Mclean's of Boston, Massachusetts - For Thrall

[marilyn morning]

Hi Thrall,

Your post on TS jogged my memory about your Mclean's.
Since my last visit to the Massachusetts Archives, they
now have the Vital Records Index for Birth & Death on-line
and the Marriages will follow sometime early next year.

http://www.sec.state.ma.us/ARC/arcidx.htm

Thrall wrote
I have found two brothers of John Mclean (b.circa1842) Boston. They are James Mclean b.1844-5 Boston and Charles b.1846-7 Boston. Their father Charles seems to have died in the US between 1846 and 1851, judging by censi in Scotland.

I'm posting this info here for two reasons; to help anyone searching for Vital Records in the State of Massachusetts and in hopes of someone else being able to find a clue or two, to help you crash down this brickwall.

I have re-checked this on-line index for John, James and Charles, but I can only find a close match for Charles.

http://www.sec.state.ma.us/vitalrecords ... earch.aspx

Mclean Charles Henry (Twin) Boston 1848-1849 vol 36 pg. 255

Now from what I can remember, I've sent you a copy of the birth index, but I don't remember this Charles being listed. Do you know if Charles had a twin? At any rate, I'm going to send off for a copy of this record.

It might help to know what Charles Sr.'s wife name is?

The Vital Records which are available at the Archives in the State of Massachusetts begin at 1841-1910. I was told today that in the early years of mandatory registration, not all of the BDM records were recorded with the State. In which case you need to turn to the City or Town of their birth and in this case, that would be Boston, Massachusetts. So today I spoke with someone at the Vital Records UNFRIENDLY OFFICE.

The cost of searching one record is $10 US Dollars and $13 US Dollars for a certified copy and they only offer certified copies! They do offer a service for anyone to come in and search the records the last Monday of each month from 10-1 for a fee of $10 per hour. Sorry but I work M-F 9-5, so I'm not able to help you out here, but

You could post a request here

http://www.raogk.org/contact.html

Last but not least, I also found out about the "Holbrook Collection Collection of Boston Vital Records, 1630-1895" The Boston City Library owns a copy of this collection in their Micro-Tech Department, but they don't do any Genealogy Research. All of the research needs to be done in person. But all is not lost, if any member here on TalkingScot is a member of NEHGS, they may be able to do a lookup for you???? Earlier this year a friend of mine, lent me her membership to NEHGS and I did a lookup for the three boys listed above, but I was not aware of this Holbook Collection at the time, so needless to say I didn't check this lead.

Thrall I hope that some of this information helps or sparks some interest in your quest to find this family.

Regards
Marilyn

[Thrall]

Hi Marilyn and thank you very much for your help.

Charles Mclean b.1818-19 (clerk/plasterer) and James Mclean (tailor) b.1815-16 married Christian Munro b.1821, and Catherine Galbraith b.1815-16 in Glasgow 17.10.1841 and set off for New York arriving a month later on the Roscoe. A fast ship. Christian changed her name to Christina on arrival in New York. Charles and James perhaps brothers?

Charles and Christina moved to Boston and had three sons, John (b.1842), James (b.1844), and Charles (b.1846).
In the 1851 census they are back in Glasgow with no Charles senior, and she is mar. (furniture shop) and her sister Margaret lives with them (industrial teacher) age 30.
In the 1861 census the three boys are engineer, merchant´s clerk, and coal agent´s clerk, but have lost their mother, Margaret McLean is said head, mar. age 39, no occupation, the boys are "sons".
John, the eldest son was my gr.grandfather, married, had one daughter and left with them for Buenos Aires where he was a freezing plant engineer.
The other two Mclean sons disappear, like their mother did, but she does reappear to die in Glasgow 1878 with her daughter in law recording the death, still married to Charles Mclean plasterer. I found one Charles McLean in the 1870 US census "stucco worker" but no more on him.
Thanks to Marilyn, I now see five possible deaths in Mass. so will try to get hold of details there. The family does not seem to have been keen on birth registration!

If anyone tries the above link for Vital Records, I found that using the year boxes to narrow search criteria blocked all results. Similarly, I received an "error" when I tried the link for ordering!

Any Mcleans around who recognise this family?

Guid hunting,

Thrall

[marilyn morning]

I now see five possible deaths in Mass. so will try to get hold of details there. The family does not seem to have been keen on birth registration!

If anyone tries the above link for Vital Records, I found that using the year boxes to narrow search criteria blocked all results. Similarly, I received an "error" when I tried the link for ordering!

Hi Thrall,

How exciting, this is fantastic news!

Why don't you post those entries here and I'll send for the copies, include the name, date, vol and page number. The cost is only 50 cents per lookup, so don't worry about the cost, besides once I find someone researching in Iceland, guess who I'm going to contact?

