Coffin Ship (13 page)
Authors: William Henry
Tags: #Europe, #Ireland, #General, #History, #Modern, #Shipwrecks - Massachusetts - Massachusetts Bay, #Transportation, #Massachusetts Bay, #Ireland - History - Famine; 1845-1852, #Ships & Shipbuilding, #Massachusetts, #18th Century, #Shipwrecks, #St. John (Brig)
Sweeney, Agnes, steerage passenger (Lettercallow, Connemara, County Galway)
Sweeney, Bridget, steerage passenger (Lettercallow, Connemara, County Galway)
Sweeney, Catherine, steerage passenger (Lettercallow, Connemara, County Galway)
Sweeney, John, steerage passenger (Lettercallow, Connemara, County Galway)
Sweeney, Joseph, steerage passenger (Lettercallow, Connemara, County Galway)
Sweeney, Mary, steerage passenger (Lettercallow, Connemara, County Galway)
Sweeney, Mary (daughter), steerage passenger (Lettercallow, Connemara, County Galway)
Sweeney, Miles, steerage passenger (Lettercallow, Connemara, County Galway)
Sweeney, Miles, steerage passenger (Galway)
Sweeney, Patrick, steerage passenger (Lettercallow, Connemara, County Galway)
Sweeney, Patrick Jr, steerage passenger (Lettercallow, Connemara, County Galway)
Sweeney, Sally, steerage passenger (Place of origin unknown/lost)
Sweeney, Sarah, steerage passenger (Lettercallow, Connemara, County Galway)
Sweeney, Thomas, steerage passenger (Lettercallow, Connemara, County Galway)
â Honora (Mary) Burke's three children, steerage passengers (Place of origin unknown/lost)
â Honora Cullen's three children, steerage passengers (Place of origin unknown/lost)
[6]
Crew saved: 10 â Passengers saved: 17
Crew lost: 7 â Passengers lost: 109
Total on board: 143
[
1
]
Brig St. John of Galway was Cohasset's Worst Shipwreck,
Cohasset Historical Society. John Bhaba Jaick à Congaola collection.
Miscellaneous articles and letters from the John Bhaba Jaick à Congaola collection: âWreck of the Brig
St. John
', 1949.
The Boston Daily Herald
: âBrig
St. John
of Galway, Ireland, Lost October 7, 1849, at Cohasset'; âList of Survivors and Drowned'.
The Boston Post
: âBrig
St. John
of Galway â List of Survivors and Drowned' (12-10-1849).
The Galway Mercury
: âWreck of an Emigrant Ship' (27-10-1849); âWreck of the
St. John
' (3-11-1849).
The Galway Vindicator
: âAwful Shipwreck at Minot's Ledge â Loss of
St. John
of Galway. About One Hundred Drowned â Men, Women and Children' (3-11-1849).
[
2
]
Brig
St. John
of Galway was Cohasset's Worst Shipwreck,
Cohasset Historical Society. John Bhaba Jaick à Congaola collection.
Miscellaneous articles and letters from the John Bhaba Jaick à Congaola collection: âWreck of the Brig
St. John
' (1949).
The Boston Daily Herald
: âBrig
St. John
of Galway, Ireland, Lost October 7, 1849, at Cohasset'; âList of Survivors and Drowned'.
The Boston Post
: âBrig
St. John
of Galway â List of Survivors and Drowned' (12-10-1849).
The Galway Mercury
: âWreck of an Emigrant Ship' (27-10-1849); âWreck of the
St. John
' (3-11-1849).
The Galway Vindicator
: âAwful Shipwreck at Minot's Ledge â Loss of
St. John
of Galway. About One Hundred Drowned â Men, Women and Children' (3-11-1849).
The Irish World and American Industrial Liberator and Gaelic American
: Frank Durkan, âDeath of a Famine Ship' (6-10-1984).
[
3
]
Brig
St. John
of Galway was Cohasset's Worst Shipwreck,
Cohasset Historical Society. John Bhaba Jaick à Congaola collection.
The Boston Daily Herald
: âBrig
St. John
of Galway, Ireland, Lost October 7, 1849, at Cohasset'; âList of Survivors and Drowned'.
The Boston Post
: âBrig
St. John
of Galway â List of Survivors and Drowned' (12-10-1849).
The Galway Mercury
: âWreck of an Emigrant Ship' (27-10-1849); âWreck of the
St. John'
(3-11-1849).
The Galway Vindicator
: âAwful Shipwreck at Minot's Ledge â Loss of
St. John
of Galway. About One Hundred Drowned â Men, Women and Children' (3-11-1849).
