Emma, number ten in the John McEwan, Janet Stevenson line was born in Toronto December 9th 1881. She was one of the daughters still at home when Janet and John took in my mother to care for after her after the death of her mother. Emma worked as a legal secretary and that is where she met her future husband Raymond O’Donahue (1879 - ?). Raymond was a lawyer working at the same firm. Emma and Raymond were married October 1st 1926, in Toronto, Ontario.
Raymond O'Donahue, Em's husband moved to the United States in 1924, two years prior to their marriage. She only arrived in 1928. Emma and Ray lived in Oak Park, IL in 1930 and remained there until after 1940. It is assumed they only moved to North Caroline after Ray's retirement. In 1942 Raymond was obligated to apply for the draft. His draft card states he worked for Chicago Title & Trust Co., 69 W. Washington St. Chicago, Cook Co., IL. His position was not mentioned but one would assume as legal council. Some time after 1940 they both became US citizens as their names appear on the US Naturalization Indexes. Unfortunately, the indexes do not give a date. When they moved to North Carolina It would have been after Ray's retirement. According to Emma's death certificate she had only lived in North Carolina during the previous eight months prior to her death. Raymond would live another six years. According to Emma McEwan-O'Donahue death certificate she died August 16th 1957. She is buried in Tryon, North Carolina. Emma's death followed that of her elder sister Edith by just twenty-one days. Cause of death was colon cancer with metastasized over the previous two years. Em was seventy-five years of age when she passed. Raymond died March 4th 1963 at age 71. His cause of death was bilateral bronchial pneumonia. He also suffered from cardio-vascular disease. The couple never had a family. Emma was ten years Ray's senior and they married when she was forty-four years of age.
*My mother always spoke of her Aunt Em as being the stricktest of the three aunts at home as she grew up. According to Em’s niece, Em and Raymond fell in love when they were young but because he was Catholic and she was Protestant their parents would not approve a marriage. They met again years later or kept a clandestine relationship and married after their parents were deceased. Apparently both sets of parents were very strict in their religious views. According to that same niece her grandparents were very worried when they heard that their son (her father) Jack McEwan was marrying Marion Dempsey because they thought that she was an Irish Catholic.. Apparently her father was Catholic . Her mother told her this and said that the family had related this to her when she first travelled to Canada after her first child was born. It would have made for a bit of an awkward first encounter.
Citations
(1) B.1881 McEwan Emma Ontario, Canada Births, 1858-1913 (2) M.1826 McEwan Emma/O'Donahue Ontario, Canada, Marriages, 1801-1928, 1933-1934 (3)D.1957 McEwan Emma North Carolina, Death Certificates, 1909-1976 D.1957 Findagrave According to death certificate she is buried at St John's Norway in Ontario but I cannot find it.