Person:Mary McLean (42)

Name and Relationships

Name: Mary McLean. Source is Mary McLean's 1873 marriage registration. Her name is incorrectly spelled MacLean in a number of documents.

Parents: John McLean and Isabella Gilchrist. Source is Mary McLean's 1873 marriage registration and several genealogy documents about her brother Duncan and sister Flora confirm that her mother's maiden name was Gilchrist.

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 Source is Mary M Irwin Memoirs, unpublished.

Personal History

1838 - Birth: The date of birth may be incorrect. 1881 Census of Canada listed her as 39 inferring a birth year of about 1842. The 1901 Census of Canada listed her birth date as Nov 5, 1842. 1841 Census of Scotland listed her as 3 which infers a birth date of about 1838. The 1861 census inferred a birth date of about 1841. The 1906 Census of Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta listed her birth date as 1838. Birth place - Islay, Scotland. Source is 1873 marriage registration. CANNOT FIND HER BIRTH REGISTRATION IN OLD PARISH RECORDS FOR PORTNAHAVEN - HER SISTER ISABELLA REGISTRATION IS ON FAMILY SEARCH FILM #1041080 FOR PORTNAHAVEN. CANNOT FIND HER LISTED IN KILCHOMAN PARISH REGISTERS (HER SISTER BARBARA AND MARGARET WERE LISTED THERE)

1841 - Census: On June 6, 1841, Mary McLean 3 was living with her parents, John McLean 36 and Isabella McLean 24?? and siblings Barbara 12, Margaret 9 (incorrectly spelled Margarat in this census), Flora 7, Bella 5 and Samuel 1, in Portweemys (now Port Wemyss) on the Isle of Islay, Scotland. Source is 1941 Scotland census.

1847 - Immigration: In 1847, Mary McLean abt 5 (this age may be incorrect) immigrated to Canada. Source is 1901 Census of Canada. The 1906 Census of Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta says the family immigrated in 1849. "Mrs. McNiven was born in Islay and came to Canada in 1847 locating at Oro." Source is Wadena Herald Nov 11, 1909. (This 1847 date should be reliable since her son-in-law was the editor of the Wadena Hearld at the time.)

1851 - CENSUS RECORDS FOR ORO TOWNSHIP HAVE NOT SURVIVED. Source is Library and Archives Canada.

1861 - Census: In 1861, Mary McLean 20 was living with her father John McLean 60 and her brothers: Samuel 18 and Duncan 16 in a one story log house in Oro Township. Two members of the household were missing at the time of the census. Source is 1861 Census of Canada.

1871 - Census: In April, 1871, Mary McLean 22? (age is probably listed incorrectly as it means she was born in 1849), was living with her father John 70, and siblings Margaret 32, Isabella 28 and Duncan 24 in Oro, Ontario. Source is 1871 Census of Canada.

1873 - Marriage: On December 24, 1873, Mary McLean 29 (indistinct in original record which means she was born in 1844) married John McNiven 30, a sailor, in Rugby, Oro, Ontario. Witnesses were George Hughes, Barrie and Isabella McLean (her sister), Oro. Minister was from Knox Church, Oro. Source is 1873 marriage registration.

1874 - Birth of Child: At the time of the birth of their eldest daughter Ann Isabella McNiven, Mary and John McNiven were living in Oro Township, Ontario. Source is Annie's 1874 birth registration.

1877 - Birth of Child: Barbara Matilda McNiven was born on - CANNOT FIND HER BIRTH REGISTRATION

1881 - Census: In 1881, Mary McNiven 39 was living with her husband John McNiven 39, Farmer, born in Scotland, in Oro Township with her two daughters Annie 6 and Barbara 4 and her brother, Duncan McLean 38. Source is 1881 Census of Canada. NOTE: In this census, John McNiven is listed as a Farmer. Maybe he took over his father-in-law's farm as John McLean was quite old and Duncan McLean simply stayed on the farm.

