Thomas Clegg
5th great grandfather
Samuel McKinney Clegg - 1774
John Clegg-1800
Margaret Clegg-1837
John Waggonfield Brown-1860
Ira Edward Brown-1894
Elisha Kane Brown-1921
Kathleen Elizabeth Brown Hill-1947Thomas Clegg and his wife, Mary, came to Pennsylvania from County Down, Ireland in 1792 with their sons James (b. 1771), Samuel, Richard, and Thomas. Alexander had died in County Down before they left. Their only known daughter, Keziah, died on the sea voyage to America; she was 8 years old. Their oldest living son, James, married Nancy Agnes Biggs in Pennsylvania after they arrived in their new homeland. They moved on to Ohio County, Virginia; Monongalia County, Virginia; Guernsey County, Ohio; and then on to Monroe County, Oh; and Scott County, Indiana.
Somewhere I read that Thomas had two brothers, Matthew and Alexander. These names are used repeatedly throughout the generations but I have no proof that this is the case.
In the information on the Clegg surname it said that most Cleggs originate from Rochdale, Lancashire, England but that many Cleggs were either expelled or chose to leave England for Ireland when England was ravaged by plagues during the 15th-18th centuries. Also followers of Cromwell, Puritanism and the Roman Catholic church all rejected others who didn’t believe as they did as non-believers and caused people to seek asylum elsewhere. Members of the Clegg family sailed on three masted ships known as the “White Sails” crossed the Atlantic and were so overcrowded and plagued with pestilence that many passengers never reached their destinations. The names of the three ships were the Hector, the Dove and the Rambler. It is said that many Cleggs settled in Armagh which is right next to County Down. It is possible that our Cleggs settled there, too, and just took off from County Down on their voyage to America.
I have always felt a close connection to Ireland. I loved the land, the people, the scenery and ocean while I was there. I love Celtic music more than any other music. It never occurred to me until just now how deep my Irish roots are with my Clegg ancestry.
Another Rendition of the Clegg History Saga:
Thomas Clegg Sr. and his wife, Mary, came to this country from County Down, Ireland in 1792. They sailed from Belfast with one daughter, Keziah, and four sons, James, Samuel, Richard and Thomas, Jr. Their oldest son, Alexander, stayed in Ireland, never married and probably did not see his family again. Their daughter, Keziah, died at sea.
Two of Thomas' brothers, Matthew and Alexander, also came on this ship which sailed from Rochdale, England to Belfast, Ireland to Philadelphia, PA. They worked their way across Pennsylvania into what was then Ohio County, Virginia. This area then became Lancaster, PA and today is part of Marshall County, West Virginia. The family soon migrated to other states, including Ohio, Indiana, and Tennessee.
The surname Clegg is predominantly found in Yorkshire, Rochdale, Oldham and Halifax, England. In John Speed's 17th century map of Lancashire, there is an area named Clegge. This name could possibly come from kleggi, the old Norse name for haystack. It also could come from the Cornish dough or rock. But most likely it came from the English word clegg, meaning “break in the hills” such as a saddle or pass.
Clegg Hall in Rochdale was originally built by Bernulf de Clegg and his wife, Quenilda, as early as the reign of King Stephen. This original hall supposedly was destroyed by a wicked uncle, sometime during the 13th or 14th centuries, who tried destroying all lawful heirs of the estate by throwing them over the balcony into the moat. Eventually Clegg Hall was re-built by Theophilus Ashton of Rochdale in 1620 and is still standing today.
During the 15th-18th centuries England was plagued by religious controversy. Puritanism, Cromwellianism and Roman Catholics all rejected non-believers, each promoting their own cause.
Impositions, tithes and demands on rich and poor alike took their toll and many families were encouraged to leave or banished to Ireland or the American colonies. Those families who were forced to Ireland were known as "adventurers for land in Ireland." Protestant settlers “undertook” to keep their faith, being granted lands previously owned by the Catholic Irish. They were thus known as “Undertakers.” In Ireland the Clegg family mostly settled in Ulster, although some migrated southward into the Dublin area.
Members of the Clegg family sailed aboard the huge armada of masted ships known as the “White Sails” which plied the stormy Atlantic. These overcrowded ships, such as the hector, the Dove and the rambler, were pestilence ridden. Often the passengers never reached their destination, their numbers reduced 30-40% by dysentery, cholera, smallpox and typhoid.