Wednesday, March 19, 2014

Another Block

O'Neil: Catherine O'Neil arrived from County Cork, Ireland via Liverpool, England at age 18. That's the story passed down by Mom and Uncle Mutt. They also recall celebrating her 100th birthday.  According to Catherine's 1934 death certificate, she was 99. But, there is a glitch! Her birth year of 1833 was crossed out and 1834 was written in. If Catherine was born in 1833, then she was 100, as reported.

Early versions of her arrival adventures had her father stepping in to prevent Catherine's brother(s) being impressed into the British Army and being mortally injured. Catherine's mother died shortly thereafter. The teenager went to England to earn passage to the U.S. She arrived at some port between Boston and New Orleans.

A couple of years ago I located a record that would have been an ideal fit for Catherine - if she was born in 1833. She would have arrived in NYC shortly before her 19th birthday. I mentioned the record to my uncle, who confirmed the NYC arrival. [Now he narrows down the port list!]

Well, that's as close as I've gotten to the facts. Catherine fudged her age in the censuses since she was about 5 years older than husband Aaron Crail.

Catherine was an amazing woman! She came to America at 18 and settled in Central Indiana. Her husband died from "lung fever" [contracted during the siege of Atlanta] and died in 1868. Catherine raised six children on her own and moved from the Indy area to Peru, Chicago, Shelbyville and back to Indy. She lived with her eldest son [my ggf James Crail], on her own, with her brother-in-law John's family and her daughter Margaret over the years. Catherine was a tiny, feisty Irishwoman, who succumbed to old age with a clear mind - and a distrust of the English!

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