Irish family papers (RLC.Ms.016)

This collection consists of financial accounts, legal documents and correspondence relating primarily to George Irish (1729-1801) and his immediate family. Records from the Bailey, MacKaye, Goodwin, and Atwood families, all descendants of George Irish, are also included. Materials are arranged in alphabetical order by family name and then by document type, when applicable.

The papers of George Irish are comprised of accounts, legal documents, and receipts documenting his business activities with members of the Newport community and in Stonington, Connecticut. Legal documents typically include bills of sale, certificates, court warrants, deeds, depositions, and settlements either relating to Irish’s businesses or properties. Of particular note are two bills of sale for slaves purchased by George Irish, one on December 19, 1755, and the other on August 23, 1797. Both of these bills of sale can be found in the folders with George Irish’s legal documents (Box 1, Folders 11-12). Also present is his copybook with his written transcriptions of various Bible passages and an inventory of his estate following his death in 1801. The papers for his sons, George Irish, Jr. (1761-1849) and John Irish (1768-1815), who were also merchants, consist of their legal and financial documents representing their business activities.

Papers for the Bailey family include deeds relating to George Irish Bailey, grandson of George Irish, and the will of William Bailey (d. 1908). Also present is an ink drawing of the residence of William Bailey, also referred to as the Irish Homestead or the Banister House. Goodwin and MacKaye family papers consist mainly of a family bible and two scrapbooks. The Goodwin family bible was printed in 1765 and includes a handwritten family register documenting the birth, marriage and death dates of Goodwin and Robbins family members from 1724-1833. One scrapbook belonged to Juliet Hunter Goodwin (b. 1831) and included newspapers clippings and poems, and the other was kept by Henry Goodwin MacKaye (1856-1913) with memorabilia from his days at Harvard University and social life in Newport. Also included are letters concerning their ancestor, Asher Robbins, one of which was written by Juliet Goodwin to Ernest Sprague, a former Secretary of State in Rhode Island. An undated postcard addressed to Dorothy MacKaye is also present.

Atwood family records consist of wedding portraits, Mary MacKaye Atwood’s agreement with the Winterthur Museum to deed them the Banister House, and copies concerning William Bailey Atwood’s genealogy. The wedding portraits appear to be reproductions of the originals and were most likely from one of the donors of the collection. Portraits are of Ellen Ida Bailey (1861-1949), Mary MacKaye Atwood (1892-1986), and Mary Goodwin Atwood Sharp (b. 1924).