Father: Peter Croll MCDONALD, (son of Donald MCDONALD), b. 3 Sep 1810, Hayston Angus Scotland, d. 30 Mar 1877, Old Monkland Whifflet Lanarkshire
One ancestral file gives Peter's birth year as 1812 but individual birth date from extracted record lists him born in 1810.Extracted files are copies of actual birth records, so 1810 in Hayston Glamis is the correct date. Peter and his brothers are born in Hayston Glamis(Forfarshire now Angus )Scotland,Parents proved on death certificate as Daniel ( Donald ) McDonald and Isabel Malcolm Peter's middle name comes from his mother Isabel's brother in law as her sister Helen Malcolm married a man named Peter Croll. This was not uncommon to name children after in laws as in those times inlaws were considered as brothers and sisters. Peter McDonald has a bit of a checkered history with women! His history changes the genealogy of this family and was kept secret for over one hundred sixty eight years. Apparently, Peter first marries Margaret Spence on June 5 1837 While not originally aware of a first wife it seems a bit certain that the Peter McDonald who marries Margaret Spence is Peter of Glamis and is probably one in the same as the one who marries Margaret Stewart a scant two years later. . His occupation on the 1861 census and on both the Spence and Stewart marriages gives him away. He is listed alternately as quarrier/cutter( one in the same ) a very specialized job according to a Ross Cameron, Tay Valley Historical society and a cousin Pete Piersee. Two Peter McDonalds who were farmers would not necessarily be more than a coincidence. Two Peters named as quarrier/cutter in such a small area are almost certainly the same guy. .Also, a review of Peter McDonalds in the area born of marriage age and there are only four show the other three to be of other occupations on the 1841 census and with other wives, leaving them ineligible to marry Margaret Spence An ancestral file of Peter McDonald and Margaret Boyd Spence lists Peter as being born about 1812. Peter is actually born in 1810 and on his death certificate he lists age as 65 in `1877 which means he thought he was born in 1812. This may be where the ancestral file got his about birthdate. . Margaret Spence is probably the woman born in Auchterhouse parish in 1813. Auchterhouse parish is bordering Glamis parish and was once a part of Tealing where Peter's son Daniel is born.. She has not been officially listed as his first wife because there is not absolute proof but it would be somewhat disingenious to completely overlook any mention of her as his probable first wife. . Margaret Boyd Spence parents are James Spence and Susan Smyth. . A short time after this marriage about two months in, he meets up with a woman named Margaret Crocket who is also from Auchterhouse. . . He gets Margaret Crocket pregnant and they have a son named Daniel born on May 9, 1838 in Tealing parish. While it is possible that Margaret Spence died it is more probable that his marriage to her complicated the situtation making it impossible for Peter to marry Margaret Crocket. Margaret Spence probably well aware of the child at some point, cuts her losses and either files for dissolution, annulment or divorce in a kirk session. Without children, she would have nothing in particular to keep her with Peter and the Presbyterian church; strict about who gets a divorce and why would have certainly granted a woman a divorce in a proven case of adultery. While adultery is often hard to prove, Peter had to have admitted his indiscretion in order for him to be named on the birth register as he is on Daniel's birth record. There is no record of Peter ever marrying Margaret Crocket and nothing on the birth record suggests this. Often times after a marriage, sympathetic registars would amend the record to read only'Natural child“ Daniel's reads born in fornification. Peter's next step is to marry yet a new Margaret. It is Nov 24 1839 that he marries Margaret Stewart. The disproved status on this set of parents on this genealogy program merely applies to the fact that is was proved that Daniel was not a product of the Margaret Stewart/Peter McDonald marriage and was proved otherwise. None of the Margarets Peter was involved with are the same woman with maiden names or otherwise. This has been proven by census's in 1841 where they are all three in separate homes. Marriage info direct from Parish record . Murroes. 