OTDIH - Novemeber 26th

November 26th, 1911 -  My Great-Grandparents, Elijha Claude Bruce and Nettie Belle Howerton were married.

He applied for and was granted a license to marry on November 25th by County Judge, W.B.M. Mitchell, and Deputy Clerk of the County Court, J. L. Jordan. He claims his age to be 21 and hers to be 18. Both residing in Maysville, Oklahoma. 

The following day they were married by Justice of the Peace, J. F. Fisher in Maysville. Garvin, Oklahoma, USA. Witnesses to the marriage were Mr. H. F. Fisher and Mr. Henry Taylor. 

The Certificate of Marriage was filed on 18th December 1911 by J.L. Jordan.

You may notice a couple of details are off on these images. For one Nettie's surname appears to be Howard and not Howerton. I have seen Howerton spelt in many different ways. It could be how great-grandpa pronounced it when he gave the information. And subsequently how the clerk heard the name. 

Both of them are a bit older then they actually were. Elijha Claude was born in March of 1893 and would only be 18 at the time of their marriage. And Nettie was born in April of 1894 and would be a few months short of her 18th birthday. I believe, but have not been able to confirm, that Oklahoma marriage laws required that the groom be at least 21 years of age and the bride at least 18 years of age for them to wed without parental consent. 

Here are a few reasons why I am confident that this is the correct marriage record for them:

1. Great-Grandma always said she was married around Thanksgiving, which in the USA in 1911 was on November 30th. 
2. Nettie and her family were in Wayne, McClain County, Oklahoma in 1910. Wayne is less then 10 miles(as the crow flies) North-East of Maysville. 
3. Their oldest son was born in Maysville a little over a year later.
4. There are no other records for an E.C. Bruce or Nettie Howard of the right age.

Here is a photo of them a few decades later. 

OTDIH - November 22nd

November 22nd, 1850 - My 2nd Great-Grandfather was born in Ontario, Canada. Probably in York  County. This date comes from the 1901 Census of Canada. 

His parents were George Winfield and Catherine Stevenson. 

OTDIH - November 9th

November 9th, 1903 - The marriage of my Great-Grandparents, John Franklin Grant and Lottie Helena Warner, at her home in Newington, United Counties of Stormont Dundas Glengarry, Ontario, Canada. 

He was 24, a bachelor and a farmer. She was 25 and a spinster. They were both residents of Osnabruck Township, United Counties of Stormont Dundas Glengarry. It is also where they were both born. 

He was a Presbyterian and she was a Baptist. They were married by license with the ceremony being performed by James Cross of Osnabruck Centre. 

Their parents are listed as John G Grant and Catherine M Cameron and John W Warner and Alice Shaver. 

Witnesses were her brother, Frank Warner, and his sister, Mary C Grant, both of Newington. 

Image clipped from FamilySearch.

Image clipped from FamilySearch.

OTDIH - November 7th

November 7th, 1762 - The birth of my 5th Great-Grandfather, Franz Otto, son of Franz Otto and Marie Elisabeth Schnell. Born in Schoharie County, New York, USA. 

You can view an image of the original birth record, written by his father in German, on the Memories page of his FamilySearch profile, here. A translation was done in 1909 and can be view here.

OTDIH - October 26th

 October 26th, 1875 -  My 2nd Great-Grandparents, Percival Winfield and Sophia McKelvey were married in Mount Albert, York, Ontario, Canada. He was 24 years old and she was 17 years old. He was the son of John and Catherine (Stevenson) Winfield. She was the daughter of George McKelvey and Charlotte Hebner. They were both residing in Scott Township, York, Ontario, Canada. He was a farmer. John Leek and Ellen Potter, both of Mount Albert, were witnesses to the marriage performed by D. Cattenach. 

"Canada, Ontario Marriages, 1869-1927", , FamilySearch, Entry for Percival Winfield and Sophia McKelvey, 26 Oct 1875.

OTDIH = October 20th

 October 20th, 1976 - The death of my Great-Grandfather Elijha Claude Bruce at the Surrey Memorial Hospital in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada. He was residing in Surrey, British Columbia. His son C.A. Bruce was the informant. 

He had come down with pneumonia 5 days earlier after suffering left heart failure a year before.  

He was buried on October 25th, 1976 at Valley View Cemetery in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada.

