Interesting post! I never knew of Fitzgerald's connections with native Americans. A few years ago I read a memoir by the African American civil rights figure Pauli Murray, who noted that her family had a mythology of Irish descent that linked them to an aristocratic Fitzgerald family from Co. Kildare. Murray was sceptical of the story, seeing it as a way by which her family sought to distance themselves from enslavement, though I've wondered since where the myth met the reality.
Thank you! It is entirely possible. When he first went to America during the War of Independence he was left for dead during the Battle of Eutaw Springs. He was saved by a runaway slave named Tony Small. For helping an officer Tony was given his freedom but remained Fitzgerald's servant until he was killed in the 1798 Rebellion. There are letters between small and Fitzgerald's family years later indicating that Small had a family and received financial assistance from the Fitzgerald family.
Hi Maurice! I thought you'd be interested to know that I have an article in the current issue of History Ireland discussing this topic. It is very similar to the above, but far more polished.
Interesting post! I never knew of Fitzgerald's connections with native Americans. A few years ago I read a memoir by the African American civil rights figure Pauli Murray, who noted that her family had a mythology of Irish descent that linked them to an aristocratic Fitzgerald family from Co. Kildare. Murray was sceptical of the story, seeing it as a way by which her family sought to distance themselves from enslavement, though I've wondered since where the myth met the reality.
Thank you! It is entirely possible. When he first went to America during the War of Independence he was left for dead during the Battle of Eutaw Springs. He was saved by a runaway slave named Tony Small. For helping an officer Tony was given his freedom but remained Fitzgerald's servant until he was killed in the 1798 Rebellion. There are letters between small and Fitzgerald's family years later indicating that Small had a family and received financial assistance from the Fitzgerald family.
Hi Maurice! I thought you'd be interested to know that I have an article in the current issue of History Ireland discussing this topic. It is very similar to the above, but far more polished.
Nice one Ruairí! I’ll check it out