Chief O'Neill's Sketchy Recollections of an Eventful Life in Chicago

Download or read book Chief O'Neill's Sketchy Recollections of an Eventful Life in Chicago written by Francis O'Neill and published by Northwestern University Press. This book was released on 2008-01-18 with total page 332 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This remarkable memoir of immigration and assimilation provides a rare view of urban life in Chicago in the late 1800s by a newcomer to the city and the Midwest, and the nation as well. Francis O'Neill left Ireland in 1865. After five years traveling the world as a sailor, he and his family settled in Chicago just shortly before the Great Fire of 1871. His memoir also brings to life the challenges involved in succeeding in a new land, providing for his family, and integrating into a new culture. Francis O'Neill serves as a fine documentarian of the Irish immigrant experience in Chicago.