Buried 68 years apart

 John and I made a trip to Quebec in the spring and stopped off in Prescott along the way.  We visited an amazing little pioneer museum before walking across the street to the Kenyon Cemetery.  This stone caught my eye because it was for two people who may have been married and died decades apart. I decided to focus on Edward first.

Edward Duncan MacGillivray was born to parents Murdoch and Kate Mc Rae on 18 November 1896 in Prescott, Ontario, and named after his paternal grandfather.(1)(2)

He appears in the 1901 census with his parents and younger sister Mary.  Murdoch is 50 and Kate is 34.(3)

In 1911, Edward is still with his parents, along with Mary and younger siblings Rory, Nora, Flora Ann (born June 1896), Hector M. D., and Christy Ann.(4)

On 11 June 1918 he has his medical exam in Ottawa and is approve for military service.  His birthplace is recorded as McCrimmon, Ontario and he's a single farmer and living in Dunvegan, presumably with his parents.  He was 5' 7.5" with a dark complexion, dark brown hair, and blue eyes.  He had a brand on his left breast.  His unit was the 2nd Depot Battalion, Eastern Ontario Regiment.(5)

Edward returns home and is back with his parents and all of his siblings with the exception of Mary in the 1921 census.(6)  Little seems to  have changed by 1931, Edward, Rory, Floraann, Hector and Christina are all still living with their parents.  Seems kinda odd that no one is really leaving.  Edward can speak Gaelic in addition to English.(7)  

Sadly Edward died after 14 days of influenza and 10 days of meningitis.  His brother Roderick (Rory) reported his death.(8)

Influenza strikes again and Murdoch died a few years later on 26 December 1936 of influenza with myocarditis as a contributing factor.  Murdoch was born in Ontario as were his parents Edward (born in McCrimmon,County Lochiel) and Mary MacIntosh (born in Dalkieth, County Lochiel)(9) 

I wasn't able to find an obituary for Edward or Murdoch.  

I was able to undercover several obituaries for his siblings and his mom, starting with sister Flora Ann, who shares his grave.  Flora Ann's obituary appeared in the Ottawa Citizen on 31 March 2006 (page 51).  She passed away at Maxville Manor and there was no reference to a spouse or children.  The obit does reveal  some details about her siblings, which helped me uncover more obituaries. She seems to have outlived them all and was predeceased by brothers Edward, Rory and Hector and sisters Mary Sheldrick, Christina Hewston, and Nora Irwin (Irvine). 

Katie died 27 July 1959 at Cornwall General Hospital.  Her obituary names her parents, Roderick F MacRae and Nora Bethune and explains that she married Murdoch on 19 September 1895.   She was well known for her charity and was a charter member of the Women's Institute and a life member of Skye W.M.S.(10)

Rory died suddenly on 6 May 1967, leaving behind his wife Penelope (nee MacLeod), and children Dr Royce MacGillivray of London England and  Wilma Hayes of Ottawa, and grandson Steven Hayes.  Hector was living in Brockville, Christina in Dunvegan, Mary in Vars, and Nora in Charlottetown PEI. (11)

Hector Donald Murdock MacGillivray died on 8  December 1972 in the Kingston General Hospital, following a few weeks of illness. Hector was an engineer, a member of Brockville Legion and Bayview Hunt Club.  He had recently remarried to a woman named Edna Bland, his first wife Victoria MacMillan died in 1969. In his obituary we come to learn that Mary died about 5 weeks before him on Nov 1.(12) 

Mary passed away in 1972. Sadly, her only son Keith passed away in an accident while fishing with a friend in 1954.(15)

Christina died 29 January 1985 at the age of 74.  She was married to Clifford Hewston, lived in Avonmore. and had one surviving child, Garry.  Her daughter Mrs Daryl Lang and son Orvil predeceased her.  She had 4 grandchildren  at the time of her death.  Flora Ann was living in Alexandria and Nora was in Kingston. (13)

Nora passed away 29 June 1999 in the Ajax-Pickering Hospital and was buried in Kingston.  There was no mention of siblings.(14)   

(1)Archives of Ontario; Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Series: Registrations of Births and Stillbirths, 1869-1913; Reel: 134; Record Group: Rg 80-2

(2)

