Dorgan, Patrick J.

THE SOURCES OF INFORMATION FOR PATRICK J. DORGAN IN IRELAND


Below is a letter I received, dated 25 May 2004, from Mrs. Jo Cashman of Knockglass, Ladysbridge, Castlemartyr, Co. Cork, Ireland.

I have transcribed it as she wrote it, except that I have capitalized all names.

I had originally contacted Pete Morrison through a genealogy Internet-friend, Ed Duggan, who has visited many times the townlands of our ancestral DORGAN family, especially Ballybraher, Ballycotton, Shanagarry, Churchtown South, and other surrounding areas.

Pete Morrison asked Mrs. Jo Cashman to write down her recollections of the DORGAN family.

Pete Morrison wrote this and appended it to Mrs. Jo Cashman's letter:

Churchtown South,
Cloyne,
Co. Cork

25-5-04

Dear Bill,

Just a few lines in reply to your letter. I met with a friend, MRS. JOE CASHMAN and she wrote out the information. As you can see my writing is not the best. I hope what were sent you will be of use.

Yours sincerely,

PETE MORRISON


This is MRS. JO CASHMAN'S letter:

Knockglass, Ladysbridge
Castlemartyr
Co. Cork
Ireland Eire

My Dear Bill

Some time recently PETE MORRISON received a letter from you re family tree. Enclosed is some of the information I have for you.

DAVID DORGAN lived in Ballybraher & married Elizabeth Ahearne & no family.
DAVID (DORGAN) brought his nephew JOHN HEALY (his sister Mary's son).
Elizabeth brought her niece MARGARET GRAHAME.
Then JOHN HEALY & MARGARET GRAHAME married.
They had family as follows: ELIZABETH, JERRY and DAVID twins, JOHN CHRISTOPHER and JAMES. All unmarried.
ELIZABETH, DAVID & JOHN CHRISTOPHER are still in Ballybraher & JAMES died 10 years ago & JERRY died last July.

The over said brother DAVID (DORGAN) had a brother MICHAEL DORGAN who bought a pub in Cloyne, was married to a Guard woman from Ballynamona, Shanagarry & had four in family: LENA (DORGAN) married BILLY O'BRIEN, MARY (DORGAN) married BILLY'S brother JOHN O'BRIEN and neither had family. PATRICK (DORGAN) married a Millerick woman & had family of five & BILL (DORGAN) in Cork (City) unmarried. (I have since updated this information!)

The above DAVID & MICHAEL DORGAN (brothers) had a sister ELIZABETH (DORGAN) married JOHN SHINNICK, Ballycatoo, Cloyne & had 3 in family: EDMUND, ELIZABETH & HANNAH. Another sister, MARY (DORGAN) married to JERRY HEALY, Lisanley, Cloyne (parents of the JOHN HEALY who married MARGARET GRAHAME whom I already mentioned). The above JOHN HEALY had a brother PAD & MICK HEALY (Patrick and Michael Healy) & sister ANN (HEALY) unmarried and a sister married to MEANEY, Aghada.

DAVID DORGAN & MICHAEL DORGAN, ELIZABETH SHINNICK & MARY HEALY were brothers and sisters of your great grandfather, PATRICK J. DORGAN.

MARY CATHERINE HARTNETT came from Garryvoe & had brother JAMES (HARTNETT) in Garryvoe who was married to MARY COLEMAN, Maytown, Ballycotton & had (a) son MAURICE (HARTNETT) & two daughters HANNAH (HARTNETT) and MINNIE (HARTNETT). They (There) may be other(s). I don't know of that family.

PATRICK J. DORGAN left Ballybraher & moved to Carrigkilter (a mile down the road). In later years DANIEL O'CONNELL from Co. Kerry bought the above farm & it has now changed to new owners.

I do hope this little bit of information is of some help & do hope to hear from you sometime.

God bless from,
(Mrs.) Jo Cashman"

During my trip to Ireland in April 2005, I met with Mrs. Jo Cashman and Pete Morrison. They were delightful and full of Dorgan information which I devoured and savored.


The exact birth date of Patrick J. Dorgan is unknown. He was born on his father's farm in Carrigkilter, Ballycotton, Parish of Cloyne, Cork County, Ireland. There is no known birth or baptismal certificate.

The Passenger Record of Patrick J. Dorgan:

First Name :   Patrick
Last Name :   Dorgan
Nationality :   Ireland, Irish
Last Place of Residence :   Ballylanders
Date of Arrival :   October 28th, 1896
Age at Arrival :   40
Gender :   Male
Ship of Travel :   Teutonic
Port of Departure :   Queenstown
Manifest Line Number :   0411
Passenger ID: 104668100471


When Patrick arrived at Ellis Island, New York on October 28, 1896 he gave his age as 40 which would have him born in 1856. He gave his townland as Ballylanders in the P.L.U., (Reg. Dist.) of Middleton in the civil parish of Ballintemple. On the US census of 1900 he gave his age as 39, born in August 1860. On his 1928 Declaration of Intention to become a US citizen he gave his age as 65, born March 17, 1863. His death certificate says he was born April 26, 1860.

