11,4 Martha Jane (Jen) Hedley and Wm. J. McDonald
Chapter 11,4
(iv)  Martha Jane 'Jen' Hedley (1875-1953)
and Wm. J. McDonald (1868-1942)
 Pedigree
 Descendancy

 Martha Jane Hedley , born January 11, 1875,  was the fourth child of John Henry Hedley and Margaret Johnston. She was five years old when her family moved from Kinloss Twp. to Greenock Twp., seven years old when her mother died and eight years old when her father was remarried to Ann Alexander.  Jen was married April 5, 1903 at age 28 to 35-year-old William John McDonald.

Marriage - St. Matthew’s Anglican Church, Kingarf, Greenock Twp.- April 15, 1903

Martha J. Hedley, age 28
Farmer’s daughter 
6th of Greenock
Church of England
Parents: Jno. Hedley
and Ann (Young) Alexander     
William John McDonald, age 35
Farmer
7th of Greenock
Presbyterian
Alex McDonald
and Mary McCrae     

  Jen and William John McDonald farmed in Greenock Township and retired in Kincardine. They are buried in Kincardine Cemetery.  Jen and William had four sons:

     (1) Allister McDonald (1904-1976) the eldest of Jen and William John’s four sons was born in Greenock Township.
m1 in the U.S.A., was to (Unknown)
m2 was to Lillian Siefker (1906-1996).  Shortly after their marriage, while working in Detroit, Allister developed T.B. and the couple moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico for Allister’s health.
Lillian worked in the post office in a canyon in the Sandia Mountains. After Dorothea’s birth in 1935 the family moved to El Paso, Texas. Allister and Lillian are buried there. Two daughters:

           [1]  Dorothea Alice McDonald was born in 1935 in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
                 m1 Norman Elmer Eiting, b. 1932, an electrical engineer in Douglas,
                 Arizona. Dorthea and Norman were divorced in 1991. Six sons:
                       {1} Stephen Eiting  b.1958, m. Ronda (unknown). 3 children.
                                   1- Austin Eiting
                                   2- Mackenzie Eiting
                                   3- Spencer Howard Eiting
                       {2} Mitchell Eiting  b.1961 (twin) m. Annetta (unknown) in Bountiful, Utah.
                                    Three sons:
                                   1- Alexander Eiting
                                   2- Lucas Eiting
                                   3- Max William Eiting
                       {3} Michael Eiting   b.1961 (twin) m. Dianne (unknown). 3 children.
                                   1- Anthony Eiting
                                   2- Alayna Eiting
                                   3- Nichole Eiting
                       {4} Matthew Eiting b.1962, m. Shirle (unknown), an attorney. One child:
                                   1- Jessica Eiting
                       {5} Joseph Eiting b.1966, m.1 Star (unknown). divorced.
                               m2  Sherri (unknown).  One child:
                                   1- Cassidy Eiting b. 1999
                      {6} Eric Eiting b.1968, m. Debbie (unknown). 2 children:
                                   1- Jeffery Eiting
                                   2- Jacob Eiting

                 m2  for Dorothea (McDonald) (Eiting) was to Charles L. Denton on Sept. 27,
                 1997 in Bountiful, Utah. Charles, born in 1935 in Saginaw, Michigan is a
                  senior rocket scientist.

