The Land of Dreams:
The Famine Irish Immigrant Experience in Iowa
Charles E. Lewis
HIST 260: History of Iowa
Fr. George McDaniel
December 4, 2001
Mother lived thru [sic] the famine in Ireland and saw many die of
starvation. She always knew the value of food and the worth of a dollar,
and what it cost, to produce real value. She solved so many financial
problems, that she seemed equal to any task. She enjoyed good health and
developed from a pale City girl to a robust woman.
Rev. J. W. Bulger. "Memoirs and Historical Jottings"1
One might ask the question, "What does the story of one Catholic priest's family have to
do with American history?" In a general sense, our American history is a compilation of
everyone's family stories. Father Bulger's eloquent account of his mother's migratory experience
provides an illustration of the American immigrant spirit. When millions of Irish famine
survivors migrated to America, they brought with them a vitality and strength of purpose which
they applied to life in their new home, including Iowa. Their history is our history.
By far, the greatest number of Famine Irish, who fled Ireland, migrated to America. Of
note, many Famine Irish immigrants to Canada crossed into the United States as opportunities
presented themselves. Therefore, the total number of Famine Irish immigrants to the United
States will never be known.2 The majority of Famine Irish who migrated to the United States
settled in or near their eastern and southern ports of entry. For the most part, Famine Irish, upon
arrival, located Irish support networks and put down roots, insinuating themselves into American
society. Why would a small number of Famine Irish continue beyond these immigration ports to
the heartland of America, settling in Iowa? Because, Iowa is the place where they found their
version of the American Dream.
This investigation of Famine Irish in Iowa focuses on the lives of the Mullin Family of
Southwestern Iowa and the Reagan Family of Davenport. It discusses their immigration
experiences and their lifestyles as Iowans, provides evidence of the attributes they hold in
common with other Famine Irish immigrants, and demonstrates that they are exceptions to the
1
Rev. J. W. Bulger, "Memoirs and Historical Jottings" (Biography, St. Anthony's Church Rectory, 1939),
11.
2
Edward Laxton, The Famine Ships: The Irish Exodus to America, 1846-51 (New York: Henry Holt,
1977), 26.
2
majority Famine Irish immigrant experience in America.3 Not only through analysis of history
texts, but also through examination of individual family migration stories, we can understand
Iowa's Famine Irish immigration experience. And through these collective experiences, we can
understand the character of Iowans in general.
The Great Famine
Death from starvation and disease is perhaps the ultimate reason to migrate. For almost
one-fourth of all Irish in Ireland to survive the Great Famine (c. 1845-1849), they would have to
live long enough to reach a port of embarkation, leave Ireland by whatever means available, and
reestablish their Irish identity in new lands. In 1845, famine hit Southeastern Ireland, spreading
throughout the country in subsequent waves in 1846 and 1848; and 1.5 million Irish died from a
combination of famine and disease including many members of the Mullin and Reagan families.
More importantly, an additional 1.5 million Irish emigrated, mostly to America.4
Centuries of absentee English landlords and their ever increasing rack rents had reduced
the Irish to dependence on potatoes for their dietary staple, as other commodities were sold for
cash to pay rents. Due primarily to medical and nutritional advances which contributed to a
reduction in the death rate of small children who would live to have children of their own,
Ireland experienced a population boom in the early 19th Century.5 But in late 1845, Phytophthora
Infestons, a potato blight which had accidentally been transported from America to Europe, hit
the potato crop of Ireland. The new blight was fast-acting and unpredictable, reducing entire
potato crops to rotted compost in a short time.6
Even though the famine originated in Southeastern Ireland, subsequent waves of famine
in 1846 and 1848 eventually hit the western fringe of Ireland. As the blight spread throughout the
island, survivors of the original famine were forced to eat the potatoes which would have been
used as seed, creating recurrences of famine. The famine technically ended only when the Irish
3
I must credit two individuals with accumulating a majority of the personal data used in this report. John
Martin Mullin of Camanche, Iowa, began recording genealogical information on the Mullin-Maloney and Reagan-
Cunningham families in 1995, accumulating original documents and writing to church officials in Ireland. His
brother, Thomas Edward Mullin of Davenport, Iowa, introduced me to his family's history, providing a wealth of
oral history and sources which I have attempted to follow during my investigations.
4
Roger Daniels, Coming to America: A History of Immigration and Ethnicity in American Life,
(Princeton, N. J.: HarperPerennial, 1991), 133-134.
5
Thomas J. Archdeacon, "European Immigration from the Colonial Era to the 1920s," Americans All, 11
January 2001, (23 October 2001), 5.
6
Patrick Abbot, "Ireland's Great Famine," History of Ireland, Unknown,
(29 October 2001).
