William Henry MCCREA b. 8 Jan 1843 Tawnawanny, Co Fermanagh, Ireland d. 4 Jul 1916 Thessalon Township, Algoma District, Ontario, Canada: Singing Our Family Song

Singing Our Family Song

1843 - 1916 (73 years)

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Name	William Henry MCCREA
Birth	8 Jan 1843	Tawnawanny, Co Fermanagh, Ireland
Gender	Male
Location	1871	Madoc, Hastings County, Ontario, Canada
	Census
Occupation	17 Apr 1872	Madoc, ON
	Yeoman
	As per Marriage Record
Religion	17 Apr 1872	Madoc, ON
	Presbyterian
	As per Marriage Record
Location	1901	Thessalon, Algoma District, Ontario, Canada
	Census
Location	1911	Thessalon, Algoma District, Ontario, Canada
	Census
_UID	D4799E2769914EAA97C5DACB1CBB6867AB29
Death	4 Jul 1916	Thessalon Township, Algoma District, Ontario, Canada
Burial	Pine Grove Cemetery, Thessalon, Algoma District, Ontario, Canada
Person ID	I184	My Genealogy
Last Modified	28 Nov 2025

Father	Thomas MCCREA, b. 1809, Tawnawanny, Co Fermanagh, Ireland d. 26 Mar 1901, Tawnawanny, Co Fermanagh, Ireland (Age 92 years)
Mother	Catherine FARRELL, b. 1815, Ireland d. 5 Jan 1896, Tawnawanny Townland, Co Fermanagh, Ireland (Age 81 years)
Marriage	20 Mar 1839	PETTIGO, DONEGAL/FERMANAGH COUNTY IRELAND
Family ID	F679	Group Sheet \| Family Chart

Family Fannie BURNSIDE, b. 17 Jan 1849, Sodom, Hungerford Twp., Hastings County, Ontario, Canada d. 13 Dec 1907, Thessalon Twp, Algoma District, Ontario, Canada (Age 58 years)

Marriage 17 Apr 1872 Hastings County, Ontario, Canada

Children

	1. Anna Elizabeth (Lizzie) MCCREA, b. 30 Jun 1873, Hastings Co, Ontario, Canada d. 17 Mar 1951, Detroit, Wayne, Michigan, USA (Age 77 years)
	2. John Burnside MCCREA, b. 9 Oct 1874, Hastings Co, Ontario, Canada d. 1950, Thessalon, Algoma, Ontario, Canada (Age 75 years)
	3. Lottie Maude MCCREA, b. 1 Sep 1876, Madoc Twp., Hastings County, Ontario d. 9 Jun 1947, Thessalon Twp., Algoma District, Ontario, Canada (Age 70 years)
	4. Mary Violet MCCREA, b. 25 Feb 1878, Madoc, ON d. 1954, Algoma District, Ontario, Canada (Age 75 years)
	5. Edward MCCREA, b. 29 Jul 1880, Thessalon, Algoma District, Ontario, Canada d. 11 Apr 1946, Sault Ste Marie, Algoma District, Ontario, Canada (Age 65 years)
	6. Robert MCCREA, b. 5 Apr 1882, Thessalon, Algoma District, Ontario, Canada d. 1 Jan 1948, Lockerby, McKim Twp, Sudbury, Ontario, Canada (Age 65 years)
	7. William Thomas MCCREA, b. 5 Dec 1884, Thessalon, Algoma District, Ontario, Canada d. 1963 (Age 78 years)
	8. Hattie Catherine MCCREA, b. 23 Nov 1887, Thessalon, Algoma District, Ontario, Canada d. 29 Jan 1965, Thessalon, Algoma District, Ontario, Canada (Age 77 years)
	9. James Golden MCCREA, b. 14 Sep 1890, Thessalon, Algoma District, Ontario, Canada d. 23 Apr 1989, (U.S. Consulate), Canada (Age 98 years)

Family ID F55 Group Sheet | Family Chart

Last Modified 5 Jul 2014

Photos » Slide Show		William Henry McCrea
		Children of William & Fanny Younger
		Children of William & Fanny + Jewkes Family McCrea & Jewkes Family-names on photo
		Original McCrea Home Livingston Creek. Thessalon, Algoma, Ontario, Canada
		Marriage Record From Ancestry
		Headstone Pine Grove Cemetery, Thessalon, Algoma District, Ontario, Canada
		Land Information - Madoc 1870 - 1879 21 Nov 1870 - Grant from James McLure to William McCrea - 50 acres C7 L7 in Madoc. In Jan 1879, William deeded the property to John Adams - husband of Margaret Jane Burnside, his wife (Fannie Burnside)'s sister.
		Land Deed - Thessalon Twp - 1905 155 & 20/100 acres - Thessalon Township - NW Quarter, Eastern Portion - 18 July 1905
		1867 - possible Passenger List/Immigration information
		Obituary - 1916
		1867 Passenger List for ship St Andrew William McCrea is listed as Irish, 24, Labourer - he embarked at Londonderry
		William Henry McCrea Photo has been 'colourized'
		Death Register

