X00257 Solved! Who are Peter, James & William Rutherford?

I first found the names of Peter Rutherford (born about 1859), James Rutherford (born about 1860) and William Rutherford (born about 1863) in the 1871 census for Grey County [D01237]. They were living with John Rutherford (1839-1915) and Sophia Amelia Miller (1838-1921), and so at the time I had assumed that the three were the sons of John and Sophia. That is until I did some more research on the family and found the marriage record for John and Sophia, giving a marriage date of 1866 [D03924].

My first thought was that perhaps John had had a previous marriage. But this would be difficult to determine because marriage records in Ontario in the 1850s are difficult to come by. As well, very few newspapers survive from that time period in Grey County.

But eventually, I did manage to luck out and find a mention of John's first wife in his obituaries. Her name was Margaret Spragge and died in 1865 due to a smallpox epidemic that his Owen Sound at the time. I later found that in the Greenwood Cemetery Interment listings [D01131] give her actual date of death as January 5, 1865

Once I knew his first wife's name I was able to find her in the 1861 census [D04003] along with her husband John and her three sons: Peter, James and William to confirm.

X00288: What happened to Caroline Seymore Sanders Williams? Solved!!

Caroline Seymore Sanders was the wife of Isaac Amos Williams. They married 22 Oct 1850 in Guelph, Canada West [D04283]. The family later moved to Lindsay, Victoria, Ontario. Isaac Amos died in 1885 [D03762].

But after 1885, I had no further records on Caroline and so had no idea what had happened to her after 1885. I checked the Ontario death records, but couldn't find her. I checked census records with no results. I even checked the Ontario marriage records to see if she had remarried after 1885, with no luck there either.

So, I put aside that X-file for some time and started researching other members of the family. When I was researching the family of her second daughter, Fanny Sophia Williams and Fanny's husband, Lewis Dyer, I found Caroline living with them in the 1891 census in Uxbridge, Ontario [D05263]. So, I had at least traced her to 1891.

I started looking for the cemetery records for Isaac Amos Williams, figuring that if I found his gravestone, it might give some clues. I knew that he had died in Lindsay, so I had figured that he had been buried there. But I checked all of the usual cemetery sites: Find-a-Grave, Ontario Cemetery Finding Aid, Canadian Headstones, Ontario Genweb Project, BillionGraves, Canadian Gravemarker Gallery and didn't find a thing.

But I had a bit of luck when I did a search on the Ontario Genealogical Society's TONI database. There, I found a cemetery reference for Isaac Amos Williams. It had him listed as being buried in Riverside Cemetery in Lindsay. The name and date matched. So, I contacted the Kawartha Branch of the OGS and they did a look-up for me. Not only was Isaac buried there, but Caroline as well. And the stone inscription indicated that she had died on 7 Apr 1896 at age 70.

With that new knowledge, I did another search of the Ontario death records with just the year and her first name and I managed to find the record. The record had been incorrectly indexed as "Caroline Seymore" [D05298]. I've since submitted a correction request to Ancestry.



Lewis Dyer is the informant on the death record, to further confirm that it is the correct person.

So the X-file now appears to be solved. After her husband died, Caroline moved in with her daughter and son-in-law and likely lived with them until she died in 1896. Now the next step is to see if I can get a photograph of the gravestone.


Sources:
[D03762] Ontario Archives of Ontario, Ontario, Canada Deaths, MS935, Reel 42: 560, 35, 16571; digital image, Ancestry.ca, "Ontario, Canada Deaths," Ancestry.ca (15 May 2018).

[D04283] "Marriages," (Guelph) Guelph Weekly Herald, 22 Oct 1850, p. 3, col. 1.

[D05263] 1891 census of Canada, Ontario, district 102, Uxbridge, p. 30, family 152; RG 31; digital images, Ancestry.ca, Ancestry (accessed 27 Dec 2018).

