![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.jmhartley.com\/HBlog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/2019-09-06-13_32_02-McMasterTreeProject.xlsx-Excel.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\nHere, Effie is on the pinkish line. It appears that Effie could have been the daughter of Isabel McMaster and that she was raised at least for some time by Isabel’s married sister Susan McMaster Beckett. I wrote two blogs on Effie in September 2019. Here is the link to the second blog.<\/a><\/p>\n I don’t currently have Susan McMaster in my tree, but need to add her. This is what I have:<\/p>\n I am also missing Isabel McMaster born about 1827. A document that Jean sent me makes it clear that Susan McMaster was a daughter of Margaret McMaster:<\/p>\n I’ll quote Jean on the document:<\/p>\n After sifting through the family letters and photos I found several clues. In an old, small and deteriorated New Testament, I found a dedication to Susana McMaster from her mother Margaret McMaster, dated 7 April 1850, Ancaster (Ontario, Canada). There are two other signatures: James McMaster and Fanny McMaster. The bible was apparently passed onto Effie’s daughter, Grace Swayze, and then to my mother Etta Velma Swayze.<\/em><\/p>\n Here is an isolation of the left part of the flyleaf of the New Testament:<\/p>\n A Margaret McMaster is presenting a New Testament to her daughter Susan or Susanna McMaster.<\/p>\n Here is the second page:<\/p>\n My first reaction that this was the James McMaster who was the husband of Fanny (my ancestor). However, Jean thought that this could be the James, son of Margaret McMaster. I’m not sure which makes more sense. Jean also says:<\/p>\n The Methodist ticket is interesting as it was given at the weekly meetings to participants.<\/em><\/p>\n I found Fanny’s signature in a subsequent email from Jean:<\/p>\n This leads me to my original thinking that these two signatures could have been Fanny McMaster and her husband James Mcmaster born in 1806. Either way, I am happy to be able to see a signature of my 3rd great-grandmother. There is no way to know exactly what happened with this New Testament. We just know that it was passed down to Jean through her ancestor Effie McMaster.<\/p>\n I just discovered also that Jean had sent me Susan Mcmaster’s Marriage Document. It appeared as an attachment at the bottom of her email:<\/p>\n This document appears to be in good shape considering the age with minimal yellowing. This continues in the Wesleyan theme. According to Jean:<\/p>\n This document is a genealogist’s dream. How many times is it that I document like this is missing?<\/p>\n Here I have added Susan and Isabella to my Ancestry Tree:<\/p>\n Here is one from Uncle William Mcmaster:<\/p>\n He looks like a friendly man with light colored eyes. Jean writes:<\/p>\n This is signed on the back, “From Uncle William McMaster to James and Effie”. No date. It was taken in California. I have no idea who this “Uncle William McMaster” is or how he is related. Another mystery.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n My other observation, or question, is whether the beard may have indicated that he was part of the Friends or Quaker religion. Here is a long-shot guess as to who he is:<\/p>\n This was from a tree I found at Ancestry, but I’m not sure how accurate it is.<\/p>\n More recently, Jean sent me this photo from another Uncle William:<\/p>\n Both these men were from California and both had white beards. Perhaps both were Quakers? Cousin Jean included the inscription on the back of this photo:<\/p>\n From the inscription, I take it that this man kind and religious. My geography of California is not the greatest, so here is Santa Ana and Los Angeles:<\/p>\n Until not too many years ago, I didn’t know of this Canadian Mcmaster family. I knew I had a third great-grandmother named Fanny McMaster, but I hadn’t realized that the rest of her family had traveled to Canada. Here is a photo that Jean sent me:<\/p>\n Jean says:<\/p>\n I found a tintype of Effie and another woman who I immediately recognized as Mary Ann McMaster Shannon’s daughter, Elizabeth. (Attached) Which led me to search for the Mary Ann Shannon connection. Quite by accident I found Isabella McMaster’s grave. She is buried with Willie J. Shannon, Mary Ann’s son. (Photo attached) They died several months apart. Thomas, Mary Ann, Elizabeth, and Willie Shannon, Isabella and Jane McMaster are all buried in the same cemetery.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n From a portion of my McMaster DNA\/genealogy Tree:<\/p>\n That would mean that these two would be first cousins born abour 3 years apart with Effie on the right being slightly older. I’m not sure of the significance of what they are wearing on their left hands.<\/p>\n This picture could possibly use some touching up:<\/p>\n Jean writes:<\/p>\n The last photo is a tintype that was in the Susan McMaster Beckett memorabilia. It’s early but no date or info. The 4 girls look about the same age. I wonder if the girl second from the right is Effie because of her facial structure but, otherwise, I have no clues about these children.<\/em><\/p>\n If I had to guess, I would say these are all cousins. Margaret Frazer McMaster had enough granddaughters to fill up this photo. I have Effie born in 1861. I’ll say that Effie is about 7 in the photo. That would place the photo around 1868 or so. Margaret passed away in 1872, so the photo could have been for her. However, I can’t back that up with names and dates. I suppose that another choice could be Beckett cousins, assuming that Effie was raised by Susan McMaster Becket.<\/p>\n Now this is just a theory, but an interesting one. And it involves a bit of scandal. Jean gives a possibility that George A Mcmaster may have been Effie’s father. I find the theory possible as does Jean. Exhibit A would be the 1861 Census where Isabel and George A. McMaster are living in the Becket household:<\/p>\n This would be a situation where Effie’s father would have been her mother’s nephew, if I have it right. The fact that they were living in the same household at the time gives the opportunity for this scenario.\u00a0 I hesitate to mention the scenario.<\/p>\n Further, George A McMaster appears to have joined the Civil War in the US based on this record:<\/p>\n Lewiston is to the North of Niagara Falls and just to the East of the Ontario border. The argument could be that George fled the situation of fatherhood in Ontario by joining the Civil War. Unfortunately, George died young of ‘disease’ in Washington, D.C. Of course, this could be just coincidence.<\/p>\n Isabella, who was perhaps Effie’s mother suffered a fall and an injury. Jean writes:<\/p>\n While going through the family material I had run across a letter that was very fragile and difficult to read and had set it aside. After finding Isabella’s grave I revisited it and have attached the transcription. One of the family stories about Effie’s mother is that she had died from a fall from a wagon. This letter, I believe, was written by Mary Ann to her sister Susan describing their sister “Bella’s” fall from a wagon. The letter is heartbreaking in its description of the fall and the “loss of her mind”. It also mentions Lizzie, Willie and Effie. In the US 1880 census for Contra Costa, California, Thomas, Mary Ann, Elizabeth and Willie Shannon (misspelled as Sharmon) and Isabella McMaster are listed in the same household. Isabella is described as “sister-in-law” to Thomas. I strongly believe Isabella and Susan are the daughters of William and Margaret McMaster expanding that tree.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n I’ll include the transcription here as it all adds to the McMaster story:<\/p>\nSusan McMaster Beckett<\/h2>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\nSusan McMaster’s Marriage Document<\/h3>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n\n
<\/a><\/p>\nMore Photos from Cousin Jean<\/h2>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\nA Photo of Elizabeth Shannon and Effie McMaster<\/h2>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\nA Photo of Girls<\/h2>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nA Theory about Effie’s Father<\/h2>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\nFurther McMaster Tragedy<\/h2>\n