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Research in Other Countries => New Zealand => New Zealand Completed Requests => Topic started by: jck1103 on Tuesday 21 June 11 16:25 BST (UK)
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looking for information on o'neill family Rakaia NZ 1900 - 1920 ?
My O'neill - Leslie Benjamin fought in WW1 was injured and came to a hospital in the UK got married and had a family. Went back to NZ with wife who didn't want to stay so they returned to the UK.
Leslie was one of thirteen children possibly brother Albert who died WW1 and sister Lily who married G. H. Edgerton 1913 NZ. Unable to pinpoint other siblings.
Unable to find a birth for Leslie Benjamin O'neill in England/Wales. :(
Looking for country of origin.
Any help appreciated :) :)
J
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Hello J
.... and welcome to RootsChat. :)
Mmm ... I see his war service for NZ was under the name of "Leslie Benjamin". [Service details on index at Auckland Museum cenotaph database, show that his N.o.K. was "Benjamin O'NEILL (father) of Rakaia". ]
Can't see a New Zealand registered birth in that particular name, but there is this one (which may be a spelling error on the birth index) ??
1891 - O'NEILL - Benjamin Leeson
Parents: Elizabeth and Benjamin O'NEILL
~ Lu
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I'm guessing you may have already seen this, but here is the link to Cenotaph database - with details for Leslie Benjamin and Albert James O'NEILL :
http://muse.aucklandmuseum.com/databases/general/basicsearch.aspx?Dataset=cenotaph
More info on O'NEILL siblings to follow. ;)
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Yes, can see at least 13 O'NEILL children with father named as "Benjamin" on NZ birth index. :)
Mothers are shown as Mary and Elizabeth (also Hannah Elizabeth) ... appears that Benjamin was married twice.
O'NEILL - children of Elizabeth and Benjamin
1888 - Lily
1889 - Ruby May
1891 - Benjamin Leeson
1892 - George Joseph
1894 - Albert
1895 - Walter
1897 - Catherine
1899 - Annie Maria
also ...
1893 - Rebecca -- parents - Hannah Elizabeth & Benjamin
see next >>
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NZ BDM link >>
https://www.bdmhistoricalrecords.dia.govt.nz/Home
Probable marriage :
O'NEILL - Benjamin --- Elizabeth CUNNINGHAM - 1887
Just re-checking the other births with father named as Benjamin ... will add in moment.
~ Lu
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O'NEILL - children of Elizabeth and Benjamin
1888 - Lily
1889 - Ruby May
1891 - Benjamin Leeson
1892 - George Joseph
1894 - Albert
1895 - Walter
1897 - Catherine
1899 - Annie Maria[/b]
also ...
1893 - Rebecca -- parents - Hannah Elizabeth & Benjamin ??
Hmm ... can see now that I was wrong in thinking that Benjamin O'NEILL was twice married :-[ .
There were these further children born after 1899 to Elizabeth and Benjamin - which brings the total to 12 (or 13 if Rebecca 1893 is included ?) :
O'NEILL
1900 - Frederick Roberts
1902 - Alfred Ernest
1903 - William Selwyn
1905 - Harold John
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Hi J
Do you have a copy of Leslie Benjamin's service record ?
If not, then you can contact Archives New Zealand (Wellington office) who now "digitise" the files and make them available for viewing via their website.
See link for further details :
http://archway.archives.govt.nz/
[I notice Archives now have an added note, that you can use their "remote service" facility to make a request for digitisation. There shouldn't be a charge for this (but get back to us if there is). ]
~ Lu
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.... and sister Lily who married G. H. Edgerton 1913 NZ.
Marriage for Lily :
Lily O'NEILL -- George Henry EDGINTON - 1913
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1892 - George Joseph
This sibling also served in WW1.
You can see his listing at the Cenotaph website - he's entered as "Joseph George O'NEILL" [ NoK is given as Harold John O'NEILL (brother) of Papanui, Christchurch." ]
;)
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1895 - ONEILL - Walter
Ah ... and another soldier brother. :)
Walter O'NEILL - enlistment address - Kylemore, Rakaia
NoK : Mrs P. McCLOY (sister)
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1889 - O'NEILL - Ruby May
NZ Marriage
Ruby May O'NEILL - Patrick McCLOY -- 1913
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Hi again J
Well, well, ... my earlier hunch about (father) Benjamin O'NEILL having been married previously, turns out to be correct. :D (He in fact was married 3 times.) ::)
And indeed had many more than 13 children ! :D
You'll find lots of reading for your "entertainment" at our PapersPast website.
http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz
Search term "Benjamin O'NEILL" :
Begin with >>
"Ashburton Guardian" - 8 December 1911 - Magisterial
~ Lu
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thank you so much for your help ! im interested in leslie benjamin am researching him for a friend who is no good on computers ! was told that leslie had a twin brother but have found no evidence. picked up albert james who died ww1. leslie married in romford essex uk 1918 stated that he was 25 so was working on birth date of c1893 had not thought of benjamin leeson because his year of birth 1891 but its a possibility. would be grateful for any info. after his marriage leslie returned to new zealand but came back c 1926. for the rest of his days he longed to return to new zealand but sadly never did. the newspapers are brilliant have been wading my way through them Ben was a character thats for sure ! thank you again
jacky
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Hi Jacky
Yes, old Ben certainly was a colourful character. ;D
I'm sure your friend will be delighted with all those wonderfully detailed newspaper articles. :D
Leslie Benjamin's date of birth and names of his parents, should be listed on the attestation form on his Army service record. So sad to hear that he pined for his homeland.
The child "Benjamin Leeson" son of Benjamin and Elizabeth O'NEILL, was born on 1st February, 1891.
Have some more information for you, it's getting late here, so will add it in the morning.
~ Lu
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hi lu
thanks for birth date am waiting for Barry to get back to me on his grandads birth date but am pretty convinced now that benjamin leeson is my leslie benjamin. have got following on leslie
name leslie benjamin o'neill
rifleman
headquarters attached
nominal roll vol 1
samoan adv and 2nd nzrb
single
rakaia
benjamin o'neill next of kin
rakaia next of kin address
got info from find my past new zealand soldiers ww1 1914-1919
seeing as benjamin senior populated most of rakaia ha ha it must be right !!
regards jacky
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Hi J
I have part of the ONEILL family tree, Leslie Benjamin is not one of the issue of Benjamin & Mary (nee ROSS)ONEILL or his second wife Elizabeth CUNNINGHAM. Ben d1927 in Ashburton CBY.
Benjamin b1842 in Rosscommon, Wicklow Son of Richard & Hannah (nee LEESON) married abt 1841.
These are the ONEILL who lived at Rakaia
Regards Wayne
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Leslie Benjamin is not one of the issue of Benjamin & Mary (nee ROSS) ONEILL or his second wife Elizabeth CUNNINGHAM.
Hello Wayne....
Welcome to RootsChat :-)
I'm curious as to how many of the names of Benjamin's twenty-five (?) children you have. And is "Benjamin Leeson" one of them. Or any Benjamin at all.
