Obituary: Rock County, Wisconsin: Martha J. O'NEIL ************************************************************************ Submitted by Ruth Ann Montgomery, April 2008 © All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm ************************************************************************ Funeral services for Mrs. Martha J. O'Neil, a pioneer of Porter township, who died Feb. 1, in Sun River, Mont., were held at 9 a.m. Monday in St. Patrick's church. The Rev. Lincoln Whelan officiated and burial was in Mt. Olivet cemetery. Pallbearers were Dan Conway, Peter Barrett, Stephen Dooley, Edward Fox, John Flynn and James Reilly. Mrs. O'Neil moved to a Montana homestead 20 years ago, making the second adventure of her life into frontier country. She was a daughter of Joseph and Jane Churchill, born in Norwood, Canada, in 1848, and when four years old began an overland journey with her parents to Wisconsin. They traveled during the early spring by ox-team as far as Grand Haven, Mich. When they reached there, the snow was fast disappearing and they were forced to sell their oxen and long sleigh and take a boat to Racine. Landing there, they engaged a teamster to bring them and all their goods to Janesville for $4.50. That was a year before the railraod was built through here. Halfway, however, the teamster became discouraged with the mud and hard going, and demanded an additional $4. This Mrs. O'Neil's father refused to pay and the owner of the horses thereupon unloaded all their boxes in the woods and headed back for Racine. Mr. Churchill and others of the party continued to Janesville on foot, leaving Mrs. O'Neil, then a child, her mother and others camping. In Janesville they hired another man to return with horses and bring them here. They settled soon afterward in the town of Porter. One of the last camps of Indians in this vicinity, and probably the last in Rock county was located in the Edson woods, in Porter, at that time. Mrs. O'Neil has often told of the Indians coming to their home during her childhood to beg food during the winter months. She married Lawrence O'Neil in 1864. Survivors are four children, 16 grandchildren, and five great grandchildren. February 8, 1932, Janesville Gazette, p. 5, Janesville, Wisconsin