8. The Arthurs - Scottish Through and Through

 

Although the Mullen surname is not Scottish, the Arthur surname is very Scottish. Hannah Mullen’s parents, John Arthur and Hannah Moore, were both born in Ayrshire County – John Arthur in Auchinleck and Hannah Moore in Catrine.  They settled in Catrine and raised their family there. (Catrine is pronounced like Cathrine without the "h") 

I was able to trace John Arthur’s ancestors back to the 1700s and they were all born in Scotland. John and Hannah Arthur had six children – four boys and two girls. John had several different professions – he was a carter (someone who works with horses and carts), a pit laborer in the coal mines, and a railroad worker. 

Catrine is a small village built along the River Ayr in southwest Scotland.  It is best known for the large cotton mill that operated in the village from the late 1700s through the early 1900s.  The mill employed most of the villagers, including Hannah Arthur and her siblings.  Here are some old pictures of the village and the mill, including a picture of St. Cuthbert Street – the street where my great grandfather, John Arthur Mullen, Sr. was born.  The mill and the water wheels are long gone, so old pictures are all that is left.   (Photos courtesy of ayrshirehistory.com)

John and Hannah Arthur left Scotland for New Zealand about 1875 when they were both in their 60s. (Peter and Hannah Mullen left for the U.S. around the same time) Their oldest son Thomas Arthur had emigrated to New Zealand about 10 years earlier with his family.  Sadly, Thomas’s wife died in 1874, leaving him with eight children to take care of on his own, including a newborn baby. I think this is the main reason why John and Hannah went to New Zealand.  They received financial assistance from the New Zealand government for the trip, but they had to lie about their ages and say they were much younger. New Zealand wanted settlers, but only those who could work, and not people who would have to be supported by the government. It was a long, arduous voyage (three months), but they made it and settled in Invercargill, where John found work with the railroad. I don’t think they ever returned to Scotland.

Example of a Sailing Ship to New Zealand in 1875

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John Arthur

Born 1814 in Auchinleck, Scotland

Married Hannah Moore 1838 in Catrine, Scotland

Immigrated c. 1875 to Invercargill, New Zealand 

Died 1893 in Invercargill, New Zealand

Parents:  George Arthur and Christina Campbell, Scotland

Hannah Moore

Born 1813 in Catrine, Scotland

Married John Arthur 1838 in Catrine, Scotland

Immigrated c. 1875 to Invercargill, New Zealand

Died 1897 in Invercargill, New Zealand

Parents:  Thomas Moore and Jane Dowie, Scotland

Children of John Arthur and Hannah Moore:

1.  Thomas Arthur, born 1839 in Scotland, married in Scotland, left for New Zealand c. 1865. 

2.  Hannah Arthur, born 1842 in Scotland, married Peter Mullen, immigrated  c, 1875 to U.S.*

3.  John Arthur, born 1844 in Scotland, remained in Scotland

4.  George Arthur, born 1847 in Scotland, died as a child.

5.  Jane Arthur, born 1849 in Scotland

6/  David Arthur, born 1853 in Scotland, left for New Zealand  c. 1875, and remained in NZ.

*My Great-Great Grandmother

7. The Mullens - More Irish Than Scottish

 

Irish Flag

I know that Grandpa Mullen thought that the Mullens were Scottish, but Mullen isn’t really a Scottish surname. It’s an Irish surname and a very ancient name too. It is derived from the Irish word “Maol,” which means bald one. 

I doubt that my grandfather even knew about his Irish heritage on his father’s side. Both his father John and grandfather Peter were born in Scotland.  I discovered that Peter’s parents, Ben and Agnes (Donnelly) Mullan, were born in Ireland and had emigrated to Scotland from County Tyrone in Northern Ireland around 1840, presumably to find work.  They left before the Great Famine in Ireland started in 1845, so that was not the reason they left. Ben found work as a coal miner and died at age 41 of lung disease in Scotland, leaving his wife Agnes and six children to survive him. 

I haven’t been able to pinpoint where the Mullens came from in County Tyrone, but Peter’s older sister Mary listed her birthplace as Aghaginduff townland, which is near Dungannon. Even though Ben and Agnes were from Northern Ireland, a mostly Protestant part of Ireland, they were Catholic. I am almost positive that they were native Irish, given their Catholic faith and their ancient Irish surnames of Mullan and Donnelly (O'Maolain and O'Donnghaile).  Both surnames have their origins in Tyrone County.

