Brennan/Brannan/O'Donnell

Gene:

Welcome to Ireland Reaching Out!

Unfortunately, the RC records for Glenties parish do not start until November 1866. http://registers.nli.ie/parishes/0052  Also, the records for Lifford/Strabane parish do not include 1841 so I could not find a record for Nancy Brannan.

http://registers.nli.ie/parishes/0352

I did find an 1833 Tithe record for an Andrew Brannan in Shallogan More

http://titheapplotmentbooks.nationalarchives.ie/reels/tab//004587450/00…

Here is the 1901 census for Shallogan More. Lots of Brennans and O'Donnells.

http://census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Donegal/Glenleheen/Shallog…

As an aside, I have Brennans/O'Donnells from near Lifford but I don't think we are related.

Have you considered autosomal DNA testing?

Roger McDonnell

Thanks, Roger! I will study the links you provided and hope they help me. No, I've not gotten into DNA yet.

Gene Wheeler

I cannot find my Brannan/Brennen family in any passenger list. However, I may have found James O'Donnell on this one:

Ship: Bark AFFGHAN
Philadelphia, 1 June 1849
From Londonderry

It appears James O'Donnell may have come to Philadelphia from Ireland, possibly with his mother and other relatives, arriving from Londonderry on the Bark AFFGHAN on June 1, 1849.  James O'Donnell, age 14, is found on the numbered passenger list, immediately following the names of Catherine O'Donnell, a spinster age 63, Hugh O'Donnell, age 23 and Daniel O'Donnell, age 21.  There are other O'Donnells listed, including the family of Owen O'Donnell, age 60, and his wife, Ellen. They are noted immediately prior to Catherine and her apparent family.

1 June 1849
O'Donnell, Catherine, age 63, widow
      Hugh, age 23
      Daniel, age 21
      James, age 14

O'Donnell, Owen, age 60
      Ellen, wife                    

I checked the 1850 U.S. Federal Census records, and could only find the following:

James Odonnell, in the 1850 United States Federal Census
 6 Aug 1850
 
Name:     James Odonnell
Age:     15
Birth Year:     abt 1835
Birthplace:     Ireland
Home in 1850:     Moyamensing Ward 1, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Gender:     Male
Family Number:     780
Household Members:     
Name               Age
Hugh Odonnell     40
Catharine Odonnell     40
James Odonnell     15
Mary Odonnell     8
Catherine Odonnell     6

James' age fits, but not the others.

Might there be emmigration or other records available that show these families as being from Inishkeel?

Best regards,

Gene Wheeler

Gene:

There would not be any Irish records on emigration. I would look for possible naturalization records. This family went into South Philadelphia similar to my Brennan family.

Roger

Here is more commentary on my O'Donnell and Brennan/Brannan ancestry. Perhaps it will trigger some thoughts from someone.

Nancy was a daughter of Charles Brannan/Brennan who was born in Shallogan More in 1814, son of Andrew and Mary Ann (Boyle) Brennan. Both lines immigrated to Philadelphia around the late 1840s. James was born about 1835 (from US census records); he and Nancy were married in Lucerne County, PA about 1857. Both lines found their way to Lafayette County, WI in the mid-1860's.
 

I am trying to find James O'Donnell. The last record I have of him was the 1880 census in Iowa. Nancy died in 1881 and was buried back in Lafayette Co, WI. I have tracked their children; however, nothing else has been found on James.
 

Family tradition says that James did not like life in America, and went back to Ireland. I can find no evidence that he did leave America, nor record of him back in Ireland.
 

However, one interesting thing I did find a James O'Donnell in Shalloganmore in the 1901 Census:
 

James O'Donnell, age 51, md, head of family [age does not fit]

Fanny, age 38, wife

Patrick, age 11, son

Madge, age 9, daughter

Rose, age 6, daughter

Annie, age 4, daughter

Joseph, age 3, son

Neil, no age given (infant?), son
 

Then in the 1911 census, I find no listing for the above family, but find:
 

James O'Donnell, age 73, farmer, head of family [age fits!]

Annie, age 69, wife

Annie, age 83, sister
 

Then, while searching the Old Glenties cemetery records, I find this:
 

Memento Mori

Here lies the body of

James O'DONNELL

who departed this life

Febr 15th Anno Domine 1834

Aged 89 yrs.

Donacis requiem
 

There is also a photo of his tombstone.

Now, if he truly died in 1834, he would have been born about 1745. However, if in fact he was born in 1834, that would fit, and he actually died 89 years later about 1923!  What do you think. Is it likely this stone could go back to 1834? Is it likely the inscription could be in error, and he actually was born in 1834, in which case he would fit? Yeah, I'm stretching here, but no stone uncovered, I guess.

Gene Wheeler

Gene:

Anything is possible. Does the tombstone look like it is 93 years old or 186 years old? It is rare to find RC tombstones back to the 1834 era. 

One other FYI comment, ages in the 1901 census frequently were understated. The Old Age Pension Act was passed in 1908 and you had to be 70 to get a pension provided your income was below a certain level. By the 1911 census everyone got "older" because it meant something financially as long as you could prove your age.

Roger

Thanks, Roger! Here's a photo of the tomb marker. What do you think about the age? I would think it would be a lot closer to  93 than 186, but....??

