NORTHERN NEW YORK
Genealogical and family history of northern New York: a record of the achievements of her people
in the making of a commonwealth and the founding of a nation.
New York: Lewis Historical Pub. Co. 1910.



O'NEIL/O'NEILL



Transcribed by Coralynn Brown



Maruice O'Neill was born in county Kerry, Ireland, about 1800. He came to America when he about eighteen years old, and located at Hogansburg, Franklin county, N.Y. There he followed farming all his active life.
Children:
1. Cornelius, farmer, of Massena, N.Y.
2. Michael, lives at Dayton, Ohio.
3. Jeremiah, mentioned below.
4. Mary, married C.P. Lantry, of Hogansburg.
5. Catherine.
6. Thomas.

(II) Jeremiah, son of Maurice O'Neill, was born in 1832 in Hogansburg, and is now (1910) living at Massena, N.Y. He was educated in the public schools. He went west for a few years, but returned to New York and has since followed farming at Massena.
He married Charity, born at Brasher, N.Y. 1835, daughter of Joshua and Nellie (Lyons) Lantry.
Children:
1. Maurice, lives in Rochester, N.Y., a real estate broker; married Minnie Haggerty.
2. Joshua, died at age of twenty-one years.
3. Barney Stephen, mentioned below.
4. Nellie, died aged fifteen years.
5. John, died aged twenty-five years.
6. Rev. Thomas J., a Roman Catholic priest of the Paulist Order, now (1910) in California.
7. Franklin, died aged eleven years.
8. James M., M.D., physician in the state hospital at Ogdensburg, N.Y.

(III) Barney Stephen, son of Jeremiah O'Neill, was born at Massena, N.Y. Dec. 13, 1868. He was educated in the public schools of his native town and at St. Lawrence University of Canton, N.Y., graduating in the class of 1982. He taught school for three years after graduating from college, at Parishville and Colton.
He began the study of law while teaching school and continued to the law office of Raines & Van Auken at Rochester, N.Y. He was admitted to the bar in 1896, and in 1897 opened an office at Massena, where he has since practiced. He was elected supervisor of the town of Massena in March, 1909. He is a member of the Independent Order of Foresters.
He married , in 1900, Margaret, daughter of Jeremiah and Zilpha Bryon Traver, of Canton, N.Y. They have no children.

SECOND ENTRY:

(II) Thomas, son of Maurice O'Neill, or O'Neil, (q.v.), was born in Bombay, N.Y. 1829, died at Boonville, N.Y. May, 1894. He had a common school education. He followed the lumbering business all his active life. In politics he was a Republican.
He married (first) Lucy Comstock, born 1827, diedf July 11, 1869, daughter of Samuel and Annie (Comstock) Weller. He married (second) Margaret Wilson, who is now living in Los Angeles, California.
Children of first wife:
1. William T. (q.v.).
2. Fred (q.v.)
Children of second wife:
3. Katherine, lives in Los Angeles.
4. Jennie, deceased.

(III) Hon. William Thomas, son of Thomas O'Neil, was born in Brighton, Franklin county, N.Y. Feb. 7, 1850, and was educated in the district schools and at Fort Edward Collegiate Institute, Fort Edward, N.Y. He then studied law in the office of Hon. Smith M. Weed at Plattsburgh. On acount of failing health, however, he did not complete the law course, but turned his attention to farming and lumbering in order to have an outdoor occupation. He was president of the Cascade Chair Company, a director of the St. Regis Falls National Bank, and of the St. Regis Light & Power Company, and he owned the St. Regis Creamery and several farms.
Mr. O'Neil was for years interested in political affairs. For many years he was suprevisor of the town of Waverly, Franklin county. In the years 1882-83-84-85 he was a member of the assembly from Franklin county, and while acting in that capacity zealously supported Theodore Roosevelt, then an assemblyman from New York county, in the reform measures that he introduced.
In 1906 Mr. O'Neil was unanimously nominated for state senator by the Republicans of Franklin and St. Lawrence counties, and was elected without Democratic opposition. In 1907 Senator O'Neil was appointed chairman of the senate committee on agriculture and a member of the following senate committees: Finance, taxation, navigation and internal affairs. He was renominated in 1908 and received 20,101 to 8,889 cast for James H. Easman, his Democratic opponent. Lieut. Gov. White in 1909 appointed Mr. O'Neil a member of the following senate committees: chairman of revision, member of banks, finance. He died at St. Regis Falls, May 5, 1909, while still in office.
He came to St. Regis Falls in 1872 and lived there the remainder of his life. He organized the Cascade Chair Company in 1901 and the St. Regis Falls National Bank in 1904. He secured the water system for the village of St. Regis Falls. He represented the St. Regis Paper Company, and for a period of twelve years was general manager of the Santa Clara Lumber Company. He was a large stockholder in the Watson-Page Lumber Company. He took keen interest in everything pertaining to the welfare and upbuilding of the town of St. Regis Falls and perhaps contributed more than any other citizen to that end.
He was for a number of years a merchant at St. Regis Falls. He was a member of St. Regis Lodge, Odd Fellows, of St. Regis Falls, and of Northern Constellation Lodge, Free Masons, of Malone, N.Y.

