Bio: O'Neill - Neillsville City Cemetery (1953)

Contact: Dolores Mohr Kenyon

Email: dolores@wiclarkcountyhistory.org 
 

Surnames: O’Neill, Douglas, Darling, Covill
 

----Source: Clark County Press (Neillsville, Clark Co., WI.) July 30, 1953 
 

City Cemetery (O’Neill - 1953) 
 

Story of the First Pioneer as Told by Inscriptions on Stones - Life and Death of Founder Told on Oldest Plot in City Cemetery -  
 

The recent interment of Harry Darling in the city cemetery of Neillsville brought to attention the plot in which he was buried.  His grave is on the old O’Neill lot, which is in the oldest part of the cemetery.  This lot is the burial place of persons connected the earliest days of Clark County.   
 

The stones upon this lot, together with the inscriptions upon them, were studied by the editor of The Clark County Press immediately following the interment of Mr. Darling. Several interesting revelations resulted. 
 

Most important discovery is that the stones upon the family lot are losing their value as an historical record.  This was especially true in the case of the senior James O’Neill, the Founder.  The first conclusion of the editor was that (the rest of this portion of article was missing. Dmk) 
 

(Then there was a photo of the cemetery showing the stones mentioned, but it was not good enough to try to put onto the website.  But here is the story that was beneath it. Dmk) 
 

This is the old O’Neill lot in the city cemetery of Neillsville. The marker at the extreme left marks the burial place of James O’Neill, the Founder.  The larger stone to the right of the marker bears an inscription for Jane Douglas O’Neill, first wife of the Founder; of two sons, Thomas, who died in 1872 at the age of 21, and John, who died in army service in 1862 at the age of 17; and of James O’Neill himself, the Founder.  To the right of the O’Neill family stone is a slab, with a lamb cut on its top, inscribed to Jimmie, son of W. S. and Bell Covill, who died March 10, 1872, at the age of one year, five months and 23 days.  Mrs. Covill was the first white child born in Clark County.  She is one of two daughters of James O’Neill and his first wife.  Mrs. Covill died in the Far West and is buried there.   
 

The marker on the foreground, center, marks the graves of Maria D. O’Neill, the second daughter, and her husband, Frank E. Darling.  Mrs. Darling died in 1897 and Mr. Darling in 1927.  Harry Darling, their son, who was buried last week, lies forward of the Darling marker. 
 

The larger stone to the right of the Darling marker is inscribed with the names of James Douglas and his wife Frances.  The first Mrs. O’Neill was a Douglas, one of a large family.  The slab still further to the right bears the name of Thomas Douglas, who died in 1866 at the age of 79 years.  James and Thomas Douglas are given in the Cooper History as brothers of Jane Douglas, Mr. O’Neill’s first wife.