This page designed and created by Bill McLatchy 1997 - 98.

" John McLatchy, the progenitor of the family in America, was born in Ayreshire, Scotland, in February 1756. He emigrated to Canada in 1783, and settled in Windsor, Nova Scotia. In this Hants County community, he married Rebeckah Morrison , on August 7th, 1784, one year after entering the province. Rebeckah was born in Londonderry, Ireland, during the month of March, in the year 1758. No record of her ancestory has been found, or date of immigration to Nova Scotia. Likewise, the parents of John McLatchy are unknown, and no information of his early life in Ayreshire has been located. One descendant informed me that John came to Nova Scotia with a brother who soon after re - moved to The United States. No record of this brother has turned up in my research."

     Although with no proof, I (Bill McLatchy) believe it possible that John McLatchy (b.1756) was born in Pennsylvania, perhaps the son of another John McLatchy who would have been born in Ayreshire, Scotland a generation prior. This could explain why Mr. Hatt could find no record of a John McLatchy born 1756 Ayreshire.

     "The early records of Windsor show John McLatchy to be a Farmer and a Blacksmith in the community. The assessment roll for the year 1793 describe him as a Blacksmith, having two cows, two horses, and four sheep, with a tax assessment of six Shillings and two pence. He was anEducated man, with a signature that stands out bold and clear, far above the penmanship of the average settler. Rebeckah Morrison however, had little or noEducation, and was unable to sign her name on documents, using an "X" as her mark. John McLatchy's ability as a businessman can be seen in the documents preserved at the Hants County Record Office at Windsor, where many land transactions, both large and small, are registered in his name, showing him to be the purchaser and mortgager of real estate. Since the mortgages appear as early as 1787, it may be the senior gentleman arrived in Nova Scotia with a well filled pocketbook, or prospered soon after settling in the township."

    "John McLatchy took an active interest in the affairs of the community. As early as 1793, his name appears as tax assessor for the township, and excerpts noted in the records of the town meetings from 1800 until 1811 mention him as members of different committees. One committee was appointed to examine the state and condition of the church yard, while another was against "spiritous liquor", showing the senior McLatchy to be a religious and sober inhabitant. In 1807 the records show him voted into the chair, and in November 1811 his name appears on a nomination list for the General Court of Peace. He was not among those appointed, and a possible explanation for this was his departure from the Windsor area."

     "William O'Brien, an early Schoolmaster and Carpenter in the Windsor area, was a meticulous man, and his account book is preserved in the Nova Scotia Archives at Halifax. Many references are made to his work at King's College, surveying lumber for the church, working on dykes, etc.. The entries are crowded together, but are remarkably clear in the case of the McLatchy and Harris entries."

Notes taken from William O'Brien's account book    

May 21, 1804 One half day raising McLatchy's shop.

Jan. 19, 1805 Samual Harris, 72 days work @ seven Shillings from May 7 toNov. 4, at Dr. Cox repairs.    

May 18, 1806 Granny Harris departed this life. Born May 15, 1725, aged 81 years. Buried May 20, @ 4:00 p.m..    

Oct. 5, 1806 Paid Mr. McLatchy for mending lock, four Shillings.

   Jan.     1807 Four days work at John McLatchy's house. Jan. 21, 22, 23, and 24. One Pound. Jan. 26, 27, 28, and 29. One Pound.

   Oct. 21, 1807 At raising Mr. McLatchy's house.
   Oct. 22, 1807 )
   Oct. 23, 1807 ) Two days work at Mr. McLatchy's barn.
   Oct. 24, 1807 Rained.
   Oct. 25, 1807 Sunday.


     "Township books were introduced into Nova Scotia by the pre - Loyalist New Englanders, which included vital statistics as well as civil records. Windsor was founded prior to the entry of the New England Planters into the colony, but they had a township book, and we can suggest that they knew a good thing when they saw it. The Windsor Township Book contains the following record of the original McLatchy family, copied as it appears :

John McLatchy and Rebeckah Morrison , were married on 7th August 1784
                             Their issue :

                      JANET McLATCHY   born 20th March 1786.
                      REBECKAH McLATCHY   born 19th November 1787.
                      JAMES McLATCHY   born 19th April 1789.
                      JOHN McLATCHY   born 31st November 1790.
                      THOMAS McLATCHY   born 2nd May 1793.
                      MARY McLATCHY   born 8th June 1795.

