Ranald Sandfield Mcdonald (1814 - 1895)

Born 9 Dec 1814 in St. Raphaels, Charlottenburg, Glengarry, Upper Canada

Ancestors

Descendants

Died 20 Jun 1895 at age 80 in Lancaster, Glengarry, Ontario, Canada

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Biography

Ranald Sandfield Macdonald owned a large tract of land on the lake shore. The house, a long, rambling structure of white clapboard, is still standing, just beyond the Cameron home. But the place is now unoccupied, and the blinds are drawn. Miss Louise Macdonald, daughter of Ranald, a lady of advanced age, lives nearby. We are allowed, however, to inspect the old house.

It has a spacious porch along the front, and like other old homes seems to have settled contentedly into the ground. In the drawing-room there are well-filled bookcases, deep old chairs and beautiful tables. In a door leading from hall to kitchen quarters is a small window through which the servants could count the number of guests arriving for dinner. From the dining-room on the left we can almost hear the clink of dishes and cutlery and the talk and laughter as the guests sit around the long table in the heavy leather-upholstered chairs. Portraits in round frames still adorn the walls. There were four brothers: John; Ranald; Donald A., who founded a mill in Alexandria and later became Lieutenant-Governor of Ontario; and Alexander F., who succeeded his brother John as M.P. for Stormont.

Here the old Colonel (known as A.G.F.) played as a child in his uncle's home. Lean, erect, brown-eyed and handsome, he became known all over the County, after his military career, as editor of the Glengarry News, which went into every home. Author Dorothy Dumbrille

Ronald Sandfield Macdonald died June 20, 1895, and was buried in St. Andrew's Cemetery, South Lancaster. He was born at St. Raphael's in 1814, the second child of Alexander and Nancy McDonald, Perhaps because his older brother John would become a premier of the United Canadas and later the first premier of Ontario after Confederation, and the next younger brother, Donald, would become a federal cabinet minister and then a Lt Governor of Ontario, the two other brothers in the Sandfield family, Ronald and Alexander, would make comparatively little stir even in their home area of St. Raphael's and little would be recorded of them.

Nevertheless, Ronald was one of the three Sandfield brothers who got the sub-contract to build the Grand Trunk Railway from Montréal to Farran's Point in Stormont in 1854 and 1855. It has been estimated that the three brothers made £60,000 on this contract, which was probably an exaggeration, but enough was made that Ronald was able to live a somewhat leisurely life (at least compared to that of his brothers) and list himself as a "gentleman" in 1862

He Iived in a long, low rambling house in South Lancaster situated Just east of the Moose Head Inn. Ronald in Belden's Atlas in 1879 had himself listed as a farmer and he did own several hundred acres of land Just west of Lancaster Village. Ronald served for a short time (1842-44) as postmaster at Lancaster

The Sandfield McDonalds were Roman Catholics and Ronald married a Protestant. Janet McEdward. Though Hodgins in his book John Sandfield McDonald describes Janet McEdward as "of questionable behaviour," the McEdward family was as respectable as any in the area.

To Ronald and Janet McDonald were born these children: Edward (1866-1940) "who liked to look at the stars." He died at the family home in South Lancaster. He never married.

John 1853-1928) In spite of a stutter, he was called to the Bar in 1879 and practiced quite successfully in his home area, both at the bar of the law and at other bars where liquor was dispensed. He never married.

Helen ( -1909) Married Alexander Fraser Mcintyre, son of Sheriff Mcintyre. She died in Ottawa, leaving one son, Donald, and two daughters, and is buried in Beechwood Cemetery, Ottawa.

Louise (1868-1955) She worked in the dead letter office in Ottawa; had some sheet music published under the nom de plume of Louis Field. She never married and was the last surviving member of the Ronald Sandfield family.

Kate (no dates) Never married; had mumps late in life and lost her mind.

Janet (1860-1883) Married Donald McMaster, (later Sir Donald), was described as "a beautiful woman " Janet was Sir Donald's first wife and they had one son born in 1881, who died at the age of 13 months.

