Thomas Hugh O'Neill & Johanna Josephine Curtin
Thomas Hugh O'Neill (born March 24, 1858; died Oct. 2,1916). In 1878 Thomas married Johanna Curtain (born April, 1860 in County Kerry, Ireland; died July 14, 1932).Thomas appears on the 1880 census, with wife Johanna nee Curtin O’Neill, living in Alameda. By 1900, they moved back to San Francisco. They had 4 children, Loretta, Thomas, Hugh and Bartholomew. 1- Catherine (Kitty) Loretta was born in San Francisco, California on Feb. 18, 1883. She married Charles Henry Schaertzer in June of 1903.
They had two children: - Loretta Mary (born May 30, 1908) who married Allen Cameron. - Cyril Hugh (born Feb. 7, 1906) was a SFFD fireman. He died Sept. 27,1994 in Petaluma, Calif.
Charles died June 28, 1948. Loretta died on April 29, 1964. 2 - Thomas E. who was building laborer in San Francisco, never married and died young
3 - Hugh A. who married Elizabeth Moir from Scotland. They moved to Alameda, California and had one son, Hugh O’Neill, Jr
4 - Bartholomew Lawrence who became a Jesuit Priest and is buried in the Santa Clara Mission Cemetery.
"Father Bartholomew was described as being ‘black Irish’ (having dark hair and eyes with a pale completion) and handsome. There is some evidence to suspect that he was involved with the IRA. Johanna’s nephew was Batt O’Connor T.D. (close friend and confidant to Michael Collins).
Bartholomew O'Neill, S.J.(enlarge)
Soon after Thomas Hugh O’Neill died in October of 1916, so did his son Thomas E. (1917); which left Hugh and Bart with the financial responsibility for their mother. The family decided that Hugh would support the family, with the understanding that Bart would help out when he finished high school in a couple of months. Bart attended St. James, St. Charles, Immaculate Conception and St. Agnes Elementary Schools and St. Ignatius High School in San Francisco. After his high school graduation in 1917, he entered Sacred Heart Novitiate. Leaving Hugh to support his mother and put Bart through college. This resulted in a strained relationship that would last through out their lives. In addition to that, Bart was never able to resolve his unhappy feelings that Hugh's son and grandchildren were not raised Catholics and would not meet them. Bart studied for the priesthood in Washington and Kansas and was ordained in Kansas at St. Mary’s June 22, 1932. He became a Jesuit, taught at the University of Santa Clara and also in Rome. Bart’s mother, Johanna, was proud that one of her sons became a priest, and was asked to join the Loyola Guild.There is a ‘family story’, that when he was ordained he was asked to visit the Vatican several times, before the O'Neill family could save enough money to pay for his passage and a stipend for him to live on while he was there. It was a hardship for the family who didn't have extra money, but they felt he might not be asked again and it was a wonderful opportunity. After his time was up and Bart was due to return, they started to get post cards from all over Europe. These cards continued for many months. When Bart finally returned his family asked how he had managed to tour Europe, as they hadn't given him any extra money. He said that a widow lady from his Parrish in California happened to be in Rome and asked him to travel with her as her ‘spiritual advisor’. The family was impressed at his good fortune; until his sister-in-law Elizabeth Moir O'Neill asked how old this widow was (the family was thinking she was old from Bart's story)? Bart confessed she was young!" Told to Barb Fageol by Jean Middleton Ostaggi (2003) |
