The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1901-12-06

HIS ANCESTRY As TRACED BY THE
REV. A. sTAPLEToM

The mnrfyrou President spramg rom the
Scotch Irlah Race - Head Of the Clan
Came - America ia 1T43-Orsat GRAND
father Was a Revolutionary Soldier.
The following genealogical sketch Of
President Mckinley was prepared by
the Rev. A. stapleton of Carlisle, Pa:
1T should be a matter Of regret to
all true historians that the campaign
histories Of President Mckinley were
erroneous in several important genoa
logical details. The data herein given
may be relied on as correct, as they
are the result of researches In the
court records and other authorities
still extant
"The ancestors of President McKin-
ley belonged to that sturdy race OF
people called the Scotch Irish, so
called because in 1907 King James |.
located a large number of Scots In the
northern part Oh Ireland on lands from
which the Irish had been evicted.
These settlements we're gradually aug
mented by immigration until eventu-
ally the Scotch-Irish element FREEDOM
mated in this region. They were
staunch Presbyterians in faith and in
course of time developed traits and
peculiarities so marked as to almost
stamp them as a distinct race.
in course of time this noble people
were oVertaken by many hardships,
such as the successive failure of crops,
besides very unsatisfactory civil and
religious conditions. Their only source
OF relief was in immigration to Amer
lea, In which they were encouraged by
agents OF the American colonies. After
1715 the immigration became very ex-
tensive, the chief port of arrival be-
Ing New Castle on the Delaware, below
Philadelphia.
THE Scotch-Irish being citizens OF
the British realm their arrival is not
a matter of record like that of the Ger
mans, Swiss, Dutch, etc, who are des-
ignated as foreigners in the colonial
records, and were required to subscribe
to an oath of allegiance upon arrival,
besides a subsequent naturalization.
Hence it follows thai citizens of the
realm are more difficult to identify
than foreigners by the historian. Our
only recourse is in tax lists, land war
rants, court records, etc.
I'm the case of President Mckinley
we have an undisputed retrograde rec
ord to his great-grandfather, David
Mckinley. We know that he was a
revolutionary soldier that he was born
in York county, Pa, that he removed
to Westmoreland county afterthe rev
Olution, and in 1914 to Ohio, where he
died. In the cemetery of the Chat
field Lutheran church in Crawford
county, Ohio, may be seen two modest
granite markers with the following
inscriptions: David Mckinley, Revo-
lutionary soldier Born, 1775; died,
1840,' and Hannah c. Rose, born, 1857;
died, $780,
David Mckinley was the father OF
James, born Sept. 10, 1888, married
Mary Rose of Mercer county, Pa, and
removed thence to Chatfleld. where he
purchased a farm, on which he died
He was the father of William McKin-
ley, Sr., born in 1907, and died in Can
ton, o., in 1892. The latter was the
father of President Mckinley Han.
nah G. Rose, buried by the side of Da-
vid Mckinley, was the great-grand.
mother of the president. She was also
the great grandmother of former May
or Rose of Cleveland.
For the history of the family prior
to David the soldier, we must relJ
on the courthouse records at Lancas
ter and York, Pa. From various dOcu
ments and entries we think the evi
dence incontrovertible that David Nc
Kinley the head of the clan McKin
ley in America landed at New Castlt
and located. in now ChanceforC
township, York county, Pa, in 1748
At that time he was we'll along in life
He was accompanied by his wife, Els
Their, and three sons, John, David
Stephen, and daughter, Mary. Their
are frequent references to these son
in the county archives.
"The immigrant was weaver b.
trade, but, like all thrifty artisans G
that day, he secured a good homestead
, 1t is possible, bu tnot probable, tina
he arrived in the province earlier tina
/ 1745, but in this year his name frs
appears on the records in warran
for is acres of land on beautiful ele
walton overlooking the Susquehann
, river in the distance.
| THAT he was a man of enterpris
is shown in the fact that in 1884 h