Why Katie Fraser McKeigan went from Canada to Kentucky

My first cousin 3x removed was Edinburgh-born Margaret Falconer, about whom I wrote here. She was the eldest daughter of my 2nd great grand-aunt, Ann Smith. While drilling down into the lines of Margaret's children from time to time this year, I came across records and an obituary for Catherine Elizabeth Fraser (1869-1932), her eldest daughter by her second husband, John Fraser, in Louisville, Kentucky. Catherine, or Katie, was also born in Edinburgh, travelling to Manitoba in 1882 with her family.

Wait! What? Now, here was a mystery. How did Katie end up in Kentucky, living at the same address as one W. H. McKeigan, and who was that? Through statutory and newspaper records, learned her story.

Nanaimo Daily News 9 Apr 1895

Catherine (or Katie) married a Nova Scotia man, Daniel McKeigan, in New Westminster, British Columbia on 29 May 1892, when she was 23. She had gone from Manitoba to British Columbia, apparently on her own, leaving her family. I haven't found Catherine on the 1891 Canada census, but her marriage registration notes that her residence at the time of her marriage was still Brandon, Manitoba, where her family then lived. As we know, people were often overlooked in censuses in those days.

Daniel was born on Cape Breton in Nova Scotia and was a miner. Cape Breton is where many Scots who came to Canada settled in the 19th century. He was a miner, working near Nanaimo, on Vancouver Island. How and where Dan and Katie met is a mystery. New Westminster is on the mainland. Nanaimo, where they made their home, then was reached only by ship or ferry.

Katie and Dan quickly had their first child, John Falconer McKeigan, in 1893, and Katie was pregnant again when disaster struck in April 1895. Dan was killed instantly by falling rock in the mine shaft where he was working. The story at the right goes on at some length describing the incident and recovery efforts.

Katie stayed on in Nanaimo after Dan's death, and gave birth to their second son a few months later.  I didn't find Katie and her sons again until the 1916 Prairies census, when they were living in Winnipeg, where Katie ran a boarding house. Katie's eldest son, John, died in 1920 there in 1920. She and William are still in Winnipeg when the 1921 census was done.

But then I found Katie in the 1930 US census in Louisville, Kentucky, and according to that census she arrived there in 1924. She was by then working as a housekeeper at a boys' home. I then found her listed in a few Louisville city directories through the 1920s, which is how I learned that she had gone there from Winnipeg with her son William in 1924.

I was at loss to understand why Katie and William went to Louisville, until I found Katie's 1932 obituary, above. Besides her son, Katie was survived by a brother, Rev J. F. Fraser, formerly of Louisville and then of New York.

Yes, it was one of those lovely a-ha moments we so love in genealogy. J. F. Fraser was Katie's younger brother, John Falconer Fraser, whom I hadn't yet begun to research.

There will be more to come about the Reverend Fraser.

And what of Katie's son, William? He made his home in Louisville, dying there in 1964. I learned more about his life from his obituary, seen below.

Back to Katie's mum, Margaret Falconer Fraser. I'm getting closer to finding out when Margaret and her husband, John Fraser, died, having found them in the 1906 census of the prairie provinces, living in Nanton, Alberta, a farming community, with their youngest son, James D. Fraser (Aside: Alberta statutory records are really the most awful to research).

Louisville Courier-Journal, 4 Feb 1964

The never ending story continues ....







© Margaret Dougherty 2016-2019 All rights reserved

From Scotland to Quebec: Alexander Dalziel & Rachel Cook

Alexander Dalziel (pronounced Dee-yall) is the second of three Scots ancestors of my Québécois sister-in-law, nephew and niece, who settled in Quebec. From Alex's 1812 burial record when he was said to have been about 51 years old, we can ballpark his birth as about 1761. Alex was born in Scotland, but we don't know where, and we have no confirmed information about his parents. We don't know what circumstances drew him to Quebec, but he was there by 1790.

