Unearthing Jane Doritty's Hidden Past: A Genealogical Journey

As I have been researching the Doritty family of Niagara, one particular family member, Jane Doritty, had eluded my grasp for quite some time. Despite my best efforts, I had only managed to uncover that she was born around 1835 in Upper Canada, as indicated by the 1851 and 1861 census records. Her confirmation record from St. Mark’s Anglican Church further corroborated this approximate year of birth. However, beyond 1861, Jane seemed to vanish from the historical records.

I had nearly resigned myself to the possibility that Jane’s story might remain incomplete when, serendipitously, I stumbled upon the County Marriage Registers for Lincoln & Welland Counties, spanning the years 1858 to 1869. There, among the entries, I found a glimmer of hope: “Lowe John, 28, Port Huron MI, Canada, s/o John and Ann, married 27 July 1862 Jane Dority, 26, Niagara, Canada, d/o Thomas & Ann.” The details were a perfect match—Jane’s age, location, and her parents’ names aligned with what I already knew. This revelation opened a floodgate of information. Armed with the knowledge that she had married a man with the surname Lowe, I was able to delve deeper into her life.

As I continued my research, knowing that her married name was "Lowe", I unearthed records of her children and traced her presence in various census records. The final piece of the puzzle came when I discovered her listing on Find a Grave, which noted her date of death as 16 October 1903 in Detroit, Michigan.

Jane Doritty’s story had been hidden in the shadows of history, but through persistent research and a stroke of luck, I was able to bring her life back into the light. There is always more to discover, and as I continue to uncover the stories of my ancestors, I am reminded of the importance of perseverance and curiosity in the pursuit of genealogical research.

Stay tuned for more updates as I continue to unravel the intricate tapestry of my family's history. Each new finding is a step closer to understanding the lives of those who came before us.

X00277 Unraveling Historical Mysteries: The Case of Ann Doritty

Historical research often uncovers intriguing questions and unexpected connections. One such case involves the confirmation record of Ann Doritty on May 24, 1841. The confirmation record took place at St. Mark’s Church in what is now Niagara-On-The-Lake, Ontario.

At the time of her confirmation, Ann was recorded as being 15 years old, suggesting a birth year of either 1826 or 1827.

The location of Niagara-On-The-Lake and the timing does fit with my Dorrity family. And I’m not aware of any other Dorrity families in the area around that time. But I don’t have any records of an Ann Dorrity born in those years. Thomas and Ann Doritty were marred later in 1831.

A question arises: Could this confirmation actually pertain to Henriette Elizabeth Mundy instead? She would have been born 16 December 1827, which is close to the time. Since her mother remarried, she could have been going under the surname of Dorrity. It’s a long shot, but it's worth exploring if the confirmation meant for Ann Doritty might have been hers. The details align closely, raising the possibility of a clerical error or a mistaken identity over time.

Investigating further into church and community records from that period, as well as cross-referencing family histories, could shed more light on this mystery. There are other possibilities as well – perhaps Thomas Doritty had a sibling or other relative who also lived in Niagara at the time.

This case highlights the complexities and the detective-like work often involved in historical research. Each piece of information adds depth to our understanding of the past, helping us to build a more accurate and rich tapestry of history.

X00278 Other Doritty Surname Records - Solved!

The other day I went through a number of other Doritty records that I had found to see if they were connected to my Doritty family or if I could rule them out.

The first that I found was a marriage record for a Lewis Dorrity in 1840:

I don't have anyone named Lewis in my tree, so I had a look at later census records for a Lewis Dorrity (or variant spelling). I only found an individual in 1871, widower, who had an age that would have matched, but who was African in background. So, it would appear to not be a connection and I haven't found anything else to link the record to the rest of the Doritty family.

Next, I found this record in Ontario Marriage Notices:

The name uses a different spelling, of course, and there is no connection to the names or locations, so I'm going to rule out this one as a connection as well.

Next there were these two findings:

Francis Early Doritty is the son of Frederick Doritty and Laura Lamondie. While there is a Frederick Doritty in my tree, there is no connection to a James Doritty. And with the variant spellings, and different location, I'm prepared to say that this is not a connection to my family - or if it is, it is a distant connection.

X00364 Maggie Doritty Timeline - Solved!

A number of years ago, when I was searching for records with the Doritty surname, I came across this gravestone record for a Margaret Doritty Taylor (1867-1936):

The location is St. Mark's Cemetery in Niagara and since the Doritty family lived in Niagara and a few of them are buried in St. Mark's cemetery, I figured that it is very likely that she is connected. But I was not able to find a record between a Margaret Doritty and a Charles Taylor.

I had a look at the Doritty names in my tree and and the only potential candidate was a Maggie Doritty born about 1868, Daughter of James Doritty and Mary Grace Gouland. But I had her marrying an Arthur J. Peppiatt in 1888, so I wasn't sure if this was the same one or not.

I found Dr. Charles Taylor and Maggie Taylor in the 1931 and 1921 Canadian Censuses, living in Toronto and him working as a physician. I did eventually manage to come across this news item from 1936:

Which not only links her to Dr. Charles J. Taylor, but also to the rest of the Doritty family. So it's definitely the same one. So, that mystery is solved although I still don't know what happened to Arthur J. Peppiatt or when Maggie Doritty married Dr. Charles J. Taylor. I found a border crossing record from 1918 where she is listed as Maggie Peppiatt, and she appears to be married to Charles Taylor in the 1921 census, so it was between 1918 and 1921 when she remarried. But that is a mystery for another day.

X00331 Fred Dorrity burial location - Solved!

When I was searching for the grave information for Fred Doritty, I came across two different entries in FindaGrave for him. One in Niagara, Ontario (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/136773735/frederick-j-doritty) and one in South Carolina (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/121118309/fred-doritty). They both have identical dates of death (15 November 1913).

So, I looked into it further. There's no photo for the one in South Carolina and there is a note on the site with it that says:

"Burial record from the South Carolina Department of Mental Health (SC DMH). The date of death listed may actually be the burial date. (http://www.richlandlibrary.com/sites/default/files/scdmh_cemetery_list.pdf) Burials may be in unmarked graves in Se"

The note appears to have been cut off, and the link to Richland Library no longer works. I've sent a request to the Richland Library to see if they have the original file. I suspect it may be a case that he's not actually buried in South Carolina, but may have died there, and someone created a false record thinking that he had been buried there.

I have since found this article from the Hamilton Daily Times, dated 25 November 1913 that states that he had been working in North Carolina, but his body was to be interred in Niagara.

So, it would appear that my assumption is correct.

X00348 Sorting out Charles William Taylor Doritty - Solved!

I was a bit puzzled when I found the Find-a-Grave entry for Charles William Taylor Doritty because the listing gives him a date of death of 6 July 1860, and I have found Charles William Taylor Doritty in the 1861 census [D02696]

As well, his year of birth is given as 1844, and both the 1851 and 1861 census would suggest a birth year around 1850 [D02696, D02773]. I've also found his baptism record dated 1850 [D02919]:

So, I did some research and came across this death notice from the British Whig in Kingston, dated 1866 [D07757].

The article gives a date of death of 6 July 1866 and gives an age of 16. So it's likely that he was actually born in 1850. And, the article also explains the cause of death. I have since requested a correction to the Find A Grave site with the updated information.

Sources:
[D02696] 1861 census of Canada East, Canada West, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia, Lincoln, district 1, sub-district 1, Niagara, p. 15, 5; RG 31; digital images, Ancestry.ca

[D02773] 1851 census of Canada East, Canada West, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia, Ontario, Lincoln County, district 22, sub-district 210, Niagara, p.65, 24; RG 31; digital images, Ancestry.

[D02919] St. Mark's Anglican (Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada), "Baptism - Charles Doritty"; Archives of the Anglican Diocese of Niagara, Hamilton.

[D07465] St. Mark's Cemetery (Niagara, Lincoln, Ontario).

[D07757] "Died" British Whig, 16 July 1866; p4, col 7. Digital images

Baptism Record for Henriette Mundy

A few months ago, I had posted that I had found the baptism record index for Henriette Elizabeth Mundy. Well, since then I have received a copy of the original record:



So that wraps that up.

Well sort of...there's now a new lingering question. At the time of the baptism, Henry Mundy would have been deceased, but the baptism record does not indicate that at all. It might be something that just wasn't recorded, or perhaps it's something more.

Update: Have created X00274 to investigate the question

X00052 Solved!

It's always nice when you find something that you weren't looking for. I was looking through the baptism records of St James Anglican Cathedral in Toronto. I didn't find the record I was hoping for, but instead, I found this:



Now, I still need to get the original document, but from the index, it appears that I have the proof I was looking for to prove that Henry Mundy and Ann Taylor are the parents of Henriette Elizabeth Mundy.

Also of note is that Frances Moore who would have been her brother-in-law is one of the sponsors. Not sure who Mary Moore is though.

So, as an updated timeline, we have:

• March 1827 - Henry Mundy marries Ann Sidney Taylor
• October 1827 - Henry Mundy dies in a boating accident
• December 1827 - Ann Sidney Taylor Mundy gives birth to Henrietta Elizabeth Mundy
• January 1827 - Henriette E.Mundy's Baptism
• May 1831 - Thomas Dority marries Ann Sidney Taylor Mundy
• August 1848 - Henrietta Elizabeth Mundy marries John McLeod
• December 1850 - John and Henrietta McLeod have a daughter Annie Agnes McLeod

Of course, now that I confirmed these parents, I now need to start new X-Files to find each of their parents:
X00239 Henry Mundy birth & parents
X00201 Mrs. Oakes who died in 1828 in St. Catherines

Some preacher of heresy....

I have a new X-file to investigate for the surname Doritty. The records of St. Vincent de Paul Roman Catholic Church in Niagara lists this baptism in either 1890 or 1891 for a male child with the surname "Doritty" (see below). No first name is given.

The record has a note below the entry stating that

"This was conditional, the boy having been 'baptized' by some preacher of heresy, when a babe."

This appears to be a child of John V. Dorrity and Cecelia Fellows, although the 1891 census does not show them having a child born in 1890 or 1891. Nor can I find anything in the Ontario Birth Indexes. So, perhaps it was one of their sons born earlier and they were only recording the entry later.



Definitely worth investigating though. I'm wondering what constituted a "preacher of heresy" back in the 1890s?