“ALLAN J. MACDONALD. The grandfather of the subject of this memoir,
Allan Macdonald, was born in Kilmuir, Scotland, on August 20, 1776, and
died on May 20, 1830. He married Miss Margaret McKinnon, of the same parish,
who was born on November 12, 1783, and died in March, 1869. There were
born to them in Scotland,
(1) Catherine, wife of Donald Matheson, of Belle River, Prince Edward
Island, who was born on
December 24, 1806, and died in 1872;
(2) Donald, who was born on November 8, 1808, and died in March, 1892,
and who married
Catherine McPhee, of Gallows Point, this Island;
(3) Alexander, who was born on August 2, 1812, and died in March, 1904,
and who married Miss
Flora McPhee, of Gallows Point;
(4) Roderick, who was born on July 4, 1814, and died in April, 1896,
unmarried;
(5) John, who was born on September 6, 1816, and died in May, 18--,
and who married Miss
Margaret McDonald, of Murray Harbour
Road, who is still among the living, and hale and
hearty;
(6) Charles, who was born on December 3-, 18--, and died in May, 1886,
unmarried;
(7) Angus, who was born on February io, 1821, and died in April, 1898,
unmarried;
(8) Archibald, who was born in March, 1823, and died in May, 18--,
unmarried, and who was a
man of exceptionally noble parts, and
left a name behind him that will not soon be forgotten;
(9) Jessie, who was born on February 2, 1827, and died in June, 1903.
She married Hugh
McKinnon of' Dundas.
Allan Macdonald emigrated with his large family
from Scotland in 1829, and located first at Murray Harbour Road and later
at Dundas. He was a man of exceptional parts and an ideal gentleman, derived
from a long line of illustrious Scotch ancestry, and a direct descendant
of that Macdonald whom Scott has immortalized as "The Lord of the Isles."
The Macdonalds of Kinloch were his very near relatives, and one of them,
Donald Macdonald, "Kinloch Donhull a Rudha," was the nearest relative of
"The Lord of'the Isles" that left Scotland for America.
He settled near Orwell Cove, this Island.
Of Allan Macdonald's excellent character and
deportment, his prudence and good sense, and his popularity and the general
esteem in which he was held in his native land, the following testimonials
bear abundant witness:
"The bearer hereof, Allan Macdonald, a native.of
the parish of Kilmuir, has been known to me for the last eight years, during
Which period I had occasion to be sufficiently well acquainted with him,
and I owe it to him to say, that, his conduct was in every respect regular
and unexceptionable, and that his habits were always those of a good and
sincere Christian, the attestations in his possession will sufficiently
prove. Given at Kilmuir this second day of November, 1825, by
RODK. MACLEOD,
Late Schoolmaster of Kilmuir.
"Mr. Allan Macdonald, who now has prepared
himself to set sail for North America, and leave his native land, in all
likelihood never to return, is deeply and universally, regretted by. all
his neighbours, friends and acquaintances. He is a man of honest and industrious
habits, correct in all his dealings, and laudably just. He has always conducted
himself with such propriety as to be free not only of such rregularities
as deserve censure either political or ecclesiastical, but even of such
actions as are generally denominated mean. He was favoured with so much
education as to render him a most useful memberof society; this was, however,
by no means the effect of his education alone, which would go but a short
way, were it not accompanied with a sound judgment and solid reasoning.
But fortunately good. sense, united to a knowledge of the world, particularly
in his own sphere of life, rendered him of such utility among a people
less favoured with these advantages, that the loss of his departure is
now more universally felt. He is blessed with a numerous and thriving family,
and were it not that he and his legitimate spouse had always been industrious,
the family must, in a poor and oppressed country, have been long ago reduced
to poverty and indigence. But the prudence of such of the family as have
attained the age of discerning right from wrong, together with the diligent
efforts of the parents, has enabled them to transfer themselves to a country
where all their acquaintances left behind wish them every possible happiness
and prosperity; and only add as they now cease' to enjoy the pleasure of
their society here any longer, that they who are now about to leave them
may never cease to enjoy the temporal comforts of life here below, and
hereafter everlasting happiness above.
