Elijah Creech - Parents of Elijah Creech

Let's get this fixed. Sadly, we do not have a record of Stephen's wife. But that isn't unusual. Wife's names didn't appear on census records until 1850. Few marriage records exist for this period. Wills are best source. But many of them don't exist including Stephen's. Elihu (Elisha) Creech, son of Elijah Creech, and born in 1816 reported that the Creeches of Lee, VA and Harlan, KY was Irish. James Madison Creech, born in 1836, and a grandson of Elijah reported that Elijah's father came from "the Emerald Island". Perhaps that might explain why we have no record of his parents. That agrees with what our family was told (Scots-Irish, i.e. Ulster Scots) by my grandfather, Benjamin Franklin Creech born in 1876,

James, I'll look into this when I have some time. I've been correcting a lot of inconsistencies in the Bowman side of our families for the last few weeks. There is a lot of misunderstood information out there in my opinion.

Thanks, Lenox. There are a lot of inconsistencies in most genealogies. I find people posting Civil War records to people that were dead before the war even started, just because it was the same name. Genealogy is really tough before the 1850 census. And even worse when there are no birth, marriage or death records. Tax records help sometimes, but sometimes there are not even them. I can't find my John Creech family in 1850. Guess they were in Kentucky as Clarinda who was born in 1850 lists that as her birthplace. But there is no 1850 census record of them. My Grandpa Chrisman's family is nowhere to be found in the 1910 census. In the 1900 census if it is the right family (it probably is) his brother Morton is listed as Mortin a female. So, I understand the frustration people experience and that desire to fill all the holes in their genealogies. I too was thrilled when I found James Milton Creech's book. Even more when I discovered the stories of Creech Castle and the connection to Scottish Lords. I drank it in wanting to know more. Problem was it was all a house of cards. Scottish records show there were only 3 sons born in the Bethune family (Bethune was the family name not Creich. Creich parish was their landholdings). Robert died at age 20. David became 8th Lord of Creich. His brother William, was known as gentleman William Bethune until he became 9th Lord of Creich. Before his death he sold the lands to a relative, Friar Bethune of Balfour, because there were no male heirs. That was the last of the Lords of Creech. I found no record of religious persecution being involved. If we Creeches come from Scotland, it is far more likely we were the commoners working in the fields and shops in Creich Parish. I tried to trace back the Ancestry of William Creech, born 1745, who was the publisher for the Scottish poet Robert Burns. As far as I could get was his grandfather who was a Malt merchant in Burnt Island, Fife County, Scotland. That is on the southern coast of Fife County. There is no mention of any relationship to the Bethunes or Lord Creich. One additional point. James Milton did a lot of guessing. Somethings are just guess but stated as fact. In the Robert Bell Will the Henry Creech is listed as a kinsman and said to be in America. The actual will list Henry Creech among a number of friends that are to receive a ring (mourning rings were common during that period). It does not call him a kinsman and it does not say he is in America. As a matter of fact. Robert Bell was a member of the Worshipful Company of Skinners (a fur merchants trade organization). They had their own Cathedral in London where they worshiped together. Another member was a Henry Creech. He had been appointed to a special commission by Oliver Cromwell (in the 1640s (after King Charles I was beheaded) to locate and confiscate all of Charles wealth. He is listed as Henry Creech, Skinner. Signifying he belonged to the Worshipful Company of Skinners. Other appointees who belonged to other Worshipful trade company were listed similarly such as dyer. His will was probated in 1665 and again he was listed as William Creech, Skinner. So use caution in using James Milton's Book. Much I am sure is helpful but it has it's problems. There are no records for Henry Creech before the 1670s. And a John Hollowell received a land grant for paying to transport Henry Creech and his wife to America. Thus, indicating Henry was a married adult when he came. No record of whether he came from England or Scotland or Ireland. I have no problem with theories. We just need to defend them and admit that that is what they are. There will always be holes. But they should not contradict facts. The one problem I see with Geni is that once you find facts that cause you to want to make changes to your tree. You cannot, because you are locked into group think. If one person holds tight to error you can't go a separate way. That stifles progress. Perhaps my investigations will lead to dead ends, I hope not. Maybe they will be proven correct. Perhaps there will not be enough documents to prove any theory. So be it. At least we will lay out everything possible that will lay a path for future genealogists to build on hopefully to conclusion. Good luck with your Bowmans!.

