236 Ohio Arch. and His. Society Publications.
GENEALOGY OF WILLIAM McKINLEY.
BY REV. A. STAPLETON.
[The following genealogical sketch of
President McKinley was pre-
pared by the Rev. A. Stapleton, of
Carlisle, Pa. We give it as it was
originally published in the New York
Sun.]-EDITOR.
"It should be a matter of regret to
all true historians that the
campaign histories of President McKinley
were erroneous in
several important genealogical 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
McKinley belong to that sturdy
race of people called the Scotch Irish,
so called because in 1607
King James I located a large number of
Scots in the northern
part of Ireland on lands from which the
Irish had been evicted.
These settlements were gradually
augmented by immigration un-
til eventually the Scotch-Irish element
predominated in this re-
gion. They were staunch Presbyterians in
faith and in the 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, which as the successive failure
of crops, besides very
unsatisfactory civil and religious
conditions. Their only source
of relief was in immigration to America,
in which they were en-
couraged by agents of the American
colonies. After 1715 the
immigration became very extensive, 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 Germans, Swiss,
Dutch, etc., who are designated as
foreigners in the colonial
records, and were required to subscribe
to an oath of allegiance
upon arrival, besides a subsequent
naturalization. Hence it fol-
lows that citizens of the realm are more
difficult to identity than
foreigners by the historian. Our only
recourse is in tax lists,
land warrants, court records, etc.
Genealogy of William McKinley. 237
"In the case of President McKinley,
we have an undisputed
record 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 after the
revolution, and in 1814 to Ohio, where
he died. In the cemetery
of the Chatfield Lutheran church in
Crawford county, Ohio, may
be seen two modest granite markers with
the following inscrip-
tions: 'David McKinley, Revolutionary
Soldier. Born 1755;
died, 1840,' and 'Hannah C. Rose, born 1757;
died, 1840.'
"David McKinley was the father of
James, born September
19, 1783, married Mary Rose, of Mercer
county, Pa., and re-
moved thence to Chatfield, where he
purchased a farm, on which
he died. He was the father of William
McKinley, sr., born in
1807, and died in Canton, Ohio, in 1892.
The latter was the
father of President McKinley. Hannah C.
Rose, buried by the
side of David McKinley, was the
great-grandmother of the pres-
ident. She was also the
great-grandmother of former Mayor
Rose, of Cleveland.
"For the history of the family
prior to David, the soldier,
we must rely on the court house records
at Lancaster, and York,
Pa. From various documents and entries
we think the evidence
incontrovertible that David McKinley,
the head of the clan Mc-
Kinley in America, landed at New Castle,
and located in (now
Chanceford township, York county, Pa.),
in 1743. At that time
he was well along in life. He was
accompanied by his wife,
Esther, and three sons, John, David,
Stephen, and a daughter,
Mary. There are frequent references to
these sons in the county
archives.
"The immigrant was a weaver by
trade, but, like all thrifty
artisans of that day he secured a good
homestead. It is possible,
but not probable, that he arrived in the
province earlier than 1743,
but in this year his name first appears
on the records in a warrant
for 316 acres of land on a beautiful
elevation overlooking the
Susquehanna river in the distance.
"That he was a man of enterprise is
shown in the fact that in
1749 he circulated a petition for a
public highway, which he also
presented to court. The following year
he was made supervisor
and doubtless had the task imposed on
himself to engineer his
238 Ohio
Arch. and His. Society Publications.
road to a completion. His name occurs
frequently in the most
honorable way, showing him to have been
a man of unusual
probity and worth as a citizen.
"David McKinley, the immigrant,
died intestate in 1757,
leaving his wife and children as already
named. His daughter
was intermarried with Samuel Gordon. The
settlement of the
estate shows personal property to the
value of £220, or $1,100,
besides the plantation, which was
divided. Later, however, the
son John (who, with his mother, was the
executor), purchased
the entire estate.
