January, 2021

In performing family research tracing women can be particularly difficult. Recently a reader sought information regarding Mrs. Brigid O’Brien who died in April 1899 in Toledo, Ohio at the age of 75. The obituary for Mrs. O’Brien provides that she was born in Glenmore, Co. Kilkenny. Mrs. O’Brien’s son, was the well-known and outspoken, Rev. Patrick O’Brien (1844-1930) of Toledo, Ohio. During his lifetime Rev. Patrick O’Brien was often in the newspapers for his sermons, lectures and as the President of the Catholic Total Abstinence Movement of America. Even on this side of the Atlantic, the New Ross Standard often published his exploits such as when he publicly challenged the Cardinal of England regarding Catholic teachings and the Boer War. In 1929 he publicly denounced President W.T. Cosgrave. Father O’Brien’s words give one insight into how one self-proclaimed exile viewed events in Ireland.

Mrs. Brigid O’Brien (15 March 1824-10 April 1899)

The New Ross Standard published Mrs. O’Brien’s obituary on the 13^th of May 1899. Mrs. O’Brien died on the 11^th of April at her home at 749 Orchard Street in Toledo, Ohio. She was aged 75 and had been born in Glenmore, County Kilkenny. She emigrated from Ireland in 1857, first living in Elyria, Ohio (about 20 miles west of Cleveland) and in 1879 moved to Toledo (about 90 miles west of Elyria).

Mrs. O’Brien was survived by her husband, William O’Brien, who was 95 years of age. In her obituary it is noted that Mr. O’Brien was a native of Piltown, Sutton’s Parish (Wexford). The poor widower was so overcome with grief that he collapsed at his wife’s funeral Mass and could not attend the burial. In addition to her husband, Mrs. O’Brien was survived by two sons:   Rev. Patrick O’Brien, pastor of the Good Shepherd Church on the East Side of Toledo; Mr. Michael O’Brien, who lived at home; and two daughters: Mrs. H F Tiernan, of 630 Oakwood Avenue; and Mrs. John Bradley, of 1118 Oak Street.  Another daughter did not survive but her two children were Miss Belle Haywood, who resides with Mrs. Bradley and Master Alfred Haywood who lived at the pastoral residence of Father O’Brien. The obituary went on to announce that Mr. O’Brien would now be in the care of Father O’Brien. “In spite of the great grief, the old gentleman bears up well, as his fine physique gives promise of reaching his I00th milestone.”

Father O’Brien conducted the funeral and was assisted by Rev. McCarthy, Rev. McCloskey, Rev. Lamb, and Rev. Wm. McMahan of Cleveland. Rev. McMahan preached a beautiful and eloquent funeral sermon and said among other things: “The greatest honour that could be conferred upon the deceased was to raise the son who stands at the altar to celebrate her funeral mass.” “The attendance was very large, the big church being filled to the doors. Besides the son of the deceased there were sixteen priests present, representing the city and surrounding country; six nuns from the Ursuline Convent; four nuns from the Little Sisters of the Poor and two from the St. Vincent’s Orphan Asylum.” The pall-bearers were—George Sheets, Patrick Ford, James Moroney, John O’Grady, Michael F. O’Sullivan, Edward F. Fischer, John C. Phelan and John E. Collins.

Although there are similarities between the description of Mrs. O’Brien’s funeral and some local funerals of that time there is one aspect that we have not encountered in a local obituary or funeral. Mrs. O’Brien was interred in Calvary Cemetery, of Toledo and the obituary noted that the remains of Miss Annie O’Brien and Mrs. A. J. Haywood, daughters of the deceased, which were interred in a cemetery in Cleveland, would be taken up and brought to Toledo for burial in the family lot in Calvary.

Unfortunately, in none of the obituaries were we able to locate the maiden name of Mrs. O’Brien. Her maiden name is also not recorded on the family headstone.

Mr. William O’Brien (3 May 1804-25 Sept. 1902)

Mr. O’Brien’s obituary appeared in the Toledo Bee newspaper (25 Sept. 1902, p. 4). Mr. O’Brien died on the 25^th of Sept. 1902 at the age of 98 years, 4 months and 22 days. Mr. O’Brien was born in Sutton’s Parish, Wexford. He was the eldest of five children and was the last of his generation. His last brother died just three years previously in Ireland. His father is not identified in the obituary, but it is noted that his father played a prominent role in the 1798 Rebellion. In 1855, Mr. Wm. O’Brien emigrated to Ohio from Wexford. He worked and sent for his wife and children. They arrived in 1857. The family settled in Elyria, Ohio.

When the U.S. Civil War broke out in 1861 Mr. O’Brien tried to enlist, but was rejected due to his age. He obtained a job working for the quartermaster’s department, where he worked for three years in and around Nashville, Tennessee. The Enniscorthy Guardian (25 Oct. 1902, p.5) in reporting on Mr. William O’Brien’s death stated that he had visited Wexford in 1890 at the age of 86 and had travelled on his own.

About five weeks prior to his death in 1902, Mr. O’Brien fell. His obituary strangely states that he died from indigestion. He was survived by four of his children who were all resident in Toledo and at his bedside when he died: Rev. Patrick O’Brien, pastor of the Church of the Good Shepherd; Michael O’Brien, of Prouty Avenue Mrs. J.H. Bradley, of Oak Street and Mrs. Hugh Tiernan, of Oakwood Avenue.

Rev. Patrick O’Brien (20 Feb. 1844—22 June 1930)

Rev. Patrick O’Brien was born on the 20^th of February 1844 at Piltown, County Wexford just across the River Barrow from Glenmore. Patrick was baptised on the day of his birth in the old parish of Sutton’s that later became Ballykelly and Horeswood (National Library of Ireland, Diocese of Ferns, Co. Wexford, Suttons: Variant forms of parish name: Ballykelly, Horeswood; Microfilm 04261/040). His parents are listed in the parish records as William Bryan and Bridget Dugan (although some have deciphered the name as Deegan. Dugan is a common name in Glenmore and Deegan is not.) No baptismal for either a Bridget Dugan or Deegan could be located in the combined Slieverue/Glenmore Church records. Father O’Brien’s godparents were James Bryan and Mary Hunter(?). In a letter to the editor published in the New Ross Standard (9 Oct. 1897, p. 8) Father O’Brien wrote that before he was ordained, he wrote and asked for a copy of his baptismal record that was “preserved in Duganstown.”

Due to the high profile that Father O’Brien enjoyed, in addition to his parish work in Ohio, and published poems, we are able to track a lot of his activities. In an article dubbing Father O’Brien a “Brave Temperance Hero” (New Ross Standard, 27 July 1895) it was reported that as a young man he enlisted in the Union Army during the American Civil War. However, we know from other articles that although Father O’Brien enlisted in the 103rd Volunteers of Ohio he was discharged from the army after only 6 weeks due to a physical disability. He returned to school and was ordained by Bishop Gilmour (Bishop of Cleveland) on 21 July 1872. (New Ross Standard, 29 Jan. 1915, p. 4).

In 1893-1894, Father O’Brien took a leave of absence to travel. Several letters he wrote outlining his travels were published. He first sailed to Ireland where he met and joined a group of pilgrims who were going to Rome and the Holy Land. Upon landing at Cobh, Father O’Brien went for a walk and found that he was booked into a hotel that bore the name of a queen. Father O’Brien noted in his writings that he had nothing against the hotel “except its name.” Father O’Brien intended to visit Wexford on his return from the Holy Land, but fell ill with rheumatic fever while there and had to go back to the U.S. (New Ross Standard, 6 Jan. 1894, p. 2). In the lead up to the 1798 centennial Father O’Brien became the Chaplain of the New York ’98 club and planned to attend the ’98 ceremonies in Wexford. However, the group became reluctant to travel after the Spanish-American war broke out (New Ross Standard, Sat. 28 May 1898). It is not known if Father O’Brien ever made it to Wexford, but in an article concerning his ruby jubilee (40^th anniversary as a priest) it was stated that he was a native of Abbeybraney, Wexford (New Ross Standard, 2 Aug. 1912, p. 4). Father O’Brien applied for a U.S. passport in 1913, and from the application we have a description of him. At the time of the application, he was 69 years of age 5’6” tall, with dark grey hair, grey-blue eyes, florid complexion, and a round face.

As President of the Catholic Total Abstinence Movement in America, Father O’Brien made headlines in various cities where he spoke, but his views on abstinence were considered “brave” by the New Ross Standard. Most of his lectures appear to have conformed to Church teachings such as his stance on divorce. From time to time, he also gave patriotic speeches and encouraged young American men to defend the country. In 1900, Father O’Brien made headlines when he publicly argued that Cardinal Vaughan, the Archbishop of Westminster, was wrong in asserting that England’s conduct in the Boer War was justifiable. Relying and quoting teachings of Catholic Theology on War, Father O’Brien challenged the statement that England’s conduct was justified (New Ross Standard, 20 Feb. 1900, p. 6). In 1906, in a speech covered by the Irish Standard he is quoted as advising prospective Irish emigrants, “Stay at home, in your dear land, where you have faith and grace, and a hope of salvation; bear the pangs of poverty; don’t face the indescribable horrors of emigration; for your own sake, for the sake of your country, and for God’s sake, stay at home” (17 March 1906, p.6).

In 1915, at the age of 71, Father O’Brien retired from parish work, but continued to speak out. His last major headline was achieved on the 19^th of March 1929. “Father O’Brien of Toledo, former pastor of St. Ann’s church in Fremont has broken into the limelight as a result of his denunciation of President W.T. Cosgrave of the Irish Free state, who wired a message of greeting to the American republic on St. Patrick’s day, the Irish Leader’s proclamation” appeared in newspapers across the U.S. Father O’Brien’s reply was sent by cable, “I read in our Toledo papers your greeting to the Irish in America. The Irish in America do not want any greeting from you. They look upon you and the members of your government as traitors to Ireland.”

“You call yourself president of the Irish Free state. Ireland is not a free state. Under the present Irish government Ireland is controlled by England just as firmly as she ever was. Your government is the tool of England. You have betrayed Ireland.”

“You and your government murdered 70 young Irish patriots in cold blood. England never did anything worse than this. May the blood of these martyred young patriots descend upon your heads and may their departed spirits haunt you night and day while you live. Rev. Patrick O’Brien” (The News-Messenger (Fremont, Ohio) 19 March 1929, p. 3).

We could not locate a notice or obituary in the New Ross Standard after Father O’Brien’s death in 1930. Father O’Brien was buried in Calvary Cemetery, of Toledo, in the family lot. He was survived by his brother Michael.

The featured image is an old postcard from the early 20th century of Good Shepherd Catholic Church of Toledo, Ohio.

To view the gravestone of the O’Brien family via findagrave, see, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/102851343/patrick-o’brien.

Dr. Kathleen Moore Walsh