Compiled and written by David R. Schleper, 2024

Hanora Power O’Connor was born in 1800 in Fairy Hill, County Cork, Ireland. The area of Cork is a maritime county in the province of Munster, and the largest in Ireland, bounded on the east by the counties of Tipperary and Waterford, on the north by that of Limerick, on the west by that of Kerry, and on the southwest, south, and southeast by St. George’s Channel.

There is not much information about her family, but she grew up in Ireland and enjoyed hiking near the mountains near Fairy Hill.

One writer talked about walking across the Shehy Mountains [“shee” means “fairy” or “hill” in Gaelic], which separates County Kerry from County Cork to the east…“Memories of the Mountain and the Fairy” by Larry McGinnity in Roaringwater Journal/Co. Cork. Just like Hanora in the 1800s, McGinnity remembers, “Turn right at the cross (the Irish term for crossroads) and hope for the best.”

“It was a lovely day for a walk. Bright and sunny, little chance of rain, although in Ireland you never know…Birds were singing. Beautiful Spring flowers like rhododendrons, blue bells, and cowslip were in bloom. I thought I even heard a cuckoo. All was right with the world. The first human form I met was an aged, diminutive man with a withered face, wearing a weathered red coat, and an even older looking cocked hat, riding in a cart pulled by a small Irish pony. He appeared to be transporting several large milk containers in the cart. After the usual greetings and conversation about the ‘grand’ morning, I continued on my way.”

“Was there something strange about that little old man and his inexplicable mischievous smile, wearing a weathered red coat, and his old, battered cocked hat? But this was Ireland and you meet the strangest of people….”

“…The flora also changed. Woodlands gave way to a more grasslands countryside, with Kerry cows and sheep grazing. I also felt my North Face pack straps pull against my shoulders under the increased angle of the gravel roadway. I was definitely climbing into the mountains.”

“…Suddenly, the road had become more of a wagon trail….The two trails suddenly became a single pathway. There was now no road; there wasn’t even a wagon trail. I was on a footpath…

“Even worse, the single pathway was becoming more rugged pasture than trail. I could see the top of the ridge line several hundred yards ahead. But as the trail completely disappeared, and the hillside became mountain side I knew I definitely no piece-of-cake ramble going on here. The ramble was becoming rigorously rough, and, hopefully, not ruinous.”

“The gradient was so steep it was pulling me over backwards. The sheep grazing around me didn’t seem to have the anxiety I felt. Finally, I couldn’t walk upright. I was crawling on all fours, dragging my pack on the ground behind me. Alone, except for the curious sheep looking at the bruised and battered intruder, I struggled on until…Triumph! I was there. Feeling more like a mountaineer than a day-hiker I had made it.”

“And it was worth it. Looking to the east was the breathtaking visa of West Cork from a height of several thousand feet. Looking to my rear, back into Kerry and the unexpected climb I had just experienced, the panorama was just as magnificent.”

Also in County Cork, Ireland was John O’Brien, who was born Jan. 1, 1800. Just like Hanora, there is little information about John growing up. But it is true that John O’Brien married Hanora Power O’Connor on Nov. 21, 1838.

At least three children were born in Ireland. Mary Ellen O’Brien, born in 1825, Manis Manus O’Brien, born in 1831, and Mary Jane O’Brien in 1841.

At some point, Hanora and John, along with their children, headed to America, where they were settlers-colonists in Minnesota. Census records note that by June 1, 1865 the family was living in Credit River.

Mary Ellen O’Brien (1825-1916) married Gerhard Wilhelm Gellenbeck (1826-1889); Manis Manus O’Brien (1831-1908) married Hanora Sullivan in St. Louis, Missouri; and Mary Jane O’Brien (1841-1900) married John Kintzie (1830-1884).

Hanora Power O’Connor O’Brien died July 24, 1869, and was buried at Calvary Cemetery in Eagle Creek (Shakopee). 

John O’Brien died on June 5, 1874, and was buried at Calvary Cemetery, near his wife.