The Thomas Joseph and Winifred (Nolan) Brennan Family of Philadelphia Pennsylvania: An Analysis of Their Migration From Swinford, County Mayo, Ireland to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and the Next Generation of this Family's History
Thomas Joseph and his wife Winifred clearly hail from Swinford, County Mayo, Ireland as evidenced by his Declaration of Intention documents for Naturalization in Philadelphia in 1914. He was born August 15, 1886 of 1887 (there is some discrepancy with the year listed as 1886 on his declaration of intention, and 1887 on both his WWI and WWII draft registration cards). I believe he is the son of Pat Brennan and Bridget Conlan. There was a marriage record for a Patritius Brennan to a Bridgeta Conlon on January 6, 1870 in the Kiltimagh Catholic Parish microfilm 926012. Patrick was the son of John and Bridget was the daughter of Pat. Kiltimagh covers Killedan Civil Parish. The same film had the baptismal record for their daughter Mary on September 5, 1872. They lived in Lisduff, a Townland in Killedan Civil Parish. I believe that this is Mary E, Thomas and Sarah's older sister that later goes on to marry Dennis Carrol in Philadelphia. I initially believed that Thomas J was the son of Patrick and Anne Brennan in House 1 Tullynahoo, Brackloon DED, County Mayo when the 1901 Census was conducted with siblings John, Sarah, Lizie and Maggie but his mother should be Bridget and not Anne. Tullynahoo was a townland in Kilconduff Civil Parish, a Civil Parish that was part of Swinford Roman Catholic Parish where Thomas Joseph and his wife Winifred were born, but their passage records list their last residence as Kilkelly, a Townland just east of Kilconduff in Kilmovee Civil Parish. I cannot at this point conclusively find Thomas Joseph or his father Patrick and mother Bridget in the County Mayo 1901 Ireland Census in Kilconduff, Kiltimagh or in the surrounding area. Clearly the Thomas Brennan and Sarah Brennan who came over in 1907 had a last residence of Kilkelly in 1907 as did Lizzie in 1912 but she lists her mother as Annie (not Bridget as Thomas and Mary E's mother appears to be) of Dellinahoo, Kilkelly, Mayo which makes her appear to be the Lizzie in the Tullynahoo family listed above. What is puzzling is that she lists her friend as Mrs Mary Carroll... not a sister in law as Sarah and Thomas did in 1907.
There is some conflicting information as to his date of entry into the United States. His Declaration of intention to Naturalize indicates that he came to the U.S. on the Ship Nordland on the 18th, 1897. I believe he arrived in Philadelphia on the Ship Noordland on April 18, 1907 with his sister Sarah. She was 17, a servant and he was 21 a laborer, both listed their last residence as Kilkelly, their brother in law as Denis Carrol on Olive Street in Philadelphia. Thomas was living with his sister and brother in law Dennis and Mary E Carroll on Olive Street when the 1910 census was conducted; she listed 1907 as her date of immigration and he listed 1898.
A death certificate for his sister Mary E Carroll on December 2, 1933 indicates that her parents were Patrick Brennan and Bridget Conlon of Ireland. I have thus far been unable to obtain a death certificate on Thomas Joseph. Finding one could be huge and yield big clues. I am really baffled on how these families are connected!
I believe that Thomas married Winifred Nolan in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1913 (Marriage License 291183). Winifred is present with Thomas J in the 1920 census (immigration to the US listed as 1905) with children Anna, Winifred, Mary and Retta. Thomas is listed as a widow by the time the 1930 census was conducted and he is living on Aspen Street with daughters Anna, Winifred, Mary and Rita and sons Thomas and James. Winifred's death certificate indicates that she was born on October 15, 1890 in Ireland, the daughter of James Nolan and Bridget King of Ireland. She was 38 at he time of her death and was married to Thomas J Brennan of Aspen Street. She died of Myocardial Failure and Typhoid Fever. This couple appears to have had another child who was stillborn on July 17, 1922. She was buried at Holy Cross Cemetery the next day as was her mother 6 years later in 1928. Thomas' declaration of intention to Naturalize in the US indicates that Winifred was also born in Swinford, County Mayo, Ireland.
It appears that quite a few Brennans from Swinford, Kiltimagh and Kilmovee, County Mayo migrated across the pond to the U.S. I am trying to see if I can tie any of them together and would gladly welcome any feedback, corrections or additions to my findings! There are quite a few discrepancies on these Brennans from Kilkelly, Mayo that need to be sorted out; for example, are Thomas, Mary E, Sarah and Lizzie all related in one way or another. Thomas, Sarah are clearly siblings of Mary E, but Lizzie only lists Mary E as a friend from Kilkelly. Please contact me if you have Brennans from this part of Mayo that may have some connection to these families. With a few more pieces of the puzzle, we may all be able to trace our Brennan Families back a little further.
