Marie Pauline Haines

 The Haines family plot is large and contains numerous stones for the family in Oak Lawn Cemetery in Jordan. This one was beside the large monument for Roy.  I always feel bad when I see a stone for a child and want to make sure that although their life was short, it is not forgotten. 

Marie Pauline Haynes was born in Lincoln, Ontario on 1 October 1905 to parents Archie Haines, a general merchant and Lucetta Overholt.(1)  She appear in the 1911 Census of Canada with her parents and baby sister Rita, who all live with her grandfather Gabriel Overholt.  All members of the household were of Dutch origin.  Archie's occupation is a real estate agent, likely with his brother Roy. Sadly, Marie died in hospital on 5 December 1913 due to appendicitis.  Poor little girl would have suffered terribly. (3) 

(1)Archives of Ontario; Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Series: Registrations of Births and Stillbirths, 1869-1913; Reel: 173; Record Group: Rg 80-2

(2)Year: 1911; Census Place: 30 - Louth, Lincoln, Ontario; Page: 2; Family No: 14

(3)Archives of Ontario; Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Collection: MS935; Reel: 188

Huron Nelles

 While in Brantford visiting the Military Museum, I decided to see the Mohawk Chapel, not realizing that it is by appointment only.  I wanted to check out the grave of Joseph Brant and I was able to but unable to walk up close.   I'm still very interested in Canadian History around the war of 1812 and this stone caught my eye. 

I love visiting the Nelles Manor in Grimsby and I was sure this gentleman was related to the family.  Willliam Macklem Huron Nelles was born to Abraham Nelles (son of Robert Nelles and Elizabeth Moore) and Sarah Augusta Macklem (1) on  7 October, 1872.(2)  Abraham was the rector of the Mohawk Church in Brantford and Sarah was a cousin of Abraham's first wife Hannah.  Abraham was 67 at the time that William was born and Sarah was 35.  When they married, Sarah was 29 and he was 61.(3) Hopefully he was a young looking 61.  Huron appears in the 1881 census of Canada not with his parents but with William and Harriet Bygreave and family.  I wonder why? (4)  In 1891, he is with his mom and sister, still in Brantford(5), his dad having passed away in 1888.(6)  The 1896 Brantford directory lists him as living at 24 Palace St and working at Harley, Sweet, and Harley as a clerk.  His mom lived not too far at 34 Palace, which is at the corner of Palace and Albion St.(7)  Huron appeared to be someone who enjoyed being in the great outdoors and was one of a group of canoeists who paddled down the Grand River from Galt at the end of April, 1900.(8)  In 1901, 28 year old Huron resided with his mom and his occupation is a lawyer.(9)

Huron tied the knot the following year when he married Amelia Maud Brooke on 19 Nov 1902. at Grace Church in Brantford. There is a writeup about their wedding in the Brantford Weekly Expositor and includes a list of invitees, which was relatively small.  The couple had a quiet wedding out of respect for a recent death in the groom's family (likely his mom). After their honeymoon, they were going to live at the corner of Albion and Palace Rds in Brantford, which appears to be the family home at 34 Palace.(10)

Huron passed away in 1905.  His exact date is not really known. On 22 May 1905 in the Brantford newspaper there was a front page article about Huron who was missing and presumed drowned in "New Ontario". It included the following picture.

The article explains that Huron had left Brantford in March and set out to join a surveying party along the Ontario and Temiskaming Rail Line. He left Twin Lakes on April 4 and about 30 miles from the main party of people, he was met by men (packers) who advised him to travel no further because the ice was showing signs that it was breaking up. April up north is not the same as April in Brantford and unfortunately Huron carried on. Sadly he never reached the camp.  His family only heard the news in May and when they sent a telegraph to where he was last seen they were told that he was feared drowned and the water was too high to search for him.  Poor Maud was pregnant with their second child at the time.(11)  A few days later on the 26th it was reported that the Ontario government would send out a search party to find Huron.(12)  Almost three weeks go by before we get another update.  On June 19 it's been reported that a body has been found in the Black River and presumed to be Huron.  The body was being taken on a 3 week journey to New Liskeard where family could identify him.(13) News of his positive identification by Brantford mayor, A. E. Watt who made the journey up north was reported on July 10.   Huron was temporarily interred on the banks of the Black River and would be transported back to Brantford in the winter, when travel was possible.  His reported date of death was April 3.(14)

