[Henry Durham.FTW]
From Historical account of Joliffe Family page 176- Library of
Congress
'The first Friends' Meeting organized in 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
the above William Neill. About the year 1733 they left Pa in
company with a number of Friends and permanently took up their
residence in the valley of Virginia.