Genealogy Hunt...: George W. McClellan

Earliest records found on George W. McClellan, is the Pope County, Illinois 1870 Census and his marriage certificate from Pope County, Illinois for that same year. He was listed as Geo W Mccleland born in Indiana. This census was taken on July 11, 1870, just a month before his marriage to Nancy Wilson Dill who lived two houses down from the Trovillion farm where he worked as a mill hand during that time. In the same 1870 Census, the Dill family record reveals Nancy’s household. She is just 16 and living with her father Jno Dill, head of household born in Tennessee abt 1810. Jno Dill has an unknown white female born in Tennessee living with him, her occupation is listed as “Keeps House”. This is more than likely Jno’s second wife second wife Eliza Waters as Nancy’s mother Mary Belle Jarrell Dill passed on June 12, 1863 and would not have been in the 1870 Census. Living in the same household are the following children: Samuel H. Dill born in Tennessee abt 1851 (age 19) and Mary Dill born in Illinois abt 1856 (age 14).

In the Pope, Columbus, Illinois 1880 Census, George W. McClellan is listed as G. W. McClellan born in Indiana, (age 32). George is an apprentice to blacksmith and living with his wife Nancy W. McClellan born in Illinois, (age 26) and their daughter Alta McClellan born in Illinois (age 2). The Census was taken on June 19, 1880.

Nancy Wilson (Dill) McClellan

George’s parents’ birth of place shows his father as being born in Indiana and his mother as being born in Kentucky. Nancy’s parent’s birth place is not provided on this 1880 Census.

Alta was born eight years into this marriage, which is quite unique, as research tends to prove that children were born in the first or second year of marriage during this era. It is believed that George and Nancy had other children before Alta McClellan’s birth that did not survive. (Later in the 1900 and 1910 Census, Nancy is listed as a widow of 10 children with only 3 living).

In the same 1880 Census, living next door to George and Nancy is Nancy’s step-mother, a widowed, Eliza Dill born abt 1819 (age 61). Eliza Dill is living with the Grisham family, possibly a daughter from a previous marriage.

George W. McClellan passed away on September 30, 1886, (age 38) from prolonged hiccups, causing heart failure. (This date has not been confirmed). In 1921, the building holding the entire United States 1890 Federal Census was destroyed by a fire and lost forever. The next available Census is the 1900 Census. The Johnson, Vienna, Illinois 1900 Census does show Nancy as a widowed carpet maker and head of house hold of two male teenage boys. George McClellan born in Illinois, January, 1882 (age 18) and James McClellan born in Illinois, August, 1884 (age 15). (James’ obituary states that he was born in Johnson County, Illinois). Being that James was less than two years old at the time of George’s passing and he was born in Johnson County, Illinois, it is assumed that George died there in Johnson County, Illinois. Alta McClellan would have been 23 years old during this Census. She was married and no longer living in the home. Nancy lived 48 years after the death of George. No records have been found to support that she re-married. Census records show her living with her adult sons George Elzie and James Henry McClellan during those years until she moved to Bloomington, Illinois a few years before her death on July 9, 1934. George's place of burial has not been discovered as of yet, however Nancy is buried at the Park Hill Cemetery in Bloomington, Illinois.

Children of George and Nancy:
Mary Alta McClellan (Hamlyn) 1877-1951
George Elzie McClellan 1882-1948
James Henry McClellan 1885-1961