William McCormick's Estate Papers, 1805

The prominent McCormick family dynasty of Harrisburg was founded by James McCormick, the only son of William McCormick of East Pennsborough township, Cumberland County. Though a great deal has been written concerning the vast financial empire erected by James McCormick in nineteenth century Harrisburg, little attention has been paid to his father, a moderately situated yeoman farmer and distiller, who met his untimely end in a farm accident during the opening decade of the nineteenth century. The estate papers of William McCormick recently acquired by the Dauphin County Historical Society provide insights into the comparatively humble circumstances from which his son, James, rose to become one of Harrisburg's wealthiest men. In addition to shedding light on early McCormick family history, these papers provide a valuable glimpse of rural life in Cumberland County during the dawning years of the American Republic.

The McCormick family of Harrisburg is descended from James McCormick of Ulster, Ireland, whose children emigrated to America during the early years of the eighteenth century. Among these children, Thomas McCormick was born in Ulster in 1702 and married Elizabeth Carruth in 1726.¹ Upon emigrating to Pennsylvania, Thomas McCormick first settled on a 100-acre tract in Hanover township, then part of Lancaster County, about the year 1745. At the time of his death in 1767 he was living in East Pennsborough township of the present Cumberland County, where he was survived by six children.² One of these, James, born in 1729 while the family still lived in Ireland, later married Mary Oliver at Silver Spring, Cumberland County, about 1760. They had five children, of whom the third, William, is the subject of this sketch.³

Born at Silver Spring about 1766, William McCormick was married in 1800 to Margery Bines, who was born on August 22, 17 67. Their only children were twins, James and Margaret, who were born at Silver Spring on February 24, 1801.⁴ It is this James McCormick, who was graduated from Princeton, was admitted to the bar of Cumberland County in 1823, and married Elizabeth Beuhler in 1830, who sired the McCormick family dynasty of Harrisburg. James McCormick's twin sister, Margaret, died unmarried in 1853.⁵

Both the Carlisle Herald and Kline's Carlisle Gazette reported the tragic and untimely death of William McCormick in June of 1805:

On the 13th inst. William McCormick of East Pennsborough Township in the act of pitching hay from a wagon was by a sudden movement of the horses, thrown off; in the fall his head struck one of the wheels, which in a few moments put a period to his existence.⁶

Married just five years, his widow was suddenly confronted by the formidable challenge of raising her twin children alone.

The Finney Papers in the Dauphin County Historical Society (MG-466) contain letters of administration for William McCormick's estate as well as an estate inventory, a list of items purchased from the estate by William's widow, a complete set of records for the public vendue, and a detailed record of payments by buyers at the public sale. In addition, there are several documents relating to judgments brought many years later by William's widow, Margery McCormick Bryson, against two buyers at the public vendue who had failed to pay for their purchases.

Estate inventories contain a description and valuation assigned to the items owned by the deceased at the time of death for the purpose of determining the total value of an estate. Interpreting such inventories after nearly two centuries is complicated by several factors. Completeness and detail varied widely, depending upon how meticulous those compiling the inventory were. Furthermore, some items might be removed from the estate by various family members either prior to, or just after, death. In addition, the styles used in recording inventories could vary from one region to another and among different ethnic groups. Sometimes inventories specified the rooms in which various items were located. Even when their locations are not specifically identified, however, it is often possible to deduce the location from the order in which the entries were made, as the appraisers moved from room to room through the house or out to the barn. Many appraisers began by listing clothing first, then moving through the first and second floors of a house, and ending outside to record articles connected with farm or other business occupations. Though uncertainties arising from language, ethnic, and cultural variations abound, these documents provide valuable clues to understanding the homes of our ancestors.

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