Wow! You have done a lot of research. This is great!
We may never know for sure since record keeping was not always reputable. I (and I know you) have spent countless hours researching a person in the tree only to come to a dead end with no sure result.
Keep in touch.
Thanks
Lenox

Thanks Lenox. As you just said we run into dead ends on a regular basis. I think a lot of genealogy is based on a combination of facts, family stories, and gut instinct. So why do we insist on a single tree. I have tried to separate my tree from the group. The group is locked into a single path that is strewn with proven errors. It also contains documentable facts and reasonable hypotheses. There are also contrary facts on some points and reasonable contrary hypotheses. Would it not be better to permit all reasonable trees to grow and hope they would blend into a single pure tree eventually. Though it is quite possible that there are more than one Creech tree. Perhaps Scottish, Scot-Irish, Irish, and English tree. I know there are Creeches from the Cork County area of Ireland that migrated to New England and Cananda. They claim their ancestry is linked to Dorset and/or Somerset in the south of England. I found claim yesterday from an old article, from an old newspaper or book. It was about a grandson of Jonathan Creech. In it he claimed Jonathan was from Ireland. Since Jonathan is listed in the 1850 Lee County census as born in Virginia, I must believe he has mixed Jonathan up with Jonathan's father, Stephen. The point is I just want to build on what I discover and learn from what others discover. We know that before our first record of Henry Creech there was a William, a George, and a Nicholas Creech in Virginia. Plus, Richard Crich, the indentured servant. How many left descendants?

Right. AT this moment I'm trying to separate a known cousin from a husband that I believe is not part of the family that were supposed to be married before my cousin was even born. It too is locked. I guess we pick our battles and call it a day.
-Lenox

Oh. I've run into the "Born in Virginia" thing before and it's possible they were born before Kentucky became a state. They were likely born right where the live but at that time it was Virginia.
Just a thought. I believe Kentucky gained statehood in 1791.
-L

Thanks Lenox. My born in Virginia problem is people are trying to claim Elijah and brothers were born in North Carolina. Because they want to claim their father is American Revolutionary War veteran. As a vet I would love to claim him, but honesty keeps me from doing it. There is no evidence that John Creech born about 1755 ever married Elizabeth Robinson or fathered children.. it is believed by some he died in the 1780s possibly from old war wounds. God rest his soul. 🇺🇸

Got it. Good luck.
-Lenox

Got it. Good luck.
-Lenox

Had some time to look at this issue this morning. What I'm finding are 2 Creech families with many of the same first names and similar ages. One set is in North Carolina, the other in Estill, Owsley and generally, Lee County Kentucky. Here are a few links I'd like you to see. One is a Census that my Aunt Cliffey appears in. She used to occasionally baby sit my brother and I in the early to mid-60's.
It's going to be a challenge to fix and will take some time.
https://www.familysearch.org/tree/pedigree/landscape/LZ6D-DV5
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HY-6SD9-G8Z?i=75&...
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FWKM-ZYR
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/82799612/elijah-creech
All of the above links lead to folks living in the Lee County or nearby areas. Nothing I see can relate us to anyone in North Carolina. Looks like the family started out in the Chesapeake Bay area called Nanesemond, Colony of Virginia, British Colonial America.

I put all of this into a message not only for you to see and advise me on but also for me to have the links for later work.
Have a great week!
Lenox

For post 1800 Creech genealogy this is a great aid! https://billcarroll.org/creech-genealogy Dr. Carroll spent years working with Creech County Newsletter and is very informed. The Elijah Creech in your second website is my ggg grandfather. I thing you were looking for Elijah Creech son of Jonathan Creech. Jonathan Creech was a brother of my ggg grandfather Eliijah. Both Jonathan and Elijah are listed in the 1850 Lee County, Va census as born in Virginia. The claimed to be father of them Pvt. John Creech lived in North Carolina. The man Dr. Carroll (and I believe also) believes is their father is Steven Creech who records show lived in Montgomery County, Virginia at the time of their birth. Moved to North Carolina for a while and then moved to Lee County, Virginia. Many of his grandchildren (and Stephen's oldest son, John) moved to Kentucky or Tenn. Gotta go. Good luck on your genealogy.

