Those of us who do genealogy know there are fewer records as we go back in time and often the interpretation is often harder. So here is the record I am trying to understand now.
Janet McGregor is my 2nd great grandmother’s sister. My 2nd great grandmother is Isabella or Isabel McGregor who married Alexander McKenzie. A few generations later I was born in the United States. I cannot find a baptismal record on Isabella, so I am hoping understanding her sister’s record may help me find out something about her.
So here is Janet’s baptism record as rendered in Family Search and the Prince Edward Island (PEI) archives.
It seemed rather confusing referencing both Lake Ainsley in Cape Breton (Nova Scotia) and PEI. By now I hope you have opened both records in separate windows or tabs.
So the records both indicate the baptism took place in Lake Ainsley and was performed by the Rev. John McLennan. They seem to be derived from the same original record in Belfast. But why was the baptism recorded in Belfast, PEI?
To try to understand this, I looked up Rev. John McLennan who in Dictionary of Canadian Biography and learned that although his base was in PEI seems to have travelled to many places in the area including Nova Scotia.
It seem to me that the most likely explanation is that the Reverend McLennan performed the baptism while traveling to Lake Ainsley for some reason, perhaps related to his ministry, and later recorded this baptism in his home church in Belfast, PEI.
I think I am interpreting this correctly but would be interested in hearing any alternatives.