Person:Ephraim McLean (3)

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McLane (McLean, McClean), Ephriam preempted, as "assee of Thomas Fletcher," on 3 January 1783 640 acres on Brown's Creek.174 A recipient of a North Carolina land grant,175 he is listed on the 1787 tax roll with one taxable as is Ephriam McLane (2d).176 His name appears on the 1787 military payroll.177 He purchased land from Green Hill,178 and served on the original Board of Trustees of Davidson Academy, at the first meeting of which he was chosen Treasurer. He was also chosen to superintend the surveying of the 240 acres of land given the school by the State and was appointed agent to rent out those lands.179 "Ephraim McLean, Sr." is mentioned as having sold "two farms and lands adjoining them" to the testator in the will of Philip Philips, deceased.180

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In each location Ephraim and his family lived, he held important positions. In the year 1768, he was appointed as commissioner of Tryon County by the Governor and the Assembly for the purpose of building a courthouse and a prison for the use of Tryon County, North Carolina. While living in Tryon County, Ephraim and his family were members of the Centre Presbyterian Church north of where Davidson’s College now stands. As this history goes on through time, I have found that Ephraim was a man of many trades, such as builder, politician, blacksmith, soldier, surveyor, and Indian fighter.

In 1770 Ephraim was commissioned a Captain of a regiment of Tryon County foot soldiers for the purpose of fighting Indians. On September 20, 1775, Ephraim was elected to the Rowan County Committee of Safety, Salisbury District. On December 23, 1776, Ephraim was elected as Justice of the peace for Rowan County, by act of legislature. When Burke County was formed form the western portion of Rowan County in 1777 Ephraim represented that newly formed county in the General Assembly and was a member of the House of Commons, which convened in New Bern on November 15, 1777, and carried over into 1778. In Burke County, Ephraim entered in some 2700 acres of land, east of York, South Carolina. He first entered land east of York, South Carolina and trekked gradually north along the west side of the Catawba River. He entered in Burke County, North Carolina, lands comprised of more that 3,000 acres. In 1779 still in Burke County, and serving as a minuteman, as they were called in the militia, Ephraim was a representative for the state Senate and again through to 1780.

In October 1780, Ephraim took his men to Kings Mountain in South Carolina under the command of Colonel Joseph Mc Dowell. At the time these men left on such a journey, they packed as light as possible. They slung a havasack over their shoulder, which held any extra clothing, food, and cooking utensils. The men carried a piece of canvas for a makeshift shelter or at least a blanket or bedroll. The food most always carried by these men was jerked venison and parched corn, and often times fried cornbread went along. Water was carried in canteens of tin, wood, pottery, or even large gourds. The wooden and tin versions were most popular. Great coats, frock coats, and hunting shirts would have been along for extra warmth as the October rains would be bone chilling.

Just about every two years, the McLeans home was enlivened by the arrival of a new baby, mostly sons, and eleven of these children were born along the western banks of the Catawba River in North Carolina. By 1782, nine sons and two daughters had arrived. The war had finally ended and danger of Indian massacre had subsided for only a temporary break. Many families lost one or two members to the Indians, some whole families were destroyed. John McLean, Ephraim’s oldest son, born Ye 1st, 1761, did not escape this ill fate. He fell to the hands and “hawks” of the Cherokee nation, up near Old Fort, North Carolina, of the old Rutherford County. Old Fort was a Davidson community at the time. John Davidson, Sr., and his wife Jane, had a son Samuel, to fall into the hands of the Cherokee on Christian Creek, North Carolina.

The eleventh child of Ephraim and Elizabeth was born July ye 4th, 1781, Elizabeth had named this child after her father, John Davidson McLean. Their first son, John McLean was named for Ephraim’s father. In the year of 1781, Ephraim and Elizabeth buried both John and John Davidson. John was twenty and John Davidson was still an infant. Not long after this, the family was on the move again. Each previous move they made in dodging the Tories was more into the mountains and in a westwardly direction. Most likely they had planned to cross the mountains already, but had been caught up in the thick of the war. So, with nine living children, Ephraim again closed his holdings in North Carolina, and picked up the Wilderness Road at the Blockhouse in Virginia, and traveled through the Cumberland Gap into Kentucky, some 300 miles of backwoods trails. In 1775, Daniel Boone, with 30 men, started blazing this, “the old wilderness road.” It could only be traveled by foot or pack animals for the next 30 years. Dr. Thomas Walker, who discovered the famed gap, named the Cumberland Gap and River for the Duke of Cumberland, who the Scottish knew as “Billy the Butcher.”

Ephraim and his family laid over at Harrodsburg, Kentucky or perhaps Paint Lick for about a year, due to Elizabeth delivering their last child, son Robert Davidson McLean, born April ye7th, 1783. While in Kentucky, Ephraim would probably have met such men as James Harrod, Daniel Boone, John Filson, Richard Henderson, and perhaps even Simon Kenton.

