X00300: Who is Ann Sipin?

In the 1861 Census of Canada, the Williams family is found living in Guelph. Thomas Williams and his wife Sybil are listed and in the household are their two youngest daughters, Emily and Samina. But there are two others living in the household at the time: Ann Sipin, aged 8 and Maria Hill aged 18.

Maria Hill is clearly not a family member, as she is listed as being a servant and was born in Ireland. But what about Ann Sipin? Is is possible that she might just have been living with the family with no connection, but could she possibly be a clue to a connection?

At the age of 8 in 1861, she would have been born about 1853. She would likely be too young to be another child of Thomas and Sybil Williams. But could she perhaps be a granddaughter? One remote possibility is that she is the daughter of Hester Sophia Williams, who I have not been able to find any trace of after 1841 (see X00291). Perhaps Hester Sophia married a man with the surname of Sipin, and had a child but then the two of them died shortly thereafter, leaving their daughter to be raised by her grandparents.

It's a possibility, but I have not seen the name Ann Sipin show up anywhere else in the records to confirm one way or another.

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Sources:

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). Rec. Date: 5 Feb 2018. Cit. Date: 13 May 2018.

Profile: Frederick Gabriel Douglas, Mary Ann Coulson and Frances Bulleyment

Profile: Frederick Gabriel Douglas [1855-1916], Mary Ann Coulson [1857-1888] and Frances Bulleyment [1856-1922]

Frederick Gabriel Douglas was born 28 March 1855 in Guelph, Wellington County, Canada West [D00743, D00763, D01354, D01559, D01597, D02738]. He was very likely named after his uncle, Gabriel Williams who had died the year before. He was the third child and first son of John Douglas and Louisa Williams [D00743, D01464]. Although born in Guelph, he was baptized at St. George’s Anglican church in Sydenham (now Owen Sound, Grey County, Ontario) on 6 May 1855 [D02738].

Frederick spent his early years with the family in Guelph and moved to Owen Sound in the 1860s [D01597, D01559]. He began working as a cabinet maker in Owen Sound in the 1870s [D00491, D00743, D01354].

Frederick married Mary Ann Coulson on 13 December 1876 in Owen Sound [D00743]. Mazzie, as Mary Ann was known, was the daughter of hotel-owner John P. Coulson and Susan Venetia Lister [D00743, D05343]. Their first child, Percy John Douglas was born 10 May 1877 [D00491]. Two more sons would follow, Frederick G. Douglas born 29 December 1884 [D05505, D05878], and John Coulson Douglas born 4 September 1887 [D05505, D05666].

Tragically, Mary Ann died on 16 December 1888 of pulmonary phthisis at the age of thirty [D04646, D05343].

Frederick moved to Detroit, Michigan in the 1890s where he continued his career as a cabinet maker [D01464]. He married Frances Bulleyment on 23 June 1893 in Detroit [D01464]. Frances was daughter of William Bulleyment and Caroline Sexton [D05006]. She had previously been married to John Vandrick and they had a child together, Arthur J.B. Vandrick, born in 1883 [D04975].

On 21 May 1916, Fred was working on his boat and scraped his leg on a rough piece of board. The accident let to blood poisoning in the wound [D05345]. At first, the injury was not considered serious, but erysipelas developed soon after. The erysipelas prevented an amputation and it was determined that nothing further could be done. His two brothers, John J. Douglas and Clarence Douglas went to Detroit to see him before he died on 2 June 1916 [D01462, D05345, D05347]. His funeral was held at the home of his brother-in-law, Charles Milford on 5 June 1916 [D05347]. He was buried in Greenwood Cemetery in the family plot [D01131, D05347].

Frances Bulleyment Douglas died 25 August 1922 of mitral insufficiency [D05006]. She was buried 28 August 1922 in Greenwood Cemetery [D01131, D04994].

