Nelson Holder Ritchie

Jenny McLean and Joe McLean parents of Sarah McNeill

In the last month Deena Hill and Desi Campbell ,cousins,found the parents of Sarah McNeill.
In the 1880 Census of Harnett County North Carolina Sarah list her father as born in North Carolina and her mother as born in Virginia.

A Jenny McLean (she was a McLean because Archibald McLean owned her) was found on a 1880 Upper Little River Harnett County North Carolina Census. Jenny is living with her son George and list her birth place as Virginia and her parents birth as Africa. This is a VERY exciting find, you will not see too many people that have proof of coming from Africa in their family tree.

We know this is Sarah's mother because we match DNA from people who descend from George McLean, so if Jenny is George's Mother then that means Jenny is Sarah's Mother and Sarah said her Mother was born in Virginia.

Jenny is living with her son Jim McLean in Barbecue, Harnett,North Carolina which is right next door to Upper Little River where she lived with son George. The age of Jenny in this census is WAY off but that is not unusual with former slaves. The reason being that no records were kept on slave births,death or marriages so as far as age goes it was usually a guess by who ever the census taker was asking.

Slaves waiting to be sold in Virginia

Slaves being sold in Virginia

26 Aug 1820 Will of Archibald McLean listing Jenny and her husband Old Joe and son Young George

up close 1820 Will of Archibald McLean

1838 Deed of Hugh M Clark selling Jenny to Archibald McLean Jr.- Archibald McLean owned Jenny then must have sold her to Hugh M Clark and then Hugh sold her back to the McLean family, to Archibald's son, Archibald Mclean Jr.