Neal, Daniel (1678-12-14 - 1743-04-04)

Congregationalist minister and historian. Born in London 14 December 1678. His parents died when he was very young and he was raised by his maternal uncle. Trained for ministry at Thomas Rowe’s dissenting academy at Newington Green, Middlesex between 1696 and 1699. He then studied at Utrecht for two years under the tutelage of Reformed theologian Gerhardus de Vries and the philologist and historian Joannes Georgius Graevius. He studied another year at Leiden, before returning to England where he succeeded John Singleton as pastor of an Independent chapel at Aldersgate Street in 1703, a position he maintained for the rest of his career as the congregation grew and relocated to Jewin Street. In addition to his preaching, he is notable for his whis work as a historian, first in his History of New England (2 Vols., 1720), and then in his History of the Puritans (1723).