Person:Charles O'Brien (1)

-1900 St. Joseph Male Orphan Asylum Series: T623 Roll: 894 Page 157 St. Louis County

Obituary: 9 Dec Thursday 1948 Prospect News Doniphan, Missouri

Charles M. O'Brien Funeral To Be Sunday

Funeral services will be held Sunday at 2 P.M. under the direction of Black-Edwards funeral service, at New Hope church for Charles M. O'Brien, 55, who body is being shipped here and will arrive tomorrow, Friday afternoon, for interment in the New Hope cemetery. Mr. O'Brien died last Monday morning at Napa State Hospital in California. He is survived by one daughter, Mrs. Charles Featherston of this city, one son, Morgan O'Brien of St. Louis, and one brother, Morris O'Brien of California.

My Grandfather's Life

My grandfather, Charles Morgan O'Brien, was born 10 May 1892 in Sweet Springs, Alleghany County, Virginia. Sweet Springs is almost on the border between Virginia and West Virginia. His father is listed as being employed as a farmer. His birth was recorded in Alleghany County. The name on his birth certificate was not a name but the initials C.M. The mission church were he was baptized (St. John's ) was administered out of Ronceverte, West Virginia so his baptism was listed as being there. It is the practice in this area of the country to choose a completely different baptismal name for a child instead of their legal name. He was followed closely by the birth of two brothers, Dennis and Maurice. His father was listed as Mike J on Dennis's birth certificate and his occupation was listed as "clerk". There is a record in Alleghany that states that there are 3 O'Brien boys but they can only locate the physical record of C.M. and Dennis. Maurice's legal name was Richard Morrison O'Brien and he was called Morris. Again all three baptismal records are in Ronceverte, West Virginia.

When my grandfather was five years old his father, Morgan J. died. The only record of his death was a newspaper clipping which Monroe County, West Virginia used as the official death notice. He was listed as being 35 years of age and no cause of death was given. The death occurred at Sweet Chalybeate Springs, West Virginia. The death certificate from St. Catherine's in Ronceverte, West Virginia listed his age as being 45. Again the service was at the mission church, St. John's in Sweet Springs. There is a small cemetery in back of the church but those burials are all post 1900. The residents of the area prior to the turn of the century were buried in the small, private, family cemetery across the road and up the mountain. This beautiful hill top mountain in on land owned by the Lloyd family; the mission church was also built and donated by this family. It has many Civil War graves, slaves of the family and well as two of the Floyds who served as governors--one for the State of Virginia and one as Governor of Kentucky.

Ellen brought the three boys back to her family in Missouri after Morgan's death in April of 1896. It is unknown if she was ill or exactly what her situation was. Her sisters had children of their own and her unmarried brother lived with her mother. An application was made to the Catholic Orphans' Board in St. Louis by the priest in Doniphan, Rev. C.J. Kane to place the boys in an orphanage in 1898. The mother, Ellen, was listed as "utterly destitute". Ellen was said to be living in Poplar Bluff which would be with her sister Mary. It is thought that Ellen didn't live too long after the boys were placed in the Orphanage but it is unknown if she was ill at this time or when or where she was located when she died. She was never spoken of in the family. When her mother died in 1914, she is not listed as a survivor.

My grandfather, Charles was six years old, Dennis was five and Morris was four. Charles was considered too old to be place for adoption but both Dennis and Morris were place. Dennis with the McClosky family and Morris with the Dillon family. Dennis became called "Dan" and served as an unpaid servant for the McCloskey family and was their jockey. This family owned horse farms in East St. Louis and also in Covington, Kentucky. Dennis had little formal education, and was underfed to keep him small so he could continue to serve as a jockey. The McCloskey's own son had been born deformed and required care. When Dennis died, his death certificate was filled out by the McCloskey daughter. The name was listed as Dan O"Bryne and his family was unknown. Morris fared better. The Dillon family had a truck farm and he learned to garden and grown living things. Census records still list his name as Morris. My grandfather stayed with the nuns until he education finished at the end of the 8th grade. He was then assumed to be old enough to manage on his own. Charles's penmanship was exceptional as was his command of the English language. This must have been 1906.

Charles returned to Ripley County and lived with his Aunt Margaret, called "Meg", her husband Martin and their daughters remaining in the home. They had lost a daughter, Mary Ellen, due to illness in 1904. Charles and his cousins, Lorena and Beatrice attended Doniphan High School together for two years and then were joined by Beatrice for the last two years. By this time, Charles' grandmother, Catherine and Uncle Richard had moved to Doniphan and Richard was part owner of the local newspaper, The Prospect News. (He had apprenticed as a printer prior to moving from Kentucky) The three, Charles, Lorena and Beatrice probably lived with the Morrisons during the week and returned to help on the farm on the weekends. It was relatively easy to take the train back and forth to Doniphan or St. Louis and often they walked to Purman from Doniphan (about 10 miles).

Also growing up in the Purman area was Gertrude Osborn, who later became my Grandmother. Her father, Samuel L. Osborn owned the local store, community center and Post Office. Lorena and Charles graduated from Doniphan High School in 1910. Beatrice two years later. In September of 1910, Lorena entered the Convent at Mount St. Claire, Clinton, Iowa and the following February Charles joined the US Army Quartermaster Corps at Jefferson Barracks, Missouri. It is unknown if he was living in Ripley County or had returned to St. Louis. He was stationed and discharged from Fort Worden, Washington. Maurice(joined the army as Maurice -- not Morris) joined the Army Calvary in 1917 and served overseas during World War I. Beatrice followed Lorena to Mount St. Clare in Clinton, Iowa. Someone was a member of the Coast Artillery. Uncle Jim Morrison thought it was my grandfather. There was a souvenir banquet at one the Coast Artillery functions. The program lists a Leo O'Brien but I have no idea who that might be.

So Charles was in the Army stationed in Washington when his grandmother, Catherine, died in 1914 and Martin Carrico died in 1916. The Carrico boys had left Missouri and it was impossible for Margaret to manage the farm alone. Charles was discharged from the Army in February 1914 just before his grandmother's death. He returned to the Purman area and this is where my Grandmother Gertrude remembers seeing him "so handsome in his uniform".

Charles must have courted Gertrude and they were married by a minister in June of 1916 with Beatrice and her Aunt, Mrs. Snyder, serving as witnesses. Before Gertrude was allowed to marry Charles, he had to promise that any children would be brought up as protestants. The Osborns were not happy with the marriage, they had someone else picked out and Charles' family were unhappy with the marriage because it meant giving up his Catholic religion. He had good English and writing skills and at some point took some drafting courses. He read Engineering books avidly and retained many in his library.

Ellen was born in Ripley County in Sept 1917. One her birth certificate, Charles lists his occupation as "farmer" and states he had been a farmer for five years. He may have farmed on the Carrico or Morrison farms or perhaps purchased his own. A search of the property records should tell us when the various properties were bought and sold. Ellen's brother, Morgan, was born in 1919 in St. Louis. The 1920 US Census has the family living in St. Louis and Charles in employed as a yard clerk for a railroad. About 1922 the family moved to California possibly with the railroad. They lived in Fellows, California for two years and Charles worked at some point for an oil company.

Then Charles had a breakdown. Charles probably suffered from depression. He was isolated to some extent--separated from what family he had left, and had given up his religion. He cut his throat but survived. Whether this occurred in California or Missouri I am unsure. He was committed to the State Hospital in Farmington, Missouri. The family lived in Farmington for two years while Charles was in residence at the hospital. I am told that he always wore a cravat thereafter to cover the scars and I have never seen a picture of him after this except for a family photo taken on the steps of the hospital during a family visit.

I do know that a priest visited him regularly and gave him a prayer book which I have and a rosary. He probably attended mass at the hospital. In the 1930 US Census Gertrude and the two children are living with the Osborns in Ripley County. I cannot find Charles anywhere. He may have returned to California.

Charles was living in Doniphan with the family when Gertude died in 1838. He and Ellen continued to live in the other half of the Osborn duplex. Ellen's Aunt Holsie lived with her family next door. Charles F. purchased some land and Charles Morgan and Gene helped Charles clear the land. At some point after Charles F. and Ellen married, Charles applied for a Social Security Card on the 15th of January 1942. He was working as a day laborer or a fruit farm in Flora, Il. This may have been a temporary position while he was waiting to be re-hired by the railroad. In April of 1942 he received a driver's license and purchased a car. He was working for a railroad and living in Tailorville, Ill when he purchased the car which was very difficult to do during this war years. In 1945 he was working for Shell oil. I have a copy of his W-2 form. and at some point, probably 1943-44, he was sent to Hawaii to help in the shipyard there. I have asked for his Personnel record so I may receive more details. During the war years he implored Ellen to move to California and live with him if Charles was drafted. He maintained a frequent letter writing program but after about 1945 his penmanship became erratic and his personality changed somewhat. He was admitted to California State Hospital in Napa California with a diagnosis of early dementia and chronic nephritis. He died in 5 Dec 1948 and his body was returned to Missouri and he was buried in a Protestant cemetery by the Osborns next to his wife Gertrude.

Note from Ron 1 Feb 2007

I remembered Uncle Gene telling me that Grandfather O'Brien came to live with Mother and Dad after Grandmother died and that he and Uncle Gene helped Dad clear some land east of Doniphan that he had bought for taxes.

I asked Mother and she said that was correct. Grandfather O'Brien lived with them awhile before he went to CA. When he left for CA he gave Dad his old yellow wooden tool chest with an extensive set of hand tools, his drafting instruments and books on geometry, carpentry, drafting, etc. That tool chest was in the garage in Doniphan as we were growing up. I don't know if it went to Poplar Bluff or not.

1. ↑ St. Joseph Male Orphan Asylum.

   1900 Missouri Census, St. Louis, Missouri.
   4701 South Grand
   St. Louis, Missouri

2. ↑ 2 area where listed as born.

   2 area where listed as born West Virginia and Aleghany County, Virginia. I have copy of that certificate.

3. ↑ 1910 United States Federal Census.
4. ↑ 1920 United States Federal Census.
5. ↑ Name on Baptism Certificate Was Carroll Morgan O'Brien