Wrightsboro was originally in the St. Paul's Parish which was a large area on the Savannah
River that separated Georgia from South Carolina. Wrightsboro was in Richmond County before
1790,
then Warren County when it was cut from Richmond. Robert McClung (given as McClen in one
land record) had his land surveyed in 1769 and granted in 1770. There was also a Thomas
Linn in this area. Further down in St. Thomas Parish was a John McClung who may have been
a relative. Records from this time period are meager.
There was also a William McClung who died in Richmond County in 1786. His probate may be
in Columbia County which was cut from Richmond in 1790. We do not know how this William
was related. He was probably of the same generation as John's parents but he died about
15 years after John's parents died.
We have found a record of apprenticeship of a John McClung, orphan, to Hugh Linn in N.C.
in 1772. It may be that John's mother was a Linn.
The family may have tried to apprentice out this boy so he would have a skill. If this record
pertains to this John, we know he didn't stay with the cooper's apprenticeship because he joined
in the Rev. War at age 15. See: Rowan Co., NC Court Records.
Not seeing his way to become a cooper, he left and went to South Carolina. We have not found any
McClungs in Edgefield deeds but that is where he was, working in a field when he saw a
regiment of soldiers passing by and threw down his plow and joined up with them. This was
in May of 1779 when he joined Capt. Richard Johnston's company. Note: We learn this from
several applications he made for his military service as well as the family history from
Richard's family who called him "Sassy Jack". It is their history that places him in SC
when he joined as well as his pension applications.
However, we have records from North Carolina: NC: Rowan County Tax Lists 1757-1800 (By Jo
White Linn. 1995, page 171:
"The Money paid by Benja. Rounsevall to the soldiers that went out Militia 25 Dec 1779 for
their Bounty: John McClung: 150 acres."
One can well imagine the personality of a young person who lost his parents and was moved
about from the cold of Pennsylvania to the near tropical area of Georgia, then taken to
NC to be apprenticed. He reports that his family were Tories. They gained their land
from the English Crown and no doubt felt that they owed their livelihood to the British
and remained faithful. That didn't stop John from joining the revolution. Joseph
McCormick in 1827 swore that he knew John from the time he was a small boy and knew that
all his relatives were Tories. He states that it produced a disturbance between him and his
relatives and he ran off from them to enlist.
John recounts his military duties in three applications in later life while living in
Tennessee. We owe most of the story of his life to these documents. See:
Pension Applications. He recounts some experiences:
"that he entered the service of the United States under the
following named officers and served as herein stated. That he entered as a private that
is by enlistment for the term of fourteen months about the 1st of May 1779 in South
Carolina in Edgefield County in the company commanded by Captain Richard Johnston in the
regiment commanded by Colonel Samuel Hammonds in the line of South Carolina. They were
called state troops. He does not now recollect whether they were actually on the new
continental establishment or not but knows they were sometimes called troops under the
new continental establishment and sometimes state troops. Their Lieutenant’s name was _____
Beal, 3rd Lieutenant James Spann, Sergeant Myers and Elliott. The adjutant’s name was
Robert Starkes. Sergeant Major’s name was _____ Lawrence. He thinks John Lawrence. The
other companies of the same regiment were commanded by Jesse Johnston, ________,Captain
Cowan, Captain Mucklehany. The latter got his leg broke from a fall from his horse. These
were the four Captains in the regiment. Their major’s name was Fields Purdue. He marched
from Edisto Creek then to Bull Swamp below Augusta on the South Carolina side of Savannah
river. The regiment was raised in South Carolina. He assisted at the storming of Grayson’s
Fort and also at the siege and capture of Brown’s Fort at Augusta, Georgia. He got a
written discharge from Colonel Samuel Hammons in town of Augusta for the full term of
fourteen months service as above stated but having had his house burnt, it was destroyed.
He recalls during this term of service of he and a party of 27 men from the regiment
pursuing the Tory Colonel Cunningham, he thinks his name was but at this instance of
time cannot say and overtaking and having severe skirmish with his band. They took him
by surprise when his men were cooking. They killed several of his men and took most of
their guns as they had rushed upon them before they could get them to shoot. He saw a
great many Tories killed and also could name a great many other skirmishes but deems it
unnecessary here to make any further mention of them. In getting his discharge as above
stated he would further say that he and the company were dismissed at the Block House
General Pickens in South Carolina. As stated in his first declaration but received his
discharge in Augusta as above stated after it was taken by our troops."
