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Thomas David Neal, Sr.

Thomas David Neal, Sr.[1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

Male 1812 - 1884  (71 years)

Personal Information    |    Media    |    Notes    |    Sources    |    All    |    PDF

  • Name Thomas David Neal 
    Suffix Sr. 
    Born 29 Oct 1812  Halifax Co., Virginia Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Gender Male 
    Died 21 Jun 1884  Richmond, Virginia Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Buried Hollywood Cemetery, Richmond, Virginia Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Person ID I16398  My Reynolds Line | Descendants of Giles Carter of Henrico
    Last Modified 18 Jul 2022 

    Father Thomas H. Neal,   b. 23 Aug 1789, Pittsylvania County, Virginia Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 26 Oct 1812  (Age 23 years) 
    Mother Wilmouth Mastin Williams,   b. 21 Feb 1794, Pittsylvania County, Virginia Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 28 Nov 1866, Ringgold, Pittsylvania Co., Virginia Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 72 years) 
    Married 18 Feb 1811  Pittsylvania Co., Virginia Find all individuals with events at this location 
    • Thomas H. Neal, 1789?1812
      Thomas David Neal Sr., 1812?1884
      Spouse & Children
      William Motley, Captain, 1795?1879
      James M Motley, 1818?1862
      John William Motley, 1821?1889
      Sarah Elizabeth Motley, 1828?1903
      William D Motley Sr., 1829?
      Robert Jordan Motley, CSA, 1831?1862
      Martha W Motley, 1834?1911
      George Crawford Motley, CSA, 1838?1894
      Laverna Rice Motley, 1843?1844
    Family ID F7376  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

    Family Louisiana Franklin Carter,   b. 26 Jun 1822, Halifax County, Virginia Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 24 Mar 1893, Richmond, Virginia Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 70 years) 
    Married 29 Dec 1836 
    • Children of Thomas D. and Louisana Carter Neal
      4 Louisiana Franklin CARTER b: 26 Jun 1822
      + Thomas D NEAL b: Abt. 1820

