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McMullen Genealogy ResearchSummer 2007 |
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This summer we (Eleanor and Jim Blumenschein, daughter Corinne Goeke and granddaughters Callie and Janelle) made yet another trip to Concord and Shade Valley areas of Pennsylvania |
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Our Lady of Refuge Church In the farmlands of Doylesburg, Fannett Township, on a country road is tiny Our Lady of Refuge Catholic Church, surrounded on both sides with graves. In this church cemetery there are buried many of our McMullen relatives, including James McMullen (ca 1800-1877). James is the brother of our direct ancestor, Samuel McMullen, and son of the James McMullen who immigrated from Ireland. Also buried there is another brother, Andrew McMullen. In addition John McMullin (1846-1918) and his wife, Catherine Watters (1849-1943 are there. |
 Our Lady of Refuge Church Doylesburg, PA |
| Fr. Campion, age 85, pastor of Our Lady of Refuge and long-time resident of Doylesburg, told us that John and Catherine Watters McMullin and their unmarried children, Stephen, Elizabeth and Annie, were the last McMullen residents of the McMullen farm in Concord. | |
| Further research
revealed that John McMullin, son of Andrew and a nephew of
Samuel, lived on the farm, probably after the
death of James (ca 1800-1877). John McMullin married Catherine
Watters. After the death of their father John, children Stephen, Elizabeth, Annie
and their mother remained on the farm. Later, after Catherine death at the age
of 93, the children sold the farm to the current owners who now operate it as a
hunt club. See Ancestry Chart for more information on family genealogy. In memory of John and Catherine McMullin, the children donated a stained glass window in Our Lady of Refuge Church. The name has been spelled both McMullen and McMullin, depending on the whim of the owner. |
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 1The inscription reads: In memory of John and Catherine McMullin By their children |
| Window in Our Lady of Refuge Church | |
McMullen Farm in Concord Leaving the church and heading just a bit north on Back Road to the "McMullen Farm" in Concord, we found the gate across the driveway unlocked and open. Ignoring the "no trespassing" sign, we drove onto the property unchallenged. Located on the 180-acre property at the base of the Tuscuroara Mountains, the house was much smaller than I expected. The logs have been covered with siding and now the house has been updated and is in the process of being bricked. It's difficult to tell the age of house, but the barn could be 200 years old. There was no one around, so we took pictures of the barn and house and went on our way. |
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| Signs at entrance to driveway |
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| House on McMullen Concord property |
Barn and shed on McMullen Concord property |
Shade Valley Then it was on to our last stop on the other side of the mountains, to visit the McMullens (now Corleys and Hunters) in Shade Valley. On the McMullen property, the 200 year-old barn there was no more, having been pulled down on August 16, 2007, the evening before we arrived. Dallas Hunter said the barn came down with a noise loud enough to be heard in Blairs Mills. The house is in bad shape and probably will not last too much longer. Our history is fading fast. |
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| View looking towards the house, showing roof of barn on ground |
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Eleanor Blumenschein, September 2007 |
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