Pictured here are the Irwin Graves and below, the Gravestone for Archibald Irwin.
You may visit these in the historic Spring Grove Cemetery. You SHOULD go visit.
Images courtesy of Bonnie Speeg
Thursday, December 4, 2014
Irwin Gravesites Spring Grove Cemetery Cincinnati, Ohio
Pictured here are the Irwin Graves and below, the Gravestone for Archibald Irwin.
You may visit these in the historic Spring Grove Cemetery. You SHOULD go visit.
Images courtesy of Bonnie Speeg
Along The Ohio River Front in Cincinnati, Ohio we find the reminder of what was once a thriving business in a pioneer city, founded by John Irwin's father William and brother Archibald.
There is a short alleyway just yards from where the Fosters, Irwins, Findlays and others, worked and resided. The street sign is posted here and currently in the possession of Bonnie Speeg.
Perhaps a rededication will one day return it to its role as historic navigator.
John's brother, Archibald, is memorialized in his Obituary below.
Courtesy of Bonnie Speeg
And here is the Obituary for John Irwin, brother of Archibald Irwin, Esq. John died in Berlin Crossroads, Ohio which was a famous station on the Underground Railroad and first settled by the descendants of Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemmings. John's wife, Hannah Combs Irwin, died the year after. Berlin Crossroads, Ohio is re-discovering its own history and have started their own Facebook page which is full of rich history. They can be found on Facebook as Berlin X Roads.
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| Berlin Crossroads Ohio where John and Hannah Combs lived in 1850. |
Thursday, October 30, 2014
Get Your Free Online Copy Of The Irvines and Their Kin!
The Irvines and Their Kin : Revised by L. Boyd in Scotland, Ireland and England: A History of the Irvine family and their Descendants.
Also short sketches of their kindred, the Carlisles, McDowells, Johnstons, Maxwells, Gaults, McElroys, etc., from A.D. 373 down to the present time.
Author L. Boyd Publisher R.R. Donnelley & Sons Company 1908 Chicago. Copies are available through inter-library loan via your local library. This treasure can also be found online at the address below. Paste it in your browser and you will arrive at a great read. Page 63 is where the Irvines Of Drum begin.
http://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=wu.89065747677;view=1up;seq=13
 |
Wednesday, October 22, 2014
Irwin & Foster Steam-Powered Packet Boat Firm Takes A Trip To Texas
Remember that this is a multiple page Irwin Family chronology, so be sure to click through everything for all the history postings. Archive List appears on the right.
John Irwin, the 3rd grandfather of Patrick Burns Irwin, left a family in Cincinnati for a move to Appalachia Ohio, after the 1824 death of his father William Irwin. The Cincinnati relatives were merchants, founders and boosters of the growing city and employed in the business of moving people and product up and down the big rivers of the USA. The Irwin family assets were hammered by the infamous Panic of 1819. Google it for more information but know that Cincinnati was one of the hardest hit cities in the young USA. Things began to improve in 1822 but John Irwin may have seen greener pasture far removed from city life. Or maybe Cincinnati was such a bankrupt mess that it was time for John to get out while the getting was good.
This is a photo of a classic, steam-powered packet boat. It carried people, cattle, bales of cotton from southern plantations, produce of every description and machinery required in the settlement of western lands. This is how the Irwin's made their living. It was risky. There was a lot of competition, it all turned on the unlawful institution of slavery and the boats frequently caught fire and sank.
Irwin & Foster Firm was located at #4 Cassilly Row, otherwise known as Old Rat Row. This was the rough and tough waterfront district of Cincinnati. John's brother Archibald was in business with Dunning Foster. Dunning was the brother of American Composer, Stephen Foster and the young Foster worked for the Irwin & Foster firm as a bookkeeper on the riverboats.
The famous song, Oh Susanna, was written during Foster's bookkeeping days with the Irwins.
So, the Foster family packed the artist Stephen off for Cincinnati.
The prospect there seemed a good one. He was to enter the office of his older brother, Dunning McNair Foster, who was in partnership with Archibald Irwin, Jr.
Dunning had engaged a room for Stephen in the boarding house where he now lived.
This was the home of Mrs. Jane Griffin, a widow who was a communicant of St. Paul's Church; a circumstance which, as the Fosters were devout Episcopalians, doubtless pleased Mrs. Foster much better than Dunning's earlier quarters at the Broadway Hotel. The boarding house was on tree-shaded Fourth Street, in a good neighborhood and within easy walking distance of the Irwin & Foster office.
The sign Stephen saw as he stood before the door at No. 4 Cassilly's Row, East Front Street, near the wharf, read IRWIN & FOSTER, AGENTS.
They were designated as commission and forwarding merchants and steamboat agents. Stephen soon learned precisely what that title meant.
It meant competition with the half dozen firms in Cassilly's Row and other office buildings along the river front for freight and passenger business.
Each firm represented several steamboat companies
Irwin & Foster Agents today, is the present site of the Guilford Public School, Fourth Street between Broadway and Ludlow, and near the University Club.
This is a story about our Cincinnati Irwin's in business with the family of Stephen A. Foster, the songwriter of "Beautiful Dreamer" and other old hit tunes.
In soliciting the trade of local manufacturers and merchants and the patronage of the traveling public, the young partners—they were still in their twenties—had made a good start. Dunning Foster, after several years as a clerk on an Ohio River steamboat, had brought river experience as well as good looks and affability to his work as a solicitor. The energy and stability of Irwin & Foster, however, were supplied by Archibald Irwin, Jr.
"Archibald Irwin, Esq." had come from Pennsylvania in the early 1820's and had won success as a commission merchant. He was treasurer of the Little Miami Railroad Company which did not achieve legal incorporation until 1836.
Archibald, Jr., displayed the Scotch Presbyterian qualities of his father and of their relatives, prominent in industry and in law.
He saw to it that Irwin & Foster sailings always had top place in the steamboat advertisements in the newspapers. He was a vigorous figure in the movement of the river men in the fall of 1848 to support General Zachary Taylor for the Presidency.
When the new clerk and bookkeeper turned to the steamboat advertisements in the local newspapers he found that of nineteen announcements, Irwin & Foster ranked second in number only to Rogers & Sherlock among the local steamboat agents.
Right at the top of the column were five separate notices that Irwin & Foster boats were sailing for Pittsburgh, St. Louis and points on the Arkansas.River.
Later the list expanded to include Louisville, Nashville, Memphis and far-off New Orleans. There must have been fascination for Stephen in these destinations and in the picturesque names of boats which he entered on the bookkeeping ledgers: Northern Light, Taglioni, Chalmetto, Talisman, Ohio Belle, Planet, Gladiator, Schuylkill, South America, Bolivar, Germantown, Clipper, Messenger, Hibernia, Mary Stevens, Declaration, and Telegraph.
The Telegraph—bound for the Southland! A melody had been bubbling in Stephen's brain which called itself "Oh! Susanna." So he had the Black narrator of the song shout "I jumped aboard de Telegraph."
On certain spring mornings as he looked down the olive-green river from the office windows, Stephen Foster would doubtless have liked to jump aboard too.
