Fun (Patriotic, Aristocratic, Royal and Saintly) Facts about the Swanhart and McMullen History

James was a US Civil War veteran (Union) who was born in 1838 and died around 1911. His son, David Alonzo ("Lonnie") Swanhart, filled out James's death certificate. Lonnie names Reuben Swanhart, born in Ireland, as James's father and Martha Johnsonburg, born in Prussia, as James's mother. So far, our research has not yielded any more information about Reuben Swanhart or Martha Johnsonburg.

Martha McMullen (b. 27 Mar 1833, died about 1910) was descended from one of the first Irish Catholic families in the US and one of the founding families of the western frontier in Pennsylvania during colonial times. A large number of McMullens, including Martha's grandparents, Samuel McMullen and Susanna Logan, came to the Colonies just before the Revolutionary War. Several McMullen sons fought bravely to create the United States of America.

If your last name is Swanhart, you are a Son or Daughter of the Grand Army of the Republic (an organization for people whose ancestors fought on the Union side in the Civil War). If you're here to see the McMullen information and are descended from one of the McMullen men of Pennsylvania, you might be a Son or Daughter of the American Revolution (Martha McMullen's descendants are NOT; her grandfather didn't fight, but her great-uncles did).

Susanna Logan, Martha McMullen's grandmother, came from a family whose origins were in Scotland. Susanna was descended from the Logans who held Restalrig Castle in Edinburgh, Scotland, for generations. Sir Robert Logan II (died 1439, Restalrig Castle) married Lady Katherine Stewart and linked the family to royalty; Lady Katherine was the daughter of King Robert II, born Robert Stewart (b. 2 Mar 1316, d. 19 Apr 1390).

King Robert II's mother was Princess Marjorie Bruce (b. about Dec 1296, d. Mar 1316 of complications due to childbirth). Princess Marjorie Bruce was the daughter of Robert the Bruce, King of Scots (b. 11 Jul 1274 in Writtle, Chelmsford, Essex, England, d. 7 Jun 1329 at Cardross Castle, Firth of Clyde, Dumbartonshire, Scotland, buried in Dunfermline Abbey, Fife, Scotland). Robert the Bruce is still a national hero of Scotland.

If your last name is Swanhart, you are descended from Robert the Bruce and are related very distantly to a lot of English and Scottish artistocrats — and a few saints.

To get really obscure, Saint Margaret Atheling of Scotland, The Exile (b. about 1045, probably in Hungary, d. 16 Nov 1093, Edinburgh, Scotland) is my 30th great-grandmother. Saint Margaret Of Scotland's feast day is November 16; her Scottish feast day is June 16. She was the queen consort of Malcolm Canmore and patroness of Scotland. Margaret was brought up at the Hungarian court, where her father, Edward, was in exile. After the Battle of Hastings (1066), Edward's widow and children fled for safety to Scotland. Her brother Edgar the Aetheling, defeated claimant to the English throne, joined her there. In spite of her leanings toward a religious life, Margaret married (about 1070) Malcolm Canmore, also known as Malcolm III, King of Scotland from 1057 or 1058 to 1093. Through her influence over her husband and his court, she promoted, in conformity with the Gregorian reform, the interests of the church and of the English population conquered by the Scots in the previous century. She died shortly after her husband was slain near Alnwick, Northumberland.

But that is probably more than you wanted to know.