Schley County GaArchives Biographies.....McNeal, Charlie ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/ga/gafiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Ernie Jones http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00032.html#0007882 November 19, 2005, 2:06 pm Author: Ernie Jones "REMEMBERINGS" Reading a recent post to the SCHLEY LIST from an old Ellaville newspaper stirred up some long ago memories, as it usually does. The name Charlie McNeal was the name that aroused my interest. As a child of the 50s and 60s in Ellaville, I was keenly aware of the adults around me, their houses, their businesses, and their children and grandchildren. One who is as curious as I was, learns a lot from the lofty perch of a bicycle seat....and from paying attention to his parents and who they have their dealings with. When I was about 14 years old, our family had grown so large (9 children and 3 adults including grandmother), that family meals were cumbersome with so many chairs around the dining table. Daddy had already added 3 or 4 layers of larger and larger masonite fiberboard to the tabletop to accommodate his brood, so we wouldn't have to resort to having meals in split shifts in different rooms. (You can't have a family meal in TWO rooms). To remedy that dilemma he called on Mr. "Chollie Mack Neal" -- (Mr. McNeal could build ANYTHING!)--, to build us a couple of benches to replace all those chairs. I remember driving up and around behind his house (across the street from Mr. George Standridge) to pick them up with daddy in his ol' 50 Chevy panel truck. The benches arrived sturdy, long, planed smooth, and plain....with sturdy BACKS for OUR young backs. And, daddy being the painter that he was, had them covered and pretty in brown paint in no time. My memory may deceive me but I think "Mr. Chollie" was the mechanic/owner at the garage/auto shop that was "underneath" (drive through?) the Belmont (PointsWest Motel). According to the "HISTORY OF SCHLEY COUNTY" book, he was one of the first men in the county to learn to drive an automobile. I think his father as well as he are listed in early Schley Census as a blacksmith. As time went by, all the blacksmiths turned out to be AUTO MECHANICS or such....and as we know....... THEY can build ANYTHING! Additional Comments: Notes from Harris Hill: Doing a little poking around with census, marriage records, etc. reveals this Charlie McNeal was a son of Jack D. & Lucy McNeal and had sisters Dovie, Katie, and Ethel. Dovie's wedding announcement appears in a late 1909 issue of the Schley County News. She married Leon Ellis. Charlie McNeal married Mamie Robson on 16 Aug 1908 and they are found on the 1910 census in Patton-Hill dist. (Concord) living with his parents. In 1920 they are in Ellaville in their own home on College St. or RR St. (it's hard to tell from the census) with daus. Ruth & Louise and son Chas. R. 1930 finds them on Church St. with another son named Junior. George Standridge is four households later on the census. By the way, Jack McNeal, Charlie's father listed his occupation on the 1900 and 1910 census as blacksmith. Charlie listed his occupation in 1910 as repair man-automobiles, 1920 as mechanic-garage, and 1930 as mechanic- automobiles. I'd say Ernie's memory is right-on! File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/ga/schley/bios/mcneal74nbs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.net/gafiles/ File size: 3.6 Kb