McCauley Family of Maryland and Central Kentucky

The first known Catholic McCauleys of Saint Mary's Co., MD were William and Nelly McCawley, listed as members of the St. Inigoes congregation in 1768 (Beitzell, E.W., The Jesuit Missions of Saint Mary's County, Maryland, 1960, p. 74). Their origin is unknown, but family lore holds that the McCauleys were from County Armagh, in Northern Ireland. However, the McCauley surname resurfaces in the late colonial and early American period, when John McCauley, born about 1759, is found living in Saint Mary's Co. The link from John back to William and Nelly is unproven but likely. John of St. Mary's Co. (listed as McCalley, Jno.) served as a Private in the Maryland Line from May 19, 1778 to April 7, 1779 (Records of Maryland Troops in the Continental Service, Vol. 18, p. 142). During part of his life in St. Mary's Co., he lived on 69 acres of Cross and Elizabeth Manors. In 1790, John McCaulley is listed in St. Mary's Co. in a household with two males over 16, two males under 16, and two females, and no slaves. He voted that year as a Federalist (McCayley). In 1794, John was a member of the St. Mary's Co. Militia (McCowley). John's family has not been located in the 1800 federal census.

By 1810, John McCauley and most of his family had moved to Nelson Co., KY in an area which is now in Marion Co. (John's son William took possession of Cross and Elizabeth Manors for a few years before rejoining the family in Kentucky.) John died about April 1826 in Washington Co., specifically naming his wife, Anastasia, and sons James and William, plus other unnamed children. Anastasia is believed by McCauley researchers to be Anastasia Moore, born abt. April 04, 1773, daughter of John Moore (d. 1795, SMC, MD) and Mary. Anastasia (Moore) McCauley died between 1850 and 1860. In the 1850 census, Anastasia was living with Mary Friend, b. abt. 1780 in MD (relationship unknown), and living adjacent to her son Pius.

Known children of John McCauley include William McCauley, Sr., b. abt. 1785 in St. Mary's Co., who married Anna White on April 24, 1809 in Washington Co., KY. William and Anna moved to Perry Co., MO, and established the branch of the McCauley family there. Many of William's and a few of Pius' descendants are documented in Timothy J. O'Rourke's Maryland Catholics on the Frontier (1973). John's son James S. McCauley married Eliza Adams on November 04, 1830, in Nelson Co., KY; no additional information on his descendants, if any, have been located. James and William were most likely the children of John's unknown first wife.

John and Anastasia (Moore) McCauley had at least four children: (1) Elizabeth McCauley m. Stephen McBride on January 29, 1825, in Washington Co., KY, then moved to Perry Co., MO. (2) Pius McCauley m. Eleanora Bowling and remained in the Raywick, Marion Co., KY area. (3) Ellen Ann (Helen) McCauley m. James A. Brady on February 19, 1838, at St. Charles Catholic Church in St. Mary, KY; they also remained in Marion Co., KY. (4) Joseph McCauley m1. Martina Brady, widow of Edward Henry Clarkson, abt. 1840; his descendants stayed in Marion Co., KY. Joseph McCauley m2. Harriet/Henrietta Russell, widow of Joseph Francis Beaven, on February 04, 1867, at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Raywick, Marion Co., KY. There are no known children from Joseph's second marriage.