Oliver Lee Neer

Oliver Lee Neer, son of Eden (Edon, Eaton) Neer and Phebe Neer, was born on 15 Jan 1858 in Williams County, OH, Milburn and died in 1935 in Los Angeles, CA at age 77.

General Notes

Oliver Neer: Attested so in the 1870 federal census entry (mis-indexed under 'Nees').

Oliver L Neer: Attested so in various census entries.

Oliver L. Near: Attested so in the 1880 census.

Early Attestations

1860: Oliver Lee Neer first appears in the 1860 census of Williams County, Ohio, at the age of one, listed under Eden and Phoebe, who was born in Pennsylvania.

1878: We have a copy of the certificate of his marriage to Ida Jane Johnson in our possession, dating to 1878 in Ohio. If my analysis of Paul Neer is correct, they must have gone on to Wyoming quite shortly thereafter.

1879: Oliver’s first son Paul is born in Wyoming on October 15, 1879.

1880: I did not find Oliver Neer and his family in the 1880, 1890 or 1900 census records, which led to searches for alternate spellings. He appears as "Oliver L. Near" in the 1880 census, where he appears as a "school teacher" with Ida and Paul in Laramie, Wyoming. He does not appear under this spelling in later years, which means I do not find him in a census again until 1910.

1882: Oliver’s second son Claude Neer’s World War I draft registration card gives his date of birth as 5 October in this year, in Denver, Colorado. But Claude’s 1920 census entry gives his birth place as Wyoming. The latter is sequentially more likely.

1885: Oliver’s third son is born in this year, we believe in Garrison, Montana. If Garrison, Montana, is in fact the birth place of Lee Neer, they then left Wyoming and went to Montana before 1885, with an unlikely attested stop in Denver in between (for the birth of Claude).

The First California Period

1888: An "Oliver N. Neer" appears in the Los Angeles city directory living on Bernard and listed as a conductor.

1891: Oliver L. Neer appears in the Los Angeles city directory living at 508 Bernard listed as a conductor for the S. P. Co.

1893: Oliver L. Neer appears in Corran's Los Angeles city directory living at 152 North Water listed as a conductor for the S. P. Co. An "E. E. Neer" lives with him, a brakeman for the S. P. Co. Could this have been his brother Emery?

1895: Oliver L. Neer appears in Maxwell's Los Angeles City Directory and Gazetteer of Southern California living at 993 Buena Vista.

1896: Oliver L. Neer appears in Maxwell's Los Angeles City Directory and Gazetteer of Southern California as a miner living at 993 Buena Vista with Claud ("cash boy") and Paul ("clk"). Prior to this period, at some point in the 1890s, Lee had been in Angola, Ohio, attending the Angola Normal School, which was a mining school. Had Claud and Paul been with him? Only when they come to Los Angeles is Oliver listed as a miner.

Arizona and Mexico I

Pilares

1898: The "Arizona Day by Day" section of the Arizona Republican prints on July 29, 1898, that "O. L. Neer and wife of Pillaries Sonora, accompanied by [his son] Claud Neer are spending a few days in Bisbee." Since his son Paul Neer is recorded in Mexico in the preceding year, Oliver and his family must have moved from California in 1896 or 1897. I take "Pillaries Sonora" to mean Pilares de Nacozari, which appears to be only a few miles south of Nogales into Mexico.

Greene Consolidated Company At an unknown time prior to his work with Transvaal, Neer worked for the Greene Consolidated Company (GCC) at Cananea; see Herner's 1988 article in the Journal of Arizona History. The GCC was founded in September, 1899.

1900: I am unable to find Oliver in the 1900 census under any search variation, but I do find Paul Neer in Bisbee, Cochise County, AZ, alone, listed as a copper miner. Is Oliver in Cananea for the GCC?

Transvaal

1901: Transvaal is incorporated in West Virginia.

1902: An article in the “Personal Mention” section of the Bisbee Daily Review, Friday morning edition, Sept. 12, 1902, notes:

“O. L. Neer, of the Transvaal mine in Sonora, was a guest at the Copper Queen hotel yesterday, and left for his property via Naco, where he will be detained on business for the next ten days.”

Naco straddles the Arizona / Mexico border; the Naco in Sonora was officially founded in 1900 with the construction of the rail line to Cananea.

1903: The Bisbee Daily Review (July 14, 1903) reports that "Mrs. O. L. Neer, Mrs. Carter and Leo Neer left this morning for Cumpas, on their way to the Transvaal mine. Lee Neer has been at school in Ohio for a year, and is returning to his parents, who now make their home at the mine. The Transvaal, under the management of O. L. Neer, is rapidly becoming one of the big producers of Sonora."