Then Archibald Irwin or Dunning would hand him bills of lading, mute reminders that passenger travel was only one part of this business and of life. He would neatly write on the books the shipments for Pittsburgh on the daily packet service: "10 hhds Sugar, 13 feacks Wool, 10 tons Sundries"; "13 brls 'Potatoes, 2.5 do Whisky, ao tons Sundries"; '"100 brls Lime, 5 do Alcohol, 1 do Oil, 6 tons Sundries"; and "120 brls Whisky, 18 do Lard Oil, 7 hhds Bees Wax."
Bonnie Speeg is the owner-keeper of a journal, hand-written in 1843 by one of the Irwins, and she has been kind enough to share some of the history of the neighborhood with us.
"The Steamboat Commissioner, Archibald Irwin (Irwin & Whiteman), resided on the site of what is now Guilford School, from 1820 to1850; he was the employer of Stephen Foster.
Without the job procured by his brother to work at Irwin & Foster, "Oh Susannah" could not be claimed to have been written in our city.
The Irwin family is part of the Stephen Foster biography by Ken Emerson titled "Doo-Dah!" (1998)
Irwin's sister Jane Findlay lived around the corner on Broadway and Arch Street. (presently the police station).
Jane's niece, Jane Findlay, married William H. Harrison II and escorted her father-in-law to Washington, D.C. when he was inaugurated.
Jane Harrison returned to Cincinnati and interacted between the Irwins and Findlays often between Arch Street and Lytle and Fourth.
Irwin and his daughter walked with John Quincy Adams to Mt. Adams, in 1843, for the laying of the Observatory Cornerstone.
Archibald Irwin became Railroad Director (prior to Strader) in 1850..he lived on Arch Street."
These boats hauled freight where the going rate was $0.05 per 100 pounds for long journeys and $0.25 per 100 pounds for short trips. They did a lot of commerce with the southern plantation owners and therefore, abolition of slavery was a hotly contested issue within the city of Cincinnati and abolitionist politics were often considered "bad for business". John's wife, Hannah, was a woman of color so she was probably considered "bad for business" as well.
John Irwin's tombstone records that he and his first cousin James Irwin rode one of these boats south to fight in the Mexican American War. James died in Mexico and John returned to his family, who then lived in Lawrence County Ohio. A new baby William was born to Hannah while John was away at war. What an adventure! And by coincidence, Texas was a stop on their journey to Mexico. Camp Irwin was named for the fallen cousin James Irwin.
CAMP IRWIN. Camp Irwin, also called Camp Placedo, was a Mexican War encampment established in October 1846 on Placedo Creek near the Port Lavaca-Victoria Road, twelve miles west of Port Lavaca in Victoria County Texas.
It was named for James R. Irwin, Chief Quartermaster of Winfield Scott's army during the Mexico City campaign, and it served as a rendezvous for troops assigned to Gen. John E. Wool's Center Division and as a temporary military supply depot
| Birth: | James Irwin born Dec. 1, 1800 Franklin County Pennsylvania, USA |
| Death: | Jan. 10, 1847 Distrito Federal, Mexico |
 United States Military Officer. He was born in Franklin County, Pennsylvania and was the son of Archibald and Mary Irwin. He served in the US Army as an Assistant Quarter-Master General. He died from pneumonia in 1847 in Mexico City during the Mexican-American War. His grave was removed to Spring Grove on July 30, 1858. Spring Grove Cemetery and Arboretum is the historic burial grounds for the Cincinnati Irwin's. | |
A bit more about James Ramsey Irwin
Tuesday, October 21, 2014
Drum Castle
Take The Virtual Inside And Outside Tour Of Drum Castle. Paste this address in your browser and you should be good to go. Your ancestral home is now a museum and can be toured during the warm months of the year. Head to Aberdeen and have a look-see.
http://www.nts.org.uk/Learn/virtual_drumcastle.php
Irwin/Irvine Ancient History
Irvine of Drum 'Flourishing under both sun and shade' 300 to 1306 A.D. Sometime before 373 A.D., the Clans of the Gaelic Nations came from the west coast of Spain and established themselves on the east coast of Ireland. From there they moved on to the west coast of Scotland, and the Scots called them "Erinviene's". Erin - meaning from the west, Viene - meaning a brave, resolute, worthy man.
During this time the Erinviene's had close relations with the Kings of Scotland. During the time the Erinviene's stayed on the west coast of Scotland they built Irving castle, which later became the Town of Irving, and named the Irving River after their clan. Today, both the town and the river are called Irvine. The 13th c. keep and 17th c. manor from the West.In 373 A.D. the Erinviene's, together with other Scottish clans, fought against the Romans. King Eugenius died, and the Erinviene's and the rest of the Albion Scots fled to Scandinavia.
For many years the Scots tried to retake their land. In 404 A.D., Fergus was made King. Fergus II led the return to Scotland and, along with the Erinviene's and other Clans, they drove the Romans out of Scotland. Three Erivine brothers - Erinus, Grim and Duncan - were grandsons of Duncan, the first of the Eryvine's, who was killed at Duncrub in 965 A.D.
The eldest brother, Erinus, who ranked second to the king, inherited his family's titles as Seneschal of King's Rents, Athbane of Dule and Abbot of Dunkeld. He married the eldest daughter of King Malcolm II. Duncan was the ancestor of the entire Irving Clan. Sometime before 1034, Duncan was named Prince of Cumberland by his Grandfather, Malcolm II, King of Scotland. Prince Duncan took several of the old Clans to the south border to defend Scotland from England, and Prince Duncan's uncle brought his clan, the Erivine's, with him.
They built the Towers of Bonshaw along the banks of the Kirtle and many manor houses in what became the ancient home of the Irving Clan. Malcolm II had no male heir when he was assassinated in 1034. The throne was occupied by the grandson of Malcolm and son of Erinus, Duncan Erivine I. During his reign, Duncan was defeated in his campaign against the Norsemen and led the remnants of his army home in 1040. While returning, he was attacked and killed by his first cousin, MacBeth the Usurper; who assumed the throne and ruled for 17 years.
It is around Duncan's murder that Shakespeare's play MacBeth is based. Erinus was killed by MacBeth's forces in 1045 while seeking revenge for the murder of his son. The west wall of the keep. The sons of Duncan I remained in hiding until 1057 when Malcolm Erivine raised an army to challenge MacBeth. With the help of Lord MacDuff, Thane of Fife, he defeated and executed the Usurper. Malcolm defeated MacBeth's stepson, Lulach, and he regained his father's throne and became Malcolm III.
This succession included David I 'The Saint' who created all the offices of the royal court and William 'The Lion of Justice' who created the lion rampant as his battle crest and coat of arms. The line ended with Alexander III when he rode his horse over a cliff on a dark December night in 1286. Alexander III was predeceased by his heirs and with his death the succession was cast into dispute.
Thirteen claimants stepped forward to declare their right to the throne, all having some relation to the line of Irving. John Balliol, the primary claimant, was great-great-great grandson of David I, while his only serious rival was Robert the Bruce, the great great-great-great grandson of David I. Edward 'Longshanks' of England chose Balliol to be King of Scotland, who had to promise subservience to London. When Balliol could no longer tolerate following the direction of the English he was deposed and imprisoned in London.
Now only Balliol's nephew, John 'Red' Comyn, stood between Robert the Bruce and the throne. These two agreed to meet at the Church of the Grey Friers in 1306 to resolve their dispute. That discussion ended when, in the heat of argument, Robert put a dagger through Comyn's heart. 1306 to 1600 A.D.
