Enter Reverend AG Robertson into Google, and you’ll find a link here, to a website administered by Charles Dobie, who posts information about the Robertson family of Perth, Ontario.

Inscribed on the back: “Rev. A.G. Robertson and sister Aggie”.

Yahoo, jackpot!!  So now I’m excited!  But on a whim, I contacted Charles to ask whether there was any chance of acquiring the photo since he fits into our tree.  And guess what; he sent it to me!!

Charles picked up this photo at an Almonte antiques shop because it had the name on the back and was a Robertson.  But our Robertson family is not related to Charles’ family so the photo was in family limbo until yesterday when AG and his sister Aggie arrived in the mail.  

Thank, Charles!  And I’m sure the rest of the family thanks you too…

Obituary text:

IN LOVING MEMORY OF MOTHER

born February 21, 1809

died March 11th, 1893

This week we are called upon to chronicle the death of Jennet Dow, widow of the late John Robertson, of Lanark township, which took place a few minutes before twelve o’clock , noon, on Saturday, the 11th inst.  She was in her usual health till within a few days of her death, when she complained of not feeling well, and from which time she gradually sank till she quietly and peacefully passed away.  She was born in Allowa, Scotland, on the 21st of February, 1809, and hence at her decease had attained the ripe age of 84 years.  Her parents, James Down and Annie Kirk emigrated with their family to Canada in the year 1821, on board the ship “David”, and the same year settled in Lanark township. On board the same vessel John Robertson and his wife (Jane Kyle) also sailed with their family of emigrants, settling the same year in the township of Ramsay.  On the 10th of July, 1832, John Robertson (son of the above-mentioned John Robertson) and Jennet Dow were united in marriage, and a year or two later settled on the farm where they resided till their decease. Their married life continued till the autumn of 1888, when the husband, after a brief illness, was called away, and she who had so long been a helpmeet for him was left to comlete the journey alone.  This she did with “her mind stayed on God and being kept in peace.”  As a wife and mother, as a neighbor and friend, and also as a Christian, she was true and loving, kind and faithful.  We can safely say she was esteemed by all who knew her, and most by those who knew her best.  By her sweet and gentle spirit and life she has left a precious and cherished memor, as of one who did something to make this sorrowful world less like itself and more like Heaven.  She cared little for its vanities, but prized highly the good things that may live and grow here, and endeavored to live so as to be ready for both worlds, sometimes saying she did not pray for length of days, but only that she might rbe ready, and as death drew near she still trusted His greace, which had been her support and strength through life.  The funeral, which took place on the 14th inst, was attended by a large number of old neighbors and friends, with whom she had lived in peac and good-will.  The service was conducted by the Revs. S. D. Chown and N.B. Topping, the former preeching a thoughtful and impressive sermon from Phil. 1:23–”For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better.”

Of eleven children the following still survive: Mrs. Andrew Dick of Renfrew county; Mrs. S. Minions of Eastman’s Springs; Mrs. S. McFeeters, of Minneapolis; Mrs. John McFarlane, of Almonte; Miss Agnes, at home; John, of Cartwright, Manitoba; James Y., on the homestead; William, of Bathgate, Dacota; and Rev. A.G. of Montreal.

I received word through EA that there were still Arbuckle decendents around the Ottawa area and I managed to contact one of Samuel and Margaret Jane’s grand-daughters who lives in Aylmer.  She was nice enough to donate materials to the Aylmer Heritage Association - located in Aylmer Quebec – just over the river from Ottawa, Ontario.

So now, if you’re in the area, you can make an appointment to go and see the James Arbuckle family bible, a photo of Samuel and Margaret Jane (Minion) Arbuckle, a photo of AG Robertson (a cousin of Margaret Jane), an obituary of Margaret Jane’s grandmother Jane Robertson (Kyle) and a few other interesting pieces.  

