CORNELIUS MCHANEY  

The following bio was taken from page 294 of the book entitled “Rusk County History” compiled and edited and used with permission of the Rusk County Historical Commission. 

Transcribed by Shirley Koym 

Submitted by Gloria Briley Mayfield, Cemeteries of Texas 

Cornelius McHaney was born in Ireland and came to Pittsylvania County, Virginia and married Mildred Hicks.  They became the parents of: John, who married Elizabeth Mitchell; Cornelius II, who married Patience Hurt, and then later married Susanna Waller; Polly, who married Nat Hubbard first and then a Mr. Tucker:  Mary, who married George Gilbert; Cecilia, who married Hugh George, and Frances, who married John Turner.

Cornelius McHaney II and his wife Patience continued to live in Pittsylvania County, Virginia and had these children:  Creed Dabnor, who married Elizabeth Terry; James hurt, who married Kate Berger; Cornelius III, who married Mary Ann Wood, (Lillian Watson’s great-grandparents); William Crutchfield, who married Louise Henry; Mary Jane, who married David Berger, then married Thomas Johnson; John Harrison, who married Taylor McAdows; Lafayette, who married Samantha Henry, then married Minerva Jones; Mildred Hicks, who married Isaac Lawler; Matilda, who married James Gardener, and Robert, who married Martha Pyles.

The Cornelius McHaney II family must have moved to Tennessee later since the father and mother were buried in the McHaney Cemetery in Henderson County, Tennessee.

Cornelius McHaney III and his wife, Mary Ann, were living in Tennessee in 1850 and had two children, Robert Harrison and Medie.  They, with the Isaac Lawler family, came to Texas in 1850.  The Lawler family settled in the Mt. Enterprise Community, Rusk County, Texas, and the McHaney family settled in the Cross Roads Community, Rusk County, Texas.  There, six additional children were born to the McHaney family:  William E., Dora, Walter, James, Cornelius IV, and Cornelia.  The father bought two sections of land and lived there the rest of his life.  Cornelius III and his wife Mary Ann are buried in the Pirtle Cemetery, Rusk County.  All except one of Cornelius and Mary Ann’s children married and settled on the two sections of land their father bought when he came to Texas.  Jim went to Medena, Texas and reared his family.

Now I will pick up my story with Robert Harrison, son of Cornelius McHaney III and his wife Mary Ann.  Robert married Ellen Catherine Holloway, and they became the parents of James Cornelius and Minnie (my mother).  Ellen Catherine died in 1879 and is buried in the Pirtle Cemetery, Rusk County.  Robert then married Tina Honea, and they were the parents of:  Grover, twin girls, Amy and Annie, Claude, and Ella Mae.  After the death of his second wife, Robert married a Mrs. Hunt and they had two children, Tresa and Sam.  All of the Robert McHaney family are dead except Tresa, who lives in Longview.

Submitted by Lillian Watson