Ramsey County History – Spring 1979: “Letters to Fannie Higgins: The Courtship of Patrick O’Brien”

Letters to Fannie Higgins: The Courtship of Patrick O’Brien
Author: Michael Maher

The author has assembled a portrait of the Irish immigrant Patrick O’Brien, his life, work, and personality from surviving letters. The result is a portrait of life in St. Paul in the 1860s and ‘70s. The letters comment amusingly on politics, the work of the Catholic Church, popular entertainments and diversions, the operations of the U.S. mail (O’Brien became assistant St. Paul postmaster), and public health and morals, among other topics. The original letters are in the Ramsey County Historical Society collections.
PDF of Maher – O’Brien Letters