Corriher Family Lineage

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Margaret Louise Corriher   b 6/2/1918    d 8/6/2009

                Married 5/2/1947            Christopher Columbus Crews   b 4/1/1920    d 5/3/1983       

             Children              (1) Peggy Ann Crews Moore Pinyan   b 5/14/1948

                                             (2) Jerry Wayne Crews   b 3/30/1952

               Married 12/3/1989               Grady Curlee Shenk  b 8/14/1916    d 6/9/1996

Margaret Louise Corriher was born in Rowan County, North Carolina in 1918 to Jacob Sloan Corriher and Bessie Belle Hartman.

Margaret and her brother Hubert and sister Mary spent their teenage years during the Great Depression of 1929-1939. Unemployment in the US rose to 23%. Times were hard on middle-and lower-class families. This greatly affected the Sloan Corriher family. Margaret said many meals they ate were simply cornbread and milk.

Like most people of that era, there were good times among the hard. Every so often her father would hitch their horse to the wagon on a Sunday morning and they would ride to China Grove, NC to spend the day. His mother lived in this area until around 1933. Also, Margaret had a pet pig named “Pig” that she would care for and would follow her around.

Kodak produced a camera called Brownie that initially sold for $1. It was a cardboard box camera and the film for it was inexpensive which made it a hit with the general population. Margaret was able to purchase the Brownie No. 2. It only took black and white photos. Some of the pictures taken by her camera are included in this document.

Margaret was able to attend school, though she did not graduate. She attended Wiley School on Ridge Avenue in Salisbury. The school was closed in 1983 and renovated into apartments. In 2005 Peggy rented an apartment there for several years.

Her mother’s sister, Minnie “Min” Jones, became interested in what was known as The Bible Students (later to become Jehovah’s Witnesses). In fact, Min’s husband, Joe, became an early leader among the group. Margaret, her sister Mary, and their mother were baptized into the religion in 1931. Her father, Sloan, did attend some of the religious meetings but never fully embraced the faith.

Margaret’s brother, Hubert, started working for Southern Railways. He bought a car and taught her how to drive and she was able to obtain a driver’s license. His work kept him away from home for a week or more at a time, so she would take him to work and then he would let her know when he was back in town. This way the family had use of a car if needed while he was away.

It was not the norm in the South at that time for a woman to have her license. Many looked upon a woman of that sort as a “progressive woman.” In fact, some communities had a very low opinion of any woman who could drive a car. A woman’s place was in the home and the driving was left to the men.

As Margaret grew to be a young woman she was able to start working at Farabee Brothers Cleaners and Dyers located at 120-22 East Innes Street in Salisbury (presently in 2023 near Barnhardt Jewelers.) Their advertising tag line was “We clean everything but the baby.”

As Margaret approached her twenties her attention turned to romance. At one time she was pursued by a young man who made it known he wanted to marry her. She was attracted to him, but he was very critical of her religious beliefs. Margaret decided she would not marry someone who did not respect her religion and would wait to find someone who was one of Jehovah’s Witnesses.

That man was Christopher Columbus Crews. They were introduced by a mutual friend and were married in 1947. Peggy was born in 1948 and Jerry in 1952.

After Peggy and Jerry left home and started their own families Margaret and Chris were able to travel some. One trip was to Montreal, Canada. On the way they were able to stop and take in the sites at Niagara Falls.

In the 1980’s Chris’s health deteriorated, and he died in his sleep in 1983 at 63 years old. Margaret continued living as a widow at the Morlan Park Road home.

On Thanksgiving Day in 1989 Jerry received a call. It was his mother Margaret. She asked him, “What do you think of me marrying Grady Shenk?” Of course, this was a surprise to Jerry as he didn’t know there was any interest there much less romance. She started explaining how lonely she was and what a good man Grady was. Jerry said, “Well, I have one question. Is he a good kisser?” She enthusiastically replied that he was, and Jerry told her, “Marry the man.” It must be noted that her reply about Grady being a good kisser was a little too enthusiastic for a son to hear his mother say about kissing a man. Oh, well.

They were married a couple weeks later on December 3rd in Salisbury, NC. Grady Curlee Shenk was born in 1916 in Davie County North Carolina, near Cooleemee, to Cleveland Lutz Shenk and Ella Thomas Athey. His second wife, Nell, had died on September 24, 1989. Grady owned a home on Klumac Road in Salisbury, so Margaret rented the Morlan Park Road home and went to live with her new husband.

