| Notes |
- The Letter of Petition of Mary McKay is undated but the approval is dated Feb 25 1800. It was possibly prepared a couple of years after Hugh's death. Elizabeth's Petition was prepared Feb 6 1797. This would mean that Hugh died in 1795/6. I will search the Quebec Gazette for this period to see if there is an obituary for Hugh McKay.
Mary McKay lists her children as Deborah, Mary, Isabella, Jane, Bridget, Martha, Barbara, George and Archibald (it likely does not state her married or independent children). According to records in the Church of Scotland in Quebec, George was christened / born Nov 16 1780 as George David Hugh and Archibald was christened / born December 6 1789 as Archibald William. It is difficult to tell from the records whether they listed the birth or the christening date. Elizabeth named her first female child Mary after her Mother. The Archibald, named as one of Mary McKay's children was likely named after her son-in-law Archibald Thomson. Elizabeth and Archibald Thomson were married in Quebec City August 2 1781, eight years before Mary's Archibald was born.
You will note that Mary applies for a total of 3000 acres for herself and her children in the Township of Burford, which is south of Sherbrooke in The Eastern Townships.The Committee states that they will grant the request for land on the north bank of the Ottawa River.
Elizabeth did NOT mean that her father was dead , only that he was previously a Sergeant of the 8th Regiment.
In view of this I have come to the conclusion that Hugh McKay was alive at the time Elizabeth's Petition was written and he was the Sergeant at Arms in the Quebec Assembly. There family therefore consisted of
Mary died before the petitions were granted and her sons George and Archibald were minors. They were under the guardianship of Deborah and George Bently. Being a minor It would be necessary for George and Archibald to give an Oath of Allegiance prior to receiving their land grant.
The Land Petitions of Mary Mckay on behalf of herself and her nine children were requested to be in Barford Township, which is south of Sherbrooke Quebec. The Land Committee stated that she may receive 1200 acres and each of her nine children 200 acres in a Township on the North Bank of the Ottawa River. In a letter of petition dated December 16 1801 Mary McKay along with her children and other petitioners state that the Government Surveyor reports that the tract of land on the north bank of the Ottawa River is unfit for agriculture. They therefore request that they receive their grant from land in Tring Township. For some reason or other Mary was then granted 600 acres and each of the nine children 200 in Tring Township , which is south of Quebec City.Their lots were located on the 2nd and 3rd Range Lots 1 through 13. I can account for all the children's grants with the exception of Mary. However there is a Mary Douglas that received Lot 1 Range 3 - 200 acres which could be Mary McKay.
From the records of St. Andrews Presbyterian Church Quebec City we find that George Donald Hugh McKay was baptized / born November 16 1788. Archibald William was baptized / born December 6 1789. It is uncertain whether they recorded the birth date or the baptism date.There was an Ann McKay who married a William Moore on March 11 1789 who may have been another daughter. Deborah McKay married John Bently , widower, December 21 1799. Donald Flowers has informed me that the 8th Regiment came to America about 1763 so it is possible that all of their children were born in Canada.
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1744 - 1801 (57 years)
