Person:Isabella Gilchrist (3)

Name and Relationships

Name: Isabella Gilchrist. Source is her daughter, Flora McLean's 1912 death registration. NOTE: This confirms the spelling of her mother's first name as Isabella and her maiden name as Gilchrist. She was called Bella. Source is Samuel and Duncan McLean's grave marker which says "Sons of John and Bella McLean" in Knox Presbyterian Cemetery, 1604 Line 9 North, Oro-Medonte, Ontario. Some documents incorrectly spell her name as "Isabell".

Parents: Duncan Gilchrist and Barbara Taylor. Source is the transcript of Parochial Registers of Baptism 1763-1819 for Isabella Gilchrist (spelled Isabell), County of Argyll, Bowmore/Kilarrow Parish, Islay, Scotland. Parish #536.

Siblings: Margt, Sept 1, 1804, Collin, January 5, 1807, Barbara January 1, 1809, Duncan, December 31, 1810, Ronald, February 23, 1813, Flora, March 10, 1815, Neil July 7, 1817 and Alex September 18, 1819. All were born in Bowmore, Islay. Source is the transcript of Parochial Registers of Baptism 1763-1819 for Isabella Gilchrist (spelled Isabell), County of Argyll, Bowmore/Kilarrow Parish, Islay, Scotland. Parish #536.

Children: are Barbara McLean (married Mitchell), Margaret McLean (married Wright), Flora McLean (married Robinson), Isobel McLean (married Smith), Mary McLean (married McNiven), Duncan McLean, and Samuel McLean (died young). Source is Mary M Irwin Memoirs, unpublished.

Isabella McLean is listed as 'mother' on Mary McLean's 1873 marriage registration.

Personal History

1802 - Birth: Isabella (spelled Isabell in this transcript) Gilchrist was born on September 9, 1802 in Bowmore, Isle of Islay, Scotland. Source is the transcript of Parochial Registers of Baptism 1763-1819, County of Argyll, Bowmore/Kilarrow Parish, Islay, Scotland. Parish #536

1826 - Marriage: On February 28, 1826, Isabella Gilchrist (incorrectly spelled Isabel) married John McLean (incorrectly spelled Maclean in this document) in the County of Argyll, Islay in the parish of Bowmore/Kilarrow. Both were from this parish. Source is transcript of Parochial Registers of Marriages 1820-1854 County of Argyll Parish of Bowmore/Kilarrow. (They were probably married in the Round Church of Bowmore.)

1841 - Census: On June 6, 1841, Isabella McLean 39 (incorrectly listed as 24) was living in Portweemys (now Port Wemyss) with her husband John 40 (incorrectly listed as 36), Weaver, on the Isle of Islay and their children Barbara 12, Margaret 9, Flora 7, Mary 3 and Samuel 1. Source is 1841 Census of Scotland. NOTE: Age listed for Isabella must be incorrect as she would be only 12 years older than her eldest child however, this may have been rounded down in the census. No image is provided on website to verify information. NOTE: The childrens' names in the census correspond to those provided in the memoirs noted above so this means that this is the correct family in the census.

1847 - Immigration: It appears that the family immigrated to Canada in 1847. Source is 1901 Census for Mary McLean and Margaret McLean and The Wadena Herald, November 11, 1909.

1847? Death and Burial: Isabella McLean died on the voyage to Canada. Source is Mary M Irwin Memoirs, unpublished. NOTE: Have been unable to verify this. However, credence for this is provided in the 1861 Canada census which lists John McLean as a 'widower'. If she died at sea, she would have been buried at sea.

1851 - Census: The 1851 Census of Canada records for Oro Township have not survived. Source is Library and Archives Canada