John McDougall [Macdougall] (1846-1929)

Civil servant.

Born in Scotland on 2 February 1846, son of John Macdougall and Christina McCulloch, at the age of 14 he was appointed postmaster’s assistant for the Oban district of Scotland. He later transferred to the general post office at Glasgow and remained there until 1871 when he emigrated to Canada. He settled at Toronto, Ontario and worked for six months in the office of the inspector of post offices before being appointed the first postmaster of Winnipeg. He remained in the position until 1877 when he was made sergeant-at-arms of the Manitoba Legislature, holding the position for 50 years, from 1879 to 1929. He moved to Selkirk in 1880 and became clerk of the Rural Municipality of St. Andrews and, two years later, was made the first secretary-treasurer of the Town of Selkirk.

He married Sarah Ann Elizabeth Truthwaite (1851-?), a granddaughter of Andrew McDermot. They had eight children: John A. McDougall (b 1876), Christina Catherine McDougall (b 1879, wife of Alfred E. Norseworthy), Mary McDougall (b 1882, wife of John W. McFarlane), Annie McDougall (b 1885), Grace Macdougall (b 1887), Allan McDougall (b 1890), and Harriet McDougall Mills (b 1893), and Dugald McDougall (b 1896).

He died at his home in Lockport, Manitoba on 30 April 1929 and was buried in the St. Andrew’s Cemetery.

Sources:

1891 Canada census, Ancestry.

1901 and 1911 Canada censes, Automated Genealogy.

Birth and death registrations, Manitoba Vital Statistics.

“John M’Dougall dies old Lockport home”, Manitoba Free Press, 30 April 1929, page 1. [Manitoba Legislative Library, Biographical Scrapbook B8]

“Many attend funeral of Manitoba veteran”, Manitoba Free Press, 3 May 1929. [Manitoba Legislative Library, Biographical Scrapbook B8]

Profile revised: 8 March 2010

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