My Family Tree

ASSUMPTION! No proof he belong with these parents!

The Hugh Ramsay who married Margaret Smith MIGHT NOT BE the same man as the widower Hugh Ramsay who married Mary Ann Penwarden, and I might not have found the right parents for Hugh.

There was a Hugh Ramsay, son of Donald Ramsay and Kitty Anderson (mistake maybe? should be Charlotte or Lottie?), baptized in 1830. This fits with the date of birth given by Hugh Ramsay, widower, in the 1901 census. However, neither Hugh or Elizabeth, called his sister in the 1901 census, were named in this Donald's will.

George Ramsay and Margaret Sullivan in Lot 13 also had a son named Hugh, but he was blind and there is no indication that this Hugh had any disability.

Another possibility is that Hugh was the son of Michael Ramsay and Ann Smith - his date of birth and and residence fit, and his son Daniel Stewart Ramsay was living with Michael's daughter Flora Ramsay Stewart in 1881. Most local histories include a son named Hugh in this family.

Ann Smith Ramsay was survived by three sons, but one of the sons, Amos, does not appear in any records after his baptism. There was also a missing daughter, and Elizabeth would fit.

There is, however, proof that a Hugh Ramsay from Lot 13 married Margaret Smith in Richmond Parish in 1855, and that Margaret died in 1858.

Groom's Name Hugh Ramsay
Groom's Residence Lot 13
Bride's Name Margaret Smith
Source RG19/s3/ss5: Marriage bonds, 1855

The Islander – Jun 25, 1858
Died. At Lot 11, of Cancer in the breast, on the 26th May last, in the 35th year of her age, Margaret, the beloved wife of Mr. Hugh Ramsay. The deceased resided at St. Eleanor’s with Mr. Hugh Smith from her infancy, until a short time prior to her death, where she gained the esteem and regard of a numerous circle of relatives and friends; as her approaching end drew near, her resignation to the Divine Will and firm reliance for strength from above, enabled her to look upon death as the termination of her sufferings here, and as
“The messenger of peace,
That calls the soul to heaven.”

There was a Hugh Ramsay in the 1861 census of Lot 13 with a household of 5, all unmarried. There was one boy between 5-15, and one man aged 21-45; 2 women from 21-45 and one woman upwards of 60. This would fit with the widower Hugh, his mother, and his sisters Elizabeth and Ann, as well as Ann's son Michael.

The Hugh Ramsay who married Mary Ann Penwarden in 1868 was a widower, while the other Hugh Ramsay in Lot 13, who married Johanna Brooks, was a bachelor at the time of his marriage. The change of location from Lot 13 to Searletown is problematic, so I might be making a mistake here in assuming that these are the same person.

Groom's Name Hugh Ramsay
Groom's Residence Searletown
Groom's Status Widow/Widower
Bride's Name Mary Ann Pinwarren
Bride's Residence Searletown
Bride's Status Spinster
Source RG19/s3/ss5: Marriage bonds, 1868

Hugh and Mary Ann's first daughter, Matilda, was born in Cape Traverse in 1871, and daughter Mary Louise said she was born in Bedeque. The three boys, baptized a few days after the death of their mother, were born in Searletown, PEI. Most of the Ramsays in this part of the province were descendants of Malcolm Ramsay and Mary Murray, but I can't find a household in that branch where Hugh would fit.

Mary Ann died in 1879, so Hugh, born around 1825, was again a widower in the 1881 census, now back in Lot 13. He was living with four of his children - Daniel Stewart was in a different household - and Elizabeth Ramsay, born 1832. In 1891, Hugh was in Summerside with all of his children. Elizabeth Ramsay is called a domestic. Both Hugh and Elizabeth said both of their parents were born on the Island.

In 1901, only Matilda and Howard were living with their father Hugh. Elizabeth Ramsay was called a sister in this census.

Hugh died 5 Oct 1908 at age 77 leaving 3 sons and 2 daughters. Elizabeth Ramsay died 4 Dec 1908, in Summerside, at age 77.