The Van Buren press., 1896-12-26
M'klNLEYS ANCESTORS
The Ola Church Dating Back to =
Times of George I.

The church where the great-gres,
gfeat-grandmother of the president
elect, William Mckinley, attended ana
the old dwelling occupied by her peo.
pie, are still standing in Lancaster
county, Pa. The pity is, however, that
the original house in which she was
born is no longer to be seen; excepting
for a few stones which mark the ont,
lines of the foundation of the old place
there is not a trace Of its eighteenth
century architecture.
In the beautiful Donegal valley
among the rolling mills of Lancaster
county, aud looking down upon IN,
rapid waters of the Susquehanna, lea
the village OF Donegal where the
Steyensons built the long, low house
in which the ancestor of president
were born. The valley is one of the
prettiest in the state, and that is saw
ing a great dead, for the state is filled
with picturesque places lying amonp
veroant hills, on the sides of which
cling tenaciously the most attractive
Of well-kept farms and the whitest of
| white-walled faImhouses. Donegal lies
about is miles northwest of The town
of Lancaster, and to get to it one hal
better leave the train at Marietta.
where a conveyance can be obtained
to make the fiye-nile journey still to
be accomplished.
Strictly speaking, Donegal is not il
village nor "A town, and it is doubtful Il
it can claim TO be borough, for there
is merely a sprinkling of farmhonses
upon the hills, too far apart almost 10
be called community. IN the midst
of this fertile spot lies Embedded in thc
trees, which even at this time of the
year hide it, the old Donegal Presby-
terrain church, which has been stand
ing since early in the eighteenth cen
fury. 1t has been remodeled, Of course,
in order to preserve it, but it stands
practically the same to-day as il did IN
the days of George II.
\ tablet of marble attached tn the
wall Of the church gives about all the
history that is known of the old strnc-
ture. From this i seems the church
was founded by Arthur Patterson in
the year 1922, and in the year 1f40 the
church received patent from John
Thomas and Richard Penn. During the
revolution the pastor of the little church
was royalist, but one day his congrega-
ton took him out and made him swear
his allegiance to the colonies, under
white oak in front of the church; and
the tree, now a mighty king of the for
est, known as WITNESS oak on ac-
| a.: to, 10 III.
most as much as the little whitc-plas-
tered church itself.
In the early part of the last century,
at the time when George |. was king.
there was large number of immigrants
from the north of ireland. About that
time the Ulster men were having an ir-
reeonclable controversy about The
rates for land rents, and as n result
they decided 10 leave the old country
and seek refuge in the new world. The
ma jority of these settled west of the
Blue Ridge, and a large number of the
Seotch-lrish became the pioneers in
the western part of Pennsylvania.
Among those who came over at this
time was a certain James Stevenson,
who also spelled his name Stephenson,
and who had it spelled for him, in the
patent from the proprietor of the col
ony, Stinson.
The precise date of his arrival is un-
known. but il was undoubtedly, from
appearances, while the first George was
still reigning. In The year 1910, the
same year the church obtained pat
emit, he received a patent for land ag'
Eregating 1874 acres in Donegal. lie was
consequently one of the pioneers in the
state, and he must have been one Of
the earliest in Donegal, for his property
is choicely located, being, as described
in his will. north and adjoining the
Donegal church.
James Stevenson had two sons and
four daughters. OF these the eldest
son, Nathaniel. who died a bachelor,
inherited the property. and at his death
it went to the eldest daughter, Anne,
who married John Watson, in whose
family the property remained until
, 1872, when it was sold to Gen. Simon
Cameron. The SteYensons were a we'll
: TODD people, and at one time had a
number of slaves. The second eldest
daughter, Hannah, married John Gray,
who lived near Susquchanna, at Balm,
bridge, and afterward in Westmoreland
county. Their daughter, Sarah Gray,
married David Mckinley on December
II 10, 1850.
David Mckinley was in the bloom
of manhood at this time, having re-
turned from the war, in which he hal
served 81 months, having enlisted no
less than eight times in as many dif-
ferent companies. Their second son,
James Stevenson Mckinley, was born
September /, 1888. He subsequently
settled in Mercer county, where he
married Rose, and their son, William
Mckinley, became the father of Maj.
William Mckinley, who has just been
elected president of The United States.
The old brick house with its numer-
Gus wings and spacious porches, which
overlooks the church, was built by Dr..
John Watson between the years 1895
and 1S0s-the old structure, in which
the t-great-grandmothe of Mai
William Mckinley was born, having
been torn down in 1906. This fine Old
residence was called by DR. Watson
'Fhe Seat of Beauty and there seems
TO be no reason why that name should
I a No