William McLaughlin Sr. (1793-1853) was born in Ireland and lived on the western shore of the peninsula of Inishowen on the east shore of Lough Swilly (pronounced Sooley) in the hamlet of Linsfort Glebe in the Parish of Desertegny in County Donegal, 14 miles from the city of Londonderry. He and his wife, Molly Quigley (1796-1856), had seven sons and four daughters, several of whom emigrated to the United States.

Their children are listed below. The first nine appear in the birth order provided by the Bible of Rose Ann McLaughlin, who married John Major. Rose was a granddaughter of William and Molly McLaughlin. Her Bible names just nine of her grandparents' children, making no mention of George or Daniel McLaughlin, who are on our list because their names appear in This History of the McLaughlin Family, written in 1979 by the late Edward F. McLaughlin, Justice of the New York State Supreme Court, who also was descended from William and Molly McLaughlin. That book is the source of most of the material that appears in our McLaughlin family tree.

Branches of this family tree appear on other pages. Overall, there is a lot of missing information. If you have some of it, please let us know. Contact us at JMajor9863@aol.com.

For an interesting look at the history of the McLaughlins of Inishowen, take a look at
www.maclochlainn.org

James "40 Acres"
McLaughlin
1821-1911

James McLaughlin (1821-1911) and his wife, Ann McKinney (1822-1888), were the first members of the family to leave Ireland for the United States, emigrating in 1848 after the deaths of their three young children, starvation victims during the potato famine.

James and Ann McLaughlin settled in Skaneateles, NY. He bought 40 acres in Skaneateles, started the teasel business, and picked up a new nickname. (See Descendants of James McLaughlin.)

Cornelius (Neal)
McLaughlin
18??-1911

Ellen McLaughlin m. Timothy Donohue, lived in Schenectady. [I've also seen her name printed as Mary Ellen McLaughlin, but Rose McLaughlin Major's Bible listed her as Ellen. Also, John McLaughlin named one of his children Ellen, after his twin sister.]

In one of several name coincidences that have popped up in my family tree readings, I noted that Margaret Major, a daughter of Charles J. Major, married Timothy E. Donohue in Skaneateles Falls, NY, on Aug. 24, 1898. So it was reported in the Skaneateles Press.

John and Ellen McLaughlin (above) were twins. The 1880 US census lists John McLaughlin as a blacksmith born in Ireland. Notes in a Bible belonging to Rose McLaughlin Major say John McLaughlin arrived in New York from Ireland on Dec. 7, 1851 aboard a ship called Vanguard. He settled in Skaneateles, but moved to Louisville, Kentucky, in 1858, returning to Skaneateles in May, 1868.

John McLaughlin's first wife, Mary McGrorry, died in 1864 at the age of 30. She is buried in Louisville. Also buried there is their son Willie McLaughlin, who was born Dec. 12, 1858 and survived only 11 days.

John McLaughlin's second wife was Mary Casey (1842-1907). They are buried in St. Mary's Cemetery in Skaneateles, NY. (See Descendants of John McLaughlin.)

William McLaughlin Jr.
1836-1909

Catherine (Kate)
McLaughlin
1840-1891