The Claflin family are a

Scottish American Scottish Americans or Scots Americans (Scottish Gaelic: ''Ameireaganaich Albannach''; sco, Scots-American) are Americans whose ancestry originates wholly or partly in Scotland. Scottish Americans are closely related to Scotch-Irish Americans, d ...

family of 17th century

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...

origins. The descendants of Robert Maclachlan of

Wenham, Massachusetts Wenham () is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts. The population was 4,979 at the time of the 2020 census. The town of Wenham, originally settled in 1635 and incorporated in 1643, has retained much of its historic character and rural scenery ...

, a Scottish soldier and

prisoner of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of wa ...

from the

Battle of Dunbar (1650) The Battle of Dunbar was fought between the English New Model Army, under Oliver Cromwell and a Scottish army commanded by David Leslie, on 3 September 1650 near Dunbar, Scotland. The battle resulted in a decisive victory for the Englis ...

assumed to have belonged to the

Clan Maclachlan Clan Maclachlan, also known as Clan Lachlan, (Argyll), and , is a Highland Scottish clan that historically centred on the lands of Strathlachlan (Srath Lachainn "Valley of Lachlan") on Loch Fyne, Argyll on the west coast of Scotland.

, and his wife Joanna Warner, members of the family have distinguished themselves in various occupations and regions of the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

Revolutionary War

Although not of great means in the early generations, a considerable number of the Claflin family, twenty four in all, fought as militiamen and soldiers on the American side in the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

, including at

Lexington and Concord The Battles of Lexington and Concord were the first military engagements of the American Revolutionary War. The battles were fought on April 19, 1775, in Middlesex County, Province of Massachusetts Bay, within the towns of Lexington, Concord ...

(many), the

Battle of Bunker Hill The Battle of Bunker Hill was fought on June 17, 1775, during the Siege of Boston in the first stage of the American Revolutionary War. The battle is named after Bunker Hill in Charlestown, Massachusetts, which was peripherally involved in ...

(several), the

Battle of White Plains The Battle of White Plains was a battle in the New York and New Jersey campaign of the American Revolutionary War, fought on October 28, 1776 near White Plains, New York. Following the retreat of George Washington's Continental Army northward f ...

(one), and finally in the

Saratoga campaign The Saratoga campaign in 1777 was an attempt by the British high command for North America to gain military control of the strategically important Hudson River valley during the American Revolutionary War. It ended in the surrender of the British ...

(two, possibly more), with Nathaniel Claflin being present at the Surrender of Burgoyne. Their length of service varied from only eight days to several months and years, with a few serving as junior officers. In addition, three more members served as drummers, and two more as pipers. Earlier in the

French and Indian War The French and Indian War (1754–1763) was a theater of the Seven Years' War, which pitted the North American colonies of the British Empire against those of the French, each side being supported by various Native American tribes. At the ...

several Claflins joined in the Crown Point Expedition.

People

Adelaide Avery Claflin Adelaide Avery Claflin (July 28, 1846 – May 31, 1931) was an American woman suffragist and ordained minister. She became an ordained Unitarian minister at Meadville, Pennsylvania in 1897. She preached in Connecticut, Canada and the West. Sh ...

, suffragist, born Adelaide Avery *

Avery Claflin Avery Claflin (January 21, 1898 - January 9, 1979) was an American composer, although he studied law and business, later pursuing a career in banking. He served as president for the French American Banking Corp. He took music courses at Harvard U ...

, composer and banker * Bruce Claflin, businessman * Edith Claflin, linguist and scholar *

Horace Brigham Claflin Horace Brigham Claflin (December 18, 1811 – November 14, 1885) was an American merchant. Early life and education Born in Milford, Massachusetts on December 18, 1811, Horace Brigham Claflin was educated at the Milford Academy. He is a membe ...

, businessman, H.B. Claflin & Company * Increase Claflin, pioneer, first white settler of

Door County, Wisconsin Door County is the easternmost county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 30,066. Its county seat is Sturgeon Bay. It is named after the strait between the Door Peninsula and Washington Island. The dangero ...

* Ira W. Claflin, Civil War officer * Lee Claflin, philanthropist * Tennessee Celeste Claflin, suffragist, broker, and rumoured mistress of

Cornelius Vanderbilt Cornelius Vanderbilt (May 27, 1794 – January 4, 1877), nicknamed "the Commodore", was an American business magnate who built his wealth in railroads and shipping. After working with his father's business, Vanderbilt worked his way into lead ...

. Later became Lady Cook, Viscountess of Montserrat. *

Victoria Woodhull Victoria Claflin Woodhull, later Victoria Woodhull Martin (September 23, 1838 – June 9, 1927), was an American leader of the women's suffrage movement who ran for President of the United States in the 1872 election. While many historians ...

née Claflin, suffragist, broker, and presidential candidate. Subject of ''

Onward Victoria ''Onward Victoria'' is a musical (1980) with a book and lyrics by Charlotte Anker and Irene Rosenberg, and music by Keith Herrmann. Its subject is Victoria Woodhull, the 19th-century woman who with her sister were the first women to operate a br ...

''. *

William Claflin William Claflin (March 6, 1818 – January 5, 1905) was an American politician, industrialist and philanthropist from Massachusetts. He served as the 27th Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts from 1869 to 1872 and as a member of the ...

, Governor of

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

and philanthropist * William Henry Claflin Jr., businessman and amateur archaeologist Female line: * Harvey Claflin Mansfield, Jr., Professor of Government at Harvard University. Grandmother was Adelaide Claflin daughter of Harvey Thatcher Claflin.Wight, p. 326

Places and institutions

* Adams Claflin House *

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with its original campu ...

, co-founded by Lee Claflin, charter signed by son William Claflin *

Claflin, Kansas Claflin is a city in Barton County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 562. History Prior to American expansion and occupation, the region was controlled by Cheyenne, Pawnee, and Kiowa tribes. The Sant ...

* Claflin-Richards House, home of Robert Mackclothlan * Claflin School *

Claflin University Claflin University is a private historically black university in Orangeburg, South Carolina. Founded in 1869 after the American Civil War by northern missionaries for the education of freedmen and their children, it offers bachelor's and master's ...

, land donated by William and Lee Claflin * ''

Woodhull & Claflin's Weekly ''Woodhull & Claflin's Weekly'' was an American weekly newspaper first published on May 14, 1870 by sisters Victoria Woodhull and Tennessee Claflin. It was among the first publications to be published by women. It lasted until June 10, 1876. ...

Notes

References

* Gerrard et al, ''Lost Lives, New Voices: Unlocking the Stories of the Scottish Soldiers at the Battle of Dunbar 1650''. Oxford: Oxbow Books. 2018. * Wight, Charles Henry, ''Genealogy of the Claflin Family, 1661–1898''. New York: Press of William Green. 1903
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Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...

. {{Refend

External