survey for the Town of Gloucester

[ West Jersey History Project ]

Click here for Thomas Sharp's Survey of Gloucester Town

In 1848 as the Irish Catholic population grew in Gloucester Town a need for a Catholic church was brought to the attention of the Bishop Kenrick of Philadelphia by Philip Scanlan a laymen, resulting in establishment of the parish of St. Mary.

Villanova Library: Philip Scanlan

Saint John Neumann; then Bishop Neumann, states that the Corner Stone of St. Mary's of Gloucester was blessed by Bishop Kenrick on Sept. 24, 1848. Villanova Library

St. Mary’s soon grew to the point of having a Catholic school which started in 1853 to present day as Gloucester Catholic High School (Jr./ Sr).

[ Not a story about the Irish in Gloucester but about St. Mary's ]

Father Edmund Quincy Sheaf Waldron was the first pastor of St. Mary's in 1848 and knew two individuals who were involved in Abraham Lincoln's assassination. (Long Story)

After leaving Gloucester City, Fr. Waldon would move on to Washington DC and was in charge of the preparatory college of St. Charles in Maryland which educated those wanting to become Catholic priest.

Two individuals wanting to study for the priesthood were John Harrison Surrat Jr. and Louis J. Weichmann.

Waldron recommended both for the priesthood. Neither would go on to become priest but both would play a role in U.S. history.

John Surrat was accused of plotting with John Wilkes Booth to kidnap U.S. President Abraham Lincoln.

Louis J. Weichmann would be one of the chief witnesses for the prosecution.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/403493529751184/posts/3320270808073427

1848 - Ireland and Liberty

Mass Meeting of the Friends of Ireland at Gloucester City

Washington Hall was located on King Street across from the Mill Row Houses.

The Civil War years saw a great number of Irish volunteering alongside with many other Gloucester City residents for the cause of the Union. In 1861, a total of 198 men from Gloucester joined the New Jersey 6th Regiment

Companies D (Union Guards) and H (Anderson Guards) are made up of mostly of Gloucester City Men:

List of men in Company D One of the first Gloucester men to die was Sgt. Patrick Reilly

List of men in Company H

Father Daly was the pastor of St. Mary's and can be seen standing in front of St. Mary's Church and School in this photo taken by Hugh Gorman sometime around 1860.

Billy Thompson (1848-1922) Known as “The Duke of Gloucester”......

Walt Whitman was often a guest at Thompson’s restaurants and frequently Whitman would recite his works.

Capitalist (as he self described himself in the US Census)

Transportation (Gloucester Ferry Company, Trolley Lines)

Entertainment (Amusement Park’s, Racetrack, Gambling, Saloons)

Restaurateur (World Famous Plank Shad)

Politician

http://www.hiddennj.com/2014/07/something-fishy-shad-gambling-and-duke.html

Clay pipe artifact at the Gloucester City Historical Society found at Proprietors Park.

“Home Rule” with a harp and clovers. ( Inward facing the smoker.)

“Home Rule” was a Irish independence movement which started in 1870.

1881
"Parnell Branch of the Irish Land League" forms in Gloucester City. Supporting land reform and home rule in Ireland.

Named for Charles Parnell (1846-1891) who was Irish nationalist politician, whose party held the balance of power in the British House of Commons.

Born into a powerful Anglo-Irish Protestant landowning family, was a land reform agitator, and became leader of the Home Rule League.

Hibernian Rifles in Gloucester in 1889.

The Hibernian Rifles in America appeared a few years after the Civil War.

1893 - Billy Thompson - The Duke of Gloucester

Thompson's control of the State Assembly led to outrage due to legislation he forced through that legalizes gambling at Race Tracks.

Depicted with Thompson is Speaker of the Assembly Flynn who happen to be the "Starter" at the Gloucester Race Track.

Irish Republican Army (IRA) signed all its statements "JJ McGarrity" in honor of Joseph McGarrity. In the 1890's McGarrity lived and worked in Gloucester City around Thompson's Race Track.

https://www.storiesfrom1916.com/1916-easter-rising/rish-america-1916

Memoirs of Joseph McGarrity, May 1939

( Special Collections’ McGarrity Collection Villanova University)

" From there I went to Gloucester which at that time had a race track owned by a William Thomas who was known as the Duke of Gloucester. I was employed by a summer hotel keeper by the name of Joseph Fanning who originally came from Tipperary in Eire. My wages were six dollars per week, and included meals and sleeping quarters. The thousands of people crossing from Philadelphia, and gathered in fact from all parts of the world, that came there to gamble on the horses and on the row of gambling houses which extended from the ferry for three or four odd blocks, one of them being owned by the proprietor of the place where I was employed I met all kinds of characters in this place.

Stacks of money, gold and silver and paper a foot high were to be seen in the center of the table and the roulette and all kinds of gambling were in full sway. At that time the Delaware was not polluted as in later years and in the springtime the Delaware shad were one of the noted dishes of the place. Plank shad dinners were the order of the day and crowds came from Phila. and other places to enjoy their meal and join in the general sports which were to be found there."

https://exhibits.library.villanova.edu/joseph-mcgarrity-man-of-action-man-of-letters

1890 March 17th: St. Patrick's Day Concert hosted by the Viola Concert Company
Gloucester City, NJ

St. Patrick's Day Concert cal Society / 269-1 / X-14-8 ]

March 17, 1914 - The pier at the Immigration Station is officially in operation.

A list of recording by Jennie Devlin can be found at the Library of Congress: (link below)

https://www.loc.gov/audio/?q=Jennie+devlin&all=true&sp=2&st=list