O'Neall Quaker's
Abbreviations
From "Enclyclopedia of American Quaker Genealogy" by WW Hinshaw 1969 p 1015

"Bush River Meeting, Newberry County, South Carolina

During the last half of the eighteenth century four principal centers of Quakerism arose in South Carolina and one in Georgia.
These were in Kershaw, Marlborough, Newberry and Union Counties, South Carolina, and in Columbia (now McDuffie) County Georgia. The earliest of these settlements appears to have been in Kershaw County, SC about 1750. Fredericksburg Monthly Meeting, also called Wateree, was set up in this county about 1755 or earlier. The monthly meeting was laid down about 1782, and the meetings for worship disappeared not long afterward. No records of Fredericksburg Monthly Meeting are known to be in existence.

Bush River Monthly Meeting, in Newberry County. SC was established in 1770; Wrightsborough Monthly Meeting, in Georgia, 1773; Cane Creek Monthly Meeting, in Union County, SC, 1799; Piney Grove Monthly Meeting, in Marlborough County, SC 1802."

"Bush River Meeting was located in Newberry County, in the west-central part of SC. Dr Stephen B WEEKS in 'Southern Quakers and Slavery,' page 115 says: "The group of meetings clustering around Bush River was the most important in SC. The origin of this meeting and the time it began cannot be discovered. William COATE was living near Bush River before 1762 and Samuel KELLY a native of King's County, Ireland, removed to Newberry County, from Camden in 1762. Other early Quaker settlers were John FURNAS, David JENKINS, Benjamin and William PEARSON. Robert EVANS came from Camden, probably between 1762-1769."

In 1770 a committee appointed by Western Quarterly Meeting to visit Friends at Bush River Meeting in South Carolina recommended that a monthly meeting be settled there. This recommendation was approved by the Quarterly Meeting in 11th month, 1770, but the records seem to indicate that the new monthly meeting was not actually held until 4th month, 1772.

Meetings for worship which are mentioned as reporting to Bush River Monthly Meeting include Bush River, Raburn's Creek, Tiger River, Padget's Creek, Mud Lick, Allwoods', White Lick, Edisto, Charleston and Rocky Springs.

Early members of Bush River Meeting (names taken from the first pages of the minutes), in addition to those mentioned by Dr. WEEKS, included Jacob CHANDLER, Samuel CHAPAMAN, Eli COOK, Isaac COOK, William COOPER, Enos ELLEMAN, Moses EMBREE, Robert EVANS, Armil FINCHER, Nathan HAWKINS, James HAWORTH, Richard HENDERSON, Elias HOLLINGSWORTH, William HOLLINGSWORTH, Isaac HOLLINGSWORTH, John JONES, Robert MERRICK, Henry MILLHOUSE, David MOTE, David MOTE, Jr., William NEAL, John NELSON, Samuel NELSON, Enoch PEARSON, Samuel PEARSON, William PEMBERTON, Peter RUBLE, David SMITH, Henry STEDHAM, Jonathon TAYLOR, William WRIGHT.

About 1802, moved by a desire to live in a country where no slaves were held, Friends of Bush River began migration to Ohio. Between 1802 and 1807 more than one hundred certificates of removal were issued, most of them being for families. This so depleted the membership that the monthly meeting seems to have been all but abandoned in 1808, though not foramlly laid down until 1822.

A minute of Bush River Monthly Meeting, 1806, 6,28 states that the Yearly Meeting "advises the Trustees, James BROOKS, Samuel BROWN, Isaac KIRK and John O'NEAL, to sell or lease Bush River meeting house and lot, Rocky Spring meeting house and lot and a meeting house lot at Camden.

In 1809 the few remaining members of Bush River and Cane Creek Monthly Meetings were joined to New Garden Monthly Meeting by order of New Garden Quarterly Meeting. The same procedure appears to have been followed as to Wrightsborough. The minutes of New Garden Monthly Meeting relating to the former members of Bush River, Cane Creek and Wrightsborough Monthly Meetings are quoted below because it has not been possible, in all case, to separate them and assign each item to the proper meeting.

1809, 6,24. 'Extracts from new Garden Quarterly Meeting, 1808,12,10 and 1809, 3,10. Friends appointed to visit friends in SC report about 130 members as follows. Cane Creek, Union District: Richard COX and wife Ann and children, Rebeckah, David, Peter, John, Isaac, Richard and William; Isaac HAWKINS and children, Jonathon and Phebe; Dinah, Isaac,

(p.1016) Enoch, Ann and Matha HOLLINGSWORTH. Bush River, Newberry District: Ann HERBERT, Sr.; Isaac KIRK and wife Rebekah, and children Ann JENKINS, Lydia Jenkins, Rebekah Jenkins, Isaac JENKINS and Phebe Martha; Phebe PEARSON, widow; Rebekah HAWKINS; Martha KNIGHT; William WRIGHT and wife Mary and children, Nathan, Sarah and Rachel;