During his famous campaign against the English, Robert the Bruce often sought help and refuge from his kinsmen, the Irvings of Bonshaw. He chose William de Irwyn as one of his principle aides and companions. As the story goes, at one point King Robert found himself put to flight by his enemies with only a few of his aides around him. Exhausted by the chase, the King was compelled to sleep under a holly tree while William stood guard over him. Holly leaves are now a prominent feature in all seven family crests which represent the major branches of the Irvine clan. William stood by King Robert again at famous battle of Bannockburn in June of 1314 (one of the few battles where the Scots defeated the English) and for his Looking across the courtyard to the SE. service was awarded the Royal Forest of Oaks in Aberdeenshire and Drum Castle which guards it in 1323.
From that point on, Drum Castle was continually occupied by the Irvines for over 650 years. This land had previously belonged to John'Red' Comyn. Drum was made into a free barony in 1329. Sir William de Irwyn married a granddaughter of Robert the Bruce, who was the daughter of Robert Douglas, Earl of Buchan.
From this union was derived the two great families of Bonshaw and Drum. For seventeen generations, starting with the second Laird of Drum, there was a successive line of Irvines all bearing the name Alexander. Sir Alexander Irvine, Third Laird of Drum, who was the grandson of William de Irwyn, was one of the chief commanders of the King's army at the battle of Harlaw, circa 1411 A.D. He was a valiant champion. Alexander lead the forces of Aberdeenshire with his cousin, the Earl of Mar, to meet the invaders from the Hebrides.
Before the battle, Alexander made his brother swear that should Alexander be killed, Robert would assume his baronial right at Drum. During the battle Alexander encountered the ferocious Chief of the MacLeans of Duart in Mull, known as Red Hector of the Battles. After 'noble and notable single combat' the two of them lay dead upon the field, killed by mortal blows struck upon each other. Many Irvines died in the battle of of Harlaw. Younger brother Robert carried out his oath and changed his name to Alexander and married his elder brother's fiancée, Elizabeth de Keith. Sometime later he led the delegation which negotiated the release of James I from the hands of the English, for which he was knighted. James V rewarded the sixth Laird of Drum in 1547 for his peace making efforts.
Many Irvines also died at the battle of Flodden on Sept. 9, 1513. 1600 to 1850 Drum Castle was plundered three times during the Covenanting Rebellion throughout which the royalist Irvine's supported Charles I. Sir Alexander, a Royalist, was forced to conform to the Covenant and was appointed Sheriff of Aberdeen in 1634. Alexander, 10th Laird of Drum, his brother Robert Federett and his two sons were imprisoned at the Tolbooth in Edinburgh several times.
His son Robert died there in 1646. When Charles became King in 1660, he offered Sir Alexander's son Alexander, tenth Laird of Drum, an earldom as reward for his support, which was refused. The 14th Laird took part in the Jacobite rising of 1715 and Alexander, the 17th Laird joined Prince Charles at Culloden in 1745. He escaped imprisonment and forfeiture despite being charged twice with treason.
The offer of royal peerage was made to the eleventh Laird, but was turned down because the king wouldn't pay to repair damage sustained to Drum Castle while the family had supported the king. After the fourteenth Laird (a Jacobite) was killed at the Battle of Sheriffmuir in 1715, the estate passed to John Irvine of Crimond.
After this, the Irvines continued to fight for the Jacobite cause, and because of this, the Laird spent 7 years in exile in France after the defeat of Prince Charles at Culloden. Variations of the Irvine Name The present name of Irvine is believed to have originated in Galloway with the fleeing of Gilchrist filius Eruini between 1124 and 1165. In fact, the earliest traditional Irving of Dumfriesshire was the alleged father of William of Drum who fled circa 1306 A.D., and the earliest extant contemporary record of Irvings in Dumfriesshire was not until 1367.
Irvin, Irvine, Irwin and Erwin are identical names belonging to the same family. The wide range of variations is attributed to medieval census takers who relied on spoken pronunciations of the name. In the past 1500 years the original family Erinviene name has been altered into many different versions and all of them credited to the spellings recorded by census takers.
Irvines and Their Kin 1908 By L. Boyd
<iframe width="450" height="700" src="http://hdl.handle.net/2027/wu.89065747677?urlappend=%3Bui=embed"></iframe>
During this time the Erinviene's had close relations with the Kings of Scotland. During the time the Erinviene's stayed on the west coast of Scotland they built Irving castle, which later became the Town of Irving, and named the Irving River after their clan. Today, both the town and the river are called Irvine. The 13th c. keep and 17th c. manor from the West.In 373 A.D. the Erinviene's, together with other Scottish clans, fought against the Romans. King Eugenius died, and the Erinviene's and the rest of the Albion Scots fled to Scandinavia.
For many years the Scots tried to retake their land. In 404 A.D., Fergus was made King. Fergus II led the return to Scotland and, along with the Erinviene's and other Clans, they drove the Romans out of Scotland. Three Erivine brothers - Erinus, Grim and Duncan - were grandsons of Duncan, the first of the Eryvine's, who was killed at Duncrub in 965 A.D.
The eldest brother, Erinus, who ranked second to the king, inherited his family's titles as Seneschal of King's Rents, Athbane of Dule and Abbot of Dunkeld. He married the eldest daughter of King Malcolm II. Duncan was the ancestor of the entire Irving Clan. Sometime before 1034, Duncan was named Prince of Cumberland by his Grandfather, Malcolm II, King of Scotland. Prince Duncan took several of the old Clans to the south border to defend Scotland from England, and Prince Duncan's uncle brought his clan, the Erivine's, with him.
They built the Towers of Bonshaw along the banks of the Kirtle and many manor houses in what became the ancient home of the Irving Clan. Malcolm II had no male heir when he was assassinated in 1034. The throne was occupied by the grandson of Malcolm and son of Erinus, Duncan Erivine I. During his reign, Duncan was defeated in his campaign against the Norsemen and led the remnants of his army home in 1040. While returning, he was attacked and killed by his first cousin, MacBeth the Usurper; who assumed the throne and ruled for 17 years.
It is around Duncan's murder that Shakespeare's play MacBeth is based. Erinus was killed by MacBeth's forces in 1045 while seeking revenge for the murder of his son. The west wall of the keep. The sons of Duncan I remained in hiding until 1057 when Malcolm Erivine raised an army to challenge MacBeth. With the help of Lord MacDuff, Thane of Fife, he defeated and executed the Usurper. Malcolm defeated MacBeth's stepson, Lulach, and he regained his father's throne and became Malcolm III.
This succession included David I 'The Saint' who created all the offices of the royal court and William 'The Lion of Justice' who created the lion rampant as his battle crest and coat of arms. The line ended with Alexander III when he rode his horse over a cliff on a dark December night in 1286. Alexander III was predeceased by his heirs and with his death the succession was cast into dispute.
Thirteen claimants stepped forward to declare their right to the throne, all having some relation to the line of Irving. John Balliol, the primary claimant, was great-great-great grandson of David I, while his only serious rival was Robert the Bruce, the great great-great-great grandson of David I. Edward 'Longshanks' of England chose Balliol to be King of Scotland, who had to promise subservience to London. When Balliol could no longer tolerate following the direction of the English he was deposed and imprisoned in London.
