Neale, Thomas M. (of Springfield, IL)

Born: 1796-XX-XX Fauquier County, Virginia

Died: 1840-08-07 Springfield, Illinois

Alternate name: Neal

Thomas M. Neale moved to Kentucky early in life. He served in the War of 1812 and subsequently studied law. He married Harriet Blakemore in 1821, with whom he had ten children. Neale moved to Springfield, Illinois, in 1824 and set up a law practice. In 1827, he volunteered for duty in the Winnebago War, and he was the highest ranking officer from Sangamon County. After the war, Neale served as justice of the peace and as a surveyor for the land donated to secure the county seat at Springfield. He appointed Abraham Lincoln as his deputy in these surveying duties.

John M. Palmer, ed., The Bench and Bar of Illinois: Historical and Reminiscent (Chicago: Lewis, 1899), 1:159; John Carroll Power and S. A. Power, History of the Early Settlers of Sangamon County, Illinois (Springfield, IL: Edwin A. Wilson, 1876), 539-40.