Robert Gelray and Mary Jane Wiley were the shadowy parents of Margaret Jane Martin and thus my 4th-great-grandparents. Chronology suggests they were born around 1800. I only have their names from records of their children which list parents. Robert appears to be alive in 1846 when he is identified as a “labourer” on his daughter’s marriage record. They at some point lived in Ireland, near Newry, although their places of birth are uncertain.
The unusual surname Gelray has had many variant spellings. On Margaret’s 1846 marriage record in Ireland, it is spelled Gallery. Robert has no known male-line descendants in America, so it appears to be extinct here.
Children
They had five known children, and a sixth probable one, the first listed below. Robert and Ann remained in Ireland; the others immigrated to America. The last two were apparently born in or around Manchester, England, perhaps a waystation on the family’s travels.
- (?) Robert (* say 1825); I suspect Robert is of this family, largely from DNA evidence.
- Margaret Jane (1827-02-28 – 1861-02-07), my great-great-great-grandmother.
- Ann (* c.1828), married John Reid. I found her in Irish records. She may be the Ann Reid who died in Mullaghlass 1880-03-09 aged 54.
- Hannah Maria (1833-06-27 – 1909-12-08), married Michael Martin, her sister’s husband’s younger brother, and had five children.
- Joseph Wiley (1837-02-28 – 1900-03-10), never married. He was a Union officer in the Civil War and is buried at Arlington Cemetery.
- Martha J. (1839-02-08 – 1920-04-30), married John Wing Burgess and had five children.
Origins
On many records, particularly death and post-1880 census records, informants are asked to report the birthplaces of the subject’s parents. Here are all that I have found:
| Child | Record | Year | Father | Mother |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Margaret | Death | 1861 | Ireland | Ireland |
| Hannah | Census | 1880 | Ireland | Ireland |
| Hannah | Census | 1900 | Scotland | England |
| Hannah | Death | 1909 | Scotland | Ireland |
| Martha | Census | 1880 | Scotland | Scotland |
| Martha | Census | 1900 | England | England |
| Martha | Census | 1910 | Scotland | England |
| Martha | Census | 1920 | — | — |
| Joseph | Census | 1880 | England | Scotland |
It is hard to know what to make of these diverse claims. If Ireland is a “default” assumption when the child is from Ireland and the information is not known to an informant, and England when the child is from England, well, it’s still not clear. Robert from Scotland, and Mary from England?
Joseph’s service record says he arrived in America in 1844, when he was at most 7. Surely, he did not travel alone, but I have not found records of his parents. A person who may be Joseph is in the 1855 Massachusetts census.
The name Joseph Wiley Gelray for one of their children suggests Mary’s father may have been named Joseph Wiley.
DNA
A DNA match living in England is descended from a Robert Gallery who was from Ireland. After we exchanged details, I surmised that most likely her ancestor Robert is a son of Robert and Mary, although other relationships cannot be ruled out.