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| Notes for Samuel McCREA | ||||||||||||||||||||
| "SAMUEL McCREA, presumably a son of Alexander McCrea, was born in 1749 probably in the Litchfíeld and Canaan, Connecticut vicinity. He moved, with his family, in 1763 to a farm northwest of Stillwater, New York, near Stafford's Bridge across Fish Creek. That area had then been opened for settlement, and a group from Connecticut went there soon after the lands were available. "In 1776 he married JANET SIMPSON, who was born in 1756. They had ten children, all born in the Stillwater, New York area. The family suffered great losses during the campaigns of General Burgoyne in which it is believed that their home was destroyed and their farm crops and animals lost. "Influenced by Samuel Stafford and probably urged by his older sons, he applied for lands across the Rideau River from the present Merrickville, Ontario, which were then opened for settlement to non-loyalists. His application for such lands was dated in 1792, but he did not arrive in Canada until about a year later. Then, after remaining in the vicinity of Maitland, Ontario, he removed to the lands that he had assumed were granted to him, which were described as Lots 1 and 2 of the First Concession in the Town of Montague. Through an error of the surveyor, a dispute arose with Samuel Stafford, believed to be the husband of his sister Elizabeth, which was not settled until after the deaths of both couples, and then between their respective children. When Samuel McCrea arrived in Canada he was infirm and indigent, probably blind or nearly so. It was because of his poor health that the Staffords refrained from making an issue of the title to these lands until after Samuel's death. Apparently the grant of these lands was made to the Staffords but due to the surveyor's error, they were settled by Samuel McCrea and family, the Staffords later accepting title to other lands nearby and releasing title to the McCrea family of the lands occupied by them. "The McCrea family endured the hardships common to the early settlers of that part of Canada. Sir Arthur G. Doughty's book 'Under the Lily and Rose' tells of these pioneers living in cabins or log houses divided in two with a loft, the roof constructed of bark and the windows sometimes covered with oiled paper when glass could not be obtained, and clay and sticks were used in building chimneys. Few articles of furniture were brought by the settlers, and beds, chairs and tables were made of rough wood. The petticoats of the women were often of deerskin. The men wore the clothes they brought with them, but patched and threadbare. The crude houses gave way to sturdier stone houses in the early 1800's, many of which are still standing an in use. "After a long period of illness and infirmity Samuel McCrea died on January 15, 1806, his wife surviving him until July 27, 1816. Both are buried in the old McGuigan Cemetery northeast of Merrickville, Ontario."27 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Research Notes | ||||||||||||||||||||
| BIRTH: Samuel's parentage is confirmed with no birthdate or place given.131 His parentage and year of birth are confirmed, with the place given as probably CT US.27 MARRIAGE: Samuel's marriage to Janet is confirmed with no date or place given.29 The year is confirmed with no place given.27 DEATH: His date of death is confirmed with no place given.27 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Modified Feb 15, 2003 | Created Dec 31, 2003 by Reunion for Macintosh |