John McLean
John McLean, of Bethany, is descended from the McLeans of Scotland. After the rebellion of 1715, a portion of that clan emigrated to Ireland, and after a considerable sojourn, to America. They settled in York, now Adams County, in PA. The McLean who was the ancestor of John McLean, of Bethany, had seven sons, all surveyors. Their names were Archibald, Moses, William, Samuel, John, James, and Alexander. Each and all of them took an active part in our Revolutionary struggle. Archibald and Moses were both members of the PA Legislature, and Moses was also a captain in the Eleventh Regiment of the PA line. Samuel McLean, the grandfather of John McLean, of Bethany, moved to Fayette County, PA, and left two sons, William and John. The latter remained in Fayette County, while the former removed to Butler County, in 1808. He was a farmer, and had six sons and three daughters. His sons were Samuel, b Dec 24, 1799; Elisha P., b Mar 3, 1802; Stephen, Jan 7, 1804; William, Dec 21, 1805; elizabeth, Sep 25, 1807, the widow of William Goudy; John, b Feb 13, 1810; James, b Sep 25, 1811; Sophia, b Dec 8, 1813; and Sarah Ann, Apr 13, 1816. Samuel, Elisha P., Stephen, William, James, and Sophia are dead.
Mr. McLean came to Butler County in 1808, and settled on Seven-Mile, Wayne Twp, where he purchased a hundred acres of land. He came down the Ohio River in a flat-boat. He traded his farm in PA for castings and sold them in Cincinnati, and with their proceeds purchased here. He died in Union Twp, Sep 12, 1824, and his wife died Sep 27, 1834, in Springfield Twp, Hamilton County. His son, John McLean, was born Feb 13, 1810, in Wayne Twp, and married first, Jan 3, 1843, Sarah R. Clayton, b in Liberty May 5, 1813, and died Sep 19, 1847. They had son child, Anna Isabella, b Nov 3, 1844. She died Jun 3, 1846. He married second, Nov 20, 1850, Mary Ann Beatty, daughter of John R. Beatty and Nancy(Stewart) Beatty. She was born in Liberty, Dec 29, 1814. By her he had three children, one being now alive, Lewis. He was born Oct 18, 1852, and is married. John A., b Jan 7, 1855, died an infant; and William C., b Mar 6, 1860, died Aug 5, 1881.
Mr. McLean is one of the most prominent citizens of Liberty Twp. He has held several twp positions, and, in fact, has always held some twp office. He was appointed assistant revenue assessor in 1865, an office he has held two terms; has been justice of the peace for eight terms, omitting one term, or a total of 24 years, from 1836 till 1864. He was also postmaster at Huntsville, and is at present notary public, serving his sixth term. He has acted from 1864 till the present time without interruption. He is a Mason and Odd Fellow both, but of late years has not attended. He held the office of recording secretary in the Odd Fellows. His uncle, Colonel Alexander McLean, was out in the Revolutionary War, being a colonel of frontier rangers. He also served in McIntosh's campaing of 1780. He was also one of the surveyors engaged with Mason and Dixon in running the division line between PA, VA, and MD, in 1766 and 1767, and in 1782 and 1783 he, in connection with Joseph Neville, carried out the southern boundary from where Mason and Dixon stopped at the Indian warpath.
From A History and Biographical Cyclopædia of Butler County Ohio, With Illustrations and Sketches of its Representative Men and Pioneers, Western Biographical Publishing Company, Cincinnati Ohio, 1882.