This website is taken from various sources, all gathered together in an account of the McNeil family being written by Peter McDonald; his homepage has links to John and Mary Ann's accounts. In addition, from Peter's home page you can link to web sites on Mary Ann Smith's parents, William and Mary Hibbert-Smith, and grandparents, James and Hannah Brown-Hibbert, and their ancestors. (Please hit the back arrow to return to this page).
This account will reference other relatives who have accounts elsewhere; please follow the appropriate links to learn more about them. Especially there will be sections in his wife's accounts which will be linked to here. There is also an account of his sons John Edward McNeil and Ephraim McNeil.

John McNeil was born 10 January 1823 in the Parish of St. Anne on the Isle of Man. His parents were William and Ann Corlett McNeil. His future wife, Margaret Jane Cavendish, was born on 9 January 1827 on the Isle of Man. John went to school on the Isle of Man and at a very early age became an apprentice to his Uncle, a shoemaker. He had a desire to become a sailor, and at the age of fourteen, went to sea as a cabin boy, visiting South and Central America, The West Indies, the British Isles, and other countries. He sailed the seas for 8 years and at the age of 22 returned to the Isle of Man and took up the shoemaking business, giving private music lessons on the side. While hired as a tutor, he met and married Margaret Jane Cavendish, 9 October 1847 in Malew, Isle of Man, United Kingdom. To this union was born one son, John Edward on 18 December 1848 in Douglas, Isle of Man, United Kingdom.

In the forepart of 1851 my mind began to reflect on my salvation as it had for many years before that for the right way or wrong way that I was a stranger to the gospel. I went to Ranters as so called for I was taught between the Methodists Church and the Ranters but my indication was to the Ranters more than the others, because my parents went to them and I was a convert of England as they called it, but I never found that comfort they professed to have. So I went to every town to find comfort but could not find it for the horrors of death and hell was always staring me in the face. So that I was unhappy whether I was in religious service or not but let me be seated in a concert or theatre, this terror always rested on my mind and to sooth myself with a deathbed repentance, I could not think of it because I thought that God was not so liberal as all that as to forgive and forget all in a moment, for I thought it was unreasonable that God would forgive me in the hour's of death after being so unreasonably rebelling against him, All my life, because the Apostles and Prophets had to undergo so many hardships and persecutions, that it was unreasonable that I could get it for nothing. Although this thought came to my mind as I often heard it that there was Salvation from the ground up. So by chance I fell in conversation with a Latter-day Saint and I was desirous to know their doctrine for some time before that but did not know them nor their place of worship, only I had heard that they healed people by placing their hands on them and that they called them Mormons. So I was determined to know what they were and what they taught. So when I found them out and went to hear them, I soon knew them and what they were because I got hooted at and sneered at before I became a saint and so I saw that the scriptures was true and that if the scriptures were wrong, they were wrong, so I was determined to prove them. So I told my wife that I had been having The Mormons but I soon found that she was an enemy to them and I found out that I had enemies on all sides and that she didn't like them at all because she had a friend who was a Saint and she didn't like her for that but I didn't know it. But after a little while, I warmed her around and got her to go to chapel and hear them so finally I got her convinced so she appointed a time to get baptized and when the time came she said she didn't feel inclined to go so it was left time after time so she appointed another time and on that evening she said she didn't want to go, she said something told her not to go, but I said to her that, "if the devil had that much power over her, Stop, but if you wish to save thyself go". So she went and got baptized on the 4th of April 1851 and had hands laid on her for the reception of the Holy Ghost and before that she was brought in a coach the distance of 21 miles to her Mothers house to die, so she would be near the church to be interred but when she came in to me again, to my surprise she was quite well, and the pain had all vanished away from her, so the power of God was made manifest in the very act of baptism so she was no longer an enemy to Mormonism and knowing what they taught was true so she had a testimony for herself that the work was of God. {John was baptized on the 6th of May, and confirmed May 9, 1851.} A short time after that I had the child blessed into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints so we were all saints and enjoyed the Spirit in a great measure and felt happy so on the 4th of June I was called to the office of Priest and was ordained that day and on the same day I agreed to get four thousand pamphlets printed and I was chosen for one to circulate them and I was to go to the North district of the Isle of Man with a thousand of them. On Sunday morning and went over 20 miles that day and a joyful day it was and me being young in the church, I went forth not in my own strength but in The Name Of Israel's God and I even fell on my knees in the mountains to pray for strength and for language of speech that I might, thru my efforts confound them that I had to contend with.

"When the tide was low, people could get to the mainland by stepping from stone to stone, between knolls or miniature Islands. The tide was low such that anyone crossing had to hurry to get back. John was very anxious to deliver every tract, but his foot slipped on a wet stone, and the wind scattered the tracts. He lost valuable time trying to recover them all; and so was late for the tide on returning, and was caught off shore. He bowed himself in prayer, later a man saw and came for him in a boat, reaching him as the tide covered the knoll."

This Latter-Day Saint family living in the Isle of Man now had the strong desire to come to America. They wanted to make their home with The Saints in Utah. In January of 1852 John Corlett McNeil, his wife Margaret and son John Edward with two of John Corlett’s brothers, William and Richard, boarded a ship for Liverpool, England.

They stayed in Liverpool for some time and then John, his wife and son boarded a ship named the Camillus to go to America.

John McNeil set up a shoe shop in St. Louis. On 27 June 1854, Margaret Cavendish passed away in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri. About this time, John’s brother’s, William and Richard who wanted to "see more of the world" left St. Louis, one going to Iowa and the other to Australia.

