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Jonathan (John) McNeely is immigrant John, brother of Robert and Adam. They migrated from Northern Ireland to Bucks County, Pennsylvania around 1740. There is an association with the Lancaster County, Pennsylvania McNeely’s, David is part of this association. Adam, Jonathan (John), Robert and David are the progenitors of the Rowan, lredell and Mecklenburg North Carolina McNeely’s.
John McNeely son of Jonathan (John) married Elinor Hart. This marriage is supported by Hart family location and association and is further supported by the fact that John had daughter named Elinor and a son named Samuel, Samuel Hart was Elinor’s father.
The dates of land ownership assist us in determining migration groups. It appears that Adam’s family migrated with him in what we have termed the first increment, we do not know the dates of birth of his children; we know Adam Sr. died in 1766. Jonathan (John I) migrated same increment. His family is with him except John Junior, Archibald and Margaret. They had married by this time and remained in PA for a short period. The time line shows Archibald and John signing petition in Bucks County, PA in 1763 with Archibald having a child baptized at Tinicum Presbyterian Church, PA in 1770. Hence it is doubtful either of them came with first increment.
We believe John Jr., Archibald, James and Margaret (McNeely) Hughes (four siblings), Elinor’s sisters families and possibly her nephew Samuel migrated prior to the Revolutionary war, probably around 1772. They are not listed on the 1775 associate list of Bedminster Township, Bucks County, PA.
An interesting tidbit of Hart family lore, some of the children went south for the purpose of horse breeding. They have found no support for this lore but later some of John McNeely’s family is involved in horse-trading in North Carolina and South Missouri.
By process of elimination and examination of available documents it appears that Jonathan (John) McNeely of Bucks County, PA is Ireland immigrant John who migrated to North Carolina around 1760. It also supports him as being the John who appears as landowner in 1765 in Rowan County, North Carolina along with Adam McNeely landowner same year. The family association in Rowan County provides reasonable support for him to be the father of the siblings mentioned in Isaac’s will, John, Archibald, Isaac, James and Margaret.
Our McNeelys were in Cape Girardeau County by the 1830s.
It is a challenge tracing the McNeelys. The continue to use the same names over and over. For instance, there are 3 generations named John.
- From the book "History of the Presbyterian Church of Deep Run 1725-1975, by Dorothy Cameron, pg 8-9.
Robert McNeely, [uncle of this James] who came to this country from County Tyrone in 1732, was of pure Irish lineage. Influenced by the Scotch immigration into north Ireland, the McNeelys became Presbyterian and the clan O'Neale, with an eight century authentic genealogy in Ireland, gave its name the Scottish form.
The McNeelys were active in the affairs of Deep Run through the early 1800s. This family produced a Presbyterian minister; he was the son of the widow of the Rev. James Grier by her marriage to a McNeely.
- The following researched by Maurice Mcneely in his book "Mcneelys of Northwest Missouri:"
Three brothers, Robert, John. and Adam McNeely were born in Tyrone County, Ireland (in what is now Northern Ireland) – Robert, the oldest, about 1690; John and Adam were born by 1700. I have not been able to determine the names of their parents.
They migrated to America and are in Bucks County, PA by 1741. Bedminster Township in Bucks County is about 30 miles north from downtown Philadelphia.
We find the McNeely’s first mentioned in history and records in the township of Bedminster. Hanna, in his “The Scotch-Irish”, tells us that Deep Run Presbyterian Church in Bedminster township was established in 1726.
"The History of Bedminster, Bucks County, Pennsylvania" states: “In the early I700 ’s there was a migration of Scotch-Irish from Northern Ireland This was due not from famine, but as a result of the Trade and Navigation Act passed by Parliament in I696. This Act classified Northern Ireland as if it were one of the colonies, as far as taxation was concerned. Many people faced complete financial ruin. The end result was a migration into the colonies. They preferred the wilderness to the cities. Not so much for the privacy, but to get away from the sight and sound of the British and British law which they felt had betrayed them. They journeyed out into the wilderness and finding land they liked which was unoccupied they squatted. They felt that God did not like idle land and if the Proprietors were not doing anything with the land why, then they would. And so they became squatters. They moved in, then had to be removed when the land was legally sold. This was one of William Allen's (a land propr
“Active in the Deep Run Presbyterian Church in early time was ROBERT McNEELY. He settled on I53 acres of land north of church site. His brother JOHN (Jonathan in some records) McNEELY settled above him on I90 acres of land...both brothers are on Allen land. They probably settled here AFTER 1741. There may have been a purchase agreement sat up with William Allen, but it never came into fruition. Allen ’s Estate sold...in 1801... And so, sixty years of hard work and heavy taxation went down the drain. The tax list of I782 and I783 show both McNeely’s are on the Allen Estate. The end of the revolution proprietary land was now commonwealth land There would be patents and warrants issued into the mid eighteen hundreds in this area. As for the land that had been William Allen ’s the American government had confiscated it. A court battle ensued to regain the land by his estate, headed by Ann Penn Greenleaf Granddaughter of William Allen. She and her family succeeded in regaining control of what was
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