Although the WWI Nominal Rolls at Cenotaph (http://muse.aucklandmuseum.com/databases/cenotaph/locations.aspx) only list Leslie Benjamin O'NEILL's father the attestation in his WW1 Army Service record should list both of his parents. So it's no real problem for the original poster to identify Leslie Benjamin's parents. He/she just needs to post a request to the Wgtn Archives (http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,533414.0.html) thread asking for the Service record to be digitised and posted on the web.
I think what needs to be sorted is if "Leslie Benjamin" is "Benjamin Leeson". My guess is that "Leeson" is just a transcription error of the birthplace "Leeston" (which is a mile or so from Doyleston). But that's just a guess.
I'd tend to agree with Lucy2's line of reasoning, namely "Leslie Benjamin" and "Benjamin Leeson" are one and the same. And that he is a child of Benjamin and Elizabeth. More than happy to be proven wrong (most likely by the Army Service record) :-)
I'd tend to agree because.....there is no Leslie Benjamin O'NEILL listed on the NZ BDM Births fiche from 1885 to 1905. The closest is the already mentioned Benjamin Leeson O'NEILL (1891/1757). His birth is registered in Ellesmere. According to the BDM NZ website he is a child of Benjamin and Elizabeth.
Some of the other O'NEILL's registered in Ellesmere are Lily (1888/1860), Ruby May (1889/3993), George Joseph (1892/1801), Albert (1894/4095) and Walter (1895/4161) - again, according to the BDM NZ website, all children of Benjamin and Elizabeth.
The original poster says "Leslie was one of thirteen children possibly brother Albert who died WW1 and sister Lily who married G. H. Edgerton 1913 NZ". The brother is Albert James O'NEILL, died at Ypres in 1916. And the sister is Lily EDGINGTON m.s O'NEILL, buried with her husband George Henry in Ruru Cemetery, Christchurch. The burial record has her place of birth as Doyleston.
So assuming that what the original poster says is true Leslie Benjamin is the brother of Albert and Lily who are children of Benjamin and Elizabeth. Benjamin Leeson, also a child of Benjamin and Elizabeth, must therefore be another brother to Leslie Benjamin. Or, more likely, one and the same person.
The only uncertainty for me is if the father (Benjamin who was married three times, second time to Elizabeth) is the Benjamin who died in 1927 and is buried in Ashburton Cemetery. It seems more than likely but I've yet to see a death notice or certificate.
Curious as to what proof you have that "Leslie Benjamin is not one of the issue of Benjamin & Mary [...] or his second wife Elizabeth".
Regards
Beg
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hi am reading all replies on o'neills with great interest and much confusion !! on leslie benjamins army card he states his father was benjamin. how many benjamin o;neills lived in Rakaia ? am assuming its a small place so feel leslie must be the son of benjamin and elizabeth. he states on his marriage certificate that his father was leslie benjamin !! and his age was 25 making his birth year 1893 i looked at births and benjamin leeson is the only one that fits, when he died in 1962 his age was put on his gravestone as 71 which would make his birth year 1891 the same as benjamin leeson. bear with me am new to rootschat and also in uk so am finding my way around the site at the moment. am very grateful for all the imput would really love to get to the bottom of this for leslie benjamins grandson sake. followed the links given to archway but the record is restricted access so at the moment im none the wiser. can anyone prove that benjamin leeson stayed in new zealand had a family and died there ? if not i think my leslie is him can anyone prove me wrong ? i dont mind being wrong what i cant stand is not knowing !!!
regards jacky
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Hi Beg
Yes, many of the points you make, I'd covered earlier. ;)
But just taking this slowly, and awaiting further info from the lister "Jacky". :)
~ Lu
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hi lu
read begs reply very interesting also dont understand why wayne is certain that leslie benjamin is not benjamins and elizabeths son perhaps he knows something i dont ! havent got to grips with smiley faces yet for some reason i cant do them ::) oh perhaps i can !! ha ha. would love to get to the bottom of this puzzler been doing family history for 15 years and this one is a real stickler. grateful for all help thank you
regards jacky
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Hi Jacky
Just spotted your incoming post. :)
To ease the confusion regarding the Army records at Archives -Wellington ... it's probably best to just follow the instruction given in Beg's post, and add a request for digistisation of Leslie Benjamin's file at the link provided. ;)
[Even I have difficulty at times comprehending what is written in Archives NZ's blurb. ::) But ALL WW1 files now have the word "restricted" added to them ... and it's not made easy by Archives' to navigate their website and find the ordering page or further instructions and explanations. ]
Once requested though, the Army record should appear online at the Archway (website) within two weeks.
I remain confident that "Benjamin Leeson" is indeed Leslie Benjamin. :) (Possibly a variation in name has come about, so as to distinguish him from his father ?)
I haven't found any (further) records for a "Benjamin Leeson" ... and there is just the one death of a "Benjamin O'NEILL" (in 1927) showing on the NZ index.
Fingers crossed then that the NZ Army record provides the confirmation you're needing. :)
{I know I said earlier I'd add some further info for these O'NEILLs - will wait though till army info is to hand.}
Cheers
~ Lu
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hi lu
have just requested more info from archway re army record lets hope this clears things up. found birth death marriage nz interesting better than ours in uk. i think that leslie is a corruption of leeson but wont type tree up until proved i hope :-\ having a mini heatwave here at mo so hot and bothered 8) but got the hang of the smileys he he
regards jacky
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Hi again Jacky
Best I think to let Wayne add further to the thread. ;)
[But maybe details for "Benjamin Leeson" / "Leslie Benjamin" are "unavailable" not only because of the name variation, but also due to the fact that he lived a good deal of his life in the UK ... disappeared of the NZ radar, if you like. Depends too I guess, when this O'NEILL tree was researched ... there are just so many more easily-accessible records these days than there were even just a few years back. ]
Just gotta play the "waiting game", now. ;) ;)
~ Lu
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He, he .. glad you got the "smileys" sorted. Hope there'll be plenty more to come when we get all this "nutted out". :)
[Know what you mean about the "heatwave" - I just got back from the UK last week - with a London suntan ! ]
~ Lu
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Hi again...
Yes, many of the points you make, I'd covered earlier. ;)
Was aware of that. Was just adding the Births fiche (place of registration) info as I've learned to mistrust the BDM website.
Plus no-one had asked Wayne for his sources.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Benjamin b1842 in Rosscommon, Wicklow Son of Richard & Hannah (nee LEESON) married abt 1841.
IFHF (http://www.rootsireland.ie) actually gives the year of birth as 1844 (f.Richard, m.Hannah, parish of Castlemacadam (COI), Co.Wicklow)
Unfortunately it doesn't mention Hannah's maiden name. Would be handy if it was LEESON, as you said.
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He states on his marriage certificate that his father was leslie benjamin !!
Is there a mother listed on the marriage certificate as well.
Regards
Beg
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Is there a mother listed on the marriage certificate as well.
Regards
Beg
leslie married in romford essex uk 1918
Mmm ... correct me if I'm wrong :D ... but don't UK Marriage certificates record only the names (plus rank or occupation), of the bride's and groom's father ? (Mother's names not recorded. )
~ Lu
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Correct me if I'm wrong :D ... but don't UK Marriage certificates record only the names (plus rank or occupation), of the bride's and groom's father ? (Mother's names not recorded. )
Hi again...
Learn something new every day.