For a honeymoon, Grady took her on a five-country tour of Europe. He had previously visited the countries and told Jerry, “The best part of the trip for me was watching Margaret and how big her eyes would get when seeing places and things she had never seen before.” When they came back he gave her a wedding gift of a brand new 1990 Honda Civic.

Over the next few years, they would take ocean cruises, sometimes twice a year. One of their favorite places was Aruba. Grady stated one time he would like to move there if he didn’t have so many roots in Rowan County.

In May of 1996 a tornado skipped through Rowan County leaving damage in spots along its path. One of the spots was uprooting a large tree in the back of Grady and Margaret’s home. The tree fell onto the house and a large limb tore through the roof into the kitchen. Thankfully, Margaret and Grady were on the opposite side of the house and were not hurt. This greatly upset Grady and a few days later he suffered a heart attack. He died in the hospital on June 3rd at 79 years of age. Grady is buried in Rowan Memorial Park in Rowan County beside his second wife, Nell.

In his will he left his house to Margaret to use for the rest of her life if she so chose. After that, it was to be given to his children.

Peggy received a call in the spring of 1997 from a hysterical Margaret. She could not find her pocketbook and was sure she had lost it. Peggy drove to her house and Margaret insisted it had been stolen and had Peggy call the police. She did and then had Margaret retrace her steps to see where she may have left it. The pocketbook was found in the trunk of her car. Margaret had put it there and forgot she had done so. This was one of the first indicators of the terrible disease she was developing which would eventually take her life.

Margaret and Peggy agreed it would be best if she moved in with her mother to help take care of her. Peggy did and they lived there until the next year. At that time, Margaret decided she wanted to move back to her home on Morlan Park Road. They did and she released the Klumac Road home to Grady’s children.

Over the next few years, Peggy became the caregiver to her mother as Margaret’s dementia was the result of Alzheimer’s disease. In addition, she developed Parkinson’s disease which affected her balance.

Anyone who has ever been a caregiver to an Alzheimer’s patient who is a family member knows this is one of the most difficult and thankless jobs to do. You love them and want to take care of them but as the disease progresses there is no satisfying them. The patient is demanding and rarely can be pleased. Margaret became that way with Peggy and the stress of this started affecting her health. Peggy was her daughter and she expected her to do everything exactly the way she wanted done. Of course, when Peggy did, it was still not enough.

Margaret had been able to save money over the years and had enough for Peggy and Jerry to hire a caregiver to live with her. Though Peggy felt guilty for some time over leaving her mother and moving to the Wiley apartments in 2005, this was the right and best thing to do. Jerry supported the move and told Peggy, “In the future we’ll bury Mom. I don’t want to see my sister buried, too.” The reduced stress improved Peggy’s health and Margaret was taken care of by someone outside the family. Peggy and Jerry would stop by every few days and help make sure Margaret was well and help take care of her business and other needs.

The best caregiver hired was Joyce Blackwell. She looked after Margaret and didn’t mind it when she complained or accused her of stealing things like her underwear. This way Peggy was no longer her caregiver but was her daughter who she was glad to see. Peggy’s health improved and Margaret had good care and was happier.

No matter how bizarre a thought is an Alzheimer patient believes it is true. In fact, it is the truth to them. They can look you straight in the face and tell you the most outrageous thing and totally believe it. It does no good to argue with them because you will never convince them they are wrong. All it will accomplish is to upset them and make them angry. The best you can do is gently change the conversation to a different subject knowing they will forget whatever it is they were telling you. It took Peggy and Jerry some time to realize this, but they learn different techniques to use to keep Margaret happy. One time within a fifteen-minute span Margaret asked Jerry five times where he lived. He simply answered her each time. When Peggy visited she would say, “Hi Mom, this is Peggy.” This eliminated any embarrassment if Margaret hadn’t recognized her. And other times while Peggy was washing her hair she would complain, “I can’t believe what my children have done to me…” She had forgotten her daughter was washing her hair. Peggy would simply go along with her and not try to argue.

Some Parkinson disease patients will hallucinate. These are very real to them and can be frightening. Margaret suffered from these.

One time Jerry received a call in the middle of the night from the lady staying with Margaret telling him she had called the police from the phone in her bedroom. When he arrived at her home the driveway was full of cars. His son, Justin, was on patrol that night and recognized the address as being his grandmother’s. Of course, other officers came to support him including his lieutenant. Jerry went into the house and asked his mother what was wrong. She said there had been a man spinning in the ceiling above her bed and had descended down and raped her. The hallucination was absolutely real to her. Peggy came up with the idea to unplug the phone in her bedroom as there were two other phones in the home including one in the caretaker’s bedroom. There were no more 911 calls.