On 25 May 1790, Alexander married another Scot, Rachel Cook, at St Andrew's Presbyterian Church in Quebec City. The church still stands today, and is the oldest English-speaking congregation of Scots origin in Canada, according to the church's website.  Church records tell us that he was the gardener of Adam Mabane, a Scots-born physician, judge and councillor who had come to Quebec with British forces in 1760 as a surgeon's mate. Mabane died in 1792, but until his death in 1812, Alex's occupation in the church register was always recorded as gardener.

Rachel may have been born in 1769 in Fife, Scotland, to Thomas Cook and Rachel Kay.

Alex and Rachel had at least seven children between 1791 and 1805, most born in St-Henri, a farming community south of Levis, across the St Lawrence from Quebec City. I wonder how long that horse and buggy took into Quebec City. I've found baptisms for most of the children at St Andrew's.

A daughter died young, and two sons died as young men. Rachel died just two weeks after the birth of her last child. Alex's and Rachel's four surviving children (John, Rachel, Margaret and James) married and had families of their own. Their sons were farmers in St-Henri. Their eldest daughter, also a Rachel, married a man named Gardener at St Andrew's Presbyterian Church. Her siblings married in the Catholic Church at St-Henri, and all of their children were baptized as Catholics.

Quebec Mercury 4 May 1805 - source: BAnQ

Rachel's May 1805 death was reported in the Quebec Mercury newspaper. That notice was also picked up by the Columbian Sentinel, a Massachusetts newspaper. She was about 36 years old. Perhaps she or Alex had family in Massachusetts.

St Andrew's Presbyterian Church register

Alex never remarried. He died in April 1812, almost eight years after Rachel, in St-Henri.

Alex and Rachel are buried in the cemetery at St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church. I wonder if their grave markers are still visible. Next time I'm in Quebec, I'll have to check.

My sister-in-law, niece and nephew descend from Alex through their father and grandfather, from Alex's eldest son John Dalziel (1791-1876)'s daughter Reine.

St Andrew's Presbyterian Church register

  The never ending story continues ....





© Margaret Dougherty 2016-2019 All rights reserved

We Remember 5: the grandsons of Grace Smith Dow

Three grandsons of my 2nd great grand-aunt, Grace Smith (1814-1891) and her husband, John Dow (1812-1884) died during military conflicts.

Banffshire Journal 31 Dec 1901

The Boer War, between 1899 and 1902, was between the British Empire and the South African Republic and the Orange Free State. Almost 21,000 military personnel lost their lives. 2nd Lieutenant John Dow (1878-1901) served with the 2nd Scottish Horse. He was killed in action on 20 Dec 1901 in South Africa, when he was just 23 years old. He was the only child of Grace and John's youngest daughter, Grace (1857-1932). It's not clear when he signed attestation papers for military service. Was it when the Boer War broke out or later? His death notice notes that he had previously worked in law offices in Moray, but I don't believe he was a solicitor himself, because of his youth. But would he have become a solicitor if not for the Boer War?

I've found no information about John's burial, but I suspect this would have been in South Africa.

The British National Archives report that 886,000 military casualties during the First World War. Among these were two of John's cousins who were also brothers, the sons of Grace and John's son, teacher, schoolmaster and justice of the peace, Peter Dow (1954-1931) and his wife, Marjory MacPherson.

Aberdeen Weekly Journal 22 Nov 1918

Captain John Dow (1889-1918) worked as a surgeon at the Aberdeen Royal Infirmary in Aberdeen before he entered military service. He was part of the Indian Medical Service.

John died on 5 Nov 1918, just six days before Armistice, from influenza. This was during the peak period for the Spanish Flu. Imagine how run down John must have been, from long hours in operating rooms. He died at Shiraz in modern day Iran, and was buried in Tehran. He was 29.

David Edward Dow (1892-1917) was just 25 when he was killed in action at Rouex on 17 May 1917. He was a banker and served with the 2nd Lieutenant with the 6th Seaforth Highlanders. He is buried at Calais.



