Husband: Alexander Ritchie MCDONALD, (son of Donald "Daniel " MCDONALD), b. 19 Apr 1865, Forfar parish Angus Scotland, d. 6 Feb 1936, Kansas City Kansas, bur. Forest Hill cemetery Kansas City Mo on Lawn Ave
Birth record taken from actual birth register(see below) .Death info taken from his death certificate hard copy not on disk. Middle name is his mother's maiden name. . Came to US to a New York Port , Castlegarden on the ship Devonia at age 19, with father, stepmother and two sisters, Ann and Julia.Probably. Did live with his father at time of Daniel's death in 1901.Listed his occupation on Lawrence County Missouri census 1900 as farmer. It was originally thought that Alexander first marries sometime after 1910 to MaryBelle who precedes him in death. However in 1915 he is still living in Crawford County Kansas in the Stotts household of W Stotts with no wife. .Marybelle died in 1931 and was said not to have been well liked by the family. However according to the 1910 Census where Alexander appears in Crawford County Kansas in the home of a Martin household , Alexander is divorced. This is repeated info on the 1920 census where he lives with his brother in law David Edward Whalen and sister Ann Whalen.in Wyandotte County Kansas. . While the date of his marriage to Marybelle is not certain, she did not marry him prior to 1910 so he must have had another wife first and then divorced. On the 1930 Census he is listed in Kansas City KS Wyandotte County in the sixth ward on 914 12th Street. He is there with Mary (probably the woman the family called Marybelle). He is 65 and she is 66. On this census they are asked what age they were at their first marriage. Alexander states he was 28(this would have been in 1893) and Mary states she was 21 at her first marriage. So obviously they were not married to each other at a younger age. He would have been either in Kansas , because his brother Richard was born there in 1886 or perhaps he was already in Lawrence County Missouri . However, there is not a recorded marriage for him in Lawrence County at any time.It is possible he was married in one of the surrounding counties. Oddly on the 1900 Census it seems to have slipped his mind that he is divorced and he lists his status as single. It is of course possible that he did not get a legal divorce from his first wife until after 1900. However he did divorce the first wife at least by 1910 as in that census he lists ,his marital status as divorced. Efforts to locate that marriage elsewhere are ongoing. After Marybelle's death in 1931 he then lives with his brother in law David E Whalen and his sister Ann McDonald Whalen on South Valley Street until his death in 1936. Said to have had jet black hair and blue eyes very tall.. Nickname Alec. On the 1930 Census he states he worked for a foundry as a labourer and he rents his home. He does give his date of immigration as 1883 which is off by one year. But that mistake is common enough. Brand new information on Alexander shows he did not become a US citizen until very late in his life in 1922 where he was naturalized in a Wyandotte County Court. It is definitely him as he is listed as Alexander Ritchie McDonald. Family stories include his desire to come to the United States and helping convince his father. Also , he once brought his sister a coffee urn for a birthday and was mugged on the way to her party but refused to give up the urn. Thus he appeared with it dented but intact according to Pete Piersee's tale. He died of Chronic Myocarditis with secondary condition of Ateriosclerosis as a question mark on his death certificate. Funeral home Daniels Brothers buried Forest Hills Kansas City Mo Lot 113 Block 7 Grove 5 Benedict Grove buried on Lawn Avenue.TRANSCRIPT OF ENTRY IN REGISTER OF BIRTHS
Sex Year County District Name District No. Entry No. M 1865 Forfarshire Forfar 288 163
Name and Surname Alexander Ritchie McDonald When and Where Born 1865, on the Nineteenth day of April, at 4h 0m am Old Post Office Close, Forfar Name, Rank and Profession of Father Daniel McDonald Yarn Bleacher Name and Maiden Surname of Mother Margaret McDonald MS Ritchie Date and Place of Marriage 1864 June 24th at Forfar Signature and Qualification of Informant Daniel McDonald Father Present When and Where Registered 1865, May 5th at Forfar John Webster, Registrar
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Transcribed by D R Cameron - TVFHS member 3692 - ForfarCam@aol.com
Wife: MaryBelle —, b. ABT 1864, Iowa, d. 23 Feb 1931, Kansas City Kansas, bur. Forest Hill Cemetery, Kansas City Missouri
This is Alexander McDonald's second wife. She is listed with him as being 66 on the 1930 Census in Wyandotte County Kansas. making her born about 1864. She states she was born in Iowa and her parents were born in Iowa. She states she was first married at age 21. It was not to Alexander McDonald however. Family lore has them marrying sometime after 1910 as prior to that Akexander was in Lawrence County Kansas and Cherokee County Kansas. According to call to Forest Hill Cemetery Mary was received on 2/23/1931. They are unable to give out actual date of death. This woman was not well liked by the McDonald family according to family rumours.