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This page has been developed to assist Cleelands around the world in tracing the origins and following the branches of the Cleeland family.
 

The Search for William Ford Cleeland

Most 'double e' Cleelands in Australia appear to be descendants of William Ford Cleeland (1799 - 1868) who emigrated to Australia from Killinchy, County Down Ireland in 1840.

The problem is, we can't find any records of William in Ireland, and subsequently have so far been unable to trace him any further back.

Join the search for William Ford Cleeland
John Miller (QLD) advises me that an ancestor of his, William Cleeland emigrated to Australian (possibly around 1885) from Kilkenny, Ireland (born March 8, 1867 - Father George Cleland). It is likely that many Queensland double "e" Cleelands descend from this William Cleeland.

It appears that the Cleelands originated in Scotland, as part of the Clelands - although the earlier version of the name Kneland suggests Celtic origins of Germanic descent.

A branch of the family emigrated from Scotland to Ireland, and from there, Cleelands have emigrated around the world, including Australian and US branches.

There is clearly a lot of research to be done to link all the families together. If you have any information available, please let one of the following people know.