The Bisbee Daily Review (Wednesday Morning Edition, July 29, 1903) reports that "O. L. Neer, manager of the Transvaal Mining company's property in Sonora, returned to his camp in Mexico yesterday. Before leaving for the other side of the line Mr. Neer stated that his company had lately acquired about forty square miles of land in addition to what they have owned for some time, and that now the holdings of the company will aggregate fully fifty square miles. Most of this is ranch land, but there is a generous sprinkling of mineral in paying bodies on certain parts of the property, to make it a profitable mining venture."

On the same page, the Review reports that "O. L. Neer, manager for the Transvaal Copper Mining company in Sonora, took his departure for the sunny lands that border on the Rio Yaqui yesterday."

1904: The Mines Register lists O. L. Neer as the superintendent of Transvaal Copper Company.

1905: Neer resigns from Transvaal; see Herner's 1988 article in the Journal of Arizona History.

The York Group

1905: “Definite information in regard to the sale of the York group of mines in the Pillares de Terras district was received here last week. The properties in this group consist of the Adios, Esmeralda, York, Central, Alabastrina, Patricia and Melbourne, all of which have had development work done on them for the past several years by Mr. York and associates, considerable of the ore taken out being rich enough to ship at a profit. The recent discovery of rich silverite ore running up in the thousands of dollars in gold and silver on this and other properties on this belt has made a big stir in this vicinity, and many prospects and partly developed properties have changed hands here in the past few weeks at high figures. The property was bonded for $200,000 gold, 10 per cent. payment down, by O. L. Neer, who until recently was superintendent for the Transvaal Copper company, Cincinnati capitalists, who are interested in the above company, and who are behind Mr. Neer in this last purchase, he having been in charge of their properties in Sonora for the past three years... [Further description of the properties is left out.] Messrs. York and Neer are both at present in Douglas on matters of business, arranging plans for future work, and both will return in a few days to the property.” From The Mining World Volume 22 (1905): 704.

Prior to 1906: Oliver's son Lee Neer attends the Denver Normal High School. Lee and Paul entered the Colorado School of Mines in 1906.

Unknown Mines

1906: The Denver, Colorado city directory lists Claude, Lee and and Oliver's wife Ida Jane as living at 3037 California. Oliver does not appear with them.

The Oasis (Arizola, Arizona) reports on June 23, 1906, under the "Nogales Notes" section, that "Mr. O. L. Neer, who is operating a good mining property out in the Yaqui river region, near Suaqui de Batuc, has returned from a visit in Los Angeles."

1908: The passenger manifest of the Cartago arriving in New Orleans, Louisiana from Colon, Panama reports an "Oliver L. Neer" in "mining" and his wife Carolyn Neer as "Left at quarantine". This Oliver's age is given as 50 years and 3 months in September 1908. I am unable to identify Carolyn Neer.

1909: Around the time of the birth of their grand-daughter Leona Jane Neer, Oliver and Ida Neer were living in Douglas, Arizona. Oliver visited the mines in Mexico every now and then.

1910: Oliver Lee Neer appears in the 1910 federal census in Douglas Arizona, where he is listed as a promoter and engineer, and his mother’s birth-place is given as Pennsylvania.

1910: “O. L. Neer of Kansas City has been inspecting mines in Sonora, Mexico.” From Mining Science “Current Digest of Mining Miscellany,” March 3, 1910, page 206.

1910: The Bisbee Daily Review (December 25, 1910) reports that "Mr. and Mrs. O. L. Neer of Ninth street are entertaining a happy house party during the holidays. Mr. O. L. Neer returned to his home last evening from his business interests in Sonora, his son, Mr. Claude Neer will arrive tomorrow from the same place, Mrs. Paul Neer and little daughter are here from the East and when joined [sic] yesterday by her husband, Mr. Paul Neer, son of the host and hostess, who has recently returned from Honduras, where he is engaged in mining; Mr. Lee Neer, who is another son of the Mr. and Mrs. O. L. Neer, accompanied by his wife and daughter are also among the guests."

