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NEEL AND SMITH FAMILY OF TEXAS

Updated January 24, 2012

NEEL AND SMITH FAMILY of TEXAS!

Hi! This is the family of my father James Herbert Neel and his parents Ione Donalson and James Lee Neel of Texas.

A French name, my father told me our Neel name was originally Neely, Kneely or something like that. The earliest Neel of our line in America was probably the father of John T. Neel, born about 1765 in South Carolina. John T. Neel was born in North Carolina. Dad also told me 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. That would also mean different DNA. And it is. My brother Jim's y-DNA is R1a1, without a match at Family Tree DNA, but worldwide, he has a match of the surname Kneeland, and a 2 marker difference of one man in Poland and another in Germany.

By 1840 Widow Sarah Neel and sons John T. Neel, Sr. and William "Alexander" Neel, were in Obion Co, TN. John T. Neel married Martha A. Lemmonds, daughter of David. John T. Neel was the brother of James H. Neel who m. Narcissa Gray, and Wm Alexander Neel aka Alex, who moved to KY and then back to TN. John was the guardian of James' children James W. and Lavinia Neel, not their father. John and Martha's son James Alford Neel married Mary Ann Dudley, daughter of Ransom W. Dudley of Wheatly, TN, and his first wife, T.J. Dudley. Their son James Lee Neel was my grandfather. He married Ione Donalson, daughter of Angus W. Donalson and Nancy "Nannie" Nora Smith.

On our Donalson side, Ione's parents were Lucy Bridges Shores (dau. of Joseph Bridges Shores and Ann "Caroline" Lasseter) and Warren 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. There were two men named Abraham Bush who lived about the same time and area. Our 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 entered the DAR through Thomas Owen with cousin, Annelies Mouring, Esq. a descendant of George W. Smith, brother of my gg-grandfather, Al Sidney Smith, sons of Nancy Owen and James Hans Smith(aka Shmidt and Johannes Schmitz). Nancy Owen was the daughter of Kentucky distiller Robert Owen and Nancy Foster. Robert was the son of Rev. War soldier Thomas Owen, and wife Sally Farmer. Thomas Owen's father was Robert Owen who died 1765 in Maryland. His parents Owen Owen and Ann Wood both descend from royalty.