     "Dead" has been added in a different handwriting beside the name of the eldest son, James. After this entry was recorded in the township book, three more children were born to John and Rebeckah. The names of these children and the dates of their birth are as follows :

                      JAMES McLATCHY 2nd   born 7th September 1797.
                      HENRY McLATCHY    born ..... December 1800.EdWARD McLATCHY    born 30th June 1804.

     On December 12th, 1812, John McLatchy Senior purchased a large tract of land in Albert County, New Brunswick, at that time a portion of Westmorland County. This property consisted of three thousand four hundred sixty four (3464) acres, and was formerly granted in the year 1789 to Joshua Mauger, a prominent political figure of that period. The land was situated on the west bank of the Petticodiac River, north of the Villiage of Hillsborough, and directly north of Weldon Creek (once known as McLatchy Creek). The community has been known as Weldon and also as Wellington, but the latter name was soon dropped. For this large estate, John McLatchy paid the sum of one thousand three hundred eighty pounds (1380). The pound sterling of the year 1800 would be worth the equivalent of sixty or more dollars in today's currency (circa. 1970), making the amount paid for the Mauger property equal to eighty thousand dollars or more, a sizable sum available to few Blacksmiths of that or any other period."


     "In the early days of the province, when New Brunswick was still a portion of Nova Scotia, large sections of land called "townships" were granted to members of the Nova Scotia Council and their influential friends, who were obliged to bring tenants into sites set aside for settlement. On October 31st, 1765, a grant was given to Robert Cummings and his associates, John Collier, Joseph Gerrish, Henry Newton, and James Bouyineau. The township granted to these gentlemen was named "Hillsborough", after Lord Hillsborough, Secretary of State, and one of the Lord commissioners of Trade and Plantations in England. Moses J. F. Delesdernier, an agent for the proprietors, brought the first twelve families into Hillsborough after the expulsion of the Acadians. Three more families, who had first settled in the Moncton Township, soon followed the early pioneers into Hillsborough, and by the year 1770 fifteen families were well established in the community. During the next few years, additional residents from Moncton and settlements nearby, as well as a number of immigrants from Yorkshire, England, came to enjoy the ever increasing "prosperity" of the countryside."

      "Prior to the entry of the McLatchy family into the Weldon community in 1812, many more families had settled in the Hillsborough area. Grants had been given to many of the early inhabitants and their descendants, after petitions had been prepared and forwarded to the authorities of the government. Land surveys were made on many of the properties, including the large tract granted to Joshua Mauger. This grant had been divided into thirteen lots, each approximately "sixteen chains in width". Some of these lots were leased to the inhabitants, two of whom were John Beatty and Joseph Woodworth who resided on a large clearing at the mouth of Weldon Creek. Here, they built homes and other buildings. A clearing on the neighbouring lot had been made by a French settler, and George Wortman had built a house and made small improvements to a lot further up the river. Wortman and the French settler had vacated the premises long before the McLatchy family purchased the property."

      "Why did John McLatchy leave his comfortable home in Windsor, where he was living a prosperous and well established life? Was it to get his sons John Junior and James established on farms of their own or other reasons? Probably these questions will never be answered. While it cannot be documented, persistant rumour has circulated throughout the family in New Brunswick that our ancestor received his land on the Petitcodiac River as recompense for bringing up two or more illegitimate children of a "roving" member of The House of Hanover. Shortly before his death, the Historian Bartlett Brebner had said something to a friend of the family which seemed to imply that someone close to the McLatchy family had been involved with this Hanoverian Duke. Similar tales have been told by other persons studying the ancestory of families married into the McLatchy clan, stating that the children were brought up in the McLatchy home at Weldon. This somewhat more romantic origin of our entry into the Province of New Brunswick cannot be substantiated by any means other than that of sheer rumour. Nonetheless, the price paid for this newly acquired property was far above the amount available to the average settler, making the entry into the Hillsborough area most unusual."

     "A home was built by the senior McLatchy at the mouth of the Weldon (or McLatchy) Creek, on the clearing previously improved by the former tenants, John Beatty and Joseph Woodworth. Later, a residence was erected for John Junior and his family. For many years, a huge barn, over one hundred feet in length, was a well known landmark on the property. It is said that the barn was a major landmark for those who navigated The Petticodiac River."

