Donald Stewart of North Lochaber, N.S. (1792-1855)

Strathtummel and Schiehallion

Donald Stewart was the eldest son of Robert Stewart and Janet Robertson in Balcastle. He was born 17th October 1792 and died 3rd April 1855 in North Lochaber, Nova Scotia.

1792 Blair Atholl OPR
Robert Stewart in Balcastle and Janet Robertson his wife had a child born 17th and baptised 21st October named Donald.

Whilst still living at Balcastle he married Helen (Ellen) McDonald, the daughter of Robert McDonald and Margaret Robertson in Chamberbane.

1823 Blair Atholl OPR
Donald Stewart in Bailahastail and Helen MacDonald, Chamberbane, both of this parish, (married) 3rd August.

Two sons, Alexander and John, were born while the couple lived in Balcastle.

1827 Blair Atholl OPR
Alexander, lawful son to Donald Stewart and Hellen McDonald his spouse in Balichastle was born 4th August and baptised 6th.

1829 Blair Atholl OPR
John, lawful son to Donald Stewart and Helen McDonald his spouse in Balichastle was born 28th February and baptised 29th. (sic)

By the early 1830s several of the Strathtummel families were discussing emigration to Canada, where some of their kin were already established. There had been a school in Strathtummel for some years so that many of the inhabitants could read and write, and there is evidence of letters between early Canadian settlers and those back home.

Donald's cousin John (son of Alexander Stewart and Isabel Scott) and his wife Helen Lamont emigrated to Canada on the 'Curlew' in 1818. Another cousin, James 'Ban' Stewart, the husband of Janet Stewart, already had two older brothers, Alexander ('Big Alex') and Patrick (Peter) who had been living in Nova Scotia since 1801, and his near neighbour James 'the tailor' Stewart had an older brother, 'Big John' in Nova Scotia.

With the prospects in Canada looking better than in Strathtummel, it is not surprising that a mass emigration was planned, which took part in two phases; 1832 and 1833. The first group which was made up of several related families and their objective was to look at the available land and make suitable purchases. The second group, which included Donald 'Rob' Stewart, joined them the following year bringing further supplies.

The first group travelled to Oban, and took a ferry across to Tobermory, Isle of Mull, where the 120 ton brig 'Charlotte Kerr' was being repaired prior to departure. They left Scotland on 24th April 1832 and after an eventful voyage arrived at the Gut of Canso on 21st May. An interesting account of the voyage and passenger list of those in each party is available.

It would seem that in Nova Scotia, so many Stewarts had similar names such as Robert or Donald, that they added the paternal names to avoid confusion. Thus Donald ‘Robert’ Stewart is Donald son of Robert. Alexander was known as ‘Alexander Donald Rob’, whilst his brother was known as ‘John Donald Rob’.

Donald 'Rob' Stewart and his family settled Lochaber, where their daughter Ellen was born. When she grew up she married James MacDonald of Barney's River, Pictou.

Robert died 3rd April 1855 and was buried in North Lochaber, Antigonish, N.S., where his wife Ellen McDonald was later buried. In the 1881 census she was living on her own, but with her two sons and their families on either side. She died 21st April 1883.

Monuments in memory of Donald Stewart and his wife Ellen McDonald

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(Generation 3) The Children of Donald Robert Stewart and Helen (Ellen) McDonald, Lochaber, Nova Scotia

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Alexander 'Donald Rob' Stewart and Christina Stewart, Lochaber, Nova Scotia

Lochaber, Antigonish, District 21B, Household 111

Alexander's wife Christina died 8th May 1886. On 9th August 1888 Alexander D. Stewart, widower aged 61 years, and Harriet Nichols from Goshen, Pictou, widow aged 56 years were married. John R. Stewart and Hugh McDonald were witnesses. This explains the appearance of Harriet in the 1891 census.

Lochaber, Antigonish, District 27 (5), Household 92

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(Generation 4) The Children of Alexander Stewart and Christina Stewart, Lochaber, Nova Scotia

* Peter Gentles Stewart made an application for registration of his birth with an affidavit by his older brother and evidence from a family bible. However the Nova Scotia Vital Statistics Register of Births shows that he was registered, but as Thomas Stewart, 29 Mar 1874.

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(Generation 5) James H. Stewart, Lochaber, Nova Scotia

Details concerning the family, and especially James H. Stewart, are to be found in the 'History of Nova Scotia' by David Allison, Halifax 1916 (volume 3, page 681).

