McConnell Ancestry in Canada – An Overview

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The McConnell Ancestry begins with an explanation of their emigration from Ireland to Canada in the 1800s. The four generations of the McConnell ancestors in the direct lineage are as follows:

1. The Story of James McConnell (1783-1827) and Margery Moncrief (1800-1872);
2. The Story of James Allen McConnell (1824-1892) and Mary Quinn (1825-1905);
3. The Story of William Harold McConnell (1846-1930) and Mary Ann Bloomer (1856-1932);
4. The Story of Harold William McConnell (1900-1988) and Marjorie Uldean Latta (1905-1988). 

Ancestry records show that James McConnell (1783-1827) was born in Northern Ireland and served in the British military for about 20 years, stationed mainly in India. After being wounded, he was discharged at the age of 38. He married Margery Moncrief (1800-1872) in 1821 in the village of Scotshouse, County Monaghan, Ireland.

James and Margery had three children – Ann (1822-1895), James Allen (1824-1892) and Donald (1826-1827). Apparently, baby Donald died in 1827 on a sailing ship crossing the Atlantic Ocean while en route from Ireland to Canada shortly after his father James had died. Making a new life in Canada, Margery (Moncrief) McConnell remarried and had four more children by her second marriage. 

James Allen McConnell (our direct line ancestor) was only 3 years old when he came to Canada with his mother and other members of the Moncrief family. He grew up near Peterborough, Ontario, Canada. In 1844, he married a bonny Irish lass named Mary Quinn (1825-1905). It was about that time that Ireland was suffering through the period of the Irish Famine. James Allen died in 1892 at the age of 67. Mary died in 1905 at the age of 80.

James Allen McConnell and Mary Quinn, circa 1844

The 1852 Canada Census indicates that James was a farmer and Mary was a housekeeper, and that they had two boys. By the time of the 1871 Canada Census, they had ten children: Robert Henry (1845), William Harold (1846), Marjorie (1849), Mary Elizabeth (1852), Samuel John (1855), Thomas James (1856), Annie Isabel (1857), Margaret Edith (1861), George Alexander (1864) and Charles Joseph (1868).

William Harold McConnell and his horses circa 1915

William Harold McConnell was the next generation in our lineage. He was born on May 7, 1846 in Northumberland, Ontario and died on March 28, 1930 aged 83. On April 8, 1874, he married Mary Ann Bloomer (1856-1932), at Peterborough, Ontario. From 1876 to 1900, they had 10 children (7 girls and 3 boys).

 

Harold William McConnell, circa 1968

Harold William McConnell was the youngest of the 10 children. The Canada Census data shows that he was born on July 30, 1900 in Hastings, Ontario, became a farmer, and died in April 1988, aged 87. Harold married Marjorie Uldean Latta (1905-1988) on January 9, 1924 at Campbellford, Northumberland, Ontario. From 1924 to 1949, they had nine children, several of whom are currently interested in their family legacy. Together with their children and grandchildren, they can now explore their McConnell ancestry back to Ireland in the 1700s and the fateful journey to Canada from Ireland in 1827.

(Note: McConnell Ancestry updated to November 1, 2016.)