Robert_ Macfie

Robert Macfie
1824-1896

Sarah Eliza Hawley
1833-1914

The records show that Robert Macfie, son of Alexander Macfie and his wife Ann was baptised the 7 of May 1824 in St Andrews Church in Quebec City. He is recorded as being born at sea.

Much less in known of Robert, and his family, than that of his father and his family, the reason being that any records, if they had existed, most likley would have been destroyed when the original home that Robert built for his family burned to the ground. We know that the original painting of his grandfather Robert Macfie of Langhouse , Inverkip, Scotland, the sugar refiner, was saved from the flames, however we understand than most of the rest of the contents, including a piano that had been at one time in Langhouse, was destroyed in the fire.

Futher more, any records that might have survived, this fire, and that may or may not have been stored in the barn of Lloyd Bullock, at Dairy Valley corners, would have been destroyed in the fire that burnt the barn down later in the 20th century.

The story therefore of Robert and his family, will have to be concocted from the bits and pieces that we were able to obtain from newspapers, and stories that have been handed down from generation to generation and from the general history of the area at the time. We know that Robert's father held education in high esteme, and was himself a well read man. In 1838 Alex writes to his sister Jessie in Sweden telling her that he was going to send Robert off to Dunham to school, 10 miles east of home, but that the decision was delayed on account of the troubles and turmoil in the area.

About 1836, William Andrew Macfie, having traveled to the USA, paid a visit to his cousin Alex in Clarenceville,and wrote home stating that Alex and his family were a " happy, healthy, thriving interesting family". Robert was then 13 and was already a great help to his father around the farm. In 1838 we find Robert as an essential service in taking care of the cattle and horses, and plaughing ( plowing) with the oxen. Alex himself finding himself away from the farm attending to his Militia duties.

In 1839 in a letter to William Andrew, Alex writes that Robert has been at school some 18 miles off all winter,as the one teacher had given up keeping school. Robert was bound with a Mr Campbell, a highly talented gentleman from Paisley, and in whose immediate neighbourhood there was a superior school, kept by a young gentleman from England . Alex was hoping that the change for Robert would be profitable, and that he was planing to send Mary, his daughter to attend school at the location also.

In 1845, in a letter Alex wrote home he makes mention that he was proposing to buy an additional farm in the area in order to give specific charge to his eldest son Robert, who was now 21 years old, and had "been smitten with the ' Far West' fever" . Alex hoped in this way to induce him to remain at home , failing this however he would soon be required to find opportunities for his two younger lads. With monies provided to Alex by his brothers in Scotland, he was able to purchase the fram in question and was as he stated well pleased with the buy. The land owned by the Macfie family in Clarenceville would now measure 1 and 1/2 miles on Lake Champlain. including a point on the Commissioner's map, laid down as Macfie's Point.

Agreement date 1848 between Alexander Macfie and his son Robert who takes possession of lot 6 ,concession 10, in Foucault, originally purchased by Alexander from James Curtis

On this sixth day of May in the year of Our Lord one thousand and eight hundred and forty eight.
Before the undersigned public notaire duly commissioned and sworn as such in and for this part of the province of Canada formally called Lower Canada residing in the District of Montreal.
Personally appeared Alexander Macfie of the Parish of St. George's Clarenceville in the Seignory of Foucault Allard's Manor, Esquire and being duly assisted came with the consent and approbation of Mrs Ann Tough his wife, she acting in her capacity of curator commeit to said Alexander Macfie her husband by xxxxx of an act of curatorship duly homologated by the Honourable George Pythe Esquire one of the XXX of the court of the King's bench for the District of Montreal, the ninth February one thousand eight hundred and thirty one. On the one part
AND Robert Macfie of the same place their son yeoman of the other part

WHICH said parties have and does hereby makes and enter in the following promises conditions and obligations viz:

On the part of the said Alexander Macfie and Ann Tough his wife they do hereby promise, oblige and bind themselves jointly and severally to one for the other under the renunciation of right to sell, cede, quit and transfer with the usual guarantee in sales of land and freed and clear of all trouble and hindrance whatsoever and of all Seignioral ground rent and loans et ventes up to the date, to the said Robert Macfie their son here to acceptant for himself his heirs and offspring viz:

The residue of lot of land number six in the tenth concession of the said seignory of Foucault or Allard's Manor forming fifty superficial acres bound East by the Missisquoi Bay, West by the ninth concession South by part of lot number six, and north by lot number 7 with an old house, a barn and a corn house there on.
2/ . On the part of Robert Macfie, he hereby promises, obliges and binds himself his heirs and offspring to accept the aforesaid part of the lot of land herein before described and pay to said Alexander Macfie Esquire and Ann Tough his father and mother, their heirs and offspring for price and consideration there of the sume of one hundred and eighty-seven pounds and ten shillings current money of this Province in the following manner viz:
With in seven years from this date without interest.
It is further agreed by and between the said parties that until the aforesaid sum of one hundred and eighty seven pounds and ten shilling currency shall be paid that the said Robert Macfie shall have possession of the above part of lot number 6 and pay and deliver yearly and every year in the month of February and to begin in the month of February rent, the one half of the produce of the remaining part of the lot number six that is to say of grain hay and vegetables that may grow on the same every year and the said Alexander Macfie and his wife shall have the right of pasture every year and further the acceptance shall pay the Seigneurie of ground rent due by the part of the lot number six regularly every year.

