November 24, 2010:

Hi Allan 
 
I am just beginning to research my ancestors, and found your site.  I'm a bit overwhelmed by it, though, 
and was wondering if you could point me in the right direction.
 
My great great grandfather was Dugald Campbell McNab, he was born in Scotland in 1820 and died in Canada in 1873.  
All I have been able to discover is his obituary (attached below).  It seems like he was quite a character. 
I'd love to 1) find a picture of him and, ideally, of his wife Elizabeth Beatrice McDougal; and 2) find out how 
he was related to the Laird McNab and the other McNabs that came to Canada at that time so that I can connect 
my research with the other online genealogy work that is being done.
 
Would you have any suggestions about how I might proceed?
 
Thanks so very much
Sarah Kerr
 
 
Perth Courier, Jan. 17, 1873
McNab — Died, at his residence at Braeside, County Renfrew, of congestion of the lungs, 
Dugald Campbell McNab, a native of the Highlands of Scotland

Among others well known of Central Canada who have thus been stricken down by the common destroyer; not the 
least notable is the widely known and – shall we now repeat the expression —the “notorious” Dugald C. McNab, 
who on Saturday morning last died at his residence Braeside, near Arnprior, from congestion of the lungs.

Although his notoriety had been somewhat diminished in later years when age began to creep upon him there 
was a time when the name Dugald C. McNab was in everybody’s mouth — not only in Perth and the Upper Ottawa country 
but all over the province. This part of the country, however, was his headquarters and here he originated 
most of his schemes, issued his publications, or hatched the plots which were the cause of either directly or 
indirectly gaining him that notoriety which he seemed rather to court then to shun. Reckless in his statements, 
greatly given to exaggeration, unscrupulous, ready with his pen and tongue, gifted with a large share of literary 
talent and blessed, or otherwise in his case, with rare energy, he was a most troublesome customer for one to
have anything to do with whether in the company of friends of foes. 

He was, however, by no means a downright bad man — he was very friendly to friends, very obliging when the chance 
afforded and free from the common sin which are commonly put down as “bad habits”. Had he possessed the qualities 
that go to make up the moral faculties — especially those from which spring principle and conscientiousness, 
he would have been a most useful and prominent member of the community instead of the dread of it as he often was. 
Wanting of caution was another failing of his and this alone worked to his detriment when a worse man would 
have escaped scot free through self restraint. Dugald C.’s worse (illegible word), however, was to the world—his 
faults were all exposed while his better points were obscured by the shadows of his errors. 

For some time he acted as a correspondent on the Upper Ottawa; and it was in this capacity where both his failures 
and his strong points came out markedly.He was an indefatigable gatherer of news and withal anxious in the 
last degree to anticipate our wants in the line of a correspondent; but his want of caution and recklessness, 
added to a host of spies against those living within his sphere of labor made his correspondence so unreliable 
that we were forced to drop his voluminous accounts of wonderful adventures, tragedies, trials, hunts, rows, 
outrages, etc., to drop into our wastebasket unpublished. In no respect, however, does this characteristic of 
writing apply to his “History of the Settlement of the Township of McNab”, written and published in the 
Courier some three years ago. We have abundant evidence of its truthfulness and reliability throughout from 
those acquainted with the circulation of this strange struggle and to fasten all the credit to this writer we 
can say that from the beginning to the end we had no occasion to alter or amend a single word of the manuscript.

At the time of his death, Mr. McNab was teaching school at Braeside. In this capacity, he was very efficient and 
to the best of his ability sought to discharge his duties faithfully. Now that he is gone we can forgive him his 
many and eccentric trespasses and consider that in the end his wrong doings did no one harm but his unfortunate self.
___________________________________

Hello, Sarah:
 
Thanks for your interesting e-mail regarding your GGGrandparents. It’s a great obituary!
 
Is it OK with you if I add your e-mail to a new page on our web site? Hopefully, someone will have some information for us.
Let me know if this would be OK with you.
 
You could visit http://www.adarchives.org/ . This is the Arnprior and Braeside Archives and they may have some 
material regarding Dugald Campbell McNab, maybe even a picture of him.
 
It seems that he was colourful and well-known, from Perth to Braeside to the Upper Ottawa Valley and it would be 
fun to learn more about him.
 
Thanks again.
 
... Al Lewis