5th Great Grandmother
9th Generation
Born - 1798, Ireland
Died - 16th April 1880, Shotts, ScotlandMary Mullen was born to Bernard Mullen and Mary Dunnachie in Ireland in 1798. Mary’s children were also born in Ireland, she had married John Devlin around 1820. They had 4 children Patrick, Catherine, Mary Ann & Rose. Rose was the youngest and born in Sligo in 1836. Rose she moved over to Scotland with her parents and married John Reilly in 1859 in Bathgate. In the 1861 census her brother Patrick was living with Rose and her family.
In the 1861 census, when Patrick was living with his sister he was a Coalminer, by the 1871 census he had moved to Shotts and was an Ironstone Miner living in Sallys Burgh . Is this census his younger sister Cathine is living with him as his 70 year old mother, Mary Mullen. He also has 2 niece’s living with him however there is no record of who their parents are (I have no further records of his sister Rose so they may have been her daughters).
Sallys burgh is in fact, Salsburgh. Sally Young was the wife of the landowner in the 18th Century, it was then called Sallysburgh and later shortened to Salsburgh. It grew significantly in association with coal mining and quarrying during the 19th century. The Kirk o’ Shotts, a church that has previously named in this family story was is located only 1 mile away. Although the present village dates back to 1729 at that time only a row of four houses existed. “Muirhall, Girdhimstrait, Merchanthall and Craighead”. Craighead was home to a Mr. Young and his wife Sally.
In 1861 Mary had been living in Old Monkland and was a Hawker like many of the Irish. We also know her husband died in the poorhouse, maybe he had been in it since this time as she would not have earned enough to support him. However, by 1871 Mary had moved to Shotts to be near her children.
Poor records show that in 1874 Mary was living with her children (Patrick and Catherine, I believe) In Salsburgh, Shotts. she was wholly disabled due to old age and entirely dependant on her children. Her claim for support was declined as she had no settlement in the country and her children were able to look after her. (poor records below)
It was Mary’s son Patrick that signed her death certificate some 6 years later. she died on old age. Patrick signed the death certificate as occupier, Mary died in the house her son occupied.
Interestingly once their mother had passed I could find no further records for Patrick or Catherine. However, there is a gravestone in a Roman Catholic Cemetery in Newtownstewart, County Tyrone in Northern Ireland that has all the family names listed in it. The gravestone has no legible dates or confirmation of who is buried there but it most certainly would be a member of this family – I like to think one, if not both of them returned to Ireland.
Husband – John Devlin
Daughter – Mary Ann Devlin
Marie's Genealogy 