Mertz Genealogy - Person Sheet
Mertz Genealogy - Person Sheet
Relocated notes for 6G GF Robert McClung
I am relying on assertions by the McClung Family Association that this is the correct name of our McClung immigrant and that he was probably of Scots-Irish ancestry.
The McClungs were Presbyterian -- which means if they did come from Ireland, they would have indeed been Scots-Irish from
The McClungs were Presbyterian -- which means if they did come from Ireland, they would have indeed been Scots-Irish from
My Comments notes for 6G GF Robert McClung
The McClung Family Association is an organization devoted to people of this surname who settled in various parts of the country. They call our line the Maryland line and say that Robert McClung, born in Ireland, was the progenitor of the Maryland line.
Over time, researchers of this line have presented several different life biographies of Robert McClung -- none based, so far as I can find, on any real facts in support of their version of things.
• The base document on Robert and his descendants was the work of Rev. William McClung written in 1904 titled “The McClung Genealogy”. William McClung said that Robert died at sea coming to America. I have commented elsewhere that there is rarely any real documentation to support anyone’s “died-at-sea” family tradition, and generally I discount such statements.
• Then came H Randy McClung, of the Georgia McClung line, who was the most active researcher in the family association in recent decades before his death in 2002. Randy concluded, again without giving any real source references that I know of, that Robert did survive the crossing and arrived America with a wife and three sons -- Robert, Adam and John -- and died here in 1763, on My Lady’s Manor. Randy further said that Robert Jr. died in 1784 and left a will naming his children: Joseph, Samuel, Ruth, Rebecca, Rachel, Elizabeth, Nancy and Mary.
• I know the general gist of the Randy McClung version of things because of a book published by Joan S Guilford on the ancestors of her husband titled “Ancestry of Dr Franklin B McClung”. Franklin was a descendant of Robert Jr. and I think it was on Robert Jr. and his descendants where Joan focused her research. I don’t think she found anything to argue with in Randy’s version of things but as all she does is recount it, I think perhaps, she, like I, wasn’t sure what to think.
• However, after Randy McClung died or at least ceased his active involvement with the McClung Family Association, other people have taken over and Robert’s biography, as given on their webpage now, has become totally corrupted -- though if you don’t look at things closely you’d think it is Randy McClung’s version. It’s not. The current editor of the webpage is Judith McClung and she attributes what she says about the Maryland Line to Wayne McGinnis -- but whoever wrote it, it now reads that Robert Sr., the immigrant, in fact lived to 1784 and died leaving children Joseph, Samuel, Ruth, Rebecca, Rachel, Elizabeth, Nancy and Mary. (Note the exact correspondence with what Randy said about Robert Jr.)
• Clearly, somewhere between McGinnis and Judith McClung, the biographies of Robert Sr. and Robert Jr. have been merged. And what is most astounding is that while citing Robert Jr.’s children as being of Robert Sr. -- all eight of them -- they still then only go on to list out the same three children for Robert Sr. as cited by Randy McClung -- Robert, Adam and John.
So ignoring all the confusion that has cropped up lately, I am presenting things here as I believe Randy McClung saw it. The progenitor of the Maryland line was named Robert and he had three sons including Adam, our ancestor. When and where Robert the immigrant died is not well established.
Over time, researchers of this line have presented several different life biographies of Robert McClung -- none based, so far as I can find, on any real facts in support of their version of things.
• The base document on Robert and his descendants was the work of Rev. William McClung written in 1904 titled “The McClung Genealogy”. William McClung said that Robert died at sea coming to America. I have commented elsewhere that there is rarely any real documentation to support anyone’s “died-at-sea” family tradition, and generally I discount such statements.
• Then came H Randy McClung, of the Georgia McClung line, who was the most active researcher in the family association in recent decades before his death in 2002. Randy concluded, again without giving any real source references that I know of, that Robert did survive the crossing and arrived America with a wife and three sons -- Robert, Adam and John -- and died here in 1763, on My Lady’s Manor. Randy further said that Robert Jr. died in 1784 and left a will naming his children: Joseph, Samuel, Ruth, Rebecca, Rachel, Elizabeth, Nancy and Mary.
• I know the general gist of the Randy McClung version of things because of a book published by Joan S Guilford on the ancestors of her husband titled “Ancestry of Dr Franklin B McClung”. Franklin was a descendant of Robert Jr. and I think it was on Robert Jr. and his descendants where Joan focused her research. I don’t think she found anything to argue with in Randy’s version of things but as all she does is recount it, I think perhaps, she, like I, wasn’t sure what to think.
• However, after Randy McClung died or at least ceased his active involvement with the McClung Family Association, other people have taken over and Robert’s biography, as given on their webpage now, has become totally corrupted -- though if you don’t look at things closely you’d think it is Randy McClung’s version. It’s not. The current editor of the webpage is Judith McClung and she attributes what she says about the Maryland Line to Wayne McGinnis -- but whoever wrote it, it now reads that Robert Sr., the immigrant, in fact lived to 1784 and died leaving children Joseph, Samuel, Ruth, Rebecca, Rachel, Elizabeth, Nancy and Mary. (Note the exact correspondence with what Randy said about Robert Jr.)
• Clearly, somewhere between McGinnis and Judith McClung, the biographies of Robert Sr. and Robert Jr. have been merged. And what is most astounding is that while citing Robert Jr.’s children as being of Robert Sr. -- all eight of them -- they still then only go on to list out the same three children for Robert Sr. as cited by Randy McClung -- Robert, Adam and John.
So ignoring all the confusion that has cropped up lately, I am presenting things here as I believe Randy McClung saw it. The progenitor of the Maryland line was named Robert and he had three sons including Adam, our ancestor. When and where Robert the immigrant died is not well established.