Frasers Part 20, A Property Puzzle

Catherine McIntyre was born ca.1777 in Scotland; married John Cameron before about 1803.[1]

Margery McIntyre was born ca.1785 in Scotland; married John Fraser 17 August 1808.[2]

Following on my previous Fraser post, I was assembling information on points of intersection between John Fraser and John Cameron. The hypothesis is that their two wives were sisters. The women provide almost no clues themselves; their husbands might tell us more. To be continued later, but one piece of information loomed larger than others: is it a stepping stone to brothers-in-law, or a roadblock? I haven't convinced myself of the overall importance of the point, but it needs addressing. Or maybe I should say it took me into a tangent on maps. What genealogist can resist maps?

From G.R. Rigby, A History of Lachute (Lachute, QC: Giles Publishing House Ltd, 1964).

The two men had contiguous properties on the River Rouge Road by St. Andrews, Seigniory of Argenteuil, according to the metes and bounds description in two land documents of 1845.[3] John Cameron was transferring properties to two sons—all lots then being measured in arpents. Lot 29 was three (frontage) by twenty-eight (depth) arpents, a shape typical of French river lots. The rear of lot 29 abutted the boundary line between the seigniories of Argenteuil and Deux Montagnes. Lot 28 was three by thirty arpents. The latter is the one of interest; John Fraser's land was named as one of the “bounds.” The date of Cameron's acquisition of the properties has not been determined yet, but it was obviously prior to 1845.

Bouchette's 1814 map is the classic post-conquest map of Lower Canada. The line from D to E on the right signifies the boundary between the old seigniories, later counties, of Argenteuil and Deux-Montagnes. It looks to me like there are no more than a dozen lots on the south side of the River Rouge.

 

Cameron's lot 28 was “ ... bounded in the front by the said River Rouge, in the rear by a certain Grignon, on one side by the land of John Fraser and on the other by the above designated land which is Number twenty-eight, where the donor currently lives, ...”.[4] [emphasis added] This seems to place John Fraser on lot 27. 

Probably Bouchette, 1814

The second map is not dated, nor is its source cited, on the website in question.[5] I believe it's a portion of the 1814 Bouchette map which Rigby adapted in a line drawing for his book.You can see the boundary line again. The roads and layout of lots along the Rouge look the same. I scarcely need to mention the lack of lot numbers!

So where would lot 28 be, according to this?!

Were lots numbered in one consecutive series along one side of the river and continued over to the other side? Or did the north and south (sometimes called east and west) sides have their own separate numbering? Did the numbering extend into the Deux-Montagnes seigniory (because the river did)?

Bouchette, 1831

Here is Bouchette again in 1831, a good generation after settlement.[6] Houses and buildings are shown! ... how accurate would they be? But again, no lot numbers. However, I know from the 1861 census and specific land records that John Fraser's land included lots 21 (acquired in 1824), 22 (1806), and 23 (1818). Therefore I'm having some trouble with contiguous!

Cadastre map St-Andre East parish, no date

 All Quebec properties were re-numbered in the cadastral reform of the second part of the nineteenth century. The cadastre map shows many more than a dozen lots each side of River Rouge, within the old seigniory and parish limits.[7] Did something change between 1831 and ca.1870? Or were Bouchette's smaller number of squarish-looking lots simply the surveyor's artistic licence? The cadastre numbering, continuing from the Côte du Midi section, ascends numerically from the village along the south range of the river and continues from east to west on the north range.

Then John Fraser's original property numbers became lot 592 (formerly lot 21), lot 593 (22 ), and 594 (23). The highlight shows his lot 594 (23). How do I know this? Because with time and patience, professional researchers in Quebec were able to access both the registered notarial documents and the seigniorial records. We need to go through the same exercise with John Cameron's seigniorial record(s).

Even if John Fraser and John Cameron were located on adjoining lots, am I putting too much weight on proximity to infer a relationship? After all, a man has many neighbours! It can be argued that Fraser and Cameron are no more or less “associates” than all the settlers along the river bank.

Still, how could lot 28 border with John Fraser's lots 21 to 23?

A thought almost too grim to contemplate: What if the John Fraser mentioned in Cameron's document was my other John Fraser? ... the blacksmith “of St. Andrews.” Instead of hammering happily away in the village, did he have a farm where he practised his trade? Not too likely, I think. Not only had he died or disappeared shortly before 1842, his widow could not be found in that census. She spent her later days living with a brother on one of her father's original properties. It wouldn't hurt to investigate all the lots from 20 to 29. Much easier said than done, in two sets of complicated records. It's either an extended visit to BAnQ in Montreal or hire a researcher again.

[1] 1851 Census Canada East, County of Two Mountains, District 11, parish of St. Andrews, stamped p. 41, John Cameron household; Library and Archives Canada (LAC) microfilm C-1147. “Quebec Vital and Church Records (Drouin Collection) 1621-1967,” digital images, Ancestry.ca (www.ancestry.ca : accessed March 2012), baptism of “Jean” Cameron, 18 July1803; citing St. Benoit Catholic register (Saint-Benoît, Quebec) 1799-1805.

[2] St Gabriel Street Presbyterian Church (Montreal, Quebec), 1808 register, p. 47, Fraser-McIntyre marriage; Archives of Ontario (AO) microfilm MS 351 reel 1.

[3] A transcription of the John Cameron notarial document was provided by third-party Cameron researchers; the citation is incomplete until they provide details or unless I can see the original documents: District of Montreal, County of Two Mountains, notaries J.Geo. Lebel and F.H. Leclair of St. Hermas, document no. 944 (20 January 1845).

[4] Ibid.

[5] “The Seigniory of Argenteuil,” Comte d'Argenteuil (www.comte-argenteuil.com/SA1.jpg : accessed 21 March 2008).

[6] Joseph Bouchette, Topographical Map of the District of Montreal (London: James Wyld, 1831); digital image, David Rumsey Historical Map Collection (www.davidrumsey.com/ : accessed 9 April 2012).

[7] “Collection numérique de cartes et plans – Impression,” Bibiothêque et Archives nationales de Québec (http://services.banq.qc.ca/ : accessed 2 August 2009).

April Ancestors

For the sake of brief entries, I am not footnoting the facts in this ongoing memorial. Sources have been noted either in other blog posts or in my family history books.

11 Apr 1912 Victor Karl Freibergs, son of Otto Freibergs and Ilse Hendricksons, and Marija Jurikas, daughter of Janis Jurikas and Katrina Tukums, were married by Rev. Isaac Sturges, the Latvian rector at St. Cornelius Russian Orthodox Church In New York City. The wedding took place at 442 West 47^th Street and was witnessed by John J. Kalnins, the Latvian Consular Agent in New York. An original marriage document signed by all parties is in my possession. St. Cornelius, located on Governors Island in Manhattan, was later called St. Cornelius the Centurion, a chapel of New York's Trinity Episcopal Church. Victor was then living in Port Arthur, Ontario (now Thunder Bay) where he and his bride took up residence for most of their lives. They were my maternal grandparents. 

