My sister and I began dabbling in genealogy about 4 years ago. When she died suddenly of a stroke in 1996, I realized that most of us who knew anything definite about the family history were gone, so better get at it. I knew quite a lot about the Bozeman side of the family, they are/were very literate people who kept good records. My O'NEAL side was sketchy. I knew only that my mother's father was one Zack R. O'NEAL. Since he was killed in an accident in Old Mexico when she was only seven , and his wife, my grandmother died when I was 12 I had only limited information on the O'Neals. The real stumbling block was not knowing what my g grandfather's name was. I knew that Zack had a half brother, Michael and a sister Millie who died young. Here's where it gets interesting folks. One day while reviewing copies of a column about Winn Parish Louisiana, written by one of my Bozeman cousins in the 1950s, I came upon a line which said "In passing I might add that Z.R. O'Neal was a great uncle of Mrs. W.A. Swilley, wife of our present Rock Island railroad agent here in Winnfield." Thank you Harley Bernard Bozeman and the Winnfield Enterprise-News American ! I immediately got in touch with H.B.'s son, and he was kind enough to put me in touch with a descendant of Irene Swilley. This gentleman lives in Louisiana and he and his wife have been wonderfully helpful to me. Seems we have a common ancestor in HENDERSON O'NEAL , since he descended from Michael , son of Henderson and Rebecca, and I descended from Zack, son of Henderson and his second wife Nancy Kilner. We have not yet been able to trace back from Henderson, but I am overjoyed to have found this kin. I keep telling everyone, not one little smidgen of information is useless ! Somewhere someone needs it. Still searching Emma In New Mexico .