Over the years I have pieced bits of information about Peter's life together, but some pieces of the puzzle are still missing. In the family notes passed down by my Great-Uncle Jim I was able to determine that he may have been born in County Louth, Ireland. My lineage to Peter is due to his second marriage to Bridget Savage who, also, was Irish. Their son Thomas is my great-great-great grandfather and his son James is my great-great grandfather. James's daughter Mary is my great-grandmother and that leads to my father and myself as descendants of Peter.
The late Pauline Tedford of Waddington, NY served for many years as the town historian and wrote an article titled The Brannens in Waddington. Within this article I was able to gather some information regarding Peter Brannen's life and family. This research has been helpful in forming Peter's life story.
His parents were James and Mary Brannen who lived and died in Ireland. Their last name in Ireland may have been Braghnan and this may have been anglicized to Brannen when Peter came to the United States. After several years of working as a tenant, Joshua Waddington sold land to Peter (Lot four according to the records) on February 26, 1856 . Not long afterwards Peter expanded his property by purchasing the adjacent lot to add on to the lot he already owned. Six years after his first wife Ann Morgan passed away he married my great-great-great-great grandmother Bridget Savage. Their marriage produced five children. Peter already had eight children from his first marriage which means he fathered thirteen children altogether. Two years before his death Peter sold his land and bought a house in the village. The house apparently still exists today and is located on the West St. Lawrence Avenue corner that intersects with Beech Street. Bridget lived in this house until her death.
Peter died on March 18, 1883 in Waddington, NY and is buried in the Old St. Mary's Cemetery which is located by the golf course. Years ago I had the opportunity to visit Peter's grave and was pleased to see that the headstone still stands erect even though it has been over 100 years since he has been buried.
As I uncover more information about Peter and his life I will create more posts dedicated to this Brannen ancestor. Hopefully, I will be able to discover the missing pieces of the puzzle that has been eluding me for years. One question I do hope to find a definitive answer to is this: Where in Ireland was he born and where in Ireland did he live? I leave you now with a photo of Peter Brannen's headstone located in St. Mary's Cemetery of Waddington, NY.
Cheryl
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