The Account of the marriage of John McNeil to Mary Jane Quinn in St. Louis and the McNeil family's exodus from St. Louis to Salt Lake City is found at http://www.oocities.org/iflk/johnmjqmcneil.html

Said they traveled about 1700 miles and arrived in Utah all well and camped on the bench just below where Camp Douglas now stands, August first 1859 and did rejoice and thanked The Lord for preserving our lives to see the Valley of the Mountains, the gathering place of The Saints. On the second we camped where the Bathhouse now stands. On the 4th we went to Bountiful and lived by Daniel Woods and harvested for him the next five days and wintered there and purchased 10 acres off him. 1860, next year, purchased a city lot of George Hogan and next 1861 year bought a house and lot off William Wood and lived there until 1870 and made me a farm two miles at the mouth of what is called North Canyon creek.

Tired and weary from four months travel, they arrived and made camp near what is now Fort Douglas, on August 1, 1859. They rejoiced and thanked the Lord for preserving their lives to see the valley of the mountains, the gathering place of The Saints. After a few days they moved to Wood's Crossing, where the McNeil family lived in a log cabin belonging to Daniel Wood, and helped harvest his crop that autumn. Later on he sold a yoke of oxen and moved to Bountiful. He had a store and shop in a dugout in the hillside on the road to Enoch Springs, where he made and repaired shoes for seventeen years. As soon as he was financially able he bought some land and built a home in 1860 for the family to which three more children had been added:(Births)

• Robert Corlett McNeil was their first child to arrive in Bountiful, on July 8, 1860;
• Joseph Henry McNeil arrived July 10, 1862, and was followed by
• George Quinn McNeil Jan 4 1865.

During his stay in Bountiful he did truck gardening, grew a fine orchard and vineyard and sold products in Salt Lake City. He, with others, hauled logs for the First Ward church house in Bountiful. He helped operate the cane molasses mill, and gave some time to hauling materials for the Temple then under construction at Salt Lake City.

They arrived at what is now known as Fort Douglas in the evening of 1 August 1859. They sold their ox team while in Salt Lake, then journey to Woods Cross. A son, Robert, was born in 1860. They suffered the grasshopper plague while here and were forced to eat grass, live red root, and saleratus water. They had no bread for about one year. They moved to East Bountiful in 1860 and were located one block west of the Bountiful Lumber Yard. They farmed a city lot while here and peddled to Salt Lake City. Mr. McNeil doing some shoemaker work as that was his trade.

They arrived at what is now called Fort Douglas in the evening of 1 August 1859, where they spent the night. They sold their ox team in Salt Lake and moved to Woods Cross.

A son, Robert, was born in 1860. They suffered through the grasshopper plague while here and were forced to eat watercress, live redroot and saleratus water. They had no bread for a year.

They moved to Bountiful in 1860 and located one block west of the Bountiful Lumber Yard. They farmed a city lot while here and peddled in Salt Lake City. In addition, John made washboards and did shoemaking, as that was his trade.

The children would go out and pick the wool from the oak and sagebrush and Mary Jane would wash, spin, and weave it into yarn. From this she would knit stockings, making three stockings for each child. Each night she would wash and dry one stocking for each child. That is the way she kept them in clean stockings. Their clothing was made the same, back and front, so when they began to get thin they would be worn the opposite way around. This was called "jumping". They also made their own straw hats and used the hides of the calves for shoes.

Mary Jane ground wheat and soaked it overnight. Then she would mix it with molasses and saleratus water from the lake. This served as soda. From this mixture she would make bread.

The first son born to Mary Jane since their move to Utah was Robert Corlett McNeil. He was born on 8 July 1860 in Bountiful, Davis, Utah.

At Robert Corlett’s birth on 8 July 1860, the children with John and Mary Jane were:

• John E. McNeil, age 11
• Thomas McNeil, age 4
• William Richard McNeil, age 3
• Mary Jane McNeil, age 2
• 10 July 1862 another son was born to John and Mary Jane McNeil in Bountiful, Davis, Utah. His name was Joseph Henry McNeil.

Other children that were born to John and Mary Jane McNeil since the year 1862 were:

• George Quinn McNeil, born 4 Jan 1865 in Bountiful, Davis, Utah
• Charles Hyrum McNeil, born 13 Nov 1867 in Bountiful, Davis, Utah

The year following the birth of Charles Hyrum, John McNeil married Mary Ann Smith.

John McNeil married Mary Ann Smith in the Endowment House in Salt Lake City. John McNeil, age forty-five, married Mary Ann Smith, age fifteen, September 12, 1868.

This is from Mary Ann Smith McNeil’s Diary:
Was Married to John McNeil, on the 12 day of September 1868 in the Old Endowment house in Salt Lake City by Daniel H. Wells. Lived with my husband in the City of Bountiful and with his wife Mary Jane and family of eight children in plurality, until Feb., or March of 1870. When he built me a room of lumber inside of a dugout in the North east corner of his lot where my first child was born, Sarah Alice, on the 7th of May. Then some time in the summer, through the disagreeableness of his wife, I went up to North Cannon, where my Father and Mother were living. (Father was running a brick yard,) and I lived with them until January of the next year when I moved into a brick house of my own of one room. Cooked for his boys while they worked on the farm where I lived and in North Cannon where he raised his potatoes. Then he started on a house for his wife Mary Jane and I cooked for John E. McNeil, his Eldest son while he did the carpenter work on it. She moved into it in the spring of 1874.
I continued to live there until the fall of 1878. My husband having been called on a mission to go to Arizona, we left our home on the 18th day of November to come to Arizona.

Mary Ann Smith McNeil's Diary and Accounts of her moving to Arizona and Mexico may be found at http://www.oocities.org/iflk/masmcneildiary.html

After the time that Mary Ann became married to John McNeil on 12 September 1868 , the births occurred in this order:

• Margaret Jane McNeil, born 6 April 1869 to John and Mary Jane in Bountiful, Davis, Utah
• Sarah Alice McNeil, born 7 May 1870 to John and Mary Ann Smith in Bountiful, Davis, Utah
• Elizabeth Ann McNeil, born 29 June 1872 to John and Mary Jane in Bountiful, Davis, Utah

More births occurred in the following order:

• Daniel McNeil, born 2 Mar 1873 to John and Mary Ann in East Bountiful, Davis, Utah
• Ephriam McNeil, born 2 Sep 1874 to John and Mary Ann in East Bountiful, Davis, Utah
• David McNeil, born 2 Mar 1875 to John and Mary Jane in Bountiful, Davis, Utah

In 1874, John Edward, son of John and his first wife (who was deceased) Margaret Jane Cavendish, had married Margaretta Conrad Snyder on 16 Mar 1874 in Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah.

