THE NEIL FAMILY and variants Neel/Neale |
LINKS: Clan MacNeil homepage |
The Neil family in general stems from the MacNeils of Barra. The clan history can be found on various website including the Clan MacNeil homepage above. I have traced our Neil line back from Tranmere, Cheshire into Whitehaven, Cumbria, although I am now almost sure that I have a link at last, to Scotland. The parents of our John Neil born in 1837, appears to have been John Neel and Hannah Wilson. I had been unable to find any Neils in Whitehaven at the time of the 1851 census until this: Strand street, Whitehaven (HO 107/2436 Folios 359 - 450) John Nail age 35 mariner born Scotland Hannah (wife) 36 born in Whitehaven Hannah (dau) 8 born Whitehaven We know that from John Neil's marriage certificate, that his father John was a mariner, so this seems likely to be the right family. This page is based on that assumption, but I am still on the case and there are likely to be changes! John Neel or John Nail would have been in Scotland in about 1816, parents unknown. He married Hannah Wilson on 23rd April, 1837 at St. James, Whitehaven. John was a mariner and they had at least three children: John Neil/Neel (Ship's carpenter) bp 15.10.1837 Whitehaven m 3.6.1862 Kirkdale, Walton to Ann Dixon (b 1839) d 20.5.1890 Tranmere Thomas Neel/Neale (master mariner) bp 25.11.1839 Whitehaven m ? to Elizabeth Hannah Nail born 1843 Whitehaven Apart from the fact that John, Hannah and their 8 year old daughter Hannah lived at Strand Street in 1851, no further information is known about them at this point. John Neil was born in 1837 at Whitehaven, and baptised on 15th October, 1837 at St. James, Whitehaven. He married Ann Dixon, daughter of Thomas Dixon and Mary, on 3rd June, 1862 at St. Andrew's Church, Kirkdale, Walton-on-the-Hill. The had the following children: John Raven Neil b 1863, bp 21.12.1863 Whitehaven m 1891 Birkenhead to Elizabeth Evans Thomas Dixon Neil (Electrician) b 1865, bp 13.11.1864 Whitehaven m 1885 Tranmere to Ellen Jennings Simon Neil b 1867 Liverpool m 1897 Tranmere to Elizabeth Weaver William Robert Neil b 1869 Tranmere Mary Ann Elizabeth Neil b 1871 Tranmere Joseph Henry Neil b 24.1.1874 Tranmere m 6.12.1896 Liverpool to Pheobe Sanderson (born 1875) Hannah Wilson Neil b 1876 Tranmere Frederick George Neil b 1879 Tranmere Albert Ernest Neil (Electrician's Labourer) b 1880 Tranmere Isabelle Anne Neil b 1880 Tranmere (twins) John appears on various census returns with conflicting ages; In 186 1at No. 6, James' Pit, Whitehaven, Cumbria: John Neil age 34 boarder ship's carpenter born Whitehaven (although, if this is him he should be 24). In 1871, at 15 West View, Tranmere with his wife Annie and young children, he is 32 and in 1881, at the same address he is 45. He died on 20th May, 1890 at 27 Beaconsfield Road, Tranmere aged 50 (again, not accurate) from cirrhosis of the liver; his son Thomas Dixon Neil was in attendance. His widow Ann is not mentioned. John Raven Neil, born in 1863 at Whitehaven, became a Carpenter's labourer. He and wife Elizabeth were living at 33 Roman Street, Seaforth, Lancs (RG13/3444/18/28/167) in 1901 with three children: Edith Neil b 1893, Seaforth Matilda Neil b 1895 Seaforth John Neil b 1900 Seaforth John Raven's youngest brother, Albert (born 1880) was living in 1901 with his brother Thomas Dixon Neil and his family at Broughton. Joseph Henry Neil, was born on 24th January, 1874 at 15 West View, Tranmere. He was a labourer and married Pheobe Sanderson, daughter of John Sanderson and Catherine Dunbar, on 6th December, 1896 at Liverpool parish Church. They had the following children: Frederick George Neil b 1897 New Ferry Joseph Henry Neil b 1898 Tranmere John Raven? Neil b 1899 Liverpool William Alfred Neil b 1900 Tranmere Florence Neil b 1902 Tranmere Edith Neil b 23.6.1903 Tranmere m 1925 to William Alfred Bibby d 1985 Birkenhead others, details unknown, including: Walter Neil (died infant) Helen Neil (died infant) George Neil Robert Neil Edward Neil James Neil Harold Arthur Neil (Able Seaman) b 1913 Tranmere m 1936 to Georgina Blackburn d 4.10.1943 at Sea In 1901, Joseph and Pheobe were living at 18 Roslyn Street, Birkenhead (RG13/3398/37/18/112) with their first four children. After this time, no details are know about the family other than the fact that Edith, born in 1903 was born in Rose Cottage, Tranmere and that her young brother Arthur was born in 1913. Edith Neil was born on 26th June, 1903 at Rose Cottage, Rock Ferry. She married William Alfred Bibby, a merchant Seaman, in 1925. UNDER CONSTRUCTION |