As for the three sons of Frederick Gabriel Douglas and Mazie Coulson Douglas, Percy Douglas moved to the United States and worked as an engraver [D05308, D05309, D05311]. He married Frances Eleanor Johnson on 23, October 1911 [D05310] and they had three children, Donald Coulson Douglas (1912-2004), Dorothy Mazie Douglas (1914 -1979) and Fern Mary Douglas (1915-?) [D05311]. Percy died on 17 July 1927 at the age of fifty [D04809, D05300].

Frederick G Douglas moved to Smugglers' Mines, Telluride, Colorado [D05505]. John Coulson Douglas was only a year old when his mother died. He was raised by his aunt and uncle in Sarawak, Grey County [D05350]. He worked as a gardener and fought in World War 1 [D05505, D05666]. He married Ivy Irene Palter in 1954 and lived until 30 August 1971 [D05666].

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Sources:
[D00491] Ontario Archives of Ontario, MS 929, reels 1-245, MS929; Reel: 27: 431, 6425, 42; digital image, Ancestry.com, "Ontario, Canada Births," (11 Jun 2017).

[D00743] Ontario Archives of Ontario, Ontario, Canada Marriages, MS932; Reel: 26: 369, 12829, Douglas-Coulson; digital images, Ancestry.ca, "Ontario, Canada Marriages,"(accessed 10 Sep 2017).

[D00763] 1891 census of Canada, Ontario, district 68, sub-district Owen Sound Center Ward, Owen Sound, p. 35, family 175; RG 31; digital images, Ancestry.ca,Ancestry (accessed 5 Oct 2017).

[D01131] “Owen Sound Greenwood Cemetery Interments" (typescript, 2005), p. 81.

[D01354] 1881 census of Canada, Ontario, district 134, sub-district G, Toronto, p. 136, dwelling 657, family 713; RG 31; digital images, Ancestry.ca (accessed 30 Sep 2018).

[D01462] Michigan Department of State - Division of Vital Statistics, Michigan, Death Records, 1867-1950, 5329; digital image, Ancestry.ca, "Michigan, Death Records, 1867-1950," Ancestry.ca (30 Sep 2018).

[D01464] Michigan Department of Community Health, Division for Vital Records and Health Statistics, Michigan, Marriage Records, 1867-1952, 2805, Douglas-Bulleyment; digital images, Ancestry.ca, "Michigan, Marriage Records, 1867- 1952," Ancestry.ca (accessed 30 Sep 2018).

[D01559] 1871 census of Canada, Ontario, district 37, sub-district 1-G, Owen Sound, p. 67, dwelling 258, family 262; RG 31; digital images(accessed 6 Sep 2018).

[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).

[D02738] St George's Anglican (Owen Sound, Ontario, Canada), "Baptism Record - Frederick Gabriel Douglas," p 8.

[D04809] Michigan Department of State - Division of Vital Statistics, Michigan, Death Records, 1867-1950, 5707, 537; digital image, Ancestry.ca, "Michigan Death Records," Ancestry.ca (20 Jan 2019).

[D04646] Ontario Archives of Ontario, Ontario, Canada Deaths, MS935 Reel 50: 517, 6080, 89; digital image, Ancestry.ca, "Ontario, Canada Deaths," Ancestry.ca (23 Sep 2018).

[D04975] 1901 census of Canada, Ontario, district 65, sub-district D-7, Owen Sound, p. 4, dwelling 47, family 47; RG 31; digital images(accessed 19 Jan 2019).

[D04978] 1910 U.S. census, population schedule, Detroit, enumeration district (ED) 0108, sheet 5B, dwelling 93, family 92; digital images,ancestry.com (accessed 20 Jan 2019); citing National Archives and Records Administration microfilm T624, roll T624_683.

[D04994] Greenwood Cemetery (Owen Sound, Grey, Ontario).

[D05006] Michigan Department of State - Division of Vital Statistics, Michigan, Death Records, 1867-1950, 582, 17762, 8252; digital image, Ancestry.ca, "Michigan Death Records," Ancestry.ca (19 Jan 2019).

[D05300] Riverside Cemetery (Kalamazoo, Michigan).

