August 14, 2005:
     
Hi there!  I am researching the family history of my ggrandfather, Patrick McGregor, 
born to James McGregor and Ellen O'Brien, baptized 25 April 1835, at Notre Dame 
cathedral in Ottawa.  I do not have much information about this couple, I have just 
begun my search on the McGregor - O'Brien connection.  James and Ellen were married 
5 March 1832, this record also found in the parish records of Notre Dame in Ottawa....
is there a connection to this family and your O'Briens...???  Any help is appreciated.
Sincerely,
Heather McGregor 
______________________________
Good morning, Heather:
 
Thanks for your e-mail regarding James McGregor and Ellen O'Brien.
I noticed that there were a couple of other references to this couple in the 
early records of Notre Dame (at least two more children were baptized there, I think). 
Do you have this info also?
 
Do you know if James McGregor, or his parents, came from Scotland to Glengarry 
Township (an early Scottish settlement just east of Ottawa), before coming to Ottawa? 
Most of the early McGregors were Presbyterians but there are some early Catholic 
McGregor connections to some folks who came from Glengarry to Ottawa in the 1830's.
 
Do you mind if I set up a new web page on our site for James and Ellen? We may hear 
from others researching this family.
Please let me know. 
Thanks again, 
... Al Lewis
_______________________________
Hi Al,
Thank you for responding!  here is the information I have, or should I say, 
what little I have.
James McGregor and Ellen O'Brien were married 5 Mar 1832, apparently this is in 
the records at Notre Dame cathedral in ottawa.  Witness were Mathew Corcoran and 
Patrick O'Brien (Ellens brother)  I understand there is a record of 3 children 
baptized there....John, 18 Jan 1833, James, 17 May 1835, and Patrick, my g grandfather 
25 April 1837.
 
Petawawa Township, Renfrew County, was first surveyed in 1847 by provincial land 
surveyor M. A. R. Macdonell. Attached to his field notes dated 25 September 1847 he 
included a "schedule of squatters on the banks of the Petawawa and parts of the 
Ottawa River" listing nine households and some lumbermen in operation on some 
tributaries of the Petawawa River. One of these squatters was James McGregor. 
It lists him with a family numbering seven people that included 3 sons and 1 daughter. 
It also records that he had one house and one barn. 

In 1857 another provincial land surveyor Robert Hamilton "noted the following 
settlers: James McGregor at McGregor's Bay about 5 miles upstream from the heart 
of Pembroke..." A book about Renfrew Co. by author Clyde C. Kennedy mentions 
"On the lines between Alice and Petawawa was the home of James McGregor. These people 
were Highland Scots and their home was always open to the wayfarer".

It would seem that Ellen's brother Patrick O'Brien (born ca 1821, died 25 May 1868) 
and his wife Elizabeth Sarsfield (born ca1829, died ?) may have followed the McGregors 
to this area as they were not included on the 1847 list of squatters. I do not have 
all the census records for the McGregors or O'Briens but you should find them recorded 
in Petawawa Township from 1851. I do have some notes from the 1861 census that the 
McGregors lived in a 1 and a half storey log house that had been built in 1849. 
The O'Briens [Patrick was a farmer and tavern keeper] also lived in a 1 and a half 
storey log house built in 1855.

Patrick O'Brien and Elizabeth Sarsfield had only two children to my knowledge:
[1] William O'Brien, born 28 August 1857, buried 27 August 1872, age 15.
[2] Mary Ann O'Brien, born 16 November 1860.
The birth and burial dates came from the parish registers of St. Columbkille's 
Cathedral in Pembroke.
     You already listed the five children of James McGregor (born ca1810 in Scotland, 
     died in September 1895) and Ellen O'Brien (born ca1811-3 in Ireland, died 
     between 1891 and 1901). I know only a little more of each:
[1] John McGregor, married 19 June 1865 in Pembroke to Mary Ann Higgins, born 
ca1841-6 in Carleton Place, daughter of Patrick Higgins & Mary Murphy, had 
children: Mary (born 17 May 1866), Ellen (born 4 February 1868), James Patrick 
(born 16 October 1869), Thomas (born 19 October 1871), John (born 24 September 1874), 
Peter (born 22 April 1876), and William Peter (born 8 April 1878).
 
[2] James McGregor, died 25 April 1866, unmarried. In 1860 James McGregor was 
treasurer of the municipality consisting of Alice, Petawawa, Rolph, Buchan and 
Wylie Townships.
 
[3] Patrick McGregor, died 1921, married 26 June 1883 in Pembroke to 
Margaret McCool, born 1860, daughter of Francis McCool & Mary Stackpool, died 1929, 
had children: Janet (born ca1884), James F. (born 1884, died 1916), Mary Ellen 
(born ca1887), and Francis (born ca1889). You will obviously know more about this 
particular branch of the family. You mentioned that you are descended from another 
son Patrick so obviously I am missing some information here.
 
