Where did they go?
Where did they all go? To 43 states
at least...
Hugh O'Neall's descendants have spread out all across the United States.
They are or have been found in Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas,
California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida,
Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana,
Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New
Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania,
South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington,
West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming. That makes 43 states plus the
D. of C! I currently have contacts/cousins in at least 13 of these
states. (Thanks again to all of them.)
It's interesting to look at a breakdown of the migrations by each of his
childrens' branches. I have more information on the lines of William
and Hugh and so more detailed information on their destinations.
William O'Neall, the Quaker, moved from Virginia to South Carolina, where
he died and was buried. His son Abijah moved from there to Ohio, in
order to remove himself from contact with the institution of slavery, as
did many other South-Carolina Quakers at the time. Abijah's own son,
Abijah, moved to Indiana (This branch is now represented by Cousins Judy,
Penny and GB.). From Ohio and Indiana, successive generations spread out to
Iowa (Cousin Jim), Arizona (Cousin Jon Patrick), Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma
(Cousin Julie), Texas (Cousin Rebekah) and Washington (Cousins Don and Carol),
some even winding up in far-away places like Hawaii (Cousin Jill) and France
(me). And this list of places is not complete. The following map
indicates schematically the migrations of many of William's descendants.
The immigrant Hugh's other Quaker son, Hugh O'Neall, also settled in South
Carolina, where he died and where many of his descendants remained (Cousin
Tom), even at the time of the major Quaker migration to the Northwest Territory
at the end of the 18th and beginning of the 19th centuries. His daughter,
Patience, however, moved with her husband, Marmaduke Mills, to Ohio. Some
of the Mills went on to Indiana. Hugh O'Neall's son, John, moved to
Texas, where his daughter, Sarah O'Neall, married a James Madison O'Neill
(no relaton) and established a large O'Neill/O'Neall clan there. Sarah
O'Neill's son, George Washington O'Neill, settled in California and founded
a branch there. I have several contacts among Texas O'Neills (Cousins
Miriam and Penny).
Tory son John O'Neall settled and died in South Carolina. If
one version of his history is correct (Cousin James), his grandchildren,
named Harris, moved to Arkansas and founded a large branch of that family
there.
Tory son Henry O'Neall settled in South Carolina also, but moved
to Florida after the Revolution. He has many descendants there, most
of whom spell the name O'Neill (Cousin Marsha).
Thomas O'Neall settled and died in South Carolina. His grandson,
Thomas Miles O'Neall III, apparently moved to Georgia, as his children were
born there. A large number of Georgia O'Nealls are descended from him
(Cousin Shirley).
Revolutionary son James Neal, who had dropped the O in the spelling of
his name, settled after the War in that part of Virginia which has been
in West Virgina since the Civil War. Here, he built a blockhouse at
Neal's Station on the site of the present city of Parkersburg. As far
as I know, most of his descendants have stayed in or around West Virginia
(Cousins Dick and Ed).
Hugh's youngest son, George Neal, settled in Jessamine County, Kentucky,
at the end of the war. Although many of his descendants stayed in Kentucky,
a large branch was established also in Florida (Cousin John). Others
went to Michigan (Cousin Anne), Texas and other mid-southern states (Cousin
Mary).
Mary O'Neall and Frederick Jones stayed in South Carolina. Almost
nothing is known of their descendants.
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