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John McCreary (1710--1777)

What the sources say about John McCreary (1710--1777) and his descendants

Key sketch from a FamilySearch / private compilation

  • There is a FamilySearch catalog entry for a work titled John McCreary clan / by Marjorie MacCreary, which describes John McCreary (1710--1777) of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania as father of three sons and four daughters. FamilySearch

The Father is listed as John McCreary b1661

John McCreary b1710

John McCreary b1710

  • The sons are listed: Joseph (b. 1732), John (b. 1733), Samuel (b. 1739). FamilySearch+1

  • The compilation claims that descendants of his sons moved into Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, etc. FamilySearch+1

So, there is a genealogical tradition around this John McCreary that places him firmly in Lancaster County by the mid-18th century.

Local history & will / land reference

  • A local page "John McCreary 1710--1777" mentions that he built a stone house at Peachbottom, later in what is now Fulton Township, and died in the home of his son John in Martick Township. The will is said to be on file in the courthouse. adena.com

  • The Report of the Committee (Lancaster History) mentions a "John McCreary, practically all on the east side of the creek ..." among Scotch-Irish and English neighbors near Pequea creek and Marticville region. LancasterHistory

These local references help place him spatially in the Lancaster / Pequea region, but do not connect him definitively to Ulster or Antrim.

Other McCreary / McCreery variants and Ulster linkages

  • A RootsWeb page claims that the McCrearys were among Presbyterian Scots who settled in North Ireland (i.e. Ulster), specifically near Strabane in County Tyrone. RootsWeb

  • A McCreary family history blog suggests that their "McCreary line may have been associated with the Brythonic Celts of southwest Scotland," with migration into Northern Ireland before later migrating to Pennsylvania. mccrearyline.blogspot.com

  • The MCCREERY HISTORY & GENEALOGY site traces McCreery / McCrerie / McCririck roots to Galloway in southwest Scotland, and notes spelling variants over time. Freepages Rootsweb

  • On WikiTree, there is a profile of John McCreery / McCreery born about 1710, with a possibility he was born in Scotland or in Ireland; some sources attach a brother James, and some suggest John married Agnes (Nancy) Crawford. WikiTree

These variant-name and family tradition sources are weaker evidence, but they show that genealogists believe a Scottish → Ulster → America route is plausible for the McCreary / McCreery line.

Gaps, uncertainties, and challenges

While the tradition is strong, I did not find:

  1. A primary Ulster / Ireland record (e.g. parish register, baptism, landholding, muster, or port record) for a John McCreary born ~1710 in Antrim (or elsewhere) that later emigrated to Pennsylvania.

  2. A passenger list, oath of allegiance, or other migration record clearly tying that John McCreary to a port of embarkation (e.g. Belfast, Londonderry) or arrival in Pennsylvania.

  3. A direct connection in extant plantation records or Ulster muster books.

So far, the evidence is genealogical reconstruction and local histories, not directly archival for the Scottish/Irish leg.

I checked a number of digitized catalogues, parish register indexes, and surname-occurrence tools, but found no definitive primary record of a John McCreary (or exact variant) born ~1710 in County Antrim. Below is a summary of what is found (or not found) and what that tells us.

What is found / relevant data points

  1. “McCreery households by parish in Antrim” John Grenham’s site lists occurrences of McCreery in various Antrim parishes in 1861–62 (Griffiths’ Valuation data). This shows the surname in Antrim in the 19th century, but is far too late to speak to your 1710 target. (John Grenham)

  2. “McCreery in Ireland: Muster roll of Down / covering Antrim, Down, Fermanagh” A RootsWeb page claims that a Muster roll of the county of Down, 1631 covers “all three counties of Down, Antrim and Fermanagh,” and includes McCreery surnames. (Freepages Rootsweb)

  3. This is intriguing: it suggests that by 1631, a McCreery (or variant) might already have been present in that region (Antrim included).

  4. But 1631 is 80 years before your John’s birth, so this is not proof of continuity, just a possible early appearance of the surname in Ulster.

  5. Antrim Parish (Church of Ireland) register links The Registers.NLI.ie site shows that the parish of Antrim (Down & Connor diocese) has microfilm of baptisms, marriages, burials but only for later 19th century records. (registers.nli.ie)

  6. That suggests that earlier registers are missing or not digitized via that portal.

  7. Also, A “Parish Records” listing for Antrim notes that available Antrim registers (Church of Ireland) begin around 1828 (i.e. for baptisms) in the online index context. (rootsireland.ie)

  8. “Parish Registers” guide for County Antrim A listing of Antrim parish registers notes that the registers were required from 1597 and bishops’ transcripts might supplement originals, but that there are “gaps” due to civil war, loss, etc. (ukbmd.org.uk)

  9. That is consistent with many Irish parishes: some early records survive, many do not.

  10. RootsIreland Antrim records index The site shows what online Antrim records are currently indexed (baptism, marriage, burial) for various parishes, but many are later or partial (18th/19th). (rootsireland.ie)

Interpretation & constraints

  • The absence of a match in accessible indexes is not dispositive. Many early 18th-century registers (especially for nonconformist/Presbyterian families) were either never kept, lost, or not yet digitized.
  • The presence of McCreery / McCreary in Ulster (e.g. in the 1631 muster roll) increases the surname’s plausibility in that region but does not tie it directly to your John.
  • The fact that Church of Ireland registers for Antrim (via digital portals) begin mostly in the 19th century suggests a dearth of early digitized records. (registers.nli.ie)

If you like, the next step I can attempt would be:

  • Check PRONI’s eCatalogue (which may have deeper holdings not indexed publicly) for McCreary / McCreery in early congregational or estate records.
  • Check major microfilm collections (e.g. LDS / FamilySearch) for Antrim Presbyterian congregations near the early 1700s for variant surnames.
  • Explore antiquarian / manuscript collections (local history journals in Antrim) for private genealogies.

Would you like me to do one of those steps (PRONI eCatalogue or FamilySearch microfilm check) now?