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The Melchers The earliest known
Melcher ancestor was Johannes Melchior, who came to America from what is now
Germany, possibly as early as 1741. The earliest confirmed record of Johannes
is his will, written in 1766 and probated in 1767. It places Johannes and
his family in Northampton County, Pennsylvania. From there, his
descendants moved into the area of present day Bally, in Berks County.
Many still reside there. The Gradys were
relative latecomers, arriving in the late 1800s. Though they settled
around the Philadelphia area, the records of them have been sparse. We
believe that they originally came from Ireland, but only the Costello/Cushilly
line has been traced back to a specific part of Ireland (County Derry). Ralph Leo Melcher was
born at home in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on 18 April 1921, the firstborn of
Reuben and Ruth Melcher’s children. He dropped out of school during
the Depression and took on various odd jobs to help support the family. He also
worked in his father’s auto repair garage. In 1939, Ralph started working
at RCA and was there until going to war in 1943. He served with the 17th
Construction Battalion (USN) in the Pacific, seeing action on Saipan and
Okinawa. After the War, he returned to RCA. There he worked on
many important government projects at RCA, including the Aegis Radar System and
the Viking Mars Project, before retiring in 1983. Rose Marie Grady, the eldest of William and Catherine
Grady’s children, was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on 31 December 1926.
During and after her high school years in Philadelphia, she worked at Grant’s
department store then in the office at Woolworth’s. On 16 November 1946,
Ralph and Rose were married at Holy Child Church in Philadelphia. In
1966, they moved from Philadelphia to Palmyra, New Jersey. Ralph
passed away at home in Palmyra, New Jersey on 29 March 2011 and Rose died in
the hospital in Camden, New Jersey on 21 January 2013. They are buried
together at the Brigadier General William Doyle (Veterans) Cemetery in
Burlington County, New Jersey. First
Generation Reuben Aloysius & Ruth Cecilia (Walters) Melcher* Reuben Aloysius
Melcher, the seventh of Nicholas and Mary Ann Melchior’s 17 children, was born
on 5 March 1891 in Bally, Washington Township, Berks County,
Pennsylvania. On 18 Aug 1915, he married Bertha Magdalene Roach at
Most Blessed Sacrament Church in Bally. Bertha was the daughter of Edward
and Mary Roach and was born in Mauch Chunk (now Jim Thorpe), Pennsylvania on 30
September 1887. On 24 July 1916, she died giving birth to their daughter,
also named Bertha. Reuben’s second wife was Ruth Cecelia Walters, whom he
married at Most Blessed Sacrament Church on 3 November 1920. Ruth was the
eighth of Francis and Laura Walters’ 13 children and was born in Berks County
on 22 October 1894. After the marriage, Reuben and Ruth moved to Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania where he started Courtesy Garage. In addition to raising
Bertha, they had seven more children. After Reuben retired from the garage in
1956, they moved back to the Bally area. Ruth died on Christmas Eve 1960,
suffering a heart attack as she left the church confessional. Reuben died in
the hospital at Pottstown, Pennsylvania on 5 January 1967. Reuben, Bertha and
Ruth are buried together in Most Blessed Sacrament Cemetery in Bally. *
The family surname was changed to Melcher in the 1880s. William Joseph & Catherine Mary (Murphy) Grady William Joseph Grady
was born on 30 March 1899 in the Nicetown neighborhood of Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania. He was the eighth of nine children born to Michael and
Margaret Grady. In July 1918, Bill married Marie Winters. Marie was
born in September 1898 and died on 12 October 1918, during the influenza
pandemic in Philadelphia. She is buried at Holy Redeemer Cemetery in
Philadelphia. On 5 April 1926, Bill married Catherine Mary Murphy at Saint Columba
Church in Philadelphia. The daughter of James and Roseanne Murphy, she was born
in Philadelphia on 26 June 1903. Bill and Catherine had six children.
