The elusive Daniel McNeill...

...my 2nd great grandfather, and Maggie's father, has been tough to trace. There are simply too many Daniel McNeills in Antrim. But we can pull on one thread a little, starting from his death-certificate.

It gives his residence as Blackcave, Larne, where in the Griffith's valuation revision books at PRONI, we find his landholding, a plot of 7.9375 acres, in the townland of Blackcave South, now entirely within the boundaries of Larne. Even in 1880, it wasn't far from town. This is from the 1878-1883 Valuation revision book.

He apparently occupied the plot in 1880 or 1881, according to the annotation on the right. And it was given up with his death. It's the tract numbered 8 on this map. Larne is at the bottom. Interestingly, his brother Henry seems to have a larger holding, nearly adjacent.

What can we infer? Daniel certainly lived in Larne or thereabouts from 1880 onwards. There are no houses on the plot, but it's a short walk from town. So now we have to find his house.