In 1972 and again in the early 1990s, Patricia Maguire has visited DORGAN relatives and spent time with the Healy family of Ballybraher. The Healy's live on the farm where Patrick Dargan, the father of Patrick J. Dorgan, was born and lived. This farm passed to David Dorgan, Patrick J. Dorgan's older brother, who later passed it on to his sister Mary's son, John Healy. This is what happened:

David Dorgan, Patrick J. Dorgan's brother, married a woman named Elizabeth Ahearne. They had no children. However, David Dorgan took in his sister Mary's son, John Healy and Elizabeth Ahearne took in her sister's daughter, Margaret Grahame. John Healy and Margaret Grahame were newly married before they arrived at Ballybraher. They had a marriage "arranged" by their respective families. John Healy and Margaret Grahame had five children: Elizabeth, John Christopher, David and Jeremiah (twins) and James. None of the Healy children married. To this day, the three surviving children, Elizabeth, John Christopher and David live on the ancestral Dorgan farm in Ballybraher which is a townland of Ballycotton in East County Cork, Ireland. I visited them in April 2005.

Before his marriage, Patrick J. Dorgan moved from the ancestral Dorgan farm at Ballybraher, which was inherited by his older brother, David Dorgan, to Carrigkilter, a mile down the road. This property was formerly leased by James Walsh of Ballyandreen. James Walsh went bankrupt and Patrick J. Dorgan bought his farm in Carrigkilter.

Before he immigrated to America, Patrick J. Dorgan sold his farm to Daniel O'Connell and his wife, Ellen Curtin, from Catairsaibin, County Kerry. The O’Connell’s had five children: Patrick who went to the USA and was killed, Thomas who was a steeplejack, William, Jack and Daniel.

The house and barns that Patrick Dorgan built are still standing today at Carrigkilter. Daniel O'Connell, Jr. sold this farm to the Murphy family from Cork City. The Murphy's do not reside there. They have rented it to a single young man.

Patrick J. Dorgan lived in Carrigkilter, Ballycotton between 1886 and 1895. Ballybraher and Carrigkilter are adjoining townlands within the Parish of Cloyne.

The division of land is as follows:

PLACENAME: Ballybraher (Carrigkilter)
TOWNLAND: Ballycotton
CIVIL PARISH: Cloyne
POOR LAW UNION: Middleton
BARONY: Imokilly
COUNTY: Cork
PROVINCE: Munster


Patrick Dorgan was a farmer who raised animals and crops. When the economy went sour in the 1880s and the animals began to die he finally left Ireland in October 1896. His wife, Mary Hartnett, already had a sister, Elizabeth and other relatives (cousins) in Rhode Island. Patrick stayed with these Hartnetts and found work in Providence as a laborer. His wife, Mary Hartnett, and their five children: Anne Theresa, Michael Joseph, Patrick Francis, David Andrew, and William Joseph followed him eight months later in June 1897. They left Cobh (Queenstown), Cork, Ireland on 3 June 1897 and arrived at Ellis Island, New York on 9 June 1897. Shortly afterwards, they established themselves in Providence, Rhode Island and had two more children, Timothy John and Mary Catherine.



PATRICK DORGAN'S JOURNEY TO AMERICA


The journey to America was fraught with sadness. It was a sad day when Patrick left the security, comfort and support of family, relatives and friends in the homeland. It was also a day of excitement, the beginning of a new life in a new country. He was a pioneer, like millions of Irish men and women before him.

Patrick Dorgan left from Cobh (Queenstown), Cork, Ireland on 21 October 1896 and arrived in the US at Ellis Island, New York, on 28 October 1896 aboard the White Star Line Ship "Teutonic" (http://www.norwayheritage.com/p_ship.asp?sh=teuto).

Here is a description of that ship:


TEUTONIC 1889
was a 9,984 gross ton ship, built in 1889 by Harland & Wolff, Belfast for the White Star Line. Her details were - length 565.8ft x beam 57.8ft, two funnels, three masts, twin screw and a speed of 19 knots. There was passenger accommodation for 300-1st, 190-2nd and 1,000-3rd class. Launched on 19th Jan.1889, she sailed from Liverpool for Spithead on 1st Aug. to take part in the Naval Review, and was the first Armed Merchant Cruiser. On 7th Aug.1889 she commenced her maiden voyage from Liverpool to Queenstown (Cobh) and New York. In Aug.1891 she made a record passage of 5 days 16 hrs 31mins between Queenstown and Sandy Hook, and commenced her last Liverpool - Queenstown - New York voyage on 15th May 1907. On 12th Jun.1907 she started Southampton - Cherbourg - New York sailings and commenced her last voyage on this service on 19th Apr.1911. Transferred to the Liverpool - Quebec - Montreal service on 13th May 1911 with accommodation for 550-2nd and 1,000-3rd class passengers. On 20th Sep.1914 she was requisitioned as an Armed Merchant Cruiser and served with the 10th Cruiser Squadron. On 16th Aug.1915 she was purchased by the British Admiralty and became a troopship in 1918. Laid up at Cowes, Isle of Wight in 1921 and was scrapped later the same year at Emden. [North Atlantic Seaway by N.R.P.Bonsor, vol.2,p.759]


Here is the story of what Patrick experienced on that voyage and what happened when he landed on Ellis Island in New York on October 28, 1896.