[D05308] Muskegon, Michigan, City Directory 1924 , 1924:, 585; digital images, ancestry.ca (ancestry.ca : accessed 6 Feb 2019).

[D05309] Muskegon, Michigan City Directory 1926 , 1926 vols., 1926:, 598; digital images, Ancestry.ca (accessed 6 Feb 2019).

[D05310] Cook, Illinois, Illinois, Cook County Marriages, 1871-1920, 579191, Douglas-Misbach, 23 Oct 1911; digital images, Family Search,Family Search (accessed 6 Feb 2019).

[D05311] Cook, Illinois, 3974; digital image, FamilySearch, "Illinois, Cook County Birth Certificates 1871-1922,"FamilySearch (Familysearch.og: 6 Feb 2019).

[D05343] "Deaths," (Owen Sound) The Advertiser, Owen Sound, 20 Dec 1888, p. 1, col. 4. Cit. ID: D05343.

[D05345] ”Deaths,"(Owen Sound) Owen Sound Sun, 2 Jun 1916, p. 5, col. 4.

[D05347] “Deaths," (Owen Sound) Owen Sound Times, 6 Jun 1916, p. 5, col. 5.

[D05350] 1901 census of Canada, Ontario, district 65, sub-district E-3, Sarawak, p. 2, dwelling 17, family 17; RG 31; digital images(accessed 19 May 2019). Rec. Date: 4 Mar 2017. Cit. Date: 19 May 2019.

[D05505] ”Deaths," (Owen Sound) Owen Sound Times, 9 Jun 1916, p. 1, col. 2.

[D05666] "John C. Douglas dies in hospital," Grey County Surname Collection , 30 Aug 1971; digital images(accessed 9 Mar 2019).

[D05878] Ontario Archives of Ontario, MS 929, reels 1-245, MS929 Series 70: 249, 11651, 3; digital image, Ancestry.com, "Ontario, Canada Births," (10 Mar 2019).

Analysis: Birth info Winnifred Henrietta Victoria Wright Douglas

Details/Background:

Different dates of birth have been found for Winnifred Henrietta Victoria Wright (Douglas) ranging from 1864 to 1865. No records earlier than 1871 (i.e. baptism record or news articles) have been found.

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Analysis:

Ref	Desc	Birth Date Given	Notes
D06232	1871 Census	Abt. 1864	Age 6 in 1871
D06233	1881 Census	Abt. 1864	Age 16 in 1871
D02623	Marriage Record	Abt. 1864	Age 20 on 26 Aug 1884
D00764	1891 Census	Abt. 1864	Age 26 in 1891
D00307	1901 Census	11 November 1865
D00334	1911 Census	11 November 1864
D04728	1921 Census	Abt. 1864	Age 56 in 1921
D05634	Death Registration	11 November 1864
D04954	Gravestone	1865
D01131	Burial Records	Abt. 1864	Age 82 on 23 July 1947

Only three of the sources [D00307, D00334 and D005634] give a calendar date and all three give the date of November 11th. So, it is safe to assume that November 11th is the calendar date and that she was born either November 11, 1864 or November 11, 1865.

So, if we assume that her birthday was in November and most of the censuses were taken in the middle of the year, most of the records support a birth year of 1864; the only exceptions being the 1901 census and the gravestone which suggest a birth year of 1865.

The 1901 census record is difficult to read, however, and there were a lot of cases where the 1901 census was off by a hear. And the gravestone was carved after her death. So, I would conclude that those two records are outliers.

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Conclusion:

The most likely conclusion is a date of birth of 11 November 1864.

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Sources:

D00307 1901 census of Canada, Ontario, district 65, sub-district D-8, Owen Sound, p. 11, dwelling 89, family 100; RG 31; digital images(accessed 11 Mar 2017). Rec. Date: 4 Mar 2017. Cit. Date: 11 Mar 2017.

D00334 1911 census of Canada, Ontario, district 73, sub-district 48, Owen Sound, p. 8, dwelling 68, family 83; RG 31; digital images, Ancestry.com (accessed 25 Mar 2017). Rec. Date: 18 Mar 2017. Cit. Date: 25 Mar 2017.

