James MacFadden

James Mac Fadden was my great-great grandfather. He was born on April 25, 1821 in what is now the township of Nissouri, Middlesex County, Ontario, Canada, about six miles from London. He was educated at the grammar school in London, and received a common English education. He was 16 years old when the Rebellion of 1837 broke out, and he enlisted in the company of volunteers that his father captained. This company of soldiers was stationed at Windsor throughout the rebellion, and did not fight any battles. But it was said that he always looked back at his experience as a soldier with considerable pleasure.
Shortly thereafter, at the age of 17, James relocated to the United States, and became a citizen of the U.S. on September 4, 1844 in Henry County, Ohio, where he had resided the previous year. After staying in the United States until 1850, James returned to London in Canada, and commenced the study of law in the office of James Daniel. He passed the solicitors’ examination as an attorney-at-law in 1854, and moved to St. Mary’s to practice law there in 1855. He remained in St. Mary’s for 12 years, a portion of which time he was in partnership with Mr. John E. Harding, Q.C.
On January 19, 1860, James married Catherine A. McLean, daughter of William McLean and Jane McNish of St. Mary’s. By this union, there were 7 children, Jane (Jennie) – my great-grandmother, Minnie, William, James A., Jessie, George, and Kate. Jennie eventually married Henry Jeffrey.
James showed a keen interest in educational and other public affairs, and held the office of school trustee and was councillor in St. Mary’s for 1863 and 1864.
In 1866, one year prior to Canadian Confederation, James received the appointment of Local Registrar, Clerk of the County Court and Surrogate Registrar of the County of Perth, which necessitated his move to Stratford. He was appointed to this position by Sir John MacDonald, at that time Premier of Upper Canada, and held this position up to a week before his death in 1899.
James was probably one of the very oldest Masons in Stratford at the time of his death, as he was initiated in St. John’s Lodge, No. 209A, of London on October 1, 1842. He was an honorary and charter member of Stratford Lodge, No. 332 A.F. and A.M. and of Tecumseh Chapter No. 24, besides being Past Master of St. James Lodge, No. 61, of St. Mary’s.
He did not entertain any strong religious views, but in Stratford was an adherent of Know (Presbyterian) Church.
He died on Friday, August 4, 1899, at the age of 78, at his residence on Huron Street in Stratford, after suffering a paralytic stroke a week previously.

More Photos of James MacFadden

Here are three more photos of James Macfadden. The top one is generally thought to have been taken around the time of his marriage in 1860, at the age of 38. The next photo is thought to have been taken in the 1880s in Stratford. The last one is of James with his youngest daughter, Kate, taken in the mid- to late- 1890s. James was 61 years old when Kate was born.

Agnes Moscrip Jeffrey

Agnes Moscrip Jeffrey was my great-great grandmother. I have not been able to gather much information about her, compared with her husband, Andrew Jeffrey. She had a very intriguing life, though, and as more is known, I will update this post.
Agnes Moscrip was born on January 19, 1819 in Upper Canada (location unknown). Her parents were Robert and Jane Moscrip. She had at least one brother, Robert.
Little is known of Agnes’ childhood. As a young woman (20 or so years old), she married a John McLenhan, and they had 4 children – Robert, John, Andrew, and Agnes. In September 1847, tragedy struck with both Robert and John dying within 2 days of each other, at 6 years and 4 years of age. It is unknown the cause of their death. Agnes’ husband, John, also died close to the death of his two sons (date and cause unknown). Agnes wrote down her thoughts following this time, and excerpts have been preserved. What follows is an excerpt:

Cobourg Mar 31
I have been thinking of the events of 1847. It is nearly 2 years since my deare husband’s death and all this time has been praising his Savior with fullness of joy while we have still been occupied with the fleeting things of time. Has this affliction ever given me an abiding sense of the instability of earthly joys and made me long more for that purer delight which is found in seeing the Lord face to face. It has made me walk more circumspectly and devote myself more completely to my God. It has made me feel the value of the blood, which has washed away sin and taken the sting from death.
Cobourg Apr 5
I know that you will not give place to any angry feelings, but only pray for your enemies and look on all as coming direct from the hand of God.
Cobourg Apr 9
O my soul! When will thou live consistently? When shall I walk steadily with God? When shall I hold heaven constantly in view? How time glides away. How is death approaching. How soon must I give up my account.
Cobourg Apr 11
I certainly have to lament, yet how little in truth do I feel it that religion is at a very low ebb with me at present.

