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Descendants of Charles McNeil

Generation No. 2


2. ARCHIBALD3 MC NEIL I (CHARLES2 MCNEIL, UNKNOWN1 MC NEIL)2 was born Abt. 1700 in probably County Antrim, Northern Ireland3, and died 1752 in Jamaica. He married MARY RUSSELL4 Abt. 1734 in probably Milford, Connecticut, daughter of SAMUEL RUSSELL and ABIGAIL WHITING. She was born Abt. 1708 in Branford, New Haven, Connecticut5,6, and died Aft. 1753 in probably New Haven, CT7.

Notes for A
RCHIBALD MC NEIL I:
Edited from notes by Neil Fetter, 1983:

      It has not been verified where he was born. It was probably in Ireland, but could have been in Scotland. There is no evidence that his parents had ever come to America, so he almost certainly wasn't born in the US. It has been theorized that his parents left Scotland for Ireland, probably in the early 1700's. It is not known if he had any siblings.
      Archibald is identified in historical publications as the founder of the McNeil line in CT. He was identified in Branford in 1735 through land purchase records. He subsequently moved to New Haven where, in 1740, he was Assessor, and in 1746 was Surveyor of Highways. He also had many real estate transactions which are recorded. He was successfully engaged in trade with the West Indies in partnership with Samuel Cook, and was also owner and supercargo of the ship "Peggy and Molly."
      He was one of the founding "brothers" of the first Masonic Lodge in Connecticut, now known as Hiram Lodge number 1. According to that lodge's charter, the lodge was founded at a meeting "Held at Jehiel Tuttle's in New Haven on the festival of St. John the Evangelist, 1750." This was 17 years after the first institution of Freemasonry in the American Colonies on July 3, 1733 at Boston. It appears from the records of Hiram Lodge that Archibald was active in a Masonic lodge in Boston before becoming affiliated with the New Haven Lodge.
      Archibald died on the island of Jamaica in the latter part of 1752. His will was probated in July, 1753, by his widow. She was placed under bond of 3,000 pounds sterling, indicating a very considerable estate for those times. In his will, he left the family home and its land to his wife, and the balance of his estate to his sons.

from notes of Donald Southworth McNeil, of PA.:

In his father's probate record from Boston, in 1737, Archibald is referred to as a shopkeeper. He was appointed as administrator of his father's estate because Charles McNeil had died in a ship-wreck off the coast of Sable Island, Nova Scotia. From the probate records, Charles was identified as being "of Ballycastle, Antrim, Northern Ireland." It has not been verified if Archibald was born in Ireland, but all his "probable first cousins" are presumed to have been born there.
When Archibald's parents, and other relatives, were in mid-Atlantic, aboard the Cathrine, Archibald bought 100 acres of land in Litchfield, CT, from John Morris, of New Haven. It had been agreed between Archibald and his cousins that Litchfield would be the family home in America. On October 27, 1737, after the ship wreck, Archibald bought, for 200 pounds, half a gristmill near Litchfield, a half privilege in a stream, and 78 acres of land. In 1746, he sold the 100 acres to John Lyndley for 300 pounds. He sold the 78 acres to Samuel Baker, on December 12, 1751. (from Litchfield land records)

from GenealogyLibrary.com, New England Genealogy, volume IV, page 173:

      This family is descended from north of Ireland Protestant stock. According to "Burke's Landed Gentry," the representative McNeil (or McNeill) families, including those of Colonsay, Craigdunn, Taynish, Gilha and Gaillachallie, all trace their lineage to a common ancestor, Torquille McNeil, of Taynish (Scotland), who, in the 14th century, was keeper of Castle Sween. In the old country the race still continues vigorous and occupies a high social position. The late Eminent General Sir John Carstairs McNeill was of the house of McNeill of Colonsay. The immemorial heraldic device of the family is a silver lion rampant on an azure field, which usually is blazoned quarterly with the arms of notable allied families.

from Branford Annals, 1700-1800, by Rev. Elijah Baldwin, read April, 1886
(in reference to daughters of Samuel Russell)
      "The older daughter Abigail married Rev. Joseph Moss of Derby; and after his death became the wife of Rev. Samuel Cook. (note from Kathy - Is this the same Samuel Cook with whom Archibald owned the ship Peggy and Molly?) Mary married Benjamin Fenn of Milford, a graduate of Yale College. After his death she became the wife of Mr. Archibald McNiel (sic) of Milford (CT). He came to Branford with her, and soon engaged in building houses, buying and selling property quite actively. He built the ancient house still standing at Mill Plain, on the Guilford road near the bridge, long known as the 'Beach' house. It was purchased by Andrew Beach, the first Beach who came to Branford, from Stratford, in 1737, Oct. 10."

Notes for M
ARY RUSSELL:
      Mary was born in her parents home, the famous "Russell Parsonage." She was the widow of Benjamin Fenn when she married Archibald.

More About M
ARY RUSSELL:
Fact 2: Abt. 1734, Married Archibald McNeil
     
Children of A
RCHIBALD MC NEIL and MARY RUSSELL are:
3. i.   ARCHIBALD4 MC NEIL II, b. September 20, 1736, Branford, Connecticut; d. Bef. July 03, 1782, Milford, CT.
  ii.   CHARLES MC NEIL8, b. January 18, 1739, Branford, Connecticut; d. 1739, Branford, Connecticut.
  Notes for CHARLES MC NEIL:
He is said to have "died young." This seems borne out by the fact that records show a second son of the same name baptized November 1, 1741, in Branford. It was a common practise of the time that, when a child died young, to name the next child of the same sex the same name.

  iii.   CHARLES MC NEIL8, b. November 01, 1741, Branford, Connecticut; d. October 25, 1745, Branford, Connecticut.
  iv.   JOHN MC NEIL8, b. August 02, 1745, Branford, Connecticut; d. possibly NY.
  Notes for JOHN MC NEIL:
      In several written historical accounts John is said to have "removed to Amenia Precinct in Dutchess County, NY." No date is given for the move, nor is it known if he stayed there, or married or had children.

4. v.   SAMUEL MC NEIL, b. October 09, 1748, Branford, Connecticut; d. April 11, 1820, Chenango Point, near Binghamton, NY.


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