Australian descendant of Donegal migrants keen to connect with family

An Australian man whose ancestors left Donegal almost 175 years ago has been visiting the county and is keen to connect with more members of his family.

The name, though somewhat unusual, is Malseed, or Molseed, and is from the Rathmullan area.

Tony Malseed paid a visit to the grave of his great-great-great-grandparents James and Anne (née Thompson) Molseed. They are buried in St Columb’s Church of Ireland graveyard in Rathmullan along with their daughter, Anne Doak.

Interestingly, and as is often found in genealogical research, the spelling of the surname changed. Graves of James and Anne Molseed’s children William and Margaret which sit next to their own, are engraved with the name spelled as Malseed.

Tony said: “There are a number of spellings but we accept that we are all the same family tree.”

Tony previously visited the area last year, and is full of praise for a local man who worked on the grave which had been in poor condition. He was delighted to witness the results on his visit this month.

“Johnny McCormack cleaned up the headstone and did a fantastic job,” said Tony.

In 1849, at the age of 25, James and Anne Molseed’s son John and his wife of six months Betty (née Wallace) emigrated to Australia on board the Courier. They landed in Portland, Australia after three months at sea.

“I just can’t imagine what they were stepping into and how they survived,” said Tony. “But they prospered to a certain extent.”

They were followed over the years by a number of family members. The extent to which the family settled in the wider area became apparent when a family reunion was organised in 1999. It was held to mark 150 years since the Malseed family arrived in Australia.

Tony said: “I placed three ads in local newspapers in and around Portland, Victoria. As a result, we had 300 people who were members of the extended Malseed family come to the reunion.”

While the people who attended were living in Australia, a branch of the Malseed family in the USA has also been in contact with Tony.

And his recent visit to Donegal led to more meetings with Malseed family members.

“I attended church at Glenhalla on Sunday,” said Tony. “It is a small congregation but a beautiful old church

“A man called Jim Dill introduced me to a lady whose name was Christine Browne. Her mother was Lily Malseed.

“She introduced me to local historians Margaret and Garrett Carton. They were an absolute fountain of knowledge; they had a real passion for it.”

Tony was delighted on this visit to reconnect with Jim and Dorothy Malseed of Letterkenny, who he first met on his visit to the area last year. 

“I couldn’t possibly have made the connections I made without their help,” he said. “And we have become friends as well.”

Interestingly, despite the two men not being particularly close relatives, there is a striking resemblance between Tony (left) and Jim (right).

Tony is very pleased with the new connections he has made on his recent visit.

“I’ve really got to know the place now,” he said. “I only touched the surface last time.”

The 175th anniversary of the family landing in Australia is approaching next year. Tony is unsure as yet if his work commitments will allow for him to organise a reunion.

But with the internet having opened up communication to a global audience, he would love to hear from more Malseeds, whether they are here in Donegal or elsewhere in the world.

Tony has compiled an extensive family tree with more than 1,000 entries and this is stored in PDF form, so it can be easily shared. 

He can be contacted by email at anthmal2@live.com

His personal website tonymalseed.com has an Ancestry page which outlines his direct descendancy from his great-great-great grandparents in Rathmullan.