Mary Meglone, wife of Hugh of Lexington

Little is known of Mary Meglone or where she comes from. She was the wife of Hugh of Lexington and was left widowed with young children by 1811. It is possible that this Mary is Mary Polly White, who married a Hugh Meglone in 1792 in NY. I would like to believe that it is, and that the Hugh Meglone of NY who is listed as a carpenter is the same Hugh Meglone who appears to have come to Lexington about 1807.

Mary is mentioned as being the name of Hugh's wife in early Lexington records regarding business property on Cheapside (see Daniel Halstead info). The next mention of Mary Meglone, or at least a Mrs. Meglone, in Lexington is in late 1811 after Hugh's death- she is listed as living in a home across from a Mr. Sanders' warehouse. She also appears in tax lists with two slaves at this time. It seems that her husband's business partner, Daniel Halstead, may have dissolved the businesses they ran together, but it is not known what rights Mary may have had to any of the profits of the sale of her husband's shares of these businesses. The family appeared to be quite wealthy for Lexington standards (according to the estate appraisal which lists large quantities of household goods befitting a well-to-do family). It has never been determined if Mary ever married again, and it appears that she remained unmarried at least through 1830 where she may be listed with her daughter Martha in Lexington as "Mary McGlone." Mary Meglone apparently raised at least one granddaughter (my Martha McIntyre Milton), and could have been involved in running boarding houses, but this hasn't been proven. Mary may have also been living with a possible son, Theophilus, in Nicholasville at the time of the 1840 census (also not proven).

If Mary was left with the wealth of Hugh's estate, she should have had enough money to take care of herself and her children for her lifetime. There is a family story on the Martha McIntyre Milton side that Mary's granddaughter Martha McIntyre Milton was deprived of her rights to her inheritance from her grandma Meglone due to the interference of a cousin who married a Hutchison- or from this Mr. Hutchison himself. It is my speculation that this Hutchison was indeed John Hutchison who married Mary Morton Meglone, daughter of Montgomery Meglone, who is believed to be a son of Mary and Hugh of Lexington and brother to Martha Meglone McIntyre (who died shortly after the birth of her daughter Martha). If any court records or probate records can be found, it could help prove or disprove this belief.

I believe Mary Meglone lived a long life and probably did not pass away until after 1870, or at least until after the marriage of Mary Morton Meglone to John Hutchison. I believe John Hutchison was a grocer in Lexington for quite some time, so there may be business records or deeds that may contain helpful information.

The location of Mary Meglone's burial is unknown. It is possible she is buried at the Lexington Cemetery. It is also unknown if she ever remarried, but this is a possibility to be considered, and could explain why she is so hard to find in records.

Known records:

Mentioned in accounts of property owned by Daniel Halstead and Hugh Meglone.

Found in tax records in 1811, and in a mention of property across from "Mr. Sanders warehouse" in late 1811.

In the 1820 census of Lexington with 3 possible sons and 2 possible daughters (Theophilus, Montgomery, Martha, and two other siblings?).

Possibly listed as Mary McGlone in the 1830 census of Lexington, with a younger female in the home (likely Martha, who was soon to be married to Benjamin McIntyre).

Mentioned in the marriage record of Martha Meglone to Benjamin McIntyre (may be written as Mary McGlone).

No further records of her appear to be found after this marriage listing, yet she raised her granddaughter Martha to adulthood and likely stayed in Lexington for the duration of her life. Martha McIntyre was married in the 1850s and spent some time in Missouri where her oldest children were born, so it could be possible that Mary Meglone also lived with or spent some time with the family there (in the household of Napoleon Bonaparte Milton and wife Martha McIntyre Milton).

There is also speculation that Mary was listed in the 1850 census in a McIntyre household, possibly her widowed son-in-law's home, and her name was mistakenly listed as being McIntyre. This is only speculation, though.

The obituary for Martha Meglone McIntyre, who died shortly after the birth of her daughter, mentions that Martha had also lived in Cynthiana, KY, and this could prove to be a family connection to that town. Martha McIntyre is sometimes listed as being born in Ohio (Cincinnati), but so far there is no proof of where exactly she was born. It is possible that Mary Meglone could have spent some time in Ohio helping with her granddaughter after her daughter's death if they were there at the time it occurred. The burial location of Martha Meglone McIntyre is unknown (she could have been buried in Cincinnati). I also believe that there was an epidemic going on in Lexington around this time, which may have contributed to people leaving the city.