'Marriage certificate' help sheet (http://www.direct.gov.uk/prod_consum_dg/groups/dg_digitalassets/@dg/@en/documents/digitalasset/dg_176227.pdf) 185K download
Seems fairly discriminatory :-)
Regards
Beg
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Hi J
The child "Benjamin Leeson" son of Benjamin and Elizabeth O'NEILL, was born on 1st February, 1891, born at Killinchy, Ellesmere, Canterbury, Baptism 15 Feb 1891 sources church register at Christchurch public library.
If the military records the same birth date the mystery will be solved.
Am unable to check the records in the Christchurch Library due to earthquqke damage.
Rgards Wayne
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hi wayne thank you for the info am still waiting for leslies grandson to get back to me on his grandfathers date of birth it may be on the gravestone i hope :-\ strange how one thing leads to another ! lu gave me a link to nz newspapers which has been fascinating and i found my step fathers enlistment in 1939 in wellington must admit bottom lip went when i read it he was a big part of my life and died in 1986 when i was 5 months pregnant with my daughter, who is now 38 weeks pregnant herself !! :D so if i go quiet it means the little ankle biter has arrived ! am feeling like everything is a waiting game at mo :(
regards jacky
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hi beg
its all a bit puzzling at mo thank you for your imput have so much info to trawl through but holding back in case leslie and benjamin leeson are not the same person. my gut instinct is that they are but would look like a real twit if im wrong :) uk marriage certs only give the fathers name and occupation leslies is down as leslie benjamin farmer :-\ but there are mistakes often made on the day i have them in my own family tree. there is no info on mothers. also our birth records only give childs name, year and area whereas yours gives parents names which is so much more helpful. hopefully the army records will be available soon or his grandson barry gets back to me with a birth date. Barry remembers his uncles ? cousins ? coming over here during the second world war and carrying him on their shoulders through romford market he seems to think they were in the navy but thats all he can remember, he went into the navy himself and has been to all over the world. anyway onward and upward :)
regards jacky
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hi lu
you,re right mothers names are not recorded on marriage certs bit of a cheek i think !! :)
regards jacky
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hi lu
am bit frustrated ??? can you advise please
have requested digitised record for leslie benjamin o'neill from archway and not got anywhere :( 1st request was 27th june any ideas ?
leslies birth date is not on his headstone unfortunately, but he died in 1962 aged 71 which would make his birth year c1891.
where do i go from here ?
thanks jacky
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hi lu
just realised have been looking in the wrong place for a reply from archway what a plank !!
they have replied to me but they want $25 for the information, at this point in time i dont really want to pay that amount as all i am interested in is the birth date, have you any suggestions ?
thanks jacky
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Hi Jacky
Was just in the process of answering your first message ... pushed a wrong button and lost the lot ! Aaagghh !
I can't believe Archives are asking you to pay $25 !!! ::)
[Their website message is soooo misleading regarding these army records.]
Don't worry though, I'll order the file for you from this end (it doesn't cost a bean). :)
~ Lu
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Hi lu
Thank you so much am almost sure leslie is benjamin leeson just need it confirmed by birth date that wayne gave me
regards jacky
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Hi Jacky
Just to let you know that Leslie Benjamin's Army file is now available for viewing / downloading, at the Archives website. ;)
http://archway.archives.govt.nz/
~ Lu
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Hi again Jacky
.... gosh ... I hope you don't have too much difficulty in viewing that file ??
[I tried it and got the following message : " There was an error opening this document. The file is damaged and could not be repaired." ] Holy smoke !! ::)
If any probs, let me know and I can investigate further with Archives. :)
~ Lu
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;D ;D ;D ;D
hi lu you are an absolute star !! have read through leslie benjamins record and he gives his date of birth as the 25/1/1891 slightly different from wayboys date but he makes his will out and leaves his goods to mrs p mcloy benjamin leesons sister so thats good enough for me !!
have an awful lot of work to do now but am excited by the challenge !
cant thank you enough :)
regards jacky
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hi wayne
have read leslie benjamins attestation papers and he gives his date of birth as 25/1/1891 but he makes his will out and leaves his goods to mrs p mccloy so have come to the conclusion that benjamin leeson and leslie benjamin are the same person.
perhaps we can share info :)
regards jacky
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Hi Jacky
Phew !!! :D That's good news.
[And I had some male rellies who also "invented" odd birthdates when attesting. I think some fellas really didn't care too much - near enough was good enough. And lots of them didn't have copies of their birth certs. anyway. :D ]
As I said, wasn't able to view the file, but there's a question there (on attestion form) relating to parents names and birthplaces. Did Leslie not offer any information about them ? (I'm guessing he just put his sister's details ? )
~ Lu
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hi lu
Leslie gave his next of kin as his father B O'Neill address Daniels Road, and his wife as Mrs F N O'Neill. he also gave his place of birth as Leeston.
this must be of some help if anyone is doing the tree as it answers the question of what happened to Benjamin Leeson O'Neill. I will be collating all the info and doing a tree here for Barry his grandson, he is over the moon. ;D i will be looking at the newspapers again they have been so helpful and have also helped me with my own family tree the Barnes of Masons Flats.
When you visited London think you bought the weather with you !! its dull, grey and showery now !!
regards jacky :)
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Hi Lu
Just re-read Waynes message and the 15th of Feb 1891 was when Benjamin Leeson was baptised not born so birth date 25/1/1891 must be right :)
regards jacky
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Hi Jacky
So pleased there was all that other helpful info on Leslie's Army record. :) [Had been going to ask who "Frances Nellie" was - she appears in an electoral roll listing 1919 at Daniel's Road, along with Benjamin, Lucy, and Leslie Benj. - so Mrs. F.N. (wife) on Leslie's record, solves that question.]
And incidentally, I think the "Lucy O'NEILL" (1919) is the lady who became Benjamin's 4th wife (married 1923).
Shout out if you need help with anything more for the "O'NEILL" family. I found a few of the newspaper items a little confusing - some things didn't quite "stack up" (especially when compared with official records), but that's to be expected. Newspaper reporters, didn't always get things right.
~ Lu
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Hi Lu
Just re-read Waynes message and the 15th of Feb 1891 was when Benjamin Leeson was baptised not born so birth date 25/1/1891 must be right :)
regards jacky
Mmm ... his actual date of birth according to the NZ Birth Index (online version), is ... 1st February 1891. ;)
[Date is not shown on index but we can work this out by a process of eliminating dates. e.g. Type year and reference # in search box, start with 1st quarter, 01/01/1891 ... 31/03/1891 ... if birth entry pops up in that quarter, then reduce the last date - search to end of January, if it ain't there, try February ... and so on. ]
But don't know why Leslie would have given a different day of birth ? Maybe the attesting officer who wrote the information on the form, got it wrong ? Doesn't matter too much though ... at least his parentage is confirmed. ;)
~ Lu
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hi lu
have to agree with you the birth date is wrong but everything else now tallies so am going with it. have 4 marriages for benjamin know three are correct but is the 1923 marriage lucy hodges the same benjamin ?
any thoughts ?
regards jacky
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hi lu
sorry just read your bit about 1919 electoral roll which answers my previous question about lucy hodges. are the electoral rolls online ?
am still wading through newspapers !!
regards jacky
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Hi Jacky
Yes, e/rolls online at ancestry.com : Indexes free-to-view
but you need a subscription to see actual address.
