McLaughlin Family

Probably the first thing to say about the McLaughlin family is that the spelling of the name isn’t Gaelic, it’s English. The Gaelic spelling is MacLóchláinn. The surname is a mix of concepts, and thought to derive from old Norse. The Mac means son of in the higher form of Brennan marriage (Irish law). The Lóchláinn means land of the lakes, which in Norse is the home of the Norse gods.

Under the English system of heraldry, the family crest would only be associated with a family if their line could be traced back to a clan chief. However, under Irish heraldry the symbol represents the clan as a whole, and thereby applies to all members in it.

The clan motto is interesting, translated it means “Remember your Promises.” The Irish (or Gaelic) spelling is: “Cuimnig do geallamnaca”.

My second great grandfather changed the English spelling from McLoughlin to McLaughlin because the former was associated with the poorer Irish in western Ireland. The McLaughlin spelling was associated with the more affluent and educated Dublin, Ireland, and Ulster province. At least, these were the sentiments of popular belief during the 19th century in America. MacLysaght uses the McLoughlin variant as the correct one to represent the MacLóchláinn families of Ulster province.

Our McLoughlin family comes from Belmullet, County Mayo, Ireland. The records show that Anthony McLaughlin and Mary Anna Howard had three boys before leaving the Belmullet parish. They were: Patrick John (24 Jan 1847), John Michael (24 Jun 1849), Michael Joseph (15 Jul 1850), Anthony John (12 Sep 1853), Daniel (Jul 1856), Mary [twin] (Jan 1859), and James [twin] (Jan 1859). Most of this would have been lost to family history but for my grandmother Mary Margaret Atckison. She told me the stories, and their names over and over. She had me repeat them back to her each time. They stuck more or less until I found them in the microfilm. The family originally immigrated through Pennsylvania and not as one group but separately. They lived in Luzerne and Schuylkill counties before migrating to Galion, Ohio. From there there the family spread to Cleveland and Bellefontaine, Ohio and beyond.

In 1984, my father, aunt Marg (Margaret Therese McLaughlin), and I went to Ireland as a group because the local priest had denied me access to the records earlier that year. I had been there during the spring visiting family. The family are descendants of Patrick who stayed in Ireland.

The refusal of the priest to let me see the records got my father’s Irish up, as the saying goes. Before we left on the trip, we secured letters requesting that the priest grant us access to the records. One came from the Roger Cardinal Manning of the Los Angeles Archdiocese and the other from the Bishop of the Oakland Diocese. (Both of whom where friends of our family.) We even stopped on the way at the local diocese to receive an endorsement from the Bishop of the Tuam, Killala, and Achonry Diocese.

After calling on some distant cousins of the family, we checked into the local hotel because my dad didn’t want to impose on them as a group. Their house was to small to accommodate all of us at once. We went to see the priest at the Rectory. After my father explained our purpose and showed him the letters, he told my father, “No, and a letter from my Bishop, any number of Cardinals, and the Pope himself wouldn’t change my mind.” That put my father in a right foul mood.

He didn’t want to ruin the visit, and told me to drive to the butcher and buy a large roast, potatoes, carrots, and such. Then, we drove the 10 kilometers outside of Belmullet to my cousin’s place. They lived at the end of the peninsula known as Fox Point. My cousins where Gerald and Mary McLoughlin.

We got there about noon, and Mary made dinner with the roast. She also made white turnips like my grandmother would make. After dinner, I shuttled everyone to Belmullet in groups to the pub. The rental car was too small for everyone at once. There at the pub, my other cousins, the McAndrews met us for a bit of socializing.

Naturally, my father rehashed the Priest’s refusal to everyone. Maureen McAndrews said she couldn’t believe it. She said that she was “… Father’s secretary, and that we should go back together tomorrow morning.” We did go back with Maureen leading the way. When the priest opened the door and saw Maureen, he was surprised. She asked him why he’d said no to our request. He asked why she cared. She said these are my cousins, come from America for a visit. He said, “I thought they were like that loud woman from Utah. The one that came last summer, the Mormon.”

At this point, I’d given up hope but my father said, “Father, I’m no Mormon. I’d like to see the records of my grandparents if you wouldn’t mind.” The priest said, “Since you’re Maureen’s cousins, I’ll let you see the records but you must promise you’re not here to lay claim to any property.” He told the priest that we weren’t here to take the land of others, which satisfied the priest. Then, my father asked if his son could see the records and document them. The priest explained all the internal notations and details about the registry and how it had been kept from 1836 to 1880.

