Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Mary Ann (Morgan) McNab; daughter of William J. Morgan (1866-1941) & Clara Bell Dodge (1884-1943)

Clarence McNab with his wife Mary Ann (left) and his mother.

Mary Ann (Morgan) McNab with Mrs. McNab (her mother-in-law)

Scotty McNab (Clarence & Mary's son, left) with Doreen Mallett & Malcolm McNab, Clarence's brother.

Death Record for Clarence O. McNab (1901-1971)


Death Record for Mary Ann (Morgan) McNab (1910-1971)

Their Obituary

I just recently found information on Mary Ann (Morgan) McNab, and her husband, Clarence O. McNab. Mary Ann is the daughter of William J. Morgan (1866-1941) & Clara Bell Dodge (1884-1943). Mary was born in Buena Vista, Colorado 4 November 1910. Her family immigrated to Canada in June of 1911, settling in the Wilkie District in Saskatchewan. Mary is listed in the 1916 Canadian Census, Living in Battleford with her parents & older brother, William H. Morgan (1908-1963).

Clarence McNab was born 1 May 1901 in Dawson City, Yukon. In the 1911 Canadian Census, he is living in Edmonton, Alberta. 1916 finds him and his family in Brandon, Manitoba. Clarence and Mary Ann married sometime during the 1930's, presumably in Battleford, Saskatchewan. They are listed in Clara's obituary as living in Battleford in 1943. Clarence & Mary later moved to Calgary, Alberta. A family letter, writtin in 1957 that I have, states they were living in Calgary. They both died in British Columbia in August of 1971 while visiting their son, Wilbert McNab.

A little bit about their deaths: Mary Ann passed away 2 August 1971 in Revelstoke, British Columbia. She had been taken to the Queen Victoria Hospitalm, where she passed away. While preparations were being made for her funeral, her husband Clarence passed away 4 August 1971 at their son's home in Malakwa. A joint funeral was then held and burial was made in Mountain View Cemetery in Revelstoke.

Their death records reveal some interesting information. Clarence's death record shows that he was born in Dawson City, Yukon in 1901 and that he worked in construction as a heavy equipment operator. Mary Ann's death record shows that she was born in 1910 in the USA and lived most of her life in Canada. However, it does not list her parents. From what I have found, I've been able to fill in that information. Her father was William J. Morgan, born in Ontario & Clara Bell Dodge, born in Colorado, USA.

One very important and interesting piece of information that I have found is that they had a son. Their son was Wilbert McNab. I do not know exactly when he was born, but it seems that he was born during the 1930's in Saskatchewan. Clara's obituary from 1943 mentions that she was survived by a grandson but no name was given. It seems that this would be Wilbert McNab, as he is the only grandson of Clara's that I have found. According to his parents' obituary, Wilbert was married and had four children of his own (no names are given). His most recent place of residence is Dease Lake, British Columbia, which is about 200 miles east of Juneau, Alaska. In all my research, I honestly never expected to find any living relatives. I am hoping he is still alive and that I can contact him or his family and find what information they may be able to share on our family.

Since I first posted this blog, I have found some more information on Mary & Clarence McNab. They were married around 1927. Their son Wilbert (who goes by Scotty) was born January 17, 1928 in Great Bear Lake, North West Territories, Canada. His daughter Susan (who I am now in contact with) tells me that he was born in a log cabin at Great Bear Lake. His birth was not registered until February 17, 1930, when they left Great Bear Lake and stopped in Fort Wriggle in the North West Territories. Because of this, Scotty's dait of birth, according to the Canadian Government, is February 17, 1930. They lived in Fort Wriggle before moving to North Battleford to be closer to family. This is where they lived when Mary's mother, Clara Morgan, died in 1943. Clarence was a dragline track how operator and worked for Mannix Construction in Calgary. His work took him all over western Canada, from Alberta to Saskatchewan to North West Territories. They retired to Calgary where they lived until just before their deaths in August of 1971.


Scotty McNab (center) with his daughter, Susan McMann & grandchildren Tricia McNab and Riley McMann