LETTERS
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AUGUST 1998
"SUMMER"
Great news, there seems to be much renewed
interest in tracing our heritage and especially our family name.
Recently there was a meeting in Wisconsin with thirteen committed researchers
meeting and sharing information they have gleaned over the years.
Mike Shaver coordinated the meeting getting a place where they could all
share and supplying locations for copying photos, disks, and written information.
My plans were made to be there with them,
however complications in my area prevented the trip. However, they
have not been closeted with their information and already I have received
much data and clarification of marriages and parental lineages of some
in question.
I am grateful for their continued work and
freedom to share the Northern line of Crye’s. The Southern line has
taken so many avenues that tracing it all together is a creative effort
in coordination.
This week on the web I located six men who were
listed in the World War I Civilian Draft Registration. Of the six,
four were listed from Madison, LA born between 1880 and 1898. The
remaining two were from Arkansas and were white. Many of our Louisiana
and Mississippi Crye’s seem to descend from David Crye who may be married
to a Celia, Holly, or Hettie. So far this David has me confused as
to where he falls in the lineage.
Each time I search the web I have copied much
material for the Crye line, but putting it all together is a tough job.
Without input from additional family members I am afraid that I may make
“assumptive” mistakes. So, if there are mistakes in the family connections,
please don’t hesitate to inform me and share your knowledge.
I look forward to additional communication
with each of you and until then, may we all have success in “Connecting
the Dots”.
Anita
WILLS OF WILLIAM CRYE,
JOHN and JAMES CRYE
OF MECKLINBURG, VA.
In the first newsletter we presented three wills found in Mecklinburg Co., NC. I posed a few questions in the second edition of this paper and received some conversation concerning your thoughts on the matter. (Please refer to the wills printed in the first issue of this newsletter) The following is a portion of a letter received from Irene Morgan who has done extensive research on the family line.
I found these documents very interesting reading
for a variety of reasons. First, in addition to the genealogical
aspect, I am basically a social historian at heart, and the glimpses they
give of the personal lives of these Cryes is wonderful.
Second, the fact that John Crye mentioned his son
William and his dau Margaret only to leave them one Spanish milled dollar
is of note. Why did he do this? It usually indicates that there
was some discord if such an item appears in a will, even today. However,
dau Margaret was the wife of Thomas Walker, and he was named one of the
exrs, something you wouldn't expect if there were bad feelings of some
kind. It has been suggested that perhaps father John was a Tory and
as both William and Thomas Walker fought on the Colonists side in the Revolution
he didn't like that. (It's hard for me to think John was a Royalist, however.)
However, dau Sarah was the wife of Andrew Walker, a brother of Thomas,
who also fought on the side of Colonists. (The Walkers were from
Ireland, incidentally - that was mentioned in their Rev War military records
that I looked up at the National Archives, just for fun.) Another
thought is that all the children, except William, stayed in Papa's area
and perhaps that was why he left him out, but that doesn't explain doing
the same with dau Margaret. An interesting conundrum.
Third, John and James made out their wills within
months of each other; then James outlived John by five years. Makes
one wonder what their "...sick and weak..." was associated with.
Fourth, it looks like Samuel made out his will immediately
after his father's death and passed away six months later. One wonders,
again, what his cause of death was.
Fifth, it is noteworthy that Samuel actually left
land to his sister Sarah, as that was a departure from the norm of the
times. You'll notice that John and James left stock and belongings
to their daughters, but not land, which was the prevailing practice at
the time. Women were not usually given that kind of economic power
in Colonial times. John did not leave land to his wife, even, although
he did leave her money and the right to remain in the house. Of note, too,
is that James does not mention a wife at all, and neither does Samuel.
Since he doesn't list any children one wonders if he had ever married at
all or perhaps he had and wife and child died in childbirth. One
wonders.
Sixth, both John and James had John McCorkle as
a witness, who must have been a neighbor and close friend. He appears
in the 1790 census and also on a number of land transactions involving
the Crye's that I have and on John's, another witness was Elizabeth (C)
Gordon. With two of John's daughters, Sarah and Margaret, married
to Walker's one wonders is this might have been their mother?
Seventh, John, for sure, appears to have been a
prosperous land owner considering he gave three sons farms. When
you stop to think about the size of the Isle of Man, from which he came,
which is 30 miles from top to bottom and 12 miles across at its widest
point, he must have taken great pride in the ownership of so many acres.
On the Isle of Man, as you probably know, actual ownership of land was
extremely difficult and the pieces of land worked were very small. (I still
wonder if the Crye's were land or sea people on the Isle of Man.
I haven't come across anything that indicates that one way of the other,
but either way, I'm sure it was the lure of land ownership that motivated
them to the Colonies. What do you think?) Enjoy! I look forward
to further exchanges in the future.
In the last edition I mentioned that I thought Sarah
might have married Jacob Ormond, but seeing the marriages and information
provided above it seems to show that Sarah was married to Andrew Walker.
I have been sent some information on the lineage of Andrew and Sarah, so
far I have three children listed. If someone has further research
on this line, please contact me so I can update the files.
INDIAN HERITAGE?
Many have questioned if there is Indian in our background.
At this time, I haven’t found the Crye name to be Indian, however the men
may have married into Indian lineage.
In Roll # 12166, John W. Cry from Athens, TN, McMinn County applies
for land grant from the U.S. Govt. The following is his statement:
“That I am 46 years of age and live in McMinn
Co. TN. I claim my Indian descent through my father and his father.
My father was born and raised in Cherokee Co. NC, I think.
He went from N.C. to GA and somewhere between
the Mexican and Civil Wars. I think he went to Red Clay, GA and then
he came to TN. My grandfather was born and raised in Cherokee Co.
NC. My grandfather left NC between the two wars. My grandfather
lived amongst the Indians, but I don’t know whether he was a member of
the tribe. Neither my father nor grandfather were on any roll, nor
were any of my ancestors that I know of. My grandfather sometimes
went by the name of Croye. I don’t know where my father was in 1835.
My grandfather claimed 1/2 Cherokee. I am recognized as a white person.
My wife is a white woman. James Ritchie who has filed application
#19729 is a cousin of mine and claims through William Crye too. That
is the only source he claims through. Signed: John W. Crye,
Athens, TN., June 27, 1908. Exception Case: Rejected.
Total number of exceptions filed in this group - 1. Original recommendation
renewed.
Kindred Konnections
U.S. Social Security
Death Index
| Crye, Luther died 1974 | Crye, Charlie died 1979 |
| Crye, Albert died 1976 | Crye, George died 1979 |
| Crye, Jessee died 1976 | Crye, Jennie died 1979 |
| Crye, Lena died 1976 | Crye, John died 1979 |
| Crye, Mary died 1976 | Crye, John died 1980 |
| Crye, Pauline died 1976 | Crye, Laverle died 1980 |
| Crye, Esther died 1977 | Crye, Mary died 1980 |
| Crye, Ruby died 1977 | Crye, Joseph died 1981 |
| Crye, Sallie died 1977 | Crye, Walter died 1981 |
| Crye, Vernon died 1977 | Crye, Claude died 1982 |
| Crye, Houston died 1978 | Crye, Elizabeth died 1982 |
| Crye, Joseph died 1978 | Crye, Hazel died 1982 |
| Crye, Nancy died 1978 | Crye, Lucille died 1982 |
| Crye, Shimmon died 1978 | Crye, LuLu died 1982 |
| Crye, Bennie died 1979 | Crye, R. died 1982 |
| Crye, Carl died 1979 | Crye, Thadious died 1982 |
Jurby, IOM
According to most research and even from census
accounts, William Crye came from the Isle of Mann (IOM), Jurby. Thus,
you have seen reference several times in this newsletter to IOM.
Anytime you see these initials you will understand where we are talking
about. Geographically the Isle of Man is part of the British Islands,
situated midway between England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales. This
small country has a land mass of some 227 square miles (572 sq. kms) and
measures at its extremities 33 miles (52 kms) by 13 miles (22 kms).