     "The original home stood for over eighty years, and was inhabited by three generations of McLatchy`s. The last to live there were Miss Lavinia and her sister Mary Jane, two spinster daughters of Jannet Jessie (Scott) and James McLatchy 2nd. Mary Jane was mentally unbalanced, and for many years cared for by Lavinia. She came to a tragic end, while resting in her bedroom, a few days before Christmas 1894. A fire mysteriously started in her bedroom and the burns she received were so severe, Mary Jane died the following day. Lavinia was outside the home at the time, and hearing the screams from her sister, ran into the house and found Mary Jane surrounded with smoke and flames."

     "I (Mr. Hatt) have been unable to determine how many of the McLatchy family came to live in New Brunswick. We know John Junior and James 2nd came with their father and resided at Weldon. If any other children or their mother resided in the community, it could have been for only a short time. The young son Henry, who died on March 22, 1813, is buried at Windsor and not Weldon. For this, I believe the mother and remaining sons and daughters stayed on at the homestead at Windsor. Thomas,Edward, and all of the daughters were married in, and resided in this community during their lifetime, and little record of their appearence in New Brunswick can be found."

     "A further three hundred fourty and one half acres of land was purchased on November 1, 1820, from Isaac and Rachel Dawson, making the area of the family estate in New Brunswick to now exceed thirty eight hundred (3800) acres. Four and one half years later, on April 14, 1825, John McLatchy Senior transferred one thousand five hundred acres of the Albert County land to his son James 2nd. An additional two thousand acres was handed over to John Junior. A witness to the transfer wasEdward McLatchy, the youngest member of the family, and the only reference to his presence in New Brunswick. In the description to James McLatchy`s property, the deed reads "to the river by a line between John`s farm and me, where the line fence now stands." This description shows that John McLatchy senior was still a resident of Weldon thirteen years after the estate was purchased, and the land improved to the extent that there were now two farms on the property."

      "The following year, in april, 1826, a deed was registered in the Westmorland County Record Office to property sold by the senior McLatchy, giving his son John Junior the power of attorney in the land transfer. The recorded transaction shows the address of John McLatchy Senior to be Windsor, Nova Scotia. This strengthens the possibility that the family had kept two residences, one at Windsor and the other at Weldon. By this time, James 2nd and John Junior were married and bringing up families of their own, so the father returned to Nova Scotia to remain, except for short visits."

     "John McLatchy Senior died on March 4th, 1832, at the age of seventy six years. He lived a full and prosperous life, most of which in the colourful and adventurous days of early Canada. Rebekah, his wife, outlived her huband by twenty and one half years, passing away on September 6th, 1853, at the respected age of ninety six years. Both died at Windsor, and are buried in the old church burying grounds. Nearby are the graves of their children, Thomas,Edward, and Rebecca (or Rebekah). The epitaphs to the memory of these early pioneers are still in very good condition, however the cemetary is unkept and overgrown with weeds and tall grass." (These were the conditions Mr. Hatt observed circa. 1969, so I am happy to inform you that when I visited the cemetary in the summer of 1993, the grounds were restored and well maintained with the stones still legible for most part.)

     The following is an exerpt from the book "Two Loyalist Townships in Nova Scotia" (Rawdon/Douglas) Biographical and Genealogical Section :      "His name (John McLatchy) appears in the Hants County deed records in connection with many land purchases. On 24 June 1791 John McLatchy purchased 1000 acres (Lots 12 and 13) in the Rawdon area which had been granted to Col. Zacharias Gibbes, Loyalist from South Carolina. (HCReg. Book 5/377) On 21 Mar. 1811 John McLatchy and his wife Rebecca sold 600 acres including houses and buildings in Rawdon to William Higgins (Lots 12 and 13). (HCReg. Book 9/53) In 1812 McLatchy purchased a large tract of land at Hillsborough, New Brunswick including the portion where Moses Delesdernier (c 1713-1811) had built his pioneer home and trading post. Delesdernier was one of the original grantees at Windsor, NS. He had arrived in Nova Scotia from Russin, Conton of Geneva, Switzerland and for sometime operated a trading post on the slopes of FortEdward, Windsor, NS."

James McLatchy 2nd

      Jannet was the daughter of ....... (.......) and John Scott of Scott`s Hill, Albert County, N.B.. Scott`s Hill is located just a few miles North of the McLatchy land in Weldon.

     James McLatchy 2nd, the fourth son of Rebekah (Morrison) and John McLatchy, was their second child to be given the name James. He was a young boy in his teens when he came to Weldon, Albert County, New Brunswick (circa 1812). He came with his father and elder brother, John Jr., settling on the newly acquired property near Hillsborough. Here, James grew into manhood assisting his father with the estate, and commencing an active and adventurous life of his own in this farming community.