The goal in sharing Margaret’s health struggles is not to give lurid details, but instead, show the effect it has on the patient and the family who loves them. These diseases do run in the Crews, McCollum, and Hartman families. Peggy and Jerry’s descendants may one day face similar situations and knowing this in advance can help in planning how to react and what to avoid. There was very little helpful information in the early 2000’s to help caretakers with Alzheimer’s patients. Research in the USA on Alzheimer’s did not start in earnest until around 1996. If this disease strikes our family again there is much more information available and, also, medicines being developed to slow its progression.

By 2009 Margaret’s health was deteriorating. In August she fell and was taken to the hospital with a gash on the side of her head. While there it was determined her heart was weak and she would not survive. Not long after midnight on the 6th with her family around her bedside, she died at the age of 91. She is buried beside Chris in Memorial Park Cemetery in Salisbury.

Jacob Sloan Corriher   b 5/19/1868 d 10/8/1942

                   Married 6/18/1910         Beuliah Maggie Bost  b 11/2/1891   d 6/23/1912

             Married 5/10/1914         Bessie Belle Hartman   b 1/31/1883 d 7/14/1975

             Children              (1) Hubert Benjamin Corriher, Sr   b 6/26/1916   d 10/2/2001

                                                             Married 9/7/1940               Mamie Estele Morrison  b 11/11/1916   d ?/?/1998           

                                                                         Children              Betty Lucile Corriher  b 5/30/1941

                                                                                                             James Edward Corriher  b 10/4/1943

                                                                                                             Hubert Benjamin Corriher, Jr  b 1/13/1945   d ???

                                                                                                             Robert Lee Corriher  b 6/4/1946

                                                                                                             Richard Sloan Corriher  b 7/23/1947

                                                                                                         Willard Wayne Corriher  b 12/12/1949   d 12/13/1949

                                                                                                             Ralph Bernard Corriher  b 7/10/1953   d 3/?/2023

Married                               Syble ?

                                             (2) Margaret Louise Corriher   b 6/2/1918   d 8/6/2009

                                                             Married 5/2/1947                Christopher Columbus Crews   b 4/1/1920 d 5/3/1983  

                                                                             Children              Peggy Ann Crews  b 5/14/1948

                                                                                                             Jerry Wayne Crews  b 3/30/1952

Married 12/3/1989              Grady Curlee Shenk   b 8/14/1916 d 6/9/1996

                                             (3) Mary Elizabeth Corriher  b 9/2/1920   d 7/26/2003

                                                             Married                               Albert Bryant Templeton  b 2/1/1921   d 2/23/2002

                                                                             Children                Carolyn Marie Templeton  b 8/29/1949

                                                                                                               Roy Lee Templeton  b 1/6/1951

Jacob Sloan Corriher was born in Cabarrus County, NC in 1868 to Benjamin Lontz Corriher and Margaret Juliann Yost. This was a short three years after the Civil War had ended.

He remained unmarried until he was 42 years old when he wed Beuliah Maggie Bost in 1910. She was 19 when they married. Maggie was born in Locke Township, Rowan County, NC in 1891 to William Henry Bost and Lunda Louisa Weaver.

They were married only a little over two years when Maggie died in 1912. She is buried in Salem Lutheran Church Cemetery on Sherrills Ford Road in Rowan County.

Sloan was introduced to Bessie Belle Hartman by her brother-in-law, Joe Jones. Bessie was born in Rowan County in 1883 to Daniel C. Hartman and Letitia Louise Earnhart. Sloan and Bessie were married in 1914. He was almost 46 years old, and Bessie was 31. They had one son and two daughters.

In the 1920 and 1930 US Census Sloan’s occupation is listed as “Furniture.” In 1940 he is listed as a farmer.

Sloan died in 1942 at the age of 74. He is buried in Chestnut Hill Cemetery in Salisbury, NC. Bessie died in 1975 at 92 years old. She is buried in Rowan Memorial Park in Rowan County.

Benjamin Lontz (Lentz) Corriher   b 2/22/1844 d 10/17/1923

                   Married 12/20/1866       Margaret Juliann Yost   b 7/20/1842   d 4/4/1933

             Children              (1) Jacob Sloan Corriher   b 5/19/1868   d 10/8/1942

                                             (2) Aaron Theodore Corriher   b 10/7/1869   d 12/25/1941

                                             (3) Emma Virginia Corriher   b 5/3/1871   d 7/20/1961

                                             (4) Mary Jane Eva Corriher   b 9/10/1873 d 7/21/1961

                                             (5) Crosby Christopher R. Corriher   b 8/1/1876 d 11/25/1929

                                             (6) William Corriher   b 1879? d ???