 

12 April 1808 John Fraser, son of Duncan Fraser and Catharine Robertson, was baptized at Killin, Perthshire, Scotland. John came to St. Andrews East, Argenteuil, Quebec, about 1830-1831. Little is known of his life (and nothing about his death) except he practised as a blacksmith in the village and may have had family relations on either side of the Ottawa River. His brother William became a respected doctor in Montreal. John disappeared from the radar about 1839 after the conception of his last child. Further details were posted here. He was my great-great-grandfather.

22 April 1906 Victor Freibergs arrived in Canada at the port of Saint John, New Brunswick on the Lake Michigan. Within a very short time he was bound for Montreal by train, arriving there the next day. He found a boarding house to stay in while seeking employment. Like many immigrants, he had to deal with the Russian Consul in Montreal to sort out his status and prepare for Canadian citizenship, a process that went on for some years. Victor never returned to his native Latvia.

Bye Bye

Photograph BDM, April 2011

The Toronto Sun newspaper commissioned this unique mural for the long side of their new building. Created in 1993 by John and Alexandra Hood, it depicted 200 years of Toronto's history and dominated its stretch of Front Street. Last year, after selling this part of the structure, the mural was torn down. It has been replaced by a Dollarama, an LCBO outlet, a pet food store, and a bank branch.

March Ancestors (2)

For the sake of brief entries, I am not footnoting the facts in this ongoing memorial. Sources have been noted either in other blog posts or in my family history books.

25 March 1937 Hector Fraser Dougall married Clara Helen Freiberg at St. Paul's United Church, Port Arthur, Ontario. The United Church of Canada was not very old at that time; it amalgamated previous Methodist, a large proportion of Presbyterian, and Congregational denominations. The ecumenical choice for the ceremony is of interest to me because although the groom's family background was solidly Presbyterian, the bride's parents came from Lutheran and Russian Orthodox backgrounds. Hector and Clare were my parents and lived in Port Arthur, Ontario.

21 Mar 2007 Brenda's blog was born. Under the Zodiac sign of Aries (not my personal sign). Whatever can I deduce from that? The traditional 5^th anniversary symbol is wood. That's representative of my head sometimes. Oh, BUT ... Now we have modern guidelines. The 5^th seems to be silverware now. Not just any old silver … silverware. I guess that's for anyone who wants to send me some Wallace sterling Rosepoint salad forks.

26 March [Julian calendar] 1872 Marija Jurikas was born at Krūmiņi farm, Lāde parish, Limbaži region, Latvia. She was the third of seven children born to Janis Jurikas and Katrina Tukums. Like many Latvians, the family had converted to Russian Orthodoxy in the 1840s. Later in the nineteenth century came a “Russification” period in Latvia and so the Jurikas children were comparatively well-educated. Marija, my grandmother, was a seamstress who headed for the bright lights of St. Petersburg.

More at: http://brendadougallmerriman.blogspot.com/2007/11/marija.html

26 March 1913 Clara Helen Freiberg was born in Port Arthur, Ontario (now Thunder Bay), daughter and only child of Latvian immigrants Victor Freiberg and Maria Jurikas--sharing a birthday with her mother. Clare became a journalist with the local newspaper, and in later life became involved with various creative arts.

We Go to Kindergarten ...

... because the editorial we reached five years old. Let's have cake .. pass the Caramel Crunch. That's right, chocolate addicts, none of your brown goo. I am of the tiny minority who regard chocolate as a repellent, mind-altering substance. For once, it's not about you. Not to my credit or anything; we all have addictions. Take whipped cream, for example.

Red hair in Red Shoes

At this stage, many of my colleagues reflect on their growth and goals. I'd rather not because I still don't know if I'm writing for them or for a nebulous family posterity or just for obsessive moi. The blog is a hodge podge—something like my mind—of all three. Cruising the Suez Canal and riding camels apparently induces severe writer's block so I'm thankful we are over that hump for the time being. I'm also grateful for my readers who stick around.

Despite often living in the eighteenth century, I do prefer looking forward than reviewing the recent past where one can only sing always look on the bright side of life. It's just as well my family history books are not being bought up by the carload because all you cousins are contacting me now. If I weren't answering 9,000 emails I could be organizing all that new information. Luckily the incoming contains plenty of fodder for my favourite pastime of analysis and problem-solving.

By some minor miracle my board-certified status was renewed yet again; for the next five years it's a solid island in a turbulent shipwrecked world. Uh no; why that image? An oasis of sanity in my desert. pphhtttt ... you get it.

Like all well-rounded family historians, I have a life outside genealogical circles and don't always eat at my computer admiring other people's blogs. I strictly regulate my time on Facebrick (learning new slang, but actually using it has been problematic) and Google+ (more mature discussions, we say) but it's always a case where time expands alarmingly. I've been known to speak in person to my offspring and made a visit to my hometown this past summer.

I have a garden; a tiny urban garden where I valiantly battle for soil rights with a stupid unreasonable tree that some misguided landscaper plopped in years ago. My volunteerism lurches between a couple of secretary positions and regular deposits to the clothing bank. My political activism went into a coma in 1978 but revives periodically, mainly in defence of my performing artists home against berserk fire department officials and similar outrageous conspiracies for which the resident creative souls require patient exposition.

Furthermore, to prove I have a life, every few weeks I panic to see if my scattered friends remember me so we can talk of books, movies, climate change, health-related crap, that fabulous Jane Fonda, and celebrity chefs. I spatchcock posts into my other blog for occasional relief from all this tension.

If I weren't answering 9,000 emails some of this would make sense and I could spend more time writing.

© Brenda Dougall Merriman, 2012

On the Streets

Thank goodness for owners and developers who retain and restore buildings of historical and aesthetic charm.

King Street East; photograph BDM 2010

DOUGALL Part 10, An Update

From a new cousin via MyHeritage, I have learned the date of death for George Dougall and more about his daughter Jane. The best part was receiving photographs of George Dougall and his wife. In turn, I was able to provide information about George, his other children, and a family photograph. This is an update to my published Dougall family history, with the original narrative condensed and tailored to blog formatting. It made me aware of how much I now use online materials for information and clues. New information appears in this colour.

George Dougall (1818-1904)

George Dougall was born 24 May 1818 in West Calder, Edinburghshire, Scotland, the fourth son of John and Marion (Hastie) Dougall;[1] he died 28 Sep 1904 in Montreal.[2] On 2 March 1842 he married Agnes Moffat at St. Gabriel Street Presbyterian Church in Montreal.[3] Agnes was born 23 April 1819; she died 22 September 1879 in Montreal.[4]

George, who became a tailor by occupation, had emigrated with his parents and siblings to Lower Canada in 1834. After some time in Laprairie they moved to Beech Ridge at St. Andrews East in Argenteuil County. Land records for the County of Argenteuil revealed it was George who first acquired the property known as his father’s farm, lot 20 south side Beech Ridge, St. Andrews, Argenteuil, from Thomas Cochran in 1839.[5] From that time George was the seigneurial tenant of record. He may have actually lived in Montreal during that time, or at least by the time he married.

Despite the gap between seigneurial records and the cadastral system between 1873 and 1884, we can see that George’s family was still involved with the Beech Ridge property almost fifty years after the purchase. On the death of his wife Agnes, who had a substantial interest in the property, her heirs (her surviving children) transferred their claims to their father.[6] Then George Sr., the same day in 1884, sold the farm to John Francis Mitchell of Beech Ridge. By that time, the cadastral system was in place and the farm was designated lot 713, Saint Andrews, Argenteuil District.