Regards, Gene

Gene:

I would agree that it appears to be closer to 1923.

Roger

Roger,

In the Tithe Applotment Books, when you see people with the same surname in the same townland having the occupying the identical amount of land, such as you see below, would that indicate they are likely of the same family?

1833 Tithe Applotment Book
Townland of Shalloganmore, Diocese of Raphoe, Parish of Innishkeel.

Andrew Brannen Fifth Class  238/1/20 acres
Conel Brannen        do          238/1/20 acres
Widow H. ODonel   do            76/2/20
Pat Gallaher          do          175/2/25
Neal O'Donel         do           76/2/20
Jas O'Donel          do           76/2/20
??? O'Donel         do            76/2/20
Widow W. O'Donel  do         68/0/17
Jam's O'Donel       do          87/3/12

How do you interpret the amount of land such as 238/2/20?
How do you interpret the amount of rents paid, such as 7/0/0? Is that p/s/p?
Thanks again for your help!
Gene
 

Gene:

The land is acres, roods and perches.The tithe is in pounds/shillings/pence

Yes, the Brennans and O'Donnells are likely all related. This is interesting since the townland had over 1300 acres of land but it was low quality (5th class). Not sure how they figured out to give certain people the exact same amount of land e.g four tenants had 76/2/20.

Roger

Thanks, Roger! Now I need to find a way to track the families of the above O'Donnells, and if any emigrated to America.

Gene

Hi Gene, I read this with interest as my relative Robert Hamilton was a  Land Steward for the Marquis of Conyngham.  He lived in Glenties. Graham

Hello Gene

My personal interests are the Brennan families of Graffy and Banganboy, especially

• Owen Brennan 1841-1931 of Graffy (four of his children (John, James, Anne and Hannah) emmigrated to San Francisco)
• Patrick John Brennan (1823-1883) who with his newly married wife - Margaret Sweeney 1834-1898 - emigrated to Australia in 1857.  (not sure yet, if these two were brothers or cousins?)

I do believe however that these families may have been related to the Brennans at Shalloganmore.
To figure it all out, I am in the thoes of constructing family trees for each of the Brennan families of the the Inishkeel Parish named in Griffiths Valuation. Have just sent in an application for 15 photo copies of the oldes recorded Brennan deaths! 
LOL  none of them had been imaged !!!!

Coincidently, just tonight I found - along with your post - two old posts from another website which may be of interest to you...

Good Luck!

Janice Kent-Mackenzie

https://www.genealogy.com/forum/surnames/topics/brennan/2456/

Accessed:  19 Sep 2020

Home > Forum > Surnames > Brennan

By joe ryan September 02, 1998 at 02:27:32

GG-grandparents: Daniel Brennan & Madge O'Donnell, from Shallagans, Fintown. Donegal, Daniel died in CO. Donegal in 1932.
Madge was a cousin to Padriac O'Donnell, famous author & IRA sympathizer.

They had 12 children born between 1880's & very early 1900's:
Ann, Conn, Frances, Nellie, Madge, Andy, Bea, Daniel, Frank, Patrick, Rose, and Kate, Ann, Conn, Frances, Nellie, Madge, Andy, Bea, Daniel, Frank, Patrick, Rose, and Kate.

Nearly all members of this clan came to Philadelphia, PA in 1905, while a few others stayed in CO. Donegal.

Re: Brennan's FINTOWN, Co. DONEGAL> PHILLY

By Harry Brennan January 22, 2009 at 01:54:11

• In reply to: Brennan's FINTOWN, Co. DONEGAL> PHILLY joe ryan 9/02/98

Your g.g. grandfather was Daniel Brennan of Shalloganmor. He had 2 brothers, both farmers in the same townland, Patrick and Andrew Brennan. Patrick was my g.grandfather. My father told me that his grandfather was Patrick Brennan from Shallogans and he named Patrick's two brothers as Andrew and Daniel. These three men and their families are named in the 1901 census for Shalloganmor and listed as entries 6,7, and 8. My g.grandfather,

Patrick had 7 children / Andrew had 7 children / Daniel had 15 children.

I have stumbled on another link which states that Daniel Brennan was born in 1844,and that he married Madge O'Donnell. There is then a link to Daniel's father who is named as Proinsias (Irish for Frank) Brennan who was born in 1820 and died in 1893. The link then goes another generation back to Proinsias' father who is named as Andrew Brennan of Shalloganmor who was born in 1790. There is no reference to any of Daniel's two brothers in this link and this is what puzzles me. It may not have been relevant to the researcher at the time.

You have stated somewhere on your entry that your g.g. grandfather Daniel had two or three brothers living nearby. My father would have confirmed that Daniel, Patrick and Andrew Brennan were all resident in Shalloganmor in the early 1900's and one of Patrick's sons, Frank was my grandfather. I am living in Castlederg, a small town near the Tyrone-Donegal border and I would welcome any further information on the Brennan family of the Shallogans area.

Hi, Janice:

Thanks for thinking of me! I have already exchanged info with Joe Ryan and Harry Brennan. They have been very helpful in extending my Brannan line. I hope your research is going well!

Cheers, Gene