Duncan MacDonald

Island story

Duncan MacDonald (1868–1934) is commemorated at Pioneer Cemetery memorial R4-010 with his wife Jessie and children Alexander, Elsie and Melvin. The established census sequence connects him with a household headed by Duncan in 1891, with mother Jessie and sisters Christy and Maggie; in 1901 he lived with his widowed mother. His marriage to Jessie P. McDonald is recorded at Pictou on 13 November 1901: he was an Island-born and resident bachelor farmer, aged 34, with parents Archibald and Jessie. The bride was 21, with parents John and Maggie. This supports his placement in the Archibald McDonald and Jessie McKenzie family, independently supported by his sister Margaret Catherine’s birth record. The marriage age and varying census ages do not agree exactly with his memorial’s 1868 birth year, which is retained. In 1911 he was widowed with sons Alexander, John A. and Welsford E. A second marriage records Duncan, a 46-year-old widower, marrying Charlotte Ellen Bishop at Pictou on 21 August 1914. The later censuses name his wife Lottie; Elsie’s death certificate and Catherine Ann’s delayed birth application identify their mother as Lottie Bishop. The marriage reports Charlotte Ellen’s birthplace as Whitehead, Nova Scotia, while Elsie’s certificate reports White Sands, PEI; that conflict is preserved. The 1931 census identifies Alex, Elsie and Melvin as Duncan’s children. The older mother Jessie and first wife Jessie (1880–1910) are distinct people.