Hamilton, County Wentworth, 1859
Click below for full size.

Contents

Click on any of the following to be taken to that section or page.

Introduction

Welcome to my Stewart family page.  This page is part of my family history website.  This page covers the birth family and cousins of my great-grandmother Jean Stewart who lived in Hamilton, Wentworth County, Ontario, Canada.  If you are just arriving here for the first time then you may wish to start here.

Please Note: This page is intended only as a narrative historical overview of this family.  There is additional detailed information available for almost ever person presented on this page.  To avoid the unnecessary work of double-entering some data, the additional information can be found in the accompanying GEDCOM database.  Please make sure you click on the INDEX button at the bottom of the page so you don't miss out on potentially valuable additional information.

Acknowledgments

The research presented on this page is not mine alone.  It contains information submitted by all the Fellow Researchers listed below.  I am indebted to them for their generous contributions.  This page is intended as a place for researchers to freely and cooperatively share our research with each other.  It would be too cumbersome a task to reference each piece of data as to which researcher it has come from.  The information shown on this page should be understood as a product of ALL of the Fellow Researchers.  I am merely the editor and not the sole author. - Ryk

This page continues the story of my ancestral Stewart family.  This family originally came from Upper Strathearn in the Highlands of Perthshire, Scotland.  They immigrated to Canada in the early 1830s and settled in Puslinch Township, Wellington County, Ontario and in 1871 the following branches moved to the city of Hamilton, Wentworth, Ontario.  The story of their life in Puslinch can be found on the Stewart of Puslinch Page.  Their earlier Scottish ancestry can be found on the Stewart of Dalveich and  Stewart of Ardvorlich Page.

The three branches of this family who moved from Puslinch to Hamilton, who are presented below are:

1. The family of Hugh Stewart and Mary Tait

2. The family of Robert Stewart and Elizabeth McCallum

3. The family of William Stewart and Agnes McLean

These three branches are all descended from the Comrie Stewarts of Puslinch.  Hugh Stewart is my own direct ancestor.  Robert Stewart was his older brother.  And William Stewart was their youngest uncle.  By 1871 all three branches were living in Hamilton.

The Origin of the Surname "Stewart"

The name Stewart is an occupational surname. It comes from the occupational title of "steward". A steward is a person who is responsible for looking after someone else's property. In the case of a large estate, the steward would essentially be the household manager -- responsible for overseeing all the daily functions of the house & property and supervising all the staff.

In the early 12th century, King David I of Scotland rewarded one of his loyal knights, Walter Fitz Alan, by granting him the office of High Steward of Scotland, making Walter the most powerful man in Scotland next to the king himself. The office of High Steward became hereditary being passed on for six generations through the line of eldest sons. By the 13th century, with the 4th generation of High Stewards, the title had evolved into a family surname. In Gaelic, the hard "d" sound was pronounced more like our English "t" and thus the name became "Stiubhairt" in Gaelic or "Stewart" in English.

In the late 13th century, Walter Stewart, the 6th High Steward of Scotland, who fought alongside William Wallace and Robert the Bruce in the Scottish Wars of Independence, was rewarded for his loyalty to King Robert the Bruce by a marriage with Princess Marjorie Bruce, the king's daughter. Their son Robert became King Robert II of Scotland, who was the founder of the Royal House of Stewart, which ruled Scotland for over three hundred years and in 1603 under King James VI became the ruling dynasty of the combined thrones of the United Kingdom. King James VI of Scotland became known as King James I of the United Kingdom and was the patron of the King James Bible.

The name "Stuart", by which the later Kings of Great Britain became known, is a corrupted English spelling of the Scottish "Stewart". The ruling class of King James' England was Norman. The Normans were French speaking and the ancient French alphabet did not include the letter "w", so they spelled the new king's name "Stuart"; however in Scotland, the name remained "Stewart". Another common corruption was "Steuart", however this form is extremely rare today and has probably morphed into "Stuart", or returned to "Stewart".

