Alex McVicar's story is not very well documented compared to that of Amos
Wood. It seems likely that they arrived together; walking here from Grand Rapids with A.
S. Wadsworth but Amos doesn't mention him in "Biographical History of Northern
Michigan" until later. Lydia McLaughlin wrote that when she arrived with her family
in November 1851, only two families were her, those of Amos Wood and Alexander McVicar. James
J. McLaughlin says in "The Traverse Region" that McVicar took his family to
Round Lake (Skegemog) to work for a man named Wells lumbering there with a pair of oxen. A
note in this source says that in the summer of 1852 McLaughlin went south to bring back a
pair of oxen and a cow and that shortly after this Alexander McVicar came from Canada
bringing his father's family.
Anne J. McVicar Brand's obituary says that she came to Elk Rapids in August 1852,
fixing a date to when Alex returned to Elk Rapids with his father, mother and siblings.
We know that Amos served as a chain man on Abram's survey party in 1853 and sometime
after this he and Alexander took passage on a sailboat to Chicago for pay and worked on a
trading vessel on the Grand River.
One of the reasons we know so little about Alexander McVicar and his wife, Charlotte,
is that, despite their significance as pioneers, the Elk Rapids Progress took little
notice of their deaths in 1889 and 1883 respectively.
Alexander and Charlotte had 12 children. After Charlotte died, Alexander married Sarah
Ann (Griffin) Santose and had two more.
The family tree as we know it today is as follows:
John McVicar b. 4-23-1796, d. 9-16-1878
+ Mary A. Westbury b. 8-2-1800, d. 7-25-1881
Ann J. McVicar b. 10-25-1837,d. 1-25-1903
+ James P. Brand b. 1826, d. 1905
Elizabeth McVicar b. ca. 1841
+ David Parks
Alexander G. McVicar b. ca. 1830, d. 2-9-1889
+ Charlotte _____ b. ca. 1831, d. 2-8-1883
Mary F. McVicar b. ca. 1850
George William McV. b. ca. 1853
+ Clara Filer b. ca. 1861
Almon Crory McV. b. 3-15-1886
Earl McVicar
Zell McVicar
Armenia J. McVicar b. ca. 1854
Josephine McVicar b. ca 1855
+ Edwin Ruthven Elliott
Unnamed child b.(& d.?)9-9-1884
Simon McVicar b. ca. 1856
Susan McVicar b. ca. 1857
+ William I. Osborne b. 1850, d. 1916
Annie Elizabeth McV. b. ca. 1859, d. 1920
+ Joseph Beaver Allison b. 1848, d. 1911
Cara Josephine b. 11-19-1875
Francis Harrison b. 4-8-1878
John Alexander b. 9-22-1883
+ Ela Long
Maggie b. ca. 1886
+ Walter Van Lewen
John b. ca. 1861
Jane Luella b. 1868, d. 2-27-1905
+ Daniel Filer b. 1859, d. 8-8-1935
Verne Samuel b. 5-10-1889
Lulu b. 4-12-1895
Nellie b. 3-26-1898
Jennie S. b. 3-16-1868
Jessie M. b. 5-21-1870, d. 9-19-1877
Nettie b. ca. 1872
+ Harry Palmer
Florencew b. 7-23-1892
Clarence b. 8-19-1895
+ Sarah Ann (Griffin) Santose b. ca. 1837
Pearl b. 6-11-1886
Alexander b. 1-23-1889