I have several stories from my family tradition that would be appropriate for this site. The first follows below.

Chris Brennan

Ghosts in the Wind: The Story of John Brennan

“I know I’m lonely in this country
I think I always have been
I knew as a child I’d leave Ireland
The goodbyes were ghosts in the wind”
The Back Door, popular Irish song
Words and Music by Cathie Ryan

A principal reason many people undertake a genealogy project is to understand better those who went before, to the extent that such is possible through examination of written records. A classic case in point might be that of the progenitor of our Brennans, John Brennan (July 14, 1844-June 3, 1930). By now the outline of John’s story is known to many members of the family: his emigration from Ireland, his purchase of a farm in Honeoye Falls (NY), his departure from the village, his placement of the children in orphanages and his subsequent “disappearance.” We are also well aware that John’s son, Tommy Brennan did not approve of his father’s actions, and that this disapproval was passed on to subsequent generations, through such claims as John succumbing to the “Curse of the Irish” (i.e., alcoholism).

Though the story is well known from repeated retellings, it raises as many questions as it answers. How did two itinerant brothers gather the wherewithal to purchase farmland? Why was the farm abandoned, and why did John feel the need to enroll his children in orphanages? Did he, in fact, “give up?” And, finally, what happened to John Brennan between the demise of the Honeoye Falls farm and his subsequent death? A clearer picture of his thinking is possible, but to do so one must first understand John Brennan’s early life before he even came to this country.

John Brennan’s parents, John Brennan and Honora Brown, were married January 9, 1842 in the village church of Kiltimagh, County Mayo, Ireland. Whatever their hopes and aspirations that afternoon, the young couple probably thought their lives would be little changed from that of their parents or grandparents. For John and Honora Brennan were tenant farmers, owners of about 14 acres of land, soon to be overtaken by the Great Famine (1845-1850), often called the Potato Famine, or in Irish, An Gorta Mor (i.e., The Great Hunger).

How the family survived the Famine we don’t know for certain, as many Irish records from that era no longer survive. A strong possibility, however, is that, like so many others, the family took refuge in the local Poor House in Swinford.

Following the end of the Famine, the family resumed what was left of their lives. But the small Irish village held no promise for the children of John and Honora. The local historians of Kiltimagh describe the state of the village in 1870 as follows:

“Kiltimagh in 1870 was an unpretentious hamlet, in a primitive state, barely civilised. It was a conglomeration of straw-thatched dwellings, with a goodly percentage of hovels, poorly lighted and ventilated. The houses were of a rude construction and civilisation was in a backward state, and as for sanitary accommodation there was absolutely none. … There was a small market square at the southwest end of the town opposite the old parish church and the Parochial House, a place of indescribable filth. Next to the square was a dismantled saw pit for cutting native timber. This pit was a convenient receptacle for dumping into it condemned domestic utensils, old clothing, garbage, and was utilised as a cemetary for dead dogs, cats and fowl, which were never buried beneath the surface, and was not a pleasing sight along the highway. Next to this pit of abomination was a smith forge, owned by a man named Burke … Burke’s forge was used as a meeting place for the town loafers and local politicians at night time as a rule where the topics of the day were discussed with a vehemence … Some years before 1870, Burke’s forge was a rendezvous for Fenians. …

The water supply for the town of Kiltimagh was procured from an open well, situated about 60 yards from the main street, and reached by a very steep narrow passage between the gables of the houses. When it rained heavily the filth of the passage was washed down to the lip of the well and peculated into it. Fever cases were of frequent occurrence but not many fatal. The town had no flagged sidewalks, gravel paths only, and the street was sheeted by with broken stones. The appearance of the town on a wet winter’s day was hideous, disheartening, and cheerless. It was even worse at night, shrouded in black darkness and solemn stillness. Tallow candles were used in the houses for illumination, and the light flickering through the small windows was of little use to give up the main thoroughfare. People would grope away in the dark as best they could.”