Northern Ireland Map (arrow points to area near Dungannon)

I don’t know what happened to all of Peter’s siblings, but he had one sister, Ann (McIntee), and one brother, Joseph, who also immigrated to the U.S. and settled in Youngstown.  It's possible that his brother John also immigrated to Ohio, but it's not proven.  I think James and Mary stayed in Scotland, but I’m not sure. His mother, Agnes Donnelly Mullan, remarried several years after Ben died. She worked as a dressmaker and was living in Glasgow, Scotland at the time of her death. 

Irish records are very scarce, so I was not able to trace the Mullan or Donnelly families back to prior generations before Ben and Agnes.  The Scottish death records show that Ben's father was named John Mullan, a farm laborer, and Agnes's father was named Peter Donnelly, a cattle dealer.  

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Benjamin Mullan

Born c. 1814 in Ireland (likely Co. Tyrone)

Married c. 1834 to Agnes Donnelly in Ireland (likely Co. Tyrone)

Immigrated c.1840 to Ayrshire County, Scotland

Died 1855 in Auchinleck, Scotland

Father: John Mullan, Ireland

Agnes Donnelly

Born c. 1818 in Ireland (likely Co. Tyrone)

Married c. 1834 to Benjamin Mullan in Ireland (likely Co. Tyrone)

2nd Marriage 1864 to James McBride in Scotland

Died 1889 in Glasgow, Scotland

Father: Peter Donnelly, Ireland

 

Children of Ben and Agnes Mullan:

1. Mary, born 1835 in Ireland, married Stephen McDuff, remained in Scotland

2. Sarah Ann, born 1837 in Ireland, died at age 3

3. John, born 1839 in Ireland, married in Scotland. Possibly immigrated to Stark County, Ohio.

4. Peter, born 1841, died as a baby

5. Peter, born 1842 in Scotland, married Hannah Arthur in Scotland, immigrated to Youngstown.*

6. Ann, born 1845 in Scotland, married Philip McIntee, immigrated to Youngstown.

7. James, born 1848 in Scotland. 

8. Joseph, born 1850 in Scotland, immigrated to Youngstown, married Sarah Denny in U.S.

*My Great-Great Grandfather

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.

                                               

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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

5. Proving The Theory

The first Scottish record I looked for was my great-grandfather’s birth, and I found it.

 

John Arthur Mullan was born on March 27, 1872 at St. Cuthbert Street, Catrine, Ayrshire County. Father: Peter Mullan, Ironstone Miner. Mother: Hannah Mullan, M.S. (maiden surname) Arthur. Peter and Hannah were married on September 26^th, 1867, in Auchinleck. Informant:  Peter Mullan, father.

 

The birth date of March 27, 1872, matches exactly the date on his death certificate, along with the names of his parents, and Hannah’s maiden name of Arthur on her death certificate in Youngstown.  The evidence was piling up. This one record helped me to find dozens of Scottish records for the Mullan and Arthur families, which told the story of two families with a rich history in both Scotland and Ireland.

First, I had to make certain that I was climbing the right family tree. I looked at Peter and Hannah’s marriage record. (There is a discrepancy with the marriage date that I can only explain by a husband not really knowing his anniversary)

 

Married on October 3^rd, 1867, at the Catholic Church in Auchinleck, Peter Mullin, Engine Keeper (bachelor), and Hannah Arthur, Mill weaver (spinster), both age 24, both living in Catrine. Peter’s parents:  Ben Mullan, miner (deceased), and Agnes Mullan, maiden surname: Donally. Hannah’s parents:  John Arthur, pit lab, and Hannah Arthur, maiden surname: Moor.

Their parents’ names - Ben Mullan, Agnes Donally, John Arthur, and Hannah Moor match almost exactly their parents’ names on their death certificates from Youngstown. I was positive at this point that I had the right people. 

Another interesting document I found while snooping around in the Scottish records - Ben Mullan's death record.  

Benjamin Mullan, age 41, coal miner, died March 7, 1855, of chronic bronchitis in Auchinleck, Scotland.  Born in Tyrone, Ireland.  Parents' names: John Mullan and Agnes Donley.  Spouse name: Agnes Donley.   Eight children, two deceased.  

So...Ben and Agnes Mullan emigrated to Scotland from Northern Ireland - Tyrone County.  They were not native-born Scots, although several of their children were born in Scotland.  This also explains why Peter Mullan and Hannah Arthur were married in the Catholic Church, even though she was raised in the Protestant faith.  The Mullan family was Irish Catholic!

Another update to the family tree:

 

  

 

                               

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.