Biographical Insights about
William Brown McNAY
(13 Jan 1880 - 16 Jan 1921)

William Brown McNAY was born 15 Jan 1830 in Waynesburg, Franklin Twp., Greene Co., PA, the sixth child and fourth son of James McELNAY and Hannah BROWN . On 19 Dec., 1854, in Claysville, Washington Co., PA, he married Mary LUCAS , daughter of Benjamin LUCAS and Mary 'Polly' LEE , both of whom were born and died in Washington Co., Pennsylvania (their gravestones are in the West Finley Twp Cemetery in Washington Co.). The McElnays (whose children changed the spelling of their name to 'McNay') and the Lucases were early and prominent pioneer farm families in the county, and the vast majority of their children also ended up with farms of their own.

William B McNAY about 1882, in Peoria

As were many other pioneer families of their time, both families were religious. Church records indicate that both James McElnay and his son William B. were among the 30 founding members of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church in Wind Ridge, Greene Co., PA , and also note that William B. was the last surviving founding member at the time he died. The births of all of William B.'s and Mary's children were recorded in their large family Bible.

William B. and Mary McNay remained in Washington Co., PA for the first 18 years of the marriage, the last several years during which Mary's widowed mother also lived with the family. When Mary's father died in 1866, his property was sold and the proceeds divided amongst his 5 still surviving children - the property deed contains the names of the sellers as Isaac N. Lucas (the only surviving son), Lydia Lucas (who later married George Linville), Wm. B. McNay (who had married daughter Mary), Joseph B. Stewart (who had married daughter Jane), and Hannah Bentley (Hannah Lucas having m. George Bentley).

Following the death of Mary's mother, William B. and his wife moved to Peoria, Illinois, where a number of Mary's siblings had previously moved. Roughly ten years later they moved again, to Greenfield Co., Iowa, where Mary died on April 5, 1914 at age 86. Remarkably, her husband William lived another 14 years (his final years spent traveling between his daughters when not staying with eldest daughter Anna and her husband Samuel McGaughey in Mt. Gilead, OH). He died 22 May 1928 in Mt. Gilead, Ohio, but is buried next to his wife in the Greenfield Cemetery in Iowa.

William B and Mary Lucas McNAY about 1882

The 7 daughters and 1 son of William B. and Mary remained in close contact throughout their life, and diligently maintained records of the family. The descendants of William B.'s father also maintained contact throughout the years, and frequently held family reunions as was the habit of many farm families. A 1927 newspaper article from Washington Co., Pennsylvania still survives which noted one such reunion :

McNay Family Holds Annual Reunion at Old Homestead, Waynesburg

Wind Ridge, August 16. The fifth reunion of the McNay clan was held at the old stone house on the Ewing McNay farm, near Waynesboro, on Saturday, August 13 [1927], with 100 members present. The centennial anniversary of the old house was celebrated at this reunion, it having been built one hundred years ago, is in a good state of preservation and is still occupied. An inscription on the building reads " Built by William Blair for James and Anna McNay in 1827." James McNay and his wife were pioneer settlers in that section, coming to that place from Adams County [PA]. Eleven children were born to this couple, two of whom died in infancy, nearly all the others living to a ripe old age. The only survivor is William B. McNay, of Mt. Gilead, O., who celebrated his 97th birthday anniversary June 15, of this year, is hale and hearty and bids fair to reach the century mark. He is a great reader and often busies himself by working in the garden and doing chores by way of recreation. James and Anna McNay moved from the old stone house where they had lived for many years to Wind Ridge, where they settled on a farm, living there for the remainder of their lives. The farm was later owned and occupied by the late B. H. McNay, a son of James and Anna McNay. The day of the reunion was an ideal one and was hugely enjoyed, the bountiful dinner served in cafeteria style being the principal feature. A short program was carried out, consisting of shorrt talks made by Dr. C. T. Dodd, of Van Buren; Dr. Frank Smith Post, of Portland, Oregon; Mrs. Elia Post, of Spencerville, O.; K. G. Flemming, Kittanning, and a reading by little Miss Mary McNay, of Waynesburg. Relatives were present from Portland, Ore, Misspouri, Ohio, Pittsburgh, Fredonia, Coraopolis, Bridgeville, New Bethlehem, Kittanning, Taylorstown, Van Buren, Claysville, Waynesburg and Wind Ridge. The next reunion will be held at the home of Dr. C. T. Dodd of VanBuren, on the second Saturday in August, 1928. All the old officers were re-elected as follows: Honorary president, William B. McNay, Mt. Gilead, O.; president, John Post, Taylorstown; vice presidents, R. L. Flemming, New Bethlehem; Dr. C. T. Dodd, Washington, R.D.;S. E. McNay, Waynesburg; secretary, Mrs. R. A. Carroll, West Finley; treasurer, Mrs. Roy Clayton, Waynesburg R.D. 1.