Catherine died on 14 May 1990 and Bill died on 12 July 1991. Both are
buried at Resurrection Cemetery in Bensalem, Pennsylvania. Second Generation Nicholas & Mary Anne (Mutter) Melchior Nicholas was born in
Churchville (later Bally) in Berks County, Pennsylvania on 21 July 1853, the
older of Reuben and Catherine Melchior’s two children. On 3 February
1883, Nicholas married Mary Anne Mutter at Most Blessed Sacrament Church in
Bally, Pennsylvania. Mary Anne was the daughter of George and Mary
Margaret Mutter. She was born on 21 November 1862, also in Churchville,
and died on 18 October 1942. Their 17 children were: Pauline, Lilly, Stella,
Victor, Mary, Herman, Reuben, Helen, Francis Raymond, Rosa, Marian, George,
Leonard, Cyril, Francis Regis, Loretta and Joseph. Nicholas, who died in Bally
on 13 July 1938, and Mary Anne are buried together in Most Blessed Sacrament
Cemetery. Francis W. & Laura Sevina (Butz) Walters Francis was
born in Pennsylvania on 1 October 1859 and was reportedly the only
child of John and Isabella Walters. About 1882, he married Laura
Sevina Butz. She was the daughter of Benneville K. and Emma L. Butz
and was born 14 December 1863, possibly in Allentown, Lehigh County,
Pennsylvania. Their 13 children were: Isabella, Blanch, Victoria, James,
Virginia, Laura, Francis, Ruth, Leo, Joseph, Esther, Gertrude and
Charlotte. Francis died in Allentown on 21 November 1944 and Laura died
on 6 October 1942. Both are buried in Most Blessed Sacrament Cemetery in
Bally, Pennsylvania. Michael Joseph & Margaret (Carr) Grady We believe that
Michael Joseph Grady was born in Mahanoy City, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania
sometime between 1853 and 1865. He was reportedly raised by his
grandmother (surname “Kinniry” – correct spelling unknown) since his father was
lost at sea and his mother died in childbirth. About 1885, he married
Margaret “Maggie” Carr. The daughter of John and Jane Carr, she was born
between 1856 and 1861 in either England or Pennsylvania. Michael and Maggie’s
children were: Michael, Mary, Anna, Nellie, Regina, Nora, Margaret, William
Joseph and Stella. Margaret died in Frankford, Pennsylvania on 15
August 1923 and Michael died on 6 December 1937. They are buried in New
Cathedral Cemetery in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (no markers). James Francis &
Roseanne (Costello*) Murphy James Francis Murphy
was born in Pennsylvania on 21 July 1873, the only child of David and Catherine
Murphy. On 4 July 1900, James married Roseanne Costello, the daughter of
John and Mary Cushilly. Roseanne was born on 19 April 1874 in Mayogall in
County Derry, Ireland. The parish baptismal records at St. Mary's Lavey show
her as "Rosanna Cusheley". (A Rose Costello sailed from
Liverpool and arrived in Philadelphia on 14 Jun 1893. She was from
Moyagall, but it unknown if she is the correct Rose Costello.) James
died on 13 October 1937 and Roseanne died at home in Philadelphia on 9
September 1960. Both are buried at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in
Philadelphia. They have no markers. Their children were: Catherine,
James, Mary, Rose and Margaret. *
The surnames Costello,
Cushilly, Cusheley and other variants were interchangeable, especially in the
Magherafelt area of County Derry. Third Generation Reuben & Catherine
(Quigley) Melchior The second of
fourteen children born to John and Sara Salome Melchior, Reuben was born on 1
February 1818 in Tinicum Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania. He
married Catherine Quigley on 30 May 1852 at Most Blessed Sacrament Church in
Bally, Pennsylvania. Catherine was the daughter of John and Mary Quigley
and was born on 9 February 1820. Reuben and Catherine had two children:
Nicholas and Maria. Catherine died on 15 June 1864. On 30
April 1868, Reuben married Anne Rehr who was born in 1825. Reuben died in
Berks County on 12 January 1901 and Anne died 7 June 1909. Reuben,