"This leads us to the consideration
of the second generation,
viz., John McKinley, eldest son of the
immigrant. Before en-
tering upon details we here throw out
the precautionary statement
that the names McKinley and McGinley are
both contemporan-
eous and interchangeable in our early
records, owing to the care-
lessness of scribes. They were however
separate families in
York county. The McGinleys proper came
from James Mc-
Ginley, who died in York county in 1755;
leaving an only son
John. No relationship is known to have
existed between the
families, although remotely it might
have been the case. The
president's ancestors, so far as we have
ascertained, always wrote
their name as now.
"Resuming our narrative of the
McKinleys, John, son of the
immigrant, was born about 1728 and in his
day was one of the
foremost men of York county. He became a
large landowner and
frequently figures in important business
transactions. When hos-
tilities broke out with the mother
country he staunchly supported
the revolution and was made wagonmaster
for Chanceford town-
ship by the committee of safety. He died
on his estate February
18, 1779, being survived by his
widow Margaret, an only son
David, great-grandfather of the
president, and daughters Esther,
Jean, Elizabeth and Susan. The widow
subsequently married
Thomas McCulloch. She died in the winter
of 1781.
"This leads us down to David
McKinley, grandson of the
immigrant and great-grandfather of the
president. He was born
on the old homestead in Chanceford
township, May 16, 1755. In
1776 he enlisted in Captain Reed's company of Ferrymen in
the
war of the revolution. This was the
Seventh company of the
Genealogy of William McKinley. 239
Eighth battalion of York county militia.
The militiamen, it
should be remembered, were called out in
emergencies and were
drafted in sections for active service,
making what were then
called tours of service. In this way
nearly all the militia of
Pennsylvania saw many tours of service,
much hard fighting, and
the most perilous kind of military life.
"The local historians of York
county had been in corres-
pondence with the president respecting
his York county antece-
dents. He had expressed himself as much
gratified by their re-
searches and interest in his ancestry
and faithfully promised at an
opportune time to visit the scenes of
his ancestral abode. Sev-
eral dates for the proposed visit were
partly agreed on, and great
preparations for the visit were in
prospect, when the critical
events preceding the outbreak of the
Spanish war compelled suc-
cessive postponements of the visit.
"As a matter of interest we may add
that a muster roll of the
company of which his great-grandfather
was a member, and ever
since the revolution in the possession
of the descendants of
Colonel John Hay, was some years ago
presented to the presi-
dent and received by him with many
expressions of delight and
satisfaction."
LINE OF DESCENT OF PRESIDENT McKINLEY
FROM
MAcDUFF, THANE OF FIFE.
(From "The Scotch Ancestors of
President McKinley.")
1. Duncan MacDuff, Maormor of Fife, born
about A. D. 1000;
killed Macbeth December 5, 1056.
"Lay on Macduff!
And damn'd be him that first cries
'Hold, enough!'"
-Shakspeare's Macbeth.
2. Dufagan MacDuff, styled second Earl
of Fife.
3. Constantine MacDuff, styled third
Earl of Fife, died 1129.
Judiciary of Scotland, "a discreet
and eloquent man."
4. Gillimichael MacDuff, fourth Earl of
Fife, died 1139.
5. Duncan MacDuff, fifth Earl of Fife,
Regent of Scotland, 1153,
died 1154.
6. Seach (Gaelic for Shaw) MacDuff, died
1179. Commander of
the army of King Malcolm IV, which
quelled the Insurrection of Moray,
1161. Called Mac-an-Toi-sic (son of the
chief of foremost), which
240 Ohio Arch. and His. Society Publications.
became the surname of the family.