1884 - Death of Father: On January 19, 1884, Mary McNiven's father, John McLean, died. She erected a stone for him in Knox Presbyterian Church Cemetery, Oro-Medonte, Ontario. Source is image of stone in that cemetery.

1891 - Census: On May 19, 1891, Mary McNiven 50, born in Scotland, was living with her husband John McNiven (incorrectly spelled McNevin in this census), 50, Farmer, born in Scotland, in a 1 1/2 story house in Oro with her two daughters, Annie (incorrectly spelled Anney) 16, born in Ontario, and Barbara (incorrectly spelled Barbar) 14, also born in Ontario, and her brother Duncan McLean (incorrectly spelled McLain) 48, Labourer. Source is 1891 Census of Canada, Oro Township, Simcoe East, Ontario, Page 31.

1895 - Death of Brother: On March 14, 1895, Mary's brother Duncan McLean 49, Labourer, died. The death registration listed his birth location as Portweeyms, Islay, Scotland. Cause of death was cancer of liver for 3 months. The Informant was John McNiven (his brother-in-law), Farmer, Rugby. Source is Duncan's 1895 death registration. He was buried in Knox Presbyterian Cemetery, Oro Township, Simcoe, Ontario.

WHEN DID THE FAMILY MOVE TO ORILLIA TOWNSHIP?

1899 - Marriage of her Eldest Daughter: On April 19, 1899, Annie McNiven (age ??) married Alexander Kennedy Thom (age ??) in Morden, Manitoba. Source is their 1899 marriage registration.

1901 - Census: On April 15, 1901, Mary McNiven 58 was living with her husband John 60 in Orillia Township with Margaret (spelled Margret in this census) Wright 65, widow. (Margaret is an older sister of Mary McLean.) Source is 1901 Census of Canada.

1904 - Marriage of Daughter: On July 27, 1904, Barbara McNiven 26 married George Thoburn 29 in Orillia, Ontario. Source is 1904 marriage registration. A marriage announcement in the Barrie Examiner, Aug 18, 1904 on page 1 stated "At the residence of the bride's parents, Orillia, on July 27, by the Rev. John Gray, Barbara, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John McNiven, to George Thoburn, Allandale." Source is the Barrie Examiner, Aug 18, 1904.

WHEN DID THE FAMILY MOVE TO SARNIA?

1906 - Death of Husband: "Her husband John died in Sarnia in 1906. Mrs. McNiven came west to be near her daughters Mrs. Thoburn and Mrs. A.K. Thom. She was a staunch Presbyterian, very out-spoken but kind and generous." Source is Wadena Herald, Nov 11, 1909. His death certificate said that he died on Feb 15, 1906.

1906 - Census: A few months later, on July 14, 1906, Mary McNiven 68, widow, was living with her daughter Barbara Thoburn 26 and her husband George Thoburn 30 and their son George Thoburn, 8 months old in Quill Lake, Saskatchewan. Source is 1906 Census of Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta. (Note: she is also listed as being 68 in the Wadena Herald, Nov 11, 1909.)

1909 - Murdered: On November 1, 1909, Mary McNiven, along with her daughter and son-in-law, were murdered by John Mescei 20, George Thoburn's hired man. Source is John Mescei's 1910 trial transcript, National Archives, Ottawa, Canada.

1909 - Burial: On November 4, 1909, Mary McNiven (grave marker says 73) was buried in Quill Lake Cemetery with her daughter Barbara Matilda Thoburn and Barbara's husband George Thoburn. Source is image of grave marker in that cemetery.

One of Mary M. Irwin's English cousins told her that Mary McNiven was hard to get along with. Source is Mary M Irwin Story About My Ancestors, 1992, unpublished.

CANNOT LOCATE ANY PROBATE DOCUMENTS IN SASKATCHEWAN SYSTEM ABOUT HER ESTATE

Grave Marker: In loving memory of MARY MCNIVEN Died Nov 1, 1909 Aged 73 years. Indistinct inscription follows. Quill Lake Cemetery, Quill Lake, Saskatchewan.