Legacy of Early Philanthropist Jane Strang McAlister Lives On

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Byline: Diana Dretske

One of Lake County's earliest and most generous philanthropists was a retired sheep farmer and Scottish immigrant, Jane Strang McAlister (1817-1903).

McAlister was born in Perthshire, Scotland and immigrated with her parents and siblings to Canada in 1834. Several years later she married John McAlister, also of Scotland, and followed her parents to Millburn, Lake County in 1842.

Millburn was a place of heavy Scottish settlement and Jane's relatives, the Strang's, had already settled there and were becoming prominent citizens. McAlister and her husband arrived in Millburn with a team of oxen and $25. They purchased more than 100 acres …