3
population dropped low enough due to starvation, disease, and migration to the point where food
supplies were finally adequate to feed the survivors. Increased population, dependence on
potatoes as the dietary staple, and accidental introduction of the blight combined to make the
deadly ingredients for widespread starvation.
In Textures of Irish America, Professor Lawrence J. McCaffrey describes the Famine
Irish as gregarious, social creatures, desiring close association with their own kind even if this
meant living in squalor in American cities. Strikingly, McCaffrey cites the Famine Irish as the
precursors of urban America saying, "American urban history begins with Irish Catholic
immigrants. They established its precedents and established its patterns."7
Although the majority of Famine Irish came from rural Ireland, they were inherently ill-
prepared and ill-furnished to survive the agrarian life of the burgeoning American West. Few
tried farming in the United States probably because they lacked the skills necessary to succeed in
rural America. In Ireland, their existence had been centered around garden plots, not moderate to
large-scale agriculture necessary to be successful as farmers in America. And, farming in Ireland
had not been a secure or pleasant experience. Whether due to lack of capital or skills, by far the
majority of Famine Irish immigrants to America settled in the vicinity of their ports of entry,
especially in New England and the Eastern Seaboard.8
Dennis Mullin and a Story of Family Migration
The Dennis Mullin family of County Kerry, Ireland, is an example of one Irish family
who survived the Great Famine, migrating to rural Southwestern Iowa. In 1849 with the onset of
the famine in farthest western Ireland, Maurice Daughton gathered up his wife Ellen, her
brothers Dennis (b. 1826 in County Kerry, Ireland) and Patrick Mullin, and his mother-in-law
Margaret Mullin and fled Ireland, sailing to New Orleans, Louisiana.
Why did these Famine Irish move beyond their port of entry? The Irish had a history as
laborers in America prior to the Great Famine, comprising the majority of the labor force on
projects like the Erie Canal.9 The Irish provided much of the physical labor necessary for
commerce on the Mississippi River.10 Having arrived in New Orleans toward the end of the
7
Lawrence J. McCaffrey, Textures of Irish America (Syracuse, N. Y.: Syracuse University Press, 1992), 1.
8
McCaffrey, 1.
9
William J. Petersen, Steamboating on the Upper Mississippi: The Waterway to Iowa (Iowa City, Iowa:
The Historical Society of Iowa, 1937), 317.
10
Petersen, 339.
4
Famine Migration period, did the Mullin Family find a community which was intolerant of
further immigrants? Discrimination against Famine Irish was prominent, as many business
establishments in America displayed signs which read, "No Irish need apply" or simply
"NINA."11 Did Irish steamboat laborers or their families tout opportunities available upriver?
Nevertheless, arriving in New Orleans, the Maurice Daughton family, including Dennis and
Patrick Mullin, traveled up the Mississippi River by steamboat and settled in Ohio in 1850.
While in Ohio, Dennis Mullin married Margaret Houlihan of County Kerry, Ireland.
Dennis followed the tradition of keeping the extended family together, bringing the Houlihan
family along with his wife and children to Iowa in 1858. Also, Dennis Mullin became a
naturalized American citizen in Fairfield County, in 1856.
Why would some Famine Irish families continue their westward migration after
establishing a home? The United States experienced a farm depression in 1857. One cause was
the collapse of the grain market after cessation of hostilities in Europe at the end of the Crimean
War (c. 1853-1856). The American Midwest had profited greatly by selling grain on the
European market, and peace meant no further need for grain imports.12 Did the Mullin Family
lose their first American home due to another disaster?
Why would some Famine Irish families settle in Iowa? Dorothy Schwieder in her history
describes Iowa as the "Middle Land," noting its geography, Midwestern location, settlement
history, and social and demographic characteristics as factors.13 The State of Iowa produced
brochures describing immigrant opportunities and Iowa's natural resources. These brochures
were distributed around the nation and overseas.14 With the opening of the West, there was a
promise of land and freedom which drew multitudes of immigrants from the East. By the time of
Horace Greely's words "Go west, young man, go west," Iowa had become one of many eventual
destinations for persons moving westward.
Dennis Mullin, his brother Patrick, and Maurice Daughton jointly purchased land in
Decatur County, Iowa, from a German Catholic family in 1858. Dennis transported his family by
covered wagon from Ohio, living in the wagon until a log cabin was constructed. The journey
11
Mike McCormack, "National History," Unknown, Ancient Order of Hibernians in America,
(15 November 2001).
12
Class notes, Civil War, Fall 2000.
13
Dorothy Schwieder, The Middle Land (Ames, Iowa: Iowa State University Press, 1996), x.
14
Iowa: The Home for Immigrants (Des Moines, Iowa: Mills & Co., 1870), 1.
5
might have taken longer than necessary, as oral history states the family owned an ox and a mule
instead of the traditional team of oxen.
