Delaware County NY Genealogy and History Site

The Lot 68 Kortright Center pics are of the farm just about across from Gilchrist Church and where Thomas McClaughry first settled around 1784 farm staying in family until 1949.

Ebenezer Rowland (Sr), house is on dead end of present day Hanford Road across from West Kortright Centre. That road was originally Kinyon/Kenyon Hill Road that- ran from across street from Kelso Cemetery (today) down almost to Bloomville. Lower half of that road is Crowe Road today. He owned almost all that land from the W.K.. Centre south to house and beyond and planted all those apple, trees that cover that area today. He came into county around 1800 with Father William, and brother Samuel'. He was married to Margeret Findley and from Dave Finley (posted probate will of James Findley on this website) her Father was the James Findley Eb was co- executor of in 1812.The Findleys seem to be a mining family and possible they and Rowlands came from. Virginia. Findleys were English with mining roots in copper mines back in England and family is still very much in that business all over the world today.

My research centered around the family of Robert Houston McLaury of Kortright, his wife, Margeret Findley Rowland, (dau of Ebenezer and his wife Margeret). Robert was the son of John Reid McLaury, and Margery Rose (daughter of James Rose, Hugh Rose's (the 1st) brother). John Reid, was son of Thomas McClaughry, and a farmer and lawyer in Kortright Center (buried in Braehead Cemetery there). Robert Houston and wife first farmed a piece of Lot 40 in northwest corner of Kortright where that Lot is in all three adjoining townships. In 1840/41 they moved to, East Meredith first farm on left (today) of road. To Meridale from Hamlet of East Meredith. They went to Iowa, in, 1855/56 and first settled in Belle Plaine, Margeret died shortly thereafter and Robert moved to Hazelton Iowa remarried, divorced and remarried again late in life. All of their 11 children were born here, Hugh died at age 4 (1843) in farmhouse fire and. son Edmund was a civil war casualty later on and Tom and "Frank" were killed in Tombstone.

A cousin, also a Robert McLaury wife Mary (son of Thomas's brother Andrew) lived on the Old turnpike road just as it crosses line into Meredith from West Kortright. The farm was Andrews and after his death Robert moved the original house across the road and built a new one. His older brother Joseph and a spinster sister, Martha lived then in the old house the brother being somewhat mentally disabled it appears, The pictures of both houses are on included on this website. The next house on that road, before it meets Elk Creek Road was built by Crane Parris of the Parri's family of East Meredith who owned the Hanford Mill in 1850's.His son Ben built a house on Kelso Road but moved west with Robert Houston and others in 1855. These places were all found from the excellent descriptions of them and their location in Elma Mitchell's three books.

I had started out to write a book on Tom and Frank McLaurys connections here as well as on Ned Buntline of Stamford (Col. E.C. Z. Judson) the Dime Novelist whom the fictitious famous pistol of Wyatt Earp The Buntline Special, was named after in a 19291 novel that was more fiction than fact and by that book somewhat connected to the events in Tombstone as the author claimed Wyatt Earp shot Frank McLaury with that pistol. I include some pictures of Judson's haunts and home, engraving of Judsons Eagles nest Home from Munsells, from an old card in my collection, photos I took last year of it, and some computer artwork I did on it, on his gravesite photo I took last year, old photos of the Delaware Inn, and a blow up of the Hamilton House Hotel that was in Stamford: from a panoramic map in the Library of Congress collections, all modified by computer to illustrate details of events in the bio on Judson.
Note: these have not yet been added to this website

As to Cornelius Finley, after family moved to western NYS he went to California during gold rush then to Nevada and did well and moved to Santa Clara County Ca. San Jose. He became County Clerk there and was, a good friend of former Santa Clara County Sheriff John Hicks Adams. Hicks was a very famous lawman there in 1850-70s and. worked with James B. Hume several times (Jim Hume and Cornelius related by McLaury ties but likely unaware of it). Both Adams and Hicks having mining experience they invested in. the Washington Mine Co. and went to southern Arizona in spring of 1878 as Manager and foreman of that mine not far from Tombstone actually. They had both received appointments as Deputy US Marshals at the time, almost a necessity at the time and place to lawfully keep order around the remote mining camps. While traveling north to company headquarters in September of 1878 they were killed by five Mexicans who had previously worked in the mining area and believed they were carrying gold ore, which was not true. About the same time Tom and Frank McLaury were just starting their ranch and farm to the northeast of the Washington Mines to supply meat and produce to Army post, Santa Clara Indian reservation, Tombstone and other fast growing, towns that sprung, up as a result of the silver strike at Tombstone. It is doubtful they knew Finley or Adams or vice versa or even their blood connections (to Finley). Later on in Tombstone, James B. Hume was in charge in a Wells Fargo Investigation of a stage robbery and killing of the driver that Tom and Frank were at one time thought involved in, and employed the Earp brothers who later killed them. Again neither Hume or the McLaurys probably knew of their blood ties or of all them coming from Delaware County, NY.

Interesting stories!

John Culligan POB 17 Hamden NY 13782
schofield@catskill.net

February 22, 2002