| Notes |
- 1850 Director of the Farmers & Mechanics Institute.
[Grandfather]
. McDONALD, Alexander , (d.), b. in Catlodge, in the parish of Laggan, Inverness-shire, Scotland, in the year 1815. He was one of a family of 7, & the youngest of 5 sons, all of whom emigrated to Canada but one. Mr. McDonald was a carpenter by trade. In 1839, he m., Margaret Gowan, who was private teacher & nurse in the family of Rev. Donald Cameron, then the Presbyterian minister of the parish of Laggan. She was a native of Nairnshire, Scotland, from the village of Cadder. After her marriage, for some years, she taught the young children of the village, there being no other school at that time.
. 1855, they came to Canada with a family of eight, & settled in Erin Township. He owned 75 acres of land, & followed his trade to some extent. In religion he was a Presbyterian, but affiliated with the Methodist Church in Erin, not being in reach of his original denomination. About the year 1874 he moved to Orangeville, where he took a great interest in church matters, being class leader & Sabbath School Superintendent for many ears. He died there, at the age of 68.
5 sons & 1 daughter survive him; Hugh, the eldest; Donald, m. Ellen Carrol of Orangeville; Christina C. m. Colin Campbell, who owns a farm in East Garafraxa; Duncan, m. Elizabeth I. Couse of Valley City, Dakota; Alexander m. Nora Orchard, from Salt Lake; Utta, settled in Ballard, Seattle, W. T.;
JAMES, m. MARTHA FAULKNER of Caledon, settled in Orangeville. James's wife was
. Hugh, the eldest son, was b. May 15, 1840. For four years before leaving his native country, he engaged as a herder of cattle, the first year, at a salary of 6 shillings & board, & the last year, 20 shillings.
In the fall of 1855, on arriving in Canada, in the township of Erin, he worked for Alexander McLachlan of Caledon; The following year he hired for a year with Laughlan McLachlan of Caledon, a brother, in the township of Downie, near St. Mary's, then a year & 3 months with William & John Houston of Erin, after which he worked at home on the farm, & at carpenter work for some years. In 1833-23, he worked with Peter McLean of Badenoch, Puslinch, on the farm. Always preferring farming to the carpenter work, in 1865, he came to Garafraxa, & purchased 100 acres, Lot 15, Concession 9, which he still retains, & lived eight years on the farm. In Sept. 1868, he m. Mary Ann, youngest daughter of John Dobbin, who died, Dec. 25, 1869.
On June 13, 1872, he m. Anna Bella McLean, daughter of the late Alexander McLean of Puslinch. He removed to Belwood in 1873. The following year, with his brother Duncan, he erected a planing mill in the village, & carried on the business until 1879, when his brother decided to go west, leaving the business to Hugh, who carried it on successfully until 1901, when there was no more room for such a place. Mr. McDonald always takes a lively interest in public affairs, & was a member of the Garafraxa Council in 1887-8-9-90. In 1893, he was appointed Treasurer, & since has held the office. He was appointed Secretary-Treasurer for Garafraxa Agr. Society in 1884, & served until 1898.
He took much interest in organizing a public library in the village in 1892, & is now Secy.-Treas. of the large & well selected library of today. He has been an acting Magistrate for many years. In politics, Mr. Donald is a Liberal & he was an Elder in the Presbyterian church for many years. After a long & painful illness, Mrs. McDonald died on Sept. 5, 1899,
leaving 9 children, 5 boys, & 4 girls, namely: Maggie, (Mrs. Frank Vallery), Belwood; Tina, Mrs. Samuel Broadfoot), Garafraxa; Alexander, & Albert, with the Bell Telephone Co.: Anna Bella, a nurse in Buffalo General Hospital; Cameron, in Imperial Bank, (Fergus Branch); Willie, Norman, & Eva, at home in Belwood. - - -
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1828 - 1876 (48 years)