The spelling below suggests old Wales (or Celtic) to me. Jackie ----- Original Message ----- From: <VTvending@aol.com> To: <NYGREENE-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Monday, March 14, 2005 8:54 AM Subject: Re: [GREENE COUNTY] Lord > Hello Sylvia: > I agree that O'Brien sounds very Irish. That's the story that had been > handed down though. > Interestingly, Sylvia Magin replied that one of her aunts was an O'Brien > and > that the old pronunciation was actually o-BREE-on. This is exactly the > pronunciation that I had been told about. I was also told that the > spelling was > something like Obryyn. > I'm not sure whether the unusual pronunciation led to speculation that the > root was actually a Dutch name or if there is basis for that claim. > I do have 1790 census data for Thomas O'Brien in Resselaerville, Albany > County and an account of him arriving in East Jewett about 1806 (Early > Settlers > of East Jewett by Horatio N. Beach, reprinted from Catskill Examiner, 17 > August > 1871). Both of those references are to Thomas O'Brien. > Does Obryyn or Obyun make any more sense to you? > Thanks, > Tom McHugh > > PS: I agree with all of the 'fan-mail' that you've been getting. This is a > fantastic group here and you seem to be the driving force. Thanks again. > > > ==== NYGREENE Mailing List ==== > Greene County - Abstracts of Wills 1800-1900 - going on-line now! > http://www.rootsweb.com/~nygreen2 > > ============================== > Census images 1901, 1891, 1881 and 1871, plus so much more. > Ancestry.com's United Kingdom & Ireland Collection. Learn more: > http://www.ancestry.com/s13968/rd.ashx > >