Parson McClelland School
Gilmer, Upshur County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Built about 1869 by the Rev. Wm. Henry McClelland, a Baptist minister and teacher. He lived here and operated a private school, with day and boarding pupils, until the 2-story frame building burned on Dec. 14, 1876. Family lore records that on same night, his son Lee died in a fire, step-daughter Nancy Skaggs wed R. M. Keasler, and his first grandson Mack Florence was born. McClelland (1831-1897) was born in Virginia; baptized 1,324 persons in 40 years in the ministry. He married 4 times: To Jane Stanley, Margaret E. Blain, Martha D. Skaggs, Leela Wilkinson. Had 16 children.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Around 1869 the Rev. William Henry McClelland, a Baptist minister and teacher, built this home and ran a private school here with both day and boarding pupils. Family lore holds that on the night the two-story frame building burned in December 1876, his son died in a fire, a stepdaughter married, and his first grandson was born. A Virginia-born preacher who baptized more than 1,300 people over four decades, McClelland married four times and raised sixteen children.
Why it matters
It preserves the memory of the preacher-teachers who brought both faith and learning to the settling communities of frontier Texas.
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Related people
- · William Henry McClelland
Themes & tags
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