As a result of such reunions and the interest in the McNay family, various family members collected not only family genealogies and histories, but also memorialized the history in several interesting family documents. The most important of those documents were donated by Pauline Young Parrott to the Greenfield Public Library in Greenfield, Iowa, and include her own 50 page 'Food and Fun with the McNays' assembly of family reminiscenses and recipes provided by numerous contributors including herself, and William Harold and Edna Holmes McNay's 60 page summary of the 'Descendants of John and Hannah McElnay' (grandparents of William B.).

Amongst the items in Pauline Parrott's 'Fodd and Fun' is the following newspaper account - apparently from a Greenfield Iowa newspaper - of their 1904 golden wedding anniversary :

1854-1904 : Mr. & Mrs. W. B. McNay Celebrate Their Fiftieth Wedding Anniversary

On last Friday at the country home adjoining Greenfield, Mr. and Mrs. W. B. McNay celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of their marriage. An invitation had been extended by the family to all of their friends to join them on this occasion and make the event a pleasant one for all. Such an invitation was in keeping with the generosity and affection this remarkable couple have shown during their life and their friends accepted it both in the spirit it was given, and with a heart full of good will and well wishes for the future health and welfare of Mr. and Mrs. McNay. The guests on arrival were welcomed by the many good daughters of this estimable couple, and after greeting Mr. and Mrs, McNay and friends, were ushered into the dining room, which was decorated in golden colors, and the table beautifully set with flowers and chinaware, Here the guests were served with cake and coffee, everything carrying out in color and quality the occasion From 2 o'clock until the golden sunset in the evening, friends came and went, happy in their consciousness of adding a tribute of love and respect to this venerable couple. Mrs. McNay, nee Mary Lucas was born in Washington County Pennsylvania, She can trace her ancestors to the Pilgrims who came over in the Mayflower. Mr. McNay, who is of the sturdy Scotch descent like his better half, was born in Green County Pennsylvania, an adjoining county of Washington. Mr. and Mrs. McNay were married at Claysville, Pennsylvania in 1854. In 1872 they came west and settled at Elmwood, Illinois, where they resided for ten years, coming to Adair County, Iowa in l882. On the farm where they celebrated their golden wedding on Friday, they have resided for the past twenty-two years. Their union has been blessed with eight children, seven girls and one boy. No deaths have occured in the family, and all were present on Friday to share in the joys of the golden wedding and the happy reunion of the family. The children have the same noble bearing of their father and mother, and the same remarkable vigorous appearance. All are married and scattered over the west rearing homes of their own. The children are: Mrs. S. M. McGaughy of Chesterville, Ohio; Mrs. S. E. Alley of Greenfield; Mrs. C. B. Carpenter and Mrs. W. J. McCowan of Peoria, Illinois; Mrs. E. M. Piper of Greenfield, Mrs. W. R. Dawson of Red Oak, Iowa; Mrs. C. E. Keys of Mound City, Kansas; and J. W. McNay of New Virginia, Iowa. [A short poem followed, "written by W. H. Bentley, the son of Mary Lucas McNay's sister, Hannah Lucas Bentley."]

William B. McNAY and Mary (LUCAS) McNAY are both buried in the Greenfield Cemetery in Adair Co., Iowa, near the home where their youngest children were raised.