(18 Dec. 1872-23 March 1938), physician. (date of birth 1871 also found) He was born near Maxville, probably on his parents’ farm, which at that time was on Lots 9 and 10, in the 18th Concession of Indian Lands, GC. Soon after his birth his parents moved to another farm, on Lots 10 and 11 in the 19th Concession of Indian Lands, near St. Elmo. Parents: Donald McEwen and his wife Elizabeth Begg. Duncan McEwen attended public school at Athol and high school in Cornwall, and studied medicine at McGill, receiving his medical degree in 1896. On graduating he settled as a physician at Dunvegan, remaining there till he moved to Maxville in 1910, where he continued his medical practice till he retired a few years before his death. He died at his home in Maxville. Congregationalist; afterwards, a member of the United Church. Liberal. While at Dunvegan he was one of the promoters of a short lived public library there. Edith Ferguson remembered it appreciatively in her essay “Recreation.” He was also active in supporting local sports activities.

     Dr McEwen was married in 1900 to Katherine (Kate, Katie) A. Bennett (d. 1939), the daughter of John Bennett who had been MLA for Stormont County, and grandaughter of Thomas Bennett, legislative councillor in the old Province of Canada. (two children) Dr McEwen was the brother of the Rev. John D. McEwen (whose children, after the death of their mother, Dr and Mrs McEwen helped to raise), and great-uncle of Ewan Ross. One of the hard-working country and village doctors, who by the custom of the period made house visits to their patients even at remote addresses, and were likely to be contacted for this purpose at any hour by the patients, he had at one time three telephones in his house, one for each of three local telephone systems.

     He and his son Dr Bennett Begg McEwen, who followed him in his medical practice in Maxville, make up one of the three remarkable father-son combinations of physicians we find practising in Maxville in this period. (For the others, see Donald and W. B. McDiarmid, and J. T. and J. H. Munro.) Dr Bennett Begg McEwen (Dr Bennett B. McEwen), was born in 1908 at Dunvegan. He received his medical degree at McGill in 1932. After internship at the Ottawa Civic Hospital he began the practice of medicine at Maxville in 1933 in partnership with his father. He practised at Maxville till he joined the medical branch of the RCAF in 1942. After the war, instead of re-establishing his practice in Maxville, he worked in medical capacities for Trans-Canada Airlines and the Dept. of Health and Welfare. He was married in 1944 to Margaret Sue Robinson of Napanee, Ont. (two children)

Standard Freeholder 23 & 28 March 1938, Glengarry News 25 March 1938 * Campbell, Tannis, & Stewart, MacDougalls, 280, 344-351 (with portrait), 356-359 * Maxville (1991) 305, 313, 661 * obituary of his father, Cornwall Freeholder 8 April 1910 * his wife’s funeral, SFH 13 Oct. 1939 * promoting the library at Dunvegan, GN 29 March 1907 * buys car, GN 28 June 1912 * young son Bennett McEwen has operation in Montreal, GN 13 Nov. 1914 * Dr Bennett McEwen: graduates, begins practice, GN 27 May 1932, 7 July 1933; death of widow, Winter GN 25 April 2001