6. Who Were Peter and Hannah Mullen?

 

So, who were these great-grandparents my mother never met and didn’t know anything about? Peter Mullen and Hannah Arthur were both born in Scotland in the same year - 1842. Hannah grew up in the village of Catrine in Ayrshire County, and before her marriage, she worked at the cotton mill in the village.  She was one of six children - she had four brothers and one sister. Peter lived in the nearby village of Auchinleck and he was a coal and ironstone miner. He was also one of six children - he had two sisters and three brothers.

The star marks the approximate location of Catrine and Auchinleck

Peter and Hannah were married at the Catholic Church in Auchinleck, even though Hannah’s family was not Catholic.   They had three children in Scotland – Hannah (Owens), Benjamin, and my great-grandfather, John.  The young family left Scotland for the U.S. about 1875 and settled first near New Castle, Pennsylvania, where four more children were born – Agnes (McGavin), Peter, Thomas, and Joseph.   They relocated to Youngstown about 1885 where Peter found work as a stationary engineer in the steel mill.  Most of their children stayed in Youngstown, married, and had families of their own.

I think that Hannah and Peter liked to carry on the Scottish traditions and music in their new home in Youngstown. This is a 1908 newspaper article from the Vindicator describing their New Year's Eve party.  Five of their grown children were guests, but my great-grandparents were not there.  Interesting note:  There was a Mullen orchestra!

Hannah's obituary provides more insight into her interests and personality.  It really shows her pride in her Scottish heritage and history.  I have no way of tracing her lineage back to King Arthur, but no doubt they had the same last name!   (Youngstown Vindicator, Dec 21 1937)

Peter's obituary is not as personal, but it did include his picture - the only picture I have of him or Hannah.    (Youngstown Vindicator, Oct 17 1916)

Finally, this is my great-grandfather's obituary and it ties everything together.  It is further proof that the same Peter Mullen family that immigrated from Scotland c.1875 and lived in Youngstown was actually his family all along!  

(Youngstown Vindicator, Sep 7 1953)

(Note:  His two brothers, Benjamin and Peter, plus his son Raymond are not mentioned, possibly because they preceded him in death)

So...the questions remain:  why did my mother think her grandfather came to the U.S. on his own and didn’t have any family here? Her father (Grandpa Mullen) knew who his grandparents were because he entered their names on his father’s death certificate and provided the information for his father's obituary. He must have known them or known about them. Also, my great-grandfather had four brothers and two sisters, so Grandpa had aunts, uncles, and cousins – all living in Youngstown at the same time he did, yet my mother knew nothing about them. Could my great-grandfather have been estranged from his family? What could have caused a rift like that? I know firsthand that he was a grumpy old man, and my mother told me that he was very authoritarian and hard to live with. If anyone was likely to be estranged from his family, it would be him. Maybe he was just anti-social and didn’t like family gatherings? Or was it just the case of a family losing touch with each other? Did it have something to do with his marriages or his wives?  Sadly, I don’t know the answers, and I may never know.

I visited Calvary Cemetery during a trip to Youngstown several years ago and stopped at the office to see if they could tell me where Peter and Hannah were buried. I found the family plot but was saddened to see their grave was bare - just grass, no stone.  Several of their children were buried nearby, some with headstones and some without. I just wanted Peter and Hannah to be remembered, to be memorialized. I felt like I knew them after so much research. It didn’t seem right to leave their graves unmarked, so I worked with the cemetery office to design a personalized headstone for them - one that reflects their Irish and Scottish heritage, their Catholic faith, and my wish for them to be remembered always.

                                               

_________________________________________________________________________________

Peter Mullen (Mullan)

Born 1842, in Dalry, Scotland

Married 1867 to Hannah Arthur in Auchinleck, Scotland
Immigrated c. 1875 to New Castle, Pennsylvania, relocated to Youngstown c.1885.
Died 1916 in Youngstown
Parents: Benjamin Mullan and Agnes Donnelly, Ireland to Scotland

Hannah Arthur

Born 1842 in Catrine, Scotland

Married 1867 to Peter Mullan in Auchinleck, Scotland
Immigrated c. 1875 to New Castle, Pennsylvania, relocated to Youngstown c.1885.
Died 1937 in Youngstown
Parents: John Arthur and Hannah Moore (Muir), Scotland

Peter and Hannah's Children:

1.  Hannah Mullen, born 1867 in Catrine, Scotland, immigrated c. 1875, married Thomas Owens, lived in Youngstown.  Ten children.

2.  Benjamin Mullen, born 1869 in Auchinleck, Scotland, immigrated c. 1875, married Elizabeth Barrow, lived in Philadelphia and Youngstown.   No children.  

3* John Arthur Mullen, born 1872 in Catrine, Scotland, immigrated c. 1875, married 1895 to ?, re-married 1898 to Catherine Donahue, lived in Youngstown.  Two children

4. Agnes Mullen, born 1875 in New Castle, Pennsylvania, married James McGavin, lived in Youngstown. One child.

5. Peter Mullen, born 1877 in New Castle, Pennsylvania, married Esther Dunkerly, lived in Columbiana, Ohio. No children.

6. Thomas Mullen, born 1879 in Coaltown, Pennsylvania, married Elizabeth Clemens, lived in Youngstown. Four children

7. Joseph Mullen, born 1881 in Coaltown, Pennsylvania, married Edith Smith, lived in Youngstown. Five children.

*My Great Grandfather