My Irish

[urbpan]

My dad writes long letters and sends them to multiple people. For all intents and purposes he's blogging via the US mail. So I'm reposting. In his most recent letter he wrote on St. Patrick's day, the story of learning of our Irish ancestor:

Decades ago [my Irish friend] challenged me to find my Irish Roots and I discovered one that improved my teaching of the Colonial era. Back in the mid-1650's, when Oliver Cromwell had overthrown the monarchy and put the puritans in charge of England, many New Englanders returned home. The loss of these families prompted some Cromwellians to send a kidnap ship along the coastline of Ireland to break in to homes and gather sturdy youths to be involuntarily indentured in the Colonies. My genealogical research in Ipswich stops at Philip Welch who sued at age 18 to be released from his indentured servitude. It was denied because he had been sold to age 21. That is a tragic story and a classic genealogical "dead end" because he'd have known no English when kidnapped and would have lost his Gaelic here. His name would have been altered and he lives a life that is un-illuminated by any spectacular success. Still on most St. Patrick's Days I ponder the inequities of life and marvel at the Irish who soldier on smiling and drinking despite a history of more burdens than most cultures.

Comments

[m0053.livejournal.com]

Best st. patrick's day letter! Albeit sad.

[roaming.livejournal.com]

what an interesting story! I too wish we could know Philip's life, times, and fate.

[urb-banal.livejournal.com]

yeah, well, fok eh?

[peppergrass.livejournal.com]

Jef I'm sorry I hadn't seen this. What a story. It's amazing to me that this chapter in history has been largely forgotten. As the Irish finally began to prosper in the US, perhaps they wish to sweep this ugly chapter under the rug? I know when I went to Scotland to visit my relatives there (who were IRISH but now consider themselves Scots), and I asked family members why they thought it was that their ancestors left Ireland, they looked at me sort of bemused, like it never occurred to anyone else to ask or even wonder about it. My great-grand-aunt sort of winked at me and said "I bet if you were here, YOU'D of asked them!" which I took as a gentle ribbing for me being so nosy. They pride themselves on not mentioning difficult times - including the last world war.