Neill
Family
FROM HISTORICAL ACCOUNT OF JOLIFFE FAMILY
Page 176 Library of congress
Neill Family
"The first Friends Meeting organized on Ireland was
held at Wm. Edmundson's house in Lurgan, in the year 1654.
Another meeting was begun at Cavan in 1655, and to this
meeting a Wm. O'Neill joined himself in 1656. Dropping
the "O" from his name, he ever afterwards wrote
himself as "William Neill". Sewell speaks of
him as William Neill....
In
the year 1730, Lewis Neill and his two brothers, John
and William, took passage from Lurgan, Ireland, and landed
in Pa., and family tradition says settled near Lancaster,
Pa. Finding the lands mostly taken up, and few opportunities
offering for getting on in the world, John and Lewis were
early attracted to the beautiful Shenandoah Valley....They
were the grandsons of above William Neill...About the
year 1733 they left Pa. in company of with a number of
friends and permanently took up their residence in the
Valley of Virginia."
