help finding Patrick O'Neill

[carter56]

Hello, I wonder if anyone could give me any help in finding my great grandfather prior to 1872. His name is PATRICK O'NEILL and according to the 1911 census he was born in Kilbennan in County Galway. He married MARGARET CARNEY in 1872 in Farnworth Lancashire England and on his marriage certificate it states his father is called PATRICK O'NEILL and he is a farmer. Patrick and Margaret lived in Leigh Lancashire and had 7 children. Its his life before he married in 1872 that I am trying to find out about. Can anyone point me in the right direction please.

 

[Elwyn]

Birth registration didn’t start in Ireland till 1864 so you would normally need to search church baptism records for Patrick’s birth. The civil parish of Kilbennan is in the RC parish of Kilconly. Unfortunately that parish doesn’t have any records before 1872. So you may struggle to find a record of his birth.

Griffiths Valuation (1855) only lists 3 O’Neill households in Kilbennan. (It’s not a very big parish). No Patrick listed (so he might have died before 1855). There was a John and a Martin in the townland of Mullagh and a Michael in Kilcreevanty. If you have no other leads you might want to explore them.

http://www.askaboutireland.ie/griffith-valuation/index.xml

None in Mullagh in 1901 but there was 1 O’Neill in Kilcreevanty:

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Galway/KilBennan/Kilcreevanty/1402405/

 

[carter56]

Elwyn

Thank you so much for your reply. I really did feel like I'd hit the proverbial brick wall.

On Patrick O'Neill's marriage certificate in 1872 in Farnworth Bolton Lancashire it says father Patrick O'Neill occupation Farmer but it doesn't say deceased. So i always presumed he was still alive in 1872 !!!

On the link you provided to the 1901 Census there is a daughter by the name of Sabina O'Neill . Sabina is an unusual name , one of her brothers is called Michael
On my grandfather John O'Neill ( Patrick's son ) baptism record in 1875 in Leigh Lancashire his godparents are Michael O'Neill and Sabina O'Neill. Is this just a coincidence I wonder !!!!

On the 1901 Irish Census Sabina's father is John O'Neill and his d.o.b is 1854. I wonder if he is Patrick's brother !!!

Is there anywhere I can find out anymore about this John O'Neill ?

Thank you so much for your help it is so much appreciated

Linda

Free Family History

 

[carter56]

Elwyn

Sorry but just realised in my excitement that Sabina couldn't be the same one as she was only born in 1893 !!!

 

[Elwyn]

Irish families tended to repeat the same names. Sabina is unusual and so there could well be some sort of connection, especially as the area where this family live is apparently the one that your ancestor came from.

The 1893 Sabina was born on 1.5.1893 in Knocknagur. Her mother was Bridget Nicholson.

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy...s/birth_returns/births_1893/02301/1862893.pdf

So it looks as though they hadn’t always lived in Kilcreevanty. John & Bridget married in 1882. His address then was Knocknagur and his father was Michael. A witness was Patrick O’Neill.

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy...iage_returns/marriages_1882/10970/8010092.pdf

Michael died at Knocknagur on 30.3.1890 aged 79. I don’t see a death for a Patrick O’Neill in the Tuam area 1864 – 1901.

 

[carter56]

Elwyn you have been so helpful. i feel a little bit further along but not sure why !!. do you have any advice for me ? anything at all would be most gratefully received

Linda

 

[carter56]

Elwyn
I wonder if Johns father Michael and Patricks father Patrick were brothers ?

 

[Elwyn]

Elwyn
I wonder if Johns father Michael and Patricks father Patrick were brothers ?

Could be.

 

[Elwyn]

Elwyn you have been so helpful. i feel a little bit further along but not sure why !!. do you have any advice for me ? anything at all would be most gratefully received

Linda

The Kilcreevanty family in 1911:

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Galway/Kilbennan/Kilcreevanty/549171/

They were still there in the 1920s as here’s Sabina’s marriage:

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy...iage_returns/marriages_1923/09182/5321183.pdf

You could write to the parish priest and see if there are any O’Neills from Kilcreevanty or Knocknagur in the congregation. (Enclose an open letter to be forwarded, asking to make contact). Or perhaps the parish has a facebook page and you could contact them that way? DNA test with any living descendants, if they are willing (not everyone is). Go to Kilcreevanty and knock on a few doors looking for O’Neills. They might still be farming there today. I looked in the Irish phone book and couldn’t see any but you never know. Many people aren’t listed in the phone book any more so it doesn’t mean too much.