Malervy-Nicholson Update

Daniel Joseph Malervy was born in Ireland on December 24, 1892 and immigrated to the United States in 1907. Currently the exact date, ship and who he immigrated with are all unknown. There are several variations of the name's spelling and I have not been able to verify which spelling the family used in Ireland.

I located the World War I record of Daniel and this record gave me the date of birth listed above. It is interesting to note that on Daniel's Head Stone at Westminster Cemetery the year of his birth was listed as 1895.

However, since the military record was dated and signed by Daniel himself, I can only assume the 1892 date is correct. According to the World War I record, Daniel lived at 17 Osborne Street on June 5, 1917 at the time of his registration. He was married to Catherine Boland and they had one child, Helen. Daniel was listed as being of medium height and built with brown hair and blue eyes. He was listed in 1917 as working at Holts & Sons as a Mill Hand. His employer was on Main Street in Manayunk. It should also be noted that Daniel signed his name Melervy on this document and not as Malervy even though the Malervy spelling was used on other records.

According to the 1920 Census Records, Daniel and his family were still listed as living in the 17 Osborne house but now he was listed as employed at the Chemical Works as a laborer. At some point, the Malervy's would move to 3827 Terrace Street in Manayunk.

Daniel was the eldest of four sons in his family. Brothers were James, John and Michael.

As noted in an earlier post, Daniel died in 1934 whereas his wife Catherine died in 1959. Both are interred in Holy Sepulchre Cemetery.

Helen Malervy, daughter of Daniel & Catherine, married Mahlon Nicholson. Mahlon & Helen resided on Manayunk Avenue in Manayunk and had two daughters, Helen and Regina. Mahlon died in 1972 whereas Helen died in 1988. Both are interred in Westminster Cemetery.

Helen Nicholson, eldest daughter of Mahlon & Helen was born October 27, 1938. Her sister, Regina was born August 2, 1940 and died December 19, 2005. Helen & Regina never married and lived also in Manayunk.

Regina Nicholson is interred in Westminster Cemetery.

If you want to read the history of the mill in Manayunk where Daniel worked in 1917, click here http://www.workshopoftheworld.com/manayunk/blantyre.html

I want to note that today this building is an apartment complex.

Westminster Cemetery "Nicholson"

Daughter of Daniel & Katherine (Boland) Malvery

Nicholson

I went over to Westminster Cemetery to obtain burial information and pictures of the Nicholson grave site. In addition, I took another series of photographs which I will share later of the cemetery in general which included some more Keller and Ritter grave sites which may or may not be related to us. After I research the various names, I will be able to tell you whether or not there is any family connection.

Nicholson is the married name of grandmom, Anna Marie (McCaffery) Gallagher's first cousin on her mother's side. Helen (Malervy) Nicholson was the daughter of Daniel and Katherine (Aunt Kate) (Boland) Malvery. Aunt Kate was the sister of Bridget (Boland) McCaffery and the woman who took grandmom into her home after her own grandmother Ellen (Doherty) Boland died sometime in 1920. Bridget McCaffery died in 1915.

Because Helen and my grandmother were raised together, this was the closest of any sibling grandmom would ever know. Both girls were only children.

Helen E. Malvery married Mahon Nicholson and they resided on Manayunk Avenue their entire married lives. Mahon Nicholson (1914) died November 14the, 1972. Helen (1915), his wife died May 2nd, 1988. Just recently on December 22nd, 2005 their daughter Regina (Jean) died. She left one sister also named Helen. Both Nicholson sisters never married and lived at the same Manayunk address as their parents. Helen still lives in that house today.

About one year before Regina (Jean) passed away, I had the great opportunity to speak with her and she was instrumental in providing me much needed background information on the Boland family. As a matter of fact, if it was not for her I would have never known that John and Ellen (Doherty) Boland lived in Lower Merion Township (once West Manayunk) in the year 1910. It was this informational tip that lead me into the correct research direction. I only wished she survived long enough for me to have provided her the missing links, she so desired of her parents' past.

Mahon, Helen and Regina Nicholson are interred in Lot 89, Grave E 1/2 number 2 in Section "Barmouth". The Barmouth Section of Westminster Cemetery overlooks Belmont Avenue. Mahon and Helen have a headstone. As of today's date, there is no headstone for Regina.

In a post note, I also revisited Bethany German Lutheran Cemetery and took more pictures of the grave-stones. I also photographed the old Bethany German Lutheran Church where our Keller, Voigt and Ritter relatives once worshipped at. All pictures will be posted at a later date.

Burial Records at St. John the Baptist Church

St John the Baptist Catholic Church & Cemetery in 1907
(located center of this photo)



Family History Update
June 14th, 2005


I recently traveled over to St John’s and reviewed once again in great detail the church’s burial records. Listed below are some details of our family burial records that are currently recorded in St John’s books.

Grace R Silverthorn
Died March 20th, 1930
Buried March 24th, 1930 and interred in St John the Baptist Churchyard
Age at Death “49”
Grace Silverthorn was the daughter of Patrick and Hannah Gallagher, the sister of William Gallagher I and the wife of James Silverthorn.

Charles E Silverthorn
Died October 8th, 1954
Buried October 12th, 1954 and interred in Holy Sepulchre Cemetery
Age at Death “19”
Cause of Death “Leukemia”
Address at Time of Death was 646 Wagner Ave Lafayette Hills, PA.

Raymond J Silverthorn
Died December 22nd, 1966
Buried December 27th, 1966 and interred in Holy Sepulchre Cemetery
Age at Death “64”
Cause of Death “Cardiac Arrest”
Address at Time of Death was 4333 Pechin Street, Philadelphia PA.
Raymond Silverthorn was the son of James and Grace Silverthorn.

