We just had our 3rd annual McCrary Family Reunion. It was exciting to see new family members attend this year - they came from the Sarah Lovisa McCrary Harris line. One of these cousins donated a painting to the family of Matilda Forrest McCrary (the mother of John Memorial). Until now, we did not have a picture of this grandma. It was a great discovery.
We also started a new tradition. Each year we will now be holding raffle to earn funds for the facility we rent out to host the reunion.
10 comments:
Thanks to Liz Harris and her family for the work they have put into this blog. I will forward a link to this blog to all of the email addresses I have.
Love this picture! Thank you so much for sharing it! Paula (John Chester Mccrary Descendent)
Concerning the picture: Matilda Forrest McCrary visited her son, George Washington McCrary while he was Secretary of War in Washington D.C. in 1878. George had this picture painted of her and gave it to her as a gift. It was at Minor McCrary's house until it was passed down to Keith McCrary and then to the Harris family. The Harris family (Darryl Harris) donated the picture at the McCrary Family Reunion this year. My hopes are to get it professionally restored soon and stored in a manner that will preserve it for future generation.
You can see pictures of the 2009-Aug McCrary Family Reunion at my Facebook Page
-Dana Goddard (Cathy McCrary Goddard's husband)
Just a quick post....great job on organizing the reunion Rob. I was really glad to be able to bring my Mom & Dad up to the reunion. It was also awesome to meet our relatives the Harris's. The blog is an awesome idea! I look forward to learning more about everyone.
Calvin McCrary
Beautiful Blog! Thrilled to find it. I will pass the link to my brother and children, nieces and nephews too! Looking forward to next year! (got some great ideas for raffle items!)
(granddaughter of Austin Cannon McCrary, daughter of Grant and Lorna (McCrary) Steed.
It's me again...I forgot I wanted to post here to see if ANYONE has a good photo of Austin Cannon McCrary and Catherine Sinclair McCrary(his wife) maybe on their wedding day?? Or, just a picture of him will do, but it needs to be pretty clear. I want to try and make a family tree quilt, and do not have his picture (other than a little tiny one of him in a uniform) You can send it to me via email , or call me, I will go make a copy somewhere. Thanks in Advance!
The Mc Crearys move to Pennsylvania
The Church of the Sacred Heart, better known as Conowago Chapel, and its history
belongs rather to the history of the Christian Church in America than to any
present division of the United States. It was here before the sturdy Irish and
Germans crossed the Susquehanna, and may be said to be contemporary with the
Church of St. Peter’s, at Baltimore. From what has been learned of the
beginnings of this church, it dates back to the period of the Iroquois and
Algonquin wars. The Caughnawagas, a branch of the Algonquin race, rambled south
from the great lakes, settled for a time in this vicinity, and were here to
offer a welcome and a home to the first Jesuit fathers. Josiah Grayton, S. J.,
often called “Father Creighton,” was the first of the fathers who made any
direct reference to Caughnawaga of the Susquehanna. In 1720 he came here and
offered up services in the wilderness, making, it is said, the wigwam a temple.
Within a few years a cabin was erected, which was used until 1740, when Rev.
William Wappeler, S. J., had a new log building erected in the vicinity of the
present church. Mrs. Elizabeth Sourbrier, of Maryland, herself a centenarian,
remembers an old church cabin* of which many old settlers knew nothing; while
the German immigrants of 1735 “passed a mass house, built of unhewn logs, while
en route from York to Christ Church settlement.” Samuel Lilly, family and
household, and the Robert Owings family settled here in 1730, and were the first
actual white settlers and members of the church. Then came the McSherrys,
McCrearys, Marshalls, Sanderses, Riellys - all from the north of Ireland – the
Sneeringers, Shrivers, and a host of others from Holland and other parts of
Europe.
William Mc Creary gets himself into some trouble.
Friday, April 10th, 1778
The Session met according to app'mt. U.P.P.S. The Rev. John Black with Col. McPherson, David McConneaughy, Jas. McAllister, Jas Riddel, Jas Ewing, Jas Russel, Tho Latta, Sam'l McConneaughy, John Flemming, Quintain Armstrong, David Moore, Elders.
Col. Kennedy appeared and laid in a paper containing some complaints against Wm. McCreary which is ordered to be kept in retentis. [see * below]
The Session then called upon William McCreary and interrogated him concerning the said complaints. (in the judgement of the Session) who acknowledged in substance the things contained therein, but said that he mentioned them only as a matter of report and fame(?) to him, that he was under the influence of anger when he spoke, and that he was sorry he spoke in such an unguarded manner.
The Session then came to the following judgement viz. That tho' Wm. McCreary does not appear to be the malicious inventor, or even propagator, of these scandalous reports upon Col. Kennedy. Yet that he was criminal in being so far under the influence of passion, and in mentioning in so unguarded a manner reports that are injurous to character without sufficient foundation, and treating character so untenderly- & that therefore he be rebuked and admonished by the moderator in Session – and that this judgement of Session be made public on some day of meeting of this Congregation.
William McCreary complies with the above judgement.
Concluded with prayer.
*"William McCreary charged my with forcing the men over the North River without orders and Durst not go over My Self and went and Cist my Mistres and Booted the Seate out of my Britches. This is the charge by me
David Kennedy"
"Minutes of Upper Marsh Creek Presbyterian Church Session from the year 1776 until 1788, during the ministry of Rev. John Black"
John Mc Crary was a reverend
Information fro Protrait and Biographical Album Pag 619, Taken from Mayme Severs Whittlesey's Book on the History of the Gale Family.
REV. JOHN McCRARY, deceased, is numbered among the early corners of Van Buren County, Iowa but died the same year of his arrival in the community. (He died in 1857). He was a son of James and Isabel Griffen McCrary and was born about the year 1770, in Iradell County, N.C. Having attained to man's estate, in 1793 he was united in marriage with Ruth Wasson, and they began their domestic life in the State of his nativity but on account of the institution of slavery they removed to Tennessee where they made their home until 1810. That year witnessed their settlement in Indiana, where they spent a quarter of a century. In 1835, they removed to McDonough County, Ill., but after a year continued on their westward journey to what is now Van Buren County, Iowa, but only a short time had been spent by Mr. McCrary in that community when he was called to his final rest.
Unto this worthy couple was born a family of eight children, four Sons and four daughters, viz: Polly, James, Lucinda, Rebecca, Miner, Minerva, Abner H., and John C., whose sketch appears on another page of this work.
Mr. McCrary was reared in the faith of the Presbyterian Church and maintained his connection with the same until about the year 1800, when his views having changed he severed his connection with that denomination and became a member of the Christian Church. He was one of the sturdy and honored pioneers of Indiana and was the organizer of a number of churches in the vicinity of his home. Living in a day when the slavery question was the most important issue to engage the attention of the people, he took strong grounds against the institution, especially its introduction into northern territory. Believing it to be a sin he did not hesitate to express his views in regard to it and in the division of the church occasioned by the opposing views of the members on that subject, he took his stand with those who believed that "all men are created equal and that they are endowed with certain inalienable rights, among which are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." On the temperance question he was no less outspoken, urging upon the people the necessity of abstaining from the use of alcoholic drinks. After living a true Christian life during a half century, the greater part of which time he was engaged in the self-sacrificing labors of a pioneer minister of the Gospel, this good man passed to his heavenly reward. His wife was his able and faithful assistant in his work and the promises concerning the future life were dear unto her as unto him.
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