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Cree Family

Robert Cree Sr.---->------Robert Cree Jr.------>-----Eleanor (Nellie) Cree
      +                                     +                                 +
Jante Hamilton            Elizabeth Villiers            James Irons------->--go to Irons Family page


Generation 1

Robert Cree Sr

Sometime before 1781, Robert Cree Sr., left his home in the eastern part of Cumberland Co. Pa.(now Perry Co.) and settled in the Ten mile Country near Shepherd's Church (Washington Co.-now Greene Co.) where he was living when serving in Captain William Crawford's Militia Company in the arraignment for October 15,1781.
Served as a private in 1st Bat. Washington Co. militia.  Researching Cumberland Co. Pa. records, Cumberland Co. was original parent county. Robert Cree had land surveyed 50 acres on 11/23/1773 and another tract of 100 acres on 1/12/1791,  It is quite evident that he was elderly man when he migrated to this part of the frontier for some of his grown children with their families accompanied him.  There is not enough evidence to say that Robert Cree Sr. was the ancestor of all the Cree's in this section, but such could be the case.  If not, then William Cree of Muddy Creek, the Revolutionary soldier buried on the home place and Patrick Cree listed in the tax lists for Cumberland Township in 1784, would be the exceptions.  A William Cree is mentioned in the will of Robert Cree Sr., but Patrick Cree disappears from local records.  It is evident that all of his children followed his migration and even his will, which was probated in Greene Co. on April 6,1823 mentions his wife, Jante, whose maiden name was probably Hamilton, as the Hamiltons were near neighbors in Cumberland Co.(a Alex Hamilton and Alex Sr. 1780-83, Cumberland Co) and he perpetuated this name in one of his sons.  He is probably buried in Shepherd's Church Cemetery, where at least two of his children are buried.  Greene Co. at this time was very isolated, remote, in the Wilderness.  Fr. Dusquense (Pittsburgh) had 30 cabins and was 30-40 miles away.  Fort Necessity in W. Va or Va. 30 miles away.  
County map of Greene County - Pennsylvania

Children:
 Situate on Buffalo Creek in Juniata Twp, Cumberland Co. Pa., Tract that Robert Cree obtained a warrant from the honorable proprietor for 50 acres dated at Philadelphia 11/23/1773.  Greene County was formed in 1796 and parented by Washington 1781, Westmoreland 1774, Bedford 1771 and Cumberland 1750.  Greene County was also considered a part of Virginia.  Ceded to Pa. in 1785-1787.  Part of Monongalia Co.which was parented by Augusta Co. Va. 1745, Fincastle in 1772, then Monongalia Co.  All of these counties havebeen searched for Cree Records.  On a June 2010 trip to D.C. stopped to look at location of Buffalo Creek.  If above is correct property is in present Washington Co. and not Greene Co.. The ten mile area is east and south of intersection of Intersate 70 and 79. Not really is present Greene County either.  Buffalo creek winds north west to empty in Ohio in present day West Virginia.  Just south of Pittsburgh.  See attached water shed map of Buffalo Creek.


Interesting to note that Margaret Cree married a British Revolutionary Soldier.  Very possible that Elizabeth Villiers father John, was a descendant of Colon de Villiars, The French commander of troops in Battle of Fort Necessity  (George Washington's only defeat, occurred in French and Indian War. ca 1750.  Very extensive De Villiars family in Canada, Montreal.  
1783 Tax List Cumberland Twp.: Robert, Patrick, William (200 acres)
1788 Tax list: Washington Co. Robert Cree Sr., Robert Cree, James Cree, Patrick Cree, William Cree.
1790 Census: William 1-0-5, Robert 1-1-3, Robert Jr. 1-0-4, James 1-1-2
1800 Greene Co. Cumberland Twp. Elizabeth Cree (pg 48), Robert Cree(pg 48), William Cree (William on same page as James and John Villiers p. 62)
 Sources:
Generation 2