THE JOURNEY TO AMERICA


STEP ONE: LEAVING HOME

For many, the decision to leave the "Old Country" was a family affair. Advice was sought and help was freely given by mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, aunts, uncles, friends, and even entire villages. It was not unusual for an entire family to work for the money for a single family member to make the trip.

The practice of one member of a family going to America first, then saving to bring others over, was common. From 1900 to 1910, almost 95 percent of the immigrants arriving at Ellis Island were joining either family or friends. Sometimes the father would come alone to see if the streets really were paved with the gold of opportunity before sending for his wife and family. Sometimes the eldest son immigrated first, and then sent for the next oldest, until the entire family was in America. Often those who arrived first would send a prepaid ticket back home to the next family member. It is believed that in 1890 between 25 and 50 percent of all immigrants arriving in America possessed prepaid tickets. In 1901, between 40 and 65 percent came either on prepaid tickets, or with money sent to them from the United States.

Since all steerage tickets were sold without space reservations, obtaining a ticket was easy. Principal shipping lines had hundreds of agencies in the United States, and "freelance" ticket agents traveled through parts of Europe, moving from village to village, selling tickets. After 1900, in addition to a ticket, however, an immigrant had to secure a passport from local officials, and a United States visa from either the nearest American consular office of from the local consul at the port.

For many, simply getting to the port was the first major journey of their lives. They would travel by train, by wagon, on donkey, or even on foot. Sometimes travelers would have to wait days, weeks and even months at the port, either for their paperwork to be completed or for their ship to arrive, because train schedules were not coordinated with sailing dates. Assuming their paperwork was in order and a ticket had been purchased, some provision was usually made for the care of the emigrants who were forced to wait for the ship. Steamship companies were required by the governments to watch over the prospective passengers, and at most ports the travelers were housed in private boardinghouses. Some port cities even boasted their own "emigrant hotels."

After the 1893 immigration law went into effect, each passenger had to answer a series of 29 questions (recorded on manifest lists) before boarding the ship. These questions included, among others: name, age, sex, marital status, occupation, nationality, ability to read or write, race, physical and mental health, last residence, and name and address of the nearest relative or friend in the country from which the immigrant came. Immigrants were asked whether they possessed at least $30, whether they had ever been in prison an almshouse, or an institution, or it they were polygamists or anarchists.

Steamship lines were also held accountable for medical examinations of the immigrants before departing the port. Most seaport medical examinations were made by doctors employed by the steamship lines, but often the examination was just too rapid to disclose any but the most obvious diseases and defects. Disinfection (of both immigrants and baggage) and vaccination were routinely performed at the ports. Finally, with questions answered, medical exams completed, vaccinations still stinging, disinfectant still stinking, the immigrants were led down the gangplank to first-class, second-class, or steerage accommodations. Steerage passengers walked past the tiny deck space, squeezed past the shipís machinery, and were directed down deep stairways into the enclosed lower decks. They were now in steerage, their prison for the rest of their ocean journey.


STEP TWO: ON BOARD

Three types of accommodations on the ships brought immigrants to America: first class, second class, and steerage. Only steerage passengers were processed at Ellis Island. First- and second-class passengers were quickly and courteously "inspected" on board ship before being transferred to New York.

But steerage was enormously profitable for steamship companies. Even though the average cost of a ticket was only $30, larger ships could hold form 1,500 to 2,000 immigrants, netting a profit of $45,000 to $60,000 for a single one-way voyage. The cost to feed a single immigrant was only about 60 cents a day!

For most immigrants, especially early arrivals, the experience of steerage was like a nightmare. (At one time, the average passenger mortality rate was 10 percent per voyage.) The conditions were so crowded, so dismally dark, so unsanitary, so foul smelling, that they were the single most important cause of Americaís early immigration laws. Unfortunately, the laws were almost impossible to enforce; steerage conditions continued to remain deplorable almost beyond belief. As late as 1911, in a report to President William H. Taft, the United States Immigration Commission said of steerage:

"Imagine a large room, perhaps seven feet in height, extending the entire breadth of the ship and about on0third of its lengthÖ. This room is filled with a framework of iron pipes, forming a double tier of six-by-two-feet berths, with only sufficient space left to serve as aisles or passagewaysÖ.Such a compartment will sometimes accommodate as many as three hundred passengers and it duplicated in other parts of the ship and on other decks.

