About the beginning of the 1800’s, work and money were scarce in Ireland. Many young men went over to Scotland in search of employment, especially in the harvest season.

One of these was Michael Timothy Mc Carron. While in Scotland, he met and married Isabella Drummond. Probably because he could find work there, he settled in Scotland.

Michael Timothy did not do badly; two of the Drummond girls in past times had married  kings of Scotland. Margaret married King David and Annabella married King Robert.

After some years had passed, they emigrated to Canada with eight sons and five daughters. They married as they grew up and scattered.

David married an O’Neill girl (Margaret). They had four sons David, Michael, John and Peter. Then tragedy struck, the mother (Margaret) had been confined to a mental institution where she later passed away.

David McCarron found a widow, Ellen (Shea) Sullivan had two children of her own Patrick J. and Rose (Rosela) Sullivan.

A short time before she came to care for David and his children, she (Ellen) had killed a wolf who was attacking her husband. He (Michael) had been in the stable, putting horses away for the night. He later died of from the results of the attack.

David married Ellen and had three children of their own – James, William & Isabella.

About this time, the Homestead Act was passed in Michigan (1862).A farm of 80 or 160 acres was to be given to any head of family, even though he be foreign born, provided he lived on the farm for five years and cultivated it.

David Mc Carron and his three older sons Michael, David & John, took up homesteads in northern Michigan about 14 miles from Sault Sainte Marie. At first it was called McCarron Settlement, but later just McCarron.

When James McCarron was 15 years old, his father David, was stricken at work in the field one day, and died suddenly. James and William with the help of their older brothers, worked the homestead taken up by their father. Later,  James had the homestead made out to him. William secured another farm about a mile away.

The first school was a log building, just west of James McCarron’s farm. The first teacher was Teresa Boyle. It opened in the fall of 1885. All the homes were log cabins and the roads were built of corduroy. I one started out to visit a neighbor in the summer, first they had to cut a branch off the tree to wave to an fro to disperse the mosquitoes.

The priest visited every few months. He said Mass in one of the homes, baptized infants, and administered other sacraments. One of the missionaries, Father Baxter, S.J., later posed for the statue of Father Marquette that stands on a hillside outside Marquette, Michigan.

Michael, the eldest son of David Sr. married Kitty McKenzie and they had four children. (David, Annie, Peter and Mary) He moved to Copper Country and was chief of police in Larium.

David, the second son of David Sr., married Christina McKenzie, ( a sister of Kitty’s). They had six children. David (the eldest son of David Jr.) became a soldier in the U.S. Army, fought with Teddy Roosevelt’s Rough Riders and charged up San Juan Hill. He came home a Sargeant, very handsome in his blue uniform.

Annabel the second child was crippled, but sweet, kind and loved by all. She died shortly before her mother.

Margaret married and lived in Copper Country. She later moved to Wisconsin.

Mary married John Walsh who passed away during a flu epidemic.

George married Ada Vandenberg.

Lillian married Fred Sullivan.

Later David moved to Copper Country, but moved back to McCarron. Margaret had five children- Katherine, Mary, Leo, Peter and Phillip. Mary had four children- Cecil, Isabel, Martin living in the Soo and Margaret.

John McCarron the third son of David Sr, married Rosela Sullivan, Ellen’s daughter by her first marriage. They had ten children- Margaret, Ella, Abbie, Cassie, Raymond, Clara,
Ruth, Frank, John Jr. (Jack) & Fred.

Ruth moved to North Dakota, after she married and raised a large family most of whom must be married now. Her daughters are Eleanor and Jean.

Ella married Bob Bowder and moved to Alberta Canada. Abbie married out there and passed away soon after. Cassie also passed away but she left a family.

Clara has a family, grown in Indianapolis.

Raymond lives in the Soo. His family, are all married. Fred lives near the Soo, and has one son Pat.

Jack has an adopted daughter, but Frank never married.

Margaret, the eldest, (Maggie Hazel) has a large family and lives in Flint.

Peter, the fourth son of David Sr. married Francis Manion in Alpena, Michigan. He joined the police force in Alpena. (Grace, John, Madaline)

Grace married Howard Chilson. John became a Franciscan priest. Madeline was a registered nurse and married Roger Meyer.

James McCarron, David Sr. and Ellen’s eldest son) married Katherine Mckelvey, a Canadian teacher. They had five children- Marguerite, Charles, Harriet, Edward, and Kate. Charles and Edward died in infancy.

Marguerite McCarron Stewart has one daughter Catherine who married and has a son Kevin Marker. Marguerite taught the McCarron School for 2 years. Her cousin Ella, also taught there.

Kate became a nurse and took post graduate work at St. Mary’s in Rochester where she had the honor to assist Charles and William Mayo, who congratulated her  when her course was complete.

Isabella McCarron the youngest and only daughter of David Sr & Ellen, married William Quinlan. They had six children.

Mary- Mrs. Dennis Donnelly lives in the Soo.
William- married, lives in California.
Tom- sails the Great Lakes.
John- married and lives in Ohio
Nellie- Mrs.Walter Logan lives in Flint.
Isabelle- married, lives in California and has three children- Rosemary, Bonnie and David.

Mrs. Dennis Donnelly’s eldest girl, Lois (Mrs. Ralph Fabry) lives in the Soo with her family of seven. Mrs. Donnelly’s eldest son, Paul, is a lawyer in insurance work and has three children. Her third son, Dennis lives in Virginia and has three children. Her daughter Pat has three children. Billy the youngest married and has four children.

Mary Ann Quinlan was one of the first teachers of the McCarron School. She boarded at David and Ellen McCarron’s and she  would walk 7 miles every day to teach school. She married William McCarron and they had eight children, Mary, Joe, Martha, Emmett, William, Sylvia, and Vera. Susie died when she was 7 months.

Early in 1900 they moved to the Lower Michigan and settled on a farm in the thumb- (Gagetown). After a while they moved to Sheridan and then to Port Huron.

All the McCarron’s were tall men. James six feet, and Mike 6 feet six and a half inches- he had to have his shoes special made. Mike was a fine looking man with curly hair. Uncle John had a smile where his eyes twinkled. Uncle Dave was a quiet man of few words. May they all rest in peace.

Rose, Mrs. John McCarron, (Jack’s mother) was kind, sympathetic and friendly. She was a good neighbor, when neighbors were needed.

Aunt Belle, Mrs. Will Quinlan, was a very pretty girl and a good wife and mother. She had lots of personality and was kind and lovable.

The story could end thus:
This is the story of one immigrant family of Scotch and Irish descent who came to America as pioneers. Their sons fought in the Spanish-American War. World War I, and the Second World War.