Yes. What's in the tree on Geni is incorrect. The similarities are almost uncanny between the two families but are easily identifiable as far as I see. Thanks for the tip on billcarroll. org.

Glad you were able to figure your way around Bill's site. As you can tell he put a lot of work into it. If you have any questions about how to use it send him an email. As far as Creech genealogy goes, he has been out of it for a while. So, I try not to ask him questions regarding who is related to who. From what I understand it is his wife who has Creech linage not him. Yeah, the Creech family sure liked to use certain names over and over again. Family get togethers must have been interesting with all the Johns, Elijahs, Jonathans, etc around. Fathers, uncles, sons and cousins. Well, I will let you get back to your Bowmans. I was talking to a guy who worked in the genealogy department at the library today. He said don't get too worked up about brick walls. Sometimes there just isn't any way through them. Maybe there are no records to lead you through. You just have to accept you will never get any further. I can accept that. I even can accept theories, as long as they a stated as being theories and have a logical basis. I can't prove that my Creeches came from Northern Ireland. But Elisha Creech born in 1816, James Madison Creech born in 1834, my grandfather Benjamin Franklin Creech born in 1876 each believed it. Esaw Creech born about 1830 told his family they were Scottish. Fact is until the late 1800s Scots that had migrated to Ireland and later to America were referred to as Irish. Then when there was a large migration of Irish Catholics after the potato famine the term Ulster Scots became popular. Suppose it depended on where you lived. Elisha, also known as Elihu, lived in the Lee, Virginia/Harlan Kentucky area. James Madison lived in Iowa. Esaw lived in Nebraska. My Grandpa in Illinois. But all were born in Virginia/Kentucky area. I saw an article about a man named Creech that was a biographical sketch last week. It was quite old from a newspaper or book. I should have copied it but I didn't. I assume they has interviewed him, as he was still living in the area.. He said he was the grandson of Jonathan Creech and that Jonathan came from Ireland. In the 1850 census Jonathan is listed as born in Virginia, as is Elijah his older brother. Surely, he misspoke and meant Jonathan's father. There is no record of where Stephen (John, Elijah, and Jonathan's father) was born. I believe Stephen was born in Ulster, Ireland. But it is all based on oral history. I hope I never state it as proven fact. But it is a dog gone good theory. With some basis. Better than a lot of other "facts" out there. Thanks for sharing with me. If after you finish cleaning up those Bowmans, you come across some good info on my Creeches. Please share it with me. Always interested in new facts. And flexible enough to accept where they lead and follow that new path. Good Luck!!!

I'm sure I'll never finish cleaning up the Bowman's. haha But, sometimes I've just got to work on another side of the family to clear my mind for a while.
We did an experiment in junior high where the teacher whispered a statement (gossip, so to speak) and the students in turn whispered to the next person until the statement made it through the entire class. The last student to hear it was asked to say the statement. The teacher and class erupted in laughter because it had nothing even remotely to do with the original statement. Every student had a different interpretation of the statement.
I can't imagine information passed down without documentation for 200 years or more could be 100% accurate. That's why I source and attach the source(s) I find. And it still doesn't mean it's accurate.
Have a great day!
Lenox

