Butte (Mont.) Irish Collection, 1882-1935

Overview of the Collection

Creator
American Association for the Recogition of the Irish Republic; Ancient Order of Hibernians; Gaelic League of America; Irsh Volunteers of America; Patrick Pearse Club (Butte, Mont.); Robert Emmet Literary Association (Butte, Mont.); Sunburst Club (Helena, Mont.); Thomas Francis Meagher Memorial Fund
Title
Butte (Mont.) Irish Collection
Dates
1882-1935 (inclusive)
18821935
Quantity
13 reels microfilm
Collection Number
Mss 112 (collection)
Summary
This collection contains membership, financial, organization, and correspondence records from 1882 to 1935 of many social, literary, and fraternal organizations for the Irish in Butte, Montana. Organizations include the Ancient Order of Hibernians (Divisions 1, 2, and 3), Robert Emmet Literary Association, Friends of Irish Freedom, Gaelic League, Irish Volunteers of America, Thomas Francis Meagher Memorial Fund, American Association for the Recognition of the Irish Republic, and Sunburst Club in Helena.
Repository
University of Montana, Mansfield Library, Archives and Special Collections
Archives and Special Collections
Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library
University of Montana
32 Campus Dr. #9936
59812-9936
Missoula, MT
Telephone: 406-243-2053
library.archives@umontana.edu
Access Restrictions

Researchers must use collection in accordance with the policies of Archives and Special Collections, the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library, and The University of Montana--Missoula.

Languages
English
Sponsor
Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
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Historical Note

The Ancient Order of Hibernians was formed during the sixteenth century in Ireland and three divisions were first organized in Butte in 1880. Its membership was limited to men who were born in Ireland and their sons. The A.O.H. was a strictly Catholic organization. Although loyal to the fight for Irish Independence, the A.O.H. was less revolutionary than many of the other organizations.

The Robert Emmet Literary Association was the Butte Branch of the Clan-na-Gael, a revolutionary organization devoted to the fight for Irish independence. The Clan-na-Gael was the American counterpart to the Irish Republican Brotherhood, which was located in Ireland. The R.E.L.A. was organized in Butte in 1881. This organization was steeped in secrecy, including keeping its members and officers secret. R.E.L.A. membership was open to all Irish-born, no matter what religious beliefs they held. The group prided itself on being a non-denominational organization. In 1905, Butte's R.E.L.A. was the second largest Clan-na-Gael in the United States.

Also found in the collection are records from the Patrick Pearse Club (the Butte branch) of the Friends of Irish Freedom. This organization was inspired by the Clan-na-Gael, however, the F.O.I.F. was a public group. Also unlike the Clan-na-Gael and the A.O.H., women were allowed to be members. The Friends of Irish Freedom were bitter rivals, nationally, of another organization found in this collection, the American Association for the Recognition of the Irish Republic. However, in Butte both groups worked well together in their support of Irish independence from the British. The Gaelic League was formed to educate American-born Irish about the Irish culture, focusing on the language, music, and dance. The Irish Volunteers were the "military arm" of the R.E.L.A.; they were the rifle company of the R.E.L.A. Although no information regarding the history of the Sunburst Club in Helena, Montana was found, it appears from the minutes in the collection that they were associated with the R.E.L.A. and the Clan-na-Gael. Both A.O.H. and R.E.L.A. members helped sponsor the Thomas Francis Meagher Memorial Fund, which was set up to erect a statue of Meagher in Helena. Meagher was an rebel who was exiled from Ireland and came to America. Here, he became a Civil War hero and was territorial governor of Montana.

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Content Description

This collection contains membership, financial, organization, and correspondence records from 1882 to 1935 of the A.O.H. (Divisions 1, 2, and 3), R.E.L.A, F.I.O.F., Gaelic League, Irish Volunteers of America, Thomas Francis Meagher Memorial Fund, American Association for the Recognition of the Irish Republic, and Sunburst Club in Helena.

