Ellen Theresa Hartnett and John Henry O’Brien
A Hartnett Family Branch from East Cork to Providence
Ellen Theresa Hartnett was a documented sister of Mary Catherine Hartnett Dorgan and one of the confirmed children of John Hartnett and Catherine / Kate Duhig. Her baptism and marriage records provide independent evidence connecting the East Cork Hartnett family with the later Rhode Island branch.
Mary Catherine Hartnett Dorgan’s 1950 obituary also refers to another surviving sister, Mrs. Kirby, living in Fall River, Massachusetts. The given name and exact identity of that Hartnett sister remain unresolved.
Ellen married John Henry O’Brien in Providence on 17 November 1910. Their Irish, passenger, marriage, naturalization, census, and cemetery records preserve an important branch of the wider Hartnett–Dorgan family network.
Why This Family Branch Matters
Ellen’s original Cloyne baptism record identifies her as a daughter of John Hartnett and Catherine Duhig. Mary Catherine Hartnett Dorgan was also a daughter of John Hartnett and Catherine Duhig.
Ellen’s 1910 Providence marriage record names her parents as John and Catherine, confirming that Ellen Theresa Hartnett O’Brien and Mary Catherine Hartnett Dorgan belonged to the same Hartnett family.
This relationship connects the O’Brien household directly with the family of Patrick J. Dorgan and Mary Catherine Hartnett Dorgan.
Evidence status: Confirmed Hartnett sibling and O’Brien family connection.
Ellen Theresa Hartnett’s Baptism and Birth Records
Ellen was baptized in the Roman Catholic parish of Cloyne on 21 April 1872.
Name: Ellen Hartnett
Record type: Catholic baptism register
Baptism: 21 April 1872
Parish: Cloyne
Alternative parish names: Churchtown; Churchtown and Kilteskin
Diocese: Cloyne
Father: John Hartnett
Mother: Catherine Duhig
A civil registration record gives Ellen’s birth as 2 June 1872 at Ballyroe in the Midleton registration district.
These dates conflict because the recorded civil birth date falls after the baptism. The discrepancy has not been resolved.
The baptismal register is the earliest known record and proves that Ellen had already been born by 21 April 1872. The civil birth date and later American ages should be preserved as recorded but should not replace the earlier baptismal evidence.
Later records contain additional conflicting age information. Ellen’s cemetery marker gives the years 1878–1946, but the engraved 1878 date is later memorial evidence and conflicts with the original Irish parish record.
Research caution: Ellen’s exact birth date remains unresolved. Her baptism on 21 April 1872 is confirmed.
Ellen Hartnett’s 1901 Return to America
On 8 September 1901, Ellen Hartnett departed Queenstown aboard the Cunard liner Lucania. The ship arrived in New York on 14 September 1901.
The passenger manifest records Ellen as:
Age: 28
Marital status: Single
Occupation: Servant
Last residence: Cloyne
Destination: Providence, Rhode Island
Money carried: $45
Traveling with: Ellen McGuire
Previous United States residence: Providence, 1901
Immigration status: Returning resident
John Henry O’Brien
John Henry O’Brien was born in Midleton, County Cork, Ireland, on 15 July 1874.
His Providence marriage record identifies his parents as Bartholomew O’Brien and Mary.
John worked as a carpenter and was living in Providence by 1910.
John O’Brien’s Immigration and Naturalization
John’s naturalization petition records that he:
Departed: Queenstown, about 20 June 1907
Arrived: Boston, Massachusetts, 27 June 1907
Ship: Republic
Residence: 160 Bolton Avenue, Providence
Occupation: Carpenter
Declaration of intention: 24 June 1912
Naturalization petition: 7 October 1916
Because John did not arrive in the United States until 1907, he could not have been the person with whom Patrick J. Dorgan stayed after Patrick’s arrival in 1896.
John Henry O’Brien’s Providence naturalization petition. The record identifies him as a carpenter living at 160 Bolton Avenue and states that he departed Queenstown in June 1907 and arrived at Boston on 27 June 1907 aboard the Republic.
