X00216 The Trafalgar Hardy Letter

In 2017 Summer newsletter of the Trafalgar Township Historical Society, there's a mention of a letter in their archives written in 1855 from a Mary Hardy to her sister Elizabeth in Yorkshire, England. Given the surname Hardy and the timeline, I was curious to know if this Mary Hardy was connected to my Hardy family. I have not found any evidence of the family being located in Trafalgar Township, but it's not that far from Churchville, so it could be a possibility.

The article mentions that the letter was written by Mary Buckton Hardy (1801-1881) who married a George Hardy. Interestingly enough, I had previously come across and photographed both of their gravestones at St. Peter's Anglican, Erindale when I was looking for the gravestone of Lancelot Hardy.

Knowing this, I could now solve a couple of mysteries at the same time - the first as to whether the letter was connected to my family and the second as to whether the George and Mary Hardy buried in St. Peter's Anglican Cemetery were connected.

George Hardy died in 1850, which is before civil registration began in Ontario, but I was able to find Mary Hardy's death registration:

Unfortunately, it doesn't give anything additional to confirm or rule out a connection between the two families. I have since found evidence of a marriage between a George Hardy and a Mary Buckton 30 December 1830 in Kirk-Leatham, Yorkshire, England. The original record may give some more information about George's background, but I'd need to get that from a Family Search Centre or Family Search affiliate library. Stay tuned for more...

X00231 Mrs. J.F. Hardy

In research my Hardy family, I came across the following article in the Streetsville Review, dated 11 June 1886:

It mentions the death of Jennie Watson, Mrs. J.F. Hardy, a popular Scottish vocalist. Given that her married surname was Hardy and that this was published in a Streetsville newspaper, it had me wondering if there was a connection to my Hardy family.

I managed to find a death notice, but it didn't give me any more information.

I wasn't able to find a marriage record for a Jennie Watson and a J.F. Hardy, but I did find Jennie's death record.

Unfortunately, it doesn't give much more information, either. At least not anything that would link to the Hardy family. But looking at the known information, it doesn't look like I can find a connection. I don't have a J.F. Hardy in my tree. Plus on further glance it seems that they were living in Toronto, rather than Toronto Township, so a possible connection seems slim.

X00192 Part 2: Sorting out the Lancelot Hardys

I previously mentioned X00192 and the sorting out of multiple Lancelot Hardys.

To add to the confusion, the book Meadowvale: Mills to Millenium by Kathleen A. Hicks has the following passage about Jane Tricker:

“Joseph (b. 1823), operated a shingle factory. He lost his wife, Isabella, and was left with six children, Ella, 1855, Eliza, 1856, Rebecca, 1862, John, 1864, William, 1866, and Henrietta, 1860. In 1875, he married a widow named Jane….”

This would suggest that it was Joseph Wood Hardy who married Jane Tricker, rather than one of the Lancelot Hardys.

There's quite a bit that seems to be off with that above passage. Not only are the number of children and their birth years off, but according to my research, Isabella outlived both Joseph Wood Hardy and Jane Tricker. She was at least alive in 1901 [*].

But also, the marriage registration for Sarah Jane Hardy, lists her parents as Lancelot and Jane Hardy [D00170]. Sarah Jane is buried in the same plot as Jane Tricker in Churchville Cemetery [D02104].

Perhaps the author was mixing up Joseph Wood Hardy with one of the Lancelots, but I think it’s safe to rule out the hypothesis that Joseph Hardy married Jane Tricker.

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Sources:
[*] Year: 1901; Census Place: Toronto (West/Ouest) (City/Cité) Ward/Quartier No 4, Toronto (west/ouest) (city/cité), Ontario; Page: 9; Family No: 91

[D00170] (Meadowvale, Peel, Canada West, Canada), "Marriage Record - Hallam & Hardy"; FHL microfilm 1,030,063. Marriage Registers of Upper Canada / Canada West

[D02104] Churchville Cemetery (Canada, Ontario).

Profile: Amy Seymore Williams (1856-1929)

Isaac Amos Williams and Caroline Seymore Sanders’ fourth daughter was named Amy Seymore Williams and was born in 1856 in what was then known as Canada West [D03763, D03788, D03789, D05012, D05018, D05019, D05020]. She grew up in Guelph and later moved with her family to Mount Forest and Lindsay [D03763, D03788, D03789].