He mentions that in the fall of 1781 at Wrightsborough (then in Richmond County) that he
volunteered for one month under Capt. Robert Day. He served another month after enlisting
in Warren County. When they marched back and was discharged at Wrightsborough in Warren
County. In 1782 he was drafted in Warren County as a militiaman.
He appears to have come back to that land in N.C. where
he was counted for taxes: (Jo Linn White, page 197): "1782-3 Rowan County Tax List of Capt. Grimigar's
Company (area south of Salisbury): John McLong - poll only". Notice he is not married at
this time. Then by 1784 we have: (Page 230): "The 1784 Rowan County List of Taxable
Property in Gapt. Nathaniel Johnston's Company (southern Rowan County): John McClung, 80
acres." Perhaps a search of deeds in Rowan County would reveal the sale of some of this
property.
We do not have a marriage record to know the date of his marriage to Elizabeth. The eldest
known child was Reuben who was born in 1785 in Georgia so they would have had to have been
married about 1783. That would have made John 20 years old at the time. There may have
been an older daughter that we don't know about.
We do not know Elizabeth's name or where she was living at the time of the marriage but the
dates would suggest Rowan County, North Carolina. From subsequent deed records we suspect
that her surname was Bellah. We are seeking the Bellah connection
The 1785 Rowan County Tax Delinquents & Insolvents lists Capt. Johnston's Company:
John McLang - one white poll (Jo Linn White, p. 250). This would make sense if John
had moved back to Georgia and abandoned this property in 1785. We know that Reuben was born
in Georgia in 1785.
In 1787 Jonas was born in Georgia. Then Richard reports that he was born in 1791 in South
Carolina. By 1793 John Jr. was born in Georgia. In 1797 Robert was born; Drucilla in 1798;
and William W. in 1799; Hiram in 1802, Sewell in 1804 and Elizabeth about 1804-5. During
this time period we have tax records and deeds that place
the family in the Wilkes and Warren county area. John reports in his applications that he
was in the Warren county Georgia area until 1806.
From 1784 to 1793 we have no public records for the whereabouts of this family. John may have had his young family living with relatives.
We first find public record of John in Georgia in the 1793 tax list in Wilkes County where
he had no land. Be 1794 the area was included in Warren County and John is recorded as
having 140 acres on River Comfort adjoining Irby and Matthews.
We do not know if John had any brothers and sisters. We know that there was in Warren
County a George McClung who was also born in the same time
period and Georgia McClung. George and Georgia were both married in Warren County in 1796
and 1797. Their father may have been this Robert McClung from colonial Georgia records but
we have nothing yet to tie them together. Further searches of the records of colonial
Georgia are needed.
In 1796 we have a most interesting record in Greene County, GA.:
In 1799 John was awarded 150 acres in Warren County, GA as was William who md Euphemia
Cunningham. William didn't stay in Georgia but it appears that John's family did. (Grant
Book BBBBB, p. 252).
The property in Greene/Oglethorpe was sold in 1800 and
the family moved to Jackson County. This area in Greene Co. was taken into Oglethorpe Co.:
See: Oglethorpe Deeds. The Bellahs were probably from Rowan
County, NC, but we find Samuel in Jackson County, GA in the 1809 Tax List.
The next record we have of John is a listing of
the first members of Walnut Fork Church met at the home of Joseph Thompson on May 29,
1802 to form a constitution. The following list of members were transcribed from the
original church records to the best of our ability (only listing McClungs and known
relatives):
These people were listed under the heading 1802-1805. [from Jackson Co. Historical Soc.
News, Oct. 1999]. Researched by Maryann Gentzel.
In 1806 both John and the William who was in Wilkes Co. moved from Georgia. John went
to the French-Broad area of western North Carolina. It was in Buncome County. Part of
Buncome County was included in Haywood County where we find John in the 1810 census with
some of the family.
Most of the children remained in Georgia with John Jr. We find him in Hall county in
1820:
It is obvious that this family broke up. Elizabeth stayed in Georgia while John went on
to NC, SC and then to Arkansas. Richard and Robert went to Alabama about 1815 with Robert in
Blount Co.
In Jackson/Hall county area we have the "orphans of John McClung" who drew in a land lottery
and were listed as heirs of John for Georgia Land Bounties. The siblings listed were Hiram,
Sewell, Drucilla and Elizabeth. The probate records of Jackson and Hall counties have been
searched but there is no record of a death of John. This gives us further indication that
the family did indeed split up and that John moved on. Elizabeth would not have gone off and
left small children.
