The Brennan / Lachance Family of Ottawa, Canada, the Ottawa Valley, Ontario and Gatineau Valley, Quebec - History is being compiled by Bob Ranger - - - Syracuse, New York, USA. Updated: April 29, 2008.

Pictured at right is Robert Alexander Brennan (1892-1975) with Victor Milks, his step-brother (seated), about 1912.

Brennan name might have something to do with burning, for instance, worker in metal, smelting, sword making, etc. - burn - ME brennen < ON & OE: ON brenna, burn, light - OE biernan; both < IE bhre-n-u < base bhereu, to boil forth, well up: cf. bread; brandish - ME brandischen < OFr brandir < Gmc brand; brand - ON brandr < ME < OE brand, brond, a flame, torch, sword < base of biernan, brinnan, to burn OHG brunna, armor. It was also the name of a Celtic fighting clan, hence, many changed their surname to Brennan upon being brought into the clan. And, of course, we could be named for St. Brendan who, as everybody knows, was the true discoverer of North America by a European.

Towns mentioned often in early conversations (c1950): Gracefield, Wakefield, Masson, Maniwaki, Ile des Alumettes, Moose Creek, Ont., Gatineau, Brennan's Hill, Brunelle Hill, Buckingham.

The Ottawa and Gatineau Valleys are English/French bicultural. Usually, in a linguistically mixed marriage, the language of the mother becomes that of the household. It has been suggested that Brennan was francicized to Brunelle in some families, because of the difficulty of pronouncing Brennan in French.
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Our own Brennan family goes back to:
James Brennan (about 1868-1900), Wakefield, Gracefield, Ottawa, timberjack, wagon driver; married Julia Kenny (about 1890) (center of photo); Siblings: unknown.
Their son:
Robert Alexander Brennan (1892-1975) (far left in group photo), Gracefield, Quebec, Ottawa, iron worker, steeplejack; m Marie Angelina "Lena" Lachance at Ottawa in 1914. Siblings: Elizabeth "Bessie" Brennan (1892-1972) (far right), Mary Brennan (about 1885-1950), Georgina Brennan (about 1885-1950). Photo circa 1908.
Their daughter:
Olive Eleanor Brennan (1920-) (left)Ottawa, Canada m Charles Antoine Ranger, Jr., 1942. Siblings: Robert Edward Brennan (1918-1987), Floyd Noel Brennan (1923-1997), Bernice Brennan (1926-2005).
Their son:
Robert Charles Ranger (1945-) Ottawa, Canada, Syracuse, NY, musician, computer specialist; m Betty Ann Lewis, 1964. Siblings: Carol Ann Ranger (Carole Spencer) (1947-), Charles Michael "Mike" Ranger (1952-), Patrick Edmund Ranger (1954-).
Our daughter:
Jeanette Michelle Ranger (Born in the Syracuse "Blizzard of 1966") m Eric Andrew Zoeckler of Cazenovia, NY in 1984. Siblings: none.
Their daughters and sons include:
Michele Renée Zoeckler (1987), Reuben Lee Zoeckler (1989), Vernon Taylor Zoeckler (1991) and Charlene Grace Zoeckler (1993).
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Does anyone know what happened to "The Brennans of Idough," the web site dedicated to the history of the Brennans of Idough, an Irish family that has existed since the 900s in northeastern Kilkenny? The region has been known by many formal names over the centuries, but history records that the people who lived there had a different name for it: O'Brennan country.

The first Irish immigrant to Canada was a Brennan . . Tadhg Cornelius O'Brennan who founded the Aubry family (O'Brennan < Aubrenan < Aubry). See http://www.bytown.net/brennan.htm and http://www.bytown.net/brennan.pdf - Diving into the Genepool by Jack Aubry, one of his descendants. -- From an article in the Ottawa Citizen.

Vincent McSheffrey (1996), HOIST AWAY: A story of growing up in the Gatineau during the 1950s. published by Vincent McSheffrey in Ottawa, Canada. An information-packed book about many different topics: history, genealogy, and geography,along with many entertaining stories. It's primarily about the Gatineau, but also contains much information about Ottawa. See Dedication and Remember When . . . from HOIST AWAY.

To order your own copy of HOIST AWAY, send an email to Vincent McSheffrey at mcsheffv@magma.ca

Bytown or Bust -- Ottawa Valley Irish -- including Brennan and Kenny links.
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