Irish John Smith Family Archives

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 The Move to Wisconsin...

Irish John thought he was 4 years old when he arrived in Brooklyn. According to his obituary he moved to Wisconsin when he was 12 years old.  This would be 8 years later or 1858.  We don't know why the family moved to Wisconsin.  Did the entire family move to Wisconsin at the same time?  From Frank Smith we understand that the kids moved together to Wisconsin. 

In 1857 there was a huge bank crash that caused a recession which consequently caused thousands upon thousands of New York Irish to lose their jobs. Huge riots broke out in New York City where discharged police officers, Irish and German immigrants, and members of street gangs such as the Dead Rabbits, Blackbirds, Bowery Boys and Roach Guards participated in a mass riot.  At about the same time a new law caused all grog houses to close on Sunday.  Thank God for the Germans!  The Germans, and not the Irish, took the lead by rioting against the Sunday closures.  Against this backdrop of anarchy it was no wonder the Irish began moving out of New York to other parts of the country.  One place where many people moved to was Wisconsin.  Wisconsin grew from 305,000 people in 1850 to 730,000 by 1857.   

Most Irish stayed in the same port cities where they landed.  Immigrants crowded together in tenements with multiple families living together.  Many tenements did not have indoor plumbing or running water.  Sewage collected in outhouses and rats were prevalent, carrying and spreading disease, often to children.  In 1857, 2/3 of New York City's deaths were children under age 5, mostly Irish.  There were also epidemics of typhoid, cholera, tuberculosis and pneumonia throughout East Coast cities.

This is the Southeast Corner of Dane County.  Irish John’s mailing address in 1860 was Pine Bluffs.  You can see J.W. Bryan’s land as it appeared in 1870. It is located in the lower central portion of this picture.

In 1860 Irish John stated that he lived with the John Bryan family in Wisconsin.  John Bryan was a farmer who lived in Dane County, Wisconsin.  Dane County is where Cross Plains is located.  Mr. Bryan was a farmer who owned real estate valued at $3,000 and property valued at $2,333.  He was married to Elizabeth, who was born in England. Their children in the order of birth were Mary E., Sarah A., John W., George E, and Joseph H.  All these children were born in Wisconsin.  In 1860 they had two farm laborers. One was Daniel Wellington, 30, born in England and John Smith, age 17, born in Ireland living with the family.  John Smith’s mailing address was Pine Bluffs, Wisconsin.  The 1860 Federal Census stated that John had attended school within the past year, but does not indicate where he attended school. 

There is no census record that shows ‘Catharine Smith’, ‘Bridget Smith’ or ‘Owen Smith’ living together in Wisconsin at this time.  It is possible the family split up at this time. They may have been living with other family members but in different Wisconsin locations.  Later, Irish John would be found living in Bear Creek Township in Sauk County, Wisconsin.   

The 1860 census shows two people of interest to our family.  They were Catharine and William Rooney.  In 1870 we find Irish John and Owen Smith living with these people.  We suspect Catharine Rooney was Irish John’s mother.  The 1860 census asked the following question:  Were you married within the year?  Catharine and William both answered ‘yes’ to this question.   

The following information is taken from the 1860 US Federal Census.  The census was taken for the inhabitants of the township of Bear Creek in the County of Sauk, State of Wisconsin.  Their post office address at this time was Marble Ridge.  The actual census was taken on August 24, 1860.  The postal address at this time was Bear Valley. 

 The names listed above are in the same order as seen in the census.  Catharine’s age changed every census.   In 1870 she said she was 45 years old and in 1880 she indicated she was 60 years old.  Catharine Rooney’s tombstone shows she was born in 1811, which means she would have been 49 years old in 1860.   From her age as enumerated in the 1850 census, Catharine’s birth year could have been 1819.  If the 1850 census is true, then this means she was either 39 or 40 years old at the time of the 1860 census.  William’s age was consistent throughout. 

You will notice throughout this manuscript that the Irish were never sure of their birth year.  In fact, many Irish did not even know the day they were born.  It appears many did not care. From the time the Irish got on the boat to emigrate, people wanted to know how old they were and when they were born.  The Irish would make up dates.  That is why you will see many Irish at this time who say they were born either on the 4^th of July or St. Patrick’s Day.  The joke was on all of us. 

Family lore tells us that the Smiths moved to Wisconsin and we think together.  Stories handed down to us indicate that there were other family members living in Wisconsin at the same time.  Look at the census again.  Sandwiched between Catharine and William Rooney is a Smith family and a Greene family.  If you recall, Catharine Smith’s maiden name was ‘Greenan’ and she lived with her brother ‘Terence Green’ in Brooklyn.  ‘Greene’ and ‘Green’ are all variations of the surname ‘Greenan’.  The head of this family is named ‘Terns Greene’, which sounds similar to ‘Terence Greene’.  Is it possible the census enumerator could not understand the family head’s Irish brogue and wrote down what he thought he heard - Terns?  The name ‘Terns’ appears in no other census records for any year or any state other than the 1860 census.  In 1870 we find a Greene family living in Wood County, Wisconsin. 

The Smith and King family listed in the 1860 census can also be found in later censuses.  We use these families as a benchmark for where the Rooney and John Smith families lived. 

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