My Genealogy Hound

LAMBERT C. NEIL, horse trainer, of Marshall County, was born March 28, 1839, in this county. He was reared by his grandmother and received a limited education. At the age of fifteen he went to Texas and engaged as an overseer of a cotton plantation. In 1859 he went to California, and, after residing there three years, returned with a single companion on pack-horses. In 1862 he went out as an independent soldier in Capt. Carter’s company, and later acted under Forrest. While transmitting an order from one fort to another he was captured and taken to Nashville, then to Louisville, and while being transported in a box car to Camp Chase, he cut out two planks and made his escape. In 1867 he married Letitia Talley, and to this union was born one child, Edgar. Mr. Neil is a Democrat and his wife is a member of the Christian Church. He has a good farm of 121 acres, and his principal business since the war has been training horses for the turf. He owns some well bred racers and trains for others on a fine half-mile track on his farm. He has trained of his own a pacing stallion, “Bay Tom” that makes his mile in 2:23; sold him for $1,500. Mr. Neil has also a trotting gelding “Blue Jay” that makes the distance in 2:29 1/4; sold for $1,450. “Sumicks,” trial in 2:32, a bay gelding, “Fred Neil” makes the mile in 2:29 ¼. Our subject has also trained for others a bay stallion, “Nettie Keyman,” that makes the mile in 2:26 ½, trial 2:21; sold for $1,500. Mr. Neil has a wide reputation as a horse trainer.