"Given unsolicited to Mr. Allan Macdonald, at the Manse of Kilmuir,
Wand of Skye, Scotland, by the undersigned, who, wishes all happiness forever
to attend himself and family.
ALEXANDER MACGREGOR,
Student in Divinity." Manse of Kilmuir, 2oth May, 1829.
"Manse of Kilmuir, Skye, 12th May, 1829. "Mr. Allan
Macdonald is a man of good conduct and behavior. He and his wife, and such
of his children as have attained to the years of discretion and understanding,
are free of every kind of scandal, and he is as agreeable, mannerly and
upright a neighbour as either poor or rich ever had. All his acquaintances
are sorrowful that he leaves them, albeit he goes to a better place; for
none would wish to part with Allan. Many a dispute has he ever settled.
Obstrepefous fellows, intending to sue one another at expensive law, has
he often pacified, reconciled, and obtained their blessing. He, is peaceable,
wise, prudent and learned above thousands of his countrymen. All this is
certified by
ROBERT MACGREGOR, Minister.
Monkstadt, 18th June, 1829.
HUGH MACDONALD, J. P., County of
Inverness.
I
J. McGREGOR, Schoolmaster."
Allan J. Macdonald, the representative farmer
and leading citizen of Mount Hope, in Kings county, who furnishes the immediate
theme of this writing, was born on the farm on which he now resides, and
is son of John and Margaret Macdonald. His is an exceptionally fine estate,
consisting of some two hundred acres of land, and it has come down to Mr.
Macdonald from his grandfather, Allan Macdonald, hereinbefore mentioned.
The subject's maternal grandfather, Alexander Macdonald, who was born in
1790 and died in 1862, married Mary Campbell, of the parish of Kilmuir,
Scotland, in 1826. The had issue as follows:
(1) Donald, who was born in August, 1827, and died in March 18--,.unmarried;
(2) John, who was born in 1829, and died in March, 1857, unmarried;
(3) Annie, who was born in August, 1831, and died in April, 1857, and
was the wife of Angus
McLeod, of Murray Harbour Road;
(4) Flora, who was born in November, 1833, and died in October, 1858,
and was the wife of
Alexander Macdonald, of Murray Harbour Road;
(5) Margaret, who was born in October, 1835, and became the wife of
John Macdonald, of
Dundas, and by him the mother of Allan J. Macdonald,
the subject of this sketch;
(6) Christy, who was born in January, I8-- and became the wife of James
McLeod, of High Bank;
(7) Archibald, who was born in May, 1840, and died in ----, and who
married Mary McKay, of
Murray Harbour Road;
(8) Catherine, who was born in August, 1842, and became the wife of
Abner Gay Dundas;
(9) Sarah, who was born in March, 1846, and became the wife of Allan
McLeod of Dundas;
(10) John, who was born in April, 1849,. and married Elizabeth Ballantyne,
of Nova Scotia.
The Alexander Macdonald referred to as the
maternal grandfather of Allen J. Macdonald, was master of both the Gaelic
and English languages and was a teacher of English for some years previous
to his coming to this Island. He resided at Murray Harbour Road till his
death in 1862. John Macdonald, above referred to, married Margaret Macdonald
in 1861, and they had issue as follows:
(1) Margaret Janet, who was born on January 16, 1863, and in 1894 married
Norman McSwain of
Dundas;
(2) Allan J., who was born on May 1, 1866, and in 1997 married Willena
A. Martin, daughter of
Martin and Flora (Stewart) Martin, both natives
of Scotland, but now of Martinvale, Kings
county, Prince Edward Island;
(3) Sarah Harriet, who was born on June 10, 1870, and is a trained
nurse, having obtained first
class diplomas at the McLean Hospital, Waverly,
and the Massachusetts General Hospital, and
who is now practicing her profession in Boston;
(4) Mary Ann, who was born on April 18, 1872, and is now training as
a professional nurse at the
McLean Hospital, Waverly;
(5) Flora Christine, who was born on February 24, 1874, and passed
a course of study at the
hospital last referred to, receiving two diplomas,
but is now the wife of Wentworth Marvin, of
Boston.