He married, Nov. 19, 1872, Ophelia Young, born at Pottersville, Warren county, N.Y. July 26, 1853, now (1910) living at St. Regis Falls, a daughter of James Henry Young, a native of Poughkeepsie, N.Y. born Nov. 17, 1820, and now living with his daughter, Mrs. O'Neil, at St. Regis Falls, aged ninety years. Her mother, Caroline (Egbertson) Young, was born in Jewett, Green county, N.Y., in 1832, died in 1900. She had three brothers, Charles H., Arthur Young, and Frank Stanley Young. Robert Young, father of James Henry Young, was born in England, and came to this country when a young man; died in May, 1844, aged sixty-six years, at Gilboy, Schoharie county, N.Y.; married Phebe Buckhout, born at New Paltz, Ulster county, N.Y., daughter of John Buckhout, of Knickerbocker ancestry. Children of Robert and Phebe (Buckhout) Young: James Henry, Jacob, Theodore, John, George, Alexander, William, Margaret, George, Willis and William Young.
Children of William Thomas and Ophelia (Young) O'Neil:
1. Edith, born at St. Regis Falls, Feb. 9, 1874; married Alexander Macdonald, of St. Regis Falls, cashier of the St. Regis Falls National Bank; member of the assembly, state of New York.
2. Henry Edward, mentioned below.
3. Florence, born Oct. 25, 1885.
4. Dorothy, Oct. 5, 1891.
5. Arthur S., Aug. 27, 1893.

(IV) Henry Edward, son of Hon. William Thomas O'Neil, was born at St. Regis Falls, March 19, 1876. He was educated in the public schools of his native town and spent two years at Franklin Academy, Malone, N.Y. He began his busines career as bookkeeper for the Santa Clara Lumber Company and was afterward with the Everton Lumber Company of Everton, and with the Watson-Page Lumber Company; he was also a stockholder. He was one of the founders of the Cascade Chair Company of St. Regis Falls, and is now (1910) president of the corporation. He is also president of the St. Regis Falls Light and Power Company, which he was intrumental in organizing. He was one of the organizers of the St. Regis Falls National Bank and has been president from the beginning. To the bank and the other corporations of which he is president he devotes most of his time and energy.
In politics he is a Republican. He was made a member of Elk Lodge, No. 575, Free Masons, of Nicholville, N.Y., but is now a charter member of the lodge of St. Regis Falls, He is also a memberf of Elks Chapter, No. 197, Royal Arch Masons, of Nicholville; of the Order of the Eastern Star, St. Regis Falls; of St. Regis Lodge, No. 100, Odd Fellows, and the Encampment at St. Regis Falls.
He is unmarried.

THIRD ENTRY:

(III) Fred, son of Thomas O'Neil (q.v.), was born in Brighton, Franklin county, N.Y. Dec. 25, 1852. He attended the public schools of his native town and of Plattsburgh, N.Y., and the Fort Edward Institute. He engaged in the lumber business on his own account in 1875 at Duane, N.Y., and continued for the next twelve years. In 1888 he removed to Malone, N.Y., where he has since lived, embarking in the fire insurance business as partner in the firm of O'Neil & Hale.
In politics Mr. O'Neil is a Republican, and he was supervisor of the town of Duane for twelve years. For several years he was chairman of the Republican county committee. He was elected county treasurer in 1887, and was re-elected for a second term, serving until 1894. He was appointed postmaster of Malone by President McKinely, and has continued in that office to the present time.
He married, in 1874, Ella S., born in Essex coutny, daughter of Orrin and Harriet (Knowlton) Grimes.
Children:
1. William, born at St. Regis Falls, N.Y. March 17, 1875, now living at Great Barrington, Mass.; a farmer; married Ella J. Wright.
2. Frederick E., born at Duane, N.Y., Feb. 14, 1884; graduate of Franklin Academy and Cornell University (1908), mechanical engineer for the Westinghouse Electric Company.
3. Harold G., born at Duane, Dec. 1, 1886; graduate of Brown University and Cornell; lawyer, practicing at Malone.
4. Herbert, born at Malone, July 22, 1893.

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