Hugh Kearney Neal

GEDCOM Note

HUGH KEARNEY NEAL, is a well-known business man and official of North Mahoning township, Indiana county, engaged in farming, butchering and stock dealing, and long a justice of the peace. He was born May 22, 1868, on the old Neal homestead in that township, son of Col. William and Sarah Ann (Mitchell) Neal, and grandson of James Neal and of Sharp Mitchell, the latter a pioneer of Jefferson county, who at one time held the office of sheriff.

Col. William Neal was born in Jefferson county, Pa., and there grew to manhood. He was married there, at Perrysville, and later located in North Mahoning township, just across the line in Indiana county, where he obtained a farm. By trade he was a stonemason, and in the early days he was well known as a lumberman and raftsman. In his time few men of this region were better known. He held office as school director and tax assessor and collector, was active in the work of the Republican party, and was a member of the M. E. Church. He died Nov. 20, 1904. During the Civil war he served four years in the Union army, enlisting in Company A, 105 Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, was made first lieutenant of that company Sept. 9, 1861, he was made captain of Company O, 206th Regiment. He continued his activity in military life after the war, was captain of Company C, 2e Battalion, Pennsylvania State Militia, was made major of Provisional Battalion, No. 1, 21st Division, Indiana, Jefferson, Cambria and Clearfield counties, Sept. 10, 1872, and Sept. 29, 1874, was made colonel of the 13th Regiment, Infantry, 9th Division, Armstrong, Jefferson, Indiana, Butler and Cambria counties.

Nine children were born to Colonel and Mrs. Neal, and we have the following record of this family; Susie married D. L. Henry, of Punxsutawney, Pa., and has three children, Vane (a civil engineer), Olga and Eugene: Emma Bell (deceased) married Harry Sites, who is also deceased, and they had one child, Margaret; Ulysses Sidney, a farmer, living in Clarion county, Pa., married Anna Shick; Hugh Kearney is mentioned below; William Wilbur, who is engaged in farming on the old homestead, married Mary E. Gould, of Jefferson county, Pa., and they have a family of seven children, James C., Winfield S., Viola C., William G., Ruth E., Anna L. and Sidney G.

Hugh Kearney Neal was given common school advantages. He lived at home until his father’s death, carrying on the farm until 1905, in which year he bought and moved to the David Stear homestead at Trade City, a tract of eighty acres, where he has since lived and worked, following farming, butchering and stock dealing. He is an excellent business man, proving himself capable and intelligent in all his private undertakings and in the discharge of the various duties which have been intrusted to him by his fellow citizens. He is well informed, abreast of the times in the conduct of his various interests, and has made many friends in this section of northern Indiana and southern Jefferson counties.

Mr. Neal has been active in local politics as a worker in the Republican party, has been justice of the peace for the last thirteen years, and has also served as school director. He is a prominent member of the I.O.O.F., atHamilton, Pa., to which lodge he has belonged for the last twenty years, has held all the offices, having served as vice grand and noble grand, and has been treasurer for two terms. His religious connection is with the Lutheran Church.

On Nov. 27, 1894, Mr. Neal married Alice Reits, of Perry township,Jefferson Co., Pa., daughter of Martin and Elizabeth (McHenry) Reits, farming people, of that county, who are still (1913) living at their old home there, in the enjoyment of excellent health, though they are eighty-four years old. Mr. and Mrs. Reits had nine children, namely: Frank, a section boss on the railroad, living at North-point, Pa., married Nancy Barmoy; Ann is the widow of William Cheatham and lives in Jefferson county; Mary married Josiah Neal, of Indiana, Pa.; Nancy married William Drummond, of Northpoint; Lee, a lumberman, of Lock Haven, pa., married Ida Eisenhart; Alice is Mrs. Neal; William, foreman in steel works, married May Rayback; Charles, of Northpoint, married Anna Snider; Clark, a section boss on the railroad, living at Northpoint, married Lillie Harrison.

Seven children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Neal: Minnie, who died when thirteen years old; May, who died when three months old; Merle; Martin and Margaret, twins; Eugene, and Vara.

Source:http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~treasures/pa/indi... (Courtesy of David Hause)

Jefferson Co. Courthouse, Brookville, PA (Marriage License Book #9, Page 351, No. 1671):

Hugh K. Neal, 26 years, residing in North Mahoning twp. Ind. Co., born in Perrysville Jefferson Co. Pa., son of William Neel [sic], Sarah A. Neel [sic], previously married on May 6, 1886, divorced on August 31, 1891 due to Desertion, White, Stone Mason.

Alice M. Reits [sic], 30 years, residing in Perry Twp. Jefferson Co. Pa., born in Perry twp. Jefferson Co., Pa., daughter of Martin Reits, Elizabeth Reits, not previously married nor divorced, White, School teacher.