[D05298] Ontario Archives of Ontario, Ontario, Canada Deaths, MS935; Reel: 81: 355, 19363, 15; digital image, Ancestry.ca, "Ontario, Canada Deaths," Ancestry.ca (19 Jan 2019).

X00290: Confirm death dates for Charlotte Ann Perry Williams

Charlotte Ann Perry (1836-1862) was the first wife of John Williams (1829-1889). For X00290 I'm trying to confirm her date of death. I know that the two of them married in 1858 from the county marriage records [D01325]. Their three children were born in 1860, 1861 and 1862 from the census records [D03739]. But after that, no more children. And in the 1871 census, John is listed as being a widower [D01565].

Then I found someone on Ancestry had posted a date of death for her of 07 July 1862 in Guelph, Wellington Co. but without any sources given. The location would make sense and the date of death would explain why the two would not have any more children after 1862. So, it's plausible, but I need to find sources to confirm.

Some places to check:

• Guelph newspapers
• Cemetery sources such as Find-a-grave and Ontario Cemetery Finding Aid
• TONI
• Guelph Public Library

Sources
[D01325] Ontario, Ontario County Marriage Registers, 1858-1869 37, Williams-Perry, 1858; digital images, FamilySearch.org, FamilySearch (accessed 5 May 2018)

[D01565] 1871 census of Canada, Ontario, district 37, sub-district 01-g, Owen Sound, p. 28, dwelling 105, family 109; RG 31; digital images(accessed 5 May 2018)

[D03739] 1861 census of Canada East, Canada West, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia, Peel, sub-district Brampton, Brampton, p. 15; RG 31; digital images, Ancestry.ca (accessed 13 May 2018).

X00291: What happened to Hester Sophia Williams after 1841?

Hester Sophia Williams is daughter of Thomas Williams and Sybil Foxwell for whom I have very little information (a similar case to Samina Foxwell Williams - see X00287)

There are two sources that I've found for her so far:
1) Her 1833 baptism record [D00028]



2) The 1841 census where she appears with the rest of the family [D01530]



So, here are the details that we have:

• She was baptized in 1833 and so was likely born about 1833 [D00028].
• The family moved to Canada around 1842 and eventually settled in Guelph, Ontario. The 1851 census for Guelph did not survive, so the earliest census in which the family appears is the 1861 census (where she would have been about 28 years old). She does not appear with the rest of the family in the 1861 census [D01597].

Here are the possibilities:

1. She died in the UK before the family came to Canada. In that case she would have died between 1841 and 1845.
2. She stayed in the UK and never came to Canada. That would have been very unlikely as she would have been under 10 years old when the family came to Canada.
3. She came to Canada, but died prior to 1861
4. She came to Canada, but married prior to 1861.

I'm going to dismiss option 2 as unlikely. So, the next actions are:

• Check UK deaths and burials for 1841-1842 [Option 1]
• Check Guelph and Orillia burials prior to 1861 [Option 3]
• Check Guelph and Orillia newspapers for deaths prior to 1861 [Option 3]
• Check marriages prior to 1861 [Option 4]
• Check later census records for a hester, ester or sophia born 1833 in England [Option 4]
• Check death records for a hester, ester or sophia born 1833 in England [Option 4]

Sources:
[D00028] Saint Peter (Liverpool, Lancashire, England), "Baptism Record - Hester Sophia Williams," Batch No P020273; Dates 1826 - 1833l Source Call No 0093877-0093879; FHL microfilm.

[D01530] 1841 census of England, Liverpool, Lancashire, folio 45, page 37; digital images(accessed 6 May 2018); citing PRO HO 107/559/15.

[D01597] 1861 census of Canada East, Canada West, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia, Guelph, Guelph, p. 14; RG 31; digital images, Ancestry.ca (accessed 13 May 2018).

Profile: Lewis Dyer and Fanny Sophia Williams

Profiles: Lewis Dyer [1838-1906] & Fanny Sophia Williams [1853-1924]

Lewis Dyer was born 30 January 1838 in Devonshire, England [D04846, D04848, D04885]. He immigrated to Canada and worked as a dry goods clerk, initially in Uxbridge, Ontario [D04846, D04847, D05263].