      5 Infant Son NEAL b: 25 Dec 1837 d: 25 Dec 1837
      5 Robert S NEAL b: 13 Mar 1839
      5 Elizabeth Wilmouth NEAL b: 13 May 1841
      5 Lucie Carter NEAL b: 17 Feb 1843
      5 James Martin NEAL b: 3 Jan 1845
      5 Tho S NEAL b: 12 Oct 1848
      5 Sarah Martha NEAL b: 4 Oct 1851
      5 Charles Taliaferro NEAL b: 3 Aug 1853
      5 Mary W NEAL b: 12 Sep 1855
    Children 
     1. Pvt. Robert Samuel Neal,   b. 13 Mar 1839, Danville, Virginia Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 14 Mar 1862, Danville, Virginia Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 23 years)
     2. Elizabeth Wilmouth 'Betty' Neal,   b. 15 May 1841, Virginia Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 14 Jan 1927, Richmond, Virginia Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 85 years)
    +3. Louisa (Lucy) Carter Neal,   b. 19 Feb 1843, Pittsylvania County, Virginia Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 15 Oct 1899, Danville, Pittsylvania Co., Virginia Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 56 years)
    +4. James Mastin Neal,   b. 1845, Pittsylvania County, Virginia Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 17 Jul 1907, Danville, Pittsylvania Co., Virginia Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 62 years)
    +5. Thomas David Neal, Jr,   b. 12 Oct 1848, Danville, Pittsylvania County, Virginia Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 17 Sep 1917, Richmond, Virginia Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 68 years)
    +6. John Carter Neal,   b. 31 Dec 1846, Pittsylvania County, Virginia Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 18 Feb 1900, Danville, Pittsylvania Co., Virginia Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 53 years)
     7. Mary Wills Neal,   b. 12 Sep 1855, Pittsylvania County, Virginia Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 9 Jun 1939, Norfolk, Virginia Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 83 years)
     8. Charles Taliaferro/Taliferro Neal,   b. 5 Aug 1853, Pittsylvania County, Virginia Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 17 Feb 1874, Statesville, North Carolina Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 20 years)
     9. Whitmel P. T. Neal,   b. 1 Jul 1857, Halifax County, Virginia Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 6 Jul 1880, Richmond, Virginia Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 23 years)
    +10. Susan, Susannah F. [Franklin] Neal,   b. 1 Sep 1859, Danville, Pittsylvania County, Virginia Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 24 Sep 1920, Washington, DC Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 61 years)
     11. Carter Bibb Neal,   b. 19 Jan 1862, Halifax County, Virginia Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 4 Feb 1906, Richmond, Virginia Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 44 years)
    +12. William Greaner Neal,   b. 5 Jan 1864, Danville, Virginia Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 19 Dec 1929, Richmond, Virginia Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 65 years)
     13. 'Sallie' Sarah Martha Neal,   b. 14 Oct 1851, Pittsylvania Co., Virginia Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 28 Oct 1921, Henderson, Kentucky Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 70 years)
    Last Modified 16 Jul 2022 
    Family ID F5792  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  • Documents
    Thomas D Neal-Obit
    Thomas D Neal-Obit
    Richmond Dispatch
    Jun 22, 1884
    John Carter Neal-Obit
    John Carter Neal-Obit
    Richmond Dispatch
    Feb 20, 1900
    Louisiana Franklin Carter Neal-Obit
    Louisiana Franklin Carter Neal-Obit
    The Richmond Times
    Mar 25, 1893
    Charles T Neal-Death Notice
    Charles T Neal-Death Notice
    The Wilmington Morning Star
    Feb 21, 1874
    Charles T Neal-Killed In Statesville
    Charles T Neal-Killed In Statesville
    The Charlotte Observer
    Feb 20, 1874
    1885 Sketches of some early Danville Virginia Residents
Thomas David Neal
    1885 Sketches of some early Danville Virginia Residents Thomas David Neal
    TDNealDanvilleSketchBook-117-118.pdf
    Will Index Pittsylvania Co., Virginia
Nealey-Neal
    Will Index Pittsylvania Co., Virginia Nealey-Neal
    WillIndexPittsylvania Nealey-Neal.jpg
    James Mastin Williams Family
    James Mastin Williams Family
    sar6645JamesMastinWilliamsFam1.jpg
    James Mastin Williams Family Histroy page 2
Sons of the American Revolution
    James Mastin Williams Family Histroy page 2 Sons of the American Revolution
    sar6645JamesMastinWilliamsFam2.JPG

    Headstones
    Thomas D. Neal
    Thomas D. Neal
    hsI16398ThomasD.Neal2.jpg
    Headstone Thomas D. Neal
    Headstone Thomas D. Neal
    hsI16398ThomasD.Neal.jpg

    Histories
    Thomas D Neal-First to Build a Privately Owned Warehouse
    Thomas D Neal-First to Build a Privately Owned Warehouse
    The Danville Register
    Jul 4, 1976

  • Notes 

  • Sources 
    1. [S32] Find-A-Grave.com, https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=neal&GSfn=thomas&GSiman=1&GScid=50668&GRid=27824492&.

    2. [S93] Sons of the American Revolution, http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&db=SARMemberApps&h=780574&tid=&pid=&usePUB=true&rhSource=60214.

    3. [S61] United States Census, http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?db=1850usfedcenancestry&indiv=try&h=15434518.
      1850 census Danville, Virginia for the Neal family

    4. [S48] Ancestry Link, http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&db=FSVirginiaDeath&h=34122&tid=&pid=&usePUB=true&rhSource=8054.
      Virginia Deaths and Burials

    5. [S38] Headstone, Thomas David Neal.

    6. [S100] Internet Source, https://ncccha.blogspot.com/2010/07/tobacco-brought-danville-virginia-fame.html.
      Tobacco: Brought Danville, Virginia, Fame and Fortune
      Danville Register, 4 July 1976 (Page 1)
      By Steve Gilliam (Bee Staff Writer)

      Tobacco: Golden Leaf Brought City Fame and Fortune

      If there ever was a city that was born and raised on tobacco, then that city is Danville. Leaf tobacco has brought the city as much of its fame -- and a good bit of its fortune as well -- as any of its other business or industrial enterprises. People around the globe smoke cigarettes made with tobacco that was purchased on Danville warehouse floors. The city enjoys a reputation as one of the world's major markets of fine smoking leaf. It is known as the birthplace of "Bright Leaf Tobacco," which is not the backbone of the nation's tobacco industry. The city is known as the "World's Best Tobacco Market," and the name is not without justification. During the 107 years since the Danville Tobacco Association was founded, growers have sold 84,744,445,404 pounds of tobacco. They have taken home approximately $1,626,898,841 for their offerings.

      The market also is known widely for its innovative sales practices, which have served to make the Danville warehouses models for other tobacco centers across the country. Major innovations included the "Danville System" of tobacco auctions and the more recent "Danville Plan" -- a method of allotting sales time on a poundage basis rather than by sales days to individual markets.

      Official records of the city's tobacco sales were kept for the first time in 1869, the year of the Danville Tobacco Association's founding. Although all records for the local market date from that year, the city was known as a leading center of tobacco production since the turn of the 18th century. The city's location by the Dan River played a major role in establishing it as the major tobacco market of the fledgling United States. Founded in 1793, the city was to be the site of the state's first tobacco warehouse. The Dan River served as transportation to the east, where the leaf was loaded onto ships ready for sail or processed into the products of the day -- snuff, chewing or pipe tobacco. The first warehouse gave rise to four others by 1830 -- all owned by the state. Three years passed and 10 tobacco factories for processing had arisen in Danville.

      The Panic of 1837 appeared to be a terminal blow to the Danville market. The state warehouses were forced to close and farmers were left without locations for marketing their leaf. But the failure of the government system threw the marketing into the hand of free enterprise and local buyers were quick to take matters into their own hands.

      Bright Leaf. There is nothing as dear to a tobacco farmer's heart as a magnificent leaf of "Bright Tobacco." As the tobacco is harvested up the stalk, the middle leaves often get to be as much as a yard long. When a farmer takes one of those leaves and lets it absorb enough moisture to open it fully, the leaf looks like a golden kite. But Bright Tobacco is not a particular brand; rather it is the way the tobacco is cured that produces the gold color in the mid-stalk leaves and the finer, yellower cure toward the top leaves.

      If the confluence of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers was the cradle of civilization, then the area southeast of Danville and the Dan River was the cradle of Bright Tobacco. It had its origin as a mistake -- a freak accident that changed the tobacco industry. The account of how the leaf came to be in 1839 on the Caswell County, N.C. farm of Abisha Slade runs thus:

      A young slave, Stephen, on Slade's farm was tending the tobacco barns one rainy night when he drowsed off, an occurrence not uncommon around old-time curing barns. He awoke and agonized momentarily over the dying fire and the soaked firewood. Rushing to a charcoal pit, he returned and heaved several hunks of the hot-burning stuff onto the fire. As the fire began to blaze up, the heat grew much hotter than the normal curing fire which had been wood-fed. The sudden surge of intense heat after the sap had been dried out gradually produced a barn full -- 600 pounds -- of the brightest leaf ever seen to a manufacturer in those days.

      An accident -- yes indeed -- but the price the bright yellow leaf fetched was even more of an accident. The prevailing average for tobacco in 1839 was $10 a hundredweight. When the bright leaf -- even more fragrant than other offerings as well -- went to bids, it drew $40 a hundredweight, a figure four times greater than the prevailing price.

      Slade came from a tobacco-producing family. Although no official accounts exist of the Slade family from 1839 to 1856, it is believed that the family went about perfecting the curing method which came about by accident. Slade emerged as a tobacco professor of sorts that year and began instructing his fellow growers in the process of "curing yellow tobacco."

