The O’Neill Family of Manchester
The starting information for research on the O’Neill family was taken from work carried out in researching the Gregory
family. The marriage certificate of Frederick William Gregory and Margaret Mary O’Neill (paternal grandparents of
Michael Gregory) showed her father as James O’Neill, a bricklayer’s labourer:
Marriage
St Chad’s Catholic Church, Cheetham Hill Road
District of Manchester North
Counties of Lancashire and Manchester
26 Dec 1929
Frederick William Gregory 23 years Bachelor Grocer’s Assistant
[of] Stones Head Hayfield [son of] Frederick John Hall Gregory deceased Postman
&
Margaret O’Neill 20 years Spinster Waterproof Garment Machinist [of] 57 Fernie Street,
Cheetham [dau of] James O’Neill Bricklayer’s Labourer
Roman Catholics by Certificate
Witnesses:
Fred Clewley, Catherine O’Neill
A copy of the death certificate of Margaret O’Neill had been obtained during the Gregory research, and this showed the
following information:
Death
Certificate No QD030313
10 July 1989
Birthplace: Hayfield, Greater Manchester
Margaret Gregory nee O’Neal
Widow of Frederick William Gregory, Textile Warehouseman (retired) of 24
Moor Road, Orrell, Wigan
Billinge Hospital, Billinge, Wigan
Of Stroke and Diabetes Mellitus
Informant: Sylvia Margaret Hyde, Daughter of 106 Henry Taylor Street, Flint, Clwyd
Since this information was available, it was expected to find Margaret’s birth certificate with no difficulty – it should have
been found in the December quarter of 1909 – but when the quarterly birth indexes were searched, there was no birth
registered of Margaret Mary O’Neill in Hayfield between the March quarter of 1908 and the December quarter of 1910.
There were a number of entries for the name in other registration districts, but there was no other clue of where Margaret
might have been born. A search was also made using the surname O’Neal, since this was how the name appeared on the
death certificate, and the search was extended back to the December quarter of 1911 but the result was still negative. Three
of the most likely registrations that had been previously noted were then selected for checking by the authorities for a
father’s name James:
Jan qtr 1910
Mar qtr 1910
Mar qtr 1910
Margaret May O’Neill
Margaret Mary O’Neill
Margaret O’Neill
Ashton
Wigan
Manchester
The third of these proved to be the correct one, and it was found that Margaret was in fact born on 24 November 1909 in
central Manchester, and that her name was registered as plain Margaret: she probably took on her second name (that of her
mother) at Baptism or Confirmation:
Birth
Registration District Manchester
Sub-district Central Manchester
County of Manchester
24 Nov 1909
Margaret [dau of] James O’Neill Brick-maker’s Labourer [&] Mary O’Neill formerly Oates
[of] 10 Davison Street
The quarterly marriage indexes were now searched under both James O’Neill and Mary Oates from the December quarter of
1909 back to the March quarter of 1900, but no match was found. There were a few marriages shown in both names in the
Manchester area, as follows:
Sep qtr
Jun qtr
Dec qtr
Sep qtr
Mar qtr
Jun qtr
1900
1902
1902
1906
1907
1909
James O’Neill
James Joseph O’Neill
James O’Neill
James O’Neill
James O’Neill
James O’Neill
Chorlton
Manchester
Manchester
Ashton
Chorlton
Manchester
1
Jun qtr
Mar qtr
Mar qtr
1906
1904
1903
Mary Hannah Oates
Mary Jane Oates
Mary Ellen Oates
Manchester
Manchester
Chorlton
Before checking any of these, it was decided to look in the Irish civil registration records, in case the couple married in
Ireland. A search was made from 1900 to 1909 but the result was negative.