Now only Balliol's nephew, John 'Red' Comyn, stood between Robert the Bruce and the throne. These two agreed to meet at the Church of the Grey Friers in 1306 to resolve their dispute. That discussion ended when, in the heat of argument, Robert put a dagger through Comyn's heart. 1306 to 1600 A.D.
During his famous campaign against the English, Robert the Bruce often sought help and refuge from his kinsmen, the Irvings of Bonshaw. He chose William de Irwyn as one of his principle aides and companions. As the story goes, at one point King Robert found himself put to flight by his enemies with only a few of his aides around him. Exhausted by the chase, the King was compelled to sleep under a holly tree while William stood guard over him. Holly leaves are now a prominent feature in all seven family crests which represent the major branches of the Irvine clan. William stood by King Robert again at famous battle of Bannockburn in June of 1314 (one of the few battles where the Scots defeated the English) and for his Looking across the courtyard to the SE. service was awarded the Royal Forest of Oaks in Aberdeenshire and Drum Castle which guards it in 1323.
From that point on, Drum Castle was continually occupied by the Irvines for over 650 years. This land had previously belonged to John'Red' Comyn. Drum was made into a free barony in 1329. Sir William de Irwyn married a granddaughter of Robert the Bruce, who was the daughter of Robert Douglas, Earl of Buchan.
From this union was derived the two great families of Bonshaw and Drum. For seventeen generations, starting with the second Laird of Drum, there was a successive line of Irvines all bearing the name Alexander. Sir Alexander Irvine, Third Laird of Drum, who was the grandson of William de Irwyn, was one of the chief commanders of the King's army at the battle of Harlaw, circa 1411 A.D. He was a valiant champion. Alexander lead the forces of Aberdeenshire with his cousin, the Earl of Mar, to meet the invaders from the Hebrides.
Before the battle, Alexander made his brother swear that should Alexander be killed, Robert would assume his baronial right at Drum. During the battle Alexander encountered the ferocious Chief of the MacLeans of Duart in Mull, known as Red Hector of the Battles. After 'noble and notable single combat' the two of them lay dead upon the field, killed by mortal blows struck upon each other. Many Irvines died in the battle of of Harlaw. Younger brother Robert carried out his oath and changed his name to Alexander and married his elder brother's fiancée, Elizabeth de Keith. Sometime later he led the delegation which negotiated the release of James I from the hands of the English, for which he was knighted. James V rewarded the sixth Laird of Drum in 1547 for his peace making efforts.
Many Irvines also died at the battle of Flodden on Sept. 9, 1513. 1600 to 1850 Drum Castle was plundered three times during the Covenanting Rebellion throughout which the royalist Irvine's supported Charles I. Sir Alexander, a Royalist, was forced to conform to the Covenant and was appointed Sheriff of Aberdeen in 1634. Alexander, 10th Laird of Drum, his brother Robert Federett and his two sons were imprisoned at the Tolbooth in Edinburgh several times.
His son Robert died there in 1646. When Charles became King in 1660, he offered Sir Alexander's son Alexander, tenth Laird of Drum, an earldom as reward for his support, which was refused. The 14th Laird took part in the Jacobite rising of 1715 and Alexander, the 17th Laird joined Prince Charles at Culloden in 1745. He escaped imprisonment and forfeiture despite being charged twice with treason.
The offer of royal peerage was made to the eleventh Laird, but was turned down because the king wouldn't pay to repair damage sustained to Drum Castle while the family had supported the king. After the fourteenth Laird (a Jacobite) was killed at the Battle of Sheriffmuir in 1715, the estate passed to John Irvine of Crimond.
After this, the Irvines continued to fight for the Jacobite cause, and because of this, the Laird spent 7 years in exile in France after the defeat of Prince Charles at Culloden. Variations of the Irvine Name The present name of Irvine is believed to have originated in Galloway with the fleeing of Gilchrist filius Eruini between 1124 and 1165. In fact, the earliest traditional Irving of Dumfriesshire was the alleged father of William of Drum who fled circa 1306 A.D., and the earliest extant contemporary record of Irvings in Dumfriesshire was not until 1367.
Irvin, Irvine, Irwin and Erwin are identical names belonging to the same family. The wide range of variations is attributed to medieval census takers who relied on spoken pronunciations of the name. In the past 1500 years the original family Erinviene name has been altered into many different versions and all of them credited to the spellings recorded by census takers.
Irvines and Their Kin 1908 By L. Boyd
<iframe width="450" height="700" src="http://hdl.handle.net/2027/wu.89065747677?urlappend=%3Bui=embed"></iframe>
Irwins/Irvines Glencoe County Antrim Northern Ireland
The English held most of the population of Ireland under severe penal restrictions as a result of several Test Acts enacted in the late 1600's by James I and Charles II of England. These edicts specified that all marriages and funerals were required to use the Church of England rituals and ceremonies. All non-Episcopalians were barred from serving in the army or navy, as well as from all other forms of public employment.
Catholics were restricted even further, particularly in the ownership of land. While these restrictions were aimed primarily at religious activities, there were others of an economic nature which left Ireland virtually on its knees.
Most Scottish expatriates in Ireland at this time were Presbyterian, while the native Irish were predominantly Catholic. Many eventually took the Oath of Supremacy, probably with their fingers crossed behind their backs, in order to survive economically and provide for their families.
Nevertheless, people began to look elsewhere for freedom and opportunity. David Irvine was born in 1646 at Drum Castle near Aberdeen, Scotland. He was a son of Robert Irvine (1620-1645) of Drum and Elizabeth Wylie. He, like several other young Irvine men, left Scotland just ahead of the Covenenters. He married Sophia Gault about 1663 in Glencoe, County Ulster, Northern Ireland, and eventually, with the backing of the Irvine family in Scotland, operated a linen mill near Larne, County Antrim. They had five children.
One of those five was James Irwin who married Margaret Wylie and is buried in the historic Raloo Churchyard Antrim. Their son Archibald Irwin was born in Glencoe County Antrim and died in Mercersburg PA January 23, 1798. Archibald's son, also named Archibald, married Jean McDowell and their son William Irwin is father to John Irwin and grandfather to Joseph Combs Irwin.
This is the story of Robert Irvine, father of David, grandfather of our James Irwin and great-grandfather of our Archibald Irwin.
Robert Irvine
- Birth: 1620 - Drum Castle, Aberdeenshire, Scotland
- Death: Feb 4 1646 - Tolbooth Prison, Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland
- Parents: Alexander Irvine, Magdalene Scrimgrour
- Wife: Elizabeth Wylie
- Child: David Irvine
- Immigration: 1644, Fled from Scotland to Glencoe, Ulster, Ireland, where the Irwins had property, because of the religious troubles in Scotland.
The Lairds of Drum, had always been Royalists, but in the 1600s, with the strength of the "Covenanters" and the weakness of the King and his few supporters, the Laird and his estate suffered badly. Alexander, the Xth Laird, was imprisoned and a decree was issued by the Covenanters to demolish the Tower and the Castle of Drum, but the decree was never carried out.
It was under these conditions that Robert Irvine, one of the younger sons of the Xth Laird fled to County Antrim, Ireland, to escape the persecution. There he settled at Glenoe, near Larne, and being perhaps twenty-five years of age, married Elizabeth Wylie, starting a cadet branch of Drum Castle that took roots only through two generations, the third in a large part, coming to America.
