ball Migration from England to the United States
This is an interesting story filled with more questions than answers. As of June 28, 2013 we still have no imformation on when James made his voyage to the United States. (Based on the birth of Frederick, our best guess is James' arrived somewhere between April 1864 and May 1866.)
Special Feature: New Beginnings: A Sample Chapter of the Book {PDF 1,065 kb}
ball (1866) The family crossed the great ocean without James…
I do not know how many people have searched immigration and ship records looking for the arrival of the family into the United States of America. However, I can tell you that I have been personally looking for over four decades. This little piece of the puzzle has literally been like looking for a needle in a very large hay field.
On 16 May 1866, aboard the ship Southampton, we find the following information:
Exhibit #1
It is amazing that we have found this information.
  The last name was recorded wrong on their arrival and James did not make the trip with them.
  We now know beyond doubt that Amelia arrived in the United States of America.
  We can see on Amelia’s record that she is making the trip to be with James.
ball Ship: Southampton
NARA Roll, Passenger Lists, 1820-1891
LDS FamilySearch Film # 175621
National Archives Microfilm Publications
Microcopy # 237
Passenger Lists of Vessels Arriving at New York 1820 - 1897
Roll 265
May 11-25, 1866 (List Nos. 431-521)
List #468; Ship Southampton
London to New York, Arrived 16 May 1866
Ship Master: Thomas C. Whitney
Ship Manifest Heading | Ship Manifest Passenger Arrival List
ball Ancestry: A cross-reference to indexed record. (Wrong spelling of Surname)
• Amelia Mcclun {Link} | {PDF 102 kb}
• James Mcclun {Link} | {PDF 102 kb}
• Robert Mcclun {Link} | {PDF 102 kb}
• Fredrick Mcclun {Link} | {PDF 102 kb}

ballMigration from New York City to Salt Lake City
ball (1869) { { { { Deseret News Article } } } }
ball Short Paragraph:
He had been living for several years in New York City, when he fell in with Joseph Bull, Sr. who was at the time, the eastern agent of the Deseret News, and by him was brought to Salt Lake City. This was late in the fall of 1869.
ball (1869) Emigration Fund Company {see MormonWiki}
ball Names of Persons and Sureties Indebted to the Perpetual Emigration Fund Company from 1850 to 1877, Page 200 {PDF 1,053 kb}
ball FHL # 025,686 - Page 118 {JPG 63 kb}
McLaren, James S.
ball FHL # 025,686 - Page 119 {JPG 126 kb}
McLaren, James S.
Daniel James
Robert
Frederick
ball (1869) Original Financial Ledger, Perpetual Emigrating Fund Company {JPG 1,080 kb} | {PDF 1,081 kb}
ball Date Entered: 1869 Dec 31
ball Ledger: D
ball Page: 320
ball To Transportation N.Y. Note
ball Amount Loaned: $100.00
McLaren, James S. Age: 31 [1838]
Daniel James Age: 11 [1858]
Robert Age: 5 [1864]
Frederick Age: 4 [1865]

Trivia train
Six years after the groundbreaking, laborers of the Central Pacific Railroad from the west and the Union Pacific Railroad from the east met at Promontory Summit, Utah. It was here on May 10, 1869, that Stanford drove The Last Spike (or golden spike) that joined the rails of the transcontinental railroad.
The first emigrants to come all the way to Ogden by rail arrived June 25, 1869, over the Union Pacific.
Just one week after the golden spike was driven to celebrate the completion of the transcontinental railway, ground was broken for a branch line from Ogden to Salt Lake City, the Utah Central Railway.
On a cold day in early January 1870, a gathering of fifteen thousand people in Salt Lake City cheered the completion of the Utah Central Railway.
Golden Spike
At the ceremony for the driving of the "Last Spike"
at Promontory Summit, Utah, May 10, 1869

ball Migration from Salt Lake City to San Francisco and back
ball { { { { Deseret News Article } } } }
ball Short Paragraph:
He removed to California, and worked for two years at his trade in San Fransico, but returned to Salt Lake.
ball (1875) Voter registration on July 24, 1875 {JPG 1,866 kb}
ball (1875) San Francisco, California, City Directory, 1875 {JPG 1,117 kb}
ball (1877) San Francisco, California, City Directory, 1877 {JPG 1,124 kb}
ball (1878) San Francisco, California, City Directory, 1878 {JPG 1,123 kb}