Bonus: A Wishart Family History

The Family History of  George Alexander Wishart (1890–1980)

 When I set out to trace all of the descendants of James Callin, I made the choice to delve more deeply into the families of spouses than I usually see done in the older family history books. In the case of George Wishart, I did my best to discover who his parents were, and where and when they were born and died. In the process, I think I stumbled into a possible controversy in the research.

I started with Edna H. Malson, my 4th cousin, 2x removed, and after I walk you through ten pieces of evidence about her husband, George, and his parents, I'll explain the remaining mystery.


1. Edna's Obituary (see right): This establishes that we have the right person (Edna Hazel Wishart, brother's name "C.W. Malson") and some useful facts about George, which are confirmed by the marriage record in the Multnomah County, Oregon Marriage Index, 1855-1919 database.

• Name: George Wishart
• Married: 1 June 1908 in Portland

2. 1910 Census: I don't think it's too wild a leap to assume this record showing George and Edna Wishart living in Portland is the same couple we see on that 1908 marriage record, and we learn a few more facts about George.

• Birth Year: abt 1890
• Birthplace: New York
• Occupation: Baker
• Father's Birthplace: Scotland
•  Mother's Birthplace: Canada 

3. WWI Draft Registration: George's record in the U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918 is a treasure trove. It confirms and expands upon what we already knew about George, so now we have:

• Name: George Alexander Wishart
• Occupation: Baker (the card gives the company he works for and its address)
• Marital Status: Married (the card says "wife, 2 children" - which matches what we know about Edna and their daughters at that time)
• Birth Date: 1 Oct 1890
• Birth Place: "North Towndanda," New York, USA

 (The New York State, Birth Index, 1881-1942 confirms the date and place of birth, and tells us that the correct name of the birthplace is North Tonawanda, which is located in Niagara County.)

4. California, Death Index, 1940-1997: this record matches what we now know about George, and gives us some new information:
Name: George Alexander Wishart
Birth Date: 1 Oct 1890
Birth Place: New York
Death Date: 4 Jun 1980
Death Place: Monterey
Mother's Maiden Name: Bailey


5. 1900 Census: conveniently, the Wishart family appears in North Tonawanda, Niagara County, New York in 1900. George is listed (age 8, born Oct 1891 - close enough for our purposes) and we see his family listed:

• Father's Name: John Wishert (I chalk the spelling up to transcriber error - again, it's close enough for our purposes)
• Father's Birthplace: Scotland
• Birthdate: Oct 1854 (note that the 1900 Census dates tend to be one year off - this will be important later)
• Mother's Name: Anna Wishert
• Mother's Birthplace: Canada, England
• Birthdate: Nov 1868
• Children:
• Andrew Wishert, 12
  George Wishert, 8
  James Wishert, 7
  Jessa Wishert, 1

 The 1900 Census provides a few more useful details:

• Older brother Andrew's date/place of birth is listed as Dec 1887, Canada; George, James, and Jessa were born in New York.
• John Wishart's immigration year (1878) and marriage year (1886) are given, and it says his parents were both born in Scotland.
• Anna's entry says "Immigration Year: 1878" - but it also says "Years in US: 12," which would be 1888.

Given these clues, I believe I should be looking for a marriage record for John Wishart and Anna Bailey (remember document #4) somewhere in Canada in 1886. I should also be looking for immigration records for John in 1878, and for both John and Anna in 1888.

6. Immigration/Arrival: two records show John Wishart arriving in the U.S.; one in the New York Port, Ship Images, 1851-1891 database, and the other in New York, Passenger Lists, 1820-1957. Both show that a John Wishart, born "abt 1853," arrived in New York from Liverpool aboard the Baltic, a ship of the White Star Line, on 5 April 1878. They list his Ethnicity/ Nationality as English, but I'm reasonably certain this is still our guy.

