Agnes Sophia Mcpherson (abt. 1894 - 1933)

Born about 26 Aug 1894 in Sabaskong Bay 35D, Kenora, Ontario, Canada

Ancestors

Wife of Harry James Brown — married 4 Apr 1931 in Kenora, Ontario, Canada

Died 29 Mar 1933 at about age 38 in Kenora, Ontario, Canada

Biography

Agnes was born about 1894 in Sabaskong Bay, Ontario, Canada. (See Research Notes for discussion). She was the daughter of George Mcpherson and Sophie Morriseau. She is not listed in the household of George and Sophie McPherson in the 1901 Census, when they are living outside Rat Portage (now Kenora).^[1]This may have been due to her removal to a residential school, though her older brother, Daniel, age 9, is still in the household. Agnes and her parents were baptized Roman Catholic at the St. Anthony's Indian Residential School (later St. Mary's) in Kenora, by Rev. Charles Cahill in 1906, when Agnes was 11. Her parents were baptised on 16 January, "conditionally," on the renunciation of their previous Anglican affiliation; Agnes was baptised on 21 April, 1906. ^[2] It is very possible that Agnes was a student at St. Anthony's since she was baptised there. A list of students or a Census with the schoolchildren listed would confirm this suspicion.

Agnes married Harry James Brown, son of Joseph Brown and Mary Robinson, in 1931^[3] Agnes and Harry appear in the 1931 census residing in the household next to Agnes' brother, Daniel, and his family in French Portage in Lake of the Woods Territory, where Harry was a lake fisherman and Agnes was a homemaker.^[4] Agnes and Harry's premature son was stillborn on 27 November 1931. He was not named.^[5]Another baby, a girl, was born prematurely, stillborn on 27 February 1933.^[6] Both children's death records report the Brown residence as Jaffray Township, Kenora , Ontario. Agnes passed away just one month after the birth of her daughter, on 26 March, 1933 at the reported age of 34 years 7 months and 3 days old from pulmonary tuberculosis. Childbirth was a contributing factor. ^[7]

Research Notes

Agnes' birth year varies from 1894 to 1899. Her April 1906 baptism reports her age as 11, suggesting a birth date around 1894, since her birthday was in August and she would turn 12 later that year. In the 1911 Census she is reported as age 16, born in August of 1894.^[8] In 1921, 25 year old Agnes lives with her parents suggesting a birth date 1895 or 1896. ^[9] Her marriage record shows her age as 34 (Harry is 31] making her reported birth date possibly 1897. The 1931 Census reports her age as 36.^[4] She would turn 37 in August, suggesting a birth year of 1895. Her death record reports a birth date of 26 August 1898.

The most "official" records are the Death Certificate and Marriage Certificate, but the early Census record and her baptism record concur with a birth date of 1894.

Sources

1. ↑ "Canada Census, 1901", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KH24-2CV : Tue Aug 08 15:45:01 UTC 2023), Entry for Geo Macpherson and Sophia Macpherson, 31 Mar 1901. Available at the Archives of Canada
2. ↑ "Canada, Ontario Roman Catholic Church Records, 1760-1923." Database with images. FamilySearch. http://FamilySearch.org : 18 July 2022. Catholic Church parishes, Ontario. pp. 57-59. https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9YWF-33H
3. ↑ Archives of Ontario; Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Registrations of Marriages; Series Number: Ms 932; Reel: 946.Ancestry.com and Genealogical Research Library (Brampton, Ontario, Canada). Ontario, Canada, Marriages, 1826-1939 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.Ancestry Sharing
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1} 1931 Census: "Census of Canada, 1931," . Library and Archives Canada; Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; Seventh Census of Canada, 1931; Folder Number: T-27272; Census Place: Kenora-Rainy River, Ontario, Canada; Page Number: h Ancestry.com. 1931 Census of Canada [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2023. Ancestry Sharing
5. ↑ "Canada, Ontario Deaths, 1869-1937 and Overseas Deaths, 1939-1947," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JFKF-VFP : 2 March 2021), Agnes Mcpherson in entry for Brown, 27 Nov 1931; citing Kenora, Ontario, 225, Registrar General. Archives of Ontario, Toronto; FHL microfilm 2,296,531.
6. ↑ "Canada, Ontario Deaths, 1869-1937 and Overseas Deaths, 1939-1947," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JKX7-T95 : 2 March 2021), Agness Mcpherson in entry for Brown, 27 Feb 1933; citing Jaffray, Ontario, 018739, Registrar General. Archives of Ontario, Toronto; FHL microfilm 2,358,601.
7. ↑ "Canada, Ontario Deaths, 1869-1937 and Overseas Deaths, 1939-1947," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JKX7-T53 : 2 March 2021), Agnes Sophia Brown, 29 Mar 1933; citing Kenora, , Ontario, 018755, Registrar General. Archives of Ontario, Toronto; FHL microfilm 2,358,601.
8. ↑ "Recensement du Canada de 1911," database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVBQ-K5Q6 : 15 August 2022), Agness McPherson in entry for Geo McPherson, 1911; citing Census, Rainy River, Ontario, Canada, Library and Archives of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario; FHL microfilm .FamilySearch Image: 3QS7-L98L-3PNF (accessed 20 September 2023)
9. ↑ 1921 Census: "Census of Canada, 1921," online database with images. Entry for Agnes McPherson in houshold of George McPherson; Province: Ontario, District Name:Fort William and Rainy River District N⁶umber: 79, Sub-District Name: Morson and Mathieu Townships, and unorganized district and Islands north and West to boundary of Riding. Sub-District Number: 31, Family: 56, Page: 4, Microfilm: T-25809 , Reference: RG31 - Statistics Canada, Item Number: e002924921. Scanned image PDF Library and Archives Canada: Censuses (URL: accessed 25 September 2023).