Look here for Genealogy
information
JEM May 1967 visit
RM October 1967 visit
James Curran's McEldowney histories cover ***ALL*** McEldowneys in the U.S. They are not limited to one branch.
However, below are only PARTs of Curran's McEldowney geneologies --
Great-Great-Grandparents Generation
=================================================================
McELDOWNEY-GGGP-JMSR Last updated: 8/15/94
John & Mary McCutcheon/Margaret Malcolm/Jane Morris McEldowney
John (nmn) McEldowney
b. 1790-1800 (per 1840 Census if we have right one)
c. 1792 (per 1850 Census)
1783 (per RM3; Frances A. Metcalf Curran claimed this
date was absolutely known!)
m. Mary McCutcheon
wid 1830
rem. 1832-1834, Margaret Malcolm, Omagh, Co. Tyrone
emig late 1835-early 1836 to St. John's, New Brunswick
emig 1837-early 1838 to Pittsburgh area
Nat. D.I. 10 Feb 1841
Nat: 7 Oct 1844,Sponsor: George R. RIDDLE
moved to Iowa mid-1850's
wid 1864
rem. c. 1865, Jane Morris
d. FEB 1870, LaGrange, IA
bur. semi-abandoned cemetery near what used to be LaGrange,
IA with 2nd wife Margaret Malcolm and daughter Margaret
A. McEldowney
Mary McCutcheon
daughter of a Methodist minister in Omagh; a James
McCutcheon is listed as a Former Superintendent
minister in 1837-38 for the Omagh Methodist Church in
their ,
7 May 1966.
b. Scotland
d. 1830, Omagh, Co. Tyrone
Children of Mary McCutcheon:
Mary McEldowney Wilson
b. c. 1814, Omagh, Co. Tyrone, Ireland
m. 6 NOV 1836, James Wilson, New Brunswick, Can.
d. 16 SEP 1857, Pittsburgh
bur. Uniondale in McEldowney plot
reinterred 16 MAR 1929, Homewod, Sec. 9, Lot 709
See McELDOWNEY-MMcC-GGP-MMW
(unknown daughter)
*** The following contradicts the extended obit of John
McEldowney, Jr., both as to the total number of
children and the number of each sex, which states there
were three brothers and two sisters in the family;
poss. this is actually the child I have identified as
an unknown daughter, or it may mean that the obit only
counted the children who emigrated.
George McEldowney
d. in infancy, Omagh, Co Tyrone, Ireland
James McEldowney
b. 8 SEP 1815, Omagh, Co. Tyrone, Ireland
m. prob c. 1840, Nancy Ray (would have been at SMEC
but records for 1832-1848 are missing)
d. 17 MAR 1880 (per RM3)
See McELDOWNEY-MMcC-GGP-JM
John McEldowney
b. 6 JAN 1824, Omagh, Co. Tyrone, Ireland
m. 5 NOV 1846, C(K)atherine Kimes of Baltimore (but
apparently resident in Pittsburgh at the time)
d. 6 MAR 1904, MI
See McELDOWNEY-MMcC-GGP-JMJR
Robert (nmn) McEldowney
b. 10 SEP 1826, Omagh, Co. Tyrone, Ireland
m. 1 APR 1847, Hester L. McFarland, Pittsburgh, PA
d. 8 DEC 1895, Pittsburgh, PA
bur 10 DEC 1895, Uniondale Cemetery
See McELDOWNEY-MMcC-GGP-RM
Margaret Malcolm
b. c. 1800
m. 1832-1835, John McEldowney, prob. Omagh, Co. Tyrone
d. 10 SEP 1864
bur. semi-abandoned cemetery near what used to be LaGrange,
IA with husband John McEldowney and daughter Margaret
A. McEldowney
Children of Margaret Malcolm:
4 daughters "went west when grandfather died married a
third time, second wife having died" (Aunt Essie)
**** Where was Catherine in the 1850 Census? Already married at
16?
C(K)atherine J. "Kate" McEldowney Boyd
b. OCT 1834, poss. Dublin, more likely Omagh
m. R. J. Boyd (d. 1888)
d. 22 JUN 1916
Children:
Tom Boyd
married, but no children
(unk dau) Boyd Talbott
m. S. G. Talbott
Children:
1 son, 1 dau
(unk dau) Boyd Copeland Ingersoll
b. c. 1865
m. ? Copeland
Child:
D. H. Copeland
rem. W. H. Ingersoll
Children:
(none)
Jemima/Harriett "Hattie" McEldowney Scott
b. c. 1835, New Brunswick, Can.
m. ? Scott
res. Griswold, IA
Children
David Scott
published
Wilma/Willa Scott
Georgia Scott
Kittie Scott Carlisle
m. Frank P. Carlisle
Hester Ann "Hetty" Rodgers McEldowney Lind Prather
b. 23 APR 1839, Bakerstown, PA
m. Dr. W. H. Lind
rem. Dr. Prather
d. 2 JUL 1930
This almost certainly is the girl who shows up in the
1850 census with the unreadable name of (?Adss? -
female) McEldowney
See McEldowney-MM-GGP-HARMP
Margaret/Margaretta A. "Maggie/Margie" McEldowney
b. c. 1842, Bakerstown, PA (father: 50, mother:42)
d. c. 1863, LaGrange, IA
bur. semi-abandoned cemetery near what used to be
LaGrange, IA with husband John McEdlowney and
daughter Margaret A. McEldowney
Lucinda/Lucille/Lucinella/Leneineda/Lucinad Caroline
"Lucy/Lucie" McEldowney Parr
b. c. 1844, Bakerstown, PA (father: 52, mother: 44)
m. 12 JUL 1865, Samuel Benton Parr (d. 1876)
See McELDOWNEY-MM-GGP-LCM
Jane Morris
b. c. 1834
m. c. 1865, John McEldowney
wid FEB 1870
prob. rem. ? Scott
d. 1904, near White Rock, SD, at home of son William Lynn
McEldowney
bur. May 1904, White Rock Cem, SD
Children of Jane Morris:
William Lynn McEldowney
b. 1 SEP 1866, La Grange, Lucas Co, IA (father: 74,
mother: 32)
m. 11 DEC 1892, Ella Jane Mason (b. 13 MAR 1876, d. 25
MAY 1955)
d. 14 NOV 1955
See McELDOWNEY-JM-GGP-WLM
Benjamin Wade Butler McEldowney
28 APR 1869, La Grange, Lucas Co, IA (father: 77,
mother: 35)
m. 1903, Elizabeth Louise Clark (b. FEB 1872, d. 5 OCT 1963)
d. 26 OCT 1941
See McELDOWNEY-JM-GGP-BWBM
General:
This immediate family was Church of Ireland while living in Ireland and
New Brunswick, although some members of their extended family in Ireland
were Methodist. After death of first wife, Mary McCutcheon, John was
remarried to Margaret Malcolm. Due to the possible birthplace of Dublin
for their first child Catherine in 1834, they may have lived, and even
been married in Dublin. Yhey then emigrated to St. John's, New Brunswick
where he taught school, and then to Pittsburgh. There also appears to be
some question as to whether the James and Margaret McFarland of Omagh
whose daughter Hester married Robert McEldowney may have emigrated at the
same time as the McEldowneys, possibly even traveling with them. There
are clear ties between McFarlands and McEldowneys in Omagh and both
families are first definitively identified as being in Pittsburgh in
1838. The McFarlands had been in NYC and the McEldowneys in New
Brunswick in 1836. However, Mary McEldowney Wilson was apparently the
first to leave New Brunswick in 1836 and might well have ended up in New
York before moving on to Pittsburgh.
