This Week in my Genealogy – Levens-McElhenny Marriage

One hundred fifty-seven years ago this week, my great-great grandparents James Levens and Margaret McElhenny were married.

My great grandmother Sophia Levens was raised in Centralia, Pennsylvania, a mining town, but came to Philadelphia sometime before 1900. I learned that her mother was also from Philadelphia when I found the book Schulkill County, Pennsylvania: Genealogy – Family History – Biography, volume II:

James Levens, father of Mrs. Ebert, was a native of Ireland and emigrated to America, landing at Philadelphia, where he made his home for a time. Going to Port Richmond, near Philadelphia, he there married Margaret McElheny…

James Levens and Margaret McElhenny were married on October 8, 1855 at the Protestant Episcopal Church of the Messiah in Port Richmond, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania by Rev. J Rudderow. This is yet another record I found in the Historical Society of Pennsylvania’s Pennsylvania Church and Town Records database available on Ancestry.

Levens McElhenny marriage
James Levens & Margaret McElhenny marriage, 8 Oct 1855. Click to see full image.

1 comment

  1. I’m a McElhenny descended from the McElhenny’s of Centralia . I don’t know of any direct connection to Margaret but perhaps we could share info and see if one exists. I know that James and Margaret’s son, William Thomas, married Clara Krah who was the sister of Robert Krah who married my great great aunt. Let me know if you’d like to share and compare information and find some connections.

    I’ve found some very strong circumstantial evidence that my McElhenny’s were Scotch-Irish from the Donegal area, but nothing as concrete as I would like.

    our e-mail got me thinking and looking through old e-mails to see when we know where George and John were, as discussed in the last paragraph. In doing, so I came across the James and Margaret (McElhenny) Levens connection I had written you about a while ago. I clicked on one of the links I had sent, did a little searching around and came across a William Thomas Levens (son of James and Margaret) married to a Clara Krah. Just over the weekend, I was filling in some blanks on the tree and looking up marriage certificates and the name stuck out. Clara is the sister of Robert Krah, who married Jennie McElhenny, daughter of David and Barbara McElhenny. It may be that the McElhenny’s and Leven’s were close and related through (Margaret and David somehow) or it could be that it’s just a very small town. It’s something though. I’ll have to research Margaret more.

    As for James Leven and Margaret, they were married in Philly. Based on where their children were born, in 1858 to 1864, they were in Minersville. In 1867, they were in Centralia and in 1876, they were in Columbia. From the census, they were in Conynham from 1870 onward. Similar route to John and George. Related or just the path that most m

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