San Francisco Call, Saturday, November 23, 1895, Page 13, Image 13, Column 1 -
PIONEER BRENNAN'S DEATH
---
Pioneer Brennan Dies
Daniel Brennan, a pioneer who settled in Oakland in 1853, died at noon today in a small brick house that he built many years ago, on land that is now the foot of Seventeenth Avenue. He was one of the historic characters of Oakland, and believed that in him was vested the title to the whole water front of the city.
Brennan was a potter by trade, and after his arrival here - forty years ago - he established a small pottery at San Antonio on land upon which he squatted. Don Peralta leased the property and Brennan bought the lease. A small wharf was built out from the property, and it became an important shipping point. For many years Brennan lived on lease money paid him by people in East Oakland for small wharves, which he claimed were his property. After the Chicago lake-front decision the lessees refused to pay any more, and Brennan's income was gone.
He conceived a scheme which he thought would make him fabulously wealthy. Upon the theory that the ownership of the water front must follow the ownership of the original Spanish grant, and upon the claim that when the Peraltas sold out they parted with the title only to the upland, he went to the surviving members of the Peralta family and induced them to give him a deed to the whole estuary. With this instrument he proposed to dispossess the Water front company, the railroad and the city of Oakland and everybody else. No lawyers were willing to take the case, however, and Brennan's scheme was never realized. He lived with an aged maiden sister and died so poor that the county may have to bury him.
San Francisco Chronicle, Saturday, November 23, 1895, Page 10, Column 5 -
OLD DANIEL BRENNAN DEAD
---
HE CLAIMED OAKLAND'S WATER
FRONT
---
Settled in San Antonio, Now East
Oakland, Over Forty
Years Ago
---
Daniel Brennan of Oakland is dead. He was one of the best-known characters in the town, in which he had resided since 1853. He passed away yesterday at noon at the residence of his sister, at the foot of Seventeenth Avenue, where he had resided for many years in a little brick house he had erected there.
Brennan thought he owned all the land along the estuary. He was a potter by trade, and when he first came to this side of the bay he settled in San Antonio, as East Oakland was then called, where he built pottery works. He either obtained a squatter's right or purchased some water-front property for a song, and always claimed it as his own.
It appears that a Frenchman had taken a lease of this part of their grant from the Peralta family, and afterward Louis Brady purchased the lease. Then Peralta sold the property out to Strode, Jones and others, who recognized the Brady lease and afterwards admitted Brady to a partnership. There was a small wharf at the place and considerable business was carried on there. Brady pre-empted 160 acres of land later, and when the taxes on this pre-emption became delinquent Brennan bought it. This seems to be the foundation for Brennan's claim, as near as is known.
When the Peraltas sold out their estate he thought they parted only with the upland, and he went to the surviving members of the family and in some way induced them to give him a deed to the tide lands of the whole estuary. With this deed he thought he owned all of Oakland's water front, and proposed to do battle with all claimants. He could not find lawyers who believed much of his claim, but he grew to believe it himself and talked continuously about it.
This grew to be such a fad with him that it eventually, it is thought, turned his head. Finally he began writing letters to the press about it, and even put in rhyme. He grew very eccentric at the last. It is stated he died very poor.
San Francisco Call, Thursday, November 28, 1895, Page 13, Image 13, Column 2 -
W. A. Fine has applied for letters on the estate of Daniel Brennan, the man who thought he owned the Oakland water front. The petition states that Brennan left no will and his estate is believed to be worth about $1,000. He was never married and his only surviving relative is a sister, Ann Brennan, aged 87 years.
PIONEER BRENNAN'S DEATH
---
Pioneer Brennan Dies
Daniel Brennan, a pioneer who settled in Oakland in 1853, died at noon today in a small brick house that he built many years ago, on land that is now the foot of Seventeenth Avenue. He was one of the historic characters of Oakland, and believed that in him was vested the title to the whole water front of the city.
Brennan was a potter by trade, and after his arrival here - forty years ago - he established a small pottery at San Antonio on land upon which he squatted. Don Peralta leased the property and Brennan bought the lease. A small wharf was built out from the property, and it became an important shipping point. For many years Brennan lived on lease money paid him by people in East Oakland for small wharves, which he claimed were his property. After the Chicago lake-front decision the lessees refused to pay any more, and Brennan's income was gone.
He conceived a scheme which he thought would make him fabulously wealthy. Upon the theory that the ownership of the water front must follow the ownership of the original Spanish grant, and upon the claim that when the Peraltas sold out they parted with the title only to the upland, he went to the surviving members of the Peralta family and induced them to give him a deed to the whole estuary. With this instrument he proposed to dispossess the Water front company, the railroad and the city of Oakland and everybody else. No lawyers were willing to take the case, however, and Brennan's scheme was never realized. He lived with an aged maiden sister and died so poor that the county may have to bury him.
