William O’Neil b 1872 Brooklyn.

[Michael ONeil]

OK after a few years I’m throwing this up for suggestions again.

1 June 1875, NY State Census (Brooklyn) listing:

James O’Neil, 28, born Ireland, liquor dealer.
Hanna O’Neil, 21, born Ireland, wife. (wrong birthplace but not an issue really?).
William O’Neil, 3, born Brooklyn.
James O’Neil, 1yr 3mths, born Brooklyn.

I’ve established the address is 96 Bergen Street which is where my GGrandfather James (the younger above) was born February 22 1874 to parents James O’Neil (liquor dealer) and Hannah Ames. From the date of the census, the younger James above is born exactly 1 year and 3 months earlier to the ‘correct’ parents.

Surely all the details match and this is an exact match?

And yet I can’t find any birth or death record for William (b 1872-ish) and he seems to be off the radar by the 1880 census. James and Hannah married April 1873 at St Teresa’s on Henry Street (lower Manhattan). William’s younger brother James was baptised, at St Paul’s in Brooklyn but he’d been born after his parents were married. There’s no record at St Paul’s for William. The family only lived in Brooklyn from 1870-1876.

By 1880, James (elder) is temporarily in Akron, Ohio with two brothers (2 years maximum). Hannah is East 72nd St in Manhattan near to her mother who is a patient in the Presbyterian Hospital and the younger James is with aunts on East 12th St.

So no birth record and no death record - zip all. The only reference to William is this 1875 census listing! I can sort of understand there being no birth record but no death record???

Anyone got any suggestions because I’m at a dead end?

[sbny357]

Have you ruled out this 1875 death?:
https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2W73-XXT

Steve

[Michael ONeil]

Hi Steve, thanks for the reply and apologies for my late one - I've been away for the weekend.

I've got the certificate for that record and I doubt it's him:

William Joseph O'Neil,
Age 5yrs 9mths
Birthplace Brooklyn
Both parents born Ireland (annoyingly no names required only birthplaces)
Place of death 722 Fulton St, Ward 11
Buried 22 June 1875, Holy Cross

1874 Directory - Joseph O'Neil, clerk, 723 Fulton - surely a match for the father? There's nothing close for 1875 and 1876 with Fulton.

I've got all the Brooklyn addresses for James from 1870-76 and Fulton doesn't feature.

Michael.

[Lisa in California]

Is there a chance that it is a 2nd marriage for James or Hanna?  Could William have been Hanna's son from a previous marriage (and possibly had his father's surname on the birth or death certificate)?

[Lisa in California]

The age is off a bit, but there is a death for a William O'Neill, 11 March 1876, Manhattan, age 3.  Parents names not included.
https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2W5L-PMP

[Michael ONeil]

Hi Lisa in California,

Thanks for the replies. I’ll start with the death first - it’s not him. Whilst I haven’t got the details in front of me I do have my checklist and I’ve noted that it’s the wrong father at the address in the directory. If I remember rightly there were no parents listed on the certificate only an address.

As for second marriages I doubt it but obviously wouldn’t rule it out. What I do know is this James (b1876) and Hannah (b1852) were in the same property in the 1870 census. They weren’t married or living together - James’ mother ran a boarding house at 84 Madison Street in NYC and Hannah (Angela) Ames was boarding there with her parents Norman and Mary Ames. So Hannah was 18 at this time and unmarried. I have James in the Brooklyn directories from 1870 through to 1876. From 1870-1872 it was business address (liquors) in Brooklyn with home residence still at 84 Madison and from 1873 onwards the home address was Brooklyn too - 96 Bergen Street. James and Hannah married at St Teresa’s on Henry Street (one street up from Madison Street) in April 1873. Somehow I can’t see either of them having had previous marriages in that 2 and a half year window?

I did go down the route of them having had William out of wedlock and him having Ames as a surname. The closest I could find was this Anes, William, age 2, June 16 1875, 209225, Manhattan. However when checked out the age was actually 2 months and so it couldn’t have been him.