What the Island lacks in size it makes up
for in its variety of scenery which covers virtually every type found elsewhere
in the British Isles, ranging from vast stretches of open moorland, thickly
wooded glens to palm fringed ponds. Encompassed within over 100 miles
(160 kms) of coastline there is a central range of mountains and hills
lying in a North Easterly/South Westerly direction with well defined valleys
leading down to rocky cliffs and sheltered bays.
In the North of the Island there is a flat
plain with lazy rivers and streams meandering across fertile countryside
to long sandy beaches. The climate is equable, lacking in extremes
and enjoying the warming influence of the Gulf stream which flows around
the shoreline. Prevailing winds blow from the South West, giving
varying degrees of shelter and exposure island wide due to the rugged nature
of the topography. Once clear of the winter months the weather quickly
becomes finer and from April through to October pleasant settled weather
conditions are the norm. In the summer, the months of May and June
are usually the driest whilst May, June and July are the sunniest.
July and August are the warmest.
Currently the population stands at 73,000
giving the Island one of the lowest population densities in Europe and
with about 40% of the Island being uninhabited there is always plenty of
room to move around. The major business centre is based on Douglas,
the capital, which together with nearby Onchan accounts for some 50% of
the total population
Rich in history, the Isle of Man can look
back on a tapestry of events from the introduction of farming in the fourth
millennium BC, the Manx Iron Age from 500 BC to 500 AD, the Celtic traditions,
through to Christianity and Viking rule of the ninth century.
During the mid-thirteenth to early fifteenth
centuries, Sovereignty passed frequently between Scotland and England,
with occasional incursions from Ireland.
By the eighteenth century, it had become a
major centre for the smuggling trade and to put a stop to this, the British
Government enacted a new law in 1765, namely the Re-Vestment Act and purchased
the entire Island for just £70,000.
Whilst these measures were designed to save the
UK Treasury approximately £100,000 per annum, they deprived the Islanders
of their main source of income.
Throughout the centuries the Isle of Man has
developed a way of life and a culture all of its own. Many world
events such as the Roman and Norman invasions of Britain passed it by and
the Island quietly took visits from Irish and Scottish freebooters in its
stride. The arrival of the Vikings however, did leave a lasting mark
on this tiny Celtic nation.
After a period of turbulence the Celts and
Vikings came together as one nation and without a doubt the greatest single
gift left by these fearsome Northern warriors was a unique system of Government
that exists to the present day - Tynwald.
When famine hit the island and the mines
closed, large numbers of Manx miners left Man for South Africa, Australia,
Canada and the United States.
The tall, fair, blue-eyed people lived
in the northern part of the island which is where our ancestor John Crye,
born in 1727 gives as record of his birth.
The people are mainly of Scandic-Celtic
origin and are referred to as Manx/Vikings. The original people were
small dark people of Mediterranean origin, later mixing with the tall,
blond, blue-eyed Vikings, leaving Man with a mixture of both types today.
John F. Crye
MILITARY INFORMATION
From Larry Crye in Ohio:
This family history is
a written memorial history from Uncle Frank.
