By Staff
McCreary family, early settlers of Conecuh County
By LYDIA GRIMES - Features Writer
This week I am going to go to a family who came south really early on in the settlement of southern Alabama. The McCreary family were early settlers and go back to one Robert McCreary.
Robert McCreary was born about 1742. He married first Margaret Gaston, daughter of John Gaston. She was born 29 August 1739 in County Antrim, Ireland and died 1768 in Chester County, S.C. Robert and Margaret had three children, John McCreary (1761-4 Nov. 1833), Samuel McCreary (1763-2 March 1834) and Margaret McCreary who married Samuel Telford.
Robert McCreary married second, Mary Fortune and they had children, John Adam McCreary (abt. 1768), Matthew McCreary, Mary McCreary, Jane McCreary and Robert McCreary Jr. (1780-1821) who married Ann. M. Harley (1782-1850).
John Adam McCreary married Mary Odom and they are the branch of the family who came to Conecuh County in the early days. They were the parents of five children, Mary Ann McCreary (1800-1860), Joseph Hartwell McCreary (abt 1803), Elijah McCreary (1818), John A. McCreary (d. about 1834) and Samuel McCreary.
Mary Ann McCreary (3 Nov. 1800-9 April 1860) married Wilson Ashley (1793-1866) and they were the parents of Mary Ashley, William A. Ashley, James A. Ashley (5 Feb.1820-July 1823), Caroline Elizabeth Ashley (26 March 1825-18 Dec. 1898) who married Andrew Jay, Susan J. Ashley (14 Nov.1827-17 Dec. 1858) who married Sanford Jones (1807-16 June 1849), Nathaniel Ashley (abt 1830) and Wilson Ashley Jr. (13 March 1833-20 Aug. 1834).
Joseph Hartwell McCreary (abt 1803) married Almirah Naomi Strange (abt 1810). They were the parents of eleven children, Adam R. McCreary (abt 1830), Julia A. McCreary, Joseph Hartwell McCreary Jr. (abt. 1836), John C. McCreary (abt. 1837), Susan Jane McCreary (abt. 1839), Almirah McCreary, Martha F. McCreary (abt. 1843) who married R.E. Lee, Robert J. McCreary (abt. 1846) who married Mary Stanley, Reuben S. McCreary (abt. 1849), William J. McCreary and Samuel Elijah McCreary.
Elijah McCreary (1818) married first Mary Autrey (1826), daughter of Lorenza Autrey and Almirah Strange. They were the parents of Mary Elmira McCreary (1843-1888) who married William Allen Turk, Wilson Ashley McCreary (1844-1881) who married Mary Adeline Robinson and Callie Coleman, Joseph McCreary (1846-1886) who married Sally Robinson and Lorenzo Autrey McCreary (1848-1926) who married Mattie Ward.
Elijah McCreary married second Mary S. Coleman. They were the parents of Andrew Jay McCreary (1 April 1860-8 March 1910) who married Ida Findley (9 Jan. 1860-21 Dec. 1928) daughter of John Findley and Martha Raburn, Anna McCreary (1855-1927) who married William Dennard Kennedy, William Herbert McCreary (1858-1939) who married Elmira Alabama Johnston, Elijah McCreary Jr. (abt. 1851-1912) who married Sally Allen and Lizzie Priese and Callie McCreary who married Robert Hodges.
John A. McCreary (d. abt. 1834) married Narcissa Autrey (d. abt. 1840), the daughter of Alexander Autrey and Parthenia Irvin. They were the parents of Williams A. McCreary, Lorenzo McCreary, John Absolem McCreary (11 Nov. 1832) who married Marcella Johnston and then Elizabeth Etheridge, Parthenia McCreary (abt. 1826) who married John Mims, Martha McCreary and Mary Ann McCreary who married J. M. Travis.
Some of you may have heard about the McCreary plantation located off Hwy. 29 near the McGowin Bridge. This plantation has been written about by me and many others over the years. The part of the McCreary family associated with it is the family of Andrew Jay McCreary and Ida Findley. They were the parents of Arthur Allen McCreary (4 Nov. 1882-9 Jan. 1929) who married Ursie Hart (16 Sept. 1884-27 Apr. 1934), daughter of Reuben Hart and Sarah McGowin, John Findley McCreary, Anna Elizabeth McCreary, Fred Otto McCreary and Lillian Ida McCreary.
Arthur Allen McCreary came by the McCreary plantation when he married the youngest daughter of Reuben and Sarah McGowin Hart. They were the parents of four children, Virgil Dudley McCreary (18 Nov. 1907) who married Iva Hinote, Andrew Jay McCreary (22 July 1911), Ruby Eulalia McCreary (29 Sept. 1913) and Sarah Elizabeth McCreary (9 July 1915).
Descendants of this family still own the old plantation which is located at Teddy.
Happy hunting!