Last year I wrote two articles about immigrant groups in Willimantic as well as the French-Canadians and the resultant Canadian Conventions. This and the next 2 articles will take a quick look at the immigrant populations in general before narrowing down to the reasons for and purposes of the Canadian conventions. For those who would like a more detailed history of the Irish, French-Canadians, Polish or Italians in Willimantic, I’d suggest Allen B. Lincoln’s “A Modern History of Windham County” or many of Tom Beardsley’s excellent articles and books. Taking a quick look at immigrant groups coming to Willimantic, the Irish appear to be the earliest group. In August, 1873, an article in the Willimantic Journal said that, “"twenty destitute foreigners" arrived in Willimantic in the summer of 1847 to work for the Windham Manufacturing Company.”
Allen B. Lincoln wrote that, “Willimantic's population in 1847 was primarily Protestant Yankee. The Willimantic Yankees were horrified that Catholics were now in their midst, and a long difficult period of struggle and accommodation began. “ The Journal article, however, went on to talk about how far the Irish immigrants had advanced and the new Saint Joseph’s Church, writing, “Twenty six years later, Willimantic’s Irish  population, the destitute foreigners, built a  magnificent edifice in town”. The Irish quickly became Willimantic businessmen, served in the Armed Forces and entered local politics. Irish Organizations were founded and the Willimantic Fire Department’s Montgomery Hose Company Number Two was comprised mainly of Irish citizens and was named after an early Irish patriot, Richard Montgomery. (Today’s photo) The Montgomery Hose Dramatic Club performed many Irish dramas on the stage at Franklin Hall. In 1897, Oscar O. Tanner became Willimantic’s first Irish-American mayor. A few years later, he was elected to a second term and was followed in 1905, by “Danny” Dunn who was elected as Willimantic’s second Irish-American Mayor. He went on to serve six terms and prior to his fifth mayoral race, he was so popular that 50 different Republicans refused the opportunity to run against him before a challenger accepted. Moving on, the next wave of immigrants was the French-Canadian influx in the 1860s. Allen B. Lincoln says,” they were a frugal, industrious, hard-working class of people and became good citizens”. As did the Irish, the French-Canadians soon became businessmen, entered into politics and served in the Armed Forces. In 1896, there were at least 16 French-Canadian owned businesses in town and it was said of the French-Canadian businessmen that their patronage was “largely other than from their own people” and that their firms were some of the most enterprising in the city. I have to admit a good deal of pride whenever I read Lincoln’s words about my great grandfather. “Few men among the French-Canadians have been more highly esteemed than was Michel Laramee, known primarily as a skillful shoemaker, but widely popular as a sportsman and genial companion. His recent unfortunate death by accident was deeply deplored.”  In 1903, the French-Canadians broke away from Saint Joseph’s Church and established their own church and school. Interestingly, the school building had been built as a Baptist Church, had been purchased and moved in 1857  to Jackson Street by Saint Joseph’s parish as their first church and was moved to Valley Street in 1872. By 1901, French-Canadian names began to appear in the listings of “City Officers”. Their number, as well as the number of Irish City Officers continued to grow as the years went by. 1923, Hormisdas Dion became Willimantic’s first French-Canadian mayor. His grocery store and bakery on Ash Street became the largest in Willimantic. Allen Lincoln’s words proved true that the French-Canadians, “take a natural pride in their separate church and parochial school, but from these there proceeds no narrow influence affecting their broader relations to community life. Apostles of discontent and reactionary feeling find no response among the French-Canadians.” When the French left Saint Josephs, the remaining Irish were concerned that Saint Joseph's would perish because of lack of funds, but the departed French-Canadians were replaced by an influx of Polish and Italian immigrants. Their story next week.

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