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McNeal family papers

 Collection
Identifier: MS 3252

Abstract

The McNeal family papers includes correspondence of Joshua Vansant McNeal, Mark J. McNeal, and other members of the McNeal family of Maryland, circa 1873-1917.

Dates

  • 1873 May 13-1917 October 31 and undated

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open for research use.

Conditions Governing Use

The reproduction of materials in this collection may be subject to copyright restrictions. It is the responsibility of the researcher to determine and satisfy copyright clearances or other case restrictions when publishing or otherwise distributing materials found in the collections. For more information visit the MCHC’s Rights and Permissions page.

Biographical / Historical

Joshua Vansant McNeal, 1846-1917

Joshua Vansant McNeal was born on June 11, 1846, to James McNeal and Sarah Jane Golibard. Joshua was educated in Baltimore public schools and attended Loyola College from 1860 to 1862. He was employed in the fire and marine insurance business until 1872 when he accepted a job with the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad as a clerk. He steadily progressed up the ranks of the company, being elected fourth Vice President and Treasurer in 1904. Joshua was a patron of the musical arts and sponsored several young promising musicians. He married May Preston in 1873 and the couple had eight children, four of whom lived into adulthood: Mark J. McNeal, Stella McNeal, J. Preston W. McNeal and Marie McNeal Tettoni. May Preston McNeal died in 1913. Joshua Vansant McNeal died in 1917.

Mark Joseph McNeal, 1874-1935

Mark Joseph McNeal was born in 1874 to Joshua Vansant McNeal and May Preston McNeal. He attended Georgetown University prior to seminary. He was a member of the Maryland – New York Province of the Society of Jesus, traveling to Japan in the 1890s to establish the Catholic University in Tokyo and the novitiate in Manila, Philippines. Mark founded the University bulletin “Sun Rise” and was a regular and lengthy correspondent with his brother J. Preston W. McNeal and his sisters, Stella McNeal and Marie McNeal Tettoni. Mark was in Tokyo during the 1923 earthquake that destroyed much of the University and he assisted in its reconstruction. He died in Manila in 1935 following a lengthy illness.

Extent

0.10 Linear Feet (9 folders)

Language of Materials

English

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Transferred from the University of Maryland, July 2007.

Related Materials

MS 3055, McNeal-Watters-Preston-Munnikhuysen papers, 1776-1981

PP223, McNeal, Watters, Preston, Munnikhuysen Photograph Collection, 1862-1966, undated

Scope and Contents

The collection consists of two series: Correspondence and Miscellaneous. The correspondence closely follows and details the McNeal family personal interests and family relations. The bulk of the letters are exchanged between Joshua Vansant McNeal, his wife May, and their children, Mark, Stella, Preston, and Marie. Also included are letters from Marie's husband Renalto Tittoni and one letter from their son, Tommasso Tittoni. Some of the topics discussed by family members include episodes of poor health, funeral arrangements, journeys abroad, including missionary work for the Catholic Church in Japan, weather, holidays, and a myriad of family matters, including news and gossip. Discussion of matters relating to the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad is also included.

Series II, Miscellaneous, contains two dated letters to McNeal family members, one undated love letter, two receipts, and one page fragment containing the mailing address to Mrs. N. B. Brent.

Title
Guide to the McNeal family papers
Status
Completed
Author
Mallory Harwerth
Date
2022-04
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Repository Details

Part of the H. Furlong Baldwin Library Repository

Contact:
H. Furlong Baldwin Library
Maryland Center for History and Culture
610 Park Avenue
Baltimore MD 21201 United States
4106853750