San Francisco Chronicle, Saturday, November 23, 1895, Page 10, Column 5 -
OLD DANIEL BRENNAN DEAD
---
HE CLAIMED OAKLAND'S WATER
FRONT
---
Settled in San Antonio, Now East
Oakland, Over Forty
Years Ago
---
Daniel Brennan of Oakland is dead. He was one of the best-known characters in the town, in which he had resided since 1853. He passed away yesterday at noon at the residence of his sister, at the foot of Seventeenth Avenue, where he had resided for many years in a little brick house he had erected there.
Brennan thought he owned all the land along the estuary. He was a potter by trade, and when he first came to this side of the bay he settled in San Antonio, as East Oakland was then called, where he built pottery works. He either obtained a squatter's right or purchased some water-front property for a song, and always claimed it as his own.
It appears that a Frenchman had taken a lease of this part of their grant from the Peralta family, and afterward Louis Brady purchased the lease. Then Peralta sold the property out to Strode, Jones and others, who recognized the Brady lease and afterwards admitted Brady to a partnership. There was a small wharf at the place and considerable business was carried on there. Brady pre-empted 160 acres of land later, and when the taxes on this pre-emption became delinquent Brennan bought it. This seems to be the foundation for Brennan's claim, as near as is known.
When the Peraltas sold out their estate he thought they parted only with the upland, and he went to the surviving members of the family and in some way induced them to give him a deed to the tide lands of the whole estuary. With this deed he thought he owned all of Oakland's water front, and proposed to do battle with all claimants. He could not find lawyers who believed much of his claim, but he grew to believe it himself and talked continuously about it.
This grew to be such a fad with him that it eventually, it is thought, turned his head. Finally he began writing letters to the press about it, and even put in rhyme. He grew very eccentric at the last. It is stated he died very poor.
San Francisco Call, Thursday, November 28, 1895, Page 13, Image 13, Column 2 -
W. A. Fine has applied for letters on the estate of Daniel Brennan, the man who thought he owned the Oakland water front. The petition states that Brennan left no will and his estate is believed to be worth about $1,000. He was never married and his only surviving relative is a sister, Ann Brennan, aged 87 years.
San Francisco Call, Saturday, November 23, 1895, Page 13, Image 13, Column 1 -
PIONEER BRENNAN'S DEATH
---
Pioneer Brennan Dies
Daniel Brennan, a pioneer who settled in Oakland in 1853, died at noon today in a small brick house that he built many years ago, on land that is now the foot of Seventeenth Avenue. He was one of the historic characters of Oakland, and believed that in him was vested the title to the whole water front of the city.
Brennan was a potter by trade, and after his arrival here - forty years ago - he established a small pottery at San Antonio on land upon which he squatted. Don Peralta leased the property and Brennan bought the lease. A small wharf was built out from the property, and it became an important shipping point. For many years Brennan lived on lease money paid him by people in East Oakland for small wharves, which he claimed were his property. After the Chicago lake-front decision the lessees refused to pay any more, and Brennan's income was gone.
He conceived a scheme which he thought would make him fabulously wealthy. Upon the theory that the ownership of the water front must follow the ownership of the original Spanish grant, and upon the claim that when the Peraltas sold out they parted with the title only to the upland, he went to the surviving members of the Peralta family and induced them to give him a deed to the whole estuary. With this instrument he proposed to dispossess the Water front company, the railroad and the city of Oakland and everybody else. No lawyers were willing to take the case, however, and Brennan's scheme was never realized. He lived with an aged maiden sister and died so poor that the county may have to bury him.
San Francisco Chronicle, Saturday, November 23, 1895, Page 10, Column 5 -
OLD DANIEL BRENNAN DEAD
---
HE CLAIMED OAKLAND'S WATER
FRONT
---
Settled in San Antonio, Now East
Oakland, Over Forty
Years Ago
---
Daniel Brennan of Oakland is dead. He was one of the best-known characters in the town, in which he had resided since 1853. He passed away yesterday at noon at the residence of his sister, at the foot of Seventeenth Avenue, where he had resided for many years in a little brick house he had erected there.
Brennan thought he owned all the land along the estuary. He was a potter by trade, and when he first came to this side of the bay he settled in San Antonio, as East Oakland was then called, where he built pottery works. He either obtained a squatter's right or purchased some water-front property for a song, and always claimed it as his own.