"The open deck space reserved for steerage passengers is usually very limited, and situated in the worst part of the ship subject to the most violent motion, to the dirt from the stacks and the odors from the hold and galleysÖ.The only provisions for eating are frequently shelves or benches along the sides or in the passages of sleeping compartments. Dining rooms are rare and if found are often shared with berths installed along the walls. Toilets and washrooms are completely inadequate; salt water only is available.

"The ventilation is almost always inadequate, and the air soon becomes foul. The unattended vomit of the seasick, the odors of not too clean bodies, the reek of food and the awful stench of the nearby toilet rooms make the atmosphere of the steerage such that it is a marvel that human flesh can endure it Ö.Most immigrants lie in their berths for most of the voyage, in a stupor caused by the foul air. The food often repels themÖ It is almost impossible to keep personally clean. All of these conditions are naturally aggravated by the crowding."

In spite of the miserable conditions, the immigrants had faith in the future. To pass the time a crossing could take anywhere from 10 days to more than a month depending on the ship and weathering would play cards, sing, dance, and talk, talk, talk.

Rumors about life in America, combined with stories about rejections and deportations at Ellis Island, circulated endlessly. There were rehearsals for answering the immigration inspectorsí questions, and hour upon hour was spent learning the strange new language.

By the time the tiring trip approached its long-awaited end, most immigrants were in a state of shock: physically, mentally, and emotionally. Yet, even with the shores of a New World looming before their eyes, even with tears of relief streaming down their faces, their journey was not at an end.

A final fear gripped their hearts: Would their new home accept or reject them?

The federal government passed no immigration laws until 1819, and the first law covered only the standards for steerage conditions on sailing vessels. It also made provisions that limited immigration records be kept; but not until 1882 were immigration regulations made at all uniform. Then, in 1855, Castle Garden, an old fort on the lower tip of Manhattan, was designated as an immigrant station under state supervision. When the new federal law was passed in 1882, Castle Garden continued to operate under contract to the U. S. Government. But, by 1890 its facilities had long since proved to be inadequate for the ever-increasing number of immigrant arrivals.

After a government survey of potential locations, Ellis Island was the site chosen to establish an entirely new U. S. immigration station. Several Manhattan sites were previously rejected because earlier newcomers had been routinely and ruthlessly exploited as they left Castle Garden. On an island the immigrants could be screened, protected, and filtered slowly into their new culture.

Ellis Island, a 27-acre parcel of land located about a mile from the tip of Manhattan, was destined to become the most-used doorway to America. When native American Indians named it Kilshk (Gull Island) after its winged inhabitants, it was little more than a three-acre sandbank of mud and clay. The Dutch purchased the island from the Indians, and established the colony of New Amsterdam. It had a succession of owners before the American Revolution when Samuel ELLIS bought and linked his name to it. New York State purchased Ellis Island in 1808 and in turn sold it to the federal government which wanted to build a fort on it. Fortified just before the outbreak of the War of 1812, Fort Gibson on Ellis Island saw little action during the war. It was used primarily as a munitions depot until it was transformed into an immigrant center in 1892.

Construction of the buildings on Ellis Island began in 1890. Hundreds of workmen labored at a large three-story reception center, hospital for the ill or quarantined immigrants, laundry facility, boiler-house, and an electric generating plant. Smaller buildings included a dormitory, restaurant, and baggage station. Over the years, ballast from ships dumped near Ellis Island built it up, and the landfill and completion of sea walls brought it to a larger size. When construction was completed, Ellis Island was a self-contained city whose population, though transient, often numbered in the thousands. The Ellis Island Immigration Center was officially dedicated on New Year's Day in 1892.

On that day a 15-year-old Irish girl, Annie Moore from County Cork, was closest to the gangplank as it was lowered from the "S. S. Nevada." She was the first person processed at Ellis Island. According to a copy of the 'New York Times' for that date, "The waiting officials presented her with a ten dollar gold piece. She had never seen a United States coin and this was the largest sum of money she had ever possessed." Other records show that Annie was bringing her two younger brothers to join their parents, who had immigrated to NY four years before. Seven hundred passengers from the ships "City of Paris" and "Victoria" were also cleared that day. Passenger lists for these and hundreds of other vessels which entered NY and other American ports were preserved on microfilm for those who wished to trace their ancestor's passage to America.

The life of the first station on Ellis Island was short. All the pine-frame buildings burned to the ground in a disastrous fire on June 15, 1897. Mary Catherine Hartnett, Patrick J. Dorgan’s wife, arrived at Ellis Island on June 9, 1897, one week before this disasterous fire!

Congress immediately appropriated funds to replace the structures with fire-proof buildings. During the next 2-1/2 year rebuilding phase, immigrants were processed at stations on Manhattan. The new buildings were brick and ironwork structures with limestone trimmings, and the station reopened in December 1900. The main building, 338 feet long and 168 feet wide was notable for its four cupola-style towers and spacious second floor Registry Room. The vaulted terra-cotta ceiling of the Great Hall swept sixty feet over a black tile floor which was cleaned and polished twice a day. Three bronze and glass chandeliers with hundreds of lightbulbs made the room an impressive sight. The first glimpse of this scene probably confirmed the stories immigrants had heard about the wealth in America.

