The McGregor Family Record - Jessie & William Thompson Pattullo - Ontario

    Jessie, a Scottish lass born in Caledon, Ontario in 1838, the youngest child, only daughter and only child born in Canada of John McGregor and Christina McFarlane.  She came from a family that was proud of their Scottish heritage and kept that spark alive throughout the generations. 

     29 Dec 1916 letter from Alex Macgregor:  Do you remember sending a photo about the year 1861 to us in Glasgow?  Although I have not seen it since I remember the dress you were taken in.  It was something like a shepherd tartan and you looked a find handsome young woman.

     Growing up in Caledon Jessie met and married William Thompson Pattullo.  From Jessie’s letters and Williams ledger it appears he was quite a successful farmer, growing a wide variety of crops.  Together they raised 5 children – Victor Norman, James McGregor, Christina May, Jessie Azalea and Annie Edna.

     As Jessie’s McFarlane aunts & uncle became too old to look after their farm, Jessie & William moved in to help them.  I suspect, with the understanding that they would eventually inherit the farm.  The farm in fact was inherited by Jessie’s mother Christina – the only surviving McFarlane sibling.  In November of 1879, Christina, in turn sold the farm to William and Jessie.

   

  By 1894 William and Jessie had moved to Creemore, not sure why they moved there.  Sons Jim & Victor were involved in a woolen mill in Creemore, but don’t know who went first.  According to Keith Honeyford Jim & Vic were unsuccessful in their woolen mill venture.  
      Gregor’s (Jessie’s brother) widowed family were living in the Collingwood area about 20 miles north of Creemore.  In 1887 James went to work for the Canadian Pacific Railway as a bill clerk for a time in Owen Sound

     A devastating fire in 1899 destroyed William and Jessie’s possessions, their home and all Jessie’s correspondence to that date.  What  treasure trove of letters and pictures was lost in the fire? We know William lost his collection of often used books.  How heartbreaking it must have been to have to start over.  Perhaps this made moving to Alberta an easier decision for them.

     Jessie’s letter box starts with a letter from a friend lamenting the loss of Williams extensive collection of books and the many hours of joy the writer of the letter had experienced reading his books.  Who knows what memories have been lost to us.

    April, 6 1899 – I felt very sorry when I heard of your loss by fire and to learn that so many of your books were destroyed.  Books are more easily procured now than ever I suppose but old books are like old friends, they cannot be replaced.

      It became apparent reading the letters that Jessie was a very kind, sweet person, caring deeply about the many people she kept in touch with.  Did she take an interest in genealogy first or was it her son Victor’s interest in the family history that spurred her on to re-connect with family members and ask questions about the McGregor & Pattullo origins.  Through this quest she reconnected with her cousin Alexander MacGregor in Australia.  

     From the letters I gather that in later years, William and Jessie relied on their son Jim for advice as to where to live and to look after finances for them.  Jim always seemed to be on the lookout for a new way to make money.  In one letter he said “I have plans like a Rothschild or a Vanderbilt and a purse the other extreme”.

March 2, 1899 letter to parents – You know my financial condition.  If Arthur could only see it as we or others do and would cancel my debt and could feel that he was doing himself justice you can imagine what a joy it would give me.  Is this debt as a result of the unsuccessful woolen mill in the Creemore area that Jim and Victor were involved in? Did this also impact William and Jessie’s finances and form part of the decision to move to Alberta?

     March 9, 1899 Vic and I (Jim) have been thinking of going out to Idaho and if it proves to be all they say it is would it not be a good home for all of us?  Do you and Tom and Zell think you can get along all right at Creemore or would you all come to Lewiston if I find it to be all they claim for it – a new country with all its natural resources ought to be a better place to begin for Tom, Vic and I, and I do approve of all getting near each other.  (This would not happen until Vancouver) I think Vic and Tom and I could make money together.  Vic will go out he says.  He says he cannot get ahead here (St. Paul), it costs too much to live in the city and the longer he stays the less chance of improvement.  The climate is one attraction and the new undeveloped west is another attraction for young men.