San
Joaquin County
Biographies
MRS. WILLIAM L. BRENNAN
A favored native daughter of San
Joaquin County is found in Mrs. W. L. Brennan, a daughter of the late John
O’Malley and the widow of the late W. L. Brennan, both prominent and highly
honored citizens of this county. She was
born on the John O’Malley ranch two miles above Atlanta, on the French Camp
Road, where her father owned 1,320 acres of grain land, which he farmed
successfully for many years. John
O’Malley was born in Ireland and in young manhood came to the United States and
settled in Connecticut, where he was later married to Ann Elizabeth Brennan,
also born in Ireland. John O’Malley came
to California in the early fifties alone and upon arriving in Stockton became
steward of the Weber House, now known as the Occidental Hotel. His wife and two children, born in the East,
joined him in Stockton in 1855. This worthy pioneer couple were the parents of nine
children, five of whom are now living.
John O’Malley retired from the hotel business on account of his health
and went to the mines near Copperopolis, but soon became interested in farming
and became unusually prosperous in the raising of wheat and other grain. The O’Malley family has always been prominent
in the Catholic Church and John O’Malley donated large sums of money for its
advancement. Both parents are now
deceased, and while their heirs have sold considerable of the property, they
still retain the old home place of 130 acres because of its tender
associations.
Mary’s Agnes O’Malley attended the
Van Allen district school in the vicinity of her father’s ranch and finished
her education at St. Agnes Convent in Stockton.
On November 13, 1882, she was married to William L. Brennan, familiarly
known as Bill Brennan, a native of Ireland, who came to California in
1872. He was the proprietor of the San
Joaquin livery stable, the leading one in Stockton for many years. He was a public-spirited citizen and among
his various civic duties he was park commissioner. Mr. and Mrs. Brennan became the parents of
nine children: John James, Vincent John,
William Leo, Sylvester Ambrose, Austin Edward, are all deceased; the living
children are Cyril Joseph; William Leland married Ruth Irene Craven and they
have one child, William Leland, Jr., and reside in Stockton; Anna Clare; and
Reginald Vincent, a student of dentistry at the Affiliated Colleges in San
Francisco. Mr. Brennan owned
considerable valuable real estate in Stockton, including a number of store
buildings. He passed away November 23,
1914, mourned by all who knew him as a man of strict honesty and upright
dealings. He was known throughout the
county as a staunch Democrat. Mrs.
Brennan is a member of St. Mary’s Catholic Church and the family home is
located at 1119 North San Joaquin Street.
Transcribed by V. Gerald Iaquinta.
Source: Tinkham, George
H., History of San Joaquin County, California , Page
1482. Los Angeles, Calif.: Historic
Record Co., 1923.
© 2012 V. Gerald Iaquinta.
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