"Swamp" James McCandless
Immigrant 1819
| Date | Location | Notes | Sources | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Birth | County Down, Ireland | |||
| Marriage | To Jane "Jennie" McCandless | |||
| Death | < 1850 |
Ancestry chart segment
Generation 5 Generation 6 Generation 7
+-- Unknown McCandless II
| (????-????)
+-- "Swamp" James McCandless --+
| (????-????) |
Mary Jane McCandless --+ +-- [unknown]
(1832-1882) | (????-????)
+-- Jane "Jennie" McCandless
(1810-1881)
Sources:
Children
(all children with Jane "Jennie" McCandless)
| Name | Gender | Date of Birth | Birthplace | Spouse | Notes | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joshua McCandless | M | Lucinda McCandless | ||||
| John A. McCandless | M | 23 Feb 1831 | Hannah Stoughton | |||
| Mary Jane McCandless | F | 10 Sep 1832 | John C. Stoughton | Direct line | ||
| Julia Ann McCandless | F | Albert Ralston |
Sources
| Ref. Num. | Description | Image of original |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | 1830 United States Federal Census, Center Twp, Butler Co, PA, page 15. Census is not dated. James McCandless family: 1 male 15-20,1 male 20-30, 1 male 50-60, 1 female 50-60. This fits with the 1820 census. |  |
| 3 | 1840 United States Federal Census for Butler Co. PA showing families headed by James McCandless. There are eight families, five of which have daughters in the 5-10 age range. The Muddy Creek and Centre Twp. families seem most likely based on location. Similarly, several possible James McCandless families are in the 1830 census. Based on the above location, the best fit would appear to be the Muddy Creek family on pg 3: 2 males <5, 1 male 10-15, 1 male 30-40, 1 female 5-10, 1 female 20-30. |      |
| 4 | 1850 United States Federal Census, Franklin Twp., Butler Co., PA, Page 254, lines 10-14 lists widow Jane McCandless, 40 (?), living with four children: son John McCandless, 19 (farmer); daughter Mary J. McCandless, 17; son Moses McCandless, 14; and son Joshua McCandless, 10. Everyone was born in PA. Moses attended school within the census year. This census is dated 16 Aug 1850. Since the last child was born in 1840, it is reasonable that Swamp James McCandless died in the early 1840's. The names of the children do not quite match theose found in the "McCandless and Related Families" volume cited below. Specifically, Moses is not in the book list and a Julia Ann is present. Thisa discrepancy can not be explained with current data. A family headed by James M. McCandless lives next door. |
 |
| 5 | McCandless and Related Families, Pioneers of Butler County Pennsylvania , 1977, self published by Joseph A. Ferree. Natrona Hgts. PA, p. 69 James McCandless, and p. 68 The Second Group of three Brothers (immigrants): "James McCandless, the second of the second group of three brothers, was born in county down, Ireland ..." lists 4 children. |
(complete text James McCandless, The McCandless and Related Families) |
| 6 | Pennsylvania Atlas & Gazetteer, 3rd Ed., DeLorme Mapping Company, Freeport MA, 1990, p. 57. Map includes portions of Butler County. One of the tributaries of Muddy Creek and present day Lake Arthur is Swamp Run. It flows through the northwest corner of Centre Twp. into Franklin Twp. (See The McCandless and Realted Families, p. 68, re. the "Swamp McCandlesses. | |
| 7 | Reproduction Map of Butler County Pennsylvania 1858, Violet M. Covert 2005, p.25 Centre Twp. Map shows the farms of various owners in 1858. In northwestern Centre Twp., along Swamp Run, are various McCandless farms including those listed as belonging to R. McCandless, Geo. McCandless, J. McCandless, McCandless, (and a variety of other McCandlesses). These likely indicate the farms of the three brothers Robert, George, and James McCandless (or James' son Joshua). | |
| 8 | Butler Co. Cemetery Inventory Vol. II, p.6 Mt. Zion Cemetery. Joshua J. McCandless b. 1859, d. 1918, "husband". Sarah Etta , "wife of Joshua J.", b. 1862, d. 1946. (Joshua J. McCandless is the son of John A. McCandless and Hannah Stoughton; grandson of "Swamp" James McCandless. Also a nephew of John C. Stoughton)
| |
| 9 | Personal correspondence from Elizabeth Wilson Williams. | N/A
|
Source notes
Conjecture
In Joseph Ferree's publication, "The McCandless & Related Families", the "second group of three brothers", who arrived in 1819, were said to be cousins of the first McCandless immigrants, who arrived in Butler County in 1794. It is possible they were one generation younger, and so not likely first cousins as we use the term today. They married children or grandchildren of the first group of immigrant McCandlesses. Swamp James McCandless married a granddaughter of Tailor Billy McCandless.
On the other hand, they may have been closer in age to the first group of immigrant McCandlesses, but arrived in America much later in life. Only one census record has been found for a James McCandless living in Butler Co. PA in 1820; there are also records for a George McCandless and a Robert McCandless. The difficulty between these census and our other information is that these households have several children by 1820. Robert's wife was born in Butler County, and their marriage had to occur after he arrived in 1819; their known children are born in the 1830's. If this census record is for our James McCandless, he arrived with a wife (age over 44 in 1820)and several children already. This would argue that Jane "Jennie" McCandless was a second wife, and that the names of the earlier children are lost.
A better explaination presents itself with the 1830 census, where there is a James McCandless aged 20-30, and wife aged 15-20. this James does not appear as a head of household in 1820 (his future wife was age 5-10 in 1829) and he likely lived with one of his brothers.
The James McCandless whose census we see in 1820 may in fact be James the son of William "Tailor Billy" McCandless, one of the first group of three brothers.
Research
| Ref. Num. | Description | Image of original |
|---|---|---|
| R1 | 1820 United States Federal Census, Center Twp, Butler Co, PA, page 6. Lists James McCandless family: 2 males <10, 1 male 10-15, 1 male 16-18, 1 male >44, 1 female 10-16, 1 female 26-44. This is the only Jame McCandless found for Butler Co. in this census. Robert and George, the two brothers reported to have immigrated with James are also in Center Twp. All three appear to have come to the area in their 40's or older.
|
 |
| R2 | *Four additional James McCandless households found in Butler County, 1840; none match data known for the James McCandless of this page. |
|
