Joseph Smallwood was born near Norfolk, in Princess Ann County, Virginia about 1760. He was a sea captain and must have had business dealings in England because that's where he met and married his wife, Magdalena Margaret MacRobie. Margaret, or Maggie, the names she preferred, was born about 1765 in Whitehaven, Cumbria, England. Margaret and Joseph were married in their early 20s about 1785, in England.
Soon after their marriage, they settled on Prince Edward Island where Joseph's occupation was listed as a farmer in 1786. John and Maggie had eight children, all born in Charlottestown, Queens, PEI, Canada:
1786 John
1788 Dorinda
1790 Eleanor Helen, our ancestor
1792 Mary
1794 James
1795 William
1797 Margaret
1802 Catherine
From 1786 to 1800, the family resided at Lot 38 in Prince Edward Island. In 1800, John purchased more property at Lot 56 in PEI.
CAPTAIN JOSEPH SMALLWOOD
BORN: abt 1760 near Norfolk, Princess Ann, VA
MARRIED: abt 1785 in , England
DIED: unknown
MAGDALENA MARGARET MACROBIE
BORN: abt 1765 in Whitehaven, Cumbria, England
DIED: unknown
SOURCES: Baptismal records of all of the Smallwood children via Family Search. org Citation: "Prince Edward Island Baptism Card Index, 1721-1885," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/KCXV-TYB : 11 March 2018), Smallwood children, , Ch'Town , Prince Edward Island, Public Archives, Charlottetown; FHL microfilm 1,487,766; interviews with Mildred Stewart Shepard, descendant of this couple; "The Benoni Book" by Elda Esch re the Smallwood family of Prince Edward Island, Canada.
