History of Catherine Garvey and John O'Brien
Bill’s paternal grandparents
John O’Brien was born on 23 May 1801. His birthplace is given as Killaloe (near Limerick) in County Clare in Ireland. Oddly enough, given our strong Catholic heritage, according to the passenger list for the Orient below, he was apparently a Protestant. It also shows that John could read. Literacy was rare enough to be something worth noting – in England and Wales in 1800 40% of men and 60% of women were illiterate. It’s interesting to note that by 1870, those levels of illiteracy had dropped to 20% and 25% respectively. In Ireland, the national census of 1841 reported that just 1 in 4 people over the age of 5 could read and write. So, John was in the minority, and if he’d been out at a waffle house reading a book back in 1825, just like the sadly missed comedian Bill Hicks was many years later, he may also have been confronted by some ignorant redneck saying “Well...looks like we got ourselves a reader!” – take a look here. It’s a fabulous routine from Mr Hicks.
John’s Father was William O'Brien, a farmer, and his Mother was Ellen Morrissey.
Catherine (“Kitty”) Garvey also came from Limerick, and was born on 6 November 1812. She was a Catholic and could also read. Her Father was Michael Garvey, and her Mother was Margaret Quinn.
John and Kitty married in Newmarket on Fergus in Ireland on 23 February 1830, and their first daughter Mary was born that year, but sadly died on the day of her birth. There are some contradictory reports, but while still in Ireland, it appears the couple had 6 more children - Ellen (1833), Dennis (1834), a 2nd Mary (1835), Elizabeth (1836), Catherine (1837) and Maria (1838). We come from a long line of breeders!
On 14 November 1838, John and Kitty boarded the Orient in Plymouth with just 2 of those 6 children - Dennis (4 years old) and Ellen (5 years old). While another of their children (Catherine) arrived in Australia almost 20 years later, it’s not clear where she was for the intervening years, or why she was left behind. And from Kitty’s obituary (which appears a little later in this story), it seems the remaining 3 children died in Ireland before the couple left for NSW.
It’s worth pausing for a moment to consider the Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) in the early 1800’s. The IMR is the number of infant deaths for every 1,000 live births. An “infant death” is where the child is less than 5 years old when they die. In England in 1800 the Infant Mortality Rate was 329 deaths per 1,000 live births, while in the USA it was 463. It’s hard to believe that almost half of US children died before their 5th birthday. You would assume the figures would have been around this sort of level in Ireland at the time the O’Brien’s were procreating.
With the death of four of their seven children, John and Kitty had an IMR of 57%, and just two generations later, Bill and Irene had just one infant death from 13 births, so an IMR of 7.7% which is a massive improvement. Of course now, the Australian Infant Mortality Rate is just 2.7 deaths per 1,000 live births, a rate of 0.3%. That said, it’s worth noting that 37 of the world’s 193 countries still have an IMR of 50+. That’s almost 20 times that of Australia. Forget Lotto. We’re all massive winners in the lottery of birth.
But back to John and Kitty O’Brien – they’d just boarded the Orient on 14 November 1838. There were 304 on board the ship, which rounded The Cape on 9 February 1839, and arrived in Sydney on 4 April 1839, almost 5 months after it’s departure. During the trip 7 infants had died, and 2 were born. John and Kitty and their children had travelled under the Government Bounty system, which provided assisted passage to Australia for free settlers.
The document below shows Kitty listed as a “Married Female Immigrant”, albeit incorrectly recorded as “Kitty Brien”, along with the O’Brien’s two children – Dennis (aged 5) and Ellen (aged 6).
Assisted Immigrant Passenger List
showing Kitty and her two children
The following document shows the entry for the O’Brien family in the ship’s manifest for the Orient.
The Obrien family on the ship’s manifest for the Orient
The ship’s passenger list above shows that John was a baker and was aged 32, but given that the Orient arrived in Sydney in 1839 he must have been 37. Kitty’s age is shown as 26 years old, and her occupation is listed as “dairymaid”.
It’s likely that a few things enticed John and Kitty to make a new home on the other side of the world. While childhood death wasn’t uncommon in the early 1800’s, the passing of so many of their young children would have weighed heavily on them. There was also the fact that John’s elder brother William had had great success pioneering wheat farming in the Riverina district, and likely sponsored the couple to make the trip. Click here to read an account of William’s successes.
In 1841, John (and presumably his family) moved to Berrima where he was employed at Berrima Gaol. There’s some contention as to John’s role at the jail. This post from Ancestry.com states that the 1841 census showed that John O'Brien was employed as a scourger. Now, for those not up to speed on the “wonderful world of whips”, a scourger is the “lucky” person designated to mete out punishment to convicts in the form of whipping. The census apparently also recorded that John O'Brien, was a resident of Berrima aged between 21 and 45 years, was single and a Catholic.
