Our McMullen Family
Polli
Jost Turner, Editor
I have been
puzzling over the early generations of the McMullen family,
previous to Hugh and Major. For my notes on those generations, click here
One of my
sources for the following information is the book, Into the Sunset,
written by George S. Ball,
and published by the Greeley Tribune
in Greeley, Colorado, in 1966. Click here to read anecdotes about the McMullens from his book.
First Generation--
Hugh McMullen, born Dec. 29, 1791; died 1844, in Mercer Co., IL;
52 years old. Married (ca.1810?) Ersula Knapp, born 1795, in
NY; died Dec. 8, 1864, in Mercer Co., IL; 69 years old. Ersula
was buried in the Swedonia West Cemetery. Hugh’s will does
not list our ancestor Major McMullen among his children. However,
Ersula was living with Major’s family (1860 census) after
Hugh’s death, which points to some family relationship.
If Major was not their son, perhaps he was a nephew taken in
by uncle and aunt after the early death of his own parents, or
even Hugh’s baby brother. The children are listed in the
order they were mentioned in Hugh’s will.
I have found record that in the early 1800’s, Hugh McMullen owned
50 acres of land in the town of Elbridge (Onadaga Co., NY), lot 80 no.
35.
1. Charlotte McMullen,
married (probably in NY) Almond Wilcox.
2. Lydia McMullen,
married (March 5, 1837, in Mercer Co., IL) William Mahany.
3. Philadelia McMullen,
born ca. 1822, in NY. Married (Aug. 1, 1939) Hiram Pierce, born ca. 1812,
in MA. They were living in Richland Grove, IL, in 1850.
4. Horace McMullen,
born ca. 1827, in NY. Married (Jan. 16, 1850, in Mercer Co., IL) Elizabeth Norman, born ca. 1832, in IN. Lived in Richland Grove in
1850.
5. Harvey McMullen,
married Nancy Jane Love.
6. William McMullen,
born March 4, 1834, in Onodoga Co., NY; died Jan. 3, 1884, in Farragut
Co., IA; 50 years old. Married (Nov. 8, 1855, in Mercer Co., IL) Mary Norman, born Dec. 13, 1836, in IL; died Aug. 21,
1908, in Farragut Co., IL; 72 years old. (Her parents were Charles Norman and Parthenia Arasmith.) William and Mary were both buried in Farragut
Cemetery. They had 10 children, the first eight were born in Mercer Co.,
IL.
•The following are of the appropriate age to be Hugh and Ersula’s
children, and are almost certainly related in some way, but were not
mentioned in Hugh’s will when he died in 1844. I believe they
were children of Hugh’s older brother William.•
7. Major McMullen,
born Oct. 29, 1818, in NY; died March 2, 1870; 51 years old. Married Elsie Wilcox.
8. Eli McMullen,
married (Oct. 26, 1843, in Mercer Co., IL) Louisa Allen.
9. Elizabeth McMullen,
married (Jan. 1, 1855, in Mercer Co., IL) William Canum.
11. Harry McMullen,
born ca. 1832, in NY. Married Mary, born ca. 1840, in IL.
10. Henry McMullen,
born ca. 1834. During 1850 census was living with Horace and Elizabeth
McM.
12. Michael McMullen,
born ca. 1836, in NY. At the time of the 1860 census, he was living with
the family of James C. Wright.
Second Generation--
Major McMullen, born Oct. 29, 1818, in NY; died March 2, 1870, of
consumption; 51 years old. Major was buried in the Swedonia West
Cemetery, in Mercer Co., IL. Married (April 23, 1840, in Mercer
Co., IL, in the home of her father Almond Wilcox) Elsie Wilcox, born March 7, 1822, in NY, died Feb. 24, 1905, in
Greenfield, Adair Co., IA; 82 years old. Elsie was buried in
Greenfield Cemetery, in Adair Co., IA. 1850 they were living
in Rivoli township, Mercer Co., IL. At the time of the 1860 census,
Hugh’s widow Ersula was living with the family.
By 1888, Elsie was living in Adair Co., IA, apparently having moved there
with son William and his family (per her application for Major’s
military pension).
Major fought in the Civil War, a private in Co. C, 102nd Ill. Inf. He
enlisted Aug. 11, 1862 for a three year term, but was discharged Jan.
