STEPHEN O'NEAL
&
ARMELIA (GRAY) PIERCE
Stephen O'Neal was born September
20, 1839 in Batesville
Arkansas to John and Nancy O'Neal. John and his family moved to Sugar Loaf
area of Coryell County in the 1850's after leaving Arkansas. Stephen and
Armelia (Gray) Pierce, widow of Young Pierce, were married February 28
1861.
On May 12,
1862 Stephen O'Neal went to Belton and enlisted in Company F
6th Texas Volunteer Infantry. This unit saw action in Tennessee,
Georgia
and at the battle of Arkansas Post January 11, 1863 where most of Company
F
was killed or captured. Stephen O'Neal was captured but later returned
in
a prisoner exchange and continued to serve. On April 28, 1865 Stephen
was
at Greensboro, North Carolina when his unit was paroled and he returned
home.
He had served three years and
participated in many battles.
David O'Neal was born December 22, 1861. He married
Mary Young and they
had ten children. Martha Matilda was born after the war on June 22, 1866
and
she married William Early Brown April 13, 1884 and they had 11 children.
William was an older brother to Roxie Brown, who in 1883 had married Young
Pierce Jr. Mary Luritta was born October 2, 1871 and she married James
Baker
October 10, 1887. They had four children. At some point Stephen and
Armelia
moved to Lampasas County and settled on the Colorado River in the Bend
area
to be near the Young Pierce Jr. family. Armelia died July 23, 1898
and was
buried in the Sugar Loaf cemetery.
In later
years Stephen O'Neal and Thomas Early Brown, Roxie's father,
moved in with Armelia's son, Young Pierce Jr. at China Creek in San Saba
County.
Stephen was called "Pap" by the children. Grandpa Brown was a confederate
veteran but after his capture he signed allegiance to the North.
For this he
received a Federal pension which caused some contention between the two
grandfathers. He and Pap O'Neal fought many Civil War battles on
Young's front
porch in their declining years. When the children came in from the
fields and
Pap was at one end of the porch and Grandpa brown on the other, the kids
would
say "Uh oh, Pap and Grandpa been fightin' the war again."
Stephen
O'Neal died March 10, 1926 and is buried at China Creek Cemetery
under a CSA Company F Teas Infantry grave marker.
By Eldon Pierce, step great grandson of Stephen O'Neal,
great grandson of Armelia
Gray Pierce O'Neal.