Janet born in Glascow, Scotland in 1844, immigrated to Toronto several years after John’s family. Her father being a mariner, they also settled in the heart of the city, not far from the port.

          John trained as a jeweller, and from looking at Janet’s family, at least one if not two of Janet's brothers were also in the jewellery trade. We will never know, but maybe that was the connection that brought the two young people together. Perhaps the couple met through an association John had with the Stevenson boys. Some family members suggested John had trained one of Janet's brothers.

         According to the family, John was also a wonderful storyteller. His tales captured the ears of all who surrounded him. He was a genuine artist and most likely a bit of a dreamer. One story he loved to tell was that his father was the son of twenty-one sons and his mother the daughter of nineteen daughters. Could this have perhaps been the wish of an only child? His grandchildren remembered him as a kind soul with a tale to spin, filled with heartfelt emotion. 

          My mother, whom her paternal grandparents raised, informed me that John gave Janet a stunning cameo broach mounted in an ornate gold setting, as a wedding present. Janets’s strong religious beliefs, obliged her to wear only the broach and a simple wedding band. Any other jewellery she considered a display of vanity. My mother gave me that broach.

         Often, blacksmiths changed their occupation to become goldsmiths at the turn of the century when the need for blacksmiths declined. However, John started long before 1900, so he likely chose this career from the start.

          While never affluent, the couple could buy a house at 27 Saulter Street in Toronto, where they would raise their ten surviving children. They also raised my mother after the death of her mother and the remarriage of her father Benjamin. Breaking the tradition of naming the first son after his grandfather, they named their first child Frederick W. All we can surmise is that the W stood for William.  The owner of the plot where they buried Frederick was his grandfather, Robert Stevenson (Jesse’s father). This plot contains the remains of an eighteen-month-old child, Frederick W McKeown and Sarah Stevenson, the sixteen-year-old daughter of Robert and Janette. In 1866, they laid him to rest. This is most probably Jesse and John’s first child.

          Their first of the thirteen children to survive was Robert Stevenson McEwan, born in 1866, (following tradition, the second male named for his maternal grandfather). Next William Brown McEwan 1868, (again more traditional referencing his paternal grandfather and the maiden name of his paternal grandmother). John (Jack) 1869 followed, then Edith 1872, Henry (Chum) 1874, Marian (Mae) 1876, Janet (Toots) 1877, Benjamin (my grandfather) in 1879, Emma (Em) 1881, Helen (Nellie) and the last two Edward 1886 and Alma in 1888.  Edward died at one year of age and Alma lived only a few months. Janet would have been forty-two and forty-four when the last two were born. The Toronto Directories and The Canadian censuses document progression of the family.

          John and Janet remained in their home all their married life. Most of the girls married, some earlier than others, as did the men who also went off to make their way in the world. 

          John having trained as a jeweller, and from looking at Janet’s family, at least one if not two of her brothers were also in the jewellery trade. We will never know, but maybe that was the connection that brought the two young people together. Perhaps the couple through a connection John had with the Stevenson boys. Family members suggests John had trained one of Janet's brothers.

         According to family members, John was also a wonderful storyteller. His tales captured the ears of all who surrounded him. He was a genuine artist and most likely a bit of a dreamer. One story he loved to tell was that his father was the son of twenty-one sons and his mother the daughter of nineteen daughters. Could this have perhaps been the wish of an only child? His grandchildren remembered him as a kind soul with a tale to spin, filled with heartfelt emotion. 

          My mother, who her paternal grandparents raised, informed me that John gave Janet a stunning cameo broach mounted in an ornate gold setting, as a wedding present. Janets’s strong religious beliefs, obliged her to wear only the broach and a simple wedding band. Any other jewellery she considered being a display of vanity.

         Often, blacksmiths changed their occupation to become goldsmiths at the turn of the century when the need for blacksmiths declined. However, John started long before 1900, so it’s likely that he chose this career from the start.

          While never affluent, the couple could buy a house at 27 Saulter Street in Toronto, where they would raise their ten surviving children. They also raised my mother after the death of her mother and re-marriage of her father Benjamin. Breaking the tradition of naming the first son after his grandfather, they named their first child Frederick W. All we can surmise is that the W stood for William.  The owner of the plot where they buried Frederick was his grandfather, Robert Stevenson (Jesse’s father). This plot contains the remains of an eighteen-month-old child, Frederick W McKeown and Sarah Stevenson, the sixteen-year-old daughter of Robert and Janette. In 1866, they laid him to rest. This is most probably Jesse and John’s first child.

          Their first of the thirteen children to survive was Robert Stevenson McEwan, born in 1866, (following tradition, the second male named for his maternal grandfather). Next William Brown McEwan 1868, (again more traditional referencing his paternal grandfather and the maiden name of his paternal grandmother). John (Jack) 1869 followed, then Edith 1872, Henry (Chum) 1874, Marian (Mae) 1876, Janet (Toots) 1877, Benjamin (my grandfather) in 1879, Emma (Em) 1881, Helen (Nellie) and the last two Edward 1886 and Alma in 1888.  Edward died at one year of age and Alma lived only a few months. Janet would have been forty-two and forty-four when the last two were born. The Toronto Directories and The Canadian censuses document progression of the family.

          John and Janet remained in their home all their married life. Most of the girls married, some earlier than others, as did the men who also went off to make their way in the world.