OR ... if you've got access to AncestryLibrary (at a local library) then you can view rolls in full via that.
~ Lu
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... oops ... just to add, not all electoral years are shown on Ancestry and some that will be relevant to this wider O'NEILL family, can only be accessed via the microfiche records (held at NZ libraries).
I'll be at the library this week, so will take a look at the rolls for those "missing" years.
~ Lu
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... ooops again ! :D Just noticed on the scribbles I made when I looked for O'NEILLs on Electoral rolls, that in 1919, Benjamin O'NEILL and Leslie Benjamin O'NEILL, are both shown as being in two electorates for that year !
[Enrolment in two electorates (generally) means that they had changed addresses, and usually you'd find the most recent enrolment (with new address), was listed in a supplementary roll in the electoral district to which they had moved. No so in this case. Rolls were printed in 1914 and then due to war, the next electoral registers were published in 1919.]
see next >>
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1914 - Selwyn Electorate
O'NEILL - Benjamin - Rakaia - farmer
[No sign of the (3rd) wife, Emily. Nor a listing for Leslie Benjamin who would have been entitled to vote from 1912.]
1919 - Kaiapoi Electorate
O'NEILL - Benjamin - Daniel's Road, farmer
O'NEILL - Frances Nellie - Daniel's Road - married
O'NEILL - Leslie Benjamin - Daniel's Road - farmer
O'NEILL - Lucy - Daniel's Road - married
1919 - Riccarton (Canterbury) Electorate
O'NEILL - Benjamin - 10 Sawyers Arms Road, Papanui - farmer
O'NEIL [sic] - Lucy - married ... same address ^
1919 - Ellesmere Electorate
O'NEILL - Joseph George - Doyleston - farm labourer
O'NEILL - Leslie Benjamin - Doyleston - soldier (farmer) *
O'NEILL - Walter - Doyleston - farm labourer
[* Leslie's entry has "soldier", with "farmer" entered in brackets. ]
I'll get the 1922 & 1925 entries from the microfiche record.
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Though Benjamin O'NEILL died in 1927, he still appears on the following roll :
1928 - Avon (Canterbury) Electorate
O'NEILL - Benjamin - Dennett Street, farmer
O'NEILL - Lucy - Dennett Street, married
also -- Mid Canterbury Electorate
O'NEILL - Leslie Benjamin - Lake Coleridge - farmer
[Didn't see a listing for Frances Nellie ?]
O'NEILL - Walter, Brookside, farmer (brother ?)
O'NEILL - Elizabeth - Brookside - married
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hi lu
.... . have 4 marriages for benjamin know three are correct but is the 1923 marriage lucy hodges the same benjamin ?
any thoughts ?
regards jacky
Hi Jacky
Yep, have to say that I'm satisfied that this 1923 marriage is Benjamin O'NEILL, (the father of Leslie Benjamin ... and numerous others. ) ;D
* there is, as I recall, the testimony from Emily (3rd wife) in one of those newspaper articles (though I must re-check ), which states that her husband (Benjamin) was in the company of another woman (at .... ?) and there was "evidence" a of a baby (or babies) present at the address at which he was living (after their separation).
[Have some possible children for Lucy but need to check firstly, when & where they were born. Will get back to you on that.]
* the electoral rolls show the presence of "a Lucy O'NEILL (O'NEIL)" at same locations as Benjamin O'NEILL and whilst "married" is appended to her entries (1919), I tend to think that they were just living as man and wife, and that the formal marriage came in 1923 (probably following the death of Emily ?) [Need to find Emily's death. Can't see evidence that Emily and Benjamin actually divorced. ]
* there seems only to have been one "Benjamin O'NEILL" living in NZ at the time of these documented events. And there is just the one "Benjamin O'NEILL" who appears on the NZ Death index .
~ Lu see next > >
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Lucy HODGES
Although Benjamin was old enough to be her father, I think the following Lucy, is the "bride in question". ;)
NZ Birth
1891 - HODGES - Lucy
Parents: Mary Augusta Jane & Josiah HODGES
[There's a marriage notice for the parents in 1882 showing they were from the Christchurch area. ]
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And this I think, is the death of Lucy (w/o Benjamin).
Waimairi Cemetery (Christchurch)
O'NEILL - Lucy - widow
Died 21 December 1986 ... aged 95 years (b.c. 1891)
Buried : 8 January 1987
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Ah .... just checked the Waimairi Cemetery ... and buried in the same plot (AN 35 - Plot 11) is ...
Emily HODGES - died 1983 - aged 99 years
Lucy O'NEILL's, spinster sister. ;)
[This Emily served in WW1 as a nurse - next of kin was Josiah HODGES (father) of Loburn, Rangiora (Christchurch).
Emily seems to have been a remarkable lady. During the war she survived the bombing and sinking of the hospital ship she was aboard ... went on to become a hospital matron in NZ. Whoops ... off topic, sorry ... an inspirational story though ... and she would have had a markedly different life to that of her sister ?]
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Back on topic ... ;D
I wonder if Wayne has a copy of Benjamin O'NEILL's death certificate (printout) ?
If not, then it may be worth getting. Would/should, confirm this last marriage and might give other interesting information ? [I'd usually advocate getting the marriage cert. as this is first-hand info provided by bride and groom ... but with his death printout, you'd get (hopefully) the ages (but not names) of his surviving children.
~ Lu
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Hi Lu
wow you,ve been a busy bee thanks for info :)
re 1928 electoral roll Frances Nellie returned to uk without Leslie Benjamin so thats why she,s not there, he followed eventually but not sure what year. Benjamins death cert would be interesting perhaps Wayne has it. So far I have 3 legitimate children for Benjamin and Mary (Ross) 12 legitimate children for Benjamin and Elizabeth (Cunningham) 1 legitimate child for Benjamin and Emily(Aitcheson) making a total of 16 :o i know there are reputed to be more if i,ve missed any can you let me know. there are 25 quoted in the newspapers 9 is a big number to be short !!
am still wading through newspapers :)
Emily Hodges sounds fascinating ! will save her for another time though.
will be interesting to know contents of further electoral rolls
thanks again ;) jacky
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Hi Jacky
What's actually great, is that dear old Benjamin, was so talkative when standing before a Magistrate ! :D
And it's to be hoped too, that he was rather good with his maths ?
http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz
"Ashburton Guardian" - 11 December 1911 -Local & General
^ In this article he states that he'd raised
* nine (9) sons .... and .... twelve (12) daughters.
So as at December 1911 ... a total of 21 !!
[And after this date, I'm fairly sure, there was a "breeding programme" with Lucy (the eventual 4th wife). ?? ]
~ Lu
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Grrr ... I checked the 1922 electoral rolls (covering about 8 different areas) and no sign of the O'NEILLs (only Walter and his wife Elizabeth). Bit strange.
The electoral boundaries were re-configured in 1922 with some areas being assigned new names, but I'm sure I covered them all. ??? Anyway, when I've got time, will look at the 1925 rolls.
~ Lu
-
ok lu
know it can get frustrating cant it i just wish the authorities would leave things alone !! the east end of london is also a nightmare for boundary changes :-\ will wait to hear from you
thanks jacky
-
Hi Jacky
Haven't forgotten about this - should have some more info, soon.
