Family: O’Connor Currans/Cordal

A truly incredible and epic story about how Bryan O'Connor B1838 at Farran Currans, developed the exceptionally prosperous and profitable business of O'Connor Moffatt & Co at San Francisco from 1862 until his rather sudden death in 1877. O'Connor Moffatt & Co was the precursor to MACYS West, Union Square, San Francisco. Bryan built the business with his friend George Moffatt who he summoned from Canada to join him in San Francisco. Bryan's in-laws, the Costello Family, originally from Rathkeale, Co. Limerick, ran the business after Bryan's death. Eventually O'Connor Moffatt & Co was sold to MACYS in 1945. There is potentially a fantastic Film in this story !!  

GL2 Catherine 'Kate' O'Connor, daughter to GL1 John 'Sean-Bui' O'Connor and Margaret 'Peggy' Kenny Md David Fleming Curracity circa 1858/59.

O'Connor Moffatt & Co Building San Fran

Catherine's brother, GL2 Bryan O'Connor B1838/41/42 (Birth Record a Brendan born at Farran Currans in 1838 - most likely S/B Bryan) son of  John 'Sean-Bui' O'Connor and Margaret 'Peggy' Kenny immigrated to San Francisco via Australia & New York. He was one of the founders of O'Connor, Moffatt, Kean Co. The store opened first in 1860 at 2nd & Market Sts. and then moved to South side of Post St. bet. Kearny & Grant Ave. The business Macy's West was established in San Francisco, California in 1866 as O'Connor, Moffatt, Kean Co. (Check Wiki) at Second & Market Streets, eventually moving into several buildings on south Post Street, between Grant Avenue and Kearny Street, where it rebuilt after surviving the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. On Aug 28th 1887 Bryan died aged 45 of Bright's Disease . The previous day, he had complained of feeling unwell and late that evening went home. His condition deteriorated. About twenty minutes before he died he  signed a will bequeathing all his property to his wife. The house of O'Connor & Moffatt was the largest in the city of San-Francisco in the line of 'dry & fancy foods'. His wife Mary Josephine 'Jane' Costello O'Connor, who came from Rathkeale, died three years afterwards. Aged 52, she died on Memorial Day, May 30, 1890 in a terrible railroad train accident that occurred on the Webster Street Bridge which led to the death of at least 13 passengers. The train, carrying people from the ferry from San Francisco towards Oakland hurtled through the open Webster Street draw and plunged into San Antonio Creek. (Read more on this tragedy below) Having no surviving children ( Both daughters died as infants) the valuation of the business was assessed. The valuation generated was enormous (Circa $700,000/$800,000 then).  Mary Jane Costello's siblings conrinued to run the business. A contested share was repatriated to Ireland and shared among Bryan's siblings (Sisters: Catherine Fleming, Mary Scanlon, Margaret Scanlon, Hannah Brosnan [Lived in Australia] & Brothers Patrick & Maurice).  In 1928, the company, by then known as O'Connor, Moffat & Co., commissioned a new location at 101 Stockton Street. R.H. Macy & Company, New York acquired O'Connor Moffatt & Co in 1945 and on October 16, 1947 renamed the store Macy's San Francisco. Macy's followed up with a major expansion of the store at 170 O'Farrell Street in 1948, using the original architect of the 1928 building, Louis Parson Hobart. The rest as they say, is History.

O'Connor Moffatt & Co Building San Fran

FANTASTIC READ !! Thanks to Bruce Allen Kopytek, AIA NCARB, Architect San Francisco for sharing some fabulous material regarding the History of the Architecture and Department Buildings of the Establishment of O'Connor Moffatt & Company. The Establishment of O'Connor Moffatt & Co was the biggest Dry Goods Store in California at that time. The architecture and scale of their Department Stores was fantastic. Bruce has compiled an excellent blog website named 'The Department Store Museum'. In his fabulous Blog he details and assesses the Architecture regarding many large and famous department stores across the USA including an incredibly detailed section regarding those department stores of Bryan O'Connor of O'Connor Moffatt and Co which ultimately became MACYS West in San Francisco. Bruce captures the chronology of the development of the Department Stores of O'Connor Moffatt & Co and MACYS so well. We will be sharing Bruce's fantastic work in more detail here soon!! Thank you Bruce!
CLICK HERE: Or on the Pictures on the Left to read 'The Department Store Museum' Blog by Bruce Allen Kopytek. Some fabulous pictures also.