D00764 1891 census of Canada, Ontario, district 68, sub-district Owen Sound Center Ward, Owen Sound, p. 36, family 181; RG 31; digital images, Ancestry.ca, Ancestry (accessed 5 Oct 2017). Rec. Date: 30 Sep 2017. Cit. Date: 5 Oct 2017.

D01131 "Owen Sound Greenwood Cemetery Interments" (typescript, 2005), p. 81. Rec. Date: 6 May 2018. ID: D01131. Cit. Date: 1 Dec 2018.

D02623 Ontario Archives of Ontario, Ontario, Canada Marriages, MS932; Reel: 47: 494, 8179, Douglas-Wright; digital images, Ancestry.ca, "Ontario, Canada Marriages,"(accessed 30 Sep 2018). Rec. Date: 9 Sep 2017. Cit. Date: 30 Sep 2018.

D04728 1921 census of Canada, district 83, sub-district 45, Owen Sound, p. 1, dwelling 13, family 14; RG 31; digital images, ancestry.com (accessed 17 Oct 2018). Rec. Date: 1 Apr 2017. Cit. Date: 17 Oct 2018.

D04954 Greenwood Cemetery (Owen Sound, Grey, Ontario), G-S9-1. Rec. Date: 1 Dec 2018. ID: D04954. Cit. Date: 1 Dec 2018.

D05634 Ontario Archives of Ontario, Ontario, Canada Deaths, MS935 Reels 1-694: 23610; digital image, Ancestry.ca, "Ontario, Canada Deaths," Ancestry.ca (14 Apr 2019). Rec. Date: 3 Sep 2017. Cit. Date: 14 Apr 2019.

D06232 1871 census of Canada, Ontario, district 54, sub-district 02, Hamilton, p. 24, dwelling 77, family 79; RG 31; digital images(accessed 12 May 2019). Rec. Date: 4 Mar 2017. Cit. Date: 12 May 2019.

D06233 1881 census of Canada, Ontario, district 124, sub-district C-3, Hamilton, p. 44, dwelling 196, family 202; RG 31; digital images, Ancestry.ca (accessed 12 May 2019). Rec. Date: 17 Feb 2018. Cit. Date: 12 May 2019

Analysis: Birth Info for Clarence Williams Douglas

Details/Background:

Different dates of birth have been found for Clarence Williams Douglas ranging from 1864 to 1867. No records earlier than 1871 (i.e. baptism record or news articles) have been found.

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Analysis:

Ref	Desc	Birth Date Given	Notes
D01559	1871 Census	Abt. 1865	Age 6 in 1871
D01354	1881 Census	Abt. 1864	Age 17 in 1881
D00838	Marriage Record	Abt. 1865	Age 22 on 27 Dec 1887
D00769	1891 Census	Abt. 1865	Age 26 in 1891
D00329	1911 Census	Feb 1865
D00348	1921 Census	Abt. 1868	Age 53 in 1921
D01951	Death Registration	9 Feb 1867	Recorded 1923
D04954	Gravestone	1865
D01131	Burial Records	Abt. 1867	Age 56 on 22 Dec 1923

Most of the records imply a year of birth of 1865. There are a couple of census records (1881 and 1921) that are outliers. The death registration and burial records both suggest a birth year of 1867, but those likely could have used the same source for their information.

Also, since his next oldest sibling was born in 1860, a birth year of 1865 would be more likely than 1867.

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Conclusion:

Based on the evidence found, the most likely date of birth for Clarence Williams Douglas is 9 February 1865.

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Sources:

D00329 1911 census of Canada, Ontario, district 73, sub-district 57, Owen Sound, p. 3, dwelling 36, family 36; RG 31; digital images, Ancestry.com (accessed 25 Mar 2017). Rec. Date: 18 Mar 2017. Cit. Date: 25 Mar 2017.

