East by Sea and West by Rail
The Journal of David Augustus Neal of Salem, Mass. 1798-1861
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Raised in Canada, we spent one week visiting my Father's Great Aunt Hat in her Mansion in Beverly Farms, Mass. on a property Neal bought originally in 1824 as a picnic spot for Salem family members. Having never heard of D.A. Neal until Aunt Hat's passing in 1975, I was lucky enough to find in a favorite Library closet his leather bound hand-written Journal on a small shelf and was fascinated by his story. Mesmerized both by her home decorated in the 1920's to resemble the historic home in Salem that burnt down the same year, it calmed me with the Atlantic Ocean waves at the back door and many family parties that connected us with the heritage I knew little of beyond this property.As I plunged into the story, many of the family papers I found ,unraveled the tale.
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About the Book
Sailing off to the War of 1812, in a large ship wihis Salem buddies, Neal was destined for a life of adventure and intrigue. Captured a and put in Dartmoor Prison th many of for a year, he sacrificed some fingers when he failed to escape once and he paid the price! After he set out on numerous trips around the world in pursuit of riches in the Spice Trade and eventually became the Captain of his own ship. Later when he felt his ship was no longer profitable on the advice of his friend Senator Abraham Lincoln of Illinois he traveled west and visited short mining train routes before he sunk a small fortune in property down the future path of the Illinois Central Railroad that made him successful well before his time.
About the Author
Born in Sharon,Connecticut and grew up in Ontario, Canada ,Cynthia has always had a unique love of both Canadian and New England History having had one parent representing each. Educated in Ontario and Switzerland she took a liking to travel and has since been to 43 countries to try and comprehend their lives and also how Neal might have seen them all from his perspective. Published frequently as an author and photographer she was trained as a Furniture Designer and worked as a Trade Show Designer as well before she settled down as a wife and Mother in Ontario.