(6) Allan J. Macdonald, the immediate subject of this sketch, received
a good education in the
public schools and was reared to the life
of a farmer, which pursuit he has consistently followed
through his subsequent years with the exception
of three years which he spent in southern
California, where he was very successful. Thoroughly
practical and progressive in his methods, he
has maintained his farm at a high standard of excellence,
it being now considered one of the most
attractive and productive in the community. In politics
Mr. Macdonald is a Conservative and
when important issues are at stake, is never backward
in taking an active part. In religion he is a
member of the Presbyterian church. To Mr. and Mrs.
Macdonald have been born four children:
(1) John Archibald, born on October 6, 1898;
(2) Flora Bell, born on October 16, 1899;
(3) Stewart Martin, born on June 25, 1902, and
(4) William A., born on January 11, 1906.
The family move in the best social circles
of the community and are deservedly popular and highly esteemed.”
From the book “Prince Edward Island Past and Present” published by B.F. Bowen & Co., Charlottetown; edited by D.A. MacKinnon & A.B. Warburton. Date page is missing but I guess at 1906.
This excerpt was ever so gratefully received from:
Robert James of Wasaga Beach, Ontario
Apparently the book is on microfiche at PEI archives.
Who was father of Allan and Margaret Macdonald? Allan
was born August 20, 1776 in Kilmuir Parish Skye. We do not have his sister
Margaret's birthdate, but it must have been circa 1776, and probably in
Kilmuir as well. We also know that she had a sister Catherine who had married
Donald of Kendrom Macleod. Sister Catherine died on Skye, and was likely
an elder sister.
According to Scottish naming practices, the firstborn
son is named after his paternal grandfather, and the 2nd born son is named
for his maternal grandfather, although sometimes this practice was reversed.
Allan's children
Margaret's children
Catherine
Donald
Donald
Catherine
Alexander
Anne
Roderick
Mary
John
Jane
Charles
John
Archibald
Jessie
According to this, it is most likely that Margaret
and Allan's father's name was Donald Macdonald, and their mother's name
was Catherine Unknown. John of Kinloch Macdonald's father's name was likely
John Macdonald. Allowing approximately 30 years, we can guess that this
Donald Macdonald would have been born circa 1746 in Kilmuir Skye.
Conjectural Tree
Alexander Macdonald, 7th Baronet of Sleat, died Nov 1746 of pneumonia,
he had succeeded his father as Macdonald chief circa 1720. He married twice,
first Anne Erskine, and 2ndly Lady Margaret Montgomery. with children among
others;
(1) James born 1741 died July 1766, 8th Baronet of Sleat - he died young
and was succeeded by his brother Alexander.
(2)Alexander died Sept 1795, the 9th Baronet of Sleat, he was
created the first Lord Macdonald, he married Elizabeth Diana Boswell. The
Macdonald chiefship went through several years of great turmoil during
this period, because Alexander being the 2nd son, his family had inherited
the Boswell estates of his mother, and had to give up the Macdonald name.
The present Macdonald chief is descended from him.
It is most likely that our Donald Macdonald fits
in here. He would have been born circa 1746 or so. Note the name Alexander
in Allan's children. It is most likely that this Donald married a Catherine.
This scenario is pure conjecture, but one has to start somewhere!
Where does the name "Allan" fit into in the Macdonald
line? The celebrated Flora Macdonald was born in 1722 and died in 1790.
Her husband was Allan Macdonald of the Kingsburg Macdonalds, who died in
1792, and is buried in the Kilmuir churchyard, (the same area in which
our Allan Macdonald came from.) It would seem most likely that there is
a relationship here somewhere as well, but it needs much more work to find
it. It is possible that our mystery Catherine, probable mother of Margaret
and Allan could have been a Kingsburg Macdonald.