Wilfrid Ewart and Howard G. MacDonald were the sons of Angus MacDonald, a Scottish immigrant. Around 1917, Wilfrid MacDonald and his wife, Mabel Drury, moved to China, where MacDonald taught at Lingnan University in Canton (now Guangzhou). They had four daughters: Margaret (1921-2011), Catharine (1924-2010), Ruth (1927-2010), and Jean. The MacDonald daughters studied at the Shanghai American School and at St. Stephen's Girls' College, an English mission school in Hong Kong.
Howard G. MacDonald and his wife Mary ("Mamie") lived in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with their children Elsie and Robert. Elsie S. MacDonald moved to Washington, D.C., before 1930, where she worked as a librarian. Her roommates included Maxine La Bounty and Constance E. Stone ("Connie"). Stone volunteered for the American Red Cross and served in hospitals in Australia and New Guinea during World War II.
From the guide to the MacDonald family collection, 1930-1950, 1930-1945, (William L. Clements Library, University of Michigan)
