Children of John and Zilpha Ann (Rogers) Fleming
Sullivan County, PA 1880
L to r: Clara, Isaac, William, Melvia and Mary
Source: Jim Whelan
Children of John and Zilpha Ann (Rogers) Fleming
Sullivan County, PA 1880
L to r:
Clara, Isaac, William, Melvia and Mary
Source: Jim Whelan
The Molyneux, Fleming and Whelan Families In early 2007, we received the photos shown on this page and assorted comments on Barton
Seldon Molyneux (1856-1916). They came from Jim Whelan, Barton's great grandson, to whom we are grateful
for inspiring this page. Then, in August 2011, Jim sent us a further treasure trove
of photos of George and Permilla (Travis) Molyneux and Edward and Rebecca (Bird) Molyneux--his direct
ancestors; in 2013, he sent in an intriguing photo of several Molyneux cousins, including his great
grandfather, Barton Molyneux, as well as photos of Charles Elmer and Annie (Bleiler) Molyneux. Annie
was the second wife of Charles; they were the great grandparents of Jim's cousin, Ginger Ziel. In fact, these photos came to Jim by way of Ginger,whose
grandmother had preserved them. Ginger and Jim are fourth cousins. Edward and Rebecca (Bird)
Molyneux are their common ancestors; they are descendants respectively of James and George Molyneux,
brothers and sons of Edward and Rebecca. Jim can be reached for comments and
questions at Jim Whelan. Here is how Jim is descended from his
Molyneux ancestors: Edward Molyneux/Rebecca Bird George Molyneux/Permilla Travis and John Fleming/Zilpha Ann Rogers Barton Molyneux/Melvia Fleming Myrtle Molyneux/Charles Whelan William Whelan/Adele Budzinski James Whelan The following picture was taken by Lee Molyneux, a son of Barton and Melvia, in their home at 261 Grant Street in Buffalo, NY in December 1901. The photo was taken by a leather-covered box camera using glass photo plates. The source of this background on the photo is a letter written in the 1970s by Lee's brother J. Chester Molyneux, in which he commented on how this photo was taken.
Sullivan Review Barton S. Molyneux, son of George Molyneux and Permilla Travis and great-grandson of William Molyneux, the original settler of this surname in this part of Pennsylvania, married Melvia Fleming (1861-1950) on September 2, 1880. She was the daughter of John Fleming and Zilpha Ann Rogers. You can learn more about the relationships among the Fleming and Rogers families at Aunt Eliza's Scrapbook. We know a little bit about Barton's parents. They were married on October 12, 1853 in Forks township, Sullivan County, PA by the Reverend Richard Bedford. They located on a farm later owned by James and Michael Ferrell, in Forks township. Permilla died Oct. 13, 1865, and George on Feb. 6, 1866.
Their tomstones can be seen in the Warburton Hill Cemetery in Forks at: Barton lived with his uncle David Molyneux and David's first wife, Hannah (Norton) Molyneux, after his parents died while he was a minor. David and Hannah are pictured with a brief biographical sketch in the Streby History of Forks. The same source shows photos of David, his brother Joel, two of their sisters and their respective wives. You'll be able to see photos of Barton's parents, George and Permilla (Travis) Molyneux, as well as the parents of George Molyneux--Edward and Rebecca (Bird)--after the following biographical information. Here is an old biography John Fleming, father of Melvia (Fleming) Molyneux: John Fleming, the father of our subject, located in Luzerne County, Pa., and there followed his trade as mason during the remainder of his life, dying at the age of fifty-five years. He married Ann Curl, who died at the age of about eighty years, and their children were as follows: Martha; Mary Ann; Rebecca; Julia; Rosella; Daniel, who was killed in war; John, the subject of this sketch; Russell, a resident of California; and two who died in infancy. John Fleming upon reaching the age of twelve years went to live with Joseph Warren of Forks township, a farmer by occupation, and after attaining man's estate, he purchased a tract of one hundred and twenty acres of timberland and immediately set about to clear it. This land is located near Campbell's Mills, Forks township, Sullivan County. There he erected a house and other substantial buildings necessary for carrying on his business. He transformed the tract from a wilderness to a beautiful farm, and beginning with little or no means he applied himself with great energy and accumulated sufficient wealth to enable him to retire in 1889. He disposed of his estate to Edward Bahl, and purchased a valuable lot in Forksville at the corner of Water and Main streets upon which he built a handsome house and a good barn. He has since resided there and has gained