Pictures courtesy of Bruce Allen Kopytek. For more details click on the images or go to Bruce's Blog Page 'The Department Store Museum' to read more and see more fabulous pictures !!

Click Below for more information on Bryan & Mary Jane 'Costello' O'Connor:

O'Connor Moffatt & Co Building San Fran

Click THE LIFE OF BRYAN: About the Life & Death of Bryan & Mary Jane Costello O'Connor, San Francisco.
An Incredible Life Story.

HERE   O'Connor Moffatt  Store Front, Van Ness Avenue. Temporary location of O'Connor, Moffatt & Co. 1906.
HERE   or Click on the image to read where Bryan O'Connor is buried.
HERE   Sample Advertisement for O'Connor, Moffat & Co.
HERE  Obituaries: Bryan & Mary ‘Costello’ O’Connor, San Fran USA.
HERE  A fabulous compilation of research work by Bruce Allen Kopytek regarding the architecture and Department Store Buildings of MACYS West and O'Connor Moffatt & Co of San Francisco.

Webster Street Bridge Disaster (1890) - The Oakland Train Tragedy
On Memorial Day, May 30, 1890 a terrible railroad train accident occurred on the Webster Street Bridge which led to the death of 13 passengers including Mary Jane Costello O'Connor, wife of Bryan O'Connor, of O'Connor, Moffatt & Co . The train, carrying people from the ferry from San Francisco towards Oakland hurtled through the open Webster Street draw and plunged into San Antonio Creek (i.e., the estuary).
Front page account of the disaster - The San-Francisco Chronicle May 31st 1890. ( When the page loads - click on the image to magnify).
Wiki account - Webster Street Bridge Disaster (1890) - Oakland - LocalWiki
Click Here  California Disasters, 1812-1899: Firsthand Accounts of Fires, Shipwrecks ...(By William B. Seacrest).

Two Scanlon brothers (A&B), sons of Bartholomew Scanlon married two O’Connor sisters (Daughters of John 'Sean-Bui' & Margaret Kenny)
A) Bartholomew ‘Batt’ Scanlon and Margaret O’Connor. 
B) James 'Batt' Scanlon and Mary O’Connor. Md 1845.

GL3: Sons of Daniel Paddy & Mary Behane O'Connor

Thanks to Paddy Franklin, Auckland NZ, a descendant of Daniel Paddy and Mary Behane.
Paddy is responsible for the research and compilation of this truly magnificent material regarding Daniel Paddy. She has kindly shared some fabulous pictures and stories on our relatives also.  This page contains some of Paddy's research material. Appreciated Paddy & Thank you.

Read more about The O'Connor Clan New Zealand: Click HERE: Towsey Tales by Julian Toswey (Copyright 2013) A NZ Descendant of Daniel-Paddy & Mary Behane O'Connor. Re Daniel-Paddy & Mary Behane, Patrick-Daniel (Circa 1870), Timothy B & Family (Circa 1911), Josephine-Cooper(Nee O'Connor) 1913 & Towsey Tales. Great Read. Strong language!
Read more about The O'Connor Clan New Zealand: CLICK HERE:
Including: There are a couple of the descendants of Daniel and Mary Behane O'Connor who are good rugby players including Sam O’Connor who played a number of games for the Wallabies in recent years. A son of GL2 Daniel Paddy & Mary Behane O'Connor - GL3 Timothy Beehane O'Connor (TB Pictured Back Row RHS - Born Jan 19 1860 at Kilcusnan, D1936 NZ - Sponsors: Nano O’Connor & Patrick O’Connor), Timothy was a member of the first NZ International Rugby Team (Now considered The All Blacks).

