May Nichol (also shown variously as Nacol, Nichol, Nicols, Nuccol, Nuckle, etc.) was born 21 October 1792 to parents Thomas Nichol and Janet Anderson.[1] They baptised her in 1792 with the congregation standing as witnesses (based on other records around that page, the document contains birth information but not specific baptism dates).
May was the fifth child, joining brother Andrew and sisters Agnes, Elizabeth and Janet.
There are other family trees online that have different birth dates and parents for May. Her birth on the 1861 census[2] (est. 1801) does not match that on her grave (est. 1796).[3] Nor do either of these dates match the record I have. However, is certainly within a reasonable number of years as if she was 15 when her oldest child was born, she could have been born as late as 1803 and if she was 50 when her last child was born, she could have been born as early as 1785.
There is at least one other tree online which has a date of birth in 1786 in Tulliallan, Perthshire for a Mary NICHOL indicated as the correct person. This is, however, not likely as May would have been at the very outer range of possibilities for having children. In addition, there is a Mary NICHOLE who married in Tulliallan to James Mitchell who is much more likely to be that Mary, not our May.
To ensure I covered all bases, I searched for any female name starting with an M and last name starting with an N, having a C in the middle and ending with an L or or LE with a date range of 1780 to 1810. This resulted in 632 possibilities from all the different parishes. Based on the information on her grave, May was a native of Stirlingshire. Restricting the search to Stirlingshire results in three possibilities, one of whom is “May NUCKEL”. Having an exact match to the first name and a phonetic match to the last name, I am confident that our May was born in 1792 in Stirlingshire. In 1817.4 In addition, she is listed as May NICHOL when she married William Young in Stirlingshire.
A younger brother John joined the family in 1798.
May married William YOUNG on 09 November 1817 in St. Ninians, Stirlingshire, Scotland.[4] William and May had their first three children while still living in Scotland:
Child 1. Andrew YOUNG was born in Dec 1818[5] in St Ninians, Stirlingshire, Scotland.
Child 2. Thomas YOUNG was born on 09 Feb 1821[6] in St Ninians, Stirlingshire, Scotland. He died on 23 Oct 1909[7] in Baldur, Manitoba, Canada.
Child 3. Elizabeth Wardrope YOUNG was born on 14 Mar 1823[8] in St Ninians, Stirlingshire, Scotland. She married William FRASER and had 10 children. She died on 29 Jul 1908 in Lachute, Argenteuil, Quebec, Canada. [9]
Between the birth of Elizabeth in 1823 Scotland and the 1825 Census, William and May moved to Canada. They settled between Chatham and Argenteuil in Lower Canada. According to a history of the county they came in 1825.[10]
We know from the 1831 census that William, and most likely May with him, arrived before 01 May 1825;[11] and the 1842 census taken in February indicates that they had been in Canada 18 years,[12] which would make the emigration to be in 1824. In September 1825[13] we have a sale of land from John NICHOLS, younger brother of May, and William Young.
On the 1825 census, taken between 20 June and 20 September, William and May were living in Argenteuil with their children. The census shows that there was also a family member, or perhaps a visitor who was an unmarried man between 40 – 60 years old.
Child 4. [Possibly not biological child] Janet YOUNG was born on 04 Oct 1824[14] in Chatham, Argenteuil, Quebec, Canada. She married William Russell WILSON and had 11 children. She died on 27 Dec 1902 in Bellevue, Ontario, Canada[15].
Child 5. John YOUNG was born on 26 Oct 1826[16] in Argenteuil, Quebec, Canada (Chatham Township). He married Rose Mary DALE on 12 Aug 1854 in Argenteuil, Quebec, Canada[17]. He died on 02 March 1906[18] [19] [20] in Huron, Ontario, Canada (Hullett; congestion of lungs two weeks.
Child 6. William Andrew YOUNG was born on 12 January 1830 in Quebec, Canada.[21] He married Jane WATT on 06 Oct 1859.[22] After she passed, he married Jennie ROBINSON in Nov 1871[23] in Hullett, Huron Centre, Ontario, Canada. He died on 28 May 191522 [24] in Talmage, Dickinson, Kansas, USA.
On the 1831 census, taken between 01 June and 01 October, William, May and family were living within the boundaries of the township of Chatham in Argentuil County, Lower Canada.14 At that time, all six children were living at home. All eight family members were listed as being associated with the Church of Scotland. The family was farming 200 acres of land, had seven cattle and six pigs. They indicated they had 20 bushels of wheat, 12 of peas, 40 of barley, 10 of rye, 15 of potatoes and 200 of buckwheat.