If you follow through the accompanying pages you will find that our Stewart family in Hamilton can be traced back to King Robert Stewart above.

For more information on the ancient Stewarts, click here.

Click here to learn more about surnames.

Hugh Stewart and Mary Tait of Hamilton

Hugh Stewart was born about 1840 on the family farm in Puslinch Township, Wellington County, just southwest of present-day Guelph. Hugh's birth family can be found on the Stewarts of Puslinch Web, specifically the Comrie Stewarts of Puslinch Page.  His family were still living in a log cabin at the time that Hugh was born.  Hugh was one of four children born to Robert Stewart and Mary Gillespie.  Hugh's siblings were: Robert Stewart, Catharine Stewart, and James Stewart.  Following Scots custom, Hugh was named after his paternal grandfather, Hugh Gillespie. 

When Hugh Stewart was only nine years old his parents and his grandmother (who lived with the family) all died within 11 months of each other.  Their deaths left Hugh and his sister and brothers all orphaned under the age of 11. Hugh and his siblings were raised by their uncle Peter Stewart and his sister, their aunt, Catherine Stewart. In the early 1860s the family moved from their log cabin into the stone farm house that still stands today.

In 1871 Hugh moved to Hamilton with his wife, Mary Tait, and their first son, Robert Albert Stewart. This was the same year that Mary's father, Leonard Tait, died, followed only a few months later by his wife, Jane Ord.  Leonard and Jane were already living in Hamilton, having moved there some years earlier from Puslinch.  Ten years later, the 1881 census shows the younger children of Leonard and Jane Tait living with Hugh and Mary Stewart.  It seems possible that Hugh and Mary moved to Hamilton in order to raise Mary's siblings. Having been orphaned himself, I suspect Hugh would have felt compelled to look after his wife's younger siblings.

Tait & Stewart Grocers

In Hamilton, Hugh worked initially as a machinist and general labourer, but in 1877 he opened a grocery store at Hunter and Walnut streets with his brother-in-law, Robert Tait. The family store was known as "Tait & Stewart Grocers". Robert Tait eventually moved to London after which Hugh and Mary moved the grocery store to the corner of Ferguson & King William streets.

It's curious to note that nearby was another corner grocer named Hugh Gillespie. Could this be Hugh Stewart's grandfather or an uncle? Did Hugh Stewart decide to become a grocer because of his grandfather or uncle? The answer to these questions will have to be left to future research.

Hugh Stewart died suddenly in 1885 at the young age of 44. The cause of his death is unknown (although heart and stroke issues seem to run in the family). After Hugh's death Mary ran the grocery store herself with the help of their son, Leonard, who eventually took over the family store.  Mary Tait faced grief three more times before she died in 1927.  Four of her children died young: Robert, James, Maggie, and David.  All of the above, except James, are buried in an unmarked grave in Hamilton Cemetery.

Hugh STEWART, b: ABT 1840 in Puslinch Township, Wellington County, Upper Canada Colony, British North America.  Hugh married on 17 SEP 1868 in Hamilton, Wentworth, Ontario to  Mary TAIT (according to the civil marriage registration; the church marriage has not been located).  She was born 5 JAN 1844 in Beauharnois Canal, Ch�teauguay Valley, Huntingdon County, Quebec, Canada just shortly after her parents immigrated.  Her birth family can be found on the Tait Family Page.  Hugh and Mary had the following children only two of whom survived to adulthood and only one of whom lived long enough to watch her children grow up and only one who had descendants beyond the next generation.

