Patrick O'Brien, born about 1842 in Sydney, married Caroline Kennedy in about 1867. Their children may have included:
- Rose - born about 1873
- Caroline - born about 1875
- Mary - born about 1877
- Emily - born about 1885
- Kathleen - born about 1887
DEATH RECORDS
PATRICK O'BRIEN, a labourer aged 55 years, died 4 November 1897, from “MALIGNANT DISEASE OF LIVER NEPHRITIS” of 3 weeks’ duration (NSW BDM 11959/1897). Last attended by Dr J L M McCREADIE.
Parents: JAMES O'BRIEN, LABOURER and [mother unknown]
Informant: MARY O'BRIEN, daughter
Place of burial: Gulgong
Date of burial: 06.11.97
Undertaker: CHARLES CAMPTON
Minister: Rev BARRY JOHN (RC)
Witnesses: AMY JACKSON and W CAMPTON
Place of birth: SYDNEY(?)
Length in Colony: 55 years
Place of marriage: SYDNEY
Marriage age: 25
Spouse: CAROLINE KENNEDM [sic Kennedy]
Children: ROSE (24YR), CAROLINE (22YR), MARY (20YR), EMILY (12YR)
and KATHLEEN (10YR)
Source: Local Area Deaths to 1910
________________________
TILLY O'BRIEN, a spinster aged 19, died 25 October 1889, at Gulgong, from “EMPHYEMA[sic]” of 3 weeks duration (NSW BDM 11594/1889). Last attended by Dr BENNETT that day.
Parents: PATRICK O'BRIEN and [mother unknown]
Place of birth: COBBORA
Informant: THOMAS STRANGE,
Gulgong Hospital Wardsman
Buried at Gulgong on 26.10.89
Undertaker: T McCARTHY
Minister: NONE
Witnesses: J CRAWFORD and T McCARTHY
Source: Local Area Deaths to 1910
NEWS ITEMS - Identities to be confirmed
1871 - Deserting Wives and Families, Service, &c.
A warrant has been issued by the Cowra Bench for the arrest of Patrick O’Brien, charged with neglecting to contribute to the support of his illegitimate female child. He is about 24 years of age, 6 feet 10 inches high, hair inclined to red, small red whiskers, florid complexion, large mouth, thick lips; a digger; supposed to have gone to Gulgong.
Source: New South Wales Police Gazette and Weekly Record of Crime (Sydney : 1860 - 1930) Wed 28 Jun 1871 [Issue No.26] Page 171 1873 - Manslaughter at Cobbora.
The Mudgee Times reports the proceedings of an inquest which was held by T. A. Browne, Esq., Coroner, at a hut on the Tucklan Creek, on Thursday last, the 16th instant, on the body of a little boy aged six years, when a verdict of manslaughter was brought against one Patrick O'Brien, with whom the boy lived and assisted him in shepherding. The evidence adduced caused suspicion of the crime to attach to O'Brien. He stopped at this hut with the lad, whose brother stopped with his mother (a half-caste) at the Range shepherding, but all ware employed by Mr. Seymour Denman.
On Monday, O'Brien went to the lad's mother, telling her the boy was burnt, stopped there that night, went back on the following morning, not calling on his master as he passed by; but the mother did, and Mr. Denman proceeded immediately to ascertain the facts when he immediately gave information to the police, which resulted on the inquiry.
O'Brien states the deceased fell into the fire while trying to reach some sugar which hung near the fire, and that he must have run to where the body was seen; but on viewing the body and from medical testimony, it was clear that life had been extinct before the burning, as one arm is missing from above the elbow, and was reddish about the flesh where broken and torn. It not being probable that the deceased could have run half a mile from the hut where he was shown by O'Brien after being burnt. Suspicion strongly attaches to him as having first killed, the deceased and then burned the body so much to conceal marks of violence. He was accordingly committed to take his trial for manslaughter at the Criminal Court now sitting at Mudgee.
Source: Evening News (Sydney, NSW : 1869 - 1931) Sat 25 Oct 1873 Page 31873 - CHARGED
Patrick O’Brien, charged on warrant with having caused the death of John Tracey, a child 6 years of age, at Tattan [sic Tucklan] Creek, on or about the 18th instant, has been arrested by Constable Finlay, Talbragar Police. Committed for trial at such time and place as the Honorable the Attorney-General may think fit.
