Aug 16 7:00 PM McKenna Field Rainbow Graphics 2 M&T Bank 6	Aug 20 7:00 PM Palmer Field Bristol Greeners 1 M&T Bank 4	Aug 21 7:00 PM Palmer Field M&T Bank 2 Vernon Orioles 1	Aug 22 7:00 PM Palmer Field M&T Bank 2 Vernon Orioles 6	Aug 24 6:30 PM Palmer Field West Haven Twilight League 4 GHTBL All-Stars 3

Tag: vintage

Tue. 03/01/22Wed. 04/10/24 by Weston Ulbrich

Orator Jim O’Rourke, Bridgeport, Connecticut Baseball Pioneer

One of most influential vintage baseball figures from Connecticut was an Irish-American named Jim O’Rourke. The 5’8″ Bridgeport native wielded a mighty bat and famous mustache. As leadoff hitter for the Boston Red Stockings of 1876, he recorded the first official base hit in major league history. O’Rourke’s epic playing career spanned five decades. He became a manager, umpire, team owner, league executive, attorney at law, civil rights advocate, father of eight children and a posthumous National Baseball Hall of Fame inductee.

Born in Bridgeport, CT, on September 1, 1850, James Henry O’Rourke was the son of Hugh and Catherine, immigrants from County Mayo, Ireland. Young James came of age at Waltersville School and Strong’s Military Academy. He learned to play baseball with his older brother John O’Rourke on local clubs, including the Bridgeport Ironsides and Stratford Osceolas. James was a right-hander acclaimed as an expert batsman and a smart talker. In fact, he was so unexpectedly eloquent that he earned the nickname “Orator Jim.”

Stratford Osceolas with Jim O’Rourke (standing, far right), 1871.

In 1872, Jim O’Rourke was recruited by the Middletown Mansfields, thereby becoming a member of America’s first professional baseball league: the National Association. Middletown folded in August, but O’Rourke would land on his feet. The next season he signed with the powerhouse Boston Red Stockings. Alongside Al Spalding as well as George and Harry Wright, O’Rourke batted .350 – swinging Boston to a pennant.

In the summer of 1874, Jim O’Rourke became one of baseball’s first international ambassadors. Boston and Philadelphia performed America’s National Game before crowds in Ireland and England, but the trip was a strategic and financial failure. After returning to America, Boston laid claim to another pennant. O’Rourke led the way with a team-high 5 home runs while guarding first base. In 1875, he transitioned back to the outfield and helped Boston to a third straight pennant.

Boston Red Stockings with Jim O’Rourke (far left), 1874.

Beantown’s grip on the National Association resulted in the formation of the National League. O’Rourke decided to stay with Boston and recorded the league’s first base hit. The feat occurred on Opening Day, April 22, 1876, at the Jefferson Street Grounds in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He swatted a single into left field. Though Boston committed 7 errors, they beat Philadelphia, who made 13 errors, by a score of 6-5.

O’Rourke’s breakout season came in 1877. He set a career-high with a .362 batting average and stood atop the National League with 68 runs scored, 20 walks and a .407 on-base percentage. His dominant play earned Boston another pennant (it was later discovered that second-place Louisville intentionally threw games). The following season, O’Rourke’s average slumped to .278, yet Boston defended first place with a 41-19 record.

Providence Grays with Jim O’Rourke (standing, third from right), 1879.

Due to complaints over wages during his time in Boston, O’Rourke became a notorious critic of management. In 1881, he accepted more responsibility as player-manager of the Buffalo Bisons. He played third base and paced the club with 105 hits. The Bisons achieved a winning record each season under O’Rourke’s direction from 1881 to 1884. Though Buffalo never won a title, O’Rourke set the standard for player-managers in 1884, with a .347 batting average on 162 hits.

Buffalo Baseball Club with Manager Jim O’Rourke (center), 1882.

Orator Jim garnered esteem for his leadership in Buffalo. He stood for excellence, sobriety, intellect and athleticism and was described as a non-drinking, non-smoking taskmaster. He might have stayed in Buffalo, if not struck by tragedy in 1883. O’Rourke’s second daughter, Anna, had suddenly died of an illness. The death led O’Rourke to move closer to home, and to sign with the New York Giants in 1885.