1. Robert Albert STEWART b: 1 OCT 1869 in Hamilton, Wentworth, Ontario died at the age of only 18, just two years after his father died.  Presumably Robert never married.  He is buried with his parents in an unmarked grave.
2. Leonard Tait STEWART b: 2 NOV 1871 in Hamilton, Wentworth, Ontario. Leonard started work as a shoe-cutter in Hamilton, probably with his uncle David Tait.  He later inherited his parents' corner grocery store in Hamilton.  Leonard married on 12 DEC 1906 in Central Presbyterian Church, Hamilton, Wentworth, Ontario to Florence MCMEEKIN, b: 23 APR 1870 in Hamilton, Wentworth, Ontario.  Leonard died prematurely at the age of only 43 from electrocution.  His children were both under the age of 7 at the time.  Leonard and Florence had the following children:
   1. Margaret Agnes STEWART b: 5 JUL 1907 in Hamilton, Wentworth, Ontario.  Agnes never married but lived with a friend, Mary WATSON, for most of her life.  Agnes served in the military, but we do not know in what capacity. She may have been friends with her cousin's cousin Winnifred Brown in London.
   2. Mary Florence STEWART b: 24 SEP 1909 in Hamilton, Wentworth, Ontario.  She died as a child.
3. Jane Ord STEWART b: 26 SEP 1875 in Hamilton, Wentworth, Ontario. She married on 19 OCT 1904 in Central Presbyterian Church, Hamilton, Wentworth, Ontario to Thomas BROWN, Chief Constable of the Hamilton Police Department.  He was born 12 APR 1880 in Tandragee, County Armagh, Ireland.  Their story is detailed on the Brown Family Page.  Jane was the only child of Hugh Stewart to have descendants that survived past the next generation.  Jane and Thomas had the following children:
   1. John Stewart BROWN b: 28 JUN 1905 in 173 Walnut St. S., Hamilton, Wentworth County, Ontario.  This is the author's paternal grandfather.
   2. Margaret Ruth BROWN b: 12 APR 1907 in Hamilton, Wentworth, Ontario.
   3. Mary Helen BROWN b: 4 DEC 1912 in Hamilton, Wentworth, Ontario.
   4. Florence Jean BROWN b: 9 AUG 1917 in Hamilton, Wentworth, Ontario.
4. James Gillespie STEWART b: 28 OCT 1877 in Hamilton, Wentworth, Ontario.  He worked as a clerk and died young at the age of 24 from tuberculosis.  He is the only member in the family grave plot whose grave is marked.
5. Margaret Ann "Maggie" STEWART b: 4 OCT 1880 in Hamilton, Wentworth, Ontario, and died very young at five years of age.
6. David Tait STEWART b: 24 JAN 1883 in Hamilton, Wentworth, Ontario.  He died in infancy.

For fellow researchers of this family:  It is significant to note that Hugh Stewart and Mary Tait followed Scots naming patterns for the first names of their children.  They also used various maternal surnames as middle names for their children: Tait is Mary's maiden name; Ord is the surname of Mary Tait's mother; Gillespie is Hugh's mother's maiden name.  However no corresponding person has been found with a surname of Albert.  It is speculated therefore that Leonard Tait's mother's maiden name was probably Albert.

Harriet Brown (wife of John Stewart Brown) recalled that Hugh and Mary had an additional child named Agnes, but no record of any such Agnes has been found.  It is possible that she may have been thinking of "Maggie", but Maggie died before Harriet was born, so Harriet would not likely have remembered her.  It may also be that Harriet was confused, thinking about Agnes Stewart, daughter of Leonard Tait Stewart, who would have been Harriet's husband's cousin.

Robert Stewart & Elizabeth McCallum of Hamilton

Robert STEWART b: Jun 20, 1837 in Puslinch Township, Wellington County, Upper Canada Colony, British North America, son of Robert Stewart and Mary Gillespie.  Robert's birth family can be found on the Stewarts of Puslinch Web, specifically the Comrie Stewarts of Puslinch Page.  Robert was the older brother of Hugh Stewart above, and like Hugh, Robert was orphaned as a child.  Robert was only 11 years old when his parents died (likely from smallpox).  He was raised by his uncle and aunt, Peter and Catharine Stewart in Puslinch, Wellington County, Ontario.  Sometime before 1861 Robert followed the railroad boom to Illinois where he lived in Chicago for a few years.  By 1866 he returned to Ontario and settled in the booming industrial city of Hamilton where Robert is believed to have become a grocer, like his brother Hugh.  In 1901 he was working as a beer agent in Hamilton.  Robert married on 15 JUN 1866 in Central Presbyterian Church, Hamilton, Wentworth, Ontario to his first cousin Elizabeth (a.k.a. Edith) MCCALLUM.  She was born 4 APR 1832 in Gorbals, Lanark, Scotland as the daughter of William McCallum and Margaret Stewart (Robert's father's sister).  They had the following children:

