One of the books that got me hooked on genealogical research was published in 1976 and compiled by William and Laura McCreery. It was entitled, The Alexander McCreery Clan. It was the first time I had ever seen my own name in a printed volume and it just enthralled me to read about all these people that I was absolutely connected with -- by blood and by so many family traditions. Recently, while on a short trip to do some genealogical research in Central New York, a friend said to me, "Lets take a ride down to the Lake." Now, I wasn't sure where we were going, but to my amazement we were in the middle of the Finger Lakes, between Cayuga and Seneca Lakes.
As we were driving along Route 414 my eyes got a bit bigger as I realized that we were traveling into the area that the McCreery's and the Collver's had settled. As we approached the small settlement of Hector in Schuyler County -- Boom! There it was! The Hector Presbyterian Church one of the only remaining landmarks associated with the McCreery family still standing in this amazingly gorgeous rural setting near the shores of Seneca Lake. So we stopped and I snapped a few pics with my iPhone and found my heart filled with excitement at this totally unexpected adventure.
Alexander McCreery and his wife Eunice and seven of their ten children migrated from Ulster/Orange County in eastern New York State to the wilds of the Finger Lakes in 1799. They first settled in Ulysses and then in Hector in 1810. Of Scottish ancestry, the McCreery's were probably members of the Scottish Presbyterian Church for many generations. As they arrived in Hector, a new congregation had been organized the year before and soon the family became part of this growing fellowship of Christians. By 1818, the congregation had matured and was able to afford the construction of a house of worship. Today, the Hector Presbyterian Church still worships in that beautiful, yet simple structure. Alexander was know to have become a Deacon in the congregation for eighteen years.
Because of this unexpected adventure, I found myself a bit unprepared. I knew from previous map and records research that Alexander's house and property was nearby, somewhere between Hector and Burdett, but for the life of me, I couldn't remember the name of the road. So, I kept reading the road signs as we traveled down to Hector Falls, but alas nothing was sounding familiar. As soon as I got home, I cracked the McCreery Clan book open -- sure enough, I had simply failed to remember Covert Road! It was right there on the left as we traveled north from Hector Falls only a mile or so out of Burdett. In 1974 Alexander and Eunice's farm house was still standing at Cover and Slattery Hill Roads. But Google Maps doesn't have street view for that rural section. DARN! But that is just fine....I had such a wonderfully unexpected adventure and I couldn't be more happy. Now, I just have to plan another trip to visit again.
The Family of Alexander McCreery (1760-1838) & Eunice Armstrong McCreery (1755-1836)
1) Margaret McCreery Brown (1783-1848) in NY
2) Isabelle McCreery Roushey (1786-1862) in NY
3) Joseph McCreery (1788 -1856) in Michigan
4) Jane McCreery Warner Lewis (1791-1875) in NY
5) Sarah McCreery (1793-1844) in NY
6) Elizabeth McCreery (1795-1875) in NY
7) Robert McCreery (1798-1817) in NY
8) Hannah McCreery Jackson (1801- aft 1875) in NY
9) Eunice McCreery Durland (1805-1877) in NY
10) Mary McCreery Thynne (1808-1886) in NY
