Biography of Robert Summers Neely, DDS - Summers Co. WV The History of West Virginia, Old and New Published 1923, The American Historical Society, Inc., Chicago and New York, Volume III, pg. 574 ROBERT SUMMERS NEELY, D. D. S., is engaged in the successful practice of his profession at Hinton, judicial center of Summers County, and he is one of the progressive and influential young men of his native county, where the year 1922 finds him in active service as chairman of the republican county committee. Doctor Neely was born at Pipestem, this county, May 22, 1890, and is a son of Levi Matteson Neely and Alice Virginia (Martin) Neely, both likewise natives of Sum- mers County, where the respective families were founded many years ago. William R. Neely, paternal grandfather of the doctor, was born in Indiana and became one of the successful pioneer farmers of Summers County, West Virginia. Richard Martin, maternal grandfather of Doctor Neely, was a loyal soldier of the Union in the Civil war, and is now one of the venerable and honored citizens of Hinton. Levi M. Neely was reared and educated in Sum- mers County, and has long been numbered among the successful exponents of farm industry in Pipestem Dis- trict. He is a stalwart republican, and his religious faith is that of the Baptist Church. His first wife, Alice V., died in 1901, at the age of thirty-five years, and later he was united in marriage with Mrs. Willie Neely, a widow. Of his eight children six are living: William Clyde and Richard Claude are twins, and they are associated in the clothing business at Hinton, individual mention of them being made on other pages of this volume; Dr. Robert S., of this review, was the next in order of birth; Zina Carl is a business man in Hinton; Mabel is the wife of William C. Eubanks, of Huntington; Dewey G. is a clerk in the clothing store of his brothers; Luther F., who died in 1906, at the age of twenty-three years, was at the time engaged in the contracting business at Kansas City, Mis- souri; and Herbert L., who died at the age of thirty-five years, was superintendent for a prominent firm of con- tractors in the City of Washington, D. C. After having attended the public schools of Hinton Dr. Robert S. Neely was for some time a student in the Concord State Normal School, and in preparation for his chosen profession he entered the dental department of the University of Cincinnati, Ohio. He later transferred to the Ohio College of Dental Surgery, and in this institu- tion he was graduated as a member of the class of 1914. Upon thus receiving his degree of Doctor of Dental Sur- gery he forthwith opened an office at Hinton, where he has since continued his successful professional work as one of the representative dentists of his native county. He has insistently kept in touch with the great advances made in both operative and laboratory dentistry, and in this connection it should be noted that he has taken effec- tive post-graduate courses in leading dental colleges and clinic in Philadelphia, Chicago, Cincinnati and Boston. In his large and important practice he has had as his pro- fessional coadjutor since 1919 Dr. D. B. Keaton, under the firm name of Neely & Keaton. While still a boy Doctor Neely became associated with his brothers Claude and Clyde in the retail grocery business, and when he finally sold his interest in this business he utilized the money thus received to defer the expenses of his course in dental college. He is a member of the Greenbrier Valley Dental Society, the West Virginia State Dental Society and the National Dental Society. From his early youth he has been an ardent worker in the ranks of the republican party, and after service as a member of the city republican com- mittee of Hinton he became a member of the county commit- tee, of which latter he is now chairman, an office in which he has shown much finesse in maneuvering political forces at his command. The doctor is one of the vigorous mem- bers of the Hinton Chamber of Commerce, is a charter member of the local Rotary Club, is a member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, and in the Ma- sonic fraternity he is affiliated with both York and Scottish Rite bodies, including the Commandery of Knights Templars at Hinton, the Consistory, A. A. S. R., at Wheeling, and also the Temple of the Mystic Shrine in that city. He holds membership in the Presbyterian Church, and his wife is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. The year 1915 recorded the marriage of Doctor Neely and Miss Nell McDowell, daughter of J. W. McDowell, who resides in Monroe County and who is serving as deputy collector of internal revenue. Dr. and Mrs. Neely have two sons, Robert S., Jr., and William Edward. Submitted by Valerie F. Crook **************************************************************** USGENWEB NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by any other organization or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. Files may be printed or copied for personal use only. ****************************************************************