Exploring John Piper’s Account Book: Uncovering New Stories from Old Dorp

Through this profound statement, Juliet suggests that ⁣names are‍ inconsequential; it is the essence of the thing that truly matters.

This sentiment can be applied to a seemingly ‍insignificant journal in the Schenectady County Historical Society’s​ collection: “John Piper Accounts for Irish ⁣Americans, 1864-1870.”

At first glance, it appears to be a simple ‍account book maintained by John Piper of Schenectady, recording the names of individuals sending‌ money back to Ireland from 1864-1870.

I first explored this⁣ ledger in February of this⁢ year, guided by Marietta A. Carr, the librarian and archivist at the⁤ Grems-Doolittle Library of the Schenectady‌ County Historical Society, while conducting research for a book ‌I am currently writing on 19th century Schenectady.

The account ⁢book is modest in size, slightly larger than an index card. The first page reads:

“I John

John Piper

To my name

Ireland is my Nation

John Piper ⁤Schenectady, New York

John Piper

Schenectady, July 4, 18X0…”

The subsequent pages are filled with the names of Irish American ​Schenectadians, the people⁢ in Ireland to whom ⁢they sent money, and the amount of money they sent back to their families ⁤in Ireland. This practice of sending money‍ back home is common among immigrant groups, especially those in ⁣the‍ first wave of arrival.

While ​the amounts ⁢may seem small, ⁤they‍ are what the immigrant can⁤ afford‌ and are of immense value to the family left behind. This practice was common among Dutch and English immigrants in the‍ 17th and 18th centuries; Poles, Germans,⁢ Italians in the 19th and early ⁣20th centuries, and even the most recent immigrants, the Guyanese‌ and Pakistani ‌community members, continue this tradition today.

Discovering a book with this information provides a ⁢unique glimpse‍ into life in Schenectady that is otherwise challenging to capture. It is ⁣noteworthy that this document concludes a full ⁢decade before groups like The Ancient Order⁤ of Hibernians arrived in Schenectady and provided a⁤ structured support system for Schenectady’s Irish population.

Prior to⁣ the Hibernians, they only had the church ​and their ⁢neighbors to rely on. Similar situations would be seen with other waves of immigration, including the formation of⁣ St. Andrew’s Society and Sons of Italy chapters in⁣ Schenectady after ​their arrival generation got​ settled.

By studying the journal, I hoped to gain a deeper understanding of the ⁢economic dynamics​ at play for ⁢Irish American immigrants, many of whom would ‍have been first-generation Americans, with their ​parents immigrating in the 1840s due to the Great Hunger (roughly 1845-1854)⁢ and ​English enclosure laws.

By‍ examining the names, observing how ⁢much money they could afford to send, and tracking ⁤them to their ‍homes through ​the Schenectady Directories (the ⁣yearly books published from 1864-1968 listing Schenectady citizens,⁤ their addresses, and sometimes their professions) I hoped to ​gain a better understanding of Irish neighborhood⁣ conclaves within the city and⁢ learn about their forms‌ of employment and individual wealth.

It is‍ astonishing how much​ information can be⁤ extracted from such simple documents. I also hoped to ⁢understand the rampant‍ racism they faced⁢ in the ‌wake of‌ hostile Nativist and ‌Anti-Catholic political parties. While people of Irish descent are among the oldest settlers of Schenectady County, the mass arrival of Irish⁤ citizens in ⁢the United States in the 1840s-1850s ignited a wave of ⁣hatred, as⁢ many⁣ established Americans attacked them for their supposed laziness, drunkenness and‌ violence, all exaggerated to gain political favor.

Regrettably,‌ this would happen with every immigrant group in the United States.

Italians, who arrived in⁣ Schenectady beginning in the‍ late 1870s, were met with ⁣discrimination based on their inability to speak English, unfamiliar foods, and, ⁣again, their Catholic religion.

Many ⁤would be ⁤labeled as anarchists ⁢in the 1910s. This⁢ would escalate in the 1930s with the rise of Benito Mussolini and American engagement in Italy during World War II.

So, I had high hopes of learning a great ⁣deal from this simple book, but I never got that far….

The Account⁢ Book generated more⁢ mysteries than it solved.

Who was John Piper?

My first ‌step in this‌ process ‍was to learn‍ more ⁤about John⁣ Piper, the man collecting⁢ these funds. I tried to track him through the‌ Schenectady Directories. However, there was no listing for John Piper in any of the years covered by⁤ the ledger. He could have lived outside the city, maybe⁤ in Scotia or Niskayuna, localities covered by ‍the Schenectady Directories, ⁢but it didn’t seem right. ⁤He would need to be within the city to be central enough to collect⁤ monies from​ so many Irish American Schenectadians.

While John Piper ⁣does not appear in the Schenectady Directories during this period, there are the following mentions:

Piper George, dispatcher, house 19 Franklin

Piper Thomas, engineer, house ⁢32 Centre

The next step in finding John Piper was to go to⁤ the city census. Unlike the U.S. Census, which are taken every decade in ‌the year ⁤ending with zero, Schenectady did its own census for many‍ decades in years ending with 5.

The ⁤Schenectady City Census‍ of 1855 shows​ a John Piper born in 1852 ⁣and living in Schenectady. So, if John were three years old in 1855, that would make him ‍12 when the‍ ledgers started. Who ⁤in their⁣ right mind would give large sums of money to ⁣a twelve-year-old to send back‍ to Ireland?

Curiouser and curiouser…

Thomas Piper, assumptively the same Thomas Piper listed‍ in the ​1865 Schenectady Directory, was born ‌in⁢ County Limerick, Ireland, in 1829 but‍ lived in Schenectady then.

George Piper, also listed in the‍ 1865 Directory, was born in Limerick in 1827, naturalized in ‍1859, ​married to ‍Mary Piper (born 1828 in Ireland), working as a ‌clerk in Schenectady. Both ​are​ listed as parents of John Piper, 3, Catharine Piper (born⁢ 1854, died 1855, buried in St.⁤ John’s Cemetery), James Piper (born 1856), Thomas Piper (born Aug 4, 1858, died July 25, 1859), Mary Piper – (1862). Anna Maria Piper would follow in 1865.

All the children were born in Schenectady. The Piper family included four surviving children, two boys⁤ and two girls, with elder Thomas Piper listed as George’s brother.

The inscription​ on the‍ first page of the account book closes with the following lines:

“…To Thomas Piper

County of Limerick

Puland, Rathkeale County”

Thomas was given⁢ his nephew’s old, barely used journal to record‍ the collections. The John Piper Account Book is actually the Thomas Piper Account Book.

It​ appears this is a case‌ of a notebook started by ⁤young John and then used by his uncle to collect money to send⁤ home. The discovery ​was amusing,‌ as I think of⁢ the many notebooks and legal pads scattered around my office, often titled with a class I ⁢took or a project ‌I was working on. After⁢ that occurrence was complete, ⁣and the notebook was only a third full, I’d pick‍ it up often years later and start using it‌ again for⁢ a different purpose.

How does Alzonzo P. Strong fit in?

Another important question ‌about the account book is its placement‌ in the⁣ Grems-Doolittle collection. It was not part of a Piper family assemblage. Instead, it was in the ‍Alonzo P. Strong Collection.

Alonzo ​P. Strong was one of Schenectady’s most influential Gilded ​Age lawyers, and what it had to do⁤ with a lawsuit over funds for surviving orphans. Strong‍ was⁤ born in Duanesburg in⁣ 1843. He‍ graduated from Union College ​in 1864 ⁤before attending Harvard Law ⁤School and⁢ passing ⁢the New York State Bar in 1867. He was ⁤elected district attorney of Schenectady ⁢in 1873. But Strong enters the picture in the ​case⁤ of George Piper’s will in​ 1872.

George ​Piper died on April‍ 19, 1869. Although Mary was still alive ⁢at the ‍time, George’s will ‍from 1869 separated the family, with the boys John and ‍James going to live with Thomas and​ the girls Mary and Anna Maria living‍ with ⁣their mother, Mary.

Most of George Piper’s holdings went to Thomas to keep for the boys. When Thomas Piper passed in 1872, he ⁤left the two boys all the money and ⁤property.

Mary tried to reunite ⁤the family, but two lawsuits were leveled against her by ‍lawyers for the two boys, of which‍ Alonzo P. ‍Strong was one.

The collection does contain a telling document: a two-page document of sworn testimony from James Piper and James Hayes stating​ that George ‍Piper’s Will was duly and correctly written and sworn. ⁤The letter is attested to‍ on the 3rd day of May 1869 ‌by J. S. Langdon, County ​Judge.

Unfortunately, documents‍ in the Historical ‍Society collection do not provide the lawsuit’s outcome,⁤ and​ I⁣ have yet to track the ⁣case to⁣ completion. ​I do wonder if the ‌suits were forced upon‌ the male children as the powers that be ‍couldn’t possibly allow a ‍woman ​to be left in⁣ charge of the family’s money.

If I ​find documents about the trial’s outcome. I will note them in a future article.

Chris Leonard is ⁣the City Historian of Schenectady and also⁤ serves as a trustee of the ⁢Schenectady County Historical Society. To reach him, email Cleonard@schenectadyny.gov.

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