Between the time of his arrival in Utah – August 1859 – and March 1874, when John Edward was married, we have no written record, but we do know that John Edward did have some formal education in medicine. His father decided he should have this after John Edward filled their home and barn with sick or injured birds and animals. They both loved medicine; the father became known as "Doctor McNeil" and his son as "Doctor John." They worked together helping the sick and needy. It has been said that no man was ever turned away from the McNeil home whether he was hungry, sick or just a bum.

In those days, most boys stayed home and had plenty to do the year around. We do know what his father did so we can be well assured that John Edward helped. Their skills were so much the same; they loved helping the sick, shoe making, carpentering, cattle raising and farming.

One history of John tells us he always maintained a good home. They were industrious people. They kept beautiful flowers growing in the yard; they did truck gardening and also had a fine orchard and vineyard. They sold produce in Salt Lake City; they hauled logs for the First Ward Chapel in Bountiful, in addition to giving some time to hauling material for the Salt Lake Temple, which was at this time under construction.

Of course there was always livestock to care for – horses, cows, pigs and chickens. John Edward went to school. He also studied medical books, and learned much about music and musical instruments. He could play drums, various kinds of horns, the violin, (or fiddle, as they were called), also the harmonica. In later life, he trained and led ward choirs.

In the year 1871, a widow, Lavinia Duffield Snyder, with two daughters – Margaret Conrad, age 17, and Maria Todd, age 16 came to Salt Lake by way of train. Lavinia heard Joseph Smith speak while on a tour through Pennsylvania and she was very interested. Evidently her husband, George Snyder, was not. However, he was much older than she. He died and left her a very young widow. Lavinia left her home and farm in Philadelphia to her son to go west.

Lavinia was the daughter of Jesse Duffield and Mary Knowles. She was born February 17, 1816 in Philadelphia. Her parents and grandparents were wealthy landowners and business people. She and her children therefore knew nothing about pioneering or western life. Although they missed the easy life in the east, they were happy in Salt Lake City, and after becoming acquainted with the Mormon Church and its people, they were baptized.

At age twenty-five, John Edward married Margaret Conrad Snyder on March 16, 1874. She was born October 5, 1850 and was twenty-three years old. Margaret had a very good education for those early days, but she was a delicate girl. Because a doctor advised John Edward to take her south to a warmer climate, they decided to move to Arizona. Seven years passed however before they were able to go.

In 1875 John McNeil located near the Val Verda Springs and planted a potato patch. He wanted to get water down to the garden so he plowed a ditch down the canyon to his place. The ditch gave way in the night and washed a deep gully northwest and then turned due west to the highway. This was the first water to come beyond the mouth of the canyon.

John McNeil traveled from Bountiful to Salt Lake City to Conference, picking up a friend and family in this way food for one team was saved. Mrs. Hunt recalled: "I'd send my children to watch for him, so as to be sure we'd not keep him waiting. When they told me he was coming, I'd go to listen to see how much time we still had. We could hear the wagon, and he always came singing, and his voice carried over the air. He'd greet us in song; help us load our things, singing all the while. He would sing all the way to Salt Lake City. He lead the choir for conference, and sang all the way back home.

When funds were low during the building of the Salt Lake Temple, John organized a minstrel show, using and teaching variations of the Negro songs he'd learned in St. Louis while working around the slaves. He traveled from town to town, all over the southern part of the state, and sometimes playing a second night by request.

John was asked to rearrange some plays to fit the limited number of players, and arrange some musicals to be played for intermission in the Little Play House, but the Little Play House burned before they were complete, so were never used there.

The last three children born in Bountiful to John and his wives were:

• Lillias, born on 6 March 1876 to John and Mary Ann in Bountiful, Davis, Utah
• Harriet Jeannette, born on 26 May 1877 to John and Mary Jane in Bountiful, Davis, Utah
• Hannah, born on 18 February 1878 to John and Mary Ann in Bountiful, Davis, Utah

After the birth of Hannah in 1878 the family consisted of the following and their age is listed as that age they turned on their birthdays this year:
Parents: John McNeil, age 55; Mary Jane Quinn McNeil, age 38; Mary Ann Smith McNeil, age 25
Their children:

Parents:

The Mission to Arizona

On October 9, 1878 Bro. McNeil was called on a Mission to help establish settlements in Arizona. By this time John E. was married and had a small family of his own. Mary Jane now had eleven children; the oldest being 23 yrs, the father thought the logical thing to do was to take the family with the grown children, but Mary Jane preferred to remain in Utah, so he left all his property with her.

November 18, 1878 he took Mary Ann and her five young children. He put the few supplies that he could in one wagon, pulled by one team of horses; a span of mules and, two milk cows which served as a swing team. The first day out they lost the water can which was a near tragedy; that night the horses returned home after being turned out to graze. George brought the horses to his father the next morning. This was only the beginning, but fearless and undaunted, with faith in God, and an earnest desire to obey the leaders of the church, John McNeil turned his face once again to the frontier, determined to conquer the wilderness with work, and the Indians with good will..

