Discovering Canadian Roots
by Maureen Molle

In addition to exploring Canada on a great ride with Cycle Canada from Montreal to Halifax this past August, I had a chance to do some delving into my father's family history.

While on Prince Edward Island, I went looking for my father's aunt Mary Frawley who had moved there from Wisconsin before he was born. I'd been told that she married Archibald MacDonald, and had one son Bernard. I also knew that Bernard and his wife had had no children, so I wouldn't be finding any direct descendents there. But I wanted to know where she had lived, and what had brought her husband so far from his home on PEI to the Wisconsin/Minnesota border. When had they married and returned to PEI, and how had they made their living on the island? Was Archibald a fisherman or farmer? I wondered if she had married a Protestant Scotsman and left the Catholic church of her Irish family. If that was the case, did that mean she couldn't return to her family? Did she ever return to her farm in Houlton, Wisconsin, a very beautiful area in the St. Croix river valley? Riding a bicycle makes one acutly aware of distance, and, calculating ages as I pedalled from Confederation Bridge to Charlottetown, I figured she must have come to the island around 1900. Travel must have been arduous in those days. (On the other hand, it may have been easier than riding a bike!) My imagination was in overdrive even as I pedalled along, stopping at cemeteries along the way to do a quick check.

Fortunately, we had a rest day following our arrival at Charlottetown. Looking at a map of the city, I spotted the island archives, so I went there to start my search.

The staff at the archives were extremely helpful and showed me where I might start looking for information about Mary. Although her married name was very common on the island, she was the only Frawley listed in the cemetery catalog. I found her at St. Mark's Catholic church (the answer to the question of religion) in Burton, on the west coast of the island. I also read the censuses for 1881, 1891 and 1901 and found out some details about her husband's family. Archibald was listed as a farmer (answer to the question of occupation). His father and mother had immigrated from Scotland some time before 1881. In 1891, Archibald was 26 and unmarried. In 1901 Archibald and Mary are listed with a son who was born in 1895. So, I learned that they must have married between 1891 and 1895 and come to the island by 1901.

Then I drove out to Burton (not having the time or legs to ride there on my bike!), and found the cemetery which is right on the Atlantic. The day was particularly clear . The bright white of the church stood out against the surrounding greenery and vibrant blue Atlantic. Mary and her husband Archibald are buried there next to her son Bernard and his wife Alice Luttrell. The church is on a country road with a few farms nearby. Very quiet and lovely.

I then drove down a road leading away from the church, saw a man in his yard and stopped to ask for information about the MacDonalds. He directed me to a farm just a short distance away and to another farm "at the end of the pavement." My first stop was at the farm where Mary and Archibald had lived. A beautiful little farm house and a well-kept yard. The people who lived there invited me in and told me they had bought the house from Bernard. They had added on to the house but the front was the original part where Mary and Archibald had lived. I then went to the other MacDonald place to see if I could learn more. They were not related to Mary and Archibald, but the woman I met there actually remembered Mary! I was stunned to find someone who knew her since Mary had died in 1937. She told me that Mary was a lovely woman with white hair who loved to play cards with the parish ladies. That was a great description of the women in my father's family that I had known. In addition to that, she gave me the names and addresses of other women who could tell me more.

When I returned to Michigan, I wrote to the women and have since received replies from them. One is the wife of the son of Mary's daughter-in-law's sister. She sent me Mary's very extensive and infomative obituary which contained more answers. Mary and Archibald were married in Stillwater, Minnesota (across the river from the farm in Houlton), and came to PEI when their son was 3 years old - which means 1898. She made two return trips and the dates (1913 and 1926) correspond to the years of her parents' deaths. She also said "I remember Alice telling me what a wonderful lady she was in her day. I know Alice said that they did lose their barn to fire when they lived in Glengarry. I remember Bernard very well. He was a fine man also. Everyone liked him."

The second letter came from the wife whose husband's mother was a sister of Archibald MacDonald. She said "I knew Aunt Mary some time ago. She was a beautiful woman. Nice looking, always wore a white apron. They had a nice farm place with great horses which she drove by herself. She was a great cook and all the card players were sure of a good lunch when the cards were over. Yes, Arch MacDonald went away to the states to look for work. (The answer to another question!). All I know is that my husband and all his family loved her and always called her Aunt Mary."

The third woman to answer my letter was the sister of Mary's daughter-in-law. Her memories confirmed what the others had written. She said, "Mary loved the farm and animals, particularly horses. She was a wonderful housekeeper and good cook." Best of all, though, is that she sent a photo of Mary and Archibald!

The kindness of the women who responded to my letters is very touching. They have opened their hearts with invitations to call and visit. There is a line in Mary's obituary that says "The late Mrs. MacDonald was a true Christian, with a sympathetic and generous nature that made her beloved by her friends - her friends were all those with whom she came in contact." I think the women who were her friends and relations by marriage have similar natures.

The Atlantic Canada trip was an extraordinary experience for me, made possible by the support and organization of Cycle Canada, run by Bud and Margot Jorgensen. They planned the route, booked the campsites, hauled the gear, cooked delicious meals and came out looking for late-in-the-day stragglers. By the end of 1240 miles, I felt like a part of the Cycle Canada family. The opportunity to learn about my extended family was icing on the cake or should I say, rubber on the tires or padding on the seat or a tailwind at the back or...oh, that's enough already! It was all great fun.

Top, from left, David of New Zealand, Karl of Germany, Sally from Barrie, Ont., Rob from Toronto, Ont. and Maureen.
Front row Murray from Toronto, Alan from Windsor, Ont., Rodney from Australia, Ray from London, Ont.
and Roberta from Calgary, Alta.
Photo - Roberta Hunt