“The highest salaried ballplayer in the profession for 1885 will be James O’Rourke.”
The Pittsburgh Dispatch, 1885

1887 New York Giants with Jim O’Rourke (sitting front, left).

In New York, he was welcomed by owner John B. Day and manager Jim Mutrie. O’Rourke also joined future Hall of Famers: John Montgomery Ward, Buck Ewing, Tim Keefe, Mickey Welch and a close friend, Roger Connor from Waterbury, Connecticut. The Giants’ home field was the original Polo Grounds in Upper Manhattan. While earning a league-leading $4,000 salary, Orator Jim proved to be an on-base stalwart and a dependable defender.

During his tenure with the Giants, O’Rourke became a founding member of baseball’s first labor union: The Brotherhood of Professional Baseball Players. The brotherhood fought for the employment rights of the players. An articulate and learned O’Rourke decided to enroll at Yale Law School to litigate for player rights. He took courses in the off-seasons, passed the Connecticut bar examination and was admitted to practice law on November 5, 1887.

O’Rourke and the New York Giants toppled the National League in 1888. They beat their opponents in 84 of 138 games. Then the Giants agreed to face St. Louis of the American Association in a postseason series. O’Rourke suffered a meager .222 hitting mark in ten playoff games, yet the Giants were victorious in what became known as the original World Series.

1888 New York Giants with O’Rourke (sitting front, right, #15).

In 1889, O’Rourke batted .321 with 81 RBI and 33 stolen bases at age 38. Showing no signs of middle-age, he spearheaded New York’s back-to-back campaign for the National League title. At the 1889 World Series, O’Rourke turned in the finest hitting display of his career. He mustered a .389 average, with 2 homers and 7 RBI, defeating the Brooklyn Bridegrooms in 6 of 9 games. O’Rourke and his teammates were stars of the baseball world.

John Montgomery Ward, Shortstop, New York Giants, 1888.

Jim O’Rourke, Catcher, New York Giants, 1889.

Though behind the scenes, O’Rourke and other players were irritated with club owners over the Reserve Clause. The policy allowed owners to retain players after their contracts had expired. Players could be traded, sold or released, but they could not initiate their own moves. Equipped with a law degree, O’Rourke followed the lead of his shortstop and fellow attorney, John Montgomery Ward. Together they protested and established the controversial Players League of 1890.

Jim O’Rourke, New York Giants, 1889 (c.)

O’Rourke had a standout season with the renegade New York Giants of the Players League. He batted .360 with a career-high 9 home runs and 115 RBI across 111 games. The unsanctioned Giants finished in third place, but the Players League was short-lived. The loop had failed to turn a profit. O’Rourke and the Brotherhood were forced to negotiate a return to the National League.

1890 New York Giants of the Players League

In the summer of 1891, O’Rourke reappeared for his old team, the New York Giants of the National League. Despite being 40 years old, his bat remained reliable. O’Rourke, however, felt undervalued and openly expressed his discontent. After playing two final seasons in New York, he secured another player-manager role in 1893. This time, he became field general of the Washington Nationals, hitting .287 in 129 games during his last full season in the major leagues.

O’Rourke suited up for eight clubs over 23 major league seasons. The pride of Bridgeport ended his major league career with 2,643 hits, 62 home runs, 1,203 RBI and a .311 batting average. He had the most hits of any 19th century big leaguer other than Cap Anson. O’Rourke had been an integral part of eight championship clubs, but he wasn’t yet done with baseball.

Less than a year later, O’Rourke was back on the diamond. In 1894, he umpired in the National League and at the college level for Yale University. Unfortunately, lackluster reviews of his calls led to O’Rourke’s exit from the job in mid-June. He went back to playing the game by performing at catcher for St. Joe’s amateur club of Bridgeport on Saturday afternoons.

O’Rourke spent most of his time in Bridgeport, where he practiced law and cared for his family. Father to seven daughters, he was a proponent of women’s suffrage and civil rights. Orator Jim was active in civic affairs as a member of Royal Arcanum, Bridgeport Elks and Knights of Columbus. He was a self-described “Teddy Roosevelt Democrat” who ran for the Connecticut General Assembly in 1894 but lost in a Republican-leaning election.

The following year, new train services allowed for a professional loop: the Connecticut State League. O’Rourke was elected President. As head of the league, he limited player salaries to $800 per month. He was a stakeholder in several teams including Waterbury. O’Rourke also guided the Bridgeport Victors club as player-manager.

