O'NEIL Family from Prescot, Lancashire

[Radcliff]

These are only suggestions any thing I post you need to research in full,

[Stephen Nulty]

I'm 4th generation Prescotian, but my area of interest and knowledge is the Great War period.

I have two Prescot men called O'Neil (with one "L") - Hugh and Patrick O'Neil both served with the King's (Liverpool) Regiment and returned home after the war. I haven't done any detailed research on them yet, though.

[brumby90]

Thanks for all that. I think my post was deleted so have to do it again..arr.r.
I have most of those records now . thanks.
Am just trying to find out about the parents of Thomas and Rachael but not sure if can link them to those married and born in the area as their marriage details dont seem to include the parents names. Any ideas anyone?
David

[brumby90]

Thanks Stephen.
The only serving O'Neil that I know of was John O'Neil who went to Australia around 1825 and stayed.

Any O'Neils that stayed in Prescot I dont have much idea about them at all.

[Radcliff]

Your posting hasnt been deleted go back a page,

[Ali M]

hello David,
I know this is some years since you wrote your query and may now have the information you were looking for!  But if not I can tell you some more about Thomas and Rachel as well as Thomas' parents.  We are , I think, distantly related  but it is confusing because there were 3 John O'neils born around the same time.

Any way as you say a  John O'neil was born in Prescot to Thos O'neil and Rachel formerly smith in 1812 .He has siblings Susanna, James , Thomas and Elizabeth.  He was the youngest.   His father Thomas was born in Prescot in 1777 - father Michael(died1788)  and mother Ann. He was baptised in the Portico Catholic church and this is where many of those early Prescot O'Neil records are . (sorry I don't have these records, but was given some names and dates by another researcher). I didn't ever know what hppened to this John.

Michael O'neill and Ann  had a son John born in 1787 in Prescot . He married an Elizabeth Houghton and they had a son John in 1811.  this second John  seems to be the one  who marries Margaret Hughes in 1832.  What is slightly puzzling about this John is that when he married Margaret  he gives his occupation as" blacksmith"  and this is why for a long time I thought he was part of my O'neill family.

My family is William O'Neil, a blacksmith  born 1793 probably in Prescot ,possibly the son of a Patrick who I think is  Michael O'neill's brother .William has the third John - born 1814 - who again disappears without trace (no death record)  William also has my 2x gt grandfather Edward O'Neil born 1821 in Prescot (William O'n and Charlotte nee Lyon) .

Who might be Michael & Patrick's parents?  well, there is a slightly mysterious rev. Felix O'neil who has a son John in 1740 in nearby Rainford  and later baptised when Felix is minister in Bolton le Sands.   I've not found a baptismal record for Michael but he does have a son Felix.

I hope this is some help to you  .  Are you certain your ancestor was the 1812 John?    And if you or any one else reading this  can fill in any of the many gaps about this family I would really appreciate it. 

kind regards,
Alison
Taupo, NZ

[brumby90]

Hi Alison,

Thanks for your message.

I was only ever able to find out details back to Thomas O'Neil (1777-1820) who married Rachael Smith in 1800 at St Wilfred Chapel Prescott.
I do have all the details of their children that you mentioned however I feel there may have been another Thomas they had from the records I see.
Thomas was born in 1807 and died 1808. His parents were Thomas and Rachael and from Prescott. Strongly seems it was the same couple. The trouble is so many people had the same names back then.
I do know evyerthing else about John O'Neil 1812-1876 after he came to Australia etc. I dont think that is relevant to yourself though as it seems your lineage broke away from mine with Michael and Ann O'Neil.? Did you need any info on the children of Thomas O'Neil and Rachael Smith?
John O'Neil was sentenced to 7 years for stealing fowls in 1831. He was a shepherd/labourer.
I noticed you mentioned the O'Neils were catholic and records of them are in the Portico Catholic church however I am not sure they are.
My relative who came here was church of england and the Portico church was not built until 1790.
All the marriages etc I found of the families were from the St Wilfreds Church in Farnworth (which is prescot really) and they are Church of England.
Michael O'Neil may have been catholic if his wife Ann was Church of England. I have found that often the children followed the mother for religion.

David

[Maiden Stone]

Baptism records for Portico Our Lady Help of Christians date from 1753. They are at Lancashire Record Office. Marriage & burial records from 1802 are also there. See Gen UKi site for dates & information.

Building churches for Catholic worship was illegal in England until the late 18th century. Some clandestine ones operated. At the time the Catholic Church in Britain was organised as Missions. During the 18th century some areas had a resident priest, others were served by a visiting one. In a strongly Catholic county like Lancashire a priest might have resided with R.C. members of nobility or gentry and used their private chapel. Babies would probably have been baptised at home at 1 or 2 days old. Several R.C. baptism registers in Lancashire were begun in mid 18thC. In many cases this was half-a century before a Catholic church was built in the area.
At various times during 18th & early 19th century names of R.C. and Non-Conformist children were recorded in C. of E. baptismal registers. Some of these were recordings of births rather than baptisms.

Catholics and Non-Conformists had to marry in C. of E. church until 1837. Some Catholics had 2 weddings.
Most people were buried in a C. of E. churchyard because there was no option.
So it is not safe to assume the religious denomination of an 18thC person by where they were married or buried. Even their appearance in an Anglican baptism register is not conclusive.