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Our Personal ResearchContact Linda Merle for additional information.MOST WANTED!
Anderson: Our Andersons came to Pennsylvania in the 1770s, first settling in Lancaster County and then moving west to Westmoreland county in 1885. They were joined by several other John Andersons. There they had eight children. Apparently John came from County Antrim, probably the northern coast. He was a devoted Covenantor. The first Covenantor society west of the Alleghenies met at his home for 30 years. After his death, the society formed three churches. Son Frances Anderson moved to Butler County in the early 1800s with his wife Jane McGeary. Frances was an Indian scout who later became the first justice of the peace. An extensive family tree was done by Lois Anderson, a descendent of another son of John's. It is here. Beatty. Jane Beatty's parents were Frances Beattie (Beatty) and Jane HALL, from Wallkill, New York. Frances's dad was Robert Beatty, probably the son of John Beatty and Elsie. John Senior emigrated from County Antrim with his family and second wife, Christiana CLINTON in 1729. He died on the trip. John Beatty was an officer in King William's Army at the Battle of the Boyne. According to O'Hart's Irish Pedigrees, John's ancestor fought at Clontarf on the side of Brian Boru in 1014. This was the battle that evicted the Vikings from Ireland. She came from good stock. Black: My great grandmother was Susan Black, daughter of Frances Beatty Black and Mary Martin. Her grandparents were James Black and Jane Beatty. The father of James was Robert Black, brother of the Rev John Black. The two brothers immigrated to the United States from Ahoghil, Antrim in the last decade of the 1700's. Robert settled in South Carolina about 1795 but pulled up roots and moved to Western Pennsylvania in the early 1800's. His wife was Sarah Aiken. Robert and Rev John's parents were John Black and Margaret McKibbon, who stayed in Ulster. The Blacks were fierce Covenantors and dedicated abolitionists. The Rev John was one of three young ministers from Ulster who led the Reformed Presbyterian Church in 1800 to a vote banning slavery within the church. Campbell: My sister's husband's family stems from William J. Campbell, whose parents immigrated about 1870 to Pittsburgh from Ireland and Margaret Reilly. Ditto. Apparently one family was Protestant and one Catholic and the kids met on the boat. That's the family legend, in any case. Dalrymple: My great grandparents, Archie and Marion (Mennoch) Dalrymple emigrated from Polmont, Scotland in 1893. They settled in Roseville, Ohio. They emigrated with Uncle Hughie Dalrymple and his wife Agnes White. Occupation: coalmining. My grandmother Ellen later moved to Parnassus, Pennsylvania when my grandfather went to work in the Kinloch coalmine. In Polmont the family attended the Polmont Free Church. Other family names in Polmont, Stirling, Scotland include: Ure, Beattie, Forfar, McLay, Mitchell. In East Lothian: Beattie, Reid, Dudgeon, Smith, Begbie, Jamison, Mure (Muir). Notice, Dalrymple researchers: they came in 1893. This means I can't help you with your colonial American Dalrymples. Mine were in Polmont, Scotland at the time. Duncan: My ex's mother emigrated from Paris in the mid twentieth century. Her father was Raymond Duncan, brother of Isadora Duncan. Both Isadora and Raymond became ex patriots. Raymond settled in Paris where he had a daughter by Aia Bertrand, a Latvian living in Paris. She is my ex's mother. Raymond and Isadora's parents were Mary Isadora Gray, daughter of a California state senator Thomas Gray and his wife Mary Gorman, and Joseph Charles Duncan. Joseph had three wives, at least. He had another family after the divorce of Mary. Their marriage was a great scandal in San Francisco, as the Grays were Irish Catholic and the Duncans were Scotch-Irish. The parents of Joseph was Joseph Moulder Duncan and Harriett Bioren. he was born in Philadelphia. The grandparents were William Duncan and Mary Moulder. The Moulders were a prominent Philly family. William married two sisters, one after the other. Mary's parents were William Moulder and Mary Miller. The father of this William was Seth Duncan, supposedly died 1794. Apparently he immigrated from Donegal before the War. William Duncan, his son, was a general in the War of 1812. According to a history in a Kentucky County, the Duncans came from Queen's Ferry, in West Lothian, Scotland. Perhaps -- There's Duncans there. The Mason Co, Kentucky history has the background of Eleanor Musgrave Duncan who married Arthur Fox. The history says:
Garneau: The father of my granddaughter is a Garneau, one of many French Canadian families who moved to Massachusetts. Kelly: My great grandfather Oliver Kelly married Margaret Seibert. Both were living in Indiana Township, Allegheny County, PA. Oliver was a merchant. He died in a collision between his buggy and a train when he was in his 40s. His father was Henry Kelly, of the same locale. Henry married Mary Marshall, daughter of Isabella and Alexander Marshall, who emigrated from County Tyrone in 1821. We don't know for sure where in Ireland that Henry's ancestors hail from. Possibly related to Kellys in Wilkinsburg, apparently he was Reformed Presbyterian in inclination. According to my grandmother, the Kellys hailed from County Down and left because "the Catholics abandoned us and the Protestants betrayed us." This sounds like 1798 to me. In any case there is a clan of Kellys in County Down so maybe she didn't make it up. Marshall: In 1821 Alexander Marshall, 21, and Isabella Marshall emigrated from County Tyrone to Philedelphia. Their arrival was marked by an