Since Margaret might have been the youngest of a large family, the search was extended in the English civil registration
records back as far as the beginning of 1880, but the results continued to be negative. There were numerous references for
each name in the Manchester area, but there was not matching pair of bride’s and groom’s references. The additional
individual references were noted as follows:
Mar qtr
Sep qtr
Dec qtr
Sep qtr
1881
1881
1882
1883
James O’Neill
James O’Neill
James O’Neill
James O’Neill
Jun qtr
Sep qtr
Mar qtr
Mar qtr
Jun qtr
Jun qtr
Jun qtr
Sep qtr
1886
1891
1892
1893
1895
1896
1899
1899
James O’Neill
James Thomas O’Neill
James O’Neill
James O’Neill
James O’Neill
James O’Neill
James O’Neill
James O’Neill
Prestwich
Manchester
Chorlton
Salford and
Manchester
Chorlton
Salford
Prestwich
Salford
Manchester
Manchester
Salford
Chorlton
Dec qtr
Sep qtr
Jun qtr
Dec qtr
Jun qtr
Jun qtr
Sep qtr
1881
1884
1888
1893
1896
1896
1899
Mary Oates
Mary Oates
Mary Oates
Mary Jane Oates
Mary Ann Oates
Mary Jane Oates
Mary Ann Oates
Manchester
Chorlton
Salford
Manchester
Ashton
Salford
Salford
It is possible that the correct marriage is referred to by one of these references. If Mary Oates was illegitimate or had been
married before, her name would be indexed under a different surname. Similarly, if James O’Neill spelled his name
differently, or the name was incorrectly indexed, one of the Mary Oates references might be the correct one. However,
without further evidence it would be difficult to establish which, if any, was the correct marriage, even if all the references
were obtained. Research on this line has therefore hit a barrier. Additional clues from further sources, including surviving
family members could, however, unlock further tracing opportunities. It was hoped that the 1911 census might yield further
clues to the origins of the O’Neill family. However, an initial search when the 1911 census was released online in 2009
were inconclusive. A search against James O’Neill yielded the following result:
Census 1911
32 Clare St., Chorlton St Hulme, Manchester
Name
James O’Neill
Mary Anna O’Neill
Hugh O’Neill
Status
H
W
Brother
Marr
Age
M
48
M (11 years) 43
S
40
Occupation
Bricklayer’s Labourer
Contractor’s Labourer
Where born
Surnquin co Tyrone
Ancoat, Manchester
Durnquin, co Tyrone
This seems a likely candidate for Michael Gregory’s ancestor. The problem, however, is that Margaret Mary O’Neill, who
would have been two years old at the time of the 1911 census, was not recorded as being with the family. Unless the couple
had children before, they were at an advanced age to have a young daughter. The evidence therefore is inconclusive and
may need to wait until the release of the 1921 census in 2021.
Another interesting entry was found in the 1911 census. An O’Neill family was discovered living at 8, Whittacker Street,
Gorton Lane, Gorton, Manchester. The head of the household was James O’Neill and his wife was Mary. They had
daughters, including one called Mary born in 1906. Margaret Mary O’Neill, the grandmother of Michael Gregory was born
in 1909, so this is unlikely to be the same family. Another possibility is to try and find James O’Neill through Catherine
O’Neill, who was a bridesmaid at the wedding of Margaret Mary and Frederick Gregory. The best man was Fred Clewley.
There is the strong possibility that Catherine was a sister of Margaret. Perhaps her birth details might yield a clue. There is
also the possibility that she and Fred Clewley may have been going out together, so a possible marriage could be checked
against the BMD Index.
Date of Report:
31 December 2006
2
Sources Consulted
English and Welsh Civil Registration
Office for National Statistics, London
Birth Margaret Mary O’Neill 1909
Search for marriage of James O’Neill and Mary Oates 1880-1909
Irish Civil Registration
Custom House, Dublin
Search for the marriage of James O’Neill and Mary Oates 1900-1909
Census
1911 Census online
3
The O’Neill Family of Manchester and Relationship
of Michael Gregory to the O’Neill Line
James O’Neill
Brickmaker’s Labourer
Of 10 Davison Street
Manchester (1909)
=
Mary Oates
Frederick William Gregory
=
Margaret Mary O’Neill
Born 24 November 1909
Hayfield
married 26 December 1929 St Chad’s
Cheetham Hill Road, Manchester
Of 57 Fernie Street, Cheetham (1929)
Of 24 Moor Road, Orwell, Wigan (1989)
Of Happy Cottage, Lovely Hall Lane
Salmesbury, Ribblesdale, Nr Blackburn
Ca 1962-1978
Died 10 July 1989 Billinge Hospital, Billinge,
Wigan, Lancashire
Malcolm Peter Gregory
=
Bernadette Caffrey
Michael Peter Gregory
Born 25 June 1957
Genealogy
Chart
No 3
See Caffrey Family
History Report & Genealogy Chart No 2
See Gregory Family History Report
and Genealogy Chart No 1
4