Untitled - citizen hylbom blog

1862, was promoted to second lieutenant and
later to first lieutenant, resigning the latter
position to return home and raise a company
for the 60th Massachusetts Regiment, under
Col. Ansel D. Wass. In July, 1864, he was
SOUTHEASTERN MASSACHUSETTS 739
bers from its organization of the Woman's
Christian Temperance Union and ever took a
deep interest in its affairs.
HON. JOSEPH 0. NEILL, citizen soldier,
merchant and public official of Fall Eiver, was
born Jan. 31, 1837, in Calais, Maine, son of
William and Margaret (Greenough) Neill. He
acquired a common school education, and in
young life was variously occupied, making at
one time, in 1857, a voyage to Cuba in the
ship "Plumas." Becoming a resident of Massachusetts,
he at the breaking out of the Civil
war espoused the cause of the Union and went
to the front in his country's defense, enlisting
April 16, 1861, in Company G, 4th Regiment,
Massachusetts Volunteer Militia, a three
months' regiment. It is worthy of note that
the 4th Regiment of Massachusetts Infantry
was the first to reach the seat of war in Virginia
after the call for troops. He was discharged
from the service July 28, 1861, by
reason of the expiration of his term, during
all of which he was at Portress Monroe. On
Nov. 21, 1861, young Neill reenlisted, this
time from the same place, Taunton, as sergeant
in Company F, 29th Regiment, Massachusetts
Volunteer Infantry. He was mustered
into the United States service Nov. 25,
1861, and on May 18th of the ceived a certificate of election over Mr. Howard,
but the seat was successfully contested on
the ground of a misspelled ballot. He was
senator from the Second Bristol district in
1894, 1895 and 1896; was chairman of the
committee on Federal Relations and a member
of the committees on Public Charitable Institutions
and Woman Suffrage in 1894; chairman
of the committee on Harbors and Public
Lands, and a member of the committees on
Printing
year following,
and Charitable Institutions in 1895;
chairman of the committee on Charitable Institutions,
and a member of those on Harbors
and Public Lands and Public Service, in 1896;
house chaii^an of the committee on Public
Charitable Institutions and a member of the
committee on Street Railways in 1897. Captain
Neill was a member of the common council
of Fall River in 1867, alderman in 1878
and 1879, and water commissioner in 1891,
1892 and 1893.
Captain Neill is a member of Mount Hope
Lodge, Fall River Chapter and Council of
Masons, and of Fall River Lodge, No. 29,
I. 0. 0. F., and commander of Richard Borden
Post, No. 46, G. A. R. He is a director
of the Metacomet Bank.
On July 31, 1863, Captain Neill married
Mary Jane, daughter of Prelet D. Conant,
and to the marriage came children as follows:
Jessie Lillian married William Sydney Bateman,
of Newport, R. I., and had children,
Dorothy and William Sydney, Jr. Lena ; May
died in infancy; Jennie Le Prelette married
commissioned captain of Company D, 60th
Regiment, from Fall River.
At the close of the war Captain Neill returned
to Fall River with an honorable army
record and locat€d there permanently. He entered
the employ of Prelet D. Conant, his
father-in-law, whose location was on the site
of the present post office on Second street.
Some years later he was taken into the concern
as a partner of Mr. Conant, and upon the
retirement from business of Mr. Conant, in
October, 1886, Captain Neill succeeded to the
business, which had been removed to its present
location on Bedford street, and he has
since successfully conducted it.
It was not long after Captain Neill had become
established in business in Fall River that
be began to take an active part and interest in
the public affairs of the city, where he has long
been prominent in civil life. He was a candidate
against Robert Howard, of Fall William Nichols Emory, of Jacksonville, Fla.,
and they reside at Monsey, N. Y. Lena ; May
(2) married Albert Worth Howard, of Providence,
Rhode Island.
Mrs. Neill has always interested herself in
club affairs. On Nov. 9, 1896, she established
the Quequechan Chapter
River, for
State senator in 1886, 1887, 1889, 1890, 1891
and 1893, but was defeated. In 1888 he re-
of the D. A. R.,
serving as regent thereof the first two years,
and she also instituted in the same year the
Gen. John Swift Chapter of the C. A. R. She
is an associate member of Orlando Chapter,
D. A. R., at Orlando, Fla., which place is the
winter home of the family. She has been a
member since its organization of the Woman's
Relief Corps; is a member of the New Bedford
Chapter, Order of the Eastern Star; and
of Willing Circle, King's Daughters.
JOHN T. ROBERTSON, banker and
broker, one of the substantial and successful
business men of Fall River, traces his ancestry
in maternal lines to one of the oldest settled
and most prominent families in New England
— the Church family. On his father's side he