Alexander Harvie
ID # 4263, (1754-1825)
| Baptism | Alexander Harvie was baptized in 1754 at Kilmarnoch, Ayrshire, Scotland. |
| Marriage | He married Mary Cameron. |
| Death | He died on 16 August 1825 at Dumfries Township, Gore District, Upper Canada. |
| Burial | He was buried at Harvie Cemetery, now in Sheffield, Ontario. |
| Note | Alexander Harvie Sr. was one of the first settlers in Dumfries Township in what was then the Gore District of Upper Canada. He came in 1817 with his immediate family and the Buchanans, McArthurs and McColls. William Dickson was the founder of Dumfries Township. He had despatched Absalom Shade to New York State to find settlers for the township and the group that came with Alexander Harvie was the first fruit of this effort. (The story is more complex. See notes for John Buchanan.) Shade had built a mill on the Grand River. The settlement was first known as Shade's Mills, but later, in 1925, was renamed Galt. The Harvies, Buchanans, McArthurs and McColls settled on land near what became the village of Branchton. A story is written by a travelling minister, casting back in his memory 50 years after the fact, of his visit to the 'Scotch' Settlement in Dumfries. He tells of staying in the Harvie household and makes mention of Mrs. Harvie. Likely, his memory was one of old Alex's daughters, probably Mary. There is little evidence of the wife of Alex Harvie Sr. coming to Dumfries. It is believed that she died prior to the trip. If the vignette of Hugh White in the Warner and Beers History of Brant County is correct, then Alex's wife was living at the time of the journey from Scotland to the United States in 1811. There is no record of her having made the trip to Canada. It remains an open question, however. Some researchers show that Alexander Harvie had a son John. This may be so, but evidence has yet to be found. Alexander Harvie Jr. had a son John by his first wife, Jenet McArthur. This John survived and prospered. A word about the Harvie Cemetery. This was originally on a portion of a family farm. In the 1980s, the farm changed hands and the stones were removed to the Doon Pioneer Village. The family and McMaster University got involved. The graves were identified by an elderly family member who had taken care of the cemetery in former years. The remains were taken to McMaster University for a forensic examination and then reburied, with the stones reset, in Sheffield Cemetery. The available transcription of the Harvie cemetery was done by the Waterloo County Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society. No mention is made of the date of publication of this transcription. The introductory page tells of the stones removal to Doon Pioneer Village, and then leaves unmentioned their later second removal to Sheffield Cemetery. It's a guess, but the original transcription was probably done when the stones were at the Doon Pioneer Village. After the forensic examination of the remains at McMaster University, Hamilton, they were interred in Sheffield Cemetery and the stones placed there as well. The Hamilton Branch of the OGS did a transcription of Sheffield Cemetery that was first published in 1990 with revisions in 2004 and 2007. The Harvie stones get no mention. Shortly after the installation of the stones at Sheffield, a visit was made and there were a number of the stones still standing. In 2010, a visit found only a few still standing. Interestingly, the oldest stone, that of Alexander Harvie Sr., was still standing. An Alexander Harvey was christened on 6 March 1753 in Tarbolton Parish, son of Andrew Harvey. That this was Alex Harvie, later the husband of Mary Cameron, is disputed. John Harvie, apparently the son of David Lennox Harvie, traveled to Scotland in 1865 and is said to have visited with his aunt, Agnes Harvie, in Cumnock. Such birth and christening dates that we have for the children of Alexander and Mary are from transcriptions provided by familysearch.org. These are probably from the Old Parochial Records. Apparently Ann Harvie, b. 1786, and Agnes Harvie, b. 1796, remained in Scotland. James, b. 1798, apparently did as well, but no further information beyond his birth and baptism has been found and he may not have survived childhood. As of August, 2010, Alexander Harvie's stone survived in Sheffield Cemetery and dates his death to August 16, 1825, age 71 years. Alex's will is to be found at the Archives of Ontario on microfilm MS638 reel 2, ref. 61. It was not filed for probate until March of 1826 with the surrogate court at Hamilton, the seat of the Gore District. It includes an inventory of his goods with the associated probate papers. Thomas McBean and John Buchanan were executors. Apparently Alexander spent his last years with daughter Mary and left her his eight day clock which he 'brought from Scotland', as well as other goods. |
Children of Alexander Harvie and Mary Cameron |
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| Last Edited | 9 Apr 2024 |