Two more children were born to William and May in Argenteuil:
Child 7. James YOUNG was born about 1832[25] in Argenteuil, Quebec, Canada. He died on 20 July 1894 in Huron, Ontario, Canada.
Child 8. Alexander YOUNG was born on 19 Feb 1835[26] [27] in Chatham, Argenteuil, Quebec, Canada. He married Catherine DUGGAN on 11 June 1862[28] in Hullet Twp., Huron Co., Ontario, Canada. He died on 07 May 191128 29 in Abilene, Dickinson, Kansas, USA.
On 15 March 1832, William received his land grant for his land in Chatham.[29] [30]
The 1842 census, taken by 01 February, indicates William and May were living in Chatham, now with 9 people staying there.15 There were four natives of Scotland and five of Canada. I am unsure who the ninth person was, however, it was most likely a young woman based on the ages of males and females listed on the census (names were not provided). The family no longer lists any Church of Scotland residents, but does list five baptists or anabaptists living on the property. William is now listed as having 400 acres of land, 10 of which were improved land. They had 12 meat cattle, 2 horses, 24 sheep and 6 hogs. The reaped 10 bushels of barley, 100 of oats, 7 of peas, 11 of buckwheat and 600 of potatoes. They also got 30 pounds of maple sugar last season. They produced 13 years of fulled cloth, 20 of linen and procured 60 pounds of wool. The records also indicate one potash or pearl ash manufactory.
The records indicate that it was 27 October 1843 that William was granted the second 200 acres of land.[31]
The 1851 census of Chatham has been lost. However, it is likely that William and May were still living there. Their sons John and Alex were exploring for land in Huron County in the 1851 census.[32]
There is more than one land sale listed in the notarial records in the appropriate time period by William Young and without looking at actual sale documents, we cannot be sure when William and May moved.
We do know they moved, however, as by 1856 William and May had moved to Huron County in Ontario. William died there on 15 March 1856.[33]
In 1861,[2] May was listed as the head of household in Huron County. On the farm lived her son John, his wife Rosemary and their children Martha, William and May. Also on the farm were her sons James and Alexander as well as Susan Campbell, a 19 year old from Ireland, and Margaret Wilson, a 7-year old who was born in Canada. John Vander, 26, born in German is also listed between the family, but is not highlighted as living on the farm by the census taker, so it is possible he was living on the farm with them.
May died 24 February 1867 and is buried at the Harpurhey Cemetery in Huron County, Ontario, Canada.[3]
[1] Baptisms (OPR) Scotland, Stirling, Stirlingshire. 1792. NUCKEL [Nichol], May. http://www.scotlandspeople.com : accessed 4 December 2020.
[2] Census. 1861. Canada. Hullett, Huron, Canada West. YOUNG, May [head]. http://www.ancestry.ca : accessed January 2019.
[3] Monumental Inscriptions, Canada. Harpurhey Cemetery, Huron County, Ontario. 1867. YOUNG, May (Naccol). [Transcription: Huron County Genealogical Society].
[4] Marriages (OPR) Scotland, Stirling. 9 November 1817. YOUNG, William and NICHOL, May. http://www.scotlandspeople.com : accessed 18 March 2018.
[5] Baptisms (OPR) Scotland, St Ninians, Stirlingshire. 10 December 1818. YOUNG, Andrew. http://www.scotlandspeople.com : accessed 18 March 2018.
[6] Baptisms (OPR) Scotland, St Ninians, Stirlingshire. 18 February 1821. YOUNG, Andrew. http://www.scotlandspeople.com : accessed 18 March 2018.
[7] Monumental Inscriptions, Canada. Baldur, Manitoba. 23 October 1909. YOUNG, Thomas. [Transcription]. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/194330766/thomas-young : accessed 30 January 2022.
[8] Baptisms (OPR) Scotland, St Ninians, Stirlingshire. 16 March 1823. YOUNG, Elizabeth Wardrobe. http://www.scotlandspeople.com : accessed 18 March 2018.
[9] Monumental Inscriptions, Canada. Lachute, Quebec. 29 July 1908. YOUNG, Elizabeth W. http://www.ancestry.ca : accessed 12 February 2019.
[10] Thomas, Cyrus. (1896) History of the Counties of Argenteuil, Que., and Prescott, Ont : From the earliest settlement to the present. Montreal, Canada: John Lovell & Son. p. 148-149. https://books.google.ca/books?id=kRQTAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false : accessed 27 June 2022.
[11] Census Records, 1831. Canada, Chatham, Deux Montagnes, Lower Canada. https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:939D-VDZ4-N?i=14&cc=1834329 : accessed 12 February 2019.
[12] Census Records, 1842. Canada. Chatham, Argenteuil, Quebec. https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:939D-VD4G-Y?cc=1834340 : accessed 4 December 2020.
[13] Bibliothéque Et Archives Nationales Du Quebec : MacKay, Stephen, Notarial Records (1821-1859). 01 September 1823. YOUNG, William and NICHOLS, John sale to William Hutton. Collection: Fonds Cour Supérieure. District Judiciare De Terrebonne. Cote Cn606. Greffes De Notaires, 176701956. District : Terrebonne. https://www.ancestry.ca : accessed 27 June 2022.
[14] Census Records, Canada. Toronto West, Ontario. 31 March 1901. WILSON, Janet. 118, 46, 364. p 8. https://www.ancestry.ca : accessed 03 November 2021.
[15] Deaths (CR) Canada, Bellevue, Ontario. 27 December 1902. WILSON, Janet. https://www.ancestry.ca : accessed 30 January 2022.
[16] Census. 1901. Canada. Hullett, Huron South, Ontario.
http://www.ancestry.ca : accessed January 2019.
[17] LaBrue, Diane (2018). Information from ancestry family tree.
[18] Deaths (CR) Canada. Hullett, Huron, Ontario. 2 March 1906. YOUNG, John. http://www.ancestry.ca : accessed January 2019.
[19] Obituaries (1906) The Brussels Post. 8 March. YOUNG, John. P. 8. https://pubdocs.huroncounty.ca/WebLink/3/edoc/385974/The%20Brussels%20Post,%201906-3-8,%20Page%208.pdf : accessed January 2019.
[20] The Brussels Post. (1906) Paid Nature’s Debt. The Brussels Posts. 8 March. P. 1. https://pubdocs.huroncounty.ca/WebLink/3/edoc/385974/The%20Brussels%20Post,%201906-3-8,%20Page%201.pdf : accessed January 2019
[21] Obituaries, (1915) Manchester Motor. 03 June. YOUNG, William. p 1c. https://www.newspapers.com : accessed 30 January 2022.
[22] Marriages (CR) Canada., Huron, Ontario. 06 October 1859. YOUNG, William and WATTS, Jane. Ontario, Canada, Marriages, 1826-1938. https://www.ancestry.ca : accessed 29 January 2022.
[23] Marriages (CR) Canada., Huron, Ontario. November 1871. YOUNG, William and ROBINSON, Jane. Ontario, Canada, Marriages, 1826-1938. https://www.ancestry.ca : accessed 29 January 2022.
[24] Monumental Inscriptions, Prairiedale Cemetery, Talmage, Dickinson, Kansas. 28 May 1915. YOUNG, William. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/77571734/william-young : accessed 30 January 2022.
[25] Deaths (CR) Canada, Huron, Hullett, Ontario. 20 July 1894. YOUNG, James. https://www.ancestry.ca : accessed 21 March 2018.
[26] Monumental Inscriptions, USA. Prairiedale Cemetery, Talmage, Dickinson County, Kansas. 07 May 1911. YOUNG, Alexander. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/77571761/alexander-young : accessed 30 January 2022.
[27] Death Announcements, (1911) Abilene Daily Chronicle. 18 March. YOUNG, Alex. p. 4e. https://www.newspapers.com : accessed 16 May 2022.
[28] Marriages (CR) Canada., Huron, Ontario. 11 June 1862. YOUNG, Alex. and DOUGAN, Catherine. https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CS7D-1D9F?i=93&cc=2568642 : accessed 8 February 2019.
[29] National Archives (Canada), Land Petitions of Lower Canada, 1764-1841. YOUNG, William. https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/land/land-petitions-lower-canada-1764-1841/Pages/item.aspx?IdNumber=93588& : accessed 1 December 2020.
[30] National Archives (Canada), List of lands granted by the crown in the province of Quebec from 1763 to 31st December 1890. YOUNG, William. 1843. 200 acres. p 24. https://www.familysearch.org/library/books/records/item/469256-redirection : accessed 1 December 2020.
[31] National Archives (Canada), List of lands granted by the crown in the province of Quebec from 1763 to 31st December 1890. YOUNG, William. 1843. 200 acres. p 26. https://www.familysearch.org/library/books/records/item/469256-redirection : accessed 1 December 2020.
[32] Census. 1851. Morris and Hullett, Huron. http://www.ancestry.ca : accessed February 2019.
[33] Monumental Inscriptions, Canada. Harpurhey Cemetery, Huron County, Ontario. 1856. YOUNG, William. [Transcription Huron County Genealogical Society].
