Ellen Theresa Hartnett and John Henry O’Brien

A Hartnett Family Branch from East Cork to Providence

Ellen Theresa Hartnett was a sister of Mary Catherine Hartnett Dorgan. Her life connects the Hartnett family of East Cork with the later O’Brien family of Providence, Rhode Island.

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 boarded the Cunard liner Lucania at Queenstown and 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: $15
Traveling companion: Ellen McGuire
Immigration status: Returning resident

The description “returning resident” proves that Ellen had lived in the United States before September 1901.

The date of her first arrival has not yet been identified. Therefore, the record does not establish whether she was already in Providence when Patrick J. Dorgan arrived in October 1896.

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.

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 confirms her parents.

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 family connection with her maternal aunt, Mary Catherine Hartnett Dorgan. She died in 1969.

Possible Henry O’Brien

A 1925 Rhode Island Census household appears to include a son named Henry O’Brien, approximately ten years old.

Henry does not appear on John’s 1916 naturalization petition or on the shared cemetery marker. His identity and later history have not yet been confirmed.

Evidence status: Unresolved census clue. Henry should not yet 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 their children John and Mary and the possible additional son Henry.

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

The cemetery marker confirms the later family group, but Ellen’s engraved birth year should not replace her original 1872 Irish baptismal 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.

Patrick J. Dorgan’s Unknown 1896 Host

Patrick J. Dorgan’s passenger record gives Providence as his destination when he arrived in October 1896. This suggests that a family or community contact may already have been waiting for him.

James “The Boss” Hartnett of Garryvoe can be excluded because Irish census, marriage, land, and newspaper records show that he 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, the unidentified Mrs. Kirby, another Hartnett relative, or a non-family contact may have belonged to Patrick’s migration network. No person has yet been proved to have been Patrick’s initial host.

Evidence status: Unresolved migration question.

Image Restoration Note

Some images displayed on this page have been conservatively restored using AI-assisted tools to improve contrast, lighting, sharpness, and legibility.

The restored images are provided for easier viewing. The unaltered originals remain preserved in the archive and should be consulted when evaluating handwriting, dates, names, or other uncertain details.