Robert Cree Jr. followed his father to Western Pa. Serving in Captain James Fisher's Cumberland Co. Militia Company in 1782.(Pa. Archives Series III, Vol. 23 pp.793)   Also, DAR # A027723, William Crawford Comp. Paid supply tax Source suggests b. ca 1760 Cumberland Co. Pa. and D. 1802 in Greene Co. Pa. In Cumberland Co. he met and married Elizabeth Villiers.  Elizabeth Cree is listed on 1798 Pa Tax list #52 Greene Co. Cumberland Twp.  1 house (16' X 14') value $75.00, 1 barn (18'X18'), 1 still house (18'X16') adjacent to property owned by Robert Cree (value of 100 acres approx. $675).  Whether this is property of Sr. or Jr. is not known, but does indicate that Robert Jr. is probably deceased by this date?  The 1810 Pa Greene Co. Cumberland Twp. page106, census further supports this by having a listing for Elizabeth. They ccontinued the western migration to Harrison Co. Oh. around 1810 to 1820.  Robert Cree Jr. or Elizabeth do not appear on any Oh census records.Elizabeth might show up as an older female on one of her children s census, but not named.  Several of his brothers and sisters families made the move with them.. Elizabeth Cree's will written 5-21-1831 and probated 4-12-1841 in Harrison Co. Oh.

Named sons:
Daughters:
Executor:
Wittinesses:
.

Children:
Will of Elizabeth Cree: Page 1  Page 2

1794 Cumberland Twp., Greene Co. Pa. tax list

Generation 3

Eleanor Cree----James Irons go to Irons Family page

Cree  Family  family history as found in Tenmile Country and its Pioneer Families by Howard Leckey (1977 Green Co. Pa. Historical Society)

Cree Family Online Source

The Perry/Hupp Family History
Robert Cree
  BIRTH: ABT. 1758, County Down, Northern Ireland
  DEATH: ABT. 1795, Washington, PA
  OCCUPATION: Cumberland, PA
Father: Robert Cree
Mother: Janet Hamilton

Family 1:

MARRIAGE: 1786, Washington, PA to Elizabeth Villars

Childern:
 Notes:
Very little is known about the life of Robert Cree, Jr. He was born in
Down, Northern Ireland and came to this country at an early age, sometime
prior to 1770. He was one of the older children of Robert and Janet
Hamilton Cree. Robert Cree, Sr. and his family were living in
Cumberland (now Perry), PA during the years of the Revolutionary War.
Several of his children, including Robert, Jr. served during this war.
Robert Jr.was a member of Capt. Gilbert McCoy's Co. of the Cumberland
Militia in the summer of 1779 and later served in Capt. William
Crawford's Co. of the Washington Militia in the fall of 1781. After this
term of enlistment had expired, he evidently remained in Washington and
soon thereafter, he was followed there by his parents and the rest of his
family.

Robert Cree, Jr. married Elizabeth Villars in Washington in 1786.
They were the parents of eight children. The exact date of Robert's
death is unknown, although according to the Washington records, the
inventory of his estate was made on November 12, 1795. It was customary
at that time to inventory the estates as soon as possible after death so
he evidently died in the fall of 1795, possibly in the month of October.
The place of his burial is unknown although it obviously would have been
at some location in Washington .

After the death of Robert Cree, Jr., his widow, Elizabeth Villars
Cree and some of her younger children moved to eastern OH, where she
settled and bought property in Harrison County . She died there in 1841 and is
buried in the Methodist Cemetery at Freeport, Harrison . There seems
to be a great amount of confusion about the birth dates of the children
of Robert Cree, Jr. and his wife, Elizabeth Villars Cree. Hanna, in his
three books, "OH Pioneers", "OH Valley Genealogies", and "History of
Harrison, OH", gives the following birth dates for these children:

Anne Cree 13 November 1788
Mary Cree 17 December 1789
Janet Cree 5 February 1790
Robert Cree 12 April 1791
George Cree 28 December 1793
Eleanor Cree 20 April 1795
John Cree 18 September 1796
James Cree 12 May 1798

These dates have also appeared in some other publications, no doubt
having been taken from the books listed above. However, overwhelming
evidence would indicate that many of these dates are in error. It is
somewhat of a mystery where Hanna got the dates that he used in his books
but the following birth dates which were taken from the grave stones of
five of these children should be far more likely to be accurate.

Anne Cree 18 November 1788
Mary Cree 18 November 1788
Janet Cree 19 January 1790
Robert Cree 12 April 1791 (checks with Hanna's date)
John Cree 14 July 1793

One very obvious error in Hanna's dates would be those of Mary and Janet
Cree. He shows Mary as having been born on 17 December 1789 and Janet on
5 February 1790, a time difference of approximately six weeks. He also
lists John as having been born in September of 1796 and James in May of
1798 when the evidence indicates that their father was dead by November
of 1795.