James William Macdonald (1891 - 1950)

Born 23 Mar 1891 in Westville, Pictou, Nova Scotia, Canada

Ancestors

Husband of Elsie Maud (Dewar) Macdonald — married 19 Dec 1919 in Halifax, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

Descendants

Died 1 Jun 1950 at age 59 in New Glasgow, Pictou, Nova Scotia, Canada

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Katherine Maddox [send private message]

Biography

Jim was born on 23 Mar 1891 ^[1] in Westville, Nova Scotia, to Elizabeth J McLeod and Alexander R. Macdonald.^[2][3] Jim was ennumerated almost immediately after birth in a household with his parents, his brother Dan, his paternal grandmother, and a teenaged domestic worker. His father was working as a miner.^[4]

Pte James W. McDonald Jim Macdonald served in the Canadian Expeditionary Force in World War I
Service started: 15 Sep 1915
Unit(s): 85 Bn CEF Nova Scotia Highlanders
Service ended: 4 Oct 1918

Jim served overseas with the original 85th Battalion (Nova Scotia Highlanders). After signing up in the fall of 1915, he sailed to Liverpool, England aboard the S.S. Olympic on 12 Oct 1916. He fought in France at Vimy Ridge and in Flanders at Passchendaele. Jim was injured the first time at Lens: a contusion of the left arm. It was mild enough that he was able to rejoin his Battalion after a short recovery period. He was entitled to wear one gold bar as decoration/medal because of this event. In late 1917, Jim was exposed to mustard gas, which damaged his eyesight. After hospitalization in England in Jan 1918, he returned to Canada where his eyesight continued to deteriorate.^[5] He ultimately would lose his right eye and wore a false one for the rest of his life.

Jim married Elsie Maud Dewar on 19 Dec 1919^[6] at St. John's Presbyterian Church in Halifax, Halifax County, Nova Scotia. Jim was working as an electrician for the Canadian National Railway (CNR), while Elsie was a bookkeeper at the Halifax newspaper, which gifted the couple a silver tea set.^[7]

The couple's first child, a daughter, was Elsie Glendyre, born 28 Dec 1920. By then the couple was living in Stellarton, Pictou, Nova Scotia. Little Glen was born only a few weeks after Jim's father died.

In 1921, Jim lived with his wife and first child on Union Street in Westville, Nova Scotia. They rented a wooden, six-room home for fifteen dollars a month.^[8] Their home was just next door to the home of Jim's mother, his brother Alex, and his sister Beth.^[9] At the time, Jim was still an employee of the CNR, now working as a clerk in the company store.^[8][10] He had earned $1500 over the previous year.^[8]

"Besides being prominent and well known in railway circles, Mr. Macdonald was a member of Keith Lodge A.F. and A.M., Stellarton. Bluenose Curling Club, New Glasgow, Normandy Branch, Canadian Legion and Trinity United Church."^[11]

Jim suffered from a series of strokes beginning in January 1950, at which time he took leave from work and was attended to at home.^[3] A few months later he officially retired from the stores department of the CNR.^[11] Jim passed away on 1 Jun 1950 at his home at 81 George Street, in New Glasgow, Pictou County, Nova Scotia. He was to be buried on June 4^[3] at Lorne Street Cemetery after a ceremony at Trinity United Church.^[11] in New Glasgow.^[3]

Research Notes

• Enlistment Date - Jim's attestation papers contain a correction: 4 Oct 1915 is written first, but the Oct is crossed out and replaced with Nov (this is also true for those recruits with the regimental numbers on either side of him). His personnel file has a few other enlisted dates which have also been crossed out and corrected to 4 Nov 1915. The earliest date on file seems to be 24 Sep 1915, which is also the date he began being paid (his TOS date is also 24 Sep 1915). He is also noted as initially being enlisted in Westville and in Halifax.