The Connecticut State League dissolved midseason on July 10, 1895. Despite the setback, O’Rourke and Bridgeport continued to compete against clubs like Meriden and Hartford. O’Rourke played in just eight games that summer. Instead, he focused on developing his team. When he recruited Harry Herbert, a black outfielder from Bridgeport, O’Rourke rebelled against racial norms. Herbert played four seasons for the Victors.

As an Irishman, a denigrated nationality at the time, O’Rourke used sport to quell ethnic stereotypes. He also used his influence to organize a new circuit in 1896. With help from local baseball leaders, Orator Jim created the Naugatuck Valley League. At catcher and manager for Bridgeport, he smashed a league-high .437 average and the Victors won the title.

Jim O’Rourke, Player-manager, Bridgeport Orators, 1898.

Bridgeport reentered the Connecticut State League in 1897. O’Rourke was no longer president of the league, but he wielded considerable power in local baseball matters. In 1898, O’Rourke ordered the construction of a new minor league stadium on his family’s farmland. Located in Bridgeport’s East End, the field was called Newfield Park. That same year, the Bridgeport club was renamed the “Orators” in O’Rourke’s honor.

Jim O’Rourke spent fifteen eventful years as player-manager of the Bridgeport club. His players affectionately called him “Uncle Jeems.” From 1903 to 1908, O’Rourke managed and competed alongside his son James O’Rourke Jr. After playing for his father, young Jimmy O’Rourke signed with the New York Highlanders, predecessors of the New York Yankees.

To the surprise of the entire baseball world, Jim O’Rourke Sr. was called up for one last major league game in 1904. Manager John McGraw of the New York Giants started the 54 year old at catcher on the final day of the season. O’Rourke handled a complete game from pitcher Joe McGinnity, beating Cincinnati 7-5, while going 1-for-4 at the plate. To this day, O’Rourke holds the major league record as the oldest player with a base hit.

On June 14, 1910, Jim’s wife of 38 years, Annie O’Rourke, passed away from complications of a fall. About a year later his brother John died of a heart attack in Boston. Jim O’Rourke endured these tumults and kept up with the Connecticut State League. He served as a league official on several occasions, either as secretary or president. On September 14, 1912, O’Rourke made his final on-field appearance with New Haven. He recorded a single at the age of 62.

Jim O’Rourke Sr. (left) and Jim O’Rourke Jr., 1908 (c.)

When he was 68, O’Rourke was afflicted by pneumonia after walking in a blizzard. He died seven days later on January 8, 1919, and was laid to eternal rest at St. Michael’s Cemetery, in Stratford, Connecticut. O’Rourke was survived by seven children and his sister, Sarah O’Rourke Grant. He was a beloved hero of Bridgeport who personified the American Dream. O’Rourke’s his rags-to-riches story inspired multiple generations of adoring baseball fans.

Jim O’Rourke, Manager, Bridgeport 1909 (c.)

Orator Jim was voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1945 by the Old-Timers Committee. According to baseball historian, Bill James, O’Rourke’s Cooperstown plaque, “summarizes his career but is far too small to reflect the scope of his contributions to the game. As a pioneer player, union organizer and early minor-league executive, James Henry ‘Orator’ O’Rourke was an exemplary figure, one eminently worthy of baseball’s highest accolade.”

Jim O’Rourke’s National Baseball Hall of Fame plaque.

“He has made a brilliant record for himself as an outfielder, being an excellent judge of a ball, a swift runner, and making the most difficult running catches with the utmost ease and certainty. His average each season has proved him to be in the front rank in handling the bat, and shows that his usefulness is not merely confined to his fielding abilities. He has always enjoyed the reputation of being a thoroughly reliable and honest player, and one who works hard for the best interests of the club. His gentlemanly conduct, both on and off the ball field, has won for him a host of friends.”
1885 Spalding Guide on Jim O’Rourke

Jim O’Rourke statue, Bridgeport, Connecticut.

“Baseball is for all creeds and nationalities.”
Jim O’Rourke, 1910

Jim O’Rourke’s gravesite, St. Michael Cemetery, Stratford, CT.

Sources

“Jim O’Rourke” by Bill James, SABR Bio Project.