Hugh O'NEAL and wife, Ann, and children, John Belton, Abigail, Rebekah, Hannah and Sarah; Rachel COATS; Sarah and Elizabeth CURL; Sarah CAMPBELL; John O'NEAL and wife, Hephziba, and children, Priscilla, Hannaueel, Mark, Achsah, Cary and Hiram; James JAY and wife, Jemimah and children, Mills, Alexander, Mary, Rhoda, Layton, James, Ede (Edith), Dempsey, Isaac and Sarah; Lydia Herbert and children, Esther, Ann, Eleanor, Martha, Jobe, and Lydia; William and David MILES;

James GILBREATH (tanner) and wife Charity, and daughter, Lydia; Hannah PEARSON and children, Powel, Robert and Susanna; Ann HERBERT and children, Hannah, Isaac, William and Peter;

William, Rhoda and John Foster, children of Henry O'NEAL, James Jr. and John GILBREATH; Benjamin WEEKS and wife Abigail, and children, Susanna, Mary, Hannah, Clary, Abigail and Caron Happock; Robert EVANS and wife, Caron Happock, and child, Abigail; Lydia SPEARS and children, Robert, Mary, Isaac and Moses EVANS; Samuel GAUNT and wife Susanna, and children, Samuel Kelly, Charles, Publias and Malichi; Hannah and John KELLY; Rebekah ELMORE; Wm. PUGH and daughter Hannah; Thomas O'NEAL (now of Union District) and wife Sarah, and children, Mary, Rebekah and Robert; Sary LONGSHORE and children, Sarah and Clyde.

"Whose names we have taken and they request to be joined to New Garden Monthly Meeting and we think their situation will require some further care; with which this meeting unites. Extracted from minutes by Barnabas COFFIN, Clerk." "Some friends formerly belonging to Wrightsborough and Cane Creek Monthly Meetings request certificates to Miami Monthly Meeting, Ohio. Friends appointed to produce them to next meeting."

1809,7,29. Certificates signed for the following: To Miami Monthly Meeting, Ohio: Richard THOMPSON, Thomas HART; Elijah MENDENHALL Aand wife Martha, and daughter Ann; Isaac THOMSON; Phineas HART; Mary STUBS; Esther GREEN and children, Jesse, Hannah and Amos."

"To West Branch Monthly Meeting, Ohio; Bales Butler and wife and children, Samuel, Susanna, William and Mary; Susana BUTLER. 1809,8,26. Certificates signed for the following members of Wrightsborough and Bush River: To Miami Monthly Meeting Ohio; William HOLLINGSWORTH; Richard MOORE; David JAY; Joseph HOLLINGSWORTH; Exile PEARSON; Dempsey MOORE; Charity KILLEY; Susannah HENDERSON; Ann WILLIAMS; Elizabeth BROOKS.

A few additional minutes, mostly disownments, relating to Bush River Friends between 1809 and 1818 will be found in the New Garden records. Fragmentary minutes in the Bush River book, covering the years 1819 and 1820, indicate and attempt to revive Bush River Monthly Meeting at that time. The attempt met with little success and the meeting was finally laid down about 1822 and the remaining members were attached to Springfield Monthly Meeting.

The Springfield minutes recoding this transfer are as follows: 18822,5,8. (Men's minutes). The monthly meeting at Bush River being laid down, this meeting is informed that it is the request of the members of that preparative meeting to become members at Springfield M.M. which request this meeting grants and receives them accordingly;names are as follows:

Hugh O'NEAL, Isaac JENKINS, James GALBRETH, Isaac EVANS, Isaac HARBERT, William HERBERT, Peter HERBERT, William O'NEAL, John O'NEAL, Samuel SPEER, William WRIGHT, Nathan WRIGHT, John Mills WRIGHT, James Anderson WRIGHT, Timothy PUGH, Moses EVANS, Cornealy M. EVANS.

1822,6,5. (Women's minutes). Bush River Monthly Meeting being laid down, the members request to be joined to Springfield, viz: Sarah O'NEAL,Lydia GILBREATH, Mary EVANS, Rebekah KIRK, Phebe KIRK, Rebecca JENKINS, Margaret DUNKEN, Ann HERBERT, Martha WRIGHT, Rebekah HAWKINS, Hannah PALMER, Elizabeth CARLE, Rebecca ELMORE, Martha BROOKS, Lydia SPEER, Hannah HUNT, Mary WRIGHT, Sarah WRIGHT, Rachel WRIGHT, Sophia WRIGHT, Sarah PUGH, Hannah PUGH, Catherine PUGH, Casander PUGH, Nancy PUGH, Ruth PUGH, Elizabeth PUGH, Keranhappuck EVANS, Abigail K. EVANS, Sophia M. EVANS, Rebecca C. EVANS."