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NEEL AND SMITH FAMILY OF TEXAS

Updated October 17, 2009

 		WELCOME TO OUR NEEL AND SMITH FAMILY of TEXAS!

Hi! I'm Barbara, and this is the family of my father James Herbert Neel and his parents, Ione Donalson and James Lee Neel of Texas. James Herbert Neel, had one child by his first wife Bernice Lorraine Hadley, Barbara Jean Neel Blizzard, T.O.Carm, NSDAR. James had two children of by second wife Florence Lorine Hunt Ford: James Carroll Neel, LDS Bishop and infant Darlene Neel.

My father told me our Neel name was originally Neely or Kneely. Possibly the earliest Neel ancestor of North and South Carolina in America was William Neel born in Ireland, however, the NEEL spelling is French in origin. My father said that no matter how often census takers and others tried to change our surname to Neal or Neil, our family felt strongly about keeping it NEEL because we had different origins. Y-dna testing at the Family Tree DNA just might prove the Neel line origins. See the link below.

Our Neel family as well as Col. Henry Neel's widow Nancy Reid Neel, and daughter Jane "Jenny" Neel and her husband Thomas Neel, who were not close cousins as far as anyone knows, moved to Northern Tennessee in what was Henry County all the way to the Mississippi river at one time. Nancy Reid Neel and Jenny Neel are buried in Sumner County, Tennessee.

On our Donalson side, Angus was the son of Lucy Bridges Shores and William Franklin Donalson, son of William Donalson and Rachel Bush, daughter of Sanders and Mary Bush. Sanders was an American Revolution soldier with Captain Kennedy's company July 6, 1777. Sanders was the son of Abraham and Rachel Bush. Abraham was the one born about 1720 in Craven Co, North Carolina. I have the honor of being the first to prove Sanders Bush as a DAR Ancestor, thanks to Glenn Bush for his help with early records. I couldn't do it without him.

I entered the DAR through Thomas Owen, g-grandson of Robert Owen Sr., of the Merion Tract in Pennsylvania, with our cousin, Annelies Mouring, Attorney at law, also a descendant of George Washington Smith, brother of my gg-grandfather, Al Sidney Smith. Their parents were Nancy Owen, granddaughter of Thomas Owen, and James Hans Smith(aka Shmidt and Johannes Schmitz).

A Hollander, but more likely Pennsylvania Dutch, James Hans Smith was born in Pennsylvania, 11 Sep 1799. According to the birth record sent to me by Anniles Mouring, he was the son of school-teacher William Smith, Jr. and Miss Rebecca Mans. Hans was probably Christened 15 Sep 1799, the date which is on his tombstone. William and Rebecca had other children later on. Hans was in the war of 1812 exactly 19 days before he was released, probablay because he was so young. In 1818 Hans was a School-teacher, then he along with his servant, Jerry---a free black man in Pennsylvania---moved on to Kentucky where Hans also taught school. In 1826 Hans married Nancy Owen, daughter of Bourbon County distiller Robert Owen and Nancy Foster. Robert was the son of Revolutionary War soldier Thomas Owen, and wife Salley Farmer. Thomas Owen'S father was Robert Owen who died 1765 in Maryland. His parents, Owen Owen and Ann Wood, both descend from the Prophet Muhammad through his daughter Fatima, to name just one famous ancestor.

Thanks to cousin Annilies Mouring for Hans birth record and much more; and to Birdie Farrar Wynn and Thomas Allen Glenn for doing so much Owen research for us. Thanks to Randy Farrar for pictures, and thanks also to Bruce Baker and his brother Glenn for including me on the Acknowledgment page of their Todd books.
Barbara Neel Blizzard

bj_neel@hotmail.com

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Family Photos

  • James Lee Neel Draft Registration (182 KB)
    James Lee Neel Draft Registration 1917-1918. James Lee Neel was the father of James Herbert Neel.
  • Angus Donalson and wife Nancy Owen (221 KB)
    Angus Washington Donalson married Nancy "Nannie" Nora Smith 25 November 1890, parents of Edna, my grandmother Ione, Eva and Fay Donalson.
  • Lucy Bridges Shores (106 KB)
    Lucy was the wife of Warren Donalson, parents of Angus Donalson, father of Edna, Ione, Eva and Fay. Lucy was the daughter of Joseph Bridges Shores and Ann "Caroline" Jarvis.
  • Algernon Sidney Smith (144 KB)
    Al Sidney Smith was the father of Nancy Nora Smith, mother of Ione Donalson.
  • James Herbert Neel, with sisters and daughter (81 KB)
    James Herbert Neel with sisters Mary(left) Nancy (center) daughter Barbara Jean sitting on the floor, taken a few months before he died.
  • Eva, Edna and Ione Donalson (223 KB)
    Eva, Edna and Ione Donalson are daughters of Angus and Nancy Smith Donalson.
  • "Lucy" Bridges Shores Donalson Tombstone (165 KB)
    Lucille Bridges Shores married Warren Donalson who is buried next to her at Borland Cemetery, Keller, Texas. James Lee Neel and Ione Donalson Neel as well as their son James Herbert Neel are also buried there.
  • Edna and Ione Donalson at Denton Women's College (384 KB)
    Edna and Ione Donalson, far right, at Denton Women's College, Denton, Texax, class of 1910-1911.
  • 1850 Census of Robert and Nancy Owen (187 KB)
    In this census,Robert Owen and his wife Nancy Foster Owen, have their son George and his wife Betty and their children living with them.
  • George Washington Smith Family (55 KB)
    George Washington Smith Jr. was the father of Rex, grandfather of Annilies Mouring, and grandson of James Hans and Nancy Owen Smith.
  • Rebecca and Al Sidney Smith (121 KB)
    Rebecca was the daughter of William King Geaslin born 1802 in Virginia who married Ruth Lambert Pace, descendant of Richard Pace and Elizabeth Cain. DNA testing has proved that William Pace 1745-1834, was the brother of Drury Pace. In fact, William Pace named a son Drury. This means the earliest genealogy records were correct. Al Sidney Smith was the son of James Hans Smith, Missouri and Arkansas Legislator.
  • James Alford Neel Death Certificate (221 KB)
    James was the son of John T. Neel and Martha Lemmonds Neel of Tennessee. He Married Mary Ann Dudley in Tennessee and moved to Texas with his family. My grandfather James Lee Neelwas his son.
  • Smith Family Reunion 1904 (205 KB)
    The Smith Family reunion 1904, at Palmer, Texas, from Randy Farrar.
  • James Herbert Neel (109 KB)
    James Herbert Neel was my father, and son of James Lee Neel and Ione Donalson Neel.
 

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