McBRIDE

Kathleen McBride was the (adoptive) mother of my biological grandfather, the late Richard (“Dick”) Harry Mitchelson, Jr., of Winnipeg, who told me that he believed she was born in Antrim or Tyrone. The results of DNA testing of descendants of Dick Mitchelson preclude the possibility that Kathleen McBride could have been his natural mother, and she and her husband, Richard Harry Mitchelson, were not even married until nearly six years after their son’s birth, and in all likelihood were not even living in the same country when their son was conceived. The difficulty is discussed in greater detail in our Mitchelson page.

Kathleen’s marriage record names her as a daughter of James McBride, farmer, born in Ireland, and his wife Mary Sharkie, and gives her age as 31 years, while her death record names her as a daughter of Thomas McBride and Mary Sharkey, both born in Ireland, and states her date of birth as 7 December 1883, and age at death as 84. We believe that her marriage record grossly understates her age, but reports her parentage more correctly than does her death record. Despite the discrepancies, these two sources jointly seem to provide sufficient evidence of the parentage which we state for her below.

It is not clear whether there is any significance to the fact that the undertakers at her funeral were a firm by the name of Simmons & McBride (of Vancouver).^[1]

1. Robert McBride, laborer, perhaps of Fyfin, in Ardstraw, co. Tyrone, whose name is known only from the marriage record of his son James, below. A Robert M’Bride is found as a tenant of Eliza Henderson at Fyfin in Griffith’s Valuation of 1848-1864. Only known child:

1. 2James McBride, born about 1846-47.

2. James McBride, of co. Tyrone, Northern Ireland, born about 1846-47 (aged 22 in 1868, 53 in 1901) in co. Tyrone, died some time in 1901-1911. As James McBride, of Fyfin, servant, aged 22 years, he married 21 November 1868 in the Roman Catholic chapel, Carncorn/Carncorran, parish of Urney, co. Tyrone,^[2] Mary Sharkey, born probably about 1850-52 (aged 22 [!] in 1868, 48 in 1901, 65 [!] in 1911) in co. Tyrone, alive in 1911, daughter of Francis Sharkey, labourer.^[3] At the time of the marriage she was a servant, residing at Brucklass, aged 22 years, and both parties were previously single; the witnesses were John Logue and Margaret Winters. His children’s birth records call him a flax scutcher (1870, 1872) and a laborer (1875, 1877, 1878, 1882, 1884, 1887), and give his address as Tiveny in Newtownstewart (1870, 1882), Fyfin in Castlederg (1872, 1875, 1877), Meahey in Newtownstewart (1878), and Killen in Newtownstewart (1884, 1887). He appears with his family at Breen, Altaclady, co. Tyrone, in the 1901 census, in which he is called a laborer.^[4] He is however called a farmer in the marriage record of his daughter Kathleen. His widow appears with some of their children, and a granddaughter Lily McBride (apparently daughter of Catherine; see below), in the townland of Stoneyfalls, and parish of Ardstraw, in the 1911 census.^[5]
    Known issue, all born in co. Tyrone:^[6]

1. Robert McBride, born 28 January 1870 at Tiveny in Newtownstewart,^[7] baptized 13 February 1870 in the Roman Catholic church, Ardstraw West, with sponsors Robert Campbell and Susan M’Crudden.^[8]
2. Margaret McBride, born 21 February 1872 at Fyfin in Castlederg, still living unmarried with her widowed mother in 1911. She was a factory worker in 1901, and a flax preparer in 1911.
3. James McBride, Jr., born 7 (?) August 1874 (per his baptismal record), baptized 14 August 1874 in the Roman Catholic church, Ardstraw West, as a child of James McBride and Mary Sharkey, of Fyfin, with sponsors Robert Connolly and Anne Connolly.^[9] Probably the same as the child below, as the dates as stated are too close together for separate births.
4. James McBride, Jr., born 1 January 1875 at Fyfin in Castlederg, still living unmarried with his widowed mother in 1911. He was a farm labourer in 1901, and an agricultural laborer in 1911.
5. Patrick McBride, born 17 March 1877 at Fyfin in Castlederg, died young.
6. Patrick McBride, born 30 July 1878 (not 12 August 1878 as stated in his civil birth registration) at Meahey in Newtownstewart, baptized 11 August 1878 in the Roman Catholic church, Ardstraw West, with sponsors Robert Connolly and Anne Connolly.^[10] He is not found with his parents in 1901.
7. Joseph McBride, born 14 May 1882 at Tiveny in Newtownstewart, living unmarried with his parents in 1901, when he was an agricultural laborer, but not found with his widowed mother in 1911.
8. 3Catherine McBride (later known as Kathleen), born 4 November 1884 at Killen in Newtownstewart; not found with her parents in the 1901 census.
9. Rebecca McBride, born 10 August 1887 at Killen in Newtownstewart, alive in 1911. She was a scholar in 1901.
10. Thomas McBride, born 1895-96 (aged 5 in 1901) in co. Tyrone, alive in 1911.
11. Peter McBride, born 1897-98 (aged 3 in 1901) in co. Tyrone, alive in 1911.