1. Margaret E. STEWART b: 31 AUG 1867 in Hamilton, Wentworth, Ontario.  She married on 14 DEC 1905 in Hamilton, Wentworth, Ontario to James Anderson MUIR b: DEC 1859 in Scotland.  They had no children.
2. Mary Elizabeth STEWART b: 20 APR 1869 in Hamilton, Wentworth, Ontario.  She married on 28 AUG 1901 in Hamilton, Wentworth, Ontario to John LEITH b: 19 NOV 1871 in Hamilton, Wentworth, Ontario.  By 1911 they had no children.
3. Robert James STEWART b: 12 JUL 1871 in Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, USA.  Robert was born in Chicago, Illinois, USA, while his parents briefly lived there, but Robert lived most of his life in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. He died young at the age of 35 and is believed to have not married nor had children.
4. Minnie Catharine STEWART b: 3 NOV 1873 in Hamilton, Wentworth, Ontario.  Minnie married firstly on 28 JUL 1898 in Hamilton, Wentworth, Ontario to Police Constable John CAMERON b: 27 JUN 1862 in Hamilton, Wentworth, Ontario.  In 1901, they were living with a Joseph McCallum (presumably a maternal cousin), and they are shown with no children.  In 1911 John is shown as a detective with the Hamilton Police Force with no children.  It is worth noting that Minnie's first cousin, Jane Ord Stewart (daughter of Hugh above) also married a police officer, namely Tom Brown who later became Chief.  They had the following child:
   1. Stewart Ferguson CAMERON b: 27 JUL 1905 in Hamilton, Wentworth, Ontario.  He died at birth and thus the descendant line of Robert Stewart became extinct.

   Minnie married secondly on 1 OCT 1924 in Hamilton, Wentworth, Ontario, Canada to Beniah BAER b: 1877 in Canada.  It is not known if they had any children, however given their ages at the time it is unlikely.

William Stewart & Agnes McLean of Hamilton

William STEWART was born in Moral, near St. Fillans, and baptized on 22 NOV 1824 in Comrie, Perthshire, Scotland. He was the youngest uncle of Hugh and Robert Stewart, above.  Like Hugh and Robert, he came from the same Stewart family farm in Puslinch Township, Wellington County and moved down to the city of Hamilton.  William's birth family can be found on the Stewarts of Puslinch Web, specifically the Comrie Stewarts of Puslinch Page.

As the youngest of his birth family, William would have been only eight or nine years old when his family left Scotland and came to Canada. William married Agnes MCLEAN presumably in Puslinch circa 1850.  No record has been found for the marriage.  Scots naming patterns would suggest that she was probably the daughter of a Norman & Agnes Mclean however such a family has not yet been identified.

Sometime in late 1871 or early 1872 (after the census and before Archibald was born), William and Agnes together with their family moved to Hamilton where William seems to have worked as a general labourer.  It is not known exactly where he worked, or at what job.  William's son, Edward, is listed in the 1881 census in Hamilton as a grocer and he may have been working with his cousin, Hugh Stewart who owned a grocery store.  William Stewart and Agnes McLean are buried in Hamilton Cemetery nearby to William's nephew Hugh Stewart (above).