In 1871, George, a “cutter,” lived in St Antoine Ward of Montreal.[7] The occupations of his children at that time are shown below in parentheses. I doubt Blogger is going to handle the original formatting for children, so I will have to make do. Individual numbers have been omitted.

Agnes Moffat Dougall (1819-1879)

Children of George2 (John1, ThomasA, JohnB) Dougall and Agnes Moffat:
i. JANE3 DOUGALL, born 13 December 1842, was baptized 15 January 1843 at Erskine Presbyterian Church, Montreal.[8] She became a teacher and married widower Sampson Paul Robins, son of Paul Robins and the late Ann Vickery, 4 July 1871 in Montreal.[9] John Dougall was a witness. On the marriage record, Robins’ first wife was noted as the late Elizabeth Hare. He was born 27 January 1833 in County Kent, England, and died 9 February 1930 in Montreal.[10]

Jane Dougall and Sampson Paul Robins

In 1881, Robins was a city schools superintendent.[11] In 1884, he acted as attorney and agent for his wife and two of her brothers in settling her mother’s estate.[12] Jane’s father George Dougall Sr. was living with them in 1891.[13] Jane Dougall and Sampson Paul Robins had two children: George Dougall Robins, 4 June 1872–26 July 1972 and Sampson Paul Robins, 26 November 1874–8 February 1952.[14]

Births, baptisms, most marriages, and some burials for the next children of George Dougall and Agnes Moffat were found in the original records of Erskine Presbyterian Church, Montreal, by researcher Salli Dyson. Some events confirmed or newly uncovered were found via digital images in the Drouin Collection at Ancestry.ca or in other sources, as indicated.

ii. JOHN DOUGALL, born 1 February 1845, baptized 16 February 1845 (millwright). He is likely the manufacturer who died 25 March 1883 in Hochelaga, Montreal.[15] S.P. Robins and W. Drysdale were witnesses at the burial on the 27th.

iii. JAMES JOSEPH DOUGALL, born 25 July 1847, he was baptized 12 September 1847 (carpenter). He died 17 May 1940 in West Kildonan, Winnipeg, Manitoba.[16] He married on 28 February 1883 his first cousin Ellen Dougall, the sixth daughter of his uncle James Dougall and wife Agnes Fenton of Cowansville, Quebec.[17] James McCrudden and Clara H. Dougall were witnesses. Ellen was born 8 February 1856 and died in Winnipeg later than 1940.[18] Their daughter told me the couple is buried in Manitou Cemetery, Manitou, Manitoba.

James J. was living at Pembina, Manitoba, when he married. He and Ellen cultivated a pioneer farm there. After many years of hard work, they rented their farm in 1919 and moved to 125 St. Anthony Avenue in Winnipeg. They had two unmarried daughters: Agnes Benning Dougall (1884-1967), a teacher who cared for her elderly parents, and Elizabeth Jane Dougall (ca.1885).
 
iv. GEORGE MOFFAT DOUGALL, born 1 October 1849, baptized 18 November 1849 (clerk). He died 15 July 1881 in Woodstock, Ontario, at a young age.[19] George Dougall “the younger” married Agnes Jane Kirkby, daughter of Robert Kirkby and Ann Harrison “of England,” on 5 April 1875 at 261 St. George Street, Montreal.[20] George became an organ maker[21] but after his death Agnes worked as a dressmaker.[22] Their known children were Angus (ca.1877), Peter Moffat (1878), and Agnes (1881).

v. THOMAS HASTIE DOUGALL, born 17 December 1851, baptized 11 January 1852; he died 2 December 1852 and was buried two days later on the 4th by the Erskine pastor.

vi. ROBERT McBRIDE DOUGALL, born 28 September 1853, baptized 13 November 1853 (joiner); he  died 28 May 1892 in Montreal. Robert married Annie McCrudden 22 March 1877[23]. The 1901 census shows his widow Annie, a chef, with children William (ca.1879), George (ca,1879), Edna (ca.1886), and Robert (ca.1890).[24]

vii. PETER DOUGALL, born 5 December 1855, baptized 13 January 1856. He died 27 December 1939 at Pembina, Manitoba.[25] He married Helen Anderson who predeceased him in 1935.[26] Peter was a naval engineer in the Merchant Marine before migrating to Manitoba and taking up a farm near his older brother. Peter and Helen had one child, George Lorne Dougall (1883). 

I find sites like MyHeritage and Geni.com difficult to navigate and very frustrating source-wise. Maybe I should say non-source-wise. My experience so far indicates emphasis on name collecting. And the charts are cumbersome to work with. Charts are all very well as tools, but my preference is definitely narrative genealogies, or at least give me a printable lineage! Colour me old-fashioned.

© Brenda Dougall Merriman, 2012 

[1] John Dougall family bible, as transcribed by his granddaughter Helen Locke (the original bible is long missing). Baptisms appear in West Calder registers for the first three sons but not George and the next children.
[2] Peter Smith website, MyHeritage (http://www.myheritage.com/site-379873/smith#newsfeedLocation)—where the date is 22 September. “Quebec Vital & Church Records 1621-1967 (Drouin Collection),” digital image, Ancestry.ca (www.ancestry.ca/ : accessed 12 March 2012); Erskine Presbyterian Church (Montreal, Quebec), 1904, folio 17, burial George Dougall.
[3] St. Gabriel Street Presbyterian Church (Montreal, Quebec), 1842, folio 12, Dougall-Moffat marriage.
[4] Unfortunately I learned no further information from the MyHeritage site about Agnes: e.g. parents, place of birth, etc.
[5] Seigneurie d’Argenteuil Records, Registres de Comptabilité, (1849-1860) no. 149, and (1863-1876) no. 463; Bibliothèque et Archives nationales de Québec (BAnQ), Montreal Branch, microfilm nos. 3383 & 3823.
[6] Cadastre System Records, Saint Andrews, Quebec, cadastral lot 713, document no. 9148, notary Hugh Brodie, 18 December 1884, Robert McBride Dougall et al to George Dougall; Argenteuil Land Registry Office.
[7] 1871 Census Quebec, District 106, Montreal, St Antoine Ward, subdistrict B, division 2, p. 83, George Dougall household; digital image, Ancestry.ca (http://www.ancestry.ca : accessed 9 October 2010). Microfilm uncited, but St Antoine Ward is on Library and Archives Canada (LAC) microfilm C-10046-10048.
[8] Erskine Presbyterian Church (Montreal, Quebec), 1842, folio 2, baptism Jane Dougall.
[9] “Quebec Vital & Church Records 1621-1967 (Drouin Collection),” digital images, Ancestry.ca (http://www.ancestry.ca/ : accessed 5 December 2009); Erskine Presbyterian Church (Montreal, Quebec),1871, folio 32, Robins-Dougall marriage.
[10] Peter Smith website, MyHeritage.
[11] 1881 Census Quebec, District 91, Hochelaga, Subdistrict E1, Hochelaga Village, pp. 39-40, Samson Robins household; digital image, Ancestry.ca (http://www.ancestry.ca/ : accessed 5 December 2009), citing LAC microfilm C-13221. Three older girls (Lillian, Bertha, Edith) appear to be children by Robins’ first wife, judging by the enumerated birthplace of their mother. 
[12] Cadastre System Records, Saint Andrews, Quebec, cadastral lot 713, document no. 9149, notary Hugh Brodie, 18 December 1884, George Dougall to John Francis Mitchell; Argenteuil Land Registry Office.
[13] 1891 Census Quebec, District 154, Hochelaga, Subdistrict G, Hochelaga, Division 1, p. 5, S. Robins household; digital image, Ancestry.ca (http://www.ancestry.ca : accessed 5 December 2009), citing LAC microfilm T-6396.
[14] Peter Smith website, MyHeritage.
[15] “Quebec Vital and Church Records 1621-1967 (Drouin Collection),” digital images, Ancestry.ca (www.ancestry.ca : accessed 12 March 2012); citing Erskine Presbyterian Church (Montreal, Quebec), 1883, folio 5, burial John Dougall.
[16] James J. Dougall, Manitoba death registration no. 018207 (1940); Government of Manitoba Vital Statistics database (http://vitalstats.gov.mb.ca/Query.php : accessed 12 March 2012).
[17] “Quebec Vital & Church Records 1621-1967 (Drouin Collection),” digital images, Ancestry.ca (www.ancestry.ca : accessed 12 March 2012); East End Rue Lagauchetière Methodist Church (Montreal, Quebec), 1883, folio 5, Dougall-Dougall marriage. 
[18] “Mrs. James J. Dougall,” undated, uncited newspaper clipping in loose notes of daughter Agnes B. Dougall.
[19] “Ontario, Canada, Birth, Marriage and Death Records,” digital images, Ancestry.ca (www.ancestry.ca : accessed 13 October 2009); George Dougall, Ontario death registration no. 014589 (1881), citing Archives of Ontario microfilm MS 935 reel 28.
[20] “Quebec Vital & Church Records 1621-1967 (Drouin Collection),” digital images, Ancestry.ca (www.ancestry.ca : accessed 6 December 2009); St-Jean French Presbyterian Church (Montreal, Quebec),1875, folio 2, Dougall-Kirkby marriage. 
[21] 1881 Census Ontario, District 166, Oxford North, Subdistrict Woodstock Town, Division 2, pp. 34-35, George Dougal household; digital image, Ancestry.ca (www.ancestry.ca : accessed 6 December 2009), citing LAC microfilm C-13267.
[22] 1891 Census Ontario, District 104, Oxford North, Subdistrict f, Town of Woodstock, Division 2, p. 64, Agnes Dougall household; digital image, Ancestry.ca (www.ancestry.ca : accessed 6 December 2009), citing LAC microfilm T-6360.
[23] “Quebec Vital and Church Records 1621-1967 (Drouin Collection),” digital images, Ancestry.ca (http://www.ancestry.ca : accessed 9 October 2010); St Marks Presbyterian Church (Montreal, Quebec),1877, folio 4, Dougall-McCrudden marriage.
[24] 1901 Census Quebec, District 175, Montreal, Subdistrict a, St Antoine Ward, polling subdivision 74, p. 12, Annie Dougall household; digital image, Ancestry.ca (http://www.ancestry.ca : accessed 9 October 2010). Microfilm  uncited, but the ward is on LAC films T-6533-4.
[25] Peter Dougall, death registration no. 39-06-048423 (1939); Government of Manitoba Vital Statistics database (http://vitalstats.gov.mb.ca/Query.php : accessed 6 December 2009).  
[26] Agnes B. Dougall to Hector F. Dougall, loose notes 1930s-1950s.

Wordless Wednesday

Happy 178th birthday on your official incorporation, Toronto ... 5 March 1834.

March Ancestors (1)

For the sake of brief entries, I am not footnoting the facts in this ongoing memorial. Sources have been noted either in other blog posts or in my family history books.

2 March 1852 Peter Dougall married Catharine Fraser at St. Andrews Presbyterian Church, St. Andrews East, Quebec. Peter was a native of Midlothian, having emigrated to Argenteuil Seigniory/County with his parents in 1834. Catharine was a Quebec native and a double Fraser—her father John Fraser from Perthshire, and her mother Ann (Nancy) Fraser of an Inverness-shire line. Peter and Catharine lived long and productive lives mainly in Renfrew, Ontario, raising nine children there. In their old age they moved to Winnipeg, Manitoba, to be near some of their children. They were two of my great-grandparents.

Update: Missed this, first time around:
3 March 1811 Ann (“Nancy”) Fraser was born at River Rouge, civil parish of St. Andrews East, Lower Canada, and baptized upriver at Chatham as the daughter of John and Margaret Fraser on 14 June 1812. Nancy’s parents drove seven miles from River Rouge to Chatham for baptism by Anglican minister Rev. Richard Bradford because St. Andrews had no resident Protestant clergyman yet. The Frasers were accompanied by John and Catherine Cameron who were taking their son for baptism. John Cameron and Peter Dewar, two River Rouge neighbours, were sponsors for Nancy’s baptism. I hope to make a case that Nancy's mother Margery (Margaret in some records) McIntyre and John Cameron's wife, Catherine McIntyre, were sisters. Nancy is part of my Inverness-shire Fraser line, and was one of my great-great-grandmothers.

14 March 1894 William Charles Dougall married Jessie Isabella (Belle) McFadyen at Sunnyside (now Springfield), Manitoba. The wedding took place at Belle's family farm home. A Winnipeg newspaper account listed every gift the couple received, from crystal and china to linens. The bride's “beautiful costume” was also noted, unfortunately without further description. Seventy guests sat down to dinner after the ceremony; “dancing and amusements were indulged during the evening.” They lived in Winnipeg most of their lives, raising a family of three. Will and Belle were my paternal grandparents.

Invaders Came, Speaking English

I live in a town that was invaded by foreign nationals. No, I do not live in the Middle East or the Middle Ages.

The town was York, later becoming Toronto. In 1813, the town was twenty years old. It had merchants, builders, carpenters, storekeepers, surveyors, soldiers, sailors, free and enslaved blacks, civil servants, drunks, petty thieves, remittance men, doctors, judges, clergymen, land speculators, a midwife, a baker, a brewer, and ordinary folk. Not to mention transient farmers, natives, peddlers, and con men. It had a newspaper, a church, a school, a courthouse, a jail, a post office, a tannery, shipbuilding, wharves, hotels, theatrical performances, outdoor winter amusements, and some fine social distinctions. Altogether your normal little town.

"York on Lake Ontario," [looking west from the blockhouse, the fort is far in the distance]; print of engraving by William Leney; Toronto Public Library.

 

Fort York to the west of the town guarded the entrance to Toronto Harbour (there was no Eastern Gap in those days). Upper Canada did not have an army. It was a British colony and British troops manned a network of fortifications along the Great Lakes system. By law, a sedentary militia of able-bodied inhabitants was required to muster once a year, when training was minimal if anything.

Map of harbour: Benson J. Lossing, The Pictorial Field-Book of the War of 1812, Archives of Ontario Library; as seen in the AO online exhibit, "Commemorating the Two Hundredth Anniversary of the War of 1812." [URL below]

 

On 19 June 1812, the United States declared war on Britain. One of their intentions was to gain and absorb the British colonies to the north. By 1813 the majority of our troops were occupied at the Niagara border, along the eastern waterways, at Lake Erie, and westward to Detroit. York was safe, wasn't it? ... because it was well away from border territory.

