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Reece Jefferson McClure


Reece Jefferson McClure, born 1808, died 1875
father of Mary Ann McClure who married Leonard Higdon (born May 10, 1828)

Several members of the Higdon Family Association can trace their family roots back to Reece McClure. He was the father of Mary Ann McClure who married Leonard Higdon (born May 10, 1828). Here's a bit of information dated January 16, 1936, that was found in typewritten papers mailed by the late Bonnie Higdon Reaves to her sister Gertrude Higdon Nave. The document says, "This information was given to T. S. McKinney by his mother, Hepsey Adeline McClure McKinney and is related by him as set forth in the following pages..."

"Reece Jefferson McClure, son of Dr. John McClure, was my grandfather. When a young man he was employed by the government in a position known as linguister, interpreter of the Indian language. He served in this capacity for two years and did not see but two white men in all that time. He used his persuasive powers among the Indians to get them to give up their "Happy Hunting Grounds" and go West.

After this, at about the age of 25, he married Mary Parks and settled in Murray County, Georgia. He soon found the titles of his lands to be "bogus" and drifted into the adjoining county of Fannin where he lived the rest of his life. He had one slave but sold him when he lost his Murray County lands. He continued farming in Fannin County and also operated a blacksmith shop. He was married twice and had twelve children by the first wife but none by the second. Since there were no doctors in the community where he lived the services of a doctor were never used in his family. Near his residence was a mountain stream in which he would take a cold plunge every morning winter and summer. After this bath he would rub the skin briskly with a coarse towel. He claimed this treatment cured his rheumatism. He was a well built man his average weight being about 180 pounds. Later in life he suffered from spinal trouble which was thought to have been caused by shoeing horses in his blacksmith shop, however some claimed to have known of his having had a sprained back from lifting a heavy log. He died at the age of 67 of typhoid and intermittent fevers after an illness of two or three weeks. He is buried in the Mt. Moriah Baptist Church Cemetery between Chestnut Gap and Higdons Store in Fannin County, Georgia.

Mary Parks McClure, wife of Reece Jefferson McClure, was my grandmother. She was tall and slender. She died at the age of 47 of typhoid following as short illness of only one week. She was the first person to be buried in the Mt. Moriah Cemetery, in the year 1860."








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