D00348 1921 census of Canada, district 83, sub-district 46, Owen Sound, p. 9, dwelling 98, family 100; RG 31; digital images, ancestry.com (accessed 31 Mar 2019). Rec. Date: 1 Apr 2017. Cit. Date: 31 Mar 2019.

D00769 1891 census of Canada, Ontario, district 68, sub-district Owen Sound West Ward, Owen Sound, p. 8, family 39; RG 31; digital images, Ancestry.ca, Ancestry (accessed 13 Oct 2017). Rec. Date: 30 Sep 2017. Cit. Date: 13 Oct 2017.

D00838 Ontario Archives of Ontario, Ontario, Canada Marriages, MS932; Reel: 63, 14388, Douglas-Leach; digital images, Ancestry.ca, "Ontario, Canada Marriages,"(accessed 16 Dec 2017). Rec. Date: 9 Sep 2017. Cit. Date: 16 Dec 2017.

D01131 "Owen Sound Greenwood Cemetery Interments" (typescript, 2005), p. 81. Rec. Date: 6 May 2018. ID: D01131. Cit. Date: 30 Sep 2018.

D01354 1881 census of Canada, Ontario, district 134, sub-district G, Toronto, p. 136, dwelling 657, family 713; RG 31; digital images, Ancestry.ca (accessed 30 Sep 2018). Rec. Date: 17 Feb 2018. Cit. Date: 30 Sep 2018.

D01559 1871 census of Canada, Ontario, district 37, sub-district 1-G, Owen Sound, p. 67, dwelling 258, family 262; RG 31; digital images (accessed 6 Sep 2018). Rec. Date: 4 Mar 2017. Cit. Date: 6 Sep 2018.

D01951 Ontario Archives of Ontario, Ontario, Canada Deaths, MS935; Reel: 301: 429, 15709, 14; digital image, Ancestry.ca, "Ontario, Canada Deaths," Ancestry.ca (16 Mar 2019). Rec. Date: 3 Sep 2017. Cit. Date: 16 Mar 2019.

D04954 Greenwood Cemetery (Owen Sound, Grey, Ontario), G-S9-1. Rec. Date: 1 Dec 2018. Cit. Date: 1 Dec 2018.

Profile: Isaac Amos Williams and Caroline Seymour Sanders

Profile: Isaac Amos Williams [1820-1886] and Caroline Seymour Sanders [1826-1896]

Isaac Amos Williams was born 11 October 1820 in Gloucestershire, England [D01545] the first-born child of Thomas Williams and Sybil Foxwell. He was baptized 5 Nov 1820 in Bristol, Gloucestershire. He grew up in Gloucestershire, and moved with the rest of the family to Liverpool around 1841 and then to Canada, eventually settling in Guelph, Wellington County. In Guelph, Isaac worked as a brewer in his father’s firm of Williams & Taylor along with his younger brothers and brother-in-law [D04285].

Caroline Seymour Sanders was born 13 September 1825 and was baptized 15 March 1826 in Bathwick, Somerset, England [D03874]. She was the daughter of John Arnold Sanders and Fanny Hippisley [D03874]. It is not known when the Sanders family emigrated to Canada but they had definitely arrived in Canada by the 1850s as Isaac Amos Williams and Caroline Seymour Sanders were married on 21 October 1850 at St. George’s Anglican Church in Guelph [D04283].

Isaac and Caroline remained in Guelph and they had their first children while living there. Their first daughter, Jane Emily Williams was born 23 November 1851 [D04285] followed by their second, Fanny Sophia Williams on 27 March 1853 [D04846, D04848, D04849]. Three more daughters would follow: Kate Julianna Williams born 4 December 1854 [D05337], Amy Seymore Williams born in 1856 [D03763, D03788, D03789] and Edith Mary Williams born 4 July 1858 [D05008]. It wasn’t until their sixth child that that they had their first son, George Williams, in 1860 [D03763, D03788, D05091].