Here are some great pics from this excellent collection (click on the photos to get a better look at the image):

Samuel Arbuckle and Margaret Jane Minion; photo dated 1929

The Arbuckle family bible; printed in 1855:

I’m assuming that this bible belonged to James Arbuckle (born 1828).  I say that because the oldest entry is the marriage of James ARBUCKLE and Margaret Jane KELLY October 1st 1857.  A second marriage is listed as November the 5th, 1866 of James ARBUCKEL to Jane BROWNLEE.  Also on this page is a record of the marriage of Samuel ARBUCKLE to Margaret J MINION August the 8th, 1882 by the Reverend James H Stewart.

Samuel ARBUCKEL was born January 1st 1859; he had  2 sisters: Lucinda born October 6, 1861 and Margaret Jane born September, 1863.  These are all children of James ARBUCKEL and Margaret Jane KELLY.  

Another page of birth records showing Samuel Arbuckle and Margaret Jane, and the births of their kids: Herbert, Percy, Jennie, Eddy, James, Margarete, Winefred and Kenneth. 

Finally, from the bible, a page with family deaths.  This lists Margaret Jane (Kelly), Lucinda (she was 6 years old) and Margaret Jane (she was 1; both daughters of James Arbuckel), James himself, Winefred and Jennie (daughters of Samuel and Margaret Jane Minion) and Margaret Jane (Minion). 

Also in the collection is an 1893 obituary for Jennet Robertson (Dow) who was the maternal grandmother of Margaret Jane Minion and AG Robertson, uncle of Margaret Jane Minion.

So, that’s the end of the pictures I’d like to share from Aylmer; I hope you find this interesting and informative.  Please pass the blog location on to anyone you think might be interested, I’m posting all this because I think that family histories are important.  Feel free to leave me a message if you would like more information or if you’d just like to share. Happy Holidays!

The Arbuckle property (Concession VII, South 1/2 of lot 2) at Carlsbad springs is now National Capital Commission land;  there’s no evidence of a structure on the property; boo hiss.  Here’s the piece of land I’m talking about; the greyed out area was the town area.

So, I went to the land registry office in Ottawa and found the microfilm with records for the land parcel. The 100 acre land patent was awarded to a George Brownlee in 1837; Jane Arbuckel and Isabella Patterson inherited 50 acres each in 1867. These women then transferred the properties to their husbands James Arbuckel and Martin Patterson. I’m assuming that these women were Brownlee’s daughters, but I haven’t been able to find any records for this Brownlee family.

James Arbuckel mortgaged the property on 23 April 1878 for $200. I think this was to buy out the Patterson 50 acres because on 1 October, 1879 the whole 100 acre property was transferred from James Arbuckle to Jane Arbuckle (wife) and Samuel Arbuckle (son) in his will. On 3 December 1881, Samuel Arbuckle transferred the deed for part of the lot (3 & 55/100 acre) to the Canada A.R.R Company.

From here, I’m a knob. I think I must have missed a page in the records, because I don’t have any information about what finally happened to the land.   More will follow.

If there’s anyone out there who has a picture of Samuel ARBUCKLE, I’d really love to see it and to post it. Pass it on over this way!  Please!

The Howitzer guns – Eddy Earl ARBUCKLE was a gunner with a Howitzer; and pack horses used to transport artillery.  

Samuel Arbuckle, born in 1858 and married to Margaret Jane MINION considered himself Scottish.  On the 1911 census, he and all of this children are listed as Scotch, while Margaret is listed as Irish.  But as we can see from the records, the original Samuel Arbuckle (Samuel’s grandfather) emigrated from Ireland with his wife Mary McMICHAEL in 1847.  McMICHAEL is definitely a Scottish name, so there is a Scottish connection there.  In addition, the census entry for the ARBUCKLE family in 1852 (Mary and her children) shows that the family were members of the Scottish Free Church – a church that would later become the Presbyterian church and then unite with the Methodist church to become the United Church.  The evidence points to the Arbuckle family as members of a cultural group designated as the “Scots-Irish”.  