They didn't become Methodist until after arrival in Pittsburgh where they
attended the Smithfield Street Church and were converted in 1838 in a
revival meeting.
Abstracted from the biography of his son John:
[John McEldowney] was a classical scholar versed in the ancient
languages and steeped in the love of ancient Greece and Rome. This
schoolmaster thought more of books and of Latin verse, and of the
poems of Homer than he did of business thrift or of financial gain .
. . He was interested in education and men. So marked was his . . .
taste for classical studies that at the age of six the boy John [his
son] was learning Latin congugations [sic] and Greek declensions.
Taught school in Omagh, Co. Tyrone. Had a private school in Pittsburgh.
"All very literary folks" (Hester Luella McEldowney). The biography of
his grandson Henry Clay McEldowney states that John "had the first and,
at that time, only private school in Pittsburgh." Have been unable to
identify the school in any records.
2nd wife "not kind to first wife's children" (Hester Luella McEldowney)
In 1837, a Mrs. McEldowney is listed as a bonnet maker, East Common,
Allegheny. Almost certainly has to be John's 2nd wife Margaret.
In 1839, he was listed as a teacher on Ohio St., boarding at E. commons
& Main
1840 Census, Allegheny, All. Co., p. 273:
Jn McEldourgh[sic]
1 male 10-15 [Robert at age 14]
1 male 40-50 [John at approx. age 48]
1 female 30-40 [Margaret Malcolm at approx. age 40]
This is the only possible found in the State of Pennsylvania
Index. However, where is John, Jr. at age 16, Katherine at
age 6, Jemima at age 5 and Hester at age 1?
From ,
McELDOWNEY, John (1844) Bn: Ire; DI: 10 Feb 1841; Nat: 7 Oct
1844; Sponsor: George R. RIDDLE
Only his son James was old enough to require separate
naturalization which he did in 1849.
Split with SMEC and went to the Wesleyan Church, apparently on basis of
abolition and apparently c. 1844-1845. Unfortunately this falls in the
1832-1848 16 year gap in SMEC records. Are there Wesleyan Church records
for the period?
From the biography of his son John:
Soon after [son John's] marriage [in 1846], [John] was led
partly by the example of his father and his elder brother
James, and partly by his own convictions, to transfer his
membership and his ministry to the Wesleyan Church
[apparently Abolitionists], which was the pronounced and
implacable foe of African slavery.
1850 Census, 3rd Ward, Allegheny, Allegheny Co.:
Household 167, family 177:
John McEldownie[sic] 58 laborer real est=$500
Ireland
Margaret 50 Ireland
Jemima H. 15 New Brunswick
(?Adss? - female) 11 PA
Margaret A. 8 PA
Lucinda C. 6 PA
Frances A. Metcalf Curran, commenting on this same entry, says
"age? makes him born in 1792? We know he was born 1783!" How
does she know?
There is some question as to where John and Margaret Malcolm
lived in the late 1830's & 1840's. RM3 believes family first
settled in Bakerstown, PA. There is a Bakerstown on Rte. 8 just
north of the Turnpike. If so, they were prob. there only a
**very** short time; the timing is very tight:
a. Jemima/Harriett "Hattie" McEldowney Scott b. c. 1835,
St. John's, New Brunswick, Can.
b. Mary McEldowney m. 6 NOV 1836, James Wilson, New
Brunswick, Can.
c. Mary & James Wilson preceded family to Pittsburgh
d. In 1837, Margaret Malcolm McEldowney is listed in
Allegheny as a bonnet maker.
However, it may well be that Bakerstown was the home of Mary and
James Wilson.
We can positively place John and Margaret in Pittsburgh- Allegheny in
1837, 1839 & 1850 and poss. 1840. There is indirect evidence that they
lived there up through 1846 attending SMEC in Pittsburgh proper. Their
son Robert was married and lived in Pittsburgh proper in 1847. The first
two children of son John were born in West Middleton in 1847 and
Allegheny in 1849. Cannot find West Middletown today, but Middletown is
east of Pittsburgh near Youngwood. Have a specific birthplace for only
one of son James' children, James Henry in 1850, and that is Bakerstown.
In the 1850 Census, James was in West Deer Twp. Bakerstown today is
north of Pittsburgh in Richland Twp., but Richland wasn't incorporated
until 1862, and it was made up from two other townships, one of which was
West Deer. So it is safe to say James lived in or near Bakerstown.