1. Robert STEWART b: 2 DEC 1851 in Puslinch Township, Wellington County, Upper Canada married in 1882 in Hamilton, Wentworth, Ontario to Margaret Anne TAIT.  She was born 1857 in Puslinch Township, Wellington County, Upper Canada Colony, British North America.  Margaret Anne Tait was the sister of Mary Tait who married Hugh Stewart (above).  More information on her family can be found on the Tait Family of Puslinch page.  Robert Stewart was a bailiff for the Hamilton Courts.  Granddaughter Margaret Ritter (nee Stewart) described him as a "huge, lumbering giant, with twinkling blue eyes, droopy bristly moustache, and a gentle disposition."  Robert and Margaret had the following children:
   1. John Leonard STEWART b: 19 JUN 1884 in Hamilton, Wentworth County, Ontario.  He married Mary Frances NICHOLSON.  John Leonard Stewart is recorded as residing in Toronto at the time of his mother's death in 1944.  They had the following children:
      1. John Leslie STEWART b: 1911 in Hamilton, Wentworth, Ontario.  He married Winnifred GIBSON b: Private and had children whose information is private.
      2. Mary Margaret STEWART b: Private.  She married George J. BEATTIE b: Private.  They had children whose information is private.
      3. Robert Ian Orde STEWART b: 1915 in Hamilton, Wentworth, Ontario.  Robert was presumably named after his great-great grandfather Robert Ord.  He married Doris EAGLES b: Private and had one child whose information is private.
   2.     Edna Jean STEWART b: 30 OCT 1886 in Hamilton, Wentworth, Ontario.  She died at 4 months and is buried with her Stewart grandparents.
   3. Robert Roy STEWART b: 8 DEC 1887 in Hamilton, Wentworth County, Ontario.  He married on 30 MAR 1914 to Consuelo Viola BLACKMAN b: 16 OCT 1896 in Dunnville, Norfolk, Ontario.  Robert Roy Stewart is not listed in his mother's obituary, and thus he must have pre-deceased her.  He eloped with Consuelo when she was 18 because her parents refused to allow them to marry.  His daughter Margaret says that he "always wore a tall silk hat, tails, trousers with a silk stripe down the side, and a cane, to church."  After Robert died, his wife and children moved to Dunnville where Consuelo's family was.  Robert and Consuelo had the following children:
      1. Margaret Ann STEWART b: Private.  She married Irvin J. K. RITTER and had children.  Their information is withheld for privacy reasons.
      2. Robert Theodore STEWART b: Private.  He married Mary Louise RITTER b: Private.  They had the following child:
         1. Mary Kathleen STEWART b: Private.  She married David Richard DEUELL b: Private, and had children whose information is private.
      3. Dora STEWART b: 13 AUG 1919 in Hamilton, Wentworth, Ontario.  She never married and had no children.

   4. Norman Murray STEWART b: MAR 1890 in Hamilton, Wentworth County, Ontario.  He married a woman named Anita.  Norman is listed as living in Hamilton at the time of his mother's death in 1944.  His niece, Margaret Stewart Ritter, says that Murray "married the daughter of a wealthy editor in Detroit, and went there to live and worked for his father in law. Rumor had it that his life was difficult, with a nagging wife, bossy father in law, and no children, although he became wealthy."

   5. David Arkell STEWART b: 12 NOV 1891 in Hamilton, Wentworth County, Ontario.  He went by the name "Arkell" and married a woman named Marjorie RAE.  Arkell is listed as living in Hamilton at the time of his mother's death in 1944.  Niece Margaret Stewart Ritter records that Arkell "was an airplane pilot in WWI, was shot out of his plane in France, and fell into a tree. He escaped with just a broken leg, but was shell-shocked and very nervour and unstable for many years thereafter.... [He] was engaged to 'the girl next door' for fifteen years, then suddenly married another -- they were happy together."
   6. Wilbur Tait STEWART b: 6 FEB 1894 (or1895) in Hamilton, Wentworth County, Ontario.  He served in WWI.  According to niece Margaret Stewart Ritter Wilbur may have died in combat in WWI, but the reference is uncertain.
2. Norman STEWART b: 7 FEB 1854 in Puslinch Township, Wellington County, Upper Canada. 1901 Census shows Norman living alone as a lodger on Barton Street in East Hamilton and working as a jail guard.
3. John STEWART b: 11 MAY 1855 in Puslinch Township, Wellington County, Upper Canada. John died at the age of 24 and his buried with his parents. Presumably he never married.