David and John had one other brother, Donald James, who also served in the First World War, first as a captain in the Ghurka Rifles (India), and as a Lieutenant in the 6th Seaforth Highlanders. He survived.

I have found no photographs of these young men, who are all second cousins twice removed to me. None were married and they left no children.  They are part of the lost generation.

The never ending story continues.....





© Margaret Dougherty 2016-2019 All rights reserved

 

From Scotland to Quebec: Augustin Fraser (abt 1734 - 1779) of Beaumont, Bellechasse, Bas Canada

It is said that the descent of the population of Quebec in the early to mid 20th century was equally one-third French, English and Gaelic. The Gaelic is of course both Irish and Scots.

My sister-in-law's many French ancestors were among the earliest settlers of New France. We thought she had no other origins among her ancestors. But we were wrong. AncestryDNA tells us that she and her children (my niece and nephew) have three direct Scots ancestors: one on her mother's side, and two on her father's side.

In fact, by all accounts, the earliest Scots ancestor in Quebec fought with the 78th Regiment of the Fraser Highlanders as part of General Wolfe's forces at the Plains of Abraham on 13 Sep 1759. His name was Augustin Fraser, probably born about 1734 in Abriachan near Kirkhill in Inverness, Scotland to Thomas Fraser and Elspet Fraser. But as this 1969 article first published in Canadian Explorer, a Clan Fraser publication and later transcribed on Electric Scotland, notes, his given name at birth was probably Hugh, or the Gaelic "Uisdean". Here's the key paragraph about his name:

This explains why the name Augustin Fraser does not appear in the database of soldiers at the Plains of Abraham, while ten Hugh Frasers are in the database. Only officers warranted more than the bare bones facts of name and rank.

Augustin (or Hugh) is also mentioned in a 2009 article of Au fil des ans, a publication of La Société Historique de Bellechasse. This loose English translation of that, courtesy of Google Translate:

"Simon Fraser

In the winter of 1760-1761, the 78th Scottish Regiment, commanded by Colonel Simon Fraser, spent some of the winter in Beaumont. He had for Lieutenant Malcolm Fraser. A soldier of the company, by the name of Augustin Fraser, settled in Beaumont and would be the origin of the Fraser family. These are the Highlanders. According to Pierre-Georges Roy, "The Scots sympathized a lot faster with French Canadians than the English and the Irish. A son of Augustin, Simon Fraser, was born in Beaumont and, after classical studies at the Séminaire de Québec, served as notary in Beaumont from 1804 to 1855."

Augustin, or Hugh, as he then was, likely became part of the 78th Regiment of the Fraser Highlanders when the regiment was first raised by Lieutenant-Colonel Simon Fraser of Lovet in Inverness, Scotland in 1757. He is mentioned as Hugh on the master index of soldiers on the 78th Fraser Highlanders official website:

78th Fraser Highlanders master index

The history of the 78th Fraser Highlanders is also recounted in this Wikipedia entry. In addition to being at the Plains of Abraham, Hugh likely also saw active combat at the second Siege of Louisbourg in June 1758. The Siege of Louisbourg and the Battle of the Plains of Abraham are both significant milestones in the Seven Years' War.

Augustin/Hugh married Françoise Adam (1742-1828), the daughter of Beaumont's notary, on 17 Nov 1863 at the local church, St-Etienne. This is documented in the parish records and in the Tanguay Collection (Dictionnaire généalogique des familles canadiennes). They went on to have eight children, none of whom they named Hugh. Augustin, yes, but not Hugh. It is from these records that we have the names of Augustin's parents.

Augustin became a merchant and also operated a tavern in Quebec City's Lower Town. Most of his children had their own large families, and at least two of his grandsons and their families settled in Illinois. It is very safe to say that his descendants are scattered across North America and beyond.

During the 1776 Blockade of Quebec by American rebels, Augustin organized provisions for the British soldiers defending the city. This is recounted in the 1969 article linked earlier in this post.