7. Ontario, Canada, Marriages, 1801-1928: two records in this database tell us more about George's parents. Taken together, here's what we learn from them:

• Name: John Wishart
• Birth Year: abt 1854 (Age: 32)
• Birth Place: Orkney Scotland
• Marriage Date: 5 Aug 1886
• Marriage Place: Woodhouse Township, Norfolk County, Ontario, Canada
• Father: James Wishart
• Mother: Helen Wishart
• Spouse: Annie Bailey
• Birth Year: abt 1867 (Age: 19)
• Birth Place: Port Dover, Norfolk County, Ontario
• Spouse father: William Bailey
• Spouse mother: Mary Ann Bailey

8. Ontario, Canada Births, 1869-1913: this record provides one last piece of evidence that confirms what I said about the 1900 U.S. Census; in particular, I think
Name: Andrew Wishard Wishart (this is an Index Record, so I couldn't view the original to see which spelling is on the document)
Birth Date: 11 Dec 1887
Birth Place: Norfolk, Ontario, Canada
Father: John Thompson Wishart
Mother: Annie Bailey

9. 1871 Scotland Census: at this point, I think we know enough about John's origins to look for records in Scotland - and here's what we find:
Name: John Wishart
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1854 (Age: 17)
Mother's Name: Helen Wishart
Where born: So Ronaldshay, Orkney

10. Scotland, Select Births and Baptisms, 1564-1950: and here's the crowning piece of evidence.
Name: John Thomson Wishart
Birth Date: 10 Oct 1853
Baptism Date: 20 Nov 1853
Baptism Place: South Ronaldsay, Orkney, Scotland
Father: James Wishart
Mother: Hellen Thomson


Now, after all of that work, I'm left with one remaining mystery: where and when did John Thompson Wishart die?

There is an Oregon, Death Index, 1898-2008 record that shows "John T Wishard" died on 29 March 1942 in Marion [County], Oregon, but there is a Find-A-Grave memorial for another John T Wishart which claims that date of death:

• John Taylor Wishart
• Birth: 19 Aug 1869, Letham, Angus, Scotland

The biography of John Taylor Wishart seems completely different from what our records show for John Thompson Wishart:

John was born in Letham, Dunnichen Parish, Angus and immigrated with his family to the United States in October 1871, arriving in Nebraska and settling in Nemaha Co., Kansas as a family unit. Many family members moved to Parkdale, Hood River Co., Oregon in 1885 and John along with them; he held a tract of land adjacent to his father and brothers in the Upper Valley Precinct, which he appears to have sold about 1895.

By the 1900 census John was located in Upper Trout Precinct, Crook Co., Oregon working as a laborer in a sawmill, and by 1910 he was in Ashwood, Crook Co., where he had his own farm and was a Stockman. Ashwood was redistricted into Jefferson Co., Oregon, and he is again located in the 1920 and 1930 census in Ashwood as a Stockman and farmer in stock grain. All census records record him as single, no children.

I do see a 1910 Census record for a widowed John Wishart, born abt 1854 in Scotland, living in Portland; this could well be our John Wishart since the other fellow was supposedly in Ashwood at that time. Our John Wishart was a sailor who lived in Canada and New York (all while this other John Wishart was growing up in Nebraska. I don't know how long our Wishart family stayed in New York before moving to Oregon, but our John and Annie had three sons and a daughter and the timing of the records we have would allow for Annie to move to Portland before dying in 1906.

The last record I have shows 77-year-old John Thomson Wishart arriving in New York from Glasgow aboard the Transylvania on 9 December 1930 after a trip to Scotland to visit relatives. I'd like to think he arrived home in Portland safely, and enjoyed many more years with his family.

I just don't have the evidence to support that conclusion.

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So, there you have a glimpse into my sources and methods. I'm not directly related to the Wishart family, but I hope I've helped clarify some things, and if anyone has an answer for my mystery, I'd love to tie up the loose end!

As always, if you've found one or more of your relatives mentioned in this blog, please get in touch. You can comment below (anonymous comments are usually not as helpful), or email "mightieracorns" at Gmail.com.

We now have more ways to reach out:

a Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/MightierAcorns/
a Twitter feed - https://twitter.com/MightierAcorns
a Ko-Fi cup - https://ko-fi.com/mightieracorns


...and if you prefer a private group, we still have the Callin Family History group on Facebook for "cousins only" (there will be a question about how you're related to the family before you can join).

Until next time.... Happy Hunting!

A Davidson Family Roundup

Hello, cousins!

At long last, we are looking at the last two families in the Davidson branch of the family. In case you need a refresher, these are the youngest children of Henry Davidson (1818–1894) and Sarah Montgomery (1824–1918), and Sarah is the daughter of Elizabeth Callin Montgomery (1798-1834), who was the granddaughter of James Callin - the ancestor who ties us all together.