-
hi lu
no problem :) am still reading newspapers ???
regards jacky
-
Hi again Jacky
... ooh, yes, .... you definitely need to keep reading those (NZ) newspapers ! :D
Have just found a whole lot more about Benjamin and his family ... which doesn't necessarily pop up when you search on "Benjamin/ Ben, O'Neill". ;D Will add details in following posts.
Back to electoral rolls though ... I searched 1925 :
** Benjamin (farmer) and Lucy (married) were at Dennett Street, Avon Electorate (same as for 1928 listing).
** Walter O'NEILL (farmer) / Elizabeth (married) were at Brookside (Ellesmere roll).
** Joseph George O'NEILL of Cass, surfaceman, and Dorothy O'NEILL, married were on the Hurunui Electoral roll :
So not very interesting ... or helpful to the "cause". :D
-
But it gets more interesting now ... :D
Benjamin O'NEILL had had great involvement with his local church - All Saints (Anglican) at Killinchy. ;D
http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz
The following articles in 1906 ( > search on "B. ONEILL") tell that he'd served as a churchwarden, that he'd spent 24 years in the district (Killinchy) and he and his wife (and family ?) were making the move to Rakaia.
"Ellesmere Guardian"
- 1 September 1906 - Social and Presentation
- 5 September 1906 - Local and General -- "Church News"
next >
-
Church Records - for Killinchy :
As Wayne mentioned earlier, the records housed at the Christchurch Central Library, are off-limits to the public at present due to the devasting earthquake. When in the future they do beome available, I think you can be hopeful of finding more records for family O'NEILL. ;)
Christchurch Library has a wonderful index card facility compiled many years ago from the records of a great number of Canterbury area churches. Anglican are the most widely represented. The baptism records give excellent info ... including names of sponsors (godparents) often leading to finding further family members.
All Saints, Killinchy (dates represented - index cards)
BAPTISMS -- 1874 to 1962
BURIAL -- 1876 to 1961
[Didn't see a listing for Marriages at Killinchy, All Saints, but possibly there are some records ?]
~ Lu
-
I'll get to the various children of Benjamin, shortly, but here are some interesting snippets (which I'm sure grandson Barry will find both enlightening and amusing? )
PapersPast - "B. ONeill"
"Ellesmere Guardian"
-- 4 August 1906 - page 3 - column 3 - Tenders
[RE: his leased farm at Killinchy.]
-- 18 December 1897 - The Proposed Banking Charge
[Mr. Benjamin ... getting a tad stroppy. Mentions he arrived 30 years ago (c. 1867) ].
-- 17 November 1897 - Local and General
[Questionable driving skills ? On a visit to Christchurch, Benj. thrown out of his trap, under a verandah - no serious injury. Wife and son, unhurt. ;D ]
-- 3 February 1894 -- The Ellesmere Guardian ... main page
[Leeston Magistrate's Court - assault case. ]
next >>
-
PapersPast
"Ashburton Guardian" - 15 August 1912 - page 8 / Col. 3
Stock Clearance ... this has good detail of Benjamin's assets.
.... Blimey ... the advert. also gives the names of a whole lot of his animals -- a grey horse called "Nobbie" -- etc. etc. ;D
So he had all those children, and still found names for his horses, as well ! :D
-
... oops ... this one too.
"Ashburton Guardian" - 18 November 1911 - page 8/Col. 2
Sale of Benjamin O'NEILL's property -- list of assets.
[If you search on "B. O'Neill" - mostly in "Ellesmere Guardian" you'll see other articles re: his church activities and offices held; he's mentioned too in items connected with "The Centra Dairy" ; "Canterbury Dairy Factory" (both 1892) ; and local community meetings. ]
~ Lu
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Hi Lu :)
thanks for info had been wading through papers had picked up the sales of his farms and of course his problem with Emily ;) had'nt got assault case ::) or dairy that you mention ::) will look at those presently. been wondering how Elizabeth nee Cunningham died, got the death 1908 aged 42 assume its her, been looking to see if theres anything in papers but got nothing :( got walter and lizzies marriage in papers sounds like a lovely wedding 1920 ellesmere guardian and then 1921 birth of a daughter. there is so much in them especially during the war years ! ben was certainly a busy boy :)
am in process of typing all info up and have got so much to do but thoroughly enjoying it :) cant wait to hand it all over to barry he's in for a suprise ;D
thanks again
regards jacky
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Hi Jacky
Just took a "breather" from posting info ... didn't want to bog you down to much. :D There's quite a bit more to come. ;D
Ah yes, Walter's wedding. I think a few of the O'NEILLs married into Catholic families. And was it Lizzie who was a cousin of P. McCLOY (possibly the "Patrick" who married Ruby May O'NEILL ??).
Back soon.
~ Lu
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O.K. ... the O'NEILL Kids !
Will put their names here again to save finding earlier in the thread.
In December 1911, Benjamin states he has "raised" 9 sons and 12 daughters... 21 in all. (About the same time Emily (3rd wife) contradicts that by saying he has about 25 children. Who knows for sure ? :D )
Family One
- Parents: Benjamin and Mary (probably Mary ROSS whom he marries in 1877 )
1870 - Hannah O'NEILL - Reg. at Mt. Grey (between Waipara and Rangiora)
1876 - Louisa O'NEILL - Reg. at Mt. Grey - 1st Quarter
1877 - Emily Catherine O'NEILL - Reg. at Rangiora - 3rd Q
1879 - Richard Howard O'NEILL - Reg. at Rangiora - 2nd Q
1881 - Elizabeth O'NEILL - Reg. at Rangiora - 2nd Q
All above are shown on NZ Birth Index.
Also found ... ( through marriage notice)
c. 1876 - Mary Ann O'NEILL
[So two, three ... born before marriage. ]
-
Hannah O'NEILL (b. 1870)
Hannah O'NEILL - William STACKHOUSE - m. 1894
"Ellesmere Guardian" - 29 December 1894 - Killinchy
Account of wedding ... indexed as "O'NIELL"
[Benjamin sure knew how to throw a good party ! ] :D
------------------
Hannah STACKHOUSE died 1954 - aged 84
[Place of burial unknown at present. Last at St. Albans electorate, Christchurch.]
Probate file at Archives NZ (Christchurch)
STACKHOUSE - Hannah - Widow -- 1954
-
Elizabeth O'NEILL
Louisa O'NEILL
Richard Howard O'NEILL
Can find nothing at all in later years for these children.
[Have looked at possible marriages for the girls - nothing seems to stack up though. Grrr ! ]
-
Emily Catherine O'NEILL (b. 1877)
Emily Catherine O'NEILL - Richard Louis WILLIAMS - m. 1903
Archives NZ (Chirstchurch) have a probate record.
WILLIAMS - Emily Catherine - Widow, of Leeston - 1944
-
Mary Ann O'NEILL - (bc 1876)
"Ellesmere Guardian" - 27 April 1898 - Wedding at Killinchy
Mary Ann O'NEILL - Edwin Walter BODY - m. 1898
Edwin Walter BODY - died 1936 - aged 71
Mary Ann, re-married two years after his death.
Mary Ann BODY - John Buchanan McKAY
There was also a son Albert Edwin BODY who died 1918 - aged 19 years.
