Now, I'm not sure how great this inserted into this post. It brought tears to my eyes as I read it. I can hardly believe that I was given this information about my O'Brien Family tree. This was written by relatives in Australia/New Zealand. It is so definitely my family!
I will transcribe it here.....
Bridget O'Brien was born in 1836, County Clare, Ireland. Her parents, Edmund and Anne (nee Gleeson) were married in 1827 and left the shores of Ireland in 1854, sailing with their large family to the far ends of the world - Australia, settling in Kyneton, Melbourne, Victoria. Edmund and Anne died in their adopted land and are buired in the cemetery at Kyneton.
Bridget O'Brien was 18 years of age when the family arrived in Australia. It has been well documented, as a child of 10 or 11, Bridget could vividly remember people dying in the streets of Limerick during the potato famine, 1845-1846. She also, recalled, as a young woman living in Melbourne, seeing the explorers Burke and Wills setting forth on their attempt to cross Australia exploring. Sadly they never returned. Streets in Melbourne are named after the brave young men.
All of Anne and Edmund O'Brien's children left Australia and sailed further to the ends of the earth - New Zealand, settling on the West Coast of the South Island, working on the gold fields and timber milling. From the West Coast they dispersed far and wide over New Zealand, one son going to Canada and daughter, Catherine, going to San Francisco to marry Patrick Flanagan, who had sailed to America six months earlier. They were married in St. Mary's Cathedral, California, 15 August 1870. They purchased 100 acres of land in the Napa Valley in 1873, growing grapes and oranges, building a home and raising a family of two daughters and six sons. Mary became a school teacher and never married. Agnes died young in her 20s. Ignatius, the eldest son, never married, died young of pneumonia during World War I. Edward, never married. Louis, never married. Richard, married, one son. John Francis married, five children. Leo, married, no children, became a doctor, graduating from Georgetown Medical School and tragically died during the great flu epidemic of 1911-1917.
Letters from Catherine's grandson, Richard Flanagan, to New Zealand say that Patrick and Catherine's ranch/estate became one of the earliest wineries in the country. Sadly, no Flanagan's own the property today. Richard Flanagan also said, in 1981, that the original homestead still stands and is lived in. Catherine died 11 March 1928 and is buried at Toulocoy cemetery in Napa. All Catherine's children are buried in the Napa Valley.
I have to stop here to make a few comments. I must say that this written history about my family in Napa is accurate. A couple of asides that I must make are that Edward was actually the oldest son and Ignatius was second oldest son. Tulocay Cemetery is the correct spelling and all of the Flanagan's mentioned above are buried there including my grandfather, Richard Flanagan.
My transcription continues with my December 15th post with Kate's origins and more information about her siblings. This document is truly amazing.
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