Why are the Davidsons dying young?

 John and I have been trying to do contactless geocaching in the Burlington area to keep active while socially distancing during this lockdown.  Bright and early a couple of weekends ago we decided to visit the Campbell-Davidson pioneer cemetery. This cemetery is sadly not being well maintained by the city.  Of the stones that are visible, one thing struck me as odd.  All the men had died young.  

John K Davidson died 30th July 1863 at just over 30 years of age.  He was born in Nelson Township in 1833 to parents John and Mary.  He married Margaret Parks, born in Sherbrooke, Quebec on the 28th of Dec, 1853.(1)  John appears in the 1851 census living with his parents and older brother James, younger brothers William, Francis and Harvey as well as younger sisters Elizabeth and Mary in Nelson.(2)  

  In the 1861, John and Margaret are living in a single story log house with his mom and siblings, with the exception of James and William.(3)  There is also a new addition, a second Elizabeth, who is 1 years old and I suspect the daughter of John and Margaret.  John is declared the head of the household and in  agricultural census I discovered some interesting insight into John's farm.  He lived on Concession 6 Lot 4 and had 100 acres of land.  70 acres were cultivated , with 67 used for crops and 3 acres for pasture. He grew fall wheat on 18 acres (producing 300 bushels), spring wheat on 12 acres (100 bushels), Barley on 10 acres (300 bushels), Rye on 1.5 acres (25 bushels), Peas on 4 acres (60 bushels), Buck Wheat on 4 acres (100 bushels), Indian corn on 1 acre (15 bushels), potatos on 1/2 acre (50 bushels), turnips on 1 acre (400 bushels), mangel wurtzel (beets) on 1/4 acre (300 bushels), 300 bushels of carrots, as well as beans and hay (12 bundles of 16 lbs). The land was worth $5000 and his equipment $100. (4)  I feel for his mom, she'd lose her son two short years 2 years later.  I tried to find a record of John's death, including an obituary without success, which is not surprising given that death registrations were not required until some time later.  I did find some interesting information in my research.  The area where the Davidson's lived (On Appleby Line) was called Davidson, and beside the cemetery was built the Davidson church, now long gone.  The Tweedsmuir records explain that the property was in the names of the late John Davidson Sr's heirs in 1858. (5) Another Tweedsmuir record, a typed article provides a picture of the brick homestead that was built in 1858.  This contradicts to the census which states the family lived in a single story log home.  The article goes on to say that John Sr purchased 155 acres of land on lots 14 & 15 of Concession 2 on 24 Sept 1829 from the crown.  It was a part of the clergy reserve for Gore District at the time. (6)  We'll need to go back to see if the farmhouse still stands, perhaps across the street from the cemetery....

I poked around the 1871 census and I can see that 24 year old Harvey a carpenter, is head of the household.  His mom is living there, as is Margaret with Elizabeth and likely her two other children with John, James A. aged 9, and Mary E. aged 7.  (7) In 1881, Harvey has moved out on his own and working as a mill hand in Nelson (8) but in 1891, he is back living with Margaret and her son James.(9) I haven't been able to locate Margaret in 1881 yet, but her children were still living with their grandmother in 1881. (10)

I decided to do some sideway searches on the kids to see if I could uncover any more information.  His eldest daughter Elizabeth Jane married Murray Anson Bridgman, also of Nelson on 1 Nov 1882.  Her sister Minnie (Mary) served as witness. (11)  I tried to find a marriage announcement for her, but no luck.  I also thought I might get some insight in the Nelson Tweedsmuir but came up dry there as well.  I moved on to James next.  James Albert Davidson married Sarah Rebecca Reid on 25 Feb 1892.  Both he and Sarah were residing in Milton.(12)   To round things out I looked up Minnie's marriage record.  She married William D Walker of Milton on 30 Nov 1887 and interestingly, her witness was Sarah.(13) Margaret died April 3, 1917 and never remarried. (14)

