While researching for my project, I stumbled across more information regarding Robert McCrory who would have been my fifth great-grandfather on my Ball family side.

What an exciting life he led!

• Born in Antrim, Ireland in 1801
• While emigrating to the USA in 1812, their ship was overtaken by a British man-of-war
• Robert’s mother interceded on his behalf, maintaing his youth should kee[ him from being impressed into British seamanship
• After landing in a Baltimore shipyard young William witnessed a severe flogging og a slave for a trivial offense; this encouraged his vehement hatred for slavery in The United States
• Robert migrated to Pennsylvania where he lived with his family until manhood
• He moved to Cincinnati, Ohio and walked all the way to the land office in Indianapolis, Indiana where he entered a quarter of a section of land two and one half miles northeast of Glenwood in Fairview Township, Fayette County, Indiana (between Connersville and Rushville on IN-44
• Robert McCrory built up his property to become a prosperous landowner and according to his obituary, “Accumulated by honesty and hard labor considerable property, which he died possessed of.”
• The Connersville newspaper noted in McCrory’s obituatary that the services “were witness by the largest concourse of mourning relatives and friends ever assembled on like occasion in this vicinity.”

ROBERT McCRORY: born 15 Aug 1801 in Antrim, Ireland; died 20 Mar 1879 (aged 77) in Fayette County, Indiana; buried in Glenwood Union Cemetery, Glenwood, Rush County, Indiana.

Articles regarding his life and death:

THE CONNERSVILLE EXAMINER on Robert McCrory’s wife, Saline M. “Celina” Saxon McCrory

Parents: Alexander and Mary Baldwin Saxon.

Siblings: James Saxon, Mary Ann Saxon Henderson, William M. Saxon, Elizabeth Saxon Procter, Alexander Gillespie Saxon, Robert F. Saxon, John L. Saxon, and Phineas Clayton Saxon.

Husband: Robert McCrory in Fayette Co., IN on 1-28-1823. Children: John McCrory, Mary McCrory Ball, Anna McCrory Murphy, William S. McCrory, Margaret McCrory Marks, Samuel McCrory, Clayton McCrory, Jane McCrory Ochiltree, Catherine E. McCrory, and Salina McCrory Crawford.

Salina’s brother Alexander Gillespie Saxon married her husband Robert’s sister, Margaret McCrory. Salina’s and Robert’s daughter Catherine E. “Kate” married her first cousin Robert, son of William McCrory, Catherine’s uncle.

“Mrs. Robert McCrory, relict of Robert McCrory, Sr., of Glenwood, died last Saturday morning. Age and infirmities. Funeral services by Rev. J. F. Hutchison at the Presbyterian church, after which in the presence of a very large concourse of relatives and friends, her remains were deposited beside her husband.” [The Connersville Examiner August 28, 1879 #35 p. 3.]

1870 U.S. CENSUS

1870 Fairview Fayette IN Census: Robert McCrory, 70, born in 1800, Ireland; farmer,; Salina McCrory 64, born in 1806, Georgia; Catharine McCrory, 22, born in 1848, Indiana; Salina McCrory, 21, born in 1849 Indiana; Margaret McCrory, 11, born in 1859 Indiana; Robert McCrory, 27, born in 1843 Indiana; Jacob Kinder, 38, born in 1832 Indiana; carpenter.

BARROW’S HISTORY OF FAYETTE COUNTY, INDIANA; 1917; p. 844

Robert was a son of John McCrory and Lillie Akin McCrory; his siblings were Samuel, William, Margaret, and Jane. Robert married Salina M. “Celina” Saxon in Fayette Co., IN on January 28, 1823. Their ten children were John, Mary BALL, Annie, William S., Margaret, Samuel, Clayton, Jane, Catherine E., and Salina.

Robert’s sister Margaret married Alexander Gillespie Saxon who was Robert’s brother-in-law.

“Robert McCrory … a native of Ireland walked from Cincinnati to the land office at Indianapolis and there entered a quarter of a section of land two and one-half miles northeast of Glenwood in this country, where he established his home. He married Celina Saxon, who was born in Georgia and who was but a child when her parents came to Indiana, settling in Fayette county at a time when Indians still were numerous hereabout. The Indians at that time were continuing to give such cause for apprehension on the part of the settlers that the little Celina was not permitted to wander far from the house in her play, lest she should be stolen by the Indians.”

CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF RUSH COUNTY, INDIANA; Vol. 2; 1921; pp. 109-110

“…Robert McCrory was a native of Ireland who came to America with his parents when he was but a lad, the family located in Pennsylvania, where he grew to manhood. As a young man, he came out to Indiana and located in Fayette county, where he presently married and established his home, one of the pioneers of the Glenwood neighborhood, and on their farm where he and his wife spent the remainder of their lives. Of the eleven children born to them, all are now dead, but their descendants in the third and fourth generation are numerously represented hereabout. …”

J. M. O. GLENWOOD, March 24, 1879.” [Connersville Library Microfilm.]

“Obituary: All that is mortal of Robert McCrory, Sr., was laid away in the churchyard here last Saturday. The obsequies were witnessed by the largest concourse of mourning relatives and friends ever assembled on like occasion in this vicinity. The subject of this notice was born in County Antrim, Ireland, in the month of August 1800. Emigrating to America, he landed in Baltimore in 1812. Was taken from his ship while crossing the ocean by a British man-of-war to be impressed into their service as a soldier or seaman, but his youth and the earnest intercession of his mother, who was present at this trying moment, induced the British commander to give up the lad after detaining him about twenty-four hours. In a Baltimore shipyard, shortly after landing, he witnessed the severe flogging of a slave for some trivial offense, which sight had much to do with creating in his heart a deep feeling of horror for the institution of slavery, and which remained there, as it were, a part of his being until the last vestige of the great evil was wiped out by our late civil war. He came to Indiana in 1820 or 1821. Accumulated by honesty and hard labor considerable property, which he died possessed of. A goodly number of his years on earth were passed as a Christian, unwavering and true. This is especially so of the latter, half of his eventful life. His aged wife survives him, and with their 9 children, 3 sons and 6 daughters, constitute the chief mourners.”

(*The fourth son, John, preceded his father in death.)

GLENWOOD UNION CEMETERY, Glenwood, Indiana – Tombstone Inscription:

“MCCRORY: Father ROBERT MCCRORY died Mar. 20, 1879, Aged 78 yrs. 7 mo. & 5 ds. Mother Salina wife of Robert McCrory Died Aug. 23, 1879, Aged 72 yrs. 7 mo. & 23 Ds.”

MY LINEAGE TO ROBERT MCCRORY

• John McCrory & Lillie Akin McCrory (Robert’s parents)
• Robert McCrory
• Mary McCrory Ball
• Prudence Anna Ball Greenlee
• Anna Prudence Greenlee Jones
• Mary Belle Jones Clary
• Donna Mae Clary Barmes
• Diana Barmes Jolliff Haas
• Darin Lee Jolliffe-Haas