Thomas McMullin Who Are You?

Many years ago my husband purchased an antique walking stick with a silver top. The top was engraved with these words

Thomas McMullin with kind regards from his pupil Geo. (George) Angus? Jun (Junior) 1886

Engraving on the walking stick

The walking stick was in the estate sale of the sisters Elsie Harstone and Lena Tovell of St. Mary's Ontario. My husband's grandmother worked for the elderly sisters as a housekeeper and when the contents of their home went up for auction, hubs and his grandmother purchased several items. I've blogged before about the lovely painting of Robert Harstone, husband to Elsie,  done when he was a toddler. This lovely painting is on display in our living room. You can read about it and see the painting at It's All Relative..... to Someone, Somewhere!

Elsie and Lena were the daughters of John Hyde and Elizabeth Andrews of the little town of St. Mary's. They married and spent their lives in this town but after their husbands died, the sisters moved in together. Lena passed away in 1990 in St. Mary's and is buried with her husband Victor G. Tovell who died in 1954.

Three years later her sister Elsie died at the age of 91.  But many of the sister's beloved possessions were purchased by members of my husband's family where they are treasured today.

I wish we knew who Thomas McMullin and George Angus were. Was there a family connection to Elsie and Lena or their husbands? Their mother Elizabeth married a second time after her first husband's death, to John Patrick O'Rourke. Perhaps there is a connection to him or his family. But sadly we do not know what, if any, connection there was to Thomas or George.