A McLean Family History
A McLean HistoryMcLean features (in our family) are high forehead, high cheekbones, black hair, easily tanned skin, tall, gaunt. It seemed far-fetched to think that this had something to do with the Spaniards, whose ship, (part of the escaping Spanish Armada), was blown up by the McLeans in Tobermory Bay (some say after the gold was removed). But it was of little surprise to learn that there is good authority in deriving the McLeans (Macleans) from the Fitzgerald Earls of Kildare, Ireland). The Fitzgerald name was taken by a Portuguese family who came over with William the Conqueror, and preferred lands in Ireland to England. They then migrated to the isles of Mull, Coll & Tiree as well as the mainland of Morvern. Admitedly, uncle Fitzroy Maclean from Argour has our McLean features and build.
Some five genealogical accounts of the family all seem to have been based on the one written between 1716 and 1750.
The earliest documents we have, so far, includes a will of Agnes Gilmour (1731), spouse of William McLean, Merchant in Shettleston, Glasgow, nominating Elizabeth Pollock, her cousin (married to Robert Chapman, Merchant in Glasgow) and her son, John Chapman (writer in Glasgow) to be her executors. The witnesses were George Stirling, Maltman, one of the present Baillies of Glasgow, John Lyon, merchant, present Baillie of Port Glasgow, Lachlan McLean and David Pollock, merchants in Glasgow and John & Robert Chapman.
William McLean and his cousin (another William, knicknamed "Dandy") came to buy Annathill(called North Medrox). As early as 1720 an Adam Smellie (Gran's ancestor) owned South Medrox farm, which was sold to William when Adam died.
Minutes in the church session meetings mention May 27th 1733 in the Rev. John Currie's ministry,..."There was taken out of the box 500 merks Scots and lent to Mr McLean of South Medrox, upon bond at this Whitsunday".
May 15th 1734 "Received of @ Rent from Wm McLean, being interest of 500 merks from Whitsunday 1733 to Whit. 1734 £16.13/4". These are mentioned in a book by John Macarthur FEIS on New Monkland Parish, 1890.
James McLean of Medrox is listed as one of the chief landowners, among Robert Buchanan of Drumpelier, John Colquhoun of Killermont, Robert Haldane of Auchingray, Soir William Alexander of Airdrie House, The Honourable Wm. Elphinstone of Monkland, George Waddell of Ballochney.
Elsewhere in the minister's account of the people etc., he describes then as being intelligent, better dressed than average, sober, but some are rather fond of litigation. Later he comes back to this, saying that often the matters in debate were often trifling, as a gravestone in the churchyard, or a seat in the kirk, or a precise boundary. One of them said "I really dinnae ken ony greater pleasure on earth than a weel-gaun law plea". That same man ruined himself by this same insane love of litigation. He was forced to part with a very comfortable property and left his family in penury. (This anecdote has been related of William McLean of South Medrox, or "Dandy" McLean, as he was sometimes called, but he left no family, so the story must refer to some other "bonnet laird").
The South Medrox lands (or McLean's Corner) consisted of about 110 acres and were considered the best farms in the parish for their size.
The McLeans were Glasgow merchants of Presbyterian persuasion (as heritors, i.e. land owners, their names appear over generations of minutes of heritors meetings of their dealing with church building, school, taxes and salaries). Our McLeans were not in support of Prince Charles, who levied taxes and made impossible demands on the Glasgow merchants.
South Medrox (East & West) were bought and a sasine of Agnes Mochrie 1780 refers to William McLean elder portioner of South Medrox (also referred to in a sasine of Robert Coults 1780 as son of deceased William McLean in Shettleston,nephew of ye deceased William McLean of Medrox, merchant in Glasgow).
(On 19th July 1775 Mary, Janet and Agnes Smellie, daughters of deceased Mathew Smellie, portioner of Medrox, sold land to James McLean, portioner of North Medrox (Annathill). Mary was married to Andrew Russell, John Hendrie of Borrowstone was husband of Janet, James Marshall of Wester Gartshore was husband of Agnes. Witnessed by Robert Barrie, farmer in Tarbrax and James Waddell, shoemaker in Condorrat).
Briefly, the earliest sketch of a McLean is (in the above book on New Monkland(some versions) of John McLean (b.8 Oct 1811 the name on the birth certificate is John McLan with a small caret inserting the e. No problem with Mc part), married to Margaret (Marion/Mirren) Stevenson). They moved from South Medrox to Cullochrig. Their family was Peter, Robert, Helen, John, James,Mirren and William, a tanner, who married Agnes Walker, from Greenside (father John, farmer and mother Ann Main. That was 8th Dec 1871). William farmed Wardhead.
A brother of Agnes, Alexander Walker, an engineman, emigrated to USA where he married a girl near McColm not far from Natchez. From his photograph, what I took to be McLean features could so easily be Walker features.
William's family was John (chapman and draper in Coatbridge and Airdrie; his wife was related to Scottish Secretary of State, Tom Johnstone), James (Dunyvan Road dairy), Peter (inspector of Pearl Assurance and violin player) and William,who married Jessie McMyles. Wm (Wardhead)'s second wife was Lisa Gardner, sons Duncan and Bob (pig farm near new town of East Kilbride near Strathaven). The Wardhead farm bred Clydesdales stallions and suffered an epidemic of mastoid. The farms were never big enough for the family who had to move for work.
The line at South Medrox ended there and is now farmed by Alec Morgan, who has worked there since a child. He sells cattle to Gran's brother Marshall, a butcher in Uddingston. I'd like to see the farmer's face if we told him that not only did the McLeans own South Medrox, but Gran's Smellies owned it previously to that. Note that Gran's other brother is called Russell.