I am in the process of working on a page detailing the 7 different Brennan families from Tullynahoo that I have identified in the Swinford Catholic Parish Microfilm. The film is quite poor and the townland names are quite challenging to decipher at times. Two Townlands in Kilconduff Civil Parish- Tullynahoo and Tullanacorra are both represented in Brennan records and on the less ledgible pages look very similar (especially when many of the Townlands appear to be written phonetically).
This will most definitely be a work in progress and all findings I speculate on would have to be proven for accuracy with marriage, church baptismal, death and other genealogical records. Please use this information with that caveat in mind so that nothing is assumed and no stones are left unturned to assure it's your family and the connection is accurate. The commonality of Irish given names, the large number of children in Irish families and the many gaps in the available Irish records make any attempts at finding connections fraught with many mine fields. I will not include any records on this page unless there is a high probability that they have are correct. If the the entry lists the record as "possible", then there is conflicting data but the record is worthy of mention to further verify its validity.
| Census Year/ District/ Other Record | Address | Name | Age | Born/ Baptized | Occupation | Marital Status; misc. info. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kiltimagh Catholic Parish Records, County Mayo Ireland Microfilm 926012 | Brennan, Patritius married Bridgeta Conlon January 6, 1870 (I believe these are the parents of Thomas J Brennan) | Witnesses Patritius Brennan and Maria Conlon; see note above, there is a baptismal record for daughter Mary on September 5, 1872 in Lisduff, a townland in Killedan CP. | ||||
| Philadelphia Pennsylvania Marriage Licence | Dennis Carroll married Mary Brennan 1905 Philadelphia PA (I believe this is Thomas' sister Mary that he is living with in 1910) | Marriage Licence 193350; Dig GSU #4140411; | ||||
| Philadelphia Passenger Lists 1800-1948 ancestry.com database | last residence for both travelers was Killkelly | Brennan, Thomas | 21 | Ireland | Laborer | Last residence for both was Killkelly, destination Philadelphia on board the Ship Noordland from Queensland, Ireland; arrival April 18, 1907 Philadelphia, PA; He appears to be traveling with sister Sarah, their brother in law Denis Carrol of Olive Street Philadelphia paid passage for both of them. |
| " | " | Brennan, Sarah | 17 | Ireland | Servant | " |
| 1910 US Census for Philadelphia Pennsylvania District 0507 | 3864 Olive Street | Carroll, Dennis, Head | 38 | Ireland (parents also born in Ireland) | Boilermaker Locomotive Works | M 1, 4 years; immigration 1882 naturalized |
| " | " | Carroll, Mary E, Wife | 35 | Ireland (parents also born in Ireland) | None | M 1, 4 years,0 children immigration in 1907 |
| " | " | Brennan, Thomas, Brother in Law | 20 | Ireland (parents born in IR) | Wood Carrier Buildings | S; immigration 1898 |
| Philadelphia Passenger Lists | Lizzy Brennan (her last residence was Kilkelly like Thomas and Sarah, who were siblings of Mary E. Lizzy may be distantly related as she lists Mary E, Thomas' sister as a friend). I think she might have been the daughter of Patrick Brennan and Anne Garvey of Tullynahoo. left Queenstown, arriving on the Ship Haverford on April 12, 1912 in Philadelphia, PA | 19 | Ireland | Domestic | Last residence Kilkelly; nearest relative mother Annie of Bellinahoo, Kilkelly, Mayo (I think this if Ann of Tullynahoo, Mayo). Friend's name listed as Mrs Mary Carroll. ( I believe this is her sister Mary). | |
| Philadelphia Pennsylvania Marriage License | Thomas Brennan married Winifred Nolan Philadelphia, PA in 1913 | Marriage License 291183; GSU #4140407 | ||||
| US Declaration of Intention #11293 initially filed January 26, 1912; petitioned December 29, 1914 | 3949 Nt Vernon Street | Brennan, Thomas Joseph | 25 | Swinford, Ireland | Laborer | Thomas J was 181 pounds, dark brown hair, blue eyes, 5' 10 1/2" tall born August 15, 1886 Swinford, Mayo, IR. He emmigrated to the US leaving out of Queenstown on the Noordland the 18th of April 1897; declared his intention to naturalize on January 26, 1912; He was married to Winifred who was also from Swinford, Mayo, Ireland. Michael F King a Saloon Keeper and Michael J Kearney a Laborer witnessed his petition for Naturalization. It states that he resided in the US since Dec 1, 1909. Indicates that they have one child Anna born March 16, 1914, Philadelphia PA |