In October 1878, I was called to Arizona on a mission to help settle up the country. I left in 1879 with my wife Mary Ann Smith McNeil and 5 children. Was called and set apart by Lorenzo Snow one of the 12 apostles 9th Oct. 1878 and started November 18, 1878 and got in Kanab Christmas Day and stayed with John H. Standifird that winter. The next summer lived on one of Brother Jacob Hamblin's lots and went and did some work in the St. George Temple, had a baby boy born 6 July, died and buried the 8th, 1878. Moved on to Snowflake and got there just at Christmas time again. Stayed a night or two with President Jesse N. Smith, then went up to Taylor 3 miles farther south, stayed a week with Brother and Sister Tames Pearce, they were very kind to us. Then we moved up to Silver creek. Then Brother McNeil built a chimney and fireplace with rock and stretched a tent over by it and lived there until the next March. Brother John H. Standifird and his family lived about a quarter of a mile south of us on his farm and we had to go there to grind our corn on their coffee mill for our bread and we could hardly get enough corn to grind on the coffee mill and Brother McNeil had to go down to Taylor with his shoe making tools and to Snowflake to see if could get some jobs at mending shoes to get us anything the people could let him have to eat. No bread to speak of in Snowflake that year. Everybody had to live on beef if they could get it. When he left us we had just enough for one meal but I was afraid to eat it that night, not knowing just when he might get back with anything, so I coaxed the children to go to bed without any supper as it would be better to have a breakfast but Daddy came back in the night with a little corn he had got for some apples that we had brought from Kanab with us. We were told we could get a good price for them down here so we had left our stove and everything I could spare to make room for the apples but which proved a failure to us as they got frozen on the way as it seemed as though he never could move or travel only in the winter time. That winter we lost our best horse, he starved to death as there was no feed on the hills and we had no money to buy any feed with. Then in the spring we moved again to a place called Forest Dale on the Indian reservation as some of the white people thought they could buy it but did not get permission to so we lived with the Apache Indians but some of the war soldiers came from Fort Apache by orders of a Mr. Charley Cooley and the fight was stopped and the St. Carlos Indians went back but oh, the trials and troubles that we did have. Some of it wouldn't be believed if I did tell it, starving and the children going naked for want of clothes.
So in middle of summer came back to Showlow. My husband got some sheep and goats and got a start to be a little better off but he thought he hadn't traveled enough, I guess, so in 1900 he pulled out to Old Mexico. He said he was going back to Jackson County by the Horse shoe route, that he had heard the saints would travel but when we got to Colonia Morelos, where President Ivins had bought for the Mormons, Brother McNeil had a paraletic stroke, so I left Morelos with my children after being there four years and went to Douglas, Arizona to make my own living and left Bro. McNeil in care of his son, John E. McNeil and in 1909 Brother McNeil took worse and died. Then I and my children came back to Showlow to live in 1913. Brother McNeil is buried in Colonia Morelos, Mexico and now I am living here in a nice home my son Ephriam built for me. The first nice home I ever had and Ephriam takes care of me. Thank the Lord for a nice home and a good son to take care of me. I am 85 years old in July next on the 2nd.
(signed) Mary Ann Smith McNeil

He left Bountiful November 18, 1878 and reached Kanab, Christmas Day amidst a raging blizzard. Faced with financial and other problems he stayed here the rest of the winter. In the following summer he did some farming, earned a small wagon, and worked in the temple at St. George. Here a baby boy, Angus, was born July 6, 1879. It was later found be was born with three cysts. Augus was a husky baby and John did everything in his power to save him, performing two minor operations to prolong his life. He died on the 8th of August 1879, and was buried in Kanab, Utah. John grieved sorely at his death.
John McNeil was often referred to as Dr. John. He made his own tools from bone.

Trek to Arizona
The McNeil's resumed the trek to Arizona in November 1879, in company with two other families, Nobles and Peels. They were delayed three days at the Colorado because of high water. Here they were ferried across the river by Emma Lee and the two Johnson brothers who planned to take over the Ferry a little later.
The Hole in the Rock was just large enough to allow a pack animal and pack to pass. At the Hole in the Rock, John helped the other families through, who were anxious to be on their way, so by himself he took the large wagon apart and lowered it through the Hole in the Rock with a rope and parts of the harness. He sat in the blazing sun all the next day with a hammer and chisel, pecking away at a point high above any one's head. Just before sundown the huge rock tumbled into the hole widening the gap and filling the cracks, but leaving much to be cleared away. After making steps the horses could navigate, he let the little wagon down, keeping it upright with ropes. One team was hitched behind to keep it from descending too fast.
They arrived in Snowflake in December 1879. They stopped at the James Pierce home in Taylor, then lived the rest of the winter on the Staniford Ranch above Shumway on Silver Creek. The living quarters was a tent with a fireplace in one end and a covered wagon for a bed room.
On account of the hard struggle for livelihood they received permission from President Wilford Woodruff to move to Forest Dale in the spring of 1880. Here on the Apache Reservation, John McNeil planted a crop. It was here they probably had the greatest hardships in their frontier life. There was no flour to be had, so they had to make their bread out of meal made from corn a neighbor had raised and cut green the year before, which was moldy from being exposed to the storms all winter. The corn was ground on a coffee mill. When the green corn came on, they ate corn three times a day. As the corn grew harder, it was grated on a tin lid punched full of holes with a nail, and made into mush. They were glad when the corn was ripe enough to be ground.
During the summer there was a war between the San Carlos Indians and the Indians at Forestdale. The Indian chief, Petone, wanted John's daughter, Sarah, for his wife; but was killed in the war. Here again Dr. John's skill was called to use, for the Indians called on him when they were in trouble.
The disgruntled Indians forced most of the people to leave Forestdale. They told Bro. McNeil he could stay, however they frightened the children many times, so after the harvest in 1880, they moved to Cluff's Ranch at Show Low. Here his son Benjamin was born December 16, 1880.
(Note from Peter McDonald-19 May 2002-The account above cites John going through Hole in the Rock which I have been told is an inaccuracy in the account. So, take it as you will. However, I have heard also that there is a possibility that he did take a wagon apart at one point of the journey as mentioned in the portion that talks about the Hole in the Rock, so I thought I would leave the account as it was written. So, it is my understanding then that it is inaccurate that he went through Hole in the Rock, but it is probable that on some part of the journey to Arizona, he did take a wagon apart.)

