This farm is part of a large tract of government land purchased by Abijah O'Neall in 1799.¹

In the late 1800's, George T. O'Neall, Abijah O'Neall's grandson, wrote:

Kentucky and Tennessee were at that time the West and both of them recognized Negro slavery. The adoption of the Ordinance of 87 and the opening of the territory North of the Ohio River for occupancy opened a field of promise to those who wished to escape from the evils which they could not control. And in May 1798, Mr. O'Neall left home for the purpose of selecting a future abode for his family in a land consecrated to freedom forever.

His tour of observation carried him through Tennessee, Central Kentucky & South Western Ohio. Crossing the river at Cincinnatti he passed up the Little Miami to where Millford now is, and there turning to the east he went up the East Fork of the Miami via of Williamsburgh and Hillsborough to the neighborhood of Chillicothee. After spending some days examining the Scioto bottoms and adjoining highlands he again turned southward, recrossing the Ohio River at Maysville, passed south through Northern Kentucky to Louisville where he spent some time with Col Richard C. Anderson, after which he returned to South Carolina, arriving at home July 27th, 1798.

Very soon after arriving home, he and his brother-in-law Samuel Kelly negotiated with Dr. Jacob Roberts Brown for the option on his Military land claim in Ohio. Brown's claim was for 3110 2/3 acres, said to be situated near the village of Waynesville and on the east side of the Little Miami River.

In September of the same year Messrs Kelly and O'Neall started west to look up their contemplated purchase and on October the 4th, 1798 they arrived at Waynesville. Here they spent some time in looking up their land which lay in the vicinity and acquiring information which would enable them to locate some other tracts which were not located in the immediate neighborhood. While here they had one of their pack horses stolen, but being pressed for time they made no attempt to regain their stolen property.

The tracts of land which they saw, meeting their joint approval they returned to South Carolina and closed the bargain with Dr. Brown paying him $2100 dollars in gold for his military claim to 3100 2/3 Acres.

While buildings suitable for occupancy were being erected on the farm east of town the family remained in the village and I remember to have heard my father say that they stabled a cow and two calves all winter in a sycamore tree which stood on what was then the river bank, and just above what is now the foot of Miami Street. I have also heard him say that the hollow of the tree was large enough for a man to take a ten foot rail and turn it around in the hollow without striking at any point.

Early in the spring of 1800 they moved to the survey east of town, which was known as Brown's Survey No 791, and contained six hundred and sixty acres. The patent bore as date of survey, Nov. 16th 1794, and was issued to Abijah O'Neall as assignee of Jacob Brown "done at Washington Jan 17th in the year 1800, and in the 24 year of American independence", signed by John Adams & Timothy Pickering, Secretary of State. The buildings were located on what is now known as Diamond Hill, the present brick house being built by him at a subsequent period (1808).²

From a Wayne County History Book:

The first dwelling, other than log cabins, was a large brick house built in 1812, which, together with the old log barn, has but recently been torn down.³

Around 1880, John Quincy Smith, nephew of William O'Neall's wife, Martha Smith, wrote:

William O'Neall, "Uncle Billy" as he was always affectionately called, and Aunt Patsy took up their residence in a log cabin on the farm now owned and near the present residence of their son George T O'Neall. They lived on that farm until 1837 when they removed to the farm on which their son Abijah P. O'Neall now lives. They resided on that farm during the remainder of their lives. Aunt Martha died Jan 18, 1873 and Uncle William July 18 1874.⁴

Albert E. O'Neall, Uncle Billy's great-grandson, has written:

Abijah P. O'Neall, grandson of ... Abijah O'Neall, built a house for his new bride on the farm in 1875, in which all of the O'Nealls of ... [the next two generations] were born and reared. The house is well back from the road, on a slight rise, and was well landscaped. A. P. O'Neall had planted every variety of tree he could find that would thrive in that climate. The farm was known as "The Birches", from a planting of several white birch trees in front of the house, toward the road. Many of these trees, including the birches, have since died and been removed. Also A. P. O'Neall was a breeder of Shetland ponies, and on his wedding trip to England in 1875 he purchased ponies for shipment back to Ohio. The last pony of this breeding program was still on the farm in 1928.⁵

From the same Wayne County History Book:

In 1886 a company was formed at Corwin, which imported a large number of Shetland, Welch and Iceland ponies. A. P. O'Neall was one of the heaviest stockholders and had personal charge of the stock on its arrival. A few years later he bought out the other members, and the pony business has been carried on under his name and that of his son ever since. A great many ponies have been sent out from the farm, and it has become widely known as "The Pony Farm." At present, most attention is being given to horses and hogs, although a few ponies are still kept.⁶

Albert E. O'Neall, Uncle Billy's great-grandson, has written:

William E. O'Neall, as did all farmers then, practiced diversified farming on the 260 acres left him by his father. He also continued the breeding of Shetland ponies, on a reducing scale over time.

[Click here for more about "Life on the Farm", by Bert O'Neall.  Besides, you don't want to miss the hog.]

The Great Depression of 1929-1933 brought an end to the O'Neall family's residence on the ancestral farm in Ohio, where it had lived for 134 years. There were also other extenuating circumstances beside the depression, in that in 1932 a tenant burned down the big barn by putting soy bean hay in the mow before it had field-dried sufficiently; it developed enough heat to cause spontaneous combustion in the hay. Then the next (1933) we did the same thing in the milking barn with not-completely-cured alfalfa hay. Two barns burned in successive years is in itself enough to put a farmer out of business. In 1933 the family moved permanently to Florida and lived variously at Green Cove Springs, Orlando and Jacksonville.⁷

  Click on the picture for 2 more views of the farm buildings around 1925.

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Created with The Master Genealogist for Windows on 26 Nov 1998 at 12:59:52.