John McCartney (abt. 1815 - 1893)

Born about 1815 in Ontario, Canada

Descendants

Died 1893 at about age 78 in St. Vincent, Grey County, Ontario, Canada

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Biography

JOHN McCARTNEY

JOHN McCARTNEY was born ca.1812 presumably in Ontario, although there are conflicting record entries for his birthplace. The locations range from Ireland, to Quebec, to Ontario. Since his older brother, Josiah also recorded his birthplace as "Ontario" it seems prudent to accept Ontario as John's birthplace as well. Census data cites either Ontario or Quebec but death records of his children, including a son he was living with during the last years of his life (George) record their father's birthplace from Ireland to Quebec.

We have Canada Census records from 1851 until 1891 showing an unbroken residence at St. Vincent Township, Grey, Ontario. The data in those individual Census enumerations is clear enough. But taken comparatively they are not so consistent. I now believe the inconsistencies do not represent recording or writing errors, but rather they are examples of a trend that seem to record vitals for John's second wife, CATHERINE ATKINS McCARTNEY. She did after all have an incentive to be somewhat deceptive in how she identified herself, but more of that on her profile. For here, it is sufficient to mention the inconsistencies but also express the opinion that they were more about Catherine than John, although it cannot be discounted that John's record inconsistencies stem from his effort to deflect instances of identification of his second wife by providing, uh, misleading vital information...

JOHN McCARTNEY first married JANE ANNE RAVENS, on April 11, 1837, at Home Township, Algoma, Ontario.

Witnesses to Marriage 1 (William G Raven, and Alberta Wilcox)

They had one child, a son:

ANDREW McCARTNEY (1836-1921) b. February 8, 1836

(He would go on to marry ELIZABETH ATKINS, sister to the woman that John McCartney would marry second)

We are not certain as to what happened to Jane or at what time. Following their marriage, her name does not come up again until son Andrew's marriage - at which time the name "Jane Ann McCartney" is written for the mother of the groom.

A long-standing conflict arises however when the death registration record for Andrew McCartney is read. Upon that record, the name "Mary Ransier" appears. I believe the conflict is easily enough resolved

1. the marriage record for Andrew McCartney and Elizabeth Atkins is earlier and therefore closer to the subject, and presumably, it is information the Groom would have supplied himself, whether in person or by chosen proxy.

2. The name "Mary Ransier" on the other hand, only appears on Andrew's death record. The informant for that record was William Calvin McCartney, Andrew's son. Did he get the name wrong or was there a recording error? There's no evidence nor reference to John McCartney marrying more than twice, and he would have to have been very young presuming there was one. Consultation with another McCartney researcher also failed to provide any suspicion of a third marriage for John. Either that or Mary Ransier would have been sandwiched between 1852 and 1854, and I doubt a two-year marriage (after Andrew's attaining adulthood) would suffice to provide a mother-figure of such memorialization as his mother on his marriage record. It seems far more reasonable that either William McCartney got the name wrong, or it was recorded incorrectly. Either way, it is most certainly wrong.

But this information adds very little to knowledge of John's first wife: Jane Anne Raven. Did she die or did they divorce? Whichever, it certainly occurred before the enumeration of Canada's first federal Census which occurred in the year 1852 for St. Vincent Township, Grey County, Ontario, Canada. On that record we find John, age 32, a farmer, widow, and Andrew McCartney, 13, a laborer. But before one can assume Jane was dead by 1852, one would need to consider British colonial law concerning marriage and divorce during the time between 1836 and 1851.

In order to obtain the legal dissolution of a former marriage, the divorcing party would need to schedule a special session of Parliament for their petition to be even considered. They would need to have printed in their local paper a notice of impending divorce. And to put this in context, in all of Canada during those early years of confederation only one divorce was granted by Parliament. In reality, the parties either agreed their union was irreparable in nature, and they shook hands and each went their way (figure of speech, but you understand the intent) or one of them simply abandoned the domicile leaving it and whatever land there was to the other spouse. This second option took place more often than many genealogists prefer to acknowledge! In fact, John's own brother, Josiah McCartney abandoned his wife and children (remarked upon in the Census of 1871) however, he reported himself as a 'widow'. These folks were not attempting to pull off a scandal but it should be remembered that most of the male population during that era were subsistence farmers. Affording both the cost and time one would need to invest to appear before Parliament and perform the other requirements for a special session was just not realistic. As such, we find many ex-spouses declaring themselves as a widow or widower for governmental records.

