Parentage Correction Opens New Horizons in Macbeth Family Research
Charles Macbeth: 1828-1913 (Maternal Second
Great-Grandfather)
Colin Macbeth: 1834-1883 (Maternal Second-Great-Granduncle)
Charles Macbeth: 1801-? (Maternal 3rd
Great-Grandfather)
Ann Williamson Macbeth: 1807-1838 (Maternal Third
Great-Grandmother)
I was always puzzled by the few measly records I’d found for
my second-great-grandfather Charles Macbeth. Other Ancestry and Family Search
trees listed him without siblings, and said his parents’ names were John and
Mathilda. However, the records for John and Mathilda didn’t seem to match up
with Charles’ birthdate as listed on his American records. Also, John and
Mathilda lived in Scotland, while Charles often stated on census records that
he was born in England--only his parents were born in Scotland.
And then there was that pesky second family of Macbeths in
the same small city in Minnesota as Charles—a family that used many of the same
first names for their children as Charles and his wife chose. This Mankato
family was headed by a man named Colin who was just a few years younger than
Charles. Was it possible that they were related somehow? Could Charles have had
a sibling?
I vaguely remembered finding an obituary notice for Charles
that provided background on his parents—but I had failed to attach it to
Charles in Ancestry (I found it a few years back, before I really understood
how to save news articles from Newspapers.com to Ancestry). I remembered asking
my mother about certain details in the article, asking if her father or
grandparents ever talked about them. Obviously, I needed to relocate that
article. It was time to solve the parentage puzzle once and for all.
I finally tracked down the mystery article. It wasn’t
Charles Macbeth’s obituary, which was rather boring and lacking in detail. The
juicy information was contained in a Fort
Wayne Weekly Sentinel article about Charles Macbeth’s funeral in Tivoli,
Minnesota-- he had died at the Fort Wayne home of his son, Dr. Albert Macbeth,
but was buried back at his home in Blue Earth County. Paragraph two stated,
“The senior Macbeth
was born in Scotland, November 27, 1827, and the first eleven years of his life
were spent in the gardens of the king at Bradford, his father having been
selected as chief gardener of one of the estates.”
Here was information that totally contradicted the data for
John and Mathilda Macbeth. Bradford, I learned, was in Yorkshire, England, not
Scotland. A quick search on Ancestry pulled up the 1841 England census entry
for Charles Macbeth in Bradford,
Yorkshire. He was 13 years old, living with his father, 40-year-old Charles
Macbeth (referred to from now on as Charles Sr. for clarity), a gardener. He was also living with four
siblings, 10-year-old Ann, 8 year-old Barbara, 6 year old Colin, and 4-year-old James. Suddenly a whole new horizon of
research had opened up before me!
 |
| 1841 England Census--Charles Sr. on previous page |
There are some problems with the information. I have been unable
to find any property in the Bradford area that was ever owned by the King of
England. There were a couple large estates owned by members of the nobility. I
surmise Charles Sr. worked at one of those properties.
The news article provided more important hints for me to
verify. It stated:
“In 1837 Mr. Macbeth
landed in New York with part of his family, his mother having died when he was
eleven years old, and he was married in 1852.”
This explained why Charles’ mother was not listed on the
1841 census form—she had already died. I returned to Ancestry to verify this information,
and quickly found her death recorded in the parish records of the Bradford
Cathedral. It stated that 31-year-old Ann Macbeth was buried May 23, 1838. I
had also found the baptism records for all five Macbeth children in this church’s
records, including Charles birth record which matched information he’d provided
on forms in the United States. This was the correct Ann Macbeth.
 |
| Bradford Parish Church 1800s |
I was also able to discover Ann and Charles Sr. Macbeth’s
marriage record. They were married in a Yorkshire parish not far from Bradford
called Welton-with-Melton on March 23, 1823. I calculate that she was 16 or 17
at the time of the marriage if she was 31 at her death. Charles Sr. was 22. It
appears that Ann was English, while Charles Sr. was from Scotland.
The article also stated that Charles and part of his family
had immigrated to New York in 1837. Obviously that date was incorrect, as they
were still in Bradford in 1841 during the census. I believe the date was a typo—the
true immigration date may have been 1847. One of two other obituaries said
1848. However, on the US census in 1900, Charles states that he arrived in 1850.
I hypothesize that he arrived late in the 1840s. After all, Charles was in New
York in time for the 1850 census. He was living in Black Rock, a neighborhood in
Buffalo, New York, with the family of a grocer named James Shackleton. Charles’
occupation is not listed. Was he working for Mr. Shackleton?
