Family History and Genealogy

Are you curious about finding more about McCreary family history? Although there are many online resources that help you find your ancestors in the United States going back three or four generations, there are VERY few records of our McCreary ancestors in Ireland and Scotland before 1800. When you reach a certain point there is just no information available. This is known as hitting the "brick walls" of genealogy.

However, there are some ways you can break through a few more layers. This chapter will guide you through the challenges, resources, and strategies for researching McCreary family history.

Why McCreary Genealogy is Challenging

Researching the McCreary family presents unique challenges that make tracing ancestors back to Scotland and Ireland particularly difficult. Understanding these obstacles will help you set realistic expectations and develop better research strategies.

The Record Gap Problem

The biggest challenge facing McCreary genealogists is what researchers call "the record gap"—the near-complete absence of accessible records from Scotland and Ireland before 1800. While American records can often take you back to the mid-1700s, the trail typically goes cold when you try to trace the family across the Atlantic.

Why the Gap Exists:

Limited Record Keeping: Before the 1800s, most births, marriages, and deaths in Scotland and Ireland were recorded only by churches, not civil authorities. Many Presbyterian records from Ulster were not systematically preserved.
Church vs. State Records: The Kirk (Presbyterian Church of Scotland) kept records, but not all have survived. In Ireland, Presbyterian records were less consistently maintained than Anglican or Catholic records because Presbyterians faced discrimination.
Emigration Documentation: When McCreary families left Ulster for America in the 1700s, there were no comprehensive passenger lists. Unlike later immigration (1800s+), early emigrants left little paper trail of their departure or arrival.

Suggested image: Timeline diagram showing "Record Availability by Time Period" - showing abundant records 1850-present, sparse records 1750-1850, and very few records pre-1750

Records Lost to Fire and Disaster

Many irreplaceable genealogical records were destroyed in fires and other disasters, creating permanent gaps in the historical record.

Major Record Losses:

Irish Public Record Office Fire (1922): The Four Courts building in Dublin, which housed Ireland's Public Record Office, was destroyed during the Irish Civil War. The fire destroyed:
Census records from 1821, 1831, 1841, and 1851
Many parish registers
Wills and probate records
Property and land records
Government documents
Church Fires: Individual church buildings burned over the centuries, destroying baptism, marriage, and burial records. Presbyterian churches in Ulster were particularly vulnerable because they were sometimes targets during sectarian conflicts.
Family Records: Many families lost personal records (Bibles, letters, documents) in house fires, floods, or simply through neglect over generations.

What This Means for Researchers:

Even if your ancestors lived in a specific townland in Ulster, records of their births, marriages, or land holdings may simply not exist anymore. This isn't a failure of research—the records are gone.

Suggested image: Historical photo of the Four Courts fire in Dublin, 1922, with caption explaining the magnitude of loss

The Paywall Problem

Many surviving Irish records are locked behind expensive subscription services, creating a financial barrier to genealogical research.

Cost Barriers:

Roots Ireland: The most comprehensive Irish genealogy database charges approximately $18 USD per day or $70 for a week of access. For serious research requiring multiple sessions, costs add up quickly.
Other Subscription Services: Ancestry.com, Findmypast.ie, and other genealogy sites require monthly or annual subscriptions, often $20-30 per month.
Record Copies: Ordering official copies of certificates from Irish or Scottish authorities can cost $10-20 per document.

Free vs. Paid Resources:

Resource	Cost	Coverage	Notes
Roots Ireland	~$18/day	Most comprehensive Irish records	Includes parish registers, civil records
FamilySearch.org	Free	Good US records, some Irish	Run by LDS Church, volunteers index records
Griffith's Valuation	Free on Roots Ireland	Irish land surveys 1847-1864	Property records, shows heads of household
ScotlandsPeople	Pay per view	Scottish civil records	£7-15 per search credit
National Archives Ireland	Free to visit	Original documents	Must travel to Dublin
PRONI (Belfast)	Free to visit	Ulster records	Must travel to Belfast

Suggested image: Screenshot showing the record count for "McCreary" and variants on Roots Ireland (approximately 3,000 records)

This image shows that RootsIreland has about 3,000 records related to the McCreary and related names, but they are behind a paywall

Griffith's Valuation: A Free Resource Worth Knowing

One valuable free resource on Roots Ireland is Griffith's Valuation, a comprehensive property survey conducted in Ireland between 1847 and 1864.