Mr James H. Stewart was born in Lochaber, Antigonish County, Nova Scotia, April 19th 1863. He was the son of Alexander D. Stewart and Christina Stewart. The father was born in Blair Atholl, Perthshire, Scotland in 1827 and immigrating with his parents to Lochaber in 1833; came on a sailing vessel to Halifax, where they took another vessel to Sherbrooke and they finally settled at Lochaber on a farm. He married Christina Stewart, March 17th 1857, and lived at Lochaber until he died February 5th 1895.

The father’s parents were Donald and Ellen (McDonald) Stewart; they were both natives of Scotland, where they spent their earlier years till emigrating in 1833. The mother was born in Lochaber, February 25th 1839, and died Nova Scotia May 8th 1886; she was a daughter of John Stewart and Margaret Robertson, who immigrated to Lochaber from Blair Atholl, Scotland, in 1833 on the same vessel as the father’s parents. The mother’s father was a cousin of Lord Harry Stewart.

James H. Stewart received his education in the common schools of Lochaber, Nova Scotia, and there he began life for himself by opening up a produce business which he conducted there until 1890, when he removed to Antigonish, where he has since been successfully engaged in mercantile pursuits on an extensive scale, carrying on a wholesale egg and tea business.

Mr Stewart was married on September 24, 1890 to Adelia P. Manson, a daughter of Alexander Manson of Lochaber and Catherine Cameron of Barney’s River, Pictou County. To this union, nine children have been born, namely: Charles Manson, Harry Elmore, Alexander Downie, Clarence Berry, Homer Douglas, William Ralph, Clinton Lee, Jean and James Roy.

Mr Stewart is a member of the Presbyterian church, and fraternally he belongs to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He has taken an abiding interest in the development of Antigonish and was mayor of the town from 1900 to 1909, during which period he did a great deal for its permanent welfare. He is also ex-president of the Antigonish Board of Trade.

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Lochaber, Antigonish, District 21B, Household 109

(Generation 4) Children of John Stewart and Catherine McDonald, Lochaber, Nova Scotia.

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Robert Franklin Stewart

Robert F. Stewart and Alice M. Boyle

Robert Franklin Stewart was one of nine children born to John Donald Robert and Catherine Stewart of Lochaber, Antigonish, Nova Scotia. He was born 14th June 1872 and had a twin brother, Hugh, who died at an early age.

Robert met and married Alice Margaret Boyle (b. 1889, m. 20 February 1907, d. 17 May 1928). Together they migrated from Nova Scotia to Rossland, British Columbia where they had five children.

Before settling in Rossland, Robert F. spent time in: Cordova, Alaska; Butte, Montana; Vancouver, Washington; and Lebanon, Oregon. He was a miner his entire life and spent 28 years working for the Centre Star Mine of Rossland - never losing a day's work through sickness or injury. He, reluctantly, was forced to retire due to a broken leg. He is buried in the Franklin Butte Masonic Cemetery in Scio, Oregon, along with his wife Alice Margaret.

(Generation 5) Children of Robert Franklin Stewart and Alice Margaret Boyle, Rossland, British Columbia

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(Generation 6) Hugh Harry Stewart

Hugh Harry Stewart was born in Rossland, British Columbia, and was named after his father's twin brother. Hugh had two children, a daughter and Nelson Eugene by his first wife, Gladys (.....).

He had two more children, Reid Hugh (born, Nov 22 1947 Coos Bay, Oregon, died Mar 2 2009, Eugene, Oregon) and Randy Steven (born, Nov 8 1952 Eugene, Oregon) by his second wife Marjorie Joy Reid.

Hugh became a naturalized U.S. citizen at the age of 31 on 3rd June, 1940. He was raised as a Master Mason on 14th October, 1950 and was a life-long member in good standing. His son, Randy Steven, followed Hugh as a Master Mason, being raised in the early 1980's in Spokane, Washington and was honored to have Hugh attend and participate in the ceremony.

Hugh was a long-time member of the International Boilermakers Union and met his second wife, Marjorie, while as a foreman working in the shipyards of Portland, Oregon, during World War Two. As segregation was still very much happening during this time, one of Hugh's unique responsibilities was as a liaison during the war leading an all-black crew. As it was sometimes difficult, even impossible, for those of colour to fully participate in the economy, Hugh would collect the war scrip, take requests, and purchase needed products for his men.

Someone wrote a small poem during this time to honour him, which provides an interesting background to the man.

A friend of yours, and a friend of mine,
He's a welder here. He's an Irishman [sic].
He's got a ranch down the valley, I'm told,
He claims it's the best that's ever been sold.

