William married Sarah BURNETT on 1 Apr 1858 in Ahoghill,Antrim, Ireland. Sarah was born in 1838; died on 7 Apr 1920 in Ahoghill,Antrim, Ireland. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

1. Mary Jane Dixon CHESNEY was born on 1 Oct 1861 in Kilcurry Bridge, Carlow, Ireland; died on 7 Nov 1936 in Shamokin, Northumberland, Pennsylvania, USA.

Notes:

The grave at Ahoghill First Presbyterian Church, of John Chesney is recorded at https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=Chesney&GSbyrel=all&GSdyrel=all&GScntry=306&GSob=n&GRid=93467729&df=all&. The inscription reads:
"Erected to the memory of John Chesney of Kilcurry who died 25 September 1875 aged 84 years.
Also his son George who died 11 June 1874 aged 33 years.
Hannah wife of the above John Chesney died 8 Feb. 1881 aged 84 years.
James McClure Chesney died 25 Feb. 1915 aged 92 years.
Hannah wife of James McClure Chesney died 14 May 1904 aged 74 years.
Till He come."

John was said to be a farmer and linen manufacturer.

John married Hannah MCCLURE on 18 Apr 1820 in Antrim, Ireland. Hannah (daughter of James MCCLURE and Catherine MCCLURE) was born about 1798 in Antrim, Ireland; died on 8 Feb 1881 in Antrim, Ireland. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Find-a-grave [https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=Chesney&GSbyrel=all&GSdyrel=all&GScntry=306&GSob=n&GRid=93467729&df=all&] for Ahoghill First Presbyterian Church graveyard has the grave of Hannah McClure and of her husband John Chesney, plus some of their children. Hannah "lived and died in Kilcurry" and was "the mother of 12 children." The grave information was contributed by Yvonne Mitchel.

Notes:

Known in Canada as "Lower James McClure". His property was immediately below that of his kinsman "Upper James McClure". In the Find-a-Grave record of his daughter Hannah, James was said to have died in 1849.

James married Catherine MCCLURE. Catherine died in UNKNOWN. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

The existence of a John McClure as father of Thomas McClure comes from "The Clan McClure: HIstorical Highlights", by J. Brian Gilchrist, 2009. It is based on the existence of John's will, written in 1811 and probated in 1819 [No. 1821 in PRONI T2501 Connor Diocese Will and Grant Book 1818-1820], which names his sons Thomas, Andrew, Abraham and James, and his wife (whose name is not given in the will). Thomas, Andrew and Abraham were to share John's farm, with John's wife holding Thomas's portion until her death. The will notes that John was late of Castletown in the Parish of Ahoghill in County Antrim. Castletown was the old name for the present townland of Casheltown, which is in the parish of Ahoghill. John's children's data comes from the Gilchrist book.

There is a deed in the Registry of Deeds in Dublin [#380574], dated 1804 between a James Robson and his wife Elizabeth (nee McClure), John McClure and his wife Mary (nee Robson), a second John McClure and a John Dempsey. It concerned a 32-acre plot of land and buildings possesed at the time by Robson, situated in Taylorstown, a townland in the Parish of Grange of Ballyscullion (which is a western neighbour of the Parish of Ahoghill). The deed stated that when James Robson had married Elizabeth McClure 20 or more years previously, no provision of land was made for Elizabeth. Since there was apparently some relationship between Elizabeth McClure and the second John McClure, James Robson was leasing his land to that John McClure and John Dempsey, with the profits and rents going back to James Robson, and after his death, to his wife Elizabeth, then to the first John McClure and his wife Mary, and finally to their sons (the oldest of which was named as James) and daughters. The deed stated that the land was actually owned by the Earl of Masarene. The second named John McClure was said to reside in Largy, which is a townland in the Parish of Kilead.

In the Clough Presbyterian graveyard, in Ballymena, is the following gravestone of another John McClure:
"Erected to the memory of John McClure later of Drumnaglee who departed this life the 15th of March 1818 aged 58 years. Also his brother Thomas McClure who departed this life the 15th of February 1821 aged 57 years." The will for this John McClure is No. 1641 in the above PRONI reference. It names his last residence as Drumnaglee townland, Grange of Dundermot parish in County Antrim. The will names John's brothers William and Thomas and his nephew Thomas.

There were many McClure families in various parts of County Antrim, especially in the area of Ballymena and Ahoghill. A lease, dated 8 Nov., 1737, held in the Public Records Office of Northern Ireland [D929/HA12/F2/3/4] is indicative. It is a lease for 86 years, which started in 1723, for a 42-acre piece of land and buildings called Brigadee and Tinklars Island in the Manor of Kinhiltstown, alias Ballymena, from its owner, Sir Robert Adair, to William McClure, merchant. It was bounded by farms held by James Moore, Robert Smith, Mathew Herbson and John Kers. In contrast to many other leases of the time, no lives, or names of other family members were mentioned. Record D929 in PRONI, "Rental of the Ballymena Estate (property of Wm. Adair Esq.) for the year 1810", includes a tenant named John McClure, occupying land in Craigywarren. The 1864 Valuation record for Craigywarren lists an Alexander and a James McClure renting land from the Adair family.

The 1766 religious census of Ahoghill Parish, Diocese of Connor, County Antrim [at www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~casoccgs/Ahoghill.htm] lists 1055 'dissenters" (in this case Presbyterians), including eight McClures: a W. McClure, a William McClure, two Thomas McClures, James, John and Arthur McClure, and an Elizabeth McClure.

John married UNKNOWN. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]