Mary Silverthorn
Died October 22nd, 1970
Buried October 26th, 1970 and interred at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery
Age at Death “64”
Address at Time of Death was 4333 Pechin Street, Philadelphia PA.
Mary Silverthorn was the wife of Raymond Silverthorn.


As you know the Silverthorns were not only related to the Gallaghers but were good friends with the Gallagher family so it is no surprise that one such Silverthorn would stand as godparent to a Gallagher baby. Raymond Silverthorn was the son of James Silverthorn and Grace Gallagher. He was also a very good friend of William Gallagher II. Therefore, when William and Anna Gallagher’s third child was born, Raymond Silverthorn stood as godfather to that child who was known as Colum Eugene Gallagher. (Uncle Gene)

There were a few other burial records I came across in the books of St John’s that also may be of interest to those of us who love family history. I came across Katherine E Malervy’s burial record and that of her son in law Mahlon Nicholson. They are as followed.

Katherine E Malervy
Died September 17th, 1959
Buried September 22nd, 1959 and interred at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery
Age at Death “69”
Cause of Death “Heart Failure”
Address at Time of Death was 3827 Terrace Street, Philadelphia PA.

Katherine E Malervy was the daughter of John and Ella Boland, the sister of Agnes McCaffery, aunt of Anna Marie Gallagher, wife of Daniel Malervy and mother of Helen Nicholson.

Mahlon Nicholson
Died November 10th, 1972
Buried November 14th, 1972 and interred at Westminster Cemetery
Age at Death “58”
Cause of Death “Cancer”
Address at Time of Death was 3871 Manayunk AVE, Philadelphia PA.

Mahlon Nicholson was the husband of Helen Nicholson and father of Helen and Regina Nicholson.


Another burial record I came across at St John’s was of John G Keller. John was the son of John and Elisabeth Keller and the husband of Sally Gallagher Keller. Sally was the youngest of Patrick and Hannah Gallagher’s four children.

John G Keller
Died May 29th, 1947
Buried June 2nd, 1947 and interred at St John the Baptist Churchyard
Age at Death “65”
Cause of Death “Heart Disease”
Address at Time of Death was 3799 Cresson Street, Philadelphia PA


For those of you who are from the Weleski/Schroeder sides of the family, there were several burial records I came across at St John’s also.

Eva Bednarski
Died October 12th, 1945
Buried October 17th, 1945 and interred at Westminster Cemetery
Age at Death “64”
Cause of Death “Cerebral Hemorrhage”
Address at Time of Death was 136 East Street, Philadelphia PA


Peter Bednarski
Died December 12th, 1945
Buried December 17th, 1945 and interred at Westminster Cemetery
Age at Death “60”
Cause of Death “Heart Disease”
Address at Time of Death was 3763 Cresson Street, Philadelphia PA

Mary Lowry
Died February 14th, 1968
Buried February 17th, 1968 and interred at Westminster Cemetery
Age at Death “66”
Address at Time of Death was 4334 Boone Street, Philadelphia PA


It is difficult to locate individual family members buried at St John the Baptist Churchyard for two reasons; St John’s cemetery records only list the Family Name and the Name of the Lot Holder. The records give the location of the graves and indicate whether or not a Headstone was placed upon the grave but the records do not list who may be in those graves. This fact can really frustrate a family genealogist. For example, when Mary Keller Gallagher purchased the lot to bury her brother John Keller, the cemetery record listed Mary as the Lot holder and Keller as the family name on the grave. However, no where does it list who may be in that grave. If the person buried in that churchyard happened to be a member of that church and had a funeral mass then the burial records would list where they were interred whether it would be St John’s or any other cemetery. The problem occurs when the person interred in St John’s was from another parish.

Family stories and legends passed down through the generations may be the only clues to where some of our family is interred. Keller may be the family name listed on the grave at St John’s but who is in that grave? We know John G Keller is interred in that grave because the lot was purchased when he died. What about his wife? Is Sally Gallagher Keller really interred in that grave with her husband? What about the nephew who died when he was 18 months old and was interred with them? Do we really know for a fact that Buddy McCaffery’s infant son was interred in the grave of John and Sally Keller as legend tells us? John and Sally Keller spent their lives praying for a child of their own but fate did not grant them that dream so the story passed down from our family tells of a little boy not yet two years old who comes down with a deadly virus and dies. The child is buried with his Great Uncle and Aunt in the church’s cemetery and the legend tells us that what John and Sally never had in life they were granted in death.

In the case of John and Ella Boland, legend has it they too are interred at St John’s. But there are no records of their burial there. However, that does not mean they are not there. There is a lot holder by the name Malervy that lists two lots were purchased but the records do not list who is in the grave. Malervy is the married name of Katherine, John and Ella Boland’s daughter. I believe the only way I will ever find out where John and Ella Boland are interred is by the process of elimination. If they are not listed in the graves of Daniel and Katherine Malervy in Holy Sepulchre Cemetery then it is very possible that they are indeed interred at St John’s. I reviewed Westminster Cemetery records in the past and although there is a John Boland interred there, the name Ella was not. The question I asked myself is why St John’s and not Holy Sepulchre in the first place. We already know John and Ella Boland’s other daughter is interred in Holy Sepulchre and those records indicate John Boland purchased the grave. Agnes Boland McCaffery died in 1915. Ella Boland died four years later.

My next family history stop is St Bridget’s Church in the East Falls section of Philadelphia and Holy Family Church in the Roxborough section of Philadelphia. I will also make a point to go out to Holy Sepulchre one more time to locate the cemetery records of the Malervy family. Hopefully, I will get more answers to these questions.