The Nanaimo Passenger Project

The Nanaimo, Canada, Family History Society has published a Ships Passenger List of people arriving at Quebec Ports during the period 11 June 1904 and 13 October 1910. It includes four clan members, the first of whom to arrive was Saml. McIlhaggs aged 22, born Ireland, who disembarked from the ship Victorian on 14th July 1906. His birth year would have been 1884. The 'nearest' Samuel I have in my clan Birth Index is the son of John McIlhagga and Margaret Douglas, born 1883, though there is a Samuel Robert born to George McIlhagger and Mary Ann Boyd on 23rd September 1884. However this Samuel emigrated to Australia, not Canada. The first of these two is in the 1901 Irish Census but not 1911 so may well have been in Canada by then. However, he must have returned to Ireland for he died on 30th November 1944 aged 61 and is buried in Templepatrick Old Graveyard. His occupation, Night Baker, was the same as that of his father John, so he may have returned to take over the baking after his father died.

The second to arrive in Quebec was Lizzie McIlhaggo aged 25, on the ship Lake Manitoba. She arrived on 22nd May 1909. She would have been born in 1874. Again, I have no-one in my indexes for 1874. The third immigrant was Thos. McIllhagga aged 13 who sailed on the ship Corsican and arrived a week after Lizzie, on 28th May 1909. I have written about Thomas in earlier blogs, on 24th Jan 09, 11th Apr 09, 8 Jul 09 and 16th Jan 10. It is ironic that in all probability Lizzie and Thomas never met. So near and yet so far.

Finally, arriving on 1st august 1910 we have Samuel McIlkagga on the ship Lake Champlain. He was 27 so born probably in 1883. On the assumption that his name has been mis-transcribed, the only candidate I have in my indexes is the Samuel above, son of John and Margaret. Maybe he made two journeys, first in 1906 and then again in 1910. If anyone has any further information about any of these four migrants I would be very pleased to hear from them.