Wow folks - suggestions coming in thick and fast! I’ll try to answer as many as possible.
James (b1846) was an older brother to Michael O’Neil of O’Neil & Dyas, later O’Neils Department Store. I have loads of biographical info/photos/etc about them so no need to go down that route.
One of the 2 Find a Grave links are mine (James). He was the father of James (b1846), Michael and 7 other children. I’ve linked to the one for Michael that was set up by someone in Akron. I also manage one for Hannah Angela Ames-O’Neil (a family plot of 19 burials - no husband or sons William and James in the plot):
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSmid=47373985&GRid=105930938&The other post was one I posted last October when I found William in the 1875 NY State Census at an address in Brooklyn. It was the first and only reference I have and I’ve not found any more on William in NYC hence my idea about the Akron link and my post here. I’ve not found any William in the 1880 census either with known family members in NYC or likely neighbours. The fact that the younger James is with his aunts on East 12th Street says to me that if William was still alive he’d be with family too as in addition to the aunts on East 12th Street there was also his grandmother with another aunt who had a boarding house at 84 Madison Street. Good thinking jorose that he might have been born Ames if he’d been born out of wedlock. The 1875 NY State Census listing is as follows by the way and is almost certain 96 Bergen Street, Brooklyn:
James O’Neil, 28, born Ireland, liquor dealer.
Hanna O’Neil, 21, born Ireland, wife.
William O’Neil, 3, born Brooklyn.
James O’Neil, 1yr 3mths, born Brooklyn.
James (b1846) was my GGGrandfather. His son James (b1874 my GGrandfather) was Michael’s nephew as would have been William. The name William doesn’t feature anywhere else in my O’Neil tree except… Michael named his first son (b1885)… William! (Hum Twilight Zone theme tune?).
