Jean E.U. Nealis
1842-1910
Jane Elizabeth Ursula Wilkinson (Jean Nealis) was born 25 September 1842 in Fredericton, NB. Jean became organist at the Christ Church Cathedral in Fredericton. She eloped with Hugh Nealis in 1864 and converted to Roman Catholicism. Nealis went to Boston to find work and eventually entered St. Joseph’s convent in Boston. She wrote a book of poetry entitled Drift (1884) and contributed articles and poems to Saint John newspapers and Catholic periodicals. Widowed in 1904, Nealis went to live with her daughter in Brooklyn, NY where she died 12 October 1910.
"Jean Nealis (1842-1910)." Canada's Early Women Writers. Accessed 18 May 2023.
Predominant New Brunswick Residences:
Carleton, Fredericton, Saint John
Archival Material
University of New Brunswick Archives & Special Collections has a folio of paintings of flowers by Mary Rebecca Wilkinson (Jean E.U. Nealis' mother). These have been digitized and can be found in the Mary Rebecca Wilkinson fonds MG H 197.
-
Nealis Family Papers
⌄LocationUniversity of Notre Dame ArchivesWebsite/Catalogue RecordRetrieval NumberZCTDate Range of Material1885-1985 (bulk 1934-1935)Extent
55 items
Scope and Content NotePoetry manuscripts of Jean E.U. Nealis, 1885-1899; holy cards from paintings by Mother Margaret Nealis, RSCJ, superior of Sacred Heart Convent, Montreal; the nostalgic correspondence of N.J. Nealis with John F. O'Hara, CSC, President of the University of Notre Dame, 1934-1935; and a few other letters and clippings by or about members of the Nealis family.
Jean E.U. Nealis
"Jean Nealis (1842-1910)." Image from Lillian M.B. Maxwell. The River St. John and Its Poets (1947), p. 44, via Canada's Early Women Writers. Accessed 18 May 2023.