So with this in mind, we can hardly feel confident that John's 1852 declaration as a "widow" should be interpreted literally. There is no evidence for Jane after 1836 but it's a conclusion I am not comfortable making. She could have lived and remarried, therefore concealing her link to both John McCartney and her maiden name. Other than by word of mouth, we'd most likely never be able to find her per record.

It is curious to me, that John's first marriage is recorded on register as was the practice of the time, but his next marriage, which presumably took place between 1852 and 1854 (1854 being the birth of John McCartney and Catherine Atkins Bonsteel's first child). And there is a reason for taking a very cautious approach here, because, John's second wife had in fact, abandoned her first marriage, and the three sons it produced. There's virtually nothing that can convincingly be argued that she'd divorced her first husband (testimony by one of those three sons) affirms the scandalous event and on record, Catherine's name appears (by her maiden name of Atkins) in marriage and death records for two of those three sons. So, then, if she was not divorced, neither was she free to remarry in a recognized capacity. And that being the case would explain why no marriage record of John's second union has ever been found because there never was one. While the gossip of neighbors and townsfolks would quiet with time, had Catherine attempted a legal marriage without a former decree of dissolution or death of her first spouse, it could be assumed someone would have reported her as a bigamist which for a woman of the era would have been like a death nail. Much easier was it to move on and act as though nothing peculiar ever took place. The hints of something unusual taking place in the way of this second marriage can be seen in how information is recorded on Census and vital records for both John and Catherine following their union. It is wholly inconsistent, incorrect, convoluted and contrary to reason. Exactly what one might expect to find pertaining to a couple invested in keeping their true identities (especially Catherine's) concealed. As a result, we have them born in no less than three different for countries, two different Provinces, and with ages that range from within reason to ridiculous. If someone, particularly one of her three sons from the first marriage ever came around asking questions, it would be both convenient and necessary for her to be able to say "no, no I'm not your mother I was born somewhere else and I'm of a different age than the woman you seek." Catherine would have benefitted from such deception because for years, her three sons of that earlier failed marriage lived but a stone's throw from the household and six children produced from her union with John McCartney!

Once my x2 great grandparents (John McCartney and Catherine (Atkins) Bonesteel got together, whatever the arrangement, they had the following children:

1. • JOSEPH McCARTNEY (1854–1935)​​
2. • JOSIAH McCARTNEY (1857–1931)
3. • RACHEL ANN McCARTNEY HATLEY (1859–1924)​​
4. • JOHN MICHAEL McCARTNEY (1860–Deceased)​​
5. • SUSANNA McCARTNEY LONDRY WILLIAMS (1864–1945)​​
6. • GEORGE McCARTNEY (1867–1935)

JOHN McCARTNEY died on 23 October 1893, at St. Vincent, Grey, Ontario, Canada, in the household of his son, George McCartney. The recorded cause of death was Tuberculosis over a five-year period. At present, his burial location has not been discovered.

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1851 Canada Census for St. Vincent, Grey, Ontario, Canada https://central.bac-lac.gc.ca/.item/?app=Census1851&op=img&id=e002350390

1861 Canada Census for St. Vincent, Grey, Ontario, Canada https://central.bac-lac.gc.ca/.item/?app=Census1861&op=img&id=4391552_00275

1871 Canada Census for St. Vincent, Grey, Ontario, Canada https://central.bac-lac.gc.ca/.item/?app=Census1871&op=img&id=4396298_00079

1881 Canada Census for St. Vincent, Grey, Ontario, Canada https://central.bac-lac.gc.ca/.item/?app=Census1881&op=img&id=e008194003

1891 Canada Census for St. Vincent, Grey, Ontario, Canada https://central.bac-lac.gc.ca/.item/?app=Census1891&op=img&id=30953_148140-00397

