Hi folks, and thanks for the thanks. I appreciate it. Meanwhile, here's one of MY brickwalls: an ancestress named Jane McGeary who married Frances Anderson, probalby in Westmoreland Co, PA. Frances squatted in what would be Butler Co, settling just up the cliff and over a hill or two from Freeport (the famous Allegheny River frontier town). He became the first Justice of the Peace. Frances' dad and mum had left County Antrim (probably) circa 1770. There was a Protestant McGeary family in the Ballymena area of Antrim. I have them eyeballed as the source, esp. since this famiy were Covenantors and hung out with my John Anderson, also a Covenantor, supposedly from Co Antrim (never trust people from County Down, Tyrone, Dublin, or anywhere more than five miles from your birthplace was apparently a trait they all shared). He married Jane McGeary but where he got her is anybody's guess. Living right near da in Westmoreland Co, in was Clemen[t] McGeary. He moved from central PA and settled I think around 1777 or so. He had eight kids but Jane is not among them. Clemen had brothers back east. There was also a small infestation of McGearys in "Augusta County", Virginia -- at a time when that was an immense area. They spent their time getting into trouble and liberating each other from jail according to Chalkley. Rowdy bounce! To date we do not know who her father was. There was a William McGeary, an alcoholic school teacher, in the Butler area. But he didn't name a sister in his will. Or a daughter. Jane was b. around 1777, if I recall right. My theory is Frances bought her off the Indians <grin>. Frances was an Indian scout before he settled down and became JP. I scraped the following info off the digital Pittsburgh site. All of this is well known. There was a man who did extensive publishing on the McGeary clan. Like the Blacks (earlier email), there were a zillion and they intermarried. There were definitely more around in 1800 than Clemen can be blamed for. My family has married them several times. We will marry a few more of them in the next couple decades. If anyone is researching McGearys and has a lost Jane.... email me! I know where the Indians ditched her. My stuff is here: http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~merle/Family/index.htm http://digital.library.pitt.edu Old and New Westmoreland pp. 337-8 Clement McGeary setted in Mt Pleasant area of Westmoreland. Left will recorded book 1 p 18, Jan 10 1779. He left farm to William, and John --- who left for the west. The two bought 400 acres between Freeport and Greensburg in Allegheny Twp. Their farm was 5 miles from Vandergrift on the road to New Kensington. William was the real businessman. Their nearest neighbors were 5 miles away, there being no settlers in Washington Twp. nor on the Allegheny banks. The whole area was uncleared and a deep forest surrounded them. William cleared his land, watching for Indians who stayed all day watching him. He d. 1851 at a great age and was buried in the old Pine Run Cemetery, which was on his land. He donated land for it and the church. He was an elder there. His brother John probably d. unmarried. William m. Martha Crutchlow. They had Clemens (moved to Jefferson County, where he lived and died), David (lived at old homestead, married and had children who moved to Indiana Co), William, inherited part of the place, lived and died there at age 80 and had William, Samuel, James, Martha, and Mary; John wo d. before his father but had a large family who inherited part of the old farm; Joseph -- also inherited part of the old farm and died there. His son WIlliam had Alexander; James; Samuel who d. locally; Rachel, wife of Joseph McLaughlin who moved west; Betsy wife of William Hill, lived in Armstrong Co. James was b about 1801 an d. 1875, m. Peggy Elliott, b. at Puckety Creek [flows from Allegheny highlands westish through Lower Burrell, flooding New Kensington, into the Allegheny], inherited 50 acres of the old farm. Had William (d. 22, unmarried); John Elliott (M. Sarah J. McLaughlin, lived on her father's old farm, d. at age 76, after which his widow moved to Leechburg); Rachel, wife of John Leech and then James McGeary of Armstrong Co {SEE! Already intermarrying]; James M.; Martha, m. William Shaner; Isabel, wife of Fred Amment, lived near Apollo, Armstrong Co, PA. http://digital.library.pitt.edu Old and New Westmoreland pp. 337-8 ________________________________________________________________ Sent via the WebMail system at mail.fea.net