Jim O’Rourke

2. Pittsburgh Dispatch via Newspapers.com.

3. Hall of Famer Jim O’Rourke from Cooperstown Cred.

4. Newfield Park: Home to One of New England’s Most Sacred Baseball Sites by Michael J. Bielawa.

Sat. 02/29/20Thu. 08/01/24 by Weston Ulbrich

The Charter Oak Base Ball Club of Hartford

In the summer of 1860, the New York style of “base ball” rose to prominence in Hartford, Connecticut. One of the first teams to organize was the Independent Base Ball Club. Local merchants, W. O. Sherman and Charles A. Griswold served as President and Vice President. The Independents were most likely the forerunner of the Charter Oak Base Ball Club, founded in 1862 at Bushnell Park.

The Charter Oak Base Ball Club was named after an unusually large White Oak tree called the Charter Oak – a symbol of American freedom that fell during a storm in 1856. Club membership was limited to 40 men. Game days were Monday, Wednesday and Friday. According to the Hartford Courant in 1862, the team’s mission was to, “…establish on a scientific basis the health-giving and scientific game of base ball, and to promote good fellowship among its players.”

Painting of Hartford’s Charter Oak tree by Charles De Wolf Brownell, 1857.

The Charter Oaks were founded by Gershom B. Hubbell, originally a native of Bridgeport. He was a telegrapher at the American Telegraph on Main Street, Hartford and later, superintendent of Western Union’s Hartford office. Hubbell was President of the Charter Oaks.

Other elected officers included: James B. Burbank, Vice President; Charles A. Jewell, Secretary and Treasurer; Thomas Hollister, G. F. Hills and E. H. Lane, Directors. James Burbank was a clerk; Charles Jewell, was a clerk at his father’s hide and leather business, Pliny Jewell & Sons; Enos A. Lane, 20, was also a clerk at George S. Lincoln Company, iron founders of Hartford; George F. Hills, aged 25, a teller at the State Bank; and Thomas A. Hollister, aged 30, who returned from New York as an apprentice bookbinder. All of the founders, except Burbank, made Hartford their permanent home.

The Charter Oak Base Ball Club is organized, July 2, 1862.

Hartford Courant excerpt, July 19, 1862.

The Charter Oaks actually field three teams: a “first nine,” a “second nine” and a “muffin team” for older players. Practices and friendly intersquad games were held at Bushnell Park. Their uniforms consisted of blue pants, a white shirt and a white hat. On July 17, 1862 the club chose its first nine. They were the Bunce twins—Frederick and Henry Lee (both of whom became banking executives), Henry Yergason, Dickinson, Burbank, Branch, Hills, Hollister and Gershom Hubbell. In 1863, the team disbanded due to the start of the American Civil War and the ensuing military draft.

The Charter Oaks reorganized in the summer of 1864 and performed better than ever before. The club defeated Trinity College, the Hartford Mechanics and nines from Middletown, Norwich, Collinsville, and Waterbury. The Oaks recruited a Trinity student, Cy Blackwell to take over pitching duties. In the fall of 1864, Blackwell and the Charter Oaks out-dueled New Haven’s Yale College by a score of 44-32. A rematch was later cancelled due to snowy weather.

Hartford Courant excerpt, June 15, 1864.

Aerial view of Hartford by J. Weidermann, 1864.

By 1865, “base ball” soared in popularity as soldiers returned home from the Civil War. Thousands of spectators witnessed the Oaks win a majority of their games along the banks of Park River in Hartford’s Bushnell Park. In addition to local teams, the Oaks “first nine” competed against the game’s first professional clubs in an era when there was no official difference between professional and amateur. The Philadelphia Athletics, the Atlantics of Brooklyn, the Unions of Morrisania, the Eons of Portland, Maine, the Lowells of Lowell, Massachusetts, the Eurekas of Newark, New Jersey, were among the top challengers to visit Hartford.

Main Street Hartford, Connecticut, 1865.

The Charter Oak Base Ball Club also scheduled away games, otherwise known as “base ball excursions.” In Worcester, Massachusetts, on July 31, 1865, the Oaks were thoroughly defeated by Harvard, 35-13. Nevertheless, the Oaks earned a winning record against in-state rivals that season. As a result, they were honored as champions of Connecticut and given a miniature wooden bat with inscribed silver emblems by a supporter of the club, J. G. Belden. The bat was claimed to be made from the original Charter Oak tree.

In 1866, the Charter Oaks retained the state championship in a three-game series against the Norwich Chesters. A final game took place at Hamilton Park (later known as Howard Avenue Grounds) in New Haven, Connecticut. The Oaks dominated the Norwich club, winning 39-22. A second consecutive state championship padded their well-regarded reputation.

