MOORE FAMILY  

                                                                          GENERATION #1

                                                                       JAMES MOORE JR. #1.5

 

19 Jan 2003

 

PARENTS

James Moore (Sr.) and Eleanor Sutton

            BORN

After 7 May in 1788 on Lot 16 (North) Long Reach, King's County New Brunswick , the fifth child (?) of "The Loyalist" James Moore.

            MARRIED

5 August 1811 to Rachel Holder at Long Reach (or perhaps at Trinity Anglican Church at Kingston both King's County.) It was a foggy, cloudy day (Ref Crawford Diaries)

            DIED

            In West Zorra Township or North Oxford Township , Oxford County Ontario

 The funeral was held on 7 May 1853 . (See reference "Diaries of Benjamin Crawford") Benjamin stated that his children attended the funeral that day. Benjamin lived on Lot 5 Concession 5 West Zorra Township. In his notation about James funeral, Benjamin Crawford noted James' age as 65 then wrote it over as 64. He also made reference in his diary on 11 April 1853 that James had a sore on this neck or back. (Speculation by RGM that the infection caused his death).

            BURIAL

            Location unknown, perhaps private lands or unmarked grave in a local cemetery.

 To date no records of burial or cemetery stones have been found for James or Rachel Moore.

My brother, Lloyd D. Moore wondered, after a visit to Long Reach in 1994, if there was any possibility that James and Rachel might have been returned to New Brunswick for burial either at Kingston or at Long Reach Cemeteries.

            CHILDREN

* Denotes a separate chapter on this person and their families  

The 3 oldest children may have been born in Westfield Parish King's County as they were baptised there.  Walter and the younger children were likely all born at Lot 16 North Long Reach as they were baptised at Holy Trinity Anglican Church in Kingston . (Ref Margaret Duplisea and Cleadie Barnett of Fredericton N.B.)  

#2.5.1 * Eleanor Ann Moore born 1812, She was married 20 January 1836 to Obadiah Seely

(her first cousin, son of Ann ( Nancy ) Moore #1.2 and Jerome Seely) at King's County.

She died in Oxford County , likely West Zorra Township Her funeral was held at St James Anglican Church Ingersoll Ontario on 15 June 1861  

#2.5.2 Elizabeth Mary Moore , Baptised Westfield Parish at the Anglican Church (King's County) in July 1814. Likely died before birth of Mary Elizabeth in 1823.  

#2.5.3 * Jane Moore, Baptised July 1814 with Elizabeth and was likely a twin to Elizabeth .

She was married about 1851 in West Zorra Township to Norval Oscar Britney son of Henry Beach Britney and Ann Charlotte Seely. (Ann Charlotte was a daughter of Ann ( Nancy ) Moore #1.2 and Jerome Seely). Jane died 4 October 1875 , Sarnia Township Lambton County Ontario.  

#2.5.4 * Walter Moore born 17 June 1816 . He married 21 February 1842 , at King's County to

Mary Seely, (his first cousin, an other daughter of Ann ( Nancy ) Moore #1.2 and Jerome Seely)

He died 18 March 1890 in Enniskillen Township , Lambton County Ontario.  

#2.5.5 * Sarah Holder Moore born 17 June 1819 She was married 15 September 1842 at Long Reach to John Britney (brother to Henry "Beach" Britney and son of John Britney Sr. and Tamar Seely who was a sister of Jerome Seely). She died 15 November 1889 in Enniskillen Township .  

#2.5.6 * Mary Elizabeth Moore born about 1823. She was deaf and dumb as a result of scarlet fever. (Reference 1860 census of Port Huron Village, St. Clair County Michigan). Her husband is unknown. She died after 1860, time and place unknown.  

#2.5.7 * Charlotte Rachel Moore born about 1825 (age given as 26 in 1851 census).

She married 15 September 1842 to Walter Seely, (son of Jerome Seely and Ann Moore #1.2).

She was the only one of James and Rachel's children that did not move to Ontario .

She died 21 December 1895 at New Bridge New Brunswick .  

#2.5.8 *  Robert James Moore born 15 March 1827 , married Catherine Avery on 27 February 1850 in West Zorra Township . He died 10 October 1899 at Gladwin City , Gladwin County Michigan.

RGM’s line thro his son James Robert Moore and his grandson Murray Marr Moore.  

#2.5.9 * Caroline Amelia Moore born 24 August 1828 , She married 1 May 1852 in West Zorra Township to  Silas William Thornton. She died 3 November 1893 at Harrisville, Alcona County Michigan.  

#2.5.10  Lydia Catherine Moore born about 1832 . She was baptised 9 October 1835 at Trinity Anglican Church, Kingston . In the 1851 census of West Oxford Township , she is listed as Lyda Moore age 19, born Canada and was living with Senica Lewis and his family .

He was listed as a innkeeper and it is likely that Lydia was working for him.

 In the 1861 census of the Town of Sarnia , Lambton County Ontario is listed  a "Lydia Moore, 

born New Brunswick age 29", it likely that she was working as a servant at that time also.

St Clair and Sanilac County Michigan marriages records have been checked. NO LYDIA ! (No further info to Aug 2000)  

#2.5.11 "Son" Moore born 2 December 1834 (Ref Crawford Diaries via Ruth Ellis Dec/94) 

This was likely the same child that was referred to in the Diaries on 7 Sept 1835 with notation "James Moores' child died" and on the 8th as "James Moore's child buried."  He was not likely baptised as Lydia was not baptised until 9 October 1835 .  

#2.5.12 * Susan Marie Moore born 9 March 1839 , (Rachel was 47 when Susan was born).

She married 1855 or early 1856 to Truman Thornton (brother of Silas Thornton) likely in West Zorra Township . She died 1 November 1909 in Au Sable Township. Iosco County , Michigan .  

             When James Moore Sr. died on 18 November 1820, James Jr. received under the terms of his father's will, the North one half (100 acres) of Lot 16 Long Reach Kingston Grant (the portion with the buildings), with the provision that he was to provide lodging etc. for his mother, Eleanor.

The other half of the lot went to James' younger sister, Eleanor Napier Moore when their mother died in 1823. (See Eleanor Moore #1.6 Branch)  (See James Moore, Founder for complete will)

Lot 16, Long Reach which was 200 acres in area was quite narrow and deep and sloped up fairly steeply from the St. John's River .  The back portion of the lot was very rough and wooded and the front quite sandy (in a dry year the crops would suffer from lack of moisture). (By 1985, the mid part of the Lot had been developed into a sand and gravel pit by the Province of New Brunswick.)

            Benjamin Crawford, a local magistrate in the area kept a diary for many years and through various references, James was by occasion, farmer, fisherman, carpenter and school teacher.

He was often involved in any number of law suits with his neighbours.

            It is likely that James was involved in the local Militia (army) (perhaps through the War of 1812) as in Crawford diaries of 20 October 1820 , Crawford wrote that James Moore had lost his Sargent’s rank  in a court martial although he gave no reason.

            By the early 1840's James had a hard time making ends meet even though some of his children were married. (Mortgages on Property and notations in Benjamin Crawford diary (See references).

            No doubt the 65 years of settlement had considerably lessened the availability of fish in

St John's River and wild game in the rough lands.  The winter climate of the area was harsh and the encouraging reports of fertile farmlands and economic opportunities in Ontario where several relatives and many friends had gone, convinced him to move to Ontario as well.

            James' brother-in-law, George William Holder was in West Zorra Township by 1835

 (George was a witness to a deed to Alanson Avery for Lot 2 Concession 4 West Zorra).

Also among the other Long Reach people to have moved were Benjamin Crawford (the writer of the diaries) who moved in 1836 and the Nichols family. Benjamin Crawford recorded in his diaries that James and family came to West Zorra on 12 May 1844 having left New Brunswick 20 days previously. (just how they came is not known but a popular way was ship from St. Johns to New York City, ship and barge via the Hudson River and the Erie Canal to perhaps Rochester, ship across Lake Ontario and the stage thro Hamilton and Brantford to Woodstock.

            In all likelihood accompanying James and his wife Rachel Holder, were their unmarried children Jane, Mary Elizabeth, Robert, Caroline , Lydia and Susan. Benjamin Crawford makes note of James, his wife Rachel and children Jane, Robert and Caroline in his dairy.

            James' other married children also came to Oxford County either with their parents or shortly thereafter.  Eleanor Ann and her husband Obadiah Seely came along with his father Jerome

{Jerome's wife Ann ( Nancy ) Moore and sister of James Moore had died in New Brunswick in 1825.)

Henry "Beach" Britney a son-in-law of Jerome's also had came with Obadiah Seely.

Beach and most of his family were in Oxford by October 1844. Also involved in the migration was James Moore's daughter Sarah and her husband John Britney who was an older brother of

Henry Britney and who arrived on 1 July 1845 .

            John and "Beach's" mother was  Tamar Seely Carrington who was Jerome Seely's sister.  Walter Moore and his wife Mary Seely came on 31 May 1845 .

            The only child of James and Rachel to remain in New Brunswick (other than Elizabeth Mary who likely died young) was Charlotte Rachel who with her husband Walter Seely and family remained there for the rest of their lives.

            (Note to reader, Confused!. You haven't seen anything yet! Even diagrams don't help.

There were many inter family marriages in the Moore-Seely-Britney family)

             Just where James settled in West Zorra is uncertain. In the "Zorra Papers" (see references)

A land sale is recorded from to James Moore from Samuel R. Hoyt for the East 1/2 of Lot 2 Concession 3 (100 acres). West Zorra Township and was dated 25 March 1847 . (no value or consideration was recorded in the deed).   

            It is quite likely that James lived on this lot from the time he arrived in West Zorra . (deeds in those days were not usually given until the mortgage was paid off). James transferred the his title to the property to his son Robert James on 21 March 1848 for 50 pounds. Witnesses to the transaction were James' daughter Jane Moore and the next door neighbour Alanson Avery. (also recorded in the "Zorra Papers").  As Robert did not marry Catherine Avery,  the daughter of Alanson Avery until February 1850, in all likelihood James continued to live on the property.

             James' son Walter had sold his interest in the West 1/2 of Lot 2 Concession 3 in June 1849 for one pound five shillings (The property must have been highly mortgaged). Walter then moved to the Seaforth area of Huron County Ontario before moving in 1856 to the Marysville area of

Port Huron Township ,  St. Clair County Michigan .

             The West Zorra assessment rolls of West Zorra for 1850 do not list James Moore although his sons Robert and Walter are listed as well as his son-in-law John Britney and his daughter

Caroline Moore Thornton (who married Silas Thornton).  The census of 1851 of West Zorra (PAC film C-971) (taken in June 1852 see references) listed James, together with his wife Rachel, daughters

Mary Elizabeth and Susan living in a frame house. The census listed a female death in the previous year. (Person still unknown as of July 2001). James and Rachel belonged to the Anglican Church of England and it is likely he was a member of Old St Paul 's Church in Woodstock whose priests from time to time provided chapel service to the outlying small communities. There are records of 2 family baptisms being preformed at Beachville in North Oxford Township .

             Very little written material has been found on the family, one of few notations being in the Commemorative Biographical Record of Lambton County  (Beer's 1906). In a sketch on James' grandson, Oscar Lebarron Britney (son of John and Sarah Britney) it was stated that James Moore died in Zorra Township and was born in Scotland . (James was born in New Brunswick , however his father James Sr. was born in Scotland )  

            Rachel Holder was born 23 December 1791 on Lot 2 (South) Long Reach. She was the second of nine children of Jacob Holder and Mary Sharp. Jacob was the son of John Holder and Rebecca Kastner.(Custer).  Jacob served with both the Buck's County ( Pennsylvania ) Volunteers and the

Queen's Rangers in the American Revolution. He was at the battle of Yorktown with

 General Cornwallis and was taken prisoner.  (For more info see Holder Family History by R.G.M)

             Mary Sharp was the daughter of Samuel Sharp and Priscilla Sutton. Samuel was a Loyalist from Woodbridge New Jersey and received for his service as a Loyalist, Lot (#2) on Long Reach of the Kingston Grant.  Later Jacob Holder purchased this lot from his father-in-law, with the property remaining in the Holder name to the present day.   

            Benjamin Crawford mentions in his diary on 12 May 1852 that Mrs. Moore went to see

Mrs. Nichols but no further references to Rachel have been found other than in the diary of Benjamin's son, George Crawford of North Oxford Township under date of 8 July 1860 ."Oald Moors wife died last night". (info via Ruth Ellis December 1993)

             This is the only record found to date of Rachel's death. She would have been 68 years old. One might suppose she was living with her eldest daughter Eleanor Ann and Eleanor's husband Obadiah Seely in West Zorra Township at the time of her death.

             James Moore and Rachel Holder had 11 Children (Generation #2) and 66 known grandchildren (Generation #3). Their first born grandchild was Augusta Seely in 1837 and was 2 years older than their youngest daughter Susan. James' youngest grandchild was Charles Thornton (Susan Moore youngest child) who was born in October 1871, 44 years later and nearly 20 years after James died.  A similar time span shows up in the 242 known great grandchildren (Generation #4), the first born was James Nichols who was Augusta Seely Nichol's son and was born in April 1860 and the youngest was likely Edna Byce who was Caroline Moore Thornton's grandchild who was born in 1912 and who died in 1985.  

                        The last member of Generation #4 (Great Grandchildren of James and Rachel) died in November 2000 She was Elizabeth Raymond Spivey born August 1903  daughter of Janet Moore Raymond and a granddaughter of Robert James Moore.  Before November 2001, the last 2 persons to died were Robert Karr age 93 who died 23  June 2000 at Chemainus Br. Columbia who was the grandson of Sarah Britney Holder and  John Albert Moore who was born October 1899, and who  died in May 1997 in Palm Springs Calif and was the son of George F. Moore and grandson of Robert James Moore.

   As of July 2001, 464 second great grandchildren have been identified. (a total of 784 known descendants to Generation #5)  

Notes

 The "James Moore" who lived on Lot 15 Concession 6 Burford Township, Brant County is a different James than ours.  The James Moore who took a lease from the Canada Company on the Lots West of the Mitchell Road in Blanshard Township Perth County is not "ours" even though the lot is next to a lot acquired by Albert Thornton, father of James Moore's son-in-laws Silas and Truman Thornton.}

            It is not believed as of November 1998 that the Moores who lived in Blanshard Township in 1842-3 under Canada Company leases are any relation although the names are the same as members of the our Moore family.