What Griffith's Valuation Provides:

Lists the head of every household
Shows property holdings and land valuations
Indicates landlords and tenants
Covers all of Ireland, including Ulster counties where McCrearys lived

Limitations:

Only covers 1847-1864 (mid-1800s)
Too late to trace families who emigrated in the 1700s
Shows only property holders (not younger family members)
Doesn't include births, marriages, or deaths

How to Use It:

Griffith's Valuation is most useful for:

Locating McCreary families still in Ireland in the 1850s-1860s
Identifying specific townlands where the family lived
Understanding property relationships and wealth
Finding family members who didn't emigrate

You can search Griffith's Valuation free at: askaboutireland.ie/griffith-valuation

Name Variations Complicate Searches

The McCreary surname has numerous spelling variations, making systematic searches difficult. You must search under multiple spellings to find all relevant records.

Common Variations:

McCreary
McCrary
MacCreary
MacCrary
McCreery
McCrory
MacRory
Magrory
MacRuairidh (original Gaelic form)

Why So Many Spellings?

Phonetic Spelling: Before standardized spelling, clerks wrote names as they sounded. Irish and Scottish accents led to different interpretations.
Anglicization: The Gaelic "Mac Ruaidhri" was anglicized in different ways.
Literacy Variations: Family members might spell their own name differently at different times.
Clerical Errors: Church and government clerks made mistakes or chose different spellings.

Research Strategy:

When searching databases, you must search ALL common variations. Most genealogy databases have "soundex" or "variants" options that help, but not all variations are caught automatically.

Understanding McCreary Origins

Before diving into specific genealogical research, it helps to understand the broader context of McCreary family origins and migration patterns.

The Name's Meaning

The surname McCreary derives from the Gaelic Mac Ruaidhri, meaning "son of Ruaidhri" (anglicized as Rory). The name literally means "son of the red king"—"ruadh" means red (likely referring to red hair) and "rí" means king.

This patronymic naming pattern was common in Gaelic Scotland and Ireland, where surnames indicated descent from a particular ancestor named Ruaidhri who likely lived many generations before surnames became fixed.

Suggested diagram: Etymology flowchart showing: Mac Ruaidhri → MacRory/McCrory → McCreary/McCrary, with translations

Geographic Origins

McCreary families trace back to two primary geographic areas:

Scotland (pre-1600s):

Predominantly Lowland Scottish families
Western Scotland (Ayrshire, Galloway, Dumfriesshire regions)
Presbyterian religion after the Scottish Reformation (1560)
Part of the clan system social structure

Ulster, Ireland (1600s-1700s):

Families moved during the Ulster Plantation (1609+)
Settled primarily in counties Antrim, Down, Donegal, and Tyrone
Maintained Presbyterian identity
Faced "double discrimination" from Catholics and Anglicans

America (1700s onward):

First documented arrivals around 1718
Initial settlement in Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, Cumberland Valley)
Migration south along the Great Wagon Road
Settlement in Virginia, Carolinas, Tennessee, and Kentucky

Suggested map: Migration map showing arrows from Scotland → Ulster → Pennsylvania → Southern states

The "Scotch-Irish" Identity

McCreary families are part of the Scotch-Irish (or Ulster Scots) ethnic group. Understanding this identity is crucial for genealogical research because it explains:

Why records are in both Scotland and Ireland: Families lived in both places at different times
Religious affiliation: Almost exclusively Presbyterian
Migration patterns: Followed specific routes and settled specific regions
Community networks: Scotch-Irish families tended to migrate and settle together

The Scotch-Irish were:

Scottish by ethnicity and culture
Irish by residence (1600s-1700s)
American by destination (1700s-1800s)
Presbyterian by religion
Frontier settlers by choice

Major Family Branches

McCreary families in America descend from multiple immigrant ancestors who arrived separately, creating distinct family branches. These branches are NOT necessarily closely related—they may descend from different families in Scotland/Ulster who happened to share the same surname.