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In the summer of 1881, John Edward sent word that he was on his way to Arizona, so his father went to Kanab to meet him, and accompanied him to ShowLow.

In the summer of 1881 they were ready for the move so they sent word to his father they were coming. John already living in Arizona went to Kanab, Utah to accompany them to Show Low, Arizona. Winters in this locale proved too severe for one with delicate health; consequently an Apache doctor told Margaret that she had Consumption and Dropsy.

On account of reported Indian attacks, a Fort was built; the McNeils spent the winter of 1881 at Reidhead Crossing, now Lone Pine, instead of entering the Fort.

In the spring of 1882, he moved to Adair where Althera and James McNeil were born.

While living here John saved a man from the life of an invalid by removing bullet from his spine, received while hunting rabbits. Three other doctors refused to take the risks involved, but finally Dr. Wolford of St. Johns agreed to assist if Dr. John would operate. Dr. John was to pick the man up at his home in Snowflake, and take him home with him for observance until the date set for the operation., When that day arrived, Dr. Wolford was not present, nor was he present at the next appointment, so Dr. John had to proceed unaided.

For his own family he set bones, removed bullets, and stitched up cuts, and prescribed herbal cures, as other medicines were seldom available. When the little community was stricken with an epidemic of scarlet fever, the McNeil children contracted the disease, and were seriously ill, the baby James died July 1886. Ward records have (10 July 1886). In Adair, Mr. McNeil, who was always active in the church organizations, was Ward Chorister, and held singing practice regularly. He often whistled all night for dances while one of his boys called the quadrilles or squared.

He continued to work at his trade and made shoes for people in the surrounding communities, often taking produce or whatever they had to offer for pay. He was a employed much of the time by Henry Hunning, a well-to-do rancher, for whom he gardened, and planted a large fruit orchard.

He finally took up a homestead three miles southwest of Show Low, Arizona, where their five youngest children were born:

My father was about 50 years old when I first knew him. He was born in 1823. (Uncle Eph was born in 1873). Although his hair was brown when he was young, he was gray headed, his hair was thinning. His eyes were gray. He was about 5'8" stocky build, kind of hump-backed, heavy set. Father was a shoemaker and a farmer. He used to make boots for cowboys and shoes for all the people who knew him. He bought some of his leather in Snowflake and sent to Salt Lake City for other leather. He made all kinds of shoes. Women's dress shoes that buttoned up the side.

He used to make his own soap. He made his lye by soaking oak ashes. He had a piece of a log that stood about 3 feet high, burned out, He bored a hole in the round log about 2/3 of the way down with a tin spout on it. He put the ashes in the log and filled the log with water and let the water slowly drain through the spout. This took about 48 hours to make very strong lye. He made the soap out of beef, sheep, or any other kind of animal fat. He used oak ashes because there is no lye in pine, only in hard woods.

We came to Arizona in 1878. We lived in the only covered wagon we had with us. When we got here. We had two cows, two mules. The mules and cows were both used on the wagon, the mules in the lead and the cows on the tongue. We didn't milk the cows until we had been here about six months. There were four children then, Sarah, Eph, Dan, Lillian, and Hannah was the baby. The only things we brought in the wagon were clothes, shoemaking equipment, which consisted of hammers, tacks (brass), needles, sewing machine, wooden lasts with a metal plate on them, bedding, cooking utensils, a dutch oven, frying pan and eating utensils. We had a ten gallon barrel on the side of the wagon for water. The longest we went without water was from the big Colorado to the little Colorado, which was about 2 days travel.

We lived in the covered wagon about a month until we got a house built. He chopped the trees, trees about 8 inches through, about 16 or 20 feet long. The house was about 16 by 24 feet. One room with a lean-to on one side for a kitchen. He notched the ends of the logs to form a corner and filled the cracks with mud. (This was in what is now known as Shumway). We stayed there one winter and then went to Lone Pine (between Showlow and Taylor) for one winter, then went to Forrestdale for a winter and then to Showlow, where he stayed until he went to Mexico.) He went to Mexico in 1899. He was originally called to go to Mexico by church authorities, but didn't go until later because of financial circumstances. There may have been 20 families in Shumway when we were there. Our nearest neighbors were only a short distance away. They had a church there then.

John and sons were quite successful in the stock business raising sheep and goats. The brand known as the three running legs, was used as his mark of ownership, on the sheep and goats. The Forest Department put restrictions on the range grazing and limited the number of stock a man could put on his allotment. This made Bro. McNeil very discouraged. So the family looked forward to moving to Mexico when John received a call to help survey in the Colonies there.

Before they were ready to move, John was stricken with a paralysis from which he never fully recovered. They sold their ranch in ShowLow. On November 15th 1899, on Wednesday, they left Show Low to go to Colonia Oaxaca, Sonora, Mexico, accompanied by some of their married sons and daughters. John E. had settled in Mexico some years previous. Here Bro. McNeil made Zapatos and braided straw hats for the Mexicans, taking anything they had to offer as pay. He never turned anyone away from his home unaided.

Occasionally he drew up crochet patterns for ladies in the colonies. He designed luncheon cloths, doilies, and bed spread patterns.

Goats cheese and milk, supplemented the vegetables from the garden always growing near their home. Growing things was a hobby he shared with his wife, and it was often said, Theirs was the most beautiful home in any community in which they lived.

While John was able, he arose at daylight and worked in the garden until called for breakfast. In the evenings, he mended his tools or harness by lamp-light.