(3)Year: 1901; Census Place: Caledonia, Prescott, Ontario; Page: 8; Family No: 57

(4)Year: 1911; Census Place: 9 - Caledonia, Prescott, Ontario; Page: 1; Family No: 8

(5)Library and Archives Canada; Ottawa, Canada; Soldiers of the First World War (1914-1918)

(6)Reference Number: RG 31; Folder Number: 83; Census Place: 83, Prescott, Ontario; Page Number: 2

(7)Library and Archives Canada; Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; Seventh Census of Canada, 1931; Folder Number: T-27290; Census Place: Prescott, Ontario, Canada; Page Number: w

(8)Archives of Ontario; Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Collection: MS935; Reel: 449

(8)Archives of Ontario; Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Collection: MS935; Reel: 564

(9)The Ottawa Citizen, 31 Jan 1985, page 8

(10)https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/181537994/catherine-mcgillivray

(11)The Ottawa Citizen 8 May 1967, page 30

(12)https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/182826559/hector-donald_murdock-macgillivray

(13)The Ottawa Journal 02 November 1972, page 54

(14)The Kingston Whig 30 June 1999 page 38

(15)The Ottawa Citizen 23 June 1954 page 1

Family Plot at Blue Church Cemetery - but only one stone

 John and I enjoyed a trip along the St Lawrence in the Spring and spent the night in Prescott.  We came across an interesting cemetery at the Blue Church.

We were lucky enough to chat with a man who spends countless hours there curating and researching the people.  I took pics of quite a few stones including those of Queen Camilla's ancestors.

  There was one stone that was all on it's own surrounded by a large stone-walled cemetery plot. It's a bit hard to see but the stone is resting on the wall in the upper right hand corner of the picture.

 According to Find My Grave, the plot is large enough for 9 people, but only George is believed to be buried there. (1) Sounds like there's a story behind this.

George Walsh was born in 1800 in Ireland.  In the 1851 census he was living with his Eliza and children William (aged 14), Jonathan (12), Eliza (10), Matilda (8), George (3), and Sarah (1).  He was a hotel keeper. (2)  The 1861 census gives us a little bit more information. In this census we discover that his wife Eliza Francis and daughter Matilda were born in Lower Canada, and that they are still in Prescott living in a 2 1/2 storey frame house.  They own 1 cow and their livestock is worth $29.  William, Jonathan, Matilda and George Alfred Jr are living with them but Sarah is not.   William appears with his wife and 2 children in the 1871 census, where he is a railway clerk.  A few families down, Elizabeth appears in the same household as George, neither have an occupation.  The hotelkeeper, is a Walsh but not one of George's children.  J Morrow Walsh appears in the 1871 census as a hotel keeper.  James Morrow fought in the Fenian Raids, was a member of the North West Mounted Police, ran a mining company in the North West Territories and served as the first commissioner of the Yukon territory.(4) James' father Louis was born in Ireland and I wonder if he and George were brothers.(5)

Elizabeth never remarried, in 1881, she is living with her widowed daughter Matilda (Blakey) and 11 year old grand daughter Gertrude.(6)  Sadly, Matilda died in 1883,  and Gertrude also lived a shorter than hoped for life and died in Perth, Ontario of Phthisis(7).  She is buried beside her mom in Blue Church Cemetery.(8)

Elizabeth died June 12, 1887 and her death was reported by William, who stated she was born in Montreal. (9)  I haven't been able to find where she was buried.  

(1)https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/72047478/george-walsh

(2)Year: 1851; Census Place: Grenville, Canada West (Ontario); Schedule: A; Roll: C-11724; Page: 1; Line: 27

(3)Library and Archives Canada; Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; Census Returns For 1861; Roll: C-1026

(4)https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Walsh-7055

(5)https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Walsh-7055

(6)"Ottawa, Carleton, Ontario, Canada records, Aug 4, 2018," images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSM8-

Q9GY-G?view=explore : Aug 19, 2023), image 541 of 740; Public Archives of Canada.

(7)Archives of Ontario; Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Collection: MS935; Reel: 9

(8)https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/72194047/mathilda-blakey#view-photo=53010095

(9)"Canada, Ontario Deaths, 1869-1937 and Overseas Deaths, 1939-1947," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q93-C9YJ-79TF-5?cc=1307826&wc=3LKH-VZ9%3A1584243504%2C1584250302%2C1584279901 : 27 April 2019), Deaths > 1887 > no 8629-14996 > image 143 of 1612; citing Registrar General. Archives of Ontario, Toronto.

