URBAN FAMILY HISTORY
Edna Urban, wife of James McClymont Rankin, mother of William Ainsworth Rankin, Sr. and James Hanna Rankin, brought the Urban Family to our Rankin family history. The Urbans came from the France/Germany region of Alsace and immigrated to America beginning in 1839. Edna's grandfather, George-Wilhelm Urban (1811-1902), (known as William J.), at the age of 28, left his homeland, Mertzwiller, Alsace-Lorraine, France, on a ship named CHARLES CARROLL and arrived in New York on May 6, 1839. He worked as a dyer, most likely producing dye for a clothing factory. William J. Urban His brother George (1802-1874) arrived a year later with his wife, Catherine Bowe (1804-1864) and four children: They settled on a farm in the rural area of Tonawanda, Erie County, New York. Their next four children were born there. His brother Jacob (Jacques) arrived in New York port on June 12, 1852, on a ship named LEONIDAS with his wife, Christine Schmitt, and daughter Marguerite age ...