Up the Gatineau! Article
This article was first published in Up the Gatineau! Volume 6.
Footnotes to History
Some Family Connections up the Gatineau
In the 1978 edition of ‘Up the Gatineau!’ we reproduced an 1863 timber agreement. The parties thereto were Patrick Farrell, of whom there was an article in the 1977 edition, and Francis and John Skillen who were father and son. John's son was James Francis Skillen through whose land, near Brennan's Hill, the Ottawa and Gatineau Valley Railway passed and for the building of which he provided gravel from a large pit on his property.
The daughter of James Francis Skillen — Mrs. Bernice McSheffrey — formerly of Venosta but now of Ottawa, is the mother of five children. Her husband, John, died in 1965. His father, Edward, was mayor of the Township of Low from 1895 to 1912.
The youngest of their children is Gerald Martin McSheffrey who, in addition to being the great, great grandson of Francis Skillen, mentioned first above, is also Professor of History at McGill University and co-editor of The African Journal. The Skillen-McSheffrey line is likely to extend soon into another generation as he and his wife, Suzanne, are expecting their first child in 1980.
Contributed by Bernice McSheffrey