Augustin died on 21 Oct 1779 and is buried in the cemetery of his parish church, St-Etienne-de-Beaumont, which is a half hour drive today from where my sister-in-law lives. Family legend is that he foretold his death. From the same article mentioned above, this:

'There is a legend, passed down through Augustin’s eldest son Joseph Fraser [1765-1844], that he and other descendants of Augustin Fraser would be warned of the day and hour of their death. In the morning of October 21, 1779, Augustin and his son Joseph went to get their horses to plough their fields. Augustin decided not to plough that day and the two men returned to the house where Augustin announced that he only had a few hours to live: he would die when the sun set. He put his affairs in order; he asked for the parish priest (M. Descheneau). Just before sunset, Augustin got up from his bed, looked through the window at the setting sun, then went back to bed saying: "I only have a few minutes left."  Just as the sun disappeared below the horizon, he died.'

What a great story! When Augustin died his children ranged in age from about 23 years to just eight months old. The church where Augustin was married and buried from, and so many of his family and descendants were baptized, married and buried, still stands. The cemetery there holds many ancestors of my sister-in-law, niece and nephew.

Église Saint-Étienne-de-Beaumont,credit: Jeangagnon CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=41670181

The never ending story continues....



© Margaret Dougherty 2016-2019 All rights reserved

Sillery's Mount Hermon Cemetery: a walk back in time

Recently in Quebec City, my brother and I went for a walk in Mount Hermon Cemetery located in nearby Sillery. The cemetery was created by a group of Protestant businessmen and lawyers in 1848 when the original protestant cemetery attached to St Matthew's Anglican Church in Quebec City had no more room.


At the main entrance, you immediately step back in time, to 1851, precisely, which is the date on a large wooden sign with many carved rules and regulations that fairly shout Victorian times, to set the tone for your visit. The panel today is a replica of the original cedar wood panel erected in 1851.

The cemetery website tells us that it is on 26 acres and holds more than 17,000 bodies. At its southern tip, it overlooks the St Lawrence River.

Walking through the cemetery is a walk back through time. You see many impressive memorials that commemorate leading Anglo Quebec society figures of their time. You see memorials to fallen soldiers and airmen, drowned passengers of ships, and ordinary women and men. Today, it is non-denominational, and the grave markers reflect that: Greek Orthodox, Chinese, Japanese, French Canadians. For any family historian, cemeteries are the gift that keep in giving. Mount Hermon tells the history of Quebec and its inhabitants.

But back to those very sober and strict rules. Have a read...

The never ending story continues ....


© Margaret Dougherty 2016-2019 All rights reserved

When maternal and paternal ancestors intersect

After finding no trace of her in Edinburgh for several years following the 1851 Scotland census, this year, I found that Margaret Falconer (abt 1835-aft 1901), eldest child of my maternal 2nd great grand aunt, Ann Smith (abt 1811-abt 1851), married twice, had children and emigrated to Canada. As is happening increasingly, this discovery came about through AncestryDNA's Thrulines feature, on a nephew's AncestryDNA. I wrote about the family of Ann and her husband Angus Falconer (1815-1872) here.

Starting with the ThruLines connection, I was able to build out Margaret Falconer's descendants through the usual statutory and other records. By her first husband, David Leckie (1831-1867), Margaret had three children. Margaret remarried the following year to John Fraser (abt 1835-aft 1901) and they had a family of five children by 1879. After the 1881 census, John Fraser and his stepson, David Leckie (1866-1936), left for Canada. The following year, Margaret and the rest of the family (Isabella and Anne Leckie, Catherine, Margaret, Mary, John and James Fraser) emigrated from Edinburgh to Canada. The family settled in Manitoba.

'Manitoban' passenger list arrivals 5 May 1882, Quebec City

As I built out Margaret's children's trees and descendants (as we genealogists can't help ourselves but to do this), I came across a familiar family name. Margaret's granddaughter, Nellie Dorothy Curtis (1844-1933), who is my 3rd cousin once removed, married a man named Harold Morton Archibald (1877-1960), whose father, Edward Archibald, was born in Nova Scotia.

