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Record #8688
Name :
: James NEIL (1876 - 1944)
  aka : James Diaper Neil


Father
:
Mother
:
BMD and other details
Date of Birth
: 1 Jan 1876

Marriage (1)
:
Marriage (2)
:

Date of Death
: 22 Nov 1944   Notes : Cerebral Haemorrhage, due to arterio-sclerosis
Abode (1) : Place of BirthEngland, Lancashire, West Derby, Liverpool

25 Winifred Street
Abode (2) : Place of Death / BurialUnited States of America, Niagara, Lockport
Sailing Information
Date of Arrival
: 3 Apr 1897
Country
: Canada

Ship
: Labrador

Placement Family
:
Homes / Agencys
Institution (GB)
:

Agency
: Barnardos
NotesQuoted from Barnardo's Admission Papers:

"James is brother to William, Silvester, and Charles Neil, admitted to these Homes on 6th June, 1893. the following is an extract from the history then written: - 'A tragically pathetic story is involved in the circumstances under which these three boys have been admitted to the home. They come from Liverpool, where our local inspector had given temporary shelter in the Receiving Houses.

'Their father, William Fair Neil, was formerly a clerk, employed at Messrs Leyland's shipping office, Liverpool at a salary of ?120 per annum. He resigned the situation to take another at a salary of ?200 per annum but after 3 months he had notice to leave. This trouble so preyed on his mind that he shortly afterwards lost his reason, and was removed to Rainhill Lunatic Asylum where he died in September 1896.

'The widow, thus suddenly reduced from comfort to severest poverty, worked for the support of herself and her five children as a charwoman, and is spoken of by ladies who employed her as having been an industrious and deserving woman. She lodged with her children at 5 House, 7 Court, Minshull Street, Liverpool, and at that address she was found dead in her bed on 6th May 1893. At the inquest it was certified that she had died in some kind of fit. She was buried by the parish. The maternal uncle, Charles Diaper, being the only known relative was communicated with, and attended the inquest, coming from Jersey for the purpose. He afterwards returned to Jersey, taking with him the sister Mary, for whom he will provide, but this, he states is all he can do as he has a wife and three children, and is also supporting his mother. There are known to be one or two paternal relatives in Scotland, but nothing is known concerning them.

'A Mrs. Taylor, living at 62, Brainard Street, Lue Brook, whose husband had known the parents, removed the children upon the mother's death to the shelter of the SPPC, Liverpool, and procured admission for the brother James to the Working Boys' Home, 9, Grant George Square. the Society's Shelter being crowded, our inspector was asked by Major Leslie, the secretary, to receive the children temporarily.'

'James remained in the Working Boys' Home, Great George Square, Liverpool until June, 1895 when a berth was procured for him on board the Texan for the West Indies. He made one voyage and in October 1895 was engaged on the William Cliff, also bound to the West Indies. After two voyages he left the boat, and his discharges are marked "Very good" Since March last James has been unable to get another ship, and has been doing odd jobs about the Docks, sleeping at night anywhere he could. He applied at our Liverpool Receiving House, stating that he would be glad to get to Canada, where his brothers now are. He was received into our shelter pending decision.
James is a quiet, well-behaved lad.

'Brothers - William Fair Neil (15) Silvester Hubert Neil (13) and Charles Henry Neil (11) all in these Homes.
Sister - Marie (18) servant, Gorey, Jersey
Aunt - Charlotte Diaper, (40) Australia"

James arrived in Halifax on 3 April 1897 and was sent on to Russell, arriving there 8th April 1897. He was sent to a farm in Newdale where he worked til mid 1899. One person reported "I saw Neil coming from the bush with a team of horses, he is getting on very well." The farmer in a letter to Barnardo's "reporting favorably of Neil, only that he is slow and uses too much tobacco - still suffers from skin disease".

The last that was heard of James for some years was this report: "...can give no information about Neil. 1st July 1899 ... and Neil were reported upon by Alfred ... who attended the sports at Minnedosa on July 1st. ...says ... and Neil were in a beastly state of intoxication and were engaged in fighting on the grounds, both grovelling in the mud and covered with blood making themselves generally objectionable, so much so that the police were obliged to interfere and remove them from the grounds."

There is no record to be found of James again until 1906 when he got married in Buffalo to Alice Allen, an orphan. He was working as an Emery Grinder, and always did some sort of machining for an occupation the rest of his working days. He and Alice had 4 children, 3 boys and 1 daughter, but Alice died in 1918 leaving James to care for the children. He found it too much to cope with and farmed the children out to boarding houses, or in the case of his daughter, Marie, to the Episcopal Church Home in Rochester, New York.

James remarried in 1934, but only lived with his new wife for a short time; he lived at the IOOF home in Lockport, NY as a patient (cancer) from July 1936, until his death in November 1944. 
ContributorsCreated : 2009-06-23 14:09:08 / From original database

Last Updated : 2009-06-23 14:21:28 /

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Surnames starting with:   A  B  C  D  E  F  G  H  I  J  K  L  M  N  O  P  Q  R  S  T  U  V  W  X  Y  Z  5 Entries        
IDNameDOBPlace of birthArrivals & ShipsDest.AgencyFamily links
7389 NEIL, Eliza Jane1872ENG,     Jun 1879 : Moravian CAN Middlemore  
14740 NEIL, Fred1883ENG,     Apr 1895 : Numidian CAN Marchmont Homes (now Barnardos)  
8688 NEIL, James1876ENG, LAN, West Derby, Liverpool Apr 1897 : Labrador CAN Barnardos  
14369 NEIL, Mary Ann1883ENG,     Oct 1898 : Parisian CAN Southwark Catholic Emigration Society  
4675 NEIL, William Fair1880ENG, LAN, Liverpool Apr 1895 : Parisian CAN Barnardos