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Hibernians or St. Andrews Society? Historically speaking, who were the early Albany Irish!

One of the more puzzling terms for this historian is the frequently encountered reference to "the Irish" who came to the American colonies and particularly to those who visited and settled in early Albany. Like so many of the traditional words used to describe the people of colonial Albany, it means different things to different people. Those who said "Irish" regarding eighteenth-century Albany knew who they were talking about. Today, we certainly are less certain!

For consistency and because they are mostly exclusive, Irish means a Roman Catholic. Scots are Presbyterians.

The Colonial Albany Project approach to the Irish is simple and direct. We look to identify the origins of every person who lived in the city of Albany prior to the Industrial Revolution. Generalizations about those minority groups might follow a complete census of all such resident individuals.

We have noticed that the problem of distinguishing early Albany's Scots from Irish seems to have been more widespread during the eighteenth century and particularly after 1750. In New Netherland days, the Scots emigres - principally the Glen and Sanders families were known as Scots. The garrison soldiers who arrived after 1664 were more clearly from Catholic Ireland than from Ulster.

This exposition will make more sense as time passes. Please bear with us!

Sources: This profile is derived chiefly from family and community-based resources - both of which contain material of puzzling quality.

Irish Immigrants

first opened: 6/18/09; last revised 8/24/09