Jackson Family Breakthrough!

Mrs. William Rutherford (Elizabeth Jackson), about 1900.

I've never been able to find out much about the ancestry of Elizabeth Jackson, wife of William Rutherford Sr.  Previously, all I'd been able to find out about Elizabeth was her father's name (Thomas Jackson), and  the fact that she had younger sisters and was born in Biggar, Scotland but grew up in Montreal.  But today I found a record which gives me a lot more information about this hard-to-find family.  It's the wedding record of Elizabeth Jackson's younger sister, Ellen, and it comes from Erskine Presbyterian Church, Montreal.

Here is a transcripton:

"At Montreal this first day of September, one thousand eight hundred and seventy years, Alexander Houston Lowden of the city of Montreal, Builder, Bachelor, son of the late Reverend Alexander Lowden of New Glasgow, and of Catherine Conigal his widow surviving, and Ellen Jackson of the same place, Spinster daughter of Thomas Jackson and of Margaret Brown his wife, both of the age of majority, was married by me...in presence of these witnesses, related to the parties as undermentioned, and have signed
 (signatures)
A.H. Lowdon
Ellen Jackson 
witnesses
Margaret Jackson, sister of the bride,
Wm. Rutherford, broth-in-law of bride, 

(?) Taylor, D.D. Min."

This exceedingly helpful record gives us the  name of Elizabeth's mother and two of her sisters, and also tells us that Ellen's new husband is a builder, which seems to be a strong theme in the Rutherford and related families.  It's interesting to note that William Rutherford and Elizabeth Jackson named one of their daughters Margaret Brown Rutherford,  in honour, it seems, of the Jackson family matriarch. 

Although so far I have found the Jackson family impossible to find on census records, the Lowdon family does appear.  The 1871 census shows an Alexander and Ellen Lowden (sic) and one servant living at 928 Dorchester Street. This census says they are of Scotch origin but both were born in Quebec, and Ellen gives her age as 21, which would put her birth year at 1850. With this information in hand I was able to go back and find Ellen's baptismal record, again at Erskine Presbyterian Church, Montreal:

"Ellen Jackson, daughter of Thomas Jackson of Montreal, Carpenter and of Margaret Brown his wife, was born on the twenty-second day of January, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and fifty, and was baptized this thirteenth day of May of the same.
(signed)
W. Taylor min.
Thomas Jackson
Margaret Watson 
Elizabeth Jackson." 

Sadly, this Ellen appears to have been the second child of the same name born to Thomas and Margaret.  The records of Presbyterian Erskine in the year 1849 include a death record for a three-year-old  Ellen Jackson, daughter of Thomas Jackson, carpenter, and Margaret Brown. The first Ellen died February 13, 1849.   This is the earliest record I have found for the Jackson family in Montreal, so they must have immigrated in 1849 or earlier.

Alexander and Ellen went on to have two daughters, both baptized at Presbyterian Erskine church.  In September of 1871 Helena was born, followed by Magie (sic) Lowden on November 24, 1874. 

As far as business records go, on page 122 of MacKay's  Montreal Directory for 1848 (Montreal, Lovell and Gibson) there is a Thomas Jackson listed as a carpenter, working in the "court off Bleury".  He also appears in the 1853 and 1854 editions under the same address. In the 1856-7 edition a Thos. Jackson appears with the words "planeing mill, 9 Simon".  Is this the same Thomas Jackson?  It's unclear, but there is no longer a listing for the "court off Bleury", so it's possible.

Hopefully this new information will help me find out even more about the background of Elizabeth Jackson Rutherford.