All are buried (in adjacent plots) at Hamilton West Cemetery (North Island).
See cemetery records at >
http://www.hamilton.co.nz
.. click on "cemetery records link" :
-
Mary Ann McKAY (formerly BODY, nee O'Neill)
Archives NZ (Auckland) have a probate record.
McKAY - Mary Ann - of Hamilton - widow -- 1950
[Seems to have been just the one child Albert Edwin BODY - d. 1918].
-
Jacky ... will add families 2 & 3 tomorrow (going a bit cross-eyed at the moment.) ;D
~ Lu
-
Hi Lu
will wait for 2 and 3 no problem am cross eyed myself !!
thanks
regards jacky
-
O'NEILL - children of Elizabeth and Benjamin
1888 - Lily - marriage found (see earlier posts around page 1 or 2)
1889 - Ruby May - marriage found - ditto
1891 - Benjamin Leeson - sorted ;)
1892 - George Joseph - just need to re-check his details
1894 - Albert - sadly died in WW1
1895 - Walter - marriage etc. found
1897 - Catherine - many possibilities - but marriage record not yet found
1899 - Annie Maria - nothing yet found
also ...
1893 - Rebecca -- parents - Hannah Elizabeth & Benjamin -- birth registered at Ellesmere.
[Note: Despite the forename of mother shown as being "Hannah", I still think this is the same couple "Elizabeth and Benjamin". Haven't found anything further for this Rebecca - she may have died as an infant - but no death found. ]
More children ... see next >>
-
O'NEILL - George Joseph (Joseph George) - b. 1892
Appears to have married as >
Joseph George Cunningham O'NEILL
to Dorothy NORTON-TAYLOR ... year 1920
[She was born 1899 -- seems her sister Gladys, later married another O'Neill brother - Frederick Roberts O'NEILL.]
Death
1979 - O'NEILL - George Joseph - d.o.b. 6 June 1892
Probate record at Archives NZ (Christchurch) :
Indexed as both "Joseph George" and "George Joseph" O'NEILL - Christchurch - Rail worker -- 1979
-
Continued ... children of Elizabeth and Benjamin O'NEILL
1900 - Frederick Roberts O'Neill
1902 - Alfred Ernest O'NEILL
1903 - William Selwyn O'NEILL
1905 - Harold John O'NEILL
-
Frederick Roberts O'NEILL - born 1900
m. Gladys NORTON-TAYLOR (divorcee - formerly DAVIS) - mid 1940's)
[Her sister Dorothy, married Joseph George O'Neill, 1920]
Death (probably the following ?)
1966 - O'NEILL - Frederick Robert -- 66 years
[Probate record at Christchurch (Archives NZ) for man of this name -- occupation "farm manager" ?]
-
Alfred Ernest O'NEILL -- (born 1901 - birth reg. 1902)
Can't see a marriage for this one.
Death
1978 - O'NEILL - Alfred Ernest -- d.o.b. 1 December 1901
--------------------------------
William Selwyn O'NEILL -- (born 1903)
All I can find for this chap is a 1981 listing on the Christchurch Central electoral roll. [Maybe he didn't use his middle name very much ?? ] ;D
-
Harold John O'NEILL -- (born 1905)
Marriage ??
Death
1977 - O'NEILL - Harold John -- d.o.b. 25 June 1905
Probate record at Christchurch (Archives NZ)
O'NEILL - Harold John - Christchurch - Rail employee - 1977
[Note: Death above is correct person, but there is another bloke of same name who also lived in Christchurch -- and a couple of marriages and 1 divorce: Difficult to work out which belongs with which ?]
-
Will continue this tomorrow.
Still sorting info for what I believe was a 4TH family ! ::) ;D
~ Lu
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Hi Lu :)
thanks once again for info i think i've now got the 3rd family sorted, its always a good thing to finish them off ! so to speak ! have been doing newspapers and keep finding more. found matthew o'neill feel sure he's something to do with benjamin due to an obit for his daughter fanny in ellesmere guardian, pall bearers were w o'neill and p mccloy. interesting :) am looking forward to 4th family cant wait to know how many more ankle biters ben produced ::) suprised he did'nt run out of names :D got to admit he,s been fascinating to research :) wish my own ancestors had been bit more interesting ::)
regards jacky ;)
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Hi J
Second day of snow in Canterbury have had a look at all the discusion,
Posts:
Re: o'neills in Rakaia NZ
« Reply #82 on: Yesterday at 14:51:30 »
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Alfred Ernest O'NEILL -- (born 1901 - birth reg. 1902)
Born 1 Dec 1901 at Doyleston CBY, NZ
Married 1927 Ruby Harriett DUNCAN she Died 16 Feb 1981 Lower Hutt, NZ
Alfred died 2 Oct 1978 Lower Hutt Buried Taita Old Memorial Cemetery
Harold John O'NEILL Born 25 June 1905 at Doyleston, Married 1930 Margaret Ann GORLEY,
Harold died 15 Sept 1977 Belfast, Christchurch.
I do not have Benjamin's death certificate.
Hope this is helpfull
Regards Wayne
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Welcome back Wayne
... yes, two days of the "white stuff" up here as well - quite a novelty for us. Sun's out now though, so sending some Wellington sunshine, your way ! :)
Ah ... silly me, I missed finding Alfred's marriage (although it was indexed as "Ernest Alfred"). :-[
Any idea Wayne, if Benjamin had family who lived in Ashburton ?
Just curious as to why he was buried in the cemetery there ?
Cheers
~ Lu
-
... meant to add also, that there is no headstone for Benjamin at Ashburton.
Jacky ... when I've got some spare time, will see if I can locate death/funeral notices - esp. for Benjamin - and some of the others, maybe. [It's Family History month here at present - so things are a bit hectic. ] :D
~ Lu
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Hi Jacky
3rd Family (in case you don't have this) - the child born to Emily (and mentioned in the article in 1911 ? ) - was Rebecca O'NEILL, born 30 July 1910. The baby died within hours of its birth and was buried 31 July, at Rakaia Cemetery.
[I did notice that an "Ellen Irvine - d. 1938 - aged 84", shares Rebecca's grave, however don't think there is any family link. Plot was purchased by a William IRVINE in September 1938 .... so may be that the plot was available for re-purchase at this time ??]
The fact that this child was named Rebecca, also makes me think the earlier child of same name (born to "Hannah Elizabeth & Benjamin) died during infancy.
~ Lu
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Hi Lu
Benjamin died 31 Dec 1927 Tuarangi Rest Home, Ashburton Canterbury, Nz, this is possable why he is buried in Ashburton.
The only family I can see living near Ashburton is Emily Catherine WILLIAMS nee ONIELL (d/o Mary & Benjamin), died at Irwell, buried at Brookside Cemetery.
Regards Wayne
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Thanks Wayne :)
Yes, sometimes the Ashburton cemeteries database gives a "last known address" - not the case for Benjamin though.
So that all makes sense now.
Cheers
~ Lu
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found matthew o'neill feel sure he's something to do with benjamin due to an obit for his daughter fanny in ellesmere guardian, pall bearers were w o'neill and p mccloy. interesting :)
Hi Jacky
Had been going to mention that obit. ;) And agree, there's likely a link between Benj. and Matthew (despite their different religious persuasions ).