     James McLatchy 2nd came to New Brunswick in 1811 or 1812. His father purchased a large tract of land (1812) in the Hillsborough Township, formerly granted to Joshua Mauger. The sons settled on the Peticodiac River, and homes were built, where the families became prosperous farmers in the community.

     While still a young man in his early twenties, James married Jannet Jessie Scott, daughter of John Scott. John Scott was a native of Scotland who had brought his family to live in Albert County in 1818 after emigrating to Pictou, Nova Scotia, in November 1815. Jannet was a girl of only fourteen when she entered "the new country", having been born in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The record of Jannet and James` marriage can be found in the Early Marriage Record Book for Westmorland County, which is preserved in the archives of the Fort Beausejour Museum, near Sackville, New Brunswick.

     On October 6, 1821, only a few days after his marriage, James McLatchy, along with John Parkin, William Parkin, and Thomas Geldart petitioned the Government of New Brunswick for grants of land on the Coverdale River. This land was a few miles South of the Villiage of Salisbury, Westmorland County, N.B., and was later given the name "Parkindale". Possibly at this time, James was anxious to carve out a life of his own in the new settlement opening up in the back country. I can see no need for him to start life anew amongst so many hardships as would be found in this wooded wilderness, but a clue to his intentions may be found in the petition of 1821. James wrote that the lot he requested was "inferior in goodness", and his reason for wanting the property was only on account of the mill stream that ran through it. He intended to erect a grist and sawmill as speedily as his ability would permit.

     James and Jannet could have settled in this "backwoods settlement", but possibly not for long. On July 8, 1828, James received his grant to the Coverdale lot (appendix M), and to do so, some improvements must have been made to qualify for this land from the provincial authorities. Previous to this date, on April 14, 1825, James was deeded one thousand five hundred acres of his father`s estate at Weldon, and with this large acreage to maintain, close supervision would be needed to assure proper management, and a profitable return from his holdings. James McLatchy Junior (1-7-3), the third son of Jannet (Scott) and James Mclatchy, was born at Hillsborough, so if James and Jannet had resided in the Elgin settlement of Parkindale, they returned to the senior McLatchy`s residence in Weldon before February 1826, remaining here to reside and bring up their family. On June 7, 1831, the property at Parkindale was sold to John Parkin. It might be noted here that John Parkin was the father of Ann Parkin, who later married John McLatchy 3rd (1-7-1), the first son of Jannet and James McLatchy.

     Eight children were born to Jannet (Scott) and James McLatchy 2nd, six sons and two daughters. All of the children lived to adulthood, and resided in the community of Weldon or nearby. All but one of the sons had families of their own, and their descendants are scattered East to West in Canada, and the United States. Neither of the daughters married, living quietly in Weldon during their lifetime. Lavinia, the youngest in the family, was a well respected teacher in the area, but had to give up her profession to care for her sister. Mary Janet, the sister, had a mental illness, and was severely burned (and died soon after) in a tragic fire that destroyed the family home in December 1894. 

     James McLatchy`s death came very unexpectedly on December 30,1837. An undocumented report states that he died from blood poisoning, brought on by the unnattended scratch of a small kitten. Whether or not this statement is true, he died a young man in the prime of his life. He left behind a grieved widow to care for their seven children, and a daughter still to be born the following year. A memorial to James is located in the old cemetary in the heart of Hillsborough, which reads as follows:

This monument is erected by Jannet
McLatchy as a tribute to the memory of
her husband, JAMES McLATCHY, who lies
here. He died the 30th of December 1837,
in his 41st year of age, leaving a
widow and eight children to lament their
loss. "To him that ask he gave, and from
him that would borrow he turned not away."
Matt. V 42

Unfortunately, weather has deteriorated the stone, and it is no longer legible.
      Jannet outlived her husband by more than fourty-seven years, departing from this earth on May 19, 1885. After James died, she carried on the family residence and for the later years of her life had her two daughters and elder brother, Robert, living with her in the original McLatchy home. She is buried at Gray`s Island Cemetary, Hillsborough, and a monument to her memory is situated there. It is a tribute to a gallant lady who played her part in the history of this colourful section of New Brunswick.

Added by Michael Mills: 

The name "McLatchy", is a shortening of the name of a Scotch Clan, living, for many generations in the mountainous highlands of Scotland, known as the "MacLatchie" family.