15, 1863, on grounds of disability. According to the pension application
Elsie made later, it was during a march from Frankfort, KY, to Gallatin,
TN, that the conditions were so poor (sleeping in the open and on the
ground) he caught a cold which settled in his lungs. According to the
pension claim, it developed into chest pain, cough, and kidney problems.
He was unable to do his work as usual after returning home, and died
seven years later of consumption. According to the pension application,
Major was 5’11" tall, had a light complexion, grey eyes, and
brown hair. He was a farmer, and gave his home as Center Ridge, IL.
1. James McMullen,
born Aug. 2, 1846; died Feb. 7, 1875; 28 years old.
2. William McMullen,
born Nov. 1851 (or 50), in Mercer Co., IL; died April 8, 1911, in Colorado;
61 years old. Married Mary Norman.
3. Harriet Louise McMullen,
born ca. 1853. Married Hezekiah Elliott. Their daughter Edna P. Elliott
married (1904, in Adair Co., IA) Frank W. Luers, brother of Emma Luers
who married Calvin McMullen (below) in Adair Co., IA.
4. Mary Ellen McMullen,
"Ellen," born June 24, 1859, in Mercer Co., IL. Moved to Greenfield,
IA, with her mother, and was living with her while she was receiving a
widow’s pension for her husband’s service in the Union Army during
the Civil War.
5. Sara Jane McMullen,
"Jane," born Jun. 8, 1863, in Mercer Co., IL. Moved to Greenfield,
IA, with her mother, and was living with her while she was receiving a
widow’s pension for her husband’s service in the Union Army during
the Civil War.
Third Generation--
William McMullen, born Nov. 1851 (or 50, on his grave), in Mercer
Co., IL; died April 8, 1911, in Colorado; 61 years old. Married
(Dec. 19, 1871, in Henry Co., IL) Mary Norman,
born March 10, 1855, in IL; died Oct. 13, 1925, in Ft. Collins,
CO; 70 years old. William and Mary were buried in Eaton Cemetery,
Weld Co., CO.
William and Mary were married in Illinois, where their first child Calvin
was born. They migrated to Adair Co., Iowa in 1872, where the rest of
their children were born. After leaving Iowa, the family was in Longmont,
CO for a time. About 1897, they homesteaded near Pierce. Cal and his
family didn’t come west until about 1904. William had a livery stable
in Pierce, and did a good business helping people find land, homesteads
and desert claims.
1. Calvin J. McMullen,
"Cal," born Sept. 22, 1871; died July 15, 1934, in Greeley, CO;
63 years old.
2. Ella McMullen,
"Ellie," born July 17, 1878; died June 1967, in Chicago, IL;
79 years old. Married Paul Krause. Lived in Canton, Minn. in 1922, and
in 1961--up to the time of Ellie’s death. They had four children,
three of whom were Willy, Charlie, and Jemmy (per her niece Martha McMullen).
3. Hattie McMullen,
born Sept. 1881; died before 1961. Married ?(ca. 1899) Bensam Maxfield.
They lived next door to her parents at the time of the 1900 census. Second
marriage, Fred S. Richardson. Lived in Ft. Collins, and Mary was living
with her at the time of her death. In later years they lived in Ponca
City, OK, where they lived until her death. They had two children, both
adopted: Helen and Dorothy.
4. James Vernon McMullen,
"Jim," born Nov. 17, 1886; died Dec. 15, 1961; 74 years old.
Married (Aug. 6, 1909, in Denver, CO) sister-in-law Hazel June Lemonds, born June 15, 1891, in Conway, IA; died Nov. 29,
1970; 79 years old. They moved to the midwest where Jim worked in the oil
fields (in 1922 they were living in Wilsall, MT), and returned to Nunn
in 1930 to farm. Jim was also an auctioneer. Both were buried in the Mt.
View Cemetery in Nunn, CO.
5. Alice Pearl McMullen,
born Aug. 12, 1889, in Greenfield, Adair Co., IA; died Jan. 5, 1972,
in Greeley, CO; 83 years old. Married (April 16, 1908, in Pierce, CO)
brother-in-law George Lemuel Lemonds ("Lem"), born in Conway,
IA; died Dec. 3, 1968. They met in Pierce, and were members of the Nunn
Presbyterian Church. They were buried in the Mt. View Cemetery in Nunn.
William McMullen's Livery Stable, about 1908
Fourth Generation--
Calvin J. McMullen, born Sept. 1871; died July 15, 1934; 63 years old.
