Kelley

George Edward McLean was born 10 Sep 1867, in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, Kings County, New York,¹ the fourth known child of Peter Byron McLean (1832-1895) and Susan Winn Frith (1839-1915). His Brooklyn birth certificate states he was born at home, 428 Grand Street, Brooklyn, and provides both his parents full names as shown below.

On 12 Jul 1893, twenty-six-year-old George married his eighteen-year-old, first cousin Henrietta “Nettie” Ella Frith (1875-1963) in Brooklyn.² Nettie was the daughter of George Richard Frith and Henrietta Brimlow. Her cousin Cordelia Edith (Frith) and husband Norman Roscoe were the witnesses.

For some reason, George and Nettie kept the marriage secret from his family for almost two months. When the marriage did come to light, it made the 18 Sep 1893 edition of the New York Times.³

Became Jealous and Claimed Her Husband. ROSLYN, L.I., Sept. 17. – George E. McLean of this village married his cousin, Miss Nettie Frith of Brooklyn, July 12. The ceremony was performed in Brooklyn by the Rev. A. J. Wright. The couple kept the marriage a secret, and there is no telling when it would have leaked out had not McLean caused his bride to become jealous of his attentions to other girls. She yesterday told her husband’s parents of the marriage. The announcement caused considerable surprise.The bride’s father is a brother of Mrs. McLean senior, and is well known in the Eastern District of Brooklyn, where he lives. The young people have been forgiven.

My cousins and I have spent a great deal of time wondering what it is about this thin, long-necked, big-eared man that was so captivating.

George was a painter and general contractor by trade. There are several notices in the newspapers of his receiving contracts for painting and building in the Roslyn area. The family can be found there on the 1900 and 1910 Federal Censuses.^4,5 However, I have not been able to locate them on 1905 New York State Census yet.

He died 25 Mar 1915 at the age of 47 and was buried in the Roslyn Cemetery.⁶ He died of chronic parenchymatous nepritis – bad kidneys. His widow Nettie is the one who changed the spelling on this line to MacLean after his death.

I will discuss Nettie and their children in more detail in a separate post. Their known children were:

1. Stillborn Boy McLean, 19 May 1894, buried in Roslyn Cemetery.
2. Susan Wynn McLean, born 20 Mar 1897, No. Hempstead, Queens, New York, died 15 Sep 1993, Campbell, Santa Clara, California. Married 1st about 1916 – John T. Kelley (18 Jul 1888-29 Oct 1918). Children: Nettie E. Kelley and John Stewart Kelley. Married 2nd about 1922 – Edmund Griffin (6 May 1894-7 Apr 1977). Children: Edmund Griffin Jr. and Benjamin Payne Griffin.
3. Margaret Frith McLean – previously discussed.
4. Ada Mae McLean, born 25 Aug 1901, No. Hempstead, Nassau, New York, died 30 Dec 1982, Long Branch, Monmouth, New Jersey. Married 1st about 1919 – John (Jack) Stillwell (10 Aug 1897-aft 1951), children: Dawn Stillwell and John Wesley Stillwell. Married 2nd – Henry Sykulski (10 Feb 1913-Dec 1982). They had no children.
5. Edward Frith MacLean, born 29 Aug 1906, No. Hempstead, Nassau, New York, died 29 Feb 1988, Mineola, Nassau, New York, buried All Saints Cemetery, Great Neck, Nassau, New York. Married Dorothy Coleman 26 Apr 1947 in Roslyn, Nassau, New York. Children: Laurie E. MacLean and Leslie MacLean.
6. Welling Seeley MacLean, born 1908 in No. Hempstead, Nassau, New York, died 25 Oct 1964, Caldwell, Essex, New Jersey, buried Roslyn Cemetery. Married Mabel Ramee 2 Sep 1935 in Garden City, Nassau, New York. Children: Nancy Ruth MacLean (16 Jun 1939-23 Jul 1945). Family sources have stated there was a stillborn child early in the marriage and that Nancy was adopted.

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1. Kings, New York, (FHL microfilm, Salt Lake City, UT), birth certificate no. 3453 (10 Sep 1867), George Edward McLean; FHL microfilm 1,324,344. Cit. Date: 2 Aug 2010.
2. Marriage Record, Certificate of Marriage Brooklyn #3969, 12 Sep 1893, George Edward McLean and Nettie Ella Frith, witnesses: Norman and Cordelia Edith Roscoe. FHL Film #1,523,044. Cit. Date: 26 Apr 2014.
3. “Became Jealous and Claimed Her Husband,” The New York Times, 18 Sep 1893, online archives (http://nytimes.com : accessed 20 Dec 2008), p. 5. Cit. Date: 21 Dec 2008.
4. 1900 U.S. census, population schedule, No. Hempstead, Nassau, New York, enumeration district (ED) 711, p. 4B, dwelling 77, family 82, McLean, George E.; digital images, Ancestry (accessed 11 May 2014); citing National Archives and Records Administration microfilm T623, roll 1079. Cit. Date: 11 May 2014.
5. 1910 U.S. census, population schedule, No. Hempstead, Nassau, New York, enumeration district (ED) 1123, p. 2A, dwelling 22, family 22, Mclean, George E.; digital images, Ancestry (accessed 12 May 2014); citing National Archives and Records Administration microfilm T624, roll T624 995. Cit. Date: 12 May 2014.
6. Roslyn Cemetery (Letter from Dominick Tarantino, Manager, Roslyn Cemetery, Roslyn, NY dated 24 Mar 2008. List of people in McLean plot #61, Section Old Chart, with Name, Date of Internment and Age (if known)), George E. McLean, Age 47 years 6 mo 15 days. Cit. Date: 10 Apr 2008.