However, the families of 3 of the daughters of John & Margaret Malcolm
McEldowney also claim that their progenitors were born in Bakerstown -
Hester Ann "Hetty" Rodgers in 1839, Margaret A. in 1842 and Lucinda
Caroline in 1844. In an attempt to tie James & Mary Wilson to Bakerstown,
every name in the 1840 Census for West Deer Twp, which was a very small
area, was unsuccessfully checked. However, even 'tho it might be
entirely meaningless, I did find a Thos Wilson and a clutch of 3
McCutcheon familes, Saml, Geo., and Jas. G., any one of which might
explain why the McEldowney family came to the Pgh area in the first place.
Bakerstown in that day would have been one of those you-can't-
get-there-from-here places. Hell, you can't get there from here today!
It is a minimum of 16 miles from Pittsburgh over horrible territory north
of the city almost to the Butler Co. border that hasn't really been
opened up until the last 40-50 years. It would not have been a place
that someone would have chosen to commute from for work or church in the
1840's. So we seem to be left with the following choices:
a) they weren't really born in Bakerstown, but Pittsburgh-
Allegheny,
b) the Wilsons may have also lived in Bakerstown,
c) the fact that John was a boarder in Allegheny in 1839
suggests he may have gone home only on weekends,
d) there may have been another Bakerstown that no longer
exists closer in, or
e) Margaret went to step-son James' or step-daughter Mary
Wilson's house for the births, even though there is the
suggestion Margaret didn't get along with the step-
children.
Take your choice.
City Directory:
1850: McEldowney, John, grocer, Ohio st., Allegheny
Hester Luella McEldowney wrote "second [wife] not kind to first wife's
children of whom my father was one - she had four daughters of her own -
they went west where grandfather married a third time second wife having
died and is buried in the west." Between 1850 & 1860, John and Margaret
and the 4 remaining daughters went west to LaGrange, Iowa. Margaret died
in 1864, and he married a third time, prob. in 1865, to Jane Morris. He
and Margaret are buried in Iowa.
From a letter written by Rev. James E. McEldowney, grandson of
JMSR, to JTC, dtd. 19 JUN 1994:
La Grange no longer exists. It was a town of some 100 residences at
one time along the stage coach route but when the Burlington railway
was put through and followed the valley instead of the hilltops
people moved their houses to the railway towns (Melrose and Russell)
so when I first visited the area in 1917 none of the houses remained
and it had reverted to farm land.
From a letter written by Benjamin Wade Butler McEldowney, last
child of JMSR, to his half-cousin, J. Henry McEldowney, dtd. 27
JAN 1928:
Father had been a store keeper in La Grange Ia. about the time he
married my mother [Jane Morris]. He also had taught school in Lucas
County near Russell as I have heard a number of people tell of his
teaching. I think perhaps he did some preaching also as I have some
books of his which he probably would have if he had been a preacher,
although about this matter I cannot speak positively.
From , by Rev. James E. McEldowney,
grandson of JMSR, 1993:
p. 18:
While they were there Dad [Benjamin Wade Butler McEldowney] and
Uncle Will [William Lynn McEldowney] took us boys to his birthplace
near La Grange, Iowa (The town is no more). As we tried to find
where the town had been we stopped an elderly man on the road who
remembered Dad's father and he gave us directions. We found where
the old town had been and also the site where Dad was born. It was
along a country road. None of the buildings remained. Nearby,
along a creek, there were outcroppings of coal. Dad had told us he
remembered his mother saying there were coal mines not far away.
Then we learned more about Dad's family when we went to an
abandoned cemetery along Highway 34 not far from his home. Dad's
father. John; his second wife, Margaret; and a twenty one year old
daughter, Margaret, were all buried there. Dad did not remember his
father, for he was only two years old in 1870, when his father died,
Uncle Will barely remembered him.
p. 43:
I found out some things about my father's family that summer.
There was a man from Iowa working in the mill who had known my
grandfather, John McEldowney. As a boy he had sat on my
grandfather's lap and listened as he told stories of Ireland.
Grandfather had also been his teacher and much more. As he told it
grandfather had also been postmaster at the La Grange Stage Stop on
the overland road between Burlington and Council Bluffs, Iowa, and
had also been a local Methodist preacher. Uncle Will had been about
four when grandfather died and did not clearly remember him. Father
was two years younger. My grandfather was eighty seven, married to
Jane Morris, his third wife, when my father was born. I often
regretted I did not ask the man more about Grandfather, for Dad was
not able to recall anything of him. Cousin Alice [apparently Jennie
Alice McEldowney Pearsall] had a picture of Grandfather, but not
many pictures were taken in the 1860's and the picture was not clear.
On 13 FEB 1946, Hester Luella McEldowney wrote the following note to
Helyn Crow and included much McEldowney family history which is
distributed through many of these writeups:
Dear Helyn
Hope everything is all right with you. Some time ago I thought you
were not well informed about your family, so I thought I would send
a little information. I hope you will be able to understand it. I
thought Jane was interesting [apparently Jane McEldowney Freeland,
great-granddaughter of John, granddaughter of Robert, daughter of
Allen, and her marital escapades] but Allie might not like my
repeating it, and in fact might not know I knew what I wrote.
Perhaps I knew more than was so.
Love
Aunt Essie
Postscript: It wasn't for lack of trying on John's part, or his sons'
parts, particularly Robert and James, that McEldowney isn't a more common
name.
Things to do:
1. Marriages to follow up on:
a. Sarah McEldowney and a George O'Neill found in
marriage index at Carnegie Library.
b. Samuel McE. Shepard & Ida B. Wright, 14 FEB 1883
c. Clarence Elbert McEldowney & Irene Frances Israel,
1918, banker from New Martinsville, WV, m. in Pgh
2. Who are Richard, Peter and Michael McEldowney? They don't
show up anywhere in RM3's chart.
3. What was this "first private school in Pittsburgh" school
JMSR taught at?
4. Which of the Meth. churches in Pgh was the Wesleyan
church?
5. Lynn appears as a middle name in two totally separate
branches of the family. Does this imply a tie back to a
Lynn, which is a cognate of Flynn, in Ireland?
6. Chk Thos Wilson, and McCutcheon families in West Deer Twp
in 1850.
