The Creech Family 1503- 1979

John IV of Balfour's son Sir David I was Lord High Treasurer and in 1503 acquired the castle of Creich in Fife after its previous owner was charged with treason and forfeited the castle. When he died in 1505 his son, Sir John became the 2nd Laird of Creich. Sir John died after 1524, making David II Laird, as John's sons were still young. When David II died in 1539, the eldest son of Sir John, who was unmarried took over castle responsibilities. Robert, younger son of Sir John, became the 4th Laird. His sister, Elizabeth, was one of the mistresses of King James V of Scotland. Another sister, Janet (1519–1569), became Lady of Branxholme and Buccleugh.

Robert's daughter Mary, was one of the Four Mary's who accompanied Mary, Queen of Scots to France. In addition to Mary, the queen's entourage included two other members of the Bethune family. John, a younger brother of Archbishop James Bethune, became her Master of the Royal Household but died in 1570 at Chatsworth House where his monument can be seen in Edensor church. His brother Andrew, who wished to marry her attendant Mary Seton, was then appointed to fill the vacancy.

Back at the castle, Robert died in 1567, Robert's eldest son David III was 5th Laird until his death in1579. After his death, James younger son of Robert, was 6th Laird. James's son David IV, was 7th Laird. 

David IV Beaton (7th Laird of Creich) married the daughter of Andrew Leslie 5th Earl of Rothes. Euphemia Leslie gave him several sons, his elder son, David V, was 8th Laird. Upon his death in 1660 it passed to the younger son, William. He was the 9th Laird of Creich and, the last Laird. He sold the castle.

 David IV's middle son Richard Bethune was born in 1600, by 18 he was married and had a son. By 20 he had two sons. Being the middle and unfavored son, with no expectations of becoming Laird, Richard planned out a new life for his family. The couple left Scotland for Jamestown with their sons and daughter in tow aboard the ship "Journeyman" captained by William Carter. They successfully reached Virginia however, neither would live to see past the age of 30. They were killed by natives along with their daughter and dozens of other settlers. Their son Cpt Henry Eanruig Creech was raised by relatives. He moved to Lower Norfolk Virginia (what would become Albemarle, Virginia and then North Carolina.) He Captained a ship around the area. He bought 200 acres on the northeast side of Pasquotank River, and was the Justice of the Peace. His sons were awarded a land grant in 1704 of another 400 plus acres adjacent to Yawpins Indian Reservation. His son Richard Creech was born in 1662 and inherited the land. However, he moved north to present day Suffolk.

Richard's third son Jr was born in Nansemond, in the Virginia Colony in 1703. Richard Creech Jr had several sons including Richard Creech the third and Benjamin Creech, Sr.

Benjamin had 9 children, including six sons who served in the Revolutionary War. He moved from the Virginia Colony to Dobbs Co. (later Lenoir Co, now part of Johnston Co) NC in the 1740-50's. 

"Benjamin Creech Sr. was born about 1724 in Nansemond County Virginia the son of Richard Creech Jr. and wife Mary Etheridge. In the years 1735-1756 the heavy migration to the Coastal Plain region of North Carolina accounted for the very rapid growth there, extending from 50 to 200 miles inland. Moving into the area the heavy migration from the areas of Isle of Wight, Surry, Nansemond and other counties of Virginia included the Scotch-Irish, Germans Welsh, English, French and others which run into the thousands. 

How did they come? - with horses oxen, wagons and cattle, walking, they made their trek into what was to become Greene, Lenoir and Wayne counties of North Carolina. 

Benjamin Creech Sr. and his brother Richard Creech were no exception for they had joined a wagon train to the south. Just how many families or who they were is not known; but actually they were headed for the region around the Lower Cape Fear Valley where many friends, neighbors and family had already settled. The time of year was winter; the snow and cold rainy weather had made them bear east instead of taking the famous "Philadelphia Wagon Road" which began at Schuylkill River Ferry opposite Philadelphia and ended near Salisbury, North Carolina. 

As they passed the territory of old Johnston County, North Carolina (later to become old Dobbs Co), Benjamin, a young man of about 22 years old, here fell in love with a young lady by the name of Mary Lewis born January 28, 1724 and married her in the year 1746 in the Spring. It was a very short courtship. It seems that Benjamin could not talk Mary into leaving with him to continue on to the Lower Cape Fear region but instead she persuaded Benjamin to stay near her family. Brother Richard continued on to New Hanover County, North Carolina where he stayed until after the American Revolution, then moved on to present day Barnwell Co, South Carolina. 

