DONALD ROSS (1798-1852)

[gnstill]

New: DONALD ROSS (1798-1852)

Please post comments and queries about DONALD ROSS and his descendants here.

[sallyclark]

I am responding to a request for information about Donald Ross Jr.'s possible marriage to Annie McKENZIE, a daughter of Ann SPENCER and Samuel McKENZIE (1813-1879).

My great grandfather, William Roderick Ross(1869-1928) was the son of Donald Ross, Jr., the son of Donald Ross (1798-1852). He was four years old when his father and mother died. Donald Ross Jr. died in Fort Vermillion, Alberta in 1874 (?) Most of the records that I found indicate that his wife died either at the same time or shortly before. Donald Ross Jr's brother, Roderick Ross became William's guardian. I was looking up the records in the Hudson Bay files. None of the files reveal the name of my great grandfather's mother. He never knew who his mother was.

The Hudson's Bay Company kept excellent records. If the Factor's son marries, then it would have been of sufficient importance to list her name. Women of Caucasian descent are listed by name in the records. First Nations women were, at one time, listed in the records but with Governor Simpson's influence, it became a policy that if a man's mother was of First Nations descent, it was indicated with the words "Mother unknown."

I have a photo of William Roderick Ross when he was four years old, which would have been taken just after his parents died and his adoption into his uncle's family. From the knees up, he is the picture of an English gentleman, wearing a suit, waistcoat and a pocket watch. From the knees down, he's wearing mukluks. I feel the photo is a witness to his assimilation into white society.

My great grandfather became Minister of Lands of BC and I think he knew of his mixed ancestry but wanted it to remain a secret. When I was a child, older relatives often mentioned that there was First Nations blood in our family.

I have a couple of other reasons for thinking this to be the case.
Donald Ross (senior) was the Factor at Norfolk House. He spoke fluent Cree and fought for the rights of the First Nations and the 'mixed-blood' people. He thought we should create a new society and not try to replicate England in this new land. He disagreed strongly with Governor Simpson's policies. Also, there is a rumour that he was living with a Cree woman before he married Molly McBeath. I haven't done enough research to see if this is true.

It would not be surprising that given the views of his father, Donald Ross Jr. would marry a First Nations woman. My guess is that she was Cree. As Simpson's policies became more dominant, Donald Ross Jr. left Norfolk House and moved to Fort Vermilion.

For these reasons, I believe that Donald Ross Jr. did not marry Annie McKenzie.

A NOTE: I have only done rudimentary research on this. I planned to look up the Birth and Death files for Alberta to confirm the records for William Roderick Ross's birth and his parents' death but I haven't done so yet. I was excited by genealogy five years ago but I became busy with other things.

submitted by Sally Clark

[gnstill]

I have done another quick review of the Page for Donald ROSS SR and did some minor changes.
Regarding parents of William Roderick: In 1894 there are several Scrip records in Archives Canada where half-breed William Roderick ROSS claimed Scrip as the sole heir of his deceased mother, Ann McKENZIE, daughter of Samuel McKENZIE. In 1895 he also claimed Scrip as sole heir of his deceased father, Donald ROSS.

[sallyclark]

Hello,
Could you please clarify this. Are you saying that you have found records in Archives Canada that refer to William Roderick Ross as a "half-breed?" ' And are there records where he claimed that Ann McKenzie is his mother?

This is confusing because how could he be a "half-breed" if both his parents are of Scottish descent. (I'm guessing that Ann McKenzie is of Scottish descent)

Also, I looked up Wililiam Roderick Ross's death certificate in the B.C. records. His son, William Cameron Ross filled in the record and kept a blank space for the name of the mother and 'don't know' for mother's place of birth.

I think the page was more accurate when it didn't claim that Ann McKenzie was William Roderick Ross's mother.

Thanks,
Sally Clark

[gnstill]

Go to Archives Canada and check it out for yourself – I don’t lie.

According to my information, Ann McKENZIE’S parents, Ann SPENCER and Samuel McKENZIE (1813-1879) were both half-breeds, so their daughter Ann was definitely a half-breed as well.

A question for you: Did your great grandfather, William Roderick, marry Leila (Lulu) YOUNG?

[sallyclark]

Thanks. I didn't mean to imply that you were lying. I did the research about ten years ago and it was very rudimentary. I didn't know about the Archives Canada website. Thanks for the information. I will check it out.

Yes, my great grandfather, William Roderick married Leila Young.

[gnstill]

Sorry Sally, didn’t mean to be cheeky.
I recently posted a New Family Page that should be of interest to you at this link:
WILLIAM RODERICK ROSS (1834-1909)

[sallyclark]

Thanks for collecting and posting all this information about the Red River families. I really appreciate it!

[gnstill]

Sally: To put things into perspective I have created a New Family Page for your Great-Great Grandparents at this link:
DONALD ROSS (1839-1878)

[sallyclark]

This is great! Thank you! I'm reading 'The Red RIver Settlement" by Alexander Ross. Are there any books that you would recommend?