James Moore Lot 22 Concession 4 , John Moore  Lot 25 Concession 5

Walter Moore Senior Lot 23 Concession 5,

Walter Moore Jr. Lot 22 Concession 5

Robert Moore Lot 24 Concession 5, (Lots are 100 acres each, see References)  

  KNOWN DESCENDANTS OF JAMES MOORE AND RACHEL HOLDER

19 April  2003

CHILD	GR CHILD	GT GR CH	2ND GT GR	TOTAL	3GT GR
GENERATION #2	GEN #3	GEN #4	GEN #5		Gen#6
ELEANOR SEELY	12	48	59	120
ELIZ. MARY MOORE	-			1
JANE BRITNEY	2	14	26	43
WALTER MOORE	7	13	5	26
SARAH BRITNEY	10	42	117	170
MARY ELIZ. MOORE	1	8	17	27
CHARLOTTE SEELY	8	8	46	63
ROBT. JAMES MOORE	10	28	53	92	110
CAROLINE THORNTON	9	52	123	185	160
LYDIA CATH. MOORE	U/K			1
"SON' MOORE	--			1
SUSAN M. THORNTON	8	29	32	70	52
TOTAL                   12	67	242	478	799

   CHILDREN OF JAMES MOORE LISTING IN ORDER OF DEATH DATE  

CHILD	BORN	DIED	AGE
ELIZ MARY MOORE	bpt 1814	before 1823 at Long Reach N. B	U/K
"SON" MOORE	2 Dec 1834	7 September 1835 at Long Reach	9 mos
ELEANOR A. SEELY	1812	aft 1 July 1867 & before Jan 1869 West Zorra Ont.	55-57
LYDIA C. MOORE	c1832	lost after 1861 census in Town of Sarnia Ont.	29+
MARY EL. MOORE	c1823	lost after 1861 census Sarnia Township	38+
JANE BRITNEY	bpt 1814	4 October 1875 Sarnia Township	61
SARAH H. BRITNEY	17 June 1819	15 November 1889 Enniskillen Twp. Lambton Co.	70
WALTER MOORE	17 June 1816	18 March 1890 Enniskillen Twp	73
CAROLINE THORNTON	24 Aug 1828	21 December 1893 Alcona Co. Mich.	65
CHARLOTTE  R. SEELY	abt 1825	21 December 1895 New Bridge  N. Brunswick	70
ROBT. JAMES MOORE	15 Mar 1827	10 Oct 1899 Gladwin City Gladwin Cty. Mich	72
SUSAN M. THORNTON	9 Mar 1839	1 Nov 1909 Au Sable Iosco Cty. Mich	70

 

Henry BRITNEY born in New Brunswick

Feb 12 1843 ,the son of Henry and Ann

(Seeley) Britney ,living Lot 22 Concession 10

 Enniskillen township, one of the desirable

farms of the county. The grandpa-                                    Neither brother is married. The family                              

                                                               started as pioneers, with very limited means,                                                  

rents on both sides of be family came to                         but by their industry and honesty they are                     

New Brunswick from Pennsylvania during                     now among the prosperous farmers of the                      

the Revolutionary war, and were among the                  region, and very highly respected for their                      

settlers known as United Empire Loyalists,                    untiring efforts. They are people of solid                         

although themselves of German parentage.                    worth, good citizens and helpful neighbors,                   

Henry and Ann Britney left New Bruns-                         and their kindly disposition and upright                          

wick and settled on wild land at West Zorra,                 conduct have won them many friends.                             

near Woodstock, but after farming there                        Politically, Henry Britney is a Conserva-                          

For some years they moved in 1852 to En-                     tive ,but no aspirant for office, although he                    

niskillen township and once more started to                  and his brother have both been active in all                    

.redeem land from the wilderness. A house                    Measures tending to benefit the region. Re-                   

and stable of logs were built and in time                         ligiously the family are all members of the                       

the land was cleared and developed. Six-                        Seventh Day Adventists, and earnest                              

teen years later, in August, 1868, Henry                         workers in that church.                                                        

Britney died and his sons were left to carry                                                                                                                    

on the farm. The mother also passed away,                                                                                                                    

May 16,1872, only four years after her hus-                  

band's death. They were both members of                    

The English Church and politically Mr.                                                                                                                           

Britney was a Conservative. The family                         

Consisted of five sons and two daughters, as                                                                                                               

follows:

(1) Norval, born in New Brunswick in

 November, 1832 ,who married Miss                                                                                                                                 

Jane Moore, of New Brunswick, settled on                                                                                                                     

a farm in Enniskillen, Concession 8, and                                                                                                                          

died in 1896 ,leaving two daughters Annie                                                                                                                     

and Charlotte;

 (2)Jerome, born in 1834,                                                                                                                                                     

unmarried, who has always lived at home,                                                                                                                      

assisting in the management of the farm;                                                                                                                        

(3) Obediah, July, 1836, who married Miss                                                                                                                      

Tillie Moore, of Michigan, lives on his farm                                                                                                                   

in Enniskillen, Concession 4, and has four                                                                                                                      

children, William, James, Wallace and                                                                                                                             

Alice;

 (4) Melvina, May, 1839, who died                                                                                                                                    

at the age of sixteen; (5) Allen, who died                                                                                                                        

when three years old; (6) Sophie, 1844,                                                                                                                           

educated in the schools of Lambton County,                                                                                                                 

who remained at home, caring for her pa-                                                                                                                        

rents, and later as housekeeper for her                                                                                                                            

brother; and (7) Henry.                                                      

Henry Britney has, since the death of his                       ,                                                                                               

parents, shared with his brother Jerome the                                                                                                                   

care of the homestead, which has steadily                                                                                                                      

improved under. their hands .Besides clear-                                                                                                                   

ing much of the land themselves, they have                                                                                                                   

built a large house, good barns,.and added                                                                                                                    

general improvements until the place is now                                                                                                                  

 

KIMMERLY FAMILY REFERENCES

March/94

1.  The Old United Empire Loyalist List

as republished by Genealogical Publishing Baltimore Maryland 1984

Appendix "B" page 201

Andrew Kimmerly  Richmond Township Lennox County,

Soldier Royal Regiment of New York

Land Board Mecklenberg District 1790, 100 acres plus bounty of 200 acres, Kingston Provisions List 1786 A. McL 

Adam Bower page 141  Ernestown  Township Addington County and Fredericksburgh Township Lennox County also had land Matilda Township Stormont County, Soldier RRNY,

Provisions list Kingston 1786  

2.  Upper Canada Sons and Daughters of United Empire Loyalists Volume 1 pub 1981 by Mildred Ruth Livingstone of R.R. #1 Prescott Ont.

page 62 Edward Kimmerly Richmond Township (Lennox County) Yeoman son of Andrew Kimmerly Petition 28 Feb 1835

Fanny Kimmerly Fredericksburgh Township wife of David Kimmerly  daughter of John Hough  Petition 3 February 1843

SEELY REFERENCES  

REFERENCE #1  

George Crawford diaries via Ruth Ellis of Woodstock Dec/93

 December 29 1860 Oald Mr. Seely buried

(refers to Jerome Seely father of Obadiah Seely and husband of late

Ann (Nancy) Moore  

REFERENCE #2  

Obadiah Seely (listed as Seater)  1857-8 directory of Oxford County West Zorra Lot 4 Concession 3  

REFERENCE #3  

1861 WEST ZORRA CENSUS AGRICULTURAL CENSUS  (Mar/93)

Film PAC #C-1062

Obadiah Seely Lot 3 Concession 4, occupies 50 acres, 18 under cultivation  

Film PAC #C-1062

West Zorra  Census

(next to Joseph Crawford who lived East 1/2 Lot 2 Concession 4

West Zorra)

Obadiah Sealy age 50 born New Brunswick, farmer lived in a one family log house

Elinor Sealy age 49 born New Brunswick

Emily 17 born N.B.

Collingwood age 16 born Upper Canada

Byron 13, Gertrude 10, Thadeus 8, Arthur 7 all born U.C.

Jerome Sealy age 89 born New Brunswick  

REFERENCE #4  

 1861 census of North Oxford Twp film roll C-1060

 Division 1 page 12

Nicols, Elam 23

Augusta 24, Darcy age 1  

REFERENCE #5  

Ingersoll area Deaths Oxford County OGS publication

Mary E. Seely (unplaced) age 2 months page 13 March 1866

Ingersoll Rural Cemetery Records  

REFERENCE #6  

 1867 Directory of Oxford and Norfolk Counties

Collingwood Seely Lot 8 Concession 3 North Oxford Twp  

REFERENCE #7  

1871 census North Oxford Twp (Oxford County OGS publication)  

page 31 census (page 19 of index)

Seely Collingwood (written as Collinwood Sealy) age 24 Farmer born N.B. single Baptist  

Nichols (Page 28 of census page 17 of index)

Elam age 33 farmer born Ont no religion

Augusta 33 born N. B. (Seely daughter of Eleanor Ann Moore and Obadiah Seely)

James 10

Emerson 7 written as Hammersom (children born Ont.)  

REFERENCE #8  

1871 Census of Brunel Twp Muskoka District Ontario Canada Archives Film roll #C- 10023 Division 2 page 7 family #29

Obidare Seely age 60 born N.B. Farmer Church of England  Widower

Isabella age 30 Born Ontario

Emily age 26 born N.B.

Collingwood age 25 born Ontario

Byron age 22 Born Ont

Gertrude age 20 born Ont

Fadius (Thadius) age 18 born Ontario

Arthur age 16 born Ontario

Summary shows 600 acres, 1 house, 1 barn and 1 boat  

REFERENCE #9  

 1874-5 Fishers and Taylors Gazetteer  

Elam Nichols Lot 16 Concession 1 and 2 North Oxford Twp.

(Augusta Seely)  

ANDREWS FAMILY  

1. Ingersoll Chronicle Newspaper  25 November 1884  

Heading column 4 page 3  Beachville

A young man by the name of Andrews who was been in the employment of Mr. Caufield of Beachville was kicked in the stomach by a horse one day last week, receiving injuries which proved fatal. He was buried on Tuesday by the Foresters (Independent Order of Foresters) having lately become a member of that order.  His widow will receive $1000.  

Small notice 2 weeks previously

Died at Beachville on the 11th instant Thomas Andrews aged 49 years  

2. Obituary Woodstock Sentinel Review Nov 21 1884 Page 5 column 4  

Andrews At Beachville on the 11 th instant Thomas age 49 years  

3.   Ingersoll Chronicle Tuesday October 19 1897 Daily Edition

page 1 column 5

 Heading "Mrs. Thomas ANDREWS"  

The many friends of Mrs. Thomas Andrews of Skyes Street will regret to learn of her death which occurred Monday after an illness of 3 months. She was first taken ill with malaria fever which developed into afflictions of the heart with death resulting from heart failure.

Deceased was born in Nova Scotia.  She resided in Muskoka and Beachville for many years and came to Ingersol from the latter place about 6 years ago.  

 She had a large circle of fiends by whom she was held in the highest esteem. She leaves a family of 3 daughters and 2 sons, all grown up. The funeral takes place to the Beachville cemetery to-morrow P.M  at 2.30 P.M from the late residence. Services at the home at 2 o'clock.  

4. Vital Records of Ontario  

a. Thomas Andrews died 11 November 1884 West Oxford Twp. (Oxford county) Ref #014096/84  

b. Isabelle A. Andrews died 18 October 1897 in Ingersol

Ref #019232/97 (#3.6.1.4)  

c. Births  

Children of Thomas Andrews and Isabelle Ann Seely

1. Emily Ellen Andrews born North Oxford Twp., 28 April 1872

 Ref #012744/72    (#4.6.1.4.1) (Known as "Nell")  

2. Charles Wesley Andrews Born West Oxford Twp., 30 November 1873

Ref #219012/74 (#4.6.1.4.2)  

3. Bertha born unorganized Twp. (likely Brunel Twp. Muskoka District R.G.M.) 3 April 1875  Ref #012711/75 (#4.6.1.4.3)  

4. George Hart Andrews born unorganized Twp (likely Brunel)

17 January 1879  Ref #016582/79  

Not likely children of Thomas and Isabelle  

1. Thomas Andrews born unorganized Twp, 9 June 1881

Ref #019943/81  

2. Joseph Andrews born unorganized Twp., 12 July 1883

Ref #021204/83  

3. Cora May Odella Andrews born North Oxford Twp.

31 August 1882 Ref #025583/82  

Vital Records of Ontario checked re Deaths of Thomas, Joseph and Cora none found so it is questionable if they were children of Thomas and Isabelle Andrews  

5. Ingersoll Rural Cemetery Gravestone inscriptions as Publ by Oxford County OGS

Section B Row D #1

Cope/ Annie E. Cope/ beloved wife of /George H. Andrews/ 1860-1942/ Walter H. Cope 1858-1938  

6. BEACHVILLE CEMETERY Records  

Lot 8, Concession Broken Front, West Oxford Twp Oxford County Ont.

Row "C" plot #5

Rows number west to east, plots south to north

Thomas Andrews / died / Nov 11 1884 / 43 years & 10 mos / native of Berkshire / England  

there appear to be no other related persons in Cemetery (R.G.M.)  

7. 1871 CENSUS EAST NISSOURI TWP OXFORD COUNTY Roll #C-9912  

Thomas Andrews, widower, age 58, born England,

occupation stone mason, Regular Baptist, page 35 Division 1 of Twp., no family  

Wonder who he is ?  

FULLER , THORNTON, CRONK ETC  

1. 1850 North Oxford Twp Voters List Oxford Cty. OGS publication

James Cronk South 1/4 Lot 23 Concession 2

Benjamin Crawford Lot 14 Concession 2  

2. 1871  North Oxford File re Cronks census see Mary Jane Avery file  

3.George W. Holder Canning Post Office Lot 5 Concession 1 Blenheim Twp.  

4.West Zorra 1850 Assessments UWO Regional Library Microfilm  

Joseph Crawford Lot 2 Concession 4    89 Pounds 16 shillings  

George Grout Lot 17 Concession 1         45 Pounds 16 shillings  

David Fuller Lot 2 Concession 8              19 Pounds

Ira Fuller  Lot 2 Concession 8               19 Pounds

(also there in 1861 agricultural census see below)  

Calvin Thornton Lot 5 Concession 6           14 Pounds

Jonathon Thornton Lot 1 Concession 7          46 Pounds

Able Williams     Lot 1 Concession 6          16 Pounds

Elijah Williams  Lot 1 Concession 6            3 Pounds

Anna Williams Lot 1 Concession 6

              Lot 4 Concession 6          

              Lot 1 Concession 7                all 136 pounds  

5. 1861 West Zorra Census PAC Film # C-1061

Division #1 page #13

Ira Fuller age 66 born US Baptist yeoman Lives frame house

family has 5 males and 2 females

Rebecca Fuller born New Brunswick age 64

Horace Fuller age 39

James Fuller age 25

Lafette ? Fuller age 22 (Female?)