John Chrystie

 On Memorial Day, John and I headed to Wilson, New York for their annual fair and also attended a memorial day service (which was very well done).  On the way home we stopped by Fort Niagara State Park, of course I couldn't resist a visit to the cemetery.  In keeping with my interest in the War of 1812, this stone caught my eye:

John Chrystie

son of 

Major James Christie

of the Revolutionary Army
Colonel
of the 23rd Reg. Infantry
and
Inspector General
of the Northern Division
United States Army
Born in the City of New York
4 January 1788
died at Lewiston
23rd July 1813
aged 25 Years 6 Months
19 Days

With that I decided to research John Chrystie.

A quick google search immediate gave results.  A brief biography was listed for him on Wikipedia.  As his stone tells, he died a colonel, he participated in the War of 1812 and died of natural causes. (1)  Natural causes?  When he was so young and during the war?  

John attended Columbia University where he studied law and graduated in 1806.  He joinned the army on 3 May, 1808, as first lieutenant of the 6th infantry and was promoted to captain in February, 1809.  He apparently resigned on 15 November, 1811, but re-entered the service, and on 12 March, 1812 when he became lieutenant of the 13th infantry. (2)

  In May 1812 John was was actively recruiting men to serve with him in Lancaster, New Jersey and succeeded in enslisting 195 in one month. (3)  On 17 July 1812, he left Charleston, South Carolina to march 300 troops to Albany. (4) Those same 300 troops would later participate in the Battle of Queenston Heights.  

  The Americans led by General VanRennselaer were planning an attack of Queenston, Ontario on 13 Oct 1813.  Chrystie led his men across the Niagara River by boat in the early morning of October 13th.  John's men came under heavy grapeshot and musket fire while paddling across the river but the currents were too strong for three of the boats, which ended up moving far from the landing point.  John was on one of these three boats and it was said that when he made it ashore, his only guide to the ground left him.  The delayed landing of so many troops put the Americans at a disadvantage. They had far fewer men than expected reach the landing point and they came under heavy fire, but prevail they did, and ended up killing General Isaac Brock on the heights.(5)  On Oct 12th, the same newspaper reported a more detailed but slightly different account of the events.  In this account, John Chrystie was wounded slightly in the hand by grapeshot during the crossing,  his pilot became confused, and the men in the boat became frightened.  As a result, they sailed back to the American side.  It was the boats of Major Mullany that drifted down river, far from the landing.  Two of those boats were captured and the rest also returned to the American side.   While a significant number of men sat on the other side of the river, refusing to cross, the Americans at Queenston rallied and stormed the Heights, killing Brock who was struck by 5 bullets. It wasn't until 2pm and when the Americans had control of Queenston that Chrystie and Mullany sailed once again across the river,  where he ordered an injured Captain Wool to stand down and get treatment.  At 3pm a band of Indigenous men coming from the direction of Chippewa attacked the Americans.  Throughout this attack it was mentioned that Chrystie remained with perfect composure and coolness.(6)

  Yet another newspaper article in November reports that Chrystie was take prisoner but not before he lead 300 men into battle and drove between five and 600 British soldiers of the Egyptian Regiment (42nd) several miles by point of bayonet.(7)   About a week later, the newspaper published an article with a correction to the British regiment.  It was not the Egyptian regiment, but the "brave two score nine" who fought in the sand-hills of Ostend.(8) In yet another newspaper article, letters received by Major Thomas Chrystie at the end of October were published.  In one letter dated Oct 22 in Albany, Thomas is told that his brother John was slightly injured on his hand, and he and nearly all the troops that he led were taken prisoner.  In the second letter, dated Oct 21, Thomas was told that it was reported that Brock had died but the reports were wrong and he would survive his wounds.(9)

  Chrystie also participated in the unsuccessful (for the Americans) Battle of Stoney Creek as part of the Winder Brigade, under the command of Brigadier General Winder.  Rather embarrassingly for the Americans, both  American Generals (Chandler and Winder) were captured by the British and Colonel Burns assumed command. Chrystie was part of Burns' council of war and appears to be one of the few who pushed for an attack on the British at Burlington Heights, an event that never happened.   The Americans retreated to Fort George under the orders of Dearborn and almost three weeks later suffered another loss during the Battle of Beaver Dams.   Lieutenant Colonel Boerstler, marched 570 men to Beaver Dams but 2 miles before their destination they were ambushed.  A skirmish ensued which resulted in Boerstler moving the men to a field, where they waited for reinforcements.  Chrystie received the request for help and march 300 men to Queenston, only to be informed that Boerstler had surrendered and the reinforcements were no longer needed. (10)

On Jan 30, 1813 it was reported that John, was one of many soldiers exchanged for British Prisoners of war and by order of the John Armstrong, Secretary of War he as well as all men were "free to act against the united kingdom of Greatbritain and Ireland and dependencies thereof, as if they had never been captured". (11)  Trying to figure out when and where John was captured was a bit tricky.  On July 26th, it was recorded that he was one of the POWs captured at Queenston on 13 Oct 1812 along with John Fenwick and Winfield Scott and several men of the 13th infantry.(12)  While the location is likely true, we know that John was involved in the Battle of Beaver Dams on June 24th, so his capture was between then and July 26th.  So far I haven't been able to obtain anything else about his capture online.  John was parolled on 19 Nov 1812 in Quebec and was to return to Boston on a boat named Regulus, but it was remarked that he returned by land instead.(13)

John appears to have been favoured by the government and it was reported that he was appointed an Inspector General on April 16th by Armstrong.(14)  Surprisingly, it seems that John drafted a letter to decline the offer.  A bookseller (James Cummins) seems to have original copies of the offer as well as a draft copy of John's letter dated April 30 written in Niagara, declining the offer because he was in command of a Battalion of the 13th Infantry and preferred the position.(15)  If he did in fact decline the offer, whoever erected his stone wasn't told! 

Sadly, Chrystie died a short time later. News of John's death was published in newspapers about a week after his death. The Gleaner on 13 August 1813 include highlights of the Buffalo news of July  27th. The Buffalo news had reported that Colonel Chrystie of the 13th Infantry died the previous Wednesday of fever at Fort George.(16)   How different his life might have been if accepted the offer.

He continues to appear in the news twice more that year, when it was reported by the Buffalo Gazette that  as of Oct 1(17), and later as of Nov 1(18), John was one of many who had unclaimed letters at the Fort Niagara Post Office.

A portrait of the young John Chrystie appears in the National Portraits Gallery

(1)John Chrystie - Wikipedia

(2)http://famousamericans.net/johnchristie/

(3)Lancaster Intelligencer 30 May 1812, Sat · Page 3

(4)

(5) Richmond Enquirer 3 Nov 1812, · Page 2

(6)Richmond Enquirier 12 Nov 1812, Thu · Page 3

(7) 'Richmond Enquirier 27 Oct 1812 Page 3

(8) 'Richmond Enquirier 6 Nov 1812 Page 1

(9)Richmond Enquirier 30 Oct 1812 Page 2

(10) Staff Guide Handbook of the Niagara Campaigns 1812-1814 https://usacac.army.mil/sites/default/files/documents/lde/CSI/CSIPubs/NiagaraCampaign%201812-1814.pdf

(11)Lancaster Intelligencer 30 Jan 1813, Sat Page 3

(12)Virginia Argus 22 Apr 1813 Page 2

(13)‘War of 1812 Papers’ of the Department of State, 1789-1815. Microfilm Publication M588, 7 rolls. General Records of the Department of State, Record Group 59. The National Archives in Washington. D.C.

(14)Ancestry.com. War of 1812, Prisoner of War Records, 1812-1815 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2007.

(15)https://www.jamescumminsbookseller.com/pages/books/304427/war-of-1812-john-armstrong-jr/partially-printed-document-signed-john-armstrong-as-secretary-of-war-appointing-colonel-john

(16)The Gleaner, Wilkes-Barre Pennsylvannia 13 Aug 1813, Fri · Page 3

(17)Buffalo Gazette 19 Oct 1813, Tue, Page 3

(18)Buffalo Gazette 2 Nov 1813, Tue, Page 3