Click on the map to enlarge: This is the 2002 Michelin map of the USANote that Peter and Elizabeth McPhail and Robert and Christina Love lived around Brandon, Manitoba and James and Margaret Machan lived at Portage La Prairie. These were three sisters of Matthew Gavin.
Pembina County, North Dakota is located in the north-east corner of the state on the border with Manitoba and it contains the Red River Valley which flows into Manitoba. Early settlement included Metis from Manitoba and Icelandic settlers. The Red River Valley was opened up to agriculture and settlement in the 1870's and 1880's.
The North Dakota Land Patents Database for Pembina County contains the following information recording the date that a land patent was issued.
Mathew Gavin - 160 acres............................................. Patent Oct 15 1884
Robert Gavin - 2 sections 47 /1 section 80 acres......... Patent Feb 17 1885
William Gavin – 2 sections of 80 acres.........................Patent Feb 17 1885
James Gavin- 4 sections of 40 acres.............................Patent Oct 22 1886
Below is the third son of Matthew Gavin and Marion Park in the 1900 census for Pembina County. According to the land records, Matthew went to North Dakota first, followed by his sons.
However, by 1900, many family members had moved on to other states, including Robert, Agnes, and their entire family shown below who migrated to Chelan County, Washington State before the 1910 census.
1900 Census - Beaulieu, Pembina Co, North Dakota
William Gavin, 42................b. Oct, 1857, Canada, 42, Farmer
(to North Dakota 1881)
Agnes Gavin, 40................... b. July, 1859, Canada
James Gavin............................ b. Dec, 1879, Canada
Fildy Gavin.............................. b. Jan 1882, North Dakota
Robert Gavin........................... b. Nov 1883, North Dakota
William Gavin......................... b. March 1885, North Dakota
George Gavin............................ b. Oct 1887, North Dakota
Sarah Gavin.............................b. 1892, North Dakota
Ethyl M. Gavin....................... b. 1896, North Dakota
Garfield Gavin........................ b. 1899, North Dakota