Is it any wonder that John and his brother Thomas Brennan left Kiltimagh as soon as they could?

The exact date they left Ireland is not clear, but it likely occurred sometime around 1870. It is likely they first arrived in New York City, and then after awhile made their way to Honeoye Falls. It is clear they were established in the village by 1872. The reason they settled in Honeoye Falls has never been passed down through the family, but two likely reasons can be easily deduced. The sons were tenant farmers, formerly occupants of a town of 907 people. No doubt the upstate New York village of 940 souls reminded them of their own. But more importantly, it was possible to make a living, as Honeoye Falls supplied wheat to the nearby “Flour City” of Rochester, New York.

In answer to the question as to how the brothers obtained their farmland, it is clear that the brother repeated the arrangement they took from their Irish experience — they served as tenants to one of the largest landowner in Honeoye Falls, J. Leonard Palmer. After working for Palmer for several years, on the 1st of January 1873 the brothers put down a deposit of $4,036 for the purchase of 34 acres of land owned by Palmer. The brothers owned the land jointly, and Palmer held a mortgage for them.

Now that they owned their own land, John Brennan evidently thought himself financially secure enough to send for his Kiltimagh sweetheart, Mary Doyle (1846?-July 1, 1882), for the two were married six months later, July 14, 1873. Between them John and Mary had four children: Ella, Mary Jane, Thomas John, and Margaret.

The Honeoye Falls farm would provide a modest living for the brother in the 1870s, allowing them to grow winter wheat, oats, Indian corn, potatoes, pigs, and chickens (for eggs and poultry). The 1880s did not turn out to be as favorable a decade as the one before. A portent of things to come might be foreseen in the indenture signed by Thomas Brennan, in that he sells his interest in the farm to his brother for $325 (i.e., for less than $10/acre), in exchange for which John assumes all responsibility for the mortgage to Palmer. Less than two weeks later, Thomas married Mary Doyle’s sister, Margaret, on September 14, 1881. But then the disasters come fast and furious. On July 1, 1882, John Brennan’s wife, Mary Doyle dies from causes unknown. Six months later, January 20, 1883, John Brennan sells 6 acres of land to the St. Paul of the Cross Church Society of Honeoye Falls for $1200. The reason for the sale was to raise money to cover less than stellar farm income, as the following year, March 12, 1884, John sells his land back to J. Leonard Palmer, all of it, in exchange for $4,000. The brothers then revert back to tenant farmer status, as evidence exists that they continue to live in the village for several more years.

The brothers’ troubles were not ended however. In September 1886, Thomas Brennan’s son, Thomas, died aged 1 year old of causes unknown. About a year and a half later, his daughter Julia died April 12, 1888 from “brain fever” after 10 weeks of life. Finally, the straw that broke the camel’s back for John, was the death of his brother Thomas, who died from meningitis July 31, 1891 at the Rochester City Hospital, after an illness of four days. Thomas lies buried in Honeoye Falls.

Now we come to the crux of the issue: why were the children placed in the orphanage, and what happened to John thereafter? By 1891  St. Paul of the Cross Church Society of Honeoye Falls (”John Tommy Brennan),” John’s only male child, and the one most likely to work and bring in an income) was now 13 years old. In that era 13 was old enough to be apprenticed, learn a useful skill, and bring in money to the household. John had tried several times to apprentice Tommy to a bar owner in Honeoye Falls, but Tommy had run away several times because he hated it. Since several members of his family had died in Honeoye Falls, with no farm to call his own, no real income and his partner now deceased, no doubt John figured to make the best of a bad situation. He placed his children in the two Catholic orphanages in Rochester (the girls in St. Patrick’s, Thomas John in St. Mary’s) expecting they would be well cared for, while he went off to attempt to earn a living. He thought that once he had some money he would come to reclaim his children, but that day never came.

Knowing the children were well cared for, John evidently worked as a laborer, working odd jobs here and there as he could. He moved around frequently, evidently living in cheap flophouses, including one on Front Street, the Bowery of old Rochester. By 1905 his efforts to “pull himself up by his bootstraps” ended, and he consigned himself to the Monroe County Almshouse, where he was to live for the better part of two decades.

