My family tree

"Hugh McCrary was born ca 1720. The exact date he and his 2 brothers, Daniel and John, came to this country from the Is le of McGhee in Ireland is not known. He settled in Chester County, PA and married Susannah Whitaker ca 1749 daughter o f William, Sr. and Elizabeth Carleton Whitaker. "The Whitakers were Quakers and Susannah was warned if she married Hug h who was not of the same religion, she would be dealt with severely. She married him and her name was removed from th e church roll. She and Hugh, along with her family migrated to the Jersey Settlement, Rowan County, now Davidson aroun d 1749-50. "Hugh received a Granville Land Grant and over the years acquired State Grants. Records in 1778 shows he owned 2205 acr es of land from 1 mile below Lexington, north to the Red Hill above the church called Ebenezer. He owned land on each s ide of Swearing Creek. He was listed in records as a Planter and was also a storekeeper. His family was among the firs t settlers in this part of the country. "They had 9 children: John married Margaret Luske and then Sarah Luske; Boyd married Nancy Anna Merrill and moved to Bu ncombe County, NC; Elizabeth married John Silvers; Hugh married Mary (Polly) Sluder; Susannah married Joseph Davis the n Joseph White; Nancy Ann married Gabriel Davis; Lydia married Joseph Huff; Margaret married Isaac Wilson then George T homason; and Reid who died young. "He also had several slaves and he is listed in the Pleas and Quarter Sessions of Rowan County as serving many times o n jury, including the supreme court, administrator of many wills, looking after orphans until the next session of court , buying and selling land many times and as the overseer of roads being built. "Hugh died February 14, 1785, Susannah died October 20, 1800 and both are buried at Jersey Baptist Church near Linwood . The inscription on his tombstone is as follows: Here Lies the body of Hugh McCrarey Deceased February The 14th anno d omino 1785 Aged 65years, "You Lookets on and standets by, as you are now so once was I, As I am now so must you be, the refore prepare to follow me. (All the s's are turned backward except the first one). "The inscription on Susannah's tombstone is as follows: Here lies the body of Susannah McCrary who departed this life O ct 20, 1800. Aged 73 years. "My race is run, My life is done. My resting place is here. These stone was got to keep th e spot. Least menshould dig to near." "The roots of the McCrary family were planted deep in this area. Only 1 of the original sons, Boyd, left his area. Ther e are many direct descendants in Davidson County. "Sources: Henry Reeves Collection, Davidson County Library, Davidson County cemetery books, Bradford Minutes, Chester C ounty, PA, McCubbins Collections Rowan County Library, Rowan County wills, Granville Land Grant, State Grants. -Peggy M cCrary Freedle" Ref: Peggy McCrary Freedle. The Heritage of Rowan Co.: McCrary Family Record 654, circa 1960.

