Ancestors and Relations (and family farms)

The McLains, the Elliots, the Jacks and the Maclaughlins

McLain Ancestor’s family tree

McLain (formerly Jack) land in Lenawee County, MI

Click on the picture below to view the pamphlet showing the history of the McLain ownership of land in Lenawee County, starting with Fulton Jack in 1831.

The land was passed down through 3 generations of McLains and is now part of The Nature Conservancy’s Ives Road Fen Preserve.

Fulton Jack, who was Henry McLain’s maternal grandfather, immigrated from Northern Ireland to the US in the early 19th century. He purchased 240 acres of land in Michigan from the US government in 1831 under the 1820 Congressional Act for the sale of public lands.

The text of this grant (as far as we can transcribe, it’s quite fuzzy) was transcribed by Neal McLain on the McLain cemetery website.

The Cemetery and the Schoolhouse

In the corner of the original Fulton Jack property is The McLain cemetery in Lenawee Co, Michigan. This is where most of the McLain ancestors are buried. You can read about the site and more information on the land itself on Neal McLain’s McLain cemetery site.

In the top right corner Fulton’s holdings there is a building which is the school house built in 1872. This is a school house which was, we think, was either built by Fulton McLain II or III for the Raisin Township, at least that is the family story (myth?). Who knows why it is called the Comfort School house. The land North of Fulton McLain’s was owned by a man named Comfort so maybe he donated enough money to get named after him, or maybe the new owners just decided to call it that.

Henry’s Land

According to the U.S. Homestead and Cash Entry Patents, Henry purchased 160 acres of land on the 27th of May 1897. By 1906, Henry held 120 acres, 40 of which were formerly owned by Fulton III in 1893. The 80 acres of land owned by Henry – across the street from his brother Fulton – is where Elliot, Leigh, Raynor and Stuart all grew up.

The Nature Conservancy: The Fultons’ land, is now owned by The Nature Conservancy as a part of the Ives Road Fen Preserve.

The Nature Conservancy has preserved this area and says that the Raisin River is one of the best warm water rivers in the State of Michigan and is so clean that several downstream communities use the water directly from the spring. It is the home to prarie grasses and wildflowers, some are even very rare. It is a rare example of a Fen in the US so provides a unique ecosystem.

The Elliot farm New York

Mary Helena Elliot came from New York and was the daughter of John Elliot and Sophia MacLaughlin. Click on the picture below to view a pamphlet of the Elliot family history.

Mary Helena Elliot was the daughter of John Elliot and Sophia MacLaughlin and the grand-daughter of Jane McLain, Henry McLain’s aunt. (Mary Helena and Henry were 1st cousins once removed). John and Sophia had two children, Mary Helena and Jennie Greer.

The Henry McLain’s brothers and sisters

Fulton McLain II and Jane Jack had six children, Fulton McLain III (1858-1946), Ellen McLain (1860-1940), Jane McLain (1862-1925), George McLain (1864-1931) and Henry McLain (1866-1942) and Mary McLain (1872-1921). Only Henry and Jane married. Jane McLain married James Herbert Jack (1866-1933) in New York.

seems plausible that Bert and Jane McLain were second cousins as their grandfathers may have been brothers as is shown in the tree below.

Bert Jack and Jane McLain had one son, Elmer Jack (1900-1972), Henry’s only nephew and the boys’ first cousin. Below is Elmer around 1918.

The DeMeyers – 2nd cousins to Henry and Mary Helena’s boys

Henry and Mary Helena and there family were particularly close to the DeMeyers who were from Kalamazoo, Michigan. Alice May Elliot, who was Mary Helena’s first cousin married John DeMeyer. They had four children, which were second cousins to Henry and Mary Helena’s boys, and would often spend time with the McLain’s down in Raisin Township.