When the season was through, Hubbell represented the Charter Oaks at an annual “National Base Ball Convention” in New York City. Connecticut had 20 clubs represented. The game, its rules and its clubs made efforts to standardize and coordinate base ball operations. The following season the Pequots of New London managed to win the state title from the Charter Oaks. Up to this point, Hubbell and the Bunce twins appeared in every Oaks game.

Charter Oaks vs. Norwich Chesters, 1866.

The following season the Pequots of New London managed to win the state title back from the Charter Oaks. Up to this point, Hubbell and the Bunce twins appeared in every Oaks game. Hubbell and his players stayed active in the off-season too. He hosted Connecticut’s first base ball convention in Hartford at Central Hall on Central Row.

In attendance were representatives from each of the state’s base ball clubs of 1867. The meeting formed the Connecticut Base Ball Players Association headed by Gershom Hubbell. He held two more base ball conventions in Hartford. By the 1870 meeting, the Charter Oaks were disbanded, but they had already put Hartford on the base ball map. The Charter Oaks and Hubbell led the early development of base ball in Hartford and greater things were to come.

Charter Oak Base Ball Club travels to New London, 1867.

Four years after the Oaks disbanded, Hartford’s first professional team was established: The Hartford Base Ball Club. Hubbell was selected as the new club’s President. The Hartford Base Ball Club became known as the Dark Blues, and they were inaugural members of the National League. Hartford’s own Morgan G. Bulkeley was selected to be the National League’s first President. At the time, Bulkeley was a City Councilor and a Board Member of Aetna Insurance.

Gershom Hubbell might have been overshadowed by the presence of Morgan Bulkeley, but his contributions were in the grassroots. In addition to pioneering the game, Hubbell was also a three-term City Council member of Hartford’s 7th Ward, an expert electrician and a championship pool player. He is credited with introducing the first telephones to Bell Telephone Company and with starting Hartford’s first telephone exchange. Hubbell owned a billiards hall on Pearl Street during the late 1860’s called Charter Oak Billiard Hall.

Hubbell’s billiards hall was undoubtedly a gathering point for the Charter Oaks Base Ball Club. Their camaraderie led to the historic formation of Hartford’s first professional team. They were a critical link in the chain of organized base ball in Connecticut, and Nutmeggers have been big fans of the game ever since.

The Hubbell House, Fairfield, Connecticut, 1880 (c.)

Sources

1. Hartford Courant database on Newspapers.com

2. Synopsis of the Charter Oak Base Ball Club by Gary “Pops” O’Maxfield –https://hartford.omaxfield.com/citycenter/cobbc.html

Tue. 01/28/20Sun. 05/22/22 by Weston Ulbrich

Yung Wing & Hartford’s Chinese Base Ball Club

In 1872, a delegation of dignitaries and students from China arrived in Hartford, Connecticut, for a prolonged visit. The Chinese government had commissioned the students to undergo a Western education in order to develop future ambassadors of the Qing Dynasty. However, China did not expect the young students to become Americanized as they did, to forget how to speak Mandarin and to grow an affection for a game called base ball. Hartford’s Sino-guests were a part of the first Chinese Educational Mission (CEM) and led by Yung Wing, a Chinese man educated in America. Also known by his Mandarin title, “Rong Hong” Yung was the first Chinese person to graduate from New Haven’s Yale College.

Yale College (left) New Haven, Connecticut, 1850 (c.)

Originally, Yung Wing was born in 1828 and raised in the Zhuhai prefecture near Macao. In his formative years, Yung attended the Morrison School in Macao, the first Christian missionary school in China founded by another Yale graduate, Reverend Samuel Robbins Brown. In 1847, Yung was offered an opportunity to study in the United States by Reverend Brown, who was returning home due to poor health. Yung accepted the invitation, traveled half-way around the world and initially enrolled at Monson Academy in Massachusetts. During this time he became a convert to Christianity and accustomed to a New England way of life. In 1852, while studying law at Yale, Yung also became an American citizen.

Yung Wing (Rong Hong), Yale Graduate, Class of 1854.

