www.clanlivingstone.info

Dear Forum, Since several of you have commented on your ancestors traveling to Canada and some of them later traveling on the US, I thought I would ask for advice from anyone who may have it as to how to locate records of Canadian transit for my McLeas. Here's the deal:

Hi Kyle, If your correct about the birth of the first child in 1883 then you can be reasonably certain that they were married sometime between 1880 and 1883. The big question then is were they married in the State of Ilinois or some other earlier

Hi Kyle, Interesting that James Brown McLea does not appear to be in the 1880 US Census. There are four James McLee's or MackLeys born in 1859 that year living in the States and none of them were born in Scotland. One in Alabama, One in Idaho but born in Ohio, one from Missouri and one a native of Michigan. I would have thought he might have shown up in this Census had he arrived in America before 1880. I have had a lot of luck with the 1880 US and 1881 Canadian Census, but not in this case. regards Donald (Livingstone) Clink

Hi Donald, Thanks for responding! Yes, I have a birth certificate for their 1st child Maggie now in Chicago, 7 Jun 1883.

Hi Kyle, Well you got me stumpted on your McLEas. The other thing I thought of was that the 1900 Census might have listed how long James McLea was in New Jersey if he was in New Jersey still in 1900 or how long he had been living in the United States. I seem to remember if recorded one or the other kinds of information. I wonder if there was a New Jersey Tax Assessment roll that records when he first settled in New Jersey or land records. Ancestry.com can be expensive, but when I suscribed to it, I was sometimes able to find some of the most obscure ancestors with it. The 1880 census records are a dead end to be sure but I still feel that there is a marriage record for James Brown McLea out there somewhere, if I could just figure out how to locate it. I was fortunate that Miles Livingstone's Bowmore, Isle of Islay marriage record was at first pointed out to me by a kind lady from a Scottish historical society. ALso that this marriage record proved to have additional information on it that Miles and his Janet were both natives of Morvern and were set to sail for new world in June of 1812. I already knew from my father and grandfather and the old family folklore that Miles was one of Lord Selkirk's settlers at his Red River settlement. Additional information on Miles journey and settlement was available to me on account of Lord Selkirks papers, Hudsons Bay Company records pertaining to the Red River Settlement and various journals of settlement personnel from 1812 and 1815 when Miles was there. While the passenger list from the "Robert Taylor" was lost or destroyed, the leader on the Robert Taylor, Owen Kenevy wrote to Lord Selkirk upon the arrival of this Hudsons Bay Company vessel arrived at York Factory on Hudsons Bay. He provided Selkirk with a list of those individuals including settlers from the "Robert Taylor" who preparing to journey south from York Factory with him for the final 800 mile journey in small boats to Selkirks Red RIver Settlement. Included in list is my ancestor Miles, Donald Livingstone Jr, a young Donald Livingstone aged about 19 and Jessie Livingstone who I believe probably died a short time after arriving at the settlement. Miles departure from REd RIver was fortunately documented and recorded as was his arrival in Upper Canada (Ontario)in 1815. HIs petition for land to the Government of Upper Canada and some later records up to the year 1842 have survived. So I guess I can't complain to much. Lord Selkirk's Papers actually burnt in a fire in Scotland in the 1940's, but fortunately they were copied in the early 1900's and we have these on microfilm in our National Archives. When I have the time to go through the masive collection of Selkirk papers and the collection of the Hudson Bay Company archives I know there is more information on Miles. Some of the unimportant details such as purchases of TObacco from the Hudsons Bay Company in 1814 I am already aware of, but who knows what else is there if I can spend a whole week someday looking. Surprisingly, not so long ago,

Winnepeg, that's cool! I do think you are quite fortunate to have made these discoveries and to have found that there is even more material to be had out there!

Hi Kyle, Yes when all else fails, contacting a experienced local historian in the Town, Township or County where your lost ancestor was known to have lived may prove helpfull. It has been of help to me on more than one occasion. I have been fortunate with information, but have not found the time to go beyond a rough draft of Miles Livingstone's family history. At one point I thought of writing it as if he wrote it in a first person narrative. That is Miles telling is own life history and adventures. And there were lots of adventures in the New WOrld. Perhaps I may still do that, just to make it more interesting. regards Donald (Livingstone) Clink

Will do, Henry!

Thanks, Donald! As for your narrative of the life of Miles -- I think that would be a really interesting project.