7th generation

John Thomas McClure

1887-1968

Mabel Mae Delph

1895-1975

John Thomas McClure (always called John T.) was born 15 Jun 1887 in Mt.  Zion, Grant County, Kentucky, the third child of Stephen A. Douglas McClure and Henreatta Sturgeon (see 6^th generation McClure). 

Mabel Mae Delph was born 17 Mar 1895 in Grant County, Kentucky, the 7^th of 8 children of Lucian Stephen Delph and Martha  Carolina  Blackburn.   An interesting story about Mabel, told by her daughter Martha, is that she was originally named Marybelle,  but one day in her early teens she took a horse and buggy and went all the way to Frankfort to change her name to Mabel Mae.  As proof, the 1900 census record shows her as Mary, and the 1910 census shows her as Mabel, age 14.

Photo - Courtesy of P. Spillman

Mabel & John T. McClure

John T. and Mabel were married 24 May 1911 in Warsaw, Gallatin Co., Kentucky, and they had 11 children:

i.                   Edward J. (Jay) McClure 28 Apr 1912-2 Aug 1985 (never married; World War II veteran)

ii.                 Elsie Hazel McClure 30 May 1913- 9 Oct 1991 (never married)

iii.              Euel Samuel McClure 15 Sep 1914-28 Sep 1984 m. Freda Lawrence , 7 children

iv.              Bertha Pearl McClure 25 Nov 1917-2 Apr 1971 m. Jones, 1 son; m. James Elwood Caldwell (1911-1984)

v.                 Harold Felson McClure 1 Mar 1920-9 Nov 1976, m. LIVING, 3 children (World War II veteran)

vi.              LIVING m. Walter Layle Orcutt (1916-1958, World War II veteran), 2 children; m. (2) James Vincent Flynn (1917-1996,  World War II veteran)

vii.            LIVING m. Melvin Brickler (1910-1971, World War II veteran)

viii.         Zelma May McClure 5 May 1927-24 Aug 1995, m. Clarence Jones

ix.              LIVING m. Harold W. Bailey (1925-2001)

x.                 LIVING m. LIVING

xi.              LIVING m. LIVING

John  T. and Mabel celebrated their 50^th wedding anniversary in 1961:

newspaper clipping - courtesy of J. Pettit

John T. and Mabel Delph McClure 50th Anniversay 1961 

John T. McClure died 17 May 1968 in Grant County Hospital after a long illness.  Surviving were his wife Mabel, eight daughters and three sons, and his sister Maude McClure Cook.

Mabel Delph McClure died 28 December 1975 in Kenton County, though her residence was the Grant County farm where she had lived all her married life.

Photo - Courtesy of P. Spillman

Standing: Harold with son Jerry;  Harold’s wife; John  T., Clarence Jones, Mabel, Elwood Caldwell, Bertha, Hazel, Claretta; seated: Lora Jean, Mel Brickler & son  Gary, Zelma, Patsy, Harold Bailey, Naomi with baby Tom, Layle

More on Harold Felson McClure (contributed by his daughter)

Photo - Courtesy of his daughter

Harold Felson McClure, World War II

Photo - Courtesy of his daughter

Harold  F. McClure, wife and children

Dad was nicknamed Fisher.  During World War II he was the star pitcher for the U.S. Army team.  He was such a good baseball pitcher that he was supposed to try out for the St. Louis Cardinals when he got back from the war. Dad contracted malaria in Africa. He was at the Battle of Anzio. He did not make the tryout but continued to play small league ball for several different teams around Glencoe, Sparta, Warsaw, and Carrollton. We spent Sunday afternoons watching dad play after we ate a picnic lunch prepared by mom.  Dad and his army buddies gambled, dice, I think. He sent his money home to take care of his sisters and to save to buy some land. Of course he bought the Barnent Franks farm that adjoined his parents after the war. He helped grandpa farm and stayed close to family throughout his life. He went down the hill and up to grandma's every morning to have coffee with them. He continued this after grandpa's death. He was a great family man. While going through some outbuildings at mom's we found his old Army uniform, it had an army tank embroidered on it. When we tried to clean it, it went to shreds. We found another ball uniform supplied by Marshall Harris Tobacco Company. It was in better shape. We even found an old bottle of "Snake Oil" that dad used to rub on his pitching arm. When I opened it, the smell brought  back a lot of wonderful memories.

Dad was an avid hunter and fisherman. He hunted minks and other critters, dried their skins and sold them. This helped put shoes on our feet. We ate lots of game, rabbit, squirrel and quail at many meals if we didn't have fish. Mom would take dad and the hunting dog, Old Bill, in the car and drop him off. He would walk all the way back home with his game. My brother has one of the boards for drying the hides.

(Note:   Mabel’s mother Martha Blackburn was the sister of  Lucetta Blackburn; Mabel’s father Lucian Delph’s mother was Mary Jane Collins, sister of Fountain Collins whose son Albert Collins married Lucetta Blackburn.  Albert and Lucetta were the grandparents of Callie Beach McClure)

Sources of  information:

Kentucky Birth Index

Kentucky Death Index

J. Pettit

P. Spillman

Grant County census records 1900, 1910, 1930