| US WWI Draft Registration Cards 1917-1918 ancestry.com database | 3852 Olive Street | Brennan, Thomas Joseph | 30 | August 15, 1887 Mayo, Ireland | Midvale Steel Company, Nicetown | Thomas was naturalized, is a US citizen; if married with a wife and two children. He is listed as being stout with gray eyes, brown hair. Philadelphia, PA Precinct 17, June 5, 1917. |
| 1920 US Census for Philadelphia PA Ward 24, District 0699 | 3833 Aspen Street | Brennan, Thomas J, Head | 32 | Ireland (parents born IR) | Fireman Shipyard | M; He came to the US in 1907,Naturalized in 1915, |
| " | " | Brennan, Winifred J, Wife | 30 | Ireland (both parents born IR) | None | M; came to the US in 1905, Naturalized- no date given |
| " | " | Brennan, Anna, Daughter | 5 | PA (Parents born IR) | none | |
| " | " | Brennan, Winiford, Daughter | 3 11/12 | PA (parents born IR) | none | |
| " | " | Brennan, Mary, Daughter | 1 9/12 | PA (parents born IR) | none | |
| " | " | Brennan, Retta, Daughter | 3/12 | PA (parents born IR) | none | |
| Certificate of Death for Infant Brennan, Philadelphia, PA | 3833 Aspen Street | Brennan, Infant was stillborn, daughter of Thos J Brennan and Winifred Nolan (both born in Ireland)The Infant was born and died on July 17, 1922 | Cause of Death "maternal anaemia". The infant was buried at Holy Cross Cemetery on July 18, 1922, Philadelphia, PA | |||
| Certificate of Death, Philadelphia PA Presbyterian Hospital | Brennan, Winifred born October 15, 1890 IR and died November 1, 1928 (wife of Thomas) | 38 yrs 16 days | Ireland as were her parents | Home Duties | Her husband was Thos J Brennan, they lived at 3833 Aspen Street, Philadelphia; Her parents were James Nolan and Bridget King; Winifred died of Myocardial Failure and Typhoid Fever at Presbyterian Hospital. She was buried at Holy Cross Cemetery on November 5, 1928. | |
| 1930 US Census for Philadelphia, PA Ward 24, Block 121 | 3833 Aspen Street | Brennan, Thomas, Head | 40 | Ireland Free State (Parents born IR) | Plaster Building Conn? | Widow; $5000 Home Value, To US in 1908 Naturalized; not a vet |
| " | " | Brennan, Anna, Daughter | 16 | Pennsylvania (Parents born in IR) | None | U; |
| " | " | Brennan, Winifred, Daughter | 14 | Pennsylvania (Parents born in IR) | None | U; |
| " | " | Brennan, Mary, Daughter | 12 | Pennsylvania (Parents Born in IR) | None | U; |
| " | " | Brennan, Rita, Daughter | 9 | Pennsylvania (Parents born in IR) | None | U; |
| " | " | Brennan, Thomas, Son | 5 | Pennsylvania (Parents born in IR) | None | U; |
| " | " | Brennan, James, Son | 3 | Pennsylvania (Parents born in IR) | None | U; |
| 1940 US Census for Philadelphia PA Ward 24, Block14 | 3833 Aspen Street | Brennan, Thomas Head | 50 | Irish Free State; | Grave Digger Cemetery | Widow; income 1144; |
| " | " | Brennan, Winifred, Daughter | 24 | Pennsylvania | Inspector, Manufacturer of Wrapping Paper | U; Income 832 |
| " | " | Brennan, Rita, Daughter | 20 | Pennsylvania | Inspector Manufacturer of Wrapping Paper | U; Income 658 |
| " | " | Brennan, Thos Jr, Son | 16 | Pennsylvania | U; | |
| " | " | Brennan, James, Son | 12 | Pennsylvania | ||
| US WWII Draft Registration Cards 1942 (April 24, 1942 | 3833 Aspen Street, Philadelphia, PA | Brennan, Thomas Joseph | 54 | Mayo, Ireland on August 15, 1887 | Philadelphia Navy Yard, Dry Dock Assoc #2152 | Relataive who will always know his address Reica Brennan 3833 Aspen Street. He is 5'6" Tall, 195# |
| Application for World War II Compensation for Honorably Discharged Vet (this was for Thomas Joseph Brennan) I believe there is a chance that this POSSIBLY is the son of Thomas J Brennan). There are several Thomas J Brennans born around the same year. One of the others was the son of Joseph B and Mary Finley. Confirm or rule this record out! | 1526 Marston Street, Philadelphia, PA | Brennan, Thomas Joseph | February 27, 1924 Philadelphia, PA | His military service took place March 31, 1943- December 20 1945 |