May Gertrude Jeseline O'NEILL was born at the Pine Hills Estate, near Carroll, between Tamworth and Gunnedah on the 8th of May, 1887. She was the second-born child and only daughter of Patrick Joseph O'NEILL and Christina Janet PAT(T)ERSON.Her birth was witnessed by Mrs Walker, as was her brother's, twenty one months before her.
May's father Patrick died of throat cancer when she was only five years old. May's mother Christina never re-married, so presumably brought up the children by herself, and probably with assistance from her extended family members.
May never married, and does not seem to have had an occupation - perhaps she was a housekeeper of sorts.I have not been able to find much information on May. May's mother Christina resided in Manilla, and passed away there in June of 1919. The 1930, 1936 and 1943 New South Wales Electoral rolls show May living at Namoi Street, Manilla, and having the occupation of "home duties".
The 1949 electoral roll shows her living in Bonalbo NSW, the same town as her brother William. During that same year, she appears to have moved to Newcastle with another entry on the electoral roll for 1949 showing her living at 56 Margaret St, Mayfield. The 1954 electoral roll shows May living a few houses up from her previous address, at 28 Margaret St, Mayfield. Googlemaps reveal these to be standard Newcastle small weatherboard houses - I'm yet to discover if she was staying with relatives. After the death of her brother William's wife Mary, William would often visit May in Newcastle. William passed away in 1969, and May remained the last of her direct family alive.
The Newcastle Crematorium records show May as passing away in September of 1983 at the impressive age of 96. At the time she resided at St Joseph's Home at Sandgate, a Catholic Nursing Home.
Birth certificate on file.
With thanks to Jenny McCarthy for her Newcastle Crematorium look-up.
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