Hidden Bonds: The Carpenter Who Built with Double Vision
Miles Murtha O'Brien
The Carpenter Who Built with Double Vision
1904–1984 | Brooklyn, NY to Caldwell, NJ
A brick fell. He fell. He worked alone for fifty more years.
In January 1928, Miles Murtha O'Brien married Lillian Robertson on his twenty-fourth birthday. Two years later, while working construction on one of Manhattan's rising skyscrapers, a brick struck him in the head and sent him falling through an elevator shaft. He survived—but he would see double for the rest of his life. And somehow, impossibly, he kept working as a carpenter. Alone. For fifty more years.
But Miles had already survived worse. He had been surviving since he was two years old.
The Boy Who Lost His Mother
In June 1905, a census taker recorded the household at 174 Milford Street in Brooklyn: Miles Murtha Lawrence O'Brien, age 33, a scale maker. His wife Margaret, also 33, born in Ireland. And their five children, ages one through six—all living.
One of those children was a one-year-old boy named Miles Murtha O'Brien.
1905 New York State Census: The O'Brien family at 174 Milford Street, Brooklyn—one year before Margaret's death.
Eight months later, on February 16, 1906, Margaret Mary Egan O'Brien was dead. She was 34 years old. The cause: heart failure brought on by acute lobar pneumonia.
Miles was two years old when he lost his mother.
His father, Miles Murtha Lawrence O'Brien, had been orphaned at nearly the same age—losing his own mother Cornelia Bedell when he was just eighteen months old, and his father Terrence six months after that. Now the pattern repeated: a toddler left motherless, a father left to raise young children alone. The parallels run deep in this family. (See Episode 6: The Youngest Orphan)
Death Certificate
Margaret Mary Egan O'Brien
February 16, 1906
Obituary
Margaret O'Brien
February 1906
A Blended Family
Miles's father remarried within a few years. His new wife was Anna Theresa Maguire, born in 1878. By the 1915 New York State Census, the household at Milford Street had transformed. Miles, now eleven, was one of ten children—five from his mother Margaret, and five from his stepmother Anna. Uncle Thomas Maguire also lived with the family.
1915 New York State Census: The blended O'Brien household—father Miles Murtha Lawrence, stepmother Anna T. Maguire, ten children, and Uncle Thomas Maguire.
Margaret Mary Egan's Children (1871–1906)
- Grace Marie O'Brien (1899–1978) — "Aunt Grace"
- Josephine Agnes O'Brien (1902–1940)
- James Henry O'Brien (1903–1981)
- Miles Murtha O'Brien (1904–1984)
- Margaret Mary O'Brien (1905–1995)
Anna Theresa Maguire's Children (1878–1940)
- Anna Helena O'Brien (1909–1931)
- Raymond Gerard O'Brien (1910–1977)
- Vincent Francis O'Brien (1911–1995)
- Rita Marie O'Brien Parnell (1913–1977)
- Thomas Woodrow Miles O'Brien (1916–1974) — "Uncle Woody"
At his death in 1984, only two of his nine siblings survived: his full sister Margaret (Margaret Meyers of New York) and his half-brother Vincent (Vincent O'Brien of New York).
Marriage
On January 28, 1928—his twenty-fourth birthday—Miles Murtha O'Brien married Lillian Josephine Robertson at St. Gabriel's R.C. Church in Brooklyn. Both lived at 376 Melford Avenue. James O'Brien served as witness.
Wedding Portrait
Miles & Lillian
January 28, 1928
Marriage Certificate
Certificate No. 1410
January 28, 1928
The marriage certificate recorded Miles's occupation as "Carpenter" and his birthplace as Brooklyn. His father was listed as Miles M. O'Brien, his mother as Marguerite Egan. Lillian's parents were Joseph Robertson and Mary A. Kenny—connecting this O'Brien line to the Kenny and Robertson families documented in the Scattered Stones series.