The Atlantic had rarely offered a smooth crossing. Frequent storms and high seas kept ships in a pitching motion, bringing miserable seasickness to all but a few. Hundreds of poorer class immigrants were jammed into the steerage section of ships where they spent much of the time in narrow bunks in an atmosphere tainted with disease and separated from family, friends, and familiar sights. The last day of the voyage and the first sighting of the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island brought new anxieties. Passengers of means escaped the rigors of the "Ellis Ordeal" by being processed aboard the vessel. These privileged few were then delivered directly to Manhattan. The poorer classes, however, experienced further frustration as they often sat 3-4 days in the crowded harbor awaiting their ship's turn to disembark passengers. On days when several large ships carrying over a thousand passengers in steerage docked concurrently, the capacity of the station was woefully inadequate. Finally, with babes in arms and children in hand, laden with bundles and baggage containing all their worldly possessions, this diverse assemblage of Old World humanity would stream down the plank and on to Ellis Island.



STEP THREE: INSPECTION

Medical inspectors boarded incoming ships in the quarantine area at the entrance to the Lower Bay of New York Harbor. Ships were examined from 7 A.M. to 5 P.M. Vessels arriving after 5 P.M. had to anchor for the night.

The quarantine examination was conducted aboard ship and reserved for first ñ or second-class cabin passengers. U.S. citizens were exempt from the examination. Passengers were inspected for possible contagious diseases: cholera, plaque, smallpox, typhoid fever, yellow fever, scarlet fever, measles, and diphtheria. Few cabin-class passengers were marked to be sent to Ellis Island for more complete examinations. For example, in 1905, of 100,000 cabin passengers arriving in New York, only 3,000 had to pass through Ellis Island for additional medical checks. During the same year, 800,000 steerage passengers were examined at the island.

For steerage passengers, quarantine was simply a time of heightened frustration and ever-increasing anxiety.

After the visiting medical inspectors climbed down ladders to their waiting cutter, the ship finally moved north through the Narrows leading to Upper New York Bay and into the harbor. Slowly, the tip of Manhattan came into view. The first object to be seen, and the focus of every immigrantís attention, was the Statue of Liberty. Perhaps her overwhelming impact can best be described in the words of those who saw her in this way for the first time:

"I thought she was one of the Seven Wonders of the World," exclaimed a German nearing his eightieth birthday.

A Polish man said: "The bigness of Mrs. Liberty overcame us. No one spoke a word for she was like a goddess and we know she represented the big, powerful country which was to be our future home."

Just beyond the statue, about a half mile to the northwest, was Ellis Island. After the ship had docked in Manhattan, while cabin passengers were being released to the freedom of New York, steerage passengers poured across the pier to a waiting area. Each wore name tag with the individualís manifest number written in large letters. The immigrants were then assembled in groups of 30, according to manifest letters, and were packed on the top decks of barges, while their baggage was piled on the lower decks.

Soon, very soon, they would arrive at the islandís landing slip and be led to the Main Buildingës large reception room. Here, at last, immigrants would take the final step in their journey to freedom in America.

When they finally landed, the ground still swaying like waves beneath their feet, the shrill shouts of a dozen different languages assaulting their ears, they met their first American, a nameless interpreter. In retrospect, it may be that these interpreters were the unsung heroes of the entire immigration screening process. Their patience and skill frequently helped save an immigrant from deportation.

The average number of languages spoken by an interpreter was 6, but a dozen languages (including dialects) were not uncommon. The record for a single interpreter was 15 languages.

One interpreter was Fiorello Laguardia, who would later become the famous mayor of New York City responsible for cleaning up the corruption of Tammany Hall. He worked at Ellis Island for an annual salary of $1,200 from 1907 to 1910. Interpreters led groups through the main doorway and directed them up a steep stairway to the Registry Room. Although they did not realize it, the immigrants were already taking their first test: a doctor stood at the top of the stairs watching for signs of lameness, heavy breathing that might indicate a heart condition, or "bewildered gazes" that might be symptomatic of a mental condition.

As each immigrant passed, a doctor, with an interpreter at his side, would examine the immigrantís face, hair, neck, and hands. The doctor held a piece of chalk. On about 2 out of every 10 or 11 immigrants who passed he would scrawl a large white letter; the letter meant the immigrant was to be detained for further medical inspection.

Should an immigrant be suspected of mental defects, an X was marked high on the front of the right shoulder; a plain X lower on the right shoulder indicated the suspicion of a deformity or disease; an X within a circle meant some definite symptom had been detected. And the "shorthand" continued: B indicated possible back problems; C, conjunctivitis; Ct, trachoma; E, eyes; F, face; Ft, feet; D, goiter; H, heart; K, hernia; L, lameness; N, neck; P, physical and lungs; Pg, pregnancy; S, senility; and Sc, scalp. If an immigrant was marked, he or she continued with the process and then was directed to rooms set aside for further examination.

