Jerome J. Collins: Ireland's Forgotten Hero: A Trip Around The World

Monday, August 13, 2007

A Trip Around The World

I keep apologizing every time I post for the long delays inbetween my posts. But since this blog isn't the most popular one out there, well, I think I can be forgiven.

I am still enjoying contact with Jack from the AOH on the east coast. He's such a great man, always willing to inform me and educate me in regard to Ireland and her history. Same with Fred and Ronnie. Mike has been such a Godsend to us, actually told me that he feels like he's watching the birth of a baby as he's witness to Ronnie and I writing Jerome's bio. And he's right. But for me I think this has been in the making since I was 12 years old and just didn't know it until I started piecing the puzzle together and accepted the ironies of the contacts I had made.

Fred showed me on Skype what Part II of our article looks like, said he'll post it from either Western Australia or Boston, he hasn't decided yet. He said he has a few 'round the world tickets and will be going to Cork to give a presentation to Ronnie's historical society this month, and then go to Boston and then California where ironically the AOH is rolling out the red carpet for him and then on to New Zealand and back home to Western Australia. Hope that man gets some sleep with all those time zone changes. Fred is a wonderful singer, and is so modest and humble about it. I hope Ronnie gets him to sing a few notes after he gives his presentation, after all, Ronnie is taping it for me (I've yet to afford the expense to go with my family over to Ireland!). Anyway, from what I could tell, the article looks great and my photo and Ronnie's appears in this 2nd 1/2 of Jerome's story.

I'm still trying to make waves with the Navy and have been calling them trying to get Jerome's record cleared of the trivial charges. No news yet. I'm being ignored. Things are going at a slow pace with all my requests I have out there. I'm waiting on documentation from quite a few sources, and everyone is taking their time. Frustrating. But every month is still bringing about new discoveries and this month brings me back out to the east coast before Jerome sailed on the Jeannette. The man touched so many lives and locations and left such a huge trail, it's amazing that an imprint of his life hasn't been rightfully preserved.

All in all, I've been busy doing research every spare moment I have. Well, ALMOST. Incase you are one of the few people out there that didn't notice, the 7th and final Harry Potter book was released, and I'm just about to the end. What can I say? I love Harry Potter... I'm 37 and I love Harry Potter. Meanwhile at 37 years of age Uncle Jerome was already busy memorizing the lines to HMS Pinafore, visiting Thomas Edison, exploring geological sites, learning photography, forecasting trans-atlantic storms, and oh, gearing up to sail to the North Pole. Now if that doesn't make me feel unaccomplished, I don't know what will. But back then, Jerome didn't have iPods and iPhones and Google, he didn't have Harry Potter books and TV, DVD's and VCR's, so it makes sense to say in the 1800's they led a very focused education without much distraction. Now, if I were writing Jerome's bio in his era, the book would have been written and published months ago. But I have to multi-task living in 2007, and on somedays I multi-multi-task! So on that note, I have to go let the dogs out, clean the kitchen and make some phone calls while I do some laundry and pick up toys while my computer is busy burning some music cd's, and maybe eat something inbetween all this .

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PLEASE DONATE to FURTHER MY RESEARCH ON THE AMAZING LIFE OF THIS UNSUNG HERO, JEROME J. COLLINS

All proceeds will go toward furthering my research on the life of Jerome J. Collins, America & Ireland's Unsung Hero, who's funeral was deemed the "Longest Funeral in the World". Collins was the World's First Weather Reporter, and died at the age of 40 on the USS Jeannette Expedition to the North Pole while serving as the Scientific Officer on board. He was placed under arrest for a trivial charge of "smoking in the cabin", yet charges were never lifted in 1884 during the formal naval inquiry which investigated the mistreatment of Jerome; his brother Dr. Daniel F. Collins of Minnesota forced this Naval Inquiry to attempt to clear his brother Jerome's naval record of the trivial charges. Dr. Daniel Collins, my GG Grandfather, died at the young age of 50 yrs in 1900, unselfishly donating his body to science in order to further the medical practice. His grave, along with about 8 other plots including his wife and children all located together, sadly remain unmarked at St. Mary's Cemetery in Minneapolis, MN. Any further donations will go to erect a proper monument in tribute of his life, which was likely financially exhausted due to his unwavering efforts to aid his dead heroic brother Jerome Collins during the Jeannette Inquiry of 1884. Jerome Collins is possibly the only person in history to have been awarded a Congressional Gold Medal posthumously for his sacrifice in the Arctic while he forever remains under arrest/suspension. It is my goal to overturn those charges, but I realistically can't do it without outside help as a single mom. It is also my campaign to replicate his Congressional Gold Medal, which was lost or stolen, and have it formerly donated to the City of Cork in Ireland, specifically the Cork City Museum; the medal would be made based off an existing medal. This replication has already started as of October 2015 & has been completed. In addition, any donations will help fund my portion of writing for our book about Jerome Collins; travel is needed in order to finalize the last bit of my research at the NARA in D.C., the Smithsonian, the Naval Academy Museum in Annapolis, MD, and lastly to visit specific places of interest in NYC where Jerome Collins would have resided and worked, including St. Patrick's Cathedral where his first out of 2 funerals was held in 1884. Ultimately, I would like to return to Cork City, Ireland, to have the replicated medal formally presented to the city. Thank you in advance for reading my story and for your support!

Who IS
Jerome Collins?

An engineer, journalist, scientist, meteorologist, and arctic explorer, among other achievements, Jerome came from a family of warriors and statesmen, he grew up with a passion for meteorology; men of his day even heralded him as the "Father of Meteorology". Born October 17, 1841 in Cork, Ireland. Engineered the North Gate Bridge, Cork. Came to the US about 1866 and eventually worked for the New York Herald Newspaper as Scientific Editor. Established the New York Herald Weather Service and used the telegraph to cable storm warnings to the western coasts of Europe, UK, Ireland. Founded the Clan na Gael. Died October 30, 1881 while enlisted in the US Navy as the Scientific Officer aboard the

Jeannette Arctic Expedition.

Wrongfully placed under arrest for 18 arduous months until his death, the official charge "smoking in the cabin". Lt. Commander De Long forced Collins' photographs, scientific notes, and diaries to sink with the ship. Jerome's funeral deemed "Longest In The World", his body having travelled approx. 15,000 miles from the Lena Delta, Siberia, to NYC, then to Cork for burial alongside that of his beloved mother's. The charges were never lifted from Jerome's record, despite the fight two of his loyal brothers (Dr. Daniel F. Collins a gifted and well versed physician in Minnesota, and Bernard A. Collins an Inventor/Scientific Engineer in NYC) gave against a US naval Inquiry in 1884; no official ruling was made on the claim that Jerome Collins was mistreated by Lt. De Long while on board the Jeannette. Although Jerome died while serving under the United States flag in the Navy, his heart always fought for the freedom of his native island home, Ireland.

Jerome J. Collins: Ireland's Forgotten Hero

Monday, August 13, 2007

A Trip Around The World

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