Given that our John O’Brien was married and a Protestant, an alternate story seems more likely. In fact, at the end of the Ancestry post referenced above, Christina Roy corrects the previous view, saying the Berrima Historical Society confirmed there were TWO John O'Brien's at the gaol. There was a convict, who was a Protestant and a single man, and who was the scourger (as convicts were mostly used for this job). She states that her (ie “our”) John O'Brien was a Government Bounty immigrant who travelled to Australia as a free man with his wife Kitty and their two children on the Orient in 1839. In 1841 he was employed at Berrima Gaol, presumably as a guard. This does seem to be the most likely of the two stories.
Between 1841 and 1843, John and Kitty had 3 more children - Margaret (22 June 1841), Anne (22 March 1843) and Philip (also said to have been born in 1843 - which seems unlikely, given Anne’s birthdate). There’s also mention of a Maria born on 22 October 1841, but given Margaret’s birthdate, that would be impossible. And since there was a Maria born in Ireland who died in the same year, it’s more likely there’s some confusion around that.
On 17 August 1843 John joined the Police Force and was stationed at Berrima. He resigned on 1 April 1847. During that time and through to 1851, the couple had 4 more children - Thomas (2 March 1845), Bridget (10 October 1846), John (1 February 1849), and William (11 January 1851). Of course, it’s Thomas we’re interested in as he was to become Bill O’Brien’s father.
The next step in the timeline shows John at the Lachlan on 1 February 1849, where his occupation is shown as "Settler". In 1851 he moved to Tambaroora diggings, where he followed mining for some time. The Tambaroora/Hill End gold fields are about 80kms north of Bathurst. Tambaroora was designated as a “town” in 1852, with the gold rush at its peak, but nowadays there’s little of the town left, and the area has just 41 residents.
1852 sees John and Kitty at Gundabingal following pastoral pursuits (Sydney Mail), while in 1854 they’re at "The Levels”, where John took up Walleroobie Station at Coolamon until 1875, when it was sold to Henry Moxam of Wagga Wagga and Burke (Sydney Mail).
During this time, John and Kitty had yet more children! Agatha (11 February 1854) and their last child Elizabeth (24 November 1855). By this time, Kitty was 43 years old, and had produced 16 children. John was 54 years old.
John and Kitty’s daughter Catherine arrived in New South Wales in 1857, according to the dates give on her death certificate. Again, why she’d stayed in Ireland for so long, isn’t clear.
The 1865 edition of John Vann's Squatting Directory refers to a J O'Brien and a D O'Brien (presumably his son Dennis) being lessees of Lower Mithel Creek, a run of 1600 acres, while in 1872 John O'Brien, farmer of Limestone Creek (Binalong), is recorded in "Grevilles Official Post Office Directory".
On page 4 of the Murrumburrah Signal and County of Harden Advocate from Thursday 2 Dec 1937 there’s an article entitled “The History of the Settlement and Growth of the Murrumburrah District”, in which Patrick Heffernan and John O’Brien are mentioned as having discovered gold at the Marshall McMahon mine in the early 1870’s. The pair mined there for some time, and eventually sold the mine for £10,000. This is likely the second gold driven fortune that John is alleged to have made. Sadly, I don’t believe much of this fortune made its way down to subsequent generations – or if it did, then not down our line.
O’Brien discovers gold
So, perhaps it was that money that saw John take up a selection of 320 acres in the parish of Cowabbie (or Cowabee) in 1876, 45 kilometres from Coolamon, and there he pursued grazing until the property was sold to William Clark (Sydney Mail).
In 1881/2 the Sands Country Directory lists John O'Brien, grazier of Cowabbie and John O'Brien (who is likely his son), squatter of Cowabbie.
The 1884/5 Sands Country Directory lists John O'Brien snr. grazier, and John O'Brien, sheep farmer, and T O'Brien (Thomas) sheep farmer, all of Cowabbie.
In 1886 John O'Brien died at Cowabbie Station, aged 85. He’s buried at Cootamundra Cemetery. As the following entry from Findagrave.com shows, John is buried in the General section of the cemetery.
Details of John O’Brien’s burial place
A memorial poem gives the date of his death as 17 July 1886, while the death notice in the Freeman’s Journal (7 August 1886) shows it as 19 July 1886. Both documents appear below. I’ve tried to find more about the poem, but without any luck. Given that John and Kitty didn’t have a daughter called "Susan”, perhaps Susan Atkins was a family friend, or maybe she’d written the poem about her own Father, and John’s family felt it was also appropriate for him. Any assistance with more information would be much appreciated.
A poem in memory of John O’Brien
John O’Brien’s Will
John O’Brien’s death notice in the Freeman’s Journal
Kitty lived on until 1905, dying on 28 October 1905 at Coolamon in NSW aged 92 years. The NSW Death Transcript below, shows the cause of death as “Senile Decay”, which was the term used back then for Dementia or Alzheimer’s. Sadly, six of her children had pre-deceased her. Note the transcript gets the ages wrong for Kitty and some of the children.