[
4
]
Brig
St. John
of Galway was Cohasset's Worst Shipwreck,
Cohasset Historical Society. John Bhaba Jaick à Congaola collection.
Diary of Elizabeth Lothrop (11-10-1849, 25-12-1849).
The Boston Daily Herald
: âBrig
St. John
of Galway, Ireland, Lost October 7, 1849, at Cohasset'; âList of Survivors and Drowned'.
The Boston Post
: âBrig
St. John
of Galway â List of Survivors and Drowned' (12-10-1849).
The Boston Irish Echo
: Paddy Mulkerrins, âMore on the Ill-fated Brig,
St. John
â Remembers the
St. John
' (14-4-1984); Bill Loughran, âMore on the Ill-fated Brig,
St. John
' (14-4-1984); Paddy Mulkerrins, âSurvivors Found' (letter to editor); Bill Loughran, âThe Ill-fated Brig
St. John
' (14-1-1984).
The Galway Mercury
: âWreck of an Emigrant Ship' (27-10-1849); âWreck of the
St. John
' (3-11-1849).
The Galway Vindicator
: âAwful Shipwreck at Minot's Ledge â Loss of
St. John
of Galway. About One Hundred Drowned â Men, Women and Children' (3-11-1849).
[
5
]
Brig
St. John
of Galway was Cohasset's Worst Shipwreck,
Cohasset Historical Society. John Bhaba Jaick à Congaola collection.
Ennistymon Parish Magazine
, âThe Wreck of the Irish Emigrant Ship', âThe Shipwreck of the
St. John
'. Article compiled from material supplied by Brud Slattery, John Flanagan (both Lahinch), and Frank Flanagan (USA) (1996).
The Boston Daily Herald
: âBrig
St. John
of Galway, Ireland, Lost October 7, 1849, at Cohasset'; âList of Survivors and Drowned'.
The Boston Post
: âBrig
St. John
of Galway â List of Survivors and Drowned' (12-10-1849).
The Galway Mercury
: âWreck of an Emigrant Ship' (27-10-1849). âWreck of the
St. John
' (3-11-1849).
The Galway Vindicator
: âAwful Shipwreck at Minot's Ledge â Loss of
St. John
of Galway. About One Hundred Drowned â Men, Women and Children' (3-11-1849).
[
6
]
Brig St. John of Galway was Cohasset's Worst Shipwreck,
Cohasset Historical Society. John Bhaba Jaick à Congaola collection.
Diary of Elizabeth Lothrop (11-10-1849, 25-12-1849).
Ennistymon Parish Magazine
, âThe Wreck of the Irish Emigrant Ship', âThe Shipwreck of the
St. John
'. Article compiled from material supplied by Brud Slattery, John Flanagan (both Lahinch), and Frank Flanagan (USA) (1996).
Miscellaneous articles and letters from the John Bhaba Jaick à Congaola collection: âWreck of the Brig
St. John
' (1949).
The Boston Daily Herald:
âBrig
St. John
of Galway, Ireland, Lost October 7, 1849, at Cohasset'; âList of Survivors and Drowned'.
The Boston Irish Echo
: Paddy Mulkerrins, âMore on the Ill-fated Brig,
St. John
â Remembers the
St. John
' (14-4-1984); Bill Loughran, âMore on the Ill-Fated Brig,
St. John
' (14-4-1984); Paddy Mulkerrins, âSurvivors Found' (letter to editor); Bill Loughran, âThe Ill-Fated Brig
St. John
' (14-1-1984).
The Boston Post
: âBrig
St. John
of Galway â List of Survivors and Drowned', 12-10-1849.
The Galway Mercury
: âWreck of an Emigrant Ship' (27-10-1849); âWreck of the
St. John
' (3-11-1849).
The Galway Vindicator
: âAwful Shipwreck at Minot's Ledge â Loss of
St. John
of Galway. About One Hundred Drowned â Men, Women and Children' (3-11-1849).
The Irish World and American Industrial Liberator and Gaelic American
: Frank Durkan, âDeath of a Famine Ship' (6-10-1984).
In 1803 the British government introduced legislation to protect emigrant passengers, and during the decades that followed this legislation matured and evolved. However, the laws were not always enforceable and unscrupulous shipowners and shipmasters continually found ways of evading them. These infringements paved the way for corrupt maritime businessmen to exploit their passengers and capitalise on their misery. Nevertheless, in the years following the famine conditions improved and passengers experienced a much more comfortable voyage in comparison to the unfortunate people who had fled Ireland in the 1840s. Regulations were put in place to determine the maximum number of passengers that a ship could carry, and to ensure that sufficient food and water was provided for the voyage. However, it was too late for almost one million Irish men, women and children who had fled the country during the famine.
