William McCrellis (1706 - 1781)

Born 1706 in Ireland

Husband of Jennet (McClure) McCreles — married 4 Dec 1740 in Boston, Massachusetts Bay Colony

Descendants

Died 3 Nov 1781 at about age 75 in Colrain, Franklin or Hampshire, Massachusetts, United States

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Biography

William McCrellis may have been born abt 1706 in Ireland.

William McCrellis/McCreles is thought to have been a member of the one hundred twenty Scots/Irish families who came to America as a group in 1718. Some settled in southern New Hampshire, but many went to Franklin County, Massachusetts, and helped develop a settlement called Colrain. It is not clear how he is related to the McCrellises who came to Colrain from Nottingham, New Hampshire, but he did eventually settle there, purchasing two lots of land from Hugh Morrison on Mar 4,1749. He and his first wife had been living on Noodles Island in Boston Harbor prior to that time.

It is thought he may have been a brother or nephew of John McCrellis Jr, an earlier settler of Colrain, but there exists no evidence to support this.

He married, first, on Dec 4,1740 in Boston, Janet McClure.^[1]

Children (by first marriage, born in Boston 1743-1749):

Margaret McCrellis Sennett Bruce,

James McCrellis,

Anna McCrellis Seaver.

He married, second, on Oct 8,1770, Jemima (Temple) Mahoney, widow of James Mahoney.

Children (by second marriage, born in Colrain 1772-1779):

Martha McCrellis,

Elizabeth McCrellis Coombs,

William McCrellis Jr.

William died on 3 Nov 1781, in his 74th year, at Colrain, Massachusetts.^[2]

He was buried at Chandler Hill Cemetery, Colrain, Massachusetts.^[3]

Inscription:

In Memory of
Mr William McCreles
Who departed this life Nov
3, 1781 in the 74th year
of his age

Research Notes

Find A Grave: Memorial #25947437 indicates that his parents are John McCrillis and Margaret Burnside but others sources are needed.

Sources

1. ↑ "Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QG1K-8GX3 : 29 November 2018), William McCrilies and Jennet McClure, 1740; citing Marriage, Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts, United States, Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, Boston; FHL microfilm 007011046.
2. ↑ Massachusetts Vital Records To 1850, "FindMyPast", Image available: https://search.findmypast.com/record?id=USBMD%2FMAS%2FCOLRAIN-V1%2F169&parentid=US%2FBMD%2FMASS_VITAL%2F425791, COLRAIN DEATHS, P 169, MCCRELLIS,

   Text reads: William (McCrelles), Nov 3, 1781, in his 74th y.

3. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/25947437/william-mccrellis: accessed 22 April 2023), memorial page for William McCrellis (1706–3 Nov 1781), Find A Grave: Memorial #25947437, citing Chandler Hill Cemetery, Colrain, Franklin County, Massachusetts, USA; Maintained by DuWayne Beebe (contributor 46995638).