After Yale, Yung Wing returned to China. He was determined to bring Chinese students to the United States so they too could experience a Western education. The Qing court debated the idea of sending students to study abroad in 1863. Meanwhile Yung was promoted up the ranks of China’s government and became envoy to the United States. He returned to America to acquire machinery, thereby equipping the city of Shanghai with modern manufacturing technology. He was then called upon to serve as lead interpreter to negotiate the 1868 Burlingame Treaty, providing legal rights to both Americans and Chinese people while abroad. Then Yung was key to negotiations with France following the Tianjin Massacre of 1870.

Eventually, Yung Wing became a Viceroy of the fifth rank, and he used his influence to appeal for the Western education of Chinese boys. His persistence paid off when the Tongzhi Emperor approved the Chinese Educational Mission to America. Yung went ahead of other Chinese officials and students in order to establish the CEM in New England. He vetted American families who would open their homes to young Chinese students and would eventually set up CEM headquarters in Hartford, Connecticut. The first group of thirty students sailed to America in 1872, and rode a series of trains to reach Hartford.

Reverend Samuel Robbins Brown, 1870 (c.)

The first group of students from China were 30 boys ranging in age from 10 to 14. They arrived in Hartford in 1872. A second detachment of students arrived from China in 1873, followed by a third and fourth in 1874 and 1875. The students lived with host families in Connecticut and Massachusetts, where they were immersed in the English language and American customs. CEM students attended local schools, including West Middle School and Hartford Public High School. They would go on to study at secondary schools throughout New England in preparation for college.

Chinese Educational Mission students departing Shanghai, 1872.

A majority of Chinese Educational Mission students hailed from Guangdong Province, while others came from Fujian Province, Shanghai, and various coastal locations of China. They arrived in Hartford wearing traditional Chinese garb but soon adopted an American style of attire after experiencing ridicule from peers. The students also improved speaking English at the expense of their Mandarin. They assimilated to a new culture, including going to church on Sunday, eating American cuisine and playing baseball, a game spreading rapidly in popularity throughout the United States at that time.

The first Chinese Educational Mission students arriving in Hartford, Connecticut, 1872.

In 1874, the Chinese Education Mission constructed a headquarters, at 352 Collins Street in Hartford, where in the summer, many of the boys lived and studied Chinese classics and culture. Summertime also brought about more outdoor leisure and more time to play baseball. A team of at least nine players was formed and called the Celestials (also referred to as the Orientals). In 1875, while directing the CEM, Yung Wing married Mary Louise Kellogg, the daughter of a prominent doctor in Hartford. Mary Kellog and Yung Wing were married by a close friend, sponsor and first pastor of Asylum Hill Congregational Church, Reverend Joseph Hopkins Twichell.

Reverend Joseph H. Twichell (left) and Yung Wing, 1875.

Mary Louise Kellogg, wife of Yung Wing on their wedding day, 1875.

The parlor of the Chinese Educational Mission, 1878.

The classroom Chinese Educational Mission of Hartford, 1878.

Yung Wing, leader of the Chinese Educational Commission, Hartford, Connecticut, 1878.

The marriage of Yung Wing and Mary Kellogg was the talk of Hartford at the time. They would have two children named Morrison Brown Yung and Bartlett Golden Yung. Not long after the birth of his sons, Yung Wing found himself in a predicament over the fate of the Chinese Educational Mission. Other CEM commissioners with traditional viewpoints wrote in secret to the Chinese Court denouncing the students for becoming too Americanized. These negative reports, funding concerns and a United States breach of the Burlingame Treaty prompted China to announce the end of the mission.

Chinese student, Hartford, Connecticut, 1879.

However Yung Wing and his Hartford-based circle of influence fought back. The closest friend of Rev. Joseph H. Twichell and an avid CEM supporter happened to be Samuel Clemens, better known as the famed author Mark Twain. Twain took the initiative to write a letter to former United States President Ulysses S. Grant whom China respected. Twain’s letter urged former President Grant to appeal China’s decision ending the CEM. Grant made the appeal and as a result, the CEM was temporarily allowed to continue.

Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain) of Hartford advocates for CEM, 1881.

Despite the unpredictable future of the mission, integration of Chinese students into New England society thrived. By the spring of 1881, the CEM was so effective that many of its students were enrolled at colleges and preparatory schools. In fact, Phillips Exeter Academy and Phillips Academy Andover both featured a Chinese student on their baseball teams. Other students adapted to American culture by forming political clubs or joining religious organizations. CEM students were also well-versed in specialized fields such as telegraphy, machining, medicine, law, government and international studies.

Yung Wing (second from right) and other leaders of the Chinese Educational Mission, 1881.

