Grandfather John Joseph O'Brien was the youngest of eleven born to James J. O'Brien, master tailor, and his wife Johanna. They resided on Brown Street in Portlaw from 1865 until 1882, where James plied his trade as a Merchant Tailor, with clients that included the Marquis of Waterford and gentry of surrounding country. When the cotton mill closed and residents began leaving the village, Joseph O'Brien emigrated to western Massachusetts in the United States, where a thriving cotton mill was established. He set up a new tailoring shop and, a year later, his wife and children joined him in North Adams, Massachusetts.
Type of Building:
House
