I am searching for information about my paternal great-grand father and his ancestors. Here is what I know: he was living in Philadelphia around 1900 and his name was Robert Glassey. The story is that he left his family around the first world war and possibly married again and had another family. Due to this history, his name and story were not topics for conversation in my family while my grandfather was alive.
I believe that this Robert Glassey was related to the Robert Glassey that arrived in the United States sometime between 1820 and 1829. This Robert Glassey and a William Glassey (brother? father?) appear in successive Census listings (1830, 1840, 1850) and then a Robert Glassey and a number of other Glassey's appear in the Colorado census of 1880. That is where the trail ends. Family tradition suggests that there were a succession of people of different generations, each named Robert Glassey, but I don't have the information to carry the search back past the birth of my Grandfather (Phillip Glassey in 1903).
The Glassey name: I have some additional facts which I am happy to share.
1) The Glassey name shows up first in English Church records in Shropshire, England starting in the 1690's, and continuing for some time. Shropshire is in east-central England, very close to the border with Wales. There are still some Glassey's living in England today (most in southern England).
2) Also in 1690 a number of Glassey names appear in Scottish church records in Dumbarton. Glassey's live in Scotland to the present day. In fact, Lionel Glassey is a Professor of History at the University of Glasgow.
3) Starting in 1717, Glassey's appear in County Armagh, Ireland. Family stories tell of my family coming from Ireland. There are very few modern Glassey's living in Ireland today. My guess is that Glassey's emigrated to Ireland from Scotland (or England) and then emigrated again to America during the 1800s.
4) Possible variants to the name such as "Glasie" appear as early as 1619 in Lincoln England, "Glacie" appears in Sussex England in 1624, "Glasy" in 1689 in Glouchester England, and "Glassie" in Scotland, near Glasgow in 1739.
Very interesting indeed are the records relating to a "Robert Glasse a merchant of Bristol", who had a number of people "bound" over to him for work in Barbados starting in 1655. One or two a year are sent over until 1662, all on the ship "The Charles". Then, one person is bound over for work in Virginia, also in 1662. Finally in 1685 a "Samuel Glasse" is bound from London to Maryland on the Charles. (This data found in "The Complete Book of Emigrants: 1607-1776" on one of the Family Tree Maker CD-ROMs). What happened to this Robert Glasse? The name does not show up in any of the Virginia genealogies.
5) There are a large number (200+) of Glassey's living in and around Sion in Switzerland. They have been there for many years. The name is believed to come from a variation on the French word for Glacier. Is there a relation to the Glassey's of England? Possibly. I once found a record of a Glasie (Glacie?) who accompanied Mary Queen of Scots. Since Mary was originally married to the eldest son of the King of France, her retinue, when she went to Scotland, included a number of French people. This would have been around 1560. Is it possible the name does come from France?
-- Colin Glassey 10/96
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