Patrick Joseph O'Neill was the eldest son of James O'NEILL and Mary Margaret HOGAN. He was born on the 19th March 1852 at Black Creek (Branxton).
He was baptised by Father J T Lynch at West Maitland on April 4th, 1852. Father Lynch was also the priest that performed his parents marriage, some 14 months earlier.
Patrick moved with his family to the Tamworth area sometime between 1864 and 1867. His father was a farmer, and no doubt Patrick assisted his father with their farming pursuits.
Patrick married Christina Janet PATTERSON/PATERSON at Keepit on the Peel River (probably at St Patrick's Church)on the 9th June 1884. They were married according to the rites of the Church of Rome by the Officiating Minister, the very Reverend Thomas ENGLISH, Vicar General of Maitland. The witnesses to the marriage were Daniel Joseph BURKE and Mary Teresa O'NEILL.
I would very much like to know more about the Keepit area as it was in that time. The only Keepit in existence now is Lake Keepit or Keepit Dam which has only been in existence since the 1960s. I guess it could be possible that any township of Keepit was washed away when the dam was made.
Daniel Joseph BURKE (1862-1926) was (I think) Christina Patterson's half-brother. His parents were Thomas BURKE & Christina PATTERSON (formerly Loch - but this is guesswork).
There are a couple of possibilities as to who Mary Theresa O'NEILL might be. It could be Patrick's sister Mary (who died a spinster, but I have no record of Teresa being her middle name). Or it might be Patrick's cousin Mary Theresa O'NEILL who was by then married to Samuel ROWLAND.
Patrick and Christina had four children before Patrick's untimely death in 1892 at the age of 40 (written as 39 on his death certificate and gravestone). His children were Ernest Vincent b 1885 at Carroll Gap NSW, May Gertrude b 1887 at Pine Hills Estate near Carroll, William Thomas b 1889 and Leslie James b 1891.
Tamworth Hospital (undated)
Patrick died at Tamworth Hospital on 27th June 1892. His cause of death was malignant disease of the throat (throat cancer?) and septic pneumonia. He had been ill for six weeks. The last doctor to attend him was H L Harris on the 24th June 1892.
Patrick was outlived by both his parents and all but one of his siblings who died in infancy.
He was buried in the Roman Catholic Cemetery at Tamworth on June 28th, 1892. His funeral was presided over by Reverend Patrick D Ryan, and the witnesses to his burial were Thomas W Church and William Bennett.
The informant on his death certificate was his brother James Thomas O'Neill, whose place of residence was Hazledean, Somerton.
Death Certificate 1892/012574 on file.
Marriage Cert 1884/005057 on file.
With thanks to the very excellent Armidale Catholic Schools Office website.