Jerome Fuller age 20

Juliant A. Fuller 18

in the agricultural census Film #C-1062

Ira owns 50 Acres in Lot 2 Concession 8 West Zorra

6. Tremaines Map shows I. Fuller owning North East 1/4 of lot 2 Concession 8 West Zorra

 ROBERT G. MOORE

                                                                           E-MAIL rmoore@wwdc.com  

                                                                          MOORE  FAMILY                                            

                                                              CHILDREN OF JAMES MOORE JR.#1.5  

                                                              ROBERT JAMES MOORE BRANCH #2.5.8

 

May 2003

 

            PARENTS                                           

James Moore Jr. (#1.5) and Rachel Holder  

            BORN

15 March 1827 at Lot 16 (North) Long Reach King's County New Brunswick.

 Baptized 9 October 1835 at Trinity Anglican Church Kingston New Brunswick.

            MARRIED      

27 February 1850 to Catherine Avery in West Zorra Township Oxford County Ontario by

Rev. George Turner of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Witnesses were Norval Britney

(soon to marry Robert's sister Jane) and George Bailey.

            DIED

10 October 1899 of a heart attack age 72 at Gladwin City Gladwin County Michigan.

(He had heart problems for a number of years before he died)

            BURIED

Moore-Campbell family plot Highland Cemetery Gladwin City.  The plot is in the west section ( west side of Cemetery Road) and is in the most westerly row of that section of the Cemetery about midway north-south   Marker reads "1827 ROBT. J. MOORE 1899"

            CHILDREN

#3.5.8.1 * Adelaide Rachel Moore born 28 January 1851 in West Zorra Township.

She was married 11 April 1871 at Lexington, Sanilac County Michigan to William Arthur Marin.

She died 5 November 1937 at Crookston Minnesota.  

#3.5.8.2 * George Frederick Moore born 23 August 1853 in West Zorra Township.

He was married  18 January 1877 at Kalamazoo Michigan to Jeanette (Jennie) Murphy.

He died 14 February 1934 at Tacoma Washington.  

#3.5.8.3 * Nancy (Nina) Maria Moore born 28 February 1855 in West Zorra Township.

(This birth date seems the most logical of a number of dates recorded for her birth, although I feel that it is likely she was born a few months earlier in late 1854) She was married 10 September 1884 at Gladwin Township, Gladwin County to David B. Wright. She died 21 April 1904 at Gladwin City.        .

#3.5.8.4 * James Robert (Jim) Moore born 19 November 1855 in West Zorra Township.

He was married 29 October 1891 at Brantford Ontario to Sophia Marr. He died 3 December 1938, South Dumfries Township Brant County Ontario. (Grandfather to RGM)  

#3.5.8.5 * Alanson (Lant) Avery Moore born 24 October 1858 likely in West Zorra Township.

He was married 9 February 1888 at Detroit Michigan to Margaret Harrup.

He died 20 November 1928 at Detroit.  

#3.5.8.6 * Mary Jane Moore born 1 April 1861 in West Zorra Township.

She was married 23 January 1889, Gladwin Township to Robert Boyd Wright.

She died 30 July 1946 at Spokane, Washington State.  

#3.5.8.7 * Elizabeth (Eliza) Moore born 12 October 1863 at the hamlet of Beachville,

West Oxford Township, Oxford County Ontario.

She was married 20 January 1890 to Thomas Glashan Campbell at Gladwin City.

She died 29 December 1940 at Gladwin.  

#3.5.8.8 * Eleanor (Ella) Lillian Moore born 13 June 1866 at Beachville.

She was married 24 April 1909 to Franklin P. Knopp at Hillyard (Spokane) Washington State.

She died 26 September 1946 at Spokane.  

#3.5.8.9 * Janet (Jennie) Elsey Moore born 8 May 1870 at Beachville.

She was married 7 July 1892 at Gladwin City to Milford Elmer Raymond.

She died 16 November 1939 at Portland Oregon.  

#3.5.8.10 Catherine O. (Katie) Moore born 18 September 1871 at Beachville.

She died 4 July 1887 likely of appendicitis at Gladwin City. She was buried Highland Cemetery, Gladwin in family Plot. Grave marker inscribed "1872 KATIE 1887". 

Her obit states however, that she was buried in Grout Town(ship) Cemetery, Section # 10 Grout Township. (It is presumed the remains were moved to Highland Cemetery at a later time.)

Although the cemetery at that time may have been referred to as Grout Township Cemetery)  

#3.5.8.11 "Son" Moore. Family stories says there was a son who lived only a very short time. Robert's obituary in October 1899 states he had 11 children 9 of whom were living at that time, however Katie's obituary in July of 1887 says that she was the youngest of 10 children, the rest of whom were living.  

     Robert accompanied his parents James and Rachel Moore and sisters Mary Elizabeth, Jane, Caroline, Susan and likely Lydia when they came to West Zorra Township Oxford County Ontario arriving on 12 May 1844 from Long Reach King's County New Brunswick. 

            The James Moores settled on the East 1/2 of Lot 2 Concession 3 West Zorra Township.

 On 21 March 1848 Robert bought this property from his father James Moore for 50 Pounds.. Witnesses to the deed were Alanson Avery (his future father-in-law) and his sister Jane Moore (#2.5.3).  This property is shown in Ontario Land patents as “A” type grant (assigment)for East ½

 Lot 2 Concession 3 Zorra and recorded as Record Group 01 Series C15 Vol 3 page 450.

             In 1850 the property was assessed for taxation purposes at 88 pounds by the Township of West Zorra  Robert's brother Walter was assessed at 4 pounds for a portion of the West 1/2 of Lot 1

Concession 3 West Zorra.

            There was a world wide depression which started in 1849 and continued into the early 1850's,  The depression, of course, seriously affected the fortunes of the Moore family who were more carpenters and builders than farmers as the demand for any new building fell off.

This depression caused Robert's brother Walter and Robert's brother in laws (The Averys) to look elsewhere other than Oxford County for economic opportunities.  (See Avery Family history by RGM)

            It is very likely that Robert's parents James and Rachel Moore continued to live on Lot 2 Concession 3 West Zorra after Robert had purchased it. After James died in May 1853, it is likely that Rachel lived with her daughter Eleanor Ann and son-in-law Obadiah Seely.

            As with many of the Moores (before and since the 1850's), it appears that Robert was more of a carpenter and builder than a farmer, likely even when he purchased his father's farm in 1848.

             The 1851 West Zorra census lists Robert, his wife Catherine and daughter,  Rachel A., age 1 (subsequently known as Adelaide) and gives his occupation as a carpenter. Robert's older brother Walter was a carpenter and it is likely that they worked together until Walter moved to the Seaforth area of Huron County Ontario in early 1852. In December of 1853 Robert sold his property in Lot 2 Concession 3 for 150 pounds to James McKenzie. The witness was Alanson Avery who by this time was Robert's father-in-law. It is not likely that Robert moved very far from this property, in fact he may have lived, next door on his father-in-laws property, (Lot 1 Concession 3) as he is listed next to Alanson Avery in the 1861 West Zorra census. By that time Robert and Catherine had 5 children.

             The Crimean War between Russia and England broke out in 1854 and rapid inflation and speculation were rampant throughout Upper Canada. There was tendency to speculate in both land and commodities because of the rapidly increasing prices brought about by the economic boom created by the War. Many people received "shares" in the Building Societies which promised great profits and in return the Building Society took a mortgage on their properties. The whole country soon fell into a depression when the Crimean war ended in 1856. A major British bank failed in September 1856 and by January 1857 the depression had reached Canada. The shares of the Building Companies became worthless and the Building Society tried to salavage what little they could by foreclosing on properties that were only worth a fraction of the initial mortgages on them. Wheat prices that had reached $2.64 a bushel in 1856 plummeted. The population of London Ontario fell from 16,00 in 1855 to 11,000 in 1859 and by 1859, 75% of the local businesses had gone bankrupt. (Orlo Miller's "This Was London The First Two Centuries")  A “Killer” frost in Oxford County in July of 1858 added to the people’s woes as much of that summer crops were wiped out.

            Work for a builders like Robert Moore became very difficult to come by and he likely had to move wherever he could find work.  In the obituary of his fifth child Alanson Moore, it states that Alanson was born in Sarnia in October 1858.

             The depression following the Crimean war was erased by the economic boom in Ontario caused by the American Civil War that started in June of 1861 and continued to the surrender of the South at Appomattox Court House in April of 1865. The war resulted in increased prosperity in Ontario and demand for Canadian industrial goods and agricultural products. The price of farm land rose once again. The Union States needed Ontario's agricultural and industrial products to replace those of their own products which had been previously produced by the young men now in the Union Army and to supply the armyof the North. Many Ontarians joined the Union Army which depleted the local labour supply again driving up prices and increasing inflation.  

            Sometime between April of 1861 when Mary Jane was born (child #6) and Eliza (child #7) was born in October of 1863, the family moved to the Hamlet of Beachville in West Oxford Township Oxford County. In the 1867 Gazetteer of Oxford and Norfolk counties, Robert was living on part of Lot 8 in the Broken Front Concession of West Oxford (Beachville), Occupation carpenter.  He lived on Church Street on Lot 28 on the north side of street. Church Street is just north of Oxford County Road Number 9 which runs between Ingersoll and Woodstock through Beachville.

            For some reason the this property was registered in the name of his father-in-law Alanson Avery. Just why is not known, unless Robert had been also caught up by the hard times and was being pressed by creditors or if as a builder any liability he might have would not then be taken against the family home.

  My mother (Marcella Moore) remembered Eliza Moore Campbell from Gladwin visiting her brother Jim Moore in the early 1930's and being taken to Beachville by my father Murray. Eliza was able to point out the old house that she was born in on Church Street.

            The family complete with their 9 children was still in Beachville when the 1871 census of

West Oxford Township was taken. Daughter, Adelaide was still listed as the date of the 1871 census was 4 April 1871 and she was not married in Lexington, Sanilac County Michigan until a week later on 11 April 1871. Daughter Katie was not born yet.  

            Although the Moores were Anglican (Episcopal), they were listed in the 1871 census as Baptist (It seems that Catherine remained a Baptist until she died.)

            The short term Civil War economic stimulus was soon dashed by the depression that followed the war in the late 1860's and through 1870's, as the American demand for Canadian agricultural and manufactured goods hit ground ZERO.  During this period many people left Ontario for the cheaper land and pine forests and lumber mills of Michigan and the "free land" of the American Midwest.

            Robert's brother Walter had left Ontario and was in Marysville St. Clair County Michigan by 1856. Several of Robert's sisters had moved as well. Sister Sarah and her husband John Britney were in Port Huron Township, St. Clair County by February 1855 before returning to Lambton County Ontario by 1861. Sisters Caroline and Susan and their husbands, Silas and Truman Thornton were in Port Huron area before the early 1860's.  Although his brother-in-law Obadiah Seely did not go to the U.S., he had lost his property in the depression following the Crimean war and had fared little better through the 1860's. He left Oxford County and had gone to the Muskoka District of Ontario by 1868 receiving free land there from the Provincial government  Several of Catherine's brothers had also gone to United States.  Alanson Avery (Jr.) after having fought for the North in the Civil War with the Missouri Engineers, had taken up homestead land in the "Flint Hills" area east of Wichita in Woodson County, Kansas.  Four other Avery brothers were farming in Sanilac County Michigan. Orin was in Lexington Township by 1865, Daniel in Worth Township by November 1871, Henry in Worth Township by 1872 and John was in Sanilac Township by 1872 as well.

             Not only had Robert's daughter Adelaide moved to Michigan but also his sons George, James and Alanson moved to Michigan as soon as they were old enough to leave home, likely stopping off with their uncles in Sanilac County to work at carpentry, farming or lumbering.  By 1877 son George was married and by 1878 was working as a carpenter in Cadillac Michigan.

            Robert, himself, joined the exodus and moved to Gladwin County Michigan being there in April 1879 or perhaps the fall before as the "Gladwin Record" (newspaper) notes in mid July 1879 that he was taking off his (winter) wheat crop which was of excellent quality and yielded 30 bushels

per acre. In April of 1879 Robert contracted to build a barn 45 feet by 60 feet in Gladwin Township for Gladwin County Treasurer Glidden. He "raised the barn in mid June with an "old Fashioned bee" and "The Record" states that very piece went into place without a mistake!

            Just why Robert decided to go to Gladwin County is not known as neither he nor his wife Catherine had relatives there.  He might have had friends there or he may have felt there was more opportunity there for a builder with his skills as the County was just opening up.

            Robert and his sons Alanson and James were three of the petitioners to create the Township of Secord and separate it from Gladwin Township in April 1879. (just why is not known as the Moores continued to live in Gladwin Township)."The Record" of August 1879 stated that Catherine Moore and his 6 girls had joined him and his 2 sons (James and Alanson) who were already there. There was no mention of son George in the article, (he and his family show up in the 1880 census of Cadillac Wexford county Michigan)  Eliza had been hired the previous July to teach school in the Greer school district of Gladwin County although she would not have been 16 years old until October. 

            By mid 1879, daughter Adelaide and her husband William Marin and their 4 children were already on their way further west having moved from Lexington Village in Sanilac County to Polk County near Crookston Minnesota.  A couple of years earlier their hotel in Manton, Wexford County had burned burnt down without any insurance on it and the Marins had been forced to declare bankruptcy. It appears that they went west for a new "start".

            Robert had purchased (in the name of Catherine) the South West 1/4 (146 acres) of Section 19 Gladwin Township (date presently unknown as no original deed to Catherine has been found in either Gladwin or Midland county (parent county of Gladwin) County Register of Deeds office).

The property was on the north side of the Ridge Road (about 2 miles north of Gladwin City) and about 3/4 of a mile east of present Michigan State highway M-18.

(The present postal address is 2648 Ridge Road, Gladwin).

            The 1880 census of Galdwin Township lists the Moore family Robert J., age 52, carpenter born in New Brunswick as were his parents and Catherine his wife age 48 born Canada with parents born in New York State. He had 6 of his daughters living at home, Nancy age 25 teaching school,

Mary age 19 teaching school, Eliza age 16 teaching school, Ella age 13 going to school, Jennie age 11 going to school and Katie age 8.

            By census time, James and Alanson had gone  to farm in Polk County Minnesota. They stayed there for varying lengths of time usually coming back to work in the lumber (Pine) bush in the winter.

            Robert built a large frame 2 story house in 1883 on his farm very  close to the Ridge Road.

The house is in much the same condition today, 115 years,  as when it was built.  Robert built many houses and barns in the Gladwin area in the next few years.

            In the winter, Robert and sons James and Alanson took on contracts to "bank" pine logs on the river banks of the numerous river systems in the Gladwin County area. The spring floods carried the logs to the lumber mills on Saginaw Bay.  A winter with a lack of snow on which to "sled" or "skid" logs would be a disaster, and as well there would no spring floods to “carry” the logs to the mills.  In 1884-5, the Moores took on a contract in Sage Township for Butman and Rust, a large lumber company.  During the winter of 1885-6, some 190 million board feet of logs were cut and banked in the Gladwin area, 2/3 of it in the Tittabawassee River systems basin. Robert and his sons had a number of contracts for log banking that winter, including 1,450,000 feet into the Little Sugar River (Gladwin Township) and an other 1,400,000 feet into the Little Tobacco River (Grout Township) for the firm of Hamilton, McClure and Company. This job started out as only 800,000 feet the previous fall.  Although the Moores banked some of their own logs, most were owned by the large mills and jobbers who ran their own cutting operation or "lumber camps". In the winter of 1886-7 they contracted to bank some 2 and one-half million feet from Sections 9 and 10 in Hay Township, Gladwin County  again on the Tittabawassee River for Hamilton, McClure and Company. However when they "broke camp" in early April 1887, they had managed to bank only some one and one-half million feet. (reasons unknown).

            1887 seems to have marked the end of the major banking contract work by the Moores.

Sons, Jim and Lant had purchased the "Elias Steele" farm (which was later known as the McClure farm) and had turned their hand to farming.  The farm was about a mile and one half north of Gladwin City on the Gladwin and Sage Townline (present Michigan Highway #M-18) and was just south of the Ridge  Road.  Although the brothers continued to do some "banking work" for the next few years, it appears that their father Robert was not involved.

            In August 1886, Robert was chosen chairman, of a largely attended public meeting at Gladwin, which had been called to try to induce the Michigan Central Railroad to construct a branch line though Gladwin  The Gladwin Record quoted Robert as saying that he thought it better to give the railroad $10,000 than to pay $15,000 toward a plank road which would have to be kept up by the public while the railroad would keep up their own road. Robert was appointed to act with the local committee to get local commitments. It appears that the committee was successful as in less than a year, in July 1887 a branch line of the Michigan Central Railroad reached Gladwin.  Although logging still continued to be "Big Business", many of the logs were now shipped by the railroad to the Saginaw mills rather than by the River systems.

            Gladwin County was a wilderness when the Moores moved there in 1879 and the pioneers were often forced to rely on wild game for food. Catherine was the crack shot of the family and did most of the game hunting. (deer, bear, rabbits etc)

            Although the Gladwin Record states that daughter Katie died in Gladwin City in July 1887 it is unlikely that the Moores lived in Gladwin City at that time. 

            Robert had sold the west 70 acres of his farm for $1200 in April 1884.  By 1890, 35 acres of the remaining 75 acres had been cleared while the rest was still in trees and bush. He sold this remainder including the buildings (house and barns) in September 1895 for $2500.

            The Gladwin Record stated that Robert and Catherine would then move to Gladwin City and by October, they had moved into their son-in-laws David Wright's house in Gladwin. This move was likely prompted by a paralytic stroke to Robert in the spring of 1894. The "Record" noted that he was unable to leave his house until July of that year.

            After Robert's  youngest surviving daughter, Janet married in July 1892, Ella was the only child to live at home with her parents.  In 1896 Catherine purchased 210 Maple Street in Gladwin and Ella continued to live with Robert and Catherine (Lots 7 and 8 in Block 12).

 The Gladwin area was changing. In less than 20 years the "Pine Boom" was over. In the winter of 1895-6 only 12 million feet of logs were "driven" on the Tittabawasse River compared to 700 million feet less than 10 years before.

            Retail prices had stabilized thanks to road and rail links to Detroit and Chicago. Butter was

14 cents a pound, eggs were 12 cents a dozen,  potatoes 25 cents a bushel, hay $10 a ton, oats 20 cents a bushel and wheat 80 cents a bushel.

            In February 1897 Catherine Moore's brother, Henry Avery died in Butman Township leaving a wife and 8 children.  He had moved to Gladwin County a few years previously from Sanilac County and other than Alanson Avery (an other one of Catherine's brothers) who lived in retirement for a few years with Robert's daughter Nina Wright around 1900, he was the only relative of either Robert or Catherine to come to Gladwin county.

            After recovering from his stroke Robert continued his building and in October of 1897 organized a 40 foot by 60 foot barn for his son-in-law, David Wright. The Record stated the barn raising went like clockwork. Robert was a member of the Board of County Supervisors (known today as County Commissioners or Councilors) on at least 2 occasions, once in February of 1884, when he was appointed to fill a vacancy for Gladwin Township until the following April and again for a term during which he died.

            Robert's uncle George William Holder, age 85, visited the Moores in October 1898.

George was a much younger brother of Robert's mother Rachel Holder. To mark the occasion a picture was taken by a local photographer and included Robert, George Holder, Jim Moore, son of Robert and Murray Moore, son of Jim and grandson of Robert, then about 21 months old.

This the only known picture of Robert, in fact of the his whole generation, as no pictures of any of his sisters or his brother Walter have been located.  Robert was nearly if not 6 feet tall and weighed about 190 lbs, of stocky build with blue eyes.

            Robert was ill in bed very likely with a heart condition for much of the summer of 1899 before dying on 10 October.  Robert's obituary in the Gladwin Record of October 1899 in part states

            "He was born in New Brunswick, moved to Oxford County Ontario at 17 years of age.

He was married in 1850 to Catherine Avery, and had 11 children 9 of whom survive him, He belonged to the Episcopal church and was of Scottish descent. He was a gentleman with the highest sense of honour and enjoyed the confidence and esteem of his many acquaintances. His funeral was largely attended and as a token of esteem the Board of Supervisors of which he had been a member, attended in a body. Five years ago he was stricken with paralysis and he had since not been in good health".

            Robert's wife Catherine Avery was born 17 November 1830 in West Zorra Township, and was the 8th child of Alanson Avery and Nancy (Annetje) Eglin.  (no second name has been found for Catherine but she likely had one). The Averys farmed on Lot 2 Concession 4 West Zorra having moved from the Town of Benson, Hamilton County, New York State about 1822. Alanson later purchased and farmed a portion of Lot 1 Concession 3 West Zorra. (See Avery Family history By RGM for more details)

            In 1903 Catherine's son-in-law Rob Wright and wife Mary Jane decided to homestead a timber claim in Idaho.  Catherine and Ella (who was still living with her mother) decided to do likewise leaving Gladwin mid June. Catherine took up a timber claim in Bonner County (formerly Kootenai County). The claim was in Section 10, Township 55 Range 4 West, about one-half mile south of the

Pend Oreille River, about 4 miles south west of Laclede.  

                        Rob and Mary Jane Wright had a claim in Section 6 Township 54, Range 3 West about 6 miles south east of Catherine's. Ella Moore also had a homestead claim about 5 miles away in Section #4.

            Catherine was joined in Idaho by her grand daughter Margaret (Mona) Wright in 1905.

Mona's mother Nina Wright had died the year before of cancer and as Mona was only 14 years old, someone would have to look after her. The two used to walk to Ella's every 2 weeks with Mona carrying a 22 calibre rifle (she was a crack shot as was Catherine).  Catherine carried a hatchet and wore all the clothes she thought she would need for the stay removing the excess when they got to Ella's. (Catherine was about 75 years old at the time.) Catherine's shack on the claim had windows but no glass or covering over them.  

            One night Mona woke up and saw a cougar in the window and when she screamed the cougar jumped into the shack instead of out and Catherine took after it with a hatchet until the cougar ran out the door. When Mona became sick in 1907, her father, David Wright, went west and took her back to Gladwin Township with him.

            When Catherine returned for a visit to Gladwin in January 1907, the "Record " noted that

Mrs. Moore, then 77, was suffering greatly from rheumatism. She evidently felt that she was going to live in the West for good as in August 1907 she sold her house at 210 Maple street to Wilhelmine Wegner. For a quite number of years after the Wegners purchased the property a grave stone inscribed " Katy" remained stored in an old barn on the property. Catherine had refused to have it erected in Highland Cemetery as it should have been inscribed "Katie". In all likelihood it was purchased at the same time that Catherine purchased the marker for her husband Robert's grave.

(My mother Marcella Reynolds Moore as a child used to play with Alma Wegner, Wilhelmine's daughter and remembered seeing it many times.)

            Both Catherine and Mona repeated the cowboys' tale of the "Side Hill Trianthers" a strange animal that had 2 long legs on one side of its body and two short ones on the other so that it could graze on the mountain side. The animals could not go up and down the mountains but only around them.

             In the fall of 1992, Warren Raymond, grandson of Janet Raymond and a great grandson of Catherine visited Catherine's original claim and stated that much of the claim was taken up by the Horn Mountain, a rocky high prominence that rose about 900 feet above the surrounding area and now would be of little commercial value. About 1908 the Wrights, Catherine and Ella traded their homestead claim for property in Hillyard Washington State (now part of Spokane) Robert Wright built a house for himself at East 3004 Wabash street and lived there for the rest of his life. Catherine and her daughter Ella, who had married Franklin Knopp on 24 April 1909 at Rob and Mary Wright's house in Hillyard, had a house built at East 3003 Broad Street which was in the same block as the Wrights. (Houses numbered off Broad and Wabash streets).

            Catherine returned to the East to visit family on occasions, the last likely being in the fall of 1921 when at the age of 91 she made the rounds visiting her children and brother Orin in Sanilac County and even traveling as far as Ontario to see her son Jim who by that time was living in Brant County, 5 miles north of Paris. It was on one of these trips that a railroad derailment occurred and Ella who was traveling with her, shouted "Oh, mother there been a terrible wreck "Granny's reply "Well, we ain't hurt!" (Thanks to Warren Raymond).

            Catherine was quite short, only slight over 5 foot tall and slight, a 103 lb bundle of dynamite who was described by her descendants, as a real character. She was in all likelihood, the family PUSH!  She insisted on a good education, all her grown daughters were school teachers,

She expected all her children to be community leaders, was proud of her heritage and family.  

            She was always keenly interested in local affairs and politics.  She was proud of the fact she was a great-great-grandmother. She remained a Baptist even though her husband Robert was a member of the Episcopal (Anglican) Church. In an interview for an article in the "Spokane Chronicle" newspaper of 19 November 1925 (her 95 th birthday) she pointed out with pride that she was a descendant of John Elliot who was an early Connecticut settler and that her grandfather Frederick Avery of Connecticut was a drummer boy with George Washington's army at the age of 15 and had received a ride with General Washington on his horse on a particularly hot day.

            She wasn't much concerned about the past but was looking to the future to her 100th birthday. She remained interested in politics and said that she was busy trying to show her son-in-law Frank Knopp "the error of his ways" as he voted Democrat and she was a strong Republican and always voted the "straight ticket".

            (The "Granny" stories told by family members are legion and many are recited through out her children’s family histories).  A year or so later in 1926, Catherine took sick and Ella and Mary Jane concerned that their mother was about to pass on, called in the family. When all arrived including sons Lant from Detroit and Jim from Ontario, (for some reason Eliza was not present),

            Catherine decided it would be a good time for a family picture and called in the photographer to take pictures in the parlour. Catherine had a good time visiting, recovered from her illness and went on for a few more years. At the picture taking were her children, Adelaide, George, Jim, Alanson, Mary Jane, Ella and Janet. (absent Nina who died in 1904, Katie who died in 1888 and Eliza). Another picture was taken with her children and the rest of the family and included son-in-laws Rob Wright and Frank Knopp, grandchildren Elizabeth Raymond, Eric Wright, Eleanor Wright and her husband

Henry Van Inwegen, Rex Raymond and his wife Peggy and their children Janet and Warren Raymond.

            Catherine died 20 February 1928 at her home East 3003 Broad Street Hillyard (Spokane) Washington State, age 97 of old age and heart failure brought on by influenza. Her body was brought back to Gladwin by train by her daughters for the funeral from her daughter Eliza Campbell's home in Gladwin. She was buried February 25 1928 in the Moore-Campbell Plot in Highland Cemetery Gladwin.

            Her Marker reads   "1830 CATHERINE MOORE 1928"

Her obituary says in part" In Spokane, Mrs. Moore became known as the "Grand Old Lady" (of Spokane) and was active and in good healthy to the time of her death. She was given high credit for her many accomplishments."

            Ella and Mary Jane stayed at their sister Eliza's in Gladwin until the end of March visiting with friends including their sister-in-law Mrs J.R. (Sophia) Moore who was driven to Gladwin by her son Murray Moore. (Gladwin Record)   (Catherine's brother Alanson lived to be 93 and her brother Orin lived to be 101 and many of the Avery descendants have lived long lives)

The last of  Robert’s and Catherine’s 28 grandchildren (Generation #4) passed in November 2000.  Elizabeth Raymond Spivey was  97 and was  the youngest child of Robert and Catherine’s youngest child, Janet Moore Raymond. She was the last of the entire generation that included all of her

Grandfather Robert’s (Moore) and Grandmother Catharine’s (Avery) siblings.           

             It is believed the "Robert James Moore" with the wife Catherine who sold Lot 26 Concession 1 West Zorra in March of 1855 is not our Robert Moore. In 1863 a "Robert Moore" of Lot 33 Concession 9 East Nissouri Township (Oxford county) is listed in the Township Polling records (Voters List). It is likely that these  2 "Robert Moores" are the same person and are not ours.)

  It is also believed that the Robert Moore who leased Lot 24 Concession 5 in Blanshard Township Perth County in 1843 from the Canada Company was not our "Robert Moore" in spite of the fact that a John Moore, James Moore and Walter Moore Senior and Junior leased adjacent lots.

 KNOWN DESCENDANTS OF ROBERT JAMES MOORE AND CATHERINE AVERY                                                                                     

July 6 2001

Generation #3	Generation #4	Generation #5	Generation #6	Total
Adelaide R. Marin	4	4	8	17
George F. Moore	10	20	30	61
Nina Wright	3	10	13	27
James R. Moore	1	3	11	16
Alanson A. Moore	2	1	5	9
Mary Jane Wright	4	5	17	27
Eliza Campbell	1	5	12	19
Janet Raymond	3	5	14	23
Eleanor Knopp	NONE			1
Catherine Moore	NONE			1
Total            10	28	53	110	201

 

ROBERT G. MOORE

E-MAIL rmoore@wwdc.com

MOORE FAMILY

 

  ROBERT JAMES MOORE BRANCH

JAMES ROBERT MOORE #3.5.8.4

 

23 July 2001

            PARENTS

Robert James Moore (#2.5.8) and Catherine Avery

            BORN

19 November 1855 in West Zorra Township, Oxford County, Ontario

            MARRIED

29 October 1891 at Brantford Brant County Ontario to Sophia Marr (likely at Central Presbyterian Church) The witnesses were William A. Thomson who was Sophia's uncle and Jennie Hyslop who was likely a friend of Sophia's. When married he stated his occupation was a farmer age 35.

Sophia gave her age as 22.

            DIED

3  December 1938 at the home of his son Murray Moore Lot 26 Concession 6 South Dumfries Township, Brant County after a series of heart attacks over a several week period.

            BURIED

Funeral services were held from the residence and he was buried in the Glen Morris United Church Cemetery, South Dumfries Township in the Moore Plot.

            CHILDREN

#4.5.8.4.1 * Murray Marr Moore born 18 January 1896, Section #25 Sage Township Gladwin County Michigan (See separate section)

            GRANDCHILDREN

Robert Grant Moore born 25 December 1929,

Wallace Glen Moore born 1 January 1932,

Lloyd Davis Moore born 30 January 1936  

            James Robert Moore was named after his father Robert. In the 1861 census of West Zorra Township, he is referred to as Robert. When he was a young man he changed his name to

James Robert Moore to avoid confusion with his father. In 1862 when he was about 7 years old,

the Moore family moved to the hamlet of Beachville in West Oxford Township (Oxford County).

In the 1871 census of West Oxford Township, he was listed in Beachville with the family.

            Although some of his sisters had at least a partial high school education it is very doubtful that he did as the closest high schools were Ingersoll and Woodstock. He learned the carpentry trade from his father and likely working in Oxford County area and the Sarnia Ontario area. He also likely worked as a farm labourer and carpenter in Sanilac County Michigan with his uncles Orin, John, Henry and Daniel Avery. His uncle Walter Moore who lived at Marysville near Port Huron Michigan, was also a carpenter.  

            The 1900 census of Grout Township indicates that he went to Michigan in 1874 (age 18) and became a naturalized citizen of the U.S. sometime before 1900.  (whether he actually did or not is not known as no records have been found.)

            He was the third member of the family to go to Michigan, his oldest sister Adelaide having married  William Marin in Sanilac County in 1871 and his older brother George having been in Michigan since 1871. He was in Gladwin County in April 1879 when he along with his father Robert and his brother Alanson, signed a petition regarding the creation of Secord Township separating it from Gladwin Township. He was still there in the August 1879 when the Gladwin Record noted that his mother, Catherine Moore and Jim's 6 sisters had moved from Beachville to join Robert Moore and his 2 sons Alanson and Jim. Robert had purchased 146 acres in the South West 1/4 of Section 19 on the Ridge Road in Gladwin Township.

            In 1880, both Jim and his brother Alanson followed their sister Adelaide and her husband William Marin to Polk County Minnesota ,in the 1880 census of the county they wre both listed as carpenters in one of several townships of “153 North Row “ (It is not know which one as there is no range West number given where they filed land claims on farm land property about

 10 miles south east of Crookston in KertsonvilleTownship.

            The Marins and their 4 children had gone to Minnesota in 1879 after being forced to declare bankruptcy after their hotel in Manton, Wexford County Michigan had burned down several years previously. The Marins had filed a claim on South East 1/4 of Section 24 Fairfax township which kitty cornered Section 30 of Kerstonville Twp

            It is likely that Jim and Alanson where able to travel by train from Saginaw Michigan thro Detroit and Chicago to St. Paul Minnesota, as by the end of the 1870's the rail line from St Paul's through Fargo, North Dakota and Crookston to Winnipeg had been completed.

            James appears to have taken up land in Section 30 Township 149 North and Range 45 West,

Kertsonville Township, Polk County. He acquired by cash sale from the State of Minnesota the

North East 1/4 of the section (160 acres) (Document #4325 in the Crookston, Polk County Land office). The document was dated 23 September 1889 which was much after he returned to Michigan to live on a permanent basis so it was likely that he did not get final title until that time. This land was adjacent to the land acquired by his brother Alanson Moore (South west 1/4 of Section 30) in 1883 and within approx ½ mile of the land acquired by his brother in law, William Marin in Section 24 Fairfax Township. Jim’s property was about 7 miles south east of Crookston on Highway 102 and then a mile east.

            Here the Moore brothers farmed, living for the most part with the Marins. Both Jim and Alanson lived with the Marins through the winter of 1880-81. For entertainment through the winter the Marins along with Jim and Alanson held dances at their house. The Moores were quite musical and Adelaide had an organ which she had saved from the hotel fire.

            Alanson returned to Gladwin to stay in December 1883. Jim went back to Gladwin in the fall of 1885 and returned to Polk County in the spring of 1886 and after that crop year, ended his Minnesota experiment returning to Gladwin County for good.  (The info about Jim and Alanson living with the Marins is taken from an article entitled "Sod House and Prairie Schooners" written by Adelaide Moore Marin's son, William Arthur Marin and published by the Minnesota Historical Society of St. Paul in their publication "Minnesota History" Volume 12 # 2 June 1931).  (The complete "Memories of William Marin" are possession of the Minnesota Historical Society)

            The pine lumber boom was at its height in Gladwin County from 1885/7 and in the winter of 1885-6, some 190 million board feet of pine logs were cut and banked to be carried by the spring floods to saw mills on Saginaw Bay by the Tittabawassee River system. During the winter of 1885-86, Jim, his brother Alanson and their father Robert had a contract to bank some 1.45 million board feet of logs on the Little Sugar River (Gladwin Township) and 1.4 million board feet on the Little Tobacco River (Grout Township)  

            In the spring of 1887, Jim and Alanson purchased a portion of the East part of Section 25

Sage Township (200 acres) and the North West 1/4 of Section 30 Gladwin Township (147 acres) being a total of 347 acres for $10,000. This property was on the Sage-Gladwin Townline (present highway M-18) about 2 miles north of Gladwin just south of the Ridge Road.

            The farm was known as the Elias Steele farm and afterwards as the McClure Farm. (Reference page 15 of the Centennial Souvenir Edition of the Gladwin Record of August 3-9 1975 which states that the Moore brothers owned and worked the Elias Steele farm for some years)

            The brothers planted the spring crop of 1887 on their new farm. They continued farming in the summer and lumbering in the winter. In 1889 they were the largest producer of wheat in Sage Township with 500 bushels from 20 acres and 660 bushels of oats from 22 acres.  By May 1890 they had cleared 120 acres and that year produced 750 bushels of wheat from 27 acres on the Gladwin Township portion of the property.

            Jim met his future wife Sophie while visiting his uncle Silas Avery (his mother’s brother) and his cousin  Cornelius (Neely) Avery who lived on the Pleasant Ridge Road in Brantford Township Brant County near Brantford Ontario.  The Averys were good friends of the Marrs who had moved to 6 Duke Street in Brantford after William Marr had been killed when he fell into a dye vat at a woollen mill at Streetsville Ontario in 1883.

            Alanson had married in February of 1888 and after Jim married in October of 1891 the brothers agreed to split their farm.  Alanson had rented out his portion of the farm in 1890-2 and lived in Gladwin Village. Alanson had been in 2 serious accidents in 1891, one when he was kicked in the leg by a horse and the other when he was thrown from a buggy when the horse ran away.

            The farm was split in the spring of 1892 with Jim receiving the portion in Sage Township.

At that time the farm buildings were located on the west side of M-18 about 1/3 of a mile south of the Ridge Road  (Ruins remain 1993).  It was here that Jim's son Murray was born in January 1896.

By 1894 Alanson and his family had moved to Detroit.  In April of 1897 Jim and Alanson Moore sold their entire 396 acre farms in Sage and Gladwin Townships to Harriet and W. R. Hamilton.

Jim then purchased a farm in June of 1897 in Grout Township being part of  North East 1/4 of

Section #21 (north of present Plude Road).

             The 15 year period before 1900 was relatively prosperous and with Gladwin County flourishing form the pine log boom there was a demand for cleared land for farming.

The Moore family, Jim, Alanson and their sisters Eliza Campbell and Nina and Mary Jane Wright were involved in numerous property exchanges. For the most part they did not live on these properties and it is rather doubtful that they made much money in the process as there is no indication of any of the family becoming rich while in Gladwin County.

            In April 1901, Jim sold his farm in Section # 21 Grout and purchased the West ½ and the South East 1/4 of the South West 1/4 of Section 14 in Grout Township (120 acres). The property was at the corner of the Woods and the McCulloch Roads with the building facing onto the Woods Road.

The soil in this part of Grout Township is quite sandy and poor growing conditions could be expected in a dry year, in one such year Jim's dry humor showed itself when he told the Gladwin Record that "the clover crop was so short that the bumblebees had to get down on their knees to reach into the clover blossoms."  (The farm is presently (1994) being used a dairy farm with most of the farm into hay and pasture with only the heavier land being cropped)

            The 1910 census of Grout Township taken in April 1910 listed the family as James R. age 54, born Canada, to the US in 1873, married 19 years, occupation general farmer, his wife Sophia age 40 and to US in 1894 (actually 1891) his son Murray age 14.

            Prompted by a desire to be closer to transportation to the cattle and grain markets of Detroit and Buffalo, Jim returned to Ontario purchasing a 100 acre farm in Townsend Township,

Norfolk County in December 1910. (East ½ of Lot 23 Concession 3).  The farm was about 6 miles from Waterford on the mainline of the Michigan Central Railroad which ran between Detroit and Buffalo. On the farm was a relatively new brick house and large barns.  The farm was about 12 miles south of Brantford where his mother-in-law Janet Marr lived.  

            However, Jim found that the land was a very heavy clay soil (Haldimand clay) and unless the land was extensively drained using clay tile, farming was almost impossible, particularly in a wet spring.  One of Jim's sayings was "A dry year will scare you to death but a wet year will starve you to death,"  He decided again to move this time back to a lighter land, more like the type he had farmed in Grout Township.

            In May 1917, he sold the Townsend Township property and purchased 198 acres in Lots 26 and 27 Concession 6 South Dumfries Township, Brant County. This property on present Highway #24A was about 12 miles north of Brantford which was still close to Sophia's family.

Best of all no tile drainage was required on any part of the farm.

             Sophie named the farm "BROADVIEW" as the view from the farmhouse was unobstructed by natural features and woods in most directions. The farm remains in the" MOORE" name and is now being operated by Jim's great grandson son Alan Moore. and his father Lloyd Moore

            By this time Jim was 61 years old and farm help was required on an intermittent basis.

Extra farm help was particularly needed in 1917-18 when his son Murray was called into the Canadian army (although it appears that Murray as given a considerable amount of farm leave). Extra help was again required in 1927 when Murray spent the summer in Detroit building houses for his uncle Alanson who was developing a subdivision to meet the demand for housing for new immigrants from Europe.

            A fire, early in the morning on 3 December 1927 destroyed the Moore's large 10 room frame house, back kitchen and woodshed. The house which dated from the 1846-7 era was burnt to the ground  The fire started in the attic from an overheated stove pipe and destroyed all the family possession except an old sewing machine.  Son Murray could not save anything else as it took all his efforts to get his mother who had had a heart attack out of the house.   A new 2 storey red brick house was built the following summer and fall. The house was regarded as of the most modern design with indoor plumbing and electricity (the house was one of the first in the area to have electricity as the Hydro line had been constructed north of Paris in the summer of 1928).

            Jim, being a excellent finish carpenter did much of the house finishing himself as well as making the kitchen cupboards etc., in the following year or so. By the late 1920's and 30's,

his son Murray did most of the farming as well as operating a custom grain threshing business with a neighbour.

            Jim was a friendly, kind person who was well liked by most of his neighbours.  He said what he thought on any subject and may not have been regarded by some as the most diplomatic person in the community.  He talked very little about his relatives to his son and daughter-in-law, although he visited his brother Alanson in Detroit and even went to Spokane, Washington State to visit his mother and sisters in the late 1920's. He used to write letters to his sisters Adelaide and Ella. Together with his wife Sophia and son Murray, the family returned to Gladwin area on a number of occasions to visit his sister Eliza Campbell, his old neighbours, U.G. and Lydia Reynolds and other friends.

            His sisters Eliza Campbell visited him in Ontario as well as his sister Ella Knapp of Spokane and his niece Eleanor Wright Van Inwegan from Tacoma Washington. When Eleanor came up to him she said "So you are my Uncle Jim". His reply was "That depends on who you are" (Told by Jim's daughter-in-law Marcella Moore). I (RGM) also remember a visit about 1935 or 36 by his niece

Isabel (Isey) Wright Dubois from Portland Oregon.

            About the only first cousin he would visit was Neely Avery who continued to live on the Pleasant Ridge Road (I, RGM remember visiting there with my father and grandfather in the mid 1930's).

            Jim was quite musical as were most of the Moores. He liked to play the harmonica (mouth organ) and sing.  One of his songs that I remember had to do with the Fenian Raids into Canada which occurred about 1864 when he would have been 9 or 10 years old. The thrust of the song was that while the Fenians might conquer Nissouri (the township west of the Moore home) they would not be able to conquer "Zorra" (Township) where the Moores lived. Jim as well as being an accomplished carpenter as well as being an expert horseman and a shrewd horse trader.  He was considered a good farmer.  

            The Gladwin Record in its 27 March 1913 issue quotes one of his former Grout Township neighbours, Ben Raymond who had visited Jim in Townsend Township as saying "Jim Moore has a fine farm near Hartford Ontario to which he moved from Gladwin a few years ago. He lives in a large brick house on one of the best farms in a highly developed agricultural region where barns as well as houses are modern and substantial. The latest labour saving methods prevail such as milking with machines, (Hydro) power for these and similar appliances being brought from Niagara Falls.

            Mr. Raymond says it will be necessary for Michigan farmers to move fast to keep pace with their Canadian neighbours."

            Jim liked children and liked to rock and sing his grandchildren to sleep. He had an ability to calm a child (anyone's child), very rapidly and would take a crying child and have it calmed in no time. (Quote Marcella Moore).Though he could drive a car, I never remember him doing so.