Hugh McCrary of Rowan Co., NC An Updated History Much has been written about Hugh McCrary, Sr. of Rowan and Buncombe Co.'s, North Carolina. Researchers have been workin g diligently over the years to establish the story of Hugh McCrary, his arrival in America, his marriage and the subseq uent migrations of him and his descendants. As time has passed, more and more genealogical material has become availabl e to the researcher, making it possible to re-evaluate old ideas and establish new ones. The two most intriguing questions that have plagued Hugh McCrary researchers are (1) when did Hugh come to America an d (2) whom did he marry. There have been many theories, substantiated loosely by "facts" that have, in the past, been h eld to becorrect. New information will show that some of the "facts" are in error and will present an entirely new theo ry. There has long been two avenues of thought as to when Hugh arrived in America and where. One camp has believed that h e arrived in NC directly from Ireland. The other, and more widely accepted theory, is that he brought his family to N C from PA. Many of the families that eventually settled in Rowan Co. came from PA down the Great Wagon Road to find ne w homes in NC. 1 Current research findings seem to indicate that the latter theory is most likely the correct one. Th e information for thistiesin closely withthe other debate among Hugh McCrary researchers, that of Hugh's wife's maide n name. Some think that Susannah, wife of Hugh McCrary was a Whitaker, others think she was a Boyd or a York. Information now i ndicates that Hugh McCrary did indeed marry Susannah Whitaker, daughter of William Whitaker and Elizabeth Carleton, i n ChesterCo., PA. 2 William Whitaker and family were of the Quaker faith 3. Society of Friends records at Swarthmore College reveal that Wi lliam and Elizabeth Whitaker were married in Chester Co., PA in 1722/3. This marriage certificate as well as other docu ments canbe foundin Chester Co. 4. Examination of the Monthly Meeting records of Chester County, PA reveal that in August of 1749/50, the Women Friends o f the Bradford Monthly Meeting were instructed to "prepare a testimony against Susannah, the wife of Hugh McCrery" 5. T he complaint was made by representatives of the Caln Meeting against Susannah for marrying a man who was not of the Qua ker faith after having been cautioned by Friends against it. According to the Monthly Meeting records, Susannah submitt ed a few lines ofacknowledgment forher offense, which was accepted, allowing her to continue her affiliation with the F riends 6. This means that Hugh and Susannah McCrary were married in Chester Co., PA about 1748/49 indicating that ALL o f their children were bornin America. This would seem to be an appropriate place to mention that there has been material written that states that two of Hugh 's sons, Hugh, Jr. and John, have stated in Revolutionary War Pension Applications that they were born in Ireland. Thi s is an error thathas been widely distributed. The Hugh and John who stated that they were born in Ireland were Hugh an d John McCRORY 7 and are in no way related to Hugh McCrary of Rowan Co., NC. Hugh and John McCrory were sons of Thoma s and Hannah CrawfordMcCRORY. ThomasMcCRORY 8 arrived directly from Ireland to NC, which most likely gave birth to th e story about Hugh of Rowan Co. All of the McCRORY men had impressive records in the Revolutionary War and their lines have been carefully documented . Applications have been filed and accepted by the DAR for them. Because this McCrory family came from Ireland to Meckl enburg Co.,NC, material on them has been mixed with that of the Hugh McCrary line of Rowan Co. However, because of th e careful documentation of the McCrory researchers 9, we can now say that the records for Hugh and John McCrory do no t belong to the line ofHugh McCrary. Norecord has been found to prove that any of Hugh McCrary's sons actually served i n the Revolutionary War, although there is a family story in the John 2 (Hugh1) McCrary family of Davidson Co., NC whic h states that he did serve and was wounded 10. No evidence of this has been found. The exact date of arrival of the McCrary family in NC is not known. Hugh and Susannah Whitaker McCrary may have left