Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1901-12-24
MIR. MKINLEY'S DESCENT
HIS ANCESTRY AS TRACED BY THE
REV. A. STAPLETON.

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 l.
located large number of Scots in the
northern part OIL Ireland on lands from
which the Irish had been evicted.
These settlements were gradually aug
mented by immigration until eventu-
ally the Scotch-Irish element predom~
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-
for oh iaf Of ho-
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 1t 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.
''In the case of President Mckinley
we have an undisputed retrograde rec
ord to his great-grandfather David
Mckinley. We know that he was
revolutionary soldier tnat 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,
$780, and Hannah c. Rose, born, 1857;
died, 1S40.'
David Mckinley was the father of
James, born Sept 10, 1888, married
Mary Rose of Mercer county, Pa, and
removed thence to Chatfield. 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 c. 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 rely
on the courthouse records at Lancas-
ter and York Pa. From various docu-
ments and entries we think the evil
dence incontrovertible that David Nc
Kinley, the head of the clan Mckin-
ley in America, landed at New Castle
and located in now Chanceford
township, York county, Pa, in 1743.
At that time he was we'll along in life.
He was accompanied by his wife, Es-
ther, and three sons, John, David,
Stephen, and daughter, Mary. There
are frequent references to these sons
in the county archives.
''The immigrant was weaver by
trade, but, like all thrifty artisans of
that day, he secured good homestead.
1t is possible, bu tnot probable, that
he arrived in the province earlier than
174o, but in this year his name first
appears on the records in warrant
for 16 acres of land on a beautiful ele-
vation overlooking the Susquehanna
river in the distance.
THAT he was man of enterprise
is shown in the fact that in 1894 he
circulated petition for public hish-
way, which he also presented to the
court The following year he was
made supervisor and doubtless had the
task imposed on himself to engineer
his road TO a completion. His name
occurs frequently in the most honora-
BILE way, showing him to have been
man of unusual probity and worth az
a citizen.
David Mckinley, the immigrant,
died intestate in 1857, leaving his wife
and children as already named. His
daughter was intermaried with Sam
uel Gordon. The settlement of the es-
tate shows personal property to the
value of G220, or S110O, besides the
plantation, which was divided. Later,
however, the son John (who with his
mother, was the executor) purchased
the entire estate.
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