There was a very thorough genealogy book from the 1920's entitled 'Thomas Vail: Salem 1640', financed by Theodore Newton Vail, first president of AT&T, whose portrait used to hang in the lobby of the AT&T building at Canal and Church Streets in NYC. My family had this book as I was growing up and of course it is now lost. If anyone has seen it, I would very much like to get a photo/copy or provenance.
Many Vails lived in Westchester and Southampton, and some fled to Nova Scotia at the Revolution; one relative of mine, Julia Scribner Ruch, remained in Plainfield NJ until her death. My branch of the family, in the persons of Walter Vail and his uncle Nathan Vail, migrated in the 1870's from Plainfield (Speedwell Iron Works) to southern Arizona (Empire Ranch outside Tucson), and subsequently Los Angeles (Pauba Ranch in Temecula) and Santa Barbara (Santa Rosa Island). A History grad student, Greg Dowell, wrote his dissertation for U of Arizona in 1978 on the Empire. These Vails were partners in different ventures with Wrigleys (briefly leasing Catalina Island), Huntingtons, Bannings, Mills, Vickers et al. This is most of what I know; I would appreciate any further knowledge....
The Vails were Quakers many of whom became Episcopalians with increasing prosperity, as did so many in the later 19th century. There was also a Hugh Vail whose family was Catholic and lies in the Santa Barbara Mission.