Where Two Families Meet
This marriage united two immigrant family lines:
The O'Briens: Terrence O'Brien (c.1833–1874), hotel proprietor of Jamaica, Queens, whose hidden $11,000 fortune and tragic death left four orphans scattered across America. Miles Murtha O'Brien was his great-grandson.
The Robertsons: George Robertson (1809–1872), stone cutter of Blairgowrie, Scotland, who died five days after arriving in New York. Lillian Josephine Robertson was his great-granddaughter.
Read Lillian's story: Scattered Stones Episode 8: The Orphan's Journey
Their first child, Lillian Marie, was born in 1928. Miles was working as a carpenter building new construction during one of the most ambitious building booms in American history. Manhattan's skyline was rising—the Chrysler Building, the Empire State Building, dozens of Art Deco towers reaching toward the sky.
Miles was twenty-six years old, a husband, a father. He had a trade, a future, a young family depending on him.
And then someone dropped a brick.
c. 1929–1930
The Fall
The family believes it was the Chrysler Building—the timing fits, and the story has been passed down for nearly a century. What we know for certain is this:
Miles was working on a scaffold in an elevator shaft. Someone above him dropped a brick—or a concrete block. It struck him in the head. He was knocked unconscious. He fell several stories before his body came to rest.
When they reached him, it seemed like a miracle: nothing was broken. But he was badly bruised and battered, his body a canvas of purple and black. He was taken to the hospital.
The treatment was simple—there wasn't much else they could do in 1930. They wrapped him in Burow's solution, an aluminum acetate compound used to reduce swelling and ease bruising. And they gave him time.
Time was the remedy. Time, and whatever stubborn will kept a man with a young wife and baby daughter from giving up.
He could not work for weeks—perhaps months. There was a lawsuit; court documents were said to exist, passed between cousins in New Jersey and Florida, but they have never surfaced. What we have instead is something more durable than paper: the story itself, told and retold across generations.
And one lasting consequence that would shadow the rest of his working life.
From that day forward, Miles saw two of everything.
Two nails. Two boards. Two hammers. Double vision—permanent, unrelenting, for the rest of his life.
Miles never spoke of the accident. Not to his children, not to his grandchildren. It was his daughter Barbara who told the story to her own children—how her father fell, how he healed, and how extraordinary it was that he could still work at all.
"How did he hammer a nail when he saw two of them?" his grandchildren would ask.
No one ever got a good answer. He just did.
"Lunch Atop a Skyscraper," 1932. Eleven ironworkers on a beam hundreds of feet above Manhattan. No harnesses. No safety nets. This was the world Miles worked in—before OSHA, before hard hats were mandatory, before anyone counted the men who fell and survived.
The Brooklyn Citizen, January 19, 1930: "No Loss of Life Marked in Chrysler Building Construction." The article refers to deaths, not injuries—men who fell and survived were not headline news. If Miles fell at the Chrysler Building, he would have been one of the uncounted.
Building a Family
Miles returned to work as soon as he could. There was no other choice—he had a family to support, and carpentry was what he knew. The 1930 census, taken just months after the accident, records his occupation as "Carpenter, New Buildings." He was back on the job.
But something had changed. From that point forward, Miles worked alone. No crew, no partners—just himself, his tools, and his doubled vision. Perhaps it was easier that way. Perhaps he didn't trust himself around other workers. Perhaps he simply preferred the solitude.
Together, Miles and Lillian would have six children:
- Lillian Marie O'Brien (1928–1992) — married Dr. Severino Ambrosio
- Jeanne Marie O'Brien (1930–1993)
- Barbara Ann O'Brien (1935–2022)
- Helen Gladys O'Brien (1940–1948)
- Michael Joseph O'Brien (1946– ) — twin; retired Lieutenant Colonel, USAF
- Miles Murtha O'Brien Jr. (1946– ) — twin; retired Colonel, USAF
Helen died in 1948 at just eight years old—another loss in a life already shaped by loss. She does not appear on the 1950 census, which shows the family at 58 Central Avenue in Caldwell, New Jersey, the address that would remain Miles's home for the rest of his life.
