Biographical Sketch of William Morgan McFARLAND (1904); Chester County, PA Contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by John Morris . *********************************************************************** USGENWEB ARCHIVES NOTICE: Printing this file within by non-commercial individuals and libraries is encouraged, as long as all notices and submitter information is included. Any other use, including copying files to other sites requires permission from the submitters PRIOR to uploading to any other sites. We encourage links to the state and county table of contents. http://www.usgwarchives.net/ *********************************************************************** "Historical Homes and Institutions and Genealogical and Personal Memoirs of Chester and Delaware Counties, Pennsylvania", Vol. 1, edited by Gilbert Cope and Henry Graham Ashmead, Lewis Publishing Company, New York, 1904, pp. 369-70. "WILLIAM MORGAN McFARLAND, of West Marlborough township, Chester county, Pennsylvania, is a representative of an ancient Scottish family, the Amer- ican branch of which is lineally descended from the Earls of Lennox, whose seat, centuries ago, was Dumbarton, the capital of Dumbartonshire, which in those days bore the name of Lennox. "John McFarland (1), born in 1672, was a resident of Liscabble parish, county Tyrone, Ireland, whither, it is probable, either he or his ances- tors had gone in consequence of political troubles in their native land. He married Catherine Hamilton, by whom he was the father of the following children: 1. Dougald, mentioned at length hereinafter. 2. John, born in 1715, married Martha Armour of Signahaid, parish of Ardshaw. Their child- ren, all of whom married and left descendants, were as follows: Patrick, whose six sons and five daughters, all married; John, two of whose four sons and each of whose three daughters married; William, who lived in the town land of Scarden, near Garten, and one of whose three sons and five of whose six daughters married; Armour, whose only son married, as did two of his four daughters; and Andrew, three of whose daughters married, his three sons remaining bachelors. 3. Margaret, born about 1718, married John Camp- bell, of Plumbridge, Ireland. 4. Ellen, born about 1720, married McCould of Drumore. John McFarland, father of the family, died May 1, 1742. "Dougald McFarland (2), son of John (1) and Catherine (Hamilton) McFarland, was born about 1712. He married Miss Foster, and their children were: 1. Dougald, Jr., born about 1734. 2. James, born about 1736, married about 1780, Ann Armour, born in 1763, and was the father of the following chil- dren: John, who was born in Ireland, died there in 1856, and had three children: John, Henry and Isabella; Margaret, who was born August 1, 1782, married, about 1800, Laidenck Dumford, and in 1820 emigrated to America with her mother, sister Catherine and three children: Betty, who was born about 1785; Catherine, who was born in Ireland, married Mr. Clingand, and her son now lives in Greensburg, Pennsylvania; James, who was born in 1797, emigrated to America in 1819, settled near Greensburg, Westmoreland coun- ty, Pennsylvania, and was the father of three children; Samuel, J. Russell, and Martha A. 3. John, mentioned at length hereinafter. 4. William, born about 1740, emigrated to America about 1760. 5. Margaret, born about 1743. 6. Catherine, born about 1746. "John McFarland (3), son of Dougald McFarland (2), was born in 1738, in Ireland, and about 1760 emigrated with his brother William to America, settling in Kennett township, Chester county, Pennsylvania. He married, in 1765, Sarah, born in 1745 or 1746, daughter of John Heald of Kennett. Their children were: Elizabeth, born October 1, 1766, died October 16, 1834; William, mentioned at length hereinafter; George, born March 1, 1772, died May 9, 1845; Enoch, born July 17, 1777, died February 19, 1831; Isaac Yearsley, born in 1778, died April 8, 1833; Phoebe, born in 1779, died September 18, 1820. Mrs. McFarland, the mother of this family, died Octo- ber 9, 1822. "William McFarland (4), son of John (3) and Sarah (Heald) McFarland, was born about 1768, and married Elizabeth Pusey. The following children were born to them: Mary, born December 12, 1794; Thomas, born February 8, 1796; William, born January 11, 1798; Jesse, mentioned at length hereinafter. The death of Mr. McFarland occurred April 3, 1837. "Jesse McFarland (5), son of William (4) and Elizabeth (Pusey) McFarland, was born April 17, 1800. He married, March 25, 1824, Ann Carter, and they were the parents of the following children: William, mentioned at length hereinafter, Mary Ann, born February 3, 1827, married December 21, 1843, Baker Leonard, and died May 28, 1852; Morris C., born March 15, 1833, married December 16, 1864, Mary H. Woodward, and died in January, 1899; Elizabeth G., born December 5, 1836, now deceased; Sarah Jane, born April 12, 1838, married January 28, 1873, and died in November, 1895. "William McFarland (6), son of Jesse (5) and Ann (Carter) McFarland, was born December 19, 1824, and married, November 19, 1846, Elizabeth E. Grover, of Edgmont, Delaware county, Pennsylvania. They were the parents of one child, William Morgan, mentioned at length hereinafter. Mr. McFar- land die July 7, 1880. "Wiliam Morgan McFarland (7), son of William (6) and Elizabeth E. (Grover) McFarland, was born September 18, 1847, on the old homestead in West Marl- borough township, Chester county, Pennsylvania, where his boyhood was passed. His early education was obtained in the local schools of his birthplace, and he afterward became a student at Princeton University. He is a Mason of high standing, having taken the thirty-second degree. The family, for several generations, have been members of the Society of Friends. Mr. McFarland has the original deed for the property upon which the village of Upland is built, given by the colonial government, covering a large tract of land. "Mr. McFarland married Elizabeth H. Plumley, who was born October 27, 1853, and they had one child, Laura E., who died young. The McFarland family, apart from its ancient European origin, ranks among the old residents of Chester county, where it has been represented for more than a century and a half. Mrs. McFarland is descended from a family which came originally from Bucks county, Pennsylvania, where the name of Plumley was from an early period a familiar one to the inhabitants of that region. Robert and Jane Ann (Palmer) Plumley were residents of New Garden township, Chester county, and their son, Charles, born January 5, 1823, married Mary Ann Kent. They lived in West Marlborough township, and were the parents of a daughter, Elizabeth H., mentioned above as the wife of William Morgan Mc- Farland." (A photograph of William Morgan McFarland accompanies the article).