Sometimes my screw-ups lead to unexpected results.
I have learned that the best place to meet people in a small community is on a Sunday morning at church. I had carefully planned out my visit to Concord, Erie County, Pennsylvania. I had emailed the pastor of the McCray Methodist Church and mapped out the route. It was a two-hour trip down from Concord, Erie County, NY. Somehow I got the service and Sunday school times mixed up, and we arrived as ½ dozen cars were pulling out of the parking lot. We had missed it!
I have learned that the best place to meet people in a small community is on a Sunday morning at church. I had carefully planned out my visit to Concord, Erie County, Pennsylvania. I had emailed the pastor of the McCray Methodist Church and mapped out the route. It was a two-hour trip down from Concord, Erie County, NY. Somehow I got the service and Sunday school times mixed up, and we arrived as ½ dozen cars were pulling out of the parking lot. We had missed it!
There was only one car left, so I quickly introduced myself. Willard and Alice, Mike McCray. “It’s a good community. Said Alice, “And yes the church was named after my husband’s family.” After a chat and a couple of pictures, the three McCrays invited us back to their family farm.
According to "The History of Concord Township," The McCrays first settled in Concord in 1798. James and William McCray were veterans of the Revolutionary War, and the land in Erie County had been part of the payment scheme to compensate veterans since the country had no meaningful currency with which to pay the soldiers. Each soldier was given 200 acres as long as he resided on the property and improved it by clearing forests or draining lowlands. At the time, the township was called “Brokenstraw.”
“After the settlers laid claim to their land and built their cabins, they had to buy all their provisions until they could clear land to grow them. Clearing the land usually took 1-½ years."
"As costs were so high, many settlers found themselves deeply in debt. As there wasn’t a mill established, they had to grind their corn in a mortar and to separate the coarse from the fine, they used a sieve made from dried deer skin punched full of small holes and stretched over a hoop. The fine corn was used to bake bread. The coarse was made into “samp,” a corn mush or soup. For meat they hunted deer, bear, rabbit, raccoon and squirrel.” The first election in Brokenstraw was around the year 1800, and only three voters attended the election. These three voters appointed themselves onto the election board and administered the oath of office to each other."
"As costs were so high, many settlers found themselves deeply in debt. As there wasn’t a mill established, they had to grind their corn in a mortar and to separate the coarse from the fine, they used a sieve made from dried deer skin punched full of small holes and stretched over a hoop. The fine corn was used to bake bread. The coarse was made into “samp,” a corn mush or soup. For meat they hunted deer, bear, rabbit, raccoon and squirrel.” The first election in Brokenstraw was around the year 1800, and only three voters attended the election. These three voters appointed themselves onto the election board and administered the oath of office to each other."
In 1820, the township of Brokenstraw was divided; the northern portion was called Waynce, and the southern portion kept the name Concord. It was most likely named after Concord NH, the birthplace of one of the early settlers.
In 1836, the Erie County Anti-slavery Society was organized. The Rev. T H Burrows of Concord Township took in enslaved people and hide them in attics and hollowed out haystacks. When safe they were taken on “cracky wagons” to Lake Erie where they boarded boats to Canada and freedom.
In 1845, the McCray Church was organized. The building was used for a number of years by both Methodist and Congregationalists. They didn’t always get along in Christian Concord and friction developed between the two groups. It became so virulent that when the Methodist service was concluded on Sunday mornings, they would nail the door shut. When the Congregationalists arrived later in the day, they would force open the door, hold the service and then nail the door shut once again.
In 1836, the Erie County Anti-slavery Society was organized. The Rev. T H Burrows of Concord Township took in enslaved people and hide them in attics and hollowed out haystacks. When safe they were taken on “cracky wagons” to Lake Erie where they boarded boats to Canada and freedom.
In 1845, the McCray Church was organized. The building was used for a number of years by both Methodist and Congregationalists. They didn’t always get along in Christian Concord and friction developed between the two groups. It became so virulent that when the Methodist service was concluded on Sunday mornings, they would nail the door shut. When the Congregationalists arrived later in the day, they would force open the door, hold the service and then nail the door shut once again.
The McCray family owned same farmland since 1848. For seven generations, they were grain and dairy farmers. Willard had worked the farm for over 60 years, much of the time with his son Mike at his side. None of Mike’s children wanted to carry on the family tradition. His son has a high paying job in IT, but his 3-year old grandson is reportedly crazy about being a farmer. He spends his weekends riding his toy tractor with his grand and great-grand parents.
Willard - “We have bad winters here. Oh do we have them. They aren’t as bad as they used to be. We’d have snow and this road would be closed for weeks at a time.”
Mike - The farm had 50 milk cows plus 25-30 heifers. A good cow would last about 10 years.
Willard - “Oh, I loved it! To work the land and the animals. I loved it…. But they have done away with the family farm. From Rt 6 over here to the town of Spartansburg, there is not a farm that produces milk.
Willard - “We have bad winters here. Oh do we have them. They aren’t as bad as they used to be. We’d have snow and this road would be closed for weeks at a time.”
Mike - The farm had 50 milk cows plus 25-30 heifers. A good cow would last about 10 years.
Willard - “Oh, I loved it! To work the land and the animals. I loved it…. But they have done away with the family farm. From Rt 6 over here to the town of Spartansburg, there is not a farm that produces milk.