ROBERT C. McNARY. This prominent and highly-esteemed agriculturist of Cecil township, a worthy scion of one of the oldest families in the county, deserves more than a passing notice in this Biographical Record. He is descended from Thomas McNary, who in an early day came to North Strabane township and bought land. He was a son of James McNary, by trade a shoemaker, who was born in Scotland about the year 1711, and, according to tradition, moved with his family to the North of Ireland. After sojourning there for a time, he and his wife emigrated to America, bringing with them their four sons and one daughter, some of whom had married in Ireland. In 1760 (so records show) James McNary bought a tract of land in York county, Penn., where he remained a number of years. He was an elder in the Seceder congregation of Guinston, one of the oldest congregations of that denomination in America. His sons were John, James, Thomas and David, all of whom came to Washington county; his daughter, Jane, married William Robison, and passed the rest of her life in York county. The father of this family also came to this county, and lived, up to the time of his death, with his son David in Hanover township, dying in 1796 at the age of eighty-five years; he was buried in the Seceder churchyard near Paris, this county. James McNary, father of subject, was born in North Strabane township, Washington Co., Penn., and received his education at the subscription schools of the period. On March 7, 1811, he was married to Ann Caldwell, of Washington county, and after a few years married life in North Strabane they moved to Nottingham township, where they passed the remainder of their days. They were the parents of nine children, as follows: Mary E., Jane (Mrs. David Templeton), James, Eliza (Mrs. James Thome), Robert C., Thomas, Samuel, Ann (Mrs. John Fife) and David. The father died May 19, 1841, the mother September 24, 1868. They were for a time members of the Seceder Church at Pigeon creek, later uniting with the U. P. Church, in which Mr. McNary was an elder for years. In his political preferences he was a Whig, but voted for the most part independent of party. Well-known in his day, he commanded the highest respect in the community both in his private life and in his occupation as a progressive farmer and stock raiser. Robert C. McNary was born in Nottingham township, this county, June 17, 1823, his education being received at the common schools of his district, where he proved a diligent and apt scholar. In early boyhood he commenced working on his father's farm, and the lessons then inculcated in him proved invaluable to him in after life, and have been an important factor in making him what he is a successful practical agriculturist, second to none in the county. On May 8, 1845, Mr. McNary was married to Sarah, daughter of Robert and Mary McCorkle, of Somerset township, this county. The children of this marriage were the following named: Mary E. (deceased), Ann (wife of W. B. L. Crawford), James, Robert C., Samuel W., Sarah J. (wife of Richard Weaver), John, Houston F. and Thomas. After marriage Mr. and Mrs. McNary made their home in Peters township until 1876, when he purchased his present residence in Cecil township. Mrs. McNary departed this life October 31, 1878, and was laid to rest in the Chartiers U. P. cemetery. Mr. McNary (as was his wife) is a member of the Chartiers U. P. Church, but was formerly a member of the Seceder Church.

Text taken from page 1060 of: Beers, J. H. and Co., Commemorative Biographical Record of Washington County, Pennsylvania (Chicago: J. H. Beers & Co., 1893). Transcribed March 1997 by Neil and Marilyn Morton of Oswego, IL as part of the Beers Project. Published March 1997 on the Washington County, PA USGenWeb pages at http://www.chartiers.com/.

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