John Brew and Nellie (Ellen, Helen) O’Neil were my maternal grandmother’s parents. They both were born in Ireland. John (Brew-77) was born around 1863 and Nellie (O'Neil-601) was born around 1869. John became a naturalized citizen of the United States, probably in the 1880s (I found a record that might be his), and Nellie became a citizen when she married John (probably in 1892: they appear in the 1892 NY census). Nellie immigrated to the United States in 1890 (give or take a year or two). I don’t know when John immigrated to the United States. They lived in Brooklyn, NY, and gave birth to three children: Lilian (my grandmother) on April 26, 1895, and Theresa and William, who were twins born on September 12, 1898. John Brew apparently died between 1898 and 1902 (Nellie is listed as “widowed” in the 1902 Brooklyn City Directory). My grandmother, Lilian, was sent to Ireland around 1898 to live with an aunt. I think that Theresa was sent to an orphanage in 1898 and probably adopted as an infant. William lived with his mother, apparently until her death. I can’t find a marriage certificate for John and Nellie, nor can I find death certificates for either of them. If anyone has more information about either John or Nellie (Ellen, Helen) Brew, I would very much appreciate getting it.
ADDENDUM 05/28/2015: I think that Nellie (Ellen/Helen) was born in County Longford, Ireland, in 1868 or 1869. My grandmother appeared in the 1911 Irish Census, living in the home of Hugh Boyce. His wife, Bridget Boyce, was the aunt who raised her. Someone named Bridget O'Neil was my grandmother's godmother in 1895. I suspect that Bridget is Nellie's younger sister (she married Boyce seven years after my grandmother's baptism). In the 1911 census, Bridget reported that she was born in County Longford (about 1871). If she is Nellie's younger sister, then Nellie also probably was born there.