            He would on occasion go to church (the Presbyterian Church which became a United Church in Glen Morris) but again I do not remember him doing so as some one would have to stay with his wife Sophia who was bed ridden by a stroke. 

            I do not think he bothered to take out Canadian citizenship again as he likely felt he was still a Canadian citizen as he had been born in Canada. (again he may have never taken out American citizenship)

            He liked to garden and did most of it, I remember him doing light work around the barn such as feeding the chickens and gathering eggs. He helped around the house washing and drying dishes etc as well as feeding and caring for his wife Sophie.  He had a dry sense of humor, perhaps best displayed when he gave his sister, Eliza a wedding present of 2 cords of firewood and a pig.

(He apparently said that he was concerned as to her future welfare as she was marrying a lawyer.)

            Jim was about 5 foot 11 inches with blue eyes and was slighter than his brothers George and Alanson, weighing at most about 180 pounds.  

             Jim's wife Sophia was the daughter of William Marr and Janet Thomson of Ancaster, Wentworth County Ontario. (Janet's parents were George Thomson, who was born in Glasgow Scotland and Sophie Keeler who was born in Wood Dalling Parish, Norfolk County England).

Sophie was born 29 April 1869 at Hespler (now Cambridge) Waterloo County Ontario, where her father was employed as a dyer for a Woollen Mill (Dominion Woollens and Worsteds in later years).

            Sophie was the oldest of 3 daughters, the others being Georgette (Jettie) and Helen. 

Her mother was a dressmaker and had taken up the trade after her husband William died on

2 May 1883 of tetanus after being scalded when he fell into a hot dye vat at the Toronto Woollen Mills at Streetsville Toronto Township Peel County Ontario.

            After his death the family had moved back to Ancaster and then to 6 Duke Street in Brantford in August 1885 where dress making work for Janet was more plentiful. Janet died 30 November 1932 at the age of 92. In the 1891 census of Brantford, Sophia was listed as a teacher.

            Sophia had suffered a heart attack about 1927 and in mid 1928 suffered a stroke and could not attend her son Murray's wedding in Gladwin on 20 June 1928.  She was completely bedridden from 1930-31 (after an other stroke) until she died on 17 April 1935 (12 days short of her 65th birthday) at her home in South Dumfries Township. She was buried in the Moore Plot in the Glen Morris Cemetery. (I, RGM, do not remember her out of bed)  She was about 5 foot 6 inches tall and quite heavy set. She liked animals especially dogs and horses. She was an avid reader especially anything to do with Scottish History. She was also a perpetual conversationalist. Her daughter in law, Marcella Reynolds Moore remembered that when Sophia used to visit her mother, Lydia Reynolds, the conversation would last for hours, even all day. (The two families lived about a half mile apart in Section 14 and 23 Grout Township Gladwin county from 1904 until December 1910 when the Moores moved back to Ontario.) They kept in touch by letter and would visit, whenever Jim Moore would go to the Gladwin area to visit his sister Eliza Campbell and his other friends.

            Neither Sophie nor her sisters had middle names. The Marrs were members of the Presbyterian church (In Brantford they attended Central Presbyterian Church). (For more information on the Marr family see the Thomson-Marr and Keeler Family History by RGM)

29 December 2002  

MOORE FAMILY  

Picture taken 1926 in Spokane Washington. Granny Moore was dying and family called to bedside

She denied that she was dying and called the photographer for a family picture.

Granny did not die until 1928 age 97  

Front Row L to R

Mary Jane Wright 6^th child 1861-1946 lived Spokane

George Moore 2^nd child 1853-1934 lived Tacoma Washington

Granny Catherine Avery Moore 1830-1928 widow of Robert James Moore lived Spokane with daughter Ella

Adelaide Marin 1^st child 1851-1937 lived Crookston Mn  

Rear row L to R

Alanson Avery Moore 5^th child 1858 to 1928 lived Detroit

Janet Raymond 9^th child 1866-1939 lived Portland Oregon

Eleanor (Ella) Knopp 1866-1946 lived Spokane

James Robert Moore 4^th child 1855-1938 lived Ayr (Brant County) Ontario

(RGM grandfather)  

absent

Eliza Campbell 7^th Child 1963-1940 lived Gladwin Mi  

Deceased

Nancy Wright 2^nd child 1854-1904 died Gladwin of Cancer

Catharine (Katie) 10^th child 1872-1877 died Gladwin likely appendicitis

MOORE FAMILY

 

SARAH HOLDER (MOORE) BRITNEY BRANCH

 

SARAH HOLDER MOORE #2.5.5

20 November 2001

 

            PARENTS

James Moore (#1.5) and Rachel Holder

            BORN

17 June 1819 at Lot 16 (North), Long Reach King's County New Brunswick

            MARRIED

15 September 1842 at (Trinity Anglican Church, Kingston New Brunswick?) to John Britney.

(From the Marriage Registers of King's County, New Brunswick 1812-1844 [Via late Alice Britney Douglast.] Parish of Norton, King's County by Rev William Walker. witnesses, Charles L. Rowan and George Stratton)

            DIED

15 November 1889 Enniskillen Township. Lambton County Ont. (Vital Records Ont)

            BURIED

Hillsdale Cemetery Petrolia Lambton County Ont, in her son Theodore's plot (Alice Britney Douglas )

            CHILDREN

#3.5.5.1  Susan Catherine Britney born 5 August 1843 at Long Reach King's County New Brunswick.

She came to Ontario with family and was with them in Sarnia Twp. Lambton City. At the time of  the 1861 Census.  However for some unknown reason she is shown in the 1851 West Zorra Census,

age 9 next birthday as dying in previous year of whooping cough.

She was living with her parents and brother Edwin in Enniskillen Township when the 1881 census was taken (Susan age 37).  She married Thomas Johnston, a widower, age 45 of Enniskillen Township at Sarnia on 22 December 1886  (VRO #5818/86) She gave her age as 43 and single. Thomas was born in Ireland son of Charles R. and M Johnston . They stated they were Methodists when married.

In the 1891 census of Enniskillen Township., Thomas was listed as age 48, a farmer, wife Susan age 47.

Thomas had a daughter, Annie G., age 13  (likely a child from a previous marriage)

The family not found in the 1901 census of Enniskillen and likely had moved to Michigan.

Susan died prior to 1906 and had no children. Information from  Beers Commemorative Biographical Record of the County of Lambton (published in 1906) page number 791 ),  

#3.5.5.2 Maria Ann Britney born 9 February 1845 at Long Reach King's County, New Brunswick.

Died 23 April 1847 in West Zorra Township, Oxford County, ON. (Reference Crawford Diaries)

Burial Location unknown.  

#3.5.5.3 * Edwin Domer Britney (Ned) born 7 April 1846 in West Zorra Township.

Continued this file  

#3.5.5.4 * Theodore Ormand Britney born 1 December 1847 in West Zorra Township.

Continued this file  

#3.5.5.5 * Oscar Lebarron Britney born 31 October 1849 in West Zorra Township.

Continued separate file  

#3.5.5.6 Robert James Britney born 20 June 1851 in West Zorra Township and died there July 1851  

#3.5.5.7 * Emily Antoinette Britney born 11 June 1852 in West Zorra Township.

See separate file  

#3.5.5 .8 * Ellen Louise Britney born 28 February 1855 in Port Huron Township,

St. Clair County  Michigan    See separate file  

#3.5.5.9 * Marion “Margaret” Britney born 21 March 1858 in Sarnia Township, Lambton County

See separate file  

#3.5.5.10 * Charlotte Jane Britney born 26 June 1862 in Sarnia Township.

See separate file  

            John Britney was the sixth of 7 children of John Britney and Tamar Seely Carrington and was born 14 December 1802 at Long Reach King's County New Brunswick. He was a younger brother of

Henry (Beach) Britney. He was a boat builder, fisherman as well as a farmer.  He moved from

New Brunswick to West Zorra Township  with wife Sarah and 2 children.

He arrived in Zorra on 1 July 1845 which was a year after his father-in-law, James Moore and his sister-in-law Eleanor Seely, and his brother" Henry “Beach" Britney had moved to Zorra from New Brunswick.

He purchased part of Lot 3 Concession 4 of West Zorra. In 1850 he was assessed for 56 pounds  .

He moved to Port Huron Township St. Clair County Michigan in March 1854. (Reference Crawford diaries) His brother Beach Britney also moved to Michigan several months later. However Beach's stay was short, returning to Ontario by mid 1855.

            In St. Clair County, John lived near his brother-in-law Walter Moore who was there by 1856 if not before. John stay was not much longer than his brother's as by he returned to Ontario and was in Sarnia Township before the 1861 census was taken. He moved to Lot 22 Concession 9 Enniskillen Township in Lambton County after June 1863. Thus he was in the Enniskillen/ Petrolia area before the “Oil Boom”of the late 1860s.  He cleared the farm from its "wild land" state and farmed there the rest of his life.

             John was very musical, making violins as well as  playing them. He often fiddled at dances etc.

 It is likely that he worked with his brother-in-laws Robert and Walter Moore who were carpenters.

Walter lived in Marysville Port Huron Township.  Robert although he lived in Oxford County worked throughout the Lambton, St. Clair County area before moving to Gladwin County Michigan in 1879.

The Britneys were members of the Church of England. (Anglicans)

They had 10 children, 42 grandchildren and 117 great grandchildren

            John died 2 0 August 1884 at his residence Lot 22 Concession 9 in Enniskillen Township and was buried Hillsdale Cemetery Petrolia  and is buried in his son Oscar's plot (Alice Britney Douglas)  

 Obituary of John Britney From the Sarnia Observer 12 Sept 1884  Dateline Enniskillen

            One of oldest and respected citizens, Mr. John Britney has been called away at the ripe age of 81 years and some months. He has been ailing for some time and died on the 20th instant (August) and was buried in the Petrolia Cemetery on the afternoon of the 21th followed by a large number of friends and acquaintances. Mr. Britney was well and favourably known and highly respected.  

            JOHN BRITNEY U.E.L.  

John Britney Sr. (Britteney) and his brother Jacob were living in Pennsylvania that the time of the American Revolution in July 1776. Other than being of German origin, it is not known from where or at what time period that they or their parents came to Pennsylvania. They were living in Northampton County, north of Philadelphia and west of the Delaware River at that time (reference American Loyalist Claims by Peter Coldham).

             John and Jacob joined the Bucks County (Pennsylvania) Volunteers under

Captain William Thomas on 10 March 1778. Jacob Holder was living in Lynn Twp. (now Lehigh County) (north west of Bethlehem), at the same time and he also joined the Bucks County Volunteers.

 (Thus Jacob Holder and John Britney in all likelihood knew each other long before they ended up together in King's County). The Volunteers served under General Howe in Philadelphia and when he abandoned it in the late summer of 1778, the Volunteers went to New York with him and were detached into another Loyalist Unit.

            The Queens Rangers under Col. John Graves Simcoe and fought with General Cornwallis for most of the rest of the campaign. Unlike Jacob Holder, family tradition says that John Britney was not with Cornwallis when he surrendered at Yorktown, although John was a sergeant in Cornwallis' army.

 John remained with the Queens Rangers until the evacuation to New Brunswick.

            The Britneys were in the "Spring Fleet from Long Island to St John N. B. They appear on the "Victualling List" (those drawing provisions) of the Spring Fleet as "Breightneigh", Jacob and John.

 In 1785 John and his brother Jacob were among those who signed the petition asking that title be confirmed to the land that they were occupying in the Kingston Grant. (See James Moore Founder).

Both names were signed by the same person as "Biretny"  Which lot on Long Reach they received is not known. The land is presumed to have been on the Road near the Seelys, Moores, Holders and Crawfords.

John Britney in his claim (American Loyalist Claims by Coldham ) stated that he had left home and joined the army in Philadelphia March 1779 enrolling in the Bucks County Volunteers and went with the army to New Jersey and remained in the service until evacuation. His claim made 15 February 1786 at St John N.B. for arrears of pay was rejected.

            John spent the rest of his life in the Kings County area and died in 1846, at the age of 94 in Greenwich Parish. (references, New Brunswick Loyalists by Sharon Dubeau 1983 and Loyalists of the American Revolution by Lorenzo Sabine).  His place of burial is not known.

            John’s wife Tamar Seely was one of 9 children of Seth Seely Sr. and Sarah Scofield and was originally of Stamford Connecticut, and was likely born between 1757 and 1763 at Stamford.

The family also came from Long Island on the Spring Fleet of 1783. Tamar and her husband Abraham Carrington settled at Parrtown. (St John) but Abraham died shortly thereafter and it is supposed that Tamar moved to Long Reach to be with her father and the rest of the family who had taken up land there

(Lot 15 North on Long Reach of the Kingston Grant).

            As John and Tamar were not married until 1787 and John had signed his request for land in 1785 it is presumed that they were married at Long Reach or Kingston.

The family were Anglican and in all likelihood were members of the Holy Trinity Church at Kingston.  (Thanks to Jack E. Britney of Greenwood N.S. for this write up)  

SARAH HOLDER (MOORE) BRITNEY.

DESCENDANTS

 

3RD GEN #4 THEO, #5 OSCAR #7 EMILY #8 ELLEN #9 MARION #10 CHAR 10   Total

4TH GEN     9                  5             4              6                9               9                42

5TH GEN     8                 29            4             16                               21              117

6TH GEN   18                 62            10            21                               49              160                                         

 

GENERATION #3  

                                            EDWIN DOMER BRITNEY #3.5.5.3

 

            PARENTS

Sarah Holder Moore #2.5.5 and John Britney

            BORN

7 April 1846 West Zorra Township Oxford County, Ont

            DIED

19 November 1919 at Lot 21 Concession 9 Enniskillen Township Lambton County

            BURIED

Hillsdale Cemetery Petrolia Lambton County in his brother's Theodore Britney's family plot.  

      Edwin was usually known as "Ned"  He moved with his family to Enniskillen Township. after June 1863. Here he farmed with his father and brothers Theodore and Oscar. In the 1881 Enniskillen Township census his occupation was given as "teamster". At the time, he was living with his parents and his sister Susan. He was also a carpenter and built houses, barns etc, in the area.

In the 1891 census of Enniskillen Township, he was listed as a lodger with his brother Thoedore Britney.  He helped his sister-in-law Mary Britney raise her family after his brother, Theo died in January 1899 at age 52. When she moved to Sarnia, (after 1901census as they were still in Enniskillen Township at that time ) he went with her but found he did not like the city life and returned in 1906 to Enniskillen Township. There he lived with his nephew John Britney (son of his brother Oscar) at Lot 21 Concession 9. He considered himself as a Methodist in religion.

He had blue eyes and a fair complexion and considered himself a "True Moore" (Alice Britney Douglas). He did not play a musical instrument saying he would rather dance. He was the story teller of the family (family history, A.B.D.)  He was considered a friend of all and was the peace maker in the Britney family between his cousins (the Beach Britney family)."He was the kindest man that I ever knew". (Quote by his great niece Alice Britney Douglas.)

 

                                      THEODORE ORMAND BRITNEY #3.5.5.4  

            PARENTS

Sarah Holder Moore #2.5.5 and John Britney

            BORN

1 December 1847 in West Zorra Twp., Oxford County Ont.

            MARRIED

26 May 1875 in Enniskillen Twp., Lambton County Ont. to Mary Eliza Wilson

            DIED

29 January 1899 in Enniskillen Twp. (Ont. Vital Records)

            BURIED

Hillsdale Cemetery Petrolia, Lambton County, in his family plot

Also buried in the plot is his brother Edwin Britney "Uncle" #3.5.5.3,

Mary Moore "Grandmother", Mary Moore "Aunt" and Susan Jane "Aunt" as well as Theo’s wife Mary Eliza Wilson and a number of Theodore's and Mary's children including Sarah Jane, Gertrude Charlotte, Albert Harrison and Clarence Gordon.

            Alice Britney Douglas advised  that the old cemetery in Petrolia was at the east end of the Town. The records were lost in a fire. Some stones were moved but as the "Sarnia Britneys" were better off, they replaced the worn stone for Theodore's family.

Alice advised that not only was Sarah Moore Britney buried in her son Theodore plot but also her sister Mary Elizabeth Moore (this was likely the Mary Moore "Aunt").

At this time we do not know who might have been  Mary Moore "Grandmother" or Susan Jane.

            CHILDREN

All children born in Enniskillen Township.  Birth dates from 1901 census of Enniskillen

#4.5.5.4.1 * Sarah Jane (Sadie) Britney born 31 August 1876  

           .2 * George Oscar Britney  6 April 1878  

           .3 * Charity Ellen Britney born 23 August 1880  

           .4 * Gertrude Charlotte Britney born 11 December 1882  

          .5 * Theodore “Franklin” Britney born 22 December 1884

          .6 Albert Harrison Britney born 11 January 1887, died 27 January 1887 and buried in the family plot in Hillsdale Cemetery.     

          .7 * Flora Eva Mary Seely Britney born 9 October 1889  

          .8 Clarence Gordon Britney born 23 June 1892 and died 21 November 1892 (Ont. Vital Records) and is buried in family plot Hillsdale Cemetery  

          .9 * Bertram Hugh Crossley Britney born 4 October 1893  

            Mary Eliza Wilson was the daughter of George Wilson and Charity Kimmerly of Enniskillen and was born 26 June 1854.(ref 1901 cesnus) She was a sister of Martha Jane Wilson who married Theodore's brother Oscar. For more info on the Wilson and Kimmerly families see Ellen Louise Britney #3.5.5.8 , history. After Theodore died, she eventually sold the farm and moved to Sarnia where she bought a house and kept boarders with help from her daughter Gertrude.

Mary died at Sarnia 26 April 1933 and is buried in the family plot Hillsdale Cemetery.

            Theodore was a farmer and lived Lot 19 Concession 9 Enniskillen  Twp. He, like his brother Edwin was fair haired with blue eyes. He was also musical playing the violin. He belonged to the Independent Order of Foresters Lodge at Petrolia. The 1891 census of Enniskillen listed him as 43 occupation labourer Methodist Episcopal wife Mary E, age 37 father born Ireland children Sarah 14, George 13, Charity 10, Gertrude 8, Frank 6, Eva age 1

GENERATION #4  

SARAH JANE BRITNEY #4.5.5.4.1

            PARENTS

Theodore Ormand Britney #3.5.5.4 and Mary Eliza Wilson

            BORN

31 August 1876 at Lot 19 Concession 9 Enniskillen Twp. Lambton County Ont.

            DIED

31 January 1966 at Sarnia

            BURIED

Theodore Britney plot Hillsdale Cemetery Petrolia  

            Sarah was usually known as "Sadie" She moved to Sarnia with her mother and family after her father died. She never married and worked as a sales clerk at a number of Sarnia stores including W .B. Clark who were clothiers on Front street where she sold yard goods (dry goods)

 She lived with her sisters Gertrude and Flora (Brown) at 143 Parker Street. She was of medium height and build.

GEORGE OSCAR BRITNEY #4.5.5.4.2

            PARENTS

Theodore Ormand Britney #3.5.5.4 and Mary Eliza Wilson

            BORN

6 April 1878 at Lot 19 Concession 9 Enniskillen Twp. Lambton County

            MARRIED

8 July 1908 at the Methodist Parsonage, Sarnia Ont to Estella Anne Patton

            DIED

3 November 1962 at Calgary Alberta

                        BURIED

6 November 1962 at Queens Park Cemetery in North West Calgary

            CHILDREN

#5.5.5.4.2.1 * Irene Rebecca Britney born 1 March 1909 at Sarnia  

              .2 * George Edwin Britney born 19 June 1911 at Maple Creek Sask.  

              .3 * Bessie Jean Britney born 21 March 1913 in Govenlock Sask.  

              .4 * Joyce Estella Britney born 18 December 1914 at Robset Sask.  

George had hoped of becoming a doctor but being the eldest son had to go to work at age 16 after the death of his father Theodore. He worked in the oil refineries around Petrolia and Sarnia and with the Canadian Pacific Railroad at Sarnia. In 1910 with wife Stella and daughter Irene, he decided to try his luck in the Canadian West, homesteading near Govanlock in Southwest Saskatchewan.on the Southwest 1/4 of Section 10, Township 3 North, Range 29 west of the Third Meridan (160 acres)

            Farming was poor and his family grew to 4 thus after WWI in 1918 he moved into the Town of Govenlock where he worked on the Canadian Pacific Railroad section gang between Senate and Govenlock Sask.  He became night watchman for trains from the east and when the line to Manyberries Alberta was completed in 1922 ,he moved there as a night train watchman. He transferred to a lighter job at Alderside Alberta in 1941. When he retired in 1946 he moved to Calgary.

            Estella was member of the Women's Institute and the Order of the Eastern Star and served as Worthy Matron. She died 19 January 1980, age 92 and is buried with George in Queens Park Cemetery Calgary  

CHARITY ELLEN BRITNEY #4.5.5.4.3  

            PARENTS

Theodore Ormand Britney #3.5.5.4 and Mary Eliza Wilson

            BORN

23 August 1880 at Lot 19 Concession 9 Enniskillen Twp. Lambton County.

            MARRIED

20 December 1905 at ? to Wesley Thompson

            DIED

19 April 1969 at Sarnia Ont.

            BURIED

Lakeview Cemetery Sarnia

            CHILDREN

#5.5.5.4.3.1  Opal May Thompson born 2 December 1906 at Sarnia  

            He worked for the Wonder Bread Company in Sarnia for many years.

He was born 11 January 1881 at ? the son of ?. He died 14 November 1984 at age of 103 years.

He is also buried in Lakeveiw Cemetery.

            Charity was usually known as "Chat. She had moved to Sarnia with her mother and family after the death of her father.

                                       GERTRUDE CHARLOTTE BRITNEY #4.5.5.4.4  

            PARENTS

Theodore Ormand Britney #3.5.5.4 and Mary Eliza Wilson

            BORN

11 December 1882 Lot 19 Concession 9 Enniskillen Twp. Lambton County

            DIED

17 September 1976 at Sarnia

            BURIED

Hillsdale Cemetery Petrolia Ont. in the Theodore Britney plot  

            She was usually known as "Gertie" She moved with her family to Sarnia after the death of

her father.  She lived with her mother and cooked for her mother when she kept a boarding house.

After her mother died, she lived with her sisters Sarah (Sadie) Britney and Flora (Flo) Brown at

143 Parker Street in Sarnia  

THEODORE  “FRANKLIN”  BRITNEY #4.5.5.4.5  

            PARENTS

Theodore Ormand Britney #3.5.5.4 and Mary Eliza Wilson

            BORN

22 December 1884, Lot 19 Concession 9 Enniskillen Twp. Lambton Ont.

            MARRIED

1915 at Fort McLeod Alberta to Sarah (Sadie) Gillespie

            DIED

28 April 1970 at Fernie B.C.

            BURIED

Fernie B.C.

            CHILDREN

#5.5.5.4.5.1 * Jessie Britney born 1919 in Alberta or B.C.  

              .2  Bertram Britney born 1924  He married Olga Benedotti, no children

 resides where?  

            He was known as "Frank " He went to Western Canada as a young man, first to Alberta and later to Fernie B. C.  Sadie died 24 June 1975 and is also buried at Fernie B.C.

                            FLORA EVA MARY SEELY BRITNEY #4.5.5.4.7  

            PARENTS

Theodore Ormand Britney #4.5.5.4.7 and Mary Eliza Wilson

            BORN

9 October 1889 at Lot 19 Concession 9 Enniskillen Twp. Lambton County Ont.

            MARRIED

27 October 1924 at to Henry (Harry) Brown

            DIED

14 February 1990 age 100 at Sarnia

            BURIED

Lakeview Cemetery Sarnia  

            Flora was usually known as "Flo" She went to Sarnia with her family after her father died.

She was a comptometer operator with Imperial Oil Company at Sarnia.  

            Harry Brown was born in England 19 June 1884, He worked at the Ford Motor Company in Windsor. It is believed that he had 2 sons from a previous marriage. He operated Browns Paint, a retail paint store in Sarnia .He lived at 143 Parker Street and his sister-in-laws Sadie and Gertie Britney lived in a portion of the house. Harry and Flo did not have any children.

He died 17 August 1969 and is also buried in Lakeveiw Cemetery.  

                     BERTRAM HUGH CROSSLEY BRITNEY #4.5.5.4.9 

            PARENTS

Theodore Ormand Britney #3.5.5.4 and Mary Eliza Wilson

            BORN

4 October 1893 Lot 19 Concession 9 Enniskillen Twp. Lambton County

            MARRIED

26 December 1945 at ? to Doris Louise Wilson

            DIED

23 February 1988 at Sarnia

            BURIED

Lakeview Cemetery Sarnia

            CHILDREN

#5.5.5.4.1.9.1 Sharon Lea Britney born 1 October 1948 at Ottawa Ont.  

            Doris was born 13 September 1916 at ? the daughter of ? She died at Sarnia General Hospital on 11 April 1990 and is buried in Lakeview Cemetery also.  

            Bertram  was a Federal customs officer in Ottawa and Sarnia. They were members of the Paterson Memorial Presbyterian Church and resided at 230 Forsyth St. North in Sarnia

          GENERATION #5

IRENE REBECCA BRITNEY #5.5.5.4.2.1  

            PARENTS

George Oscar Britney #4.6.5.4.2 and Estella Patton

            BORN

1 March 1901 at Sarnia Ont.

            MARRIED

23 July 1934 at St. Barnabas Anglican Church in Medicine Hat Alberta to

Worthington Langdon Yorke (Worthy)

            CHILDREN

#6.5.5.4.2.1.1 * Frederick Alton Yorke born 16 August 1935 in southern Alberta  

                  .2 * Katherine Ann Yorke born 27 January 1937 in Southern Alberta  

                  .3 * Diane Marie Yorke born 16 June 1945 at Jasper Alberta  

            Irene grew up in Southern Saskatchewan and Manyberries Alberta and took her final year of High school at Medicine Hat. After attending Calgary Normal School (Teachers College) in 1927-8, she taught school for 3 years in Alberta. She then worked in a general store in Manyberries until she married. In 1938 they moved to Jasper and with a partner ran a grocery and hardware store.

They moved to Salmon Arm B.C. in 1974 and retired to Edmonton Alberta in 1980.

            Prior to his marriage Worthy was an elevator operator for the Alberta Wheat Pool.

He died 22 December 1983 in Edmonton.  

                                        GEORGE “EDWIN” BRITNEY #5.5.5.4.2.2  

            PARENTS

George Oscar Britney #4.5.5.4.2 and Estella Patton

            BORN

19 June 1911 at Maple Creek Sask.

            MARRIED

1 November 1933 at the Court House in Medicine Hat Alberta to Dorothy Neilson

            DIED

15 December 1985 in North West Calgary

            BURIED

Queens Park Cemetery Calgary

            CHILDREN

#6.5.5.4.2.2.1 *  John Edwin Britney born at Lethbridge Alberta  

                 .2 * Joanne May Britney born at Medicine Hat  

                 .3 * Sharon Anne Britney born at Wainwright Alberta  

                 .4 * Dolores Irene Britney born in Wainwright  

                  5 * Robert George Britney born in Calgary Alberta  

            Ed Britney grew up in Manyberries Alberta. He left school about Grade 10 after he suffered the loss of an eye in an grain threshing accident. He then worked on area farms and in the local grain elevators before he was married.  From 1933 onward he worked in a general store in Manyberries for several years as well as in the grain elevators before farming near Heath Alberta, east of Wainwright from 1939 to after WWII. After the war the family moved to Calgary where Ed worked as a mechanic for the Greyhound Bus Company. He was transferred to Sudbury by Greyhound after 1952 and the family lived in Copper Cliff. He was given an early medical retirement after he was in an accident where he was crushed by a bus.

            The family returned to Calgary and lived at 257 21th Street North West. Ed was very musical and played the banjo. He often played for dances wherever he lived and "his playing jobs" provided a large part of the family income particularly when the family was small.

            Dot was born in Manyberries Ab. on 13 August 1913. She attended school there.  Her son Jack remembers her as a warm and friendly person known for her baked bread, her ability to stretch a small duck to feed 10 people. She was always knitting or crocheting, enjoyed social times and card playing and flowers. She died 5 May 1980 and is also buried in Queens Park cemetery.  

BESSIE JEAN BRITNEY #5.5.5.4.2.3  

            PARENTS

George Oscar Britney #4.5.5.4.2 and Estella Patton

            BORN

21 March 1913 in Govenlock Sask.

            MARRIED

3 December 1936 to Alton Prouty at St. Barnabas Anglican Church in Medicine Hat Alberta

            CHILDREN

#6.5.5.4.2.3.1 * Carol Jean Prouty born at Comery Alberta  

                .2 * Dale Warren Prouty born at Comery    

                .3 * Donna Elaine Prouty born at Armstrong B.C.     

