McLean Y-DNA - The search for a ggg Grandfather

My involvement in McLean genealogy started February 18, 2008 when my brother-in-law, Fred Edwards asked if I would do a Y-DNA test.  He had been contacted by Bob McLean of Maryland who was researching his McLean genealogy using Y-DNA.  He was looking for a male descendant of John McLean , Silversmith whom we thought was my ggg grandfather.  He wanted to determine if his line and my line were related.  His 6g grandfather was Daniel McLean who settled in the same Iredell County North Carolina area as John McLean, Silversmith in the late 1700's.

I did the test and my 67YDNA matched exactly that of Bob McLean of Maryland which meant that we were very closely related.

At the time the information we had was from research my uncle Dearnol McLean did in North Carolina.  We knew that his father Robert Baron McLean's father was Quincy Adolphus McLean, and his father was John McLean Jr. who was born 1789 and died 1865.

Dearnol thought that John McLean Jr's  father was John McLean, Silversmith who had a plantation on Buffalo Shoals Creek, Iredell County, NC.

By June of 2008 based on information from Karen Richmond and her uncle Kenneth Richmond, a descendant of John McLean, Silversmith we learned that John McLean, Silversmith did have a son named John McLean Jr born in 1789, however he had a well documented family tree with a different wife and children.

Now we were in trouble.  Yes, our line was closely related to Daniel McLean's line.  No, John McLean, Silversmith was not our ggg grandfather.

We concluded we need to find a descendant of John McLean, Silversmith for DNA testing.  And we needed to research which of the John McLean's in the area at the time could have been the father of my gg grandfather, John McLean Jr.

A John McLean, Sr born 1755 in Antrim, Ireland settled on the Yadkin River near Vashti, Iredell - later Alexander County, North Carolina.  He had a son John McLean reportedly born 1789.  I thought this could by my ggg grandfather.

In October 2008 Karen Richmond suggested Gene McLean, a Silversmith descendant for Y-DNA testing, by January 2009 he agreed to test, and by April 2009 test results were in.  Silversmith's Y-DNA was completely different from the Daniel McLean and my Y-DNA. 
           

Gene McLean's family - Silversmith Descendants

By August 2009 we had contacted Marvin A McLain a descendant of John McLain Sr of Yadkin River, Vashti. Marvin had been doing his McLean genealogy for more than 50 years.

Marvin A. McLain - John McLain Sr of Vashti Descendant

Marvin agreed to test his Y-DNA. By October 2009 his test results were in. Marvin's Y-DNA was completely different from mine. This and some other information convinced me that his ancestor, John McLean Sr b 1755 Antrim, Ireland was not my ggg grandfather.


Next was John McLean, Planter.  He and his family also lived on Buffalo Shoals and attended the New Sterling ARP Church near there.  His family is mentioned in the church roles.  He and members of his family are burried in the Cemetery there.  We were unable to find male descendants for DNA testing.  However, his will indicates that he did not have a son named John.   John McLean, Planter not my ggg grandfather.


According to family tradition, Daniel McLean had a cousin or uncle, John McLean Sr. who lived nearby when he settled on the Elk Shoals Creek, Iredell, North Carolina in the late 1700's.  By my calculations based on census records and children's ages, Daniel would have been born in about 1763.

A John McLean purchased land on Coddle Creek, Rowan County, North Carolina in 1787.  By census records he was born in about 1753.  The Coddle Creek location is some 30 miles from Daniel's Elk Shoals Creek location - perhaps 'nearby'.  This John McLean would be about 16 years older than Daniel - perhaps an uncle.  If this were the case, then Bob McLean of Maryland and I would be 6th Cousins 3 times removed.

Bob McLean of Maryland - 6C3R

                                                                       
Census records for this John McLean for 1790, 1800 and 1810 show a family that could include my gg grandfather, John McLean Jr. All these census are from the same Coddle Creek location with the same neighbors.  The census for 1820 shows John McLean in the same Coddle Creek location, but at the younger age - John McLean Jr.  This census also accounts for John Jr's son Quincy.

Although not proven, I believe this information gives good evidence that John McLean Sr of Coddle Creek 1787-1815 is my ggg grandfather.