Person:William McLuen (1)

Story of how William McLuen helped his brothers and sisters come to America

This is a copy of a school report written by Lucy Reddig Clevenger in her own handwriting about her mother Sara McCluen (Sarah McLuen).

My Mother was born in Strokestown, Rosscommon County. They had a family of 8 children. They had canopy beds and they cleaned their wood floors with sand and rubbed their floors then swept it out. The oldest boy Will McCluen came to the US and worked for his Uncle in a harness shop, and when the mother died in Ireland the home burnt down and the father was sick and getting old he couldn't keep his family so Will sent money to have some of the children brought to the US. John, Delia, Sara, my mother, and Sue and the three younger girls were sent to a boarding school My mother was 11 yrs. old. Delia & John were older. Sue was younger. They came over on a sailing boat, and they got caught in a storm which blowed them off of their course. They were on the ocean for 10 weeks. A woman died on the ship and was buried at sea. They put her in a canvas bag with sand in each end. They put her on a plank and preached a sermon and buried her in the sea. Two days out from the US they ran out of water and had to use ocean water to cook with. John and the 3 girls were sent to Rock Island, Ill. where the girls got work in homes and John got work on a farm. My father folk, Mr. & Mrs. Edward Reddig, came from Holland and settled in Pennsylvania for a while, then they moved to Rock Island, ILL. Father had 2 brothers, 1 sister. My father, John Reddig, learnt (sp) the shoe making trade repair work and made his own boots and shoes and that is where my mother & father met. They were married in 1873. My mother belonged to the Espicol (sp) church, father was Catholic so the wedding was in the Catholic church. They lived in Rock Island untill (sp) 1880, Alice, Irving and Margaret were born & baptized in Rock Island they started out for Kansas, 1880, by covered wagon to take up homesteads. My folks and his brother and the father & mother Mr. & Mrs. Edward Reddig, they came in a covered wagon and through clow (sp) which they said was so rough, just like a wash board. Mr. & Mrs. Young (Kate Young), neighbors of my father in Rock Island, came west also. I can't remember if they came then or later.

William McLuen 1832-1930

1. ↑ Dallas, Iowa, United States. 1870 U.S. Census Population Schedule.

   Year: 1870; Census Place: Perry, Dallas, Iowa; Roll M593_385; Page: 591; Image: 449; Dwelling 160, Family 153
   McLuen, William; 30 M W; Harness Maker; 5300 1950; Ireland
   ______, Carlton R; 6 M W; Iowa
   ______, Anna; 4 F W; Iowa
   ______, Susan; 17 F W; Lives in family; Ireland
   ______, Sarah; 19 F W; Lives in family; Ireland
   Stearns, Lorenzo; 17 M W; Learning harness trade; Penn
   Ancestry Link

2. ↑ Dallas, Iowa, United States. 1885 Iowa State Census.

   Perry, Dallas, Iowa. Dwelling 360; Family 337
   McLuen, William   B100 2nd St; 45 M M; Lecturer; Ireland; G G
   ______, Lydia; 34 F; Keeping [House?]; Ind; N N
   ______, Carlton; 21 M S; [Dall]as; G N
   ______, Annie; 18 F S; [dittos]
   ______, Iva; 12 F S; [dittos]
   ______, Fred; 10 M S; [dittos]
   ______, Clifton; 8 M S; [dittos]
   ______, Edgar; 6 M S; [dittos]
   ______, Daisy; 5 F S; [dittos]
   ______, Blanche; 1 F S; [dittos]
   [Tight binding obscures occupation and birth county]
   Ancestry Link

3. ↑ Dallas, Iowa, United States. 1895 Iowa State Census.

   Dallas Co, City of Perry (3rd Ward), p. 548 (195/195)
   McLuen, William; 49 yrs; b. Ireland; [occupation unreadable]; Presbyterian
   ______, Lidie T.; 38 yrs; b. Ind.; "Keeping House"; M.E.
   ______, Ivan M.; 20 yrs; b. Dallas Co, Iowa; "Scholar"; M.E
   ______, Harry C.; 18 yrs; [ditto]
   ______, Edgar E.; 15 yrs; [ditto]
   ______, Daisy M.; 13 yrs; [ditto]
   ______, Blanche L.; 9 yrs; [ditto]
   ______, Ward; 6 yrs; [ditto]
   ______, Hazle; 2 yrs; [ditto]

4.   The Phrenological journal and science of health.

   William McLuen's career in Phrenology is documented in the several issues of the Journal available on Google Books. He is listed as a lecturer in Perry, Iowa calling himself "Professor William McLuen." He also submitted articles. [Click source link for details]

5.   Marriages 1854-1873, Greene Co., IA.

   McLuen William — Elliott Lydia 9 4 1871 [9 April 1871]
   US GenWeb Archives

6.   "Oldest Perry Citizen Dies", in Mason City [Iowa] Globe Gazette
   16 July 1930.

   Perry, July 16. (AP)— William McCluen, 97, Perry's oldest citizen, died yesterday. McLuen had lived here more than 50 years and was one of the signers of the petition to incorporate the town in 1874. He was the city's third mayor.
   Ancestry Link

7. ↑ Dallas, Iowa, United States. 1880 U.S. Census Population Schedule.

