Albenia Martha Boole was born on Sept. 8, 1815 in Nova Scotia.
Her father was a farmer and shipbuilder. The family also ran an inn. When Albenia was sixteen, the family moved to New York. Mr. Boole engaged in shipbuilding with his sons. Albenia’s father recognized her intelligence. He made sure that she received a good education. She became a teacher. Her strength was mathematics. She was able to draft and lay off shipbuilding plans. Her skills were as developed as any man.
She was twenty-two when she married Donald McKay. He was a shipbuilder from Nova Scotia.
Albenia helped Donald build his mathematical skills. The couple would work on cementing his skills so that he would be able to enhance his shipbuilding knowledge.
The McKays traveled to England and other countries in Europe. They wanted to learn the newest technologies of shipbuilding. They worked together to create an extreme clipper.
Albenia and Donald had seven children. Albenia died in 1848.
https://bwht.org/east-boston/ #13
The house was built in 1844 in the Greek Revival architectural style, which is distinguished by its pitched roof and front-facing gable resembling a Greek pediment. Donald McKay (1810 – 1880) moved into the house in 1845, and during his residence there he designed and built some of the most successful clippers in history.