Biography of Lawrence O'Neal from "Twigg Family Research Pertaining to the Life and Times of Robert and Hannah Twigg" by Jerry B. Twigg, copyright 1996. File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by Sharon Banzhoff. shabanz@intrepid.net with permission from Jerry B. Twigg USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, data may be freely used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by other organizations. _________________________________________________________________________ Lawrence O'Neal: "The story of Lawrence is of particular interest and shows how a turn of fate put him in the path of the Twigg family. When Lawrence was a boy his father, William, sent him along with his younger brother to Thomas Ball, a tailor, for apprenticeship in the trade. Mr. Ball, without family of his own took such a liking to Lawrence that at a time in 1748 when he became seriously ill, made his will in which he left 197 acres call John of Love to Lawrence. Mr. Ball died before the year was out and by that one act of generosity and affection, dissuaded Lawrence from a future as a tailor to one of a gentleman land owner and marketeer of real estate. When his father died in 1759, seeing that his son was successful in his chosen career, he left his land holdings to Lawrence's brothers and to him, a horse. For a short time Lawrence served as a clerk of the court for Montgomery County and as sheriff of Frederick County, but his success would be in the land. By 1793 he owned nearly 3000 acres in Allegany County alone. Five years following the Twigg family move to Sink Hole Bottom, Robert's son John purchased land just to the north and with his wife Rebecca, started their home on Three Springs Head. Finding that there was a tract of unsettled land between the two, John contacted Lawrence from whom he purchased Twigg's Adventure in 1777. The following year Jeremiah Cheney, husband of Naomy Twigg, purchased 45 acres on Flintstone Creek called Fat Bacon from Lawrence, which was only six miles or so northeast of Sink Hole Bottom and Discovery. Following the death of Robert Jr., in 1805, his son John acting with his mother as executor of his father's estate, found that his father had failed to record the deeds of 1788. In effect the land still belonged to Lawrence. John went to him in 1811 and for the sum of five shillings purchased final rights to the land in his own name. Undoubtedly there were other land purchases that involved Lawrence O'Neal. Those are yet to be found, but certainly he was an important factor in their lives (Twiggs). With his wife Henrietta and their seven children, he lived out a com- fortable life in Montgomery County. The size of his estate can only be measured by the 28 slaves he owned in 1800. Lawrence died sometime between 1810 and 1820."