Notes

CONFIRMED: Parent's names noted on William's death registration. Middle Name - "William Henry McCrea" signature on a Sworn Affidavit regarding his son Robert's birth; also his signature on 1905 Land Patent for 155 acres in Livingstone Creek, Thessalon Twp, Algoma District.
WILL of his Father, Thomas McCrea - 1901 - "... I leave and bequeath to my son Richard the house and land and chattels and I allow Eliza my daughter twenty pounds sterling out of house and land and my daughter Katherine twenty pounds sterling to be given to her out of house and land and chattels. But I recommend to them to live together so long as they possibly can. And I leave to my son William McCrae, who is in America one shilling and also to my daughter Mary Jane Miles who is in America one shilling and I sign this in the presence of my two witnesses. [John Quinn, Stonforth and John Devitt, Derrin] And I appoint Thomas McCrea my Executor."
On January 8, 1843, William was born in Pettigo, Tawnawanny Townland in County Fermanagh, Ireland (today Northern Ireland) to Thomas & Catherine (Farrell) McCrea. In 1867, he immigrated to Canada - his name is on a Passenger List for the St Andrew, a ship that departed from Londonderry on the 22 of June and arrived at the port of Quebec City on the 5th of July. He travelled from Quebec to Madoc Twp in Ontario where family and other Fermanagh families had settled. In 1870 he bought 50 acres of property there.
In 1872, he married Frances (Fannie) Burnside, the daughter of another Fermanagh immigrant family. Their first child (#1 of 9), a daughter, was born the following year. In 1879, now with 4 young children, they sold his property in Madoc Twp and made the move north to the Algoma District. They stayed a short time in Cloudslee before settling down to farm in Livingstone Creek, Thessalon Twp. This is where they made their home and completed their family. William cleared his land, farmed, cut timber for railroad ties for additional revenue, and helped his neighbours. He helped build the Livingstone Creek church and school.
William's wife, Fannie, was well-known as a caring woman who was always willing to help her neighbours. One of them often suffered from spells which only Fannie seemed to be able to calm. One bitterly cold winter night they sent for her. Fannie and William trudged through the snow on foot for about a mile to the home. William was made to wait outside for Fannie, so he ran on to the next farm for help. He caught a terrible cold which developed into pneumonia, then worsened until, over time, he became paralyzed. One of his granddaughters remembers that “the last time William ever sat up at a table was at dinner at his daughter Lizzie’s wedding, in June of 1896”.
William’s Irish sense of humour never left him. He loved to tease. When Fannie took her turn hosting ladies from her church group, he would ask her to leave his door open. Imagine the grins, and Fannie’s embarrassment, when William loudly ‘passed wind’ in the next room! A granddaughter recalls in her journal that “the children loved to sit on grandpa’s bed and listen to his Irish stories. One in particular said that ‘coming home one evening through swampy land, he saw fireflies for the first time. He thought they were the ghosts of all his sins come to torment him and how he ran’!”
In 1894, when William could no longer work, Fannie wrote to the government to ask for assistance - which was eventually granted. Following is her letter: "I take the liberty of addressing a few lines to you. We have been living on the north west quarter of section six in the eastern portion of Thessalon for fifteen years and have over 40 acres cleared. We were doing very well until eight years ago. My husband lost his health, injured his spine and has not been able to do any clearing since. He has not been able to walk for three years. We have a large family. Our oldest boy is not healthy, the next boy is 14 and this winter had five or six hundred ties made. The little boys hauled them to the railroad. We get sixteen cents a tie, paid seven for getting them made, two cents dues, then in order to have the dues applied on the land we have to pay four dollars for license and the ties taken off the ground. We intend to clear as soon as the boys are able. We tried to deed the place by lifting (?) money on but could not. I thought I would ask you what would be best for me to do, thinking you might advise. I remain respectfully yours, Mrs. W.H. McCrea"
When Fannie died in 1907, his family ensured that William was able to stay in his own home. He was lovingly cared for by his children until his death in 1916.