=================================================================
McELDOWNEY-MISC-SMEC Last updated: 11/16/93
Smithfield Methodist Episcopal Church
Smithfield was the stomping grounds of the McEldowney family in their
early years in Pittsburgh. It was organized 27 SEP 1788, 4 years after
the denomination was formed at Baltimore in DEC 1784.
Several successive buildings existed at the corner of Smithfield and 7th
Ave and eventually became the offices of the denomination. It was known
as "The Brimstone Corner M. E. Church".
The church in the early 1800's was structured into classes that met
throughout the week at various locations.
The Abolitionist movement within the church obviously had great
antecedents; early in the 1800's approximately 25% of their membership
were Blacks. However, interestingly enough, Blacks were apparently
segregated within the church: they were always clearly identified as
Blacks in 1810s and 1820s and there were classes composed of strictly
Blacks. What is not clear is whether all Blacks were assigned to
all-Black classes. By 1830s, these distinctions were no longer made.
In the 1810s and 1820s, husbands and wives apparently did not belong to
the same class although classes were mixed male-female.
Found clear indications of such segregation, but am not sure whether
there were examples of the opposite. By early 1830s, this policy seems
to have changed.
Membership lists were kept in ledger books. Each ledger seems to have
held 15-16 years of lists. One ledger covering 1830-1846 seems to be
missing. Have checked records up through 1920. Records in many cases
are extremely difficult to interpret. There are many seeming errors or
omissions that may result from these problems. Besides the obvious
problems of faded and hard- to-read writing, the poor quality of the
microfilms adds more difficulties. Often entries are not dated and only
approximate time periods can be assigned to them. The ledgers were used
as logs; i.e., the original entry would have been made at one time and
later notes would be added, often in a very different hand. So even when
an entry can be associated with a specific date, not all the information
in that entry necessarily came from that date. Deaths and funerals were
never recorded as such until 1912. Burials aren't mentioned at all.
Previously, I found occasional notes added to membership or classes lists
indicating a death date, but these were the exception and don't begin to
cover all the deaths that would have occurred. The number of baptisms
recorded is curiously low; I have the impression that there were many
more marriages recorded than baptisms. Even then I have the feeling that
some marriages that I might reasonably have expected to find aren't
recorded.
On top of all this, there appear to be several problems with microfilming
with the same pages being microfilmed in different places, thus putting
them in the wrong time frame. But this is countered by the evident
problems presented by alphabetizing a large congregation by hand well
into the 20th Century. Many, many pages were obviously worksheets that
were used as the source for later, neater pages. It was also obvious
there were some false starts. In some places, most notably a list of
baptisms, a list was recopied in its entirety and added to at another
later date. Why this was done is not at all clear.
=================================================================
McELDOWNEY-JM-GGP-BWBM Last updated: 8/12/94
Benjamin Wade Butler & Elizabeth Louise Clark McEldowney
son of John & Jane Morris McEldowney (McELDOWNEY-GGGP-JMSR)
half-g-g-uncle of Ann Aikins Wright Curran (CURRAN-PC-CUR-JTC)
Benjamin Wade Butler McEldowney
b. 28 APR 1869, near La Grange, Lucas Co., Iowa
grad 1900, Simpson College
m. 1903, Elizabeth Louise Clark (b. FEB 1872, d. 5 OCT 1963)
d. 26 OCT 1941, Des Moines Methodist Hospital
bur. Norwalk, Iowa
Elizabeth Louise Clark
b. FEB 1872
m. 1903, Benjamin Wade Butler Clark
d. 5 OCT 1963
Children:
John Robert McEldowney
b. 26 OCT 1904
m. 5 JUN 1928, Hazel Virginia Kringel
d. 26 DEC 1982
See McELDOWNEY-JM-GP-JRM
James Edward McEldowney
b. 11 MAR 1907, Henry, SD
m. 1933, Ruth E. Calkins
wid. MAR 1989
rem. 4 NOV 1990, Jeanne Nave
See McELDOWNEY-JM-GP-JEM
Morris Clark McEldowney
b. 29 NOV 1905
m. SEP 1932, Grace Smith (b. 17 SEP 1904)
d. aft 1982
See McELDOWNEY-JM-GP-MCM
Clara Jeanette McEldowney Faust
b. 18 JAN 1909
m. Fon Faust
1928, freshman in college, apparently in Indianola, IA
1944 res, Marshalltown (Iowa?)
Children
Donald Faust
m. ?
Marilyn Lousie Faust
b. 8 JAN 1942, Marshalltown, IA
m. 24 JUN 1962, William Dennis Woodward (b. 2
OCT 1942; parents: William Russell and
Cora Charity Houghton Woodward),
Marshalltown, IA
div. 1981, Scotts Bluff, Nebr.
Children:
William Mark Woodward
b. 20 MAY 1964, Marshalltown, IA
Monty Alden Woodward
b. 5 JUN 1966, Cuba City, WI
Kevin Lee Woodward
b. 6 DEC 1967, Chippewa, WI
Darin Eric Woodward
b. 12 MAR 1971, Cumberland, WI
General:
Ltr. written by BWBM to his half nephew J. Henry McEldowney, son
of James & Nancy Ray McEdlowney:
406 West it
Indianola, Ia.
January 27, 1928
Dear Sir:
When my sons were in Detroit in December, they got into touch
with some people by the name of McEldowney, whom we think perhaps
are related to us.
My father's name was John McEldowney. My mother was his third
wife. They were married only about five years before he died which
was in February 1872 [sic], I think. My father's first family were
grown up and married somewhere in the East and we have always been
lost to them, and they to us, so far as I know. Of the second
family there were four girls. They also had been married and were
gone before I was born, or when I was very small. There was Hattie
[sic? Hettie? Jemima was apparently also known as Harriett or
"Hattie"] or Hester, who married Dr. Prather, and afterward Dr.
Lynn; a Lucy who married a Parr; a Jemima, who married a Scott; and
Katheryn, who married a Boyd. Of the latter two I never heard my
mother say very much. Hattie lived in La Grange, Iowa for a number
of years and afterwards moved to West Virginia, I think. Jemima
lived in Griswold for quite a long time. There were two of us in my
father's family. My brother [William Lynn McEldowney], who is older
than I, lives in Washington State.