Known Early American Ancestors

Research has identified several early McCreary immigrants to America, though the connections between them remain unclear:

George McCreary (c. 1752-1842)

One of the best-documented early McCrearys
Settled in Pennsylvania
Extensive descendants tracked in Marian Brune McCreary's genealogy book
Multiple generations documented in American records

Amos McCreary

Bedford County, Pennsylvania
Subject of Fred D. Ickes's 1985 genealogy book
Large extended family in Pennsylvania and westward
Separate lineage from George McCreary (probably)

Pennsylvania McCrearys (1720s-1740s)

Multiple McCreary families appear in Pennsylvania colonial records
Some settled Cumberland Valley
Others moved to Shenandoah Valley, Virginia
Relationships between these families unclear

Virginia and Carolina Lines

McCreary families appear in Virginia by 1760s
North and South Carolina records show McCrearys by 1770s
May include both new immigrants and descendants of Pennsylvania families

The Challenge of Connecting Branches

One of the most frustrating aspects of McCreary genealogy is the difficulty of connecting family branches that existed before 1800.

Why Connections Are Hard to Establish:

Lack of records from Ulster showing family relationships
Multiple unrelated families with the same surname
Incomplete American colonial records
Families moved frequently, leaving gaps in documentation
DNA testing can show genetic relationships but can't identify specific connecting ancestors

What This Means for Your Research:

If you can trace your ancestry back to a specific early American McCreary (like George or Amos), you can often document that line quite well. However, connecting your line to other McCreary branches, or tracing ancestors back to specific families in Ulster or Scotland, may be impossible with available records.

Suggested diagram: Family tree diagram showing multiple root ancestors (George, Amos, Unknown 1, Unknown 2) with question marks showing uncertain connections back to Ulster/Scotland

Genealogical Research Strategies

Despite the challenges, there are effective strategies for researching McCreary family history. Here's how to approach your research systematically.

Start with What You Know

The cardinal rule of genealogy: Work backward from the present, one generation at a time.

Step 1: Document Your Immediate Family

Write down everything you know about your parents, grandparents, great-grandparents
Record full names (including maiden names), birth dates, death dates, marriage dates
Note locations (cities, counties, states)
Gather documents: birth certificates, death certificates, marriage licenses, obituaries

Step 2: Interview Living Relatives

Talk to older family members while you can
Record family stories, even if they seem like legends
Ask about family Bibles, photo albums, letters, documents
Ask about family migration stories: where did ancestors come from?

Step 3: Build Forward

Once you have a solid foundation, work backward generation by generation, documenting each link with sources.

Use Free Resources First

Before paying for subscriptions, exhaust free resources:

FamilySearch.org

Free genealogy database run by the LDS Church
Extensive American records (census, vital records, church records)
Growing collection of Irish and Scottish records
User-submitted family trees (use with caution—verify everything)
Free access at Family History Centers worldwide

National Archives Resources

US Census records (1790-1950) available free through various sites
Revolutionary War records
Immigration records (1800s onward)
Land records and military records

County and State Archives

Many counties digitize old records
Wills, deeds, court records
Local history collections
Often free but may require visiting or emailing

Presbyterian Church Records

Local Presbyterian churches where ancestors lived
Baptism, marriage, and membership records
Some digitized, others require visits
Presbyterian Historical Society has centralized collections

Using Paid Databases Effectively

If you decide to pay for access, use your subscription time efficiently:

Before Subscribing:

Make a list of specific ancestors you need to research
Note specific time periods and locations
Prepare to download and save everything you find
Consider shared subscriptions with other family researchers

Maximize Your Research Time:

Use the free trial period strategically
Research multiple family lines simultaneously
Download all records and images immediately
Take detailed notes with source citations
Consider paying for one month when you have dedicated research time

Best Paid Resources for McCreary Research:

Ancestry.com: Best for American records, some Irish records
Findmypast.ie: Strong Irish and British records
ScotlandsPeople: Official Scottish records
Roots Ireland: Most comprehensive Irish parish registers

DNA Testing for Genealogy

DNA testing has revolutionized genealogy, offering ways to break through brick walls when paper records run out.

Types of DNA Tests:

Test Type	What It Shows	Best For	Cost Range
Autosomal	Matches all lines, 5-7 generations	Finding living cousins, recent ancestry	$50-100
Y-DNA	Direct paternal line (father to father)	McCreary surname line, deep paternal ancestry	$100-300
mtDNA	Direct maternal line (mother to mother)	Deep maternal ancestry	$150-300

Autosomal DNA (Most Popular):

Tests your entire genetic makeup
Finds cousins on all family lines
Shows ethnic breakdown
Most useful for genealogy research
Offered by AncestryDNA, 23andMe, MyHeritage, FamilyTreeDNA

How DNA Helps McCreary Research:

