Freestone County, Texas Biographies Biography of William Hemphill McCrery/McCreary William Hemphill McCrery was born August 25, 1842 in Wilcox County, Alabama. He came to Freestone County, Texas as a child with his grandfather William Bonner and his mother Mary Bonner McCrery. At the age of nineteen he enlisted in L.D. Bradley’s Company of the Confederate States Cavalry. He later transferred to Waul’s Texas Legion, of the Confederate States Army. William appears in the 1860, 1870, and 1880 censuses of Freestone County, Texas. McCrery was a land owner and cotton farmer in Stewards Mill, a settlement in Freestone County, near Fairfield and Mexia. In 1868 he married Arabella Williams Bonner McCrery (1845-1903), daughter of John Bonner and Eliza Williams. Together they lived in Freestone County with their ten daughters. Arabella was the first music teacher in Stewards Mill. William died of a heart attack on February 4, 1893. After his death Arabella moved to Corsicana with her children. ------------------------------------------------------ Dallas Morning News - February 7, 1893      Mortuary     W. H. McCreary   MEXIA, Tex., Feb. 6 - W. H. McCreary of Steward's mill, Freestone county, died suddenly Saturday while on his way home from Fairfield. ------------------------------------------------------ Source - "The Fairfield Recorder Obits (Sept 26, 1890-Sept 20, 1895)" Transcribed by Ann Farnsworth.  Fairfield Genealogical Society, copyright 2003. p. 48. "Feb 20, 1893 Death of Wm. H. McCreary He Died Suddenly While Returning Home From Fairfield in a Buggy Mr. William H, McCreary, near Stewards Mill, died suddenly last Saturday evening while on his return home from Fairfield.  He and Mr. J. T. Steward had been to town that day and started back home in a buggy together about sunset.  Mr. McCreary just before leaving complained of feeling a little unwell, saying he feared an attack of colic which had had a week or two before.  After going a short distance, he seemed to have gotten better and was soon laughing and talking.  About two miles from town he suddenly became quiet and fell over against Mr. Steward, who soon realized that something serious was the matter.  He hurried onto the residence of Mr. S. J. Talley and there got assistance and took Mr. McCreary out of the buggy and laid him on the gallery with a pillow under his head.  He gave one or two gasps and was dead.  His death the doctors say was from apoplexy. The deceased was an old resident of our county, a man about 51 years old and was held in high esteem by all that knew him.  Jovial, pleasant, full of merriment, he had many friends and was liked by everyone.  His death, sudden as it was and coming when in apparent health, was a shock to all his friends and a terrible blow to his family who have the sympathy of our entire community.  Two of Mr. McCreary's daughters were off at school, one at Sherman and one at Huntsville.  They were summoned home by telegraph and attended the funeral here last Monday.  The remains were interred in Fairfield cemetery, Rev. W. L. Patterson officiating.  A large number of people attested their respect of the dead by attendance at the burial.  In his death, Freestone has lost a good and valuable citizen, one who will be long missed in the neighborhood in which he lived.  Besides his wife and a large family of daughters, he leaves to mourn his loss, an aged mother, one sister, Mrs. G. T. Bradley of Stewards Mill." ------------------------------------------------------ Associate Reformed Presbyterian newspaper - 22 Feb 1893   "We were greatly shocked when on Sabbath, the 4th, at Richland by the announcement that Mr. W.H. McCreary was dead. He belonged, as you know, to my [W.L. Patterson] Harmony congregation. Earlier had three years of continued ill health, but seemed better...On trip to Fairfield he told a friend that he was sick and took a dose of laudanum. After a little he seemed asleep, but his friend found that it was not natural sleep, and so they turned into a house and asked for help...[but he was soon dead.] What a shock it must have been to his wife and eight girls at home and two away at school to be told "your husband - your papa is dead." Mr. McCreary is the only son of Mrs. Mary McCreary, wife of Rev. Joseph who was killed on the "Lucy Walker" explosion, a long time ago." ------------------------------------------------------ First buried in the Fairfield Cemetery.  This is the recorded burial ground in the Joseph McCreary family bible.  William Hemphill McCreary was reinterred in Corsicana when his family moved to Corsicana after his death. Fort Worth Star-Telegram - 17 Aug 1904 - Page: 4 Texas News Briefs   "The remains of W. H. McCreary, after an interment of nine years at Corsicana [should be Fairfield], have been taken up and buried in the Oakwood Cemetery from the Fairfield cemetery."