George Stewart
ID # 8961, (1825-1912)
| Father | John Stewart (-1828) |
| Mother | Mary Gowans (1800-) |
| Birth | George Stewart was born on 7 April 1825 at West Calder, Midlothian, Scotland. |
| Christening | He was christened on 1 May 1825 at West Calder, Midlothian. |
| Marriage | He married Jean Gibb on 25 January 1855. See notes for George Stewart. |
| Death | He died on 6 February 1912 at Courtright, Moore Township, Lambton County, at age 86. |
| Burial | He was buried at Moore Union Cemetery, Mooretown, Lambton Co.. |
| Note | A major source of information for George Stewart, his background and his family, is to be found in a volume published by J. H. Beers & Co., Toronto, in 1906. This is entitled: Commemorative Biographilcal Record of the County of Lambton, Ontario. The biography, which includes a photograph of George, begins on page 128 and finishes on page 131. This biography is where we find the date of marriage for George and Jean. A place of marriage is not given, and, for this era, may only be available via a church record. Another useful source is the transcription of Moore Union Cemetery at Mooretown in Lambton County. The Lambton County branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society published this work, the basis being a reading of the cemetery done by Earl Thompson in 1988. This is a relatively early date for such transcriptions and useful as older gravestones weather and become unreadable. This was rechecked in 1989. A casual scan throughout the transcription of dates of death as inscribed on the gravestones would indicate that there are no entries made after 1989. Per Ancestry, see database Scotland, Select Births and Baptisms, 1564-1950 George Stewart born 7 Apr, 1825 Baptism date 1 May, 1825; baptism place West Calder, Midlothian Parents John Stewart and Mary Gowans. We are told that John Stewart died in 1828. His wife Mary, a few years later, married James Nesbitt (Nisbet.) It is said very shortly thereafter that the family came to Canada. A marriage registration for James Nisbet and Mary 'Nisbet' has been found dated 11 May, 1834. (Your researcher believes that Mary's last name was really Stewart. The marriage after all was at West Calder. Your researcher may be in error, but the logic of this interpretation is there. Read on. As said, James Nisbet and Mary were married on 11 May, 1834. It is said that immediately thereafter they, with George and Mary, set out for Canada. It is said that the family sailed from Leith on the Margaret Bogle. In 1834, the Margaret Bogle set out from Leith on May 17, 1834, with 41 passengers. This certainly reinforces the belief that the marriage in West Calder on 11 May was between James Nisbet and Mary Gowans Stewart. John and Mary had two children: George and Mary. Young Mary died in her youth in Moore Township, and the biography tells us no more about her. What we may say is that George and Mary with mother and step-father, set sail for Canada in 1834. The story goes on to tell that the Nisbet's and the two Stewart children first settled at Bear Creek in Moore Township, but that later James took the family to land that was located along the St. Clair River and that is said to be where Mary Gowans and James Nisbet finished their lives. Mary Gowans Stewart Nisbet does appear with James in the 1861 census. By this time there are some Nisbet children. The 1871 census shows James as a widower. We must believe that Mary Gowans Stewart Nisbet was dead earlier, but after the time of the 1861 census. James Nisbet lived to 1888. No death registration for him has been found. The biography tells us that James Nisbet and his wife, Mary Gowans, were buried at Mooretown. This would probably be in the Moore Union Cemetery. James Nisbet is certainly buried there - with his daughter Mary (given the same name as her deceased half sister.) His gravestone tells that he was a native of Cumbernauld, Scotland. James was said to be 84 at the time of his death. An inscription on a stone for Mary, James wife, has not been found and where in the Moore Union Cemetery she is buried we do not know. That the bio tells that Mary Gowans is buried in Moore Town (Moore Union Cemetery), is probably correct, but there is room here for error. A distinct possibility is that she is buried with her daughter Mary - the first daughter Mary and sister to George Stewart. It was tempting to wonder if mother and daughter were actually buried in the cemetery at Bear Creek. A transcription of this cemetery is to hand (two recordings, one in 1986 and one in 1987) and there is no record of them being buried there. In any event, the land for this cemetery was purchased in 1845 and this is almost certainly too late for era of death for young Mary Stewart. And so rather more to George. The biography for George Stewart begins by identifying him as a Lt.-Col. (Lieutenant Colonel), a retired cavalry officer. During the Fenian Raids of 1866, George raised a troop of cavalry of 70 men to guard the St. Clair River between Mooretown and Sombra. He rose to the rank of major and was finally retired by the government in 1894 with the rank of lieutenant colonel. The biography implies that George's relationship with his step-father was rather stoney, for it tells that James could be harsh and exacting. It is said that when George was 18 (1843) he set out on his own and went to work on Great Lakes shipping. His first employment was that of a cook. It does appear that he rose in rank and later captained a tug. He sailed on a number of lakers during those years, but gave it up in 1859. He went into the timber business and at some point had his own vessel, The Sweepstakes, which sank in September of 1885 and sits at the bottom of Big Tub, the outer harbour of Tobermory at the tip of the Bruce Peninsula. It's quite visible and glass bottomed boats take tourists that way as a part of their trips. My thanks to a correspondent for pointing out to me that George Stewart was the last owner of this craft. I have had the pleasure of viewing the wreck of the Sweepstakes perhaps twice in my earlier years. Around the time of the loss of the Sweepstakes George also lost his planing mill to fire at Courtright. It is said that after that he retired from active business and looked after his extensive land holdings. He was said to be the largest single taxpayer in the township. The biography describes George as a Mason. He belonged to three Masonic orders in the United States and organized a Masonic lodge in Moore Town. Death reg. 017290-12 Village of Courtright, Lambton Co. George Stewart died Feby 6th, 1912, at his residence, Village of Courtright. Born April 7, 1825, at West Calder, Scotland. Age 86 years, 10 months. Retired, widower. Parents John Stewart and Mary Gowans, both born Scotland. Physician Dr. J. I. Ferguson. Informant R. G. Stewart, Courtright. Not mentioned in the list of children for George and Jean is Agnes I. Stewart. Her name appears on the family's gravestone in Moore Union Cemetery and shows a death date of July 17, 1878. A death registration has not been found and, though she wasn't with the family as of the 1871 census, and birth registrations were a requirement by this time, no birth registration has been found. Her name does not appear in the George Stewart biography in Beers 1906 volume, though it does mention a daughter who died in infancy and she is almost certainly Agnes. |
Children of George Stewart and Jean Gibb |
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| Last Edited | 19 Dec 2021 |