P A with her parents. William and Elizabeth Whitaker were granted a Certificate of Removal "to Friends in North Carolina " by the Bradford Monthly Meeting in August of 1751/52 11. No record of it ever being filed with a Monthly Meeting in N C has been found. A check by the Friends Historical Collection at Guilford College, which is the depository for Quake r records in NC, reveals that the names Whitaker and McCrary do not appear in the index of records. The last record found thus far in PA for Hugh and Susannah McCrary was dated May 1750/51. The first record found so fa r in NC for Hugh is in the Rowan County Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions Minutes. In July of 1757, Hugh was named a s securitybond along with Adam Butner in behalf of Catherine Elrod, relect of the deceased John Elrod 12. The 1758 ta x list for Rowan Co., NC does not list Hugh McCrary, however a 1759 Military list of Militia raised to defend against I ndian attack listsHughas a lieutenant13. There has been no information found for Hugh and Susannah for the years 1751 t o 1757. Since Rowan Co., NC was formed from Anson Co. in 1753, it is likely that any records for Hugh would be in the A nson Co. records. However,therecords for Anson Co. burned in 1868, making it extremely difficult to locate any materia l on Hugh for this time period. Land records for Hugh McCrary in Rowan Co., NC begin in November 1760 when Hugh received 467 acres of land on the Ric h Fork of Abbott's Creek. Land transactions continue for him until 1783 14. Hugh McCrary's will was written February 14, 1785 15 and proven in court by Eldad Reed in November of 1785. Sons Boyd a nd John were named co-executors, Boyd accepting and qualifying, John relinquishing his right of executorship 16. Hugh McCrary died the day his will was written, February 14, 1785 at age sixty-five. He is buried at the Jersey Baptis t Church Cemetery, Linwood, NC next to his wife Susannah, who died October 20, 1800. Both tombstones are still standin g and fairlylegibleas of 1998. Hugh's tombstone bears the epitaph: "You lookers on and standers by, As you are now so once was I, As I am now so must you be, Therefore prepare to follow me." It has been established that Hugh and Susannah Whitaker McCrary had at least nine children. The current information fo r the children include: (1) John McCrary who married Margaret Lusk 17 and remained in Davidson Co., NC 18; (2) Boyd McC rary whomarried Nancy Anna Merrill and moved to Buncombe Co., NC 19; (3) Elizabeth McCrary who married John Silvers 20 ; (4) Hugh McCrary, Jr. who married Mary "Polly" Sluder 21 (NOT Jane Clark as previously written. Hugh McCRORY, mention ed earlier, marriedJane Clark) and remained in Davidson Co., NC; (5) Susannah McCrary who married Joseph Davis 22; (6 ) Nancy Ann McCrary who married Gabriel Davis 23; (7) Lydia McCrary who married Joseph Huff 24; (8) Margaret McCrary wh o married George Thomason,Sr.25 (NOT Isaac Wilson as previously written); and (9) Reed McCrary who died in his youth 26 . by Leslie McCrary April 1999 1 Robert W. Ramsey, Carolina Cradle, Settlement of the Northwest Carolina Frontier, 1747-1762, (University of North Car olina Press, Chapel Hill, NC, 1964). 2 "Whitaker Family Papers," first set compiled by Henry Whitaker and Henry Jenkins, completed 10 Jul 1872. Handwritte n copy found in family Bible of James Whitaker by Lorah J. W. N. Beeks 14 Jan 1939. Xerographic copy in possession of t he author.Henry Whitaker was the brother of James Whitaker. James married as his second wife a Mormon woman and evident ly requested that Henry help him compile his lineage. Henry Whitaker complied by interviewing members of the family i n NC. The James Whitaker family papers, second set of Whitaker family papers, were compiled from information supplied b y Henry Whitaker and can be found in the Mormon Archives. Third set of Whitaker family information from Whitaker famil y chart prepared by C. PearleMatthews Burkholder in 1930's and found in the files of the Chester County Historical Soci ety, West Chester, PA. These three sets of papers, two of them written by different lines of the Whitaker family unknow n to the other, report identical information naming Susannah Whitaker, daughter of William Whitaker, the wife of Hugh M cCrary. 