M. Stanley Neal (1856-1949) was employed by the Collins Company for 51 years beginning around 1879.  He was mostly with the forging department of which he became the longtime foreman.  Prior to coming to Collinsville he spent a year working for the Gilbert Clock Company in Winsted.  He retired in 1930 and ran an insurance business for 25 years.  Born in Paris, New York in Oneida County, he attended schools in that area.

Neal was active in community life.  He was chairman of the Canton Board of Education, an incorporator of the Collinsville Savings Society, and president of the Collinsville Cemetery Association.  Neal was a Mason and the senior member and senior past master of the Village Lodge, AF and FM as well as past master of the Hartford County Past Masters Association.

A senior deacon of the Collinsville Congregational Church, Neal served for many years as superintendent of the church school.  He died at age 93 at his home on The Green following a brief illness.  A funeral was held at the church, with a Masonic committal service at the cemetery.

Stanley Neal is buried in the Village Cemetery, Collinsville.

“Your Silent Neighbors” introduces readers to people out of Canton’s past. Readers are encouraged to visit these gravesites and pay their respects to the people who have helped make our community what it is today.