In 1644, the King commissioned the raising of an army in support of his struggle with the Parliament in England. Robert Irvine, who had fled to Ireland earlier, returned to Scotland in answer to the King's call for assistance. On April 14, 1644, "The young Laird of Drum and his brother Robert rode through Abirdene having two cullouris, one having the King's Armes, the other having the Irving Armes."
To get recruits for service in England. However, the Covenanters, being already in force, forestalled the efforts of the Royalists and pursued the Young Laird and his brother, making it necessary for them to flee the country.
"On 10 June, 1644, Alexander Irving, younger, of Drum, Marie Gordon, his lady, Robert Irving, his brother, Mr. Alexander Irving, sone to John Irving of Auchtamford, etc., shipped abour Fraserburghe, and to sea they go. But his Lady was so troubled with sea-sickness that they landed in Caithness, where Francis Sincklair, son to the Earl of Caithness, seized them and sent word to the Estates, now sitting at Edinburgh: quharait the Estates was marvelous blythe for getting such a riche pray, who gave order for their transportation. They were wardt in the Tolbuith, Edinburgh."
"On 10 June, 1644, Alexander Irving, younger, of Drum, Marie Gordon, his lady, Robert Irving, his brother, Mr. Alexander Irving, sone to John Irving of Auchtamford, etc., shipped abour Fraserburghe, and to sea they go. But his Lady was so troubled with sea-sickness that they landed in Caithness, where Francis Sincklair, son to the Earl of Caithness, seized them and sent word to the Estates, now sitting at Edinburgh: quharait the Estates was marvelous blythe for getting such a riche pray, who gave order for their transportation. They were wardt in the Tolbuith, Edinburgh."
Montrose, now supporting the Royalists, arrived in triumph after his victory at Kilsyth and released all the prisoners from the Tolbooth (Scot: prison). The Irvines now joined the camp of Montrose, but scarcely had they done so when Montrose was completely defeated at Philiphaugh, on the 13th of September.
The Irvines were again consigned to their dungeons.
The Irvines were again consigned to their dungeons.
"Ye hard befoir the taking and warding of the yound Drum and his brother, Robert Irving. This brave young gentleman (Robert) departit this lyf within the Tolbuith of Edinburgh, upon Tuysday, 4 Februar, 1646, and that same nicht, being excommunicate, was buriet, betwixt 11 and 12 a clok, with candle licht and lanternis, the young Laird lying sore seik alse the sane chamer, who upon gryt mogan, was transportit in ane wandbed, upon the morne, fra the Tolbuith to the Castell, quhair he lay sore greivit at the death of his weil belovit brother, bourne dune by unhappie destiny".
Monday, October 20, 2014
Archibald Irwin House Mercersburg, Pennsylvania
Archibald Irwin House Mercersburg PA is where John's father William Irwin was born. Archibald died in Mercersburg Franklin County Pennsylvania on January 23, 1798.
William Irwin was born 1766 Mercersburg PA and died July 16 1824 Cincinnati Ohio. He is buried in the historic Spring Grove Cemetery and Arboretum and was husband to Mary "Polly" Smith and father to John Irwin born 1801 in Mercersburg.
This building belonged to and was built by Archibald Irwin, the son of James Irwin. Archibald was also known as Ensign Archibald Irwin of the Reverend John Steele's Company of Armstrong's Battalion in 1756 during the French and Indian War.
They had a place that became known as "Irwinton Mills" out on the West Branch of the Conococheague.
Today the same place is known as "Anderson Mill."
A log house there that still stands and is in good condition, and was built in 1732. A wonderful stone house was completed around 1768. This Irwin family was connected with both Presidents Harrisons.
James Irwin, Archibald's father was born @ 1700, and was a Scotch-Irish immigrant who came to Pennsylvania in 1729 with seven other Irwins from the Glencoe County Antrim Northern Ireland area. The Irwins operated mills, a bleaching plant and a smith shop back in Ireland. James Irwin in 1748 owned 540 acres in Peters Twp. just north of present day Mercersburg, Pennsylvania. By 1766 he owned a mill valued at three pounds 12 shillings and by 1769 the value of the mill was 10 pounds six shillings.
During the Revolutionary War, Archibald Irwin's oldest son, James, began to do commissary duty for the Western Army at Irwinton's Mills. James Irwin organized pack horse trains to carry flour, meat and other provisions to Pittsburgh for the Western Army. James Irwin acted as an assistant commissary under the appointment of Col. George Morgan, who was Commissary General for the Western Army, whose headquarters were at Pittsburgh.
Large quantities of flour were made at Irwinton's Mill, packed in kegs, each weighing about one hundred pounds, to be sent west. Flour was brought in from Washington County, Maryland. Large numbers of beef cattle were driven to Irwinton's plantation to be purchased, slaughtered and processed in a recently erected slaughter house, and sent to the Western Armies. James Irwin stated that the Pittsburgh Quarter Master Department had four brigades of pack horses each containing about one hundred horses, with one horse master and twelve riders to each brigade, to carry provisions west for the Army. The mill must have been busy and crowded, with one hundred pack horses being loaded, and with their drivers and horse master preparing for a trip over the mountains to Pittsburgh.
Archibald Irwin died in 1798 and the plantation was given to his youngest son, Archibald Irwin II.
Archibald Irwin's oldest daughter, Jane, married William Henry Harrison, Jr., son of the General and President William Henry Harrison, at Irwinton Mills in 1824. Jane Irwin Harrison was mistress of the White House during the brief administration of the first President Harrison in 1841. Archibald Irwin's daughter, Elizabeth, married John Scott Harrison.
In 1889 Benjamin Harrison, the oldest son of Elizabeth Irwin Harrison, became President of the United States.
During the Revolutionary War, Archibald Irwin's oldest son, James, began to do commissary duty for the Western Army at Irwinton's Mills. James Irwin organized pack horse trains to carry flour, meat and other provisions to Pittsburgh for the Western Army. James Irwin acted as an assistant commissary under the appointment of Col. George Morgan, who was Commissary General for the Western Army, whose headquarters were at Pittsburgh.
Large quantities of flour were made at Irwinton's Mill, packed in kegs, each weighing about one hundred pounds, to be sent west. Flour was brought in from Washington County, Maryland. Large numbers of beef cattle were driven to Irwinton's plantation to be purchased, slaughtered and processed in a recently erected slaughter house, and sent to the Western Armies. James Irwin stated that the Pittsburgh Quarter Master Department had four brigades of pack horses each containing about one hundred horses, with one horse master and twelve riders to each brigade, to carry provisions west for the Army. The mill must have been busy and crowded, with one hundred pack horses being loaded, and with their drivers and horse master preparing for a trip over the mountains to Pittsburgh.
Archibald Irwin died in 1798 and the plantation was given to his youngest son, Archibald Irwin II.
Archibald Irwin's oldest daughter, Jane, married William Henry Harrison, Jr., son of the General and President William Henry Harrison, at Irwinton Mills in 1824. Jane Irwin Harrison was mistress of the White House during the brief administration of the first President Harrison in 1841. Archibald Irwin's daughter, Elizabeth, married John Scott Harrison.
In 1889 Benjamin Harrison, the oldest son of Elizabeth Irwin Harrison, became President of the United States.
Anderson's Mill / Irwinton Mill
Franklin Co. | Pennsylvania | USA | Orig. mill 1760, rebuilt 1856
Township: Montgomery Twp. | Watersource: West Branch Conococheague Creek.