Eventually though the Chinese government ordered the students back to China on June 8, 1881, six years earlier than originally planned. By August, one hundred CEM students were making their way back to China along with Yung Wing. The Chinese cohort stopped in San Francisco to await a steamer back to China but before their departure, a local Oakland baseball team challenged the Celestials ball club to a game. The Oakland club expected to walk all over with the young Chinese squad. However, to the surprise of most people in attendance, the Celestials drew on their experience in Hartford and won their final baseball game in America.

Chentung Liang Cheng (seated, right) of the Phillips Academy Andover Base Ball Team, 1881.

Chin Kin Kwai (seated, right) of the Phillips Exeter Academy Base Ball Team, 1881.

Chinese Educational Mission headquarters at 352 Collins Street Hartford, Connecticut, 1887.

In 1883, Yung Wing came back to Hartford to care for his wife who had fallen ill while in China. Sadly, she never recovered and passed away in 1886. A devastated Yung Wing raised his two sons who helped console him through the loss of both the Chinese Educational Mission and his wife. In 1895 Yung Wing returned to China in the aftermath of the Sino-Japanese War in which China was defeated. He made suggestions to government officials, such as construction of railroads, establishment of a national bank, but none were adopted.

Yung Wing then joined the Reform Party who lobbied for new progressive policies in China. During the summer of 1898, Empress Dowager Cixi brought a halt to any notion of reform and a $70,000 bounty was placed on the head of Yung Wing. He fled for his life to Shanghai and then on to Hong Kong. Though his United States citizenship had been annulled in 1898 as a result of the Chinese Exclusion Act, he snuck in to the country via a port of San Francisco in June of 1902. Yung Wing arrived in New Haven in time to see his younger son, Barlett Golden Yung graduate from Yale.

Along with his longtime friend, Rev. Joseph Twichell, Yung Wing published an autobiography in 1909 entitled My Life in China and America. On April 22, 1912, he died in Hartford and was buried in Cedar Hill Cemetery. If not for Yung Wing, 120 Chinese students would not have come to live and study in New England during the 9-year Chinese Educational Mission. The students entered into diplomatic service, worked as engineers, physicians, educators, administrators, magistrates and naval officers; thus achieving the original vision of Yung Wing. He left a trailblazing legacy of international diplomacy, he led a Western expansion of China’s cultural footprint and perhaps unintentionally, Yung Wing ushered the game of baseball from Hartford to China.

Yung Wing in Hartford, Connecticut, 1909 (c.)

Morrison Brown Yung and Bartlett Golden Yung, 1910 (c.)

Yung Wing statue in Zhuhai, China, 2005.

Tombstones of Mary Kellogg and Yung Wing, 2012.

Yung Wing Statue Sterling Memorial Library Yale New Haven, Connecticut. 2014.

Sources:

Wing, Yung. My Life in China and America. Nabu Press, 2010.
Chinese Exchange Students in 1880’s Connecticut, www.ctexplored.org/chinese-exchange-students-in-1880s-connecticut.
“Yung Wing, the Chinese Educational Mission, and Transnational Connecticut: Connecticut History: a CTHumanities Project.” Connecticut History | a CTHumanities Project, www.connecticuthistory.org/yung-wing-the-chinese-educational-mission-and-transnational-connecticut.
Hartford Courant, Connecticut State Library digital database.

Wed. 09/19/18Thu. 02/01/24 by Weston Ulbrich

The Bat and Ball, Discovered at State Library

In 1990, at the Connecticut State Library in Hartford, a local historian named Linda Gradofsky discovered an original copy of the world’s first known baseball periodical, The Bat and Ball. The May 1, 1867 publication “Devoted to our National Game” was the “Second Season” of the series. Published without photographs or advertisements, the paper was written for Hartford’s earliest baseball fans. Columns included season previews of clubs from around the nation as well as scores from recent games played.

The paper sold for five cents per copy on the streets of Hartford, Connecticut and fourteen issues a year was delivered for fifty cents to subscribers. The Bat and Ball featured ”base ball” happenings throughout the country (and a column on cricket) amid the post-Civil War era. Baseball was still in its infancy, though it was becoming increasingly popular and fans demanded closer coverage of the sport. Hartford was on the forefront of baseball fandom.

And yet, somehow…the author(s) are unknown to this day. The Bat and Ball mystery.

Here’s the Second Season of The Bat and Ball: