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A brief outline of my O'Brien side of the family tree (so far). My Great-Great-Great-grandfather is probably John Brien (or O'Brien) and was probably born about 1770-1775 in Co limerick, Ireland My Great-Great-grandfather is probably John Brien born about 4 April, 1794 in Cashel Parish, Co. Limerick, Ireland. He married Honora on May 15, 1815 in Ballybricken Parish, Co Limerick. John and his wife Honora had eight children: Michael, John, Mary, William, Patrick, Honora and Johanna. Their son William is my Great-grandfather. Although I don't have any documentation to confirm this ancestor, the date of birth of William and the naming conventions that William used in his marriage to Catherine O'Brien in the early 1850s would indicate their connection. My Great-grandfather William O'Brien was born in the Roman Parish of Ballybricken and Bohermore, Co. Limerick, Ireland on 9 October 1823. He sailed on the ship Caroline Reed from Liverpool on 29 August, 1849 to New York. He was 26 at the time (birth 1823). He then sailed from New York to Panama on the SS United States, crossed the Isthmus of Panama and continued his travel on the SS Cortes from Panama to San Francisco arriving 21 Mar 1853. My Great-gandmother Catherine T. O'Brien was born in Co. Limerick, Ireland in 1829. She sailed on the Philadelphia from Liverpool to New York on December 31, 1849 (age 20). Catherine's birth would indicate 1829. There are several Cath or Kat or Miss O'Briens on various ships through Panama to San Francisco but I can't pinpoint which one might be her. I do know that she arrived before 1855. William and Catherine were married either in Ireland, New York or San Francisco. No records found yet. Their first child was born in San Francisco in Oct 1855. I believe William applied for his citizenship in March 1863 (I have his notorized statement of allegiance) but died before completed. They had six children: In 1879 my Grandfather (John Francis O'Brien) met and married my Grandmother (Matilda Williamson) in San Francisco, CA. Matilda was born in 1860 in Springfield, CA. Springfield is next to Columbia (State Park now) and near Sonora, CA. Her father and mother (Great-grandfather/mother, John Williamson and Catherine Flynn) came from Ireland and arrived in San Francisco in the early 1850's also. John Williamson was a gold miner during the California Gold Rush in Columbia, CA. John and Matilda O'Brien were married in Aug 1879 and divorced in Mar 1888. During the marriage they had four (4) children, two (2) of whom died. My father John William Francis O'Brien and James J. O'Brien survived. Their brothers Thomas and Benjamin died as youth. One was age 2 and the other was stillborn. NOTE: After the divorce from Matilda, John remarried around 1890 to Catherine C. They had four children: Walter J., Helen, Cecilia and John C. To the best of my knowledge, these children never married and lived their whole lives at 2512 Octavia St., San Francisco, CA. My father's birth certificate states he was born in Aug 1888. This was about five (5) months after the divorce. Believable, yes, but I found out that he may have been born much earlier. His original birth certificate was destroyed in the Great Earthquake of 1906 in San Francisco, CA. In 1945 he petitioned the Superior Court of San Francisco to re-establish his birth certificate. It was witnessed by an older cousin (name unknown) and said his birth was 1888. I have pictures of him and his parents dated 1881 and 1884. My father's first wife was a Lillian Beckmann (died in 1933). They had no children. My father's second wife was Vera Francis Kuske (my mother)(from Fernie, British Columbia, Canada). My brother and I are the only two known descendents from our great-grandfather William O'Brien. We both have children and grand-children to carry on the O'Brien name. My grandfather (John Francis O'Brien) lived in San Francisco County and Napa County, CA. He was admitted to the Napa State Hospital in 1932 by his daughter and died 19 Dec 1937 at age 81. He was widowed prior to his entering the hospital, so it is believed he had a second wife while living in Napa County, CA. It is also believed he had several children from this second marriage because my brother remembers my father having two half brothers who died in a drowning accident in the San Francisco bay area prior to 1930, and a half-sister. There are a lot of missing links in my family that I am looking for. If anyone has any information on the O'Brien family (or any descendents/relations) of the San Francisco Bay area or Sonoma/Napa County area, please feel free to drop me a line at the address below. An important developement has occured. I have learned through Y-DNA testing (I2a2/I-L161), that I have a rare bloodline which dates back 3-4000 years in Ireland. What this means is that my family blood line has probably lived in Ireland for 3000-4000 years but have received the O'Brien name through several possibilities in the 11th century or later. After completing my DNA testing, etc., it has been determined that my male bloodline is of Scandinavian descent and has emigrated out of northern Europe probably 3-4000 years ago (about 1897 B.C.). It is very possible that my line is descended from the ancient Irish cultures of either the Tuatha de Dannan. More about the Tuatha de Dannan here. I do have a Y-DNA match to a James O'Brien in Washington State. His DNA markers match mine 35 out of 37 and our deep Haplogroup is identical to 3-4000 years ago. He is tracing his line to see where we connect in our family line. His ancester came from Co Limerick, Ireland also.
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