The Leadville Mines

1912: Dateline Courtland, Arizona. “The Leadville Mining Co. has turned the Leadville mines over to the new purchasers, Apollos Fuller, O. L. Neer and S. W. Greenridge. The consideration was $600,000, with a cash payment of $35,000. The new owners contemplate sinking the No. 1 shaft from the present level at 300 ft. to a depth of 400 ft. and run a connection to the No. 2 shaft... [Further technical reports follow.] From The Mining and Engineering World 1912. This sale seems to have led to litigation involving Fuller and Greenridge, but not Neer: see The Pacific Reporter 149 page 384 on a decision by the Supreme Court of Arizona involving this sale.

1914: Three pictures of a porch outside of a brick house are in our possession. Those pictures show Oliver Lee Neer, Lee Neer, Charlotte George, Leona Jane Neer and Izetta George. One caption says that it is in Tucson in 1914.

United Mexican Mines

1916: In the Mines Handbook edition of this year, the United Mexican Mines company in Sonora, Mexico is listed as "Idle at last reports" under the management of O. L. Neer. It describes the company as "Mines near La Verde via Campus, Sonora, Mexico," with property "40 miles S. of Nacozari, includes the Veta Grande and Cerro Gordo groups, near the Transvaal mine." A list of the mine's properties follows. The 1918, 1920 and 22 entry repeats this information. The Mexican Mining Journal (January 1909, page 14) lists a "United Mexican Mines" as one of the larger companies of 1895, with over 150,000 British pounds invested.

Interim in Chicago

1917/1918: His son Lee's draft registration card records Ida Jane Johnson as living in the Tyson Apartments on Grand Boulevard in Chicago.

1919: His son Paul Neer's passport application specifies that in December of 1919, Oliver is living in Chicago.

Oliver Lee Neer appears again in the 1920 federal census listed as a mining company promoter in Chicago’s Third Ward. Ida appears with him. Census: Listed as a promoter: roll T625.312, page 73, ED #142, 1920, Chicago, Cook County, IL. In this period, Claude is living with his family in Denver. That same year, on 8 October, Oliver Neer provides an affidavit attesting to his son Lee's residence in Globe, Arizona and his U.S. citizenship. This affidavit is included in Lee's wife's passport application. It states that Oliver is "temporarily residing at the Tyson Apartment, 43rd Street and Grand Boulevard, Chicago, Illinois."

Arizona and Mexico II

1922: In this year or shortly thereafter, Neer is the President and General Manager of the San Nicolas Mining Company, which leases the San Nicolas mine from Transvaal; see Herner's 1988 article in the Journal of Arizona History.

1923: An "Oliver L. Neer" whose occupation is given as "miner" appears in the Glendale, California city directory living at 333 Riverdale Drive with an "Ella M." This is presumably Ella Mabel: see below.

Leona Jane Neer lived with Oliver and Ida while attending high school in this period. Since she was born in 1909, she would have been in high school - and the couple thus in Douglas - circa 1923 to 1927.

1924: Oliver's son Paul is killed in Mexico.

1925: The December 20, 1925 article I’ve described under "Agnes Neer" gives Oliver’s address as 1104 Ninth Street in Douglas.

1926: Oliver and Ida appear at that same address in the Douglas city directory of this year.

Ahwahnee and Enterprise

Charlotte thinks that in this period, the Neer family under Oliver was well off economically, perhaps due to income from mining in Mexico. She had the impression that after the attack in Mexico, those activities ceased, but this is only partially true, as Lee's work in Mexico continued, with Oliver's visits, until 1927. Oliver then moved the family to Ahwahnee, near Yosemite, in California, for work on a new mine he had heard about. This was the Enterprise mine. Peggy says they were looking for gold, and recalls, "Daddy always said, ’We went broke and been broke ever since.’"

1927: Peggy says they moved to Ahwahnee when Leona Jane had graduated in 1927, when Peggy herself was only two.

Charlotte thinks this may have been the start of an economic downturn. Lee Neer stayed at Yosemite, but Oliver ultimately moved to Los Angeles after living in Ahwahnee for a brief period of time. Ida became ill, and he hired a nurse for her. Ida died in 1928 and was buried in Douglas.

Oliver eventually married the nurse. This must be the woman named Mabel (Belle) whose maiden name may have been Trugan (see below). This marriage did not however take place right away. In 1928, a Mrs. Belle I Neer ("hswf"), Oliver L Neer ("mng") and a Miss Claudia A Neer ("slsldy") all appear as registered Republicans living together at 1214 South Lake Street in the Los Angeles County voter roles for 1928. Thus after the death of his wife, Oliver lives with his granddaughter Claudia and daughter-in-law, Claude's wife Belle.