By an act of 1782, North Carolina had passed its Land Grant Act, granting her lands in the west, in what is now Tennessee. North Carolina’s general assembly gave privates 640 aces of land, non-commissioned officers received 1,000 acres, Captains 3840 acres, and chaplains 7,200 acres. Ephraim was an early member of the crews who were surveying the newly granted lands, and was being paid in land for his services. Soon after the arrival at the new settlements, Ephraim entered in two tracts of 320 acres of land each from his Revolutionary War service. This land was in the bend of the Cumberland River four miles east of the bluffs on the northern side of the river, just opposite of where Mill Creek flows into the Cumberland River. This area of the river became known as McLeans bend and still be found on Corps of Engineers maps today.

Almost at once, Ephraim reassured a position of prominence in the new settlements. He took a seat in the House of Commons, April 27, 1784.

Ephraim had selected a 5,000 acre grant between Knob and Snow Creeks on Duck River and was quite settled by 1806. Again, there are no signs of the original pioneer homestead. Sons of Ephraim, Ephraim, Jr., and Charles, were members of the first grand jury to meet in the newly formed Maury County. In August 1807, Ephraim and five sons were active in forming the new county of Maury from parts of Williamson and Dickenson Counties. One-eyed John Davidson was there too, and was called to jury duty with Ephraim, Jr. and Charles on March 1808. In 1813, there were three captains of militia registered in Maury County, Captain Hurt, Captain Watkins, and Captain McLean as heads of companies. This surely was Ephraim Jr.

By now, Ephraim’s son Charles had married Sarah Vance of Swannanoa, North Carolina, in 1799, and settled in Maury County. Later they moved to Rutherford County to settle. Charles’ brother, William, also had settled there on Snow Creek. In 1814, tragedy struck, and William drowned in the Duck River. It has been passed down that five of McLeans brothers were on a hunting trip together when William drowned. Ephraim, Jr. also died in that area at the young age of 52 years in 1818. Now Ephraim and Elizabeth had buried four of their twelve children. Ephraim had made at least one trip to Greenville, Kentucky to help set his son Alney up in his law practices. In 1820, Ephraim and Elizabeth left Maury County to visit their son Samuel in Lawrence County. While there they left the family bible with Samuel and then moved on to Greenville, Kentucky. Ephraim by now was ninety years old. He had seen the results of the French and Indian War, had fought the Indians, Tories and British of the American Revolution and had seen his family go off to fight the British again in the War of 1812. His son, Judge Alney McLean, built a house in his yard for his parents to retire to. Another son, Dr. Robert Davidson McLean, also lived in the same community. Just south of Greenville, in the Adairville area, was their daughter Jane McLean Ewing. Their son, George, was also in the area not far west of Russellville.

Ephraim lived on until 1823. Elizabeth died between 1820 and 1823. Both were present in the 1820 census. It has been passed down that Elizabeth died in 1820 after the census was taken. This family was very close and clan-like. The ten adult children of Ephraim and Elizabeth had a total of 87 grandchildren. Each of the grandchildren who survived, also raised a large family, which explains why there are so many McLeans in Tennessee, Kentucky, Mississippi, and now so many other states in the Union.

The children of Ephraim and Elizabeth are listed here with their husbands and wives and birth dates as taken from the Bible of Ephraim.

John McLean June Ye 1, 1761 Killed by Indians Margaret McLean June Ye 23, 1763 Robert B. Brank 1757 Ephraim McLean March Ye 5, 1766 Polly Boyd 1768 George McLean December Ye 24, 1767 Permilia Davidson 1772 Jane McLean December Ye 12, 1769 Genl. Robert Ewing 1760 Charles McLean November Ye 30, 1771 Sarah Vance 1780 William McLean February Ye 17, 1773 Margaret Miller 1780 Samuel McLean January Ye 27, 1775 Elizabeth Irvine 1778 James McLean March Ye 30, 1777 Mary (Polly) Sloss Alney McLean June Ye 10, 1779 Tabitha Campbell 1788 John Davidson McLean July Ye 4, 1781 died in infancy Robert Davidson McLean April Ye 7, 1783 Celia Wilson

On June 18, 1977, the Ephraim McLean Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution placed a bronze memorial marker outside of the Caney Station Cemetery, where Ephraim and Elizabeth are buried, in honor of Ephraim’s service during the Revolution. Juliet McLean Houston of Nashville, Tennessee, was instrumental in the placement of the monument.

Mrs. Houston was a descendent of Ephraim through his son Charles. She was well-researched in family history, and I have used much of her research in compiling the information here. Her death came too early, although I thank her for the help and placing the D.A.R. marker at the Caney Station Cemetery. I knew her when I was just a small child and now wish I could sit down and talk to her.

Upon finding the Caney Station Cemetery, I found out the stones were re-located up the hill by many yards and the graves are being cultivated over. When the cemetery was moved, pre-1900, the actual grave locations were lost and probably some stones were lost. In December 1990, I personally cut off the cemetery, located all the stones left, and re-erected several. I took donations to install a four foot chain link fence and single gate and on donators for the fence was installed. Here is a list of the donators for the fence, all are descendents of Ephraim and Elizabeth.

William C. and Sally Trotter, J. Howell Peebles Jr., Elizabeth Carlen McLean, Mark McLean, Howard McLean, Charles Stribling McLean, Whitson Riggs McLean, Valorie Lee, Humphrey H. Childers, Daniel N. MacLean, G. Hite McLean, Mayo Voss, M. T. McLean, Dr. Robert Smith Sanders, Howard and Hazel Franklin.