Callen Family History The Callens of Northern Allegheny and Southern Butler Counties of Pennsylvania Compiled by Scott Anderson Draft Copy, September 2008 Page 1 Callen The Callen coat of arms is officially documented in Burke’s General Armory, as well as others. The original description of the shield is: “OR, ON A BEND GU, THREE MARTLETS AR.”, when translated, the blazon also describes the original colors of the Callen arms as: “GOLD, A RED DIAGONAL BAND, THREE SILVER BIRDS WITHOUT FEET.” Above the shield and helmet is the crest which is described as “half a red griffin attacking”. The Callen name translated, means “POWERFUL IN BATTLE”. Page 1 Preface The Callen name, although it is not a very common one, can be found throughout America. The name first appeared in American documents in the early 1700s in eastern Pennsylvania. Callens spread across the state, and across the country, and spellings of the name varied, including: Callan, Callin, Callon, Callens, Callons, among others. In some cases, the name was original to the spelling as it was in Ireland, but in many cases, the spelling was changed after arriving in America. Often, census records were misspelled, and it is even possible to find two households from the same family with different spellings. The Callen families in America have been researched to great extents, and the most notable accounts of the Callen family history can be found in such records as The Callen Chronicles, compiled by Edna Callen McNellis in 1990, and The Callin Family History, written by G. W. Callin in 1911. Although it is likely that the Callens listed in this book are probably related to those in The Callen Chronicles and The Callin Family History, there is no documented proof of this connection. One of the lines of Callens that is covered extensively in these books is that of Patrick Callen. Patrick was the father of Hugh Callen, founder of Callensburg, a small town located in western Pennsylvania. Patrick lived in southwestern Armstrong County, close to the Callens written about here. Given that Patrick’s birth year was in the late 1740s, and that he immigrated before 1769, there can be no direct connection to the Callen line written about here. It is plausible though, that Patrick Callen could be the great uncle of the Callens that immigrated in our line, who were William, Michael, and Catherine. ----Future Editions and Material Contributions--- To submit family information, photographs or copies of records for the next edition, or to receive future editions, contact: Scott Anderson e-mail: [email protected] Page 2 The First Generation William M. Callen The beginnings of our line of Callens in America start with William Callen, who immigrated to America in 1829. According to New York passenger and immigration lists, William Callon who was 19 years of age left Ireland from the port of Londonderry on the ship Asia, and arrived in New York on July 29th, 1829. William Callen was born in Ireland on December 10 in the year 1811; his parents were Patrick and Christina Callen. According to family legend, Patrick Callen was a Catholic priest. Records show that two of William’s siblings also immigrated to America, but there is a possibility of others. His brother Michael immigrated two years before William, arriving in New York on November 22, 1827. Michael’s sister Catherine is also believed to have immigrated the year before Michael. Another sibling may have been Edward Callen, born about 1814, his wife was Elizabeth. They were both born in Ireland, and lived in Allegheny City, Edward may have died in the 1860s. William is first found living in Allegheny City, Pennsylvania; now know as the North side of Pittsburgh. He is listed as William M. Callen, 20-30 years old. At some point in time after 1830, William moved to the area where Allegheny County and Butler County border one another, probably in Butler County. In about 1834 he married Sarah Pugh. Sarah Pugh was born on November 4th, 1815 in Butler County, Pennsylvania. Sarah’s parents were Michael and Elizabeth Pugh, who lived in Butler County. Michael Pugh had moved to Butler County from Monroe County with his father, Daniel, and two brothers, John and Peter. The family is mentioned in The History of Butler County – 1883, Chapter 26 Clinton Township: “Daniel Pugh was an early settler in the neighborhood now known as Pughtown, in the southwestern part of this township. He owned quite a large tract of land, on which his sons John, Michael and Peter lived. A coal bank has been operated by the Pughs for some years”. It is believed that Daniel Pugh is one of the sons of Hugh Pugh and Helena Brink, of Chester County, Pennsylvania. The