John Davidson Sr was born in about 1809.  He died at the age of 42 years, 10 months, 20 days on 4 May 1853 and shares a stone with his daughter Jemima who died 8 June 1853 at the tender age of 3 mths.    I tried to find any clues of his death.  In my search, I discovered a record of Harvey's baptism,  which is transcribed as 20 Sept 1843.  Unfortunately his date of birth is transcribed as 07 March 1845.  I suspect the two events were reversed.  The ceremony was performed by Reverend Peter Kerr. (15)  I was hoping that knowing the name of the Reverend might help me in other searches but it seems that Rev Kerr was only responsible for Nelson between 1845-46.(16)

Lastly, we come to William, eldest son of John and Mary. He died a few months after his dad and sister, on 9 October 1853.  Again, I'm finding very little about him online.  Once the libraries start to open up again, I think it warrants a trip to the local history room to see if I can uncover some Nelson history books that might shed more light on this family and why these 4 souls have died too young.

(1)Archives of Ontario; Toronto, Ontario, Canada; County Marriage Registers, 1858-June 1869; Reel: 10

(2) Year: 1851; Census Place: Halton, Canada West (Ontario); Schedule: A; Roll: C-11726; Page: 146; Line: 38

(3) Library and Archives Canada; Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; Census Returns For 1861; Roll: C-1031

(4) Library and Archives Canada; Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; Census Returns For 1861; Roll: C-1031

(5) Nelson Women's Institute Tweedsmuir History, Book III, page 10.

(6) Nelson Women's Institute Tweedsmuir History, Book II, page 2

(7) Year: 1871; Census Place: Nelson, Halton, Ontario; Roll: C-9955; Page: 51

(8) Year: 1881; Census Place: Nelson, Halton, Ontario; Roll: C_13257; Page: 14; Family No: 62

(9)Year: 1891; Census Place: Nelson, Halton, Ontario, Canada; Roll: T-6341; Family No: 143

(10) Year: 1881; Census Place: Nelson, Halton, Ontario; Roll: C_13257; Page: 11; Family No: 47

(11)Archives of Ontario; Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Registrations of Marriages, 1869-1928; Reel: 39

(12) Archives of Ontario; Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Registrations of Marriages, 1869-1928; Reel: 74

(13) Archives of Ontario; Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Registrations of Marriages, 1869-1928; Reel: 56

(14) Archives of Ontario. Registrations of Deaths, 1869-1948 (MS 935, reels 1-694), Archives of Ontario, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

(15) Wesleyan Methodist Baptism Records http://freepages.rootsweb.com/~wjmartin/genealogy/wm-d_11.htm

(16) https://krassoc.wordpress.com/2013/01/01/peter-ker-wesleyan-methodist-minister/

(17) https://krassoc.wordpress.com/2013/01/01/peter-ker-wesleyan-methodist-minister/

Christopher Hilliard - solider of the Napoleonic Wars and War of 1812

 John and I enjoyed a short vacation along the St Lawrence a few weeks ago.  We both have an interest in the War of 1812 and had never visited the site of the Battle of Chryslers Farm.  We also had no idea that it was the same site as Upper Canada Village. We were meandering our way home and decided to check it out. The village itself was closed due to COVID-19 but we were able to walk the grounds.  We walked up to the battle memorial and saw to our left what appeared to be a series of brick walls, some with white tombstones embedded in them.  That peaked my interest of course so we walked over and had a look.  To my surprise there was a series of brick walls that served as a memorial to the numerous cemeteries that were submerged with the creation of the St Lawrence Seaway in 1958.  This one and the reference to the Duke of Wellington caught my eye.  

 Unfortunately, I didn't capture the full image of the stone to his left, Catherine Moir, his wife who died Aug 1, 1849 at the age of 50 years, 14 days nor of the stone for two of his sons who predeceased their mom. 

