Nethery Branches: Charles O'Neil Nethery



O'Neil on sister Era's front porch in the late 60's

The third son and fifth surviving child of Amanda and Charles Nethery was born on February 29, 1896, a leap year baby. He was called O'Neil by most and "Chick" by some.

Fun loving and a prankster, O'Neil, began his "life of crime" while in school at Milam. As shared in the first issue of this newsletter in 2005, his sister Era recalled the "sneezing powder" incident in a taped conversation made in the 70's. It seems that O'Neil ordered the powders from a catalogue without his father's knowledge.  Along with co-horts Murray Maund and Ney Runnels, he released the powder in the classroom where the unsuspecting classmates, working "examples" on the blackboard, began uncontrolled fits of sneezing! Although his sister knew he was responsible, she said she would have never told on him.

Grandson Patrick Nethery recalled another story told to him by Uncle Loy regarding the "dinner bell"  incident. "Uncle Charlie (C.A.) had a bell that was rung to call everyone to meals. One day when someone went to ring the bell, it wouldn't ring. It seems that somebody had climbed up the pole and tied a cloth around the clapper! Upon investigation it was discovered that O'Neil was the guilty party. Needless to say that trick wasn't tried again."



O'Neil Nethery (far left)

World War I came along and like his older brothers, O'Neil registered for the draft, but unlike his brothers, soon found himself, at age 21, a private in the U.S. Army. He served at the front in France, from 1918-1919. Great-nephew Bob Wood remembers him telling about the long trip by ship, that took forever, with everyone on board seasick. He also said the war was not like the movies, "We all stayed down in the trenches and every so often would stick our rifles over the top and pull the trigger. We didn't stick out our heads to get them shot off!" He said the war was almost over by the time they got there and he was surely glad to get back to Milam and had no intention of ever leaving again!

On December 23, 1935, O'Neil married a young widow, Virgie Halbert Russell. Virgie was the baby daughter of William Washington Halbert and his second wife, Mary Elizabeth Smith. William, the only son of Joel Halbert, fathered 19 children, 13 boys and 6 girls. The home of Virgie and O'neil was blessed with the birth of their only child, Julius Neil, on December 16, 1937. Julius married Shirley Warr on January 7, 1967 and two sons, Michael, born 1969 and Patrick, born 1972, would complete the family.



O'Neil, Virgie with son Julius and grandsons Michael & Patrick



O'Neil was an avid hunter and grandson Patick recalls a story he told him about a time when the deer were scarce. "Pa and some friends decided to go down to the river to camp and hunt a few days. They always hunted with a dog and made a deer drive, and everyone would pick a spot to wait for them to come by. Pa said he sat at this hollow log everyday for 3 or 4 days and nothing came by. He decided to move to a 'better location' the last day and still came up empty handed. Walking back to the camp he came by his previous spot and saw deer and dog tracks and they had all jumped over the log where he had been the previous days!"

Uncle O'Neil thought very highly of his hunting dogs, calling them his "boys". His opinion of doctors on the other hand was not so warm. Nephew Bob Wood remembers asking him what he thought about doctors, "He gave a quick laugh, spit tobacco off his front porch, and told how the doctors would come calling on horseback with an old black bag on the saddle horn. 'This little red pill, or a white pill or a yellow pill, all the same....sugar pills...didn't amount to nothing. Doctors will kill you!'"

O'Neil managed to avoid doctors for most of his life,experiencing ill health in his latter years, but living to the remarkable age of ninety-four, dying September 18,1990. He is buried in the Milam Cemetary.



O'Neil with his son Julius

written by,

Judy Wood & Patrick Nethery