(copied as written)
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For the first generation of which I have any knowledge of are the three Crye brothers that set sail from Ireland in the latter part of the 17th Century for the shores of America and perhaps there might have been a fourth of which we have no name, which will be mentioned more extensively in these articles, at least his ancestors will get honorable mention later on in these writings, but for the present we shall endeavor to set forth our knowledgeable information of the three brothers who, after landing on the bleak shores of New England, made their way to what is now called Blount County, Tennessee and took up residence on the fertile soil of Nine Mile Creek bottoms. There great grandfather, whose name was John Crye, reared his family which consisted of seven children; six girls and one son. Their last baby’s name was John Shimmon Crye, my grandfather. (The name of Shimmon gets into the picture because he married a girl whose maiden name was Shimmons). The first John Crye herein mentioned, the father of these six girls consisting of two sets of twins. Two of these girls married Carpenters, who also were citizens of Blount County, TN. Elisha Carpenter and Matthew Carpenter. I have heard my father mention their names quite often referring to them as Uncle Lish and Uncle Matt. Another of these six girls married a Lee which gave my father a host of first cousins also. Another one of these girls married a Scott. Allison Scott, a farmer and a blacksmith, living in the region of Greenback. I remember seeing him quite often there. My father, John Riley Crye had more cousins, one named Joe Scott, whom I loved dearly, about the age of my father. Allison lived in Louden Co. Another of these girls married Tom Anderson, who also lived in Louden Co, TN in a town then known as Morgantown situated on the bank of the Tennessee River and was a shipping point by boat to other markets. That town is now extinct. I remember each of these elder folk as my father would visit them. Tom’s wife’s name was Mahalla. They had one son named John Anderson, an M.D. I remember Mahalla’s bushy hair. It stood East, West, North, and South. She never could comb it down like other girls did. It really looked very odd. I might add that the Joe Scott mentioned was a merchant in Greenback for years, a city in Louden County which still is a thriving whistle stop. The sixth and perhaps the youngest of these girls married a Matt Slone. They have visited with us. Her name was Josephine. They had one son Obie who was my senior by approximately six of seven years. They lived across the Tennessee River in a town known as Vonore, in Monroe County, which is yet a bustling little town. This concludes the history of John Crye and family. He rests in the home cemetery known as Williamson Cemetery. His other two brothers were also residents of that community of Blount County called the first district. They were also farmers. I shall not try to give any history of them or their families, only to say the woods was full of Cryes, descendants of Elihew (Elihu) and Elias Crye, but they, especially the latter descendants have scattered hither and there, but these two elderly gentlemen’s graves are marked with headstones in Williamson Cemetery, same as my great grandfather, the first John Crye, whose grave is there in this cemetery in the first district of Blount Co., TN. I might add, the Crye farm on Nine Mile Creek was entered by the first John Crye, my great grandpa. John Shimmon Crye, that has been mentioned earlier as the brother to these six girls fell heir to this creek farm consisting of 300 acres, more or less, and owned it until his death. I shall elaborate more fully upon, who he married, and his family, the three children of whom my father was the youngest. “Grandpa” John Shimmon Crye married a lady whose name was Caroline Best, usually called Sally. She had four brothers, Riley, John, Jim and Daniel. It’s easy to see who she named her last baby after, John Riley Crye, my father. To this union of Shimmon Crye and Caroline Best Crye were born two other Crye children. George the oldest child and Martha Jane, the girl. Father being the younger of the three children. Please bear in mind the six girls that I have mentioned along with John Shimmon Crye their brother are .second generation we are talking about. Grandpa, John Shimmon Crye was not a religious man, but grandma was a devoted Christian. My mother told me grandma’s knees were black from kneeling on the floor to pray. Oh how I loved my grandma Crye. I am sure she prayed often for me because she told my mother she loved me more than she did any of her grandchildren. She took me to a picture gallery and had our pictures made together when I was around five years old. It’s a tintype with her arm about my waist as she sat posing for that picture. I was ten years old when she passed away. That really broke my little heart, her going. Still, so often I think of her. My love for her never has died, the little things she would do for me shall live on as long as I live. Grandpa Shimmon Crye was 33 years old when he was martyred. That is what is says on his tombstone. “Martyred”. The Civil War was at a white heat in 1963. Grandpa Shimmon hadn’t yet enlisted, still around home waiting for his third child to be born, John Riley Crye, my father. He was born July 13, 1963. In October, grandpa and two other friends of his were over persuaded to go with these strangers who wanted also to enlist. There was four of them attired in Union uniforms. They were Rebel bushwhackers, strolling over the neighborhood pilfering, stealing and killing. Grandma Crye was very much opposed for him and his two friends to leave with these characters. She even told them to their faces that they were nothing but a pack of Rebels, but they won out and grandpa and his two friends left with them. Grandma never saw grandpa Shimmon Crye alive any more. In about an hour and a half all three of these men were killed only 3-1/2 miles from home. The other two men’s names were Loss Fields and Lark Anderson. There grandma Crye was left a young widow with three little children, but she had a good home and a good farm to support her and the children. Then at her death, all three of her children inherited a farm apiece. Grandpa Crye was buried at Williamson’s Cemetery and Loss Fields is buried in the same grave with grandpa Shimmon Crye, but no recognition of him is mentioned on the rock, all because the Field people would not help pay for the tombstone. |
GRAVES
On the IOM there are several cemeteries, however only one
has been submitted with graves that interested me. In Jurby there
are several graves in this particular graveyard, but here are names with
a Crye connection.
