I have not been able to shake the idea that Betsey O’Neal is related to Joseph, Colbert and Ezra O’Neal. That, more specifically, she is their sister. This was the working theory up to the time a Culpeper, VA, will abstract for John O’Neal was found. The abstract shows his estate being appraised on 16 Feb 1807. Betsey was born on 4 Oct 1808. Short of in vitro fertilization, there is no way John could have been Betsey’s father. However, quite by accident I discovered Eunice Stone living with Colbert O’Neal in the 1870 Ohio census. This lead me to explore the following:
1830 Marriage Record:
Betsey O’Neal married Benj. F. Stone on 7 Oct 1830 in Belpre, Washington, Ohio
1850 Ohio Belpre census:
Benj F Stone 43
Betsey 41 (O’Neal)
Rufus 18
Elizabeth 16
Milton 14
Charles 11
Eunice 9 (making her born in 1841)
Susan E 6 (making her born about 1844)
Robert 3
1870 Ohio Belpre census:
Colbert O’Neal 65
Seraph 62
Eunice Stone 28 (making her born about 1841)
1870 Ohio Belpre census:
Daniel Horton 28
Susan 26 (making her born about 1844)
Eunice 5 (making her born about 1865)
Ralph 1
Summary (ref the above):
Benj F Stone and Betsey O’Neal were married in 1830
Benj F. Stone and Betsey O’Neal had a daughter, Eunice Stone (born 1841)
Eunice Stone had a sister Susan E. Stone (born 1844)
Susan E. Stone married Daniel Horton and they had a daughter named Eunice Horton (born 1865)
Eunice Stone (1841) is Eunice Horton’s (1865) aunt.
In 1870, Eunice Stone (born 1841) is living with Colbert O’Neal and his wife Seraph Dana.
Assumptions:
Eunice Stone must have been somehow related to Colbert O’Neal
If Colbert was Eunice Stone’s uncle, then by extension he was Eunice Horton’s great uncle and, the book notations made by Eunice Horton (1865) that Colbert and Joseph were mother’s (Susan E. Horton) uncles, is correct.
Conclusion:
An interesting conundrum. Some of dates in question are wrong, or we have the wrong John O’Neal’s will abstract. The latter is not likely because Judy O’Neal is shown as the executrix of the will. John O’Neal and Judy Suttle being the parents of Joseph, Colbert and Ezra.