William McCleary and Susan G. Wilkinson
Husband William McCleary 1 2
Born: 10 Feb or 18 Feb 1805 - near Winchester, Frederick Co, VA 1 3 Christened: Died: 3 Apr 1882 - ? East Finley Twp, Washington Co, PA 3 4 Buried:
Father: Thomas McCleary ( - ) 1 5 Mother: Mary Lynn ( - ) 1
Marriage: 17 Jan 1836 2 4
Wife Susan G. Wilkinson 2 4
Born: Christened: Died: Buried:
Father: Thomas Wilkinson ( - ) 4 Mother: Prudence Lewis ( - ) 4
Children
1 M Thomas J. McCleary 4
Born: 20 Feb 1837 4 Christened: Died: Buried:Spouse: Martha Russell ( - ) 6
2 M James C. McCleary 4
Born: 3 Jan 1839 4 Christened: Died: Buried:Spouse: Maggie Hair ( - ) 4
3 M John E. McCleary 4
Born: 24 Jun 1841 4 Christened: Died: Buried:Spouse: Cornelia Carter ( - ) 4
4 F Mary J. McCleary 4
Born: 17 Dec 1843 4 Christened: Died: Buried:Spouse: Robert Bell ( - ) 4
5 F Sarah E. McCleary 4
Born: 16 Jan 1846 4 Christened: Died: 6 Aug 1876 4 Buried:Spouse: Porter McCarrell ( - ) 4
6 M William L. McCleary 3 4 7
Born: 23 May 1848 - Donegal Twp, Washington Co, PA 3 4 Christened: Died: Buried:Spouse: Mary Elizabeth Brinton ( -Bef 1904) 3 7 8 Marr: 3 Nov 1875 3
7 F Martha L. McCleary 4 9
Born: 16 Aug 1850 4 9 Christened: Died: 20 Jun 1883 9 Buried:Spouse: John Scott Danley (1845- ) 4 10
8 M Francis M. McCleary 4
Born: 18 Jul 1853 4 Christened: Died: Buried:Spouse: Adelphia Mitchell ( - ) 4
9 M Lewis Calvin McCleary 4 6
Born: 6 Jun 1855 - East Finley Twp, Washington Co, PA 4 6 Christened: Died: Buried:Spouse: Violet A. Porter (1857- ) 4 6 Marr: May 1882 6
10 M Martin L. McCleary 4
Born: 13 Aug 1857 4 Christened: Died: Bef 1893 Buried:Spouse: Laura Stoy ( - ) 4
11 F Caroline A. McCleary 4
Born: 6 Dec 1860 4 Christened: Died: Buried:Spouse: William Wachter ( - ) 3
General Notes: Husband - William McCleary
He was born in Virginia, and there spent his infancy, childhood, and early manhood years. In 1830 he came to Washington County, Pennsylvania, and engaged in stage-driving on the National pike, which he followed for eighteen years from Wheeling to Uniontown and intermediate points. His next business was as constable of Donegal township. This position he held for five years. He was then toll collector near West Alexander, on the National road, for two years. He then purchased and moved to the farm in East Finley township, which was his home until his death, and then was in possession of his descendants. He also held the position of superintendent of the Cumberland road for three years. He was an exemplary member of the Baptist Church for many years, and in politics a decided Democrat, always attending elections and voting as a matter of duty. He was a lover of his home, with its quiet cares and enjoyments, and was never ambitious for office. He was a man of perfect and unquestioned integrity and truth, and of generous impulses, who did his duty as he understood it, and was content. [HWC 1882, 780]
His father removed to Brooke County, Virginia, where he was reared and educated, and learned the trade of cooper. On reaching his majority (the farm being small and the family large), he left the parental roof for the purpose of carving out his own fortune, and being of a delicate constitution, he was obliged to look for such work as he was best able to perform. He taught school, took trading vessels down the Ohio, etc., and after a time he engaged to drive the stage then being run between Washington and Wellsburg. After driving for some months on this route, he secured employment as driver of a mail coach on the Cumberland road. Under this engagement he first drove from Hillsboro to Claysville, afterward from Washington to Wheeling, and during a portion of the time into Ohio. He drove in all about eighteen years, sometimes two, sometimes four, and on special occasions even six horses. During his career he was associated with men, most of whom are now forgotten, and many a tale would he tell, in after years, of the excitement when the opposition lines were competing for public patronage, and when the orders to the drivers were "to make the time or kill the horses" (ten miles an hour); also of the not infrequent runaways, one of which well deserves to be perpetuated in history. "Mr. McCleary was driving a large black team from Triadelphia to Wheeling. On coming to Wheeling hill he threw the rubber bar down, but the blocks jumping out, the bar struck the off wheel-horse, which sprang forward, and in an instant the team became unmanageable and in full flight. Reaching the culvert at the foot of the hill, the coach turned over, hind end foremost, threw the driver in a hog wallow, and tumbled the passengers and mail around generally. Finding no one hurt, and the horses all gone, he ran for the postoffice to have them bring their wagon and get the mail in on time; for if he failed to get the mail to the office at the right time, he was liable to lose his position. Only one horse of that team was ever fit to be hitched again, and two of them were killed outright in the disaster." Mr. McCleary lived in Claysville six years; then, when Col. William Hopkins was commissioner of the road, he took charge of the tollgate near West Alexander (at which time the tolls often amounted to as much as $400 per month), and lived there nine years. It was not uncommon in those days for twenty or more stage-coaches to be in full view at one time, so great was the traffic. After leaving the toll-gate, Mr. McCleary moved to East Finley township, and settled on a farm purchased of George Enlow. Later he bought three other tracts of land, two in Washington County, and one in West Virginia, all valuable. [CBRWC, 193]
General Notes: Wife - Susan G. Wilkinson
from Fayette Co, PA
1 Boyd Crumrine, History of Washington County, Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, PA: L. H. Everts & Co., 1882), Pg 780.
2 —, Commemorative Biographical Record of Washington County, Pennsylvania (Chicago, IL: J. H. Beers & Co., 1893), Pg 193, 1408.
3 —, Commemorative Biographical Record of Washington County, Pennsylvania (Chicago, IL: J. H. Beers & Co., 1893), Pg 193.
4 Boyd Crumrine, History of Washington County, Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, PA: L. H. Everts & Co., 1882), Pg 781.
5 —, Commemorative Biographical Record of Washington County, Pennsylvania (Chicago, IL: J. H. Beers & Co., 1893), Pg 192, 1408.
6 —, Commemorative Biographical Record of Washington County, Pennsylvania (Chicago, IL: J. H. Beers & Co., 1893), Pg 1408.
7 Joseph F. McFarland, 20th Century History of Washington and Washington County, Pennsylvania and Representative Citizens (Chicago, IL: Richmond-Arnold Publishing Co., 1910), Pg 716.
8 —, Memoirs of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Vol. II (Madison, WI: Northwestern Historical Assosciation, 1904), Pg 251.
9 —, Commemorative Biographical Record of Washington County, Pennsylvania (Chicago, IL: J. H. Beers & Co., 1893), Pg 1402.
10
—, Commemorative Biographical Record of Washington County, Pennsylvania (Chicago, IL: J. H. Beers & Co., 1893), Pg 1401.
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