Find Living Cousins: Connect with other McCreary descendants researching the same lines
Confirm Relationships: Verify suspected family connections
Break Brick Walls: Find common ancestors through shared DNA matches
Identify Origin Regions: See where your ancestors came from (Scotland vs. Ireland percentages)

Limitations:

DNA shows you're related but doesn't tell you HOW you're related
You still need paper records to identify specific ancestors
Requires time to contact matches and compare family trees
Not everyone who tests shares their information or responds to messages

Research Strategy:

Take an autosomal DNA test from a major company
Build a detailed family tree on that platform
Review your DNA matches regularly
Contact close matches who might research the same McCreary lines
Join McCreary DNA projects on FamilyTreeDNA

Understanding Source Citation

As you research, maintain careful records of your sources. This is crucial because:

You'll need to verify conflicting information
Other researchers will want to check your work
You'll forget where you found information
Good documentation makes your research valuable to others

What to Record:

For every fact, record:

Where you found it (website, book, archive)
Specific citation (database name, collection, document ID)
Date you accessed it
Direct quote or image of the record
Your assessment of reliability

Source Reliability Hierarchy:

Primary Sources (created at the time): Birth certificates, church registers, contemporary letters
Secondary Sources (created later): Death certificates (for birth date), census records, obituaries
Tertiary Sources (compiled): Published genealogies, family trees, family stories

Always prefer primary sources when available. Verify secondary and tertiary sources with primary documents when possible.

Resources for McCreary Family History Genealogical Research

Online Databases

Free Resources:

FamilySearch.org - Free, extensive records, user-submitted trees
Griffith's Valuation - Irish property records 1847-1864
FreeBMD - Free British births, marriages, deaths index
ScotlandsPeople - Pay-per-view Scottish records (some free indexes)
US Census records - Available through multiple free and paid sites

Paid Resources:

Ancestry.com - $25-50/month - Best overall US records, growing international collection
Roots Ireland - ~$18/day - Most comprehensive Irish parish records and civil records
Findmypast.ie - $15-20/month - Strong Irish and British records
ScotlandsPeople - Pay per credits - Official Scottish government records

Books

I am somewhat reluctant to recommend these books. Some of them only cover a very narrow branch of our family tree. Many do not provide the high-quality interactive timelines and maps that we do in this website. However, they may be valuable if your line connects to one of these specific families.

Published Genealogies:

McCreary Family Tree - 2015 - Marian Brune McCreary
Focuses exclusively on descendants of George McCreary (1752-1842)
Chapter 1 is available free
Full book costs $80.00
Very detailed for this specific line
Good source if you descend from George McCreary
McCreary Genealogy: Descendants Of Amos McCreary Of Bedford County, Pennsylvania - 1985 - Fred D. Ickes
Paperback, approximately $65.00
Covers Amos McCreary line in Pennsylvania
Out of print, may be available in libraries
Separate from George McCreary line

General Scotch-Irish Resources:

Born Fighting: How the Scots-Irish Shaped America - James Webb
Not genealogy, but excellent cultural and historical context
Explains Scotch-Irish migration patterns and settlements
Helps understand why McCrearys settled where they did
The Scotch-Irish: A Social History - James G. Leyburn
Academic but readable history
Covers Ulster Plantation through American settlement
Essential background for understanding McCreary family context

Archives and Libraries

In-Person Research (Worth the Trip):

For Irish Records:

PRONI (Public Record Office of Northern Ireland) - Belfast
Free access
Ulster records including Presbyterian church registers
Must visit in person or hire a researcher
Website: proni.gov.uk
National Archives of Ireland - Dublin
Free access
Griffith's Valuation, census substitutes, land records
Website: nationalarchives.ie

For Scottish Records:

National Records of Scotland - Edinburgh
Pay-per-view access also available online
Old parish registers, civil records, census
Website: nrscotland.gov.uk

For American Records:

Presbyterian Historical Society - Philadelphia, PA
Centralized Presbyterian church records
Records from churches where McCrearys worshipped
Website: history.pcusa.org
State and County Archives
Pennsylvania State Archives - Harrisburg, PA
Virginia State Library - Richmond, VA
Kentucky Historical Society - Frankfort, KY
Tennessee State Library - Nashville, TN
North Carolina State Archives - Raleigh, NC
South Carolina Department of Archives - Columbia, SC

Family History Centers:

Over 5,000 locations worldwide
Free access to FamilySearch resources
Microfilm readers for archived records
Volunteers can help with research
Find locations: familysearch.org/locations

