Joseph Gavin, son of Matthew & Marion

Joseph Gavin was the third child and second son of Matthew Gavin and Marion Park. He was born about 1853-55 in Lanark County, Ontario. He only appears with the family in the 1861 census. By 1881, when the census was taken in Prince County, Prince Edward Island, he would have been in his mid-twenties and possibly married. However, I have been unable to find him in Canada in any available census.

The land records for Pembina County, North Dakota record that Matthew and his three sons, Robert, William and James, secured land in this county in the early 1880's. The fact that Joseph is not included suggests that he did not immigrate with them. However, there are two Joseph Gavins who appear in the American census records, and a border crossing in 1912 by Hugh Gavin which give us some clues.

The first census record is in Pembina County in 1900 and it seems like a good match because of the location. However, it states that he immigrated to the US in 1865, which would be as an adolescent. We know that Joseph's parents didn't immigrate until 1881. In addition, this Joseph states that his parents were born in Canada, and we know that Matthew was born in Scotland. There is also a John Gavin with the next family who was born in Canada in 1878 whom I have not been able to match up with any of our Gavins.

The second Joseph Gavin appears in the 1910 census for South Caldwell, Caldwell Canyon, Idaho. This is quite a distance from where Joseph's brothers, Hugh and Duncan, lived. (Duncan was living in California by 1910 but Hugh was there in 1910.) Joseph gives his date of immigration as 1888. If he is the son of Matthew and Marion, he may have delayed his immigration to the USA for some reason.

Here are the two Joseph Gavin entries:

1900 Census - Pembina City, Pembina Co, N. Dakota

Joseph Gavin, 44, b. January, 1856 Canada, parents b. Canada, Immigrated to USA 1865, married 1883, occupation - bird farmer/fancier?
Elizabeth Gavin, 34, b. January, 1866 Canada, parents b. Canada
Joseph Gavin, 15, b. 1885, Minnesota
Caroline Gavin, 5, b. 1895, Minnesota

1910 Census - South Caldwell, Caldwell Canyon, Idaho

Joseph Gavin, 55, b. abt 1855, Canada, father b. Scotland, mother b. Canada, Single, to the US 1888, Gardener, own Garden

The last record is the border crossing February 24, 1912 to the Port of East Port, Idaho. (Border crossing between Alberta and Idaho)

Hugh Gavin, 47, single, labourer, reads and writes, Canadian, racial -Scotch,
last permanent residence - Erskine, Alberta. The address of the relative where you visited - Joseph Gavin, Brother, Erskine, Alberta. Destination - Lewiston, Idaho.

I cannot find Joseph Gavin in Canadian census records. However, Hugh Gavin died in Idaho (close to Lewiston) in 1941. It is possible that Joseph lived there in 1910 and moved to Alberta by 1912. Or, perhaps these men crossed the border to find work as necessary.