           [2] Jo Ann McDonald was born in 1937 in El Paso, Texas. 
                Jo Ann married Dr. Robert LaCosta (b. 1934), a dentist from New Market, Ont.
                They were married in 1961 in Plainfield, New Jersey and now reside in
                Homedale, New Jersey.  Five children:
                     {1} Lauren Catherine LaCosta (b.1962) married Craig Phillip Riddle.
                           They reside in Shrewsbury, N.J. with their three children:
                                   1- Ryan Phillip Riddle b.1990
                                   2- Colleen Catherine Riddle b.1992
                                   3- Connor Allister Riddle b. 1995
                      {2} Tracy Dorothea LaCosta, b.1963, married David Bishop Back.
                            They reside in Falls Church, Virginia and have three children:
                                  1- Casey Daniels Back  b. 1991
                                  2- Tyler Bishop Back  b. 1993
                                  3- Reid Allister Back  b. 1994
                     {3} Karen Helen LaCosta, b. 1965, a twin, married James Victor Mather who
                          was born in Coventry, England. They now live in the area of Boston, Mass.
                         Three children:
                                  1- Kendall Amy Mather
                                  2- Margot JoAnn Mather
                                  3- Lucy Maureen Mather
                     {4} Kimberley Frances LaCosta, b. 1965, a twin, married Richard Mark Crosby.
                          The Crosby family resides in Manhattan, N.Y.  Four children;
                                  1- Calvin Edmond Crosby
                                  2- Carolyn Rose Crosby
                                  3- Catherine JoAnn Crosby
                                  4- Nolan Robert Crosby
                     {5} Gregory LaCosta

     (2) William Merrill (Bill) McDonald was born Dec. 16, 1907 in Greenock Twp., the second child of Jen and William John McDonald. William died March 30, 1969.
m1 was to Murdena Tuller (Deanie) McSween in February 1937. Murdena died April 15, 19_7.
m2 was to Madeline Dunbar, who died in Detroit in 1968.  Murdena and Bill had two children:
           [1] Courtland McDonald (by adoption)
           [2] Anne Marie McDonald (b.1937), a bank teller, was  married in 1961 to
                Bryce Tanner (b.1935), a Toronto school teacher. Two children:
                       {1} Kimberly Ann (Kim) Tanner (b.1963 in Toronto) was married in 1991
                             to Peter Harding (b.1970 in Kincardine).  One child:
                                   1- Deanie Ivy Harding b. May 15, 2001 in Toronto.
                                   2- Gregory Bryce Tanner, born in 1970 in Fergus, Ont.

      (3) Grant Daniel McDonald was born December 22, 1909 in Kincardine, Ont., the third son of Jen Hedley and William John McDonald. Grant was married on Jan. 9, 1943 to Mary Elizabeth Woodyard, who was born in 1914 in Holstein, Ont. Grant worked in Kincardine as a self-employed painter/decorator. He died of a heart attack May 20, 1990. Mary died six years later in 1996. The graves of Mary and Grant McDonald are in Kincardine Cemetery. Four sons:

           [1] William Thomas (Bill) McDonald was born in 1943 in Kincardine, the eldest of the four
                sons of Grant and Mary McDonald.  He married Josephine (Josie) Ernawine in
                Chepstow, Greenock Twp. in 1967.  Josie was born in 1947 in Walkerton. 
                Bill works as a painter/decorator in Kincardine.  Bill, also a hobby gardener and
                landscape designer, has transformed the backyard of their home into a park-like
                setting of flowers, fountains and waterfalls. Bill and Josie had three children:
                       {1} Paula Marie McDonald, born Dec. 22, 1968 in Kitchener, married
                            Timothy James Bross on Sept. 30, 1989.  Tim, born Feb. 27, 1989,
                             is a plumber in Mildmay.  Paula Marie and Tim Bross have three children:
                                   1- Scott Matthew Bross  b. Feb.19, 1989 in Kincardine
                                   2- Gregory Bross  b. Nov.13, 1991 in Walkerton
                                   3- Kayla Bross  b. Dec.22, 1992 in Walkerton
                      {2} Brian William McDonald b.1971 in Kincardine, was married in 1996
                            to Kim Surridge (b.1969).  Brian and Kim have one child:
                                  1- Kara Brianne McDonald b.1998 in Walkerton
                      {3} David Joseph McDonald b.1979 in Kincardine
           [2] Douglas McDonald, b.1945 in Kincardine, lives in Vancouver, B.C.
           [3] Gordon McDonald was born in 1946 in Kincardine. Gordon was severely injured
                in his youth by a kicking horse. He died at age 30 in Woodstock and is buried
                in Kincardine Cem
           [4] John David (Jack) McDonald, youngest son of Bill and Josie McDonald, was born
                in Kincardine in 1948.  He was married in 1970 to Erma Lynn Jayeas who was born in
                1952. They live in Sauble Beach, Ont.  Three children:
                      {1} Lucas Shad McDonald b.1972
                      {2} Jaclyn Elise Dawn McDonald b.1975
                      {3} Eli Quin McDonald b.1980

