O'NEILL, ALLAN (1802-86) was born in County Leitrim, Ireland, educated in the north and trained as a surveyor and civil engineer. He was engaged for some years in the ordnance survey and on railroad construction. In 1842 O'Neill came to Taranaki as a surveyor under the New Zealand Company. The staff being reduced soon after, he walked overland to Auckland, arriving in Sep 1842. There he surveyed the North Shore and Takapuna on behalf of the Government, laid out a number of the Auckland streets and made a map of the district between Auckland and Bay of Islands.

In 1846 he married Annie Sophia (d. 3 Aug 1901), daughter of Captain Henry H. Bell, 64th Regiment (of County Tyrone). He was elected to the Legislative Council of New Ulster (Sep 1852) for the Northern Division. The council was not convened, but in the following year he was returned for Northern Division in the Auckland Provincial Council, of which he was a member until 1865. He was a member of the Church of England and a lay representative on the diocesan synod; chairman of the Takapuna road board and of the Lake school committee. He died on 5 Jul 1886.

Cycl. N.Z., ii (p); Auckland P.C. Proc.; N.Z. Herald, 6 Jul 1886.

Reference: Volume 2, page 70

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