O'Neal / Neal Ancestors

There is little doubt that the O'Neals came from Ireland but there is some doubt that Constantine O'Neal was the progenitor of the Virginia/Kentucky O'Neals. I've seen enough to believe he is but you'll have to come to your own conclusion. Some O'Neals in Nelson County, Kentucky changed their name to Neal and I have wondered why. I've seen this done quite frequently in other families and always have wondered why certain individuals change their name. Did they want to disassociate themselves from the other family members for some reason? Guess I'll never know.

There is a very good article about the O'Neals/Neals of Nelson County, Kentucky on the GenForum website. Click here to read it. Go to the O'Neal Family Genealogy Forum and where it has "Search this forum:" type in Bob Moore. All his postings will come up and it's worth the time to read them. They are very informative. It appears that Bob Moore has done his research!

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Generation No. 1

CONSTANTINE O'NEAL was born about 1710 (or earlier) in Ireland and died unknown in probably Virginia. He married JANE.

Notes for CONSTANTINE O'NEAL
Immigrated from Ireland to Fairfax County, Virginia about 1756.

Notes for JANE
After CONSTANTINE died, JANE married a LANGLEY.

Children of CONSTANTINE O'NEAL and JANE are:

  1. BRYANT O'NEAL, b. April 6, 1731, Ireland; d. after 1820, Nelson County, Kentucky; m. ANN COTTON
  2. CHARLES O'NEAL, b. November 25, 1736, Ireland; m. ANN STONE
  3. JOHN "JACKIE" O'NEAL, b. November 11, 1744, Ireland; d. June 14, 1832, Nelson County, Kentucky
  4. BRYAN O'NEAL, b. April 6, 1751
  5. CONSTANTINE O'NEAL, b. 1753, Ireland; d. September 16, 1834, Virginia; m. CATHERINE SHEPHERD
  6. ELEANOR O'NEAL, b. January 7, 1754

Generation No. 2

JOHN "JACKIE" O'NEAL (CONSTANTINE O'NEAL1) was born November 11, 1744 in possibly Ireland and died June 14, 1832 in Bardstown, Nelson County, Kentucky. He married 1) UNKNOWN, about 1767 in Virginia. He married 2) FANNIE HALL. She was born 1750-1760 in Virginia and died about 1799 in Nelson County, Kentucky. He married 3) MARGARET MILLS.

Notes for JOHN O'NEAL
Immigrated from Ireland to America about 1756.
Arrives in Nelson County, Kentucky in 1785

Children of JOHN O'NEAL and UNKNOWN are:

  1. SPENCER O'NEAL, b. about 1767, Virginia
  2. GEORGE O'NEAL, b. about 1769, Virginia; d. 1801, Nelson County, Kentucky; m. ELEANOR MCKAY
  3. JOHN O'NEAL, JR., b. January 26, 1777, Virginia
  4. CHARLES O'NEAL, b. about 1779, Virginia; d. between 1850-1860, Nelson County, Kentucky; m. MARGARET MURRAY
  5. BRYANT O'NEAL
  6. SARAH O'NEAL; m. SPILLMAN

Children of JOHN O'NEAL and FANNIE HALL are:

  1. NANCY O'NEAL, b. February 1, 1784, Ohio County, Virginia; m. JOHN MURPHY LANHAM
  2. ELIZABETH O'NEAL, b. June 4, 1786, Nelson County, Kentucky; d. February 26, 1892, Kentucky; m. URIAH HUGH "HUGH" MCKAY
  3. JAMES O'NEAL, b. between 1788-1795, Nelson County, Kentucky; d. May 22, 1833, Cincinatti, Hamilton County, Ohio; m. MARIAH OGAN
  4. THOMAS O'NEAL, b. January 10, 1792, Nelson County, Kentucky; d. November 17, 1851, Vermilion County, Illinois; m. SARAH HOWARD
  5. WILLIAM SPENCER O'NEAL, b. before 1795, Nelson County, Kentucky; d. July 4, 1869, Vermilion County, Illinois; m. 1) MELINDA GRIMES; 2) PERMELIA

Children of JOHN O'NEAL and MARGARET MILLS are:

  1. MOSES O'NEAL, b. February 25, 1801, Nelson County, Kentucky; d. August 10, 1871, Vermilion County, Illinois; m. HANNAH
  2. AARON O'NEAL, b. February 25, 1801, Nelson County, Kentucky; d. 1862, Hickman County, Kentucky; m. ANN PATRICK
  3. JANE O'NEAL, b. about 1800
  4. JAMES CONSTANTINE "CONSTANT" O'NEAL, b. about 1805, Nelson County, Kentucky; d. July 22, 1860, Hickman County, Kentucky; m. 1) UNKNOWN; m. 2) MARTHA A. PILLOW
  5. JOSEPH O'NEAL, b. after 1801
  6. POLLY O'NEAL, b. after 1801
  7. UNKNOWN O'NEAL, d. in infancy
  8. UNKNOWN O'NEAL, d. in infancy
  9. UNKNOWN O'NEAL, d. in infancy

BRYANT O'NEAL (CONSTANTINE O'NEAL1) was born April 6, 1731 in Ireland and died before October, 1821 in Nelson County, Kentucky. He married ANN COTTON, daughter of JOHN COTTON and SUSANNAH SMITH. She was born about 1761 in Virginia and died after 1836 in Nelson County, Kentucky.

