Author: Neal, Moses L.
Biography:
NEAL, Moses Leavitt (1766-1829: Hollis)
The son of Mary (Leavitt) and John Neal, he was born in North Hampton NH, graduated from Harvard in 1785, studied law with John Prentice in Londonderry NH, and was called to the bar in 1793. In the same year, he married a daughter of his mentor; her name is given variously as Ruth, Polly, or Patty Prentice. In 1820, after her death, he married Sarah Forbish. His family is described as having been "numerous." Neal practised in Londonderry and Rochester before finally settling in Dover NH in 1806. Besides his legal practice, for some time he ran a school there. In 1809 he was elected Clerk of the state House of Representatives, an office he held (with the exception of only two years) until 1828. From 1816 until his death he was also Register of deeds for Strafford County. He died in Dover. (ancestry.com 12 May 2020; Charles H. Bell, The Bench and Bar of New Hampshire [1894]; death notice, Vermont Patriot and State Gazette 14 Dec. 1829)