Christina Janet PATERSON (AKA PATTERSON) 1857-1919

Christina Janet PATERSON was born at Goonoo Goonoo/Wallabadah, NSW on the 10th February 1857.

Her parents names were Thomas PATERSON (8/3/1821 Scotland - 24/3/1857 Newcastle NSW) and Christina LOCH (19/10/1838 Goonoo Goonoo (or possibly Scone as suggested by some other family trees on Ancestry.com)- 25/3/1910 Tamworth NSW). Christina's parents were married in 1856 in accordance with Presbyterian Rites at Wallabadah. Christina's birth was witnessed by Mrs Douglas.

Christina's father Thomas Paterson, a station overseer, died a month and a half after she was born, and only 7 days after he registered Christina's birth at Tamworth. Christina was the only child of that marriage. Christina's mother, Christina Loch remarried Thomas BURKE when her daughter was approximately three years old.

Christina married Patrick Joseph O'NEILL 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.

Daniel Joseph BURKE (1862-1926) was Christina Patterson's half-brother. His parents were Thomas BURKE & Christina PATTERSON (formerly Loch) who were married in 1859.

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 from throat cancer (written as 39 on his death certificate and gravestone). Their children were Ernest Vincent b 1885 at Carroll Gap, May Gertrude b 1887 at Pine Hills Estate near Carroll, William Thomas b 1889 and Leslie James b 1891.

Christina passed away on the 25th June 1919 at the District Hospital, Manilla NSW. Her causes of death were Influenza (duration 7 days), Broncho pneumonia (duration 6 days) and heart failure (duration 3 days). She was last attended to by the Doctor Hugh Rayson, and the Matron of the hospital, C Gilchrist certified the death, with other details provided by her daughter May, residence Manilla.

Captain Hugh Rayson was the Medical Officer for the 57th Battalion during the Battle of Fromelles (19th /20th July 1916).He was awarded the Military Cross, and attended to Christina only 20 days after having discharged from the A.I.F. He was quick to enlist for World War II and became a prisoner of the War, but was lucky enough to survive. He died in Kempsey in 1961. To these men, we owe everything.

Christina's four children were all still living upon her death; Ernest, 34 years, May, 32 years, William, 29 years and Leslie, 27 years.

Christina was buried at the Roman Catholic Cemetery, Manilla on June 26th 1919. The undertaker was Mary Elliott, and the minister who performed the service was Father John Gibbons, PP (Manilla Parish priest 1912-1928). Two witnesses to her burial were G. J. Boland and G. Coppins. She has a headstone and a memorial plaque at Manilla Cemetery. Her headstone has a spelling error in her Christian name, and her memorial plaque is in her maiden name, Patterson, however mentions her husband, Patrick O'NEILL.



With many thanks to the excellent Australian Cemeteries site, http://cemindex.arkangles.com
Death Cert 1919/016191 held on file.
Birth Cert 1857/011368 held on file.
Marriage Cert held on file.

Patrick Joseph O'NEILL 1852-1892

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.

Mary Margaret Hogan 1833-1919

Mary Margaret Hogan was born on March 7th, 1833 at Dalwood, near Branxton, NSW.

Her father was John Hogan, born c1786 in Limerick, Ireland. He died in 1863 at Black Creek, NSW. Black Creek is an earlier name for the township of Branxton.

Her mother was Mary Mahoney, born c1806 in County Cork. She died in 1884 in Sydney NSW.

John Hogan & Mary Mahoney were married at St Mary's Cathedral in Sydney in 1833.

Mary was baptised at St Mary's Cathedral, Sydney on May 5th, 1833. The sponsors of her baptism were Rannahan HICKEY & Margaret HICKEY. I suspect that "Rannahan" is a typo. There are Hickeys that inter-marry with the O'Neills in other lines, but I'm not sure of any connection at this stage.

It is a possibility that John Hogan was one of the convicts assigned to work at Dalwood Homestead.

Mary Margaret Hogan and James O'Neill were married in the Roman Catholic Church at West Maitland on January 12th, 1851. Father J.T. Lynch performed the ceremony. Father John Lynch came to East Maitland in August of 1838. Fr Lynch often ministered in West Maitland and went to live there as the first parish priest in 1841. He ministered in places far away from Maitland too, such as Kempsey, the Upper Hunter and Armidale.



West Maitland Roman Catholic Church

The wedding was witnessed by John Graham (not known who this person is) and Mary Ryan, who was the sister of James O'Neill.

