Thomas Glenwright, my ancestor, his pregnant wife Hannah, and infant
daughter Sarah Ann
arrived in New York from Liverpool on the 13th of June, 1848 aboard the
ship "Milan". They settled in
Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, where their son Thomas (my ancestor) was born on
the 13th of September that same year. They later had two more sons and another
daughter.
According to the Parish Records, Thomas Glenwright, son of William Glenwright, and Hannah Atkison, daughter of Thomas Atkison, were married 22-Sep-1845 in Medomsley Chapel, County Durham, England. The witnesses were Robert Taite and Ann Dawson (possibly Hannah's mother -- see later). They were married for 52 years until Hannah's death in 1898.
Thomas Glenwright was a pitman (coal miner) in County Durham. If he was like most miners, he endured long hours under poor working conditions. We can presume that he left England for greater opportunity in Pennsylvania. Once there, he rose through the ranks to become a Mine Superintendent, and eventually retired as a man of means, a feat seldom achieved by immigrants of his generation.
The records of the Borough of Ashland, Pennsylvania indicate that Thomas Glenwright served on the council of Burgesses from 1874, and was Chief Burgess (equivalent to Mayor) in 1880 and 1881. We are pretty sure that this was Thomas Sr., but it is possible that it was his son, Thomas Jr., instead.
According to the records of their marriage and of the birth of their daughter Sarah Ann, Hannah's maiden name was either Atkison/Atkinson/Acheson or Dawson. Most likely, she was born one, and her mother remarried the other. We have been unable to find a baptismal record for Hannah that positively matches what little information we do have, although our search has not been exhaustive.
We know almost nothing of Thomas and Hannah's youngest son, George. He was 35 years old and still single, living at home with his parents at the time of the 1900 census. Ten years earlier, he was listed as a tinsmith living with his parents in the local Pottsville directory.
Click here to access Thomas's entry in my WorldConnect database.
Thomas Glenwright
b. 3-May-1821 Gateshead, Durham (or 26-Apr-1821, see notes below)
bap. 9-May-1821 Gateshead, Durham (or 24-Mar-1822, see notes below)
d. 19-Feb-1902; Ashland, Schuylkill, PA
bur. Brock St. Cemetery, Ashland
md. 22-Sep-1845; Medomsley, Durham
Hannah Atkison (or Dawson) (see surname note below)
b. 25-Dec-1824, County Durham, England
d. 5-May-1898; Ashland, Schuylkill, PA;
bur. Brock St. Cemetery, Ashland
Children:
Sarah Ann Glenwright; b. 1-Jul-1846, Lanchester, Durham; d. 13-Apr-1923, Tower City, Schuykill, PA
m. Henry Clay Neithamer 29-Oct-1865, Minersville, Schuylkill, PA
Thomas Glenwright; b. 13-Sep-1848, St. Clair, Schuykill, PA; d. 29-Mar-1919, Minersville, Schuykill, PA
m. Elizabeth Hepler Kehler 3-Aug-1867, Minersville, Schuylkill, PA
William Marshall Glenwright; b. 18-Apr-1851, possibly Dauphin Co., PA; d. 15-Mar-1895, near Boston Run, Schuykill, PA
m. Hannah Jones 25-Dec-1870 Ashland, Schuylkill, PA
m. Margaret Eliza Conner 19-May-1883 Ashland, Schuylkill, PA
Mary Jane Glenwright; b. 29-Aug-1855, Donaldson, Schuykill, PA; d. 19-Dec-1928, PA
m. Augustus J. Kehler 5-Sep-1874, Ashland, Schuylkill, PA
George Henry Glenwright; b. Feb-1865, PA; d. aft. 1900
We have found two baptismal records for Thomas Glenwrights that are possibly his. These two were both born in Gateshead, Durham, only a week apart. We are confused, because one matches his father's name given on his marriage license (son of William, born 1821, bap. 1822), and the other contains a non-standard birthdate field that matches the birthdate on his death certificate (except exactly one year off, son of Matthew, born and bap. 1821). I believe the identification of William as his father on his marriage certificate is correct, but I cannot be positive. The circumstantial evidence also hints that Thomas was the son of William, because of the predominance of both the names Sarah (William's wife) and Marshall (Sarah's maiden name) in the next two generations of the family, compared to scarcity of the name Elizabeth (Matthew's wife) and total absence of the name Elliott (Elizabeth's maiden name). Therefore, we suspect that there was an error in the recording of the baptismal records, and that the birthdates recorded in the parish records were somehow switched. Because of this confusion, we will include both records here:
Page 68.
Baptisms solemnized in the parish of Gateshead
in the County of Durham in the Year 1821.
| When Born | When Baptized | Child's Christian Name | Parents Name | Abode | Quality, Trade, or Profession | By whom |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 3 | 9 [May 1821] | Thomas | Matthew Glenwright Elizabeth | Gateshead | Pitman | Hollinson, Rector |
Page 115.
Baptisms solemnized in the parish of Gateshead
in the County of Durham in the Year 1822.
| When Born | When Baptized | Child's Christian Name | Parents Name | Abode | Quality, Trade, or Profession | By whom |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 26, 1821 | 24 [Mar 1822] | Thomas | William Glenwright Sarah | Gateshead | Collier | H. Salvin, Curate |
Page 51.
1845. Marriage solemnized by Banns in the Chapel of Medomsley in the
County of Durham
| No. | When Married | Name and Surname | Age | Condition | Rank or Profession | Residence | Father's Name | Rank or Profession of Father |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 102 | Sepr. 22. | Thomas Glenwright Hannah Atkison | Full age full age | Bachelor Spinster | Pitman --- | Stobswoodhead Stobswoodhead | William Glenwright Thomas Atkison | Pitman Pitman |
This marriage was solemnized between us,
Thomas (X) GlenwrightIn the presence of us,
Hannah (X) Atkison
Robert Taite (signature)
Ann (X) Dawson
| No. | When and where Born | Name, if any | Sex | Father's Name | Mother's Name | Occupation of Father | Informant | When Registered | Registrar |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 259 | First of July 1846 at ___ High house ___side &∓nbsp;K__ley | Sarah Ann | Girl | Thomas Glenwright | Hannah Glenwright late Atcheson, formerly Dawson | Coal miner | The mark of (X) Hannah Glenwright Mother __56 High ___side | Fourteenth of July 1846 | William Mellon Thompson Registrar |
Page 19.
Baptisms solemnized in the parish of St. Mary Magdalen, Medomsley
in the County of Durham in the Year 1846.
| When Baptized | Child's Christian Name | Parents Name | Abode | Quality, Trade, or Profession | By whom |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Augt 23 | Sarah Ann | Thomas Glenwright Hannah | Stobswoodhead | Pitman | E.J. Midgley, Curate |
13-Jun-1848, Ship Milan, from Liverpool
GLENNERITE, Thomas; 30; M; Laborer
---, Hannah; 25; F; Laborer
---, Sarah-Ann; .00; F; Infant
This indicates that he had been a resident of the US for at least 5 years, as of 12-Dec-1853.
Doug Murphy
Omaha, Nebraska, USA