Mary Lewis was the daughter of Thomas Lewis and Rebecca (Becky) Thomas (daughter of Samuel Thomas). After the marriage of Benjamin and Mary Lewis, Thomas gave them a parcel of land 200 acres in 1747. Here on this land Benjamin and Mary built a log house with a stick chimney, dirt floors which had sand on them that had been hauled from the Great Contentnea Creek banks. Here in this house Benjamin and Mary had 9 children of which 8 reached adulthood. This house was handed down to their son Ezekiel then to his son John thence to his son Starkey thence to his son Joseph John Creech, who was killed in the Civil War, fighting for the Confederacy. This house stood until the year 1899 (my father William Franklin Creech was born in this house). The old Creech Cemetery is nearby this home of Benjamin Creech.

 Benjamin Creech Sr. came from Nansemond County, Virginia to what was to become old Dobbs County North Carolina (now Lenoir and Greene counties) where he built a land empire on Rainbow Run and Wheat Swamp. Here he received land grants in 1768, 1770, and 1771; and another, no date given, probably earlier than the others. He died before 1780 as he was not shown on that year's tax list and is buried near the old home site without a marker along with his wife, son John, son Lewis and daughter Mary Nancy Creech. These graves had markers until about the year 1932 when an old man asked the owner to clean up the cemetery (during the great depression) so he could make some money to get his family something to eat. The owner agreed to let him clean up the cemetery, but to his surprise when checked, found that the old man had removed all markers and had thrown them in a wash on Rainbow Run. (This story was told to me by Mr. Willie Sugg, who later owned the farm and stated he had seen the markers). 

Benjamin Sr. and Mary Lewis Creech did much for their country and its independence, as they had five sons to Serve in the American Revolution and one other son to be killed by the Tories at the beginning or just before the war started. They left each son a farm in old Dobbs County, N.C, but son Richard sold out and went to Cumberland County , N.C.; Mary never married; Simon sold out and moved to Duplin Co, N.C; Benjamin Jr. stayed in Lenoir; Rebecca no data; Joshua went to present day Johnston Co.; N.C.; Ezekiel stayed in Lenoir Co.; John Sr. stayed but died about 1783- his widow and sons went to Lee Co. Va. & Harlan Co, Ky.; son Lewis died young. Taken from James M Creech's "The Creech Family." 

Joshua Creech married Sally Stanford in 1768 in Johnston, NC. During the American Revolution Joshua served as a private under the command of Captain Joseph Green in the Dobbs County Regiment of the NC Militia. Creech was involved at the Battle of Moore's Creek. But not before the birth of his second son Jesse Speights Creech Sr. 

Jesse Married Margaret Worley in 1798. Jesse fathered as many as 15 children. His son Stanford was born in 1818, after the family was already in double digits. In Clayton, in 1848 Stanford married his first wife Martha Ellen Horne, sister to one of the town's most prominent citizens Ashley Horne.

Their first son, Alonzo Donald Creech, was born August 1852 in Clayton, Johnston County, NC, one of 6 known surviving children (2 boys/4 girls).

Alonzo's mother died in 1862 when he was 10 years old, and his father married that same year to Mary Broughton of Clayton, who would add 4 more children to the Creech household. Alonzo's father was a farmer in Clayton, but later moved the family into town where he operated a grocery store (ca. 1880).

On February 10, 1874, 21-year old Alonzo married 19-year old Mary Barber/Barbour, daughter of Hardy/Hardie Barber/Barbour and Mary Johnson from Ingram Township, Johnston Co.

The couple were farmers in Clayton and would have 6 known children (5 boys/1 girl): Alonzo D. Jr. (c. 1874), Mahlon (c. 1877), J. Raymond (1882-1934), Ethel B. (1887-1968), Harvey (c. 1891), and Hume (c. 1894).

The photo (shown here) is of the Alonzo Creech house taken ca. 1909. 