The family had moved from Brooklyn to Caldwell in 1938. Both sons served with distinction in the United States Air Force, reaching the rank of Major by the time of their parents' 50th wedding anniversary in 1978, and eventually retiring as Colonel (Miles Jr.) and Lieutenant Colonel (Michael).
1930 Census
Brooklyn • "Carpenter, New Buildings"
1950 Census
Caldwell, NJ • Twins Miles Jr. & Michael
The Man His Grandchildren Remember
Miles Murtha O'Brien was a man of few words—at least with the grandchildren. He would come home from work, settle into his chair in the alcove, light his pipe, and read the Wall Street Journal. The smell of that pipe tobacco still lingers in family memory decades later.
Miles and Lillian, c. 1940s. The pipe was a constant companion.
The grandchildren thought he was gruff. He would try to catch them between his legs as they walked past his chair—startling them—and then pull out a caramel candy. He was, in truth, a pussycat.
Family Artwork
Pencil sketch by Miles Murtha O'Brien Jr.
His father, and his niece Rosemary
"I love Daddy very much BUT I'll be damned if I can draw him!!"
— Miles Jr., inscribed in pencil
And he was shrewd. Despite his working-class appearance—carpenter's overalls, calloused hands—he did quite well in the stock market. The Wall Street Journal wasn't casual reading.
Family Story
The Silver Store
One of the family's favorite stories: Miles walked into Woodruff Jewelers in Montclair, New Jersey, still wearing his work overalls. He wanted to purchase a complete silver set for Lillian.
The store staff tried to dismiss him. A man in overalls? He couldn't possibly afford such things.
He plunked down cash.
It gave him great satisfaction, and he enjoyed telling that story for years. The silver—still in its purple Woodruff Jewelers cloth bag—was inherited by his granddaughter.
The silver from Woodruff Jewelers—still in its original purple cloth bag.
The Coin Collector
Miles collected coins with the same quiet dedication he brought to everything. He purchased new proof sets every year—American coins and gorgeous international series. After his death, his children divided the collection among the grandchildren.
"To The O'Brien Grandchildren"
Ireland's Decimal Coins, 1971
His Work
After the fall, Miles always worked alone. His Dodge 100 truck, with its hand-painted lettering, was a fixture in the West Essex area for decades:
"Miles M. O'Brien — Carpenter — Alterations · Repairs
58 Central Ave, Caldwell, N.J. — Phone 226-3541"
Among his projects:
- Medical offices for Dr. Severino Ambrosio in Parlin, New Jersey—his son-in-law, married to his daughter Lillian
- Kitchen renovation for his daughter Barbara in Plainfield, New Jersey. It was no easy job in an older house with plaster lath. Barbara's daughter Mary cried when the family moved to Ohio just after he completed it.
Self-employed his entire career. The 1942 draft registration describes him as "Self-Employed, Carpenter Contractor." The 1950 census lists him as "Carpenter, Private Building." His death certificate, fifty years after the fall: "Self-Employed, Carpenter."
All those years. With double vision. Working alone.
WWII Draft Registration, February 15, 1942
"Self-Employed, Carpenter Contractor" — 5'8", 135 lbs, blue eyes, brown hair, ruddy complexion
Fifty Years
In 1978, Miles and Lillian celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. The family gathered—all five surviving children and seventeen of nineteen grandchildren.
"All My Children"
Michael, Jeanne, Lillian, Miles Jr., Barbara
Champagne Toast
"Grandpa and Grandma — 50 Years!"
Fifty years from that wedding day at St. Gabriel's. Fifty years from the young carpenter in Brooklyn. Fifty years of building, raising children, losing a daughter, welcoming grandchildren.
May 5, 1955
27 Years Married
Barbara's Wedding, 1957
Parents of the Bride
"Grandpa Cutting the Cake with His Saw"
Front row: Pat, Miles, Claire, Patty, Grandma, Annette, Eileen
The End
Miles Murtha O'Brien died on Monday, January 16, 1984, at his daughter Lillian's home in Parlin, New Jersey. He was 79 years old.
