My Family Tree

John McArthur was born in PEI in the month of November, between 1847 and 1849, and according to his death record, was the son of Hughie McArthur. Both of his parents were said to be born in England. Although his birth was not recorded in the PEI Baptismal Index, his name is included in most McArthur & Dyment family trees as a son of Hugh and Susanne, and this is the best fit for him.

However, a child of his age was not included in what I think is the 1861 census record for this family. He could be the young man in the household of his grandfather Humphrey Dyment Sr. in 1861.

He married Sarah Noye or Noyes, daughter of Charles and Anne (Kenny) on March 1 , 1876. According to his marriage record, both he and Sarah Noy were from Lot 10, and the farm next to that of Charles Noy in the 1881 census was Robert and Lydia McArthur, who would be an uncle of John's.

John and Sarah had at least 13 children. There were eight children in the PEI Baptismal Index. In 1881, he was farming in Lot 7 with his wife Sarah Ann and children Charles (age 5, 26 Feb 1876), Annie Maud (age 3, 30 March 1878), Susan (2), and John (March 1881). The first two children were named after Sarah' s parents, and the next daughter after John's mother and grandmother.

Ten years later, John gave his occupation as fisherman. They were living in a two room house with a loft on Lot 8, and had 9 children (Charles, Annie, Susan, John J., Janie (Jane Ellen, age 8, 23 November 1882), Abram (Abraham Spurgeon, age 6, 2 May 1884), Willie (William Henry, age 5, 19 December 1885), Alvin ("Albion", age 3, 13 November 1888), and May (Laura May, age 2, 27 May 1899). On this census, John said his father was born on the Island and his mother in England.

They were still in Lot 8 in 1901. In that census, John and Sarah were living with children John James (March 6 1881), Abraham (May 2 1882), William (December 19, 1885), Alvin (November 13 1887), Laura May (April 6 1889), Catherine (possibly Katie, born 30 May 1891, in census as April 23 1891), Corbett (June 3 1894), Bertha (April 19 1897), and Andrew (April 20, 1899).

In 1901, some of the sons were working, John James as a mill apprentice, and Abraham as a labourer.

John and Sarah and some of their family emigrated to New Hampshire. John arrived in 1902, and the family followed a year later. In 1910, they were in Coos County, New Hampshire with Alvin, Bertha and Andrew. Sarah said she had had 13 children, all living, in their 34 years of marriage. John said both of his parents were born in Scotland. He was working in a mill. By the time of the US 1920 census, John and Sarah were on their own. On one of the children's marriage certificates, John had been working as a mill hand in New Hampshire.

Sarah died in 1925. John died on 23 April 1934, of exhaustion. At the time of his death, he had been living in New Hampshire for 31 years.

Information on McArthur families came mainly from McArthur family trees on the Island Register and the Dyment genealogy of Roger Dyment and Connie Ladner, as well as the Descendants of Hugh McArthur and Susannah Diamond. Some information has been checked against census, birth and marriage records where available.