William Ewen MacLennan (1903-1930+) in Montreal or Quebec, Canada.

[ChipChip]

I am trying to establish what happened to William after he emigrated from Scotland to Canada in 1930.
William was a Civil Engineer who was originally born on the island of Benbecula, Inverness-shire, Scotland in 1903. His parents were Donald John MacLennan (1868-1951) and Annabella Penelope Langwill (1872-1940) and he was one of eight children.
In 1920/22 the MacLennan family left Benbecula to live in Perthshire on mainland Scotland.
In 1930 William emigrated to Canada via Greenock, Renfrewshire, Scotland. I lose sight of him after that. As far as I am aware he did not return to live in Scotland.

[ChipChip]

I have just discovered that William had been living in Canada from August 1923 to April 1930.
His 1923 trip was his original emigration and he was bound for Quebec and onwards to someone (unreadable) in Kennedy, Saskatchewan. In April 1930 he was returning to his mother's home in Perthshire, Scotland via Liverpool, England. He was accompanied by two other McLennan's that I do not recognise. One was a 4 month child called Mary and the other is a 25 year old Roderick W. Now Roderick is a male name but he/she is logged as a 'Housewife'. Is this a transcription mistake.? Is it a man/wife with their child or two men travelling with a child.? The jury is out.
William did have a brother Roderick John but he died in 1927, age 15.
It follows that William's trip to Canada in October 1930 was him returning home alone. Mary and Roderick were not with him.

[Currie]

Hello Chip,

ScotlandsPeople has birth records for females with first name Roderica, Rodericka, Roderickina, and a couple of Rodericks, including this one

MCLENNAN
RODERICK
F
1911
111/1 53
Harris North

All the best,
Alan

[ChipChip]

Hello Currie,
Many thanks for your response and the suggestion of a possible female candidate Roderick McLennan born 1911 in Harris, Inverness-shire, Scotland.
I decided to break the bank and have downloaded her birth and death record. Unfortunately I can't tie her down to the person I am after.
The birth record index on Scotlandspeople has her as Roderick whereas the actual record has her as Rodericka McLennan. Her death record in 1957 in Uig, Ross & Cromerty has her as Roderika Buchanan,age 46, married to a Norman Buchanan. This led me to marriage record index in 1949 which has her as Rhoda MacLennan.
The variety of name spelling does not bother me because it's fairly commonplace. I also don't recognise her particular McLennan parents.
I'm afraid its back to the drawing board.

[garibaldired]

If you look on

https://probatesearch.service.gov.uk/Ca ... 2#calendar

there's a will for a WILLIAM EWEN MACLENNAN of 710 Catherine St Thunder Bay Ontario Canada who died 19 September 1980.


Of course whether he is "your" William is another matter!

Best wishes,
Meg

[garibaldired]

Looking further there's a Thunder Bay Obituary Index and he appears in the list as aged 77 when he died. So the right age!

http://www.tbpl.ca/upload/documents/obi ... 989001.pdf


Best wishes,
Meg

[ChipChip]

Hello garibaldired,
The net is definitely closing in. The GOV.UK site details seem to fit very well. I have used this site several times and found that they are very pernickety about the details you provide in the relevant boxes. One little slip and you lose your pennies. However the bonus is that it only costs £1.50 pounds sterling at the moment. I am going to give it a try even though I don't know the date of probate in Ontario, Canada which is a question in one of the boxes. It takes several weeks to get a reply and I will let people know the result as and when.
In the meantime if anyone has access to the Thunder Bay Chronicle Journal I would appreciate a look at the obituary for William. It's on page 30 of the edition on 20 Sep 1980.
Thanks for pointing me in the right directon.

[garibaldired]

Yes I've found that too but at £1.50 a will it's good value.
I see the Thunder Bay Chronicle Journal is on microfiche at the Brodie Resource Library.
The library has a website and a social media presence so they might be worth contacting.


Best wishes,

Meg

[jfremont]

I think it is likely the two entries in the 1930 passenger list, Mary and Roderick W are transposed in error and that Mary age 25 is his wife and Roderick W. age 4 months is his son.

The Canada voters list for 1953 and 1965 shows William E. MacLennan, manager (1953) and waterworks engineer (1965) and Mrs Mary MacLennan living at 710 Catherines Street, Thunder Bay. There is a further entry in 1972 at the same address.

There is a Mary MacLennan age 80 died 13 Jan 1985 in Thunder Bay in the obituary list so possibly William's wife.

The voters list shows various entries (1965, 1972, 1974) for Roderick MacLennan, teacher, and Mrs. Norma MacLennan living in Thunder Bay.

John

[ChipChip]

Hello jfremont,
Thanks for your interesting response. Following my own discovery, via the Canada Voters Roll, that his wife was probably a Mrs Mary MacLennan I had reached the same conclusion as yourself regarding transposition of the Roderick/Mary names on the April 1930 passenger list.
I now have several leads to follow up including death/obituary notices. It will take some time but I will report back on the outcome.