McBRIDE

Kathleen McBride was the mother of my natural grandfather, the late Richard (“Dick”) Harry Mitchelson, Jr., of Winnipeg, who told me that he believed she was born in Antrim or Tyrone. Is she was his natural mother, then it is extremely unlikely that he was also a natural son of his putative father, Richard Harry Mitchelson, whom she did not marry until nearly six years after their son’s birth, and who was in all likelihood not even living in the same country as her when this same son was conceived. The difficulty is discussed in greater detail in our Mitchelson page. Her marriage record names her as a daughter of James McBride, farmer, born in Ireland, and his wife Mary Sharkie, and gives her age as 31 years, while her death record names her as a daughter of Thomas McBride and Mary Sharkey, both born in Ireland, and states her date of birth as 7 Dec. 1883, and age at death as 84. We believe that her marriage record grossly understates her age, but reports her parentage more correctly than does her death record. Despite the discrepancies, these two sources jointly seem to provide sufficient evidence of the parentage which we state for her below.
    It is not clear whether there is any significance to the fact that the undertakers at her funeral were a firm by the name of Simmons & McBride (of Vancouver).^[1]

1. Robert McBride, laborer, perhaps of Fyfin, in Ardstraw, co. Tyrone, whose name is known only from the marriage record of his son James, below. A Robert M’Bride is found as a tenant of Eliza Henderson at Fyfin in Griffith’s Valuation of 1848-1864. Only known child:

1. 2James McBride, of co. Tyrone, Northern Ireland, b. about 1846-47.

2. James McBride, of co. Tyrone, Northern Ireland, b. about 1846-47 (aged 22 in 1868, 53 in 1901) in co. Tyrone, d. some time in 1901-1911. As James McBride, of Fyfin, servant, aged 22 years, he m. 21 Nov. 1868 in the Roman Catholic chapel, Carncorn/Carncorran, parish of Urney, co. Tyrone,^[2] Mary Sharkey, b. probably about 1850-52 (aged 22 [!] in 1868, 48 in 1901, 65 [!] in 1911) in co. Tyrone, alive in 1901, daughter of Francis Sharkey, labourer.^[3] At the time of the marriage she was a servant, residing at Brucklass, aged 22 years, and both parties were previously single; the witnesses were John Logue and Margaret Winters. His children’s birth records call him a flax scutcher (1870, 1872) and a laborer (1875, 1877, 1878, 1882, 1884, 1887), and give his address as Tiveny in Newtownstewart (1870, 1882), Fyfin in Castlederg (1872, 1875, 1877), Meahey in Newtownstewart (1878), and Killen in Newtownstewart (1884, 1887). He appears with his family at Breen, Altaclady, co. Tyrone, in the 1901 census, in which he is called a laborer.^[4] He is however called a farmer in the marriage record of his daughter Kathleen. His widow appears with some of their children, and a granddaughter Lily McBride (apparently daughter of Catherine; see below), in the townland of Stoneyfalls, and parish of Ardstraw, in the 1911 census.^[5] Known issue, all born in co. Tyrone:^[6]

1. Robert McBride, b. 28 Jan. 1870 at Tiveny in Newtownstewart.
2. Margaret McBride, b. 21 Feb. 1872 at Fyfin in Castlederg, still living unmarried with her widowed mother in 1911. She was a factory worker in 1901, and a flax preparer in 1911.
3. James McBride, Jr., b. 1 Jan. 1875 at Fyfin in Castlederg, still living unmarried with his widowed mother in 1911. He was a farm labourer in 1901, and an agricultural laborer in 1911.
4. Patrick McBride, b. 17 March 1877 at Fyfin in Castlederg, d. young.
5. Patrick McBride, b. 12 Aug. 1878 at Meahey in Newtownstewart, not found with his parents in 1901.
6. Joseph McBride, b. 14 May 1882 at Tiveny in Newtownstewart, living unmarried with his parents in 1901, when he was an agricultural laborer, but not found with his widowed mother in 1911.
7. 3Catherine McBride (later known as Kathleen), b. 4 Nov. 1884 at Killen in Newtownstewart; not found with her parents in the 1901 census.
8. Rebecca McBride, b. 10 Aug. 1887 at Killen in Newtownstewart, alive in 1911. she was a scholar in 1901.
9. Thomas McBride, b. 1895-96 (aged 5 in 1901) in co. Tyrone, alive in 1911.
10. Peter McBride, b. 1897-98 (aged 3 in 1901) in co. Tyrone, alive in 1911.

