Neill, Neal, Neil, Naill Genealogy - Western North Carolina

Marty and Karla Grant

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Neill, Neal, Neil, Naill Genealogy - Western NC

Welcome to my Naill genealogy pages. I am interested in the Neill / Naill / Neal surname in Western NC only, primarily in Rowan, now Iredell, where my ancestors were in the 1780s. That area of interest may expand once I’ve learned more about my ancestors. As of now I know very little.

The Nail/Naill surname is generally of English, Irish or Scottish origin. The Germanic surname Nagel has been Anglicized to Nail/Naill in some cases. Neil / Neill is a variation of the same surnames, often shortened from McNeil/McNeill or O’Neil/O’Neill. All those variations leave many avenues for research.

Neither Nail, Naill, Neill or Neil rank among the top 1000 surnames in the United States. However, Neal, a variant, was the 333^rd most common in 2000, and 337^th in 2010.

My most recent ancestor on this line is my six times great grandmother Nancy “Agnes” Naill who married Andrew Bryson in 1783 in Rowan (now Iredell) Co., NC. Her marriage bond used the “Naill” spelling. The bondsman was also a Naill, but the signature is barely legible. A 1911 book translated it as “Pamall (?) Nail” while the clerk who made the Rowan County marriage record (no idea when) translated the name as “Sam. Naill” whereas the published book of Rowan marriages translated it as “James Naill.” I’ve looked at the original myself and I’m not sure what is says. I’m reasonably sure it does not say James, but it might just say Samuell or Samuall, as in Samuel.

The bondsman is important because the bondsman was quite often a close relative of the bride or groom, in this instance Samuel could be her father or brother.

I have not been able to identify her father, though Samuel Neill (bef 1744-aft 1807) is certainly a strong candidate due mainly to the marriage bond, and that she doesn’t fit into any of the other Neill families, though Alexander Neill (d 1785) is also a possibility.

I do think I’ve identified a sister though. On 30 Aug 1783, James Kell obtained a marriage bond in Rowan to marry “Lettice Kneal” which is a spelling variation I’ve only seen this one time. The reason Lettice is of special interest is because by 1790, Andrew Bryson and Agnes Naill, his wife, moved to Pendleton Dist., SC. On that census, James Kell is just three houses away from them! Coincidence? Unlikely. It doesn’t prove Lettice and Agnes are siblings, but it strongly suggests they are closely related, otherwise they wouldn’t have migrated together.

More research is needed.

Revised: February 22, 2026

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