   
   Edward Stewart
   and family
   Click to enlarge

4. Edward STEWART b: 20 JAN 1858 in Puslinch Township, Wellington County, Upper Canada.  The 1881 census records Edward's occupation as "grocer". His cousins, Robert and Hugh, owned a grocery store in Hamilton. It's quite possible that Edward may have worked in his cousins' store, or may have been another partner.  Edward married to Maria Louisa ROLLS  b: APR 1862 in Hamilton, Wentworth, Ontario.  She died 28 May 1906 in Teeswater Ontario.  Edward's occupation in 1901 is listed as a CPR express messenger (telegraph operator).  By 1916 he had moved to Teeswater, Waterloo, Ontario.  Edward and Louisa had the following children:
   1. Charles Edward STEWART b: 15 MAR 1886 in Hamilton, Wentworth, Ontario.  He married to Ada M. and moved to Winnipeg, Manitoba.  His descendants are unknown.
   2. Samuel Gordon STEWART b: 4 NOV 1893 in Hamilton, Wentworth, Ontario.  He moved to Kitchener, Waterloo, Ontario where he worked as a bank teller in the Bank of Hamilton.
   3. Alma STEWART b: 31 DEC 1887 in Hamilton, Wentworth, Ontario
   4. May STEWART b: 28 MAY 1895 in Hamilton, Wentworth, Ontario
   5. Jennie J. STEWART b: MAR 1899 in Hamilton, Wentworth, Ontario
   6.     Frank Alfred STEWART b: JUNE 1901 in Teeswater, Bruce, Ontario
5. Catharine STEWART b: 15 SEP 1859 in Puslinch Township, Wellington County, Ontario.  There is some confusion as to whether this Catharine died as an infant prior to the the birth of her sister Katy, or whether she may in fact be the same person as her sister Katy.  The reader should refer to the Personal Data Pages (see bottom of this page) for more information.
6. Katy STEWART b: 14 SEP 1861 in Puslinch Township, Wellington County, Upper Canada.  She married John MCKILLOP.  Their later whereabouts is unknown.
7. Peter STEWART b: ABT 18 AUG 1863 in Puslinch Township, Wellington County, Upper Canada.  He was working as a painter in Hamilton in 1881.
8. William STEWART b: ABT 1865 in Puslinch, Wellington County, Upper Canada
9. Agnes STEWART b: ABT 20 FEB 1865 in Puslinch Township, Wellington County, Upper Canada married Alfred Mountain.  He was born 5 JUL 1864 in Ontario.  They had the following children:
   1. Stewart Lacey MOUNTAIN b: 29 OCT 1893 in Hamilton, Wentworth, Ontario.  Stewart was killed in action in WWI.
   2. Kate Shirley MOUNTAIN b: 22 JUL 1895 in Hamilton, Wentworth, Ontario
   3. Alfred E. MOUNTAIN b: 3 JUL 1899 in Hamilton, Wentworth, Ontario
10. Sarah STEWART, born 8 DEC 1866 in Puslinch Township, Wellington County, Ontario.  She married BEF 1894 in Hamilton, Wentworth, Ontario to Edward BOLTON b: 23 DEC 1866 in Ontario.  They had the following children:
    1. Edward Stewart BOLTON b: 7 DEC 1894 in Hamilton, Wentworth, Ontario.  Edward enlisted in the Canadian Armed Forces for WW1 and was living in Iroquois, Ontario at the time.  Edward married to Josie Christina DYMENT, b. 11 MAR 1893.  It is not known if they had any children.
    2. Charles BOLTON b: 28 APR 1897 in Hamilton, Wentworth, Ontario
    3. Winnifred BOLTON b. AUG 1902 in Hamilton, Wentworth, Ontario
    4. Edna C. BOLTON b. NOV 1907
11. Mary STEWART b: 1870 in Puslinch, Wellington County, Ontario.  Mary died at age 21 and his buried with her parents. Presumably she never married.