Founder and first chief of Clan Mac-
Intosh. Married Giles, daughter of Hugh
de Montgomery, and had
7. Shaw Oig (the younger) Macintosh
(died 1209 or 1210). Sec-
ond Chief of Clan Macintosh and governor
of the Castle of Inverness
for 30 years. Battle of Torvain. Married
Mary, daughter of Sir Harry
de Sandylands and had three sons, of
whom
8. William Macintosh married Beatrix
Learmouth and had
9. Shaw Macintosh, fourth Chief of
Macintosh, who married in
1230, Helena, daughter of William, Thane
of Calder, and died in 1265.
"Cumhadh mhic a' Arisaig."
10. Farquhar Macintosh (killed in duel,
1274), fifth Chief of Clan
Macintosh; Macintosh warcry, "Loch
na Maoidh." Married Mora of
Isla, daughter of Angues Mor and sister
of Angus Oig, the "Protector
of Bruce."
11. Angus Macintosh or Angus mac
Farquhard, born 1268, died
1345; married in 1291-2, Eva, daughter
and heiress of Gilpatrick, the son
of Dugall Dall, who was son of
Gillichattan-Mor, the founder of Clan
Chattan, and became captain or leader of
the Clan Angus, was a staunch
supporter of Robert Bruce and took part
in the famous battle of Ban-
nockburn, in 1314.
12. Ian (Gaelic for John) Macintosh.
13. Gilchrist MacIntosh, sometimes
called Christi-Jonson or Gil-
christ mac Ian (Gilchrist, son of John,
from which comes the name of
Johnson).
14. Shaw Mor (Great) Macintosh, or
Mackintosh, whose pedigree
is given in the ancient manuscripts as
Shaw mac Gilchrist mac Ian mac
Angus mac Farquhar, etc. (Mac being the
Gaelic for son), was leader of
the victorious thirty at the battle of
the North Inch of Perth, 1396, which
Sir Walter Scott so graphically
describes in his "Fair Maid of Perth."
15. Seumas (James) Mackintosh, the Chief
of the Clan, killed at
memorable battle of Harlaw, 1411,
"the final contest between the Celt
and Teuton for Scottish
independence." Ballad: "There
was not sin'
King Kenneth's days," etc.
16. Allister Ciar Mackintosh obtains the
estate of Rothiemurchus
by deed, 1464, and is called "Shaw
of Rothiemurchus"; married a daugh-
ter of "Stuart of Kinkardine."
17. Fearchard (Farquhar) Mackintosh,
forester to the Earl of
Mar, appointed Hereditary Chamberlain of
the Braes of Mar, 1460-1488.
Married a daughter of Patrick Robertson,
first of the family of Lude,
Chief of Clan Robertson or Clan
Donnachie, descendant of "Erle Patryk
de Atholia." His sons called
Farquhar-son.
18. Donald Farquharson. The Piobrachd.
Rallying cry of Clan
Farquharson, "Carn na
Cuimhne." Motto: "Fide et fortitudine." Mar-
ried a daughter of Robertson of the
Calvene family.
19. Farquhar Beg (Gaelic for little),
married into the family of
Chisholm, of Strath Glass. Erchless
Castle, the family seat.
Genealogy of William McKinley. 241
20. Donald Farquharson married Isabel,
only child of Duncan
Stewart, commonly called Duncan Downa
Dona, of the family of Mar.
21. Findlay (Gaelic Fionn-laidh),
commonly called Findlay Mor,
or Great Findla. Killed at the battle of
Pinkie, 1547, while bearing the
royal standard of Scotland. First wife a
daughter of Baron Reid, of
Kinkardine Stewart, by whom he had four
sons, who took the name of
MacIanla. The Gaelic form
MacFhionn-laidh (meaning son of Findlay),
being pronounced as nearly as English
spelling can show it-Mac-ionn-lay,
or Mach-un-la. Clan MacKinlay
Suaich-ean-tas, or badge is Lus-nam-
ban-sith, the fox glove. Old motto of
the clan: "We force nae friend;
we fear nae foe." Tartan or plaid.
22. William MacKinlay died in the reign
of James VI (1603-1625).