PA Dutch, James Hans Smith was born 11 Sept. 1799, Berks Co, PA. According to the birth record sent to me by Annelies, he was the son of school teacher William Smith, Jr. and Miss Rebecca Mans, who later married and had other children. Hans was in the war of 1812 exactly 19 days when they discovered he was only 14 and sent him home. In 1818 Hans was a School teacher with his father in Boalsburg, PA. In 1820 he received a land grant in Clay Co, Missouri, but he along with his servant, Jerry, a free man in Pennsylvania, moved to Kentucky where Hans also taught school. In 1826 he received a land grant in Lincoln Co, Missouri where he was a Legislator. Hans was a Congressman and Senator of both Missouri and Arkansas. His son Al Sidney Smith married Rebecca Geaslin, daughter of William King Geaslin and Ruth Lambert Pace, daughter of William Pace and Ruth Lambert. DNA has been proven this line goes back to Richard and Isabel Smythe Pace through John and Elizabeth Lowe Pace.
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.
  • James Alford Neel Marriage Record (390 KB)
    James A. Neel and Mary Ann Dudley record for marriage 14 January 1800, and were married 15 January 1800.
  • 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 Lasseter Jarvis Shores.
  • Algernon Sidney Smith (144 KB)
    Al Sidney Smith was the son of Hans Smith and Nancy Owen, and the father of Nancy Nora Smith, mother of Ione Donalson, my grandmother.
  • Hans Smith Land Record of Clay Co, MO 1828 (359 KB)
    Land grant of 160 acres in Clay County, Missouri of Hans Smith, granted in 1828, by order of President John Quincy Adams.
  • Martha Neel Widow Pension (37 KB)
    Martha Neel was the widow of John T. Neel, Sr, of Obion Co, Tennessee.
  • 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.
  • Hans Smith Land Record of Lincoln Co, MO 1848 (353 KB)
    Land of Hans Smith in Lincoln County, Missouri, 1848, granted by President James K. Polk. Hans was very impressed with President Polk and had named his youngest son in his honor four years earlier, in 1844: James K. Polk Smith.
  • Elizabeth J. Neel Widow Pension (66 KB)
    Elizabeth J. Hancock Neel was the widow of John T. Neel, Jr.
  • Eva, Edna and Ione Donalson (223 KB)
    Eva, Edna and Ione Donalson are daughters of Angus and Nancy Smith Donalson.
  • Elmer Wilson Neel Death Certificate (44 KB)
    Elmer Wilson Neel was the son of James Alford Neel and Mary Ann Dudley.
  • James Hans Shmidt/Mans Smith Military Record part1 (360 KB)
    Our Cousin C. Annelies Mouring, granddaughter of Rex Smith, Great-grandson of James Hans Smith, had the 1812 military record of James Hans Smith researched and this paper was sent to her along with two military records. The brave young man entered service in Pennsylvania and was sent to Baltimore, Maryland with Cobean's Unit of volunteers in 1814. Woops! Military Service at 14 years old?
  • "Lucy" Bridges Shores Donalson Tombstone (165 KB)
    Lucille Bridges Shores married Warren Donalson who is buried next to her at Bourland 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.
  • James Lee Neel Death Certificate (40 KB)
    James Lee Neel was the son of James Alford Neel and Mary Ann Dudley daughter of Ransom W.Dudley and his first wife T.J. Dudley. James married Ione Donalson daughter of Angus Washington Donalson and Lucy Bridges Shores.
  • James Hans Smith first military record part 2 (220 KB)
    From C. Annelies Mouring: Hans first military record stated he was in Cobean's unit of volunteers in Pennsylvania.
  • 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 Annelies Mouring, and grandson of James Hans and Nancy Owen Smith.
  • Pearl Gertrude Neel Death Certificate (34 KB)
    Pearl Gertrude Neel was the daughter of James Alford Neel and Mary Ann Dudley.
  • James Hans Smith last military record part 3 (145 KB)
    Woops!! This last military record of the war of 1812 from Annelies Mouring shows that Hans was still 14 years old when he joined and 15 when he was dismissed just 17 days later, with 2 days added for time to go home to Pennsylvania,19 days service in all. Later in life he was a General, and Legislator in Missouri and Arkansas in the Missouri Militia, Senator, Congressman. His life was cut short when he was murdered in Texas for his money, but he had lived his life to the fullest possible way, and his parents should be proud of him. I know Annelies and I are very proud of James H. Shmidt/Mans son of School Teacher William Smith, Jr. and Miss Rebecca Mans of Berks County, Pennsylvania.
  • 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 John Pace and Elizabeth Lowe, son of Richard Pace II and Mary Baker. Al Sidney Smith was the son of James Hans Smith, Missouri and Arkansas Legislator.
  • Walter Phiney Neel Death Certificate (34 KB)
    Walter Phiney Neel was the son of James Alford Neel and Mary Ann Dudley. Walter married Jessie Dee Wisenbaker.
  • Berks County Birth Records of Shmidt Family (247 KB)
    Title page of Berks County Birth Records 1781-1800 sent to me by Annelies Mouring. Be sure to see page 2 for child James Hans Shmidt/Mans.
  • 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 Neel was his son.
  • Smith Family Reunion 1904 (205 KB)
    The Smith Family reunion 1904, at Palmer, Texas, from Randy Farrar.
  • Berks County PA Birth Records 1781-1800 part 2 (451 KB)
    Berks County, Pennsylvania birth record 1781-1800 of all Shmidt births, probably William Shmidt/Smith's brothers. In this record it lists child James Shmidt/Mans son of William Shmidt and Rebecca Mans. This is a case of an unmarried lady giving birth. This is probably the reason Hans didn't have much to say about his background.However, William and Rebecca later married and had other children.
  • John T. Neel, Jr. Marriage Record (66 KB)
    John T. Neel Jr. married Elizabeth J. Hancock in 1875.
  • James Herbert Neel (109 KB)
    James Herbert Neel was my father, and son of James Lee Neel and Ione Donalson Neel.
  • John T. Neel, Sr and Rebecca Snider marriage (117 KB)
    John T. Neel,Sr, marriage to his first wife Rebecca Snider/Snyder in 1839. They had one child together, Isaac Newton, before she died the same year Isaac was born, 1842. Isaac's daughter Rebecca married John William Hutchison and had many children.
  • John T. Neel Sr and Martha Lemmonds Marriage (188 KB)
    John T. Neel Sr. married Martha Lemmonds 19 July 1843. They applied for marriage license 18th July 1843.
  • Mary Bernice Neel Birth Certificate (790 KB)
    Aunt Mary passed away February 2010. Most genealogy online have her name as Clara B. The 1930 census has her name as Mabel B. which is really the name of her aunt Mabel Claire, her father's sister. And so, I feel it is necessary for everyone to see her birth certificate to clear up this incorrect information found online.
 

Related Files

  • School Teacher Hans Smith and dad (207 KB)
    Hans Smith is listed as a Boalsburg, PA school teacher, as well as his father William Smith, Jr. William Smith, Sr. was the first teacher of Rockhill. Hans and William Smith Jr. were in Springfield, known as Boalsburg today. William Smith, Jr. was known as Billy and he is listed with Hans Smith as teacher there.
  • Military Records of John T. Neel Sr and his son (18 KB)
    This is a combined military record of John T. Neel, Sr. and his son John T. Neel, Jr.
  • James Hans Smith, Missouri Legislator (54 KB)
    Hans Smith was a Missouri Senator 1834; Missouri Congress Representative 1830-34 and 1840-42. Near the bottom of the page you will see a bio of Hans Smith which stated he was from Pennsylvania and went to Lincoln Co. Missouri in 1828. He then went to Arkansas where he was a senator, then moved to Texas where he was murdered.
 

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