He came to Illinois with his family in 1853. He obtained his education in Martin Twp. by attending a subscription school, Templeton School, on the SE 1/4 of Sec. 19. A subscription school required a tuition or payment of some commodity. The windows of this school were covered with greased paper and the seats and desks were half of a split log. He could only attend school three winter months of each year.
When the Civil War started, he ran away and joined the army, enlisting at Centralia, Illinois on 12 Aug 1862, in Co. D, 98th Illinois Volunteer Infantry,Capt. WOOD commanding. (A brief sketch of the 98th Ill. Vol. Inf. follows this biography.) He was Honorably discharged at Louisville, Ky., and was sent with his regiment to Springfield, Ill. to be mustered out on 27 June 1865. He was present for all of the action of the 98th except as follows: 31 Dec. 1862 - sick in hospital at Gallatin, Tenn.;28 Feb. 1863 - similar report.; 31 Aug. 1864 - Teamster in the General Ordinance Division. He returned home and assisted his father in farming.
On 4 Feb. 1869 at Oblong in Crawford County, he married Emily "Emma" Enlow, daughter of DAVID ENLOW and EMILY "Emma" LEEMAN. Emily was born on 9 Feb. 1853 in Illinois. After his marriage he moved onto a farm of 120 acres in Sec. 19, which he cleared and fenced, afterwards adding thereto 40 acres, 20 acres of which was cultivated and the rest was in timber. He raised horses, mostly pacers and race horses.
He was fondly called "Little Grandpa" by his grand children. He was five feet two inches tall, had a ruddy complexion, blue eyes and light brown hair. He could make something nice out of nothing, such as carts, sleds, playhouses, stilts, etc. for his grand children. He read until age eighty-five without glasses. He never had false teeth after having all of his teeth pulled. He would "whack" naughty grand children with his cane. He and his grand daughter, Flossie, were called often by neighbors to stop the flow of blood through prayer and clutching a Bible. They could also "take the fire" out of a burn. He loved his grand children very much and would even let them chew his gum when he was through with it.
James and Emily had one child born in Martin Twp. Zenith Arley Neeley.
Emily died on 24 Dec. 1880 at Grayville, Edwards Co., Illinois and is buried in the Oblong Cemetery, Crawford County. James married a second time to Emma Fore on 20 Sept. 1887. She was born Jan 1865, the daughter of John Fore and Amanda Leeman. James and Emma Fore had two children born in Martin Twp. before they were divorced. She married a second time to SNEL BROOKS and had two children before her death on 15 Mar 1924 in Arkansas.
In his later years, James belonged to the Prior Grove Baptist Church. In 1923, he was suffering from chronic rheumatism, gout, kidney troubles and sugar diabetes. He died on 5 Apr 1932 at the Old Soldiers Home at Danville, Illinois and is buried in the Oblong Cemetery, Crawford County.
When the Civil War started, he ran away and joined the army, enlisting at Centralia, Illinois on 12 Aug 1862, in Co. D, 98th Illinois Volunteer Infantry,Capt. WOOD commanding. (A brief sketch of the 98th Ill. Vol. Inf. follows this biography.) He was Honorably discharged at Louisville, Ky., and was sent with his regiment to Springfield, Ill. to be mustered out on 27 June 1865. He was present for all of the action of the 98th except as follows: 31 Dec. 1862 - sick in hospital at Gallatin, Tenn.;28 Feb. 1863 - similar report.; 31 Aug. 1864 - Teamster in the General Ordinance Division. He returned home and assisted his father in farming.
On 4 Feb. 1869 at Oblong in Crawford County, he married Emily "Emma" Enlow, daughter of DAVID ENLOW and EMILY "Emma" LEEMAN. Emily was born on 9 Feb. 1853 in Illinois. After his marriage he moved onto a farm of 120 acres in Sec. 19, which he cleared and fenced, afterwards adding thereto 40 acres, 20 acres of which was cultivated and the rest was in timber. He raised horses, mostly pacers and race horses.
He was fondly called "Little Grandpa" by his grand children. He was five feet two inches tall, had a ruddy complexion, blue eyes and light brown hair. He could make something nice out of nothing, such as carts, sleds, playhouses, stilts, etc. for his grand children. He read until age eighty-five without glasses. He never had false teeth after having all of his teeth pulled. He would "whack" naughty grand children with his cane. He and his grand daughter, Flossie, were called often by neighbors to stop the flow of blood through prayer and clutching a Bible. They could also "take the fire" out of a burn. He loved his grand children very much and would even let them chew his gum when he was through with it.
James and Emily had one child born in Martin Twp. Zenith Arley Neeley.
Emily died on 24 Dec. 1880 at Grayville, Edwards Co., Illinois and is buried in the Oblong Cemetery, Crawford County. James married a second time to Emma Fore on 20 Sept. 1887. She was born Jan 1865, the daughter of John Fore and Amanda Leeman. James and Emma Fore had two children born in Martin Twp. before they were divorced. She married a second time to SNEL BROOKS and had two children before her death on 15 Mar 1924 in Arkansas.
In his later years, James belonged to the Prior Grove Baptist Church. In 1923, he was suffering from chronic rheumatism, gout, kidney troubles and sugar diabetes. He died on 5 Apr 1932 at the Old Soldiers Home at Danville, Illinois and is buried in the Oblong Cemetery, Crawford County.
