Category Archives: Geneaology

Biographical, Family, Geneaology, Scotland, Travel

Looking for my Great Grandmother Mary Maley Edden

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I have two great grandparents who emigrated to the United States, one from Scotland and the other from Wales via Canada. The Scottish one’s parents were born in Ireland.

We spent today in the National Records of Scotland (Archives) in Edinburgh, Scotland. Melissa had far more success with her efforts than I did. Who knew there were so many people named Mary Maley!

My great grandmother came to the US from Scotland in 1923. Her name was Mary Maley until she married Leroy Edden in Philadelphia. Her mother was also Mary Maley, nee Haughey. I don’t know “Mr. Maley’s” first name.

My grandmother is Eleanor, the last person on the last row. I was looking for info on her brother, her parents, and grandparents.

The Maleys had two kids – my great grandmother Mary and her brother James. Every second person in my searches seemed to be a James or Mary Maley, living in the right part of the country. I’m no expert on Scotland’s counties, so I had to look them up for a while, too.

Scotland has had mandatory registration of births, deaths, marriages, etc. since 1855. Mary Haughey and “Mr. Maley” were born approximately 1860 and eventually married. You’d think those records would be easy to find. Uh, no. Younger Mary was born in 1887. She should be even easier. Should. James ten years later. Easier Peasier. Not.

Archives record data. Looking for “Haughey” and/or “Maley” buried in that old handwriting was time consuming!

Searches showed ages or birthdates. Sometimes they almost matched. Census records showed who lived in the home, but even when the names seemed right there could be five other children there. When I found “Mary Ann” of about the right vintage, I thought I had scored success; my mother was Mary Ann, and it would have made sense.

My goal was to find Mary’s brother James. He emigrated to the US. He shows up in the 1930 US Census with his mother, his sister, and the 15-year old girl who became my grandmother. All nice and neat. Everyone together. If only…

We arrived at the archives about 9:45, ate lunch there, and left just before they closed at 4:30. Interesting day. How did I do?

I thought I found James, but that Mary Maley who was his mother died in Scotland instead of emigrating to the US. None of the other hits on James worked either.

I “think” that “Mr. Maley,” the father of Mary and James and husband of Mary Haughey was also named James, but am not quite sure. I found a census with James Maley age 38 and James Maley age 15 that “mostly fits” what I think I know about their birthdates. It’s even in the right county.

Do you see “Haughey” on here?

Mary Haughey was born in 1860, making her 11 for the 1871 census. I found an 11-year old Mary Haughey on the 1871 census with parents born in Ireland, living in the right community.

Could it be? I hope so. I was looking for James or my great grandmother, but ended up finding their mother as a pre-teen. Hello great, great grandmother!

Met a super helpful guy named Jimmy at the archives. He really helped us get started!

Also, I’ve learned we still have distant relatives in Wales farming sheep. Next trip!

Family, Geneaology, Germany, History

Walking in my ancestors’ footsteps

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I HAD AN interesting, unique, special experience this weekend. I visited the town my 7x great-grandfather and his family left about 275 years ago. There are still buildings there they would have seen!

Several weeks ago I had looked at my dad’s digital genealogy records. I searched on “Germany.” I shared part of this story already. I was able to contact the head of the historical society in Eisern, Germany, in the state of Nordrhein Westfallen and set up a visit. Sunday I drove to Eisern.

Eisern was once an independent village. German government was simplified/flattened a number of years ago, so it’s now part of the university town of Siegen.

I missed an exit on the Autobahn because of a construction site. The GPS fixed the error via narrow roads and tiny towns, but brought me back on track. I arrived with a few minutes to spare.

I’m happy, even if it doesn’t look like it. It’s just hard trying to compose a good picture.

Eisern was the site of large iron ore mines until the 1970s. The current population of 2,500 is ten times its size in the 18th century. I don’t know what he did or why he left, but Johann Heinrich Rehlsbach ended up in Virginia with his family as (John) Henry Railsback.

Eisern as viewed from the top of a hill upon leaving the Autobahn for the village.

I said above I had a few minutes to spare. I could have been a bit earlier, but after I left the Autobahn to drive the last few kilometers in to town, there was a spot with a great view from a hilltop down into the valley. I stopped to take a few pictures before driving down into the valley and town.

I wasn’t sure where to go exactly, so I parked and called Klaus Eckhardt, my point of contact in town. He said, “Get out of your car and turn around. I’m right behind you.” There he was!

The heimatverein is located in this former chapel/school building.

Klaus is the head of the “Heimatverein,” which translates literally as “Home Club” but would be a local historical society in American usage. The heimatverein has a museum in a former chapel school and adjacent bakery.

The chapel / school was built in the late 18th century on the remains of a previous building.

There are interesting artifacts dating into the late 1500s. Klaus drove me around town showing me the fire department, the school(s), a former mill, the iron mining sites, and where the train station used to be before driving up a hillside to show me the town from above.

This is the end of the church you see as you walk up. My ancestors would likely have been baptized or christened here.

The chapel the historical society uses a museum and meeting room was built shortly after my ancestors left, presumably on the foundation of an older building. The church in which people of that era were baptized is about three kilometers away. It is an interesting building; it has two naves back-to-back with a single common entrance between them. One side is Protestant and the other Catholic. They were ecumenical long before it was “in.”

A view of the countryside from the church.

Do I have any relatives in Germany? On my dad’s side the German connection is a long time ago. On my mother’s side, though, it’s just a few Generations back. Maybe I can find someone. I do have some relatives in England to see if I can meet one day.

Klaus Eckhardt and me as we explore the village.

If I did the math correctly, I am 1/256 of Henry Railsback and his wife. I wonder what it would have been like in their village in their era? I’ve crossed the Atlantic four times on a ship, but I can’t imagine doing it on a sailing ship back then. Klaus told me the German spoken then was much different from today both in vocabulary and accent/pronunciation. I wouldn’t be who I am today w/o that journey all those years ago.