This picture of Henry McEwen was taken about 1900 when Henry wold have been about the age of 44.

Henry (14 May 1856 - 19 Aug 1946) was the only child of William and Sarah Rasley McEwen. He was born on the farm that William and Sarah had taken over from Sarah's parents, Henry and Jane Rasley. Named for his Grandfather, Henry Rasley, our Henry engaged in truck farming and continued to nurture the land as his ancestors had done. His farm produced vegetables, potatoes, strawberries, and eggs as well as milk. He raised red and white cows; Ayrshires. His fields were plowed by teams of horses. And he rode to church in a Sherry with fringe on top. He was civic minded, participating in township government and was active on the school board. He and Clara belonged to the Methodist Church where they both took an active part in the affairs of the church.

Henry McEwen married Clara Illick on December 25, 1878 at the Methodist Church in Richmond Pennsylvania. Both belonged to the Methodist church all their lives. They are buried in the cemetery adjacent to the church.

This picture of Clara and this one of Henry taken in 1878 is framed in their wedding certificate. I found the old certificate stored in the attic of my Grandparents home about 1976. My grandmother wanted me to have it, as well as her own certificate. I have the two certificates representing these two generations of the McEwens displayed in my guest room where I also have all of my genealogy research located. These two certificates are an inspiration to me as I continue to gather documentation of the many branches of the family that I am working on.

Clara's name at birth was Clarrissa Matilda Illick. She was born on September 15, 1859, daughter of Sam and Henrietta Illick, but she was always known as "Clara". When I was searching in the McEwen attic for research data, I found the Illick family Bible which contained entries for all the children of Samuel and Henrietta Illick. The place where Great Grandmother's name should have been recorded was neatly torn out of the Bible and penciled in was the notation "Clara". Later in the personal Bible of Clara McEwen, I found that little torn out corner and was able to make a perfect match to the place with the missing corner in the Illick Bible. Evidently she did not like her given name and took it upon herself to remove the entry from her father's Bible, however she could not throw that special piece of paper away, for she placed it in her own Bible. Clara Illick McEwen was the mother of two children; the first, born in 1882 only lived a few weeks. In 1895 her second son, Wm. Homer was born. Clara was 36 years old and Henry was 39 when they finally became parents after 17 years of marriage.

December, 1996. - New research points to a common ancestor shared by Clara Illick and her husband Henry McEwen. Each is a descendant of Bernard Miller (13 Dec 1722 - 1792) & Maria Eva Muller (24 Sep 1724 - 21 Jun 1802), through their mother's lines. Their relationship was were several times removed making them 3rd cousins once removed.

To see pictures of William, Sarah and their son Henry, about 1865, click on each link. This is a picture of the Henry McEwen family taken at the time of Homer's graduation from Easton Academy, 1919. Here is a 3 generation picture of the McEwen family, taken about 1936. In this picture are Henry and Clara, the grandparents; Homer and Eliza, the parents and their children; Lois, seated in front; Homer Jr., seated in front of his father and Howard on his mother's lap.

1. William McEwen I (8 Nov 1775 - 7 Aug 1840) & Sarah Johnson (1 Jan 1785 - 17 Sep 1842)
2. John McEwen (26 May 1806 - 23 Apr 1832)&Anna Houck (10 Feb 1807 - About 1871/1880)
3. William McEwen (9 Jul 1832 - 21 Apr 1902) & Sarah Rasley (24 Jan 1829 - 12 Jan 1919)
4. Henry McEwen (14 May 1856 - 19 Aug 1946) & Clara Illick (15 Sep 1859 - 20 Feb 1942)
5. Wm. "Homer" McEwen (10 Oct 1895 - 21 Oct 1977) & Sarah "Eliza" Long (24 Mar 1898 - 9 May 1987)

LINKS to Additional Information

More about William McEwen I, the grandfather of Billy McEwen.

More about John McEwen, the father of Billy McEwen.

More about Homer and Eliza McEwen, the grandson of Billy McEwen.

For more about other family history pages researched and created by me, please see Cynthia's Family Lines

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