  Christopher as his stone has noted served as a Lieutenant of the 5th Fusilliers during the Napoleonic Wars.  I found his awards roll in which it was verified by the board that he participated in 10 decisive battles that pushed the French out of Spain and and Portugal, and eventually ended in the defeat of the French.(1)  The first  was the Battle of Fuentes d'Onor  on 5 May 1811, in Spain  where a combined British and Portuguese army under the command of the Duke of Wellington fought the French(2).  In January 1812, he took part in the Siege of Ciudad Rodrigo, a French fortress in Spain, and then the siege of Badajoz in March/April of the same year. In June he saw action in the Battle of Vitoria, and in July the Seige of Badajoz.  On 27 September 1812, he was a part of the Battle of Bussaco, in the Portuguese mountains, where the British Army defeated the French. In Sept 1813 he was in the Battle of Nivelle and the Battle of Nive in December.  He continued his service into 1814 and participated in the Battle of Orthez and one of the last Battles in the Napoleonic wars, the Battle of Toulouse.   It appears that he obtained the rank of lieutenant on 22 Feb 1810 and was provided with half pay on 25 Nov 1818.(3)  The earliest record that I've found for Christopher in Canada is an 1838 muster roll where he received in 1 pound in  lieu of a great coat. (4)  He is paid monthly in 1839 where I can see in January he is with the Cornwall Troop of Volunteer Cavalry under Captain Jarvis, which later in the year becomes the Cornwall Troop of Lancers, under Major Jarvis.  He received his wages in Halifax currency.(5) 

  I found Christopher in the Canada West 1851 census, when he was 64 years old (dating him as born around 1787) and his occupation was listed as a half pay officer.  Christopher was living in Williamsburg with his children Sarah (19), Elizabeth (17), Ellen (16), George (23) and Daniel Empfrey (17).  Ellen and George were noted as living in Peterborough at the time. (6)  All of his children were born in Canada West.  He appears in the 1861 census as a 73 year old gentleman living in  a framed house in Morrisburgh with his daughter Sarah and her husband Ralph Chrysler, maybe a son or nephew? William (14), and possibly daughter Eliza Yielding (35) who lived in Hamilton and is noted as not being a family member.  A neat Chrylser's farm connection to his family.  

  I struggled to find anything further about Christopher specifically, until I started to do some research on his children.  I discovered that George was a lumber merchant in Peterborough and became an MP.  A brief biography of George was written in the 1880 The Canadian Biographical Dictionary and Portrait Gallery of Eminent and Self Made Men, Ontario, Volume 1(7).  The writeup helped me fill in the missing gaps about Christopher.  Christopher was born 25 December 1789 and had 3 brothers who were all commissioned officers. After the Battle of Toulouse he was sent to Canada with the 5th, likely with the 1st battalion to take part in the War of 1812(8).  There he met and married Catharine (Myers) and returned to the continent.  He and Catharine remained there for 5 years and had at least 2 children.  When he was ordered to go to the West Indies, he decided to retire on half pay and return to Canada. He and his family settled in Williamsburg and went on to have a total of 11 children.(7)

(1)Ancestry.com. UK, Military Campaign Medal and Award Rolls, 1793-1949 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.

(2) http://catermuseum.co.uk/cm-1961-425/the-battle-of-fuente-de-honor-fuentes-de-onoro-5th-may-1811/

(3)https://books.google.ca/books?id=2QkcAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA418&lpg=PA418&dq=lieutenant+christopher+hilliard+5th+foot&source=bl&ots=1yOMi4AHfV&sig=ACfU3U0X_SYUOuoabgocZCnUUBlZbqucfw&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjO-Nj-jPztAhWQF1kFHYLBAlUQ6AEwEXoECBQQAg#v=onepage&q=lieutenant%20christopher%20hilliard%205th%20foot&f=false

(4) (5)Ancestry.com. Canada, British Army and Canadian Militia Muster Rolls and Pay Lists, 1795-1850 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012.