Amy emigrated to the United States in 1898 [D05019], a few years after both her mother and father had passed. She first settled in Ogden, Utah to live with her younger sister Edith Mary Williams Bostaph and her husband William Bostaph [D07013].

Amy lived in Ogden a few years before relocating to Globe, Gilla, Arizona around 1900. Benjamin and Sarah Eastman, in-laws of Amy’s younger brother Edwin L. Williams had relocated there when their son, the Reverend Frederick Soloman Eastman was appointed to the St John’s Episcopal Church in Globe [D07134, D07136].

Amy married William Gaskill in Globe 19 February 1901 [D05105, D07130]. Frederick Eastman performed the marriage and his parents Benjamin and Sarah served as witnesses to the marriage [D05105, D07130].

William Gaskill was born 17 November 1855 in Manchester, England [D05021, D05023, D05614, D05615]. He emigrated to Canada in 1879 at the age of twenty-four settling in Fort William, Ontario (now part of Thunder Bay) [D05614, D05615]. He found work with the Canadian Pacific Railroad as an accountant and worked there for eighteen years before moving to Globe, Arizona in December of 1899 [D05614, D05615].

In Globe, William became a partner in the successful butchering firm of Ryan & Gaskill [D05614, D05615] where he worked until he retired in late 1908 due to his health which was getting progressively worse [D05621]. William Gaskill died 13 February 1909 of locomotor ataxia at the age of fifty-three [D05021, D05023, D05614, D05615].

After her husband’s death, Amy Williams Gaskil briefly moved back to Ogden to live with her sister Edith and brother-in-law William once again [D05619]. From there she relocated to Salmon, Idaho to live with her brother Fred A Williams on his farm where she found work as a music teacher [D05018, D05619]. Fred had lost his wife only a few years before.

Amy married William Russell Hoyt, 19 May 1912 in Portland, Oregon [D05014]. William was a photographer who had lost his first wife only the previous year [D07104].

The two remained in Oregon, moving between Portland, Salem and eventually Eugene [D07083, D07085]. WIlliam Hoyt died in Eugene, Oregon, 11 August 1924 at the age of seventy-six [D07078, D07079, D07112, D07113]. After her second husband’s death, Amy moved back to Portland and continued her work as a music teacher. She passed away herself 6 January 1929 [D05012, D05013, D05020].

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Sources:
[D03763] 1861 census of Canada East, Canada West, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia, Wellington, Guelph, p. 31; RG 31; digital images,Ancestry.ca.

[D03788] 1871 census of Canada, Ontario, district 35, sub-district e, Mount Forest, p. 49, dwelling 173, family 173; RG 31; digital images.

[D03789] 1881 census of Canada, Ontario, district 129, sub-district B-2, Lindsay, Victoria, p. 99, dwelling 458, family 469; RG 31; digital images, Ancestry.ca.

[D05012] Riverview Cemetery (Portland, Multnomah, Oregon).

[D05013] Oregon Oregon State Archives and Records Center, Oregon Death Index, 1903-1998, 73; digital image, Family Search, "Oregon Death Index," FamilySearch.com.

[D05014] Oregon Oregon State Library, Oregon Marriage Index 1906-2009, 22447, Hoyt-Gaskill; digital images "Oregon Marriage Index,"

[D05015] Arizona Arizona History and Archives Division, Arizona County Marriage Records 1865-1972, 1: 315, 356134, Gaskill-Williams; digital images "Arizona County Marriage Records," ancestry.ca.

[D05018] 1910 U.S. census, population schedule, Brooklyn, enumeration district (ED) 0200, sheet 1A, p. 1A; digital images,ancestry.com; citing National Archives and Records Administration microfilm T624, roll T624_226.

[D05019] 1920 U.S. census, population schedule, Portland, enumeration district (ED) 160, sheet 5A, p. 5A, dwelling 255, family 298; digital images, ancestry.com; citing National Archives and Records Administration microfilm T625, roll T625_1502.

[D05020] The Oregonian, 9 January 1929, p. 13, col. 3; digital images.

