March 24, 2025
Introduction: In this article, Katie Rebecca Merkley describes the records needed to establish the movement and relationships of her immigrant ancestors. Katie specializes in U.S. research for family history, enjoys writing and researching, and is developing curricula for teaching children genealogy.
Our ancestors often migrated in groups. Sometimes, a religious community would up and leave together, such as the Pilgrims on the Mayflower. Other times, some would go to America ahead of others and write home to their friends and family about it, convincing them to come too.
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My ancestors, the McElhinney family, resided in County Donegal, Ireland. In the early twentieth century, five adult children of Robert and Margaret McElhinney went to America (see links at the end of this article). At least, that is what FamilySearch Family Tree shows. As a professional genealogist, I’m not satisfied taking things at face value without seeking proof.
Very few Irish sources are attached to the apparent siblings. As a U.S. researcher, I am not familiar enough with British Isles research to know where to look for more records. My options are either to dabble in Irish genealogy or hire an Irish researcher. Ireland, like the U.S., took censuses every ten years, but those are not as readily available as the U.S. census. An Irish researcher would likely be more familiar with the sources in Ireland that could reveal the McElhinney family unit, including Robert, Margaret and their children.
The McElhinney siblings did not immigrate together. I have found the arrival dates for two of the siblings thus far. Robert McElhinney Jr. arrived in 1902 or 1903, according to census records. Joseph McElhinney (my direct ancestor whom I’ve written about previously) came in 1909. The other three apparent siblings are Rachel, Elizabeth, and George.
A good way for me to determine the arrival dates of Rachel, Elizabeth, and George McElhinney is to check the censuses. U.S. censuses taken in the early 20th century asked immigrants for their arrival date, and if they were naturalized. Each census provides varying levels of detail.
I’ll also want to find naturalization records for those who naturalized, using resources such as FamilySearch or the National Archives. The petition for naturalization typically lists the family members and arrival details, including the name of the ship, port of arrival, and exact date of arrival. Knowing this information will make it easier to find passenger lists.
There are no naturalization records for either McElhinney sister because both married U.S. citizens before 1922. Rachel McElhinney married William McIlhenny in 1903. (1) Elizabeth McElhinney married Hugh Wray in 1906. (2) Both men were born in Pennsylvania. By marrying U.S. citizens, each sister automatically became a U.S. citizen by deriving the status of her husband.
As discussed in my previous blog articles, Joseph and Robert McElhinney married U.S. citizens – who therefore lost their U.S. citizenship because they married aliens. Joseph naturalized in 1921, so his wife regained her citizenship by deriving her citizenship from him.
Naturalization records of the apparent brothers aren’t likely to prove their relationships with each other. If they witnessed each other’s naturalization, or their sisters’ husbands did, that would only suggest a possible relationship. Census records may give a similar suggestion of relationships if they lived in close proximity to each other.
A more direct way to prove sibling relationships is through their death records. Seeking out their death certificates is a good strategy because that will state the names and birthplaces of their parents. However, the informant of a death certificate likely didn’t personally know the parents of the deceased but only heard about them. This would be especially true for immigrants whose parents stayed in Ireland. This means the parental information on the death certificates is prone to errors.
Obituaries often list the names of surviving relatives, so I searched for those in GenealogyBank’s Historical Newspaper Archives. Not all the obituaries were found in GenealogyBank. Robert McElhinney died in March 1965, and his obituary was published in the Atlantic City Press.
His obituary states he was born in Donegal, Ireland, but mentions no siblings. Robert was the last of his apparent siblings to die. Hence, it makes sense that no surviving siblings would be mentioned in his obituary.
George McElhinney was the first of the apparent siblings to die, so his obituary might mention his siblings. However, his obituary was not found in GenealogyBank or any other database. If I have an idea of when and where he died or where he resided at the time of his death, I can browse newspapers from that era and location. Before I can reasonably do that, I need to trace him in censuses and other records that show his residence.
According to family lore, George McElhinney never married and lived with his sister. Finding him and his sisters on censuses will reveal how much truth there is to that lore. The censuses taken in 1880 and later indicate the relationship of each person to the head of household.
Three of the apparent siblings are buried in the same cemetery, suggesting a possible familial connection. The burial place is West Laurel Hill Cemetery, which is in Bala Cynwyd, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. George McElhinney was buried in 1939. (3) Elizabeth McElhinney Wray was buried in 1944. (4) Robert McElhinney was buried in 1965. (5) A good way to get additional information on the burials is to contact the cemetery to see what they have.
In genealogy, it is important to prove relationships, as I am in the process of doing with the McElhinney family. GenealogyBank offers newspapers and census collections that can help you research your ancestors in the same way.
Explore over 330 years of newspapers and historical records in GenealogyBank. Discover your family story! Start a 7-Day Free Trial
Note on the header image: family photos and research material.
Credit: https://depositphotos.com/home.html
Related Articles:
- Genealogy Tips: Searching for My Immigrant Ancestor (part 1)
- Genealogy Tips: Searching for My Immigrant Ancestor (part 2)
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(1) Pennsylvania, Philadelphia County Orphan’s Court, marriage certificate 146447 (1902), William McIlhenny and Rachel McIlhenny; City Hall, Philadelphia, PA; images. FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org: accessed 17 February 2025); film #004280834, images 849-851.
(2) Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Marriage Indexes, 1885-1951, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JVHG-MZH: Sat Feb 24 05:26:45 UTC 2024), Entry for Elizabeth McElhinney and Wray, 1906.
(3) Find a Grave, database and images (https://findagrave.com: accessed 13 March 2025), memorial page for George McElhinney (1871-1939), Find a Grave Memorial ID 91394940, citing West Laurel Hill Cemetery, Bala Cynwyd, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, USA; Maintained by Crypt Tonight (contributor 48494116).
(4) Find a Grave, database and images (https://findagrave.com: accessed 13 March 2025), memorial page for Elizabeth Wray (1876-1944), Find a Grave Memorial ID 91322798, citing West Laurel Hill Cemetery, Bala Cynwyd, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, USA; Maintained by Crypt Tonight (contributor 48494116).
(5) Find a Grave, database and images (https://findagrave.com: accessed 13 March 2025), memorial page for Robert McElhinney (1879-1965), Find a Grave Memorial ID 91394942, citing West Laurel Hill Cemetery, Bala Cynwyd, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, USA; Maintained by Crypt Tonight (contributor 48494116).
