4. More Puzzle Pieces

I was still really curious about my great grandfather’s parents and whether they had stayed in the United States or returned to Scotland. On a whim, I searched for Peter Mullen, born in Scotland with a wife named Hannah, living in the United States. Much to my surprise, I found a Peter Mullen with a wife named Hannah (both of them born in Scotland) in Youngstown in both 1900 and 1910. It had to be a coincidence…a crazy coincidence.

I went back to my mother and asked again if she had any memories of visiting her grandfather’s family or of his family visiting them. Any weddings, funerals, graduations, parties…anything? Even though her memory was failing her, I don’t think this is something she would have forgotten. “No, I don’t remember going to visit anyone, and no one came to the house. He didn’t have any family,” she said.

I asked my Aunt Margaret if she remembered Uncle Jack talking about his grandfather’s family. She said no, but that she did remember him talking about visiting his grandmother’s family in Fredonia, Pennsylvania.

Aunt Margaret & Uncle Jack Mullen

It didn’t add up. This had to be a different Peter and Hannah Mullen, but I couldn’t get this nagging thought out of my mind….what if it’s really them? 

I decided to stop researching my great-grandmother Catherine and her family for a while so that I could concentrate on the Mullen side. I needed more proof that Peter and Hannah Mullen, born in Scotland and living in Youngstown, were the parents of John Arthur Mullen Sr. Where to look next? I ordered their death certificates and while the documents didn’t tell me if they were his parents, they did confirm their Scottish birth, and something else very interesting – Hannah Mullen’s maiden name was Arthur!!!

Peter Mullen was born in Scotland in 1842 and died in Youngstown in 1916.  He was the son of Benjamin Mullen and Agnes Donnelly.  Informant: Thomas Mullen (son)

Hannah Arthur Mullen was born in Scotland in 1842 and died in Youngstown in 1937.  She was the daughter of John Arthur and Hannah Meur, born in Scotland.  Informant: Thomas Mullen (son)

The puzzle pieces were falling into place. I had a gut feeling these were his parents, but I still needed to prove it. To find out more about Peter and Hannah, I had to go back to Scotland. Not literally. I had to start searching in Scottish records.