Week 9: Females (52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks)

The theme for March and Week 9 is “Females”.  March is Women's History Month. What better time to write or record someone about one of your female ancestors! Click here to check out all the themes for 2022.

FYI – I skipped last week’s theme of Courting. I just wasn’t feeling it and thus I didn’t write anything. So if you thought you were missing something, NOPE, just didn’t do it.

For this week’s theme I have decided to look at the two wives of my 2nd great grandfather, Timothy O’Brien. Timothy was born 15 Aug 1836 in Ireland and died on April Fools Day of 1914 in Oshkosh, Winnebago County, Wisconsin, USA.

His first wife is unknown to me. They had a child, Katherine O’Brien who was born 10 Feb 1872 in Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, USA. She was always lovingly referred to as Great Aunt Kate. Great Aunt Kate never married. She adored her nieces and nephews and when her sister, Mary Alice O’Brien Hiltz died in 1925, shortly after her 6th child had passed at the tender age of less than 3 months old, thus leaving four motherless children, Great Aunt Kate was there to fill that role. 

Timothy married my 2nd great grandmother, Mary Reilly on 17 May 1874 in Cook County, Illinois. Thus Kate was only two years old.

Looking at some scribbles my mother did of a family tree that I found at my late brother’s home, she listed Timothy O’Brien as married to Mary Ellen O’Neill. Was this Timothy’s first wife’s name? Were both his wives names Mary? Mary is pretty common, so it could be a possibility. I don’t know where my mother would have gotten the name O’Neill. 

Kate’s death certificate lists Mary Reilly as her mother. I know this isn’t correct, because Great Aunt Kate always told my mother that her mother was the first wife of Timothy and had died when she was little. Plus Mary Reilly married Timothy after Kate’s birth. 

I tried researching Mary O’Neill, but to be honest, I don’t know enough to even know if I am looking at the correct Mary. I find many Mary O’Neill’s and for that matter many Timothy O’Brien’s. Timothy came to America about 1861. 

Mary Reilly O’Brien is listed as immigrating in 1862. Where she was between her 1862 and her marriage in 1875, I have no idea. 

Mary was born about 1839 in Ireland, however the 1900 US Census states she was born Jan 1845. She died on 2 Dec 1901 in Oshkosh, Winnebago County, Wisconsin. On her death certificate, her father is listed as James Reilly. I haven’t found anything on James.

Timothy and Mary Reilly O’Brien are both buried in in Brandon, Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin, USA. I did find any other O’Brien’s buried in this cemetery. This was the area they settled after their marriage in Illinois. 

After looking at what I have, I feel as if my brick wall is holding firmly.