V. Samuel Thurston Davidson (1853–1889)

The fifth child of Henry and Sarah, Thurston was born on 6 August 1853 while his family was en route to Oregon. Depending on the record you cite, he was born on the Oregon Trail, in the Idaho Territory, possibly in what is now Utah. The family settled near Shedd, Linn County, Oregon, and that is where he grew up.

Thurston married Susanna Elizabeth Briggs (1850–1910) in Linn County in about 1878. They settled on a farm in Halsey and had a son in November of the following year. She was the daughter of Joseph M Briggs (1817–1888) and Susannah Early (1813–1901), born on 11 July 1850 and raised in Morgan County, Ohio.

Thurston died unexpectedly on 25 April 1889 on his farm near Shedd. Susan carried on managing the farm and raising their son and daughter. She died on 10 October 1910, and she and Thurston are buried in the Pugh Cemetery in Shedd.

     A. Cloud Henry Davidson (1879–1950) was born on 4 November 1879 in Shedd, Linn, Oregon.
spent all of his life in the Shedd and Halsey districts. He married Lura V Wilson (1880–1953), daughter of James Milton Wilson (1850–1895) and Mary Susan Kirk (1859–1895), on 19 March 1907. She was born on

Making a living as a prominent stock grower, Cloud and Lura resided on his farm near Shedd until he retired in 1945, then they moved to a farm near Halsey.  He died in a Portland hospital on 11 February 1950; she died at Good Samaritan Hospital in Corvallis on 18 March 1953. They are buried in Pugh Cemetery in Shedd and were survived by their son and grandchildren.

     1. Robert H Davidson (1919–2003) was born on 10 March 1919 in Portland, Oregon to Virgil Ulysses Allison (1887–1931) and Jessie E Brown (1891–1929). He was ten years old when his mother died, and he was taken in by Cloud and Lura Davidson, who adopted him.

Robert graduated from Halsey High School in 1937 and attended Oregon State College. He enlisted in the U.S. Army during World War II, serving from 18 December 1942 through 12 March 1946. During his enlistment, he got married on 24 July 1943 in Linn County, Oregon, to Phyllis Amanda Holt (1918–2001). She was born on 2 December 1918 in Harrisburg, Linn County, Oregon to Benjamin Rice Holt (1889–1984) and Estle Fay Hill (1890–1977).

Phyllis was born east of Harrisburg and moved to Halsey in 1923 when her father joined the family's Hill and Co. hardware business. She graduated from Halsey High School in 1936. She continued to work in the family hardware store after they married, and she and Robert became partners in the Davidson Generational Grass Seed Farm, where they raised their family. Robert continued to farm until 1979 and lived on the Davidson Farm until his death. Phyllis died on 22 December 2001, and Robert died on 29 December 2003, both in Shedd. They were survived by two daughters and a son, and they are buried together in the Pugh Cemetery in Shedd.

     B. Addie Belle Davidson (1881–1954) was born in Shedd on 11 December 1881. She was a lifelong resident of Linn County and died at the community hospital in Lebanon on 11 February 1954. She never married, but she was an active member of many community organizations and was frequently mentioned in the local newspapers for being the hostess or organizer of local events.

VI. Mary E Davidson (1854–1929)

The youngest child of Henry and Sarah Davidson, Mary was born on 15 November 1854, soon after her family settled near Shedd. She grew up on the family farm and married her first husband, Charles W Malson (b. 1845) around 1874. Little is known about Charles, and most of that information comes from the 1880 U.S. Census, which gives his age (35), birthplace (Ohio), and the birthplaces of his parents (father in Indiana, mother in Kentucky).

The couple had five children together, but only three survived childhood. Mary sued Charles for divorce in 1894, leaving her to raise the remaining three children. She married her second husband, Richard Ross Cunningham (1849–1926) on 12 March 1896. Ross was born on 6 April 1849 in Pickaway, Pickaway County, Ohio, and ran off to join the 110th Ohio Infantry at age 15, fighting for 18 months in the Civil War. He settled in Oregon after the war, and his first wife died in Harrisburg in 1891, soon after which, he also lost two children.

After they married, Mary and Ross moved to a house on Main Street in Lebanon. He died there on 24 June 1926; Mary suffered from a heart condition in her final three years and died on 19 July 1929. They are buried in the IOOF Cemetery in Lebanon, Linn County, Oregon.

