The McGregor Family Record - Intro

I decided it was time I compiled the various research notes I had collected over the years.  My smallest file was the McGregor & McFarlane families.  These files had gathered dust at the back of my cabinet for 40 years.  This family seemed a great place to start as I thought I could quickly put together a short family history, expecting a few pages at most.  I was wrong!

Both Victor Norman Pattullo and his mother, Jessie McGregor had an interest in genealogy. Jessie and her husband, William Thompson Pattullo wrote brief histories about their origins.  As a genealogist I wish there was more, but I am very grateful to have anything at all.  

Jessie notes included information about her mother’s family – the McFarlanes.  On a research trip to Ontario I visited the Peel Regional Archives.  There I came across a record book belonging to Jessie’s brother, Alexander McGregor.  In it he mentioned the death of his aunt and his uncle – again furnishing me with detail not often available when tracing a family history.  The cold hard facts are difficult enough to find, let alone a glimpse into the story behind the facts.

In the 1970's I corresponded with a cousin of my grandmothers, Ruth Pattullo.  At that time she was living in the San Francisco area.  She sent me a copy of a letter from a shirt tail cousin in Wales – Charlotte MacGregor.  Charlotte was descended from our John McGregor’s brother – Peter MacGregor.   Although a most confusing letter it provided me with some details about the family members left in Scotland.

 

In a discussion with a cousin, Jim Honeyford, I found out he had inherited Jessie’s trunks, which included thirty years of correspondence.  What a treasure trove of information they contained.  Now I had to start again, both with my research as well as the story I was writing.  I now had a more intimate glimpse into the lives of my great great grandparents lives– Jessie & William. 

James Scott Pattullo

James Scott Pattullo
Who was he and how are we related

     Amongst my grandmother, Mae Agnes Powell's (nee Pattullo) papers I found a photo and a letter from James Scott Pattullo.  It was addressed to my grandmother, and signed "cousin". I often wondered who he was but could not attach him to my Pattullo tree.  As I have experienced over and over, never discount a name or a clue - sometimes that is the puzzle piece needed to move forward.

 James Scott Pattullo

     James was a member of the Seaforth Highlanders, stationed out of Vancouver, and served in France during World War One.  As more information has been made available on the internet I was able to find out more about him.  The letter my grandmother had received was dated two weeks before he perished at Vimy Ridge.

Here is James Scott Pattullo's Letter
 

     In his regimental papers James listed his next of kin as Annie O Pattullo, of Mid Islington Farm, Forfar, in Scotland.  He also stated that he had been in the US Army for three years.  Passenger lists for the Grampion show he arrived in Quebec, 10 Aug 1908. He enlisted in the US Army 12 June 1912 and was honorably discharged 12 June 1915.

     A further internet search and I found that in the town of Kinnettles, Scotland a war memorial had been erected in memory of the soldiers of the town killed during the war.  James Scott Pattullo of the Canadian Seaforth Highlanders was one of the men listed.  

     Before the advent of the Internet I would never have been able to find this information.  From these clues I was able to build a tree which led back to David Pattullo and Margaret Adam.  This couple have turned out to be the ancestor of all leads I have traced back to Scotland but so far I have not been able to connect our branch to this family.

     More later...but first more information about my own Pattullo family.

How I Began my Genealogical Research

My grandmother, Dell May Todhunter died in May of 1973 in Vancouver.  At the time I was living in Ottawa and made the trek home to be with my family.  During the process of obtaining the necessary paperwork to report a death, my father was shocked to discover his mother was born in Osler, Saskatchewan.  I was equally shocked to discover that my father did not know this simple fact about his mother.

And thus my journey began...

Living in Ottawa should have been a great way to jump start my research, but unfortunately I was not aware of the existence of the national archives, although I had so little information on my family that a search of the archives would probably have been more frustrating than fruitful.

Later that summer I moved back to Vancouver.  My mother, aware of my interest in genealogy gifted me with her grandfathers research.  Victor Norman Pattullo was bitten by the genealogy bug in the early 1900's.  Both he and his mother, Jessie Pattullo  (nee McGregor) wrote letters to relatives asking for birth and death dates of the various Pattullos and Campbells in Ontario.  My mother told me that Victor was very dedicated to his research   She was very proud of the fact that in later life Victor bought a typewriter, taught himself to type and painstakingly transferred his genealogical data to typed form.

Although my mother, Doreen Gwyneth Todhunter (nee Powell) was not interested in genealogical research she was always very interested in the results.  To even have the slim packet of Victors research was a miracle.  My great grandparents trunks were in our basement, there were at least ten of them.  Victor & his wife Luella were long gone but not there stuff as my father was wont to grumble.  In the 60's we had a flood in our basement and my father gleefully pitched the trunks.  How my mother was able to rescue the genealogy I do not know and I often wonder how many treasures were thrown out.

From this packet, I had my start and a better start than many who begin their genealogical journey.  Contained within the packet was Pattullo and Campbell records as well as a brief history of the journey of the McGregors from Fortingall, Scotland to Caledon, Ontario.  There was also a letter to my great grandmother, Luella Jane Pattullo (nee Griffin) outlining her Griffin history back to the 1630's.  Although a great beginning - where to go next?

I joined the BC Genealogical society and the president, Don Langstaff took me under his wing.  Genealogy is often a persuit of the retired and I think having someone in their twenties interested in genealogy helped.....My meger reserch consisted of an article I had found in the "The Canadian Biographical Dictionary" (p548-550) regarding Dr. Alexander Pattullo, MD.  Whether Dr Pattullo  mixed up the family names or the editor did I will never know, but I was not on the correct track when I sent in my request for UEL status.  Again help emerged in the form of Elizabeth Hancocks, genealogist for the United Empire Loyalist Association.  She willingly took the time to research my Campbell side and help out a very new genealogist work through her family history.  From her I had my clarification and my UEL ancestor and my certificate - my UEL ancestor was Robert Campbell.

Dr. Pattullo's biography says "Dr. Pattullo's mother was Mary Campbell, daughter of James Campbell, an officer in one of the Niagara Volunteer Regiments...he was the son of Alexander Campbell, a United Empire Loyalist..."  In fact his grandfathers were Alexander Pattullo and Robert Campbell.