McDonell, Alexander

  • DICTIONARY OF CANADIAN BIOGRAPHY ARTICLE: J. M. Bumsted, “McDONELL (Collachie), ALEXANDER (1762-1842),” in Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 7, University of Toronto/Université Laval, 2003. https://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/mcdonnell_alexander_7E.html
  • DCB profile notes:
    • Army and militia officer, office holder, politician, and land agent; b. 16 April 1762 in Fort Augustus, Scotland, second son of Allan McDonell of Collachie and Helen MacNab; m. early 1805 Anne Smith, sister of Samuel Smith, in York (Toronto), Upper Canada, and they had five sons, including Allan Macdonell, and two daughters; d. 18 March 1842 in Toronto.
    • Like other tacksmen families in the Highlands of Scotland, especially those of Roman Catholic persuasion, the McDonells of Collachie were by the 1770s under extreme economic pressure from their clan chieftain, and decided to emigrate to North America. Accompanied by other families of MacDonalds and MacDonells, they arrived in New York in 1773, settling under the auspices of Sir William Johnson in the heart of the Mohawk valley.
    • When the American revolution broke out, Allan McDonell joined his kinsmen in supporting the crown, and he was imprisoned by the rebels in 1776. He remained in custody until 1779, when he escaped to the province of Quebec and became a loyalist pensioner.
    • In 1837 Macdonell was appointed to succeed William Munson Jarvis as sheriff of the Gore District. As a major in the Queen’s Rangers he raised and equipped a troop of cavalry at his own expense during the rebellion of 1837–38. After the rebellion he resumed his shrievalty, but resigned the post about 1842.
  • Proven United Empire Loyalist listed in Loyalist Directory: https://uelac.ca/loyalist-directory/detail/?wpda_search_column_id=5263
  • Find a GRAVE: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/67689663/alexander-mcdonell