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Personal Papers: Hurley Family Emigrant Letters

Ref. Code: U170

The major part of the present collection comprises of 122 letters home to Ireland from Michael and Denis Hurley in the United States over a period of 77 years from 1871 to 1938. The majority (117) of the letters are written by Denis Hurley, although Denis does regularly pass on news of his brother Michael. The earlier letters are mainly addressed to their parents at Tawnies, Clonakilty, and later on to their brothers and sisters, and finally to a few of their nieces in Clonakilty and Timoleague, County Cork. The letters have been arranged chronologically.

Brothers Denis Hurley and Michael Hurley were from a farming family at Tawnies, near Clonakilty, County Cork. They emigrated to Nevada in the United States in 1873 and c.1871 respectively (U611/1 and /2).

Michael Hurley (1845-1926) worked initially in Gold Hill, Nevada as repair foreman for the Virginia and Truckee Railway and later in a similar capacity at a railway near Lake Tahoe (U170/1). In 1881 he moved to Oregon to work on the railways there. He spent some years working in the railway at Spokane Falls, Washington State, before moving to San Francisco, California where he spent the rest of his life (U611/14, /28). Michael appears to have invested heavily in mining stocks that did not pay much dividend (U170/ 83, /88).

Denis Hurley (1849-1938) became one of the most prominent citizens of Carson City, Nevada. Following his arrival in Nevada, he worked with the Virginia and Truckee Railway for many years before obtaining employment as a prison guard at the State prison in c.1912 (U611/63). In c.1887, he married his wife, Maggie, also an emigrant from Ireland, in Carson City. His wife died of Typhoid in 1910 (U611/59). Active in politics, in c.1913, after a number of attempts, Denis was elected as a Commissioner of Carson City (U170/58). In 1925 he was elected as Chairman (Mayor) of Carson City Council (U611/89). Denis made several investments in stocks and shares, and was a one stage a director and stockholder of the Nye and Ormsby Bank (U611/44). In his final years he worked as Baliff of the U.S. District Court for Nevada. A man of great religious commitment throughout his life, he was active in the Catholic Church and became a 4th degree Knight of Columbus in 1923 (U611/82). Evidently highly literate and well-read, Denis in his letters makes many observations concerning events local, national and international.

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).

Date: 1871-1938
Extent: 141 items
Level of Description: Fond
Finding Aid: U170 Descriptive List (128KB)
Access: By appointment and application form. For more information, see notes on access.