     A. Commodore W Malson (1875–1938) was born on 19 Nov 1875 in Halsey, Linn County, Oregon. He was raised in the Halsey neighborhood, and as a young man found work as a car inspector for the C & S Railway in Portland.

Commodore married Lura Sarah Pugh (1879–1962) in Portland on 18 September 1908. She was born on 14 April 1879 in Shedd, Linn County, daughter of John Wesley Pugh (1845–1913) and Nancy Elizabeth Walker (1849–1898) and younger half-sister of George B. Pugh, who married Commodore's cousin, Laura Elsie Davidson (1872–1913).

Commodore's job took him and his family to several cities including San Bernardino, Portland, Salt Lake City, and Hubbard, before he and Lura settled in Shedd in 1914. Commodore died at age 62 on 17 May 1938 at the hospital in Lebanon; Lura died on 6 July 1962, age 83. They are buried in the Pugh Cemetery in Shedd.

     1. Ralph Ernest "Curly" Malson (1908–1990) was born on 12 October 1908 while his parents were living in Salt Lake City, Utah. He attended Oregon College of Agriculture (now Oregon State University) majoring in chemical engineering. After graduation, he moved to Carmel, California, but returned to Albany and married Roberta Adelaide Wire (1913–2000) on 10 January 1937.

Roberta was born on 18 September 1913 in Albany, Linn County, to George Christian Wire (1874–1960) and Eva Whinery (1876–1972). Curly worked for the Bureau of Mines and other places through the Carpenters Millwright Union before retiring in 1974. He helped build the Albany Boys and Girls Club and the first zirconium furnace with Kroh Scientists.

Curly died on 11 March 1990 and Roberta died on 20 February 2000, both in Albany. They are buried in the Willamette Memorial Park in Albany. They were survived by their son and two daughters.

     a. Jerrold Ralph Malson (1939–2013) was born on 9 October 1939 in Lebanon, Linn County, Oregon. He was raised in Albany and attended Albany Union High School. He was a member of the Sea Scouts, and after graduating in 1957, joined the U.S. Navy and later the National Guard. He attended Northwest Christian College for one year before marrying his high school sweetheart.

After they married, Jerry attended Central Oregon Community College, receiving a degree in forestry. He continued to live and work in Central Oregon until moving his family in 1977 to Trout Creek, Montana, where they raised silver foxes. In 1982, he founded Jerry Malson Outfitting and established the Montana Guide Training Center.

Jerry died on 7 October 2013, survived by his wife, son, two daughters, and four grandchildren.

     2. Ruth Elizabeth Malson (1911–1995) was born on 2 November 1911 in Hubbard, Marion County, Oregon. She attended Albany College and studied music and managed the Halsey Telephone Co. and was actively involved with the RSVP, assisting at the Senior Meal Site and flu clinics.

On 11 February 1936, she married Elmer Delmont Ferrell (1912–1970) in Benton County, Oregon. He was born on 25 June 1912 in Cokato, Wright County, Minnesota, to Ezra Ernest Ferrell (1870–1950) and Lillian Kreitlow (1894–1982). He attended schools in Annandale, Minnesota. He moved to eastern Oregon in 1934 and later to Halsey where he made his home with a cousin, Mrs. Mae M. Weber, before marrying Ruth.

Elmer and Ruth had a son and daughter together but divorced around 1942. He had managed the Halsey Telephone Co. for two years and was head of the installation department of Pacific Northwest Bell in Portland at the time of his death on 12 July 1970.

Ruth married again on 4 December 1944 to Wilbur Lamar Norton (1907–1982). He was born on 20 November 1907 in Halsey, the son of Walker Lincoln Norton (1883–1947) and Myrtle Cora Sneed (1887–1974). Wilbur worked as a Western Union line crew workman, truck driver and general warehouseman for O W Frum, Cross Brothers, Dickerson Co, and W R Grace Co. They had a daughter together.

Wilbur died on and is buried in the Pine Grove Cemetery in Peoria, Linn County. Ruth died on 25 Sep 1995 in Albany and is buried in the Pugh Cemetery in Shedd. Ruth was survived by her son, two daughters, seven grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

     B. Lilli Malson (b. 1877) was born in Oregon and appeared on the 1880 U.S. Census; while she did not survive to adulthood, we do not know precisely when she died.

