 She was the eleventh of thirteen children, and the youngest female of the Scottish immigrant farmer, George McGillivray (1813-1894) and his wife, Caroline Amelia Fothergill McGillivray (1828-1909).In 1870, the family moved to Inverlynn, a house located at 1300 Gifford Street in Whitby, Ontario.To this day, the property has remained in the possession of George McGillivray`s descendants.