I should note that while my father wasn’t Mormon (a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints), I was a member of the Church. After collecting the information, the priest asked how I was finding records in America. I explained that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) maintained a history library with microfilms. He asked if that Mormon woman from last summer wouldn’t bother him if the records where made available through that library. When I explained that that was most likely true, I also suggested that the Church would probably film them too.

He explained to me that they had already done that during the 1950s and again in the 1970s. He said, the agreement prevented disclosure of their existence unless the parish priest signed a release. (I’ve never heard of a such an agreement outside of what he said that day.) He produced the release form from a desk drawer and said he’d sign and mail it. He apparently did that and that film (FHL BRITISH Film 1279205, Items 13 – 15) is now available at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, or by loan at any Stake Family History Library.

The family lore leads me to believe that William McLaughlin (Anthony’s older brother or uncle) was the first one of the family to come to Ohio. He settled in Mansfield, Ohio. He formed a squadron of cavalry at the outset of the civil war, which began known as McLaughlin’s Independent Squadron Cavalry. William rose to the rank of Brigadier General and died during the civil war.

My father said that his grandfather kept a civil war saber in the attic of his Cleveland, Ohio home. He also said that he believed a family member had worn it. My dad also said it disappeared when the home on Waverly Court in Cleveland, Ohio was sold. Whether the saber belonged to William or not is unknown, as is any relationship between him and my second great grandfather. They’re unknown because there aren’t any civil or parish records to establish a connection. There aren’t any available records for that period in Ohio or Ireland.

It is very likely that the McLaughlin families that settled in Richland and Crawford counties are related. There is however no family bible to tie everyone together, or at least I’ve never had access to one. My father believed that there was a family bible, but after all these years one has not surfaced.

There are no public or private records that go beyond that parish registry that I’ve been able to find in Ireland. However, I suspect that privately held estate records for the Barony of Ennis may hold something. I continue checking for new records, just in case they become available during my lifetime.

The earliest US Federal Census Record (excerpt below) that I’ve found has the spelling McGlaughlin, which is how I was taught to pronounce it. It shows Anthony McLoughlin, his wife Mary, and son Anthony John. The ages have problems when reconciled against gravestones, and the Belmullet, Co. Mayo, Ireland parish registry. Anthony John was born in September 1853, and his age is the closest on the census record (only a year or two off). Mary’s oldest child was born 1847, which makes her age and her husband’s age suspicious. It’s likely that they dropped a few years to gain entrance to the United States. A speculation of 10 years would place Anthony at 28 years of age and Mary at 23 years of age when their first child was born.

The Saint Joseph Catholic Church records state their birth dates as 1810, which is what’s on their gravestones. So, we can conclude they were probably born between 1810 and 1818.

Beyond recounting how the records were gathered, the purpose of this page is to list other pages that contain research notes, inclusive of screen shots or scanned film images. These other pages can also be found in the right column of this page.

McLoughlin, Anthony

Anthony McLaughlin was born in 1829 (according to the US Census, 1880 while his gravestone says he was born in 1810) in western Ireland. He married Mary Anna Howard who was born in 1833, and they had three sons. Their first son was born in 1847, which calls into question the accuracy of ages reported in the 1880 US Federal Census and tombstone. He moved from Ireland to the United States in 1860 or 1863 according to the 1900 US Federal Census but no official passenger list has been found. It’s more likely he immigrated in the 1870s.

McLoughlin, Anthony John

Anthony John McLoughlin was born in 1853 in Belmullet, Kilcommon, Mayo, Ireland to Anthony McLoughlin and Mary Anna Howard. He was the first police chief of Galion, Ohio.

McLaughlin, Ursula

Ursula McLoughlin was born 29 Dec 1893 in Galion, Ohio to Anthony John McLaughlin and Mary Elizabeth McAndrews. She had five children with Cornelius McLaughlin, and died in Los Angeles, California.

McLaughlin, Veronica

Veronica McLaughlin was born 20 Oct 1901 in Galion, Ohio to Anthony John McLaughlin and Mary Elizabeth McAndrews. She married Joseph Kennedy, she had no children, and died in Cleveland, Ohio.

This page will change over time as content is added to it. All the others are now documented on ancestry.com and familysearch.org in public trees.