Francis Augusta O’Neill (1869-1959)

Francis Augustus O’Neill was eighth oldest of the twelve children of Patrick O’Neill & Elizabeth Lulham. He was born on 11 Nov 1869 in the Port Stephens district of NSW, and passed away in Sydney on 26 May 1954.

He is somewhat elusive in official records and newspaper reports. We think he was a house painter and never married. There are a couple of news items in which tenders of his for work were successful.

The first of these appeared on Sat 25 Mar 1899 in The Manning River Times and Advocate for the Northern Coast Districts of New South Wales:

Taree Recreation Ground.
ACCEPTED TENDER.

The tender of Mr. F. A. O’Neill was accepted for painting the pavilion in the Taree Park, at £10 6s.

Then on 01 Apr 1899:

Accepted Tender. — The tender of Mr. F. A. O’Neill has been accepted for painting the Glenthorne Public School — inside and out — the work to be done during the Easter holidays, if possible.

On Wed 12 Apr 1899 the paper advised that Francis was admitted to the Manning River Hospital and was discharged on 16 Apr.

He does not appear again until the 1930 electoral roll, in which he was described as a painter living in Mt St Joseph’s, Avoca St Randwick. This happens to be the same aged-care facility, run by the Little Sisters of the Poor, that his brother Alf was in for the last year or two of his life (he died in 1951). From there Francis seemed to move frequently: in 1933 he was in the State Hospital at Lidcome (prior to 1922 it was known as the Rookwood Benevevolent Asylum); in 1937 he is in Mt St Josephs aged-care facility in Young; in 1943 his address was listed as 499 Riley St (no occupation). He passed away in the Liverpool district (which includes Lidcome) on 26 May 1954.

If anyone has any information about Francis please contact mick@oneillfamily.id.au.