…Irish were often called “fighting” Irish. And I want to share two sources lists with you:<\/p>\n
l. Court Records: the place where the Irish were unafraid to go to defend and uphold their sense of right.<\/strong> Remington, Gordon L. \u201cDivorce Records, New York Style,\u201d APG Quarterly<\/em><\/strong> 12 (1997): 90-91.<\/p>\n Rosen, Deborah A. \u201cCourts and Commerce in Colonial New York,\u201d American Journal of Legal History<\/em><\/strong> 36 (Apr 1992): 139-63. Rosen read every jury trial and all the court minutes for the New York City Mayor\u2019s Court, 1690-1760. She concluded the Merchants had a pre-relationship<\/u> to those they sued. Their knowledge and experience allowed them to protect themselves from ruin.<\/p>\n Surrency, Edwin A. A History of American Law Publishing<\/em><\/strong>. Dobbs Ferry NY: Oceana, 1990. Legal directories were published from 1854 on.<\/p>\n _________. History of the Federal Courts<\/em><\/strong>. 2nd<\/sup> ed. Dobbs Ferry NY: Oceana, 2009.<\/p>\n Von Behren, Megan. \u201cNew York City and New York State Legal Documents from the 18th<\/sup> and 19th<\/sup> Centuries,\u201d NYG&B<\/em><\/strong> (now New York Researcher<\/em><\/strong>) (Spring-Summer 2001). Published as a research aid on http:\/\/www.NewYorkFamilyHistory.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n 2. The American Revolution, its Local Groups and their often \u201cSecret\u201d Partnerships? <\/strong>We don’t have an actual count of the Irish who participated in the American Revolution–we do have the names of several dissident groups that have the term “…boys” in their titles.<\/p>\n [Boys was a designation given to local militia units who saw a need\u2013legal or not\u2013and filled it.\u00a0The term is an Irish one.\u00a0Many Scots-Irish considered themselves to be from Ireland, even when they knew their ultimate origins were in Scotland.]<\/p>\n Committees\u2013of Safety and of Correspondence.\u00a0<\/strong>These committees met in the morning as British jurisdictions; they met again in the afternoon as Colonial jurisdictions enacting all the same business\u2013they probated wills, recorded deeds, performed marriages, collected local fees, and rendered oaths of allegiance.<\/p>\n Minutemen<\/strong>\u2013local militiamen who could be ready to fight at summons with weapons and ammunition.\u00a0 The most famous were those who mustered at Lexington and Concord. Most colonies had organized their own minutemen by the end of 1774.<\/p>\n Associators<\/strong>\u2013formed in 1774 of those adult males who took the oaths of allegiance to support their local and colonial governments against the King.<\/p>\n Sons of Liberty<\/strong>\u2013merchants, mechanics, clerks, warehouse men, storekeepers, printers, and other urban populations who organized and took oaths of allegiance.\u00a0 Their wives formed Daughters of Liberty<\/strong> groups who agreed not to buy British goods\u2013especially tea and wine. Meetings were announced in newspapers with a code as to date, time, and place. Or flyers that were circulated and posted through the towns and cities. They often formed their own militia groups to fight.<\/p>\n Liberty Boys<\/strong>\u2013lower class laborers in towns and cities in New York.\u00a0Can be identified as early as 1764. See Roger Champagne, \u201cLiberty Boys and Mechanics of New York City, 1764-1774,\u201d Labor History<\/em><\/strong> VIII (1967): 115-35.<\/p>\n Local Militias and Train Bands<\/strong>\u2013On July 9, 1776 some 20,275 men heard the reading of the Declaration of Independence in New York\u2013about half of them were under 18 years of age. General Washington said, \u201cThey are but lads\u2026\u201d\u00a0This was just one of many such readings in Boston, Philadelphia, Charleston, Baltimore. Militias in cities were called \u201ctrain bands.\u201d\u00a0They fostered rebellions against illegal acts, riots against customs duties, and revolt at enforcement of the laws against smuggling.\u00a0Virginia exempted from these militias (Law of 1738):\u00a0 ministers of the Anglican (Episcopal) Church, students and college staff of William and Mary, overseers of plantations, millers, iron and metal workers\u2013considered essential industries during the Revolutionary War.\u00a0See The Revolution in Virginia, 1775-1783<\/em><\/strong> by John E. Selby (Williamsburg VA: The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, 1988) p. 164, Map of Commerce and Manufacturing in Virginia, 1775-1783.<\/p>\n Wagoners<\/strong>\u2013men who drove supply wagons during the War. Drivers were often conscientious objectors\u2013Quakers, Mennonites, and others who refused to fight or take the oath of allegiance (later they were allowed to affirm their support). They demonstrated their support of the Revolution by serving the military as well as local commerce.<\/p>\n Green Mountain Boys<\/strong>\u2013under Ethan Allen and his officers marched through Vermont, New Hampshire, and New York.<\/p>\n Paxton Boys<\/strong>\u2013frontiersmen in Pennsylvania, of Scots-Irish background.\u00a0 After the end of the French and Indian Wars and Pontiac\u2019s Rebellion (ended 1764), they fought the Indians on the Pennsylvania frontier.<\/p>\n [Boys<\/strong> was a designation given to local militia units who saw a need\u2013legal or not\u2013and filled it.\u00a0The term is an Irish one.\u00a0Many Scots-Irish considered themselves to be from Ireland, even when they knew their ultimate origins were in Scotland.]<\/p>\n Privateers<\/strong>\u2013operating out of French Channel and open American ports, they brought supplies and volunteers from other countries, who were willing to fight on the American side.\u00a0 From these privateers and their ships, the first Continental Navy was recruited in 1775.\u00a0Local mariners along coastal rivers also participated.\u00a0Their cargoes and crews were\u00a0investment opportunities for local citizens\u2013especially widows who purchased small investments for a substantial reward.<\/p>\n Provincials<\/strong>\u2013Americans who enlisted in British army units, sometimes called provincial regulars to distinguish them from Tory units and other British regiments.\u00a0The British Legion was a cavalry unit of men from New York and Pennsylvania organized to fight under Colonel Tarleton in the South.<\/p>\n Your favorite New York genealogist, Arlene Eakle http:\/\/arleneeakle.com<\/p>\n PS I hope to find an Irish ancestor of my own–stay tuned!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" …Irish were often called “fighting” Irish. And I want to share two sources lists with you: l. Court Records: the place where the Irish were unafraid to go to defend and uphold their sense of right. Manz, William H. Gibson\u2019s … Continue reading
\nManz, William H. Gibson\u2019s New York Legal Research Guide<\/em><\/strong>. 3rd<\/sup> ed. Buffalo: William S. Hein, 2004.<\/p>\n