By 1861 the family was still living in Guelph, but Isaac had left the brewing business and had moved into farming [D03763]. By 1862, however, the family had moved to Mount Forest, also in the County of Wellington, where they would remain for the next ten year. In Mount Forest, Isaac and Caroline’s last three children would be born: Elizabeth Williams was born on 25 November 1862 [D03788, D03789], Frederick Amos Williams was born on 9 April 1865 [D03788, D03789, D06182] and Edwin Lawrence Williams was born in 1868 [D03788, D03789].

The family moved to Port Perry, Ontario County in the mid 1870s [D04846] before moving on to Lindsay, Victoria County [D03789] where Isaac would live for the rest of his life. In Lindsay, Isaac worked as a bookkeeper for a Mr. Blackwell [D05448, D05469] and was employed by the Ontario Government as a sessional writer in the winter [D05469]. He also worked as a librarian at the Mechanics’ institute in Lindsay [D05467, D05469].

On the evening of 28 December 1885 Isaac was working at the Mechanic’s Institute. He was making his rounds and about 8:30 in the evening a noise was heard from the hallway. The two men who were in the reading room at the time, Dr. DeGrassi and Mr. J. Kennedy heard the noice, but didn’t think anything of it, thinking that it was the caretaker bringing up wood. The two left the reading room about nine o’clock in the evening and found Isaac lying at the foot of the stairs. The two tried to pick him up but found that he was dead with a wound on his right temple, his left thumb was broken and he had bruises all over his limbs. He had likely died instantly having fallen head first down the stairway and dying from a concussion [D03762, D05467, D05469].

A well-attended funeral was held for him on Wednesday 30 December 1885. The directors of the Mechanics’ institute all attended [D05469]. He was buried at Riverside Cemetery in Lindsay [D05469, D06182].

After the death of her husband Caroline Williams moved in with her daughter and son-in-law, Fanny and Lewis Dyer in Uxbridge, Ontario county [D05263]. She herself would pass away at the age of 70 on 7 April 1896 [D05298, D05446, D05471, D05470] and is buried in Riverside Cemetery in Lindsay with her husband [D06182].

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Sources:
[D01545] St Thomas (Bristol, Gloucestershire, England), England, Bristol Parish Registers, 1538-1900, "Baptism Record - Isaac Amos Williams," 271; digital images, FamilySearch, FamilySearch.org (accessed 23 Dec 2018).

[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).

[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).

[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.

[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 (accessed 20 May 2018).

[D03874] (Bath, Somerset, England), England & Wales Non-Conformist and Non-Parochial Registers, "Baptism - Caroline Seymour Sanders," 55; digital images, Ancestry.ca, Ancestra.ca (accessed 24 Jun 2018).

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

[D04285] "Births," (Guelph) Guelph Weekly Herald, 2 Dec 1851, p. 3, col. 2.

[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).

[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.

[D05008]

[D05091] 1881 census of Canada, Ontario, district 134, sub-district F, Toronto, p. 164, dwelling 681, family 780; RG 31; digital images, Ancestry.ca (accessed 29 Nov 2018). Rec. Date: 17 Feb 2018. Cit. Date: 29 Nov 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).

[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).

[D05337] ”The Late Mrs. Adam Smith," Markdale Standard, 28 Nov 1940, p. 3, col. 3; digital images(accessed 6 Feb 2019), Grey Highlands Historical Newspaper Collection. Rec. Date: 9 Nov 2018. Cit. Date: 6 Feb 2019.

[D05446] "Obituary," The Canadian Post, 20 Apr 1896, p. 5, col. 2; digital images, Kawartha Lakes Public Library Digital Collections (accessed 9 Feb 2019).

[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).

[D05467] “A Fatal Accident," The Canadian Post, 1 Jan 1886, p. 5, col. 1; digital images, Kawartha Lakes Public Library Digital Archive .

[D05469] "Sad and Fatal Accident," The Victoria Warden, 1 Jan 1886, p. 5, col. 4; digital images, Kawartha Lakes Public Library Digital Archive (accessed 9 Feb 2019).