1930: By 1930 Oliver has remarried. Oliver L. Neer appears in District 975 of the Glendale, Los Angeles, California census. His age is given as 72, his wife Mabel E., who is 49 years old at the time. Her parents were living with them; they were a year or two older than him. Therein his birth place and that of both his parents is given as Ohio. His occupation is that of "Mining Promoter" and he "Owns Mines".

1932: Mabel and Oliver appear again in the voter roles, living at 1836 Chickasaw Avenue.

1934: They appear again in the voter roles, at 1834 Chickasaw Avenue. This time, Mabel is described as "Ella Mabel."

Peggy remembers going to visit him in Los Angeles, even describing it (perhaps erroneously) as going to see her grandparents. "When we went to see them, it was in a huge house, with a spiral staircase... with a fish pond in the back." Is it possible that this was Mabel’s parents’ house?

His death certificate lists his profession as miner, stating he held that occupation for fifty years. But what period would that refer to? 1885 on? This death certificate also lists his mother’s name as Saba Trugan, born in Ohio. I believe this to be adequately contradicted by the combined evidence of the 1860 and 1910 census entries. Charlotte Quinlan’s notes from conversations with Peggy indicate Oliver’s cause of death as "black lung" disease. His death certificate states the cause of death as chronic myocarditis, 1935. Peggy believes he died a pauper.

Leona Jane Neer, who lived with him during her youth, used to tell Charlotte that he would alternatively go by "von Neer" or "van Neer" depending on the context, that he used to wear full-length silk shirts, and was a skilled marksman, shooting bottles he had thrown in the air. Charlotte recalls Lee Neer saying that Oliver always looked well dressed, even when he was working hard.

Peggy reports that she was unable to find his burial place, but she assumes it was in Los Angeles. She went to Cypress Lawns but did not find it there. Her records say that it was a crematory. Failure to find a burial place was one reason why Peggy thinks Oliver died a pauper. Peggy believes that he shipped Ida back to Arizona to be buried because he had already purchased plots there, but by the time he died, there was no money to return him there to be buried with her. When Oliver died, all his son received in inheritance was a large Bible belonging to Oliver and Ida, which Peggy ultimately inherited.

His Family

Oliver married Ida Jane Johnson on 16 Mar 1878.

Children from this marriage were:

Lee Neer (*).

Claude (Claud) Neer was born on 5 Oct 1882 in Wyoming and died on 7 Aug 1925 at age 42.

Paul Neer was born circa 1879 in Wyoming and died on 16 Nov 1924 in Guanacevi, Mexico at age 45.

Oliver next married Mabel. Peggy remembers visiting Mabel with Leona Jane, when Mabel was dying. Before that, she remembers visiting Oliver in a big home in Los Angeles with a big balcony and a pond with fish.

Notes on Photographs

Peggy disputes the identification as Oliver of the man with the mustache and the man on the dock (neither pictured here), but agrees with the identification as Oliver of the man with the two women on the porch (at right). She says that the porch in question was Lee's house, which she says no longer exists.

We had based our identification of the man on the dock as Oliver Neer on the basis of the scrap book Charlotte Ann Quinlan prepared for her mother. She included what seems intended to have been pictures of all of Jane's grandparents, this man being in the place implied for Oliver Neer.

To this discussion should be added a picture of Lee's (see right), which shows the same man in our primary picture, standing next to a horse. The inscription on the back refers to him as "Papa" and compares his look to that of a Mexican soldier. It does not appear to me to have been Lee Neer's writing, nor his wording: he calls him "Dad" in his diaries.

Under our original identifications, we had only one man in these various pictures. Under Peggy's identifications, we had two. Now I think there might be three:

1. A man in a hat with the mustache, appearing in a photo alone (labeled "Janey Grandfather" by Charlotte George), and appearing in another photo on the porch with Jane. This latter photo is labeled "Tuscon 1914" and is the same house on which appear together Izetta George and Jane in one picture and Charlotte, Lee and Jane in another.

2. The thin man with glasses and no mustache, wearing hat and tie, standing with a middle-aged woman (whom Charlotte Quinlan labeled "Belle") and an older woman, perhaps Ida Jane Johnson. They stand on a different house from that in the previous picture. The address is 1119, which makes this one of the houses in Douglas. It is similar to but not the same as the house labeled "Tuscon 1914", which may therefore be a mislabel. This is the man Peggy identified as Oliver in 2006.

3. A heavy-set man with glasses and no mustache by the dock, labeled (erroneously?) "Oliver Neer" by Charlotte Quinlan. He does not appear identical to either of the two preceding men.