From the time that Mary Ann had started her diary on Hannah’s wedding day of 12 April 1897 until October 1898 when Mary Ann’s next diary started, the following marriages occurred:

Elizabeth Ann marries March Henry Fuller on 19 September 1897 in Bountiful, Davis, Utah.

Margaret Jane marries John Christian Schmidt on 27 January 1898 in Bountiful, Davis, Utah

Backtracking a bit now:
John Edward McNeil had been the first of John McNeil’s children to have gotten married. In 1883, the first of John and Mary Jane’s children got married, when Mary Jane McNeil, daughter of John and Mary Jane McNeil, married Benjamin Kirkham 8 February 1883 in Bountiful, Davis, Utah.

John Edward McNeil's account of his trip to Mexico

Many of the Saints were currently moving to Mexico because of Polygamy. John Edward decided to join them for it would be a warmer climate there.

John Edward McNeil and his wife Margaret traveled in the company with others. According to a record of Joseph Samuel Cardon, it was early in February 1884. My mother has told me of many experiences she had on the trip. At night, she and Joseph Cardon’s oldest daughter, Minnie, could see each other around their family campfire, but during that entire trip these little nine-year-old girls could not get together to visit or play. They were both the oldest ones in their family and there was always so much to do for the younger children.

In March, according to this same record, they arrived on the Cases Grandes River, near the Mexican town of La Ascencion and Colonia Diaz. They remained in camp a few weeks while making arrangements to pass the customs house. Then Apostle George Teasdale divided the camp. Some stayed to build up Colonia Diaz, the McNeils went on to the open country near Cases Grandes. The Latter-Day Saint Church had, in the meantime, bought large parcels or tracts of land from the Mexican government. The place to which John Edward’s family went was later named Colonia Juarez. This was in honor of Benito Juarez, a great Mexican General and President. Located on the Piedras Verde River, the climate was mild and the valley wide. One big problem was the scarcity of river water, but with the Sierra Madre Mountains so near, surely dams could be built to hold the water back for irrigation in the growing season. Their hopes were high; streets were laid out, trees planted and a meetinghouse built. It was a crude building with split logs for benches, but it was a good start, and during warm weather, very comfortable.

The homes were dugouts along the high banks of the river. Poles were set in front, and across these, tree branches were laid, making shade for each one. This would all be replaced someday with nice brick homes, gardens and orchards. The settlers, however, began to hear rumors that they were on the wrong land. After some time of investigation, this was proven true. The land after being surveyed belonged to the San Diego Grant. They had to move. Their ground was about two miles up on the river in a long, narrow canyon. This was a shock to all, of course, but there was no time to lose, and so they moved. This disappointment proved a blessing they could not know at this time. The soil in the new location was just right for fruit growing – warm days, and cool breezes from the canyon at night help to give fruit a good flavor.

These were some of the early experiences of the McNeils in Colonia Juarez. When they arrived, there were four children – Maggie Lavinia, age 9, born January 31, 1875 in Salt Lake City; Olive, age 7, born November 29, 1877 in Bountiful; John Edward, age 2, born July 13, 1882 in Show Low, Arizona and Lurena Cavendish, age 1, born April 16, 1883 in Show Low. The McNeil’s had lost one daughter – Lizzie Duffield, born October 11, 1878 in Bountiful. Margaret’s health did not improve greatly, but they were happy in their home in Mexico and were quite comfortable. On March 29, 1886, Melissa Snyder was born. Margaret seemed to be improving, and was able to sit up. However, after helping her family sing a song, she slumped over and was gone. This sad event occurred April 8, 1886, ten days after the birth. The grieving father wrote her mother in Philadelphia, telling all the family there the sad news. The letter was preserved and later returned to the family. In it, he said he wished he could have gone with her, but he was glad to be able to stay and care for the children.

In those days, it was almost impossible to raise a child without breast-feeding. Melissa was given good care, but lived only one month. She died May 1, 1886. John Edward had now lost a wife and two children. He and the Relief Society sisters together cared for the motherless children. The women were so good to fix food and care for the family needs.

It was at this time that Rhoda Ann McClellan, about fourteen years old, and her mother Alameda went to the McNeil home to see if there was anything they might do to help the family in their time of bereavement. As they walked, the ground seemed to be moving under their feet. They stopped and looked about them. It was an earthquake. They hurried on, anxious to visit and return home. At the McNeil’s, everything was in confusion - broken dished on the floor and precious window glass shattered to bits. Otherwise, the family was well and bearing its grief bravely. The tremors continued into the late afternoon and evening. From the hills nearby, rocks large and small came rolling down. Threes burned along the forest line, lighting up the surrounding country as if for some special celebration. Many homes were cracked and some laid to the ground. In general, there was concern and excitement everywhere.

After Mother Nature quieted down, the people of little Colonia Juarez were overjoyed. There was a larger stream in the river; fishers along the length of the Piedras Verde had opened up. Now there was more water. This was a special blessing they had received.

On December 24, 1886 John Edward married Mary Emaline Johnson. This lovely girl was the daughter of Sixtus Ellis and Mary Stratton Johnson and was born November 15, 1870 in Virgin City, Utah. They were neighbors in Colonia Juarez. To this union five children were born – Sixtus Edward, born November 1, 1887; Joseph Fielding, born June 3, 1889; Mary Ethel, born October 15, 1891; George Wayne, born February 22, 1894; and Eloie, born July 9, 1896 in Colonia Chuichupa. Mary Emaline was a devoted mother or stepmother to all of the children.

Two years after marrying Mary Emaline, John Edward also married her younger sister, Luella Jane Johnson. To this union, nine children were born – Zenos, born January 18, 1890; Jesse Lane, born April 25, 1892, (both born in Colonia Juarez); John Franklin, born March 8, 1895; Sixtus Earl, born October 24, 1897, (both born in Colonia Chuichupa); Harlem Leon, born February 13, 1901; Charles Leland, born April 4, 1904, Luella Jane, born February 15, 1906, (born in Colonia Oaxaca), Edna, born October 1, 1908 in Morelos; and Ina, born January 4, 1915 in Pomerine, Arizona.

