Traces of an Earlier Journey

 

Ancestry. 1900 US Census. Allegheny, PA.

I'm continuing to flip back to the paper trail while using the DNA path to identify the connection to the Pennsylvania O'Brien branch. In the 1900 US Census entry above, James O'Brien appears with his family in Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. James reported that he immigrated to the US in 1860, and became a naturalized citizen. The 1910 US Census entry states that he immigrated in 1859, so this gives us a target range to try to find James' arrival.

Pinpointing the arrival for a James O'Brien somewhere on the East Coast between 1859-1860 might be difficult. I'm starting with Philadelphia arrivals. I also know determining which of the many James O'Briens who became naturalized citizens in Pennsylvania that might match with this James is an even more challenging task.

One option worth exploring, a young Irish family arrived into Philadelphia on the ship Saranak on 11 May 1860. It's too early to tell if this this is the same James O'Brien who later ended up in Pittsburgh.

Penn. US Arriving Passengers & Crew Lists. 1860.