🗺️ 19th Century Westward Expansion

About 19th Century Westward Expansion

The 19th century saw the descendants of Scotch-Irish pioneers continue their westward movement from the Appalachian base established in the 1700s. McCreary families participated in every major phase of westward expansion.

The Old Northwest (1800-1850)

After the Northwest Ordinance (1787) opened the territory north of the Ohio River, families moved from Kentucky and Tennessee into:

• Ohio (statehood 1803) - First stop across the Ohio River
• Indiana (statehood 1816) - Followed the National Road westward
• Illinois (statehood 1818) - Prairie farming began here

The Trans-Mississippi West (1820-1860)

The Louisiana Purchase (1803) opened vast territories west of the Mississippi:

• Missouri (statehood 1821) - Gateway to the West, major settlement
• Arkansas (statehood 1836) - Stopover on route to Texas
• Texas (statehood 1845) - Land grants attracted many families

The Civil War Era (1850-1870)

The Civil War (1861-1865) profoundly affected McCreary families:

• Families were divided between Union and Confederate sympathies
• Kentucky and Missouri were border states with split loyalties
• After the war, many moved to Kansas and Nebraska as free-state settlers
• The Homestead Act (1862) offered free land to settlers

The Great Plains and Far West (1850-1900)

Later 19th century migrations reached the farthest frontiers:

• Kansas (statehood 1861) - Free-state settlement after 1854
• Nebraska (statehood 1867) - Homestead Act settlements
• Oregon (statehood 1859) - Oregon Trail migrations from Missouri
• California (statehood 1850) - Gold Rush (1849) and beyond

Transportation Revolution

New transportation technologies transformed migration:

• National Road (1811-1837) - First federal highway, connected East to West
• Canals - Erie Canal (1825), Ohio canals connected Great Lakes to rivers
• Steamboats - Mississippi and Ohio River transport
• Railroads - Transcontinental Railroad (1869) opened the West

McCreary Family Settlements

By 1900, McCreary families could be found in:

• Original Appalachian base (PA, VA, NC, SC, KY, TN)
• Old Northwest (OH, IN, IL, MI, WI)
• Trans-Mississippi (MO, AR, TX, KS, NE)
• Far West (CA, OR, WA)

Cultural Continuity

Despite geographic dispersal, McCreary families maintained:

• Presbyterian church affiliation wherever they settled
• Emphasis on education (schools and colleges)
• Democratic values and local self-governance
• Agricultural lifestyle (until urbanization)
• Strong family and clan connections