From: The Family Tree and Some Reminiscences of early days in Winslow and Whitton, Que. Edited by Rev. M.N. MacDonald, Avonmore, Ontario. 1944
pp17.
ALEXANDER MacDONALD
The Writer's wife's(Bessie Ann MacDonald) paternal grandfather.
In 1851 Alexander MacDonald and his wife, Mary MacIver, left Callanish, Lewis and came to Winslow where they settled for a few years. Later they moved to North Whitton where, like other pioneers they made for themselves a home. On that farm they spent the rest of their days. All of their family were born in Lewis and all of them migrated to Quebec with them. There were two sons and five daughters, as follows.
John - Married to Margaret MacIver. To them nine children were born. Of these six are living at the time of writing. Margaret (Mrs Littlefield), Nancy (Mrs Hall), and Effie, all in USA. Donald A., Evander and Mary in Alberta.
Annie - Mrs Murdo Smith. They lived on a farm near Spring Hill, and had a family of two sons, Alex and Angus, who are still living, and two daughters, Ann Jane and Jessie, both deceased.
Kate - Mrs Murdo McLeay. Seven children were born to this union. Mary (Mrs John MacAskill), Gould, Que. Annie (Mrs Murdo MacLeod), Keith, Que., Katie (Mrs McDonald), Barre, Vt, Mary Ann (Mrs Murdo MacIver), Barre, Vt, Alex, deceased, Rory and Christie.
Mary - Mrs Donald Smith, Glover, Vt. There were six children in this family, Maggie, Christy, Mary Ann, John, Alexander and Donald.
Maggie - Mrs. John Murray, Granitville, Vt. There were seven in this family, Mary (Mrs Beatty), Katie (Mrs Murdo Graham), Maggie, Alex, Rory, Murdo and Donald.
Christy - Mrs John MacLeod, Springhill, Que. They had four children, Alex, Dannie, John and Ellie (Mrs Clouthier).
Alexander - The youngest member of the family to whom fuller reference is made below.
pp18.
ALEXANDER MacDONALD
The Writer's wife's Father
Alexander MacDonald was born in 1844 in Callanish, Uig, Lewis. He died in his own home in North Whitton, on Sept 28th, 1909.
He was about seven years of age when his parents came to Winslow, and about twelve when they moved to their claim in North Whitton. At that time his brother John, who was the eldest of the family, was married and had his own home to make. This, perhaps, accounts for the fact that he never left his parents. The land on which they settled and which became their home for the rest of their days was was converted, very largely by his own labors, into a a comfortable farm home. He always maintained that he was the one to cut the first tree on it. No doubt the older men, that had spent the early part of life in a land where saw and axe were unknown, were of some help in clearing these farms. But the fisherman's life, that they knew so well, was no preparation for swinging the woodsman's axe. Those who came there as boys and girls were the ones to adapt themselves to that life and work. They quickly learned the art of cutting trees and clearing land. They were the ones that turned the pathless forests of Winslow and Whitton into productive farms and comfortable homes. The subject of our sketch was one of the best axemen of his day.
In 1867 he married Annie MacRae of Tolsta, Winslow, Que. On March 21st, 1890, she died at their home in North Whitton and was buried in the old Cemetery at Stornoway. Her remains rested there until the death of her husband in 1909. In 1910, along with those of their two children, Bella and Maggie, her remains were removed and placed beside those of her husband in the new Cemetery at the Sand Hill by the White River. Eight children were born to them, they are:
Mary Elizabeth - Mrs. Alexander Townesley, born Sept 22nd, 1868, died April 15th, 1926. They had no children. They adopted a son william Osborne, who was killed on Aug 15th, 1917, on Hill 70, in France.
Angus - Born July 8th, 1870. On March 23rd, 1892, he married Anna Bell Buchanan. They have three sons and one daughter, Dannie Neil, John Alex, Richard Angus and Annie (Mrs. John Polson). Angus, his wife and all their family reside in Alberta.
Alexander - Born Dec 8th, 1873, died Feb 20th, 1938. On Oct 10th, 1897, he was married to Bella Beatty of Leeds, Que. She died in May, 1937. To them were born one daughter, Janeva (Mrs. Robert Lewis) and two sons, Lile Beattie and Gilbert Alexander, all of whom are married and living in Alberta.
Annie Bella - Born Jan 9th, 1876, died April 19th, 1904.
Katie - Born Aug 11th, 1879, Married Richard Lambert on Sept 16th, 1903. They had one son , Alexander Llewellyn, now of Montreal and married to Olga Paradis. On Feb 16th, 1907, Richard Lambert was accidently killed in a saw mill at Reedsville, Quebec. In November 1909 she married Neil MacDonald of Spring Hill, Que. Two sons were born to them. Clifford Lambert, now with the RCAF in Italy, and Ronald Murdo, Scotstown.
Christy Jane - Mrs. Donald Campbell, Edmonton, Alta. To this union were born seven daughters and one son, as follows.
Annie Isabel - Mrs James Muir, Edmonton, Alberta.
Mary Jane - Mrs. Dalus Peters, Darwell, Alta.
Catherine Elizabeth - Mrs William Mutzeneek, Darwell, Alta.
Alexandra Louise - Mrs Frank Anderson, Darwell, Alta.
Della Jessie - Mrs. Leroy Travis, Darwell, Alta.
Donald Douglas - Died in infancy.
Gertie Evelyn - Mrs Ed Woollard, Wabamun, Alta.
Murdina Marion - Mrs Fred Woollard, Wabamun, Alta.
Bessie Ann - The writer's wife, born June 23rd, 1886.(Malcolm Norman MacDonald)
Maggie - Born June 1st, 1888, died October, 1888.
On the 24th of December, 1891, Alexander MacDonald married his second wife, Mrs Mary Smith MacLeod. She died Feb 16th, 1936, There were no children from this marriage.
ANGUS MacRAE
The writer's wife's maternal Grandfather
In 1842 Angus MacRae and his wife Bess Stewart, left Lewis and came to Lingwick where they settled on a farm and remained for a few years. Later they moved to a farm in Tolsta, Winslow. Here Mr. MacRae died leaving a widow with six children, three of whom were born in Lewis and three in Canada. These were.
John - Born in 1836, died Jan 1916. He was married to Catherine Morrison. Ten children were born to them, six of whom are living, as follows.
Effie - Mrs. August Beck, St Johnsbury, Vt.
Bessie - Mrs Wood, Lingwick, Que.
Katie - Mrs Alex MacDonald, Detroit, Mich.
Kenneth - Married to Sarah McCullough, Lingwick, Que.
George - Married and living in St Johnsbury, Vt.
Maggie - Mrs Marshall Rublee, Edgerton, Alta.
George - Married Annie MacLeay. Seven children were born to them, four of whom are living.
Mabel- Married in the Western States.
Angus - Married to Annie MacLeod, Seattle, Wash.
Caroline - Mrs George Matheson.
George - Married and living in Sherbrooke, Que.
Johnnie - Died in New Hampshire, age 19 years.
Maggie - Mrs John Hurley. There were four in this family, Mary Ann, Catherine, Stacey and Angus.
Katie - Mrs John Mayhew, Coaticook, Que. They had one son, Angus.
Annie - The writer's wife's mother. Born in 1848, died March 21st, 1890.
The above Bess Steward had one sister, Bell (Mrs Alexander MacLeod) that came to this country; also a brother, George. He was one of the first to settle on the shores of Lake Magantic and was one of the first elders in the congregation of Marsboro. He had four sons, Alex, Donald, Duncan and John. Two of her brothers, Alexander and Murdo, and one sister, Annie, remained in Lewis.