Biography - John McLean
John J. McLEAN, Circuit Clerk and Recorder, Hillsboro, was born at Metuchin, Middlesex Co., N. J., April 4, 1849, and came to this State when fourteen years old, with his parents. He was the son of Martin and Mary (CARY) McLEAN. Martin was born in Ireland in November, 1819, and came to the United States in 1847, and located in New Jersey, remaining till 1862, and moved with his family to this county, where he still lives. He is a farmer, and owns 500 acres of as good land as is in the county. Mary CARY, his wife, was born in Ireland in 1812; was married there; came to the United States one year prior to her husband, and died July 9, 1879. Our subject is the oldest of a family of three; received his education partly in the East and partly in St. Louis, where he graduated from Bryant & Stratton's Commercial College. He also took a classical course at the Christian Brothers' College, St. Louis, but did not graduate. In Bois D'Arc Township, Montgomery County, Oct. 10, 1877, he married A. Amanda THOMAS, who was born there October 10, 1855, daughter of Samuel R. and Mary E. (DAYTON) THOMAS. He was born in Greene County, Ill., May 2, 1829; is still living; she born in 1831 at the same place; still living. Subject has two sons - William Ralph, born July 17, 1879, and Edgar M., born March 21, 1881. Mr. McLEON taught school for a year, and was afterward elected County Treasurer of Montgomery County, and served two years. He next engaged in real estate and abstract business from 1875 to 1880, when he was elected Circuit Clerk, an office he still holds. He owns a nice two-story brick residence in Hillsboro, besides about 480 acres of land in Montgomery County, and a valuable set of abstract books worth, probably, $10,000. He is also an inventor, having patented what is known as McLEAN's File Cabinet for court papers. This is an invention that promises to be very valuable to the patentee.
Extracted 19 Nov 2016 by Norma Hass from 1882 History of Bond and Montgomery Counties, Illinois, Part 2 Biographical Department, pages 110-111.
