On his birth certificate, No 102 of the District of Cookstown, Co Tyrone, Northern Ireland, he was born on 4th Sept 1877, parents Patrick McClean of Knockaleery, farmer, and Catherine McClean formely Loy who was the informant and put an X as her mark on the 29th Sept 1877.

At the time of his marriage, certificate no 195 in the register No 73 for 1903 of The church of St Thomas of Canterbury, Port Clarance in the district of Stockton, Co Durham, he was 25 years old and a Blastfurname man, and lived as 6 Kensington Terrace, Port Clarence; his father was Patrick McLean and a farmer.  He signed with an X.  Witnesses were P F Kearney and Mary Ann Smith.

In 1904 at his first dau Mary's birth, he was a Labourer at Iron Works and lived at 2 Church Street, Port Clarence.

At the birth of his dau Kathleen in 1921 he was living at 16 Church Street, Port Clarence, Cowpen Bewley and was a labourer at Blast furnaces.

At the time of his daughter Mary's marriage on 9th March 1935 he was a general labourer and lived (assuming she was living with her parents) at 22 New Cottages, Port Clarence, Billingham, Co Durham.

In the 1901 census he was a blastfurnace labourer and living as a boarder at 67 Bell Bros Cottages, High Clarence, Co Durham aged 24 and born in Ireland.

At his wife’s death in 1952, they were living at 48 Bell Street, Port Clarence where he still was in 1961 when his daughter Nancy got married.

At his death he was 92, was a retired steel works labourer and had been living at 2 Edgehill Way, Billingham; he died of bronchopneumonia and cerebral arterio sclerosis.  The informant was his daughter Annie (Nancy) Gormley.
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In WW1 he was in the Royal Irish Fusiliers, but his campaign medals have not yet been identified.
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In the 1911 census he and his wife were living at No 2 Church St, Port Clarence having been married for seven years and had five children all of whom survived and were living with them:

Mary aged 6
Maggie aged 3
Esther aged 6 months,
Patrick aged 5,
James aged 2
and all born at Port Clarence.

He was a blastfurnaceman and she was working at home.
They a a lodger with them from Co Armagh, possibly b. at Corran.
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FreeBMD shows these as born with the surname of McLean and mother’s surname of Mell* from 1912 (when mother’s surname first appeared) to 1923:

Surname First name(s) Mother District Vol Page
Births Mar 1912
McLean Joseph Mellor Stockton 10a 204      <---  Note 'Mellor'
Births Sep 1913
McLean Agnes Mellon Stockton 10a 127   
Births Mar 1917
McLean Gerard Mellon Stockton 10a 166   
Births Dec 1918
McLean Peter J Mellon Stockton 10a 142   
Births Dec 1921
McLean Kathleen Mellon Stockton 10a 181   
Births Sep 1923
McLean Annie Mellon Stockton 10a 184

I wonder if Joseph then became known as ‘John’?
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However, by 2018 the GRO had released its new index of births from 1838 to 1915 with the mother’s maiden name and deaths from 1837 to 1917 and the deaths showing the age at death from 1837 to 1957.  This index produces the following search for McLean births iwith mother’s former name from 1903 to 1925 of:

Name: Mother's Maiden Surname
MCLEAN, MARY           MELLON
GRO Reference: 1904  D Quarter in STOCKTON  Volume 10A  Page 54
MCLEAN, PATRICK  FRANCIS  MELLON
GRO Reference: 1906  M Quarter in STOCKTON  Volume 10A  Page 92
MCLEAN, MARGARET        MALLON
GRO Reference: 1907  S Quarter in STOCKTON  Volume 10A  Page 100
MCLEAN, JAMES        MELLON
GRO Reference: 1909  M Quarter in STOCKTON  Volume 10A  Page 79
MCLEAN, ESTHER        MELLON
GRO Reference: 1910  D Quarter in STOCKTON  Volume 10A  Page 68
MCLEAN, JOSEPH         MELLOR                                  <--- Note 'Mellor'
GRO Reference: 1912  M Quarter in STOCKTON  Volume 10A  Page 204
MCLEAN, AGNES        MELLON
GRO Reference: 1913  S Quarter in STOCKTON  Volume 10A  Page 127
MCLEAN, JOHN          MELLON
GRO Reference: 1914  S Quarter in STOCKTON  Volume 10A  Page 119
MCLEAN, GERARD        MELLON
GRO Reference: 1917  M Quarter in STOCKTON  Volume 10A  Page 166

Add in the births after 1917 from FindMyPast’s indices:

Last Name First Name Born Died Event Location
McLean Peter J 1918 — 1918 Stockton, Durham
McLean Kathleen 1921 — 1921 Stockton, Durham
McLean Annie 1923 — 1923 Stockton, Durham

This gives a total family count of 12 children (plus any still births).
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The identifiable McLean deaths from 1904 in Stockton or Cleveland:

Surname First name(s) Age District Vol Page
Deaths Jun 1912
McLean Joseph 0 Stockton 10a 84
Deaths Sep 1913
McLean Agnes 0 Stockton 10a 80

This is confirmed in the new GRO index:

Name: Age at Death (in years):
MCLEAN, JOSEPH     0  
    GRO Reference: 1912  J Quarter in STOCKTON  Volume 10A  Page 84
MCLEAN, AGNES     0  
GRO Reference: 1913  S Quarter in STOCKTON  Volume 10A  Page 80

and

Last Name First Name Born Died Event Location
McLean Gerard Francis 1917 1983 1983 Cleveland, Yorkshire
McLean Patrick Francis 1906 1983 1983 Cleveland, Yorkshire

and there is John who is remembered to have died in Catterick Camp around the 1970s, searched for with a close birth date in 1914 +/-1 year:

Last Name First Name Born Died Event Location
McLean John 1915 1962 1962 Middlesbrough, Yorkshire

But this ties up with a probate record for a John McLean of Middlesbrough whose wife Jane was his executor and ‘our’ John was thought not to have been married.  I think I will have to ask other McLean cousins to see if they have a better idea on John’s death.
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