                                             (7) Cowan E. Corriher   b 12/11/1881 d 3/21/1943

Benjamin Lontz Corriher was born in Rowan County, NC in 1844 to Henry Corriher and Christena Sechler. Margaret Juliann Yost was born in 1842 in Cabarrus County, NC to Aaron Yost and Mary M. Shollonbarggor. Lontz and Juliann married in 1866 and raised seven children. In the US Census Lontz is listed as being a farmer and living in the Atwell Township in Rowan County. This is the area off of present-day NC Highway 152 north of Enochville. Lontz’s death certificate has his residence as China Grove, NC.

Lontz died in 1923 at the age of 79 years old. Juliann died in 1933 at the age of 90. Both are buried in Greenlawn Cemetery in China Grove, NC. 

Henry Corriher   b 5/22/1813 d 3/15/1851

                   Married 3/23/1835         Christena Sechler   b 2/5/1814    d 8/2/1880

             Children              (1) Joel Corriher   b 2/2/1836    d 1/14/1923

                                             (2) Rudolph Jacob Corriher   b ?/?/1837 d 7/21/1861

                                             (3) Dovia “Dovie” Elizabeth Corriher   b 4/25/1839 d 9/20/1920

                                             (4) Barbara Elin Corriher   b 9/20/1840 d 11/14/1931

                                             (5) Mary Ann Rebecca Corriher   b 5/12/1842 d ?/?/1867

                                             (6) Benjamin Lontz (Lentz) Corriher   b 2/22/1844 d 10/17/1923

                                             (7) Henry Sechler Corriher   b ?/?/1846 d ???

                                             (8) Margaret “Maggie” Victoria Corriher   b 10/27/1847 d 7/28/1921

                                             (9) Hulda Octavia (Octavo) Corriher   b 6/21/1850 d 7/21/1887

Henry Corriher was born in 1813 in Rowan County, NC to Jacob Corriher and Elizabeth (Lizzie) Freeze (Freesen). He married Christena Sechler in 1835 and lived in the Mt. Ulla, NC area. Christena was born in 1814 in Rowan County to Rudolf Sechler and Barbara Freeze. Henry and Christena had nine children.

Henry died in 1851 at the young age of 37. He is buried in Greenlawn Cemetery in China Grove, NC. So, it fell upon Christena to raise their children during the time the US was deeply divided and marching to a civil war.

Before the war there was the mistaken belief among many in the Union and the Confederacy that when fighting broke out the other side would quickly surrender, and the war would be over in a matter of weeks.

Ulysses S Grant was residing in St. Louis, MO at the start of the Civil War. In the beginning, he too felt the war would be over soon after it began. He wrote:

“My own views at that time were like those officially expressed by Mr. [William H.] Seward at a later day, that ‘the war would be over in ninety days.’ I continued to entertain these views until after the battle of Shiloh.

Demagogues…denounced the Northerners as cowards, poltroons, Negro-worshippers; claimed that one Southern man was equal to five Northern men in battle; that if the South would stand up for its rights the North would back down. Mr. Jefferson Davis said in a speech, delivered at La Grange, Mississippi, before the secession of that State, that he would agree to drink all the blood spilled south of Mason and Dixon’s line if there should be a war.”—Personal Memoirs of U. S. Grant Vol. 1 by Ulysses S. Grant.

Before the South succeeded from the Union, William T Sherman was in Louisiana employed as the first superintendent of Louisiana State Seminary of Learning And Military Academy (today Louisiana State University). He wrote:

“The orators of the South used, openly and constantly, the expressions that there would be no war, and that a lady’s thimble would hold all the blood to be shed.”—Memoirs of General William T Sherman, Volume I.

When news reached the Seminary that South Carolina had succeeded from the Union, David French Boyd wrote: “Sherman burst out crying, and began, in his nervous way, pacing the floor and deprecating the step which he feared might bring destruction on the whole country.” Boyd wrote that Sherman declared: “You people of the South don't know what you are doing. This country will be drenched in blood, and God only knows how it will end. It is all folly, madness, a crime against civilization! You people speak so lightly of war; you don't know what you're talking about. War is a terrible thing! You mistake, too, the people of the North. They are a peaceable people but an earnest people, and they will fight, too. They are not going to let this country be destroyed without a mighty effort to save it.”—December 24, 1860, manuscript by David French Boyd.