Between 1845 and 1850, some 100,000 Irish people arrived in Boston. They took any work they could find and lived in squalid tenements while struggling to keep their families alive. Life proved very difficult for the Irish in the early years and wasn't rendered any easier by the bigotry of the locals. Signs declaring âNo Irish Need Apply' became ubiquitous in the windows of businesses and boarding houses, and the immigrants struggled to secure employment. But in spite of this many of them later succeeded in reaching the highest offices and positions in their adopted country. It was the descendants of this scorned refugee population who helped create a new, powerful force in America.
[1]
Nothing deterred this impoverished yet spirited generation who succeeded in transforming themselves from destitute foreigners into successful business people. That they managed to overcome the numerous obstacles placed before them is a testament of their strength and endurance. Many of them became leaders in the fields of politics, arts, sports, religion and business.
In 1849, Patrick Kennedy, progenitor of the Kennedy dynasty, sailed from Wexford to the United States on boardÂ
The Washington Irving
; it was the same year as the brigÂ
St. John
 sailed from Galway. His grandson, John F. Kennedy, went on to become one of the most famous presidents of the United States. John F. Kennedy never forgot his Irish roots and he once said, âWe are a nation of immigrants ⦠the experience of our ancestors paves the way for our achievements.' Another famous Irish-American was Henry Ford, founder of the automobile industry. His father left Cork for Quebec in 1847, and eventually made his way to Detroit.
[2]
Today, some forty million Americans claim to have Irish ancestry. A large percentage of these people maintain that their ancestors arrived in the United States during the famine. In Boston alone over twenty per cent of the population are Irish-American, giving rise to a flourishing community, with countless Gaelic football teams, Irish gift stores, pubs and radio and television programmes. On Sunday, 28 June 1998, The Irish Famine Memorial Park, at the corner of School and Washington Streets, was dedicated, forever âenshrining a timeless tale of tragedy and triumph'.
It has been a long and arduous journey through time and space since Henry David Thoreau wrote these final words on the Cohasset shoreline:
This rocky shore is called Pleasant Cove on some maps; on the map of Cohasset, the name appears to be confined to the particular cove where I saw the wreck of the St. John
. The ocean did not look, now, as if any were ever shipwrecked in it; it was not grand and sublime, but beautiful as a lake. Not a vestige of a wreck was visible, nor could I believe that the bones of many a shipwrecked man were buried in that pure sand.
[3]
LIST OF FAMINE SHIPS THAT ADVERTISED IN AND SERVICED GALWAY 1845â1850
Abbotsford
AlbionÂ
Alice
Amphetrite
Argimou
BarbaraÂ
Bethel
CambysesÂ
CaractacusÂ
CarolineÂ
CarolinaÂ
CashmereÂ
CelesteÂ
C. H. Appelton
Charlotte
ClarenceÂ
Clytha
Coldstream
CommenceÂ
CorribÂ
CremonaÂ
CushlamachreeÂ
DanielÂ
David
DelphinÂ
Doctor KneisesÂ
DownesÂ
Eliza AnnÂ
Elizapeth Hughes
Emma PrescottÂ
Emmeline
FannyÂ
Francis-WattsÂ
GEM
G. W. Brinkerhoff
G. W. Laurence
HaideeÂ
Helen
Helena
Henderson Â
H. MellonÂ
IHN JohnÂ
IrvineÂ
Islam
Â
John Begg
John Clifford
JosephineÂ
Joshua Carroll
KateÂ
Laing
LeliaÂ
Linden
LivelyÂ
Lord FitzgeraldÂ
Lord Fitzroy
LynaÂ
Malvina
Manchester
Margaret Milne
Maria
Marine Plant
MarthaÂ
MessengerÂ
M. HowesÂ
Minerva
NancyÂ
Napoleon
Northumberland
OhioÂ
Orwell LassÂ
Pacific
PageantÂ
PlantÂ
Preciosa
Rebecca
RedwingÂ
Regina
Robert Alexander Parke
Russia E. D.
Sarah MilledgeÂ
SeabirdÂ
St. George
St. JohnÂ
TassieÂ
Thalia
The Arab
The Asia
The Lucullus
The Medora
Thetis
Thomas BakerÂ
Valhalla
Viceroy
VictoriaÂ
Wakefield
WalkellaÂ
W. H. Spear
William Kerry
XL
Young Queen
