Mary Ann McDonald

[Marion Fitchett]

I am descended through line 7 - the Perth glovers.  I have been trying to find the birth details of my great grandmother, Mary Ann McDonald who married Matthew Cree in 1899 in Wellington New Zealand.  She was born in Scotland and came to NZ in 1897 on the Queen Mab. 

[Trevor Cree]

Marion,

The origins of Mary Ann McDonald are quite confusing as you will see from the information sources below that seem to contradict each other. However I have found the birth of a Mary Ann McDonald in Blairgowrie on the 27th April 1864 and that fits one of the statements below based on her reported marriage certificate. Using Scotlands People website I have obtained a copy of the birth certificate that contains the following information:

1864 BIRTHS in the Parish of Blairgowrie in the County of Perth

Name and Surname: Mary Ann McDonald

When and Where Born: 1864 April Twenty Seventh, Allan Street, Blairgowrie

Sex: Female

Father & Mother: Hugh McDonald, Clothier. Christina McDonald, m.s. Cameron. Married: 6th June 1855 Dunhill?

Informant: Hugh McDonald, Father (signed)

You will see that the names of her parents don't seem to agree with the other information on the marriage certificate relating to her parents. I guess that the NZ marriage certificate is important.

In 2001 the following alternative theory below was discussed online. Unfortunately there are many Mary Ann McDonalds and that makes sorting out this puzzle very difficult. Anyway I hope this information might help.

Trevor 

Thom

https://www.genealogy.com/forum/surnames/topics/thom/1/

Catherine THOM married James STEWART (a domestic servant of Craiglockie, Perthshire) on 25.2.1863. They were both aged 23 and married at Craiglockie.
They had a daughter Mary Ann Thom STEWART b.23.8.1863 in the parish of Kilspindie, Perthshire. (However when Mary married Mathew CREE - b. 1864 Alloa, Scotland - in Wellington New Zealand in 1890, Mary stated her birthplace as Blairgowrie and her mother as Catherine McDONALD with a maiden name of STEWART and her father as Charles McDONALD)

Ancestry Enquiry 2001 (https://www.ancestry.co.uk/boards/localities.britisles.scotland.per...)

THOM, James b.1810 was a farmer d. 14.1.1899 buried Kilspindie Churchyard m.DEWAR, Elizabeth (from Foulford) b.1811/12 d. 31.3.1904 buried Kilspindie Churchyard their children:- THOM, Catherine b.1839 Foulford - see below m. James STEWART THOM, Mary b 1842 THOM, Anne b.1844 THOM, Janet b. 1846 THOM, James b. 1848 THOM, William b. 1851 d. 11.12.1926 buried Kilspindie Churchyard THOM, Margaret b. 1854 d. 31.3.1872 THOM, Alexander b. 1857 STEWART, Thomas ( a farmer) m. REID, Catherine (we know she died before 25.2.1863) their children:- (we only know of these 2, not known of there are any others.) STEWART, William date of birth unknown STEWART, James b1839 Craiglockie m. THOM, Catherine b1839 - their daughter STEWART, Mary Ann Thom b 1863. Mary Ann went to New Zealand in 1887 and married Mathew CREE in Wellington NZ in 1890. However she stated when she came to NZ and also when she married that her name was Mary McDONALD and her parents Charles McDONALD and Catherine McDONALD. We wonder if Catherine married a Charles McDONALD sometime before 1887. Can anyone tie up any of these people to their research? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Delwyn McKenzie zu@xtra.co.nz South Auckland New Zealand.

Otago Witness 19 August 1887, Page 18

http://sites.rootsweb.com/~nzbound/otago1868.htm

The following is a copy of an address presented by the passengers (40 in number) to Captain Brown, of Shaw, Savill, and Albion Co.'s chartered barque Queen Mab, which vessel arrived at Port Chalmers on 2nd inst., from Glasgow. We, a committee appointed from and by the passengers on board the barque Queen Mab, from Glasgow to Otago, New Zealand,...
Signed (on behalf of the passengers) this thirtieth day of July, in the year eighteen hundred and eighty-seven by David Dick E. Lockhhead Geo. Gray, John Connell, Thos. Dewar, Henry Laing, William Connell, George Irvine. To Charles Brown, Esq., Commander barque Queen Mab, of Glasgow.

Queen Mab

http://www.clydeships.co.uk/view.php?ref=19548

http://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-Bre01Whit-t1-body-d164...

John Cree, Military Medal

Brookwood Cemetery

https://www.flickr.com/photos/harlowirish/3046852830

Auckland Memorial

https://www.aucklandmuseum.com/war-memorial/online-cenotaph/record/...

[Marion Fitchett]

Thank you Trevor

I have looked at the first Mary Ann McDonald you mention and i think she was still in Scotland in hte 1991 census and we know htat Mary Ann was in Dunedin having babies by then. 

ThEther one with the Thom connection i thought was ok.  However i traced a Catherine  Thom and a James Stewart through the censuses again.  Another daughter, Margaret, was born.  James became a wine and spirit merchant,  By 1991, James Stewart seemed to be gone but Mary Ann and Margaret were still there with their mother. So i discounted that. 

Thank you for the information on the Queen Mab. I had not seen this  I knew about the John Cree stuff and have seen his grave at Brookwood - a beautiful place. 

I am at a brick wall - odd that she would leave Scotland with her friend to travel to NZ.  I would think that her parents may have died?? I also wonder if i should focus on trying to find a Mary McDonald.  Oddly there are very few Charles McDonalds around   

Thank you for your help.

Marion