McArthur - White Branch
As presented by Marjorie K "Dainard" McArthur
I dedicate this page to the memory of my husband's father
Clifford Cyril McArthur, Sr
July 8, 1907 - January 5, 1977
Fide et opera
(By faith and works)
The above is the Motto of the McArthur crest
John McArthur
My husband Cliff McArthur Jr's Great Grandfather
John McArthur was born 1830 in Edinbourough, Scotland, and died Jun 24, 1882 in Belknap, Presque Isle County, Michigan. He married Susan Webb who was born on May 12, 1836 in southern Ireland. She died August 1, 1906 in Michigan. We recently learned that her mother's name was Phoebe. Phoebe evidently was banished from the family when she fell in love and married her father's footman, a Mr. Webb. We do not know his first name. Susan came from southern Ireland when she was six years old with her brothers and her mother to the Grand Island just above Niagara Falls, New York area. The recent information we received included some information that John McArthur possibly was a ship's captain on the Atlantic and the Great Lakes before he took up homesteading. This family settled in the Alpena, Michigan area probably prior to 1868 as from records we see the two youngest children (twins) were born there.
Children of John McArthur and Susan Webb
1. Mary McArthur, b. Oct 22, 1857, New York; d. Nov 24, 1874, Belknap, Presque Isle County, Michigan.
2. William Henry McArthur, b. Oct 03, 1862, Upper New York, Grand Island, Niagara River; d. 1928, Sask. (more information below)
3. Ann McArthur, b. 1864 in New York.
4. Elizabeth McArthur, b. 1866 in Buffalo, New York; d. August 25, 1924 in Rolla, B.C. (more information below)
5. Donald McArthur, b. 1868 in New York.
6. Fanny B McArthur, b. 1868 in Michigan.
7. Mary McArthur, b. 1876 in Michigan.
The White Family
pictures from left to right
Margaret Ann White - Lewis White and his wife Margaret and two children, Albert and Maggie taken at Goderich, Ontario Circa 1879 - Margaret Burke White
Lewis White was born circa 1824 - in Ontario. He died after 1884 in Missouri. He married a Margaret Ann Burke circa 1857 in Ontario. Margaret Burke was born February 1839 Cork County, Ireland. She died August 4, 1901 in Belknap Twp , Presque Isle Co, Michigan.
Margaret Burke arrived in America during the peak years of Irish immigration between 1840 and 1860 when potato crop failures starved thousands of people. These refugees came to the New World in hopes of a new and more prosperous life. We believe she arrived at the Port of New York from Galway, Ireland on May 2, 1849 aboard the ship "Cashmere" accompanied by her mother Mary Burke and a sister named Mary, age 12.
We know that Lewis White and his wife Margaret lived in Port Huron, Michigan in 1880. They had six children. In later years Margaret was a cook in a lumber camp in Alpena, Michigan.
1. Albert White 1863-1936 died at Millersburg, Michigan
2. Mary E White 1865-1889 died at Alpena, Michigan
3. Margaret Ann White 1868-1937 died at Portland, Oregon
4. John C White 1869-1957 died at Spokane, Washington
5. Lewis White 1874-1948 died at Colville, Washington
6. William White 1876-1882 died in Michigan
Much of the information we have about this family came from the hard work and research of Bill White, a distant cousin.
William Henry McArthur married Margaret Ann White on Nov 07, 1894 in Alpena, Mich, daughter of Lewis White and Margaret Burke.. His sister Mary stood up with them at their wedding.
WILLIAM HENRY MCARTHUR: He homesteaded and bought land in Alpha district, near Montmartre, Sask in 1904. There were other relatives in the area. He arrived there on March 27, 1905 with his family. The homestead records show they located at NE-28-;3-;;-W2 #943599. They built their home and began farming. That home was a 14 foot by 22 foot frame house with a cash value of $200. In that first year of 1905, they broke 25 acres and cropped 15 acres. At that time, they owned 4 horses and one cow. At least two of their children were born there. The children attended school with their cousins, children of John and Delphine White and Lewis and Annie White.
Information that came from the Sask Genealogy Society states: They checked and found he was gone from the area prior to 1917. We know that he left the area and went to Newburg, Oregon (we believe he had relatives there) for a few years but then returned to Sask where he lived until his death in 1928. His widow, Margaret Ann White McArthur then returned to the Portland, Oregon where she lived with one of her sons until her death in 1936.
Alpha is located 8 miles north of Montmartre.
Children of WILLIAM HENRY MCARTHUR and MARGARET ANN WHITE are:
1. ROY MCARTHUR, b. Aug 24, 1895, Hagensville, Michigan; d. May 1966, Portland, Ore; m. ALICE PARSONS. They had no children. Served in the Canadian Army during WW 1.
2. JOHN EYRLE MCARTHUR, b. Jan 25, 1897, Hagensville, Michigan; d. Dec 24, 1966, Sask. he married ESTELLE THEODORE SAYWELL Jun 1925. John served at a pilot in the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1918 and 1919. He joined the staff of the Saskatchewan Wheat Pool in 1925. He was one of the original group of 89 elevator agents employed by the pool when it began operation in 1925. John became a divisional superintendent before becoming Assistant Manager in 1950. Retired from the Saskatchewan Wheat Pool Jan 31, 1962. They had four children: John, Elizabeth, Gabriel and Lemuel.
3. SYBIL MARGARET MCARTHUR, b. 1901, Hagensville, Michigan; d. 1947, Lake Merwin, Washington. She was a very attractive redhead and we have been told that she took after her grandmother, Margaret Burke White. She was married to Earl Stingle.
4. LLOYD MCARTHUR, b. 1905, Monmarte, Sask; d. 1968, Tacoma, Wash. Married Phyllis and lived in Portland, Oregon for much of his adult life. They had one child, a daughter, Joyce.
5. CLIFFORD CYRIL MCARTHUR , SR, b. Jul 08, 1907, Montmartre, Sask; d. Jan 05, 1977, Portland, Oregon married Olive Grace Simpson Jan 25, 1928 in Hood River, Oregon. They had four children. Cliff started McArthur and Son Roofing in Portland in 1937 and operated it until shortly before his death. This business is still in operation today under the ownership of one of his grandsons. Following in his footsteps there are four other roofing companys from Seattle to San Jose, Califonia owned and operated indiviually by one of his sons and three other grandsons. They had four children, Jack, Frank, Clifford Jr., and Shirley. When he died he had sixteen grandchildren and numerous great grandchildren.
Elizabeth McArthur who was born in Buffalo, New York in 1866 married Samuel McAllister on May 1, 1882 in Belknap Twp., Michigan. I learned that they eventually settled in Rolla, B.C. where Samuel died on July 6, 1907. Elizabeth later remarried to a Ornan Havelock Somers in 1919. She died in August of 1924.
Children of Elizabeth McArthur and Samuel MacAllister include:
1. Roland Russell McAllister
2. Glenn McAllister
There could have been more children but I do not have further information.
Please if you know of any information regarding this family email me
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Last updated in 2006