Person Record

Metadata

Name

McKay, Olive

Othernames

nee Olive May Beattie

Born

Oct. 16, 1896

Birthplace

Grey County, Ontario

Places of residence

Jackson area, Keppel Township, Grey County, Lot 8, Con. A
Sydenham Township, Grey County (1930-1940)
________ Township from 1940 to 19___ (Lot 9, Concession 8, near Highway 21)

Father

Albert J. Beattie (1864/1865-1927)

Mother

Elizabeth Beattie (nee Lytle), also call

Nationality

Canadian

Education

Jackson School?

Notes

Olive May Beattie was born on October 16, 1896. Her family lived at Lot 8, Concession A, in the Jackson area of Keppel Township. She was descended from David Beattie, who was born in Ireland c. 1769. The Beatties had lived in the Mono Mills area before moving to Grey County.

The Grey County Archives has a studio photograph of Olive that was taken when she was a young girl. It was taken at __________. There is also a school group image from the Jackson school that she had kept over the years.

Olive married a Sydenham Township farmer, Doug McKay. His full name was Donald Gordon McKay, and they were married in 1930. Doug's family farmed one mile north of Leith, in Sydenham Township. Doug and Olive also farmed there, until c. 1940, when they and their daughter Donna moved to another farm, at Lot 9, in _____ Township, along Highway 21 (201674).

Their daughter Donna married David Palmer on May 14, 1955. She married Gordon Mills at Division Street church at Owen Sound, in 19__.

Olive enjoyed doing embroidery work. She was doing embroidery work before her marriage in 1930. Some of her embroidered and hand-knitted items are now in the Grey Roots Museum collection.

Olive passed away on Dec. 3, 1983, and was buried at the Leith churchyard by the historic Leith United Church. Her gravestone has 1898-1983, but her birth record is dated October 16, 1896. Her birthdate was also put down in the 1901 census as Oct. 18, 1897, another error.

Olive's parents, Albert and Essie Beattie, are buried at Hillcrest Cemetery in Arran Township. Her father died in 1927, and her mother died in 1945.

Occupation

Farm wife / Homemaker
Needleworker / Embroidery / Knitter

Publications

BEAUTIFUL STONEY KEPPEL, 1986, pp. 296-297 (provides the Beattie geneaology)
HISTORY OF SYDENHAM TOWNSHIP VOLUME 2 (mentions the McKay family, and has an image of Olive's husband Doug)

Relationships

Brother: Alonzo Beattie 1888-1969
Brother: John Reginald Beattie (m. Effie Greig and later m. Evelyn Nixon (Mrs. Bill Galbraith)
In-laws: Hugh and Jeanette McKay of Sydenham Township