Catherine and Anne are buried at Most Blessed Sacrament Cemetery. George & Mary Margaret
(Staudt) Mutter George was born on 29
January 1827 in Berks County, Pennsylvania and died on 3 September 1902, also
in Berks County. He was the son of John and Catherine Mutter, who had
eleven children. On 17 June 1849, he married Mary Margaret
Staudt/Stoudt in Bally, Pennsylvania. She was born on 5 February 1828 and
died on 17 December 1908. George, a veteran of the Civil War, is
buried in Most Blessed Sacrament Cemetery, Bally, Pennsylvania. Mary was
not Catholic and is buried at Christ Union Cemetery in Niantic, Montgomery
County, Pennsylvania. Their children were: Jonathan, Aaron, Maria, Agnes,
John, Emma, Mary Anne, Alice, Franklin, Rose and Lilly. John & Isabella Julia
(Dermond) Walters John was born
around 1842. He married Isabella Julia Dermond in February 1859 and
apparently died by 1870. (He is not listed with Isabella and Francis in
the Federal Census that year and Isabella is shown as a widow in the 1872 Philadelphia
City Directory.) Isabella was born on 20 April 1842 and died in Douglass
Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania on 30 March 1907. She is buried
in Most Blessed Sacrament Cemetery in Bally, Pennsylvania. Benneville K. & Emma Louise (Heist) Butz Benneville was the
son of Aaron and Elizabeth Butz. He was born 5 August 1840 in Berks
County, Pennsylvania and was married in 1863. His wife, Emma Louise
Heist, was born 22 April 1842, the daughter of John and Catherine
Heist. Their children were Laura, Allen G., John P., Cora Jane and
Kate. Emma died on 5 February 1905 and Benneville on 7 March
1910. They are buried at New Goshenhoppen UCC Cemetery, East
Greenville, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. We have located no
information on Margaret’s father, John Carr. Her mother, Jane Bromley,
was born about 1831, possibly in England. She died in Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania on 29 June 1887 and is buried in the “Grady” plot at New Cathedral
Cemetery in Philadelphia (no marker). David & Catherine (Morrisy) Murphy David and Catherine
were both born in Ireland around 1848. David reportedly came to America
in 1870 and Catherine around 1855. They were married about 1872 and
resided in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Immigration and death records have not
yet been found on them. John & Mary (Farrell) Cushilly John and Mary
(Farrell) Cushily were born and died in Ireland (dates unknown). On 18
August 1863, they were married at St. Mary’s Lavey, Mayogall, County
Derry. They had 10 known/surviving children (Catherine, John,
Francis, Roseanne, Hugh, James, Mary Jane, Joseph, Bridget and Elizabeth). (The
Irish birth records also show two other daughters born in Bellaghy, County
Derry: Mary on 29 Sep 1865 and Mary Jane on 16 Jan 1867. Since no other
record of them has been located and the given name (Mary) is repeated, it is
believed that they both died young.) Hugh, Joseph and Francis stayed in
Ireland, while Catherine, John, Elizabeth, Roseanne, Mary Jane and Bridget are
known to have immigrated to the Philadelphia area. Joseph and Francis are
buried in the St. Mary’s Lavey graveyard. Hugh died in World War I and is
remembered at the Tyne Cot Memorial in Belgium. Nothing is known of
James. Fourth
Generation John & Sara Salome (Buck) Melchior John, the eldest
child of Michael and Mary Melchior, was born on 12 December 1791 in Tinicum
Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania. On 4 February 1816, he married Sara
Salome Buck at Most Blessed Sacrament Church, in Bally, Pennsylvania. The
daughter of Leonard and Elizabeth Buck, she was born in Springfield Township,
Bucks County, Pennsylvania on 11 October 1798. John and Salome had 14
children: Elizabeth, Reuben, John, Mary Ann, Jacob, John Paul, Bennet, Mary
Magdalena, Sarah, Catherine Agnes, William, Mary Appolonia, Catherine and
Joseph. John died on 16 August 1872 and Salome died on 6 November 1883.
