Bradford – Page 3 – Pennsylvania Genealogy

The McVay Family of Bradford, Pennsylvania

Old town hall, Allegheny City, torn down in 1863

This genealogical sketch traces the McVay line from Patrick McVay of Londonderry, Ireland, through his son John, who emigrated to New York and later settled in Bradford, Pennsylvania. It follows the family’s movement from farming in Ireland into American occupations tied to the oil industry, including drilling, contracting, producing, and related work in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Kentucky, and Colorado. The account also notes the family’s Catholic faith, Democratic and Independent political ties, civic involvement in Bradford, and connections by marriage to the Cummings family. Several children and descendants are identified across multiple generations and locations.

The Backus Family of Bradford, Pennsylvania

This genealogy traces the Backus line from early New England settlers to later branches established in Pennsylvania and New York, emphasizing the family’s long public, religious, and professional service. It follows successive generations from William Backus of colonial Connecticut through Lebbeus Backus, Thomas L. Backus, Rev. William Backus, and the Smethport descendants Frank Ward Backus and Harry Llewellyn Backus. The account also includes the related Windsor and Couch families, especially Major John Couch Backus, a lawyer, legislator, and Civil War officer, and Mary Almira Backus. Together, the sketches show how the family became prominent in Smethport and surrounding communities.

The Chatley Family of Bradford, Pennsylvania

This genealogy traces the Chatley family from Francis Chatley, an Irish immigrant who settled in Beaver County and raised a large family in Pennsylvania, through several generations in Mercer County and beyond. It follows the lives of his children and descendants, including farmers, teachers, ministers, oil workers, and church members, with details on marriages, residences, and children. The account gives special attention to John Chatley and his son Homer, whose career moved from teaching to oil production in Bradford, Pennsylvania, while also connecting the family to allied lines such as the Bowmans, Alexanders, Browns, and Stewarts.

The Freeman Family of Custer City, Pennsylvania

This article traces several generations of the Freeman family from the early New England settler Edmund Freeman through later descendants who moved from Massachusetts and Connecticut into New Hampshire, Vermont, and eventually McKean County, Pennsylvania. It follows the line in detail, noting marriages, children, and places of residence, while also highlighting military service in the Revolution and the War of 1812, Harvard education, farming, and church leadership. The narrative concludes with the Custer City branch, including William Chadwick Freeman and his descendants, and the marriage of Effie Evangeline Freeman to Rev. Thomas Eugene Evans, whose ministry and later farm life are also described.

The Irvine family of Bradford, Pennsylvania

This genealogy traces the Irvine family’s Scotch-Irish origins from Fermanagh, Ireland, to Pennsylvania, highlighting Revolutionary War service and later generations in Bradford, Warren, Towanda, and Cattaraugus County. It follows General William Irvine and his brothers, then Andrew Irvine’s move from Towanda to Warren and his descendants, especially Benjamin F. Irvine, who established Irvine’s Mills in New York. The account also profiles Mary A. Irvine Andrews and her husband, Harper G. Andrews, a Civil War veteran who settled in Bradford. Additional Leonard family ancestry is included to show the maternal line connected to Rebecca (Leonard) Irvine.

The Olds Family of Bradford, Pennsylvania

This genealogical sketch traces the Olds family from Thomas Olds of New Hampshire through his son Ezekiel, who settled in Ohio and later Illinois, and then follows the descendants of Ezekiel’s daughter Cynthia Olds Chapman. It outlines several generations of marriages, children, migrations, and deaths, while also giving a biographical portrait of Cynthia’s husband, William Brooke Chapman, a lawyer, Civil War veteran, and Bradford, Pennsylvania resident. The article places the family within the broader history of northeastern Ohio and western Pennsylvania, noting civic service, church ties, and the continuing presence of descendants in several states.

The Catlin Family of Bradford, Pennsylvania

This genealogical sketch traces the Catlin family from its English roots in Kent through several generations in Connecticut and New York, beginning with Thomas Catlin, an early colonial settler in Hartford. It follows the line through John, Samuel, Isaac, Elisha, Dewey, and Oren Catlin, noting marriages, children, occupations, and civic roles along the way. The account also connects the family to the Dewey lineage and includes the biography of Ellen Virginia Catlin Stanton, whose husband, Norman J. Stanton, served in the Civil War and later held important public offices in Bradford, Pennsylvania.

The Mallory Family of Bradford, Pennsylvania

This was an ancient and distinguished family long seated at Studley Royal, in Yorkshire, England. Of this family was Captain Roger Mallory, who founded a line in the Virginia colony about 1660, and some of whose descendants located in Pennsylvania. (I) Nathaniel Mallory Nathaniel Mallory, born at Middletown, Dauphin county, Pennsylvania, was undoubtedly a descendant of Captain Roger Mallory, of Virginia. After growing to manhood he removed to western Pennsylvania. He married and left a son John, of whom further. (II) John Mallory John, son of Nathaniel Mallory, was born in western Pennsylvania, in 1794, died at Cambridge Springs, Pennsylvania, … Read more

The Hawkins Family of Bradford, Pennsylvania

This genealogical sketch traces the Hawkins family from early Westmoreland County roots to Bradford, Pennsylvania, showing a progression from farming to ministry and then to business leadership. It outlines Thomas Hawkins and his descendants, including David Riley Hawkins, a Methodist Episcopal minister remembered for his faith and anti-slavery views, and Major Adam Clarke Hawkins, who built a career in mercantile work, river commerce, and Bradford’s oil industry. The article also notes family marriages, children, public service, church ties, and civic involvement, offering a detailed account of several generations connected to western Pennsylvania history.

The Benninghoff Family of Bradford, Pennsylvania

This genealogy traces the Benninghoff line from a German family established for centuries to successive generations in Pennsylvania, following Frederick, John, George, and Dr. George Edward Benninghoff. It outlines the family’s migrations through Lehigh, Union, Clearfield, Venango, and Mercer counties, along with marriages and descendants connected to local communities. The account highlights John Benninghoff’s rise as an oil-region landowner and the notorious robbery of his safe, then turns to George Benninghoff’s farming and oil interests. It concludes with Dr. George Edward Benninghoff’s medical career in Bradford, his professional affiliations, and his family.