Catherine Mary O'Brien - Kate Flanagan - Correspondence - 2

I do enjoy reading Kate's letters.  She is so direct, as a matter of fact, includes family for sure, talks business, and then signs her letters "Your Affectionate Aunt Kate".  Her reputation preceeded her in the family all the way back to Ireland and handed down the line in Napa, too. 

I would have loved to meet her.  She must have been strong willed.  She also loved her children, grandchildren, and her family.  To her credit, she kept the Flanagan Ranch going after Patrick died with the help of her sons.

Excerpts from the letter:

Kate Flanagan to Mary Anne Flanagan (Termonfechin)



111 Franklin St

San Francisco

Jan 26 ‘05 (1905)


My Dear Marrion


I have just read your letter and will try to answer as well as I can tho I am not very well and my hand is shaky. In the first place I must tell you that my opinion is that if your Uncle R.I.P. made a will it would be in favour of his only living sister and if I had the deciding of it I would give half what he left to Aunt Judith and the other half to your Uncle Nicholas they being the nearest of kin living. You see your Aunt is not to blame for all the family money her late husband did away with, and as far as I can judge from uncles letters she is the most in need of it and more over I believe that that is what would please your uncle best, and what he would tell us to do with it, if he could speak to us now.

I have to stop here.  I am assuming that Uncle R.I.P. is Michael Flanagan.  Kate knew Michael well and had corresponded with him once he had returned to Ireland until he died in 1904. 


Well now Dear Marrion, I will try to explain to you about uncles getting interest from this country. When he left here he intended coming back again in a short time (as you must have heard before). So Judge Stanly whos lands he Superintended, did not settle with him. There was considerable money owing him for which the Judge sent him interest every year while he lived. After the Judges death his heirs did not want to acknowlege the debt and but for Mr McEnerney and Ed he would have lost it.

Kate goes into some pretty good details about Michael's money and what was owed to him.  Of course, this letter is signed as "Your Affecetionate Aunt Kate".  Her post script is interesting.


P.S. While Judge Stanly lived he did some business for uncle M in the way of collecting a debt for him, there was a Mortgage which was paid by a Mrs Maher but the Judge sent him the money all right.
K. F.

My previous posts about Michael Flanagan, Patrick Flanagan, and Judge Stanly include Kate and a peek inside their lives.