The Luck of the Irish

My Irish immigrant family brought the Luck of the Irish with them. Maybe 8 year old Mary McGill had a lucky penny in her shoe when she came from Ireland to Canada in the early 1800s. Her life was hard; her husband, Patrick, who was 30 years her senior, worked in the timbers or building the canal. But the records show that at least they had a house, as opposed to the neighbors who lived in wooden shanties. When Mary was widowed, with 3 young children, she was lucky to join a group who made their way west to the United States. In Iowa City, although she was ill, Mary was lucky again, to find a man who would help her write a will, making sure her children were cared for. My Gt Grandfather, Daniel Patrick McGill, was her youngest child, age 5, when she died. The Shafer family, who fostered Daniel, were childless but raised him as their own and even sent him to the University. The foster father and mother just "happened" to be related to Eva Frost, who was eventually married to Daniel Patrick. There was illness during those years in Iowa, but Daniel was lucky to survive. Sadly, his sister, Bridget, brother, John, John's wife, and one baby died. One of Daniel's nephews remained, and that lucky boy was fostered by Daniel and Eva. Years later, after the family moved to western Iowa, Daniel was lucky enough to see a flyer that told of land opening for homesteads in Oklahoma Territory. In 1889, he made his way to Arkansas City, Kansas, and boarded a train for the new frontier. Daniel, and 3 other pioneers, jumped from the train, and set off west across the prairie. As luck would have it, they came to a place where 4 quarter sections were marked with stakes. Since McGill was the only one who had a large family, he was the lucky one chosen to claim the land with the best source of water. His family, including my grandmother, age 8, came from Iowa by covered wagon to join him on the homestead. And here I am, one of the lucky descendants to come from this family, and lucky to have that story preserved for more than 200 years after little Mary McGill crossed the Atlantic. The picture above is of Daniel P. (seated) and Eva McGill (standing center) and their family on the homestead west of Edmond, Oklahoma. This land is still pasture land and the pond is still there.

KIDNAPPING AND RECOVERY

posted by Christy Griffin Thomas, a descendant of Canada Waite

 Between 1675 and 1678, a confederation of Indians led by King Philip (Metacom) waged war against the New England colonists. The goal was to stop the expansion of colonial settlements into Indian territory. King Philip's War, as it is known, took place throughout the New England colonies (RI, CT, MA, NH, VT, ME). The Indians had been successful during the first two years, forcing colonists out of small remote towns, essentially capturing all of Rhode Island, burning Providence and Springfield, and even attacking Plymouth Plantation on the coast. Eventually, the colonists' greater numbers and ability to buy supplies from England caused the tide to turn. King Philip's War was one of the most deadly in American history with about 5% of the entire population (colonist and Indian) being killed. One long lasting effect of the war was the formation of the colonial militia - the Minute Men who 100 years later fought the British at Lexington and Concord. Benjamin Waite (or Wait) and his wife Martha lived in Hatfield, MA. Benjamin was a Sergeant in the militia.

On September 19, 1677, a band of Indians attacked Hatfield, MA while most of the men were gathering crops. The Indians killed many but carried off 17 people, including Martha Waite. The Indians intended to trade the captives for arms and food to officials in New York or Canada (both of which disliked the New England colonies). At the time of her capture, Martha was pregnant and had three children at home ranging from 3 to 6 years old. The children were not taken in the raid. A few days after the raid, Benjamin Waite and Stephen Jennings left Hatfield to follow the Indians and free their wives.

The Indians and their captives initially walked from central Massachusetts to Albany in upstate NY.   New York Gov. Andros refused to meet with the Indians and sent them on their way. When Waite and Jennings arrived in Albany, Gov. Andros had them imprisoned as potential troublemakers. Eventually they were released. Benjamin Waite continued to follow the Indians. At some point, Jennings returned to Hatfield. The Indians and their captives then walked to Quebec City arriving in December or January. The French officials reluctantly swapped a small amount of supplies for the captives.