1839 Nov. 24. “Peter McDonald and Margaret Stewart both of this parish were regularly proclaimed and no objections offered.”Peter is listed as a stone cutter on this document. Peter(30) can be found on 1841 census in Newtyle Angus Scotland with his new wife Margaret Stewart (22) , son Donald/Daniel (3) and son Alexander.(5 months) Newtyle is six miles from Glamis where he raises his family later. New info from the Tay Valley Historical Society shows that in 1851 he and Margaret move to Hayston Glamis in Forfarshire now Angus County, There he lives with his wife Margaret, many sons including Daniel, (listed as 12 year old Donald in 1851.) He also lives there with his father 69 year old Donald.,who is a widower in 1851. Most likely Peter was born, grew up and raised his children all in this same area, possibly the same house where he himself was born. . He is only away from his childhood home then for a short period when he is living in Newtyle. . . With his three Margaret situation perhaps he goes to Newtyle parish in 1841 to get away from the rumours that would have been swirling around him in the small parish of Glamis. This family is also still in the same area Hayston, Glamis in 1861 with both Margaret and Peter and remaining sons . While listed as a quarrier/cutter on three records at times he is listed as a labourer and agricultural worker.on the 1861 census He probably did both jobs at times to make ends meet. It is most certainly the same Peter in all these census's despite a different job title because of the addition of the others in the family, his wife, his children and later his father Donald. He is alive to sign and witness Daniel McDonald and Margaret Ritchies marriage in 1864. Peter McDonald and Margaret Stewart move to Old Monkland Whifflet in Lanarkshire where his son Andrew and William are, before they move to Chicago Illinois and Summerville Mo respectively. They make the move sometime after the 1871 Census in Glamis Angus County. Also son Stewart dies in Lanarkshire. there.in 1877. Peter dies in Old Monkland Whifflet on March 30, 1877 of Pulmonary consumption which a surgeon states he has had for years.PETER AMD MARGARET STEWART IN 1841, 1851 and 1861, 1871 census see below 1841 Piece: SCT1841/314 Place: Newtyle-Angus Enumeration District: 2 Civil Parish: Newtyle Ecclesiastical Parish, Village or Island: - Folio: 0 Page: 13 Address: New Village Belmont St
Surname First name(s) Sex Age Occupation Where Born Remarks MCDONALD Peter M 30 Labourer Angus MCDONALD Margaret F 22 Outside Census County (1841) MCDONALD Donald M 3 Angus MCDONALD Alexander M 6m Angus
Top of Form 1 Bottom of Form 1 Top of Form 2 Source Bottom of Form 2 1851 and 1861 Census Tay Valley Historical societyHayston Upper, Parish of Glammis : 1851
Peter McDonald / Head / Marr / 39 / Labourer, Farm / b. Forfarshire, Glammis. Margaret McDonald / Wife / Marr / 30 / b. Forfarshire, Alyth. Donald McDonald / Son / Unm / 12 / Scholar / b. Forfarshire, Glammis Alexander McDonald / Son / Unm / 10 / Scholar / b. Forfarshire, Glammis. Peter McDonald / Son / 8 / Scholar / b. Forfarshire, Glammis. James McDonald / Son / 7 / Scholar / b. Forfarshire, Glammis David McDonald / Son / 5 / b. Forfarshire, Glammis. Andrew McDonald / Son / 3 / b. Forfarshire, Glammis. John McDonald / Son / 10m / b. Forfarshire, Glammis. Donald McDonald / Grandfather / Widr. / 69 / Retired Labourer / b. Forfarshire, Glammis.