Maud Nelles did not remarry.  Her sister Mary Ann Brooke passed away at her house on 89 William Street at the age of 89 in June 1946(15) and Maud herself passed away at home on Christmas morning in 1949 at the age of 79.  Her son Lionel went on to become a minister and her daughter Lisbeth Macklem appears to have not married.(16)

(1)(3)(6) http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/nelles_abram_11E.html

(2) Archives of Ontario; Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Series: Registrations of Births and Stillbirths, 1869-1913; Reel: 8; Record Group: Rg 80-2

(4)Year: 1881; Census Place: Brantford East, Brant North, Ontario; Roll: C_13264; Page: 77; Family No: 345

(5) Year: 1891; Census Place: Brantford City, Brant South, Ontario, Canada; Roll: T-6326; Family No: 188

(7)Ancestry.com. Canada, City and Area Directories, 1819-1906 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2013.

(8)The Brantford Expositor 02 May 1900, Wednesday · Page 5

(9)Year: 1901; Census Place: Brantford (City/Cité), Brant (South/Sud), Ontario; Page: 10; Family No: 104

(10)The Brantford Weekly Examiner, Brantford Ontario, Thursday November 20, 1902

(11) The Brantford Daily Expositor 22 May 1905, Monday · Page 1

(12) The Brantford Daily Expositor 26 May 1905, Friday · Page 1

(13)The Brantford Daily Expositor 19 June 1905, Friday · Page 1

(14) The Brantford Daily Expositor 10 July 1905, Monday · Page 5

(15)The  Expositor 2 May 1905 - Page 5

(16) The Expositor 27 December 27, 1949 Tuesday- page 6

Escaping the workhouse only to be killed by a workhorse

 One of the numerous pictures I took at Oak Lawn Cemetery in Jordan Station was the stone for a younger man who died at 29 years of age on 29 June 1895.  The stone provided his birthplace which was helpful in tracing his story.  

Robert Nurse was born 9 April 1867 in Sutton St Edmund in Lincolnshire County England.  He appears in the 1871 Census of England in Sutton St Edmund with his parents Richard and Eliza and his siblings Emma (aged 6), Thomas (aged 2) and 2 month old George.  Richard (who appears to be 50!), a shepherd was born in Stoke Ferry, Norfolk and a much younger Eliza who was born in Spalding, Lincolnshire. (1) Richard and Eliza Holland married in Holbeach on 15 May 1863(2)

It looks like the family fell on hard times when Elizabeth died at the age of 41 in Holbeach in Dec 1880(3).  Robert, Thomas, and George, along with younger sisters Fanny (aged 7), Hannah (aged 5), and Mary (aged 3) appear as "scholars" in the Holbeach Union Workhouse in the 1881 census.  All the children were born in Sutton St Edmund with the exception of Mary Rebecca(10) who was born in Gedney Hill.(4) My heart kind of sunk after reading this piece of news.   I tried to search for Richard in the 1881 census but could not find him.  Emma seems to have also vanished. I hit a road block with respect to Robert as well.  I spent several hours trying to find a trace of him between 1881 and his death in Canada. 

I started some side ways searches to see what happened to his siblings. In 1891, Hannah and Thomas are living as lodgers in the Smiths household in Gedney Hill (5)  Fanny was living as a housemaid in the William P Jackson household in neighbouring Pinchbeck(6).  Mary was still living at  the workhouse(7).