'' “Tim” has been actively identified with athletic sport ever since he has been in Auckland.  In 1893 he was a member of the New Zealand athletic team that went to Australia, and he personally won the shot putting and hammer throwing events.  As a footballer, Tim was long a tower of strength to New Zealand in general and Auckland in particular.  He was a member of the first N.Z. team that toured Australia in 1884, was captain of the Auckland team that beat Stoddart’s English combination in 1888, besides playing in other matches “The O’Connor Clan.”  innumerable.  He has also been prominent in rowing circles, and is still a member of the Waitemata Rowing Club. '' Extract “The O’Connor Clan.”  From The Observer, Saturday March 6, 1909.

After the 1884' tour he came back to resume his club rugby for the Auckland club. He stuck with Auckland up until he played his last year of rugby for Ponsonby. After one season for Ponsonby O'Connor then served for a few years on the Ponsonby committee before turning his attention to the now defunct City club (which had basically taken over the Auckland club's area) and served as auditor to that body for many years. O'Connor's talents were not just in rugby, as stated above, he was also a notable field athlete as he won the 1893 Australasian shot put title and three at national level (1891, 1892 and 1897), adding another Australasian title in the hammer throw in 1893.

Timothy has his own Wiki Page Click HERE:
England V Auckland 1888. Match Report. Click HERE:
Where did the 'All Blacks' name and Jersey come from ? What is the origin of the Silver Fern? Click HERE:

Suitable Plaque: The Kilcusnan, Co. Kerry, All-Black, Timothy O’Connor’s great grandnephew, Peter O’Connor visited Castleisland and Kilcusnan in April 2015. Castleisland R F C members are in the process of organising the erection of a suitable plaque to commemorate Timothy O Connor in the near future.
Click HERE to Read More in the Maine Valley Post Article by Maurice Walsh.

Re: Joseph Astbury Warbrick - All Black Legend: One of the stars of that same Auckland side playing along-side Timothy B O’Connor - was the All Black legend Joe A Warbrick. Originally from the small Bay of Plenty settlement of Matatā, Joe came to the attention of the Auckland selectors in 1877 when as a 15-year-old playing for Ponsonby he regularly potted dropped goals from halfway – in bare feet. Born on 1 January 1862 in Rotorua to Englishman, Abraham Warbrick and his Maori wife Nga Karauna Paerau, Joseph Astbury Warbrick was one of five children (four sons and a daughter). After his mother passed away, his father's second marriage to Harina, cousin of his deceased wife produced seven more half-brothers and sisters. Four of his brothers - Alfred, Arthur, Frederick and William - were also very good rugby players and played alongside Joe on the 1888 New Zealand Natives tour. He remains New Zealand’s youngest first-class rugby player. Warbrick was selected for the first New Zealand representative team in 1884. Joe married Harriet Burt and had one daughter, Orini Rosa Warbrick (married name Anderson). He later became a tour guide in the geyser fields of Rotorua. Geyser tourism had been given a major boost in 1900 when the Waimangu (‘black water’) geyser burst into life. It was the largest geyser recorded anywhere in the world between 1900 and 1904. In August 1903, it exploded unexpectedly, killing Warbrick and a party of three tourists. After his tragic death his wife Harriet married William Lees and had three sons Sydney (Toss), Ronald and Maurice (Mo), all of them fine athletes. William Lees was the nephew of another member of the 1884 international rugby team, Timothy Behane O'Connor. (The ‘Nephew’ was the son of Timothy B O’Connor’s sister Catherine ‘Kate’ Maud O’Connor – Kate married Thomas Frederick Lees and ther Son William John Lees B1884 married Harriet)

Details on Graveyards, Headstones. Obituaries & Remembrances are located in the Documentation Section associated with each respective Family Name.