THE ROBERT MUIR FAMILY

Robert Muir and his wife Isabel came to the Russell district in 1883 from Newdale. They had settled on what is the present town site there, in 1877. They had five sons: Jim, William, Robert,
John and Joe.

Jim settled in Russell but moved to Winnipeg in the early 1900’s. His family were Ida, Billie, John, and Louis.

William and Robert bachelors, lived in Boulton on 4-22-27.

John Muir married Louise England. They had one son Harry who married Joan Thickett of Binscarth. They have three children, Barbara, Robert and Bryan. Harry lives a few miles south of Russell on Highway No. 4.

Joe Muir settled farther north than William and Robert. He married Annie Cud. They had three sons, Dan, Harrison and Louis.

Dan married Beth Olson. They have five children, Florence, Enid, Ethel, Leslie B. and Sylvia.

Louis married Flora Olson and had four children, Alma, Lilly, Mervin and Lorne.

Harrison married May Fisher and have five children, George, Gordon, Clifford, Dorothy and Phyllis. He lived in Boulton until 1930, when he moved with his family south west of Russell.

This section submitted by Bill McReynolds

It seems likely that I am descended from the female side of the Muir family of Russell. Here is the story and an explanation of why it is likely.

My great grandfather Hugh T. Lewis was born in Whitby Ontario about 1849 to Timothy Robert and Experience Lewis. He joined the Northwest Mounted Police in April 1874, Regimental Number 289 and
travelled to Fort Garry with Divisions D,E, and F. He is known to have served at Shell River (in charge of mail post), Shoal Lake, and Beautiful Plains (in charge of Supply Post). He took his discharge in 1880 at the completion of two three-year terms of "very good" service. Hugh received two land warrants for his service. He is seen in a photo taken shortly before he died in 1933, one of the last of the Originals.

Hugh married Sarah Muir in that part of Manitoba about 1880 although I do not have a record of the details. She was probably, for reasons I will explain, the daughter of Robert and Isabella Muir, with siblings Maryanne, Joseph, James, Robert, Martha, John and William.

Hugh later served as chief Constable of Minnedosa Manitoba. He and Sarah had 3 or more children in the period 1880-1885, Martha (my Grandmother), Ethel and Albert. When William Watson of Egremont Township of Grey County Ontario went out West working on the CNR early in the new century he
married Martha Lewis and had Lillian Dorothy (my mother) in 1911, Ethel Blanche (Bob's mother) in 1912 in Manitoba before moving to Montreal for war work in WW I. Daughters Laura and Jessie were born subsequently.

The circumstantial evidence that Sarah Muir was the daughter of Robert and Isabella is as follows:

A search was made of 1881 Census returns in the area near where the newlywed Hugh and Sarah were enumerated for families named Muir. The most likely looking family [the only Muirs from Scotland] was at E 5 house 169, family 172 little Saskatchewan page 26. The head of the household was Robert Muir age 58, from Scotland, a farmer. His wife Isabella was 54, and they and their family were Presbyterian. The
children were John, 18, William, 18. On the following page in dwelling 172, family 176, were three more Muirs; Joseph, age 26 James, 24, and Robert, 22.

Except for Robert and Isabella, all were born in Ontario. Reasoning that if Sarah Muir belonged to this family, she too would have been born in Ontario, and the family would likely have been in Ontario at the time of the previous Census in 1871. Fortunately, an index exists for the 1871 Census in Ontario. The family of Robert and Isabella Muir was found in district No. 36 South Grey, sub District of the township of Egremont division No. 1. Dwelling unit No. 148 and family No. 148.
Robert was age 49 from Scotland, Church of Scotland, Scotch origin and farmer. Isabella was also listed as 49 years and with the same origins. Children in the house were Mariann, 21, Sarah, 19, Joseph, 17,
James, 15, Robert, 13, Martha, 11, John, 7, William, 5.

