McCartney Family History

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Discussion on Ephraim's Father

1751 -- 1772 Emigration of Ephraim's Father From Ireland

The exact identity of Ephraim's father is not known at this time by this researcher. My current research focuses on this issue. What is known is a discussion below on five McCartneys, all with connections to Lancaster Co., PA; two of which were residing in Lancaster at the time of Ephraim's birth in 1772. If Ephraim's father was not one of the five listed below, Ephraim's father was someone for which no record of him ever existed or still exists today. I am hopeful that someday I will find definitive evidence as to whom Ephraim's father was. It was Ephraim's father who emigrated to America from Ireland prior to 1772.

Plausible Candidates for the Father of Ephraim

#1--James McCartney
Tax records of Lancaster Co. PA [1771-1773] list a "Jas" McCartney residing in Martick Township at the time of Ephraim's birth, possibly Ephraim's father. To further complicate this:

James McCartney married an Ann Sanford as described in the biographical sketch of Sanford Devore [Portrait and Biographical Record of Marion and Hardin Counties OH, 1895]. Ephraim's wife's name was Ann Sanford too. The James McCartney described in the biographical sketch of Sanford Devore may have been Ephraim McCartney, and the James McCartney listed in the 1771-1773 Lancaster Co. tax records, Ephraim's father based on the following:

First, Ephraim’s legal name may have been James Ephraim McCartney or Ephraim James McCartney whereby he used the names “Ephraim” and "James" interchangeably. If this were true, it implies the James McCartney living in Matrick Township at the time of Ephraim’s birth may have been Ephraim’s father, thus explaining why Ephraim was named Ephraim James McCartney or James Ephraim McCartney.

Second, the Sanford Devore biographical sketch states Catherine McCartney, wife of Jacob Devore and mother of Sanford, was born in Westmoreland Co., PA, in 1803 to James and Ann (Sandford) McCartney. This would make Catherine McCartney a daughter of Ephraim and a sibling of Robert Isaac McCartney. According to W. D. Henkle, State Commissioner of Common Schools [A Sketch of the Life of Daniel McCartney, Henkle, 1871], "Ephraim and Ann (Sanford) McCartney had ten or eleven children, eight of whom, six boys and two girls lived to adulthood, Robert Isaac being the oldest son."

Conversely, the biographical sketch of Sanford Devore states his mother Ann Sanford died about 1848 at age 99, 7 months, and 5 days, placing her birth around 1748. Up to this point though, it was our belief that Ephraim’s wife, Ann Sanford was born nineteen years later in 1767 [Henkle, 1871], not 1748.

If the James listed in the tax records was not Ephraim's father; he may have been an older brother or an uncle to Ephraim.

#2--Laughlin McCartney
Laughlin McCartney, youngest son of Lord McCartney, "Earl of Glasgow" and Lady Flora McDonald, Countess of Dundee, Scotland, and father of Flora [Florinda] McCartney Tomlinson, was born in Scotland in 1737, married Mary Ann Gibson in 1770 in Northumberland Co., PA and died in the same county. Note: Northumberland was not formed as a county until 1772 from parts of Berks, Bedford, Cumberland, Lancaster, Northhampton and a non-county area. [Tomlinson & Sullivan Families, Indianapolis, IN--"Family Bible of John Tomlinson", 1819]. Shortly after his marriage, 1771-1773 tax records of adjoining Lancaster Co., PA list Laughlin residing within the Lancaster city limits, or Borough. Sometime thereafter, he returned to Northumberland Co., Mahoning Twp., where we find him with property in excess of 300 acres. He is shown as a taxpayer there each year until 1788. Laughlin evidently remained in Northumberland Co. until his death, being listed as a resident of Northumberland in the 1790 and 1800 Federal Censuses.

An 1896 article appearing in The American Monthly Magazine describes Laughlin as the son of a John "MacCartney":

Mary Gibson married Maclachian or Laughlin McCartney, the youngest son of a Scotch Laird John and Lady Flora MacDonald MacCartney, who came to America in 1755, under General Braddock, in the Queen’s regiment of “picked men,” that is, men of noble birth and character, of splendid physique, and six feet or over in height. He served with the brave grenadiers until the defeat and death of their leader, and finally settled opposite the town of Sunbury, Northumberland County, Pennsylvania. He was too old for military service in the American Revolutionary Army, but gave freely of all his means to advance the cause. Mary Gibson died September 22, 1832, aged eighty-two years, in Cincinnati, Ohio, at the home of her daughter, Mrs. Flora MacD. Tomlinson, who was the grandmother of the President of the “Mary Gibson Society.” The Tomlinson family emigrated to Indianapolis, Indiana, in 1834, and have since resided there (Vol. IX, July-December 1896; DAR: Washington DC; pg. 636).

Other historical documents describe Laughlin as a private in Samuel Hunter's 1st Battalion during the Revolutionary War. He apparently did not serve active duty though, but assisted in the American cause by storing and distributing ammunition from his home in Northumberland Town, Mahoning Twp., Northumberland Co., PA. This concurs with the The American Monthly Magazine article. Laughlin apparently died ca. 1803-1810. He is not listed in the 1810 federal census and the last record of him was an 1803 debt owed by him to a doctor in Northumberland Co..

If born in 1737, Laughlin would have been 53 years old and his wife 40 years old in the 1790 census with five children --1 boy and 4 girls; and 63 years old and his wife 50 years old ten years later in the 1800 census with four children --1 boy and 3 girls. One daughter, Flora McCartney Tomlinson, mentioned in the Tomlinson article above, was born November 20, 1791.

1790 Northumberland Co.--(1, 1, 5, 2, 0)-- [Males: (16+)(<16) / Females: (all)(all other free persons)(slaves)]
1800 Northumberland Co.--(0, 1, 0, 0, 1, 0, 2, 1, 1, 0, 0, 0)--[Males: (<10)(10-15)(16-25)(26-44)(45+) / Females: (<10)(10-15)(16-25)(26-44)(45+)(all other free persons)(slaves)]

Another possible clue to finding a link connecting Ephraim to Laughlin is the 1820 Federal Census of Bedford Co., PA [District Bedford Boro/Bedford Twp.]:

Robert Isaac McCartney, son of Ephraim was residing with his family in Bedford in 1820. There is nothing unusual about this except for the fact that an Anna Gibson (head of household) resided four doors down. Laughlin's widow, (Mary) Ann Gibson, would have been about 70 years of age in 1820, which aligns with the 1820 census information for Bedford Co. (1-female 45+) for this Anna Gibson. Laughlin's widow [(Mary) Ann Gibson], would have been the grandmother of Robert.

Laughlin was old enough to have been Ephraim's father, was married at about the right time two years prior to Ephraim's birth, resided in the same county at the time of Ephraim's birth, and his widow (Mary) Ann Gibson may have been the Anna Gibson residing next to Ephraim's son Robert in 1820. Laughlin's wife, Mary Ann Gibson, was born in the northern part of Ireland in 1750 and passed away September 22, 1832 in Cincinnati, OH. The Tomlinson family bible indicates Laughlin was born in Scotland, not Ireland. Even though my family tradition claims Ephraim's father was from Ireland, Laughlin could have immigrated to America through Ireland.

#3--Robert McCartney
1772 [March 21 - April 21] Lancaster Co., Derry Twp--Will of Robert Carithers lists a Robert McCartney as a grandchild along with children Mary, Elones, Dorcus, Jane and Sarah. Even though this Will was administered the same year as Ephraim's birth in Lancaster Co., several unanswered questions need to be asked. This Will does not state the age of Robert McCartney, nor does it indicate whether or not this Robert McCartney was residing in Lancaster Co. at the time. If the Robert McCartney listed in Robert Carithers' Will was at least 18 years of age and if he were residing in Lancaster Co. at the time, he would then be a possible candidate to be the father of Ephraim.

Not Likely to be Ephraim's Father

Andrew McCartney
Eighteen years after the birth of Ephraim, the 1790 Federal Census of Lancaster Co., Colerain Twp., lists an Andrew and three females--(1, 0, 3, 0, 0)--[Males: (16+)(<16) / Females: (all)(all other free persons)(slaves)]. Two years later Andrew apparently died in the same township. Andrew's wife and children are listed in his Will--(Will Abstracts) Wife: Margaret McCartney; Children: George and Rebecca; Ex.: John Caldwell, William Brown and Margaret McCartney. It is a possibility that Andrew was the father of Ephraim eighteen years prior to the 1790 census, but not likely, as Andrew's Will makes no mention of Ephraim. Additionally, the 1815 tax list of Colerain Twp. list resident George McCartney living next to widow McCartney. George would be the son of Andrew mentioned in his Will twenty three years earlier and "widow McCartney" would be a reference to Andew's wife.

Samuel McCartney
Historical documents and the History of Indiana Co., PA (1880), list a Samuel McCartney as a private in the 8th Co., 6th Battalion, Lancaster Co. Militia (1776; 1780-1781). Samuel was born in PA April 18, 1753, was of Scotch-Irish parentage spending most of his boyhood in the Cumberland Valley (present-day Franklin and Cumberland counties), married Nancy Penolope Young April 27, 1790 and died April 14, 1817. Additional Lancaster Co. records place him in Martick Twp. in 1779, seven years after Ephraim's birth, and Bart Twp. (1782) before eventually settling in Indiana Co, PA. Samuel and his wife Nancy's nine children were: Martha; Jacob Y.; George; Andrew; Penelope; Elizabeth J.; Samuel; John Y.; and Jane (Apollo People, 1974). Samuel was old enough to have been Ephraim's father, but was not because he was born in Pennsylvania (not Ireland or Scotland) and more importantly, did not marry until eighteen years after the birth of Ephraim. Samuel may have been an uncle to Ephraim though because of his ties to Lancaster Co. Additionally, according to Allshouse family history, Samuel's parents are listed as James McCartney & Mary Willson [Allshouse Family History, 2015].