Hey all, I've been banging my head up against this one for a while now.
I've been looking to see if I can figure out the parentage of my 3x great grandmother, Ellen O'Neill and her (presumed) brother Stafford O'Neill of Rocktown, county Derry, Ireland. The sibling link is not totally proven, but I think it's a fair guess based on a) their birth years, b) the fact that they move both of their families to adjoining farms in the 1860s, and c) Their children are often witnesses at each others' weddings.
The problem is that Ellen was born sometime in the 1820s and Stafford in the 1830s, so records are very sparse - they're even before the beginning of the local catholic parish records. Each of the above were also married prior to civil registration so no help there regarding fathers.
The only clue I have is that Stafford 'inherits' (or at least takes over) an area of about 19 acres of farmland in Rocktown in 1862 from a James O'Neill. There is no house on this land, and there is a James O'Neill who owns a house and garden on an adjoining plot of land, but I have no idea what relation this James may be to Stafford, or if these two James are even the same person. The one renting the house/garden continues occupancy beyond 1862, so if he is the same one then I don't think Stafford inherited on a death.
I've tried puzzling this one out from all angles and I think I may be stumped. Any suggestions?
