Neal, John

John Neal was born in Veevay, Indiana, on December 31, 1837, to parents William A. Neal of Kentucky and Ruth Leap of Pennsylvania. Reared on an Indiana farm, he enlisted at Bennington during the Civil War, serving as a first lieutenant in the Sixth Indiana Infantry through major battles like Shiloh and Atlanta. Following his military discharge at Indianapolis in 1865, he worked for many years as a wagon maker in his home town.

In 1884, John made his first trip to California to erect lumber mills in Tulare, Fresno, and Humboldt counties before returning temporarily to Indiana. He settled permanently in Fresno in 1900, where he built his residence at 530 Raisina Avenue and worked as a carpenter until retirement. Predeceased by his wife Mary Jane Day in 1904, he raised four surviving sons—William C., Charles C., John W., and Edward C.—and remained an active veteran, Mason, and Odd Fellow.