[D05470] "Deaths," The Victoria Warden, 10 Apr 1896, p. 4, col. 7; digital images, Kawartha Lakes Public Library Digital Archives

[D05471] "Death," The Victoria Warden, 10 Apr 1896, p. 3, col. 2; digital images(accessed 9 Feb 2019), Kawartha Lakes Public Library Digital Archives.

[D05651] Riverside Cemetery (Lindsay, Victoria, Ontario), 3759 monumental inscription. Rec. Date: 10 Mar 2019. ID: D05651. Cit. Date: 10 Mar 2019.

[D06182] Rest-Haven Memorial Park (Eugene, Lane, Oregon). Rec. Date: 30 Mar 2019. ID: D06210. Cit. Date: 24 Mar 2019.

Analysis: Birth info Mary Louisa Leach Douglas

Details/Background:

Different dates of birth have been found for Mary Louisa Leach (Douglas) ranging from 1863 to 1868. No records earlier than 1871 (i.e. baptism record or news articles) have been found.

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Analysis:

Ref	Desc.	Birth Date Given	Notes
D01236	1871 Census	Abt. 1864	Age 7 in 1871
D01334	1881 Census	Abt. 1865	Age 16 in 1881
D00838	Marriage record	Abt. 1864	Age 23 on 27 Dec 1887
D00769	1891 Census	Abt. 1865	Age 26 in 1891
D01952	Death Notice	Abt. 1864	Age 32 on 26 Feb 1896
D04954	Gravestone	20 October 1863	Possibly 1868
D01131	Burial Record	Abt. 1864	Age 32 on 26 Feb 1896

The gravestone inscription is difficult to read: it could be 1863 or 1868. A date of birth of 20 October 1863 would be consistent with the death notice and burial records, which would have been from about the same time. Her next oldest sibling was born about 1857, so a birth date of 1868 would be very unlikely.

Five of the records [D01236, D01952, D01131, D04954, D00838] are consistent with a birth date of 20 October 1863.

The remaining two are census records [D01334, D00760] and are only off by a year. The oldest census record is consistent with a date of birth of 20 October 1863.

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Conclusion:

The most likely date of birth for Mary Louisa Leach Douglas is 20 October 1863.

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Sources:

[D00769] 1891 census of Canada, Ontario, district 68, sub-district Owen Sound West Ward, Owen Sound, p. 8, family 39; RG 31; digital images, Ancestry.ca, Ancestry (accessed 13 Oct 2017). Rec. Date: 30 Sep 2017. Cit. Date: 13 Oct 2017.

[D00838] Ontario Archives of Ontario, Ontario, Canada Marriages, MS932; Reel: 63, 14388, Douglas-Leach; digital images, Ancestry.ca, "Ontario, Canada Marriages,"(accessed 16 Dec 2017). Rec. Date: 9 Sep 2017. Cit. Date: 16 Dec 2017.

[D01131] "Owen Sound Greenwood Cemetery Interments" (typescript, 2005), p. 81. Rec. Date: 6 May 2018. ID: D01131. Cit. Date: 1 Dec 2018.

[D01236] 1871 census of Canada, Ontario, district 38, sub-district 2-b, Trafalgar, p. 25, dwelling 91, family 91; RG 31; digital images (accessed 30 Mar 2019). Rec. Date: 4 Mar 2017. Cit. Date: 30 Mar 2019

[D01334] 1881 census of Canada, Ontario, district 150, Oakville, p. 50, dwelling 260, family 260; RG 31; digital images, Ancestry.ca (accessed 8 Jul 2018). Rec. Date: 17 Feb 2018. Cit. Date: 8 Jul 2018.

[D01952] Ontario Archives of Ontario, Ontario, Canada Deaths, MS935; Reel: 79: 593, 9512, 17; digital image, Ancestry.ca, "Ontario, Canada Deaths," Ancestry.ca (17 Mar 2019). Rec. Date: 3 Sep 2017. Cit. Date: 17 Mar 2019.

[D04954] Greenwood Cemetery (Owen Sound, Grey, Ontario), G-S9-1. Rec. Date: 1 Dec 2018. ID: D04954. Cit. Date: 1 Dec 2018.

William W. Jackson and the Orillia Steam Brewery

In my research on Thomas Williams and the Orillia Brewery I came across this interesting story about William W. Jackson and his time running the brewery:

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William W. Jackson and the Orillia Steam Brewery
At some time in the 1860s, Thomas Williams partnered with a man named George Jacques and the two leased out the brewery on 4 October 1865 to a man named William W. Jackson [D05652].



A few months after starting his lease on the Orillia Brewery, W.W. Jackson announced an agent in nearby Barrie to take orders [D05676]. He advertised beer for 20 cents per gallon, a pale bitter ale at 25 cents, a champagne ale at 30 cents and two varieties of London porter at 25 cents and 30 cents [D05676].



A few years after W.W. Jackson took over operations of the brewery, however, he ran into some problems with the local newspaper, the Orillia Expositor.

It started in May of 1869 when the Expositor reported that Jackson's brewery had been seized by the government in June of 1868 for not having paid duty on his malt [D05673]. The article reported that this incident had been covered up and that Jackson had been allowed to continue his operations despite not having paid the outstanding duty [D05673].

David Morrow, the inspector of revenue at the time, wrote a letter to the Expositor to explain that while he had initially found that duty had not been paid on the malt, further investigation found that the duty had, in fact, been paid. Furthermore, according to Morrow, the brewery's business had never been suspended during the investigation [D05673].

Although the letter from the former inspector seemed to have cleared his name, that didn't stop Jackson from firing back at the Expositor, writing a letter of his own. In it, he refers to the newspaper as "that scurrilous little sickly Scotch sheet, known as the Expositor" [D05865] and stated that:

"it is not the practice of gentlemen to enter into a newspaper controversy with puppets, and especially one who will at any time suffer himself to be moulded into the shape of an 'ass' for the purpose of pleasing that clique of rowdy and hypocritical editors to which he undoubtedly belongs" [D05865]

Then, in another letter to the Barrie Examiner Jackson implied that the editors of the Expositor would be in high appreciation of the government's attempts to shut his brewery down. [D05673]

These letters clearly riled up the editors of the Expositor who responded with a scathing article of their own. In it, they refer to Jackson as "the local Beau Brummel" and point out that in his letters he never actually refutes a single statement made by the Expositor [D05865]. According to the editors of the Expositor, Jackson was allowed to continue his operations due to the government's leniency rather than him actually having paid duty on the malt [D05865].

In response to Jackson's "it is not the practice of gentleman…" comment, the editors had their own advice for Mr. Jackson, informing him that:

"it is not the practice of gentlemen to attempt to defraud the Government by making false returns, and incorrect statements; it is not the practice of gentlemen to in any way be guilty of a breach of honour; it is not the practice of gentlemen to go about dressed like a tailor and hair-dresser's walking advertisement, while the tailor and hairdresser are unpaid; it is not the practice of gentlemen to contract debts they do not intend to pay, unless compelled to in a court of law; it is not the practice of gentlemen to assume supercilious airs of superiority in their intercourse with others" [D05865]

As to what actually happened - whether Jackson had paid the duty and was falsely accused by the Orillia Expositor or he was let off easily by the government - the truth may never be known. But we do know that Jackson kept operating the Orillia Steam Brewery at least into the 1870s.


Sources:
[D05652] Barrie Examiner, 5 Oct 1865, online archives (accessed 24 Feb 2019), p. 3, col. 2.

[D05673] Barrie Examiner, 10 Jun 1869, online archives (accessed 5 Mar 2019), p. 2, col. 5-6.

[D05676] Northern Advance, 4 Apr 1866, online archives (accessed 24 Feb 2019), p. 1, col. 3.

[D05865] Orillia Expositor, 9 Jul 1869, p. 1; digital images(accessed 9 Mar 2019).

Cotton, Larry. Whiskey and Wickedness - Simcoe County, Ontario, 2014. Self-published.

Thanks as well to Amy Lambertsen and the Orillia Public Library for the research assistance.