Wednesday, February 22, 2017

Luke and Margaret

“Mr. Somers proceeded to Roscommon, a pretty little village where he spent the most of his time in Ireland, his friends and relatives living there.  He found a sort of farmers fair in progress and found considerable amusement in observing the manner in which the rugged old farmers effected their trades: Instead of transacting the business in the presence of witnesses as elsewhere is customary, the two withdrawing to a secluded place, effecting the bargain and relying upon either’s word of honor to abide by its stipulations.  He saw no mirth, no intoxication at this fair, the people evidently being to poor in purse and too fully impressed with the grave prospects of the country to give way to their native exuberance of spirit.  With the exception of a few landowners farm work is accomplished with the crudest implements.  The land in the vicinity of Roscommon is principally owned by Lord Crofton, whose tenants recently demanded of him a reduction of thirty percent in rent, and upon his refusal declined to pay any rent......the trains... were loaded with people bound for new homes in America, soldiers and policemen and at every station occurred scenes of parting between husbands and wives, stalwart sons and aged parents, which could not fail to bring tears to the eyes of perfect strangers.  Everyone who can possibly leave the island is doing so.  The vessel upon which I sailed contained a thousand of these poor emigrants who despite their wretched existence on the little island, yet parted from it with breaking heart......”  

Thus Peter J. Somers described the home of his ancestors in a talk for the Milwaukee Hibernian Society on 22 Jan 1882.[1]

Some thirty five  years earlier Luke and Margaret (Somers) Delmore, tiny daughters in their arms, stood surrounded by relatives as they took one last look at the hometown that they were never to see again.  Surely they did not see the misery of Ireland that day, but only felt the misery of leaving parents and family behind.  Did their fathers come out to see them on their way, or were they each home mourning the departure of yet more of their family?

Margaret, the daughter of Martin Somers and Mary Curley, and Luke, the son of Luke and Sara Delmore, sought to leave famine imposed poverty behind as they departed in Dec 1846 to join Margaret’s brother and his family in Wisconsin.  Making their way on foot, cart and ship, they boarded an old condemned sailing vessel, the Rappahannock, in Liverpool, destination New York Harbor.  

But trouble had not been left behind.  Cholera broke out on board and the ship was not allowed into port.  Surely despair must have engulfed the passengers as day followed day and port after port denied them entry.  Finally, after 16 weeks at sea,  on the 19 of April 1847 Luke, Margaret, and Mary set foot on solid land not in New York but in New Orleans.[2] Sadly, Sara the first born, christened on 25 May 1845 had not survived the journey. [4] 


New Orleans in 1845.
Möllhausen, Henry, Benjamin Moore Norman, and Shields & Hammond. 
Norman's plan of New Orleans & environs, 1845. [S.l, 1845] Map. 
Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/98687133/
Dolores Young relates the story told as to her by her grandmother Mary Delmore Baier. 

“Luke and Margaret, thankful that they were in America, spent the summer in the Irish section of New Orleans looking for an opportunity to travel north to Wisconsin.  The trip across country was made by covered wagon drawn by oxen. Riding in a covered wagon meant a bone-rattling trip, jammed into a 10'x4' space with other family members, all the household utensils and personal belongings.  They cooked by the roadside on open campfires, traveled through rain and swollen rivers, slept in the wagons or in the open and were in constant fear of Indians.  Fortunately they were not traveling alone.  They joined with friends and family on the northward journey, grateful for the companionship as they fought rain, insects, wind and sickness.” [3]

Certainly Mary was not likely to recall this trip, being just a year old at the time, but just as certainly her parents would have related the details.  Mary would say that no hardship was too hard for her parents, after all they were “In America” and things would get better.

Mary had been christened in Ireland on 1 Jul 1846[4]  In the 1850 census, we find Luke, Margaret, Mary and Sarah, a younger Sarah, in Wisconsin.[5]  The death of their oldest child must have been painful, never spoken of, for all members of the family believed that Mary was the first born.  Only in later years when Luke talked of having thirteen children and only ten could be found was there a clue that at least one had not survived childhood.  

The adventures of Luke and Margaret, the corncob pipe smoking granny, and their large brood of children continue as they settle first in Lemonweir, Juneau Co., Wisconsin and later in Rochester Minnesota, but that’s another tale.



[1]         “A Miserable People - A Milwaukeean’s Impression of affairs in Down trodden Ireland” The Milwaukee Sentinel 22 Jan 1882, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
[2]        New Orleans, Louisiana, Passenger Lists of Vessels Arriving in New Orleans, LA, 1820-1902.  Micropublication M259., roll 26, National Archives, Washington D.C. Luke Delmore 25, M Ireland, Mary Delmore 25 F Ireland, Sally Delmore 2 F Ireland, Mary Delmore 6mo F Ireland. Note: next to Luke's name it says deceased.  As he definitely survived the journey and Sarah did not arrive in Wisconsin, we assume that she passed away on board.  It is possible that she survived the journey and died in New Orleans, but there is no evidence to suggest that.
[3]        Young, Dolores, Family Memories, 1988 Self Published St. Paul Minnesota
[4]       Skelly, Mary, Delmore Family Research, 2001 County Roscommon Heritage & Genealogical Centre, Church Street, Stokestown, Co. Roscommon, Ireland   T43-96\37 Athleague Parish Sponsors Peter and Catherine Summers
[5]      1850 United States Census Population Schedule, National Archives Micropublication M432 , Washington DC, Roll 1009 page 463  Menomenee, Waukesha, Wisconsin