There was a John McClung who came into Alabama at an early date. In 1798 the area was called
Mississippi Territory. In 1817 Alabama Territory was created with seven counties. By 1819
Alabama was admitted to the Union. By 1815 John was entering land in Sec 9, Twp 4, Range 1W
as an assignee of Frederick Barnes at the Huntsville Land Office. This was in Mississippi
Territory. He was listed as an inhabitant of Alabama in Madison County in 1816 along with
William, Francis and Leslie McClung. (Leslie may be the "Lastley" enumerated in 1830 in
Crittendon Co., AR b. in 1780s).
There was a John mentioned in Greene Co., TN tax list of 1783. Hugh McClung, Sr. died in that
county after 1786. It appears that these families moved into the northern part of Alabama when
land opened there. William, who died about 1818 in Madison County lists John and Hugh McClung
as heirs.
In 1820, these counties lay north of the Tennessee River: Lauderdale, Limestone, Madison and
Jackson. The Indians were still given lands along the east side of Alabama and a small area
in the northwest just west of Franklin County. Now we find some of the same McClung people
in records in the counties to the north of the river.
We have a record
in Limestone county (Deeds, 24:215) that John of Madison Co. was indebted to two of his sons:
Hugh and David of Limestone County. John was in Sec. 7, Twp 4, Range 2W in Madison Co. The
witnesses were Starkey Perkins, Elisha Parker, and John H. McClung and dated 1 Mar 1828.
In the 1830 census of Alabama, we have in Madison County: Alexander M. and James W. McClung.
In Limestone County, we have Hugh and James. Morgan county, just south of Limestone and
Madison has Anderson, Charles, James and John McClung. Francis was in Jefferson County by then
but tax records have him in Madison Co. in 1813. We do not find David in the 1830 census
but we know he was there two years earlier.
John A. died in 1836. (Will Bk A:200 Talladega?) Benjamin McClung was appointed administrator with
Daniel Wilson and Hugh McClung, securities.
We only know of two children of this man: Hugh and David. It is noteworthy that Hugh was born
in the 1780s and David was born in 1795. This would indicate that other children might have
been in the family. We have Lasly, Francis and Abigail McClung who may belong to this man.
This Hugh McClung, the son of John McClung, was born ca 1782 probably in Greene County
Tennessee. He was enumerated in the 1830 census of Limestone County with six sons and three
daughters. See: Hugh
David, the son of John McClung was probably the one mentioned in land records from Elk county,
Alabama Territory before 1818 when he took out land in Limestone county. However, he was
not enumerated in the 1820 census of that county nor was he found in the 1830 census of AL.
We find a David to Margaret Gibson md 4 Dec 1816 in Madison County. The Gibsons were
closely allied to this McClung family in Greene Co., TN.
Email may be sent to: J. McClung