3 Albert Cook Myers,Irish Quaker Arrivals to Pennsylvania 1682-1750, (Genealogical Publishing Co., Baltimore, 1964), p . 64. William Whitaker was received into the Newkirk/Kennett Monthly Meeting 10th mo. 2, 1721 (December 2--Quaker yea r began withMarch until 1752) from Dublin, IRE. 4 "Marriage Certificate for William Whitaker and Elizabeth Carleton, dated 13 day, 12 month 1722" (13 Feb 1722), Kennet t Monthly Meeting, PA, Society of Friends Collection, Swarthmore College, PA, xerographic copy in possession of author. 5 "Bradford Monthly Meeting, Men's Minutes 1743-1755", from original records on microfilm housed at the Friend's Histor ical Library, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, PA, pgs. 44, 50, 51, 58, xerographic copy in possession of author. 6 "Bradford Monthly Meeting, Women's Minutes 1737-1755", 71, 73, 75, 76, from original records on microfilm housed at t he Friend's Historical Society Library, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, PA, pgs. 71, 73, 75, 76, xerographic copy in po ssessionof author. 7 McCrory research material, Hugh McCrory NSDAR #675265-A664, Revolutionary War Pension Application #S46-254 found in N ational Archives, John McCrory Revolutionary War Pension Application #S16947 found in National Archives. 8 McCrory research material, Capt. Thomas McCrory NSDAR #104483. 9 McCrory research material supplied by Verna Banes, P. O. Box 7435, Huntsville, TX 77342-7435 includes cemetery record s, application affidavits from children of Hugh and Jane Chapman McCrory and DAR membership papers. 10 Davidson County, NC Genealogical Society, Davidson County Heritage Book, from an article by Grace McCrary Lopp, ( Wi nston-Salem, NC: Hunter Publishing Co.), p. 380. 11 Bradford Monthly Meeting, Chester Co., PA, Certificate of Removal for William Whitaker and family issued 15th day 6t h month 1751 (15 Aug 1751) from microfilm collection, Friend's Historical College Library, Swarthmore, PA. 12 Jo White Linn, Abstracts of the Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions, Rowan Co., NC 1753-1762, (Salisbury, NC: Salisb ury Publishing Co., 1977), pg. 75 13 Jo White Linn, "1759 Rowan County Militia List", from Military Collection of the Treasurer's and Comptroller's Paper s, NC Archives, Rowan County Register, Vol. 2, No. 1, (February, 1987) pgs. 273-4 14 McCubbins Collection, housed at the Rowan Public Library, Salisbury, NC, "McCrary File", first entry noted Rowan Co. , Deed Bk 6:73, last entry Bk 9:301. 15 "Will of Hugh McCreary", 14 Feb 1785, Rowan Co. NC, Will Bk C, pg. 18. 16 Jo White Linn, Abstracts of Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions, Rowan Co., NC 1775-1789, Vol. III, p. 135, from mic rofilm of Bk 4:519. 17 Henry Reeves Collection, "Diary of John Arends", Davidson County Public Library 18 "Will of John McCrary, Sr.", 15 May 1822, Davidson Co., NC, Will Bk I, pg. 158, in which his wife's name (living a t time of will) is given as Margaret. No evidence has been found that he ever married a second time to a "Sarah" Lusk , supposedlyMargaret's sister as previously written. 19 "Will of Andrew Smith", 16 Oct 1784, Dept. of State of NJ ,Liber 35, folio 114, proved 26 Apr 1794 states "...and t o my daughter Jemima's children that she bear to Benjamin Merrill, to wit Samuel, John, Andrew, William, Charles, Elija h and Jonathan Merrill and Anna McCleary." 20 McCubbins Collection, housed at the Rowan County Public Library Salisbury, NC, Silvers file, entry from Rowan Count y Deed Bk 14:354 and Bk 16:694 in which John Silvers and wife Elizabeth and Boyd McCrary sell land on Abbott's Creek t o John Freedle andFrederic Mikel. 21 "Hugh NcCrary marriage bond to Polly Sluder, Rowan Co., NC," 6 Aug 1787. 22 "Joseph Davis marriage bond to Susannah McCrary, Rowan Co., NC", 28 Dec 1779. 23 "Gabriel Davis marriage bond to Nancy Ann McCrary, Rowan Co., NC," 29 Nov 1791. 24 "Joseph Huff marriage bond to Lydia McCrary, Rowan Co., NC," 22 Jan 1791. 25 "Estate of Hugh McCrary", Loose estate papers, CRX Files Rowan County, box 6. 26 Whitaker family papers, op. cit. Email me:lamccrary@worldnet.att.net http://home.att.net/~lamccrary/page1.htm This site designed and maintained by Leslie McCrary - copyright 2000 Page Last Updated March 26, 2000