Had four sons, who settled at "The
Annie," a corruption of the Gaelic
Anabhain-fheidh, meaning "The ford
of the stag," which is near Callen-
der, in Perthshire.
23. Thomas (?) MacKinlay, or at least
one of the sons of William
No. 22, the eldest of whom was John.
Thomas is known to have lived
at "The Annie" in 1587.
24. Donald or Domhniul Mac Kinlay, who
was born at "The
Annie," is known to have been a
grandson of William No. 22.
25. John (Gaelic Ian) MacKinlay, born at
"The Annie" about 1645;
had three sons; Donald, the eldest, born
1669; "James, the Trooper"
(born probably 1671), and John, born
1679.
26. "James, the Trooper," went
to Ireland as guide to the victorious
army of William III at the Battle of the
Boyne, 1690. Settled in Ireland,
and was ancestor of a large portion of
the Irish McKinleys.
27. David McKinley, known as
"David, the Weaver," born prob-
ably in 1705; exact date of his
immigration to America not known, as the
records of New Castle, Delaware, where
most of the early Pennsylvania
settlers landed, were destroyed by the
British during the Revolutionary
war. He settled in Chanceford township,
York county, Pa., probably
before 1745, in which year a tract of
land was granted to him. He died
in 1761.
28. John McKinlay, died in 1779. Served
in the Revolutionary war
in 1778, in Captain Joseph Reed's
company, York county militia.
29. David McKinlay, born May 16, 1755,
in York county, Pa.; died
August 8, 1840, in Crawford county, 0.
Served in the Revolutionary war
in the companies of Captains McCaskey,
Ross, Laird, Reed, Holderbaum,
Sloymaker, Robe and Harnahan. As a
member of the "Flying Camp"
he was engaged in the defense of the
fort at Paulus Hook (now Jersey
City, N. J.), and skirmish at Amboy in
1776, and in the skirmish at
Chestnut Hill in 1777. He married in
Westmoreland county, Pa., Sarah
Gray.
30. James McKinley, born September 19,
1783. Married "Polly"
Rose about 1805. Resided in Mercer
county, Pa. Became interested in
Vol. X.- 16.
242 Ohio Arch. and His. Society
Publications.
the iron business early in "the
thirties," and run a charcoal furnace for
a number of years at Lisbon, O. Elder in
the Lisbon Presbyterian church
from 1822 to 1836.
31. William McKinley, born in Pine
township, Mercer county, Pa.,
November 15, 1807; died in 1892. Manager
of the old furnace near New
Wilmington, Lawrence county, Pa., for 21
years. Married Nancy Allison
in 1829, and resided at Poland, O. Was a
devout Methodist, a staunch
Whig, a good Republican and an ardent
advocate of a protective tariff.
32. William McKinley, born January 29,
1843, at Niles, O.
Attended Poland academy. Entered Allegheny college, 1860. Private
Twenty-third Ohio Volunteer infantry,
June, 1861. Shouldered the
musket, carried the knapsack, and
"Drank from the same canteen." Pro-
moted to commissary sergeant August,
1862; second lieutenant, Septem-
ber, 1862; first lieutenant, February 7,
1863; captain, July 25, 1864; brevet
major of the United States volunteers,
1864. Mustered out with the
Twenty-third Ohio July 26, 1865.
Admitted to the bar, 1867; prosecuting
attorney, 1869. Married January 25,
1871, Miss Ida Saxton. Defended
coal miners of Stark county, 1875,
clearing them of an unjust charge.
Elected to congress 1876, and served 14
years. Governor of Ohio 1891
and 1895. Elected president of the
United States 1896.
Numerous articles having appeared in the
press, claiming that Presi-
dent McKinley's grandfather was born in Ireland-some
papers even illus-
trating what they claim to have been his
birthplace, it is but justice to
say that ancestors Nos. 27, 28 and 29
are proven by the records of York
county, Pa.