My Canadian Branches ~ My Clan MacKay and My Shelburne County Roots

Alexander MacKay, my third great grandfather, arrived in Canada from the Scottish Highlands as a young man of 29.  A few years later, when he married Eleanor Brown, he was living in Jordan River, in Shelburne County, Nova Scotia. These pictures (made into postcards) have my great grandmother's writing on them.

The young couple, with their first three children, Isabella, Catherine, and John, were living in Ragged Island, by the 1871 Census of Canada. The next 30 years, however, saw the family resettling and living in Upper Stewiacke, in Colchester County. There were six children in all, the first three born in East Jordan, the younger three born in Upper Stewiacke. The oldest, Isabella Fulton MacKay, is my second great grandmother.

       Standing: Hugh Dunlap MacKay, Catherine Margaret MacKay,
 John William MacKay, Isabella Fulton MacKay, George Alexander MacKay.
  Seated: Flora Jane MacKay, Alexander MacKay, Eleanor MacKay (Alexander's wife).

Alexander MacKay (1830-1901)

Eleanor Brown MacKay (1835-1924)

Their Children:

Isabella Fulton MacKay (1861-1945)

Catherine Margaret MacKay (1864-1927)

John William MacKay (1866-1945)

George Alexander MacKay (1872-1955)

Flora Jane MacKay (1874-1941)

Hugh Dunlap MacKay (1878-1934)

Alexander and Eleanor MacKay are buried in the Burnt Hill Cemetery, in Upper Burnside, Nova Scotia. My great grandmother took this picture many years ago:

A recent photo by a findagrave volunteer shows the monument today:

Sources:

1871 Census of Canada; Census Place: Ragged Island, Shelburne, Nova Scotia; Roll: C-10547; Page: 41; Family No: 132. http://ancestry.com

1881 Census of Canada; Census Place: Upper Stewiacke, Colchester, Nova Scotia; Roll: C_13175; Page: 4; Family No: 12. http://ancestry.com

1891 Census of Canada; Census Place: Upper Stewiacke East, Colchester, Nova Scotia; Roll: T-6311; Family No: 124.  http://ancestry.com

1901 Census of Canada, http://automatedgenealogy.com/census/ViewFrame.jsp?id=8896&highlight=38.

Colchester Historeum Marriages 1864-1914, http://colchesterhistoreum.ca/search/.

Find A Grave, database and images (http://findagrave.com : accessed  4 Dec 2015), memorial page for Alexander MacKay (1823-1901), Find A Grave Memorial no. 124797256, citing Burnt Hill Cemetery, Upper Burnside, Colchester County, Nova Scotia.

Sunday's Obituary ~ They Cleared the Land on Which He Wed

This obituary is from my great grandmother's scrapbook of newspaper clippings, which is quite tattered and crumbly. Undoubtedly, it appeared in a newspaper from Down East, perhaps from Truro. It would not surprise me if she had these clippings, if not the entire newspaper, mailed to her in the States, so that she could keep up with family "down home."

As the obituary so eloquently states, John W. MacKay was the eldest son of my third great grandparents, Alexander and Eleanor Mackay. making him my 2d great great uncle. He was the brother of my great great grandmother, Isabella "Bella" Fulton MacKay, of whom I have written earlier.

I love the floral language of this obituary, like "passed away very peacefully,"

"he leaves to mourn the loss," and "he spoke a word of comfort to the bereaved ones," and, lastly, "a profusion of flowers showed to what esteem our neighbor was held."

John William Mackay (1866-1945) is buried in the Burnt Hill Cemetery, Upper Stewiacke, Colchester County, Nova Scotia, along with his wife of 50 years, the former Emma Jane Deyarmond.

J. William MacKay tombstone, Burnt Hill Cemetery, Burnside, Upper Stewiacke, Colchester County, Nova Scotia, Canada (http://canadianheadstones.com/ns/view.php?id=15669  : accessed 27 May 2013.)

*****

Below is a portrait of the Alexander MacKay family. This eldest son is standing in the middle back, to the right of my great great grandmother Isabella.

It's SCOTLAND Week !! Got Tartan?

Alexander MacKay, born in Lairg, Sutherland, Scotland, 12/24/1831, died in Nova Scotia, 9/10/1901, married Eleanor Brown, and their daughter, Isabella Fulton MacKay married Peter Suther Hamilton, and their daughter, Melvina Jane Hamilton married Frederick Parker Bustin, and their son, Suther Ross Bustin married Harriet Cheney Smith, and their daughter, Marilyn Louise Bustin is MY MOM !!

The Clan Mackay is an ancient and once powerful Scottish clan from the country's far north in the Scottish Highlands, but with roots in the old province of Moray. They played a powerful force in politics beginning in the 12th century, supporting Robert the Bruce. Mackays became famous for strength, courage and skill in soldiering and were involved in endless Clan battles against Keiths, Rosses, Gunns, Sinclairs, Sutherlands and others, and wars abroad. In the centuries that followed they were supporters of the British government and were very anti-Jacobite. They played an important role in the military activities of both Scotland and Europe. The Highland Clearances had dire ramifications for the clan, but since then they spread throughout the world and have provided it many famous and influential descendants.

More on Scotland Week!