After the journey, Martha Waite gave birth to a daughter whom she named Canada. Benjamin Waite arrived in Quebec sometime later and negotiated the release of his wife and daughter. They returned to Hatfield in the spring or summer of 1678. * It is about 500 miles from Hatfield to Albany to Quebec. Martha and Benjamin walked the entire distance during fall and winter weather. Martha was pregnant for most of the journey and carrying a newborn baby for the rest. * Canada Waite was obviously a healthy baby. She died at 71 having outlived all but one of her seven brothers and sisters. *

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In the Pease genealogy, Benjamin and Martha are grandparents. Canada is an aunt. Benjamin was in the Falls Fight and, in 1678, went to Canada to recover his family and others who had been captive there. He is often referred to as the "Hero of the Connecticut Valley". He was killed in the attack on Deerfield the 29th of February 1703/4, his body stripped and mutilated. Husband of Martha Leonard Waite, married at Hartford, CT on Jun 8,1670. Son of Thomas Waite and Eleanor ?Paine? Waite of Portsmouth, RI.

The Canada babes--- The two babes born in Canada were females. One was a daughter of Benjamin Waite born January 1678 the other a daughter of Stephen Jennings born March 14 1678. To commemorate the captivity in Canada, Waite's child was named Canada and Jennings child Captivity and these names they ever retained. . 'History of the Town of Whately, Mass'

 

Nepean Canada 1851 Census

1851 Canada West,   Ontario Province,   Carleton County, Nepean Twp.

McGill, Patrick   age at next bday 70 yrs.,   Farmer,   b.   Ireland,   Roman Catholic  
   "     , Mary     age 37, Farmer, B. Ireland, Roman Catholic  
   ",   John Sullivan, Laborer,   age   15   b.   Nepean
   ",   Bridget Jane, age 7   b. Nepean
   ", Patrick D., age 1 b. Nepean
 pg. 2
States that Patrick McGill (age 70) and Mary McGill ( age 37) were married.  They live in a one story "Log House".   Some others in the area live in "Log Shanty".     
[My note:    Since our gt grandpa Daniel Patrick was born that year, 1851, and listed as Patrick D. McGill,   I am going to accept Patrick McGill the elder as the father of this family.   He would have died in the next 3 - 4 yrs, as Mary and the children migrated to Iowa by 1855.   Many Irish Immigrant families came first to Ontario and to Iowa by 1855.]

Irish in Nepean Area, Canada

I have been reading about the Irish immigrants in that county, where Daniel Patrick McGill was born.   Nepean's first permanent settler came to the area in 1810. However, it was the building of the RIDEAU CANAL that boosted settlement in the township with many coming about 1825.  The first settlers farmed plots that were given them and worked on the lumber drives in the winter.  It was a heavily forested area but also swampy.  Among the many diseases that ravaged workers during the building of the Rideau Canal, three of the worst were dysentery, small pox and malaria.Not only the workers but their families suffered from these diseases. We do not know if one of these illnesses caused the deaths of Patrick and Mary McGill's two baby girls, or Patrick himself.  

 

Irish Roots - Mary McGill

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks. Week 4 - CURIOUS.      For the descendants of Daniel Patrick McGill... an anecdote about his mother, Mary. We know very little about her as he only remembered being held to view her at her funeral when he was four or five.

Mary was born in Ireland and crossed the Atlantic to Canada when she was about 8 yrs. old. The new land was very desolate in the 1820s. Logging and working on a new canal was the work of the men. The Catholic church was the heart of the little community of Nepean, near Ottawa. She married Patrick McGill, a man 30 years her senior, also an Irish immigrant, and bore at least 5 children, losing two little baby girls in infancy. When her husband died in his 70s, the 42 year old mother took her 3 children, ages from 2 to 15, joined a group of pioneers and traveled nearly 1000 miles to the state of Iowa. How did she get the idea to start such an undertaking? Did she travel with a large group?  Relatives?  What means of transportation?  We are curious. 

When she arrived in Iowa City, she may have known that with her poor health she could not raise her children. We have found her will which sees to the care of the children.    The oldest boy, John, at age 15, went to work on a farm even further west, for the family of a prominent farmer (whose daughter he later married.) He became a citizen of the United States. Mary’s daughter, Bridget Jane, and youngest son, Daniel Patrick, were assigned to the guardianship of Daniel Shafer and Amelia Frost Shafer, by the terms of the will of their mother, Mary, in 1856. The Shafers were a childless couple also of pioneer stock. They had been  educated as a civil engineer and a teacher-- a strong Presbyterian family, who saw to the higher education and loving care, as well as the religious training of the children. Through the perseverance and plans for the care of her children, made by Mary McGill, our family’s destiny was changed, as we descend from Mary’s youngest son, Daniel Patrick McGill.