      Historic accounts indicate that growers in the area had produced Bright Leaf earlier than 1839. Their efforts are believed to be hit-or-miss ventures which produced the golden tobacco but never reproduced it. Slade is acclaimed as the first man to make a semi-science of tobacco curing and who set down the guidelines for yellowing tobacco which were modified into current curing practices.

      Warehouse System Forerunner. The first "street sales" of loose leaf tobacco began to take place. Previously, the government warehouses had taken in growers' offerings in hogsheads, weighed and sampled the leaf and then sold the tobacco. The on-street auctions did away with the hogshead-bound tobacco and allowed buyers to check the leaf as it came into town in wagons. The arrival of a grower was announced through the market areas and the buyers moved around the loads gathering their samples. When a sale price was agreed upon, the buyer took the tobacco to have it weighed. This early system was a primitive sales method at best. Once the grower lost sight of his tobacco when it was carried to be weighed, he felt he could easily be cheated. The buyer often claimed that the samples had been planted, and the result of weighing and checking often proved the tobacco of lesser quality than the samples. As the complaints continued on both sides, the idea for the warehouse system of tobacco sales began to form itself in Danville.

      The Warehouse System. Thomas D. Neal was the first to build a privately owned sales warehouse anywhere, with assistance from William Pinckney Graves, T. R. McDearman and others. The warehouse went up in 1858 and a Neal's Warehouse still stands in Danville. Neal was a businessman and he knew an opportunity when he saw one. Tobacco growers from North Carolina would load their wagons and head to Lynchburg. As the drove through Danville, Neal was quick to see that the closer to home the grower could find a market, the more easily he would stop. If the warehouseman could establish a system where both buyer and grower could drop all complaints, then both would go home satisfied.

      The system allowed the leaf to be displayed on the floor where growers and buyers could keep an eye on each other. The buyer would lose nothing because he could take his own samples. The grower could watch the samples to make sure they went back on the pile. A third person, impartial and employed by the warehouse, did the weighing while both buyer and seller looked on. Everything was honest and the only complaints heard were over demanded prices that were too high or bid prices that were too low -- complaints that are heard today on most tobacco markets.

      The buyers who had previously passed through Danville began to stop here. Neal and his associates had ridden through the countryside, personally asking farmers to sell in the city. Neal sought to gain the right of inspection for his warehouse system and the Virgina Assembly granted that right on February 6, 1860. The Assembly also granted him the right to charge for inspection of tobacco three weeks later in an amendment. The act of legislation was no small feat -- Neal had secured the right of inspection for the first time since 1837, when the governmental warehouses had shut their doors. The warehouse was to operate under legislative sanction for little more than a year. The Civil War was brewing and the tobacco industry was to be dealt another blow. Although many felt the blow might be fatal, the Civil War only delayed the permanent establishment of the "Danville System."

    7. [S251] Various Books.
      Thomas D. Neal
      1885 Sketch Book of Danville Virginia
      Its Manufactures and Commerce
      By Edward Pollock

    8. [S54] DAR, https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/61157/46155_b290461-00058/3717910?backurl=https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/4616373/person/6387968234/facts/citation/960177797685/edit/record.
      Wilmouth Motley Williams m. William Motley
      -https://reynoldspatova.org/getperson.php?personID=I6658&tree=reynolds1
      -https://reynoldspatova.org/getperson.php?personID=I14878&tree=reynolds1
      -https://reynoldspatova.org/getperson.php?personID=I20916&tree=reynolds1
      -https://reynoldspatova.org/getperson.php?personID=I67947&tree=reynolds1
      -https://reynoldspatova.org/getperson.php?personID=I67818&tree=reynolds1
      -https://reynoldspatova.org/getperson.php?personID=I20917&tree=reynolds1
      -https://reynoldspatova.org/getperson.php?personID=I20918&tree=reynolds1