What did these new immigrants find upon their arrival? Fr. Edward Harkin, a second
generation Famine Irish immigrant, describes the Iowa countryside and his family's experiences
saying:
The ground was covered with tall native grass, trees, and brush. Wild honey, wild
apples, berries and plums were plentiful with which to make sweets and relishes.
Wild turkeys and other game were in abundance for meat. . . .The air was clean,
and independence was enjoyed as never before. Hope of great accomplishments
was seen on the horizon one hundred years ago.15
Rural Iowa has been characterized as lonesome but not lonely. In 1876 Dennis and
Patrick Mullin purchased land and moved further west to the vicinity of Maloy, settling in Taylor
County, Iowa, formerly Shay's Settlement. And as was the family tradition, Bart and Mary
Houlihan came with them. Bart was known for returning on horseback to Woodland Township in
Decatur County to visit old Irish families. Mary was the local mid-wife to everyone, Catholic
and Protestant alike, in the settlement around "Little Ireland." Dennis Mullin built a one-room
house adjacent to his own home for the Houlihans where they lived out their lives. Dennis and
Margaret Mullin had twelve children of which Edward Dennis Mullin was the fourth boy out of
the first six. Additionally, Patrick Mullin continued to live in close vicinity to his brother, Dennis
Mullin, and died in Taylor County, having fathered fifteen children.
The Mullin Family took an active part in formation of the first Catholic church in the
area. Their civic activities were chronicled by Fr. Harkin. The Dennis Mullin, Maurice
Daughton, and Bartholomew Houlihan families are listed as three of the first eleven founding
families.16 Prior to establishment of their church, Irish families attended the local Catholic
church where German was spoken, worshiping alongside their German neighbors, making their
living through subsistence farming.
The Dennis Mullin Family prospered in Taylor County during the Gilded Age. Farming
and raising cattle, they earned a reasonable living for themselves and their twelve children. They
were active in their community and the local Catholic church. Were Dennis and his descendants
15
Rev. Edward J. Harkin, A History of the Catholic Church in Decatur County, Iowa (Leon, Iowa: Leon
Journal-Reporter, 1956), 8.
16
Harkin, 9.
6
active in Farmer's Clubs, the Grange, and Farmer's Alliances? We do not know; however, being
farmers in a farm community, it is likely they participated in one or more farm organizations.
Farmers throughout the Midwest experienced a series of depressions from the Civil War
until the Great Depression of the 1930s. "During the 1870s many farmers lost their land or were
forced out of business entirely by falling prices, rising costs of rail transportation, and credit
restrictions."17 And again in 1893, ". . . [c]ollapsing railroad companies helped touch off the
crisis in the early 1890s. The resulting depression hit hardest in farm country, where commodity
shipments depended on railroads and where the bulk of America's population still lived."18 How
the Mullin Family survived these economic crises, we do not know; but survive, they did.
Edward Dennis Mullin (b. 1860 in Decatur County, Iowa) and Dennis Edward Mullin (b. 1887 in
Decatur County, Iowa) inherited the farm in turn and continued on in their father's footsteps.
Having managed to survive previous hard times, the Mullin family would finally
succumb during the next farm depression cycle. As a precursor to the Great Depression,
Midwestern farmers experienced another economic downturn which lasted from the end of the
First World War until the beginning of the Second World War.19 There were many causes, but
encouragement of debt by the government to increase food production for the war effort and
subsequent calling in of debt by the government have been identified as primary factors.20
Dennis Edward Mullin and his wife Kate lost the family farm in 1925.
Thomas Mullin (b. 1916 in Ringgold County, Iowa) spoke of his father, Dennis Edward,
having speculated in the stock market. Also, Dennis raised herds of cattle which failed to bring
prices worthy of the effort. Cost of production was a primary grievance of farm reformers before
the New Deal.21 Failing to achieve the cost of production plus an adequate living wage doomed
Dennis and Kate Mullin to becoming just another statistic of the farm depression.
The life of the Immigrant Irish in urban Davenport
Life in the Irish community was centered around church, work, and family. From 1838,
St. Anthony's had been the only Catholic church in Davenport. However, in 1856 Ste. Margaret's
17
"Feds Receive an Unusual Gift from the Past," June 1999, Farm Service Agency News
5 December 2001.
18
Steven Smith, "Deflation History," 18 March 1998, The World Turned Upside-Down: An End to
Inflation 5 December 2001.
19
Schwieder, 149.
20
Class notes, History of Iowa, Fall 2001.
21
Class notes, History of Iowa, Fall 2001.