a large ntimber of friends who hold him in the highest esteem. Mr. Fleming formed a marital union with Zilpha Ann Rogers, who was born August 2, 1829, and is a daughter of Moses A. Rogers, a record of whose life appears elsewhere in this Book of Biographies. This union resulted in the following issue: Isaac R., born October 25, 1854, a merchant of Picture Rock, and who married Minerva Matthews, by whom he has three children, Ora, Carl, and Bruce: Annie J., born April 7, 1856, married Charles Nye, and has one son, Claire; Clara B. *, born October 7, 1860, married to O. A. Gardner * of the city of Minneapolis; Melvia A., born December 15, 1861, married Barton Molyneux of Buffalo, N. Y., and they have three children, Lee, Myrtle, and Chester; Mary S., born January 2, 1863, married George Snyder of Forksville, and they have two children: Marion, and Lou; Delia J., born February 14, 1868, married Dr. William F. Randall, a resident of Dushore, and they have a son, Ralph; William R., born August 18, 1865, resides in Grafton, N. D.; C. Q., born October 14, 1870, who lives in Scranton, Pa.; Bertha, born September 21, 1872, lives at home with her parents; and Blanche R., who was born March 28, 1875, and died January 17, 1897, aged twenty-two years. Politically Mr. Fleming is an independent Republican and has held several minor offices of the township, such as assessor and tax collector. Religiously he is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. * See note and photos at end of this page. Source: Book of Biographies of the Seventeenth Congressional District Published by Biographical Publishing Company of Chicago, IL and Buffalo, NY (1899) Notice that, by 1899, the Barton and Melvia are living in Buffalo, and have three children. Here is another passing reference to the couple from a few years after the wedding: Sullivan Review Barton became an inventor of sorts. While living in Minneapolis in 1890, he filed the following patent application for a coin-operated cyclorama:
Barton and Melvia Molyneux are buried in Buffalo under a common grave marker as shown here:  Barton S. and Melvia (Fleming) Molyneux Grave Marker Buffalo, NY Source: Jim Whelan The following pictures actually came to Jim Whelan from his cousin, Ginger Ziel, who obtained them from her grandmother. The first one is a collage of George Molyneux and his wife Permilla Travis. Also pictured are their sons Clinton and a very young Barton Molyneux. Permilla died in 1865 so these pics are pretty old. Below the collage are photos of Edward and Rebecca (Bird) Molyneux, parents of George.
* Editor's Note: In February 2012, Jim Whelan provided the photo at the top of this page as well as the
following photos of Orrington Abner ("O.A.") Gardner and his wife, Clara B.
Fleming (1860-1951). The couple lived in Minnesota after their marriage, although Clara returned eventually to Pennsylvania after O. A. (1851-1917) died. Clara
died in 1951 and is buried in Fairmount Cemetery in Forksville,
Sullivan County, PA, near where she was born.
The following photos were contributed via Jim Whelan from GInger Ziel in May 2013. The first shows several Molyneux cousins and also was taken about 1880. These cousins are children of eiher George and Permilla (Travis) Molyneux or James and Esther (Tomlinson) Molyneux. George and James were brothers.
The second photo shows the family of James and Esther (Tomlinson) Molyneux, presumably taken about the same time.
Next come two photos of Charles Elmer Molyneux (1865-1922) and his second wife, Mary Annie (Bleiler) (1868-1902). Charles, son of James and Esther (Tomlinson) Molyneux, and Mary Annie, daughter of Augustus Benjamin Bleiler and Loretta (Sherman) Bleiler are the great grandparents of Ginger Ziel.
You can learn more and exchange ideas on the Molyneux ancestry at the Molyneux Family Genealogy Forum. As you can see above, Margaret Molyneux married Ezra Rowe. You can learn more about the Rowe heritage in the presentation and discussion of the Rowe Family Bible on the Other Local Bible Records page. We are grateful to June Howard, a joint Molyneux and Rowe descendant, for that information. June and Ginger Ziel are both great-great grandchildren of James and Esther (Tomlinson) Rowe. Copyright © 2007 Robert E. Sweeney and individual Contributors. All Rights Reserved. Prior written permission is required from Robert E. Sweeney and individual Contributors before this material can be printed or otherwise copied, displayed or distributed in any form. This is a FREE genealogy site sponsored through PAGenWeb and can be reached directly at ~Sullivan County Genealogy Project (https://sites.rootsweb.com/~pasulliv) Back to the Sullivan County Genealogy Page |
