McPhee Family Tree

By a most extraordinary and remarkable coincidence I visited Blunham Church en route to Cambridge last week (it is roughly midway between Oxford and Cambridge). I noticed numerous Payne graves near the side gate where I parked my car.

PHS Payne is a name I knew because he was the first man elected to an Open Scholarship at Balliol under a new scheme which was a turning point in the history of the College. He was from Shrewsbury School ; in the British Library there is a letter reporting on the Scholarship examination he had just completed . He was later a Fellow and indeed Dean of the College , an office he resigned on account of bad health. On July 2 it was reported that he had died at his father's house "after long and lingering pulmonary disease", which probably means TB.

Dean and Archivist, Balliol College Oxford,

….at first glance it looks wonderful...I am going to take some time and work through it... NM

Good morning Canada. Thank you for your e mail. I have looked at your site and very impressive it is. Congratulations. I am not from Sandy but have heard many references to the Payne family since I have been working here. I have passed your e mail to my colleague, who was born and bred in Sandy and knows very much more about the history of the Town and the area than I do. I have no doubt that she will respond in due course. Best of luck with your ongoing research.

Thanks for the message and the photo. I have added a link into your page from my Blunham page - Colin's Blunham Home Page

When Gerry Payne got ill from the Yukon gold rush he was sent to San Fransico for medical help. This is where he met his wife, she was his nurse. He got sick twice and then they married. I think in 1898. She missed the earthquake and the fire as she was on Saturna. She did go back once with your Grandmother to visit. She was not a happy woman- and had a terrible temper. The children were scared of her anger. I think as an orphan she was never really mothered very well and so did not do it very well. They had their honeymoon in Santa Barbara where people went with lung diseases and camped on the beach in the sun. She was born in 1875 and died Dec 1958, she is buried at Holy Trinity church at Patricia bay.

Sir Salusbury Payne and Lady Catherine had 12 children and there were 51 first cousins of which eight were here- so there is lots of Payne descendants… …Lady Chadwick's father owned cotton mills etc in Manchester.- an industrial revolution heiress. I have a diary that your step grandmother gave me written by her sister- the one who married into the Scottish Grants.

There is an Oxford history essay about the Payne's in St. Kitts and why eventually it was not a money maker- and they were largely absentee landlords. The estate is still called the Sir Gillies Payne estate. All sugar land is nationalized in St. Kitts but they kept the old names. They had land on Nevis and Antigua. I like to think that some of them might have been to Admiral Nelson's wedding on Nevis. We went to Saturna the other week and did a tour of the vineyard and had a nice lunch on the deck of Saturna Lodge- looking down to Grandfathers sawmill if it still existed in Boot Bay.

Reg Payne went to Blunham a couple of years before he died- and requested that the graves be fixed upped. That is the Canadian connection they talk about. He also got into the house which was owned by a banker who was remodeling it and has divided it into two dwellings . When Reg went into the church he met a very old lady who he discovered as a very young woman had been a maid to Sir Salusbury and Lady Catherine- The house was sold in the early twenties and became a mental institution.

how interesting to see the McPhee lineage so prominently displayed: clearly your unfortunate political pedigree is genuine

RHT

Charles, the oldest brother who inherited the title and had been involved over the fight for the title with a first cousin- got together with him-the cousin- and they decided to chuck it. This is in Burke's Peerage. The case had been in the Court of Chancery for 100 years.

Charles was the first Payne to be on Saturna- he came with Warburton Pike. I was told me that Gerald went to Rugby and left and came here because of such bad eyesight. Peter Murray who wrote Snug Coves and Harbours- contacted Rugby and they said Gerald did not go there. Maybe the archivist could tell you. Peter's book on Pike and Sir Clives Phillips Wooley is interesting too, published by Horsdahl and Schubart.

According to PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND HISTORICAL REVIEW OF PROVINCIAL ELECTION RESULTS 1900 to 2001 , George W. Mac Phee was elected in 2nd Queens in a by-election 02/08/1911 as a Liberal Assemblyman . He ran in the election 12/03/1912 , but was defeated .

You will be interested to learn that some former M.L.A.'s are compiling a book MINDING THE HOUSE which , I understand is a collection of biographies of former Island M.L.A's. 1873 to 1993, scheduled for spring release.

Mildred A. Dover Speaker of the Prince Edward Island Legislature

Great - delighted I hit "bingo" with my choices! I love the one of Mum and the boys - she was known for her "stories" and here they are obviously attentive and amused as their sister recounts another!! I have another from the fridge - a favorite of mine as I can remember several visits to Saanich when your Mum showed me her horse! WR

My aunt researched our family tree and produced the written text. Your electonic format and general availability is a great idea particularly as families spread out geographically......the deer in the rigging was very interesting. Thanks for sharing it with me

What a good job you have done. The audio files and virtual tour are both impressive. Our office admires both private and public efforts to preserve heritage. You are to be commended for your efforts to preserve and provide access to your families history.

Heritage Branch Government of British Columbia

Just wanted you to know that 'your grandfather's grandfather'.....was Colin McPhee, born ca. 1814 in PEI......son of Dugald McPhee, b. ca. 1790 in Colonsay. Colin was married to a Katherine Livingston. Colin lived in St. Catherine's. My grandparents (and my father before marriage) lived just up the road in New Haven.

I am very aware of Dr. Earle's writings, and have some of them......even an unpublished one on "The West River McPhee's".......which is what he calls his family of McPhee's. Dr. Earle's great-grandfather was the above-mentioned Dugald McPhee. We know exactly where Dugald lived in Dunedin, PEI......and his brother Donald across the road. The 'cellar' of this house (Donald's) is still visible.

JA.

Just came across your letter to the Colonsay Corncrake......with your link to your family tree site. I am a MacPhee from PEI (and living in PEI)........although not related to your McPhee's.......at least, not that we know of..As a strange coincidence, my father, who was named Arthur George MacPhee......the George was named after your grandfather! The only reason we can come up with, is that strong Liberal connection!!! (My own grandfather was an MLA of PEI). The only other connection we can come up with, is that my grandmother (my father's mother) was a Rogerson.......who was related to the Rogerson man that your George's mother eventually married. Small world, isn't it!

About 3 years ago, I 'met' someone in 'your' family who is also heavily into genealogy. We first met because of an online query, which I answered. He lives in N.H., USA. He, his wife, sister, and daughter have since visited PEI, and we met in person. He and his wife have also been back once more since then. We have exchanged possibly in excess of 150 e-mails, and have become good friends. We write quite regularly......the last time, within the last week.

Your grandfather, George W. (Washington).....was born Nov. 17, 1880 in St. Catherine's, PEI, then lived in Canoe Cove, PEI. Both these communities are about 5 miles from where I live.

Your family tree is most impressive. I am in the midst of stuff in the studio but immediately got so excited to put you in touch with Mum's biographer. There is a new web site about to be launched on her out of Toronto, I have forwarded the website on to him so he may contact you.

Catherine Stratton, Julius Stratton's wife was coming out to Vancouver in May but has just cancelled due to ill health. She would have been on an art tour out of Boston and M.I.T. which I have helped to arrange this end. The group will still come, alas without Catherine.

I will now go back and have another look

According to our records Salusbury Gillies Payne was born in the East Indies on 25 April 1829 and was educated at Rugby. He matriculated as a member of the University on 22 June 1848, oldest son of Sir Charles Gillies Payne, recorded in University record as soi-disant baronet. He took his B.A. in 1852. He rowed at number 2 in the College VIII of 1851.

Congratulations on a very comprehensive and clear website. College Archivist Brasenose College Oxford