George appears to have stayed in Sutton St Edmunds and in 1892 he married Ellen Elizabeth Niccoll.(8)  In July 1898, Hannah was married in Holbeach(9).  Fanny married John Joseph Green 16 May 1894 in Deeping-St. Nicholas, Deeping-Fen, Lincolnshire, England(11) and appears to have died in Spalding in Dec 1903.(13)  Mary married John F Putterill in Holbeach in Oct 1916.(14)

I decided to see if I could get information about the children from the Workhouse records. I was able to purchase for a reasonable price a copy of the minutes for the Holbeach Union House from genfair.co.uk.  It gave me some amazing insight into what happened to the children in the gap between the 1881 census and their time leading up to their removal/marriage. On 6 July 1882, Robert was given the opportunity to apprentice as a carpenter with Charles Goodwin Alcock of Whaplode until he was 21 years old.  On 3 August 1882, Robert's indenture was settled as follows:

Premium £10 to be paid half at once, and the balance when half the time is expired The Guardians to provide clothes to the value of 50 s /- Nurse to be apprenticed until 21 years of age, and receive wages at the rate of 3 d per week, and 2/6 per week for the last year. 

Robert's indenture was signed and cheque for 5 pounds was drawn up on Aug 31.

Not quite a year later George also managed to escape the workhouse. On 10 May 1883 a. Mr Hemmant of Gedney Hill made application to take him out of the work house and attend school regularly. The application was granted, with £2 to be allowed for clothes, and school fees. On 22 Sept 1883, Mr Hemmant attended a meeting again and on 10 April 1884, the cheque for 2 pounds was drawn.

  It appears that Robert continued his apprenticeship into 1885 when another cheque for 5 pounds was drawn.  Things were not harmonious though and by 1886, Mr Alcock filed a complaint that:

"Robert Nurse his apprentice was very awkward and would not do what he was told, and refused to work, after hearing Nurse’s statement: The Chairman reproved the lad strongly and advised the Master to take him before the Justices if he continued awkward."

Unfortunately, the situation does not seem to have improve and on 10 March 1887 we see the following record:

Robert Nurse and his Master Mr Chas G. Allcock attended before the Board. Nurse complained of his Master striking him. The Board recommended that if the boy is not satisfied he had better go before the Magistrates, but the Board hoped the Master and Boy would make up their differences, and complete term of the apprenticeship. 

My guess is that Charles was taking advantage of his indentured apprentice, and Robert had enough.  Robert did manage to complete his indenture and on 5 April 1888, he attended before the Board in regards to his Apprenticeship Indenture (he now being nearly out of his time) and also with regards  to some money that he is entitled to receive from his late father (not sure when he died yet). 

Robert attended the board again on 19 April 1888. and I guess was asked if he wanted to repay  the Board but declined. No order was made. I wasn't able to determine what money Robert received but I'm going to assume that he took what money he had and sailed for Canada.

We see that Hannah's escape from the Workhouse started on 23 August 1888, when Mrs Smith applied to take her out of the Workhouse, so she could go to school until she passed the IV Standard.  Her request was granted, and £2 allowed for an outfit. 

An interesting turn of events happened on 13 October 1892 to Mary.  There is an objection on record filed by George Nurse, brother of Rebecca, who was also going to live with Mrs Smith of Holbeach Drove.  the board rejected his complaint and were "satisfied that the girl could not go to a better place".  It's nice to see that George likely tried to have Mary live with him after shortly after he was married to Ellen.

The last entry that I see for the Nurse family was for poor Thomas who was removed to the county lunatic asylum on 25 May 1893 and a cheque was made for 2 pounds, 11 shillings and 6 denaris.  The 1901 census reveals that he was a patient at the asylum in Bracebridge Heath and worked as a farm labourer.  He may have passed away in Dec 1901(17)

Robert's whereabouts after his indenture completed has continued to allude me as did information about him in Canada and his death record.  I turned to Newspapers.com for some help and was surprised to find news of his death in the The Buffalo News.  The paper reports that Robert died in Jordan as a result of his horse running away.(15)  The Hamilton Spectator affirms this story and on the same day further explains what happened:

"[Robert] a painter, died Saturday morning at Jordan from injuries received in a runaway accident on the previous evening. He was driving along the road east of Beamsville, returning from work, when his horse became frightened and he lost control of it. Joseph Fulton, a farmer, saw the horse go past at a gallop with Nurse doing his best to stop it. Fulton followed, and some distance further on found the young man lying beside the road insensible, with his head cut as if coming in contact with a three-cornered stone. He had evidently been thrown from the rig. Nurse lingered until 8:45 the next morning and died without having recovered his senses. He was 28 years of age, an Englishman, and had no relatives in this country, so far as known." (16)

Robert had such a hard time and it's quite sad that after he leaves poverty and his home country, he meets with an unfortunate accident and dies.  I hope he found some happiness and satisfaction in his life. 

(1)The National Archives; Kew, London, England; 1871 England Census; Class: RG10; Piece: 3326; Folio: 21; Page: 5; GSU roll: 839350

(2)FreeBMD. England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1837-1915 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2006.

(3)FreeBMD. England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1837-1915 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2006.

(4)The National Archives; Kew, London, England; 1881 England Census; Class: RG11; Piece: 3211; Folio: 106; Page: 2; GSU roll: 1341765

(5)The National Archives of the UK (TNA); Kew, Surrey, England; Census Returns of England and Wales, 1891; Class: RG12; Piece: 2566; Folio: 51; Page: 7; GSU roll: 6097676

(6)The National Archives of the UK (TNA); Kew, Surrey, England; Census Returns of England and Wales, 1891; Class: RG12; Piece: 2559; Folio: 35; Page: 5; GSU roll: 6097669

(7)The National Archives of the UK (TNA); Kew, Surrey, England; Census Returns of England and Wales, 1891; Class: RG12; Piece: 2569; Folio: 191; Page: 4; GSU roll: 6097679

(8)Ancestry.com. England, Select Marriages, 1538-1973 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014.

(9, 10, 12, 13)FreeBMD. England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1837-1915 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2006.

(11)Ancestry.com. England, Select Marriages, 1538-1973 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014.

(14)General Register Office; United Kingdom; Volume: 7a; Page: 839

(15) The Buffalo News, Buffalo New York. Monday 01Jul 1895 page 30

(16) http://www.glanbrookheritage.ca/deathsjanjun1895.htm

(17)FreeBMD. England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1837-1915 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2006.

US Veteran - Peter Snyder

John and I vacationed in upstate New York and we toured a couple of old cemeteries along the way.  We stopped at Willow Glen Cemetery, near Buttermilk Falls State Park in Ithaca, New York to do a geocache.  John became interested in Peter Snyder and asked me to research him.  Peter Snyder as the tombstone shows, died at 79 years of age on July 23, 1832, which places his birth around 1753.  I did a quick google search of him and quickly found a small biography about Peter, his family and his settlement in the area. (1)  According to this website, Peter was born in Oxford County, New Jersey on Dec 26, 1753 to parents Cristoffer and Katarina Schneider. Peter was a wagon maker and blacksmith. He married Mary Shaver, who was also born in Oxford County in 1776, and they had 11 children.  Both were of German descent. sources were not cited.(1)  The webpage also states that Peter and his brothers were members of the Continental Army.   I did a few manual searches through muster rolls and didn't come up with them.  I started to broaden my google searches and then came across the grave of Peter and Mary's son Peter V Snyder on Findagrave (and his picture).   From this page I uncovered a few more details.  The family originated in Tinnen, Germany (by the Ems River near the Holland border), and came to America in 1746. They first settled in Oxford, New Jersey, and moved to Dryden, NY in 1803.  BUT AGAIN, I can't find any primary sources that are reference.  Peter and Mary's grandson  Samuel and his wife Deborah Whipple participated in the underground railroad in Albion Michigan. BUT AGAIN, I can't find any primary sources that are references.(2) 
As an aside, there's a writeup about Samuel and Deborah complete with their pictures at Taylor PIONEER FAMILY PROVIDED UNDERGROUND RAILROAD STOP IN ALBION.
 