We were glad indeed to get your letter. I have been preaching
in the Methodist Episcopal Church now for nearly 30 years. My
eldest son graduated from the Simpson Conservatory of Music last
June. My two younger sons are to graduate next June. They are
planning also to follow the vocation of preaching. My daughter is
now in her freshman year in college here. I myself graduated from
Simpson College in 1900. My mother has been dead now for about
twenty five years. She was naturally somewhat quiet and did not
talk much, besides she had to work very hard to provide for the
boys, for we were scarcely more than babies when father died, so I
never heard her say much about my father's side of the family.
We were indeed glad to hear from you and to get your picture.
If you have any pictures of my father, that you could spare, I
should be glad to get one, as I haven't any picture of him and do
not remember at all how he looked as I was only about a year and a
half old when he died.
Father had been a store keeper in La Grange Ia. about the time
he married my mother [Jane Morris]. He also had taught school in
Lucas County near Russell as I have heard a number of people tell of
his teaching. I think perhaps he did some preaching also as I have
some books of his which he probably would have if he had been a
preacher, although about this matter I cannot speak positively.
My children's names are Robert, Morris, James and Jeannette.
The oldest is about 25 and the youngest 19. I was impressed with
the similarity between the names of my children and those of my
father's first family. This is all I can think of to write that
might interest you. If you have any information, or if I can give
you any further information, I would be more than glad to give it to
you.
Very truly yours,
B. W. McEldowney
From (minutes of 1944):
[BWBM] was graduated from Simpson College in 1900 and became a
member of the Des Moines Conference the same year, Very soon he
transferred to So. Dakota where he served sixteen years in churches
in the eastern part of the state.
In 1903 he married Elizabeth Louise Clark of Lucas Co., Iowa,
and she has been not only his joy in the home and the mother of his
four chidren but a partner in the work of the church so that the
sons and daughter hold as a sacred pledge the example of mutual love
and Christian service of their parents.
In 1916 he returned to Iowa from So. Dakota and since that time
has served numerous pastorates in southwestern Iowa. He was
appointed for the second time to Gray at the 1940 conference, the
earlier appointment being to the Manning Gray charge in 1916.
Though he received the retired relationship in the conference in
1941, he was invited to continue his ministry at Gray and served
until sickness interrupted his ministry. On September 14th, he
conducted this last preaching service under great pain but his usual
desire to serve God. On the 25th of September he was admitted to
the Iowa Methodist Hospital where the gracious care of the nurses
and doctors and relatives brought him every comfort humanly possible
during the last weeks of his life.
He died at the Methodist Hospital in Des Moines on October 18,
1941 at the age of 73 years. The funeral and the burial were at
Norwalk.
=================================================================
McELDOWNEY FAMILY
Grandparents' Generation
Jane Morris Branch
=================================================================
McELDOWNEY-JM-GP-MCM Last updated: 8/12/94
Rev. Morris Clark & Grayce Smith McEldowney
Morris Clark McEldowney
b. 29 NOV 1905
ord. United Church of Christ
m. SEP 1932, Grayce Smith
d. aft 1982
Grayce Smith
b. 17 SEP 1904
m. SEP 1932, Morris Clark McEdlowney
Children:
(Jane?) Pauline McEldowney Whitney
b. 12 MAR 1935
m. 14 APR 1962, John H. Whitney (b. 22 APR 1935)
res 1981, Upper Saddle River, NJ
This, I believe, is the woman who her father Morris
called Jane in at least one of his letters to JM3.
In 1982, John represented the Avon Corporation in the
Far East, Japan & Hong Kong
Jane with Philip and John
Children:
Mark McEldowney Whitney
Susan H. Whitney
Ann Morris McEldowney Gallop
b. 10 FEB 1940
m. 3 OCT 1961, Richard Gallop (b. 15 NOV 1938)
res 1981, Briarcliff Manor, NY
Children:
Jeffrey R. Gallop
b. 15 JUN 1962
James R. "Jamey" Gallop
b. 17 JUL 1964
1981, at Holderness School
General:
Did quite a bit of genealogical work on McEldowneys, which I have started
to incorporate as it is supplied by RM3.
Served 17 years as Chaplain in US Army, retired from Regular Service in
1959. Three tours of duty in Europe and one in the Far Easr. 1944,
Chaplain with 134th Medical Regt near Ft. Jackson, SC. Went ashore at
Fox Red on Omaha Beach from an LCVP on 8 JUN 1944.
Wrote .
1981 address 16 Arch Street, Dover, NH 03820. McELDOWNEY-JM-GP-JRM Last
updated:
8/12/94
John Robert & Hazel Virginia Kringel McEldowney
grandson of John & Jane Morris McEldowney (McELDOWNEY-GGGP-JMSR)
son of Benjamin Wade Butler & Elizabeth Louise Clark McEldowney
(McELDOWNEY-JM-GGP-BWBM)
half 1st cousin twice removed of Ann Aikins Wright Curran
(CURRAN-PC-CUR-JTC)
John Robert McEldowney
b. 26 OCT 1904
m. 5 JUN 1928, Hazel Virginia Kringel
d. 26 DEC 1982, heart attack
1922 grad, Kirkham, IA High School
1927 grad, Simpson Conservatory of Music
1937 MA, State University of Iowa
Hazel Virginia Kringel
8th child of ? (Don't have preceding pgs of )
b. 15 APR 1907
m. 5 JUN 1928, John Robert McEldowney
1924 grad, Atlantic High School
1928 grad, Simpson College Conservatory of Music
John, Nancy Ann, Janet, and Phyllis, Williamsburg, Va. 1997?