Sometimes whole groups would be made to bathe with disinfectant solutions before being cleared ñ not too surprising, considering how many were unable to bathe during the crossing. Again the line moved on. The next group of doctors was the dreaded "eye men." They were looking for symptoms of trachoma, an eye disease that caused blindness and even death. (This disease was the reason for more than half of the medical detentions, and its discovery meant certain deportation.) Rumors of this particular inspection terrified many an immigrant, but it was over in a few seconds, as the doctor tilted the immigrantís head back and swiftly snapped back the upper eyelids over a small instrument (actually a hook for buttoning shoes).

If immigrants had any of the diseases proscribed by the immigration laws, or were too ill or feeble-minded to earn a living, they would be deported. Sick children ages 12 or older were sent back to Europe alone and were released in the port form, which they had come. Children younger than 12 had to be accompanied by a parent. There were many tearful scenes as families with a sick child decided who would go and who would stay.

Immigrants who passed their medical exams were now ready to take the final test from the "primary line" inspector, seated on a high stool with the shipís manifest on a desk in front of him and an interpreter at his side.

This questioning process was designed to verify the 29 items of information contained on the manifest. Since each "primary line" inspector had only about two minutes in which to decide whether each immigrant was "clearly and beyond a doubt entitled to land," nearly all of the immigrants received curt nods of approval and were handed landing cards.

Most passed the test. (Only two percent of the immigrants seeking refuge in America would fail to be admitted.) After only a few more hours on Ellis Island, they were free to go. Their journey was nearly complete.


STEP FOUR: BEYOND ELLIS ISLAND

Those with landing cards in hand next moved to the Money Exchange. Here six cashiers exchanged gold, silver, and paper money form countries all over Europe for American dollars, based on the dayís official rates posted on a blackboard.

For immigrants traveling to cities or towns beyond New York City, the next stop was the railroad ticket office. There, a dozen agents collectively sold as many as 25 tickets a minute on the busiest days. Immigrants could wait in areas marked for each independent railroad line in the ferry terminal.

When it was reasonably near the time for their trainís departure, they would be ferried on barges to the train terminals in Jersey City or Hoboken. Immigrants going to New England went on the ferry to Manhattan. All that remained was to make arrangements for their trunks, stored in the Baggage room, to be sent on to their final destinations.

Finally! With admittance cards, railroad or ferry passes, and box lunches in hand, the immigrantsí journey to and through Ellis Island was complete. For many it had begun months or even years before. Some, of course, still had more traveling ahead of them ñ to the rocky shores of New England, to the Great Plains of the Midwest, or to the orange groves of California.

But whatever lay ahead, in their hearts they could read the invisible sign that proclaimed "Welcome to America."


WHY DID PATRICK DORGAN COME TO AMERICA?

If you look at the birth years of the children of PATRICK DARGAN and JOHANNAH FLYNN there are two females and four males:

1841 Mary married Jeremiah Healy
1842 Elizabeth married John Shinnick
1844 Timothy married Johannah O’Gorman
1845 Michael married Johannah Garde 
1846 David married Elizabeth Ahearne 
1860 Patrick married Mary Catherine Hartnett

The females married into their husbands’ families (HEALY and SHINNICK). 

The males inherited their parents assets/holdings:
 
Timothy (land holdings around Ballybraher and, after their son, David married into Julia O’Brien’s family, extensive land holdings/farms.) 

Michael (Dorgan’s pub in Cloyne) 

David (The marriage between Elizabeth Ahern and David Dorgan was arranged. Their parents were farmers with adjoining properties, the Dorgan property in Carrigkilter and the Ahern property in Ballybraher). When Elizabeth Ahern and David Dorgan did not have their own children they brought to their farm Margaret Grahame, the niece of Elizabeth Ahearne, and John Healy, the nephew of David Dorgan (his sister Mary’s son).

The marriage of Margaret Grahame and John Healy was also arranged. They were married before they went to live with Elizabeth Ahearne and David Dorgan.

These arrranged marriages kept the properties of Carrigkilter and Ballybraher in the family until the present day. Ironically, none of the five children of Margaret Grahame and John Healy married and none had any children! 

The ancestral Dorgan property at Carrigkilter has been sold twice (so far as I can tell). Only the ancestral Ahern property at Ballybraher remains which has extensive land holdings. Apparently the O’Brien family now owns these lands.

Patrick, my GGrandfather, the last-born and a surprise child (!) born 14 years after David, went to America. Why? No inheritance! 


PATRICK DORGAN: THE US CENSUS AND THE CENSUS OF RHODE ISLAND


1900 US FEDERAL CENSUS (Providence, Ward 3, ED 27, Page 4, June 4, 1900)
Patrick Dorgan and his wife, Mary, together with their five children (Anne, Michael, Patrick, David, and William) appear in the 1900 Federal Census of New England ( Image #695, roll T623_1506, page 140, Enumeration District 27, Sheet 4, June 4, 1900) living at 39 Ashburton Street in the 3rd Ward of Providence, Rhode Island. Patrick listed his occupation as a "night laborer".