Both are buried in Most Blessed Sacrament Cemetery, in Bally. In 1853,
Father Augustine Bally presented John and Sara with a bible. The family
record portion of that bible contains a great deal of information on various
family members from 1791 to 1926. John was born in 1796
and died in Churchville, Berks County, Pennsylvania on 14 January 1869.
On 22 September 1817, he married Mary Fort. She was born in New Jersey on 8
August 1795 and died in Churchville on 23 May 1858. Both are buried in Most
Blessed Sacrament Cemetery in Bally, Pennsylvania. Their children were:
Mary Anna, Catherine, Amelia, Urias, John, Sarah, Hannah and William. John & Catherine (Reichert) Mutter John was born in
Baden-Württemberg (present day Germany) in 1794 and died 2 August 1876 in
Pennsylvania. He married Catherine Reichert on 26 April 1824.
Catherine was born 17 April 1803 and died on 28 July 1872. She is buried
in Most Blessed Sacrament Cemetery, in Bally, Pennsylvania. The children
of John and Catherine were: Katherine, George, Sophia, John, Samuel, William,
Michael, Anthony, Joseph, Jacob and Henry. Aaron & Elizabeth (Kemmerer) Butz Aaron, the son of
Peter and Elizabeth Butz, was born in Pennsylvania on 1 Jan 1810. He
married Elizabeth Kemmerer (date unknown). She was born on 26 January
1817 and died on 17 February 1850. We currently have no information
on her parents. Aaron died on 11 January 1883. They are buried
at Union-West End Cemetery, Allentown, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania. It is
believed that Benneville was their only child. John & Catherine (unknown) Heist Emma’s father, John,
was born in 1816 or 1818 and died in 1889 or 1890. Her mother, Catherine, was
born in 1820 and died in 1914. They are buried at Pennsburg UCC
Cemetery, Pennsburg, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. Emma was possibly their
only child. Fifth
Generation Michael &
Mary Salome M. (Haney*) Melchior Michael Jr., the son
of Michael and Anna Margaretha Melchior, was born in Northampton County,
Pennsylvania about 1762. On 1 February 1788, he married Mary Salome Magdalene
“Polly” Haney, in Goshenhoppen, Berks County, Pennsylvania. Theirs was the
first known Catholic marriage in the Melchior family, which may have been
Lutheran up to this point. Mary was the daughter of Jacob and
Catherine Haney and was born in Tinicum Township, Bucks County,
Pennsylvania on 22 July 1765. They had eleven children: John,
Catherine, Susan, Jacob, Sara, Mary, Michael, Magdalena, Anna, Joseph and
Margarita. Salome died on 23 December 1847 and John died on 29 December
1848. They are both buried at Saint John the Baptist Cemetery in
Haycock Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania. *
In the Goshenhopen Register, the surname was shown as Hönig. There are two
theories regarding this difference. One is that the name was actually Heany (of
Irish origin) and that it was "Germanized" by the local
priests. The other theory is that it was Hönig and that it was
"Americanized" to Heany. When John & Sara Salome (fourth
generation) were married, Father Bally presented John with a bible. The
family record portion of the bible shows the name as Heany. Since this was
apparently written by either John or Salome, we believe that the correct name
is Heany. Additionally, the surname Hönig does not appear anywhere else in the
records or in the cemeteries. Leonard & Elizabeth (Kramer) Buck Leonard, the eldest
son of Nicholas and Mary Appolonia Buck, was born in September 1763. In
1787, he married Elizabeth Kramer, the daughter of Matthias and Mary Barbara
Kramer. Elizabeth was born in Haycock Township, Bucks County,
Pennsylvania on 24 April 1769 and died in 1826. They had seven known children:
Mary Magdalen, Mary Appolonia, Catherine, Susan, Rosina, Sara Salome and
Elizabeth. Leonard died in Springfield Township, Bucks County in
1809. Peter & Elizabeth (Schmeier) Butz Peter was the son of
John and Elizabeth Butz. He was born on 22 March 1783 and died on 10
April 1847 in Longswamp Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania. On 25 Dec
1804, he married Elizabeth Schmeier, the daughter of Daniel and Catharina
Schmeier. She was born on 18 November 1785 and died on 20 May 1855 in
Lower Macungie, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania. Both are buried at Longswamp
Union Cemetery in Berks County, Pennsylvania. Their children were
Franklin, Stephen, Aaron, Anna, Elizabeth, William, Maritta, Hattie, Peter and
Melara. Sixth
Generation Michael & Anna Margaretha
(Elleking) Melchior Michael, the older of
Johannes Melchior's two children, was born about 1735, reportedly before the
family came to America. Sometime before 1762, he married Anna Margaretha
Elleking. She was born around 1739. They had two children: Michael
Jr. and Elizabeth Barbara. Michael possibly died around 1788. Jacob & Catherine
(Weisbecher) Haney Jacob, a recognized
Revolutionary War patriot, was born about 1713 in Tinicum Township, Bucks
County, Pennsylvania and died on 8 January 1801, also in Tinicum
Township. About 1749, Jacob married Catherine Weisbecher. She was
born about 1722 and died in Tinicum Township on 18 September 1803. Both
are buried at Saint John the Baptist Cemetery in Haycock Township, Bucks
County, Pennsylvania. Their children were: Margaret, Anthony, Michael,
Simon Joseph, Jacob, Abigail, Catherine, Mary Salome, Elizabeth, Mary Magdalen,
Joseph and John. Nicholas & Mary Appolonia (Kohl) Buck Nicholas was born
about 1730, in Thionville, Lorraine (present day France). He came to
America, arriving at the port of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on 23 September
1752. On 21 April 1761, he married Mary Appolonia Kohl, the daughter of
John George and Mary Barbara Kohl. Mary Appolonia was born on 4 July 1742
or 1743 in Nockamixon Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania They had two
children (Leonard and Joseph) before she died on 7 January 1765, in Springfield
Township, Bucks County. On 12 May 1766, Nicholas married Elizabeth Hartman
at St. Paul’s Mission (later Most Blessed Sacrament) Church in Goshenhoppen
(Bally), Pennsylvania. Elizabeth was the daughter of Michael and Magdalen
Hartman. The children of Nicholas and Elizabeth were: Nicholas, Jacob,
Catherine, John, Barbara, Elizabeth, Magdalene and Mary Ann. Nicholas, a
veteran of the Revolutionary War, died on 13 November 1786 and is buried at
Saint John the Baptist Cemetery in Haycock Township, Bucks, County,
Pennsylvania. After Nicholas died, Elizabeth married John Kolb. Elizabeth
died in 1811. Matthias & Mary Barbara (Schul) Kramer Matthias was possibly
born in Springfield Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, in 1743 and died
there around 1800. His wife, Mary Barbara Schul, was reportedly born in
Bucks County in 1747 and died there in 1780. Their two children were
Elizabeth and Joseph. John & Elizabeth (Miller) Butz John was the son of
Peter and Anna Barbara Butz and was born on 20 November 1747. He
married Elizabeth Miller on 11 April 1769. She was born on 4 June 1747
and died on 12 February 1827. John, a veteran of both the Revolutionary
War and the War of 1812, died on 7 January 1827. John and Elizabeth are
buried at Longswamp Union Cemetery in Berks County, Pennsylvania. Their
two known children were John, born in 1771, and Peter, born in 1783. Daniel & Catharina (Keiser) Schmeier Daniel was born in
Macungie, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania in December 1738 and died on 28 July 1812
in Spring Creek, Bucks County, Pennsylvania. He was the son of Johann and
Maria Schmeier. His wife, Catharina Barbara Keiser, was born in 1786 and
died in 1843. Her parents are unknown. Daniel and Catharina had at
least four children including Elizabeth. Daniel was a veteran of the
Revolutionary War. Seventh
Generation Johannes & (?) Melchior Immigration records
