Please take note of the Londonderry, Ulster Northern Ireland records that are accompanied with this profile. 1740 Tax Records-Ireland, County Londonderry, Parrish- Aghadowey, John Winton, James Winton, and there is an entry for Robert "Vinson", which may be a mis-transcription. It is possible that he is Robert Winton as the name "Vinson" does not appear to exist.

John & Mary McClellan Winton

Coming in the great Scots-Irish migration in the first half of the 18th Century, John Winton sailed from Londonderry in Ulster, Northern Ireland and arrived in the American Quaker colony of Pennsylvania sometime after 1740.

In 1743, John and his wife Mary McClellan, along with his McClellan in-laws, filed claims for adjoining farms east of modern-day Mercersberg, Pa.

Soon after his arrival, in 1747, John was elected by his neighbors to serve as a lieutenant in the first civilian militias mustered by the Penn brothers to defend against Native American clashes that led to the French-Indian War. He served alongside John Irwinton and Dr. Hugh Mercer, the ancestors of President Benjamin Harrison and General George S. Patton.

John died about 1766-67. Mary later moved in with her McClellan relatives. Their oldest son William moved 38 miles northwest across the Appalachians to Turkey Hill in Shades Valley in 1770.

William, following in his father's footsteps, served in the frontier militia during the American Revolution, defending the homefront against attacks from the British and their Native American allies. Pennsylvania Home Page Northern Ireland