     C. Dexter Malson (b. 1880) like his sister, Lilli, was born in Oregon and appeared with his family in the 1880 Census, but we do not know when he died.

     D. Bennett F Malson (1884–1912) was born on 7 June 1884 in Halsey, Linn County, Oregon. He grew up in Linn County and married Isabel A Rounds (1886–1958) on 25 March 1906 in Garfield, Whitman County, Washington. She was the daughter of Leroy Philo Rounds (1853–1918) and Gertrude Hatch (1855–1935) born on 5 October 1886 in Walla Walla, Walla Walla County, Washington.

The young couple lived in Portland, where Bennett was a waiter. He contracted meningitis and died at St. Vincent's Hospital in Portland on 14 May 1912. He is buried in River View Cemetery in Portland. He and Isabel did not have any children, and she was remarried in 1914 to Newton D. Johnson (1887–1943).

     E. Edna Hazel Malson (1888–1919) was born on 12 October 1888 in Pomona County, California. She moved to Lebanon, Linn County, Oregon, with her mother and brother and finished school there.

Edna married George Alexander Wishart (1890–1980) on 1 June 1908 in Portland and lived with him there until the fall of 1918, when they took her south to Los Angeles, California, for her health. Sadly, she died there on 3 February 1919 after suffering from influenza for several days. She left George to raise their two small daughters.

(At the end of the post, I will have more to say about George's family tree.)

George remarried on 9 June 1920 in Ogden, Weber County, Utah, taking Margaret M Selgrath (1890–1986) as his second wife. They had four more children together and after living in Utah, San Bernardino, California, and San Fransisco, they settled on the Monterey Peninsula in California in the late 1920s. George died on 4 June 1980 and Margaret died on 3 August 1986, both in Monterey County.

     1. Charlotte Evelyn Wishart (1912–1993) was born on 8 March 1912 in Oregon. She was seven years old when her mother died, and she grew up in the home of her father and step-mother, coming of age after they moved to Monterey. She married Frederick Antone Layton (1911–1979), son of Antone Layton (1889–1967) and Pearl Betz (1891–1984), about 1933.

Fred was born on 15 September 1911 in Monterey County, and he served in the U.S. Army from 19 January 1945 to 18 January 1946. Before and after the war he worked as a greenskeeper at the famous golf courses around Monterey Bay. The couple had two sons and a daughter together.

Fred died on 10 April 1979, and Charlotte died in the Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula (C.H.o.M.P.) on 14 December 1993. (Coincidentally, that is where my oldest child would be born in 1996!) They were survived by their three children, five grandchildren, and several great-grandchildren.

     a. Frederick Leroy Layton (1934–2011) was born on 7 July 1933 in Pacific Grove, Monterey County, California. Fred married Shirley Wright, and they are survived by a daughter and two sons. He retired as a central office technician with US West. He married his second wife in 1975, and she survives. He died at age 77 on 24 January 2011 in Olympia, Washington, after a 6-year battle with lung cancer.

     2. Doris Ellen Wishart (1915–1979) was born on 22 June 1915 in Portland, Multnomah County, Oregon, and she was only four years old when her mother died and her family moved to Ogden, Utah. She married Noel Paul Jones (1913–2002), son of Joseph Rosslyn Jones (1882–1956) and Grace I Muller (1881–1960), about 1935. Noel was born on 24 December 1913 in California.

Doris died in January 1979 in Longmont, Boulder County, Colorado. Noel died on 16 November 2002 in Fall River Mills, Shasta County, California. They were survived by a son.

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There you have it - I did my best, but I feel like there is a lot I still don't know about the folks in this post. There were enough gaps in the records that I fear I may have missed someone or some important events. But, if you saw my bonus post on the family of George Wishart, you know that I tried not to leave any stones unturned.

As always, if you've found one or more of your relatives mentioned in this blog, please get in touch. I'm always eager to learn more and to correct mistakes! You can comment below (anonymous comments are usually not as helpful), or email "mightieracorns" at Gmail.com.

We now have more ways to reach out:

a Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/MightierAcorns/
a Twitter feed - https://twitter.com/MightierAcorns
a Ko-Fi cup - https://ko-fi.com/mightieracorns


...and if you prefer a private group, we still have the Callin Family History group on Facebook for "cousins only" (there will be a question about how you're related to the family before you can join).

Until next time.... Happy Hunting!