Of the six children born to Ronald and Janet Sandfield McDonald, only one, Helen, Mrs. Alexander F. Mcintyre left descendants. The family house was torn down in the late 1940's and the only momentos the Ronald Sandfield family in South Lancaster today are the family tombstone in St Andrew's cemetery, with no personal data on it whatsoever, and a stained glass window in St. Andrew's church. This window was presented to the church by Miss Louise Sandfield McDonald, Ronald's daughter, in 1948. It was unveiled by her cousin, Donald A. McDonald, K.C , a descendant of Ronald's brother, Donald, one time Lt. Governor of Ontario. From the Book: Lancaster Town & Village

In August 1955, Louise Sandfield MacDonald died. She was 87 years of age and the last surviving member of the Lancaster branch of the famous Sandfield MacDonalds. Her father was Ranald Sandfield (1814-1895), brother of John and Donald and Alexander, and her mother was Janet McEdward, daughter of the well known mercantile family of that name in Lancaster.

This branch of the family, including Ronald and Janet, is largely buried in St. Andrew's cemetery, Lancaster. The plot is marked by a simple stone, with the only inscription being "Ronald Sandfield MacDonald and Family ", there are no further details.

However, in St. Andrew's church in Lancaster, there is a stained glass window in memory of the family. It was presented by Louise Sandfield and it was unveiled by her cousin Donald A. Macdonald, K.C., in December 1948. The Sandfield house, a low rambling structure with wide verandas in South Lancaster, was torn down in the late 1940's. From the Book: Lancaster Town & Village, Pg 343 & 356

In 1855 some of the dwellers in South Lancaster were Donald Ross, innkeeper; Ronald Sandfield McDonald; John McGillis, blacksmith; James Sangster, innkeeper; Kenneth McPherson, watchmaker; Tom Hill, lighthousekeeper with a wooden leg. From the book: Lancaster Town & Village, pg 134

St. Andrews Presbyterian in Lancaster

Ranald S. Macdonald - Plot 190 Brother of The Hon. John Sandfield Macdonald (1812-1872) son of Alex of Allan, Char lot 8-7th Conc son of Rail ic Donald (J.D.) & son of Nancy Macdonald From the Book: Gravestones of Glengarry

Ranald Sandfield Macdonald, 1814 - 1895.

Ranald was born in St. Raphaels. He married Janet McEdward and the couple had six children. He served as Lancaster’s postmaster from 1842 - 44.

Brothers Ranald, John Sandfield and Donald Alexander secured the contract to build the Stormont County section of the Grand Trunk Railway right-of-way to Farran’s Point in 1854 and 1855. Following this project, Ranald lived in semi-retirement in South Lancaster.

Source: Sandfield-Macdonald pdf from www.library.cornwall.on.ca

Records

Census

Canada Census 1881 (living in Lancaster, Glengarry, Ontario, Canada):

• Ronald S. McDonald M 66y 1815 Ontario FARMER
• Jennet McDonald F 52y 1829 Ontario
• John McDonald M 27y 1854 Ontario LAWYER
• Annie McDonald F 18y 1863 Ontario
• Kate McDonald F 16y 1865 Ontario
• Louisa McDonald F 13y 1868 Ontario
• Edward McDonald M 14y 1867 Ontario
• Donald McPherson M 22y 1859 Quebec
• Jane McEdward F 58y 1823 Ontario

Sources

• Sandfield-Macdonald pdf from www.library.cornwall.on.ca

• "Canada Census, 1881," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MVX7-WT4 : accessed 8 May 2016), Ronald S. McDonald, Lancaster, Glengarry, Ontario, Canada; citing p. 67; Library and Archives Canada film number C-13226, Library and Archives Canada, Ottawa, Ontario; FHL microfilm 1,375,862.

• "Canada Census, 1891," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MW2T-PGM : accessed 8 May 2016), Ranald S Mcdonald, Lancaster, Glengarry, Ontario, Canada; Public Archives, Ottawa, Ontario; Library and Archives Canada film number 30953_148139.