unhelpful notice in the papers. They settled in the East Liberty area of Pittsburgh. In 1830 they bought several hundred aces of farmland north of Pittsburgh in what is now Fox Chapel. Alexander died in 1839. He and Isabella are buried in the Pine Creek Presbyterian cemetery. They had 7 daughters. The oldest, Mary, married Henry KELLY. He was a poor Presbyterian. For this she was disinherited. Henry died at age 29 about 1853, leaving her with two small boys. She had to return home to live with her mother as a servant. Eventually she moved out and bought her share of what should have been her inheritance from a brother in law. My great grandfather, Oliver Kelly, and his brother, substituted other people as Mary's parents on her death certificate in order to expunge the Marshalls from the family tree forever. The hatred was so strong that apparently 20 years later family members were still "rumoring" about this deed, as an antique cousin recalled it from his childhood. It's not clear though that Isabella deserved this fate. She provided a home not only for Mary but for another mateless Kelly mother with small children. They were named Marshall Kelly and Isabella Kelly. Apparently they were named after their benefactor. In any case Isabella was surrounded on her farm by poor Kelly relatives. Since they were all Irish Presbyterians, it just goes to show that you don't have to be Catholic to be oppressed. Nope, being poor was enough. Research by my sister suggests that a Pegnum Kelly was the origin of these Kellys. His little plot of God's green acres was removed from him by various of my other ancestors. Apparently he had a problem with paying his debts but his German neighbors had no problem going to court to collect. Supposedly his children and grandchildren were handsome enough to eventually marry into the families of his old enemies, who spent generations disinheriting their offspring due to marriages with Kellys. Martin : My grannie Mary Martin was born in Beith, County Ayr in 1825. Her parents were John Martin and Barbara Forrester. Barbara's mother was a CARRICK. They immigrated to Western Pa, Mary walking from Philadelphia carrying a sack of salt. Apparently it was common to liquidate the family holdings on the coast and convert it to whatever was valuable on the frontier. When they came, it was salt. They brought with them this tartan. Gotta clue what it is? We don't. Mason: My paternal line. My great grandparents Peter Mason and Mary Gardner left Hetton-le-Hole in County Durham, England, about 1875. Entering the country through Canada, they first settled in Michigan and then in Roseville, Ohio. Peter's father, Ralph, apparently came down from Weardale with his father in the 1830's. They had been leadminers and became coalminers. Other names in this line are typical of Durham: English, Armstrong, Irwin, Watson. In America the Masons were strong Union men, apparently like their ancestors. These folk were not registering their children's births in the 1870's. Of course they didn't go to church. My grandfather moved the family to Parnassus and Kinlock, Westmoreland County, PA. I am still trying to locate descendents of my grandfather's siblings. They are: Ralph Mason, b 1871 in England Peter Mason b 1871 in England John Mason b 1875 Dora Mason b 1879 in Michigan, married Albert Spencer March, 1898 in Hocking Co, Ohio, maybe died 24 Sept 1961. Lillian Mason, married ??, born 1882 in Michigan. Peter Mason, born March 1886, died March 1963 in Pittsburgh. One of the missing brothers committed suicide in 1930 in Pennsylvania. One moved to Texas to make his fortune in oil. One stole the profits from the family pub when they returned to England for a visit. I think that's John. As a result Peter lost the pub and had to go back to work in the coal mines. Kids suck sometimes. Love to find our cousins in England and the USA. Note to Mason researchers: I can't help you with your colonial Mason research. We were in a leadmine in Weardale at the time. (I get all this email....). Merle:Immigrant is Ligoa Duncan Merle, in the early 1950's. She divorced Pierre Merle in Paris, where she was born and raised, and married an American soldier. Ligoa is the daughter of Raymond Duncan, brother of Isadora Duncan. She brought with her to the USA two sons, one of whom is my ex and the father of my daughter. The Merle's were researched by my father in law in Paris. They were Merlos three generations ago, living in Genoa. They have lived for several generations in Southern France, largely in Manosque and Marseille. According to my ex, he is related to the Merlos of Chicago, bankers to Al Capone. The maternal line is MARTAIN from Britanny. Renick: Gottfried Roenigk and Margaret Hunter immigrated from Uphoven, Thuringia, Germany in 1834 and settled in Saxonburg, Butler Co, PA. Lots of Renicks about. Apparently a brother came along so Gottfried and Margaret are not solely responsible. Their daughter Magdelina married John Seibert. Oil was discovered early on their farm north of Pittsburgh. However since their daughter, my great grannie Margaret Seibert, married a poor Irishman, she was disinherited and I am poor. View German cousins' Rose nursery in Langensalza! Seibert: John Seibert married Margaret Renick. John's parents remained a mystery for a long time. Then my sister searched 50 years of deeds in Allegheny County and found a deed in which he registered his land. His father was Henry Sypert and his mother Sophia. Henry was born 1783 and died in 1856. Now Henry is our brick wall. Linda Merle: [email protected] |
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© 2008 Linda Merle. Do not duplicate without the written consent of the author. |