The said parties hereby promise agree and consent and bind themselves, their heir and offspring to xxxx and xxxx act of the above part of lot number six in due form.
Anytime with in the above lapse of seven years and as soon as the said Robert Macfie shall pay the above sume of one hundred and eight seven pounds ten shilling or xxx by the party or parties refusing so to duly to pay to the other the some of twenty five pounds currency which penalty shall be of rigour.
Election of domicile at the place above mentioned where notwithstanding
Done and prepared at St George de Henryville office of G A Dugas one of the notatairies on the day of the month and year First above written under number one thousand nine hundred and fifty and signed by the said parties and xxxx notaries these presents being first and duly read
True copy, the original remaining on record in my office

Obituary

Clarenceville

Robert Macfie , who passed away on the 5th inst in his 72 nd year was widely known and respected through the townships. He was born on the voyage of his parents while emigrating from Scotland to Canada and settled on the shores of Mississquoi Bay on what was then known asCaldwell's manor. The deceased improved the educational opportunities in this section then offered and his natural abilities fitted him early in life to take a prominent position in public estimation. A voracious reader with a rentative memory he readily mastered any subject he took up. While this county was in the district of Montreal he was chosen Justice of the Peace to which office he was re appointed on the organization of the district of Bedford. From the inception of the present municipal system his opinions on these matters were much sought for. For Many years he was a municipal councillor and Mayor and later on warden of the county and closely allied to every public movement till recently hindered by physical infirmity, for which he sought relief in several visits to devoted relatives in Scotland On one occasion through their kindness he and his daughter accompanied them on their yacht to the Mediterranean. Those visits abroad were not only enjoyable but no doubt prolonged his life. The deceased leaves a widow, three sons, and three daughters who were very devoted to him, together with numerous relatives and many friends to mourn his loss. The burial services were from St George's Church here on Saturday afternoon the 7th inst.

Robert Macfie was mayor of Clarenceville from ............. to ...................

We find Robert traveling to Ottawa in 1880, 1881 and 1889 unfortunatley we are unable to determine the reason of his visits . The Albion Hotel in Ottawa was owned during that period buy P E Hunter , who was related to Maggie Hunter who had married William Macfie, a cousin to Robert

1880	1881	1889

Robert was first appointed Justice of he Peace in 1890 and held this position until 1896

The Parents

Alexander Macfie - Ann Tough
1789-1850 1802-1890

Peter Hawley - Mary Louise Cook
1797-1862 1800-1887

See Hawley

Robert Macfie
1824-1896 Married
1851
Clarenceville Quebec Sarah Eliza Hawley
1833- 1914

Ann Eliza Macfie 1853-1929	George Hawley Macfie *1855-1923*	Mary Louise Macfie 1857-1860	Claud Robert Macfie *1857-1936*
Lillias Ellison Macfie 1860-1963	David Johnstone Arthur Macfie 1864-1943	Mary Helen Macfie *1868-1940*

Marriage
X
Births
1	2	3	4	5	6	7

Ann Eliza was named of course for her grandmother Ann Tough and mother Eliza Hawley

George Hawley , was named after the brother of his mother George Hawley

Mary Louise was probably named after garndmother Lousia Cook

Claud Robert was named after cousins in Scotland

Lillias Ellison was named of cousins that Robert met when he visited Scotland

David Johnstone Arthur named again after Scottish cousins as far as can be determined for these names do not appear on the Hawley side of the family

Mary Helen( still under verification)

At this point in time and being in Canada we see the family moving away from the Scottish manner of naming their children , if we look at the same time frame in Scotland, the Macfie family was still naming the children after the old patterned Scottish way

Deaths
1	2	3

David Johnstone Arthur Macfie

Dominion Land Grants

David Johnstone A Macfie
LS 12 Section 14 Township 50 Range 7 Meridian W4
LS 13
LS 14

.
Obituary ==The Brandon Daily Sun Tuesday Dec 7 1943

David A McFei
The Funeral was held this morning from the funeral home of Campbell and Fergusson to Brandon Cemetery of the late David A McFei, whose death occurred in the city. Major Lang, of the Eventide home, officiated.