   Year: 1880; Census Place: Perry, Dallas, Iowa; Roll T9_335; Family History Film: 1254335; Page: 142.3000; Enumeration District: 46; Image: 0287; Dwelling 35, Family 37.
   McLuen, Wm.; W M 39; Phrenologist; Ireland, Scotland, Scotland
   ______, Lydia T.; W F 29; Wife; Housekeeping; Indiana, N Carolina, Mass
   ______, C. R.; W M 16; Son; At School; Iowa, Ireland, Indiana
   ______, A. M.; W F 14; Daughter; At School; Iowa, Ireland, Indiana
   ______, I. N.; W F 9; Daughter; At School; Iowa, Ireland, Indiana
   ______, H. C.; W F 5; Son; Iowa, Ireland, Indiana
   ______, E. A.; W F 3; Son; Iowa, Ireland, Indiana
   ______, D. M.; W F 10/12 Aug; Daughter; Iowa, Ireland, Ind
   Adlet, Lydia; W F 16; Servant; Servant; Iowa, Ind, Ind
   Ancestry Link

8.   The Scotch-Irish in America: proceedings of the Sixth Congress at Des Moines, Iowa, June 7-10, 1894 (Nashville:Scotch-Irish Society Of America, 1894)
   Vol 6, pg 322.

   William McLuen and Cornelius McLuen are listed as members of the Scotch-Irish Society of Iowa. This could indicate that he was from what is now Northern Ireland and not the Republic.
   GoogleBooks

9.   Indiana, United States. Indiana, Marriage Index, 1800-1941 [database on-line]. (Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc., 2005).

   Clinton County, Indiana; Index to Marriage Record 1852 - 1905 Inclusive Vol;W. P. A. Original Record Located: County Clerk's Office;Book: C-4; Page: 245
   Name: Sarah Long
   Spouse Name: William McLuen
   Marriage Date: 29 Jul 1863
   Marriage County: Clinton
   Ancestry Link

10.   Perry, in The History of Dallas County, Iowa (Des Moines, Iowa : Union Historical Co., 1879)
    pg. 458-473.

    pg. 458: The town was incorporated in 1875. Will. McLuen is listed as a councilman on the list of the first officers of the town.
    pg. 461: Wm. McLuen is listed as a Director of the School Board.
    pg. 465: Harness and Saddles.-W. L. Warren, north side square; A. W. Parmenter, east side square, at McLuen's old stand.
    USGenNet link

11.   Clippings from Perry Newspapers.

    Click the source title to see a list of newspaper items.

12. ↑ Certificate of Death, in State of Iowa
    #A 2538148, 17 JUL 1930.

    William McLuen, date of death July 15, 1930 at 4 a.m., male, age 97, date of birth October 29, 1832. He died in Dallas Co., city of Perry. His race was white and no soc. security #, His birthplace was listed as Ireland and he was widowed with no surviving spouse. He was retired and lived at 1911 Lucinda before his death. He was buried at Violet Hill Cemetery in Perry, IA. Attending physician was K. W. Neddy. Death was by natural causes, artereo-sclerosis. Informant was Ward McLuen.

13.   A Town Called Perry, in St. James Hotel (1867) & Bruce's meat Market
    60 & 165.

    Bruce's interest in the shop was sold and sometime later, Bruce opened another market in the old William McLuen building at Second and Lucinda. The store was torn down in 1905 to make room for a new cement block building on the corner. In November 1911, Bruce and his brother bought the building from McLuen and that became the location for their meat market.
    In 1876 small as the little village of Perry was, there was a surprising number of hotels and boarding houses. One of the longest in existence was the St. James, though it was called by another name when it opened, and a different name by the time it was torn down. The first version of it was a wooden structure which had stood on the site of the old Fort Dodge Railroad depot, but was moved to Second and Otley when the railroad was built. William McLuen owned it then, and opened a harness shop in it. In 1876, J. F. Perry purchased the property from McLuen and fitted it out to be a hotel. The hotel opened in April and was called the Commercial House.

14.   Wm. McLuen Died at Perry; Funeral July 17, in Perry Newspaper.

    William McLuen, 97, pioneer resident of Perry, died Tuesday morning at the home of his son, Ward McLuen in Perry, after an illness of three days. Death was caused by aremic poisoning. Mr. McLuen was Perry's oldest citizen and had lived here more than fifty years. He was born in Ireland. He was one of the signers to a petition to incorporate the town in 1874 and was the third mayor of the city. Years ago he was a phrenologist, and lectured in various schools over the country on the human body. He is survived by three sons and four daughters. They are Carl and Ward of Perry; Cliff of California; Mrs. Clayton West and Mrs. Blanche Llewelly of Perry; Mrs. Bert Gilchrist of Fort Dodge and Mrs. Elmer Rinehart of Aurora, Nebr. His wife died eleven years ago. Funeral services were held on Thursday at the Presbyterian church. J. S. McLuen and Mayme Atkinson of Guthrie Center were among those who attended the funeral. According to local McLuens, the age of Wm. McLuen was close to 113 instead of 97.

15. ↑ Determining a date of birth is problematic. There is a 14 year spread in the various statements of his age or birth date. It appears that William was prone to telling fibs. We use 1840 as his birth date because he used this date consistently when he was younger. It appears that as he got older he started stretching his age. He likely told his children 1832 in his later years because, like many people, he liked the idea of being 100 years old. This is what they reported on his death certificate and his gravestone.
    1930 census and grave marker (died 1930) indicates 1832
    obit indicates age 97 [b.1832-33]
    death certificate indicates 1832
    1870, 1885, 1910 census indicate it is 1840
    1920 census indicates 1842
    1900 census indicates Oct 1844
    1895 census indicates 1846