Death
1925 - O'NEILL - Matthew - aged 86 years (bc 1839)
"Ellesmere Guardian" - 26 May 1925 - P4 / Col. 3
... has a Bereavement thank-you notice from "family and grandson" of the late Matthew O'NEILL.
Same newspaper -- 3 May 1925 - page 5 -- has an "untitled" article which relates to Matthew O'NEILL. (Comes up as a page "image" - I ran out of patience waiting for it to download. ::) It's hopefully his obituary though. )
["Ell. Guardian" - 7 Feb 1928 ... has notice of property "Est. of Matthew O'NEILL" - transferring 100 acres at Doyleston, to Thomas, John and Joseph O'NEILL. ]
~ Lu
PS ... yeah ... 4th family ... still to come ... real soon. ;)
-
Hi Jacky & Lu
Richard O'NEILL b abt1810 Roscommon, Wicklow IRL, marr abt 1841 Wicklow IRL Hannah LEESON,
issue 1 Benjamin b 1842 Roscommon WIC, IRL d 31 Dec 1927 Ashburton
Eleanor b 1849 Roscommon WIC, IRL d 29 Jun 1929 Birdwood Ave Christchurch, bur St Paul's Anglican Church, Papanui, Christchurch.
2 John b Wicklow IRL, m Fanny BURN
issue Matthew b 1841 County Wicklow d 3 May 1925 bur Catholic Cemetery, Leeston, CBY NZL
That is the connection Mat to Ben
Regards
Wayne
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Hi Wayne
sorry bit confused ??? can i just recap :)
Richard O'neill married Hannah Leeson
They had
Benjamin bc 1842 and Eleanor bc 1849
John married Fanny Burn
They had
Matthew bc1841
have i got that right ?
so ben and matthew were cousins ?
if i've got that right then Richard and John were brothers ?
if so do you have Johns birth year ?
sorry if i seem a bit dense ::) have had a busy morning :)
regards jacky
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Hi Lu :)
have looked at the ellesmere guardian for 3 may 1925 and just keep getting blank pages grrr
cant get anything for untitled or otherwise ::)
had found the property transfer from matthew to his sons ? so am amusing myself looking at him at the mo.
also been looking at the mccloys they seem interesting too, was trying to figure out who came over during ww1 and who barry had met then.
anyway onward and upward :D
regards jacky
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Hi Jacky & Lu
Sorry will try again--- Richard and John are brothers
Richard O'NEILL b abt1810 Roscommon, Wicklow IRL, marr abt 1841 Wicklow IRL Hannah LEESON,
issue 1 Benjamin b 1842 Roscommon WIC, IRL d 31 Dec 1927 Ashburton
2 Eleanor b 1849 Roscommon WIC, IRL d 29 Jun 1929 Birdwood Ave Christchurch, bur St Paul's Anglican Church, Papanui, Christchurch.
John b Wicklow IRL, m Fanny BURN
issue Matthew b 1841 County Wicklow d 3 May 1925 bur Catholic Cemetery, Leeston, CBY NZL
That is the connection Mat to Ben
Regards
Wayne
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Thanks Wayne. :)
Had me confused too ... but like Jacky though, had figured Matt and Benj. were probably cousins. Cheers for the confirmation.
~ Lu
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Hi Lu :)
have looked at the ellesmere guardian for 3 may 1925 and just keep getting blank pages grrr
cant get anything for untitled or otherwise ::)
Aah ... managed to view the "comptuer-generated text" (gobbledy-gook). ;D
"Unititled" link - page 5 - directly underneath "Sedgemer-Lakeside Club" article. It's disappointing though. :(
Just says ... (extract) ... a well-known and highly respected Doyleston farmer - Matthew O'NEILL aged 86 - passed away on Sunday at his residence. Had been resident of district for many years ... Req. mass at Leeston Catholic church thence to Catholic cemetery ...
So no mention of his family. :(
~ Lu
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Hi Lu
thanks for that shame there was,nt more info but have tree from Wayne now so am going to sit down and go through it in a quiet room with the phone off the hook :)
regards jacky
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Hi Lu
have got first family more or less sorted, think i've done all the newspapers now :)
having a meet with Barry sometime in the next fortnight ;)
any luck with Ben and Lucy's offspring ?
we are having a typical English summer Wet ::)
has the snow there gone ?
regards jacky
-
Hi there - I am a grandaughter of Ben and Lucy O'Neill - if you would like any further info please reply. Deb Stuart
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Hi Lucy
I am a descendant of George Joseph/ Joseph George O'Neill, he is the brother of Benjamin O'Neill. do you have any information about him?
thank you in advance
Di
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Hi Lucy! I stumbled across your post and have been doing some research on my father's family. My father was (Kenneth) Frederick Roberts O'Neill (b. 6 July 1927 d. 19 Aug 1999). Son of Annie Maria O'Neill (d. 1966) and William Pateman. Annie was one of Benjamin and Elizabeth's children (I believe one of the eldest and a twin?). I'm trying to find records on any siblings my Dad may have had and understand Annie may have had two additional children with a different father and named them William Selwyn O'Neill (b. 1933) and Harold John O'Neill (b. 1935) (she seemed to name her children after her brothers). Does any of this match with your research? Warmly, Joanne
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Hi Everyone
Very excited to see a reply from Jo-anne. I am Benjamin O'Neill's Great Granddaughter, my father is George Joseph's son. I would be great if Wayne was still posting to be able to see the family tree. I have started collating all the info and still going through all the children to find where it all fits. so far I have found 29 children from Benjamin but will need to confirm the parentage. Jo will reply again once I work out how we are related. I am in Australia, looks like these thread are from the uk.Chat soon.
Di
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Hi to the newcomers to this thread ... and welcome to RootsChat. :)
I haven't received a notification that there were new posts to this thread, and simply stumbled on your recent messages here, by chance.
What I need to advise though is, that I have no connection to the O'NEILL family and my involvement here was simply to try and assist the original poster Jacky, with information mainly from New Zealand resources.
Looking at Jacky's profile, it appears that she has not been online at RootsChat since 22 May 2012.
~ Lu
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Hi Lucy!
My father was (Kenneth) Frederick Roberts O'Neill (b. 6 July 1927 d. 19 Aug 1999). Son of Annie Maria O'Neill (d. 1966) and William Pateman. I'm trying to find records on any siblings my Dad may have had and understand Annie may have had two additional children with a different father and named them William Selwyn O'Neill (b. 1933) and Harold John O'Neill (b. 1935) (she seemed to name her children after her brothers).
Hi Joanne
As you have probably already found, birth registrations on NZ BDM (online), only show for births up to "today's date", 1917 so that makes searching somewhat difficult.
I presume that Annie Maria O'NEILL was born in 1899 (to Elizabeth and Benjamin) ?
You haven't said whether she married at all ... and I'm guessing also she is the "Annie O'NEILL -
aged 66 years", whose death was registered in 1965 > rather than 1966 > and possibly at Hokitika ??
If you are unsure as to whether your Dad "may have had siblings" ...
* can you explain where the names of "William Selwyn and Harold John" came from ??
* and why have you stated that "she seemed to name her children after her brothers" ??
[Sorry, I'm puzzled --- that sounds as if you know she had other children ?? ]
* do you have a copy of Annie's death record ?