[D05021] Globe Cemetery (Globe, Gila, Arizona). ID: D05021.

[D05023] Arizona Arizona Department of Health Services, death certificate (1909); digital image, "Arizona Death Records, 1887-1960,”

[D05614] “Honored Man Dead,"Arizona Silver Belt, 14 February 1909, p. 3, col. 5; digital images, newspaperarchive.com.

[D05615] "Death of William Gaskill,"Arizona Silver Belt, 17 February1909, p. 6, col. 6; digital images, Newspaper Archive (newspaperarchive.com).

[D05619] "Located in Idaho," Arizona Silver Belt, 09 May 1909, p. 7, col. 5; digital images, Newspaper Archive (newspaperarchive.com)

[D05621] "Personal Paragraphs," Arizona Silver Belt, 21 January 1909, p. 8, col. 3; digital images(newspapers.com)

[D07078] Oregon Oregon State Archives and Records Center, Oregon Death Index, 1903-1998, 268; digital image, Family Search, "Oregon Death Index," FamilySearch.com.

[D07079] Multnomah Park Cemetery (Portland, Multnomah, Oregon), F, 61, 5.

[D07083] US City Directories, 1917:, 104; digital images(accessed 6 Dec 2020).

[D07085] US City Directories, 1915:, 619; digital images(accessed 6 Dec 2020).

[D07104] “Hillsboro Woman Dies Suddenly at Astoria," Statesman Journal, 15 April 1911, p. 2, col. 5; digital images, newspapers.com.

[D07013] ”Local News," Arizona Silver Belt, 21 February 1901, p. 8, col. 1; digital images, newspapers.com

[D07112] "Died," 12 Aug 1924, p. 5, col. 4; digital images, newspapers.com.

[D07113] "William R. Hoyt, Eugene, Succumbs," The Eugene Guard, 11 Aug 1924, p. 2, col. 5; digital images, newspapers.com.

[D07134] F.S. Eastman, "Farewell of F.S. Eastman,"Arizona Silver Belt, 1 May 1902, p. 5, col. 3; digital images, newspapers.com

[D07130] “Local News," Arizona Silver Belt, 21 February 1901, p. 8, col. 1; digital images, newspapers.com

[D07136] “St John’s Episcopal Church Report,” Arizona Silver Belt, 11 July 1901, p. 1, col. 5; digital images, newspapers.com

X00319 Mary Ann Foster Hardy Death information

Last week, I wrote about X00315, finding the date of death for Jonadab Hardy. Although I've successfully managed to find his date of death, I still haven't been able to locate the date of death for his wife, Mary Ann Foster Hardy.

Mary Ann Foster was born about 1832 in Lower Canada (now Quebec) [D01351, D01600, D02255, D03280]. She married Johnadab Hardy in the early 1850s, based on the birth dates of their children.

I have found her in the 1901 census [D03280] living with her son John George Hardy, but nothing beyond that. As established in last week's post, Johndab died in 1906. Unfortunately on his death registration where it indicates if he was single, married or a widower, it's not entirely clear:

The letter could either be an "M" or a "W". It's also formed differently from the other M's and W's on the page, so it's difficult to tell by comparison. This is unfortunate because it could at least give us an indication of whether she died before or after 1906. There is a Mary Ann Foster who died in Toronto in 1910, aged 77 years, but it's difficult to determine whether that is her or not.

So, unless I can find a death record, a later census record or even evidence that she remarried, I'm going to have to look into other sources such as newspapers to see if I can find any further information.

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Sources:
[D01351] 1881 census of Canada, Ontario, district 140, sub-district A, Toronto Township, p. 14, dwelling 66, family 67; RG 31; digital images, Ancestry.ca.

[D01600] 1861 census of Canada East, Canada West, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia, Peel, district 7, Toronto Township; RG 31; digital images, Ancestry.ca.

[D02255] 1891 census of Canada, Ontario, district 119, sub-district St. Stephen's Ward, Toronto City, p. 150, dwelling B2/6, family 678; RG 31; digital images, Ancestry.ca,Ancestry.

[D03280] 1901 census of Canada, Ontario, district 103, sub-district D-3, Toronto Township, p. 2, dwelling 19, family 19; RG 31; digital images.