The Family Tree

Last Updated on August 4, 2024 by Pat McIver

There have been four published editions of the McIver Family of PEI, specifically those descendent from Hugh McKeever and Mary Quinn.

We have also developed and are maintaining an electronic family tree, which is quickly becoming an vital resource and important archive of McIver family photographs and documents.

The 1st Edition (1964)

The first publication of the McIver family tree was prepared by Sister Mary Charles McIver. The document was short — 48 pages — and typed out. I obtained a copy of Sister Mary Charles’ 1st edition from my father, but a copy can also be found by visiting the Archives PEI in Charlottetown, PE.

In publishing that first edition, Sister Mary Charles wrote as an introduction:

In concluding the 1st edition, Sister Mary Charles wrote:

The 2nd Edition (1985)

In 1985, the family tree was updated and published thanks to Ronald (Ron) McIver.

In addition to updating the genealogical information of the McIver family (as it was twenty years from when the 1st edition was published), Ron’s 2nd edition included information on the Harrington Family (Emily Harrington married John McIver, oldest child of Hugh and Mary), a story about the Ireland Connection, and details on Hugh McKeever’s Last Will and Testament. The updated family tree now exceed 100 pages.

In the introduction to the 2nd edition, Ron McIver wrote:

The 3rd Edition (2009)

In 2009, the family tree was updated again and published thanks to the efforts of Betty McIver of Kingston, ON.

It is obvious this document is not the effort of one person.  Where does one start to acknowledge the great effort so many people made to see it come to production?  

Some people need to be recognized by name, such as – Sister Mary Charles and Ron McIver for the producing the first two editions, Desmond McIver for his extensive work in researching, obtaining oral histories, compiling supporting documents and producing the document, “McIver Family History”, in 2004, and Michael T McIver in Florida for the material in his document, “Decendents of Hugh McIver and Mary Quinn” on the family of Charles Hugh McIver (son of Michael) who went to MA, USA.  Then there are individuals such as Mary Monaghan Schoenroth and Charles M. McKenna Jr. for supporting the efforts and opening doors for access to other branches of the family and Peggy Hammill for the pictures.

The key to the content of this document is the many people who gave their time, efforts and thoughts; from accepting phone calls and e-mails, to answering questions that never seemed to end, to writing the stories which provide a face to our history, to graciously reviewing the drafts, providing corrections and answering follow-up queries, and for spontaneously contacting me to add material to the content.  I hope you see your contribution and that the final product reflects the essence of your efforts.

Any organizer of a project knows better than anyone else the weakness of the final product.  This product has many – from not being able to establish contact with some branches of the family, to crowding of some of the material to keep it within the goal of 250 pages (cost issue), to mistakes in interpretation and spelling.  Setting and adhering to a ‘print time’ goal means some things are not as complete as one would wish.  To those whose contribution did not make the deadline, I apologize.  I hope people will continue put forward their contribution as there will most likely be other runs of the document in the future and they can be inserted at that time.

Over the past year a web site has been established but has not received much attention or content due to demands of producing this document.  The goal of the web site is to provide an archival site of the stories and content which cannot be included in this document.  It will not include any information on anyone who is living or their parents.

The address is:  <McIverPEI.ca>.  It is a goal to have some major work completed over the next year.

When you read the document you will note there are areas which could do with major research?  We need some budding family researchers!!  It would be great to hear from anyone who has material or may have contact with branches of the family that are not updated in this edition.

Elizabeth M. McIver (2009)

As you may already know, Betty’s original website McIverPEI.ca was hacked and became infected with malware sometime from 2017-2019. It was decided to start anew, which subsequently gave rise to this new website.

There are still several printed copies of the 3rd edition of the family tree available for purchase, so should you wish to order a copy of the 3rd edition, please contact us and we’ll put you in touch with Betty McIver to make arrangements to obtain a copy.

The 4th Edition (2024)

At the 2024 McIver Family Reunion, the 4th edition of the McIver Family History Book was preliminarily released! The tradition of updating the McIver family tree has been carried on by Michelle and Patrick McIver, and builds on the tremendous work done by Sister Mary Charles, Ron & Dot McIver, and Elizabeth “Betty” McIver. At over 400 pages, it stands as a printed testament to the legacy that Hugh McKeever and Mary Quinn left on earth through their descendants.

Below is the written introduction to the 4th edition:

“Families are like branches on a tree, we grow in different directions, yet our roots remain as
one.” – unknown

The fourth edition of the McIver family history is the culmination of generations of oral
histories and genealogical research by numerous family members. This edition builds on the
extensive research compiled through the earlier editions led by Sister Mary Charles (1964), Ron
McIver (1985) and Betty McIver (2009). It is thanks to all the family members that have
provided oral histories, documents and photos and who dedicated countless hours of their time
researching and documenting the history over the years, that we are able to share such a
comprehensive book. Below you will find the introductions to the first three editions.

It was Betty McIver’s vision to establish a website to serve as an archive of the family history,
and to share the stories, documents, photos and other genealogical content that could not be
included in the history book. After connecting at the 2019 family reunion, Pat and Michelle
McIver took on the task of creating such a website. Together with Betty McIver and Ron
McIver, and other family members (and many, many zoom calls), the McIver family website,
mciverpeiancestry.ca, was launched in the Fall of 2022. In addition to this, an electronic family
tree, accessible through the family website, was established, which serves as the archive for all
documents, photos and stories for individual family members. To protect the privacy of all living
descendants, only information related to deceased family members is available publicly.

There are still areas of the family history that require detailed research, as well as updates for
new generations being born. While we do our best to ensure that all the information presented is
validated and accurate, please let us know if you find inaccuracies so that we may endeavor to
correct them. We invite you to review this book, and the website and electronic tree, and submit
stories, photos and documents to help bring our family history to life. Reach out to us anytime at
email@mciverpeiancestry.ca.

We hope that you enjoy exploring your family history!

Michelle and Pat McIver
July 2024

A few copies of the 4th edition (5 copies) of the McIver Family History book were given out at the 2024 reunion while we finalize the plans for wider distribution of this new edition. It was also on display at the reunion where we asked attendees to peruse the book, find their family lineage, and let us know if there were any mistakes contained within. While the information contained in the history book is all contained in the electronic family tree (along with extensive historical documents, photographs, and other interesting notes) — not to mention the electronic version is continuously being updated — the printed book stands as physical evidence of the depth of Hugh and Mary’s descendants at a particular point in time. But at 400+ pages, it’s a lengthy document and so we are currently discussing how best to distribute it, and how to keep the printing costs to a minimum.

In the meantime, keep an eye out on this page or subscribe to the site’s newsletter (see the sign-up widget on the right side of this page), and we’ll let you know when this important contribution to the McIver family tree can be available to everybody.

The Family Tree (Electronic Edition)

To help in the development and maintenance of the McIver family genealogical history, I have set up an online database that people will (in the future) be able to access to conduct McIver family research. Hopefully, by keeping this database updated, it will make the documenting and publishing of future editions of the McIver family tree easier and more accurate.

The online version of the McIver Family Tree can be accessed here. Instructions of how to use the electronic family tree are found here.