Mary Ann Foster

Mary Ann McCray was born about 1783 in Maryland. Her parents are not known. On 16 Sep 1807, at the age of 24, she married William Foster, son of James Foster and Jane P (Jean) Campbell, in Rockbridge, Virginia.

William and Mary Ann Foster are found in Lexington, Rockbridge, Virginia on both the 1820 and 1830 US Federal Censuses living with their children. Their oldest daughter, Selina, married David Spohr in Rockbridge County on 17 Apr 1827 where their first two children were born. The couple later had five more children.

In 1832, both the Foster and Spohr families relocated to Walnut Township in Montgomery County, Indiana. The party included William & Mary Ann Foster, three of their four sons, their daughter Nancy McCray Foster, and their daughter Mary Ann Foster Spohr, along with her husband David Spohr their two children born by that time, Nancy Jane and John Spohr. They all made the 700 mile trip in a in a four-horse Virginia scoop-bed wagon. Mary Ann was about 49 years old at the time.

William and Mary Ann lived in Walnut Township in Montgomery County, Indiana for some years after that and are found there on both the 1840 and 1850 censuses. William was listed as a farmer.

Mary Ann was one of the founding members of the Union Presbyterian Church in Walnut Township and she was present at its first meeting on 30 Aug 1834. At least several of her children and a number of other family members subsequently joined this church, including William's younger brother John and sister-in-law Elizabeth Foster, though it is not clear if William himself was a member.

On 26 May 1836, son David Campbell Foster married Ellen U. Cline in Crawfordsville, Montgomery County. After their marriage, the couple moved to Decatur County, Indiana where they had five children. On 19 Jul 1849, youngest son James married Mary J. Gott in Montgomery County where they settled and had two daughters.

William and Mary Ann were living in Monroe Township, Putnam County, Indiana at the time of the 1860 census, living with daughter Nancy, by then married to Aron Manford. It is not clear if Nancy had any children of her own.

In early 1861 son David Campbell Foster and family set off on the Oregon Trail for Shasta County, California with a wagon party led by Captain Dan Hunt. David fell ill along the way and died on 20 Jun 1861. One wonders how long it took for this news to reach his family back in Indiana.

Mary Ann McCray Foster died in 1867 at about 84 years of age and is buried in Indian Creek Hill Cemetery in New Market, Montgomery County where her husband William, who had died about 4 years earlier, is also buried.

William and Mary Ann McCray Foster had the following children:

1. Unknown Son Foster (possibly William R.) was born about 1809 in Rockbridge County, Virginia. 2. Selina Jane Foster was born in 1812 in Rockbridge County, Virginia, United States. She died on 14 Nov 1883 in Montgomery County, Indiana, United States. She married David Spohr on 17 Apr 1827 in Rockbridge County, Virginia. 3. Unknown Son Foster was born between 1815–1819 in Rockbridge County, Virginia. 4. David Campbell Foster was born on 26 Feb 1813 in Rockbridge County, Virginia. He died on 20 Jun 1861 on the Oregon Trail 30 miles east of Fort Larmie, Goshen, Wyoming. 5. Nancy McCray Foster was born in 1819 in Rockbridge County, Virginia, United States. 6. James Foster was born on 6 Aug 1822 in Rockbridge County, Virginia. He died on 21 Mar 1896 in Montgomery County, Indiana. He married Mary J. Gott on 19 Jul 1849 in Montgomery County, Indiana. Note: w/o William