Married (Dec. 24, 1895) Emma E. Luers, (a twin) born July 8, 1874; died Sept. 1, 1923;
49 years old. Both were buried in Eaton, Ward Co., CO.
1. Erma McMullen,
born Dec. 23, 1896, in Adair Co., IA; died March 1983; 86 years old.
Married (May 25, 1922) David Henkle, born Aug. 23, 1898; died Jan. 31,
1939; 40 years old.
2. Alice Mary McMullen,
born Aug. 21, 1898, in Hebron, Adair Co., Iowa. Married Charles William
Jones.
3. Lloyd Luers McMullen,
born Nov. 22, 1901; died Aug. 1984, in Santa Maria, CA; 82 years old.
Married (Aug. 20, 1925) Jessie. They adopted one child, and were divorced
July 30, 1929, just six months later.
Second marriage (Oct. 10, 1932) to Evelyn Randrup, born Nov. 3, 1904.
They had no children.
Third marriage (June 1956) to Sarah Long, "Sadie," born Jan
5, 1910. Aunt Sadie told me that her father was born in 1837, and her
grandfather’s name was John, from Scotland. He and his wife, coming
from Wales, met on board the boat to the U.S, married, and settled in
Clay County, Indiana.
4. Ruth Miriam McMullen,
born Jan. 12, 1905; died Aug. 26,1980, in Long Beach, CA; 75 years old.
Married (Nov. 14, 1931) James Maguire, born July 25, 1903; died Oct.
1952. Divorced. They had no children.
5. Claude McMullen,
born Aug. 26, 1906; died April 20, 1958; 52 years old. Married (April
8, 1926) Juanita Bagley, born 1904. Divorced Oct. 4, 1939. They had no
children.
Second marriage (Oct. 31, 1939) to Gladys Crosby, born March 12, 1906.
They had no children.
Fifth Generation--
Alice Mary McMullen, born Aug. 21, 1898, in Hebron, Adair Co., IA. Married
first (in CO) Harry English, but he diedwithin a year of heart
attack.
Second marriage (Aug. 27, 1919, in CO), Charles William Jones, born Dec. 17, 1892, in Fordsville, Breckenridge
Co., KY; died March 26, 1976, in Pomona, CA; 86 years old. They had five
children.
1. Marjorie June Jones,
"Marge," born June 22, 1920, in Pierce, CO. Married Elie Ellis
Turner.
2. Francis Evelyn Jones,
born Oct. 6, 1921, in Pierce, CO; died Feb. 7, 1923; 16 months old. Died
from diptheria. Buried in Eaton Cemetery, in CO.
3. Imogene Jones,
"Jeane," born July 6, 1923, in Laramie, WY; died May 31, 1995;
68 years old. Married (Jan. 11, 1948, in Pomona, CA) Ralph Lere, born Aug.
7, 1924; died Aug. 5, 1961; 37 years old. Another Edison man, he fell to
his death when helping in the building of Dodger Stadium in L.A.
Second marriage (Apr. 26, 1964) Leonard Liston, born June 25, 1916; died
Sept. 21, 1970; 53 years old. He died at his desk of heart failure. He
worked for TI Insurance Trust Company.
4. Helen Marie Jones,
born Feb. 8, 1925, in Laramie, WY; died Aug. 22, 1995; 70 years old.
Married first (June 1942) Ruben Williams. They had one child, George
Edwin, and were divorced in 1944.
Married (April 6, 1946) Vernon Edward McKinney, "Mac," but
his own family always called him "Buck". He was born Aug. 23,
1910, in Weippe (pronounced "Wee-ipe"), Idaho; died June 22,
1987; 77 years old. Mac had his own construction business, McKinney Hole
Digging Company. Helen worked with AA, helping people win their battle
against alcohol with the Lord’s help.
5. Charles Raymond Jones,
"Ray," born in Laramie, WY. Married Mary Agnes Graham, "Babe".
Her father was born in Scotland in 1898. Ray had his own insurance agency
until his retirement in 1986.
Sources:
Mrs. Genevieve McMullen, for the earlier generations--her husband is
a descendant of the earlier William McMullen and Mary Norman.
Elsie McMullen’s application for pension based on late husband Major’s
Civil War service, including info from the family’s Bible
Census reports
Into the Sunset, by George Ball
Cemetery and mortuary records
Family information and recall
March 1, 2013
Polli Turner