Within 3 – 4 years of these entries, Agnes married Andrew Jeffrey, himself a widower, on May 4, 1853 in Cobourg. She was 34 years old at her marriage, very nearly 19 years younger than Andrew. Their marriage lasted only 10 years. She immediately became the mother of at least 4 of Andrew’s children from his previous marriage, who were still living at home. She had 4 more children by Andrew – Donald, Jessie, Henry (my great-grandfather), and Alexander. Andrew died 8 months after the birth of Alexander, Agnes being 44 years old at the time.
She lived as a widow for 12 more years, and died on January 9, 1876 in Cobourg. Her obituary reads: “It is with sincere regret we record the death of Mrs. Jeffrey, widow of the late Hon. Andrew Jeffrey, of this town. Mrs. Jeffrey had been ill for some weeks, of fever; and this terminated fatally about midnight on Sunday last. The deceased lady was well known in Cobourg, and universally beloved; and the news of her death will be received with regret on all hands.”

Another Photo of Agnes Jeffrey

This is the only other photo of Agnes McLenhan Jeffrey I am aware of. It is most likely from the 1860s. It was preserved by her daughter, Jessie, along with similar sized photos of her mother, Jane Moscrip, her husband, Andrew, and step-daughter, Bella.

Andrew Jeffrey

Andrew Jeffrey was my great-great grandfather. He was born in Foulden Parish, Scotland on February 17, 1800. Foulden is located in Berwickshire, a county very close to the border of England. His parents were William Jeffrey and Mary Lyall. Andrew was the eldest of of 5 children, the younger being 4 sisters. The population of Foulden 7 years before Andrew’s birth was 344, only 20% of these living in Foulden village. The rest lived in the surrounding country. Andrew’s father is thought to have been a blacksmith in Foulden. Andrew was baptized in the local church a month after being born, on March 16, 1800. Little is known about his childhood in Foulden. Foulden had a parochial school, and education was thought to be required of all children, so he probably attended this school. The subjects taught included reading, writing, arithmetic, Latin and Greek. A description of life in Foulden published 30 years after Andrew’s birth described what meals were like in the typical Foulden family: “At the morning and evening meals of the peasantry, their staple is oatmeal porridge and milk; their dinner consists of bread made from pease (split peas) and barley, and of potatoes, seasoned with fat pork. Each family feeds at least two pigs a year.”
Family tradition says that William Jeffrey came to Canada alone when Andrew was in his teens. Mary and the rest of the family followed him, probably in 1819. Many of the men of Scotland found the going hard through the unemployment following the end of the Napoleonic wars in 1815. This is probably why the Jeffrey family emigrated. Andrew settled first in Kingston, and in 1820 made his way to Cobourg, where he lived until his death in 1863. Both of these communities were located in Ontario, or as it was then known, Upper Canada. Upper Canada was the most British of the Canadian colonies.
He married Janet Hall on February 18, 1828 in Cobourg. She bore him 9 children before her death in 1851.
In 1924 there were approximately 350 people living in Cobourg. There was no organized group of Presbyterian Christians in the community. On occasion, ministers from an organized congregation would visit neighboring settlements bring services there. In 1927, a Reverend J. Jenkins visited Port Hope, a settlement a few miles east of Cobourg. He ordained five men as elders, one of them being Andrew Jeffrey. The first four men joined a congregation in Port Hope, while Andrew associated himself with the Presbyterians in Cobourg. He and another existing elder in Cobourg formed the nucleus of the leadership of the “Kirk of Scotland” in Cobourg. In 1833, Andrew and three other men became the first Trustees of this local church, and shortly thereafter, he and six other men were appointed to be a Building Committee for this Presbyterian Church, responsible for erecting a suitable building for the growing church in Cobourg. Andrew continued as an elder in “St. Andrews Presbyterian Church” until his death in 1863. Among their many responsibilities, the elders in the church were very diligent in the spiritual oversight of this congregation. They dealt with many issues that have had to be dealt with down through the centuries, as well as those peculiar to their time. These included dealing with: “The great sin of marriage to a deceased wife’s sister, being nothing less than incest” (1836); failure of a church member to “contribute to the support of the gospel” (1836); “giving birth to a child out of wedlock” (1838); “the great evil committed in drinking of spirituous liquor till she was intoxicated” (1840); “the sin of ante nuptial fornication” (1850); “acts of intemperance in being intoxicated” (1856), etc. Andrew and his fellow elders didn’t shirk from their spiritual responsibilities in addressing these issues, but were faithful in showing mercy as soon as the sinning member expressed contrition.