Fanny Sophia Williams was born 27 Mar 1853 in Guelph, Wellington, Canada West [D04846, D04848, D04849]. She was the daughter of Isaac Amos Williams and Caroline Seymour Sanders.

She grew up in Guelph [D03763], but later moved with her family to Mount Forest, Wellington [D03788] and then later Port Perry, Ontario County [D04846] where she met Lewis. The two were married on 11 July 1875 in Port Perry, Ontario [D04846]. As a couple, they first lived in Uxbridge, but later moved to Lindsay in Victoria County [D04848].

Lewis and Fanny had two children, Ethel Verena Seymour Dyer, born 23 Mar 1880 [D05265] and George Harold Lewis Dyer born 26 November 1884 [D05884].

Lewis died 2 May 1906 in Toronto at the age of sixty-eight [D04855] of apoplexy. After Lewis died, Fanny moved in with her daughter and son-in-law [D05268]. She herself died 23 July 1924 at the age of seventy-one [D04849]. They are both buried in St. James Cemetery in Toronto [D04849, D04854]


Sources
[D03763] 1861 census of Canada East, Canada West, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia, Wellington, Guelph, p. 31; RG 31; digital images, Ancestry.ca (accessed 20 May 2018). Rec. Date: 5 Feb 2018. Cit. Date: 20 May 2018.

[D03788] 1871 census of Canada, Ontario, district 35, sub-district e, Mount Forest, p. 49, dwelling 173, family 173; RG 31; digital images(accessed 20 May 2018). Rec. Date: 4 Mar 2017. Cit. Date: 20 May 2018.

[D04846] Ontario Archives of Ontario, Ontario, Canada Marriages, Reel 18: 339, 6765, Dyer-Williams; digital images, Ancestry.ca, "Ontario, Canada Marriages,"(accessed 26 Dec 2018).

[D04847] 1881 census of Canada, Ontario, district 133, sub-district J, Uxbridge, p. 46, dwelling 218, family 229; RG 31; digital images, Ancestry.ca (accessed 27 Dec 2018). Rec. Date: 17 Feb 2018. Cit. Date: 27 Dec 2018.

[D04848] 1901 census of Canada, Ontario, district 120, sub-district C-8, Lindsay, p. 8, family 82; RG 31; digital images(accessed 27 Dec 2018).

[D04849] Ontario Archives of Ontario, Ontario, Canada Deaths, MS940 Reel 16: 2099; digital image, Ancestry.ca, "Ontario, Canada Deaths," Ancestry.ca (27 Dec 2018). Rec. Date: 3 Sep 2017. Cit. Date: 27 Dec 2018.

[D04854] St James Cemetery (Toronto, York, Ontario), C Ravine. Rec. Date: 27 Dec 2018. Cit. Date: 27 Dec 2018.

[D04855] Ontario Archives of Ontario, Ontario, Canada Deaths, MS940, Reel 5: 1269; digital image, Ancestry.ca, "Ontario, Canada Deaths," Ancestry.ca (27 Dec 2018). Rec. Date: 3 Sep 2017. Cit. Date: 27 Dec 2018.

[D04885] Ontario Archives of Ontario, Ontario, Canada Deaths, MS940, Reel 5: 1269; digital image, Ancestry.ca, "Ontario, Canada Deaths," Ancestry.ca (27 Dec 2018).

[D05263] 1891 census of Canada, Ontario, district 102, Uxbridge, p. 30, family 152; RG 31; digital images, Ancestry.ca, Ancestry (accessed 27 Dec 2018). Rec. Date: 30 Sep 2017. Cit. Date: 27 Dec 2018.

[D05265] Ontario Archives of Ontario, MS 929, reels 1-245, MS929, Reel 44: 452, 23008, 19; digital image, Ancestry.com, "Ontario, Canada Births," (27 Dec 2018). Rec. Date: 21 Apr 2017. Cit. Date: 27 Dec 2018.

[D05268] 1921 census of Canada, district 142, sub-district 14, Toronto, p. 24, dwelling 105, family 131; RG 31; digital images, ancestry.com (accessed 27 Dec 2018). Rec. Date: 1 Apr 2017. Cit. Date: 27 Dec 2018.

[D05448] Ontario Archives of Ontario, MS 929, reels 1-245, MS 929 Reel 1-245: 590, 35359, 31; digital image, Ancestry.com, "Ontario, Canada Births," (5 Feb 2019). Rec. Date: 21 Apr 2017. Cit. Date: 3 Feb 2019.

Another update on X00121: Who is Ellen McLeod/Reynolds

I've posted recently on X00121 - Who is Ellen McLeod/Reynolds and have also posted one update. And here is another update.

I've since contacted Hamilton Cemetery to ask about the burial records. While they weren't able to give me the plot owners, they were able to confirm that the burial plots for John and Henriette McLeod are quite close to the plot for Ellen Reynolds. They are in the same section, different rows, but quite close to one another.

But more importantly, they provided an interesting piece of information. Both John McLeod and Ellen Reynolds listed John E. McLeod (son of John McLeod and Henriette Mundy) as a next of kin. This would likely indicate that Ellen Reynolds is part of the same family as John McLeod.

Neither of the above two pieces of information are definite proof that Ellen Reynolds and Ellen McLeod are the same person, but they are definitely pointing in that direction.

So, here are the next actions:
* Look for marriage between 1861 and 1871 for Ellen McLeod and John Reynolds
* Look for death record for John Reynolds between 1861 and 1871
* Look for Ellen and John in 1841 census Scotland
* Look for an obituary for Ellen Reynolds
* Look for an obituary for John McLeod
* Check for probate for John McLeod 1889 and see if Ellen Reynolds is mentioned
* Search under the name RENNALS/RUNNALS as well.

In the next few months I'll visit Hamilton Cemetery and Hamilton Public Library to check the proximity of the grave locations myself and search for obituaries for Ellen Reynolds and John McLeod.

Profile: Gabriel Williams (1825-1854)

Gabriel Williams [1825-1854]

Gabriel Williams was born in 1825 [D00029, D01459, D01530] in Gloucester, England, the son of Thomas Williams (ca. 1792 – 1868) and Sibyl Foxwell (1798-1874). He was the fourth child and second son of the couple.

Gabriel grew up in Minchinhampton, Gloucester. The Williams family moved to Liverpool in the 1830s and when Gabriel was old enough to begin working, he followed in his father’s footsteps into the clothing industry and worked as a hatter’s assistant in Liverpool [D01530].

The Williams family emigrated to Canada West in the early 1840s and first settled in Orillia, Simcoe County but eventually relocated to Guelph, Wellington County. Thomas Williams set up a business as a brewer in Guelph and like his brothers, Gabriel worked as a brewer as part of his father’s business [D04688].

Sadly, Gabriel died 22 May 1854 at the age of 29 years and was buried on 26 May 1854 [D01459].



Sources
[D00029] (Minchinhampton, Gloucester, England), "Baptism Record - Gabriel Williams," Batch No C049002; Dates 1813 - 1875; Source Call no; 0857041; FHL microfilm.

[D01459] "Deaths," Guelph Mercury, 25 may 1854; digital images, Ancestry.ca (ancestry.ca : accessed 9 Jun 2018)

[D01530] 1841 census of England, Liverpool, Lancashire, folio 45, page 37; digital images(accessed 6 May 2018); citing PRO HO 107/559/15.

[D04688] Canada. Ontario. Wellington. Assessment Roll for the Town of Guelph, 1853. Guelph Public Library, Guelph. Guelph Public Library, Guelph. Guelph Public Library, Guelph.