She bore eleven children in her lifetime, nine of whom survived into adulthood.

The first of her children, Patrick Joseph was born on March 19th, 1852 at Black Creek, 14 months after her wedding to James. Patrick was baptised in West Maitland on April the 4th, 1852.

She died on the 24th November, 1919 at Denne St, West Tamworth. Her cause of death was Lobar
Pneumonia, that she had been suffering for 5 days. She was last attended to by Dr Thomas Douglas on 22/11/1919.

The informant on her death certificate was her daughter Esther Gertrude O'Neill, an unmarried nurse who was residing at Newington Hospital in Sydney at the time.

She was buried in the Roman Catholic Cemetery at West Tamworth on 25/11/1919 by the undertakers Rolling and Robinson. Her funeral was celebrated by Father P F Walsh, the Parish priest of St Nicholas at Tamworth.

Seven of her children were shown as living on her death certificate; Mary 65, John 63, James T 61, Arthur 59, Esther 55, Annie 51, Michael J 49 and Katherine (Catherine) 47. It was noted that there were three males deceased.

Baptismal Certificate 195 Vol. 129 held on file.
Death Cert 1919/023407 held on file.
With thanks to the Maitland Parish history site.

James O'Neill 1825-1894

James O'Neill was my Great Great Great Uncle. He was born on August 5th, 1825 in the town of Coolmanagh, County Carlow, Ireland.

He emigrated with his parents and siblings to Australia in 1844 at the age of 19.

Along with his father and brother, he was contracted to W.C. Wentworth as a farm servant on their Bounty Contract.

On January 12th, 1851 he married Mary Margaret HOGAN at the Roman Catholic Church in West Maitland. They had eleven children together, nine of whom survived into adulthood.

Patrick Joseph O'NEILL born 19/3/1852 at Black Creek (Branxton) - died 27/6/1892 Tamworth

Mary O'NEILL 1854-1936 born Maitland, died Quirindi

John O'NEILL 1856 born Maitland (death date still to be determined)

James Thomas O'NEILL 1858-1941 born Maitland, died Manilla

Thomas O'NEILL 1862-1862 born & died Maitland

Esther Gertrude O'NEILL 1864-1936 born Maitland, died Cessnock

Mathias O'NEILL 1867-1868 born & died Tamworth

Annie F O'NEILL 1869-1954 born Tamworth, died Hamilton

Michael Joseph O'NEILL 1871-1953 born Tamworth, died Mayfield

Catherine Winifred O'NEILL (known as Kate) 1873-1954 born Tamworth, died North Sydney

At some stage between 1864 and 1867, James and Mary have shifted their family north from the Hunter to the Tamworth area. A number of James' siblings and their families also populated the area around this time. The O'Neills were a farming family, both in the Hunter and in the Tamworth region.

James O'NEILL drowned whilst fishing in the Peel River on April 11th, 1894 at a location called Hungry Hill near Somerton. This was also listed as his residence of the time. He was aged 70.

A coroner's jury at Carroll, NSW returned the verdict of accidental death.

He was buried at the Roman Catholic Cemetery at Tamworth (many thanks to Liz Pritchard for the photo). His funeral was performed by Father Patrick D Ryan Who had performed his own son's funeral two years earlier), and the witnesses to his burial were his son, James Thomas O'NEILL, and T Fordham (assuming this is Thomas), his son-in-law (Kate's new husband).

At the time of his death, 8 of his children were still alive; John aged 37, James aged 35, Mary aged 39, Arthur aged 33, Esther aged 29, Annie aged 24, Michael aged 22 and Kate aged 20. His certificate stated that three male children were deceased. This would have been Patrick, Matthias and unknown.

The information on his death certificate was provided by his wife, Mary O'NEILL (nee Hogan).

Death Certificate 1894/012961 held on file.
Marriage Certificate 179 Vol 97 1851 held on file

Dr Ludwig Wilhem Schulzen

Dr Schulzen was the last Dr to see Patrick O'Neill before he died in 1874.

Dr Ludwig Wilhelm Schulzen (known as William) was born in Bremen, Germany c1820, according to his naturalization papers which can be viewed on the NAA site.

He looks to have first arrived in South Australia in c1847 and was a resident of Guichen Bay on the Eastern coast (probably now a town called Robe) when he was naturalized in 1851.

A google search indicates that he was an active botanist between the periods 1840-1850.