Anyone who is remotely familiar with Nova Scotia genealogy will know that the Archibalds there are many. Four Archibald brothers -- David, James, Samuel and Thomas -- are counted among Truro and Stewiacke's New England Planters, arriving in Nova Scotia from Ulster via New Hampshire in 1762. Chapter five of Thomas Miller's 1873 book, Historical and Genealogical Record of the First Families of Colchester County is devoted to the Archibald brothers, who each had very large families. The Archibalds warranted 75 pages in Miller's book, far more than any of the other first families.

I have no direct Archibald ancestors, but I've have found dozens of Archibald cousins in my family tree on my father's side. This is a case of where worlds collide.

I traced Harold Morton Archibald's ancestry back to Samuel Archibald (abt 1719-1774). As it happens, Harold and I are 4th cousins 2x removed. Harold's and Nellie's ten children are my 4th cousins.

And Margaret? I haven't found a record of Margaret's death so far, but I'm sure that will emerge eventually.

So far, there is just one connection with a descendant of Margaret Falconer among the Ancestry DNA tests I manage. But that one connection helped me to build out that line. Margaret's Leckie children have been easy to trace. Less so, her five Fraser children. So far.

The never ending story continues....




© Margaret Dougherty 2016-2019 All rights reserved

Collecting more Nova Scotia-origin Nelson ancestors and cousins

A couple of months ago, in this post, I mentioned that I had learned about a distant cousin had a self-published book, Descendants of Alexander Nelson, writing, "Perhaps someone reading this will have a copy they may be willing to share or loan me this book." I shared this post in the excellent Nova Scotia Genealogy Facebook group, and very quickly heard from another new-found cousin, who was none other than the daughter of the author of this book.

Even better, Brenton E. Nelson is still living, at age 90. We are 4th cousins, once removed, both being direct descendants of Alexander Nelson and Margaret Robinson. I called Brent to introduce myself. After a lovely chat, Brent said I was very welcome to have one of the few remaining copies of his book. I insisted on paying the postage.

Skimming the book when it arrived, I found that Brent focused on those Nelsons who remained in Nova Scotia. In his preface, Brent writes that "the bulk of [his] family history [research] was prepared prior to 1985" and explains that he focused on the eight sons and their descendants of Alexander Nelson, and asks to be excused for not continuing with the history of Alexander's female descendants. Despite this, Brent's book gives an incredible road map for this 21st century researcher. His focused on the Nelsons who remained in Nova Scotia.

I've referred to Brent's book many times in the short time I've had it, and know that it will continue to be my top go-to resource for Nova Scotia Nelson information.

I've found Alexander Nelson descendants scattered across North America. They are very numerous. Since Alexander and his wife, Margaret Robinson had a family of 14 children, many of whom went on to have their own large families, this is to be expected.

And I keep connecting with Nelson cousins.

Just a few days ago, reading a June 2019 article about a 2017 biography of 20th century American politician, John William McCormack, the biography's author name caught my eye. I saw  that his ancestor had migrated from Nova Scotia to Massachusetts, and that the family name was Nelson. Well, we had to be related.

It was very easy to locate a current email address for the author, and within a matter of hours, we were able to confirm that we are 4th cousins, sharing:

• 3rd great grandparents, Elias Nelson (1783-1871) and Elizabeth Forbes (abt 1786-1877)
• 4th great grandparents, Alexander Nelson (abt 1737-1803) and Margaret Robinson (1735-1823) and Robert Forbes (abt 1742-1812) and Lettice McLean (abt 1754-?)
• 5th great grandparents, Samuel McLean (abt 1729-aft 1791 and Frances Brown (abt 1729-1781)

Brent's book will remain a treasured part of my genealogy home library.

The never ending story continues....




© Margaret Dougherty 2016-2019 All rights reserved