Descendants of John McDougal
Curt Fredrikson
Updated 4 Dec 2006 [Curt's Email address]

 

1. JOHN
b. c.1746, Scotland
m. MARY McGREGOR, b. Scotland
d. 10 August 1826, Tower Hill, St. David, Charlotte Co.,  New Brunswick, Canada
 

The story of John McDougal presented here may be entirely true, but the documentation found to date is inadequate to raise it above speculation.  Numerous documents in the name of John McDougal have been found in Charlotte County, but it has yet to be established whether some or all apply to the writer’s ancestor.

A story of John McDougal comes from his great-great-granddaughter Marion Abigail Getchell  (l902-l980) of St. Stephen, N.B.  Miss Getchell’s narrative, which is unaccompanied by documentation, says that John McDougal, born in Scotland, married Mary McGregor, also of Scotland   He arrived at Penobscot (now Maine) in 1778.  After the (Revolutionary) war, he “drew land in Milltown (St. Stephen) fronting the main river opposite the upper footbridge”.  Here they lived until the family of six children were grown up.  John and Mary moved to Tower Hill, died and were buried there.  She also says that John McDougal was a piper major in the “93rd Regiment Argyle Highlanders”.  This seems unlikely, as the 93rd was not formed until about 1800.  Other documents cited below suggest the 74th Regiment as a more likely possibility.  It appears that John came to North America as a British soldier in the American Revolution and never resided in what became the United States.  However, Esther Clark Wright lists a John McDougall of the 74rh regiment as having received a Loyalist grant at St. Andrews, N.B.

I now present, in chronological order, extracts of documents I have found in the name of John McDougal.  The documents do not materially contradict the Marion Getchell narrative, but neither do they conclusively support it.  On 4 December 1789, John McDougal of St. Stephen sold a town lot in St. Andrews, N.B. to Henry Barlow Brown.  On 26 March 1790, John McDougal acquired lot #6 in the Donald Grant grant, near St. Stephen, consisting of 66 acres.  McDougal subsequently sold portions of this property as follows:  On 10 September 1793, one acre each to Peter Cristy, Samuel Hill, James Cristy, Paul Knight, & Thaddeus Ames; On 5 October 1793, three acres to Peter Cristy (the document states that this is from lot #5 rather than #6); On 2 January 1796, 1/2 acre to Thaddeus Ames; On 4 June 1796, 16 acres to Peter Cristy; On 4 April  1801, 1/2 of lot #6 to Daniel & Joel Whitney.  Most of these documents mention McDougal’s wife, Mary.

On 15 March 1802, a John McDougal petitioned the provincial government that lot #2, division B of Grant’s grant, formerly belonging to his late brother, Duncan, be granted to his (John’s) son, Allan, lot #5 be granted to himself, and lot #6 be granted to his son, Alexander.  McDougal states that he has a large family and is not very able to provide for them as justification for the petition.  He claimed service in the 74th Regiment.

On 12 September 1807, a John Mc Dougall  (probably the same, although the signatures are dissimilar) stated that he had removed to the bank of the Digdaguash River, near a road from Tower Hill, St. Davids, having found previously granted land in the Grant grant to be so rocky and barren as to be unable to afford him a sustenance, and petitioned for a grant of 200 acres at
his new location.

  On 9 September 1826, the Acadian Recorder newspaper published an obituary of John M’Dougall of St. David, N.B., former piper of the 74th or Argyleshire Highlanders, who died in the 81st year of his life on August 10, 1826.  A three verse poem accompanies the obituary.  

Children:
(according to Marion Getchell; ages and order uncertain)
 i. Nancy- m.  Bolton
 ii. Katie- m.  Evans
 iii. JANE- b. c.1782, St. Davids Ridge, Nova Scotia (now N.B.), Canada
 m. SAMUEL (6) GETCHELL (b. c.1780, d. 25 January 1868)
 d. 5 March 1866, St. Stephen, N.B., Canada
 iv. Mary-  m. - Knight
 v. Alexander (Sandy)- "lived on Miramichi”
 vi. Allan- “died at our house”
 

Sources:

Getchell genealogy-Marion Abigail Getchell  (Provincial Archives of New Brunswick film F763)
Charlotte County land petitions 1763-1790 (LDS film 0843159)
Charlotte County Registry Office Record Books A & B (PANB film F5179), transaction numbers 340, 596-600, 611, 706, 726, & 1041
Glimpses of the Past -James Vroom (PANB film F743, LDS film 0862075)
John McDougal land petitions (PANB film RS108)
Acadian Recorder, 9 September 1826 (Pub1ic Archives of Nova Scotia)
Land transaction index, Charlotte County (source uncertain; copy in possession of writer) listing acquisition of lot #6, 26 March 1790
The Loyalists of New Brunswick, Esther Clark Wright, Moncton Publishing Co., Ltd., Moncton, NB., page 311
 

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