Dan McConnell

Dan McConnell was born in Pennsylvania around 1873. He married around 1891. His wife Teresa bore at least four children: Daniel P. McConnell, May, Bertha, and Henry F. “Harry” McConnell. Henry, the youngest, was born in Camden around 1900. The older children were born in Philadelphia, the youngest of the three, Bertha, around 1897.

Soon afterwards McConnell brought his family to Camden, and by the time the 1897 Camden City Directory was published the McConnells were living at 211 Milton Street in the poets’ row section of North Camden. He worked a variety of jobs: the 1897 directory lists him as a printer, the 1898 directory as a “bag cutter.”

The 1901 Camden City Directory shows that Daniel D. McConnell had moved his family to 125 Main Street, also in North Camden, not far from the Vine Street Ferry, where he operated a restaurant specializing in oysters, which were plentiful in Delaware Bay in those times.

Dan McConnell was in his day one of the best South Jersey boxers. He was managed and promoted by Camden businessman Oscar Adams Eastlack. He is known to have had at least 69 professional fights in Philadelphia, Camden, Baltimore, and elsewhere from 1896 to 1902, with a documented record of 41 wins, 21 losses, 7 draws, and 9 fights where the outcome is not presently known.

Local newspaper reports from 1909 mention Dan McConnell as a formerly top-rated South Jersey lightweight boxer who was training for a comeback. Daniel D. McConnell would then have been in his mid to late 30s, which makes this a possibility.

His end is something of a mystery. The Camden Daily Courier reported in March 1914 that he had sold the business on Main Street and was planning to move to Anglesea, in Cape May County, New Jersey, where he planned to work as a fisherman. Whether he made the move or died before completing it is unknown. His widow and children remained in Camden.

His oldest son, Daniel P. McConnell, went on to become well known as a journalist with the Camden Post-Telegram and later the Camden Courier-Post. His youngest son, Harry McConnell, worked as a projectionist in Camden movie theaters for several years before moving to Philadelphia. Bertha McConnell married and moved to Philadelphia, where she lived out her years; by 1940 both Harry and Teresa McConnell were living with her. May McConnell married Russell T. Lodge; they appear to have parted ways by 1940.

Dan McConnell vs. John Blackson

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Dan McConnell vs. John Blackson John Blackson, of Chester, who is fast coming to the title of champion light-weight, will meet Dan McConnell, Camden's champion, in a six-round wind-up at the Broadway Athletic Club to-night. The semi-wind up brings together Roddie Wigmore, of Southwark, and Jack Dougherty, of Chester. Preliminaries; Jack Rice, of Southwark, and John Miller, of Schuylkill; Tom Curry, of Schuylkill, and Ed Deguz, of Gray's Ferry; Ike Stone, of Southwark, and Young Batley, of Philadelphia.

Tag: dan-mcconnell

Harry McConnell

Harry McConnell, originally Henry Francis McConnell, was born on May 12, 1899, in Camden. He had an older brother, Dan McConnell, who was a well-known journalist in Camden, writing for the Camden Post-Telegram and the Camden Courier-Post.

May 16, 2023

Main Street

Main Street is a diagonal street in North Camden running southeast from State and Point Streets. The 1878 city directory listed it as starting at the Vine Street Ferry.

March 4, 2023

Captain Dan Sells Oyster House

Captain Dan McConnell, who has run an oyster house for many years at 125 Main street, has sold the good will and fixtures and some oysters to Billy Dieffendorff, a young man who is well known in the Poynts.

March 25, 1914

What Boys in Ring Are Doing

The wind-up at the Penn Athletic Club to-night between Danny Dougherty and Tommy Feltz should be productive of some good sport. There is not the slightest likelihood of this bout turning out to be one of those tiresome clinching affairs of which Philadelphia patrons of boxing have had a surfeit of late.

April 9, 1902

Gossip Bout the Boxers

Tommy West and Young Peter Jackson are slated for a six-round argument at the Penn Athletic Club, Twentieth street and Montgomery avenue, to-night. Considering the distance that they are to travel they should go at a rapid gait.

February 24, 1902

Coming Boxing Bouts

Manager McCarthy has finally settled upon Jack Bennett to meet Owen Ziegler in the wind-up at the Penn Art Club, Twentieth street and Montgomery avenue, on Monday night next. They appeared at one of the early shows of the club, and put up a go that was worth travelling miles to witness.

November 17, 1900

McConnell and Cleary to Meet

The Broadway A. C., Broad and Ellsworth, will give the boys a run for their money to-morrow night. For the grand wind up it has two of the best men that could be secured, namely, Dan McConnell, the champion lightweight of Camden, and Tom Cleary, of Fairmount.

June 24, 1900

Coming Boxing Bouts

There should be some stiff milling at the National Athletic Club, Pennsylvania Hall, Eighth and Christian streets, to-night, that is, if judgment can be based upon the card. With one exception all the boys are known to be willing boxers and the exception, Harry Ramsey, of Washington, comes here with an excellent reputation.

