Does anyone have knowledge regarding John McDonald's parents?

Question

He was born about 1824 in Ireland, married Rebecca Toole on 11 Jan 1847 and died on 15 Apr 1876 in Hampton, Darlington, Durham, Ontario, Canada. Thank you.

Answer 1

Hi Gerrit!  It is a good hard puzzle, for sure!  

I see the family on all the Censuses starting with 1851.  

One long shot might be to see if he was related to any of his neighbours on that 1851 Census.  There are other McDonald families nearby, and at the top of the very next page there is a James McDonald and family originally from Ireland.  The given names are very similar (John and Rebecca name their first boy James Hugh), but of course there was a very limited pool of first-name choices in those days.  

John and Rebecca also name a child Esther, which is considerably less common.  It might be a family name if Esther Northy is a relative, or she might just have been a nice neighbour/friend and thus got a namesake...

Have you tried DNA testing to generate some clues?

Cheers

Shirlea

Comments

Thanks Shirlea. My wife, Sylvia Ann McDonald, is the great great granddaughter of John. She has been DNA tested. She is the great granddaughter of James Hugh. John's daughter Esther was married to a Lennox. I have added all of John's children and so on down the line for all of his descendants that I could find but am stuck. Too many John McDonalds in the world.

---

Do you find any Irish connections in your wife's DNA that are unaccounted for by her known tree?  Any DNA connections to that other McDonald family, neighbours in the 1851 Census?  Any land transactions that could show a bond closer than merely neighbours?

---

Shirlea can you point me to the 1851 Census so that I can look at what you are referencing? A link would be great! The only Census that I have found relating to John and Rebecca is the 1871 Census.

---

Here is the 1851 enumeration of John and Rebecca and their oldest children: https://central.bac-lac.gc.ca/.item/?app=Census1851&op=pdf&id=e002346479

The same item as a jpeg: https://central.bac-lac.gc.ca/.item/?app=Census1851&op=&img&id=e002346479

They are near the bottom of the page

---

Here is the next page of names: https://central.bac-lac.gc.ca/.item/?app=Census1851&op=&img&id=e002346481

and in pdf: https://central.bac-lac.gc.ca/.item/?app=Census1851&op=pdf&id=e002346481

James and his family are right at the top of the page

---

I wouldn't make too much of this, but it sort of looks like the entry for Esther and Silas Northy might be done at a slightly different time - maybe by the same writer but with a bit of different pressure or ink or something.

Intuitively, i would allow for the possibility that the enumerator left two blank lines at the bottom of the page, and went back to fill them in when he wrote about a 2 person grouping,  But don't make too much of that...but if true, it could indicate that the next family is very close.  Especially since they have same family names and come from Ireland.

---

Here are John and Rebecca in 1861, at the top of the page  

https://central.bac-lac.gc.ca/.item/?app=Census1861&op=&img&id=4391544_00426

https://central.bac-lac.gc.ca/.item/?app=Census1861&op=pdf&id=4391544_00426

Notice that Mary A is not home, but neither has she passed away because she reappears on a later census.  If we could find her in 1861, and if her relationship to the household is stated, it might open something up....

---

ah, here is Mary A - but she is with a maternal relative (possibly her mom's mom), so that doesn't help identify her paternal relatives

https://central.bac-lac.gc.ca/.item/?app=Census1861&op=pdf&id=4391544_00473

https://central.bac-lac.gc.ca/.item/?app=Census1861&op=&img&id=4391544_00473

---

If it were me, the next three things i would try (which you have possibly already tried) are 1) to contact the local history people and see if you can acquire any memories booklets or things like that, in case your wife's family members are mentioned.  

2) try to follow the land ownership of both John and his kids and James and his kids, especially what happened when James passed away

3) try to figure out how John and Rebecca met in about 1846-47.

James might have been enumerated in 1841, if the information given to the 1851 enumerator is accurate - that the younger two girls were born in Canada...there might be some clue there, if that record can be found.  Also, the woman living with him in 1851 might actually be his sister, since she is said to be a spinster....

---

Shirlea thank you for all of your help. I will review the documents and see if I can piece the family together.

Answer 2

There is a James McDonald in the area in 1841(=1842) census.  He seems to have a large family.  I leave it to you!

https://central.bac-lac.gc.ca/.item/?app=Census1842UC&op=pdf&id=004569584_00324

Comments

Here is a key to the column headings: https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/census/1842-canada-west/Pages/about-census.aspx#tab3