Relatively Speaking Blog

Tracing my great-grandmother’s parentage seems as elusive as finding a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. Neither my father nor his siblings could tell me much about their paternal grandmother; before my dad was born, the family moved from Lycoming County where she lived. Most of his siblings were young when their grandmother died so they knew little about her. The older siblings never mentioned any memory of her. Some thought her maiden name was McGarvey, but they were not certain. It was not until I began researching my family tree, that I discovered any information about my great grandmother. I learned her name was Margaret McGarvey and she was most likely the daughter of James McGarvey and Rebecca Thomas.

Margaret married John Brown, her second husband, and she outlived him by twenty years. Margaret died September 30, 1923 in Williamsport Hospital, and according to her death certificate, she had fallen down stairs and suffered injuries that lead to her death. Margaret’s 25 year old grandson Dewey Walters of Williamsport, listed as the informant, provided the personal information about his grandmother. Her birth was recorded as June 22, 1840 in Pennsylvania. Dewey identified Margaret’s parents as James Brown born in Ireland and Rebecca Thomas born in PA. Dewey incorrectly supplied the surname for her father—it should have been McGarvey—was his first name really James? It is remarkable that Dewey would know information about his great grandparents, but I wonder where he got this information and its accuracy.

With the assumption that James McGarvey was the name of Margaret’s father, I searched Lycoming County records for him. One James McGarvey was found there, but discrepancies raise doubts whether this was my Margaret’s father. In 1840 James McGarvey was living in Muncy Creek Township; in addition to James, the male 30-39 years of age, was 1 female 20-29 years of age, probably James’ wife, and two possible children, 1 male 10-14 years of age, and 1 female under 5 years of age. James is not found in the next census and his whereabouts can only be speculated.

However, in 1850 a McGarvey family living in the same township was probably James’. Listed in the household were: Rebecca, 31; Thomas, 19; Bridget, 12; James, 4; John, 2; and Margaret 7/12. Rebecca matches the first name of Margaret’s mother, but both Rebecca and Margaret’s ages in this census were much younger than what was estimated. Other enumerations put Rebecca’s birth around 1806 and Margaret’s birth about 1841. It has been established that in 1860 Margaret, age 19, was married to Valentine Allen, and had a 3 month old baby. Coincidentally, in 1850 young Valentine’s family was on the same page in Muncy Creek Township as the McGarveys. Perhaps this McGarvey family was my great grandmother’s, and her age in 1850 was recorded incorrectly by the enumerator.

To complicate matters, that same year in bordering Muncy Township, another Margaret McGarvey was included in the census. She lived with Samuel and Agnes Shoemaker, both in their 60s. Although the age of this Margaret, recorded as 8 years old, better fits the age of my great grandmother, nothing confirms this was her. With two Margaret McGarveys in Lycoming County, only one could be my great grandmother. A remote possibility is they were the same Margaret McGarvey, enumerated twice, once with the Shoemakers who were looking after her, and once in Muncy Creek Township where her mother lived. The different ages of the two make this seem unlikely, but if an enumerator inaccurately recorded her age, which did happen, it could account for the two Margarets.

Continuing the search for James McGarvey, some records were found in the Lycoming County courthouse. Several Orphan’s Court proceedings mention James McGarvey late of Muncy Creek Township, confirming James had died, but without any information as to when. The earliest document was dated February 1, 1856 when George Snyder was appointed administrator of his estate, which usually occurred within a few weeks after a death, suggesting James died in late December 1855 or early January 1856. The next record with the same date is the appointment of John Petrekin, Esq. as guardian for James’ minor children, namely: Margaret, James and John. Since Margaret was listed first, it suggests she might have been the oldest of the minor children. A year and a half later, after the death of John Petrekin, Robert Hawley was appointed guardian. Although guardians were often family members, no connection between these men and the McGarveys has been identified.