father of Hugh Pugh, who was also named Hugh, was born in Wales, and immigrated to America. Hugh Pugh Senior was accused of the murder of J. Hayes in 1715, and in 1718, he was hanged. Page 3 William Callen and Sarah Pugh had the following known children: 1.1 Elizabeth Callen, born December 25, 1835 1.2 Catherine Callen, born May 8, 1837 1.3 Edward Callen, born May 12, 1840 1.4 Michael Callen, born April 1844 1.5 William Callen, born about 1845 1.6 Hannah Callen, born about 1846 1.7 Sarah Callen, born about February 1850 William and Sarah lived in Buffalo Township, Butler County, in 1840. In 1843, according to the church’s book, William Callen joined the Pleasant Unity Presbyterian Church. A note in the book also signifies that he was a former R.C., or Roman Catholic. In 1850, William, Sarah and their children are found living in Middlesex Township in Butler County. William Callen died on November 17, 1951, and is buried in Bullcreek Cemetery, located near Millerstown, Pennsylvania. His headstone, although severely weathered, indicates his date of death, and that he was 39 years, 11 months and 7 days old. A cedar tree is engraved in his grave marker, and one is planted next to his grave, a traditional Irish symbol, meaning “strong faith”. The grave is located in the old section of the Bullcreek Cemetery, at the perimeter of the graveyard. The grave, and others nearby, were only recently found, as they were overgrown and almost completely covered. Next to William’s grave, are those of his son, Edward, and remnants two children’s graves, probably his daughters, Hannah and Sarah. An inventory of the personal property of William Callen of Middlesex Township, Butler County, was administered on December 6th, 1854. The belongings of William Callen included seven cows, three horses, five hogs, nineteen sheep, a windmill, various pieces of furniture, a looking glass, and two hundred and twenty nine dollars in various notes. His wife, Sarah, remarried to George McWhinney in 1853. They lived on the McWhinney farm in 1860, which is located in Fawn Township, Allegheny County. George McWhinney fought in the Civil War, and died on November 17th, 1866. He is buried near William Callen in the Bullcreek Cemetery. In 1870, Sarah was living on the farm with her son Michael, and his wife and son. Sarah then remarried again to Alexander Simpson, who owned the farm next to Sarah’s. They were living on the Simpson farm together in 1870, along with Sarah’s sister, Catherine, and her grandson. Alexander Simpson died in 1883, and according to a Hemphill family descendant, who had the farm located next to the Simpson’s, Sarah was allowed to live on the Simpson farm for the remainder of her life, and Page 4 was to receive $25 per year. The son of Alexander Simpson, Robert, did not like the fact that she was allowed to stay on the farm. Sarah wrote her last will and testament on August 14th, 1884, leaving $300 to her daughter, Caty Morn, and the remainder to her son, Michael. Sarah died on March 4th, 1885, and is buried in the Millerstown Cemetery, near her son, Michael. On her grave marker is engraved, Sarah A. Callen, wife of William Callen, died March 4, 1885, aged 69 years, 4 months. Michael Callen Michael Callen was born in Ireland, about 1806, making him the older brother of William. Michael is believed to be the first sibling to come to America. According to New York passenger and immigration lists, Michael Callen, a carpenter, at 22 years of age left Ireland from the port of St. John, New Brunswick, on the ship Clothier, and arrived in New York on November 22nd, 1827. Michael married Mary Weir, the daughter of Jane and John Weir, an immigrant from Ireland. Mary was born in June 1814, and lived in Butler County with her parents. Michael and Mary were probably married in the 1840s. They had no known children together. Mary died between 1900 and 1910. Michael had one known child prior to marrying Mary, but may have had other children, his first wife is unknown. His daughter Sarah was born on July 4th, 1849 in Butler County. Sarah married Dennis Aloysius Duff about 1860, in Butler County. They had eight known children and lived in Butler County. Sarah died in January, 1901, in Butler County. According to census records, other children are found living with Michael, indicating that he may have had other children, including Mary born about 1835, and Michael born about 1833. There is also a Samuel Callen, born about 1848, living with Michael in 1860. Michael lived in East Bethlehem in Washington County in 1840. By 1850, he was living in Middlesex Township of Butler County, with his family, and sister Catherine, not far from their brother William.