Here’s my synopsis of the Scots-Irish that I have condensed from the great essay by  James H. Lynn available here.  

The Scots-Irish are a group of people that moved from the low-country in Scotland to the Province of Ulster (which included county Tyrone, birthplace of Mary and Samuel ARBUCKLE) in Northern Ireland in the 1600s.  They were encouraged to move to Ireland by the King of England who wanted to make sure that there were people loyal to the British crown in Ireland.  Land was less expensive and people were more independent because they did not have to answer to a lord.  The people who emigrated from Scotland were members of the Presbyterian Church, and moved into an Ireland populated by people following the Roman Catholic faith.  Here’s where the historical conflict within Northern Ireland that lasts until today started.

Anyway, as land opened up in North America, many Scots-Irish emigrated to the United States until US independence (1776) made that country less attractive to loyal British subjects.  Scots-Irish people then chose Upper Canada as a new place to farm and to build their lives.   While migration to Upper Canad began shortly after the US independence, it was not until after 1915 and the end of the Napoleonic wars that large numbers of Scots-Irish began emigrating to Canada.  The migration continued through the 1800s.  

From Scotland in the 1600s through Ireland in the 1700s until establishment of communities in Upper Canada in the mid-1800s, the Scots-Irish people maintained their religion and identity as Scots.  I’m pretty sure that the Arbuckle family that settled in Lanark county were members of this group.  

So yes, the ARBUCKLE family was from Ireland.  But I’m pretty sure that they were Scottish too.

When I was talking to EA, and asking about Margaret WATKINS and the Watkins family, the first story he had to tell was about Christmas.  To be more specific, about how the family never celebrated Christmas.

The Watkins family lived in Englehart, Ontario.  They emigrated to Canada in 1905 (from 1911 census) and were an Anglican family.  The 1911 census lists 5 members of the family; parents William (born June 1871 in Manchester), and Harriet (born May 1877 in Norfolk county) and children Willie (born April 1907) and twins Margaret and Gladys (born November 1910).  Margaret WATKINS would go on to marry Eddy Earl ARBUCKLE.

Now, back to Christmas.  EA told me that the family had a tragic story.  His mother had two additional  sisters, Ethel (born September 6, 1911) and Lily (born October 14, 1915).  When they were 12 and 16, they died of diphtheria.  The family had been quarantined and as much as all the neighbours wanted to help the family, there was nothing that anyone could do but wait in case they transmitted the infection to their own children.   Lily was severely affected by the toxin and died on January 4th, 1928 and Ethel’s kidneys shut down causing her to die on January 12th, 1928.  The sisters are buried in the Englehart cemetery.  I don’t think I would celebrate Christmas either if I had nursed 2 kids through the holidays, only to see them die shortly after.

So, what’s diphtheria?  It used to be known as the “strangling angel of children” and was one of the most common causes of death among children before there were vaccines. Diptheria is a bacterial infection and becomes really bad because the bacteria releases a toxin that kills the tissue around it and also travels through the blood to kill the organs.   Approximately 10-20% of people who developed the disease died; it could kill within 2-4 days – even now if you don’t treat with antibiotics fast enough there’s nothing that can be done.   Vaccinations became available around 1930, and now outbreaks in Canada are very rare.  But in places where people are not vaccinated, diphtheria is still a major killer of children.  Here’s a great medical summary.

I’m personally very thankful that we have a provincial vaccination program for important diseases that used to cause death.  I know some people think that they’re protected by the fact that everyone else has been vaccinated, but I don’t think that’s supported by science.  As far as I’m concerned, any possible risks of taking a vaccine are far outweighed by the protection they provide.  We can see that vaccinations work because we no longer have to worry about diseases like diphtheria and I think the Lily and Ethel’s parents (William and Harriet Watkins) would be very happy to know that.

It may actually make things a bit easier; if you want to see all of the pictures you’ll have access there.

As always, if you have information related to the Arbuckle family, I’d love to see it!