Michael O'Neil
Private
- Joined
- Nov 30, 2010
- Location
- Liverpool, UK
Hi folks - it’s been a while since I posted but I’ve come across this and was wondering if anyone knows where if anywhere I could go next.
I'm (still) trying to find out about the Civil War service of a Patrick F. O’Neil and if indeed he did actually serve. He was born 28 Jan 1844 in Ireland and he died 17 Jun 1918 in Akron, Ohio. He lived in New York City prior to moving to Akron in 1880 so I suspect his service would have a New York connection.
His obit states: "When the Civil War broke out he and two brothers enlisted. The other two boys were killed during the great struggle but Patrick O'Neil fought all the way through, serving most of the time under General Thomas, and taking part in the battles around Nashville and the campaigns west of the mountains."
To me that seems to imply that the branch of service was the army?
I have the cemetery inscriptions for St Vincent's in Akron (done in 1959 and 2002) which states US veteran marker is present and I was in touch with a guy from NARA back in 2011 who examined their burial records and application for headstones and was unable to locate any information. So NARA have no record of an application for a marker.
Someone once suggested that it could have been a GAR marker but I've not found anything for him online there. I have an image of his headstone - it's a simple one in the ground that's it and there is no other marker.
Anyhow this has just popped up on Ancestry in the Ohio, Soldier Grave Registrations, 1804-1958. Whilst the absence of any service record info isn't that unusual as I reckon about 10-15% of those I've looked at so far don't have any, I was wondering whether the fact that it says Yes to Marker: Upright and that it says F. Company, St Vincent's Roster means anything to someone that I could look into further?
Ever the pessimist, my gut feeling is that there's a bit of invention about this. He's not in the 1890 Veteran's Schedule for Akron and I know that at one time he was involved in local politics in Akron. A family member once said to me that they'd once seen an old election pamphlet that said he was in the 'Fighting 69th' which was predominantly a New York Irish infantry regiment. If that was the case then I'd have expected him to be in the veteran's schedule. I have all the NY regiments' muster rolls and there's nothing that I can tie him down to there and certainly not in the 69th. I've gone through all the records at Fold3 and nothing definitive there either for any branch of service. Plus his obituary is wrong as I know for a fact that only one brother was killed (John USN) and the obituary was written by his brother Michael who appears as next of kin on the Soldier Grave Registration. When Michael wrote the obituary it didn't matter - no-one would check. Michael was a major business figure in Akron so no-one would have doubted the obituary. The election pamphlet I referred to earlier might have been Patrick's way of boosting his candidacy?
Suggestions?
Mike (Limey from Liverpool).
I'm (still) trying to find out about the Civil War service of a Patrick F. O’Neil and if indeed he did actually serve. He was born 28 Jan 1844 in Ireland and he died 17 Jun 1918 in Akron, Ohio. He lived in New York City prior to moving to Akron in 1880 so I suspect his service would have a New York connection.
His obit states: "When the Civil War broke out he and two brothers enlisted. The other two boys were killed during the great struggle but Patrick O'Neil fought all the way through, serving most of the time under General Thomas, and taking part in the battles around Nashville and the campaigns west of the mountains."
To me that seems to imply that the branch of service was the army?
I have the cemetery inscriptions for St Vincent's in Akron (done in 1959 and 2002) which states US veteran marker is present and I was in touch with a guy from NARA back in 2011 who examined their burial records and application for headstones and was unable to locate any information. So NARA have no record of an application for a marker.
Someone once suggested that it could have been a GAR marker but I've not found anything for him online there. I have an image of his headstone - it's a simple one in the ground that's it and there is no other marker.
Anyhow this has just popped up on Ancestry in the Ohio, Soldier Grave Registrations, 1804-1958. Whilst the absence of any service record info isn't that unusual as I reckon about 10-15% of those I've looked at so far don't have any, I was wondering whether the fact that it says Yes to Marker: Upright and that it says F. Company, St Vincent's Roster means anything to someone that I could look into further?
Ever the pessimist, my gut feeling is that there's a bit of invention about this. He's not in the 1890 Veteran's Schedule for Akron and I know that at one time he was involved in local politics in Akron. A family member once said to me that they'd once seen an old election pamphlet that said he was in the 'Fighting 69th' which was predominantly a New York Irish infantry regiment. If that was the case then I'd have expected him to be in the veteran's schedule. I have all the NY regiments' muster rolls and there's nothing that I can tie him down to there and certainly not in the 69th. I've gone through all the records at Fold3 and nothing definitive there either for any branch of service. Plus his obituary is wrong as I know for a fact that only one brother was killed (John USN) and the obituary was written by his brother Michael who appears as next of kin on the Soldier Grave Registration. When Michael wrote the obituary it didn't matter - no-one would check. Michael was a major business figure in Akron so no-one would have doubted the obituary. The election pamphlet I referred to earlier might have been Patrick's way of boosting his candidacy?
Suggestions?
Mike (Limey from Liverpool).