1905 US STATE CENSUS OF RHODE ISLAND
Patrick Dorgan and his wife, Mary, together with their six children (Anne, Michael, Patrick, David, William and Mary)appear on the 1905 Census of Rhode Island living at 296 Charles Street in Providence, Rhode Island. His son, John had died. This census depicts him as a "common laborer." , age 45, who emigrated to the US in 1896 and was "unemployed for three months" during the census year of 1905.

1910 US STATE CENSUS OF RHODE ISLAND
Patrick Dorgan and his wife, Mary, appear with all their children along with a Mary Johnstone, age 50, who was a widowed boarder from Scotland and was employed as a weaver at Weall (sp?) Worsted. They all lived at 47 Osborne Street in the 3rd Ward of Providence. Patrick was a laborer at the Bleachery. Ann was a milliner at a Department Store. Michael was a Bench Worker at a Jewelry Shop. Patrick was a Tool Maker Apprentice.

1915 RHODE ISLAND STATE CENSUS
This census lists Patrick ("Patsy") as "Head" of the family together with his wife, Mary and three of their children, David, William J. and Mary. At this time they were living at 125 Wayne Street in Providence, Rhode Island. Patrick is listed as a laborer with the City of Providence and was "out of work on April 15, 1915," but was "working on own account."

1920 US FEDERAL CENSUS
No record for Patrick Dorgan.

1925 RHODE ISLAND STATE CENSUS
This census lists Patrick as "Head" of the family together with his wife Mary and his daughter Mary. At this time they were living at 61 Bergen Street in Providence, Rhode Island. This was a three story home owned by his son David's father-in-law, James Doorley. James Doorley, David Dorgan and his wife Ellen (Helen) Doorley lived on one floor. Patrick and Mary Dorgan and their daughter, Mary Dorgan lived on another floor. Edward Doorley, the son of James Doorley, and his wife Elizabeth and their son, James lived on another floor. This census also lists Patrick's and Mary's citizenship as "petitioning aliens".

1930 US FEDERAL CENSUS (Cranston City, Ward 2, Providence County, Rhode Island, ED #4-128, page 11A)
This census lists Patrick Dorgan as "Head" of the family. He stated that he was 65, married at the age of 25, born in the Irish Free State of Irish parents and that he paid $45 rent. At this time he and his family were living in the Auburn section of Cranston. Patrick was a fireman (a boilermaker) in Providence, Rhode Island at the Providence Ironworks in the Turks Head Building. Living with him was his wife, Mary, and his daughter Mary Catherine, together with her husband, Raymond J. Moriarty, a WWI veteran and an inspector for a petroleum company, and their daughter, Barbara Jane.


PATRICK DORGAN: THE PROVIDENCE CITY DIRECTORIES

Patrick Dorgan appears in these Directories for the City of Providence, Rhode Island:

1900 - Rhode Island CIty Directories - Providence page 280 - 39 Ashborne Street
1907 - Rhode Island CIty Directories - Providence page 584 - 49 Osborne Street
1913 - Rhode Island CIty Directories - Providence page 804 (for year ending 1913) 123 Wayne Street
1915 - Rhode Island CIty Directories - Providence page 783 (year ending 1916) 125 Wayne Street
1919 - Rhode Island CIty Directories - Providence page 717 (year ending 1920) 125 Wayne Street
1923 - Rhode Island City DIrectories - Providence page 160 - 68 Bergen
1925 - Rhode Island City Directories - Providence, fireman (“boiler man”) at the Turk’s Head Building. He resided at 61 Bergen Street.
1928 - Rhode Island City Directories - Providence, fireman ("boiler man") at the Turk's Head Building. He resided at 61 Bergen Street .
1929 - Rhode Island City Directories - Providence, laborer. He resided at103 Rosedale Street.
1930 - Rhode Island City Directories - Providence page 677 - 103 Rosedale
1932 - Rhode Island City Directories - Cranston - page 379 (for year ending Sept 1933) 304 BayVIew Avenue

Patrick had petitioned to become a US citizen since 1916. Along with his sons, David A. Dorgan and Michael J. Dorgan and Richard Hartnett, he took citizenship classes either at the library or a school during the War years 1917-1918. My friend, Ed Duggan of Providence, Rhode Island sent this email to me on 12 March 2006:

“The reason for this mail is because last week I was in the R.I. Historical Library on Hope St. in Prov. As I was going thru some manuscript papers I found that they had list of Irish immigrants who decided to become citizens thru classes in libraries, schools, etc for 1917-1918, the war years. As I was reading the names on the list for Providence I saw these names, maybe they are relatives.”

