After at least six years of intently, purposefully looking, reading, online, microfilms and books and trip after trip to the Family History Library in Salt Lake City and to archives and libraries in Canada, I have finally documented the wife of John Rennie (Rainnie/Rainie), an 1834 immigrant from probably Aberdeen, Scotland to Guelph Township, Ontario, Canada, and my 3rd Great Grandfather. For more information see my entry 7/30/13/.
I have looked everywhere! Did I say for SIX (6) + years, and in actuality much longer than that. I would get tired of the search and move on and then come back, because I don't give up and I had to prove her existence and their relationship, and because I was spiritually prodded.
I have documented her descendants in at least 4 Canadian provinces and at least 2 states. When I would go and take care of my mother while she was a patient in the care center in Winnipeg, Manitoba, I would visit the United Church archives in Canada and even made a short trip and numerous calls to Portage La Prairie, to search for descendants who lived there, eventually finding houses and headstones.
The 1906 Historical Atlas of Wellington County, states "RENNIE, JOHN was born Aberdeenshire, Scot. He m. Margaret Raeburn, and came to Canada in 1834. Issue: John (d.), Guelph; Mrs. George Lillie; James (d) Mildmoy; Alexander (d.), Nichol and William.
This historical atlas isn't always accurate, but everything I found for the rest of the family matched the information in the atlas. It all sounded right, but I couldn't find her.
The very early agricultural census of Wellington County pairs John Rennie with his son-in-law George Lillie, but no mention of his wife. They are listed above and below each other on adjoining lots. Today while researching the family of James Rennie and Elizabeth Esson Rennie in the 1861 census of Guelph Township I found Margaret, James' mother and wife of John.
"Margaret, 88 years old, born in Scotland, widow. James, his wife, eight children, and his mother living in a frame one storey house."
In 1861 this would be the house and property across the street from , "Fairview," the George and Jane Rennie Lillie property. Just two years later James and Elizabeth would sell the property to the Blyth family, whose descendants still live on the land and who hold the original deeds that state the land was sold to them by James and Elizabeth Esson Rennie.
This may be the only document that associates her with her family and gives an approximate year of birth and place.
It has been a long six "something" years, more like thirty-five+ years. I am very happy! I will actually sleep better tonight. That sounds dramatic, but I have lost sleep over the years and it came to me, when I really wasn't even looking ... Now where, specifically was she born and married and who were she and John's parents?
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| 1861 Census Guelph Township, Wellington County, Ontario (snip of above picture) |
So it is now six years since the initial post of Margaret Rennie and I have a very, very important update. I would say it is a miracle! I was reading some Scottish newspapers and I am not sure how I found an death entry in a Scottish newspaper for Margaret Rennie but I did or it just showed up. From the British Newspaper Archives
"At Irvineside, Nichol, on the 1st let, Margaret Raeburn relict of the late John Rennie, of Guelph Township, Canada West, aged 93 years. Deceased if a native of Boyndie, Banffshire, Scotland."
Another generation, a place of nativity. I have never seen this before.
