Biography of James Y. W. McClellan, pages 432/433/434. History of DeKalb County, Indiana; B. F. Bowen & Company, Inc., Indianapolis, 1914. Among the citizens of Auburn, DeKalb county, who, through their own persistent and well directed efforts, have achieved a gratifying measure of success in their vocation, is the gentleman whose name appears at the head of this sketch. With little outside assistance, he has steadily forged to the front, overcoming obstacles and unfavorable circumstances, until today he is numbered among the successful men of his community. James Y. W. McClellan, a well know citizen of Auburn, was born two and one-half miles south of this city on November 12, 1855, and is the son of James McClellan, Jr., and Mary Jane (Summers) McClellan. James McClellan, Jr., was born on October 23, 1826, in Wayne county, Ohio, and was the son of James, Sr. and Elizabeth (Knapp) McClellan, the former having been born on November 10, 1793, at McKeesport, Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania. He was a son of John McClellan, who, it is believed, came from Ireland. It is said the McClellan family was of Scotch ancestry and is descended from a Scotch chieftain named Clell, who reigned over highland territory in Scotland. Tradition has it that Clell lived there many centuries ago and his domain was called Clell’s land, shortened from Clelland. “Mc” means “son of .” The families in the United States bearing the names of MacLellan, McLellon, McClellan and McClelland doubtless sprang from this original stock from the southwestern part of Scotland. During the religious wars of 1640 many families of the name moved from Scotland to Ireland, later coming from Ireland to America shortly before the American Revolutionary war, settling in Nova Scotia, Canada and the New England states, New York, Pennsylvania, North and South Carolina. They were usually Presbyterians in their religious belief. James McClellan, Sr., had two sisters and four brothers, of whom Robert was a captain in the war of 1812, another brother, Joseph, being a private in the same war. The other brothers were William and John. These brothers were all Presbyterians in their religious belief. About 1812 James McClellan, Sr., settled in Wayne county, Ohio, where he remained until 1860, when he came west, settling in Huntington county, Indiana, and in 1866 came to DeKalb county. On June 1, 1815, he married Elizabeth Knapp, who was born June 28, 1797, and died on November 28, 1846, being buried in Wayne County, Ohio. James McClellan, Sr., died May 17, 1875, and is buried in Auburn. James McClellan, Jr., was reared on the paternal homestead in Ohio, and on May 11, 1854, married Mary J. Summers, daughter of John and Elizabeth (Smith) Summers, who came from Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, to DeKalb county in 1847 and settled one mile east of Auburn, where they entered land and cleared a farm and remained all their lives. James Y. W. McClellan was reared on the home farm and received his educational training first in the public schools of Auburn, graduating from the high school in 1879. He then entered the literary department of the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, but, after two years’ study there, his health failed and he was compelled to return home. The next twenty years of his life were spent in operation of the home farm, in which he was eminently successful, both financially and in the complete restoration of his health. In 1898 Mr. McClellan moved to Fort Wayne, where for a year he ran a feed store, but then moved back to Auburn and has resided here since, most of the time being engaged as a real estate broker and dealer in fertilizer. He has been very successful in everything to which he has turned his hand and enjoys a wide reputation through this section of the state as a man of good business ability, sound judgment and wise discretion in all of his affairs. Because of his courtesy and absolute integrity he has commanded the confidence of all with whom he has dealt and no more popular man is numbered among Auburn’s business men. Politically Mr. McClellan is an ardent advocate of the Democratic party and for a number of years has been active in its councils, having been a member of the county central committee for a number of years. He has been recognized in the way of public preferment a number of times, having been a member of the county council and several times appointed drainage commissioner. In 1903 he was elected mayor of Auburn and his administration was one of the most successful this city has ever had. During his term of office a gas plant was built, an interurban line was constructed through Auburn and great progress was made in the paving of streets and in making other public improvements. Fraternally, Mr. McClellan is a member of the Knights of Pythias, Free and Accepted Masons and he and his wife belong to the Order of the Eastern Star. On November 4, 1913, Mr. McClellan was elected mayor of Auburn for four years by one of the biggest majorities Auburn ever gave a candidate. In 1885 Mr. McClellan married Jennie Barton, of Ashland, Ohio, the daughter of Elisha and Sevilla (Weirman) Barton, Mr. and Mrs. McClellan move in the best social circles of Auburn and are popular among their acquaintances. Submitted by: Arlene Goodwin Auburn, Indiana Agoodwin@ctlnet.com