The old grist mill is located at 9717 Anderson Road along-side the West Branch of the Conococheague Creek. The Irwinton Homestead is near the mill as are the "Hays Fording" Double Arch Stone Bridge and the Witherspoon s "Red" Covered Bridge.
A Driving Tour Of Irwin County In Southern Franklin County PA French And Indian War Era
http://www.explorefranklincountypa.com
Request A Vistor's Guide!
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| Father James Irwin And Son Archibald Irwin Support The Revolutionary War |
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| Final Resting Place For James Irwin |
Had John Irwin chosen to remain in Cincinnati with his Irwin Family, he would most likely have joined the Irwin merchant business or partnered with brother Archibald in the Irwin & Foster Steamboat Agency/Firm. View top photo, 6th building from left with big awning.
John Irwin's Father, William Irwin as he appears in the records of The Cincinnati Directory 1819
Irwin, William (Merchant) 34 Main St., Cincinnati, Ohio (Male),
(Morgan#1114)
Search: Cincinnati. Directory. The Cincinnati Directory,
Containing the Name (Cincinnati, 1819) Page 127.
Search Irwin, William (Board of Directors, Farmers and Mechanicks' Bank) 34
Main St., Cincinnati, Ohio (Male), (Morgan#1114)
Search: Cincinnati.Directory.
The Cincinnati Directory, Containing the Name (Cincinnati,1819) Page 46. Search Irwin, William (President, Farmers and Mechanicks' Bank) 34 Main St.,
Cincinnati, Ohio (Male), (Morgan#1114)
William Irwin Bank President Signature
William Irwin's Friends and Business Peers Were:
William Henry Harrison was a major general in the War of 1812 and returned home to Ohio a hero. He was elected to two important offices, serving in the House of Representatives from 1816-1819 and in the U.S. Senate from 1825-1828.
James Findlay, former mayor of Cincinnati, served in the House from 1825-1833. Findlay’s brother William was Governor of Pennsylvania and then its U.S. Senator from 1821-27, while Harrison was in the same body. The Harrisons and Findlays were related by marriage, both having intertwined with a very early Ohio pioneer family named Irwin.
Archibald Irwin Sr. had a son William, a daughter Jane who married James Findlay, and another son Archibald Jr.
This second Archibald had two daughters who married sons of the future president: Jane Irwin married William Henry Harrison, Jr. in 1824 and Elizabeth Irwin married John Scott Harrison, his younger brother, in 1831. Jane was brought up by her aunt, Mrs. James Findlay, and remained close to her. Elizabeth became the mother of Pres. Benjamin Harrison.
In the 1840 election, William Henry Harrison was elected President of the United States. When March 4, 1841, the time for the Harrison inauguration, arrived, the new President's wife was unable to go to Washington because of illness. So her daughter-in-law Jane, the wife of William Henry Jr., went instead, taking along her aunt, Mrs. Findlay. Thus it was that Jane Harrison served as First Lady, while her aunt lived in the White House with her.
Their tenure there was short, as Pres. Harrison caught pneumonia at the inauguration and died April 4, only a month after he became chief executive. James Smith was a business partner of Gen. Findlay, their firm Smith & Findlay operating one of the early stores in Cincinnati. He was highly thought of, and was elected the first sheriff of Hamilton County (which includes Cincinnati). During a portion of this time he was collector of revenue in the Northwest Territory for the U.S. government. He was also captain of the first militia company raised in Cincinnati, and when the War of 1812 broke out, went to the front as paymaster of the First Regiment, to assist in paying off the troops on the frontier. He saw action in Fort Meigs when it was besieged by the British and Indians.
In order to serve as paymaster, James Smith was required to provide security in the form of a surety. William Irwin, brother of Archibald Irwin Jr. and Jane Findlay, acted in this capacity on his behalf. Irwin’s liability was ongoing until Smith’s account could be settled, and by 1821 the time to do that had arrived. Irwin was apparently called upon to advance money per his surety agreement and needed as much time as he could get to provide the funds. Thus he called upon his friend and future relative, William Henry Harrison, fresh from Washington and with plenty of friends and influence there, to aid him. The result is the following letter.
William Henry Harrison January 22, 1821. "You forgot to give me an answer to the application I made to you in behalf of Mr. W. Irwin of Cincinnati. The Secy. of the Treasury has referred him to you to fix the time which shall be given him to procure the vouchers necessary to settle the account of Pay Master James Smith whose security he is. Mr. Irwin is a particular friend of mine & a very worthy man. I must beg of you to indulge him with as long time as possible." P. S. "Be pleased to drop a line to Mr. Irwin on the subject."The recipient of this letter was very likely one of the chief auditors of the Treasury Department, as a person in that position would have had the responsibility of handling matters such as this. An interesting letter of Harrison, indicating he was not above intervening with government officials to assist his friends and relatives. William Irwin died just a few years later in 1824, perhaps of surprise or aggravation at having to actually make a surety payment on behalf of the usually-reliable Smith. Amount was $2,995.
H John Irwin chose to leave the city after the death of his father, William, in 1824, and marry Hannah Combs in June of 1825 in the wilds of Adams County Ohio. Hannah had Combs relatives living adjacent to Serpent Mound during the 1820's. Serpent Mound is significant because it was and still is considered a sacred place by Native American People.
Hannah and her Meigs Township, Adams County, Combs relatives included Francis Combs, John Combs and Thomas Combs, all descended from the Combs family of historic Tonoloway Settlement, Hampshire County Virginia and Charles County Maryland.
Combs connections are found as early as 1608 and from there, throughout the development of the colonies. As pioneer people, they married freely with Native people and into Native tribes, like Hannah's Chickasaw, who were known for sheltering, indenturing and including escaped people of color into their indigenous communities. Slavery was also the economic foundation of Charles County Maryland where the Combs were a leading Catholic, planter family.
The first Combs arriving in Maryland were Catholic. In England, Catholics could not hold office and suffered multiple persecutions. Combs and 200 other families were recruited by Lord Cecil Calvert, a powerful Catholic, to leave England settle the new colonial lands. Because they refused to take the Oath of Supremacy, the Combs were forbidden to leave England and got around this problems by hiding on the Isle of Wright and boarding ship after London Harbor was cleared. They arrived in Charles County, Maryland in 1676.
Hannah was of a multi-racial background and probably not entirely safe in Cincinnati where racial tension was high, race riots were frequent and slave bounty hunters were a daily fact of life. Elsewhere on this blog you will read the story of her being accosted by White women on the streets of Jackson Ohio for being an obviously "Indian" woman in the company of a handsome White man, her husband John Irwin. Hannah's reply was rapid fire.