There is a good match on Robert, and only an age discrepancy on Isabella. On the reasonable assumption that dwelling 169 and dwelling 172 have parts of the same family, there is also a good match for Joseph, James and Robert. There is a good match on John, and a minor age discrepancy on William. Most importantly for our purposes, there was a Sarah of the right age [that is to say matching the age of Sarah
who was wife of Hugh T. Lewis] with the family in 1871 and not in 1881.
Martha and Mariann Muir are no longer with the family in 1881, but they would also have been of marriagable age.

William Watson, who was later to marry Martha, the daughter of Sarah Muir Lewis, is also associated with Egremont Township, Grey County.  I am interested in verifying the parentage of Sarah Muir, and if I am correct, learning more about the family. I also have some old photos of unidentified cousins of Martha, who I presume would be Muir descendants.

Thanks for your help.
Bill McReynolds

This section submitted by:
Randy Muir
PO Box 41642
Nashville, TN
37204-1642
tree9616@aol.com

Descendants of Robert MUIR Sr. - 5 Mar 2006
FIRST GENERATION

Robert MUIR Sr. Was born in 1822 in Scotland., He resided between 1853 and 1871 in Egremont, Grey South (Ontario), Canada.  Mount Forest, a suburb of Egremont.

"In the late 1870's the sons and Robert, Sr. All moved from Mount Forest, Ontario, to take up homesteads in Manitoba, some in Russell and others a few miles east of there." Lillian Savage. He was a Farmer in 1871.  He was Church of Scotland in 1871.  He resided before 1883 in Russell (Manitoba), Canada.  He resided after 1883 in Newdale (Manitoba), Canada.  He died in 1886 in Manitoba, Canada.1 He resided in Manitoba, Canada.

He was married to Isabella HENRY.  Scotland or Ontario, Canada - Lillian Savage. "1st 3 girls may have been born in Scotland."- Lillian Savage.  Isabella HENRY was born about 1823 in Scotland.  Robert MUIR Sr. And Isabella HENRY had the following children:

Janet MUIR was born about 1842.
Margaret (Maggie) MUIR (born about 1845).
Isabella MUIR was born about 1847.
Maryan MUIR (born about 1849).
Sarah MUIR (born about 1851).
Joseph (Joe) MUIR (born on August 15, 1852).
James Wright (Jim) MUIR (born in 1855).
Robert MUIR Jr. Was born about 1857 in Ontario, Canada. He resided in 1927 in Boulton (Manitoba), Canada.  He died in 1935 in Russell (Manitoba), Canada.
Martha MUIR was born about 1859 in Ontario, Canada.
John MUIR (born about 1864).
William MUIR was born about 1866 in Ontario, Canada. He resided in 1927 in Boulton (Manitoba), Canada.  He died in 1950 in Russell (Manitoba), Canada.1

SECOND GENERATION

Margaret (Maggie) MUIR was born about 1845.
Maryan MUIR was born about 1849 in Ontario, Canada.
Sarah MUIR was born about 1851 in Ontario, Canada.
She was married to Hugh T. LEWIS (son of Timothy Robert LEWIS and Experience) about 1880. Hugh T. LEWIS was born about 1849 in Whitby (Ontario), Canada.  He was a Northwest Mounted Police between 1874 and 1880 in Ft. Garry Ontario), Canada.  He died in 1933.  He was a Constable in Minnedosa (Manitoba), Canada.  Sarah MUIR and Hugh T. LEWIS had the following children:

Martha LEWIS (born between 1880 and 1885).
Ethel LEWIS was born between 1880 and 1885 in Minnedosa (Manitoba), Canada.
Albert LEWIS was born between 1880 and 1885 in Minnedosa (Manitoba), Canada.
Joseph (Joe) MUIR  was born on August 15, 1852 in Ontario, Canada.  He appeared on the census in 1891 in Shellriver (Manitoba), Canada.  He was a Farmer in 1891.  He was Presbyterian in 1891.  He died in 1937 in Russell (Manitoba), Canada.  He resided in Russell (Manitoba), Canada.
Mary Anne (Annie) CURLE was born about 1859 in Ontario, Canada.  She resided in Egremont (Cheshire), England.  Mount Forest "Annie Cud," according to Bill McReynolds Joseph (Joe) MUIR and Mary Anne (Annie) CURLE had the following children:
Daniel (Dan) MUIR (born in 1885).
Harrison MUIR (born in 1891).
William MUIR was born about 1891 in Manitoba, Canada.
Louis MUIR (born in 1895).

