Born at Ballston Spa, near Saratoga, New York, McDowall graduated from the Union Theological Seminary, Schenectady and was ordained by the Dutch Reformed Church at Albany in 1797. A year later he was sent to Canada and ministered to the Presbyterians in the Bay of Quinte area. He organized congregations in Ernesttown and Adolphustown Townships, and in Fredericksburg Township where he settled in 1800. a zealous missionary, McDowall traveled extensively preaching and performing marriage ceremonies at numerous centers between Elizabethtown (Brockville) and York (Toronto). His efforts as the first appointed missionary of the Dutch Reformed Church in Canada help to lay the foundation for the development of Presbyterianism in Ontario. He died at Sandurst and was buried in the adjoining cemetery.

Location

Near the McDowall Memorial Cemetery where his grave is located, Highway 33, Sandhurst - just east of Adolphustown

Themes

• People
• Religion