| Dates: | 1915-1934 |
| Size: | 0.5 linear feet, 1 oversize folder |
| Repository: | Chicago Public Library, Harold Washington Library Center, Special Collections, 400 S. State St., Chicago, IL 60605 |
| Collection Number: | Archives_GAB |
| Provenance: | The collection was housed in Chicago Public Library's Pullman Branch Library. In the 1980s Special Collections, working with a Dr. Scholl Foundation grant, transferred and processed the collection to make it fully available to the public. |
| Access: | No restrictions |
| Citation: | When quoting material from this collection the preferred citation is: George A. Brennan Papers [Box #, Folder #], Special Collections, Chicago Public Library. |
Biographical Note
George A. Brennan was born in 1856 outside New York City. His family settled in the Chicago area around 1868. Upon graduation from college, Brennan became one of the first school teachers in the "South End" of Chicago's prairie settlements. His first assignment was in 1876 at Fernwood School. When Van Vlissingen School was erected, Brennan became its first head. He later went on to become principal emeritus of this school. He also taught at Roseland School, and ultimately retired from the teaching profession in 1926.
Brennan was also active in local civic and historical groups, and held major offices in them. He was an officer and director of the Roseland's Lion's Club, Education Committee member of the South End Chamber of Commerce, and active in other groups such as the Chicago Historical Society and the Prairie Club.
Scope and Content
The papers in this collection reflect, through his historical writings, Brennan's personal interest in the local history of the community and the people who settled in this region of Chicago.
Series 1: Biographical Material, 1920s-1934
This small series of two file folders contains newsclippings, notations, and photographs of Native American artifacts that Brennan collected and exhibited at the Chicago Historical Society.
Series 2: The Writings of George A. Brennan, 1920s, 1944
This series includes typescripts, notes, illustrations and handwritten manuscripts of several of Mr. Brennan's historical accounts of the Dutch and their settlement in the Calumet region of Chicago. The files are arranged in alphabetical order by title of work. The last folder in the series contains illustrations for several of his writings.
Non-manuscript material
Two photographs of Mr. Brennan have been removed to the Calumet Region Community Records, under the classification Portrait and Family Photographs.
The Wonders of the Dunes, by George A. Brennan, has been separated from the collection, and is being maintained in the Special Collections Library.
Oversize Material
Map of Chicago-Dune Region in 1856. Compiled by Geo. A. Brennan. Drawn by Jos. Turner. Chicago, Illinois. - Oversize--Brennan
Container List
Series 1: Biographical
| Box 1 | Folder 1 | Biographical news clippings, 1934, 1958, undated |
| Box 1 | Folder 2 | Notations and artifacts photocopies, 1920s |
Series 2: Writings of George A. Brennan
| Box 1 | Folder 3 | “Brief History of the Ninth Ward,” typescript, undated |
| Box 1 | Folder 4 | The Dutch in America, typescript with notations and corrections, undated |
| Box 1 | Folder 5 | The Dutch in America, typed copy, undated |
| Box 1 | Folder 6 | The History of Chicago-Calumet Region (December 13, 1926), August 1944. |
| Box 1 | Folder 7 | “Hollanders first to Make Roseland Home,” The Examiner, March 22,1915. |
| Box 1 | Folder 8 | “Jean Baptiste de Saible, The First Citizen of Chicago, and its First Business Man,” handwritten manuscript, undated |
| Box 1 | Folder 9 | “Jean Baptiste de Saible, The First Citizen of Chicago, and its First Business Man,” typescript, undated |
| Box 1 | Folder 10 | Illustrations for writings, undated |