John's Brother, Archibald Irwin
| Irwin, Archibald (Merchant, Commission, Irwin Archibald) Ludlow bw 3rd and 4th, Cincinnati, Ohio (Male) | Cincinnati. Directory. The Cincinnati Directory for 1842. Charles Cist, Compiler. (Cincinnati, 1842) Page 185. | |
| Irwin, Archibald (Merchant, Irwin and Whiteman) Cincinnati, Ohio (Male) | Cincinnati. Directory. Cincinnati Directory, for the Year 1829. (Cincinnati, 1829) Page 67. | |
| Irwin, Archibald (Councilman First Ward, Cincinnati City Council) Cincinnati, Ohio (Male) | Cincinnati. Directory. Cincinnati Directory, for the Years 1836--7. (Cincinnati, 1836) Page 201. | |
| Irwin, Archibald (Merchant, Commission, Irwin and Whiteman) Ludlow Near 4th, Cincinnati, Ohio (Male) | Cincinnati. Directory. Cincinnati Directory, for the Years 1836--7. (Cincinnati, 1836) Page 90. | |
| Irwin, Archibald ( (Merchant, Commission, Irwin and Whiteman) Ludlow W Side bw 3rd and 4th, Cincinnati, Ohio (Male) | Cincinnati. Directory. Cincinnati, Covington, Newport and Fulton Directory, for 839-1840. (Cincinnati, 1840) Page 233. | |
| Irwin, Archibald, Jr. (Member) Cincinnati, Ohio (Male) | Western Art Union. Cincinnati. Transactions of the Western Art Union, for the Year 1849. (Cincinnati, 1849) Page 26. | |
| Irwin, Archibald ( (Merchant, Irwin and Whiteman) Ludlow bw Third and Fourth, Cincinnati, Ohio (Male) | Cincinnati. Directory. Cincinnati Directory for 1825. (Cincinnati, 1825) Page 53. | |
| Irwin, Archibald (Member) Cincinnati, Ohio (Male) | Western Art Union. Cincinnati. Transactions of the Western Art Union, for the Year 1849. (Cincinnati, 1849) Page 26. | |
| Irwin, Archibald (Merchant, Commission, Irwin and Whiteman) Ludlow bw 3rd and 4th, Cincinnati, Ohio (Male) | Cincinnati. Directory. Cincinnati Directory, for the Year 1831. (Cincinnati, 1831) Page 82. | |
| Irwin, Archibald (Business, Merchant, Commission) Broadway bw Front and 3rd, Cincinnati, Ohio (Male) |
John Irwin Lineage
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| Son, David Irwin, died at Antietam and son John Irwin was captured by Confederates and hung. So, John and Hannah lost two sons to the Civil War but son Joseph Combs Irwin did return.
|
Final Resting Place of John Irwin and Hannah Combs Irwin In Keenan Cemetery
| Latitude: | 39.0772949 |
| Longitude: | -82.5507165 Lick Twnship Jackson CO Ohio |
Andrew Dude Irwin's Parents and Grandparents Back In Jackson County Ohio
Andrew William "Dude" Irwin Father Of Joseph F. Irwin
Their children were Mary 1891, Joseph 1892, Thomas 1893, Grace 1895, William 1897, Flora 1901, Twins Nellie & Donald 1903, and Rosa 1905.
Meet Joe Irwin WWI Veteran Of The Meuse-Argonne
Meet Joseph Irwin, WWI, CO A 8 Infantry ONG (Co A 146 Infantry) to Discharge Private, First Class February 19, 1918.
Meuse-Argonne, Defensive Sector, Wounded In Action, September 30, 1918. American Expeditionary Forces June 15, 1918 to March 31, 1919. Honorable Discharge April 13, 1919.
His training was at Camp Sherman Chillicothe, Ohio.
Grandpa Joseph Irwin was husband to Mary Burns Irwin and Father to Pat, Joe, Mary, Liz and Nancy. His parents were Andrew Irwin and Alice Hagerty/Haggerty.
Andrew was the son of Joseph Combs and Martha Ward Irwin.
Irwins Old And New Mary & Joe
Grandma Mary Irwin helped establish a Ladies Auxilliary in support of the trainmen.
Mary Burns Irwin was no stranger to coal mining politics.
Her father, Patrick Burns was born May 7, 1858 in Scotland and died August 5,1900 in Rendville. He was a coal miner and died of lung ailment/pneumonia. The (June 16th) 1900 Census shows Patrick as a patient at a hospital that probably treated TB and other lung disease, in Columbus, Ohio Precinct A, City Ward 14.
Census Record indicates he both immigrated and was married in 1883, that his birthplace was Scotland but his father and mother were both born in Ireland. Here on the Census,his birthdate reads August of 1858.
Patrick Burns' grave is undiscovered but family narrative is that he was buried "on a hill". His death threw the family into deep financial poverty and Grandma Mary Burns Irwin reported that she and her mother dealt with it by taking in laundry, while Aunt Sarah Burns Edwards lived for awhile as a servant in a New Lexington home.
Mary's mother was Elizabeth McGinnis Burns born 1857 in Scotland, died April 2, 1929 and was buried in Maplewood Cemetery, New Lexington with her daughter Elizabeth Burns McVay.
Elizabeth and Patrick Burns lived in Rendville on Smoky Row Road, now State Route 13. They had 5 children: Sarah who married the infamous miner and railroader "RC" Robert C. Edwards, known for maintaing his handsome black hair with the use of stove polish. Euphemia, also known as Fame was married to German-born August Steffen. Patrick who died in WWI service. Elizabeth who married Orville Clifford McVay. Mary who married Joseph Irwin.
Sarah Burns (Edwards)is listed in the 1900 Census as a 16 year old girl living with Perry and Mary Pfadt Evans as a "servant". Sarah's birthday is recorded as December 3,1884. She may have been employed by Evans Family or receiving room & board in exchange for household assistance. Sarah was the eldest and might have helped support the family after her father's death from lung disease in 1900. Sarah lists her father place of birth as Ireland on the census record and when Sarah marries Uncle R.C. Edwards, she records her father's name as Patty Burns.
Mary's brother, Patrick J. Burns was born 1890 in Rendville and died of pneumonia/influenza at Fort Benjamin in Harrison, Indiana after enlisting to serve in WWI. He was buried in Maplewood Cemetery, New Lexington Ohio October 19, 1918. Before enlisting he worked on the railroad and sported a head of red hair.
Patrick J. Burns Assigns Comment
6 Co 2 Training Battalion 159 Depot Brigade to 10 July
1918
2 Provisional Battalion Engineers to 23 Sept 1918; Co D 118
Engineers to death.
Private Died of pneumonia 13 Oct 1918.
Notified Mrs Elizabeth Burns, mother, Rendville, O.
Note: The American military experience in World War I and the influenza pandemic were closely intertwined. The war fostered influenza in the crowded conditions of military camps in the United States and in the trenches of the Western Front in Europe. The virus traveled with military personnel from camp to camp and across the Atlantic, and at the height of the American military involvement in the war, September through November 1918, influenza and pneumonia sickened 20% to 40% of U.S. Army and Navy personnel. These high morbidity rates interfered with induction and training schedules in the United States and rendered hundreds of thousands of military personnel non-effective. During the American Expeditionary Forces' campaign at Meuse-Argonne, the epidemic diverted urgently needed resources from combat support to transporting and caring for the sick and the dead. Influenza and pneumonia killed more American soldiers and sailors during the war than did enemy weapon.
Mary Alice Irwin in the 1940 Census
Mary
Middle Name:
Allice
Last Name:
Irwin
Age at Time of Census:
17
Gender:
Female
Race:
White
Ethnicity:
American
Est. Birth Year:
1923
Birth Location:
Ohio Map
Enumeration District:
64-18
Residence:
Corning Village, Monroe Township, Perry, OH Map
Relationship to Head of Household:
Daughter
Other People in Household:
19 yrs, Male
18 yrs, Male
47 yrs, Male
43 yrs, Female
10 yrs, Female
5 yrs, Female
MARY ALICE IRWIN CONWAY SMITH PRESENT DAY!
