Margaret McTavish, b. abt 1848 York Factory, Manitoba, Canada
Father: William McTavish of Dunardry, 1815-1870.
Mother: Marian Rendall, dates of birth/death unknown.
William, of the Hudson's Bay Company, married Marian about 1842 "according to the custom of the country". This often suggests that the marriage was that of a European to a woman from the "First Nations" (as they are now called). However, given the following, it would appear that Marian herself came from Orkney.
William became Governor of HBC and decided to marry again, so he shipped off his 4 children to Orkney to stay with whom we believe are distant relatives. The children are:
William 1843 - 1863
Margaret abt. 1848 - ??
Mary 1851 - 1887
Harriet 1852 - 1873.
We have William's details in full, including all of his employment with HBC and his subsequent 2nd marriage (interestingly, also "according to the custom of the country", from which he had a further 4 children). He apparently sent all 4 children back to Orkney to stay with relatives (one person on the census is Jessie Flett, which is a family name of the Rendalls). We have no idea when they were sent back but, bearing in mind that the youngest (Harriet) was only 11 on the 1861 census, it surely cannot have been much before that. William Sr. died in Liverpool on a trip home and in his will he acknowledges his first family, so he obviously ensured that they were well cared for on their return.
All 4 children are shown on the 1861 census in Stromness. William died in 1863. The 3 girls are shown on the 1871 census. 2 years later Harriet died (you will notice that none of them lived what we would call a full lifetime). Mary married Angus Malcolm MacGillivray in 1879, and moved to N. Knapdale where she had 3 children, two of whom died themselves in infancy; she died in 1887.
Thus we have almost full knowledge of William, including HBC employment records, and 3 of his children from his first marriage. However, I can find no hint of Margaret after the 1871 census - either through Ancestry, SP, or any other database...no marriage, no death. I have tried the English censuses, deaths, etc. Did she re-emigrate? Did she marry? Has anyone any idea where I should be looking.
We can also find no trace of their mother, Marian, returning to Orkney (although Genuki.com shows someone has entered a date for her death in Orkney...not recorded in SP). I shall post under 'Canada' to see if anyone there has any idea or can search from their end but anything anyone can think of at this end in regard to Margaret in particular would be most gratefully received.
lydiaann