They are indeed Dorgan relatives:
 
From Ireland:   
 
Patrick Dorgan 125 Wayne Street age 56, came into U.S. at 20 yrs old.
David A. Dorgan 125 Wayne Street  age 22, 
Michael J. Dorgan 10 Huron Street age 28, 
Richard Hartnett  17 1/2 Peter Street age 48, 
 
Best of luck in your new venture, Ed. Duggan”

The comment concerning Patrick Dorgan, “came to the U.S. at 20 years old”, is obviously incorrect. Perhaps what should have been commented is “came to the U.S. 20 years ago!”

Richard Hartnett must have been related to Patrick Dorgan’s wife, Mary Catherine Hartnett. But how? There is only one Richard Hartnett who immigrated from Ireland through Castel Garden (1830-1912): Richard Hartnett, Laborer, 20, Male, arrived 24 Oct 1885 from Ireland, on-board the ship, Catalonia bound for Providence, Rhode Island. This Richard Hartnett appears in the 1900 US Federal Census living in Ward 3 at 61 Shoor Street, Providence, Rhode Island with his wife, Margaret (b. 1875), three daughters: Mary (b. 1895), Margaret (b.1897) and Ellen (b. 1898) and his son Richard (5 Jan 1900-1 Sep 1964). He was a Day Laborer.

In the 1910 US Census he appears again with his wife and children and now has four more children: Delia A. (b.1903), Ester E. (b.1908), John F. (b. 1910), and William E. (b. 1910) living at Balon Place, Providence, Rhode Island. In the 1920 US Census he and his family are living at 692 North Main Street, Providence, Rhode Isand. His son William does not appear on this Census and is presumed dead. Daughter Margaret has the last name of Langlois and a daughter Josephine Langlois, but no husband listed. In the 1930 US Census he and Delia, Esther and John are living at 19 Polk Street. Margaret, his wife, is not listed and presumed dead.

Ed Duggan found these names in the Old Stone Bank account openings of the late 1800s:

1) June 10, 1890: Catherine T. Hartnett, , nee Ryan., or Katy Hartnett, age 35, lived at Rear of 49 Smith St. Providence, born Philadelphia, wife of George S. Hartnett. This address is the same address where Ed Duggan’s ancestors lived: the Doyle's, Collins, Sliney, and Cronin's lived at this address at one time or another.

2) May 11, 1894: Another bank account was opened by Bridget Mackey, 34, 3 Duke St. (Smith Hill, at Chalkstone and Smith Sts.)  Born Co.Cork., daughter of Richard Hartnett and Margaret Fitzgibbons, wife of John Mackey.

Finally, Patrick became a US citizen on May 15, 1933 at the US District Court in Providence. At that time he was living at 170 Richland Street, Cranston, Rhode Island. He was a stationary fireman. His sponsors were John H. Maguire, his son-in-law, who was a trucking contractor living at 21 College Road in Providence, Rhode Island and John H. O'Brien, the husband of his wife's sister, Ellen who was also a contractor and builder living at 100 Bolton Avenue, Providence, Rhode Island.

Patrick suffered a debilitating stroke in the mid-late 1930s. He died at the home of his son Michael, 213 Woodbine Street in Cranston on December 9, 1937. This was a three-story tenement house. Michael Dorgan occupied the first floor. Thomas A. Dorgan, Sr. occupied the second floor and Patrick and Mary Dorgan occupied the third floor.

Patrick J. Dorgan is buried in St. Ann's Cemetery, Cranston, Rhode Island, Section 7, Lot 123 next to his wife, Mary C. Hartnett, who died 13 years later. His Great Grandson, WIlliam J. Dorgan III commissioned and erected a grave stone marker in October 2005 from Loffredo’s Monumental Decor, 1469 Cranston Street, Cranston, Rhode Island 02920. the grave is located at St. Ann’s Cemetery, Cranston, Rhode Island, Section 7, Lot 1123.

The headstone reads:

Patrick J. Dorgan
26 Apr 1860 - 9 Dec 1937
His Wife
Mary C. Hartnett
16 May 1869 - 23 Nov 1950

The Obituary of Patrick J. Dorgan appeared in the Providence Journal on 10 December 1937, page 9:

“PATRICK DORGAN DIES
Industrial Trust Building Aide Succumbs in East Greenwich

Patrick Dorgan, husband of Mary (Hodnett) Dorgan, a fireman in the Industrial Trust building and a resident of Providence for 37 years, died yesterday morning at his home, Division Street, East Greenwich. Mr. Dorgan was born in County Cork, Ireland, son of the late Patrick and Ann (Flynn) Dorgan and came here at an early age. He leaves his widow, four sons, Michael J. of Auburn; P. Francis of Providence; David A. Dorgan, past State Department commander of V.F.W., and William J. Dorgan of East Greenwich; two daughters, Mrs. Ann T. Maguire of Edgewood and Mrs. James Moriarty of Cranston, and 20 grandchildren. The funeral will be held at 8:15 Monday morning at the home of his sister (sic=daughter), Mrs. Moriarty, 306 Washington Avenue, Edgewood. There will be a solemn high mass of requiem in St. Paul’s Church, Edgewood, at 9 o’clock. Burial will be in St. Ann’s Cemetery, Cranston.”