He married about 1800, ANASTASIE PETITPAS, daughter of Louis and Marie Josephe (Dugas) Petitpas, who was born about 1773 and was buried at D'Escousse, 4 Feb. 1844, aged 70 years.

In the 1811 census taken at D'Escousse, Valentin McDonald is listed as a mariner. In the household were one male and one female age 14 to 60, three males and one female under 14. Valentin owned two cattle, two sheep, no horse, but one vessel.

In 1813 Valentin was listed in the Cape Breton militia roll as a member of the Seventh Military Division. He is listed as aged 37 years, a fisherman, born in and a resident of D'Escousse. He had two horned cattle, and two sheep. Also in the household was one woman, four sons and one daughter.

In 1838 Valentin and Anastasie (called Tarsil in the record) were listed in the census taken at D'Escousse. Valentin was a fisherman. With them were two males and one female above the age of 14. (Sons James and Urbain were unmarried at the time, but both of the daughters, Marguerite and Ludivine, were married and listed separately with their husbands. The identity of the female is not clear. It does not seem likely that there was another daughter in the family. It is more likely that an unmarried or widowed female relative was living with them).

Children:

He married about 1815 MARGARET McGRATH (remembered by a great grandson as being called "Peggy"), who was born 1790/1 and was living with her son Francis at D'Escousse when the 1871 census was taken, aged 80 years.

In 1813 Edward was listed in the Cape Breton militia roll as a member of the Seventh Military Division. He is listed as age 20 years, a fisherman, born in Cape Breton and a resident of D'Escousse. This age is inconsistent with the age reported at his death. He may have been born about 1786 or 1787.

Edward and Margaret are listed in the 1838 census in D'Escousse. He was a fisherman. With them were one male over 14 (Thomas or François), and three males (Désiré [?], Abraham, Michel) and one female (Madeleine) age 6 to 14.

In 1846 Edward McDonald paid his St. Hyacinth parish dues with one quintal of cod-fish.

Edward is listed in the 1861 census of D'Escousse as age 70 - 80 years, along with his wife, also between 70 and 80. With them was a widowed woman age 30 - 40 and a single male age 10 - 15. The census also reported that a male, between 20 and 30 had died within the previous year. The deceased male would have been their son Michel and the widowed female his wife Sophie. The identity of the boy is not known.

Children:

He married first at L'Ardoise, 12 Jan. 1835 REINE PâTÉ, who was born about 1814 and was buried at D'Escousse, 28 Sept. 1839 [PR], daughter of François and Barbe (Babin) Pâté. He married second at Arichat, 25 Jan. 1841 HENRIETTE POIRIER, who was born 1818/9 and died at D'Escousse in 1885, daughter of Charles and Marguerite (Samson) Poirier.

In his brother Pierre's 1833 marriage record, Louis was mentioned as a witness and is called brother of the groom.

Louis and Reine were listed in the 1838 census in D'Escousse where he was a fisherman. With them was their son Felix.

In 1846 Lewis McDonell paid his St. Hyacinth parish dues with one quintal of cod.

In 1861 Louis was listed in the D'Escousse census age 50 to 60 years. With him were his wife and 11 children. Also listed was a male under age 1 who died. In the 1871 census Louis [called Louison] was listed as a fisherman of Irish descent. In the 1881 census he is listed as age 76, still a fisherman. His wife 'Hariet' was listed as age 54.

On 9 Apr. 1867 Louis McDonald of Lower D'Escousse bought the westerly part of Lot #9 from his son Felix (Richmond Deeds M:693). On 25 Feb. 1869 Louis sold part of Lot #9 to his sons William and Charles (N:682).

Children by first wife:

He married at D'Escousse, 15 Jan. 1849 LOUISE POIRIER, who was baptized 10 Jan. 1832 and died in 1916, daughter of Jean-Marie and Catherine (Josse) Poirier.

A grandson, Len McDonald of Montauk, said that Désiré was called David and that he and his brothers Frank and Abram had reddish/auburn hair. He referred to his grandmother Louise as "Lizette." Deeds and her death certificate have shown that she was indeed known as Elizabeth or Lizette McDonald.

Désiré was listed in D'Escousse in the 1861 census, age 30 - 40. With him were his wife and two eldest daughters. He was listed as age 60 in the 1881 census, a laborer. In 1891 his widow was age 63, living with her daughter Sarah Jane and family. She has not been located in the 1901 census.