The Almshouse was the 19th century equivalent of the modern welfare system, with the same controversial baggage that the modern system has acquired. Some critics, for example, charged that the Irish and other poor arrived in Rochester by means of the Erie Canal and went directly to the almshouse where they were treated far too well, much as modern critics charge that the poor come to New York and other states to avail themselves of “generous” welfare benefits. Male residents of the house, like John Brennan, would have farmed, raised cows and chickens, made brooms and stuffed mattresses with wood shavings to make cash for the House, in exchange for room and board. Women performed domestic duties and watched over the children, but cooks were hired for the day to day cooking. The residents were served meat, potatoes, vegetables, fruit in season, and milk, coffee or tea. Sugar, salt and pepper and butter were also available. But the intent of the system was not to encourage idleness. Able-bodied men were sent to work when the weather warmed. Other men with limited ability worked in the workhouse. No doubt it was during his time at the Almshouse, when the weather warmed and John was employed as a laborer, that he dropped in to visit his son Tommy’s plumbing shop, as recalled by his grandchildren.

Despite Tommy’s displeasure at his father’s treatment of him, and his disappointment at what his father had become after more than two decades as a resident of the Almshouse, Tommy Brennan enrolled his elderly and sick father at the new St. Ann’s Home, the Catholic nursing home founded by the          in late 1928. Following a prolonged illness, Tommy took John home to die. The funeral took place the following Friday morning, June 6, 1930 from Tommy’s residence, 89 Selye Terrace, and later from the Lady Chapel, at the rear of St. Patrick’s Cathedral. A solemn high mass was celebrated by his grandson, Fr. Tom Brennan, as well as two other priests. His casket was borne by six pallbearers, with the burial in the family plot at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery, and the final blessing provided by Fr. Tom. A grand send off for a father of whom Tommy often had cause to be disappointed!

After all this, what then can we say about John Brennan? A fair profile of John would describe him as a typical Famine-era Irishman. He was first and foremost a peasant, and a survivor. Although he could read and write (unlike his brother Thomas, who could do neither), he was neither well educated nor well skilled. He knew only farming and relied on that to earn his living. When his best efforts availed him little, he relied on the strategies he knew best from Ireland — make sure your kids are well cared for, and fall back on the mercies of the Poor House (or the American equivalent).

The written evidence suggests that he did everything he could to avoid that fate (e.g., rearranging the finances, selling land, and getting out from under debt). His years as a laborer prior to his admission to the almshouse suggests that he tried to delay the final option as long as he could, but such was not to be. Did he drink? Almost certainly. John’s cause of death, chronic nephritis (kidney disease) is strongly indicative of alcohol abuse. Alcoholism was common in 19th century Ireland, in the Almshouse, and on Front Street in downtown Rochester. Furthermore, massive consumption of alcohol was far more common one hundred years ago than it is now. But as one his grandchildren described him after visiting John in St. Ann’s Home, John Brennan was also “friendly, charming and engaging.” In other words, he was a typical working class Irishman — charming, resourceful and tough as nails. I am sure God will have mercy on the soul of John Brennan. My prayer is that we will too!

Part II -

Part III

Tags: 1842 in the village church of Kiltimagh, An Gorta Mor, Chris Brennan, County Mayo, Curse of the Irish, Diocese of Rochester, emigration from Ireland, Flour City” of Rochester, genealogy brennan family, genealogy project, Honeoye Falls, honeoye falls farm, Irelan Great Famine 1845-1850, Irish American, irish american history, irish contributions to american culture, irish famine, irish music, irish names, irish phrases, irish sayings, irish tales, J. Leonard Palmer, John Brennan, kiltimagh, kiltimagh mayo, monroe county almshouse, New York, old irish songs, Poor House in Swinford, St. Paul of the Cross Church Society of Honeoye Falls

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