(6)Year: 1851; Census Place: Williamsburg, Dundas County, Canada West (Ontario); Schedule: A; Roll: C_11717; Page: 163; Line: 15

(7) https://accessgenealogy.com/canada/biography-of-george-hilliard-m-p.htm

(8) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Northumberland_Fusiliers#The_18th_century

Small stone for a big man

 John and I spent a rainy Sunday morning exploring the very large and old Hamilton Cemetery.  There are so many fascinating and large stones there.  This little one for a man with such a powerful sounding name caught my eye. 

Septimus Stuart DuMoulin.  Such an interesting name, with a bit of Latin, Gaelic and French all in one.

Septimus was the aptly named seventh child born on 5 Nov 1879 in Montreal, Quebec to parents Phillip and Francis. In 1877, his father worked as a Bishop's chaplain and was rector of St Martin's church on 120 Upper St Urbain(1). 

Based on the 1891 census (2), it appears that the DuMoulin family moved back and forth between Ontario and Quebec.  In 1891, they lived in Toronto (St James Ward).  John Phillip a minister was born in Dublin Ireland(3) but his parents were born in France.  Frances Mary Brough was born on Manitoulin Island, Ontario (3) to parents who were also born in Ontario.  Septimus' eldest sister Kate was born in Quebec around 1865, while his eldest brother Phillip was born about 2 years later in Ontario. Brother Frank was born back in Quebec around 1871. Sister Mary (1874) and brother Walter (1875) were born in Ontario.  His younger sister Francis was in Quebec around 1881.   Septimus was a strapping 5ft 11.5" man with brown hair and blue eyes (17), and was enrolled in Trinity College School on Jan 12 1889, where he excelled at hockey, football and cricket. (4) .  It was the beginning of a lifetime of sports for Septimus, affectionately known as Seppi.  He played for the Hamilton Tigers from 1899-1906, where he helped them win 6 grey cups, was a member of the All Canadian Rugger team, and later coached several sports team across Canada.(4)  Septimus travelled quite a bit both within Canada and aboard.  The first record I find of his travels in February 1903 when he went to England(24).

I thought that perhaps it was in his sports travels that he met Ms Marjorie Rockwell King but their wedding announcement seems to have revealed it was through the marriage of one of his brothers.  On January 7, 1912, Marjorie's mother announced the marriage of her daughter in the Chicago Tribune, where it was noted that Marjorie's sister Ethel married Septimus' older brother Rev Frank, when Frank lived in Chicago about 10 years earlier.  By 1912, Septimus' dad (Bishop of Niagara (13)) had passed away  and Frank was a dean of the Episcopal church in Cleveland, Ohio (5) Septimus and Marjorie's marriage took place on May 18, 1912 at Marjorie's mom's residence at 152 East Superior Street, Chicago.  Frank presided over the ceremony.  Ethel was Matron of Honour and Marjorie's brother John Andrews served as best man.  Niece Frances and nephew Rockwell King Du Moulin served as flower girl and page respectively.  Unfortunately,  due to the recent death of one of Marjorie's brothers, they had a small intimate ceremony. (6)   I did a quick search on newspapers.com of Rockwell King to see if I could get a little more information about the brother who passed away.  I quickly discovered that the King family was wealthy,  Rockwell was a prominent Chicago business man and a Harvard graduate.  He died of blood poisoning in July 1905. (7) and his will was filed in 1905. He was reportedly worth $800, 000.  Each of his children named in the Chicago Tribune article received $100,000 (about $3 million in today's dollars), which made Marjorie a wealthy woman in her own right. (8)   The brother who died before her wedding appears to have been McGregor Adams King, who died 13 February 1912 (9) at the age of 26.   I've yet to uncover the details of his death and could only discover that he died at his mom's home, had graduated from Harvard in 1910, was coxwain for the champion rowing team in 1910, was a member of several theatrical clubs,  and worked at the company his dad previously ran, Western Cold Storage(10). 

