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Possible relative

John McKinnon

John McKinnon (born ~1790, Isle of Mull; emigrated 1808; buried Campbell Cemetery, Seafoam, Nova Scotia) may be a collateral relative — possibly a sibling or cousin of Lachlin MacKinnon, the father of Donald Mac Kinnon (baptized 1815/1816 at Malpeque Road, PEI). His gravestone reads "emigrated to this Island in 1808" but is located at a mainland Nova Scotia cemetery — "this Island" most plausibly refers to Prince Edward Island, where the archive's existing McKinnon line (Lachlin MacKinnon → Donald Mac Kinnon) is documented. Both men share the McKinnon name, both are associated with early-19th-century PEI-area Scottish settlement, and both trace to the Hebrides/Argyll region of Scotland. John's ~1790 birth year makes him too young to be Lachlin's father but a generation-mate or sibling relationship is plausible. If John emigrated to PEI in 1808 and Lachlin was already on PEI by 1815 (when Donald was born at Malpeque Road), a familial connection is possible.

Still checking

Why this is not settled yet

1790 –

  • What is Lachlin MacKinnon's approximate birth year and place of origin? If Lachlin was also from the Isle of Mull or the broader Hebrides and arrived on PEI around the same period, a sibling or close-kin relationship becomes more likely.
  • Is there a PEI census record (1841, 1861, 1881) or land record listing both a Lachlin McKinnon and a John McKinnon in proximity?
  • What church records (St. Paul's Charlottetown or rural Malpeque-area parishes) exist for McKinnon families on the Malpeque Road tract?
  • How did John end up buried at Campbell Cemetery in Seafoam, Nova Scotia, if he emigrated to "this Island" (PEI or Cape Breton)? Is there a family connection between the Pictou-area and PEI McKinnons?
  • Are there emigrant ship records from the Isle of Mull to PEI/Cape Breton in 1808 that list a John McKinnon and/or a Lachlin McKinnon together?
  • Can an 1808 emigrant list or Selkirk/Highland Society records place John McKinnon on a specific ship from Mull to Atlantic Canada?

Notes

Notes

  • Both John McKinnon graves are at Campbell Cemetery, Seafoam, Pictou County, NS — confirmed from context photo (source-cemetery-context-photo-campbell-cemetery-seafoam-ns).
  • "This Island" on a mainland Nova Scotia stone is likely a reference to PEI or Cape Breton Island, indicating John originally settled elsewhere before his family moved to or buried him in mainland Pictou County.
  • Isle of Mull lies within Argyll and Bute, Scotland — the same broad region as "Argyle-shire" on the companion gravestone (lead-john-mckinnon-argyle-shire-1794).
  • The 1808 emigration date aligns with documented PEI emigration from the Hebrides (the 1803–1809 wave following the Passenger Vessels Act).
  • A confirmed connection to the archive's McKinnon line (Donald Mac Kinnon → Donald McKinnon + Elizabeth Jardine → John Duncan MacKinnon, died 1926 Ohio) could strengthen the Canadian citizenship documentation for this project.

Records

Records and mentions

Gravestone

Gravestone: John McKinnon, Native of Isle of Mull Scotland, Died Oct 9 1871

Still checking High

9 October 1871

Gravestone at Campbell Cemetery, Seafoam, Pictou County, Nova Scotia for John McKinnon, born approximately 1790 on the Isle of Mull, Scotland, who emigrated to "this Island" in 1808 and died 9 October 1871 aged 81. He was among the early Scottish Hebridean settlers in Atlantic Canada. "This Island" likely refers to Prince Edward Island or Cape Breton Island, as the stone stands on mainland Nova Scotia.

John McKinnon 2 files

Timeline

Moments that mention this person

No timeline moment currently mentions this possibility.

Archive file

Archive context

Archive file

07_leads/lead-john-mckinnon-isle-of-mull-1790.md

Photos & documents

Files from linked records