Alonzo Jr born in 1874 served in the Spanish American War (1898-1901) as a member in Co. B., 1st NC Infantry. He was injured and unconscious and was laid out on the slab with the other dead soldiers. A man who knew him stopped to retrieve his belongings to send them home to Alonzo Sr. As he stooped down and began riffling through his pockets the friend felt warmth, not the cold of a cadaver, he leaned closer only to hear a faint heart beat. He called hastily for a medic, "This man is alive!" He recovered and travelled home to NC where he bucked family farming traditions and attended NC State for textiles. He began work in the mills as industrialization began to rule the new economy. As many did he lived in the village of Wilson Mill in Johnston County where on the 13th of February 1915 the 41 year old married Bertie V. Spence. She was just 17. Eight months later she gave birth to a son. Three years later a daughter. In 1922 A.D. was offered a position as the VP of a mill in High Point. 

High Point industrialists and entrepreneurs John Hampton Adams and James Henry Millis established the High Point Hosiery Mill in 1904 and several other hosiery mills after that. When they realized the competitive advantage they would have by producing their own knitting yarn, they built Highland Cotton Mills in 1913. The mills often had child laborers at the time and the conditions weren't great. Employees and their families lived in the mill village in small homes built by the mill. The management of the mill lived in larger homes on the outskirts of the mill village, the owner in mansions on Main Street. 

The area just beyond the mill village is called West End today, A.D. had a home there on Ward. In 1924 his wife gave birth to their third child, Bessie Lee Creech. He soon retired from the textile industry and suffered debilitating health issues. As Bertie cared for her ailing husband, the first born Louise cared for her younger siblings. The children attended public schools, all three graduating from High Point High School. It was in High School that Bessie Lee met a charismatic and handsome athlete named Eugene Purcell Kimsey. Sister Louise and brother Cavell were already married and Bessie Lee helped her mother care for her father. E.P. and his brothers were on the football team and the wrestling team. They were know for being unstoppable boxers at the local YMCA. Bessie Lee had a boyfriend, a Newton, but E.P. was the hunk she had her eye set on. He was ahead of her in school and she thought she had missed her chance when he was offered a scholarship to play football at Duke. She got her hopes up again when she heard he'd turned it down, but worried he'd have to go off to war. Shortly, her crush was studying engineering at NC State. He was a walk on to the wrestling team and began competing in state wide boxing competitions. She made excuses to visit wealthy cousins who lived in the area. Inviting E.P. to visit her in the parlor of their large home near the college. He was smitten. They continued visiting each other as Bessie Lee finished school. E.P. was hired by Drydock Shipbuilding Company in. Newport News, Virginia. E.P. went to Virginia and with his first pay secured an apartment. As soon as he was able he returned to High Point to marry Bessie Lee. They had a simple ceremony at the Creech home on Ward. Their preacher from Highland Methodist Church married the couple. Purcell and his family belonged to the First Baptist Church of High Point. 

The attractive young pair moved to their small apartment in Newport News where they struggled with the pressures of apartment living, noisy neighbors and shared living spaces with strangers that soon became friends, the old lady they shared a kitchen space with taught Bessie Lee how to cook after a potato pealing accident. She would scold the couple if they returned home after dark, and nag them about groceries and chores. E.P. came home one day to the two women, at least four decades apart in age, screaming at each other over vegetables. E.P. continued boxing as he was able. Inevitably E.P. joined the war effort. Because he had been working for the shipyard he decided to join the Navy and was stationed on a ship patrolling the coastline of Virginia and Maryland. 

During night watch the ship drifted and was struck by a much larger vessel and E.P. was injured. He required surgery on his foot and was sent to Ashville to recover in a veterans facility. Bertie Creech had fallen ill Cavell drove to Virginia and picked up his sister to bring her home to see her dying mother. After the sad goodbyes Cavell took her to Ashville to visit her mending husband. Soon E.P. was able to return to their home on crutches. Bessie Lee was expecting. The couple began packing and planned their move back to High Point. The stress of planning a big move, caring for a husband on crutches, and arguing with the old lady about what she should be eating for the baby was too much, she began to have fainting spells, it was high blood pressure, she was put on bed rest and ordered not to travel. They risked it and took the trip home. Lee's father had been hospitalized since the death of his wife. They decided to name the child after him. The baby would be named 'Donnie.' On August 5th, 1944 the baby girl Donnie Jene Kimsey was born. They took her to the part of the hospital where her namesake lay ill and rested her in his arms. He lasted three more months. 

That branch of the Creech family name ended with Cavell. He had had a stroke young in life and he and his wife Marie never had children. They lived not far from Louise and Lee as they raised their children and often fulfilled the Creech grandparent roll. Cavell passed away in 1979.