The correspondence records contain communications between various members, the National A.O.H., the Ladies' Auxiliary Ancient Order of Hibernians, and many other Butte organizations. Members of the A.O.H. include the first four presidents of the Amalgamated (Anaconda) Copper Mining Company: Marcus Daly, John D. Ryan, Cornelius (Con) Kelley, and William Scallon. Because the members and officers of the R.E.L.A. were kept secret, each was assigned a number that was used to refer to the member in the minutes of every meeting. Like the R.E.L.A., members of the Sunburst Club are also referred to by number. The minutes from the first Sunburst Club meeting contain the names of original members and their corresponding numbers. This collection does contain some lists of R.E.L.A. members, along with their corresponding numbers. Documented members of the secret R.E.L.A. include long-time Butte judge, Jeremiah Lynch, (who also founded the Patrick Pearse Club of the Irish Volunteers) and Con Kelley and William Scallon (presidents of the Anaconda Company). Out of the other two of the first four presidents of the Anaconda Company, John D. Ryan was rumored to have been a member (never documented) and Marcus Daly was proposed for membership but never officially joined. The fact that these powerful men in the community were of Irish heritage and belonged to Irish organizations should not go un-noted. It shows the overwhelming preference of Irish in Butte.

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Use of the Collection

Restrictions on Use

Researchers are responsible for using in accordance with 17 U.S.C. and any other applicable statutes. Copyright not transferred to The University of Montana.

Preferred Citation

[Name of document or photograph number], Butte Irish Collection, Archives and Special Collections, Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library, The University of Montana--Missoula.

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

The collection is divided into sixteen series:

Series I: General Correspondence, 2 reels, Butte-Silver Bow (BSB) Boxes 4-6, 1903-1929

Series II: Ancient Order of Hibernians, Minutes, 4 reels, BSB Boxes 1-6, Volumes, 1896-1932

Series III: Conferences and Conventions, 1 reel, BSB Boxes 4-6, 1898-1948

Series IV: Robert Emmet Literary Association, Financial Records, 5 reels, BSB Boxes 4-7, Volumes, 1884-1946,

Series V: Ancient Order of Hibernians, Financial Records, 5 reels, BSB Boxes 1-6, 1891-1939

Series VI: Reports, 2 reels, BSB Boxes 4-6, undated

Series VII: Organization, 1 reel, BSB Box 4, undated

Series VIII: Miscellaneous, 1 reel, BSB Box 4, undated

Series IX: Irish Volunteers of America, Minutes,1 reel, BSB Box 8, 1907-1915

Series X: Irish Volunteers of America, Financial Records, 1 reel, BSB Box 8, 1909-1913

Series XI: Irish Volunteers of America, Miscellany, 1 reel, BSB Box 8, 1913

Series XII: Friends of Irish Freedom, Organization, 1 reel, BSB Box 8, 1916, 1921

Series XIII: American Association for the Recognition of the Irish Republic, Miscellany, 1 reel, BSB Box 8, 1921-1922

Series XIV: Robert Emmet Literary Association, Minutes, 5 reels, Volumes,1882-1925

Series XV: Sunburst Club, Helena-Camp 182, Minutes, 1 reel, BSB Box 8, 1896-1900

Series XVI: Unidentified Organization, Financial Records, 1 reel, BSB Box 8, 1893-1902

Location of Originals

The original copies were located in the World Museum of Mining. They are now located in the Butte-Silver Bow Archives. The Butte-Silver Bow Archives has reprocessed and rearranged the collection significantly. The originals have been re-processed by record series in chronological order.

Acquisition Information

Filmed from the originals at the World Museum of Mining in Butte by the University of Montana in March 1983.

Processing Note

The original copies were located in the World Museum of Mining. They are now located in the Butte-Silver Bow Archives. Since this microfilm was produced, the Butte-Silver Bow Archives has reprocessed and rearranged the collection significantly. The originals have been re-processed by record series in chronological order. In 1999, the microfilm collection at the University of Montana was re-described and matched up to correspond with the original records in Butte as much as possible.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Irish Americans--Montana--Butte
  • Irish Americans--History, organization, etc.
  • Irish Americans--Societies, etc.
  • Societies--Montana--Butte

Corporate Names

  • American Association for the Recognition of the Irish Republic
  • Ancient Order of Hibernians
  • Friends of Irish Freedom
  • Irish Volunteers of America
  • Robert Emmet Literary Society

Finding aid prepared by Megan Morris
1999

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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