Today is a good day to remember John O'Neill, who was born in Garvaghullion, Ireland some time in May of 1822. He emigrated to America in 1846 and found a home in the rapidly expanding town of Chicago. Chicago was swampy forest land at the time with a population of only a few thousand. He obtained a position at the brewery on South Water Street owned by the James Carney, then purchased the firm outright in 1855. When the building burned down in 1860 he rebuilt a new one on 39-63 South Water Street, and soon afterwards sold out to Dickinson & Bemis. Upon the sale O'Neill retired from beer making to concentrate on other interests. O'Neill died on March 29th 1887. He was 64 years of age.