    
    P.O. Maxwell MacLean Stewart

12. Alexander McLean STEWART b: JUL 1870 in Puslinch, Wellington, Ontario, Canada.  Alexander worked as a CPR expressman in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.  He retired to Grimsby, Lincoln, Ontario, Canada where he later died.  Alexander married firstly in 1902 to Edith Ann LYON b: JUN 1876 in Richmond, Ontario, Canada.  They had the following children:

    1. Dr. Neil STEWART b: JUN 1904 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.  He is recorded in his father's obit as "Dr. Neil Stewart of Vancouver". According to family records Neil served in the RCAF.  His spouse is unknown.  He had the following child:
       1. Living STEWART
    2. Pilot Officer Maxwell MacLean STEWART b: JAN 1906 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.  Maxwell served in the Royal Canadian Air Force and was lost at sea while being transported to England when his boat was sunk by a German U-Boat. Prior to serving in the RCAF he was a high school teacher in Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada.

       Obit: Pilot Officer Maxwell MacLean Stewart
       January 12, 1942, Loss of S.S. Yngaren, Royal Canadian Air Force, Service Number C/8536
       Ottawa Memorial, Ottawa, Ontario. Age 35, Son of Mr. A.M. Stewart, Grimsby, Ontario
       Max Stewart was one of the most popular teachers at Chilliwack Junior Senior High School. Stewart was held in high regard at the University of British Columbia, where he starred in rugby and track and was the president of the men's athletic association in his senior year. While at the University of British Columbia, Max Stewart joined the Phi Kappa Sigma Fraternity. He came to Chilliwack as a teacher in 1934 and enlisted in the R.C.A.F. with two other teachers, Neil MacGregor and Allan Kirkby. At the time of his departure, Max received tremendous applause from several hundred pupils and friends. Max lost his life, January 12, 1942 when crossing the Atlantic, aboard S.S. Yngaren, in transit from Halifax, Nova Scotia to the United Kingdom. The Yngaren was part of a convoy HX. 168 that left Halifax, Nova Scotia, January 2, 1942 and fell victim to the German U-43 commanded by Wolfgang L�th. Identified as a straggler, the Swedish steamship Yngaren weighed 5,246 tons and was sunk by torpedo 600 miles west of Ireland. Six passengers were killed. Wolfgang L�th sunk 46 merchant vessels, 1 warship and damaged two others during the war and was decorated with the Knight�s Cross with oakleaves. He was accidentally shot and killed by a sentry May 13, 1945. Max Stewart is commemorated on the Ottawa Memorial, Ontario. He was the son of Mr. A.M. Stewart of Grimsby, Ontario.

    3. Edith Mary STEWART b: DEC 1908 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.  Edith Stewart married about 1930 to George Stevenson MCDONALD b: ABT 1905.  They had the following children:
       1. Archibald MCDONALD b: ABT 1930
       2. Living MCDONALD
       3. Roderick MCDONALD b: ABT 1935
       4. Living MCDONALD
    4. Corporal Kathleen STEWART b: AFT 1911 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.  Kathleen was a corporal in the Royal Canadian Air Force and was residing in London, England at the time of her father's death.

    Alexander McLean Stewart married secondly or thirdly to a woman named Alice whose surname is unknown.  She was from the Grimsby area in Lincoln County, Ontario, Canada.