Children of BRYANT O'NEAL and ANN COTTON are:

  1. UNKNOWN SON, b. 1785-1794
  2. ELIZABETH O'NEAL, b. June 1, 1794, Nelson County, Kentucky; d. February 28, 1865, Bardstown, Nelson County, Kentucky; m. JOSEPH CLARENCE PRICE
  3. UNKNOWN DAUGHTER, b. 1795-1800
  4. UNKNOWN DAUGHTER, b. 1795-1800
  5. UNKNOWN SON, b. 1795-1800
  6. UNKNOWN DAUGHTER, b. 1800-1810, Nelson County, Kentucky

Generation No. 3

CHARLES O'NEAL/NEAL (JOHN O'NEAL2) was born about 1779 in Virginia and died between 1850-1860 in Nelson County, Kentucky. He married MARGARET MURRAY, March 21, 1811 in Nelson County, Kentucky, daughter of JOHN MURRAY and DORCAS ROBINSON. She was born June 20, 1781 in Fauquier County, Virginia and died February 22, 1863 in Nelson County, Kentucky.

Notes for CHARLES O'NEAL/NEAL
Between 1840-1850, he changed his last name from O'NEAL to NEAL.
Living in Bardstown, Nelson County, Kentucky in 1810 w/father; listed as O'Neal
Living in Nelson County, Kentucky in 1820; listed as O'Neal
Living in Nelson County, Kentucky in 1830; listed as O'Neil
Living in Nelson County, Kentucky in 1840; listed as O'Neal
Living in Nelson County, Kentucky in 1850; listed as Neal

Children of CHARLES NEAL and MARGARET MURRAY are:

  1. EMELINE NEAL, b. 1812, Kentucky; m. TIMOTHY TICHMANN
  2. UNKNOWN DAUGHTER, b. 1810-1815, Kentucky
  3. JOHN NEAL, b. 1810-1820
  4. ELIZA J. NEAL, b. 1814, Kentucky; m. SANFORD HUNTER
  5. SARAH/SALLIE NEAL, b. 1817, Kentucky; m. ADCOCK
  6. NANCY NEAL, b. 1818, Bardstown, Nelson County, Kentucky
  7. UNKNOWN SON, b. 1820-1825, Bardstown, Nelson County, Kentucky
  8. UNKNOWN DAUGHTER, b. 1820-1825, Bardstown, Nelson County, Kentucky

GEORGE O'NEAL (JOHN O'NEAL2) was born about 1769 in Virginia and died 1801 in Nelson County, Kentucky. He married ELEANOR MCKAY, December 22, 1796, in Nelson County, Kentucky. She was born between 1766-1784 and died between 1820-1830 in Nelson County, Kentucky.

Children of GEORGE O'NEAL and ELEANOR MCKAY are:

  1. UNKNOWN SON (possibly Bryant), b. 1797-1800, Nelson County, Kentucky
  2. UNKNOWN DAUGHTER, b. 1797-1800, Nelson County, Kentucky
  3. UNKNOWN SON (possibly Aaron), b. 1800-1802, Nelson County, Kentucky

Generation No. 4

ELIZA J. NEAL (CHARLES O'NEAL/NEAL3) was born March 12, 1814 in Kentucky and died May 19, 1903. She married SANFORD HUNTER, September 11, 1839 in Nelson County, Kentucky, son of ELIPHALET HUNTER and FRANKY/FRANCES(?). He was born November 16, 1806 in Nelson County, Kentucky and died December 12, 1877 in Daviess County, Kentucky.

Children of ELIZA J. NEAL and SANFORD HUNTER are:

  1. LUDWELL HUNTER, b. 1840; d. between 1870-1880; m. MARY
  2. MARGARET HUNTER, b. 1841; d. after 1920, Daviess County, Kentucky; m. MILLER
  3. SARAH A. HUNTER, b. September, 1842; d. January 1, 1913, Roseville, Barren County, Kentucky; m. PAYTON KINCHELOE/KINSLOW
  4. MARY C. HUNTER, b. 1845, Nelson County, Kentucky
  5. EMELINE "EMMA" DORCAS HUNTER, b. November 1846, Nelson County, Kentucky
  6. ELIZABETH "BETTIE" C. HUNTER, b. February, 1850; d. after 1920; m. RICHARD ALLEN SOSH
  7. JOHN C. HUNTER, b. 1852; d. before 1930; m. CORNELIA D. MOSELEY
  8. SANFORD HUNTER, JR., b. May 1, 1855, Daviess County, Kentucky; d. February 1, 1907, Daviess County, Kentucky; m. HELLEN P. STONE
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