Sources

• "Ontario, County Marriage Registers, 1858-1869," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/Q2CB-HL46 : 31 March 2017), John McCartney for Andrew McCartney and Eliza Atkins, 30 Jan 1861; citing Grey, Ontario, Canada, Archives of Ontario, Toronto; FHL microfilm 1,030,056. Marriage between ANDREW McCARTNEY and ELIZABETH ATKINS Event Type: Marriage, Date: 30 Jan 1861, Place: Grey, Ontario, Canada
• "Ontario Deaths, 1869-1937 and Overseas Deaths, 1939-1947," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/J6P1-RHF : 11 December 2014), McCartney for Rachel Ann Hatley, 29 Nov 1924; citing Toronto, York Co., Ontario, p 333 cn 6662, Archives of Ontario, Toronto; FHL microfilm 2,022,135.
• "Ontario Deaths, 1869-1937 and Overseas Deaths, 1939-1947," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/JNDW-3BD : 11 December 2014), John McCartney for Andrew McCartney, 09 Dec 1921; citing St Vincent, Grey, Ontario, p 489 cn 014804, Archives of Ontario, Toronto; FHL microfilm 1,863,539.
• John McCartny, "Canada Census, 1891"Citation: "Canada Census, 1891," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MW2B-X3T :13 November 2014), John McCartny, St Vincent, Grey East, Ontario, Canada; Public Archives, Ottawa, Ontario; Library and Archives Canada film number 30953_148140.
• "Canada Census, 1871," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/M43P-RVS : 13 November 2014), John McCartney, St Vincent, North Grey, Ontario, Canada; citing p. 61, line 14; Library and Archives Canada film number C-9955, Public Archives, Ottawa, Ontario; FHL microfilm 4,396,298.
• "Ontario Census, 1861," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MQ7D-CWH : 8 November 2014), John McCartney, St Vincent, Grey, Ontario, Canada; citing p. 61, line 46; Library and Archives Canada film number C-1028-1029, Public Archives, Toronto; FHL microfilm 2,435,851.
• "Canada Census, 1851," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MWT3-W46 : 10 November 2014), John McCartney, St Vincent, Grey County, Canada West (Ontario), Canada; citing p. 7, line 49; Library and Archives Canada film number C_11723, Public Archives, Ontario.
• "Canada Census, 1851," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MWT3-9PR : 10 November 2014), John McCartney, Holland, Grey County, Canada West (Ontario), Canada; citing p. 43, line 47; Library and Archives Canada film number C_11723, Public Archives, Ontario.
• "Canada, recensement du Bas-Canada, 1825," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/KHJD-K52 : 8 November 2014), John McCartney, Valcartier, Quebec, Quebec, Canada; citing p. 1909 1910, volume 3, MG 31 C1; Library and Archives Canada microfilm number C-718, Public Archives, Ottawa, Ontario; FHL microfilm 2,443,958.
• "Ontario Marriages, 1869-1927," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/FMNT-5J5 : 10 April 2015), John McCartney for Josiah McCartney and Mary Jane McKinney, 19 Aug 1881; citing registration, Wiarton, Ontario, Canada, Archives of Ontario, Toronto; FHL microfilm 1,869,509.
• "Ontario Marriages, 1869-1927," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/KZBL-TGX : 10 April 2015), Jno McCartney for George McCartney and Amelia Victoria McCullough, 07 Oct 1903; citing registration , Owen Sound, Grey, Ontario, Canada, Archives of Ontario, Toronto; FHL microfilm 1,871,281.
• "Ontario Deaths, 1869-1937 and Overseas Deaths, 1939-1947," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/JKF3-JGV : 11 December 2014), John McCartney for George McCartney, 01 Apr 1935; citing St Vincent, , Ontario, 016636, Archives of Ontario, Toronto; FHL microfilm 2,413,424.
• "Ontario Marriages, 1869-1927," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/FMV3-F4L : 10 April 2015), John McCartney in an entry for James Adam Londry and Susan McCartney, 20 Sep 1887; citing registration , St Vincent, Grey, Ontario, Canada, Archives of Ontario, Toronto; FHL microfilm 1,870,216.
• "Ontario Marriages, 1869-1927," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/FMJT-4L7 : 10 April 2015), John McCartney for Charles Hartley and Rachel Ann McCartney, 05 Oct 1886; citing registration , Meaford, Grey, Ontario, Canada, Archives of Ontario, Toronto; FHL microfilm 1,869,961.NOTE:"Hartley"- should be-"Hatley"
• "Ontario Deaths, 1869-1937 and Overseas Deaths, 1939-1947," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/JNBV-DLT : 11 December 2014), John McCartney in an entry for Josiah McCartney, 13 Sep 1931; citing St. Vincent Twp, Grey, Ontario, Canada, 17110, Archives of Ontario, Toronto; FHL microfilm 2,296,530.
• "Ontario Deaths, 1869-1937 and Overseas Deaths, 1939-1947," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/JDLY-NPF : 11 December 2014), John McCartney, 23 Oct 1893; citing St. Vincent, Grey, Ontario, yr 1894 cn 5819, Archives of Ontario, Toronto; FHL microfilm 1,853,582.
• "Ontario Marriages, 1869-1927," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/FMJS-ZYW : 10 April 2015), John McCartney for Joseph McCartney and Catherine Halleck, 18 Sep 1878; citing registration , Sydenham, Grey, Ontario, Canada, Archives of Ontario, Toronto; FHL microfilm 1,863,651.