And what about his siblings and father? According to the
article, some of them had immigrated with Charles. While I found no records for
Charles’ father or his sister Barbara Macbeth, I found the remainder of Charles’
siblings, all in the Buffalo area.
Nineteen-year-old sister Ann was living in Buffalo’s third
ward as a boarder in the home of the William Glenny family on the 1850 census.
The household also included four additional boarders, a teen girl and three
men, including a doctor. Neither young female boarder had an occupation listed.
Perhaps Ann was working as a servant,
helping Mrs. Glenny manage the household. I have found no further records for
Ann in the United States.
 |
| Ann Macbeth on 1850 census in Buffalo NY |
The youngest sibling, James, does not appear on the 1850
census, but he is on the 1855 New York State census, living in the household of
“lake captain” William Dickson. James was 19 and working as a servant. While
the census taker wrote that he was born in Erie County, this James Macbeth
later enlisted in the military, with far more accurate information. The 1858
enlistment form stated that James was 21 years old, born in Yorkshire, England,
worked as a gardener, and was 5 feet 8 inches tall, had grey eyes, dark hair, and
a “swarthy” complexion. James appears to have followed his father into
gardening as a career. Sadly, James disappears from records after enlisting—his
enlistment term was five years. I may have found him on the 1860 census serving
in the army in San Miguel, New Mexico Territory. A private named James Macbeth
is listed. He was born in England, but the age listed appears to be “20” when
he would have been 23, so this may not be him.
 |
| James Macbeth Army Enlistment--1858 |
The final brother, Colin, appeared on the 1855 New York census
living in the household of Anna, Isaac and Abner Bryant, who seem to have run a
plant nursery business. Colin was 19, was listed as having been born in
Scotland, and was working as a gardener—probably for the Bryants’ nursery
business. I cannot find him on the 1860 census, but by 1864 he was living in
Minneapolis, Minnesota. He appears in a city directory and registers for the
Civil War draft that year. He was 28, and may have been working as a teamster
if the transcription of very murky handwriting on the form is correct.
The 1870 census finds Colin Macbeth living in Mankato, just
a few miles from his brother Charles. Colin is married to wife Ellen and they
have three children. The oldest, also named Charles, was 7 in 1870 and according
to the census he was born in Minnesota. Therefore, Colin and his wife must have
arrived in the state before 1863. Colin was working as a “cattle driver”. Later
censuses stated he was a “cattle trader” or “stock trader”. He remained in
Mankato for the rest of his life, and he and Ellen had a total of six children.
Colin died in 1883.
One of Charles’ obituaries said that he married Nancy Ann
Herniman in 1852 and moved to Tivoli, Minnesota around 1866, traveling part way
by train and the last section by an ox-drawn covered wagon. This would mean he
arrived in Minnesota a few years after Colin.
My experience researching Charles Macbeth’s parentage shows
how a single newspaper article can open entire new horizons of research. I now know
that the other Macbeths in Mankato, Minnesota were related to my
second-great-grandfather, and I have six new cousins—Colin Macbeth’s children—to
research. In addition, I still need to keep searching for records that will
shine a light on the fates of Charles and Colin’s three siblings. An exciting
vista awaits.
Sources:
“Aged Man Passes Away: Father of Prominent Local Physician
Is Dead.” Fort Wayne Daily News, Fort Wayne, Indiana · Saturday, May 31, 1913 https://www.newspapers.com/image/28992752/?article=ee6bd44e-e9ce-405b-b0f6-4f9fef0bcaa3&focus=0.694421,0.4413672,0.82448727,0.69023705&xid=3355&_gl=1*5z945k*_ga*MTQ5MDkwODUzMi4xNjI2MjI0NDE0*_ga_4QT8FMEX30*MTY2NjE5NTUwMS4yNzUuMS4xNjY2MjEzNjY0LjE1LjAuMA.
Fort Wayne Weekly Sentinel
“Family Met at Childhood Home: Buried the Father.” Fort
Wayne Weekly Sentinel. Fort Wayne, Indiana. Monday, June 09, 1913. https://www.newspapers.com/image/7237887/?terms=charles%20macbeth&match=1
Ancestry.com. West Yorkshire, England, Church of England
Deaths and Burials, 1813-1985 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com
Operations, Inc., 2011. Original data:Yorkshire Parish Records. Leeds, England:
West Yorkshire Archive Service. New Reference Number: BDP14. Ann Williamson
Macbeth Death Record from Bradford St. Peter Cathedral records, 1838.
Ancestry.com. U.S., Army, Register of Enlistments, 1798-1914
[database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2007. Original
data:View Sources. James Macbeth 1858 army enlistment.
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