Marriage of John O’Brien and Ellen Theresa Hartnett
John O’Brien and Ellen Theresa Hartnett married in Providence on 17 November 1910.
The Providence marriage register records:
Groom: John O’Brien
Age: 35
Occupation: Carpenter
Birthplace: County Cork, Ireland
Parents: Bartholomew and Mary
Bride: Ellen Theresa Hartnett
Age: 34
Birthplace: County Cork, Ireland
Parents: John and Catherine
The marriage record is especially important because it preserves Ellen’s middle name, Theresa, and identifies her parents as John and Catherine. When read together with Ellen’s Cloyne baptism, it confirms her connection to the same Hartnett family as Mary Catherine Hartnett Dorgan.
The age of 34 recorded at Ellen’s marriage would suggest a birth around 1876 and conflicts with her confirmed baptism on 21 April 1872. The marriage age should be preserved as recorded, but it should not replace the earlier baptismal evidence.
Children of John and Ellen O’Brien
John and Ellen’s documented children included:
John Henry O’Brien
John Henry O’Brien was born in Providence on 31 October 1911.
He later married Dorothy G. McKenna and died in 1988.
Mary Catherine O’Brien
Mary Catherine O’Brien was born in Providence on 22 February 1913.
Her name continued the use of “Mary Catherine” within the Hartnett family and may have honored her maternal aunt, Mary Catherine Hartnett Dorgan. The surviving record does not state specifically for whom she was named. She died in 1969.
Possible Henry O’Brien
A 1925 Rhode Island Census entry appears to include a household member named Henry O’Brien, approximately ten years old.
This entry has not yet been reconciled with the other family records. Henry does not appear among the children named in John’s 1916 naturalization petition or on the shared O’Brien family cemetery marker.
It is therefore unclear whether Henry was a separate son, another relative or household member, or the result of a census or indexing error.
Evidence status: Unresolved census clue. Henry should not be added as a confirmed child without another supporting record.
Providence Census and Household Evidence
The surviving census records trace John and Ellen’s family through several decades in Providence.
The 1910 United States Census places John in Providence before his marriage. He was recorded as a single Irish-born carpenter who had immigrated in 1907.
The 1925 Rhode Island Census records John and Ellen with John and Mary and appears to include an additional household member named Henry. His identity and relationship to the family remain unresolved.
The 1940 United States Census continues the O’Brien household with John, Ellen, John Jr., and Mary.
By the 1950 United States Census, Ellen had died and John appears as a widower. Later household members included his adult children and daughter-in-law.
The available 1920 census image should not be used as a confirmed O’Brien household record until the family has been positively located on the original page.
St. Ann Cemetery
John and Ellen are buried at St. Ann Cemetery in Cranston, Rhode Island.
The family marker records:
John O’Brien
1874–1964
His wife, Ellen T. Hartnett
1878–1946
Mary C. O’Brien
1913–1969
John H. O’Brien
1911–1988
His wife, Dorothy G. McKenna
Cemetery location: St. Ann Cemetery, Cranston
Plot: 279
O’Brien family marker at St. Ann Cemetery, Cranston, Rhode Island, Plot 279. The marker records John O’Brien, Ellen T. Hartnett O’Brien, Mary C. O’Brien, John H. O’Brien, and Dorothy G. McKenna O’Brien.
Evidence note: Ellen’s engraved birth year of 1878 conflicts with her baptism on 21 April 1872. The photograph preserves the inscription as found, while the earlier parish register remains the stronger evidence for her chronology.
Ellen’s engraved birth year of 1878 conflicts with her confirmed baptism on 21 April 1872. The marker should be preserved exactly as recorded, but the engraved birth year should not replace the earlier Irish parish-register evidence.
The Hartnett Sister Who Married William Kirby
Mary Catherine Hartnett Dorgan’s original 1950 obituary states:
“Mrs. Kirby, the only surviving sister, lives in Fall River.”
Because Ellen Theresa Hartnett O’Brien died in 1946, Mrs. Kirby was a different Hartnett sister who was still living in Fall River, Massachusetts, in 1950.
Her husband was William Kirby. Her own given name, marriage date, immigration history, and earlier residences have not yet been established.