John McLatchy:    secured a land grant of five thousand acres of timber land on the south shore of the Peticodiac River, of the Province of New Brunswick, Canada, about ten miles from the mouth of that river, where it empties into the Bay of Fundy, from the government of Great Britain and constructed a shipyard at what is now the village of Hillsborough and he and his sons became shipbuilders of wooden sloops and schooners for coastal navigation, down the coast of Canada and the United States as far south as the west Indies.

James and Jannet McLatchy were Edmumd Mills' maternal great grandparnts. The  5th child of James and Jannet McLatchy was Edmund Mills' maternal grandfather, Samuel Harris McLatchy.

Samuel Harris McLatchy was born in 1831 in Weldon, Albert County, New Brunswick, Canada.    He resided in the family home and farm in Weldon with this family, and then with his widowed mother, Jannet, until his marriage.  He married Mary Jane Harris of Horton, Nova Scotia on 9/21/1861 and had 8 (?) children, the last of which was Ed's mother, Alice McLatchy (which, on Edmund Mills' birth cirtificate has a different spelling:   "MacLatchy").  Alice was born on November 24, 1882.. 

Samuel Harris McLatchy, the youngest and youthfully well-to-do, good looking, member of his immediate family, "ditched" school before finishing. He courted Mary Jane Harris of Grand Pre, Nova Scotia. They married on 9/21/1861 and had 8 (?) children. (The last of which was Ed's mother, Alice McLatchy. On Edmund Mills' birth cirtificate her last name has a different spelling:  "MacLatchy").   Alice was born on November 24, 1882.   Samuel built a fine big home on his own land at Hillsborough, living the life of a country gentleman, until their home caught fire and was destroyed, with no insurance upon it.  The family then lived temporarily in the original McLatchy homestead built for the family on the original 5000 acre McLatcy property that had been granted to John McLatchy.  The Samuel McLatchy family remained in Weldon, New Brunswick until 1889 when they moved to Moncton, New Brunswick for Samuel to accept a position of caretaker of the "Almshouse" (?).   He held this position until April 30, 1896.   In October, 1907, he followed three of his children who have moved to Oxnard, California.  These children were:

Oscar J. McLatchy ( 7/22/1871 - 8/21/1940).   This uncle of Ed's is apparently  the source of Ed's middle name, "Oscar".  Oscar was  reported by one source to have worked as a fireman.  However, his obituary, below, suggests otherwise:

OBITUARY Oscar Inglis McLatchy was born in Hillaborough, New Brunswick, Canada, July 22nd, 1871. His father was Samuel Harris McLatchy, and his mother Mary Jane Harris McLatchy. In his early youth he decided to settle in the United States, and entered the machinists trade in New York City. In 1900 he was married to Fannie Louise Hamilton, after which they went to Virginia and resided until 1905. At that time they moved to Los Angeles, California, where the first child,Edith May, was born. In 1906, Mr. McLatchy connected with the American Beet Sugar Company in Oxnard. The second daughter, Dorothy, was born there in 1909. Between the years of 1925 and 1932, he was employed by the Oxnard Municipal Water Department, where his brother, Reginald, has served for many years. About seven years ago, Mr. McLatchy purchased property near Ojai, where he was residing at the time of his death. Mr. McLatchy for the past three years had been working during the campaign season only at the American Crystal Sugar Company in Oxnard. On the night of August 21, 1940 on his way home from work at 10:15 P. M., a few miles east of Ventura, an accident occurred involving his automobile and a stage driving in the opposite direction. The collision threw him from his car onto the pavement, causing a brain concussion, from which he never regained consciousness. At an inquest held August 23rd, the driver of the bus was exonerated from all blame and the death declared accidental. His loss is mourned by his wife, Mrs. Fannie L. McLatchy, who has been ill for a number of years; two daughters, Mrs. Ray Chapin of Oxnard. and Miss Dorothy McLatchy of Glendale; two grandchildren; a son-in-law, Ray Chapin of Ornnrd; a sister, Mrs. Alice Mills of San Francisco; a brother, Reginald McLatchy of Oxnard; several nieces and nephews, other relatives, and many friends. He was ever a loving husband and father, and his friends knew him as one whose word was "as good as his deed," loyal and true under every condition and circumstance.

 

Reginald W. McLatchy (1877 - ?).    According to Oscar McLatchy's obituary, Reginald worked for the Oxnard Municipal Water Department "for many years").

Mrs. Lillian Parker (nee McLatchy).

Samuel Harris McLatchy died at Oxnard (Ca.,) of pneumonia and shock from a broken leg caused by having been kicked by a horse.