Memorable Manitobans: David “Dave” McNaughton (1855-1930)

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David McNaughton
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Farmer, businessman.

Born in Puslinch Township, Ontario on 23 August 1855, youngest son of Scottish immigrants Hugh McNaughton and Elizabeth Stirton, he grew up in the Puslinch area and worked in a saw mill or logging camp as a young adult. He spent about ten years buying and selling land in the Bruce-Underwood area before coming to Manitoba in early 1889. He acquired several quarter-sections of land north of present-day Brookdale before returning to Ontario to sell his farm at Underwood. He loaded a freight car with farm equipment and horses and had them delivered to a railway station at Sewell.

He was married twice, first on 25 March 1891 to Elizabeth Taylor Robb (1864-1897) with whom he had two daughters: Elizabeth Robb “Vina” McNaughton (1893-1985, wife of William Ramsay) and Minnie Taylor McNaughton (1897-1988, wife of ? Claxton). On 23 August 1899, he married Catherine Anne Stewart (1870-1936). They lost three children in infancy, including Robert Stewart McNaughton (1909-1909), and had two who lived to adulthood: Annie Catherine McNaughton (1903-1992, wife of Oscar Reinmuth) and James Russel McNaughton (1913-2001).

He continued to acquire land and, with the coming of the railway to his area, he advocated for the development of a station at Brookdale, in 1902. He built a warehouse, where he bought bagged grain, and also a store. He served as a councillor for the Rural Municipality of North Cypress (1894-1901). He continued to farm until 1912 when he and his family moved to San Fernando, California. They lived there until 1917 when he returned to Brookdale and his farm. In the fall of 1921, he sold his farm machinery and seven sections of land, later returning to farming, and spending winters on the west coast.

He died suddenly on his farm on 19 August 1930 and was buried in the Carberry Cemetery.

See also:

Historic Sites of Manitoba: Brookdale Grain Warehouse (Brookdale, Municipality of North Cypress-Langford)

Sources:

Birth, marriage, and death registrations, Manitoba Vital Statistics.

Quest in Roots by Brookdale Historical Society, 1987, pages 413-416.

We thank Betty Rink for providing additional information used here.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 20 February 2021

Memorable Manitobans

Memorable Manitobans

This is a collection of noteworthy Manitobans from the past, compiled by the Manitoba Historical Society. We acknowledge that the collection contains both reputable and disreputable people. All are worth remembering as a lesson to future generations.

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