Are you related to Peter?  Would you be interested in sharing some primary resources about his revolutionary service?


 (1)   https://sites.rootsweb.com/~taughannock/grover/snyder.html from the book  The Centennial History of the Town of Dryden: 1797-1897
(2) https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=7253565

Memorial for a successful real estate broker in Jordan

 Out in the Niagara area a couple of weeks ago and visited a cemetery in Jordan.  Came across this impressive stone and family plot.  I wondered what a man did in his life to command such a memorial?

Roy Webster Haines was born on 16 September 1876 to parents Webster G Haines (Haynes), a farmer and Sarah E Laws in Lincoln County. (1)

I find Roy with his parents in the 1881 & 1891 census still in Lincoln County along with brothers Archie and Merril.  Webster was of German descent, and Sarah was English. Their religion is Disciple.(2) In the 1881 census I notice a Laws and another Haines family living close, and suspect they are related.(3)

I'm wasn't able to find much more about Roy but did see that he was married Louisa Johnson on 24 July 1911 in Windsor, Ontario(4)

His death certificate listed his occupation as a broker and he passed away May 6, 1914 at 62 College St, Toronto, York County, Ontario from septic poisoning after a bout of pneumonia.  Yikes.   Interestingly, the registration was stamped corrected 27 March 1941 and signed by A. J. Haines (his brother).  The only correction I think might have been made was to his age.  It was originally written as 30 years but corrected to 37 years, 7 months, and 21 days. I wonder why?!   

His obituary provided a little more information.  Roy was an employee of Great Western Securities in Toronto.  His funeral took place on 10 May 1941 at the family house in Jordan, and then buried at the methodist cemetery at Jordan Station. (5)  More searches proved fruitless so I decided to search for information about him on newspapers.com.... finally, some information that explains the lavish burial plot. There were additional articles in the St Catharines Standard.  On May 7, it was explained that Roy was a successful man in real estate with a suite of offices in the Kent Building.  He was able to handle "large surveys" and was a generous, aimable and popular man who's business interested extended into the "old country" (Germany?).  Sadly he died  at 9 A.M. after a brief illness, with his wife and mother at his side He died as a result of ptomaine blood poisoning (old term for food poisoning), despite the best medical treatment and attendance.(6)    Then there was a follow up article published about his funeral in the same paper on May 14.  Roy was the sole proprietor and manager of the Great West Securities Company.  He funeral was the largest the village had seen with flowers from 12 friends and people in attendance came from the Standard Bank, the Title and Trust Company in Toronto as well as friends from Victoria Harbour.  His pallbearers were Albert, Morgan and James Wismer, William Troup and George High, all of Jordan and W. Haines and A. J Johnson of Toronto.(7) 

(1) Archives of Ontario; Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Series: Registrations of Births and Stillbirths, 1869-1913; Reel: 24; Record Group: Rg 80-2

(2)Canadian Census Year: 1891; Census Place: Louth, Lincoln and Niagara, Ontario, Canada; Roll: T-6351; Family No: 40

(3)Canadian Census  Year: 1881; Census Place: Louth, Lincoln, Ontario; Roll: C_13254; Page: 18; Family No: 90

(4) Archives of Ontario; Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Registrations of Marriages, 1869-1928; Reel: 152

(5) St. Catherines Standard. St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada · Saturday, May 09, 1914. Page 1

(6)St. Catherines Standard. St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada · Friday, May 07, 1914. Page 2

(7) St. Catherines Standard. St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada · Thursday, May 14, 1914. Page 2