Irish family

George Irish (1729-1801) was born in Little Compton, Rhode Island, and was one of the eleven children of Jedediah (1658-1758) and Mary Irish. On September 25, 1757, he married Sarah Babcock (1732-1816) and they lived in a farmhouse in Middletown, Rhode Island. Together the couple had 11 children, Martha (1758-1833), Rebecca (1760-1838), George (1761-1849), Mary E. (dates unknown), James (1766-1813), Sarah (1766-1804), John (1768-1815), Patience (b. 1770), Joseph (1772-1818), Jedediah (1776-1823) and Phoebe (1781-1818).

Irish established himself as a trader, farmer, horse dealer, and had served as a colonel for the Rhode Island Militia. He conducted business throughout southern Rhode Island and neighboring Connecticut, often acting as a middleman for prominent figures of the Newport community by finding goods and collecting and delivering payments for others. Irish’s business matters often led to his involvement in various court and legal proceedings. Irish died on October 11, 1801, and was buried in a family burial ground in Middletown.

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