Identity area
Reference code
Title
Date(s)
- 1810-1974 (Creation)
Level of description
Extent and medium
234pp
Context area
Archival history
The Library of Congress provided Kerby A. Miller with microfilmed reproductions of the journal on 23 June 1974. The original manuscript was held by the Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. [call number MSS 2-15-1000].
Immediate source of acquisition or transfer
Content and structure area
Scope and content
Materials related to the memoir of Michael McDermott. McDermott was born in Kilmore near Ballygar on the Castle Kelly estate in County Galway in 1810. McDermott's memoir recounts his youth in Kilmore, his religious beliefs and some folk practices he knows and Irish words are occasionally present, he discusses the eradication of Irish in schools and his area, his moves to England in 1842 after the death of his first wife and eventually to Canada, political and religious divides in Canada at the time, his move to Milwaukee Wisconsin in 1849 and work as City Engineer there, and a move to Chicago in 1852 where he worked on the city survey, the Chicago Fire, and he includes poems, prayers and sayings throughout. Included are a typed transcript of a portion of the Michael McDermott memoir along with a photocopy of the original, Recollections and Memories by Mich'l McDermott, Civil Engineer and Surveyor Chicago, and Kerby A. Miller's research notes.