13. Archibald Ramsay STEWART b: 4 JUL 1872 in Hamilton, Wentworth, Ontario.  He married on 8 DEC 1898 in Hamilton, Wentworth, Ontario to Mabel Estelle HYDE.  She was born b: 1 SEP 1877 in Hamilton, Wentworth, Ontario.  They had the following children:
    1. Agnes STEWART b: 14 JUL 1899 in Hamilton, Wentworth, Ontario. She married Howard ROBINSON of U.S.A. They moved to Gaylord, Michigan, USA and had no children.
    2. Alexander Bruce STEWART b: 21 MAR 1902 in Hamilton, Wentworth, Ontario.  He married an unknown woman and had children. They moved to Detroit, Michigan, USA. Their descendants are unknown.
    3. Marvin Hyde STEWART b: 23 FEB 1904 in Hamilton, Wentworth, Ontario. He married in 1937 in Ryerson United Church, Hamilton, Wentworth, Ontario to Hazel Eileen SOMERVILLE, b: 16 JAN 1912 in Hamilton, Wentworth, Ontario.  They had the following children:
       1. Living STEWART
       2. Living STEWART
    4. Norma STEWART b: FEB 1906 in Hamilton, Wentworth, Ontario. She married Thomas PURDON and had children.  They moved to Toronto, York, Ontario.
    5. Shirley Estelle STEWART b: 15 SEP 1908 in Hamilton, Wentworth County, Ontario. She married Alexander Parker BROWN b: 11 JAN 1910. They had children and moved to Stoney Creek, Wentworth County, Ontario. Their descendants are not published for privacy reasons.
    6. Mary Yvonne STEWART b: 7 SEP 1910 in Hamilton, Wentworth, Ontario. Mary Stewart married Donald COOK and had children and moved to SanDiego, California, USA.  Their descendants are unknown.
    7. Genevieve STEWART b: 13 OCT 1912 in Hamilton, Wentworth, Ontario. She married Floyd STRINGER.  They moved to Burlington, Halton, Ontario and had no children.
    8. Beverly STEWART b: Private. She married and had children.  Their information is private.

Research Leads

There was a James Stewart who immigrated from Scotland to Hamilton very early.  He became a prosperous local manufacturer.  It's not known if he was related or not to our Stewarts.  I'm compiling here any information I find on him as I stumble across it.

James STEWART, b ca. 1811 in Scotland, d 24 DEC 1890 in Hamilton, Wentworth, Ontario, Canada, age 79, Presbyterian, manufacturer.

Fellow Researchers

People researching this family include the following.  If you wish your name added to the fellow researchers' list, please contact me.

Index & Personal Information Pages (GEDCOM)

For more information on any individual person featured on this page, please:
1. click on the INDEX button below,
2. then select the first letter of the surname you are looking for.

The index button will take you to my searchable GEDCOM database hosted by RootsWeb's World Connect Project. This allows you to download my GEDCOM in 10-generation chunks.  Then you can import my data directly into your own genealogy program without having to retype it.

Legend

= This person has known descendants.

ABT = "about" and is used in three ways:

1. Where it precedes a precise date of birth, such as "ABT 3 DEC 1855", then it means that the person was baptized on 3 DEC 1795, but his/her exact date of birth is unknown.

2. Where it precedes a semi-precise date of birth with the month only given, such as "ABT DEC 1855", then that means that the birth is recorded in the civil birth registrations for the quarter ending with that month.  Thus the person's birth was registered sometime between the beginning of October 1855 and the end of December 1855, but no baptism record has been found nor any more precise birth record.

3. Where it precedes a year only, such as "ABT 1855", then it means that there is no information on the person's birth date at all and an educated guess has been made that he/she was probably born sometime around 1855.

Contact

Please post your questions, comments, corrections, or additional information to:

RYK BROWN'S GENEALOGY DISCUSSION FORUM
(click on the link to be taken to the discussion forum)

I will no longer be accepting genealogical inquiries via email.
If you wish to contact me regarding any genealogical matters
please post your inquiry on the discussion forum
and I will be pleased to respond to you there.

This page was last updated on June 10, 2009