John stated that he moved to N.C., S.C., Ark., Ala. and then to Tennessee by 1840. He
states that he moved to NC in 1806 and lived there three years. This is not quite correct
because we found him there in 1810. From there he states that he lived in the Pendleton
District of South Carolina for five years. At that time Pendleton took in the present counties
of Oconee, Pickens and Anderson. This would have been across the Savannah from Franklin Co.
and Habersham counties in Georgia. He then moved to Arkansas on the White River and lived
there for two years. In all these locations, at some point, his cabin burned and he lost
his military papers. We have not found him in a census for the year 1820. He may have been
between Arkansas and Alabama at that point.
All of these moves must have been very hard on the wife. We do not know who she was or where
they were married. They may have been married in South Carolina where no marriage records
were kept. They may have married when he was in the French-Broad Holsten area. Certainly
he was married by 1810. John's second family is harder to pin
down.
When John moved to Morgan County, Alabama he remarried. Morgan is
just south of Madison and Limestone where the Tennessee McClungs had moved. We also find
some of Rev. David McClung and Hugh McClung descendants in Morgan County, AL. It is likely
the second wife died in AR or AL as the children were taken and reared by Nancy. By 1824
John married Nancy Luster. From Nancy's
application we learn that they were married 11 Oct 1824 in St. Clair County, Alabama. St.
Clair County bordered Blount on the south. Blount is where John's son, Robert moved. Morgan
county was on the northern boundary of Blount.
The pension records of this man yield a brief chronology of his life. We have estimated
some of the years for his locations:
John states that he moved to McMinn County, Tennessee when it was formed from Indian lands.
It was called the Hiwassee Purchase. He lived there two years. It was in McMinn in 1827
that he made his first application for a pension based on his service in the revolution. By
1830 we find him in the census in Overton County. Overton had been cut from Smith County
where John moved next.
The 1830 census shows him age 60-70 (he was 67) with wife age 40-50. His family is:
Female age 15-20 (b. 1810-15, from 2nd mg)
Male age 10-15 (b. 1815-20, from 2nd mg)
Female age 10-15 (b. 1815-20, from 2nd mg--Probably Margaret Amanda b. 1815, SC)
Female age 5-10 (1820-25, Almedia born 1825 to Nancy)
Male under 5 (b. 1825-30)
Female under 5 (b. 1825-30)
A list of Revolutionary pensioners, compiled 1 June 1840, contains the name of John McClung,
then 80 years of age and at that time living in Sumner County, TN. At that time he reported
that he had three children: James Buford, John, and a daughter. The children from the
second marriage had no doubt married by 1840. It is odd that John only reported two daughters
at home because the 1830 and 40 censuses agree that he had a daughter born 1825-30 and the
Margaret b. 1815. Perhaps he was just reporting those born to Nancy.
The family here has 1 male and 3 females born 1810-20. The son and two daughters were from the second family and the other female was probably the wife to this son. Then we have a son born 1820-25, probably in Alabama and most likely from the second marriage. A daughter was born 1825-30
John was finally awarded a pension for his service. He died 24 Sept 1844. Nancy made
application for a widow's pension ( ).
Nancy is found in the 1850 census of Sumner Co., TN. (P.1000 #395) She is given as age
63 and born in TN. Her daughter, Almira is 25 b. TN. They have two year old Mary with
them also b. in TN who is probably a granddaughter.
The Samuel and Margaret A. Scott of
Yell County, Arkansas shown in the 1850 census are probably the Samuel and Amanda Scott
mentioned as Nancy McClung’s daughter in her pension file papers.
Note that Margaret A. Scott, age 35 in 1850, says she was born in South Carolina. (Their
first child was born in Tennessee) That would have made her birth date around 1815 and
John McClung was residing in York District, SC about that time. That would also make her
the daughter of his second marriage and a step - daughter of Nancy. She would have been
about 9 years old when John and Nancy married in 1824. In one of the affidavits, she or
Judith Jones stated that they knew Nancy and John McClung prior to their marriage.
In 1856, in an application for Bounty Land for revolutionary service, Nancy stated that she was
married to the said John McClung in the county of St. Clair and state of Alabama on or
about the 11th day of October 1824 by one Burrell Greene a Justice of the Peace in said
county and that
previous to the said marriage her name was Nancy Luster. That the said John McClung died in
the county of Sumner in the state of Tennessee on or about the 24th day of September AD 1844.
See: Nancy's Bounty Land Application
Nancy made thie application in Franklin County, Illinois and was probably living with John
McClung, Jr. He signed as witness on her application. John Jones (probably son in law and
husband of Julia Ann) and John McClung gave affidavit as persons well acquainted with said
Nancy McClung.
Email may be sent to: J. McClung