A deed dated September 23, 1858 was the final document I found for James. In Muncy Creek Township, James’ land, bordering the property of George Smith and Joseph Litchand, was sold at a sheriff sale; the family apparently had no money to keep their home. Often a deed references the previous transfer, but no mention was made of when James acquired this land. The five children, whose names all match the 1850 census, along with their guardian, Robert Hawley, were given notice of the sale by the sheriff.

This deed also named Adam Neufer and his wife Margaret, late Margaret McGarvey, surely a connection to James that might prove helpful. A search for Adam Neufer returned one match residing in Lycoming County beginning in 1820 through 1850 in Moreland Township, which borders Muncy Creek Township where the McGarveys lived. In the first couple of enumerations, several adults lived with him, perhaps siblings or boarders, as well as a number of children. In 1850 Adam Nufer, age 62, appeared to be a widower, with two young adults and five minor children in the household. These probably were his children, though the youngest at five could have been a grandchild. Adam married Margaret McGarvey sometime between the 1850 enumeration in September and the recording of the deed in September of 1858. He likely died before 1860, as Adam was not found in the 1860 census.

Besides the census, search results for Adam Neufer included a death certificate for William F. Neufer, on which Adam was listed as his father. Examining the document closer, I was surprised to read his mother was Rebecca MacGarvey. I expected the mother to be Margaret McGarvey; perhaps her name was Margaret Rebecca or the recorder of the deed in 1858 mistakenly wrote Margaret instead. William’s year of birth ranged from 1850 on his death certificate to about 1855 from other documents, giving an approximate time frame for his parents’ marriage. In 1860 and 1870 William was in the Charles Neufer’s household, possibly his much older brother. Had both of William’s parents died before 1860, leaving him to be raised by a relative?

Delving deeper, two marriage records were located for William. The first was in 1875 when he married Mary Jane Robb. Shortly after her death in 1891, William married Cora Thomas, his second cousin as stated on the marriage application! If the relationship was through William’s maternal and Cora’s paternal lines, then it is possible that his mother and my 2nd great grandmother were the same Rebecca—widow of James McGarvey and also Adam Neufer. Cora died in 1923, but specifics about her lineage to clarify William and Cora’s relationship have not yet been found.

Neither Rebecca Neufer nor Margaret Neufer appear in the census for 1860 or later. However, I know definitively Rebecca McGarvey, my 2nd great grandmother, lived with her son John in 1880. Residing with them in Moreland Township was 10 year old Minnie Allen, John’s niece and my great grand aunt, which provided firm evidence this was my family. Rebecca has not been found in 1870, but in 1860 a Rebecca McGarvey, likely my ancestor, was living with Thomas, presumably her son, and his family, along with young 12 year old John in Columbia County PA. If my Rebecca did indeed marry Adam Neufer as her second husband, it is curious that she reverted back to her first husband’s surname and that she did not have her son William with her.

With Cora I have a potential lead to pursue Rebecca’s parents, but I still desire more knowledge about my 2nd great grandfather, James McGarvey and his ancestry. I am curious how Dewey Walters knew his great grandfather was born in Ireland. Perhaps he heard stories about Margaret’s parents when she lived with his family in her final years. I wonder if anyone today still knows anything about the McGarvey family history. Finding a family related to James might help to identify what area of Ireland he originated. Although there were a couple of other McGarveys before 1860 around the Lycoming County area, none have been connected to James.

The documents I have gathered so far imply these could be my McGarvey great grandparents, but there is no jackpot of gold containing absolute proof. Instead, I can only construct a loosely connected story of James and Rebecca McGarvey: he died young, leaving her a widow with five children and no income to save her home, so she remarried, only for this second husband to die. But this narrative without substantial validation is mostly speculation. There are nuggets that could lead me to more information about the McGarveys, but a trip to Lycoming County and its courthouse is necessary to advance this pursuit. Whenever I go, may the luck of the Irish be with me in discovering my McGarvey heritage.