Caroline Charlotte Neef (1815-1894), wife of David Dale Owen.""David Dale Owen was the next younger child of Robert Owen after Jane. He was born in Lanarkshire, Scotland, in 1807, and received his early education in Scotland and later was a student with Richard at Fellenberg's School at Hofwyl, in Switzerland, where his two older brothers had been trained. He came to the United States soon after the beginning of the New Harmony experiment in January, 1828, being then about twenty years old. He probably never took any prominent part in the organization or activities of the community other than as one of its members. After the breaking up he went to Europe to pursue his studies in geology and natural science later returning to the United States in 1833. He then attended the Ohio Medical college where he took a medical degree in 1835. In 1837, he was commissioned by the state legislature to make a preliminary geological survey of Indiana, and in June, 1839, was appointed geologist of the United States. His first big undertaking for the government was a minute examination of the lands of Iowa and Missouri for general and mineral resources. In this work he trained his own assistants. This was the very first geological investigation of that type conducted under authority of the national government. This report was published in 1844. The headquarters of the United States geological survey were then at New Harmony and remained there until 1856 when they were removed to the Smithsonian Institution at Washington, just finished at that time. In 1849 David Owen started a survey of Minnesota territory which lasted three years. The report contained among other things numerous plates, all drawn by Owen, some of them king of the gigantic mammal remains of Nebraska. From 1854 to 1857 David Dale Owen was state geologist of Arkansas and in his work there was assisted by his pupil, Prof. E. E. Cox. In Arkansas, his health was affected by the exposure to the wet country, then full of fevers, and his death, four years later, was hastened by this work. In 1859 he was appointed state geologist of Indiana. He died in 1860, shortly after taking up his last work. His collection, which was a remarkably complete one, was purchased by the state of Indiana some years ago and is now in the State University of Bloomington. David was succeeded in Indiana by his brother Richard. The development of geological research in this country is thus seen to have been closely associated with New Harmony and the Owen family. David was a mild-tempered, quiet acting man who lived such within himself. He was not as aggressive as his brothers. He was always studious and was imbued with a strong scientific, searching mind. He was of slight build and ascetic appearance. His death at the age of fifty-three, was caused by stomach trouble. His published works are found in the official reports of the Government and in different state departments of geology. David's wife was Caroline Neef, daughter of Joseph Neef, the Alsatian teacher brought to New Harmony by William Maclure for his school. Born in Neef's family, she had a good education and a fine cultural and intellectual environment. She was a good housekeeper and a fine mother to her children. She was born in 1815 in France and died comparatively young in 1854 at New Harmony. Francis Joseph Nicholas Neef was educated for a priest and spoke six languages. He revolted from the priesthood, as he grew older, and was a soldier for a time, fighting under Napoleon for ten years. He was shot in the face near the nose, the bullet remaining in the head. He turned his attention to education after this injury which prevented his further army service. He joined himself to Pestalozzi in Switzerland and when Pestalozzi opened his branch school in Paris he sent Neef to be its head. Here Maclure became acquainted with Neef. During this time Neef had married a Louise --, the daughter of a stern, hard-hearted man, and had one child Victor, born in Paris. Maclure brought Neef and his family to America starting a school near Philadelphia, where the Pestalozzian system of education was used. Here Admiral Farragut was one of the pupils. Here Neef had several children born, Louisa, Wilhelmina, Zulina, who died young, Caroline and Anne Eliza. They lived on the banks of the Schuylkill, where the school was situated then later moved to Kentucky where Neef had a farm. He next went to Port Fulton, near Louisville. At this time Louise, the wife, bought a piano, the first piano in Louisville and a great curiosity. She had taught her husband to sing. From Port Fulton, the family at Owen's and Maclure's request, moved to New Harmony. The whole family then moved to Cincinnati, where the father taught French. Victor left home, worked in a lumber camp, caught the fever, came home and died. They later returned to New Harmony where the family remained. In later years Joseph became nearly blind. His portrait was then painted by D. D. Owen; it now hangs in Mrs. Snedeker's library at Hempstead." (https://scholarworks.iu.edu/journals/index.php/imh/article/view/6280/6276).