DNA Resources

Testing Companies:

AncestryDNA - $99 (often on sale) - Largest database, integrated with Ancestry trees
23andMe - $99-199 - Health reports plus ancestry
MyHeritage DNA - $79 - Strong international database
FamilyTreeDNA - $79-300 - Y-DNA and mtDNA available, DNA projects

DNA Projects:

Search for "McCreary DNA Project" on FamilyTreeDNA
Join Scotch-Irish DNA groups on Facebook and other platforms
Share results across multiple platforms (most allow uploads)

Online Communities

Facebook Groups:

"McCreary Family Genealogy" - Connect with other McCreary researchers
"Scotch-Irish Genealogy" - Broader community for Ulster Scots research
County-specific genealogy groups for where your ancestors lived

Forums and Message Boards:

Ancestry.com Message Boards - Search for McCreary surname discussions
RootsWeb Mailing Lists - Email-based genealogy communities
FamilySearch Community - Questions and research help

Hiring Professional Researchers

If you've exhausted your own research abilities, consider hiring a professional genealogist:

When to Hire a Professional:

You've hit a specific brick wall and tried everything
You need records from archives you can't visit
You need help reading old handwriting or foreign languages
You want someone experienced in Irish/Scottish research

How to Find Genealogists:

Association of Professional Genealogists - Directory of certified researchers
Board for Certification of Genealogists - Highest standard of certification
Look for specialists in Irish and Scottish research
Expect to pay $30-100+ per hour depending on expertise

What to Expect:

Most researchers charge by the hour
They provide detailed reports with source citations
They can't guarantee they'll find your ancestors
You pay for research time, not results
Get a written agreement on scope and costs

Tips for Success

Realistic Expectations

What's Achievable:

Tracing your line back 3-5 generations in America (1800s-1900s)
Finding your immigrant ancestor (possibly to 1700s)
Identifying the general region in Ulster where your family lived
Connecting with living cousins through DNA

What's Challenging/Impossible:

Tracing specific ancestors back to Scotland (pre-1600s)
Connecting your line to other McCreary branches without records
Finding comprehensive family records in Ulster before 1800
Identifying exact townlands in Scotland where ancestors originated

Avoid Common Pitfalls

Don't:

Assume all McCrearys are related - many separate families share the surname
Trust online family trees without verifying sources
Skip generations - document each link
Give up when you hit a brick wall - try different approaches
Pay for records you can access free elsewhere

Do:

Document every source carefully
Verify information with multiple records
Connect with other researchers
Be patient - genealogy takes time
Focus on what's achievable with available records

Building on This Website

This website provides context that makes your genealogical research more meaningful:

Timeline: See what was happening when your ancestors lived
Geography: Understand where your ancestors lived and why they moved
Culture: Learn about Scotch-Irish traditions your family maintained
History: Understand the events that shaped family decisions

Use this site to understand the "why" behind the "who, what, when, where" you discover in genealogical records.

Conclusion

McCreary family genealogy is challenging but rewarding. While you may never trace your line all the way back to medieval Scotland, you can build a meaningful family history that connects your living relatives to the broader Scotch-Irish experience.

The key is to:

Start with what you know and work backward carefully
Use free resources before paying for subscriptions
Document your sources meticulously
Connect with other researchers
Accept that some brick walls can't be broken
Focus on telling the story of the ancestors you CAN document

Remember: genealogy isn't just about names and dates. It's about understanding who your ancestors were, what they experienced, and how their choices shaped your family's path through history. Even when records run out, you can still tell the larger story of the Scotch-Irish migration from Scotland through Ulster to America—a story your McCreary ancestors were part of.

References

Family Search Born: Ireland and UK, Died: US - shows 494 results
Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) - Official repository for Ulster records including Presbyterian church registers
National Records of Scotland - Official source for Scottish genealogical records including Old Parish Registers
Irish Genealogy: A Guide to Tracing Your Irish Ancestors - Government of Ireland's official genealogy portal
Presbyterian Historical Society - Central repository for American Presbyterian church records
The Four Courts Fire and Its Impact on Irish Genealogy - Understanding the 1922 record loss
FamilySearch Research Wiki: Ireland - Comprehensive guide to Irish genealogical research
Scotch-Irish Genealogy Research Guide - Specific strategies for Scotch-Irish research
Association of Professional Genealogists: Hiring a Researcher - Guide to working with professional genealogists