He looks to have moved to Victoria to the goldfields and was first registered as a Doctor in Victoria in 1856. His move was prompted by the South Australian government reducing the salaries of medical practitioners. They would never get away with that in today's times! There is more detail on where he was living in a great resource from the Medical Pioneers Site sent to me by the wonderful researcher Marg Morters.

The next trace of him is when he married Louisa Newsham (nee Singleton) in Patricks Plains NSW in 1866.

Patricks Plains was the original name for Singleton. Singleton was named after Benjamin Singleton, the first settler of the place. Benjamin, coincidentally, was Louisa's father.
Louisa, who was born in Patricks Plains on the 28th of September 1827, married William Newsham in 1850. They had a child, Claude in 1852 who died as an infant in 1855. The NSW BDM index shows that another child Claude was born in 1861, but I'm not so sure of that reference.

I'm not sure what happened to William Newsham as I can find no obvious death reference.

In the 1872 Greville's Directory, Dr Schulzen is shown as having rooms in King St, Clarence Town (more thanks to Marg for that reference).

Louisa died in 1908 in Singleton, whereas Dr Ludwig died in Greta in 1881.

The Death of Patrick O'Neill

Patrick O'Neill, farmer of Stanhope Homestead passed away on the 24th September 1874 at the age of 79 years. The cause of his death was "Granulated disease of the liver and kidneys". He was last attended to by Dr Ludwig Wilhelm Schulzen (stated on the death certificate to be William Schultzen), who was a local doctor of the time.

Patrick's wife had predeceased him by 9 years. The informant on his death certificate was his son, Patrick O'Neill Jnr who would have been aged 44 at the time. Patrick Jnr was living in the township of Greta, some 16km away, by today's roads.

Patrick's funeral was presided over by Father Michael McGrath, a young priest who would meet his death in an untimely accident some eight years later in Kiama at the age of 33.

Patrick Jnr performed the burial himself, the day after his father passed away at the Roman Catholic Burial ground at Lochinvar. The witnesses to the burial were Mary Smith and John Arthur Goulding, who I believe was the local constable.

Upon his death, four of Patrick's sons and two of his daughters were still alive. Three males and two females were diseased. I know one of the deceased females to be his daughter Esther, who died young at the age of 29 in 1869.

I have no record of the other children - perhaps they died before they emigrated to Australia. There are certainly some gaps in Esther Snr's childbearing years.

Patrick's tombstone is still visible at Lochinvar, although worn and damaged. Buried with Patrick, or at least commemorated by the same headstone, is his daughter Mary Ryan (nee O'Neill) who died on 22nd July 1895, at the age of 67.

With many thanks to another O'Neill descendant Janelle Collins for the excellent photograph.

The O'Neills come to Australia

The O'Neill family sailed out of Cork on the good ship William Metcalfe .

The ship departed on the 24th November 1843, and entered Port Jackson on March 14th 1844. Patrick and Esther's seven living children accompanied them; James b 1825, Mary b c1827, Arthur b c1829, Patrick b 1830, Catherine b 1837, Esther b 1839 and Thomas b c1843.

The family's shipping record is listed under the surname Neile. The majority of the people on the William Metcalfe were bounty immigrants, including the O'Neills.

I have on record a transcript of the Bounty Contract between the O'Neills and W.C. Wentworth.

"Patrick O'Neill and three sons engaged to serve the said W.C. Wentworth as farm servants and otherwise make themselves generally useful for the term of twelve months, and also to obey all his or his overseers or authorised agents lawful and reasonable commands during that period in consideration of which service the said W.C. Wentworth does thereby agree to pay the said Patrick wages at the rate of 30 pounds per annum and provide them with the following weekly rations:

beef or mutton 40lbs
flour 50lbs
sugar 6lbs
tea 14ozs

Witness they have intentionally affirmed their signatures to this document.

W.C. Wentworth
C.D. Logan
Patrick O'Neill"



W.C. Wentworth was a controversial politician, explorer and businessman. I'm yet to do more research into his land-holdings in the Hunter Valley, and why the O'Neills came to be there.

The O'Neill family elders (Patrick & Esther) both died at Stanhope Homestead, which was the property of Dr James Mitchell. Perhaps there is a link between Mitchell and Wentworth's farming properties.

The O'Neill's departure from Ireland pre-dated the potato famine, so was indeed a timely move for this family.

It seems that both Patrick and Esther both understated their ages for the shipping records. Perhaps there was an age requirement for bounty immigration.

Patrick states that he was 39 in 1844, but he would have been more like 49, and Esther states that she was 37 in 1844, but she was more in the proximity of 46.