"LIZ" ELIZABETH IRWIN MEYER AND HER HUSBAND BILL ON THEIR WEDDING DAY
Pat and Betty Irwin 1948
Uncle Joe Irwin
AMM 2/c U.S. Navy Born March 21, 1922
Entered Service September 15, 1942 Norfolk, VA; Pensacola Florida; Pacific Theatre
Prisoner of War in Japan
Awarded Good Conduct Medal
Uncle Joe And Aunt Ginny (Virginia Kramer) Irwin
On the night of 9 March 1944, 400 miles south of Iceland, the Leopold, while investigating a radar target, was torpedoed amidships, and later broke in two and sank. The Joyce, four miles distant at the time, was designated rescue ship. Twice, while dead in the water picking up the 28 survivors, the Joyce got underway precipitately to evade torpedoes, the screws of which were detected by sonar. Eleven of the crew received the Navy and Marine Corps Medal, and the commanding officer, LCDR Wilcox, and two men received commendations from the commander in chief, Atlantic Fleet, for their outstanding performance of duty on this occasion.
Pat Irwin is standing behind minister with his head bowed. Ensign Patrick B. Irwin U.S. Coast Guard was awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Medal for his heroic conduct while serving on the JOYCE, diving into the frigid waters, rescuing survivors and participating in the fire fight.
An opportunity to retaliate for the loss of the Leopold was afforded the Division on the next outward voyage. On the morning of 16 April 1944, while taking her station in the convoy, the SS Pan Pennsylvania, one of the world's largest gasoline tankers, was torpedoed and set aflame. After picking up thirty-one survivors, including the master, the Joyce located the submarine [the U-550] by sonar and brought it to the surface with one pattern of eleven depth charges.
With the aid of the Peterson and the Navy-manned USS Gandy (DE-764; Leopold's replacement), the submarine's guns were quickly subdued. Her crew thereupon abandoned and scuttled her. Thirteen of the submarine's company were picked up by the Joyce, including the commanding officer, although one later died of wounds he received during the fire-fight.
LCDR Wilcox received the Legion of Merit and the USSR Order of the Fatherland War, 1st Class, and LT John L. Bender, USCGR, Nelson W. Allen, SOM 2/c, USCGR, and Winston T. Coburn, SOM 2/x, USCGR, received the Bronze Star Medal.
The Joyce made eleven round trips across the Atlantic, celebrating VE Day in mid-ocean on her last return voyage. Her ports of call were Casablanca (12/22/43), Londonderry (3/11/44; 4/26/44; 6/10/44; 7/21/44), Loch Ewe, Scotland and Londonderry (8/31/44), Liverpool (10/17/44); Glasgow, Scotland (12/4/44); Falmouth, England (1/21/45); Portsmouth (1/25/45); Le Havre, France (3/11/45); Southampton (3/12/45); and Birkenhead, England (4/28/45).
The above photo was provided by CAPT Robert Wilcox, USCG (Ret.), the Joyce's commanding officer during her battle with the U-550. CAPT Wilcox wrote the following description on the back of the photo:
"Funeral services on board USS Joyce (DE-319) in North Atlantic Ocean, 18 April 1943, for ex-German Navy Machinist Wanz who died aboard Joyce from wounds received in fire fight between U-550 and USS Joyce, Gandy and Peterson on 16 April 1944.
Crewmembers of Joyce and U-550 attended ceremony conducted by C.O. of Joyce, LCDR Robert Wilcox, USCG, on voluntary basis. It was well attended. Former U-550 crew members are off camera below U.S. flag-draped body."
FIRST HAND ACCOUNTS From The Joyce Crew Members
"We hadn't fired more than a few rounds," said Cleveland Parker, Chief Commissary Steward, the highest ranking man rescued, when another sub, lying in wait off our port quarter, threw a torpedo into us."
Troy S. Gowers, Seaman 1/c, was at his gun station when the torpedo struck. "When the fish exploded" he said "I was blown right out of my shoes and into a life net a dozen feet away. I crawled back to my station and since the electric power was off, I tried to work the gun manually, but she was jammed. Then came the order to abandon ship. I helped release a life raft on the starboard side and jumped into the water.
The water was almost freezing and the wind felt even colder. When I pulled myself aboard the raft there were 18 or 19 of us! When we were finally picked up there were only three or four." A storm was blowing and the waves started to break over the small life raft.
Gowers and Joseph N. Ranyss, Seaman I/c crawled around to the men sitting still, trying to keep them awake. "But those that were freezing knew it."
Gowers said "One Boy said 'I'm. dying, I can't hold out any longer' and in a minute he was gone". Finally the Coast Guardsmen left on the raft saw a ship, Joyce, which had dropped behind for rescue work. The Joyce saw them but couldn't stop to pick them up at that moment because a U-boat was firing torpedoes at her. The men on the raft watched in despair as the ship slowly pulled out of sight.
LEOPOLD BREAKS IN HALF
Meanwhile another survivor, W. G. O'Brien, Seaman 1/c, was still aboard the Leopold. He watched the fore part of the ship break away about 3/4 of an hour after the explosion and then had walked to the stern of the vessel where 40 of the ship's crew and officers had congregated. There he heard about one man who had been pinned under a heavy galley range by the explosion. The man had pleaded with an officer to shoot him and, when the officer refused, he begged him to leave a gun by his side so that he could shoot himself. But they freed him from the wreckage and lowered him to a boat. He died before they picked him up.
ROLLS OVER AND FINALLY SINKS
O'Brien helped pull three men out of the water. One was the commanding officer, CDR Kenneth Phillips, who had been blown off the ship by the explosion. The stern of the Leopold was now setting deeper and deeper into the water. The storm was getting stronger. An officer went below deck and came back with medical whisky and blankets. Then they saw the Joyce and signaled it with a flashlight. "She came within 50 yards of us," O'Brien said "and her skipper hollered through a megaphone 'We're dodging torpedoes. God bless you. We'll be back.' And then they went away. In a little while the stern of the Leopold rolled straight over to the port side and a lot of the men were thrown off. The Captain was one of then and I didn't see him again. The ship stayed like that for about one hour and a half, all the time getting lower in the water. The waves were about 50 feet high and one by one, the men were washed off. I'd see a big wave coming and close my eyes arid hold my breath until the stern raised out of it. In one of these the water didn't go down, and I realized that the stern had finally gone for for good. So I let go and my life jacket carried me to the surface. After a while I saw a life raft and struck out for it."
ONLY 28 SURVIVORS
All of the Leopold's 13 officers and 158 of her complement of 186 enlisted men were lost. There were only 28 survivors, all enlisted men.
POSTSCRIPT
The Joyce rescued the 28 survivors later that morning and then sank the Leopold's bow, which was still barely afloat and pointing towards the sky, with gunfire. The Joyce then rejoined the convoy which made the United Kingdom without further incident. Chief Cleveland Parker, in the above account, claimed that another submarine, other than the one Leopold had picked up on radar, was the one that torpedoed her. In fact, Leopold's radar had picked up the U-255 which, as she dived, fired an acoustic torpedo at Leopold, one of the first instances of this new German weapon being used successfully in combat. There was no other U-boat in the area. The U-255 then fired more torpedoes at the Joyce, none of which hit the destroyer escort. The U-255 evaded Joyce's counterattack and returned safely to France.
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