Diann O'Donnell

I am searching for my husband's BRENNAN ancestors.  I started with only his grandmother's name - Maggie.  Knowing her daughter (my mother-in-law) was born in Shenandoah I began by getting baptismal information on all her children at Annunciation BVM Church, Shenandoah, and finding her marriage license application and death certificate at the courthouse in Pottsville.  She married Bernard KENNEDY in 1894 at St. Mary Magdalen Church, Lost Creek.  The application and license said she was born in Schuylkill County in 1870 - which really narrowed it down!  I was to learn at a very early stage of this research, that it was not going to be an easy task finding the Maggie BRENNAN and her family in Schuylkill County.

Over the next 2 years we searched census, baptismal, and various court records and based mostly on circumstantial information, we come to the conclusion that she was born somewhere in Schuylkill County; possibly October; possibly 1868.  She was possibly the daughter of Ferdinan (d)/Farrel/ Ferdy/Fergus BRENNAN, b. c.1828-30 and Mary ??????,b. c.1830-36 

Her siblings were possibly:

Mary Ann, b. c. 1859 (m. Michael Brown - children [4 of 16]: William, b. 1883; Agnes, b. 1886; Mary L., b. 1889; Elberta, b. 1903); Some of their children died young and were buried at St. Joseph Cemetery, Girardville.

Thomas, b. c.1861 (m. Bridget Costello? - children:  Ferdinand, b. 1893; Geraldine, b. 1895; James, b. 1898);

Annie, b. c.1863 (m. Martin Kelley - child:  Agnes, b. 1892);

Kate, b. c.1866 (m. Thomas Hanlon - children:  John, b. 1889; Mary, b. 1894; Thomas, b. 1899);

Bridget, b. c.1873 - no other information as yet

Ellie, b. c.1876 - no other information as yet 

We think she died June 1903 according to a death certificate for a Mrs. Margaret Kennedy.  The only information on this certificate was date/place/cause of death, age, and date/place of internment. Two years later and not being able to locate her burial site in Shenandoah, we discover she was possibly buried at "old" St. Joseph's Cemetery, Girardville!  So were a Ferdinand (1904) and a Mary BRENNAN (1897).  Mary BRENNAN, wife of Ferdinand, died as the result of a train accident at William Penn in 1897 according to newspapers reports at the time.  No death certificate is available for Ferdinand. 

If this is not our Maggie BRENNAN then someone need only contact me and verify a connection to claim this family research.  Any/all help will be gratefully accepted in finding/verifying our BRENNAN line before my husband insists I find another "hobby." 


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