| Catherine Crye,
alias Kneale, buried January 3rd, 1754 age 39 |
Wm. Crye,
her husband, buried September 11, 1765, age 52 |
Catherine Cry,
alias Brew, buried June 22, 1743, age 45 |
I am sure the alias Kneale and alias Brew must mean maiden name
as this is listed on several of the women’s graves, but none of the men’s
LETTERS
Ms. Crye:
I think you will find this issue very interesting as I have included
a partial manuscript shared from Larry Crye. I will be happy to send
you the information that I have regarding this line. Thank you so
much for your letter and additional addresses.
Hi Anita:
I would like to receive a copy of your newsletter and a copy
of the family tree questionnaire which I will fill out. I will look
forward to hearing from you.
Y. Crye
Anita:
On the 1870 census you show Susan L. (Age 24) and George W. Crisp
as living with William Crye, family of Hugh H. There is a script
note that Hugh married Susan who was the daughter of Sarah and Rice Crisp.
On the 1880 census, Hugh is married to Susan A (age 25). The ages
and middle initials do not match up. I find this curious, don’t you?
If you have any ideas, let me know.
Hi Anita:
I don’t know if anyone else has answered your question or not,
but here goes. The Cherokee people had a sort of “clan” system within
the tribes that followed the mother’s lineage. There was the dog
(actually wolf), bird, deer, wild potato, paint, blue and long hair.
One member from each clan was “appointed” to Cherokee council who ruled
over the entire tribe. Out of the seven clans each person had close
ties with four of the clans, namely their mother’s father’s, grandmother’s
and grandfather’s clans. People were encouraged to marry someone
from their one of their grandparents clans.
Jody
QUERIES
Please send all responses for queries to
Anita Green
1555 Lewis Street
Cleveland, TN 37311
1. I have been looking for my great grandmother (may have been named Mary Elizabeth CRYE) who married John Silver and moved to Cadillac area of Central Michigan. Do you have a Michigan connection? There is a Jacob Silver marrying Matilda Ellen CRYE in Paulding, Ohio, but I think that is an uncle. Any help would be appreciated. rusty@unnet.com
2. Looking for connections to Elisha or Elihu CRYE who were in Blount Co. TN ca 1829 and are buried in the Williamson Cemt in Blount Co, TN.
3. Seeking parents of Thomas CRYE (1858-1926) who married Elizabeth HANNAH (1868-1929). Both are buried in Avon Cemetery, NY. There seems to be a HANNAH and CRYE connection coming from Union Co, NC in 1860.
4. Looking for descendants of David CRYE who married Hettie FUTCH, March 13, 1874 in Scott Co., Mississippi. Was this David also known as William, David William and was he also possibly married to Elizabeth?
5. Australia CRYE’S. Elizabeth Catherine Corkill, chr 1833 Jurby IOM, mother was Eliza CRYE, father John CRYE. Eliza had a sister Ann who also came to Australia, but cannot find out when. Do you connect with this family?
6. Andrew WALKER married Sarah CRYE, they have a daughter Elizabeth WALKER who married James Newell HOUSTON. Any information on this family line would be helpful. http:///www.syix.com/lwithrow
7. Sarah CRYE and Andrew WALKER have a daughter named Easter Catherine WALKER who married Aaron HOUSTON. Could she and her sister Elizabeth WALKER who married James Newell HOUSTON married brothers?
8. Looking for descendants of Jonathan CRY and Eunice LYTLE who were married in Grant Co. Indiana, 1856. 1860 Census list them with children Joseph 4; Elizabeth 2; and Peter 1. rik_vigeland@mentorg.com