The ancestral background and family lore about Jane McClure, widow, her absent husband, and their children John McClure (1745-1814), William McClure (1749-1811), George McClure (1754-1829), Daniel McClure (1755-1826), and Jane (McClure) Scott (1759-1845) was succinctly summarized in the volume "Our Haddon, McClure, Curry and Allied Families" by Eliza Haddon Brevoort and Doris Bond Wheeler. (Vincennes, Indiana: Burkert-Walton Co., 1952), page 229. [Available on Ancestry.com: Ancestry.com - Our Haddon, McClure, Curry and allied families].
“It is said Jane McClure, of Scotch descent, came from Londonderry, Ireland, and settled in Connecticut, bringing with her four sons and a daughter; that from there, the family emigrated to Pennsylvania, and from there to Kentucky, and last, to Knox Co., Indiana. We have seen no data as to the family’s early migrations, but we do know that the four sons served in the Revolutionary War — from Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, and later, under George Rogers Clark” “The family came from Kentucky in 1802 and settled in Knox Co., Indiana. Jane, the mother, is said to be among the first persons buried in the Upper Indiana Cemetery, a few miles northeast of Vincennes. The cemetery was founded in 1806. It is not known who was Jane McClure’s husband. It could probably be ascertained by research in Londonderry, Ireland.”
There is also an alternate telling of the family origin story which points to the Isle of Skye as the place of origin of this McClure family. At a ceremony in 1976 unveiling the memorial stone honoring the five members of the Knox County, Indiana, McClure family who fought in the Revolutionary War, Mrs. Persis McClure Hurst, a descendant of George McClure, announced that the McClures were members of the McCloud clan in Scotland. She asserted that the Revolutionary War era McClure siblings were born on the Isle of Skye ("Bicentennial Weekend Attracts Throng" The Vincennes Sun-Commercial (Vincennes, Indiana), 21 June 1976, p. 1; digital images, Newspapers.com ( https://www.newspapers.com/image/437707737/ : accessed 06 February 2024).
Neither recounting of the possible origins of this McClure family offers any historical evidence which might support either claim. Both are unconfirmed family stories.
To be clear; the maiden name, birth date and place, and marriage date and place of the Widow Jane McClure are all unknown. No historical records have been located which provide any of that information. Family lore suggests she and perhaps her children were born in Londonderry, Ireland, or on the Isle of Skye, but evidence is lacking. Also, the family's presence in Connecticut has not been confirmed by historical evidence. The names of the widow Jane McClure’s parents and any details about who her ancestors may have been are also unknown.
Likewise, the full identity of the widow Jane McClure's husband and father of their children remains a mystery. No evidence has been located which documents his first name, his date and place of birth, the date and place of their marriage, or his date and place of death. One Y-DNA test supports the presumption that the siblings' biological father was a McClure by birth (see below). Whether he died on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, in transit, or in the American Colonies is not known. No document has yet surfaced, such as a baptismal record or probate record, connecting this McClure father to his wife or to his children. Various descendants assumed he was named John, others favor William. No historical evidence has surfaced which documents either of these names – or any other name – as that of the father of these siblings who were early settlers in Knox County, Indiana. The names of his parents and any details about who his ancestors may have been are also unknown.
And so, a very solid brick wall exists and has remained in place for decades.
