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."