Children:
Phyllis Jean McEldowney Varner
b. 11 JUN 1929
m. 21 JUL 1953, Charles R. Varner (b. 23 MAY 1922; 1940
Montpelier [VT?]; 1950 AM, Northwestern Univ;
prob. WWII vet)
1947 grad. Central HS, Duluth, MN
1951 BS, University of Minnesota-Duluth
1952 Julliard School of Music
Children:
Cynthia Ann Varner
b. 13 FEB 1954
1972 grad, Williamsburg, VA HS
1976 BS, Univ. of VA
Kristine Louise Varner
b. 6 DEC 1955
1974 grad, Williamsburg, VA, HS
1978 BS, James Madison Univ.
Sara Elizabeth Varner
b. 2 AUG 1957
1975 grad, Williamsburg, VA, HS
1979 BS, James Madison Univ.
Charles Robert Varner
b. 27 JUL 1960
1979 grad., Williamsburg, VA, HS
Katherine Cecelia Varner
b. 30 JUN 1965
Janet Louise McEldowney Smith
b. 25 JUL 1930
1948 grad Central High School, Duluth, MN
1952 BS, Univ of MN
1952/53 Eastman School of Music
m. 6 SEP 1952, James E. Smith (b. 13 NOV 1919; 1936
grad DuBois PA HS; 1942 Eastman School of Music;
d. 31 JUL 1976)
Children:
Sharon Virginia Smith Josefowski
b. 1 JUN 1954
1972 grad West Chester, PA, HS;
1978 Millersville State College
m. 5 AUG 1978, Alan Josefowski (b. 28 MAY
1954;1972 grad Feasterville, PA, HS; 1979
Millersville State College)
Stanley Frederick Smith
b. 2 APR 1956
m 18 AUG 1979, Wendy Hackett (b. 11 AUG 1961)
1974 grad West Chester, PA, HS
1976/77 Paul Smith College, NY
Child:
Melissa Ann Smith
b. 11 OCT 1980
Sheldon Thomas Smith
b. 23 FEB 1959
1978 U.S. Navy
Stella Laurie Smith
b. b. 15 OCT 1962
John Robert McEldowney, Jr.
b. 31 MAR 1932
m. JUN 1958, Elli Cherin (b. 4 OCT 1936; 1954 grad Fort
Worth [TX?] HS; 1954 Univ of MN; 1958 Eastman
School of Music)
1950 grad Central HS, Duluth, MN
1954 Univ of MN
1957 MA, Eastman School of Music
Children:
David Robert McEldowney
b. 8 SEP 1959
1977 grad Palo Verde HS, Tucson, AZ
Pima College, Ticson, AZ
Ann Marie McEldowney
b. 18 JUN 1961
1977 grad Palo Verde HS, Tucson, AZ
Scott Charles McEldowny
b. 27 AUG 1964
Nancy Ann McEldowney Page
b. 26 MAY 1937
m. 2 JUL 1960, John T. Page (b. 16 AUG 1937; 1955 grad
Creighton HS, St. Paul, MN; 1958, Univ of MN; data
processor U. S. Army)
1955 grad Central HS, Duluth, MN
1955/58, Univ of MN
Children:
Mark Anthony Page
b. 25 JAN 1961
Woodbridge HS
1980, U. S. Navy
Valerie Jeanne Page
b. 25 FEB 1962
Laura Ann Page
b. 16 APR 1963
Stephanie Elaine Page
b. 28 AUG 1964
General:
What an incredibly musically-oriented family!
1944, both were music instructors, Sigourney, Iowa, schools
1981, retired in Green Valley, AZ
Both concert level musicians.
Part of an newspaper article, 28 DEC 1982:
1 suicide, 2 deaths mar holiday season
Robert McEldowney, 78, was transported to St. Mary's
Hispital, where he was reported dead of an apparent heart
attack, the police report stated.
Obit 30 DEC 1982:
J. Robert McEldowney
J. Robert McEldowney, 78, of Green Valley died Dec. 26.
He is survived by his wife, Hazel; theree daughters,
Phyllis Varner of Williamsburg, Va.; Janet Smith of West
Chester, Pa.; and Nancy Page of Woodbridge, Va; son, John
McEldowney of Tucson; 16 grandchildren, four great-
grandchildren, two brothers and one sister.
McEldowney was an active member of the Santa Rita
Kiwanis Club, the Green Valley Community Church Choir and
the Green Valley Chamber Music Society.
Memorial services will be held Sunday, Jan. 2, at 4
p.m. at the Community Church, Dr. Harold Frey officiating.
Remembrances may be made to the Green Valley Community
Church Foundation.
=================================================================
McELDOWNEY-JM-GP-JEM Last updated: 8/12/94
Rev. James Edward & Ruth E. Calkins/Jeanne Nave
McEldowney
grandson of John & Jane Morris McEldowney (McELDOWNEY-GGGP-JMSR)
son of Benjamin Wade Butler & Elizabeth Louise Clark McEldowney
(McELDOWNEY-JM-GGP-BWBM)
half 1st cousin twice removed of Ann Aikins Wright Curran
(CURRAN-PC-CUR-JTC)
1933: James and Ruth wed
James Edward McEldowney
b. 11 MAR 1907, Henry, SD
m. 1933, Ruth E. Calkins
wid. MAR 1989
rem. NOV 1990, Jeanne Nave
Ruth E. Calkins
dau of Meth. minister
b. 23 FEB 1908, Frontenrac, KN
m. 1933, James Edward McEldowney
d. 31 MAR 1989, Bradenton, FL, Alzheimer's
Jeanne Nave
b. 28 JUN 1926, Webster, SD
m. Robert Nave
wid.
