Wallace o’neal, sr. 1867-1955
Born in Barco, Currituck County, North Carolina
As a young man Wallace lived in Duck, NC and after he married he and his new wife moved to Corolla.
In the early 1900’s Wallace was a market hunter in the Currituck Sound and around the lighthouse. He owned four licensed blinds and moved back to the Currituck mainland and hunted the same areas where he took his boat across the sound. He was also a commercial fisherman in the waters of Corolla.
O’Neal’s decoy stand consisted of over 500 wooden ducks and 30-40 canvas geese & swans. Included in his stand were decoys by John & Pell Austin and also decoys from the Lewark family. He was also known as a great shot & possibly the best boat handler in the Currituck Sound. Wallace’s early decoys consisted of canvasbacks & redheads. Later in life he made puddle duck decoys.
Pictured is a Wallace O’Neal Hen Bluebill from the early 1900’s; he never cleaned his brushes; but threw them away when they became too stiff.
For a free evaluation or identification of your decoys, contact Mark Cromwell at (757) 721-2746