Cottertown of Hayston, Parish of Glamis : 1861 Peter McDonald / Head / Marr / 48 / Stone Quarrier / b. Forfarshire, Glamis. Margaret McDonald / Wife / Marr / 41 / b. Perthshire, Alyth. David Mc Donald / Son / Unm / 14 / Ag. Lab. / b. Forfarshire, Glamis. Andrew McDonald / Son / Unm / 12 / Scholar / b. Forfarshire, Glamis. John McDonald / Son / Unm / 9 / Scholar / b. Forfarshire, Glamis. William McDonald / Son / Unm / 5 / b. Forfarshire, Glamis. Stewart McDonald / Son / Unm / 2 / b. Forfarshire, Glamis George McDonald / Son / Unm / 1 / b. Forfarshire, Glamis .Census 1871 - Parish of Glamis, Hayston Cotter House: PETER McDONALD / Head / Marr / 55 / Ag. Lab. / b. Forfarshire, Glamis MARGARET STEWART / Wife / Marr / 50 / b. Forfarshire, Alyth. STEWART McDONALD / Son / 13 / Scholar / b. Forfarshire, Glamis GEORGE McDONALD / Son / 11 / Scholar / b. Forfarshire, Glamis ANN McDONALD / Daur / 8 / Scholar / b. Forfarshire, Glamis.
Mother: Margaret STEWART, b. ABT 1819/1822, Alyth Perth Scotland, d. 13 Apr 1898, Ayr in Ayrshire Scotland
Margaret Stewart is thought to be the second wife of Peter McDonald She has various ages on her census's and on her death certificate in 1898 she lists her age as 78 making her born in 1820 probably. . She marries Peter McDonald in 1839 a scant 18 months after Daniel is born to Peter McDonald and Margaret Crocket. Margaret Crocket and Peter did not marry. It is supposed that Margaret Spence was Peter's first wife and she probably filed for a dissolution of the marriage upon finding out about his affair with Margaret Crocket two months into their marriage. in 1841 little Daniel shows up as a three year old as Donald in the parish of Newtyle with his father Peter and Margaret Stewart ,his new stepmother and his younger half brother Alexander. Margaret Stewart moves to Glamis later by 1851 with Peter and lives in what is probably his childhood home in Hayston village in Glamis parish. She lives there with her children and Also Peter's dad Donald. In 1861 and 1871 as her family gets bigger she is still in Glamis. By 1877 she is living in Old Monkland Whifflet village in Lanarkshire county. Apparently she and Peter moved up there to be with their sons Andrew and William taking children Stewart, George and Ann with them.(Proof of Stewart in Monkland is on his death certicate there. By the year 1898 with her husband dead and sons William Daniel, and Andrew moved to the states, she is living in Ayr in Ayrshire .. It is here that she dies of a multitude of things, heart disease , acute and chronic bronchitis and fillial incontience..She dies on April 13, 1898 and son John signs her death certificate.Margaret must have been a somewhat tolerant and gracious woman. It is said that when her granddaughters Ann and Julia are living in Lawrence County , Mo they ask their father if they can to return to Scotland to visit her . He does not allow it probably because of the treachous conditions on ships in those days and having lost four children he did not want to risk exposing them to serious diseases. Also it may have been a monetary thing. While Daniel knew she was not his real mother, he did think enough of her to name his daughter Anna Stuart/Stewart McDonald. So he must have been close enough to her to want to honor her. She had to have known of Peter's indiscretions when she agreed to marry him and she accepted a child that was not hers into her home. Margaret's lineage is said to be on a family tree that her son Andrew had done and it points to Mary Queen of Scots as being one of her ancestors. This legend was continued for 168 years among Daniel's descendants. However upon doing research it came to light about Daniel's actual parentage and he is not a Stewart/McDonald but a Crocket /McDonald. On his first marriage to Margaret Ritchie he lists his mother as Margaret Stewart. By his second marrige to Margaret Marnie he has obviously found out and he lists his mother as Margaret Crocket Adamson as his mother married a man named George Adamson. Perhaps the myth was allowed to continue because it was more genealogically exciting to be related to Mary Queen of Scots or maybe as it was back then shameful to be illegitimate he did not reveal the truth. Whether he kept the secret from his cihldren is a matter of conjecture.
Married 24 Nov 1839, Murroes Angus Scotland
Children: