I have spent the last two weeks on an unintended leave of absence. As I was walking down 3 steps to my back yard I started to lose my balance. Thinking to catch myself, rather than fall and hit my head on the steps, I stepped off. The one patch of ground I landed on was not flat, of course. So I landed one legged, at an angle, and down I went. I knew I was in trouble as I heard the bone break.
Fortunately, I wasn't home alone and had help immediately. So on the ambulance ride to the hospital I'm thinking that I've seen plenty of people with casts on their legs and on crutches. There was no reason to think I wouldn't be home that night suitably adorned with a cast and two extra wooden legs. But it seems I don't do things the easy way. I had a tibia plateau fracture that would need surgery. Oh crap!
So on Jul 1, I was in surgery getting my leg pinned back together. It's a non-weight bearing injury which means NO weight for 6 weeks, maybe longer. Fora full week I was in an acute care facility and then transferred to a chronic care site. I have been here for 5 days.
I now have a lap top to use so can connected with everyone again. I didn't fall off the world, just off a few steps. It will be awhile before I can return to regular blogging. I have no idea when I will be discharged from here. I don't want to write about genealogy topics until I'm home where all my research is. My aim is for accuracy as much as possible.
So in the meantime, I will maybe offer up some vignettes of various things that don't rely on facts, just happy memories.
Now to care repaired so that some day, maybe this fall sometime, I can ride my horse again.
If you would like me to respond by email, please put your email address into a msg. for me.
Saturday, July 13, 2013
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
William and Isobella Carmichael had 8 children but I have
only been able to discover information on three of them. The others are still a
work in progress.
I touched briefly on James and Francis in the previous blog,
and now want to include one of their sisters, Isabel Carmichael. Isabel was b.
1757 in Aberlour , Scotland
and married James Murray from Mortlach ,
Scotland Nova Scotia .
Francis and Elizabeth Keillor had 9 children:
*Thompson (1796-1861), b. in Banff ,
d. in Bridgewater , NS ,
m. 1826 (in Lunenburg NS
Mary (1791-1874) m. Unknown McCabe
David (1799-?)
Robert (1800-?)
^^Isobel (1801-1864) m. c 1823 Robert Murray (1792-1884) – 8
children
James (1803-?)
John (1806-?)
Isaac (1808-1887) m. 1831 Jane Hamilton (1818-?) – 9
children
*Thompson and Barbara are my gt. gt. grandparents. Barbara’s grandparents arrived in Nova Scotia from Eppingen, Rhineland, Palatinate in Germany , an area that was once called Prussia . They
arrived here in 1751 as passengers on The
Pearl Lunenburg NS Switzerland ,
but it has been established that they were from Germany . It has been stated that
she was a physician, the first female doctor in Geneva , Switzerland Switzerland .
What is probably more accurate is that she was a mid-wife/nurse. The only known connection to Switzerland was
that Barbara’s grandmother, Anna Barbara Leigh (also spelled Ley) was b. in
that country in 1726. Barbara was born in Nova Scotia , a 2nd generation
from the immigrant Jacob Ulrich Hubley. She was born at St. Margaret’s Bay, a
large bay on the southern shore
of NS
Thompson and Barbara had 15 children, one who died at the
age 7, another who died at 19 and 5 others that seem to have no information
available about them. Thompson supported his family by teaching school and held
various posts in various places over the years. Often times he was posted in an
area where the residents were poor, thus they struggled for survival on a
teacher’s salary. In 1860, he petitioned the government for 100 acres of land,
stating his long service as a teacher and that he had taught 1600 students
during his 27 year teaching career. Thompson died in 1861 in Bridgewater ,
NS and is buried there in the Bridgewater Cemetery
Thompson and Barbara Carmichael had children:
Henry Edward (1827-bef. 1850)
Frederick Hubley (1830-1911) m. Jane Faulds (1833-1921) – 11
children
John George (1831-?) m. 1869 Terrisa Shaw (1850-?)
James Thomson (1832-1881 in Medway , MA
William (1833-1852)
Alexander Francis (1835-1927) m. 1867 Ellen Dillon
(1841-1922) – 7 children
Daniel (1837-?)
Charles (1839-1846)
Christine Isabella (1842-?) m. 1870 Robert Gordon (1841-1882)
– 7 children
Hannah C. (1845-1937) m. 1872 Thomas Gordon (1842-1940) – 4
children
Mary Jane (1847-1894) m. 1875 Thomas Hardy (1849-?)
Barbara (1849-?)
*Henry Gordon (1850-1910) m. 1873 Mary Ellen Scarr
(1853-1923) – 8 children
Andrew (1552-?)
Frederick Hubley Carmichael was a coal miner at a large mine
at Springhill , NS Frederick
lost his sons, Andrew, William and John, who had a wife and 4 children. Since Frederick couldn’t leave
his bed, the coffins were brought to his home, so that he might say good-by to
his sons before burial took place.
Frederick and Jane lost a fourth son about three years before this.
Their son James, was struck and killed by lightning as he stood in the doorway talking
to his mother. It would seem that bad luck followed this ill-fated family.
Frederick Hubley Carmichael
John was a sea Captain but there seems to be no information
about him, beyond his marriage to Terrisa Shaw.
James was a carpenter who moved his family to Medway MA in the
1870’s. Their two youngest children were born there. James died in 1881 of
Phthisis or a form of tuberculosis.
Alexander Francis was also a carpenter, having started on
that path building ships. He met and married his wife, Ellen Dillon in Nova Scotia , and soon
thereafter he also moved to Medway MA. By 1877, he had settled his family in Orr Springs CA Mendocino
CA Fort
Bragg , CA
Alexander and Ellen Dillon Carmichael and 5 of their children
Since this has become lengthy, I’m going to make a break
here and carry on with the rest of Thompson’s family in the next blog.
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
The Carmichaels, from Banffshire to Nova Scotia
The Carmichael clan has
been around for a long time, although for one hundred and sixty three years it
was dormant. There was no chief to take over the Clan, therefore, there could
be no clan. Today, Carmichael is a Clan all on
its own, having been registered in the Lyon Court Record book in 1984, when Sir
Richard Carmichael assumed the role of Chief. However, it is also considered a
Sept of the Clan Douglas. There is also a Clan Carmichael USA , established in 1991 to promote
the Clans’ heritage in the States.
As mentioned earlier, the Carmichaels
origins have been obscured by the mists of time. They could have been
indigenous Britons, or they could have been transplanted Norman nobles, many of
whom became the leading families of Scotland , such as Frasers, Gordons,
Hamiltons, Stewarts and Bruces. Whatever the origin might be, the residents
have been located in Lanark for approximately 800 years. They took their name
from the place where they lived Caer Mychel. In 1068, Queen Margaret
established seven churches, one near Tinto Hill and dedicated it to the
Archangel Michael. Caer Mychel, meaning church hill, soon became the surname of
the people who lived near it.
There were splits among the Clan members over the years. But
probably the biggest split was when they followed the Stewarts of Appin. This
Clan is considered the Clan of the Royal Stewarts, where the Stewarts of
Galloway are considered to be distant relatives. The reasons for following another
Clan are not known. It could have been for politics, power, wealth, marriages
or, perhaps, disagreements within the Carmichael Clan. Whatever the reason was, my ancestors ended
up in Banffshire.
The earliest known ancestor that has been found is James
Carmichael (1700-1751) who married Elspeth Harper (1696-1751). James’ parents are unknown and how this
branch of the Carmichael Clan was associated with the main branch in Lanark is
also unknown. James and Elspeth had 5 children, the oldest being William
(1717-1780). The others were: Patrick, Peter, Margaret and John. William m. (1749)
in Mortlach, Banffshire, Isobel Thompson (1730-1771). William’s sibling,
Patrick (1719-?), m. (1752) Mary Stronach (?-?), but the spouses of the others
remain unknown.
William and Isobel had 8 children and possibly a 9th,
which is unverified. One of his older sons, James (1755-1836), was b. in Aberlour
but had moved to Fisher’s Grant, Pictou Landing, Nova Scotia by 1788 when his son was born.
James’ brother, Francis, about 9 years younger, married and had two children in
Scotland , but moved to Pictou Landing , NS
James (1755-1836) m. Anne Unknown. They had:
James B. (1788-1860) m. 1812 Christian McKenzie. They had:
James W. (1819-1903) m.1851 Maria Ann McColl (?-1874)
John Robert (?-?)
The James Carmichael family became prominent in New Glasgow,
Nova Scotia. The original James was considered one of the founders of the town.
They became a well-known and successful ship building family.
James Carmichael 1819-1903
Francis (James’ younger brother) and Elizabeth Keillor had 9
children:
*Thompson (1796-1861), b. in Banff ,
d. in Bridgewater , NS ,
m. 1826 (in Lunenburg NS
Mary (1791-1874) m. Unknown McCabe
David 91799-?)
Robert (1800-?)
Isobel (1801-1864) m. c 18243 Robert Murray (1792-1884) – 8
children
James (1803-?)
John (1806-?)
Isaac (1808-1887) m. 1831 Jane Hamilton (1818-?) – 9
children
L. Anders Sandberg , “CARMICHAEL, JAMES WILLIAM,” in Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol.
13, University of Toronto/Université Laval, 2003–, accessed June 17, 2013, http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/carmichael_james_william_13E.html
Monday, June 10, 2013
Highland Scot or Lowland Scot?
I have always wondered if there was a line of demarcation to
separate the Highland Scot from the Lowland Scot. Not long ago, I came across a
map that answered my question and cleared up my misconceptions. My literal
interpretation of Highland meant, to me, that
those clans lived in the mountainous areas to the north and west of Scotland .
Knowing full well that our ancestors moved around with an amazing frequency, my
confusion only multiplied as I tried to follow my Scottish ancestors from place
to place and then finally to Nova
Scotia . The following map shows distinctly where the
highland meets the lowland.
The Clan Carmichael has its seat in Lanarkshire, which is
situated roughly between Glasgow and Edinburgh and to the south. Here the Carmichaels were known as the Earls of Hyndford. They
shared this area and were in close association with the Clan Douglas, from whom
they received their lands c. 1374-1384. This location definitely makes them a
member of the Lowland Scots.
Lanark was once known as Clydesdale because of the River
Clyde and its influence on the area. It is here that Flemish stallions were
brought to breed with the local stock mares and the beginnings of a bigger and
stronger breed of draft horse had its beginnings. But I get carried away. That
is another story for another time.
The Carmichaels are said to
have been in Lanark since the 13th century or earlier. It is noted
that there were at least two branches of Carmichaels ,
one was Carmichael of Carmichael and the other was Carmichael of East End and
Thankerton. It is believed there was a
separation from the senior line around 1500, when the new branch took up
residence at East End . In the 17th century,
during the civil wars, Lord Carmichael supported King Charles I, but his family
had split loyalties. Two of his sons were Royalists and another two supported
the parliamentarians. Sadly, the two sides fought at the Battle of Marston Moor
where one of the Royalist Carmichael sons was killed, another John Carmichael,
fighting against his older brothers. Clan Chief
Richard Carmichael was able to exchange some lands in 1989, adding the East End
lands to the Carmichael estate.
East End House
My first Carmichael doesn’t come from either of these places
but much farther north in Abelour, Banffshire, on the Moray
Firth . But before I tackle my direct ancestors, I think it would
be interesting to know more about the Clan in it’s earlier years. Sir John de
Carmichael received the charter of lands in Lanarkshire from Sir James Douglas,
in the late 14th century, as a reward for supporting the Douglas claim to the Scottish throne. This also
established him as the 1st Baron of Carmichael. Through other royal
charters and acquisitions, the estate grew to about 14,000 acres, at their
peak.
One of the Clan’s most notable figures is Sir John
Carmichael of Meadowflat, who later became the first Clan Chief of Carmichael . In addition to Carmichaels living at East End and Meadowflat, there were other families of the
name living at estates in Balmedie, Ponfeigh, Westraw, Skirling and Mauldslie. This
Sir John, different from the paragraph above, was the son of the 2nd
Baron Carmichael. Sir John was a knight and a warrior in the Scottish Army who
fought with the French against the English, during the Hundred Years’ War. In
1421, Sir John engaged in combat with the Duke of Clarence, brother of King Henry
V. He unhorsed the Duke, breaking his spear. With the death of the Duke, the
English army fled in leaderless disarray. The French granted Sir John the
crest, depicting the broken spear grasped by a gauntlet. The motto is Tout Jour
Prest (too zhure pray) which means Always Ready. This badge can be worn with
pride by all Carmichaels and by those who bear
allegiance to the Clan Chief.
Several of the following web sites have photos of the East End house and the Carmichael Estates.
Saturday, June 1, 2013
The Brodericks enter the 20th century
Matthew and Bridget Broderick established themselves in Lynn and raised their
family there. Lynn was a growing manufacturing
city on the North
Shore Boston , Revere Beach
and Lynn RR brought workers to Lynn
from points south, providing a critical service to the economy. It also
provided a connection to Boston
and its shopping district. Winthrop became a
summer resort town and Revere
Beach
My grandfather, Patrick John Broderick, (aka Jack) started
as a baggage master on the train when he was about 18 years old. It was on the
railroad that Jack met Alvina Chambers as she traveled to and from East Boston to visit relatives. They married, built a
house in Winthrop ,
on Locust St.
and raised a family of two girls and one boy. He was very active in the social
life of the railroad employees, helping to organize dances, picnics and other
activities. He would work for the railroad for 40 years, spending the last 20
or more, as a conductor.
Jack Broderick about 1912
Jack’s sister, Mary, remained in Lynn , married Larry Keating and had 2
daughters. Larry was a shoe salesman. He died at the age of 45 from TB. Their
first daughter died before her 1st birthday, while the youngest
daughter, Lillian, lived a long life and was a steadfast friend and cousin to
my mother. Mary died in 1930, at the age of 48, of a ruptured appendix.
Jack’s brother, Lawrence, never married and lived his life
with virtually no contact with the remainder of his family.
Now, I’ll open the closet door and let the skeleton out. My
grandfather was Irish Catholic, raised in a parochial school, observing all the
holy days and special days of the church. He was supposed to marry a nice Irish
Catholic girl and settle down. But my grandmother was a Baptist. Today we would
look at this as no problem to speak of. But at that time it was considered a
sin to marry outside the Catholic religion and would, for sure, send you
directly to hell. Jack’s mother would have nothing to do with this. Although
she had lost her first two sons, she turned her back on her oldest surviving
son and never spoke to him again. She made it clear that no one else in the
family was to have any contact with him or they would feel her wrath. This must
have been difficult for everyone and it must have left raw open wounds. When
Jack’s mother died 12 years later, a policeman came to the house to inform them
of her death. My mother was already in school when this happened and to her
surprise, she now had a grandfather, an aunt, two uncles and a cousin. The
family, except for Lawrence ,
was reunited and spent many happy years together. Lawrence died in 1958, living as a boarder in
a rooming house.
Because of this rift, it was difficult to find much
information to use as a starting point. We all thought my grandfather was the
oldest child and we knew he had two siblings, but there was scarcely anything
else. When his mother disowned him, he stopped talking about his family.
Researching Irish families is daunting enough as it is, without having the
added burden of a family rift. However,
what has been found has revealed a family that none of us knew. Since I was
less than a year old when my grandfather died, I now feel as though I know him in
a way even my mother never knew.
Jack Broderick about 1912
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
The Brodericks leave Ireland
*Caveat - This is not about the actor with this same last name.
Patrick Broderick was born in Ireland ,
probably in Galway , around 1815-1820. It has been determined that he married
Catherine Boyle in 1836 in Killeenadeema, Galway
and a John Broderick was a witness. I would like to think this John might be a
brother, but know it could be his father, uncle, cousin or some other distant
relative. This Broderick family lived in the Barony and Townland of Loughrea
and in the parish of Killeenadeema, but it isn’t known if they originated there. There were many Brodericks in Derrybrien as
well. Catherine’s parents were Joseph and Catherine (nee unknown) Boyle. Their
origins are still being researched as well.
They had at least 9 children.
They were:
Michael (bapt. Feb 15 1837) witnesses: Matt and Judy
Broderick
John (bapt. Aug 23 1838) witness: Lawrence Broderick
Bridget (bapt. Mar 13 1840) witnesses: John Broderick and
Anne Mooney
Matthew (bapt. Sep 10 1843) witnesses: James Boyle and
Judith Scully
Laurence (bapt. Sep 25 1844) no witnesses listed
James (bapt. Aug 3 1845) no witnesses listed
Mary (1847) no witnesses listed
Matthew (Apr 1848) no witnesses listed
Catherine (May 14 1850) no witnesses listed
It is hoped that someday it will be found that the baptismal
witnesses, Matt, Lawrence and John Broderick were brothers of Patrick. It is
hoped, also, to find that James Boyle was the brother of Catherine Boyle.
Michael Broderick remains a mystery. He did immigrate, he
did live in Boston and he did die in Boston , but not much of
anything else can be found on him. He doesn’t seem to be found on any census,
so there’s no record of where he lived. His death record indicates he was
single, a laborer and COD was cardiac hypertrophy on Feb 17 1909 and that he
was buried in Holy Cross Cemetery
in Malden MA
There are a plethora of John Brodericks – everywhere. So
far, nothing has been found that would point out one of them as the son of
Patrick and Catherine.
Bridget may have come to the States but nothing can be found
to specifically point her out. Like the name John, Bridget was used
frequently. If she married before
leaving Ireland , or if she
stayed in Ireland ,
I doubt that she’ll show up any time soon. John, James and Bridget may have
died young. I’m also hoping that the name Bridget turns out to be Patrick’s
mother’s name.
The first Matthew must have died some time before 1848 when
the 2nd Matthew was born, but no death record has been found for
him.
Lawrence, aka Laurence, arrived in New York City around the 19th of
March 1861, according to his Naturalization papers. He became a citizen on Feb
2 1874. In the 1870 census, Lawrence was age 25
and was found living in the home of Matthew Jordan, a cousin, in Hyde Park , MA Lawrence ’s
father. This does seem to fit, but it has not yet been verified. Lawrence married Catherine Jordan, sister of Matthew
Jordan in 1872 and they took up residence in Hyde Park
as well. They had 3 children, Catherine, b. 1875, Patrick Joseph, b. 1877 and Lawrence b. 1879. Sadly,
Lawrence, Sr., died in Aug 1879, at the age of 36, leaving his wife with three
very young children. The cause of death was traumatic peritonitis. This was
most likely caused by an injury on the job. It’s not known what kind of job he
had as the 1870 census only lists him as a laborer. In the 1880 census, Lawrence ’s widow,
Catherine is age 27 and her children are 5, 3 and 1, but what a nice surprise
to find another Catherine living with this family. Lawrence ’s mother, Catherine Boyle Broderick,
listed as a widow, has arrived on the scene and is now living with her son’s
widow. So sometime between the two census reports, mother Catherine Broderick
has immigrated and is living with this family. I’d like to think she had
arrived before Lawrence ’s
injury and had some time to enjoy being with him and his family.
James is another sibling with no information.
On Aug 22 1872, Mary Broderick married Patrick Burke in Hyde Park , MA Ireland . By the
1880 census, Mary was 33 years old and had given birth to six sons, John,
Patrick, Michael, Martin, Edward and Thomas.
They lived in Hyde Park ,
MA 87 Child St. in Hyde Park , MA
Matthew was born in Apr 1848 and was 17 when he arrived in Boston in Sep 1865,
according to his Naturalization papers. He became a citizen on Oct 15 1872. He married Bridget Sheehan in 1874 and they
too, lived in Hyde Park . They had at least 8
children, but have found names for only 7 of them. Their first son Patrick was
born in 1875 but only lived about 6 weeks, dying of cholera. Their second son,
Matthew, was born in 1876, but died at the age of 5 from dysentery. Patrick
John (aka Jack, my grandfather) was born in 1879 in Dorchester MA. Next came
Mary Ellen, b. 1881, then Catherine b. and d. 1884, Katie, b. and d. 1885 and Lawrence , b. 1887. Matthew,
Sr., followed the railroad. A. P. Blake of Hyde Park was one of a group of men
whose focus was building a railroad that would run from East Boston through Revere Beach
and into Lynn , The Boston, Revere Beach Hyde Park and elsewhere and the call was heard by Matthew
and others seeking honest work. His family moved north into East
Boston and by 1880, he was a section hand on the RR. When the loop through Winthrop was developed, he was responsible
for a great deal of the track that was laid in that town. Matthew had moved his
family to Lynn MA, which is where his son Lawrence was born. He remained there
for the next 30 years. By 1900, Matthew was called a Section Master for the RR.
1900 census held one more surprise as it listed an ‘adopted son’ named Michael
O’Brien. At the time of that discovery, there had been no idea who Matthew’s
sister Catherine had married. Since she
died in 1898, it became apparent that they had taken in her youngest son,
Michael. The research has not been done, but I’m inclined to believe that this
was not a formal, legal adoption.
Matthew Broderick sometime between 1913 & 1917
The youngest child of Patrick and Catherine Boyle Broderick (that
has been found) was Catherine (1850-1898). It was because of the adopted son
entry for Matthew on the 1900 census that a new search was begun. I can only
say that there were as many Catherine O’Briens as there were Catherine
Brodericks, both very popular names. She married Michael O’Brien in 1875. Three
children have been found for this couple:
Catherine (1877-?), Patrick (1881-1882) and Michael (1888-?). So far
I’ve found no record for Michael, Sr.’s death, but Catherine was listed as a
widow on her death record. She had been a washerwoman. I still need to track
down the daughter Catherine O’Brien, but that’s another mission.
Bridget died in 1912. At some point in his later work life,
Matthew had been hit by a switching engine and suffered a head injury. This was
to plague him until he was admitted to the Hawthorn
Hospital in Danvers , MA
Sunday, May 12, 2013
The Chambers family of NB, NS, NJ, MA
There is another family that may have moved to Nova Scotia from Westchester ,
NY Nova Scotia .
There are other possibilities. This family, the Chambers, may have come from MA
when the lands were opening up as free grants in Canada . At least one family by this
name went to Hants County , NS Scotland or Yorkshire ,
again, when the free land grants were available. So far nothing evidentiary has
come to light. It has also been suggested that this name was Chalmers,
originally, eventually becoming Chambers through a variety of misspellings and
mispronunciations.
My grandmother was born Alvina Chambers in New Brunswick . Her father was lost at sea
when she was 7 years old. Her Chambers grandparents had already moved or were
soon to move to Bath ME. USA .
The age of iron ships was booming and the building of wooden ships in Dorchester NB Dorchester
was obviously affected by this. Thus began a time when many young people left
for the Boston States, as it seemed to be called when you moved to New England . This must have been a horrible time for my
gt. grandmother, Rebecca Cole Chambers. She also had a son, Percy, who was a
year and 4 mos. old when his father was lost at sea. My grandmother told the
story that the insurance man was at the house when someone came from the docks
to tell Alexander that the Arabella
was ready to set sail and the tide was right. He had to leave in a hurry saying
he would sign the insurance papers when he got back. My gt. grandmother and
children stood on the hill and watched his ship sail over the horizon, never
knowing they would never see it or any of the people on board again. Because
the insurance papers had not been signed, Rebecca and her small children were
left with no means of income.
We don’t know how she managed as my grandmother was too
young to be aware of ‘grown-up’ things, but it would seem that Rebecca probably
received help from her family. She wasn’t alone in this crisis as her older
sister, Lucinda, who had married William E. Buck, also lost her husband on that
voyage. Life wasn’t done with hurling abuse at Rebecca, however. In April 1889,
her 2 ½ year old son died of Scarlet Fever. At some point, Rebecca and Alvina
went to Bath ME Sackville , NB. East Boston MA Winthrop , where my grandmother married and
raised a family.
What we know of the Chambers is, at best, incomplete. As
always I would love input from anyone who may have more information on this
family. Please tell me of any flaws or
inaccuracies that might be found.
What has become a work in progress, to be verified, changed,
edited, deleted begins with a man named Robert Chambers. He was probably alive
between 1750 and 1820. There is an entry in the Grantbook Database for a Robert
Chambers (Vol. A, page 139 Grant #92) showing the original province of
registration was Nova Scotia, registration date 1784/10/15 and New Brunswick
registration date 1784/12/27, for 200 acres. The location was in Meductic,
Sunbury Co. and the comment says Delancy’s 1st Battalion. There is
no way to determine if this is the Robert who married Margaret or a totally
different Robert. The Robert known as ‘the Old Soldier’ was married to a woman
named Margaret, nee unknown. It seems apparent they had a son named Samuel
(1783-1873), who was married to Sarah Jane McBurnie. Records show they had children all born in
NS:
*Robert (c. 1805-bef.1871)
James (1807-?) b. in Wallace Bridge
Samuel (1813-1896)
Daniel (1815-1881)
David (1820-?)
William (1821-?)
Edward (1821-?)
Catherine (1822-?)
John (1823-1904)
Thomas (1830-?)
Robert (1805-1871) m. Catherine whose last name I have seen
written three different ways. There is
Millard, Millar and Miller to choose from. The difficulty was that I found
families listed using all three spellings, all in the same time frame and all
in roughly the same location. Since the early census reports usually only
report head of household and not any names of children, I haven’t been able to
sort out which family name should be hers.
Robert and Catherine had children:
Edward
(1826-1918) m. 1852 Eliza Leggett (1826-1884) – 9 children
**James.
C. (1830-1913) m. 1852 Sarah McPherson
(1831-1913)
– 8 children
George (1834-?)
Margaret
(1838-?)
John (1839-?)
Sarah
(1842-?)
Robert (c.
1845-1891) m. 1870 Bridget Delahunt (1854-1891) -6 children
**James, C.
(1830-1913) m. 1852 Sarah McPherson (1831-1913)
James and Sarah settled in Dorchester
NB , sometime after 1855, as their first son,
Alexander, was b. in 1855 in Wallace ,
NS Bath ME. Dorchester so that James could work as a ship’s
carpenter.
James and Sarah had children:
***Alexander
(1855-1887 lost at sea) m. 1878 Rebecca Ellen Cole (1854-1944)
- 2 children
Emma
Jane (1860-?) m. 1883 Edwin Hicks (1857-?) – 2 children
Nancy
Lavinia (1863-?) m. 1882 Beverly Thomas Vincent (?-?) – 6 children
John
(1864-1864)
William
(1865- c. 1930) m. Elizabeth Blasland (?-?) 8 children
James
(1867-1869)
George
(1870-?)
Ella
May (1874-1946) m1. c. 1891 Percy George Turner – 2 children
m2. 1904 Walter Tavenor (1873 in NS –1957
in Hillsboro
Ella May Chambers Turner Tavenor and Rebecca Cole Chambers in Winthrop MA
As already mentioned, Alexander was lost at sea. Rebecca and
her daughter, Alvina, eventually made their way to Winthrop
MA , by way of Bath
ME and East
Boston MA Boston and possibly one in Winthrop . He owned property in Winthrop when the town
was just beginning to develop. Rebecca cleaned his offices and homes and
through him, she was able to purchase a home. Eventually she bought another
home with a large lot of land with a barn on it. This is the home my mother was
born in. The value of the piece of property today stands in the $900K to $1M.
If she only knew!!
A five year gap, between the births of children usually says
there was another child. If so, this child has not been found. Emma Jane is the
next in line and she married Edwin Hicks. They moved to NY ,
NY and it is reported that Emma died in Brooklyn , NY
Nancy Lavinia is known by Lavinia and rarely by Nancy . She married
Beverly Thomas Vincent and they moved to St.
John , NB.
William married Elizabeth, who was from Bath ME. Bath
in 1894 and the rest were born in NJ.
They lived in Jersey City ,
NJ
George left NB with the rest of his family and went to Bath ME. Winthrop for a while, then Boston . It is thought he
was married but no marriage records for him have been found.
Ella May (1874-1946) m. Percy George Turner about 1891. They
had one daughter in CT and another in ME. At some point after the second
daughter was born, Ella May learned that her husband was a bigamist. He was
already married and had another family. As the family story goes, she was
traumatized by all this, spent some time in Winthrop , but never told her two daughters
about the problems she faced. We then
believe she went to NJ where her brother Will was living in the late 1890’s. We
also believe that her parents, James and Sarah moved to NJ about the same time.
She married again in 1904 and had a son. They lived in Westfield NJ
John and James both died young. John was about 3 mos. old
and James was about a year and a half old. The brothers were buried in Dorchester , NB.
In Jul 1913 James went to Jersey City to visit his son Will. It’s
believed he got off the train at the wrong station and he attempted to cross
the tracks, became confused and was hit by a train. His funeral service was Jul 15 1913. The
Westfield Leader reported the death of Sarah on Aug 27 1913, saying she had
been ill for 2 years. It also stated that she was 82 years old, a native of Nova Scotia and that she
had been the mother of 13 children. So far only 8 children have been identified.
Since James and Sarah were married in 1852 and the first recorded child was
born in 1855, it’s possible that 2 children could have been born in that 3 year
gap. The names of these 5 children may never be known.
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