I have 1860 census in Belfast for Dorcas McLain b.1820 age 40 with children: Mary 10,Dorcas 9,John e 1855,Nancy c.,1855 and Margaret 3.In 1880 John,Nancy,and Margaret are with Margaret McLain b.1823 and Cavender grandchildren.Dorcas age 9 married Alfred Clark in 1869 I believe.Does anyone know who the mother Dorcas b.1820 was married to or her parents?

Hi,

I am related to Jessie McLain and Nancy Payton via daughter Levina McLain born Jan. 27, 1810 in TN and died in Marshall Co., TN Aug. 22, 1888. She had a sister named Dorcas Tennessee McLain. I had estimated her birth year as 1815 but she could have very well have been born in 1820. If this fits your family, I have more information on her parents.

Tom Street tomstreet@prodigy.net

Do you happen to know if Jessie and Nancy or Jessie and his second wife Flora had a son named James? If he did do you have any info on James?

Pam, in the Marshall Co. Historical Quarterly, Summer 1976, Vol.xvii No.ii, it has Dorcas b. 1806 never married. In the 1860 she is living with her sister-in-law Nancy. In the 1870 and 1880 cencus she is in the household of her sister Matilda and her husband James Neill. Dorcus's parents were Jesse and Nancy Peyton Mclain. Hope this helps. Although it doesn't seem to be your Dorcus.

I thought my Dorcas was dau. of Irwin McAdams and Dorcas McLean but it seems she married John Leonard.Also I am confused by the census records.1860 has Dorcas McLain as head of house with kids:Mary,Dorcas,John,Nancy and Margaret.1870 hasa Mary McLain b.1830 as head of house and then 1880 has Margaret C. McLain as mother with kids :John,Nancy and Margaret with Cavender grandchildren.I discovered dau. Nancy married and divorced Joseph Calvin Cavender.I wonder if the children belong to Margaret Caroline McAdams and Nathaniel McLean who married in 1848.The dau Dorcas b.1851 married Alfred Clark.Their dau.Maggie married James William Gragg and they in turn had my ggrandmother Bertha.

Found more info:Dorcus Mclain b.1792 in, Guilford, NC, d. Nov.17,1865 in, Marshall Co.,TN, buried Head Springs Cemetery, Belfast, TN. Married Mar. 18, 1809 in, Williamson, Tn.to Erwin Mcadams, b.Feb.16,1784 in, Orange,NC.
Dorcus was daughter of John Mclain,Jr. b 1754 in, Pliladelphia, PA and Dorcus McComb b. abt. 1756 in, Orange, NC
Children oe Erwin and Dorcus Mclain McAdams:
Joseph b.Aug.22,1810
John b.Oct 13,1812
Jesse b. Apr 26,1815
Dorcus b.May 1818 in, Lincoln Co. TN
Margaret b.Oct.1821
James b. Apr 1823
William b. Oct.22,1825
Erwin Calvin b.Jan.29,1828
Elizabeth b.Aug.10,1831
Samuel b.Dec.6,1833
I personally have not vertified any of this. I found it several years ago on GenCircles. Maybe it will give you an avenue to search. Looks like we may be cousins. John Mclain,Jr. is my gggggrandfather.[I think, sill trying to nail it down. Hope I was some help.

Thanks for the information.It seems we are working on the same family.There are so many with the same name it can get confusing.I had the same trouble with my Gragg family but I finally got them sorted out all the way back to Ireland.James Gragg and Maggie Clark are also at head springs.Maybe we will eventually get it straightened out!