Mary MacLean

Island story

Mary MacLean (1850–1932) is commemorated with Hugh “Big Hughie” MacLean at Pioneer Cemetery memorial R2-005. The 1901 family 10 census records Hugh as head and Mary as wife; Hugh’s 1910 will names his wife Mary, and the 1911 household records Mary as a widow. These records establish their marriage. The memorial alone does not establish burial or interment. A marriage registration records Hugh McLean, an Island-born farmer, marrying Mary McKenzie, a PEI-born widow, at Pictou on 24 April 1888. Her parents are named as Archie and Effie. Mary’s 1932 death registration records her death on Pictou Island on 20 January, reports a 15 April 1848 PEI birth, and names Archie MacLean and Effie McKenzie as her parents. The parent pair, locality and surname transition support the established Hugh/Mary family comparison: McKenzie is her earlier married surname, not automatically her maiden name. The 1888 age of 35, 1901 June 1850 birth, 1911 May 1851 birth and retrospective 1848 birth disagree and are preserved. Anna Jane’s 1971 death certificate instead reports her mother’s birthplace as Nova Scotia; that conflict remains unresolved. An 1883 Alexander McKenzie–Mary McLean marriage-bond index may refer to the earlier marriage, but the bond does not establish a ceremony or identify her first husband securely.