  Coming back to Seppi, in his married years he seems to have gone by Stuart. In 1914, he and Marjorie are living in Moosejaw, Saskatchewan and travelled on the SS Alice from Victoria, BC to Alaska. (25)

Despite his busy life in sports he was also a family man with a day job.  Stuart, a bank manager and Marjorie appear in Moosejaw, Saskatchewan  in 1916 with two daughters, Lucy (3 years) and Marjorie (1 year). (11)

I don't find much more about Septimus until he appears back in Hamilton as a city counselor for Ward 2 in 1931 and then on the Board  of Control from 1932-1935 (12)

In 1931, Septimus (a Treasurer) and Marjorie travelled to Kingston, Jamaica.  They crossed into the US through Buffalo on 27 February 1931 (18) and returned to North America via NYC on 23 March 1931 aboard the SS Sixaola.  At the time they lived at 47 Huntley St in Hamilton and their daughter Frances was listed as their next of kin. (13)(14)

In July 1932, Septimus, Marjorie and the girls set sail and arrived in Belfast Ireland, en route to Ridgeway Ltd in  London, England (20) and returned in August (22).

On 13 September 1936, daughter Lucy Andrews married James Alexander Stephen Corrigall in Toronto.  At the time of her marriage, Lucy resided at a lovely house at 7 St James Place in Hamilton, presumably with her parents.(15)

 

Septimus' older brother Phillip, passed away on Nov 10, 1956 and news of his death was reported in the Okanagan Historical Society Gazette.  Like Septimus, Phillip was active in the sporting community and served as president  of the Kelowna golf club, football club, and Lacrosse club. He also worked as a bank manager at the first bank in Kelowna and attended Trinity College like his brother. He left behind his wife Amy and 4 children.(16)  Earlier that same year,  77 year old Septimus travelled from NYC to Hamilton, Bermuda aboard the Ocean Monarch(19) and then flew back to New York in April .(21)

It looks like Septimus was actively working well into his 80s, I found record of him travelling yet again to Hamilton, Bermuda in 1961(23). His place of residence is 86 Herkimer St in Hamilton, where he would die 2 years later.

In 1963, Septimus was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame, he was instrumental in the development of football leagues in Western Canada and well recognized.(26)

(1)Lovell's Montréal Directory, 1881

(2)1891 Census of Canada.  Year: 1891; Census Place: St James Ward, Toronto City, Ontario, Canada; Roll: T-6370; Family No: 6

(3) Frank DuMoulin death Certificate - Archives of Ontario. Registrations of Deaths, 1869-1948 (MS 935, reels 1-694), Archives of Ontario, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

(4) https://archive.org/stream/trinitycollegesc66trin/trinitycollegesc66trin_djvu.txt

(5) Chicago Tribune 7 January, 1912.

(6) Chicago Tribune 19 May 1912 page 3.

(7) Chicago Tribune 31 Jul 1905, page 5.

(8) Chicago Tribune 04 Aug 1905 page 12.

(9) https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/94061118/mcgregor-adams-king

(10) Chicago Tribune 14, Feb 1912 page 2.

(11) Census of Canada, Year: 1916; Census Place: Saskatchewan, Moose Jaw, 17I; Roll: T-21931; Page: 31; Family No: 351

(12) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamilton,_Ontario_City_Council

(13) Library and Archives Canada; Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; Series: RG 76-C; Roll: T-14936

(14) Year: 1931; Arrival: New York, New York, USA; Microfilm Serial: T715, 1897-1957; Line: 5; Page Number: 205

(15) Archives of Ontario; Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Registration of Marriages 1936; Reel: 19-333