From Colonia Juarez, John Edward moved his two families to Chuichupa, also in the state of Chihuahua. Here Mary Emaline died July 9, 1896 when her son Eloie was four weeks old. She left five children – Edward Joseph, Ethel, Wayne, and the new baby. Some of Margaret’s children were also still living at home. These, her sister Luella Jane (Aunt Ella as she was lovingly called) took to her heart and home, to raise as her own. She had four children at the time, but lost John Franklin soon after.

About 1900, the family left Chuichupa. It was such a lovely little mountain town, but cold in the winter and spring. Snow would some times pile up three feet deep. They moved to Colonia Oaxaca in the State of Sonora. There it was a milder climate and the family all enjoyed good health. Here they lived about ten years. Then in 1906, a flood came down the river, washing out most of the homes. About February 16, 1907, the McNeil family moved to Colonia Morelos, Sonora where they were very happy. They lived in a brick home purchased from Bishop O.P. Brown. Ed and Joseph had to leave school to help support the family. They found work at the El Tigre mines about 50 miles away. They weren’t able to come home often, as horse back was the only mode of travel. The family owned a sheep ranch, also a cattle ranch in the mountains.

The Exodus in July 1912 forced all the Americans to leave the Mormon Colonies. The McNeil family moved to Douglas, Arizona, the closest American town to the border. As was true of all others at that time, they could take only a few clothes and a minimum of bedding. Everything else was left behind. Here my mother and we children visited them a few days. They were living in two adjoining tents. At the time, the weather was warm; it was in October 1912 and they were getting along all right but I’m sure living in tents in winter was not comfortable for them. Douglas was very small and the water supply not sanitary. In the fall of 1913 there was a typhoid epidemic and five of the McNeil Children became ill with the disease. The health authorities visited the family and tried very hard to have all taken to the hospital, but John Edward wanted to keep them home. He finally let them take three children, but two of these died. They were Charles Leland, age 10, who died November 6, 1913 and Sixtus Earl, age 16 who passed away November 16, 1913. John Edward and his family were also among the pioneers of Pomerene, Arizona. While living here their grown son, Harlem Leon, was killed in the mines at Bisbee, Arizona, November 16, 1923.

Always a carpenter and able to do cabinetwork, John Edward enjoyed building nice homes, churches and places of business. He served as Justice of the Peace for a time while living in Northern Arizona. Before leaving Douglas, he was asked by the government to serve as scout in helping to hunt Poncho Villa. He directed the search several months in Sonora and near-by states.

John Edward was a sincere, humble man, but he also had a sense of humor. With Ed McClellan, he helped extend many short programs with spontaneous wit. This he especially enjoyed in the early days of Colonia Juarez. His funny streak helped him over many rough spots. Fortunately, several of his grandchildren today have been blessed with the same gift. He was a good husband and raised a large family who honor his name. He served his community and church in many capacities, and enjoyed helping to make them grow.

Early in 1915 he became so ill that Luella Jane, with the two younger daughters, Edna and Ina, took him back to Bountiful for special treatments in Salt Lake City. Here he passed away among his cousins and relatives September 4, 1915 and was laid to rest in the Bountiful Cemetery.

This good man had traveled far – from Douglas, Isle of Man, England to Bountiful, Utah to Arizona, to Old Mexico, back to Arizona and then to Bountiful again. The sixty-seven years he lived was a lifetime of loving service while pioneering. It was full of hard work, heartbreak, faith and hope, but I’m sure he would not have had it otherwise.

The information in this history was gathered from a family history of John McNeil and also from John Edward’s children – Sixtus Edward McNeil, Joseph’s wife, Emma Thomas McNeil, Ethel McNeil Gardner and Edna McNeil Lewis. Thanks to all of you.

Returning now to after John E. McNeil had left Arizona in 1884, the following marriages occurred:

Thomas married Martha E. Prescott on 24 December 1884 in Bountiful, Davis, Utah.

Joseph Henry married Ellen Ellie Bishop in 1885; it is not recorded where they were married.

Around 1885, Sarah had the following incident. Annie recounted the story, she was probably told by Sarah or someone in the family as Annie was not born for another 5 years. (From Sound recording Annie-6-Told by Annie Thompson to Vicki Thompson, June 1985 in Elfrida, Arizona. This is according to a recording of the life of Annie Frances McNeil Thompson, told by Annie Frances McNeil Thompson and related and recorded by Vicki Thompson, whose husband is Roy Thompson, son of Floyd Thompson, the son of Annie. )