Old Hugh Stewart is the name of this guy.
You better stop and see him when you are passing by.
He lives out of Lebanon, about six miles.
You can tell when you get there by the big rock piles.

He's got sheep and cattle and a big bunch of hounds.
And they make the woods ring for miles around.
He works in the daytime and hunts at night.
Keeps the neighbors awake and he drinks and fights.

For sport on his ranch he's got what it takes.
Diggers and skunks and rattlesnakes.
When he goes out to hunt I've heard the boys say,
He'll shoot his own sheep if they get in his way.

But he's building ships now for some time to come.
But will go back on that ranch when the war is won.

Obituary: Marjorie Joy Reid Stewart, Springfield, Oregon

Marjorie Joy Stewart, 93, left her earthly existence on February 18, 2014, at her place of residence, Gateway Living. Her passing was with great dignity, peaceful, and without complaint. Marjorie Joy was born on May 30, 1920, the 2nd of four children, to Robert J. Reid and Maude Miller Reid Moore, both deceased, in Moab, Utah. She was predeceased by her sister, Ruth Scorup and her brothers, Joseph Kirkwood Reid and Robert J. Reid.

Marjorie was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and her family connection to the Church can be traced to her grandparents, John K. and Elizabeth Jackson Reid who had made their way from Edinburgh, Scotland and Manchester, England, respectively, to Salt Lake City, UT. in 1862. While at Grand County High School in Moab, she worked in the mercantile store owned by her father and graduated in May, 1938. She was an enthusiastic member of the cheer-leading squad and a devoted enthusiast of music. She carried with her that love of music and theatre to the end and along the way, passed it on to family and friends.

She made her way to Vancouver, WA. where, as an employee in the local shipyard at the end of WWII, she met her future, and now predeceased, husband, Hugh Harry Stewart, a General Foreman and Business Agent for the Boilermaker's Union there. They were married on April 26, 1946. Together, after the war, they embarked on many adventures, including the running of a log mill near Scio, Oregon.

They made their way to Reedsport, Oregon, where Marjorie entered the world of retailing and where she bore her first son, Reid Hugh Stewart who also preceded her in death. A short time later, they moved to Springfield where Marjorie began a long career of nearly thirty years with Kaufman Bros. clothing store in Eugene. It is there where she developed her wide, highly regarded reputation in the community as an expert in women's fashion. She enjoyed a long and fruitful retirement that included many hours of devotion to her prized garden and constantly entertained those around her with songs of joy, delight, and inspiration.

Marjorie was a devoted wife, mother, and grandmother. She is survived by her second-born son and daughter-in-law, Randy Steven Stewart and Deborah Best Stewart, grandchildren Matthew Harris Stewart, and Alicia Kimberly Stewart, and step-grandchild Adam Ryals.

According to her wishes, her ashes are spread at Devils Churn so as to join her deceased husband and son, in Moab, Utah, and in North Carolina. Her gravestone will be placed next to her husband's at Franklin Butte Cemetery in Scio, Oregon. It's morning in Heaven and Marjorie has arrived to entertain the angels.

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(Generation 6) Statie Cordova Young Stewart

Statie Cordova Stewart was born while her father was working in Cordova, Alaska, before the family moved to Crabtree, Oregon. Statie graduated from Albany High School before marrying Wilson T. Young in 1935. Initially they lived in Portland, Oregon, before settling on a farm near Cottonwoods in 1945, later moving to Harrisburg in 1969.

Statie was a member of both the Crabtree Christian Church and the Jefferson Eastern Star, and enjoyed hunting, fishing, crocheting and reading. She and her husband had four daughters, all of whom married.

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(Generation 6) Robert Nelson 'Little Bob' Stewart

Robert Nelson Stewart was the second son of Robert F and Alice M. He married a woman named Rose and together they had at least one child, a daughter named Statie. 'Little Bob' was very likeable with an outgoing personality, and it is believed his middle name came as a result of his father working in Nelson, British Columbia, when he was born. He was killed in a mine accident in Mullan, Idaho.

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(Generation 6) Margaret Stewart

Margaret Stewart married Alexander Young (born Jan 14 1918). He died of a heart attack in on Dec 13 1973 at the age of 55. He was born in Medicine Hat, Alberta, and moved to the Scio, Oregon area with his family in 1923. He was a member of the Crabtree Christian Church and Scio Masonic Lodge No. 39. Margaret and Alexander had three children; sons Alex and Robert, and a daughter Nancy Austin.

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The Descendants of Donald 'Robert' Stewart of Balcastle

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