My brother Nick has published a book!
My brother Nick has published a book!
It’s called “Fagan of Hoboken & the Horseshoe,” and it tells the wild—and true—story of our great‑grandfather, Lawrence Fagan (1851-1921).
🔹 Born in Dublin, Fagan came as a child to a Lower Manhattan tenement where he attended NYC public schools, and by the late 1800s, he’d settled in Hoboken, NJ, where he worked as a blacksmith’s apprentice on the Hudson waterfront, gradually working his way to become a successful iron manufacturer and an active Democrat.
He was elected mayor of Hoboken in 1893 and ultimately served four terms through 1901.
🔹 In the early 1900s, Fagan also became a newspaper man, co‑owning the Hoboken Observer, later the Hudson Observer, and using that platform plus his business and political roles to shape the Hudson County backdrop that would give rise to Woodrow Wilson’s prominence in NJ.
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Nick’s captivating book pulls all of that into a vivid, ground‑level portrait of Hoboken and Jersey City in a truly “gilded, manly age” of industrial upheaval, labor conflict, and urban reform—and of the very real person at the center of our family’s version of that story.
If you’re into local history, political machines, immigrant grit, or just a big, old‑school historical or biological read, I’d love for you to check the book out and help me cheer Nick on.
👋 And for any family members who might see this: Want to start a ‘lil book club?
I’d enjoy a companion with whom to read and discuss the book as I continue to make my way through its engaging tales and learn more about my great, great grandfather: Fagan of Hoboken.
💌 Amanda
P.S. You may read more about the book on Nick’s new website, nicholasfagandealy dot com, and the book is available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and similar sites.
