Kathy, From the little reading I have done in the last few days (who has had time?), there were a number of men with the surname McDonnell in the Red River - Miles among them. Probably a family. Most seem to have had a connection to the HBC. The author of the section of the book (Pioneer Papers) in which Michael MacDonnell is mentioned as the gentleman buried in St. Ann's and "the private secretary to Lord Selkirk" made a serious error in the next sentence referring to MacDonnell's sister. This, of course, throws doubt on everything else he states in the article. If he is in error, then there are numerous other books out there that have copied this error. So far I can find nothing to connect the two Michael MacDonnells. Fortunately, McDonnell left a will in 1845 and this may help shed some light on his pre-Penetang history. According to the author, Michael had a sister named Catherine. She married a man named Frederick Frazer, not Edward as stated by the author. She is buried beside Michael in St. Ann's and her sons are buried in St. James-on-the-Lines Cemetery. If there are Frazers descendants out there, possibly still in Simcoe County, they may know more about the family. Pam