Relationship of the parties, either by blood or marriage: "their Parents is 2 Cousins" [sic]

[Note: Alice Reitz's maternal grandmother was Anna Neal McHenry, a sister of Hugh Kearney Neal's paternal grandfather, James Chambers Neal. Don Ludwig, January 2006]

Signed "Hugh K. Neal" and "Alice M. Reitz [sic]."

Married 27 November 1894 at "my residence" by S. S. Mitchell.

Published in The Indiana Progress, Wednesday, 29 Aug 1923

RECENT DEATHS H. Kearney Neal

Hugh Kearney Neal, aged 55 years, one of the well known and highly esteemed residents of the northern section of the county, died suddenly with heart troubles on Wednesday afternoon while helping with the thrashing at his barn near Trade City. He had been in his usual health and a few hours previous to his death went to Punxsutawney to see a friend, who is a patient in the hospital there.

Kearney” Neal, as he was familiarly known, was the son of Col. William and Sarah Ann Mitchel Neal and was born May 22, 1868, on the old Neal homestead farm in North Mahoning township. He lived at home until his father’s death in 1904, and conducted the homestead farm until 1905, in which year he bought and moved to the David Stear homestead at Trade City, a tract of 80 acres, where he lived and worked, following farming, butchering and stock dealing until the time of his death. He had a genial disposition, was a good business man and was deeply interested in all the movements for the betterment of his community and the world at large. He was a loyal Republican, served as justice of the peace for many years and also served as school director. He was a member of the Trade City Lutheran church, Hamilton Lodge of Odd Fellows and the Punxsutawney Lodge of Elks. The Annual feast of the famous Groundhog Club of Punxsutawney have always been held in his grove. On November 27 1894, he was united in marriage to Miss Alice Reitz, of Jefferson county, who survives him with four sons and two daughters, as follows: Guy Neal, of Punxsutawney; Merle Neal, of Trade City; Marton and Eugene Neal, at home; Mrs. Sherman Elkin, of Chicago, and Miss Vera Neal, at home. Brothers and sisters living are: Sidney Neal of Forest county; Wilbur Neal of near Trade City, and Mrs. Lee Henry, of Punxsutawney. A large number of friends and members of organizations with which he was affiliated attended the funeral services conducted at his home on Sunday by Rev. Scott. Burial was made in the White Church cemetery. (Provided courtesy of David Hause.)

GEDCOM Source

@R-849473060@ Pennsylvania, Birth Certificates, 1906-1910 Ancestry.com Ancestry.com Operations, Inc. 1,60484::0 Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission; Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; Box Number: 37 1,60484::1388185

GEDCOM Source

@R-849473060@ Pennsylvania, Death Certificates, 1906-1963 Ancestry.com Ancestry.com Operations, Inc. 1,5164::0 Pennsylvania Historic and Museum Commission; Pennsylvania, USA; Pennsylvania (State). Death certificates, 1906–1966; Certificate Number Range: 088501-091500 1,5164::2410552

GEDCOM Source

@R-849473060@ 1910 United States Federal Census Ancestry.com Ancestry.com Operations Inc 1,7884::0 Source Citation: Year: 1910; Census Place: North Mahoning, Indiana, Pennsylvania; Roll: T624_1350; Page: 4A; Enumeration District: 0086; FHL microfilm: 1375363 http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=sse&db=1910uscenindex&h=24611268&ti=... Name: Hugh Kearney Neal birth date: 22 May 1868 birth place: Perrysville, Jefferson, Pennsylvania residence date: 1910 residence place: North Mahoning, Indiana, Pennsylvania 1,7884::24611268

GEDCOM Source

@R-849473060@ Web: Pennsylvania, Find A Grave Index, 1682-2012 Ancestry.com Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012.Original data - Find A Grave. Find A Grave. http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi: accessed 28 January 2013.Original data: Find A Grave. Find A Grave. http://www.findagrave.com/cgi 1,70573::0 http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=sse&db=websearch-3906&h=1700659&ti=0... Name: Hugh Kearney Neal death date: 29 Aug 1923 death place: Trade City, Indiana Co, Pennsylvania burial place: Hamilton (Jefferson County), Jefferson County, Pennsylvania, USA birth date: 22 May 1868 birth place: Perrysville, Jefferson, Pennsylvania 1,70573::1700659

GEDCOM Source

@R-849473060@ Ancestry Family Trees Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com. Original data: Family Tree files submitted by Ancestry members. Ancestry Family Tree http://trees.ancestry.com/pt/AMTCitationRedir.aspx?tid=58269248&pid=61