It appears that a Frenchman had taken a lease of this part of their grant from the Peralta family, and afterward Louis Brady purchased the lease. Then Peralta sold the property out to Strode, Jones and others, who recognized the Brady lease and afterwards admitted Brady to a partnership. There was a small wharf at the place and considerable business was carried on there. Brady pre-empted 160 acres of land later, and when the taxes on this pre-emption became delinquent Brennan bought it. This seems to be the foundation for Brennan's claim, as near as is known.
When the Peraltas sold out their estate he thought they parted only with the upland, and he went to the surviving members of the family and in some way induced them to give him a deed to the tide lands of the whole estuary. With this deed he thought he owned all of Oakland's water front, and proposed to do battle with all claimants. He could not find lawyers who believed much of his claim, but he grew to believe it himself and talked continuously about it.
This grew to be such a fad with him that it eventually, it is thought, turned his head. Finally he began writing letters to the press about it, and even put in rhyme. He grew very eccentric at the last. It is stated he died very poor.
San Francisco Call, Thursday, November 28, 1895, Page 13, Image 13, Column 2 -
W. A. Fine has applied for letters on the estate of Daniel Brennan, the man who thought he owned the Oakland water front. The petition states that Brennan left no will and his estate is believed to be worth about $1,000. He was never married and his only surviving relative is a sister, Ann Brennan, aged 87 years.
PIONEER BRENNAN'S DEATH
---
Pioneer Brennan Dies
Daniel Brennan, a pioneer who settled in Oakland in 1853, died at noon today in a small brick house that he built many years ago, on land that is now the foot of Seventeenth Avenue. He was one of the historic characters of Oakland, and believed that in him was vested the title to the whole water front of the city.
Brennan was a potter by trade, and after his arrival here - forty years ago - he established a small pottery at San Antonio on land upon which he squatted. Don Peralta leased the property and Brennan bought the lease. A small wharf was built out from the property, and it became an important shipping point. For many years Brennan lived on lease money paid him by people in East Oakland for small wharves, which he claimed were his property. After the Chicago lake-front decision the lessees refused to pay any more, and Brennan's income was gone.
He conceived a scheme which he thought would make him fabulously wealthy. Upon the theory that the ownership of the water front must follow the ownership of the original Spanish grant, and upon the claim that when the Peraltas sold out they parted with the title only to the upland, he went to the surviving members of the Peralta family and induced them to give him a deed to the whole estuary. With this instrument he proposed to dispossess the Water front company, the railroad and the city of Oakland and everybody else. No lawyers were willing to take the case, however, and Brennan's scheme was never realized. He lived with an aged maiden sister and died so poor that the county may have to bury him.
San Francisco Chronicle, Saturday, November 23, 1895, Page 10, Column 5 -
OLD DANIEL BRENNAN DEAD
---
HE CLAIMED OAKLAND'S WATER
FRONT
---
Settled in San Antonio, Now East
Oakland, Over Forty
Years Ago
---
Daniel Brennan of Oakland is dead. He was one of the best-known characters in the town, in which he had resided since 1853. He passed away yesterday at noon at the residence of his sister, at the foot of Seventeenth Avenue, where he had resided for many years in a little brick house he had erected there.
Brennan thought he owned all the land along the estuary. He was a potter by trade, and when he first came to this side of the bay he settled in San Antonio, as East Oakland was then called, where he built pottery works. He either obtained a squatter's right or purchased some water-front property for a song, and always claimed it as his own.
It appears that a Frenchman had taken a lease of this part of their grant from the Peralta family, and afterward Louis Brady purchased the lease. Then Peralta sold the property out to Strode, Jones and others, who recognized the Brady lease and afterwards admitted Brady to a partnership. There was a small wharf at the place and considerable business was carried on there. Brady pre-empted 160 acres of land later, and when the taxes on this pre-emption became delinquent Brennan bought it. This seems to be the foundation for Brennan's claim, as near as is known.
When the Peraltas sold out their estate he thought they parted only with the upland, and he went to the surviving members of the family and in some way induced them to give him a deed to the tide lands of the whole estuary. With this deed he thought he owned all of Oakland's water front, and proposed to do battle with all claimants. He could not find lawyers who believed much of his claim, but he grew to believe it himself and talked continuously about it.
This grew to be such a fad with him that it eventually, it is thought, turned his head. Finally he began writing letters to the press about it, and even put in rhyme. He grew very eccentric at the last. It is stated he died very poor.
San Francisco Call, Thursday, November 28, 1895, Page 13, Image 13, Column 2 -
W. A. Fine has applied for letters on the estate of Daniel Brennan, the man who thought he owned the Oakland water front. The petition states that Brennan left no will and his estate is believed to be worth about $1,000. He was never married and his only surviving relative is a sister, Ann Brennan, aged 87 years.
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