The presently documented Hartnett sibling group includes:
Michael Hartnett
Mary Catherine Hartnett Dorgan
Ellen Theresa Hartnett O’Brien
An unidentified Hartnett sister who married William Kirby
Additional siblings may be identified through the Cloyne parish registers, civil records, Massachusetts records, and Fall River directories.
Evidence status: Mary Catherine Hartnett Dorgan’s 1950 obituary confirms that a surviving sister, Mrs. Kirby, lived in Fall River. Her husband is identified as William Kirby, but the sister’s given name and full life history remain unresolved.
Patrick J. Dorgan’s Unknown 1896 Host
Patrick J. Dorgan’s passenger record gives Providence, Rhode Island, as his destination when he arrived in October 1896. This indicates that he intended to travel to Providence, but the record does not identify the person he expected to contact or where he first stayed.
James “The Boss” Hartnett of Garryvoe can be excluded as Patrick’s Providence host. Irish marriage, land, census, and newspaper records show that James remained in County Cork.
John Henry O’Brien can also be excluded because he did not arrive in the United States until 1907.
Ellen Theresa Hartnett may have belonged to Patrick’s wider migration network because her 1901 manifest identifies her as a returning resident traveling to Providence. However, her first arrival in the United States has not yet been found, so it is not known whether she was in Providence by October 1896.
The Hartnett sister who married William Kirby may also have belonged to this migration network. Mary Catherine Hartnett Dorgan’s 1950 obituary places Mrs. Kirby in Fall River, Massachusetts, but her earlier residence and immigration history remain unresolved.
Another Hartnett relative, friend, employer, parish contact, or member of the Irish community may have received Patrick after his arrival. No person has yet been proved to have been his initial host.
Evidence status: Patrick’s Providence destination is documented, but his first American host remains unidentified.
Image Preparation and Preservation Note
Some images displayed on this page have been conservatively prepared for easier viewing through cropping, enlargement, rotation, and modest adjustments to brightness, contrast, and sharpness.
No missing handwriting, printed text, names, dates, monetary amounts, or other document details have been reconstructed. Clean extracts are made from the original document pixels whenever possible.
The complete, unaltered originals remain preserved in the archive and should always be consulted when evaluating handwriting, dates amounts, or other document details have been reconstructed. Clean extracts are made from the original document pixels whenever possible.
The complete, unaltered originals remain preserved in the archive and should always be consulted when evaluating handwriting, dates, names, amounts, or other uncertain details. Enhanced images and clean extracts are viewing aids and do not replace the original evidence.
Research Questions
Further research should seek to:
identify Ellen’s first arrival in the United States
locate the correct 1920 O’Brien census household
resolve the identity of the possible Henry O’Brien in the 1925 Rhode Island Census
identify the given name of the Hartnett sister who married William Kirby
locate the marriage record for William Kirby and his Hartnett wife
determine where William and Mrs. Kirby lived before 1950
search Providence and Fall River directories from the 1890s
determine who received Patrick J. Dorgan when he arrived in 1896
identify additional children of John Hartnett and Catherine Duhig
Related Pages
Ellen Hartnett appears on line 11 of the Lucania passenger manifest, September 1901. She was recorded as a 28-year-old single servant from Cloyne traveling to Providence, Rhode Island. The entry records that she carried $45 and was a returning resident who had previously lived in Providence. Ellen McGuire appears immediately above her and appears to have traveled with her. The description “returning resident” establishes that Ellen had previously lived in the United States. However, the date of her first arrival has not yet been identified. Therefore, this record does not establish whether Ellen was already living in Providence when Patrick J. Dorgan arrived in October 1896.
Image note: This image is a clean extract made from the original manifest. Only cropping, enlargement, contrast, and sharpness adjustments were used. No handwriting, names, dates, amounts, or other document details were reconstructed or altered. The complete unaltered original is preserved in the archive.
Providence marriage register for John O’Brien and Ellen Theresa Hartnett, 17 November 1910. The record identifies John’s parents as Bartholomew and Mary and Ellen’s parents as John and Catherine. It also preserves Ellen’s middle name, Theresa.