~ Lu
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... and understand Annie may have had two additional children with a different father and named them William Selwyn O'Neill (b. 1933) and Harold John O'Neill (b. 1935)...
Joanne ... can only see deaths (@ NZ BDM) for two persons named "Harold John O'NEILL" - they apparently being father and son.
"Harold John O'NEILL, the younger, of Gloucester Street, Christchurch, died in October 1965, (death registered in early 1966) aged 33 years (so born circa 1932).
He died intestate, (i.e. without leaving a Will), and his father Harold John O'NEILL was granted Letters of Administration in his estate.
You can read the Probate file for the son at the following link.
https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C95M-FHJ8?i=259&cc=1865481
It begins at Image # 260 ... and if you move through to Images 268 and 271, you will find the declarations of Harold John O'NEILL (senior) and his wife Margaret Anne O'NEILL, attesting that they are the (natural) parents of the deceased.
~ Lu
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re: William Selwyn O'NEILL
According to NZ BDM (online), this man died in 2013 and his date of birth was recorded as "27 October 1935":
There was a death / funeral notice available online but this only shows a portion (first 25 words) of it.
[You need to pay to view the remainder of the notice ... or if you're in Christchurch, you should be able to access the newspaper it appeared in, at the Central library. ]
http://deaths.press.co.nz/obituaries/the-press-nz/obituary-preview.aspx?n=william-oneill&pid=164417584&referrer=3329
Just looking also at NZ electoral rolls, a "William Selwyn O'NEILL" only appears on the 1978 and 1981 rolls - both times in Canterbury. [Online rolls only available to 1981. ]
~ Lu
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Hi Lucy
Thanks for replying and starting this feed again. My Grandfather is George Joseph O'Neill son of Benjamin O'Neill married to Dorothy O'Neill.Born 21/05/1892 died 29/08/1979. I have some information but trying to find photos of either Benjamin or any O'Neill family member. Do you also have any info on the book Rakaia: Our History
Authors Janine Irvine, Rakaia History Group
Wanting to know if the O'Neill family is mentioned.
Many thanks
Di
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Hi all, just thought I'd pop my two-pennies worth into this fascinating thread. I am married to the irascible Benjamin O'Neill's great-grandson. My m-in-law was Benjamin's grand-daughter and her father, Alfred Ernest, was one of Benjamin's sons.
I have a ton of information which I am currently entering into Ancestry - the tree is public so if anyone wants to have a look, they are most welcome. It is not complete by any stretch of the imagination - I only started bringing it together as a winter project for my husband and I have to say, Benjamin has kept me thoroughly entertained.
I have a copy of Benjamin's death certificate, which unfortunately does not state the number of children he produced - living or dead. And Elizabeth's death certificate suggests she had 13 children when by my reckoning, she had 14.
The death certificate also states that Benjamin's mother's maiden name was Leeston, not Leeson as detailed in some doc's I have. And his marriage certificate with Elizabeth suggests the maiden name is Lesetoon!! Easy to see how information can be degraded over time.
As I say, a lot more investigating to do.
Please let me know if you'd like access to the tree and I can send appropriate invitations.
And Lu, what an interesting thread. I'm off to match the info you've found out from here against my own. I'm sure you have filled in some blanks for us :)
Catherine in Wellington (NZ)
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Hi Catherine
I have a full family tree of the O'Neills all 28 children birth certificates, marriage , death and lots of information war records etc.
Please send me for info and I will invite you to the tree.
Nice to meet you we are half cousins, I believe. I am happy to share any info and it will save you a lot of research.
I have been trying to get in contact with some family i am so glad you found this thread.
Warm Regards
Di Olson
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I'd also be interested in any family tree access. I've started a small tree on ancestry.com. I believe Benjamin was my Great-grandfather and Elizabeth my Great-grandmother. My grandmother was Annie O'Neill and my Dad was (Kenneth) Frederick Roberts O'Neill. Warmly, Joanne (in Canada)
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Hi Catherine and Joanne
It's Di here can you see my feeds, I have private messaged you both and have had no reply re info on the family tree.
Thanks
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Hi Catherine and Joanne
It's Di here can you see my feeds, I have private messaged you both and have had no reply re info on the family tree.
Thanks
Thanks Di, am just sussing this site. I only joined today after finding the O'Neill thread when I was googling Benjamin.
apparently I can't reply to a PM until I have posted three times ....this makes no. 2 :)
Is it against Roots Chat rules to provide personal email addresses?
Regards
Catherine
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fantastic, I look forward to chatting with you. Are you related to John O'Neill? I have Alfred Ernest married to Ruby with their children being John and Patricia. Alfred also switched his name around in some records, this can make it hard when searching.
Di
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Not sure about the rules. will read them and check.
-
Patricia (Paddy) was my mother-in-law and John was her brother. Ernie (as he was known) was indeed married to Ruby.
I've just located a newspaper article which I'll scan and load onto Ancestry detailing their 50th wedding anniversary celebrations.
I'll check and see if I can now reply to your PM :)
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No...did not get the message...
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Have sent an email Hope you have received it.
Di
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Hi,
To answer the question posted above, RootsChat policy regarding email addresses is that they should only be exchanged via the PM (Personal Message) system in order to protect members against spam, identity theft, etc.
Congratulations on making contact with each other. :D :D
Spades
-
For Joeybean
I went to the trouble to search and try and find answers to your query at Reply # 103. My responses begin at Reply # 106 (on page 12.)
As you haven't acknowledged this, I wondered if you'd actually seen my postings ???
~ Lu
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Hi all, I stumbled upon this thread like everyone on here whilst looking for information about Benjamin James O’Neill. Benjamin James O’Neill is my wifes grandad’s, grandad. He is the son of Rhoda Johnston (nee O’Neill), daughter of Benjamin to his second wife Elizabeth O’Neill. I am slowly looking through the family documents that he has currently let me borrow and adding things to it. Some of the details below, some of which is covered in previous posts.
Benjamin James O’Neill born Ireland to Richard and Hannah (nee Leeston) O’Neill.
Family to first wife Mary O’Neill (nee Ross); father William Ross born Scotland.
Howard O’Neill
Jane McGuire
Hannah Stackhouse
Elizabeth (Lizzie) Patterson (1st marriage) then Bowman (second marriage)
Polly Hamilton
Emily Williams
Louis
Family to second wife Elizabeth O’Neill (nee Cunningham); Parents John and Mary (nee Power) Cunningham - born in Kent or England or Waterford Ireland.
Lily Edgington born 1888
Ruby McCloy born 1889
Benjamin Leason born 1891
Joseph born 1892
Iris Aldridge – Bolt born 1893
Albert born 1894
Walter born 1895
Rhoda Johnston born 1897
Annie born 1899
Frederick born 1900
Ernest born 1901
William born 1903
Harold born 1905
Third wife Emily (nee Aitcheson) O’Neill.
One child that died soon after birth (read on this thread): Rebecca O’Neill
Fourth wife Lucy (nee Hodges) O’Neill; parents James and Rebecca (nee Reid) Aitcheson, born Roscommon
Cyril O’Neill
Ray O’Neill
Jean Gregory
Betty Nolan
Gwen Montgomery
Regards,
Luke
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would anyone by chance have a photo of Benjamin O'Neill?