John Christopher Macmillan

   Another name for John was John Christopher McMillan.

  General Notes:

Called J.C. MacMillan.
John Christopher dropped the "a" in MacMillan and used the spelling McMillan after he moved to Webbwood because there were other MacMillans living there. (Source: Diana Arsenault)

According to the records for the Jackson Bernard Funeral Home the estate of John C. McMillan paid for the funeral, the minister officiating was Rev. W. Ooms, and the doctor was Dr. H.L. Taylor.

From a conversation with Jean Huffman, and according to her conversation with Dorothy [nee McMillan] Wilson (daughter of JC McMillan):

John [J.C.] McMillan was born crippled with two club feet. His older siblings, believing that he would not be able to labour for a living, decided to send him to school to train to be a tailor.

There are two stories as to how he arrived in Webbwood, Ontario. The first says that when he was 18 or 19 years old, he and a friend "hopped the train" because of the railway, and set out to find work. When they arrived in Webbwood J.C. decided to stay, and the friend kept going. The second says that he came to Webbwood to work in the then thriving lumber industry.

Once there he opened a tailor shop, and eventually met Rose Anne McAuley, who became his wife. The McAuley's were already living in the area when J.C. arrived. After a time J.C. McMillan became interested in politics, and apparently was a very serious politician. He was very involved in the running of Webbwood, and served as Town Clerk, Treasurer, and Mayor for many years.

J.C. McMillan at one time owned the building that is today known as "Stewart's General Store". It was in this building that he had his tailor shop. I remember hearing as a child that he also ran a mercantile there, and Aunt Dorothy [Wilson] agrees with this, although Jean Huffman doesn't remember hearing this.
After the store was no longer, he rented out the front portion [store front] to the town, and it housed the Town Offices.

Jean Huffman remembers when they were kids that the back room was full of threads of every colour, rolls of ribbon and lace, and all kinds of buttons. No doubt leftovers from his days as a tailor.

Kay once told me that JC [Grampa McMillan] always said "Watch your pennies and your dollars will take care of themselves". One of them also told me a story about finding a bottle of Port while they were there and getting drunk!

John married Rose Anne McCauley, daughter of John McCauley and Flora McGran, before 1891. (Rose Anne McCauley was born on 17 Feb 1871 in Bruce County, Ontario,² died on 5 Apr 1939 in Webbwood, Ontario ² and was buried in Webbwood, Ontario.)

  Marriage Notes:

The marriage date was originally given to me as 1890. Based on the fact that Rose-Ann is still living with her parents in the 1891 census, AND the fact that their first child, Margaret Olive, was apparently born in 1891, I have determined that the marriage must have taken place (hopefully early!) in 1891. The 1891 Census was taken on April 6 of that year, which only leaves barely 9 months between then and the end of December. Of course it's entirely possible that the birth date I have for Margaret Olive is incorrect.