(16) https://open.library.ubc.ca/collections/ohs/items/1.0132198

(17)The National Archives at Washington, D.C.; Washington, D.C.; Manifests of Alien Arrivals at Buffalo, Lewiston, Niagara Falls, and Rochester, New York, 1902-1954; Record Group Title: Records of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, 1787 - 2004; Record Group Number: 85; Series Number: M1480; Roll Number: 034

(18)The National Archives at Washington, D.C.; Washington, D.C.; Manifests of Alien Arrivals at Buffalo, Lewiston, Niagara Falls, and Rochester, New York, 1902-1954; Record Group Title: Records of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, 1787 - 2004; Record Group Number: 85; Series Number: M1480; Roll Number: 034

(19) The National Archives at Washington, D.C.; Washington, D.C.; Series Title: Passenger and Crew Lists of Vessels and Airplanes Departing from New York, New York, 07/01/1948-12/31/1956; NAI Number: 3335533; Record Group Title: Records of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, 1787-2004; Record Group Number: 85; Series Number: A4169; NARA Roll Number: 365

(20) The National Archives of the UK; Kew, Surrey, England; Board of Trade: Commercial and Statistical Department and successors: Inwards Passenger Lists.; Class: BT26; Piece: 979

(21)Year: 1956; Arrival: Idlewild Airport, New York, New York, USA; Microfilm Serial: T715, 1897-1957; Line: 3; Page Number: 192

(22) Ancestry.com. UK and Ireland, Outward Passenger Lists, 1890-1960 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012.

Original data:Board of Trade: Commercial and Statistical Department and successors: Outwards Passenger Lists. BT27. Records of the Commercial, Companies, Labour, Railways and Statistics Departments. Records of the Board of Trade and of successor and related bodies. The National Archives, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, England.

(23) Ancestry.com. Bermuda, Passenger and Crew Manifests, 1957-1969 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014.
Original data:Passenger and Crew Manifests of Airplanes Arriving in Bermuda. Series A3925. NAI: 2681636. Records of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, 1787–2004, Record Group 85. The National Archives at Washington, D.C.

(24) Library and Archives Canada; Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; Series: RG 76-C; Roll: T-496

Photo obtained from Public Member Photos and Shared Documents - Ancestry.com

(25)The National Archives at Washington, D.C.; Washington, D.C.; Passenger & Crew Lists of Vessels Arriving at Ketchikan, Alaska.; Record Group Title: Records of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, 1787-2004; Record Group Number: 85

(26) https://cfhof.ca/members/seppi-dumoulin/

Photo credit Canadian Football Hall of Fame.

The Master Mariner

One of our favourite spots to go to is Niagara on the Lake.  We had a nice long walk through St Mark's cemetery back in Nov 2017 (just finishing the draft of the blog post now!) and this stone caught my eye:

I like the uniqueness and I also like the inscription, William was loved.  The inscription reads:

Feb 14, 1887

Was laid here

In faith hope and love

All that was mortal

Of my dear husband

William R Bartlett

Until the day in meeting the shadows flee away

Captain William Richard Barlett was born in Liverpool, Lancashire, England to parents Richard (25) and Isabella (23) on January 28, 1828.(1)  He was baptized in St Peters in Liverpool on Feb 15, 1828.  At the time, he and his parents were living on Strand Street and his father was a Master Mariner. (2)
14 year old William appears in the 1841 census with his parents in St Martin District, Liverpool.  Both he and his dad are listed as Mariners.  His 9 year old sister and his 1 year old brother Jonathan are also living at the house.(3)

On October 21, 1851, he married Elizabeth Ann Potts in West Teignmouth, Devon, England.  His father was deceased.  Like William and his father, Elizabeth's father William was a Master Mariner. (4)
 