When the state of Louisiana succeeded from the Union, Sherman resigned as superintendent and left for Washington, DC. His fears were realized as the US Civil War (1861-1865) brought fierce fighting and saw an estimated 620,000 soldiers die from either battle or disease. This is equal to the total of American fatalities in the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, the Mexican War, the Spanish American War, World War I, World War II, and the Korean War, combined. Added to that were hundreds who lost limbs and suffered from physical and mental disabilities. Also, the general population suffered from the destruction of cities, infrastructure, and scarcity of daily supplies.

The Civil War started with the Confederate attack and capture of Fort Sumter in South Carolina on April 12, 1861. Eventually, eleven Southern states succeeded from the United States and joined the Confederate States of America. Henry and Christena’s son, Rudolph Jacob Corriher, joined the Company G NC 6th Infantry Division and fought for the Confederacy.

His company joined the forces gathered at Manassas, VA for the first deadly battle of the Civil War. In the North the battle was known as the First Battle of Bull Run. The South called it the Battle of First Manassas. Both forces were poorly trained and poorly led. Despite this fact, when Northern and Southern forces gathered at Manassas on July 21, 1861, there were no feelings of doom and gloom. In fact, the wealthy elite of Washington, including congressmen and their families, came to the area for a picnic and to watch the battle.

The resulting fight resulted in the largest number of war casualties in one battle on US soil to that date, with the Union army being routed, discarding their arms and equipment and making a retreat to Centreville. Their retreat was hampered by the roads being blocked by the number of congressmen, elites, and other civilians attempting to flee the area in their carriages. The fierceness of this battle and the casualties changed the minds and outlook for many people in the North and South. The Civil War was going to be long and costly.

There were 460 Union soldiers killed and 387 Confederates. One of the 387 was Rudolph Jacob Corriher. Benjamin Lontz enlisted in 1862 and served in the NC Fifty-seventh Infantry for the Confederacy. He was at Appomattox Court House when General Lee surrendered to General Grant. Another son, Henry Sechler Corriher, enlisted in the NC 2nd Junior Reserves on Mary 23, 1864. No other information about him was found.

Christena Sechler Corriher died in 1880 at 66 years of age. She is buried in Greenlawn Cemetery in China Grove, NC.

Jacob Corriher (Karcher)   b 4/25/1783    d 8/12/1830

                   Married 2/19/1811         Elizabeth Freeze (Freesen)   b 3/27/1776 d 6/21/1859

             Children              (1) Daniel Corriher   b 11/18/1811 d 2/23/1883

                                             (2) Henry Corriher   b 5/22/1813 d 3/15/1851

                                             (3) George Corriher   b 9/5/1814 d 8/15/1860

                                             (4) Uphrena (Phrany) Corriher   b ?/?/1815 d after 1860

                                             (5) Sarah (Sally) A. Corriher   b 3/3/1817 d 7/14/1897

Jacob Corriher was born in 1783 in Berks County, PA to Johann George Corriher and Anna Elizabeth Folck. He was born into a German immigrant family with “Karcher” being the German equivalent to the English “Corriher.”

Berks County is located to the northwest of Philadelphia. In the 1700’s it was home to many German migrants who had moved from Europe to Colonial America.

Jacob was only about eight years old when his father moved their family from Pennsylvania to Rowan County, NC. In 1811 he married Elizabeth “Lizzie” Freeze (Freesen) in Rowan County. Lizzie was born in 1776 in Northampton, PA to Jacob Fries and Elizabeth Frieze. She moved to Rowan County sometime before 1811. Jacob and Lizzie raised five children in the Mt Ulla, NC area of Rowan.

Jacob died in 1830 at the age of 47. Lizzie died in 1859 at 83 years old. Both are buried in the Savitz Church Cemetery (Greenlawn Cemetery) in China Grove, NC.

