As this particular part of my tree is so vast due to the fact there are more people, I have found it better to talk about the children and descendants of James and Matilda McGaffin in stages. I will begin with their eldest son George who might have inherited his fathers’ farm had he not immigrated to the United States in 1880. As mentioned in the previous post George married Eliza Ann Copeland and they had 8 children:
• James b. 28th February 1866, m. Ella Nelson 17th June 1897, d. 10th October 1942
• Robert b. 28th January 1868 – suspect he died at a young age
• William Henry b. 24th August 1870, m. Minnie Olive Louise Van-Camp Stryker in 1889
• Joseph b. 9th September 1873 – suspect he died at a young age
• George Wight b. 18 Dec 1875
• Isabella b. 19th August 1878, m. Wiley Leander Hoy 28th December 1896, d. 19th February 1964 in Grand Forks, North Dakota
• Lillie b. 27th July 1882, m. John Emery Coleman , d. 11th October 1963 in Beltrami, Minnesota
• Margery b. September 1885, Peter Marcus Barness 24th January 1906, d. 29th December 1937 in Beadle, South Dakota
The youngest two – Lillie and Margery – were born in South Dakota while the rest were born in Newry.
The family are first seen living in Lincoln, Spink, South Dakota in 1900 before moving to Petersburg in North Datoka and remaining there until at least 1925. It is not known when but the family did move to Beltrami, Minnesota. George spends all of his life as a farmer on his own land with the help of his son George Jnr who doesn’t appear to leave home.
George Snr died on 17th October 1927 aged 85; he is buried in Lake View Cemetery, Minnesota alongside his wife Eliza who died three years later.
Children of William Henry McGaffin and Minnie Olive-Louise Van-Camp Stryker:
• Joseph McConkey McGaffin b. 20th July 1892 in South Dakota, USA and d. 13 June 1984 in Alberta, Canada. He is supposed to have married a Arlie Marie Bruns but as yet there is no marriage record to confirm this
• Leda Ethelinda McGaffin b. 19th August 1984 in Frankfort, Spink, South Dakota and d. 15th September 1985 in British Columbia. Married a John Henry Cooper but as of yet a marriage record has yet to materialise.
• Olive Oethe McGaffin b. 16th February 1896 in Spink, South Dakota and d. 1989 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada
• Ruby L McGaffin b. September 1897 in Montana d. About 1985 in Canada
• Cora Louise McGaffin b. 11th December 1890 and d. 2nd March 1900
• William Henry McGaffin b. April 1900
• Robert Lincoln McGaffin b. 15th March 1909 in Idaho and d. 9th December 2001 in British Columbia, Canada
William moved to Canada in 1910 and is listed as living in Alberta on the 1916 Canadian Census. He lived there until his death on 6th April 1956 in Calgary and you can read his obituary in the Didsbury Pioneer.
Children of Isabella McGaffin and Wiley Leander Hoy:
• Maurice Imler Hoy b. 7th October in Spink, South Dakota 1898, d. April 1972 in North Dakota, m. Ruth Berrell 5th October 1921 in Mountrail, North Dakota
• Morris Hoy b. about 1900
• Clinton McGaffin Hoy b. 19th July 1900 in Olivet, Hutchinson, South Dakota, d. 4th May 1951 in Ohio, m. Hazel M. Luzader
• Dwight Lyman Hoy b. 12th August 1902 in South Dakota, d. 13th September 1957 in Seattle, King, Washington, m. Esther Sergeant. They had six children.
• Calvin Hoy b. 7th December 1904 in South Dakota and d. 15th August 1973 in Grand Forks, North Dakota
• Ruth Hoy b. 1st August 1907 in South Dakota, m. Leo T. Opperman and d. 14th May 1988 in Los Angeles
• Carol Hoy b. 10th October 1909 in Marshall, Dunn, North Dakota and d. 20th March 1995 in Cuyahoga, Ohio
Children of Lillie McGaffin and John Emery Coleman:
• Kenneth Emery Coleman b. 14 February 1903 in South Dakota and d. 4th July 1984
• Margaret Lily Coleman b. 1906 in North Dakota
• Helen Coleman b. 1910
Children of Margery McGaffin and Peter Marcus Barness:
• Eleanor Barness b. 1909
• Milton Gerald Barness b. 20th May 1910 in South Dakota, m. Martha Marion Fimon, d. 15 July 1966 in Redondo Beach, Los Angeles. They had one child
• Glyda Barness b. 1916 in South Dakota
• Martha Barness b. 1919 in Minnesota
• Winston D. Barness b. 10th March 1920 in South Dakota, m. Lola Bickness 21st April 1940, d. 20th April 2006 in Rapid City East, Pennington, South Dakota. I believe they did have a family.
