I'm hoping to get some input regarding the parents of Rufus William McLain. Online trees at Ancestry and elsewhere (and previously here) list his parents as Jesse McClain and Philloby Hobson. There are plenty of sources documenting his two marriages, children, and life (including a move from Alabama to Texas), and documentation of other children of Jesse and Philloby, but I haven't seen any sources to directly support his parentage.
A while ago while researching a cluster of DNA matches, I found evidence that suggested that his parents might instead be Joseph McClain and Tabitha York. (The DNA details aren't critical here, but I can explain further if anyone is interested.) I put out some feelers here to get assistance, but didn't end up pursing it again until this summer, when another WikiTreer and I spent some time establishing a paper trail and building profiles for other children of Joseph and Tabitha. Among other things, we were able to document that Rufus William McLain inherited land in Alabama from Joseph, which he and his wife Martha then sold to Joseph Jr. This provides a solid connection between Rufus William McLain of Alabama/Texas and Joseph and Tabitha McLain. The chronology is laid out in his profile. Based on our work, I connected Joseph and Tabitha as the parents of Rufus.
Another Wikitreer believes that we have conflated two different Rufus McLains, and that Jesse and Philloby are the correct parents for the one in Texas. I have asked that they provide supporting evidence that Jesse and Philloby are his parents, and suggested that we also put the question out here to get some additional input.
So... could anyone take a look at these families, and in particular Rufus, and let us know your thoughts? I'd be especially interested in any possible gaps in my logic chain, and any additional sources that might be out there. If there's anything I haven't explained clearly in the profile let me know and I can clarify. Hoping we can resolve this question to everyone's satisfaction.