Johann George Corriher (Karcher)   b 5/31/1744   d 8/??/1814

                   Father                Johann Theobald Karcher   b 12/19/1685   d 6/2/1759

             Mother               Anna Magdalena Ludmann   b 5/29/1695   d 10/7/1747

             Married 1769   Anna Elisabeth Folck   b circa 1748 d after 8/31/1814

             Children              (1) Maria Corriher (Karcher)   b circa 1770 d before 8/31/1814

                                             (2) Elizabeth (Elisabetha) Corriher (Karcher)   b 1/22/1773    d after 1814

                                             (3) Christena Corriher (Karcher)   b 6/11/1774 d 1814-1816

                                             (4) Johann Theobald “David” Corriher (Karcher)   b 6/15/1778 d circa 1850

                                             (5) Anna Magadalene “Molly” Corriher (Karcher)   b 11/13/1779 d after 1828

                                             (6) Henry Corriher (Karcher)   b 8/25/1782 d 6/24/1879

                                             (7) Jacob Corriher (Karcher)   b 4/25/1783 d 8/12/1830

Johann George Corriher was born in 1744 in Wolfskirchen, Alsace, France to Johann Theobald Karcher (Corriher) and Anna Magdalena Ludman. His father, Johann Theobald, was born December 19, 1686, in Wolfskirchen and his mother, Anna Magdalena, was born May 29, 1695, in France. Anna died October 7, 1747, at the age of 52. Johann died June 2, 1759, at 72 years of age. Both Johann and Anna are buried in Wolfskirchen.

Wolfskirchen, Alsace, France is a German community located in norther France on the German border. It was actually part of Germany until the 1500’s and has changed between France and Germany on several occasions throughout history.

George left his parents and France and traveled on the ship “Betsy” to Colonial America. He arrived in Philadelphia, PA on October 26, 1768, and started a new life settling in the German community in Berks County, PA.

In 1769 George married Anna Elizabeth Folck. Anna was born in 1748 in Pennsylvania. Together they had seven children, all born in Berks County. George is listed as a private in the American Revolutionary War.

Pennsylvania, and especially the Philadelphia area, was a great attraction to families and individuals coming from Europe. Many left England, France, Spain, and Germany due to religious persecution. Others left because plentiful land was not available to all. Unless a family was rich or of royalty, life was a struggle. Almost all of their time was spent on finding food to survive. So, their attention turned to the New World. Colonial America appeared to be waiting for the taking.

Also, the countries of Europe were eager for people to move to America and would offer incentives to move there. The more who moved freed up valuable land that could be used by those remaining. In addition, it was a way to free the countries of the “undesirable” and leave Europe to the aristocrats. Governments encouraged the migration as this gave them a foothold in the Americas, increased tax revenues, received imports of goods that were greatly needed and wanted, and increased their power and control as they colonized the world.

After the American Revolutionary War that started in 1776, Pennsylvania and especially Philadelphia, were a hot spot of diverse nationalities. Many families still spoke their native languages or were in the process of learning English. So, those who shared language, traditions, and customs moved to be near each other and formed communities, such as, the German community in Berks County. Eventually, as their numbers grew, land became scarce, and having enough to farm and sustain a family became more and more difficult. Their attention was drawn to all the open land to the west and south of Pennsylvania. This was true for the Corriher and McCollum families.

The Great Wagon Road started in the Philadelphia area and made its way through the Shenandoah Valley near Martinsburg, WV. It continues south following the Great Warriors’ Trail to the town of Big Lick, VA (present day Roanoke). After 1748, the road continued through the Maggoty Gap (Maggodee) to the east of the Blue Ridge Mountains and on into the Piedmont region of North Carolina. It passed through Winston-Salem, Salisbury, and Charlotte and kept going through South Carolina until it ended in Augusta, Georgia.

In 1791, George and his family packed up their belongings and joined others on the Great Wagon Road heading south. After crossing the Yadkin River in northern Rowan County, they decided this would be their new home. They settled in the western part of the county between the modern NC Highway 150 and NC Highway 152. This area became known as the Corriher community. It is believed their original home was near Corriher Farm Road off Cooper Road in western Rowan County. George is on record as having purchased land in the area on January 28, 1793.—Information found in “George Corriher (1744-1814) of Rowan County, North Carolina and His Family” by Betty Jo McDowell Garrett of Pensacola, FL.

George died in August of 1814 in Rowan County at the age of 70. Anna died after 1814 in Rowan County. It is unknown where they are buried.

Ninety-six percent of people with the surname “Corriher” in the USA are found in North Carolina. Most Corriher families in Rowan County can trace their heritage back to George and Anna Corriher (Karcher).

The first mention of Karcher in ancient chronicles is in the 1300’s. Most were located in the German region of Silesia, that is, Central Europe with Poland, Germany, and Czech Republic. There have been a variety of spelling variations over the centuries with some being: Karger, Kaerger, Kerger, Karc, Kergel, and Karcher. In English the spelling is Corriher.

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