[4] Janet McGregor, born ca1839-40, died 11 September 1872, age 32, married 
ca1867 to William Foster, had children Martha Mynie (born 18 January 1868), and 
James (born August 1870, died 1955, married Mary Leach).
 
and [5] Duncan McGregor, born ca1842-3, died 1907, married 26 November 1873 in 
Pembroke to Ann (called Nancy) McMullen, born ca1846, died 12 June 1900, daughter 
of Alexander McMullen & Ellen Bradley, had children: Janet (born ca1875), James 
Alexander (born 18 November 1876), Patrick (born 1879, died 2 January 1908), 
Duncan (born December 1880), Ellen A. (born 1883, died 1916), Almira (born ca1885), 
Annie (born ca1887), and Gertrude (born ca1890). Almira McGregor was one of two 
spinster sisters still living on the homestead at McGregor's Bay . There is an 
obituary for James McGregor from the Pembroke Observer dated 20 September 1895 
(page 1) under the heading "Death's Doings" that I will transcribe for you... 
"Mr. James McGregor, an old and respected resident of this section, died at the 
residence of his son, Mr. Patrick McGregor, Reeve of Pettewawa [sic], at 
McGregor's Bay, five miles from town, on Friday last. Mr. McGregor was eighty-six 
years old, and the infirmities of age had weighed very heavily on him for some 
years past. The funeral on Sunday afternoon to the Roman Catholic cathedral 
and cemetery here was very largely attended."
 
Now, this is all information I have just recieved from a former resident of 
"McGregor Hill"
All indications I have so far, is that our McGregors were catholic, all generations 
following them have listed as catholic.
I would love you to set up a new web page, any help I may get is so much appreciated.  
Searching family in ontario when your in alberta is not an easy task.  Any records that 
anyone can find for me would be great, or any links to websites that may help would 
be fantastic....I am very new to this family searching, and there is so much to learn.
Thank you for everything!
Heather McGregor
May 18, 2006:
Hello Heather, 
I have just come across your post on the Bytown or Bust site.
Margaret McCool was my great-aunt, her parents Francis McCool and Mary
Stackpool being my great-great grandparents.  Sadly I do not know much about
the family, therefore I was very intrigued when I came across your post.  I
do know that when Margaret married Patrick McGregor, there was quite an age
difference between the two.  Margaret's younger brother Patrick was my
great-grandfather.  I hope this info helps and of course I would more than
welcome any information, or dialogue, you wish to send my way.

I am just really beginning the research on the McCool side of my family and
wish you luck in your efforts.

Sincerely,
Frances O'Regan 
 August 1, 2006:
Hi all,
I was just looking at the "Bytown or Bust" web pages for the first time in a year. I have had a fantastic year of finding more information thanks to the initial information I got from you George and Dorothy. 
To refresh your minds I am the great grandaughter of Gerard McGregor and Ellen O'Brien listed on this page:  http://www.bytown.net/obrientim.htm

I would love to have you update the listing for the children of Ellen and Gerard. I have concentrated on this for most of the year.

Gerard Joseph McGregor, b. Oct. 8, 1845, Huntley Twp., Ontario Canada, d. Aug 22, 1908;
(Gerard is the son of Duncan McGregor and Mary Ann Nagle)
+ Ellen Jane O’Brien,  b. May 2, 1854 in Arnprior, Ontario Canada; d. Jan 29, 1910
(Ellen is the daughter of Patrick O'Brien and Hanorah Devlin)

Their children

James Sarsfield McGregor,  b. July 25, 1874, Ramsay Twp, d. unknown

Catherine Hanora McGregor,  b. Nov 18, 1875, Ramsay Twp; d. Aug 15,1880

Mary Geraldine McGregor, b. Jan 24, 1877, Ramsay Twp; d. Aug 25,1880

Patrick O’Brien McGregor,  b. May 09, 1878, Ramsay Twp; d. Aug 19,1880

Robert McGregor,  b. Mar 28, 1880, Fitzroy Twp d. Mar 28,1880

Edmund Joseph McGregor,  b. Aug 06, 1881, Ftizroy Fitzroy Twp; d. Sept 18 1904

John Robert McGregor  (Jack), b. July 05, 1883, Fitzroy Twp; d. July 1,1965, Ft. William, Ont.

Louise Geraldine McGregor,  b. Oct 23, 1885, Arnprior; d. July 03, 1967
+ Richard Payne

Parker Dominick McGregor  b. July 20 1887, Arnprior, d. 1978, Ft. William
+ Florida Ouellette  b.1896, d. 1955 
(Parker changed name from Mc to Mac as an adult)

Mary Mildred McGregor,  b. May 31 1889, Arnprior; d. Sept 06, 1982, Sunnyvale, CA
+ Myron Craig Alsip  b. 1891, d. 1945

Wilfred Leo McGregor,  b. Feb 12 1891, Arnprior, d. Sept 30 1918, France, WWII

Clara Ellen McGregor,  b. Aug 07, 1892, Arnprior, d. Jan 28, 1985, Thunder Bay
+ Nicholas Carney b.       d. 1965

Anne Josephine McGregor,  b. April 04 1894, Arnprior, d. Nov 1981, Thunder Bay
+ Chester Alexander 

Thanks,
Donna