She told one story about her sister Sarah when they lived up by Show Low in Forest Dale. She said there was a bunch of Indians around, there was an Indian Chief named Petone (Pai-Toni). He really liked Sarah. She was around 14 or 15, somewhere around there. Petone really liked her. He came up to John McNeil and said, "I’ll give you ten horses for your daughter for marriage." John said he couldn’t do that. A week or so later, Petone came back and said he would give 20 horses for Sarah. John again said he couldn’t do that. About a week or so later, Petone came back again and said he would give 40 horses for Sarah. John came back and said he couldn’t do that, it would have to be 400 horses. Petone didn’t say anything, he just turned around and walked out. So, Sarah was hoping that Petone would leave her alone, because he was all the time trying to talk to her and stuff. Time went by and the Apache Indians there started fighting up on the hill. And Sarah kept hearing this "ping-ping-ping" like hitting the outside walls, sounded like it was hailing. She wondered what in the world was going on. So, she sent Eph out to see what was going on at the top of the hill. Eph started going out and all of a sudden he came running back in and said he was shot. She checked him over and he hadn’t been shot, but the bullets had whizzed by so close to his head that he thought he had. He told Sarah there were Indians fighting up on the hill. So, they could hear this fighting and shooting for at least an hour or two. And about this time, this Indian woman just came walking right in through the door. She had a little baby and she moved the bed out from beside the wall and set the baby down there behind the bed. Then she went back out. The fighting was going on like crazy. Finally, they were looking out the window to see because the shooting was starting to get a little less, there weren’t as many bullets coming down the hill. And they looked out the window to see if they could see anything and they saw this Indian running, just running, carrying his saddle on his back. And they said he was running so fast down the hill that the flap on the back of his little loin cloth thing that he wore was stuck straight out on the back because he was running so fast down that hill. They thought that was just as funny as could be. And Sarah tried to get Eph to check to see if they’d got done fighting, but he didn’t want to go back out because he figured he might get shot if he did. So, pretty soon they didn’t hear anymore fighting and all of a sudden that Indian woman shows back up again and got the baby. And Sarah had told Annie, because Annie wasn’t born at the time, she said that baby never once cried that whole time it was behind that bed. It was under a year old. They didn’t hear any more fighting. They heard some people talking, said the Indians had been drinking Tulepie (sp), (pronounced Tulee-Pie). That’s what they called their whisky. They said this one Indian, Petone’s son came down the hill looking for John McNeil because he was kind of a ... he wanted some Mormon medicine, is what he called it. He said, "Come and fix my father up ... the chief". He said he had been shot and he was going to die and a couple of others were too. So John McNeil said he would come and Sarah said that she wanted to go too. (Annie said: "Sarah wanted to make sure that Indian was dead, she didn’t want to marry him"). So, she went up there with him and sure enough Petone was shot real bad and there was a couple of others and he had to work on Petone first because he was the chief. And so he was working on Petone and he told his son there was nothing he could do for him. Said they would just have to wait and see. So, he went on over and worked on a couple of the other Indians that had been shot. But what Petone was doing was trying to get those 400 horses. He figured he’d get him Sarah one way or another. Petone died and Sarah said she was never so glad to see a dead Indian in all her life. Because she knew if that guy would have brought 400 horses, that she may just have had to marry him.
(Note from Peter McDonald 3 May 2002-I have talked to another descendant of John McNeil about the above account and there was an Indian battle, but we concluded that there may have been much bigger issues involved between tribes rather than Petone trying to get 400 horses so he could marry Sarah. But, at any rate, Sarah wasn’t going to be bothered any more by Petone it is true.)

From 1886 to when Mary Ann started her diary in 1897 the following marriages and deaths occurred:

The first of John and Mary Ann Smith McNeil’s children gets married:

The day Hannah got married, on April 12, 1897, Mary Ann Smith McNeil started her diary. She was in her 44th year of life. All of her children were born. The ages of her children in this year were:
Sarah: 27; Daniel:24; Ephriam: 23; Lillias: 21; Hannah:19; Ben:17; Althera:14; Jess:10; Annie:7; Fred:4; Don Carlos:1

6 April 2002-From Peter McDonald- Jump here to read from the Diary of Mary Ann Smith McNeil from 1898-December 1901, including a trip to Salt Lake City from October 1898 to December 1899. At the beginning of the diary, Mary Ann is 45 years old, her husband is 75 years old. Mary Ann seems especially happy as she makes the trip to Utah in the early part of the diary. The trip to Utah covers from 4 October 1898 until 8 December 1898.
Mary Jane Quinn McNeil (shown here) would be in her 58^th year at this point.
Her oldest Thomas in his 43^rd year. William Richard in his 42^nd year. Robert Corlett in his 38^th year. Joseph Henry in his 36^th year. George Quinn in his 35^th year. Charles Hyrum in his 31^st year. Margaret Jane in her 29^th year. Elizabeth Ann in her 26^th year. David in his 23^rd year and Harriet Jeanette in her 21^st year.

John and Mary Jane’s son, Joseph Henry marries 2nd wife Ann Lucretia Tolman on 21 December 1898 in Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah. So, shortly after John and Mary Ann return from Utah to Arizona, Joseph Henry gets married.
Three years before this trip, Mary Ann Smith McNeil’s uncle, James Hibbert had passed away.
Two years before this trip, Mary Ann Smith McNeil’s grandmother, Hannah Brown Hibbert had passed away.
Mary Ann Smith McNeil’s father William Smith is now in his 74th year, a year younger than John McNeil. Her mother is now in her 67th year. Her younger siblings are: Hannah in her 40th year. Alice in her 30th year. Joseph Hyrum in his 27th year and Rose in her 24th year.

A complete timeline of the John MCNEIL family, including a family picture taken at Mary Jane Quinn McNeil's funeral in September, 1910, may be found at http://www.oocities.org/iflk/mcneiltime.html. Other links may be found at http://www.oocities.org/iflk/mcneildiary.html, and here:

• Pioneers Alone, by Wagon, Across the Plains, including journal entries, family members and pictures of John McNeil and Mary Jane Quinn McNeil
• Here is a timeline of William McNeil's family, including John McNeil.
• An account of Mary Jane Quinn McNeil, 2nd wife of John McNeil, is here.
• An account of Mary Ann Smith McNeil, 3rd wife of John McNeil, is here.
• The diary of Mary Ann Smith McNeil, John McNeil's third wife, is here
• Peter McDonald's website is a great link to even more information, including his homepage, a website with links to John and Mary Ann's accounts. In addition, from Peter's homepage you can link to web sites on Mary Ann Smith's parents, William and Mary Hibbert-Smith, and grandparents, James and Hannah Brown-Hibbert, and their ancestors. (Please hit the back arrow to return to this page).
• Click here to return to my home page.

This history was collected by Peter McDonald; you may contact him at pete4000@covad.net for more information. If you are related to any of these people, please contact Peter or the webmaster of this site, (who is the great-granddaughter of Harriet Jeannette McNeil BRADSHAW), at confwriter@writeme.com or dakuhns@hotmail.com