Andrew’s vocation was described in 1832 as a “saddler.” In 1833, he was described as a “harness maker.” In 1837, Cobourg was incorporated as a village, and a Board of Police managed its municipal affairs for the following 13 years. Andrew Jeffrey was elected to this Board in 1837. In 1850, Cobourg was incorporated as a town, and a mayor and a Board of Councilmen now managed its municipal affairs. Andrew was elected a councilman in 1851, and in 1852 he was elected Mayor of Cobourg. In the same year (1852) he was elected President of the Board of Trustees of the Northumberland and Durham Saving’s Bank, which office he held till his death in 1863. He kept a private school for boys at the corner of King and D’Arcy Streets in Cobourg, and apparently served as headmaster. Throughout these years, Andrew operated the Cobourg Foundry. A foundry is an establishment where metal is melted and poured into molds. This foundry manufactured steam engines, boilers, agricultural equipment, axes and other items. Andrew also established a hardware business, which gradually became large and prosperous.
On May 4, 1853. Andrew married for the second time, to Agnes Moscrip McLenhan, a widow with 2 children, who was nearly 19 years younger than Andrew. She bore him 4 children, one of who is my great-grandfather, Henry. Andrew was just shy of 60 years old when Henry was born. In 1859, Andrew was appointed one of the five Commissioners of the Town Trust, and speedily became its chairman. In 1860, he was elected to represent the Newcastle District in the Legislative Council, which was the upper house of legislation for the Province of Canada, and consisted of 24 members. Members were elected every 4 years. Andrew died after a protracted illness on July 27, 1863. His funeral was on July 29 at 12:00 noon. The places of business in Cobourg were closed from noon to 2:00PM in token of respect for Andrew.
Andrew Jeffrey seems to have been a man of tremendous character. His obituary uses these words: “He remained one of Cobourg’s most upright and respectable citizens.” “He filled his office with honour, performing all its responsible labors with characteristic assiduity (constant or close application or attention, particularly to some business or enterprise; diligence) and integrity.” “His industry, enterprise and perserverance, together with his marked honesty of character, enabled him to be successful in business.” “Endowed by nature with a fine mind – with a large, warm and generous heart, and with great energy of character, he has won for himself the reputation of a just and good man.” “He was a man of considerable information, calm judgement, and strict integrity.”
He was also a dearly beloved father. Two letters from Andrew to his daughter, Jessie, have survived, both written from Quebec, where he lived while he served on the Legislative Council. One was written to her when she was 5 years old, the other when she was 6. Reading his letters to her display the qualities that endeared him to his family. I will close this post by copying one of these letters, written a little over a year before his death.
Quebec 29 March 1862
My Dear Jessie,
I got your letter, and it makes me very glad. You are a good girl for saying your lessons every day, and I am much pleased to hear you say that Donald is now saying his lessons better than he did (Donald was 7 years old).
You know that I have often told you that good children are always willing to learn – and by so doing they get to know a great deal, and are far more useful than children that cannot read nor write. Now what a nice thing it is that, although I am many hundred miles away from you, by learning to read and write you can send me a letter and tell me all you want to say just as well as if we were sitting in the room together.
Now I hope to hear both Donald and you will learn to read and write fast so that you can, both of you, send me a long letter by and by.
Be good children, be willing to do whatever you are bid, do not go to bed before you say your prayers, and Pa will also pray God bless and keep you. Give Harry a kiss (Henry was 2 years old) and tell him it is from Pa.
Your Father,
A Jeffrey

Andrew Jeffrey's House in Cobourg

This is a photo if the house Andrew Jeffrey lived in when his son, Henry was born in 1862. It is located on King Street in Cobourg. The photo was taken almost 70 years later, in 1931. In the 1861 census, the house was described as a 2 story brick home situated on 1 1/4 acres. He had one horse, two cows, and two carriages.

More Photos of Andrew Jeffrey

Here are three more photos of Andrew Jeffrey. The top is an oil painting that was passed down through the family, and is currently in possession of Nancy Jeffrey of Ontario, California. The next photo is one that has been reproduced in two books, Cobourg 1798-1948, by Edwin C. Guillet, and St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church - A History, edited by Christine E. Gardiner. The final photo is one that has again been passed down through the Jeffrey family, and is just labeled on the back, "Father."