Person:John McLean (25)

About John McLean

http://www.tennkin.com/bios/johnandeph_bio.htm

John and Ephraim MacLean

John MacLean, born in the 1690’s, and Alexander MacLean, born in the early 1700’s, were the first MacLeans to sail to the new American colonies of this lineage. It can’t, at this time, be proven that they were brothers, but I have collected enough circumstantial evidence to personally believe they are brother’s, or at least half-brothers or first cousins. Some of the McLeans today say that the first MacLeans came from the isle of Mull, Scotland, but according to history, most Scottish people migrated to Ulster, Ireland, then on to America. There didn’t seem to be a shipping point from out of the highlands of Scotland at that time, so most of the Scottish people spent one generation of time in Ulster, Ireland. Both John and Alexander landed in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania area.

Other family names were located in the same area and same time, such as Ephraim Moore and William Dunlap. John and Alexander were indentured to pay for the voyage after their arrival. Later they were found settled at Chestnut Level, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, near the Susquehanna River. The Dunlaps and Moores settled in the same area. Also present were families of the Davidsons, Alexanders, Osbournes, Vances, MacConnells, Ewings, and Brevards. The Brevards were French-Irish and later were to be neighbors in North Carolina, as were most of these families.

John MacLean married the daughter (or step-daughter) of Ephraim Moore, Margaret. Ephraim Moore’s wife, Elizabeth, died in 1740. In 1739, at the age of thirty, Alexander had managed to save for his future, after paying off his indenture. He married Elizabeth Ratchford, who was the daughter of his former benefactor. After remaining in Pennsylvania several years, Alexander and Elizabeth had already started raising their family. They had three daughters, Jane, Margaret, and Agnes.

John and Margaret started their family also, with four children. Charles was born in 1728 and Ephraim in 1730. The other two names have been lost in history, perhaps they were sisters or they were lost to disease.

By now the news of Lord Granville had reached Pennsylvania. His agents advertised land in large acreage at low prices in the warmer climate of the southern colonies. In this time of the mid-eighteenth century there was a large migration from Pennsylvania to the Carolinas in the south. The spacious land and southern climate were much more appealing to most people than the overcrowded Pennsylvania.

About 1740, John MacLean and his family joined the migration south. It is not known when John’s wife died, but in 17441 John died and left the four children orphaned. Alexander MacLean’s two oldest daughters died of smallpox on the journey south, so I wondered if John and Margaret also contracted this fatal disease and perhaps the two missing siblings caught it later. The records show that John died in Brunswick County, Virginia, in November of 1741. Brunswick County is located just north of the North Carolina and Virginia sate line. Court records show that the children’s uncle, William Dunlap, was appointed guardian of the orphaned children. At the time of John’s death, Charles was thirteen and Ephraim was eleven years old. Here is the translation of the court records on dealing with the four orphans of John MacLean.

John and Jane Davidson with their children migrated first to Augusta County, Virginia, now Rockbridge County. The first land surveyed for John was in Beverly Manor in May of 1738 on Christian Creek. By June 5, 1739, he had bought 785 acres. On February 18, 1747, he sold 485 acres of the Beverly Manor land and 350 acres of land on Buffalo Creek that runs into the upper portion of James River. Jane had also signed these land sales when they took place. Elizabeth and her sister Margaret and her brother John were all born while living there in Virginia. Elizabeth had been baptized April 19, 1741, by Rev. John Craig at Tinkling Spring. She was the first of John and Jane’s children to be born on American soil

After some eight to ten years in residence of Virginia, John moved into North Carolina with his family. He chose land on Davidsons Creek, named for him. It was located in the northwest corner of what is now Mecklenburg County and the southwest corner of present Iredell County, just a short distance north of present Charlotte. Centre Presbyterian Church was only a short distance to the south.

The first of the Granville lands surveyed in what was then Ansen County, now Iredell County, was dated November 13, 1748. The Granville surveyor was Charles Robertson for John McDowell on McDowell’s Creek. The second survey was for John Davidson on November 26, 1748. John had the land titled jointly with his first born son, George Davidson. This old practice of first born son getting sole title was still in practice from the medieval times. It wouldn’t change till America became free after the Revolution. John made application for the land and moved onto it, and George has assisted as a chairman in the survey. John never saw the completion of the paperwork, due to his untimely death. The land on Davidson’s Creek followed the creek southwest to join into the Catawba River.

After only two years in the North Carolina lands John had died, leaving most of his estate to his son George. After John’s death, Jane, later on, married William Morrison and had her last child, William Morrison, Jr. William Morrison helped Jane to close out inventory of John’s last Virginia lands, for the aid of his new wife. He was noted to be the present husband of the “said Jane Davidson.”

Before moving on I’d like to list the children of John and Jane Davidson, as so many McLeans are interested in their Davidson ancestry also.

Col. George Davison born in 1728 in Ireland Rachel Davidson born abt. 1730 in Ireland Thomas Davidson born abt. 1733 in Ireland Samuel Davidson born 1736 in Ireland, twin Maj. William Davidson born 1736 in Ireland, twin Elizabeth Davidson born 1741 in Virginia Margaret Davidson born 1742 in Virginia John (One Eyed) Davidson born 1744 in Virginia

Elizabeth Davidson McLean, wife of Ephraim, was first cousin to General William Lee Davidson who lived on a nearby farm before the Revolution. Davidson County in North Carolina and Tennessee were named in the General’s honor, after he was killed at Cowen’s Ford, North Carolina, during the Revolution. The Davidson Academies in each of the latter states were also named in his honor, as he was the youngest general in the Revolution. On October 19, 1765, Ephraim and Elizabeth settled on 640 acres of land on Fishing Creek in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, deeded over to them by William and Mary Moore. One of the witnesses on this deed was William Dunlap, the uncle who raised Ephraim and Charles after their parents died. From time to time, they moved to new lands along the western bank of the Catawba River, North Carolina, in the general direction of the Cumberland Gap, gateway to the west.

Notes

http://www.theellisons.net/ghtout/gp4685.htm#head0

Family Group

Husband N16192 John McLean Born: 1670 - Mull, Argyll, Scotland Marr: 1715 - Scotland Died: 1740 - Philadelphia Father: John McLin Mother: Other Spouses:

Wife Margaret Mary Moore Born: - Died: - Father: Ephraim Moore Mother: Elizabeth Other Spouses:

Children 1. Joseph McLean Born: - Marr: - Nancy Marshall Died: -

2. Martha McLean Born: - Died: -

3. Isabelle McLean Born: - Died: -

4. John McLean Born: 1724 - Scotland Marr: - Jane Marshall Died: 1808 - Guilford County, NC

5. Margaret McLean Born: 1715 - Marr: - Thomas Major Died: AFT 1789 - NC

6. Eleanor McLean Born: 1717 - Ireland Marr: 1736 - William Paisley Died: BEF 1765 - Lancaster, Pa