3. Kathleen McBride, b. 4 Nov. 1884 at Killen in Newtownstewart, co. Tyrone, Northern Ireland,^[7] d. 1 Oct. 1968 at Vancouver, allegedly aged 84 years,^[8] and buried with her husband in Ocean-view Cemetery, Vancouver. She is possibly the Catherine McBride, aged 16, a Roman Catholic, who appears as a servant in the household of William Todd of Fyfin, in Listymore, co. Tyrone, in the 1901 census.^[9] We have not found a clear match for her in the 1911 census. It has not been determined when or in what circumstances she came to Canada. As Kathleen McBride, maid, aged 31 years [a gross understatement], of 348 Colony Street, Winnipeg, she m. by licence 13 Aug. 1920 at no. 353 St. Mary Avenue, Winnipeg (i.e. the home of the witnesses, Frank Casew and John Ryan),^[10] Richard Harry Mitchelson, b. 22 April 1887 at Shepherd’s Bush, Hammersmith, Fulham, Middlesex (now in Greater London),^[11] d. 25 May 1973 at Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, aged over 86 years, son of Richard Newton Mitchelson and Lydia Maria Bell. For discussion of their family see the Mitchelson page. Known issue (apart from the issue which she certainly had by her husband):

1. (almost certainly) Lily McBride, b. 1909-10 in co. Tyrone, alive in 1911 when she is found as a granddaughter in the household of the widow Mary (Sharkey) McBride; probably identical with the Elizabeth Lily McBride, b. 9 June 1909 at Stoneyfalls in the parish of Newtownstewart, co. Tyrone, to Cassie McBride, domestic servent, and an unknown father, “Cassie” being occasionally used as a nickname for Catherine.
2. (possibly) a son, later renamed Richard Harry Mitchelson, Jr., b. 31 Dec. 1914 (?).

Notes

name     relationship  age  gender  occupation    cond.
-------------------------------------------------------------
McBride James    head  53   M   farm Labourer     Married
McBride Mary     wife  48   F                     Married
McBride Maggie   dau.  26   F   factory worker    Not Married
McBride James    son   23   M   farm labourer     Not Married
McBride Joseph   son   17   M   agricultural      Not Married
                                  labourer
McBride Rebecca  dau.  13   F   scholar           Not Married
McBride Thomas   son    5   M   ----              Not Married
McBride Peter    son    3   M   ----              Not Married
-----
Entire family Roman Catholic; all born in co. Tyrone;
all except Rebecca stated to be unable to read 

name   relationship    age gender  occuation    cond.
------------------------------------------------------
McBride Mary    head     65  F  ----            widow
McBride Maggie  dau.     36  F  flax preparer   single
McBride James   son      35  M  agricultural    single
                                  labourer
McBride Rebecca dau.     22  F  ----            single
McBride Thomas  son      15  M  flax preparer   single
McBride Peter   son      13  M  scholar         single
McBride Lily    granddau. 1  F  ----            single
-----
Entire family Roman Catholic; all born in co. Tyrone;
only Rebecca, Thomas, and Peter can read and write

From the Genealogy Page of John Blythe Dobson
URL = cybrary.uwinnipeg.ca/people/Dobson/genealogy/ff/McBride.cfm
This page written 27 February 2011
Revised 15 May 2011