     (4) Jack McDonald, the youngest of the four sons of Grant and Mary McDonald, was born in 1912.  He was married in 1936 to Catherine MacSween (1915-1999). Jack and Catherine McDonald lived in Kincardine. Jack died in 1991 and Catherine in 1999. They had three daughters:
           [1] Catherine ‘Diane’ McDonald (b. Nov.12, 1937) was married on Jan. 4, 1956 to
                George McGaw who was born Nov. 9, 1937.  The family lived in Bloomfield,
                Michigan. George McGaw died Sept.18, 1992 at age 54. 
                Diane now lives in Mishawaka,  Indiana. 3 children:
                       {1}Linda Marie McGaw, b. June 21, 1956 was married April 4, 1985 to
                            James Sylvester Middleton of Fort Wayne, Indiana. Two children:
                                   1- Heather Margaret Middleton b. March 18, 1988
                                   2- Alec George McGaw Middleton b. Dec. 22, 1995
                       {2} John ‘Dorn’ McGaw was born Sept.4, 1957.  He married Elizabeth Ann
                              Stubbs of Lansing, Michigan on Oct. 26, 1985.  Two daughters:
                                   1- Kaylei Nicole McGaw b. Dec.22, 1995
                                   2- Darby Catherine McGaw b. April 5, 1993                            
                      {3} Catherine Grace McGaw was born Oct. 4, 1964.  Catherine married
                            James Edward Smous of Southbend, Indiana on Aug. 3, 1985. Five children:
                                   1- Kaitlyn Elizabeth Smous b. June 4, 1988
                                   2- Laney Christine Smous b. July 1, 1999
                                   3- Madeline McGaw Smous b. Dec.7, 1992
                                   4- Samantha Ann Smous b. April
                                   5- Luke David Smous b. Jan. 26, 2001
            [2] Jeanette McDonald married David Burgess, North Vancouver, B.C.  3 children:
                       {1} David Burgess Jr.
                       {2} Tami Burgess
                       {3} Derek Burgess
           [3] Margaret ‘Heather’ McDonald was born Oct. 11, 1943 in Kincardine, Ont. On Aug.12,
                1961 Heather married Murray Chambers in Kincardine.  Murray was born Nov. 11,
                1937 in Bothwell, Ont. Heather and Murray now live in Blaxland, New South Wales,
                Australia. Two  sons:
                       {1} John ‘Gavin’ Chambers b. June 1, 1962 in Kincardine works as a builder
                             in Armidale, N.S.W., Australia. One child:
                                             1- Sion Kieren Chambers b. Feb. 24, 1989 in Armidale, N.S.W.
                       {2} William ‘Sean’ Chambers b. Feb. 6, 1964 in Kincardine works as a
                             metal fabricator in Blaxland, N.S.W., Australia

NOTE: The family of Jen Hedley and William John McDonald was well represented at the 2002 Hedley reunion by ten descendants of three of Jen’s four sons: Dorothea McDonald and her husband Charles Denton of Utah;  Jo Anne McDonald and her husband Dr. Robert LaCosta of New Jersey; Dianne (McDonald) McGaw of Indiana; and Bill and Josie McDonald of Kincardine and their son Brian and his wife Kim and daughter Kara of Walkerton.  Picture

“Thank you” to Bill McDonald for the photograph of Jen and Alice Hedley

This page was updated August 16, 2003
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