Jessie McMyles (mother Janet McMullen, Campbeltown was previously married to a soldier James Douglas but married William McLean 30 Aug 1810 in the Baptist Church, Coatbridge.) Children were Helen, Janet, James, William, John, Charles,Agnes, Malcolm.
William married Grace Barrie McMorran, three sons, William, Robert, John. William married Marion Sommerville Smellie. Family...Alastair, Robert, Alison.
Some five genealogical accounts of the family all seem to have been based on the one written between 1716 and 1750.
The earliest documents we have, so far, includes a will of Agnes Gilmour (1731), spouse of William McLean, Merchant in Shettleston, Glasgow, nominating Elizabeth Pollock, her cousin (married to Robert Chapman, Merchant in Glasgow) and her son, John Chapman (writer in Glasgow) to be her executors. The witnesses were George Stirling, Maltman, one of the present Baillies of Glasgow, John Lyon, merchant, present Baillie of Port Glasgow, Lachlan McLean and David Pollock, merchants in Glasgow and John & Robert Chapman.
William McLean and his cousin (another William, knicknamed "Dandy") came to buy Annathill(called North Medrox). As early as 1720 an Adam Smellie (Gran's ancestor) owned South Medrox farm, which was sold to William when Adam died.
Minutes in the church session meetings mention May 27th 1733 in the Rev. John Currie's ministry,..."There was taken out of the box 500 merks Scots and lent to Mr McLean of South Medrox, upon bond at this Whitsunday".
May 15th 1734 "Received of @ Rent from Wm McLean, being interest of 500 merks from Whitsunday 1733 to Whit. 1734 £16.13/4". These are mentioned in a book by John Macarthur FEIS on New Monkland Parish, 1890.
James McLean of Medrox is listed as one of the chief landowners, among Robert Buchanan of Drumpelier, John Colquhoun of Killermont, Robert Haldane of Auchingray, Soir William Alexander of Airdrie House, The Honourable Wm. Elphinstone of Monkland, George Waddell of Ballochney.
Elsewhere in the minister's account of the people etc., he describes then as being intelligent, better dressed than average, sober, but some are rather fond of litigation. Later he comes back to this, saying that often the matters in debate were often trifling, as a gravestone in the churchyard, or a seat in the kirk, or a precise boundary. One of them said "I really dinnae ken ony greater pleasure on earth than a weel-gaun law plea". That same man ruined himself by this same insane love of litigation. He was forced to part with a very comfortable property and left his family in penury. (This anecdote has been related of William McLean of South Medrox, or "Dandy" McLean, as he was sometimes called, but he left no family, so the story must refer to some other "bonnet laird").
The South Medrox lands (or McLean's Corner) consisted of about 110 acres and were considered the best farms in the parish for their size.
The McLeans were Glasgow merchants of Presbyterian persuasion (as heritors, i.e. land owners, their names appear over generations of minutes of heritors meetings of their dealing with church building, school, taxes and salaries). Our McLeans were not in support of Prince Charles, who levied taxes and made impossible demands on the Glasgow merchants.
South Medrox (East & West) were bought and a sasine of Agnes Mochrie 1780 refers to William McLean elder portioner of South Medrox (also referred to in a sasine of Robert Coults 1780 as son of deceased William McLean in Shettleston,nephew of ye deceased William McLean of Medrox, merchant in Glasgow).
(On 19th July 1775 Mary, Janet and Agnes Smellie, daughters of deceased Mathew Smellie, portioner of Medrox, sold land to James McLean, portioner of North Medrox (Annathill). Mary was married to Andrew Russell, John Hendrie of Borrowstone was husband of Janet, James Marshall of Wester Gartshore was husband of Agnes. Witnessed by Robert Barrie, farmer in Tarbrax and James Waddell, shoemaker in Condorrat).
Briefly, the earliest sketch of a McLean is (in the above book on New Monkland(some versions) of John McLean (b.8 Oct 1811 the name on the birth certificate is John McLan with a small caret inserting the e. No problem with Mc part), married to Margaret (Marion/Mirren) Stevenson). They moved from South Medrox to Cullochrig. Their family was Peter, Robert, Helen, John, James,Mirren and William, a tanner, who married Agnes Walker, from Greenside (father John, farmer and mother Ann Main. That was 8th Dec 1871). William farmed Wardhead.
A brother of Agnes, Alexander Walker, an engineman, emigrated to USA where he married a girl near McColm not far from Natchez. From his photograph, what I took to be McLean features could so easily be Walker features.
William's family was John (chapman and draper in Coatbridge and Airdrie; his wife was related to Scottish Secretary of State, Tom Johnstone), James (Dunyvan Road dairy), Peter (inspector of Pearl Assurance and violin player) and William,who married Jessie McMyles. Wm (Wardhead)'s second wife was Lisa Gardner, sons Duncan and Bob (pig farm near new town of East Kilbride near Strathaven). The Wardhead farm bred Clydesdales stallions and suffered an epidemic of mastoid. The farms were never big enough for the family who had to move for work.
The line at South Medrox ended there and is now farmed by Alec Morgan, who has worked there since a child. He sells cattle to Gran's brother Marshall, a butcher in Uddingston. I'd like to see the farmer's face if we told him that not only did the McLeans own South Medrox, but Gran's Smellies owned it previously to that. Note that Gran's other brother is called Russell.
Jessie McMyles (mother Janet McMullen, Campbeltown was previously married to a soldier James Douglas but married William McLean 30 Aug 1810 in the Baptist Church, Coatbridge.) Children were Helen, Janet, James, William, John, Charles,Agnes, Malcolm.
William married Grace Barrie McMorran, three sons, William, Robert, John. William married Marion Sommerville Smellie. Family...Alastair, Robert, Alison.
posted by W W McLean at 12:11 PM
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