Regards
Marilyn

[Thrall]

Hi Marilyn, those deaths that seem possible are down to two after looking better at the folder, my memory is fallible it would seem, the census was 1880, Boston ward 16, Charles Mclean 60, stucco worker, born Scotland :

McLean Charles, Fall River, 1898 vol.481 pg.260

McLean Charles, Lowell , 1894 vol.446 pg.248

I am here only going by the fact that Charles did not ever mention a middle name elsewhere. There are another six Charles McLean with middle initials that might qualify!

I would be most grateful if these two could be checked, I will of course reimburse you.

Thank you again, and of course any Icelandic research willingly undertaken!

Guid hunting,

Thrall

[marilyn morning]

Hi Thrall,

Sure I'll send for them along with the birth (not death ) of Charles. It normally takes approx 3-4 wks for me to get the copies back by snail mail. Don't worry about the cost, its only pennies....

Regards
Marilyn

[Thrall]

Hi Marilyn, thanks to you I have now found the deaths of two more Mcleans in Mass., Catherine Galbraith, and her daughter Mary P. Mclean.

James McLean´s family was in Meridith N.H. in 1870, but without him in Salem Mass. in 1880, so I assume he died in New Hampshire.

Now to try to find out what happened to his other two children in 1880 census, Neal G., house car driver b. 1846-7 and Catherine b.1850-1 "unclear" in mill.

I suspect though Charles Henry (Twin) to be a red herring, but have no proof.

Good to know the Mass. marriages are on their way so perhaps something to be found for Catherine.

BTW, what was a house car driver, a coachman??

Anyone else with Ancestry.com care to comment? Salem, Mass. page 6, Superv. dist 60, Ennum. dist 232.

Good to clear up this branch a wee bit, though the fate of James b. 1844-5 and Charles b.1846-7, last seen in Glasgow 1861 is still very much a priority.

Guid hunting,

Thrall

[marilyn morning]

Hi Marilyn, thanks to you I have now found the deaths of two more Mcleans in Mass., Catherine Galbraith, and her daughter Mary P. Mclean.

James McLean´s family was in Meridith N.H. in 1870, but without him in Salem Mass. in 1880, so I assume he died in New Hampshire.

Now to try to find out what happened to his other two children in 1880 census, Neal G., house car driver b. 1846-7 and Catherine b.1850-1 "unclear" in mill.

I suspect though Charles Henry (Twin) to be a red herring, but have no proof.

Good to know the Mass. marriages are on their way so perhaps something to be found for Catherine.

BTW, what was a house car driver, a coachman??

Anyone else with Ancestry.com care to comment? Salem, Mass. page 6, Superv. dist 60, Ennum. dist 232.

Good to clear up this branch a wee bit, though the fate of James b. 1844-5 and Charles b.1846-7, last seen in Glasgow 1861 is still very much a priority.

Guid hunting,

Thrall

Hi Thall,

All the credit goes to the State of Massachusetts for putting this index on line, I only posted the link. I'm working on a project to convince the State of Rhode Island to do the same.

Give me the date, city, vol and page number for Catherine & Mary and I'll get copies of those too, they allow five lookups at one time and I may as well send for them all at once.

Ah New Hampshire is not as generous with their vital records as Massachusetts and Rhode Island is. I've checked for members of my own family in the past. But being that I don't like to take no for an answer , I'll check with the Meridith Town Clerk and see if I can convince her/him to check for the death record of James. I'll give them a call next week.

If I get up to the archives before the marriages come on line, I'll take a look for Neal & Catherine. Its a shame, because I'll be in Boston next weekend, but the archive is only open the second & last Saturday of the month.

A car house driver would be a chauffeur, I believe. There were and still are plenty of wealthy families in Boston who employ a private driver.

Thrall good to know that this information was able to put some of the pieces of your family puzzle together.

Regards
Marilyn

[killearnan]

The wonders of the Internet..... the NEHGS has many of these records on-line, scans of the state returns. Since my mother's family has been in MA as long as there have been Europeans here, the NEGHS membership is worth the investment for me.

McLean Charles, Fall River, 1898 vol.481 pg.260

d. 10 Dec 1898 cause: septicemia, red. 1341 Pleasant St, Fall River. b. Cohoes, NY, parents names not given, one or both parents b. Scotland (not clear from how it was written)

McLean Charles, Lowell , 1894 vol.446 pg.248

d. 30 Sept 1894, age 3 mos., accidental suffocation, b. Lowell, parents John McLean b. NJ , Rose Baxter b. Lowell

BJ

[killearnan]

the census was 1880, Boston ward 16, Charles Mclean 60, stucco worker, born Scotland :

This one might be worth a closer look:
Vol: 465 ; Page: 267
d. July 5 1896, recorded at Boston, Charles McLane, 74, d. at City Hospital, 46 Lawrence St, occ. plasterer, b. Scotland

The Internet and Soundex - two of this genealogist's favorite inventions!

BJ

[marilyn morning]

Hi BJ,

Ah I knew someone would have a membership to NEHGS

Hey the age is right, it very well might be him. He's definitely going on the list.


Marilyn