It seems that William traveled the world. I uncovered a Master Mariner certificate that was issued to William 6 days later on Oct 27, 1851. On this certificate, it states that William served as an apprentice mate and master for 13 years with the British Merchant Service in the Foreign Trades.  He was 23 at the time and served with his father from a young age it seems. (5)
  Along with this certificate, was his application for the certificate, dated October 24 of the same year.  The Claim for the Certificate provides a summary of his first experience, which started on April 15, 1838 and completed in the middle of June in 1839.  He served on 4 vessels during this time period:
- The Mary & Ann as an apprentice.  The trade is listed as Monte Video.
-The Robert Whitewall where he served as 2nd mate and chief mate and went to the West Coast.
-The Reliance where he served as mate and went to the West Coast.
-The Mary Woods where he served as master and went to South America.
The claim goes on to state that from June 1839 until the end of July 1846, William served on the Robert Whiteway and the Mary Woods.  Both ships were owned by the same person or company.  His position was Master from January 18, 1847 until the time he filed the claim.  William was in a hurry to get his certificate and requested that he receive it in two days instead of the normal 10.
  A letter from the shipowner John Bartlett (a little nepotism happening here I think) is included in the request for the certificate.  John requests that the certificate be issued quickly because the ship is ready and waiting to sail. (5)  

On February 21, 1857, William received his Master Mariner certificate in Liverpool, England.  At the time he was living at  4 Victoria Terrace in Seacombe, Cheshire, England.  The certificate bears his signature (6)

In 1861, William is a lodger at a house at 31 Church St in Birkenhead, Cheshire.  Two rows above him in the census record is  Eliza Barthill, who I believe his really his wife Elizabeth. She states that she was born in Durham, Sunderland.   In the row above her is a 54 year old widow, Elizabeth Potts who is likely Elizabeth's mom.  She was born in Devonish, Kenton. Neither women have a listed occupation.(7)

In 1871, William and Elizabeth appear together as lodgers in East Teigenmouth in Devon.  The couple have no children.  Elizabeth is more specific about her Devon birthplace - Bishopwearmouth, which is in the Sunderland area. (8)
  I was curious where I would find them in 1881, Canada or Britain but so far I've found them in neither places.  The last record I can find about either of them is William's death registration.  He died on February 11, 1887, as a result of cardiac dropsy, which he suffered from for 10 months. (9)

(1)https://www.ancestry.com/sharing/12006973?h=ae50ec
(2) https://www.ancestry.com/sharing/12001474?h=3c36dd
(3) 1851 England Census, Class: HO107; Piece: 564; Book: 15; Civil Parish: Liverpool; County: Lancashire; Enumeration District: 29; Folio: 12; Page: 17; Line: 13; GSU roll: 438716
(4) https://www.ancestry.com/mediaui-viewer/tree/22831862/person/29327045320/media/da2e1f3c-6a3b-4588-a5fe-dfd80225e993?_phsrc=Mwv34&_phstart=successSource 
(5) https://www.ancestry.com/sharing/12006973?h=ae50ec&utm_campaign=bandido-webparts&utm_source=post-share-modal&utm_medium=copy-url

(6) https://www.ancestry.com/sharing/12001437?h=d8c82c
(7) 1861 England Census, Class: RG 9; Piece: 2639; Folio: 18; Page: 29; GSU roll: 543004
(8)The National Archives; Kew, London, England; 1871 England Census; Class: RG10; Piece: 2071; Folio: 47; Page: 27; GSU roll: 831776
(9)https://www.ancestry.com/sharing/11992725?h=a73ec0 

The Reaper has come..... to Kilbride

Here is another stone that caught my attention in Kilbride Presbyterian Church for being both ominous and auspicious at the same time.

I did some initial searches for Margaret, James and Samuel on Ancestry didn't turn up a single thing... wow.  I turned to a general google search for James and came across one interesting thing that at least confirms the family did in fact exist.

  Bylaw number 92-2001was filed in 2001 in Burlington to designate 2270 No 8 Side Rd  as a property with historical and architectural value under the Ontario Heritage Act.  This house was 1.5 storey build by two brothers, James and John Harris in 1840 on land that was purchased in 1834.  Ironically,  1/2 acre was purchased from James in 1848 to build the cemetery in which he is now buried.  There's limited information about James in the application but it does mention that James was a magistrate for many years and also ran the general store.  The home remained in the Harris family until 1901.(1)

  I was able to finally find the Harris' in the 1861 census, but only after searching for records for their son Samuel.  The family was living in Nelson with 6 of their children. James, 52 was born in the United States, while Margaret was born in Ireland.(2)  In my next search I was able to find them again in the 1851 census, with their 9 children, again in Nelson.(3)

  Margaret, her 21 year old son Erwin and her 18 year old daughter Margaret J are living with her 36 year old son John, his wife Ann and their children in Nelson Township in 1871(4).  Margaret continues to live with them in 1881 and her granddaughter and namesake, is a school teacher (5).  Margaret's death record and the date on her tombstone do not match.  on March 1, 1886, her son John reported that her death due to old age occurred  January 12, 1886 but her stone records the date as December 14, 1885.(6)  A search of the Canadian Champion does not provide an obituary for her.

  Like Margaret, I had a bit of a hard time finding information on James, I wasn't able to uncover an obit nor a death registration, likely because they were just starting to require people to register deaths in 1869.  I do have one clue about his birthplace from the 1851 census, where it lists S N York, which I think stands for State of New York.

  Last bit not least, aside from the appearance of Hamilton in the 1851 and 1861 census' with his parents, I was able to uncover his death registration, the cause of his death was a falling tree (7), just like Norman Elery Rasberry over at Kilbride Presbyterian Cemetery.....  Kilbride is not the place to chop down trees it seems.  

(1)
(2)Library and Archives Canada; Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; Census Returns For 1861; Roll: C-1031
(3)Year: 1851; Census Place: Nelson, Halton County, Canada West (Ontario); Schedule: A; Roll: C_11726; Page: 90; Line: 17 
(4)Year: 1871; Census Place: Nelson, Halton, Ontario; Roll: C-9955; Page: 65; Family No: 226
(5)Year: 1881; Census Place: Nelson, Halton, Ontario; Roll: C_13257; Page: 40; Family No: 180
(6)Archives of Ontario; Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Collection: MS935; Reel: 43
(70Archives of Ontario; Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Collection: MS935; Reel: 6

James Douglas Small of Kilbride

On the same day that John and I went to Kilbride Presbyterian Cemetery on Thanksgiving weekend, we also went down the way to Kilbride Presbyterian Cemetery.  A couple of stones caught my eye, in particular this large stone for a child. James Douglas Small died April 2, 1904  in East Flamborough (likely Carlisle) after suffering for 1 week with membranous laryngitis.(1)   James was born Jan 19,1901 to George and Harriet Hamilton in Wentworth County.(2)  George and Harriet were married in East Flamborough on 26 Nov 1890(3).  According to the 1901 census, George was born 7 Jul 1857 and Harriet was born 27 Jan 1859.  James had at least 4 older siblings. (4) I thought that maybe James's parents were perhaps buried in the plot but their names were not written on the stone.  Upon further research, George died of the ripe old age of 85+ on 22 November 1942 in Carlisle and he was also buried there. (5) Hattie died just before him on 8 January 1942 and was also buried in Carlisle. (6)

(1) Archives of Ontario; Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Collection: MS935; Reel: 118
(2)Archives of Ontario; Toronto, Ontario, Canada; MS929; Series: 156; Reel: MS929
(3)Archives of Ontario; Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Registrations of Marriages, 1869-1928
(4)Year: 1901; Census Place: Flamboro (East/est), Wentworth (south/sud), Ontario; Page: 7; Family No: 67
(5)Archives of Ontario; Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Registrations of Marriages, 1869-1928; Reel: 69
(6)Archives of Ontario; Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Collection: MS 935; Series: M023577; Reel: 692