My Family Tree

Alexander Clifford was born in June, 1848, the son of Alexander McArthur and Elizabeth Abbott. In the 1901 census, Alex McArthur gave his place of birth as Chatham, New Brunswick and his date of arrival (on the Island) as 1848, which was around the time that other members of his mother's family were leaving New Brunswick. I have to wonder if his name was meant to be "Alexander Crawford", since Crawford was his maternal grandmother's maiden name.

He married Emily Margaret McLean, daughter of Donald McLean and Sarah Ellis, in 1871 in Prince Edward Island, with John Ellis and John Diamond (possibly John Dyment) as witnesses. They had 10 children.

Alexander (33) and Mgt Emily (32) were in Lot 10, PEI at the time of the 1881 census, with children Laura Bell (9), Sarah Jane (7), Albert Hatfield (5), Alexander Edward (3) and Annie Minerva (10 months). <ref>Canada Census, 1881," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MVN7-3GN : 18 November 2014), Alexr. McArthur, Lot 10, Prince, Prince Edward Island, Canada; citing p. 8; Library and Archives Canada film number C-13162, Library and Archives Canada, Ottawa, Ontario; FHL microfilm 1,375,798.</ref>

By 1891, the family had moved to Lot 13. At home were Alexander (42), Margaret E. (42), Sarah Jane (17), Albert H. (15), Alexander (13), Annie (11), Elizabeth (9), Dan (6), Herbert (4) and Maude (1).

His obituary was printed in the Agriculturist February 15 1916, available on PEI Ancestry: "He leaves a widow, five sons and five daughters, also one brother and three sisters."

The sons were Hatfield of Ogden, Utah; Edward of Northam; Herbert of Errol, N.H.; Alfred of Vancouver, B.C., and Daniel at home. The daughters were Mrs. James Dyment [Laura Belle], Mrs. Edmund Maynard [Sarah Jane] and Mrs. Charles Colwill [Elizabeth] all of Northam; Mrs. Hugh Maynard, Port Hill [Annie], and Mrs. Sergeant Phillips of Bayside [Maude].

The Charlottetown Guardian noted that his funeral was "one of the largest seen in that part of the country for some time."

From There to Here, by Roy Newcombe:

Alexander (Sandy) MacArthur (1848), Percival River, married Margaret Emily MacLean (1849) of Tyne Valley. They had nine children:
-Laura Bell (1872) married James Dyment
-Sarah Jane (1874) married Edmund Maynard
-Albert (1876) (Albert Hatfield)
-Alexander Edward (1878) married Florence Birch, no children
-Annie (1880) married Hugh Maynard of Port Hill
-Elizabeth "Libby" (1882) married Charles Colwill
-Daniel (1885) married Annie Yeo of Northam
-Herbert (1887)
-Maude (1890) married Sargent Phillips of Mount Royal
(Alfred missing from this list)

Alexander named his wife Margaret Emily and son Daniel in his will; an adopted son Alfred; son Herbert. If Albert did not return to the Island in 5 years, his land would be divided between surviving children Laura Bell, Sarah Jane, Annie, Elizabeth and Maude.
PEI wills vol 21 page 121