Wrong. On 27 April 1813 the Americans sailed across Lake Ontario, reinforced by their naval guns, and overwhelmed the inadequate garrison numbers at Fort York. The British soldiers finally retreated to Kingston after blowing up the fort's powder magazine—a huge explosion that killed or wounded hundreds. During six days of occupation, the fearful citizens of York saw American commanders lose control of their troops who pillaged and looted, burning homes and buildings. Torching the Parliament buildings was a final insult.

In December 1813, invading forces also burned down the town of Newark (Niagara-on-the-Lake) to leave the residents homeless in winter. Retaliation was inevitable. Part of it came the following year in August when the British Navy burned Washington and its White House. Fight and burn. What were we all thinking?

The Market Gallery, poster for "Finding the Fallen: The Battle of York Remembered."

In 1934 the U.S. government returned the stolen ceremonial mace of Parliament to the Ontario legislature. One American officer managed to retrieve and return numerous books take from the library. I don't know if plunder was ever returned to St. James Church. York's first fire engine, a gift to the town from early Lieutenant Governor Peter Hunter, had been carried off by the invaders and the trophy is said to remain in “a Washington museum.”[1]

Granted, my post barely scratches the surface of one event in the War. See more of the bigger picture from historians and records-keepers; here are but a few of the Canadian dedicated websites:

Toronto Bicentennial, The War of 1812: http://www.toronto.ca/1812/index.htm

The War of 1812 Website: www.warof1812.ca

Casualty Database: http://www.1812casualties.org/

1812 and All That: http://www.ontopoftheworld.net/category/1812-and-all-that/

Archives of Ontario: http://www.archives.gov.on.ca/english/1812/index.aspx

Library and Archives Canada: http://1812.gc.ca/eng/1305654894724/1305655293741

Revival of the great debate--Who Won?--should educate younger generations in both nations; it's being conducted, on the whole, with better humour than the original conflict. After all, Americans did not win the British North American colonies. Canadians defeated a takeover (thanks to regular troops and a resurgent militia). Sadly, our staunch Indian allies were the main losers; the proposal for a neutral Indian zone in the west was rejected in the Treaty of Ghent.

Repeat: What were we all thinking?

History, or historians, tell us that the War was the birth moment of pride in our own country. Canada .. and Ontario .. and Toronto .. have hundreds of events planned to commemorate the War of 1812. A shot of adrenalin for our modest but committed patriotism. We want to share everything—no holds barred—with our cousins across “the world's longest undefended border.” Or does that mean downtown Toronto bars will be open all hours. Debatable.

In this city, military and civilian reenactors will be appearing on the streets. The First Parliament Interpretive Centre is already exhibiting “Foundations & Fire: Early Parliament and the War of 1812 Experience at York.” From March 3^rd the St. Lawrence Market Gallery will feature “Finding the Fallen: The Battle of York Remembered.” Fort York itself will have any number of spectacular events in the spring and summer, and yes! oh thank goodness, a grand military PARADE!

I'd really like to know where that fire engine is!

[1] Eric Wilfrid Hounsom, Toronto in 1810 (Toronto: The Ryerson Press, 1970), 180. So far, I have not determined what museum this would be. Any help from readers? 

© Brenda Dougall Merriman, 2012

Frasers Part 19 (Inverness-shire)

From a work in progress: regarding John Fraser, “from Inverness-shire,” who emigrated about 1805 to settle on the River Rouge Road, St. Andrews East, Argenteuil County, Quebec.

John’s second wife Margery McIntyre is my direct ancestor but her background is as obscure as that of his first wife, Ann Fraser. Margery was born about 1785 and died at St Andrews, Quebec, (“Marjory McIntyre, widow of Jn. Fraser”) 16 May 1869 at age 84.[1] Her age at death is consistent with her age at their marriage date.[2] She was also recorded as Mary, Margaret or Marion in different sources. Page by page searches of the 1861 census for the parish fail to show where and with whom she was living; the Ancestry database is equally unrewarding. Although the Presbyterian church register gives us her date of death, as with husband John there is no surviving gravestone. The few McIntyre burials in St. Andrews Cemetery are not enlightening.

Perhaps a Catherine McIntyre, age 75 in the 1851 census at St. Andrews and married to John Cameron age 88, is her sister or close relative.[3] That census—the only record where Catherine has been found to date—places her birth year ca.1777. The Cameron couple were in the River Rouge cluster two households away from Margery’s stepson James Fraser. Angus Cameron age 34 (born in Canada) is living with them; he is married to Harriett Dochsteter and they have two very young children. Angus appears to be the son of John and Catherine, born in the last years of Catherine’s fertility. The incumbent of the Grenville & Chatham Presbyterian Church performed the Cameron-Dochstetter marriage on 25 September 1844 at River Rouge; Ewen Cameron and Peter Taylor were witnesses.[4] Parents of the bride and groom were customarily not recorded by the clergy. The same register contains a whole slew of Cameron marriages—I expect some of them were children of John and Catherine.

Inverlochy Castle, Fort William; TripAdvisor photo

According to local history compiler Thomas, a John Cameron came to Côte du Midi in Argenteuil “about 1802.”[5] If this man, known as Preacher Cameron, is the same as the 88-year-old in 1851, then his storied origin in Fort William, Scotland, could be significant for McIntyre research. An Internet correspondent confirmed that the “Preacher” was indeed Catherine McIntyre’s husband, but he/she has not replied with a source for the information.[6] Unfortunately, I have not found a marriage for John and Catherine (parameters 1793-1806) in the parish registers database of ScotlandsPeople, nor in early Presbyterian registers of Quebec. It’s possible they were married by a dissenting minister whose records are unavailable. Baptisms of Catherine and Margery (various spellings) born to a McIntyre couple in the relevant time span are also not forthcoming.

The Internet provides several avenues for essential background information. Preacher clearly implies that John Cameron had the gift of oratory (no doubt based on intensive bible studies) to spread the gospel. In pioneer times, such a man was a great comfort to the faithful in the absence of an ordained minister. Just in case, I did look at Fasti Ecclesiae Scoticanae (potted biographies of Scottish clergy) but did not find the volume for Inverness-shire; Argyll presented no likely John Camerons.[7]

An important step is to acquaint myself with the location. Fort William in Scotland, purported origin of John Cameron, refers to both a fort and a town, strategically located at the north end of Loch Linnhe. The site is said to be in the parishes of Kilmallie and Kilmonivaig.[8] Accordingly, Kilmallie straddles the Great Glen, and its northwestern portion is the only Argyll component; Kilmonivaig shares the intersection in Fort William and then falls south of its sister parish.

While the FamilySearch Wiki places Kilmallie completely in Argyll,[9] other sources say the town is in Kilmallie, Inverness-shire.[10] The former source states basically there are no marriage records from September 1790 to February 1811; kirk sessions records exist only from 1836. The town had name changes over the centuries ... Gordonsburgh, Maryburgh, Duncansburgh, and finally the burgh of Fort William.[11]

North Argyll parishes from Lochaber and North Argyll Family History Group

I can see the headache coming ... fluid parish boundaries and jurisdictions will make for interestingly complex research (assuming there are some sources to investigate)! I’m also aware that an emigrant who said he was “from” a certain place may have named it only as the nearest, presumably better-known, point of reference.

The first Statistical Account of Scotland tells me more about the parish and its people.[12] Rev. Mr. Alexander Fraser compiled the Kilmallie report. At this time in the 1790s, the town was referred to as Maryburgh (population 1,200 with 194 at the fort garrison). In brief, the inhabitants (apart from the town) raised cattle and crops of oats, barley, and potatoes; their diet consisted largely of the latter. Their noted prejudice against smallpox inoculation seems indicative of a general Highland distrust of intrusive authority. It was customary for many to migrate seasonally to “the Low Countries” at harvest time for employment. Cameron of Lochiel and the Duke of Gordon were two of the main estate owners.

Here’s the bad news (but totally expected) straight from Mr. Fraser:

“For several reasons, it is almost impossible to keep an exact register of baptisms and marriages, in so extensive a parish as this. Unless the clergyman, at the time of these ordinances, write down, in a memorandum book, and transmit them afterward to the session clerk, they will never be registered; for the parties themselves either neglect, or disregard to do it. Besides, it is believed, that the Papists and Episcopalians keep a separate register of their own births and marriages. And, of deaths, no register has ever yet been attempted to be kept in the parish.” 

I am a long way from connecting any dots to the unproven McIntyre sisters!

[This produced a marathon of citations, not all to my satisfaction, but a great way to practice and improve!]
1. St. Andrews (St. Andrews East, Quebec) Presbyterian register, Vol. III, p. 60; correspondence Rev. W. Harold Reid to Brenda Merriman, 23 September 1970.
2. St. Gabriel Street (Montreal, Quebec) Presbyterian [first] register of baptisms, marriage, and burials, p. 47, Fraser-McIntyre marriage, 1808; Archives of Ontario (AO) microfilm MS 351 reel 1. Also, “Quebec Vital and Church Records (Drouin Collection) 1621-1967,” digital image, Ancestry.ca (www.ancestry.ca/ : accessed 19 April 2008) where he is indexed as John Francer.
3 John Cameron household, 1851 Census Canada East, District 33, Deux Montagnes, E.D. 11, parish of St. Andrews, sheet 21, stamped p. 41; LAC microfilm C-1147.
4 “Quebec Vital and Church Records (Drouin Collection) 1621-1967,” digital image, Ancestry.ca (http://www.ancestry.ca : accessed 25 September 2011), Cameron-Doxstader marriage, 1844; citing Chatham-Grenville Presbyterian register, p. 45.
5. Cyrus Thomas, Histories of the Counties Argenteuil, Quebec and Prescott, Ontario (1896; reprint Bellevville, ON: Mika Publishing, 1981), 144.
6. Anders153, “Still looking for McLean connections in River Rouge, Cote du Midi, St. Andrews E,” Rootsweb’s Argenteuil message board (http://boards.ancestry.com/localities.northam.canada.quebec.laurentides.argenteuil), 3 September 2011.
7. Fasti Ecclesiae Scoticanae, Google books; accessed 14 February 2012.
8. ScotlandsPlaces (http://www.scotlandsplaces.gov.uk/ : accessed 14 February 2012).
9. “Kilmallie, Argyl[sic], Scotland,” FamilySearch Wiki (https://www.familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/Kilmallie,_Argyl,_Scotland : accessed 15 February 2012).
10. Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland, vol. 6, p. 498, digital image, Electric Scotland (http://www.electricscotland.com/history/gazetteer/vol6page498.htm : accessed 15 February 2012). “Maps of north and south Argyll Parishes – 19th Century,” Lochaber and North Argyll Family History Group (http://www.lochaberandnorthargyllfamilyhistorygroup.org.ukid70.html : accessed 15 February 2012).
11. Gazetteer for Scotland (http://www.scottish-places.info/towns/ : accessed 14 February 2012).
12. Sir John Sinclair, Statistical Account of Scotland, 1791-1799, vol. 8 [includes Inverness-shire], p. 410; University of Edinburgh, Edina Data Centre (http://stat-acc-scot.edina.ac.uk/sas/sas.asp?action=public&passback= : accessed 14 February 2012).

Silent Sundays

It's time for a little colour on a cold day.

The North Market, Front Street, Toronto. Photograph 2011, BDM.

Loyalists: Eligibility -- Common Sense or Splitting Hairs?

Ah, yes. We’ve been talking about eligibility ... most recently (my prior post on the subject) about successful application for regular membership in the United Empire Loyalists’ Association of Canada (UELAC). Which is also a corollary to this post. Because membership eligibility and the ancestor’s eligibility are two sides of the same coin. This is the sixth in a small series about Loyalist ancestors.

We are returning to the ancestors again, the major determinants for regular UELAC membership. We know Lord Dorchester recognized them as those who had adhered to the Unity of the Empire and had joined the royal standard before the war officially ended. The UELAC has expressed Dorchester’s qualifications in their general guidelines for the ancestor’s eligibility:
■ Either male or female, as of 19 April 1775, who had been a resident of the American colonies from which they departed to resettle in British territory;  
■ A soldier who served in an American Loyalist Regiment and was disbanded in Canada;
■ A member of the Six Nations of either the Grand River or the Bay of Quinte Reserve who is descended from one whose migration was similar to that of other Loyalists.

A few years ago, the Loyalist’s eligibility was further interpreted to include (all but the last referring to those who joined the Royal Standard, i.e. served in an American Loyalist regiment):
■ Who died either in service or in prison during the War;
■ Who died on their way to Canada but their families settled in Canada;
■ Who settled in Canada and after a period of time, returned to another British Colony or the USA;
■ Who were unable to complete the land grant regulations due to ill health;
■ Women whose documentation demonstrates loyalty above and beyond being spouses of Loyalists.

The UELAC may have approved more refinements to an ancestor’s eligibility; confirmation is not forthcoming yet (anyone?):
■ With appropriate evidence [one assumes], boys from refugee camps, aged nine to sixteen at the time, who did odd jobs helping at the military camps would be considered Loyalists in their own right; 
■ Loyalists who supported the British but arrived as refugees, not appearing on a regimental muster roll perhaps because of age or poor health;
■ Some "Late Loyalists" who arrived in Canada after 1789.

You see how the collected experience of applicants and branch genealogists assists both groups in determining eligibility of the ancestor in question. Some thorny issues have been resolved, for example, the demonstrable Loyalist who died before reaching British territory. Other issues are not so clear or perhaps more contentious, such as a “cut off” date of arrival for the Loyalist. Occasionally it’s possible to uncover the reasons why some individuals lingered on American soil long after the War concluded. Or why some would return to an American state years after leaving it.

Is the status of Francophone residents of British colonies who took up arms and/or supported the British forces still in limbo? They had not been residents of the (rebelling) “American colonies” before 1775. Some lost property; some did not.

Records created by contemporary officials can contain variations in the recognition of UE status from one person to another. You only have to compare some entries on the various lists to get an inkling of that. Not finding indisputable direct evidence, some society applicants will have to collate a proof argument for the ancestor’s status/eligibility from less obvious sources and/or the avenues of whole-family research. Thus both the ancestor and admittance to regular UELAC membership frequently remain to be proved on a case by case basis.

England saw a steady stream of displaced Loyalists arriving during and after the War period, most requiring financial assistance. The initial hearings of claims for losses began August 1782 in London. At that time, the commissioners made probably the first attempt at fine distinctions of loyalty and service, for compensation purposes. Their deliberations preceded Dorchester’s landmark resolution, so the reports make interesting reading (as do the concurrent parliamentary debates).

Since then, as you see above, fine distinctions are still being explored. And that makes more blog discussion possible. 

Talking to myself is not productive. Bloggers always appreciate comments on their posts; all points of view are welcome. Dialogue is healthy.

© Brenda Dougall Merriman, 2012
labels: Loyalists, United Empire Loyalists, Upper Canada

February Ancestors

For the sake of brief entries, I am not footnoting the facts in this ongoing memorial. Sources have been noted either in other blog posts or in my family history books.

2 February 1854 William Charles Dougall was born at Vankleek Hill, Canada West, second child and second son of Peter Dougall and Catherine “Kate” Fraser. His parents moved to the town of Renfrew, Ontario, where William grew up. He went to school until at least the age of 14 and worked with his blacksmith father in building horse carriages. William followed his older brother John to Winnipeg, Manitoba, by 1891 to start a carriage-making business. William was my paternal grandfather who died long before I was born.

4 February 1906 Otto Freibergs was murdered by Tsarist troops at Madliena, Riga District, Latvia. Otto's story was told in a previous blog. Conflicting information surrounds his date of death, complicated by distance and the foreign language factor. The date of death given here came from his son in 1933 in the Book of Remembrance (Latvijas Revolucionārio Cīnītāju Piemiņas Grāmata, reprinted 1983) where survivors and witnesses to events of the 1905-1906 revolution were testifying. If the February 4^th date is New Style (Gregorian calendar) the date at the time could have been 22 January 1906. I am told Otto's gravestone in the family plot shows merely the year 1905 (perhaps mis-read for 1906 on a weathered stone?).

Competing with Myself for iGene Awards (and Winning)

The topic for the 114th edition of the Carnival of Genealogy is: The 5th Annual iGene Awards! It’s the brainchild of the ever-creative Jasia at CreativeGene. That means choosing your own best blog posts in five categories ... a very subjective choice. On Jasia’s website after February 1st, you will see the results—submissions from a spectrum of GeneaBloggers. It’s an opportunity to see the best of your colleagues in case you missed some goodies over the past year. This is my first time participating; it’s frankly unnerving to review one’s own opus (50 posts in 2011) to see if any make the cut. Colleagues have set a high bar in past performances.
   


Here in downtown eighteenth-century York, spotlights are swooping, the glam is arriving, and the orchestra is tuning up. I be nervous, so I am incognito. Pass the free wine quickly (included in the outrageous ticket price). Deepest regrets from George Clooney and Kenneth Branagh who would have been here to present my awards but the yo-yo weather arbitrarily stranded them in Toronto South (otherwise known as Los Angeles).


Best Picture
What was I thinking? Not that many genea-photos last year! The photograph of great-grandfather Otto Freibergs was not lost; it was his identity that was FOUND. Here is where I sneak in a non-2011 biography of Otto. Old family photos are in limited supply, whereas more current family photos are quite abundant. Therefore special mention goes to The Big Lake They Call ...  which totally ignores any people living or dead. I promise to do better this year because I want to win again.

Best Documentary
The winner is Frasers Part 15. Not just because it has spectacular scenery in exotic Quebec and mythic Scotland. I am totally convinced that if you say DON’L and DAN’L in Highland -accented English they will sound the same. Even more so if you say them in the Gaelic. The post reminds me that most research posts are part of a larger work-in-progress, and the ongoing flux makes intermediate conclusions—if any—temporary. If this is not swiftly nominated for Hot Docs or the Sundance Festival, it will go straight to DVD.


Best Biography 
Biography did not have strong contenders over the required period. I declare a tie, to tepid applause (pulling my hat down to my chin). Dougall: A Reverend is a frippery based mostly on online research because Rev. John was a curiosity, not a serious study: not anywhere on my family charts. Also featured is George Porter Farewell. The post is a summary of a same-name question that extended over a series. Reading the whole works, using the embedded links, would be a chore unless you want the full complicated flavour.

Best Comedy
The judges had skimpy material since humour is generally reserved for my other blog. The Annual Letter wins by a whisker, or rather by a cocktail. My apologies to those left in suspense about driving in a nightgown. All will be auspiciously revealed on my other blog. In due time. With literary licence, of course. The Great Big Fat Family Tree was runner-up here, but really ... apart from a magnificent new acronym, it sounds stale-dated to me, as genealogy debates go.

Best Screen Play
No contest! Unanimous votes were cast for Camel Adventures: Wadi Rum. Helen Mirren will play ME, of course, Meryl Streep notwithstanding. I definitely want that gorgeous guy from Incendies to be the camel handler—the one who got shot right away by her brothers. The director has to be Doug Baum, my Texas Camel Corps friend, who understands all the nuances of desert culture. And can do the heavy lifting. Ideally, we would get Zou-Zou to play the lead camel. The movie will be filmed on location in south Jordan and have no full-frontals. Bring your family. 

No animals will be harmed in this production. In fact they will have more fun than we do. 
 
Whew. Good thing it was just me I was up against. This blogger sends out a big Thank You to the iGene Academy and all those bloggers who inspire me to do better. 


© Brenda Dougall Merriman 2011

January Ancestors

For the sake of brief entries, I am not footnoting the facts in this ongoing memorial. Sources have been noted either in other blog posts or in my family history books.

20 January 1867: John Dougall, my emigrant ancestor from West Calder, Midlothian, Scotland, died on this day at the age of 86. Presumably he died at his farm located at Beech Ridge, just outside St. Andrews East, Argenteuil County, Quebec, now known as St-André Est. When he was 51 years old John came to Canada with his wife and children, two years after his oldest son had arrived. He is buried at St. Andrews East Protestant Cemetery. Had he lived another six months, he would have witnessed Canadian Confederation.

25 January [Julian calendar] 1881: Otto Freibergs of Ķonēni Farm on the Marzingshof (Latvian: Mārciņmuiža) estate, Riga District, Latvia, married Ilse Indricksons of the Wattram (Latvian: Vatrāne) estate, same district, in the Lutheran church at Suntaži, same district. They lived their married life at Ķonēni; Otto carried on the family farm where his father Ansis had been located since the 1850s. Otto was able to purchase the land in 1878 after modest reforms in Latvia allowed peasants to acquire and own land. By the turn of the twentieth century, he had become a local parish official and spokesman for further reforms. Otto and Ilse had six children, of whom four lived to adulthood.

27 January 1790: Marion Hastie was born, daughter of John Hastie and Margaret Brown of Heads Farm, Whitburn, Linlithgowshire. A baptism has not been found for Marion in relevant parish registers although most of her siblings were recorded at Whitburn. Evidence for her date of birth comes from two sources I have never seen. Her husband's family bible recorded her birth but the bible passed to the family of her youngest daughter, its whereabouts unknown now. Along the way, a transcript was made of the family dates it contained. When Marion was 14 years old, she embroidered a sampler with birth dates for herself and all her siblings—they concurred with the parish register entries when available.

Update: Missed these, first time around:

31 January 1895 Ann (“Nancy”) Fraser died at St. Andrews East. Nancy’s burial site, like that of her husband John Fraser, is not marked. The Renfrew Mercury of 8 February 1895 reported:

“Died Jan. 31, St. Andrews River Rouge, Que., Nancy Fraser, widow of the late John Fraser, and sister-in-law of the late Dr. Wm Fraser, Montreal, and mother of Mrs. P. Dougall, Renfrew, aged 85 years.”

January 1832 Ann (“Nancy”) Fraser married blacksmith John Fraser, both of St. Andrews East, Lower Canada, at the time. Their marriage bond was executed across the river in Longeuil township, Prescott County, Upper Canada, on 5 January 1832. The bondsmen were two men called James McIntosh, one a tailor and the other addressed as “Esq.” The witness was Alexander Fraser, probably Nancy’s eldest half-brother. The marriage probably took place the same day or soon after; an actual church record eludes me. A Presbyterian Church opened in 1832 at L’Orignal, the seat of Prescott County, and could have been the venue; it seems likely a clergyman was already residing in the town. I have not been able to discover where its records are now. The church itself (and its Scottish congregation) are long gone. Nancy, of an Inverness-shire family, and John, of a Perthshire family, were two of my great-great-grandparents.

 

January Ancestors (2)

For the sake of brief entries, I am not footnoting the facts in this ongoing memorial. Sources have been noted either in other blog posts or in my family history books.

13 Jan 1869: John McFadyen married Isabella Campbell, in Provincetown, Massachusetts. Both were natives of Cape Breton, Nova Scotia: John was from River Denys, Inverness County, and Isabella was from Points West Bay in Richmond County. Provincetown was a magnet for many “Capers” who pursued a maritime livelihood. John was known at home as John Hector because he had a younger brother John, called John Jr., or John Lauchlin. According to the Barnstable Patriot in March of that year, four McFadyens (first names not given) were captains in the season's cod fishing fleet for Provincetown. The couple had two children born there, 1869 and 1871, and relocated to a Manitoba homestead by 1874. There, the births of nine more children followed. John and Isabella were two of my great-grandparents.

 

Loyalists: Eligibility - Grab the Certificate and Hug It

This is the 5th post in an occasional series about United Empire Loyalists. Part One of eligibility (the ancestor’s) was discussed last month. Part Two is about who qualifies for regular membership in the United Empire Loyalists’ Association of Canada (UELAC). The two parts are intertwined.

They are so intertwined—the second dependent on the first—that this scribe became uncharacteristically verbose. This post right now will continue in the near future. Smaller bites may be more palatable. 

We are more than 200 years down the road from Loyalist days of hardship in new territories of unbroken land. A century after that time, the beginnings of the UELAC were founded. It was 1914 when cohesion took place “to unite together irrespective of creed or political party the descendants of those families who during the American War 1775 to 1783 sacrificed their homes in retaining their loyalty to the British Crown, and to perpetuate their spirit of loyalty to the Empire.[1] You can see the modern mission statement at http://www.uelac.org/about.php.

The UELAC is a hereditary society. It is “an organization dedicated to enriching the lives of Canadians through knowledge of the past, in particular the history of the United Empire Loyalists and their contribution to the development of Canada.”[2] The organization does provide for affiliate and associate members which is not being discussed here.[3] Regular membership requires proving your ancestor was considered a Loyalist in his day, proving your descent from him or her, and swearing an oath of allegiance to the Crown. Presenting credible evidence and proof on your application will result in a certificate attesting to your Loyalist ancestry.

The words “hereditary” and “descent” and “prove” involve genealogy ... naturally! The research tasks of proving are essentially do-it-yourself, unless you hire a professional genealogist. A UELAC branch genealogist—because you must apply through one of its branches—will give you some guidance with your application. The application itself spells out how to proceed.

Today’s world of genealogy represents accelerated research tools, accumulated wisdom, and the evolution of applicable standards. It was not the same back in the 1880s when commemorative societies were being formed, or even in 1914. Grandchildren of Loyalists were still alive, many well into the twentieth century, as was family memory. Applicants for membership merely submitted the relevant ancestor’s name (perhaps the ghost of “everyone knew” was a factor). Not until 1970 did the UELAC establish standard proof requirements and application forms.

The UELAC was not alone in struggling with this situation. Other North American hereditary societies were undergoing the same self-reflective review as time marched on and newer generations had more descendant links to prove. The societies were slow to adapt to research standards promulgated in the wider genealogical community; after all, they didn’t want to discourage new members and offend the old ones.

Even still, the society requirements and submitted evidence may be interpreted differently from branch to branch, and/or possibly rely too much on derivative and hearsay sources. The position of Dominion Genealogist oversees all branch-approved applications for final approval. The bylaws provide for an Investigating Committee, to assist him or her. In practice, it makes sense for discretionary consultation with the relatively few problematic applications that come in—the ones with a weak generational link, or an unconvincing “argument” for identity or relationship from indirect references.

It may take more time again before the UELAC trades in the shop-worn Preponderance of Evidence principle. Aka “balance of probabilities,” it is a borrowed legal term from the fledgling days of raising the critical bar in genealogical and family history studies. It is not a sufficient measure for a proof argument collating indirect evidence. Graduating to the Genealogical Proof Standard would be a progressive step for the society.[4]

The last round of Eligibility continues next time.

[1] “The Founding of the UELAC,” United Empire Loyalists’ Association of Canada, (http://www.uelac.org/UELAC-history/Founding-UELAC.php).
[2] “About the UELAC,” United Empire Loyalists’ Association of Canada, (www.uelac.org/about.php).
[3] Associate members have an abiding interest in the Loyalist period without having a Loyalist ancestor (or are in the process of researching one). Affiliate members have met the proof requirements but cannot swear allegiance to the Queen of Canada (i.e. citizens of another country).
[4] Board for Certification of Genealogists, The BCG Genealogical Standards Manual (Orem, Utah: Ancestry, Inc., 2000), 1-2. See also Merriman, Genealogical Standards of Evidence: A Guide for Family Historians (Toronto: Dundurn Press and The Ontario Genealogical Society, 2010), 38-41.

© Brenda Dougall Merriman, 2012

January Ancestors (1)

For the sake of brief entries, I am not footnoting the facts in this ongoing memorial. Sources have been noted either in other blog posts or in my family history books.

2 January 1962: Marija Jurikas Freiberg died in Port Arthur, Ontario. She was two months short of her 90^th birthday when she died, and had suffered from a form of dementia in her last years. Marija had lived at Krumini farm, Limbazi parish, Latvia; St. Petersburg, Russia; New York City; and finally settled to domestic life in Canada. She was my maternal grandmother; more information was written about her here.

3 January [Julian calendar]1843: Ansis Freibergs of Koneni farm, Kastrane, Latvia, married Trute Grunfeld at Malpils Lutheran Church. They were my great-great-grandparents.

11 January [Julian calendar] 1798: Jurri Jurikas of Allika farm, Tori parish, Estonia, died. He had married Marri, daughter of Peet, probably of a farm known as Tohivere nor Tohera or Tehver. Research in this family grouping is incomplete (and difficult without surnames in usage---to be another story) but for the one firm date. Jurri and Marri were my 4^th great-grandparents.