He came to Illinois with his family in 1853. He obtained his education in Martin Twp. by attending a subscription school, Templeton School, on the SE 1/4 of Sec. 19. A subscription school required a tuition or payment of some commodity. The windows of this school were covered with greased paper and the seats and desks were half of a split log. He could only attend school three winter months of each year.
When the Civil War started, he ran away and joined the army, enlisting at Centralia, Illinois on 12 Aug 1862, in Co. D, 98th Illinois Volunteer Infantry,Capt. WOOD commanding. (A brief sketch of the 98th Ill. Vol. Inf. follows this biography.) He was Honorably discharged at Louisville, Ky., and was sent with his regiment to Springfield, Ill. to be mustered out on 27 June 1865. He was present for all of the action of the 98th except as follows: 31 Dec. 1862 - sick in hospital at Gallatin, Tenn.;28 Feb. 1863 - similar report.; 31 Aug. 1864 - Teamster in the General Ordinance Division. He returned home and assisted his father in farming.
On 4 Feb. 1869 at Oblong in Crawford County, he married Emily "Emma" Enlow, daughter of DAVID ENLOW and EMILY "Emma" LEEMAN. Emily was born on 9 Feb. 1853 in Illinois. After his marriage he moved onto a farm of 120 acres in Sec. 19, which he cleared and fenced, afterwards adding thereto 40 acres, 20 acres of which was cultivated and the rest was in timber. He raised horses, mostly pacers and race horses.
He was fondly called "Little Grandpa" by his grand children. He was five feet two inches tall, had a ruddy complexion, blue eyes and light brown hair. He could make something nice out of nothing, such as carts, sleds, playhouses, stilts, etc. for his grand children. He read until age eighty-five without glasses. He never had false teeth after having all of his teeth pulled. He would "whack" naughty grand children with his cane. He and his grand daughter, Flossie, were called often by neighbors to stop the flow of blood through prayer and clutching a Bible. They could also "take the fire" out of a burn. He loved his grand children very much and would even let them chew his gum when he was through with it.
James and Emily had one child born in Martin Twp. Zenith Arley Neeley.
Emily died on 24 Dec. 1880 at Grayville, Edwards Co., Illinois and is buried in the Oblong Cemetery, Crawford County. James married a second time to Emma Fore on 20 Sept. 1887. She was born Jan 1865, the daughter of John Fore and Amanda Leeman. James and Emma Fore had two children born in Martin Twp. before they were divorced. She married a second time to SNEL BROOKS and had two children before her death on 15 Mar 1924 in Arkansas.
In his later years, James belonged to the Prior Grove Baptist Church. In 1923, he was suffering from chronic rheumatism, gout, kidney troubles and sugar diabetes. He died on 5 Apr 1932 at the Old Soldiers Home at Danville, Illinois and is buried in the Oblong Cemetery, Crawford County.
When the Civil War started, he ran away and joined the army, enlisting at Centralia, Illinois on 12 Aug 1862, in Co. D, 98th Illinois Volunteer Infantry,Capt. WOOD commanding. (A brief sketch of the 98th Ill. Vol. Inf. follows this biography.) He was Honorably discharged at Louisville, Ky., and was sent with his regiment to Springfield, Ill. to be mustered out on 27 June 1865. He was present for all of the action of the 98th except as follows: 31 Dec. 1862 - sick in hospital at Gallatin, Tenn.;28 Feb. 1863 - similar report.; 31 Aug. 1864 - Teamster in the General Ordinance Division. He returned home and assisted his father in farming.
On 4 Feb. 1869 at Oblong in Crawford County, he married Emily "Emma" Enlow, daughter of DAVID ENLOW and EMILY "Emma" LEEMAN. Emily was born on 9 Feb. 1853 in Illinois. After his marriage he moved onto a farm of 120 acres in Sec. 19, which he cleared and fenced, afterwards adding thereto 40 acres, 20 acres of which was cultivated and the rest was in timber. He raised horses, mostly pacers and race horses.
He was fondly called "Little Grandpa" by his grand children. He was five feet two inches tall, had a ruddy complexion, blue eyes and light brown hair. He could make something nice out of nothing, such as carts, sleds, playhouses, stilts, etc. for his grand children. He read until age eighty-five without glasses. He never had false teeth after having all of his teeth pulled. He would "whack" naughty grand children with his cane. He and his grand daughter, Flossie, were called often by neighbors to stop the flow of blood through prayer and clutching a Bible. They could also "take the fire" out of a burn. He loved his grand children very much and would even let them chew his gum when he was through with it.
James and Emily had one child born in Martin Twp. Zenith Arley Neeley.
Emily died on 24 Dec. 1880 at Grayville, Edwards Co., Illinois and is buried in the Oblong Cemetery, Crawford County. James married a second time to Emma Fore on 20 Sept. 1887. She was born Jan 1865, the daughter of John Fore and Amanda Leeman. James and Emma Fore had two children born in Martin Twp. before they were divorced. She married a second time to SNEL BROOKS and had two children before her death on 15 Mar 1924 in Arkansas.
In his later years, James belonged to the Prior Grove Baptist Church. In 1923, he was suffering from chronic rheumatism, gout, kidney troubles and sugar diabetes. He died on 5 Apr 1932 at the Old Soldiers Home at Danville, Illinois and is buried in the Oblong Cemetery, Crawford County.
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