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JOHN C. McKAY (deceased). No one looking over
the prosperous farms of Howard township, County of Kent, Ontario, and all
ignorant of its history, would imagine what a wilderness it once was, and
that within the memory of many of its present citizens. One of the sturdy
pioneers, now deceased, to whom so much is owed by the present generation,
was John C. McKay, a farmer on Concession 3, who was born in Prince Edward
Island, in February, 1839, son of John and Mary McKay natives of Scotland,
who settled at Prince Edward Island. There the father died and his widow
married John Oliver; she died in Chatham township, leaving two children by
her first marriage: John C., and Robert, who lives at McKay’s Corners, in
Harwich.
John C. McKay came to Chatham when a young
man, and learned the carpenter’s trade, which he followed for a number of
years, building houses all over the county. IN 1860, he married Miss
Mariah McCann, of Harwich, born in 1844. Soon after his marriage, he
purchased his present homestead, all of which was wild land. Beneath the
huge trees, he built a small log cabin, in which the family made their
home for some years, until it was burned down, and he replaced it with
another, which served as a residence until 1892, when he built the large
brick residence , in which his widow now makes her home. Here he passed
away in May, 1901. His first wife died April 14, 1885, the mother of
twelve children, eight of whom are still living: (1) John, the eldest,
born in 1863, married Miss Rose Clark, in 1887, and they have four
children, Ethel, Rhoda, Olive May and Valetta; they reside in Harwich on
his farm. (2) James, born in 1865, is unmarried and is engaged as a
carpenter at New Orleans. (3) George, born in 1869, is a tailor of
Leamington. He married Miss Gowey, of Ridgetown, and has two children,
Harold and Georgia. (4) Walter, born in 1869, in Howard, is a tailor of
Essex. He has been married twice, first to Miss Robson, of Leamington,
who bore him one child, John C. McKay, now deceased. By his second
marriage he has one child, Clara. (5) Robert, born in Howard in 1871,
married Mamie Mow, of Harwich township, where he resides on a farm. He
has one daughter, Flossie. (6) Anna, born in 1873, in Howard, married
Joseph Miller, a resident of Chatham, and has three children, Jessie, Neta
and Zeta. (7) Bertha, born on the homestead, in 1875, married James
Baker, and resides in Dresden, Ontario. She has four children, Byron,
Irvin, Eva and Grace. (8) Mary, born in 1877, and educated in the Howard
schools, near the home built by her father, is unmarried and is a most
charming young lady, and an important factor in the social life of the
community.
In January, 1889, Mr. McKay married Miss
Jennie McEachran, the estimable daughter of Neil and Mary (Smart)
McEachran, prominent pioneers of Harwich township. Neil McEachran was
born in Argyll, Scotland, and his wife Mary (Smart) was born in England,
but they were married in Canada, and were among the early settlers of
Harwich, where Mr. McEachran died; his wife survives and is still residing
on the homestead. Mrs. McKay was born in October, 1865, and educated in
the home schools of Harwich, where she remained until her marriage. Mr.
And Mrs. McKay settled on his farm, and he at once began making extensive
improvements until it is now one of the best in County Kent. Two children
were born to this marriage, Neil, born March 12, 1890; and Jennett, born
November 15, 1895.
Mr. McKay was a member of the Presbyterian Church, as is also his wife,
and that body owes much of its prosperity to both. Politically, he was a
member of the Reform party, and took an active part in local affairs. He
was a member of the Masonic Lodge at Chatham, and was buried with Masonic
honours, his funeral being a large and imposing one. At his death Mr.
McKay bequeathed to his children no trivial example, no darkened ideals.
The influence of his character reaches beyond the term of his own
existence. His public life – the relation which he bore to the general
community – was such as to stimulate others to high and noble deeds.
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