rem. 4 NOV 1990, James Edward McEldowney
See McELDOWNEY-JM-GP-JNM
Children of Ruth E. Calkins:
Elizabeth Ann "Betty" McEldowney Conard
b. 7 DEC 1937, Secundrabad, India
m. 16 APR 1961, Richard T. Conard (b. 15 MAR 1938)
Children:
Scott Edward Conard
b. 1 OCT 1961
1994, doctor in Dallas, TX
Kimberly E. Conard
b. 25 FEB 1963
Christina Marie Conard
b. 21 FEB 1970 - [d. 13 JAN 1997]
Philip 1941
Philip Fredric McEldowney
b. 24 FEB 1941, Nagpur, India
m. 14 SEP 1963, Gweneth Diann Runyan (b. 22 JUN 1944)
1994, Charlottesville, VA; occ: library, University of
Virginia
Timothy, Kathy, Mark and Brian McEldowney
Children:
Timothy R. McEldowney
b. 25 FEB 1964
m. Kathy Wolford
1994 res: Charlottesville, VA; occ:
Crutchfield computer/electronics
catalog company
Mark and Brian (twins) McEldowney
b. 28 FEB 1990
Julie J. McEldowney
b. 4 NOV 1968
1994 occ.: 1st year as high school French
teacher, apparently in Jefferson, Iowa
Julie and Matt's wedding
m. 15 NOV 1997, Mathew Carlson, Jefferson, Iowa
Barbara Joan McEldowney Bird
b. 23 OCT 1943
m. 17 JUN 1967, Daniel W. Bird, Jr. (b. 26 JAN 1940)
Children
Virginia E. Bird
Daniel W. Bird, III
James B. Bird
General:
Methodist Missionary/Preacher
Has what I suspect is an almost unique distinction; three generations -
his grandfather, his father and he - virtually span four centuries. His
grandfather, John McEldowney, was born in the 18th century; his father;
Benjamin Wade Butler McEldowney, the 19th century; and he, the 20th
century. And at the rate he is going, it will be well into the 21st
century before he is gone.
Wrote , privately printed, 1993, the story of
his life. Quotes from that book are distributed throughout these
writeups. By the way, for anyone interested, you can obtain a copy from
him for $13.95 + $3.50 S&H by writing him directly at 7307 19th Ave.
N.W., Bradenton, FL, 34209. The autobiography is, of course, the best
discussion of his life. The following article and sidebar, both written
by Alice Cronkhite, appeared 31 MAY 1994 in the magazine
section of the Bradenton (FL) Herald and is intended as a very slight
overview of his life.
The Life of a Missionary
At age 87, the Rev. James McEldowney chuckles at how
"old" he felt in 1976.
"I was amazed when the bank offered me a 30-year
mortgage. The way I felt right then, I didn't expect to
live half that long. I thought 69 was really old.
"But as the years passed, I have grown young under the
Florida sun, or it may be because I soon got involved."
While McEldowney tuned up his French horn, his late
wife, Ruth, set up housekeeping in the first home they
owned. They planted roses and became charter members in the
Manatee Symphony Association.
"We were very impressed with the West Coast Symphony
Saturday program for area youth. The MSA was formed to
raise funds to train youth and encourage them to perform in
public," McEldowney said. He still ushers for their
concerts at Manatee Community College.
As chaplain at the Shores Retirement Community (for
eight years), McEldowney became involved in a ministry to
the aging. "My most challenging talks were the weekly
devotions for people in the Health Center. Those messages
had to be down-to-earth spiritual aids."
Many are in his book, ,
now in its second printing.
"Often I felt I was not able to penetrate deeply into
their lives. At times the most I could do was leave a
rose," McEldowney said.
Beside a bouquet of roses on the coffee table was a
mirror , framed with shells that McEldowney collected.
"Lining the inner border with tiny shells has become
somewhat of a trademark.:
McEldowney walks 2 miles each morning. "Walking was
just part of our lives growing up in the Midwest, and then
serving as Methodist missionaries in India for 36 years," he
said.
Time Apart
Two of their children, Betty and Phillip, were born in
India. "I didn't get to be a traditional American Father,"
McEldowney said.. Often the family was separated. Barbara
was born in the united States while McEldowney completed his
doctoral studies.
"When I was ready to return to India, it took three
months of war-time travel, sometimes in convoy, under three
submarine attacks, and periods in South Africa and Kenya
before I reached Jabalpur,: McEldowney said.
Ruth and the children remained in Shenandoah, Iowa, for
nearly two years. "Though we were half a world apart, we
were one in spirit and devotion. Through the exchange of
letters we continued to share our lives.", he said.
Later when Ruth and the children were back in India,
first Betty and then Phillip and Barbara attended boarding
school (Woodstock School), 700 miles form Jabalpur in the
foothills of the Himalaya Mountains. There were times when
each family member was writing letters from a different
locale.
In addition to his many duties at Leonard Theological
Seminary, McEldowney established an audio visual department.
Biblical dramas (to be shown in villages, often using a
generator for the projector and a sheet as the screen) were
produced. A growing AV team of students learned through
hands-on filming of mission outreach (many denominations)
and government films.
The morning Ghandi's ashes arrived by train from Delhi,
I was in the crowd and filmed the event," McEldowney said.
In the following years, the development of communication
techniques spilled beyond India to three continents. In
1968, McEldowney became administrative director of the
London office for World Christian Broadcasting.
"By then all three children were married, and Betty
(Conard) and her family had moved to Bradenton," McEldowney
said. From 1971 to 1976, he pastored in Virginia.
"I have called 51 towns and cities home," McEldowney
said.
Ruth's death in 1989 triggered contemplation. They had
been apart for many of their wedding anniversaries.
Rereading the family letters brought comfort and clarified
purpose.
"I was able to remember that first year at Boston
University School of Theology, when I was ready to give up
and go back to being a school principal. I had gone to the
chapel and my attention was drawn to the great painting of
Christ above the altar. The words underneath the painting,
'Even as my father has sent me, so I send you,' took on a
personal meaning."
Without Ruth, doubts about the quality of the
children's developing years tried to fester. "Our children
had always spoken of their years in India in glowing terms,
so accepting success as a father helped me face the future,"
McEldowney said.
A New Life
Today that future includes his wife Jeanne. A reunion
of India missionaries brought them together. "She was a
missionary in India for 27 years.
Although we had not known each other well in India, we
had many friends and experiences in common. Jeanne was a
great help editing ," McEldowney
said.
McEldowney, who also wrote , continues to write.
McEldowney serves on the mission board of the First
United Methodist Church and corresponds with many former
students and Indian leaders. He preaches annually at
Westminster Asbury and the Manor, and conducts a weekly
service at Just Like Home, an assisted-living facility.
Instead of basking under the Florida sun, McEldowney
continues to get involved.
