Crystal O'Neal Hamilton, nickname 'Shane' was the youngest boy of 12 siblings who lived on a large farm in Enid, Oklahoma. At 9 years old, his mother died following the birth of his youngest sister, Leneva, during the Great Depression. His oral history reported that his brothers and sisters were considerably older and married with their own families, none were able to help his father raise him and his younger sisters, leaving him with considerable responsibilities on the farm and caring for his siblings.

Further, as he grew up he was adept at mechanical work, fixing farm equipment and generally keeping the operations of the farm afloat. His personal accounts included taking seasonal farming jobs in Canada harvesting various crops with team draw horses.

Unfortunately, the farm was eventually lost and he elected to take his chances with work on the West Coast of California. He met and married Thelma June Hamilton when introduced by a family cousin. They married in Oklahoma and soon after he left for central California alone to confirm reports of work. He eventually drove her and her parents (Pete and Dolly Johnson) and young sister (Marguerite) to Tulare, CA, where they picked seasonal fruit and lived in tenement housing.

The first of his three children, Jerry O'Neal Hamilton, was born December 8, 1942, at Highland Hospital in Oakland, CA. Whereafter, he sent for, or drove back, family members one at a time to support and sponsor their resettlement in California.

On December 28, 1943, one year after his son was born, he was drafted by the Army Corp of Engineers into World War II, San isco, CA, as a welder, and shipped out to Oregon for basic training. Upon completion, he was immediately given orders to serve in combat in the Pacific Theater. He served on a ship that travelled to the HI and Guam, with a longer stay in the Philippines. He served for four years before returning home to California. By this time he had not seen his son for four years. During his absence, his wife, Thelma was a homemaker to her son and her younger sister, living with her parents who worked to support the family; her mother worked in the ship years as a Rosie the Riveter and her father worked on government projects as Driller.
At the conclusion of the war, he registered with the union and worked for Kaiser Steel in Richmond, CA.

CO Hamilton is responsible for the migration of four generations of Northern California Hamilton families that live