Welcome to the Carey/Cary Family website!

The purpose of this website, is to encourage communication among members and friends of the Carey/Cary Family regardless of  ancestry or blood line, as well as the  sharing of family research, information and lore. 

More than 25 years ago the Carey/Cary Family organization resulted from a phone query from Richard (Rick) Carey to Niel Carey asking about his Carey family with roots in or near the St. Martin’s district of Worcester Co., MD.  . In their discussion they realized that each had gathered a significant amount of

family information and that they were 2nd cousins!  They also decided that they would plan a family reunion, if possible near the area of their family’s origin. As the planning proceeded, they contacted  Carey’s Methodist Church and Camp, and Ralph Dory and Don Ward arranged for a special Sunday service at the Church, which has continued as an important part of the annual reunion.

The first reunion of the Carey/Cary Family was held at Ocean City, MD, on September 9, 1994, with attendees from MD, DE, PA, FL, and NY.  At that meeting members voted unanimously to name the group the Carey/Cary Family Organization, to adopt a constitution and by-laws, to elect officers and to establish a family newsletter.  Niel and Rick were elected president and vice-president, respectively, and Helen Carey later agreed to edit the newsletter. Eventually Sean Gilson became the manager of the website and established our CareyCary DNA Project.     

At the 2018 reunion, the Carey/Cary Family celebrated a quarter century as a family organization.  During that time, first Dr. Ray Thompson, and then Dr. Creston Long and the Nabb Center staff  have typically been available to help reunion attendees learn about and access the Center’s extensive resources. Mike Hitch, Nabb Center Board Chair, has utilized GPS and related technology to help family members learn about family land grants and related information.  Niel and Helen Carey have endowed the Carey Family Research/Reading room in the Center, and Niel is a Board Member Emeritus ot its Board of Directors.

The Carey/Cary Family Newsletter has served as a major means of communication for the Family organization.  It has provided news of the organization and its members, and gave them a vehicle for communicating and sharing family research, historical information and lore.   However, as the website became an important means of communication for members, it was decided that it would be the organization’s primary method of communication and that the entire collection of newsletters would be archived on this website.  Dr. Ray Thompson and Donna Messick arranged for the collection of newsletters to be bound.  Helen Carey planned for bound collections to be placed in some key United States libraries, insofar as genealogical sections.   

Sean Gilson also manages the Carey/Cary Family DNA Project. Insofar as Sean Gilson’s work with our Project  a number of members of the Family have had DNA testing, have displayed interest in the Project, and communicated the benefit in respect to their family research.  It is hoped that the DNA testing  among other Carey/Cary members and friends will be further expanded. 

Our Carey/Cary Family officers and directors  join me in inviting you to become a Carey/Cary Family member or to renew your membership.  We welcome     your use of this website , encourage your participation  in our reunion(s), and respect suggestions you may provide.  We especially invite you to join with us in  sharing Carey/Cary family research, information and lore!

Cordially, Niel

E. Niel Carey, President

enielcarey (at) aol (dot)com; 410.465.6994  

Richard (Rick)Carey; Vice President;  Helen S. Carey, Treasurer; Barbara C. Phillips, Secretary; Barbara Carey, Director;  Public Relations;  Sean Gilson, Director, Carey/Cary Family Website and DNA Project

6 October 2019