3. Kathleen McBride, born 4 November 1884 at Killen in Newtownstewart, co. Tyrone, Northern Ireland,^[11] died 1 October 1968 at Vancouver, at the age of 83 years,^[12] and buried with her husband in Ocean-view Cemetery, Vancouver. She is possibly the Catherine McBride, aged 16, a Roman Catholic, who appears as a servant in the household of William Todd of Fyfin, in Listymore, co. Tyrone, in the 1901 census.^[13] It has not been determined when or in what circumstances she came to Canada, but her declaration in the 1921 census to have arrived in 1900 is obviously fictitious, considering her absence from the 1901, 1911, and 1916 censuses.^[14] As Kathleen McBride, maid, aged 31 years [a gross understatement], of 348 Colony Street, Winnipeg, she married by licence 13 August 1920 at no. 353 St. Mary Avenue, Winnipeg (i.e. the home of the witnesses, Frank Casew and John Ryan),^[15] Richard Harry Mitchelson, born 22 April 1887 at Shepherd’s Bush, Hammersmith, Fulham, Middlesex (now in Greater London),^[16] died 25 May 1973 at Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, aged over 86 years, son of Richard Newton Mitchelson and Lydia Maria Bell. For discussion of their family see the Mitchelson page.
    Known issue (apart from the one child which she certainly had by her husband):

1. (almost certainly) Elizabeth Lily McBride, born 1909-10 in co. Tyrone, alive in 1911 when she is found as a granddaughter in the household of the widow Mary (Sharkey) McBride; probably identical with the Elizabeth Lily McBride, born 9 June 1909 at Stoneyfalls in the parish of Newtownstewart, co. Tyrone, to Cassie McBride, domestic servent, and an unknown father, “Cassie” being occasionally used as a nickname for Catherine.^[17]
2. (perhaps) a son, later renamed Richard Harry Mitchelson, Jr., born 31 December 1914 (according to his own statement, supported by his age of six in the 1921 census), supposedly at Winnipeg (but there is no birth on file for this date in Manitoba under the surname Mitchelson or McBride).

Notes

name     relationship  age  gender  occupation    cond.
-------------------------------------------------------------
McBride James    head  53   M   farm Labourer     Married
McBride Mary     wife  48   F                     Married
McBride Maggie   dau.  26   F   factory worker    Not Married
McBride James    son   23   M   farm labourer     Not Married
McBride Joseph   son   17   M   agricultural      Not Married
                                  labourer
McBride Rebecca  dau.  13   F   scholar           Not Married
McBride Thomas   son    5   M   ----              Not Married
McBride Peter    son    3   M   ----              Not Married
-----
Entire family Roman Catholic; all born in co. Tyrone;
all except Rebecca stated to be unable to read 

name   relationship    age gender  occuation    cond.
------------------------------------------------------
McBride Mary    head     65  F  ----            widow
McBride Maggie  dau.     36  F  flax preparer   single
McBride James   son      35  M  agricultural    single
                                  labourer
McBride Rebecca dau.     22  F  ----            single
McBride Thomas  son      15  M  flax preparer   single
McBride Peter   son      13  M  scholar         single
McBride Lily    granddau. 1  F  ----            single
-----
Entire family Roman Catholic; all born in co. Tyrone;
only Rebecca, Thomas, and Peter can read and write

From the Genealogy Page of John Blythe Dobson
URL = johnblythedobson.org/genealogy/ff/McBride.cfm
This page written 27 February 2011
Last revised 19 January 2020