            Bessie moved with her family from Govenlock Sask to Manyberries Ab. in 1923 at the age of 10. She went to School in Manyberries and to Normal School (Teachers College) in Calgary

in 1930-1. She only worked part time as there were too many teachers and too few jobs in Alberta through the depression of the 30's . After she was married in 1936 to Alton Prouty, they farmed in Comery for the next 8 years and Alton ran the post office in addition.  From 1944 to 1950 they farmed near Armstrong B.C. After moving into Armstrong in 1950, Alton worked in a garage, a hardware store and did a rural mail route.

            In 1959 they bought a general store in Sorrento B.C. which they ran for 4 years before buying a small lakeside orchard near Sorrento  Bessie did substitute teaching from 1962 to 1976. In 1980 they retired to a home in Salmon Arm B.C.

  Alton was born 21 August 1909 at ?

JOYCE ESTELLA BRITNEY #5.5.4.2.4 

            PARENTS

George Oscar Britney #4.5.5.4.2 and Estella Patton

            BORN

18 December 1914 at Robsart Sask.

            MARRIED

4 July 1950 at North Hill United Church Calgary Alberta  to Frances James Wilson

            CHILDREN  none

 

            After attending school in Manyberries Ab., Joyce attended Business College in Calgary and started work in a lawyers office.  She accepted an opportunity to work with the USA Lend-Lease Program in the early days of WWII and was with British Air Commission as  secretary in Washington D. C from August 1942 to July 1944. She continued secretarial work after her marriage.

She and Frank taught square dancing for a number of years. They have  a summer cottage on Black Strap Lake 30 miles south of Saskatoon Sask. and have wintered in Tucson Ar.

            Frank was a teacher at Nutana college in Saskatoon when he married and had a son William and a daughter Barbara from a previous marriage. After retiring Frank kept books for his son Bill's Tinsmith business for a few years beside teaching square dancing.  

                                  OPAL MAY THOMPSON #5.5.5.4.3.1  

            PARENTS

Charity Ellen Britney #4.5.5.4.3 and Wesley Thompson

            BORN

2 December 1906 at Sarnia Ont.

            MARRIED

4 June 1935 at ? to Rev. Henry George Cook

            DIED

12 January 1987 at ?

            BURIED

?

            CHILDREN

#6.5.5.4.3.1.1 David Wesley George Cook born in the North West Territories ?  

                .2 Peter Alexander Michael Cook born in the North West Territories ?  

                .3 Barbara Mary Ellen Cook born in the North West Territories  

            Henry Cook was an Anglican Church Priest and spent most of his life in the Canadian North West Territories. He was born 12 October 1906 and was living in December 1990 at Stittsville

(near Ottawa)

JESSIE BRITNEY #5.5.5.4.5.1

            PARENTS

Theodore Franklin Britney #4.5.5.4.5 and Sarah Gillespie

            BORN

1919 in Alberta or British Columbia

            MARRIED

Douglas McDonald

            CHILDREN

#6.5.5.4.5.1 Bruce McDonald born  at Fernie B.C. died 1947 and is buried at Fernie  

              .2 Barrie McDonald born  at Fernie married Judy Lou Littler

children   Travis born about ,  Kyla born about , Sheena born about  

              .3 Glen McDonald born  Fernie Married Peri Dawn Serafini

Children   Angus born about , Hamish born about 1987, Breader born about  

              .4 Ian McDonald born  at Fernie Married Mary Ann Siska

Children    Sean born about  

            The McDonalds owned an extensive ranch at Grassmere B. C. (Box 56 Grassmere D0B 1R0). They even generate their own electricity and sell to the neighbours with any surplus to B.C. Power Corp.  

            SHARON LEA BRITNEY #5.5.5.4.9.1  

            PARENTS

Bertram Hugh Crossley Britney #4.5.5.4.9 and Doris Louise Wilson

            BORN

1 October at Ottawa

            MARRIED

at Montreal West United Church in Montreal P.Q. to Leonard Arthur William Hambleton

            CHILDREN

#6.6.5.4.9.1.1 Jeffrey Scott Hambleton born at Montreal  

                 .2 Kristen Lee Hambleton born at Peterborough Ont.  

            Leonard Hambleton was born at Montreal

Sharon is a registered nurse and a graduate of ?

They reside at 869 Crowley Crescent in Peterborough (early 1990's)

                                      GENERATION #6  

FREDERICK “ALTON” YORK #6.5.5.4.2.1.1  

            PARENTS

Irene Rebecca Britney #5.5.5.4.2.1 and Worthington Langdon Yorke

            BORN

in Southern Alberta

            MARRIED

to Constance Roberts

            CHILDREN

#7.5.5.4.2.1.1.1. Bruce Yorke born married Cara Mercier  

Alton grew up in Jasper and became a chartered accountant

Connie had 2 children from a previous marriage, Catherine born  and Roland born .

 

KATHERINE ANNE YORK #6.5.5.4.2.1.2

            PARENTS

Irene Rebecca Britney #5.5.5.4.2.1 and Worthington Langdon Yorke

     BORN

 in Southern Alberta

            MARRIED

 to Walter Yakimets

            CHILDREN

#7.5.5.4.2.1.2.1 Walter John Yakimets born  

                    .2 Stephen George Yakimets born      

                    .3 Dawn Marie Yakimets born    

                    .4 Neil Edward Yakimets born        

            Kay grew up in Jasper and became a registered nurse. Her husband Walter was a doctor.

After living in New Zealand for a time they returned to Edmonton Alberta where he has a medical practice.  

DIANNE MARIE YORKE #6.5.5.4.2.1.3  

            PARENTS

Irene Rebecca Britney #5.5.5.4.2.1 and Worthington Langdon Yorke

            BORN

at Jasper Alberta

            MARRIED

to Walter Peterson

            CHILDREN

#7.5.5.4.2.1.3.1 Kevin John Peterson

                   .2 Gary Michael Peterson       

                   .3 Brian Langdon Peterson

JOHN EDWIN BRITNEY #6.5.5.4.2.2.1

            PARENTS

George Edwin Britney #5.5.5.4.2.2 and Dorothy May Neilson

            BORN

at Lethbridge Alberta

            MARRIED

at St. James United Church Vancouver B.C. to Patricia Elizabeth Cruickshank

            CHILDREN

#7.5.5.4.2.2.1.1 * David John Britney born at Winnipeg General Hospital, Winnipeg Manitoba  

                    .2 * Marc Edwin Britney born  at Soldiers Memorial Hospital Middleton N.S.  

            When he was young Jack lived at Manyberries Ab. and on a farm east of Wainwright.

He completed High School in Calgary. In October 1953 he joined the RCAF and took training in Clinton Ont and Summerside PEI as a radio officer. From 1955 to 1970 he was transferred a number of times being in Winnipeg, Sacramento Calf, Greenwood N.S. Summerside PEI, Northern Ireland.

By 1975 he was transferred back to Greenwood and to the 404 Training Squadron where he remained stationed until he retired in November 1987. In all he flew over 10,000 hours.  He was a computer repair technician on a part time basis and has supplied much of the family history of the Theodore Britney Family and the early history of the Britney family in New Brunswick

The family lived at Greenwood N.S. after Jack's retirement, but now lives Nova Scotia (Nov 2001)

            Pat was born in Vancouver 1 November 1938 and was the youngest child of Walker and Audrey Cruickshank. She went to high School in Langley B.C. and trained as a nurse graduating from  Vancouver General hospital in 1961. After marriage, she continued to work part time as a nurse. And did full time work in the Veterans Ward of the Soldiers Memorial Hospital at Middleton N.S.  

JOANNE MAY BRITNEY #6.5.5.4.2.2.2  

            PARENTS

George Edwin Britney #5.5.5.4.2.2 and Dorothy May Neilson

            BORN

at Medicine Hat Alberta

            MARRIED

to Walter Fuhrer

            CHILDREN

#7.5.5.4.2.2.2.1 Dale Scott Fuhrer born at Calgary Alberta

Married Christine Lanthier separated Child Derek Jason Fuhrer

Dale is a transport truck driver  

                   .2 Deborah Terri Fuhrer born 

She was adopted by the Fuhrers  

            Joanne grew up in Manyberries Ab. and on a farm near Wainwright Alberta.

She completed High School in Calgary and worked in a bank there.          After marrying the family lived in a number of locations before buying a farm near Massey Ont. Walter was born at Three Hills Ab. the youngest of 7 seven children of Michael (1875-Dec 1965) and Wilhelmina Fuhrer. Walter served with the Canadian Army in Korea in 1950-1. He farmed and was a driver for Greyhound Bus Lines

SHARON ANN BRITNEY #6.5.4.2.2.3

            PARENTS

George Edwin Britney #5.5.5.4.2.2. and Dorothy May Neilson

            BORN

in Wainwright Alberta

            Married

to Peter Rebryna (Divorced)

            CHILDREN

      none  

            Sharon graduated from High School in Calgary and after a comptometer operators course worked for a credit union. She was the  Office Supervisor for the Elk Point Credit Union in Calgary. She now lives 1126 2^nd Ave Wainwright Alberta. She has done a considerable amount of family history work.

Goes by name of Sharon Britney  

DOLORES IRENE BRITNEY #6.5.4.2.2.4  

            PARENTS

George Edwin Britney #5.5.5.4.2.2 and Dorothy May Neilson

            BORN

at Wainwright Alberta  

            She went to public and high school in Calgary and Copper Cliff Ont.

She has a Masters Degree in nutrition from the University of Guelph (Ont.) She worked for an animal feed company in Vancouver as a nutritionist before returning to Guelph Ont in a similar capacity.

 

                                            ROBERT GEORGE BRITNEY #6.5.5.4.2.2.5

 

            PARENTS

George Edwin Britney #5.5.5.4.2.2 and Dorothy May Neilson

            BORN

at Calgary Alberta

            MARRIED

at Calgary to Linda Louise Dyck

            CHILDREN

#7.5.5.4.2.2.5.1 Brandi Lynn Britney born at Calgary                       

                   .2 Jennifer Anne Britney born at Vernon B.C.  

                    .3 Robert Andrew Britney born at Kelowna B.C.  

            Bob went to public school in Calgary and went with the family to Copper Cliff Ont where he went to high school. He returned to Calgary and after marrying moved to Westbank B.C.

He was the owner-operator of a transport truck in the early 1990's

Linda was born  in Chilliwack B.C. the second of 5 children of Peter and Florence Dyck although the family was living in Hope B.C. at the time.

 

CAROL JEAN PROUTY #6.5.5.4.2.3.1  

            PARENTS

Bessie Jean Britney #5.5.5.4.2.3 and Alton William Prouty

            BORN

at Comery Alberta

            MARRIED

 to Gordon Allan Preston

            CHILDREN

#7.5.5.4.2.3.1.1 Dean Allan Preston  

                    .2 Deane Michelle Preston  

The Prestons reside in B. C.    

DALE WARREN PROUTY #6.5.5.4.2.3.2  

            PARENTS

Bessie Jean Britney #5.5.5.4.2.3 and Alton William Prouty

            BORN

at Comery Alberta

            MARRIED

to Sheila Scott (who was born 20 January 1949)

            CHILDREN

#7.5.5.4.2.3.2.1 Wayne Dale Prouty  

                    .2 Linda Lorraine Prouty  

The Proutys reside in B. C.  

DONNA ELAINE PROUTY #6.5.5.4.2.3.3  

            PARENTS

Bessie Jean Britney #5.5.5.4.2.3 and Alton William Prouty

            BORN

at Armstrong B.C.

            MARRIED

to Terence Ramsay

            CHILDREN

#7.5.5.4.2.3.3.1 Denise Yvonne Ramsey

                   .2 Kevin Lyle Ramsay     

DAVID WESLEY GEORGE COOK #6.5.5.4.3.1.1  

            PARENTS

Opal May Thompson #5.5.5.4.3.1 and Rev. Henry George Cook

            BORN

in the North West Territories?

            MARRIED

Ruth Gail Butler

            CHILDREN

#7.5.5.4.3.1.1.1 Wendy Ann Cook born  at

Married to Michael Scott Fitzpatrick  

                   .2 Brian David Cook b

            Ruth the daughter of

David was an elementary School Principal at Bell's Corners Lanark County Ont.  

PETER ALEXANDER MICHAEL COOK #6.5.5.4.3.1.2  

            PARENTS

Opal May Thompson #5.5.5.4.3.1 and Rev. Henry George Cook

            BORN

 in the  North West Territories ?

            MARRIED

 at ? to Deborah Butler

            CHILDREN

#7.5.5.4.3.1.2.1 Andrew Peter Michael Cook

                   .2 Meghan Elizabeth Opal Cook  

They reside Yellowknife N.W.T. Deborah

BARBARA MARY ELLEN COOK 6.5.5.4.3.1.3  

            PARENTS

Opal May Thompson #5.5.5.4.3.1 and Rev. Henry George Cook

            BORN

 in the North West Territories?

            MARRIED

to Douglas Howard  

He was born and they reside at Yellowknife N.W.T.

no children

                                                       GENERATION #7  

DAVID JOHN BRITNEY #7.5.5.4.2.2.1.1

            PARENTS

John Edwin Britney #6.5.5.4.2.2.1 and Patricia Elizabeth Cruickshank

            BORN

at Winnipeg General Hospital Winnipeg Manitoba

            MARRIED

at Canadian Forces Base Greenwood N.S. to Marianne Estelle Melnick

            CHILDREN

#8.5.5.4.3.3.1.1.1 Steven James Britney

                      .2 Erin Michelle Britney

 

            He went to school at various schools as his father was transferred a number of times by the RCAF including Auburn N.S..and Brooks, N.H. He started his own business Maritime Belting and Equipment in Middleton N.S. which he sold out after 5 years. He was(Dec 1990) Maritime service manager for Associated Rubber Company.

   Marianne is the daughter of Walter Robert Melnick and Carol Ann LeClair

Lives (Nov 2001) at  Nova Scotia  

MARC EDWIN BRITNEY #7.5.5.4.2.2.1.2  

            PARENTS

John Edwin Britney #6.5.5.4.2.2.1 and Patricia Elizabeth Cruickshank

            BORN

at Soldiers Memorial Hospital, Middleton N.S.

            MARRIED

Karla  

            Marc was educated at various armed forces primary and secondary schools and West Kings (N.S.) High School. He graduated from Kings College at Halifax with Bachelors of Arts degree.

He was a youth worker for the Nova Scotia Corrections Department at the Centre for Young Offenders in the early 1990's. Lives Nov 2001 Middleton Nova Scotia