James Wright (Jim) MUIR was born in 1855 in Ontario, Canada.  He died in 1929 in Winnipeg (Manitoba), Canada.
James Wright (Jim) MUIR and Sophia GARDNER had the following children:
Ida MUIR1. 
Minnie MUIR.
Isabelle MUIR (born in 1884).
Margaret MUIR (born in 1885).
Robert MUIR (born in 1888).
Amy R. MUIR (born in 1889).
Lewis Marvyn MUIR was born in 1895.1 He died in 1978.1
Georgina Beatrice MUIR (born in 1896).
William James MUIR (born in 1896).

John MUIR was born about 1864 in Ontario, Canada.  He died in 1925 in Russell (Manitoba), Canada.
He was married to Mary Louise ENGLAND in 1910.  John MUIR and Mary Louise ENGLAND had the following children:
Robert Henry (Harry) MUIR (born in 1916).

THIRD GENERATION

Martha LEWIS was born between 1880 and 1885 in Minnedosa (Manitoba), Canada.
She was married to William WATSON before 1911.  William WATSON resided before 1911 in Egremont, Grey South (Ontario), Canada.  He was a Railroad worker before 1911.  CNR (Canadian National Railroad)
Martha LEWIS and William WATSON had the following children:
Lillian Dorothy WATSON (born in 1911).
Daniel (Dan) MUIR was born in 1885 in Manitoba, Canada.  He died in 1959.
Daniel (Dan) MUIR and Beth OLSON had the following children:
Florence MUIR. 
Enid MUIR. 
Ethel MUIR. 
Leslie B. MUIR. 
Sylvia MUIR. 

Harrison MUIR was born in 1891.  He resided before 1930 in Boulton (Manitoba), Canada.  He resided after 1930 in Russell (Manitoba), Canada.  He died in 1950.
Harrison MUIR and May FISHER had the following children:
George MUIR. 
Gordon MUIR. 
Clifford MUIR. 
Dorothy MUIR. 
Phyllis MUIR. 

Louis MUIR was born in 1895.  He died in 1974.
Louis MUIR and Flora OLSON had the following children:
Alma MUIR. 
Lilly MUIR. 
Mervin MUIR. 
Lorne MUIR was born about 1923.  He served in the military about 1944 in Canada. Royal Canadian Air Force pilot.  He died on March 16, 2001 in Winnipeg (Manitoba), Canada.  Tuxedo Villa

Minnie MUIR. 

Isabelle MUIR was born in 1884.

Margaret MUIR was born in 1885.

Robert MUIR was born in 1888.  He died in 1935.

Amy R. MUIR was born in 1889.

Georgina Beatrice MUIR was born in 1896.  She died in 1977.
Georgina Beatrice MUIR and William Joseph SAVAGE had the following children:
SAVAGE.

William James MUIR was born in 1896.  He died in 1988.

Robert Henry (Harry) MUIR was born in 1916.  He died in 1996.  He resided in Russell (Manitoba), Canada.
Joan THICKETT resided in Binscarth (Manitoba), Canada.  Robert Henry (Harry) MUIR and Joan THICKETT had the following children:
Barbara MUIR. 
Robert MUIR. 
Bryan MUIR. 

FOURTH GENERATION

Lillian Dorothy WATSON was born in 1911.

Lillian Dorothy WATSON and MCREYNOLDS had the following children:
Bill MCREYNOLDS. 

Prepared by:
Randy Muir
PO Box 41642
Nashville, Tennessee 37204-1642
USA
tree9616@aol.com

SOURCES

1. Lillian Savage
lsavage@saltspring.com
(Aug. 1999).
2. 1871 Canadian Census.
3. Bill McReynolds
roz@grainweb.mb.ca.
4. 1891 Canadian Census.
5. Obituary.

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