show a Johannes Melchior who, on 12 October 1741, arrived at the port of
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania aboard the Friendship. This Johannes,
who was born in 1713, probably in present day Germany, arrived with his
wife, Maria Katharina. She was the daughter of Johann and Anna (Schmidt)
Otto and was born in Staudernheim in early 1709. (This may be the correct
Johannes Melchior for our Melcher line, but is not proven. The
immigration record does not show Johannes’ children although both were reportedly
born in what is now Germany.) What is known is that our Johannes bought
land in Bucks (later Northampton) County, Pennsylvania and that land
stayed in the Melchior family for many years. Our Johannes was
married to Elizabeth Barbara (maiden name unknown), who was said to be
from the area of Bedminster, Bucks County, Pennsylvania. She survived
Johannes and was named in his 1767 will in Northampton County along with the
two children: Maria Catharina and Michael. (If Elizabeth Barbara was born
in Pennsylvania, this marriage was after Johannes came to America. Since
his two children were reportedly born in Germany, it would appear that
Elizabeth Barbara would not have been their mother). There is also a Johannes
Melchior buried at Jerusalem Western Salisbury Cemetery in Allentown,
Pennsylvania. The location of the grave is unknown, but he is shown on
page 163 of an old cemetery book there. At this time, there appears to be
no definitive information to determine if he is “our” Johannes. John George & Mary Barbara (Behen) Kohl John (Hans) Kohl was
born on 13 February 1699 in Baden-Württemberg (present day Germany). In
1732, he immigrated to America, arriving in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
In 1733, he married Mary Barbara Behen. (Her exact maiden name is not
known.) She was born on 10 August 1714 in Bucks County, Pennsylvania.
John died on 3 July 1779 and Mary Barbara died on 7 September 1779.
They had eight children: Mary Salome, Joseph, James, Albertina, Mary Appolonia,
Michael, George and Elizabeth. Peter & Anna Barbara (Carl) Butz Peter, the son of
John Butz, was born on 19 June 1718 and died on 18 March 1780. On 22 October
1743, he married Anna Barbara Carl. She was born 26 November 1718 and died
6 March 1795. They are buried at Longswamp Union Cemetery, Berks County,
Pennsylvania. Peter and Anna Barbara had three sons, John, Simon
and Peter, all of whom served in the American Revolution. Johann Philip & Maria Salome (Steffan)
Schmeier Johann was born about
1698 and Maria in 1699 and were married about 1727, all in present day
Germany. They arrived in Philadelphia on 18 September 1733, aboard the Pennsylvania
Merchant which had sailed from Rotterdam. The family settled in
Macungie Township, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania shortly thereafter. On 3
December 1735, Johann obtained a warrant for the 200 acres on which they were
living. Johann and Maria reportedly had nine children. Johnann died
in 1751 and Maria in 1769, both in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. They are
believed to be buried in the Zion Lehigh Evangelical Lutheran Cemetery in
Lehigh County. Eighth Generation John, the father of
Peter, was reportedly born in 1698 in present day Germany. The
inscription on the Butz family monument at Longswamp Union Cemetery, Berks
County, Pennsylvania states: “John Butz Born in the Manor near
Kronenberg, in the Duchy of Berg, (Lower Palatinate) Germany. Together with his
two children, Peter and Catherine, emigrated to America landing at Philadelphia
Nov. 9, 1738. He died in Germantown, Feb. 23, 1750. His burial place is
unknown. His son Peter came to Longswamp and helped to organize and build the
first church on this site. Nothing is known concerning Catherine.” John and his
children, Peter and Catherine, reportedly arrived on the Charming Nancy which
sailed from Rotterdam, Holland, to Cowles, England, then to America. |