• The Spelling of Macdonald - Jim's delayed birth registration document initially records his last name as spelled with an upper-case D and an Mc: McDonald. The affidavit was given by his mother, Elizabeth McLeod, who signed her name with a lower-case d. Someone (presumably Jim) corrected that spelling to Macdonald, and that's the spelling that was officially recorded and appears on the Record of Birth document ultimately delivered to him. His daughter Glen also used that spelling and strongly felt her paternal line had ties to Clanranald, but that has yet to be proven.

• Delayed Birth Registration - Elizabeth McLeod swore an affidavit to register Jim's birth on 9 Jun 1934. She was sixty-eight years old at the time. Despite being signed before either a County Commissioner or Justice of the Peace, the form was not filed with the Bureau of Vital Statistics until 20 Aug 1948—not for another fourteen years! Perhaps someone tucked it away in a drawer somewhere? At any rate, the form was eventually accepted and filed away by the Bureau, even though Elizabeth Macdonald had then been dead for over a decade. Jim was issued an official copy of his birth record four days later.

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} "1901 Census (Nova Scotia)," Library and Archives Canada. Accessed 21 Oct 2021 entry for James W. McDonald (age 10), Westville (Sub-District K-1, Division 1), Pictou (District 38), citing family 134, p. 12, lines 23-28, Reference: RG31, Statistics Canada, Item Number: 1306726.
2. ↑ Province of Nova Scotia, delayed birth registration: year: 1891, number: 99000337, “James William Macdonald,” 23 Mar 1891; image, Nova Scotia Archives (https://archives.novascotia.ca/vital-statistics/birth/?ID=126837 : accessed 28 Oct 2021).
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3} Nova Scotia Births, Marriages, and Deaths, Male Death Registration: Year: 1950 number: 3688, James William Macdonald; Nova Scotia Archives, Halifax, Nova Scotia.
4. ↑ "1891 Census (Nova Scotia)," database, Library and Archives Canada. Accessed 21 Oct 2021 entry for W. McDonald (age 32), Westville South (Sub-District AA, Division 2), Pictou (District 39), citing family 56, p. 15, lines 19-24, Reference: RG31, Statistics Canada, Item Number: 935238.
5. ↑ "Personnel Records of the First World War for James William McDonald,” database with images, Library and Archives Canada (http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/military-heritage/first-world-war/personnel-records/Pages/personnel-records.aspx : accessed 27 October 2021); citing LAC Record Group Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) 150, Accession 1992-93/166.
6. ↑ Nova Scotia Births, Marriages, and Deaths, Marriage Registration: Year: 1919 number: 8459, James William Macdonald and Elsie Maud Dewar; Nova Scotia Archives, Halifax, Nova Scotia.
7. ↑ MacDonald Dewar Marriage Announcement, Halifax, Nova Scotia, citing services in 1919; Brown Family Papers, 1919. Privately held. This newspaper clipping was passed from Jim and Elsie to their daughter Glen.
8. ↑ ^{8.0 8.1 8.2} "1921 Census (Nova Scotia)," database with images, Library and Archives Canada. Accessed 20 Oct 2021 entry for James W. MacDonald (age 30), Westville South, Pictou District, citing house number 235, family 239, p. 23, line 3, Reference: RG31, Statistics Canada, Item Number: 5901978.
9. ↑ "1921 Census (Nova Scotia)," database, Library and Archives Canada. Accessed 20 Oct 2021), entry for Eliza J. MacDonald family, Westville South, Pictou District, citing house number 234, family 238, p. 22, lines 48-50, Reference: RG31, Statistics Canada, Item Number: 5901977.
10. ↑ Statistics Canada. Classified index to occupations Ottawa: F.A. Acland, Printer to the King, 2021. Electronic edition ( URL: publications.gc.ca/pub?id=9.846961&sl=0 ).
11. ↑ ^{11.0 11.1 11.2} "Well Known New Glasgow Man Passes", newspaper clipping dated 2 Jun, ca 1950, Halifax Chronicle-Herald; Brown Family Papers, privately held, St John, New Brunswick, 2021.