CAMPBELLFORD HERALD            Thursday, Feb. 25, 1897

FATAL ACCIDENT-     WILLIAM NEALON, OF CAMPBELLFORD, INSTANTLY KILLED AT A MINE

The sad intelligence came over the wires from Marmora on Thursday night, that Mr. William Nealon, of this village, had been killed by a blast at a mine in Marmora township.

Only two days before, the unfortunate man went to Marmora and from there proceeded to an iron mine now being opened up about six miles from that village, and two miles from the Deloro mine. He started to work in the forenoon of Thursday, and in the afternoon death claimed him as its victim.

The men employed at the mine had put in a shot, and after igniting the fuse, ran over a little mound for safety.

Nealon took another course alone, some distance from them, along a roadway, and sought refuge beside two trees, about 78 yards distant from the mine, where he had been once before. When the explosion took place, the men called out "All right," but no reply coming from Nealon.    One of them ran over to where he was, and found him lying on the ground unconscious with his head towards the roadway.

He called to the others and some water was procured to bathe his face, but he breathed only five minutes afterwards. Stones thrown by the blast had struck him in three places and killed him. Over the right temple was a mark made by one stone. A severe cut behind his ear was made by another, and a bruise on the shoulder also proved that he had been struck there.

His body was taken care of, and brought to Campbellford on Friday afternoon, and interred in the Roman Catholic cemetery on Saturday. Mr. Nealon was a widower, 46 years of age. He was twice married, and two daughters by his first marriage survive him, one of whom resides in Campbellford and the other in Peterborough.

The deceased was well respected and his sudden death has cast a gloom over this community. His brother, Mr. John Nealon, and his sister, Mrs. John Cleary, both of Toronto, attended the funeral.

About Mr. Nealon:

William Nealon,  described in the attached article,  was the son of early Seymour Township pioneers,  William Senior (1815-1884) and Margaret McVey . 

He was the eldest of 8 children.

It would appear from the description of the mine that Mr. Nealon died in Malone,  at one of two iron mines,  as described in the Bureau of Mines Report:

 - Lot 16, 17 Conc. 11., Marmora Township (Malone) where,  in 1899  200 tons shipped from the Crescent Iron Mine and,        in 1900,  511 tons shipped from the Malone Mine on Lot 16, Conc. 11;

-  378 tons shipped from the Malone No. 17 Mine on Lot 17, Cone. 11. References: ODM maps 1957b; GSC map 560A. ODM, 1899, Volume IX, p. 199, 202. ODM, 1892, Volume 11, p.39.

Mr. Nealon had been married to Rose Fitzpatrick,  by whom he had two daughters,  Mary Nealon (1879-1968)  and Rose Mary Nealon (1883-1953) 

Upon the death of Rose in 1890,  William married a widow with a small son.  Her name was Catherine O'Grady -O'Connor.  (1870-1899)  He was to raise Catherine's son,  but due to his untimely tragic death,  and Catherine's not long after,  the child had to be given to his O'Grady grandparents to be raised.