Luther Lewis Smith
1872-1964

Mary Helen Macfie
1868-1940

Luther Lewis Smith
1872-1964

Married
October 22 1894
Clarenceville Quebec

Mary Helen Macfie
1868-1940

Robert Macfie Smith
1898-1928

Bruce Taylor Smith
1902-1944

Lewis Douglas Smith
1907-1996

. ..

Photos of the Smith family compiments of Joan Mildred Smith - 2009

Notes taken from undated newspaper article glued into Wessy Macfie's scrap book

Mr. Smith was born and reared on a farm in Mississquoi County Quebec. Leaving home at the age of 21, he was engaged for several years in the hardware and cycle business in Toronto. Returning to Quebec, he was appointed assistant manager of the Montreal branch of the Frost & Wood Co., a position which he occupied until 1904. In that year he resigned and assumed the management in the Province of Quebec of the Wm. Gray, Sons Co, the well-known vehicle concern. When in 1910 , that company amalgamated with the Manson Campbell Co, under the name of Wm. Gray, Sons-Campbell, Mr. Smith continued as manager of the Montreal branch of the new organization, the business in Quebec easily keeping pace with the rapid growth of the parent house and factories at Chatham Ont..

In February of this year Mr Smith resigned at Montreal and was appointed General Manager of Gray-Campbell Limited, with headquarters in Moose Jaw. This origanization is one of the largest carriage distributors in the West, having branches at Winnipeg, Brandon, Saskatoon, Edmonton and Calgary. Mr Smith is also sales manager of the Gray-Dort Motors Ltd, for Saskatchewan and Alberta, this automobile concern being a subsidiary of the Gray-Campbell organization. He has been for some years interested in the development of Western Canada, being a member of an eastern syndicate that owns a large tract of land in Alberta.

Essentially a lover of farming, Mr Smith at present operates a farm and ranch in the Vermilion district. In a recent interview, he voiced his enthusiam over the future of the Canadian West ' Bussiness promises to be good for our company during 1916 'said he. ' All signs indicate that the slight shaking down of the last two years has placed business in the West on a more substantial basis. We are now entering an era of prosperity that should satisfy even the unbounded optimism of the Westerner '

With his wide experience and maked executive ability , we are confident that Mr Smith will be a caluable adjunct to his company in his responsible position as Western general manager.

Montreal addresses of Luther L Smith from 1901 and his most probable arrival from Toronto

Click to enlarge view

Montreal addresses of Frost & Woods during Luther's employ

Information of Phelps & Smith , a partnership of Luther's

Click the buggy to review the Montreal addresses of The William Gray & Sons Co. Ltd. during Luther's employ

Bruce Taylor Smith
1902-1944

Married
1929
Fort Covington NY

Elin Karlsson McCartney
xxxx-xxxx

Robert Macfie Smith
1930-xxxx

Bruce Taylor Smith jr
1936-xxxx

Douglas Macartney Smith
1944-xxxx

Robert Macfie Smith
1930-xxxx

Married
Fort Covington NY

Carolyn Georgia Smillie
xxxx-xxxx

Lewis Douglas Smith
1907-1996

Married
1936
Montreal, Quebec

Mildred Clarence
1910-1994

Joan Mildred Smith
1938-xxxx

Graham Douglas Smith
1941-1989

Peter Lewis Smith
1943-xxxx

Nora Lee Ann Smith
1950-xxxx

Lewis Douglas Smith, appears as a teacher at the Mont Royal High School , he is living for a time at 105 Morrison Ave, where we find his father also for a time. Then he moved on to the Northmount High School and retired from The Protestant School Board of Greater Montreal in June of 1969.

Luther had put a down payment on the house at 105 Morrison, and since Helen had passed away Luther invited his son Douglas to live with him. In 1951 Douglas moved his family to Pointe Claire, Quebec .

Luther spent his last years in Fort Covington and Bombay, villages 5 miles apart in New York He lived for a time with his daughter in law , Elin until about 1961. Thence he became a boarder at the home of Mrs Curry in Bombay.
In 1964 he became ill with what was diagnosed as lymphosarcoma and died in Dec of 1964
( notes from Joan and Bob Smith - year 2009)

Peter Lewis Smith
1943-xxxx

Married
September 1967

Heide Solveig Muellener
1944-xxxx

Jeffery Christopher Smith
1972-xxxx

Tracie Andrea Smith
1976-xxxx

Nora Lee Ann Smith
1950-xxxx

Married
1979

Joseph Bajza
xxxx-xxxx

Karen Christine Bajza
1987-xxxx

Stephen Louis Bjza
1988-xxxx

*I N D E X*
Alexander Macfie	Hawley	Aird, Quebec
George Hawley Macfie	Creller	Clarenceville
Ann Eliza Macfie		UEL
Claud Robert Macfie	Taylor	Assinboia
Lillias Ellison Macfie	Fay School
David Johnstone Arthur Macfie
Mary Helen Macfie	Smith
Mary Louise Macfie

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