The sidebar:
McEldowney Shares Memories
, by
the Rev. James E. McEldowney, moves from the flatlands of
the American Midwest to the majestic Himalayan Mountains.
McEldowney, the son of a preacher, was born in Henry, SD.
"I am horrified when I remember how we would run along
the river (the Missouri) as close to the water as we could,"
McEldowney writes. "The river was forever changing its
banks. Sometimes the bank of the river was mud that had
been recently washed up and had begun to dry. In places
there were great cracks in it, and pieces would drop back
into the river.
Looking into the river, we saw whirlpools where
branches would be sucked under, not to appear again. There
were many stories of animals and men who had just
disappeared when they fell into the river. Just to remember
those capers gives me a shiver."
From horse-and-buggy days to world conferences and
ministry in three continents, the place and pace of
McEldowney's life has mirrored the changing Missouri River.
A divine hand has averted disaster and directed his steps,
whether they were to mud huts or palaces.
James and Ruth McEldowney's ministry in India as
Methodist missionaries (fro 1935 to 1967) surged on the
swell of a new nation hungry for the fruits of democracy.
Readers can see and hear a mystical country and its gentle
people through their eyes. Letters written during periods
of exasperation reflect the joys and struggles of a growing
family, Excellent photographs take us to the people and
places around the world.
The current of McEldowney's personal story carries us
close to heartbreak, then lifts us beyond theological
formula to a life that continues to grow and love and serve.
Computer oriented; wrote his entire book on a word processor .
Has a COMPUSERVE address [See list of relatives]. For the
uninitiated, that means you can correspond with him by electronic
mail. His son Phillip also has one. JEM has just purchased a new
computer specially built for him and is currently dealing with
the mysteries of Windows.
=================================================================
McELDOWNEY-JM-GP-JNM Last
updated:
8/12/94
Jeanne ? Nave McEldowney
b. 28 JUN 1926, Webster, SD
m. Robert "Bob" Nave
wid.
rem. NOV 1990, James Edward McEldowney (McELDOWNEY-GP-JEM)
Son Philip, Dad James and his wife Jeanne: Summer 1994
Children of Robert Nave:
4 children
Children of James Edward McEldowney:
(none)
General:
Webster, SD, Jeanne's birthplace is about 35 miles away from
Henry, SD, where JEM was born.
From JEM ltr. dtd 6/28/94:
Jeanne [and Robert Nave] served in India for 27 years. They
had four children and were particularly interested in the
economic life of the people. They introduced ways to prepare soy
crops. Soy is rich in protein which is in short supply because
Indians generally do not eat meat. Now a considerable industry
has grown up using this product commercially. They did much the
same to powder potatoes to make them available throughout the
year. She is a registered nurse and had a career in Minneapolis
after her years in India.
Back to the top
Jane with Philip and John
Children:
Mark McEldowney Whitney
Susan H. Whitney
Ann Morris McEldowney Gallop
b. 10 FEB 1940
m. 3 OCT 1961, Richard Gallop (b. 15 NOV 1938)
res 1981, Briarcliff Manor, NY
Children:
Jeffrey R. Gallop
b. 15 JUN 1962
James R. "Jamey" Gallop
b. 17 JUL 1964
1981, at Holderness School
General:
Did quite a bit of genealogical work on McEldowneys, which I have started
to incorporate as it is supplied by RM3.
Served 17 years as Chaplain in US Army, retired from Regular Service in
1959. Three tours of duty in Europe and one in the Far Easr. 1944,
Chaplain with 134th Medical Regt near Ft. Jackson, SC. Went ashore at
Fox Red on Omaha Beach from an LCVP on 8 JUN 1944.
Wrote 
1933: James and Ruth wed
James Edward McEldowney
b. 11 MAR 1907, Henry, SD
m. 1933, Ruth E. Calkins
wid. MAR 1989
rem. NOV 1990, Jeanne Nave
Ruth E. Calkins
dau of Meth. minister
b. 23 FEB 1908, Frontenrac, KN
m. 1933, James Edward McEldowney
d. 31 MAR 1989, Bradenton, FL, Alzheimer's
Jeanne Nave
b. 28 JUN 1926, Webster, SD
m. Robert Nave
wid.
rem. 4 NOV 1990, James Edward McEldowney
See McELDOWNEY-JM-GP-JNM
Children of Ruth E. Calkins:
Elizabeth Ann "Betty" McEldowney Conard
b. 7 DEC 1937, Secundrabad, India
m. 16 APR 1961, Richard T. Conard (b. 15 MAR 1938)
Children:
Scott Edward Conard
b. 1 OCT 1961
1994, doctor in Dallas, TX
Kimberly E. Conard
b. 25 FEB 1963
Philip 1941
Philip Fredric McEldowney
b. 24 FEB 1941, Nagpur, India
m. 14 SEP 1963, Gweneth Diann Runyan (b. 22 JUN 1944)
1994, Charlottesville, VA; occ: library, University of
Virginia
Timothy, Kathy, Mark and Brian McEldowney
Children:
Timothy R. McEldowney
b. 25 FEB 1964
m. Kathy Wolford
1994 res: Charlottesville, VA; occ:
Crutchfield computer/electronics
catalog company
Mark and Brian (twins) McEldowney
b. 28 FEB 1990
Julie J. McEldowney
b. 4 NOV 1968
1994 occ.: 1st year as high school French
teacher, apparently in Jefferson, Iowa
Son Philip, Dad James and his wife Jeanne: Summer 1994
Children of Robert Nave:
4 children
Children of James Edward McEldowney:
(none)
General:
Webster, SD, Jeanne's birthplace is about 35 miles away from
Henry, SD, where JEM was born.
From JEM ltr. dtd 6/28/94:
Jeanne [and Robert Nave] served in India for 27 years. They
had four children and were particularly interested in the
economic life of the people. They introduced ways to prepare soy
crops. Soy is rich in protein which is in short supply because
Indians generally do not eat meat. Now a considerable industry
has grown up using this product commercially. They did much the
same to powder potatoes to make them available throughout the
year. She is a registered nurse and had a career in Minneapolis
after her years in India.