I wonder if John Mcdonald might be the son on Alexander McDonald of Brookfield, PEI. The reason I say this is that Alexander McDonald had a daughter Mary, born in 1850, who came out to Stony Plain, Alberta and married William J Burns. They soon moved to St. Albert. I noticed somewhere that when John's wife died, he sent for his sister Mary, who then married William Burns. My great grandmother was Catherine McDonald Corbett. I am trying to work on this branch of the McDonalds. I hope that this might help. William Mallett
wmallett@telus.net