Catherine’s obituary, a copy of which appears below, appeared in the Coolamon Echo on 3 November 1905, in which she was incorrectly referred to as “Kathleen” rather than Catherine or Kitty. I’ve also transcribed the obituary here:
It is our sad duty to record the death of Mrs Kathleen O’Brien, of Coolamon, which occurred on Saturday afternoon last. Deceased was nearly 93 years of age, was a native of Limerick Ireland, and had resided in Coolamon a very long period. She had been a sufferer for a considerable period from rheumatism, and contracted a severe cold a few days prior to her demise. She was the mother of fifteen children, of whom three sons and six daughters are alive, the eldest being a daughter aged 72 years, residing near Yass. There are more than 75 grandchildren and 70 great-grandchildren. Mrs Noonan senior and Mr John O’Brien of Coolamon are children, and Mrs Harold also of Coolamon, a granddaughter. The funeral took place on Monday afternoon, the remains being interred in the Roman Catholic portion of the local cemetery, the Rev. Father O’Leary of Junee officiating at the graveside. The funeral arrangements were carried out by Messrs’ Hoye and Colbeck.
Catherine Garvey’s obituary
Coolamon Echo November 1905
Of course, one of the 75 living grandchildren referred to was Thomas Bede “Bill” O’Brien, who was just 17 at the time of Kitty’s death, and who went on to marry Irene Casey. Bill and Irene are the central people in the family story which is the subject of this O’Brien Clan website.
Below there’s also an obituary from the Sydney Mail of 8 November 1905.
Obituary for Catherine O’Brien
A VETERAN COLONIST - The Late Mrs O’Brien. Mrs Catherine O’Brien, of Coolamon, who died of a severe cold after a fortnight’s illness - the first illness of her life - was a well-known and respected colonist. Born November 6, 1812, in Limerick Country, she was gifted with so much vigour and health that she baked her own bread until she was 90 years of age, and could thread a needle and sew until that fatal illness.
There were 11 children of her marriage with the late John O’Brien, of Killaloe (born 1800, died 1886), of whom three died as infants before the couple left Ireland for New South Wales in 1840. At that time George Street buildings were mostly slab and bark, and thick scrub ran from the Haymarket to St Mary’s Cathedral. Nine of the children are now living, the eldest 73 years of age, and the youngest 50. There were 91 grandchildren (of whom 16 have died), and 80 great-grandchildren, making 179 descendants altogether, exclusive of the three who died in infancy.
Mr and Mrs O’Brien had the usual vicissitudes of early colonists. They lived in Appin, Berrima for a short time. They moved to Tamoorara diggings, where they followed mining, but not for long. Mr O’Brien was a baker by trade, but he went to Gundabingal in 1852 where he followed pastoral pursuits. They took up Wallaroobie Station, Coolamon in 1854, where they lived until 1875, and then sold it to the late Henry Moxham of Wagga Wagga and Bourke. Then they took up a selection at Cowabee, 20 miles from Coolamon, and there pursued grazing until they sold it to William Clark.
On the death of Mr O’Brien in 1886, his widow resided at Murrell Creek, Coolamon, until 1888. She sold to Mr Kermode and bought Bull Hole Corner from David Hanna of Cowabee. There she lived for three years and sold to Donald McKinnon and took up residence at Coolamon in 1897, where she lived until the time of her death.
There are few factual errors in this obituary. Firstly, it mentions they arrived in New South Wales in 1840, but they actually arrived in 1839.
It also mentions there were 11 children of the marriage, that 3 died in Ireland before the rest of the family left for New South Wales, and that 9 are still alive. Look, I’m no numerical wizard, but even I can tell that that maths just doesn’t work. Having looked at the various records on Ancestry.com, and read the documents they reference, my inclination is to believe there were 16 children, with 1 dying in childbirth in Ireland (Mary), and 6 more having been born in Ireland, 3 of whom died as infants (Mary, Elizabeth and Maria), leaving Ellen and Dennis who travelled with their parents to NSW, although it’s hard to know what happened to Catherine, as she didn’t come to NSW until 20 years later.
Catherine Garvey’s death transcript
As this entry from Findagrave.com (shown below) shows, Catherine is buried in the Catholic section of the Coolamon Cemetery.
Details of Catherine’s Burial
The material in this story has been taken from many sources, but one I’d like to acknowledge in particular is a book written by my cousin Shayne O’Brien. The book is called Ireland, The Riverina And Beyond – The O’Brien and Flanagan History. It helped to inform and build on material I’d gathered from across the internet.
Written by Rob Landsberry, last modified 14 May 2023
References:
Ireland, The Riverina And Beyond – The O’Brien and Flanagan History by Shayne O’Brien
Details from Marie Blanchard via Molly Irene O’Neill 13/12/2010