Children:

He married at D'Escousse, 19 Jan. 1874 [VR] his second cousin, SÉRAPHINE McDONALD, who was born 13 July 1851 [1901 CR] and died at D'Escousse, 6 March 1939 [VR], daughter of Désiré and Louise (Poirier) McDonald. She married second at D'Escousse, 15 Aug. 1897 [PR] Désiré Landry, born 26 Dec. 1842, son of Basile and Judith (Marchand) Landry, and widower of Marie Boudrot.

William was a seaman at the time of his marriage. He later was a fisherman on board Pascal Poirier's five-master. He broke his leg, gangrene set in, he died and was buried at sea. He was listed as age 34, a seaman, in the 1881 census.

Séraphine and her two sisters were all said to be over six feet tall. In the 1891 census she was widowed, living with her two sons, and was listed as a day laborer at housework. She made several visits to Massachusetts, living for a time with her nephew Louis McDonald, son of Tranquille McDonald and with her son Leonard in 1920 on Putnam Street in Somerville, Mass. Her grandchildren in Massachusetts do not remember her speaking English, but the 1901 census indicates that she spoke both French and English. She lived at Poulamond after her second marriage, and in later years lived with her nephew Arthur Joyce, son of her sister Louise.

A great-grandson, Edward L. Galvin, is in possession of a large photograph of William showing him to be a large man with a walrus moustache. (To view the photograph, click HERE.)

There is also a pastel portrait and a photograph of Séraphine.   (To view the photograph, click HERE.)

Children, born at D'Escousse [PR]:

He married at Somerville, Mass., 25 Nov. 1908 [VR] AGNES MARY SULLIVAN, who was born at St. John's, Newfoundland, 16 Oct. 1876 [PR] and died at the Guardian Hospital, Cambridge, Mass., 24 Jan. 1965 [VR], daughter of Cornelius John and Mary Anne (Rouse) Sullivan. Both are buried in Holy Cross Cemetery, Malden, Mass.

Leonard was listed as Lament on his baptismal record, Laman in the 1881 census, and as Lammong in the 1891. He went to high school at Arichat and then went to work in Antigonish. He came to the United States in 1906, settling on Everett St. in East Boston, Mass. After his marriage he continued to live in East Boston until 1911 when he moved his family to nearby Somerville where he lived until his death. He had many jobs, among them a freighthandler for the Quincy Market Cold Storage Company and Thorndike & Gerrish (Poultry) in Boston. He was a naturalized United State citizen.

Ag attended Catholic school in Newfoundland and graduated from high school about 1895 in St. John's, coming to Boston shortly afterwards. The 1900 census shows her living on London Street in East Boston and working as a taperer in a cork factory. She also lived for a time in the North End of Boston. Ag became a citizen by her marriage to Leonard but had to apply again on her own when the laws changed during World War II. Her citizenship dates from 11 Jan. 1943. She lived in Somerville until April 1951 when she moved to Winchester, Mass., with her daughter. She lived in Winchester until June 1962 when she entered a nursing home/hospital where she spent the last years of her life.

Leonard and Ag were very close to his cousins, the children of Tranquille McDonald. Tranquille's son Louis was best man at their wedding, and the ties between the Boston and Montauk, N.Y. branches remain very close to this day.

Children:

She married at St. Catherine's Church, Somerville, 18 May 1946 ROBERT FULTON GALVIN, who was born at Mattapan, Mass., 18 Jan. 1907, and died of cancer at Central Hospital, Somerville, 13 Sept. 1952, son of Patrick Joseph and Theresa Agnes (Reardon) Galvin. Fran and Bob are buried with her parents in Holy Cross Cemetery, Malden, Mass.

Frances attended the Somerville public schools, graduated from Somerville High in 1933. She attended Boston University becoming a certified x-ray technician, and also had two years of commercial law. She began working at the Central Hospital in September 1929 rolling bandages after school and worked her way up to supervisor by the 1930s. In the early 1960s she became office manager, a position she held for about 30 years. In September 1989 she celebrated her 60th anniversary at the hospital. She retired in August 1991.

Bob went to the High School of Commerce in Boston, working as a helper in the 1920s and as a clerk at Hines & Robertson Co. in Boston until January 1941 when he took a job as a shipwright and carpenter in the production department at the Boston Naval Shipyard, a position he held until his death. He served in the Navy in World War II from 1944 to 1946.

After their marriage, Frances and Bob lived with her mother in Somerville until Bob built a house in Winchester where they moved in April 1951. He died a year and a half later never having a chance to complete the house.

Fran lived in their home in Winchester until her death nearly 50 years later. She volunteer as treasurer of the Burlington Citations, a drum-and-bugle corps in Burlington, Mass. She was also an avid candlepin bowler and was president and secretary of bowling leagues.

Child, surname GALVIN: