The McDonnell Page

last updated January 04, 2008

Welcome to our family history page. If you would like to know about our families, check out the pictures in the next page. 

Genealogy:
For the past 15 years we have been researching our family history.  It has been a good hobby and a great source of entertainment.  The names that we are researching include:

• McDonnell  (also spelled MacDonnell) - originally from Blackrock, near Dublin, Ireland.  Grandfather John (1851-1929) migrated to Nova Scotia in 1870 and settled near Lower Argyle, south of Yarmouth.   John McDonnell was the son of Robert McDonnell who was an artist-painter; and Caroline Sharpe.  One of Robert's paintings
• Other paintings by Robert are in the possession of cousin Geoff and his family who lives near Melbourne, Australia: 
  
  Caroline (nee Sharp) who is shown potting Geranium plants
  
  Stillorgan House, County Dublin
  
  Robert McDonnell, self portrait
  
  John married Agnes Elizabeth Wrayton.  Their family had nine children: Kathleen Francis, Lovell Evatt, Eileen, Wrayton, John Mathers, Dow Lorenzo, Robert Frederick Sharp, Agnes Margaret and Arthur Marsden.  Their youngest child, Arthur, is our father. Photo
  
  
• Wrayton - We are very interested in the origins of this name and would welcome any information on it.
  
  Michael Wrayton was born in Dublin, Ireland in 1809 and immigrated to the Shelburne  area of Nova Scotia in 1830-31.  He later purchased Stoddard Island (also known as Emerald Isle or Wrayton's Island) and operated the lighthouse. A Photo of island:  A Brief History of Shag Harbour . He married Maria Cunningham, daughter of James Cunningham and Adra Jane Guyon. Michael and Maria had eleven children and their daughter Agnes Elizabeth is our grandmother. Photo of Michael & Maria    Children were: Michael Barrett, George James, Isabella Maria, Arthur McAvoy, Addra Jane, Sophia Emily, Margaret Crosbie, William Walsh, Agnes Elizabeth, Lovell Edgeworth, and Catherine Eugenie. Census Records for 1901 for some Wrayton's living in Halifax.
  
  William and Arthur Wrayton, sons of Michael and Maria Wrayton, operated the lighthouse on neighbouring Bon Portage Island for many years. This site has a general map of Stoddard Island.
  
  Michael Barrett Wrayton and his sister Addra Jane - (her married name Mulcahy; both children of Michael and Maria) were part of a 1895 Supreme Court of Nova Scotia case. See highlighted items in this paper from the University of Calgary. 
  
  Tina Wrayton - Who is this person and where does she fit in?? Picture
  We have obtained this photo from Ann Wickens. Family rumour suggests that she may be the daughter of Bella Wrayton who was a daughter of Michael and Maria. As far as we know, Tina would have been born out of wedlock. The father ...... hmmm.
  
  Also see these websites for further information:
  
  THE WRAYTON-MACDONNELL FAMILY: ITS TRAGEDIES AND WEALTH
  http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Meadows/2700/story23.htm
  
  and THE SINKING OF THE "VILLAGE BELLE" http://www.lostatsea.ca/villbell.htm
  
  and The Wrayton Song and a poem "To Michael Wrayton, Esq"
  
  and Wrayton Strays (people with the Wrayton name that we cannot place in our descendants chart)
  
  The Trial of Lucy Alice Wrayton in 1893 In December of 1892, Lucy Alice Wrayton, a widow with eight children (her husband Arthur had drowned the previous May) was living on Emerald Isle. This is the newspaper account dealing with the charge of manslaughter against her in the death of William Thurston. Thurston had died of exposure.
  
  In April 1958, Ina MacDonnell Dowling, a daughter of Sophia Wrayton and Captain William Fraser MacDonnell, and a grand daughter of Michael Wrayton and Maria Cunningham, drowned as a result of a car she was in rolling into Crystal Lake in Massachusetts. 

• Captain Cunningham - James Cunningham was our great great grandfather. He married Adra Jane Guyon. They resided in the Shelburne area of N.S. Their daughter Maria married Michael Wrayton (above). He was the captain of the brig (some say schooner) Vernon which in April 1840 was captured near Cuba by pirates. There is a very interesting article describing the death of Captain Cunningham and the apprehension of the pirates. See "Pirates Defeated", Nova Scotia Historical Review, Vol 9, Number 1, 1989. Abstract of article
  
• Guyon - Peter Guyon was a Huguenot from Staten Island, New York who moved to the Shelburne area about 1783 after the American Revolution. Daughter Addra Jane married James Cunningham (above).
  
  
• Dumont - Charles Dumont came from the Lac Megantic area of Quebec.  He moved his family westward to Saskatchewan in 1923 and later to the Falher area of Alberta around 1930.    These Dumont's are from Berniere-le-Patry, near the city and archdiocese of Vire, diocese of Bayeaux, Normandy, (Calvodos), France. They came to New France in the 1640's.
  
  
• Couture - Antonia Couture who came from the same area of Quebec as the Dumont's. The first Couture's in Quebec came from St Godard, city, archdiocese and diocese of Rouen, Normandy, (Seine-Maritime), France.  Arrived in Quebec 26 June 1641. There is an interesting story about Guillaume Couture who was involved with the Indian massacres in Huronia in the 1640's. A Story about Guillaume. Also see the Couture family tree.  He is also mentioned in this site about Saint Isaac Jogues. And picture of his monument.  Our Couture connection is with Georges Couture, n ca 1858 + Belzemire Guay, n ca 1863, m 24 Jul 1883 St-Isidore
  

• Hanscom -  Originally from England, then to Maine, and later New Brunswick, Ontario, Saskatchewan, Montana and BC (1940+'s). See a history of early Hanscom's in North America at: http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/9210/HANSCOM.htm
  Thanks to Robert Hanscom rodihan@juno.com a direct link has now been established between these Hanscom's.
  
• Nesbitt -   Originally the family was from England, then Ontario, later Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan (1920-30's) and to Burnaby and Newton, B.C. (1940's+).

Please send an email if you are related or you can assist with any of the family names that we are researching. We would be pleased to hear from you. Thank you 

Wray 

Date this page updated   04/01/2008

The sinking of the Lakemba

In September 1967 Art and Irene McDonnell of Langley, BC ventured on a holiday trip to Australia.  They embarked on the combination passenger-freighter ship, the Lakemba from Victoria, BC to Sydney, Australia. On October 5th, after a day of shopping and sightseeing in Suva, Fiji,  they re-boarded the Lakemba for a overnight trip around the island to deal with cargo at another port.   Some passengers took the bus across the island (and missed the excitement!).  The 7500 ton Lakemba hit a reef a few hours out of Suva or about 2200 hours local time.   All passengers and crew were rescued about twelve hours later but the ship went down a day or so later.  Attached is an article from a trade publication, page 2, page 3, page 4, page 5, page 6, page 7 about the incident and the role of the Retriever in the rescue. My parents later offered thanks to the crew of the Retriever when it was in Sydney Harbour.   

I would be pleased to hear from anyone who can provide further pictures or other information on the incident.  I understand there may be old film of the rescue that would be wonderful to have copied as part of our family history.   Thank you ..  wmcdonne@silk.net

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