Hurley Family Emigrant Letters (Ref. U170)

(U170/73, /74, /79-/85), including a mention of the death of Michael Collins in 1922 (U170/79). Many letters also mention major events in the United States and Europe, such as; the economic recession of the 1890’s (U170/22-/24), the San Francisco earthquake of 1906, which Michael Hurley survived (U170/54, /55), the First World War (U170/68-/71), the prohibition of alcohol in the 1920’s (U170/73, /74), the Spanish Civil War (U170/119) and various U.S. elections (U170/11, /20, /31 /43, /52. /72, /93). The effects of the Great Depression of the 1930’s feature in much of the later correspondence, and Denis’ observations illustrate the depth of the problems faced by the United States during this period (U170/101 - /106, /108- /118). Although Denis at this time was fortunate to be in secure employment, his hopes were dashed of visiting Ireland for the Dublin Eucharistic Congress in 1932, partly because the value of his banking stocks were reduced during the depression (U170/106, /112). In the event, neither brother ever returned to Ireland. The remainder of the collection includes a few documents related to the estate of Denis Hurley following his death in March 1938 (Section B of the arrangement), an 1885 financial statement of affairs for Thomas Hurley, general merchant, Clonakilty (U170/130), and a letter from John Hurley to Clonakilty Union in 1897 concerning the valuation of his property (U170/131). Also found are 2 items related to the death of Mrs Mary Hurley, mother of Denis and Michael, including a list of expenses incurred at her wake and funeral (U170/133). The collection also contains 2 letters from a Marie Collins in Connecticut, United States to the Hurleys in Clonakilty. The final sections of the collection contain portrait photographs of Denis Hurley, and newspaper clippings, one of which is a public notice by Denis announcing his standing for election as a Commissioner of Carson City (U611/141). The present collection is a valuable source for the history of Irish emigration to the United States in the late 19 th century and the early 20 th century, in particular documenting the experience of those who continued their migration westwards rather than remaining in the more traditional Irish urban centres such as Boston, New York and Chicago. The collection documents the response of Irish emigrants to the daily struggle to make a living in a new country and their coping with being away from friends and family with little likelihood of ever seeing them again. It also documents the Irish/Irish emigrant response to some of the political, social, military and economic events in the United States, Ireland and Europe, during the late 19 th and early 20 th centuries.

System of Arrangement

Collection is made up of 8 sections. A: Letters from Denis Hurley and Michael Hurley from the United States (1871-1928) B: Estate and Death of Denis Hurley (1934-1939) C: Thomas Hurley (1885) D: John Hurley, Tawnies (1897) E: Mrs Mary Hurley, Funeral (1899-1900)