Born in middle Tennessee, John Cadwallader Neale enlisted in the Confederate army during the Civil War and served with the 9th Tennessee Cavalry. In 1877, three years after he migrated to Fannin County, he purchased a nearby farm. He later opened a family grocery in Leonard and became a leading businessman of the community. He was also a Mason and a church deacon. Twice married, Neale was the father of fourteen children.