Kammala jumla mai zuwa: An haifi Neal kusa da Clayton, Texas, kuma ita ce 'yar William Lafayette da Martha (Gholston) Neal, waɗanda suka zo Texas daga Georgia don neman kyakkyawan dama. Na biyu a cikin 'ya'ya huɗu, ta zauna a kusa da Carthage don yawancin rayuwarta. A Carthage ne ta fara haduwa da siyasar jihar, lokacin da Gwamnan Texas John Ireland ya zo yayi magana a 1885 ko 1886; daga baya za ta yi magana game da tasirin da ziyarar ta yi mata. Ta halarci Kwalejin Koyarwa ta Jihar Sam Houston, amma ba ta kammala ba. Ta shafe ɗan gajeren lokaci tana koyarwa a cikin garin Panola County da Fort Worth kafin ta koma Carthage a 1903; duk da haka, ta ci gaba da sha'awar ilimi har zuwa ƙarshen rayuwarta. Komawarta ta kasance saboda rashin lafiyar mahaifiyarta. Mahaifinta ya sayi jaridar mako-mako ta gida, "Texas Mule", kuma ta zama edita da mai wallafa ta. Ta sake masa suna "Rajistar Gabashin Texas" kuma ta jagoranci shi har sai da aka sayar da shi a 1911. Ta kasance daya daga cikin matan farko a Texas don buga jarida, kuma an san ta da ci gaba. Neal ya kasance mai aiki sosai a cikin al'amuran jama'a na gida daga farkon aikinta. A cikin 1921 ta zama mace ta farko a kwamitin masu kula da Kwalejin Koyarwa na Jiha, ta kasance a wannan matsayin har zuwa 1927. Ta jagoranci kokarin da ake yi a gundumar ta don samun 'yancin mata, kuma ita ce mace ta farko a gundumar da ta yi zabe. Mace ta farko a kwamitin zartarwa na Democratic Democratic, ta kasance wakili ga
Babban Taron Jam'iyyar Democrat na 1920 a San Francisco. Ta kuma kasance memba na hukumar Texas Society for Crippled Children.