I’ve not checked into the Irish Migration Studies in Latin American site in quite a while, but thanks to a link on Archivalia I see that there is some interesting new stuff.
Besides the archives of their fascinating publication featuring dozens of articles about the Irish in Latin America, the Society for Irish Latin American has now released the digitized diary of Roberto Murphy, which is about life on a sheep estancia in the Buenos Aires province during the years 1887 – 1934.
The diary also includes a number of images of press clippings, old peso notes, and even a stamp such as this one from 1928.
From the Irish Migration Studies site:
Roberto Murphy (1855-1934) was born in Lobos, province of Buenos Aires, the youngest child of Michael Murphy (1807-1864) of County Offaly, and his wife, Elizabeth, née Scully (b.c.1830). Michael Murphy arrived in Argentina in 1829 and worked in sheep-farming in north-west Buenos Aires. In Lobos he owned two estancias (ranches) and 20,000 sheep. During the cholera outbreak of 1868, Roberto Murphy survived his brothers Eduardo (1844-1868) and Patricio (1854-1868), and his sister Isabel Tallon (née Murphy) (1851-1868); all of them died in February of that frightful year in the countryside of Buenos Aires. Roberto Murphy worked in the family estancias, and became a well-known public figure in the area. In 1887 he was appointed justice of the peace in Lobos district, and in 1896 was elected to the provincial parliament for the National Party (though his candidature was later withdrawn as a result of election manoeuvring). In 1895 he married Annie Morgan (1857-1898), daughter of George Morgan and Anne Gaynor, of San Andrés de Giles. They had two children. In 1902 he married Luisa Cunningham (1856-1926), daughter of Joseph Cunningham and Mary Murphy. Roberto Murphy died on 14 July 1934 in Cambaceres, near Ensenada, and was buried in the Recoleta cemetery of Buenos Aires.
For forty-eight years – from 28 February 1887 up to a few days before his death in 1934 – Roberto Murphy maintained a diary. Typically, daily entries include five to ten hand-written lines recording ranch business, family news, visits, local affairs, travel reports and remarks about the weather, market prices, movements of neighbours or political upheavals. Cash accounts close every year, and miscellaneous materials like press clippings or notes are occasionally inserted with some entries. Entries are organised in forty-eight volumes, using the Lett’s Diary N° 45, hard covers, 21 x 13 cm, with daily entries presented on weeks in facing pages. The volumes are in the private collection of the Murphy family of Buenos Aires.
Take a look and be sure to browse through the back issues of Irish Migration Studies in Latin America for some good reads.
April 27th, 2007 at 4:21 pm
This is so interesting. My paternal gray grandmomther’s last name was O’Neil and I haven’t been able to find much information about that family that established themselves in the island of Puerti Rico a long, long time ago.
April 27th, 2007 at 5:43 pm
Hi Gricelle, I remembered how astonished I was when I first learned that a lot of Irish settled in Latin America. My last name is Irish, too, but for some reason I never realized that they were everywhere!
It’s interesting that your ancestors went to Puerto Rico. When I was in Miami I learned that a lot of Irish also settled in Cuba.
April 27th, 2007 at 7:18 pm
Hi Jeff, I’m fascinated about learning where my ancestors came from. Though my paternal grandfathers last name was Torres, we also have Sullivan in our family which i think it’s also Irish. I found an article talking about the irish settlers in the island as early as the 19th century.
http://articles.gourt.com/en/Irish%20immigration%20to%20Puerto%20Rico
April 21st, 2008 at 1:12 pm
[…] with Irish ancestry (way, way back), I’ve written a bit before about Irish immigration to Argentina. A great resource for this topic is the wonderful Irish Migration Studies in Latin America […]