John Strange (1788 - 1840)

Born 2 Sep 1788 in East Kilbride, Lanarkshire, Scotland

Ancestors

Husband of Mary (McGill) Strange — married 1818 in First Presbyterian Church Albany, Albany, New York, United States

Descendants

Died 14 Oct 1840 at age 52 in Kingston, Frontenac, Canada West

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Michelle Strange [send private message]

Biography

John was born in 1788 East Kilbride, Lanarkshire, Scotland and passed away in 1840 Kingston, Frontenac, Ontario, Canada.

Birth & Christening^[1]

Came from Cambuslang near Edinburgh, Scotland to New Brunswick, Canada.

In 1805 with two brothers, followed by a sister and her husband in 1823, all siblings immigrated to the Albany, New York area.

John, and brother James are indicated as enlisted in the U.S. Army, in 1809^[2]

Served during the war of 1812 as a volunteer in the Canadian Militia. Present at the battles of Lundy's Lane and at Fort Erie and was a Lieutenant of the first Regiment of the Royal Lanarkshire Light Infantry Militia. At the close of the war, John settled in Kingston and became Major in the First Regiment of the Frontenac Militia and a Justice of the Peace, and merchant. He represented Upper Canada in Parliament from 1835-1836.

He and his brother Maxwell married sisters, Mary and Elizabeth McGill, of Albany New York - Maxwell married Elizabeth in 1808 and John married Mary in 1818. John built a limestone house between 1824 and 1826 that served as the family home at the site of what is now 55 Barrack Street in Kingston. There is a historic plaque on the site (which was a Dominion store in 1979). His brother Maxwell died in Albany in 1824, followed by his sister in law Elizabeth in 1826. Their four orphaned children were sent from Albany to be raised by their aunt Mary and uncle John in Kingston. These children included James Maxwell Strange (married first Sarah Oliver, second Margaret Ewart), Elizabeth Strange (married John Watkins), Mary McGill Strange (married Alexander McNabb) and Catherine Isabella Strange (married Alan Neil McLean).

John's headstone and some of his infant children are in Cataraqui Cemetery, although they died prior to the formal establishment of the cemetery. They were originally buried in what is now McBurney Park in Kingston, which ceased operation as a cemetery in 1864, although many bodies were not exhumed and moved until the 1890's when the condition of the cemetery became a public disgrace. Son Robert and second daughter Isabella died in 1831, within 3 days of each other, one assumes from infectious disease. The archaeological report commissioned in 2003 of the park lists John, Robert and Isabella as having been completely moved including headstones. Two children Maxwell William Strange, and Orlando Sampson Strange lived to adulthood.

Extracted from another Relative's biography

John and Mary were the parents of at least five children; William Maxwell, Isabella Catharine, Robert James, Orlando Sampson and Isabella. Isabella Catharine died in 1822 when she was a month old. Robert and Isabella (the second child with that name) died within days of each other in 1831.

Their Living Children are
Maxwell William Strange (1820-1880)
Orlando Sampson Strange (1826-1906)

Burial: Cataraqui Cemetery
Kingston, Frontenac County, Ontario, Canada

FindAGrave Memorial link^[3]

Sources

1. ↑ "Scotland Births and Baptisms, 1564-1950," database, FamilySearch ([1] :John Strang, 02 Sep 1788; citing , reference 2:15KZ2NL; FHL microfilm 1,066,590.
2. ↑ "United States Registers of Enlistments in the U.S. Army, 1798-1914" [2] Image of 1809 Registry.
3. ↑ Find A Grave: Memorial #12781495