Get to know the in-laws

I do believe that knowing the in-laws, finding the cousins, discovering how families intermarried makes the family history story richer ... and sometimes does help you piece together otherwise unknown relationships.  Finding someone listed as nephew or mother-in-law can breakdown your brick wall.



In this case, we might have passed right by this gravestone when looking for Owen Williams at St. Peter's churchyard in Woolton, Lancashire ... except we knew that his sister-in-law Ann(e) O'Neill had married Samuel Smith.

Actually the stone is a bit worn and the photo seems to emphasize the Williams name ... in reality, SAMUEL SMITH at the top in large letters is more or less at eye level and is the name that really attracts attention.


Anne (here spelled with a final E, so we'll adopt that spelling) and Margaret O'Neill were sisters born in Childwall, Lancashire in 1841 and 1839 respectively.  They lived with their husbands, Samuel Smith and Owen Williams, in Much Woolton near the church where they are buried. Both females were listed as O'Neill on their marriage records with father as Joseph O'Neill.