A Mass was offered at St. Aloysius Church, where he had been a member of the Holy Name Society. He was buried at Gate of Heaven Cemetery in East Hanover.
He was survived by his wife Lillian; two sons, both career Air Force officers; three daughters; his brother Vincent and sister Margaret; nineteen grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. Four grandchildren preceded him in death.
Death Certificate
January 16, 1984
Obituary
Caldwell, NJ
Lillian followed him seven years later, in 1991.
The Inheritance
Miles Murtha O'Brien lost his mother at age two. He was raised in a blended family of ten children. He fell through an elevator shaft and spent the rest of his life seeing double. He lost a daughter at eight years old. He worked alone, with damaged eyes, for fifty years.
And yet.
The wedding portrait shows a young man in love. The 50th anniversary photo shows an old man still in love. The family dinner photo shows a grandfather cutting cake with his carpenter's saw, surrounded by grandchildren who thought he was gruff until he slipped them candy.
The coins were divided. The silver was inherited. The pipe smell faded.
But the stories and the memories remain.
Years after his death, his children sent the grandchildren a portion of his coin collection, along with a letter:
"Enclosed are a few mementoes from the many years of your Grandfather O'Brien's coin collecting. We do hope you enjoy them as much as your Grandfather enjoyed collecting them.
It has been almost 10 years since your grandfather saw you last. Hopefully as you look at and handle these items, special memories of your Grandpa and Grandma O'Brien will be recalled and these treasures will give you many years of peace and enjoyment.
Always keep your Grandparents O'Brien in your hearts and remember how much they loved and cherished each one of you.
In loving memory of Grandpa and Grandma O'Brien,
From "The Kids" — Lillian, Jeanne (RIP), Barbara, Miles Jr., and Mike"
Document Gallery
1904 — Birth Certificate
January 28, Brooklyn NY
Birth
1928 — Marriage Certificate
Miles & Lillian Robertson
Marriage
1928 — Wedding Portrait
Miles & Lillian, January 28
Portrait
1984 — Death Certificate
January 16, Parlin NJ
Death
1984 — Obituary
Caldwell, New Jersey
Obituary
Pencil Sketch by Miles Jr.
"I can't draw him!!"
Artwork
1906 — Mother's Death
Margaret Mary Egan O'Brien
Death
1942 — WWII Draft Card
Self-Employed Carpenter
Draft
1905 — NY State Census
With parents, before loss
Census
1915 — NY State Census
Blended family, 10 children
Census
1930 — Federal Census
Brooklyn, after the fall
Census
1950 — Federal Census
Caldwell NJ, with twins
Census
1978 — 50th Anniversary
"All My Children"
Photo
Carpenter's Truck
Dodge 100, Caldwell NJ
Business
Woodruff Jewelers Silver
The purchase in overalls
Heirloom
Ireland's Decimal Coins
1971 Proof Set
HeirloomFor the Descendants
Commemorative Poem
"Cutting Straight"
A poem for Miles Murtha O'Brien (1904–1984), the carpenter who fell from a scaffold and worked with double vision for fifty more years.
READ THE POEM →Legacy Essay
"What He Built"
A granddaughter's reflection on a grandfather who never said much but showed her everything — through candy in his pocket, silver in a purple bag, and a birthday cake cut with a saw.
READ THE ESSAY →This episode is part of the Hidden Bonds series. Miles Murtha O'Brien married Lillian Josephine Robertson, whose story is told in Scattered Stones Episode 8: The Orphan's Journey. Their marriage united two families — the O'Briens of Jamaica, Queens (immigrants from County Clare, Ireland) and the Robertsons of Brooklyn (stone cutters from Perthshire, Scotland). Both Lillian and Miles lost parents in childhood. Together, they built a family of six children and nineteen grandchildren.
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