Source: New South Wales Police Gazette and Weekly Record of Crime (Sydney : 1860 - 1930) Wed 29 Oct 1873 [Issue No.44] Page 319
1874 - MURDER.
[WEDNESDAY, APRIL. 15. The Court was opened at 9.15 o'clock.]
Patrick O'Brien was indicted for having, on the 14th October, 1873, at Tucklan Creek, wilfully, feloniously, and of malice aforethought, killed and murdered one John Tracey. Prisoner pleaded not guilty.
Mr. Dalley consented to watch the case for the prisoner by his Honor's request. The Crown Prosecutor stated the case to the jury.
Catherine Tracey (a half-caste) deposed: I have been living with the prisoner ; I have several children; one of them, Johnny, the boy who is now dead, was five years of age; he was a stepson of the prisoner; prisoner was stopping at a sheep station when the boy was found dead ; I had four of the children with me then ; the boy Johnny was staying with the prisoner then ; I saw the boy last three weeks before he died ; Paddy O'Brien first reported Johnny's death to me ; he said he had bad news for me, and that my boy was burned to death ; he said he had looked about everywhere first, but could not find the boy in the hut ; he found him dead next morning about a quarter of a mile from the gunyah ; he said the child looked as if he had been beaten when he was found and he was also burnt, as if his clothes had caught fire at the hut and he had run away ; the sugar-bag inside the hut looked as if the boy had been at it in the but; the boy only had a little round about on him, but no other clothes.
To Mr. Dalley: The prisoner was kind to all the children, and also to the boy Johnny ; I lived with him for five years ; he was always kind to them, and fed them ; he seemed to be much distressed at the boy's death, and came to me about it in the middle of the night.
Constable Finley deposed that he went to Mr. Denman's station about the 15th October last, and saw the remains of the dead boy, which were much decomposed ; the boy's arm was broken, and the hand was gone ; he asked prisoner when he missed the boy, and he said on the Monday evening ; prisoner said he went to look for him, and found him on the Tuesday morning, dead ; the little dog went straight to the place where the boy was; prisoner showed him that the sugar bag had been disturbed, and said he did not know how the boy could have got burned unless he rolled to where the fire was outside the hut ; he did not believe the boy could have run to where his body was found if his clothes had been on fire.
Dr. Wilson Ramsay deposed : On the 16th October last I was called upon to see the dead body of John Tracey, at Tucklan Creek ; I saw the boy in the hut ; the body was partly decomposed ; the right side of the neck appeared to have been gnawed, and also part of the face ; the right forearm was missing altogether, and appeared to have been broken off; about two inches and a half of the bone, bare of flesh, was protruding on the remaining part of the arm; from the appearance of the flesh, he was of opinion that the body must have been burned before it was cold. The Crown Prosecutor here read over a portion of the deposition of the witness as taken at the coroner's inquiry, from which it appeared that the body had not been burned till after death.
The witness stated that he believed the deposition had not been read over to him before he signed it, and denied its accuracy with reference to his having stated that the body had been burned after death, instead of before.
The Crown Prosecutor here abandoned the prosecution, as the case for the Crown rested on the medical testimony given at the inquest as to the body having been burned after death.
The jury then, by direction, returned a verdict of not guilty, and this prisoner was discharged.
1881 - Apprehensions, &c.
Caroline O’Brien, charged with breaking and entering the dwelling-house of Richard Saundry, near Cobbora, and stealing therein two dresses, one pair of trousers, and 3A 6d., has been arrested by Constables Hume and Minslow, Gulgong Police. Committed for trial at Mudgee Sessions. Bail allowed.
At the Gulgong Police Court Eliza O'Brien, Emily O'Brien, and Kate O'Brien, the former a girl of 14 years of age, and the two last-named young children, were charged with having no fixed place of abode. Constable Stanley deposed: I arrested the three girls yesterday afternoon (Tuesday) at Slap Dash Creek, in Mr. Jackson's paddock. When they saw me they planted in the bush. They are aged fourteen, eight, and four years respectively. During the last three months they have been wandering about, without a fixed place of abode.
The father, Patrick O'Brien, is in Mudgee gaol, and the mother is dead. The father is imprisoned for having no visible means of support. Sergeant Steele stated the girls were without means of support, and they had been begging about the town. The Bench made an order for their removal to the Industrial School at Parramatta.
