at-DNA suggests that James McLeland (1772 North Carolina – 1847 Indiana) and Mary McLeland (1770 North Carolina – 1842 Indiana, married to Richard Wharton 1793 Kentucky) are siblings. There are several matches among descendants from both that are very unlikely to have arisen through other genetic descents. However, these matches are 6th cousin matches with DNA levels ranging from 7-11 cm in 1 segment. This is at the edge of usefulness for at-DNA work but is supported by F.A.N. club associations and indirect documentary evidence. To move the family genealogy back even one more generation will require Y-DNA and mt-DNA support. The proposed ancestral couple for these siblings is Robert McLeland and Violet Scott both deceased before 1774.
Robert McLeland is supposed to have been born circa 1742 in Pennsylvania and died circa 1773-4 in Rowan County, North Carolina. No male ancestor, descendant or relative has ever been suggested aside from possible son James McLeland. 4 well documented direct male line descendants of James McLeland have participated in Y-DNA testing and while they all match each other, they match no other McLeland male who has tested. (There is 1 match without the McLeland surname who matches all 4 other testers and no other McLeland lines. This is evidently a mis-attributed parentage situation but since no one has any idea when or where the break in descent occurs it is not useful for resolving ancestry.) There are no candidates for uncles or male line cousins for James McLeland which makes targeted testing of descendants impossible. This testing route is – for now – a dead end.
Violet Scott’s name (like Robert McLeland’s) appears to come from a bible page belonging to the John and Margaret Thornton Scott family of NC and Kentucky. Violet also died circa 1773-4. According to numerous online trees John and Margaret Thornton Scott had at least 3 other daughters. For mt-DNA testing to be useful a test taker must be found who is a direct female line descendant of Mary McLeland Wharton and a test taker from a well documented direct female line descendant of one of Margaret Thornton Scott’s documented daughters. Ideally more than one female line of descent on each side should be tested in case of a mis-attributed parentage situation.
Tracing female descendants of Mary McLeland
Mary McLeland Wharton had 4 daughters (per the Wharton Family Bible still in possession of descendants.) One daughter, America Wharton, died without marrying leaving 3 sisters who married and had descendants.
1.) Sally Scott Wharton married Aaron Mannon in 1810 and had 10 known children. 3 of those were daughters. However, 2 daughters, Mary Amelia and Sally W., died in infancy, leaving 1 potential line of descent.
Zerilda E. Mannon married first Edward Cole with whom she had 1 son and then Richard S. Cramer with whom she had a daughter Lottie Cramer. Lottie had only 1 son and therefore the female line of descent ends.
2.) Mary McLeland Wharton married Henry H. Bruce in 1825 and had 7 known children, 6 of whom were daughters. However Mary Elizabeth, Gineva Ellen and Permilia Adeline Bruce either died in infancy or before marrying. Emily America Bruce died at age 34 and left no known children with her husband Joseph McKee. This leaves 2 potential lines of descent.
Sarah Mannon Bruce married Francis Marion Oldaker with whom she had 10 known children. (This is the lineage that holds the Wharton Family Bible.) 4 of those children were daughters. Viola Adelaide Oldaker Overbaugh had only 1 son. Harriet T. Oldaker McLain died shortly after marriage leaving no children. Mary Oldaker Coby died shortly after marriage leaving no children. And Clara Oldaker died unmarried at age 19. Therefore, the female line of descend ends.
Evaline Malissa Bruce married Cyrus McDaniel and had 2 known children, both daughters. Daughter Alpha McDaniel died unmarried.
Arminta McDaniel married Jacob Brothers and had 6 known children of whom 3 were daughters. Mary Ann Brothers Hollenbeck died without issue and Miriam Berniece Brothers Tullis had only 3 sons. Leaving 2 potential lines of descent.
Letha Irene Brothers Nowlin had 5 children of which 2 were daughters.
Letha Irene Nowlin Morris had 3 children including a daughter who has 2 living children, one of whom is a daughter . They will need to be contacted to see if she is willing to take an mt-DNA test.
Opal Alpha Nowlin Plank had 3 children. Daughter Susan appears to have died young therefore the female line of descent ends.
Anna Marguerite Brothers Olson had 3 children including a daughter who has a living daughter. They will need to be contacted to see if she is willing to take an mt-DNA test.
3.) Emily C. Wharton married William Swisher in 1803 and left 5 known children, 3 of whom were daughters. Mary V. Swisher Schoonover had one daughter, who died quite young. Sarah J. Swisher’s marriage pattern in complicated but it is apparent that she had no daughters (maybe 1 son). Leaving 1 potential line of descent.
Eliza Catherine Tyler had 5 known daughters. 3 of these had no children. (2 daughters were early telegraph operators and died unmarried.) Leaving 1 potential line of descent.
Olive Morton Tyler Swaim had 3 known children, 2 of whom were daughters. Doris Eliza Swaim died unmarried and without issue. Elizabeth Geneva Swaim married twice but died without issue. So this final female line of descent ends.
Over 7 generations, beginning with the 4 daughters of Mary McLeland wife of Richard Wharton and sister of James Mcleland, and following the 22 descendants of those daughters – 12 of whom were daughters, we end up with 2-4 known living descendants in the female line from Mary McLeland. And those two descendants could POTENTIALLY take us back 2 more generations through Violet Scott to her mother Margaret Thornton Scott. But only if we do the same exercise for ALL of the probable daughters of Margret Thornton Scott. At the present my preliminary research suggests that there are at least 3 probable daughters – Nancy Scott who married James Carouthers, Martha Scott who married Simon Frost, and Jennet/Janet/Jinet who may not have married. All three of them appear to have moved to Kentucky around 1790. And that is all that is known of them at this point. I have not yet decided if the effort involved and the cost of the tests is ultimately worth it. Any Scott descendants out there that want to volunteer for an mt-DNA test?