May 19, 1900

Coming Boxing Shows

To-night's the night when Crockey Boyle will have a chance to satisfy the ambition he has possessed ever since Ellwood McCloskey secured the decision over him at the Arena some time recently. The management of the National Athletic Club has acted wisely in matching these two well-known and clever fighters for its wind-up at Pennsylvania Hall, Eighth and Christian streets, to-night.

April 21, 1900

Sporting Miscellany

George McFadden and Jack O'Brien are matched to fight in New York May 18.

April 14, 1900

Norton and McConnell

An event that is causing a considerable amount of talk at present is the six-round bout between Charles Norton, Billy Wilson's lightweight champion, and Dan McConnell, lightweight champion of New Jersey, which takes place at the Globe Theatre next Thursday evening, December 21.

December 19, 1899

Allen and Callahan To-night

The contest between Joe Allen and Tim Callahan, Philadelphia's premier feather weights, which has created so much interest and discussion in pugilistic circles, will come off to-night.

December 18, 1899

Only Five Rounds

Some wise men had prophesied that there would be a shower of shooting stars last night, but the only shooting stars in Trenton were those that flashed and darted before Dan McConnell's vision during the five rounds he played with Spike Sullivan, in what was to have been a twenty-round bout at the Trenton Athletic Club.

November 14, 1899

Dan McConnell at Broadway

Dan McConnell, of Camden, will meet Tommy Edwards in a six-round wind-up at the Broadway A. C., Broad and Ellsworth streets, to-morrow night.

October 29, 1899

Boxing at the Quaker City

The managers of the Quaker City Athletic Club believe they have scheduled one of the strongest boxing cards of the season for their show on Saturday night.

April 21, 1899

McCormick vs. Strong To-night

There will be heavy weights galore at the Quaker City Athletic Club to-night, and the patrons of boxing will be treated to two six-round bouts between big fellows.

March 11, 1899

McConnell Outclassed by Matthews

The fifteen-round bout at the T. A. C. last night between Matty Matthews, of New York, and Dan McConnell, of Camden, came to an unsatisfactory ending in the middle of the seventh round, when Referee George Hendley decided that Matthews had fouled, and thereby declared McConnell the winner.

February 1, 1898

McConnell vs. Matthews Tonight

Dan McConnell, of Camden, and Matty Matthews, of New York, will meet tonight at the T. A. C. in a fifteen round bout, which should be a remarkably fine exhibition of the game.

January 31, 1898

Bernstein Bests Fairburn

The windup at the Nonpareil Athletic Club last night was between Joe Bernstein, of New York, and Joe Fairburn, of this city. It was a rattling six-round set-to in which the New Yorker clearly proved his superiority as a boxer.

January 30, 1898

Testimonial for Bert Crowhurst

All the boxing bouts for the testimonial to Bert Crowhurst, which is to be held at the Caledonian Club on Monday evening, have been arranged, and they include most of the best boxers in and around the city.

November 27, 1897

Carey Quits in His Go with Joe Butler

There is one thing to be said about the boxing entertainments at The Arena—you are never dead sure as to what is going to come off.

September 7, 1897

In the Sporting Boiler

Maher and O'Donnell will wind up at Arena next Monday night. The proposed Maher-Sharkey match is creating great interest in pugilistic circles.

April 20, 1897

Local Boxers at Lancaster

The Orange Street Opera House was well filled to-night to witness the boxing contests between Philadelphia pugilistic aspirants. There were six bouts, two of which were anything but tame.

February 17, 1897

The Boxers' Lively Saturday Night

The wind-up at the Southwark Athletic Club last night between the redoubtable “Bull” McCarthy, of this city, and Dan McConnell, who glories in the fact that Camden is his place of habitat, should have satisfied the most exacting.

February 7, 1897

Boxing News

There is plenty of good boxing scheduled for this week. To-night Kid Lavigne will meet Owen Ziegler at the Winter Circus.

January 11, 1897

In the World of Leads and Counters

If it’s not one thing it’s another. With the passing of the baseball season come the Knights of the Mitts, and from now on until the robins begin to do business in the spring time the space that has been devoted all summer to thrilling stories of life on the diamond, of base hits, of fumbles and muffs, will be turned over to the truthful chronicle of the doings of the king-pin pugs, and those who think they are king pins.

September 14, 1896

Light Weight Boxing Tourney

Local light-weights will have an opportunity to demonstrate their abilities if the well-thought-out plans of the Tuxedo Athletic Club do not miscarry. The light-weight tournament is now an assured fact, and the first meeting is down for July 9.

June 23, 1896

Boxing at the Caledonian Club

The holiday show of the Caledonian Club will be held at the club house, Thirteenth and Spring Garden, to-morrow evening. There will be three six-round contests.

December 22, 1895

Boxing at Manayunk

Every available bit of room in the big Masonic Hall at Manayunk was occupied last evening by the throng of spectators numbering fully 1000 people, who assembled to witness the athletic entertainment held there under the auspices of some fistic admirers from the Cressen A. C. and from various parts of the city.

October 30, 1895

Notes of Numerous Sports

Three of Yale's freshmen crew are sick at present, and unable to row.

May 2, 1891