Exactly right‼️. That is why Creech Country didn't commit to the origins of Stephen Creech. They couldn't find records that mentioned a wife or parents. Matter of fact it is believed at least 3 Stephen Creeches existed in the 1700s in the Virginia/North Carolina areas. Land records in NC establish John bought land next to his father's and that Stephen owned that land. 1790 Wilkes County, North Carolina census lists Stephen's household having enough sons to include John, Elijah, and Jonathan, plus a couple more. I mentioned before about Lee County Virginia tax records. There are also 1780s Montgomery County, Virginia records that mentioned Stephen Creech. Elijah born around 1780 and Jonathan born around 1785 both claim Virginia as their birthplace on 1850.census. Not much else provable. The thing about the telephone game is the people closest to the first have the story the most correct. Elihu was born in 1816. His father was Elijah son of Stephen. He would have heard the story several times. Genealogy was a major topic in those days. James Madison and Esaw were grandsons of Elijah. Living in different parts of the country. James Madison grew up in Tennessee. Yet the story remains infact. Admittedly Esaw's memory is clouded with age. His dates are wrong. I have got to find that grandson's of Jonathan's again who claimed Jonathan was Irish. If records are never found to the contrary this is the best we got. That and my Scotch Irish DNA. I suppose I will have to always put an asterisk by this theory. But to be honest we have to put asterisks by a lot of genealogy. Just better be sure we have something to base it on. Sorry to repeat so much. Hopefully documents will turn up someday and we can put this to rest. I agree that this can be stressful. I have to jump over to my mother's family to get away from it from time to time. Problem is the dilemmas there are probably about as tough. That whyi I go on hikes 3 times a week with senior hiking groups.. The woods and the conversations clear my mind. Otherwise genealogy might cost me my sanity. Good luck keeping yours.🤠

You sir are a world of information.
That's awesome hiking 3 times a week. I always tell people I go to the woods to be with and talk to God. I walk and hike and I fly-fish. Went out yesterday for a while. The river is 35degrees so didn't do much wading. Will probably go out after this weather system passes through.
Best regards,
Lenox

Fantastic! There is no better hiking partner then God. I love hikes with him. My 3 weekly hikes are with people, all retirees. More of a social event. About 11 or 12 miles a week, sometimes more, and an hour at the coffee shop each time. Not fast paced. Stop to take in the changes of the seasons along the way. I have never fly fished. Went to high school in Oregon and loved to fish the streams in the mountains. But just can't get into lake fishing in a boat here in the Midwest. Enjoy your fishing. Keep active. It will keep you young. Happy Trails, Jim

That's awesome! Enjoy your hikes and your coffee with friends.
-Lenox

One problem I often find researching the Creeches of my Lee County, Virgina/Harlan County, Kentucky variety is the name is often spelled with a sc beginning on records and sometimes spelled Scritch. My research seems to show this pronunciation seems to come from the Isle of Man and Lancaster, England. Many of which migrated to Ireland. While they were not technically Scotch Irish, they would have been lumped in with them. Food for thought. 🤔 The search goes on.

Gotcha. Thanks.

A wee bit of an update. But first a correction. On Jan 18, 2023 I wrote "He is listed as Henry Creech, Skinner. Signifying he belonged to the Worshipful Company of Skinners. Other appointees who belonged to other Worshipful trade company were listed similarly such as dyer. His will was probated in 1665 and again he was listed as William Creech, Skinner." I guess I had a "brain fart". At the end that should have been "Henry Creech, Skinner". William Creech was Robert Burns's friend and book agent. I have found a Henry Creech who was appointed as a Captain in the London Militia in 1659. The Henry Creech listed as a member of the Skinner's under Cromwell, would have been too old then to be in the militia in 1659. A fellow amateur genealogist contacted the Worshipful Company of Skinners in London and verified that there were several Creeches who were members in the 1600s. In addition I have found Creeches, including Henries in Somerset, County, England during that period. I cannot find evidence of Creeches in Ulster, Ireland during that period. My DNA shows no evidence of any Fife County, Scotland ancestry. It does contain Southern English and Irish ancestry. There were English tenant farmers in Munster (especially around Cork County) Ireland in the 17th and 18th centuries. The Creeches there are reported to have come from Somerset and Dorsett Counties in England originally. You find the name Screech also in SW England. Stephen Creech in his earliest records is listed as Screech/Screetch/Scritch, Creech and Scrich. Even into the early 1800s census Scrich is listed as the family name in Lee County, VA. I am leaning toward Stephen coming from southern Ireland in the decade before the American Revolution. There was a massive influx of immigration from Ireland to America during that period. Many went to the frontier to get away from all the commotion. They were too newly arrived to take sides. Thus there are very few if any records containing them. The earliest record we have of Stephen is probably 1781. Immigration halted in 1775. So he had to be here before then. Just theories. But there are no facts exist to the contrary yet. Typing quickly before supper. So please excuse errors.