7
(later renamed Sacred Heart Cathedral) and in 1868 Ste. Mary's Church were built to serve the
ever growing Catholic population of Davenport.22 The Ancient Order of Hibernians, originally a
secretive Irish fraternal society, was established in 1836 in New York City to provide a welcome
for new immigrants and to preserve the art, dance, music, and other interests of the Irish.23
Established in 1884, the AOH Hall in Davenport came to be a home away from home where one
could meet other members of the Irish community.24
Subsequent waves of immigrants moved into the jobs and homes which had been
previously occupied by earlier immigrants. Having lost the farm, Dennis Edward and Kate
(Reagan) Mullin moved from Southwestern Iowa to Davenport in 1926 with their four children–
Thomas Edward, John Martin, Margaret Mary, and Catherine Rose–after selling everything to
clear their farm debt, arriving with only their clothes and four chickens.25 Kate Mullin arranged
to purchase the Reagan family home at 515 W. 11th St. This home was originally purchased in
1887 by Thomas M. Reagan, Kate's father, and stayed in the Mullin-Reagan family's possession
until 1945.26 Dennis Edward worked as a teamster alongside his father-in-law, hauling freight to
downtown stores and the Rock Island Arsenal, managing to survive to retirement.
The Mullin-Stamer Family: The American Melting Pot
Thomas Edward Mullin (b. 1916 in Bedford, Taylor County, Iowa) grew up in a
predominantly Irish and Black neighborhood adjacent to Goose Hollow in Davenport. He told
stories of attending the neighborhood AME Church with his black friends and of taking them
with him to St. Anthony's Catholic Church. Tom attended grammar school at St. Anthony's and
graduated from St. Ambrose Academy in the 1934. Having suffered from near-sightedness his
whole life, Tom memorized the eye chart to enlist in the Navy during WWII. He served with a
marked lack of distinction with the 45th Seabees in Alaska and Hawaii until 1946.
Tom Mullin, however, is notable for being successful. He never knew a single day of
unemployment in his life. The day after he returned home from the war, he awoke early and
reported to the loading dock at the Quad-City Times for work. He continued to work until age
22
Edward C. Greer, Cork Hill Cathedral (Davenport, Iowa: Gordon Printing Co., 1956) 5.
23
McCormack.
24
E. M. Ringgold, "Davenport Irish," (Davenport, Iowa: Federal Writers Project, 1939) 3.
25
John M. Mullin, interview by Charles Lewis, 4 May 2001.
26
Land Records. Scott County Records, vol. 4 (Davenport, Iowa: Scott County Courthouse, 1871-1919),
186.
8
seventy-nine. Tom is perhaps best know as having been a realtor for the Frederick's Company
and then Mel Foster Co.
Marion Emma Stamer (b. 1915 in Davenport, Iowa) is the daughter of Wilhelm Fritz
Stamer and Dorothea Wiese. Initially arriving at Ellis Island, New York, Wilhelm (b. 1884 in
Kiel, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany) migrated alone to Davenport, Iowa, in 1907. Dora Wiese (b.
1879 in Davenport, Iowa) was the descendant of the Wiese-Arp Family of the Duchy of
Schleswig-Holstein (now Germany). These ethnic German immigrants came to America
beginning in 1858 prior to German unification in 1871. The Wiese-Arp Family were highly
successful farmers, living in Eldridge, Probstei, and Bettendorf, Iowa.
Tom Mullin was known to be an exceptionally outgoing person. That he met Marion is
not amazing; however, that Marion's mother, Dora, allowed Marion to date a "black" Irishman
like Tom is amazing.27 Tom married Marion in 1944 during WWII. They had five children–three
of whom live in Davenport, Iowa; one of whom lives in Gadsden, Alabama; and one of whom
lives in Fairfax County, Virginia.
Conclusion
This nation was built by the sweat and toil of untold millions of immigrants from most
nations of the world; the Irish are merely one single example. Their collective stories are
versions of our history as a nation of immigrants. And, the contributions of immigrants continue
to add to, not take away from, the greatness of this nation.
What does the story of Famine Irish immigrants teach us about Iowans and Americans in
general? Immigrants left their native lands in search of a new home and an improvement in their
lot in life, being drawn to Iowa by pamphlets published specifically for that purpose. Immigrants
migrated as family units, working together for the common good. Many immigrants migrated in
stages from their port of entry to their final destination, living in covered wagons during
construction of the farmstead.
The single attribute common to Famine Irish and their descendants I have identified
through this investigation is resiliency. Famine Irish immigrants were survivors. Whether faced
with starvation and death in their native land or economic ruin America, they overcame these
adversities, contributing to the development of the nation as a whole. Many immigrants needed
27
Marion (Stamer) Mullin, interview by Charles Lewis, 9 April 2001.
9
limited adjustment to fit into American society. Despite a lack of specific skills necessary for
success, they survived and eventually thrived through hard work.
What can study of Famine Irish history teaches us? Survival and effectuation are part of
our American character, as their history is our history. They lived, and we are living the
American Dream. And in my opinion, America, as a nation, has benefited from the Irish coming
to America.
10
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11
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