The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-05-02
A CORNER IN ANCESTORS
ny FRANCES cowLEs.
.tcoryright, 1915. by the Mcclure News
 paper Syndicate.A

(Coryright, 1915, by the Mcclure News
 paper Syndicatel
 or the antiquity of the ONeills there can be no doubt, even if We do not so- cept the solemn statement of the Irish senealogist which places the origin of the family about a century and a half after the delusc. O'Neill the Great, we gre assured. was the prince who brought St. Patrick captive to Ire- land He was no less than the fifty third recorded descendant from Her mon. the first monarch of Ireland and the founder of the royal line of Ul- ster. Hermon traced his descent to the son of the King of sythia, named Nirl, who. it is supposed. was the first man to bear the great name of Nill or Neal
 It suffices the Virginia branch of this family to go back to Hugh Roy O'Neill, who history tells us, was slain in 12S3. He was "the head of the h. erality and valor of the Irish; the most distinguished in the north for bestow- ing jewels and riches, the most for midable and victorious in his tribe, and the worthy heir to the threne of Ire land" The Virginia O'Neills arc do- seconded In a direct junior line from this prince. The senior line is now extinct
 It was not until 1730 that the Vir- Einia O'Neills left Ireland. In that year Lewis O'Neill and his two brothers, John and William, took passage from Lurgan and landed in Pennsylvania rear Lancaster. They found the land in that vicinity to be mostly taken, so John and Lewis finally settled in he adrrl ltc of William. nothing about them has up to the present time been discovered.
 Lewis at first made his home in a small cave on the banks of a stream but he soon completed large house, which was at that time considered the finest in the neighborhood. With char acteristic O'Neill superiority he soon became the leader among the early set tiers in the Virginia valley where he settled. About 17s7 Lewis married Lydia Hollingsworth and had six sons and two daughters, born between 173S and 1757 They are as follows; Ann, William. John, Lewis, Thomas Abra- ham. Rebecca and Joseph. At the death of Lewis-the father--in 1775, 1t was estimated that he left not less than 49.oo0 acres of land and s20o,0o0 or &800.o00, which was a considerable for tune in those days
 John O'Neill, the brother of Lewis, loft a large estate 10 HIS cHilucu whose names are as follows: LeWis Neill. William, Sarah, Elizabeth and Margaret. Elizabeth married Thomas Helm and Margaret married Francis Helm.
 Thus, from the two brothers Lewis and John sprang the illustrious family of the Virginia O'Neills.
 A more recent emigrant of the name was Daniel O'Neill of Ireland. later ot Pennsylvania and Maryland. His father was Philip O'Neill and his mother was Honora In the old country they lived at Kilpipe, County Wicklow, where they were known as the ONeills of the Waste. Daniel removed to the new world in 1929 and for years he was a character of note in Pennsylvani7 and Maryland. In 1S40 he settled at ov- erton, Bradford county Pa He mar Tied Bridget Hopkins, born in Bally- nahan, County Langford, in the cen ter of Ireland, and they had one son born in 1885.
 Still another branch of, the O'Nelll; in this country is the family Of Johf Belton O'Neill, who was born in Busl River. S. G. in 1793. His grandparent! came to this country from Ireland anc his parents were Quakers. He wa'