OTDIH - October 19th

October 19th, 1869 - William Henry "Kerry" Howerton was born in Illinois, USA. He is my 2nd Great-Grandfather. I wrote about Kerry here. I am getting closer to figuring out who his parent's were but my research is needed. 

OTDIH - October 18th

 October 18th, 1866 - The birth of my 2nd Great-Grandmother, Sarah Elizabeth Clare at 8 Copenhagen Place, Limehouse, Middlesex, England. The daughter of Isaac William Clare and Jane Caroline Walker. Isaac was working as a Labourer at Galvanized Iron Works. 

Stepney Registration District, Middlesex, vol. 01C, p. 498, no. 79, birth entry of Sarah Elizabeth Clare, 18 October 1866,  photocopy of birth entry in register; General Registry Office, Southport, England. [a PDF from the GRO website]

Her mother's middle name seems to switch back and forth between Catherine and Caroline. I know from her birth record, death record,. and Sarah's and her sister Jane's baptism records it is Caroline. But on Sarah's birth record you can see it was written as Catherine. Of course, Sarah's sister is registered as Jane Catherine but baptised as Jane Caroline. I suspect this is do to some confusion with the two similar but not identical names. Either on Isaac William Clare's part or the minister's or registrant's. Unfortunately it is something that I will never actually know

OTDIH - October 16th

 October 16th, 1959 - The death of my 2nd Great-Grandmother, Ada Ann Elizabeth "Dollie" (Vaughn) Howerton Jones, at the Surrey Memorial Hospital in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada. At the time of her death she was married to James Jones (her second spouse) and was residing on Bond Street in Cloverdale, Surrey, British Columbia, Canada. Her daughter Josephine Kronebusch was the informant. 

Cause of death was cerebral arterial thrombosis, also referred to as ischemic stroke. Or in layman's terms, a blood clot in the artery of the brain. 

Other posts about Dollie can be found here and here. 

Ada Ann Elizabeth Jones, 16 Oct 1959; citing Surrey, British Columbia, Canada; British Columbia Archives film number B13244, Division of Vital Statistics, Victoria; FHL microfilm 2033301

OTDIH - October 15th

October 15th, 1832 - According to his gravestone, my 5th Great-Grandfather, George J Grant, died on this date in 1832. He was residing in what is now known as Cornwall, Stormont Dundas and Glengarry United Counties, Ontario, Canada. 

October 15th, 1871 - Birth of my 2nd Great-Grandfather, Francis William Dover at 96 High Street, St. Clements, Headington, Oxfordshire, England. He was born at home to John Dover and Frances Elizabeth Dover(formerly Bricknell). His father was a builder. 

Headington Registration District, Oxfordshire, vol. 3A, p. 594, no. 375, birth entry of Francis William Dover, 15 October 1871,  photocopy of birth entry in register; General Registry Office, Southport, England. [a Digital image from the GRO website]

OTDIH - October 14th

 October 14th, 1836 - The birth of my 3rd Great-Grandfather, Isaac William Clare. He was born just a few months before England started requiring birth records in 1837 so there is no birth record for him. But I do have his baptism which the minister was kind enough to include the birthdate. 

He was baptised on the 13th November 1836 at Saint George in the East, Stepney, London, England. His parents were James and Catherine Clare. They lived on New Street in Shadwell(an area of London). James was working as a Green Grocer. 

OTDIH - October 12th

 October 12th, 1885 - My 4th Great-Grandmother, Lydia Elizabeth (Bryne) Chinn died in Batesville, Independence County, Arkansas, USA. She was 71 years old. Her date of death is carved on her gravestone which can be viewed on her Find-A-Grave memorial. I wrote about Lydia's life with her husband, John French Chinn, here. 

OTDIH - October 11th

October 11th, 1786 - At St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church in Schoharie, Schoharie County, New York, USA, my 4th Great-Grandmother, Catherina Otto was baptised. She was the daughter of Frantz Otto and Marie Barbara Papst. Sponsors of the baptism were Johan Adam Bapst and his wife. I believe the Bapst instead of Papst is a transcription error. And that they were Catherina's maternal grandparents. 

The records for St. Paul's  Evangelical Lutheran Church were transcribed by the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society in 1914. The book was then scanned by The Genealogy Society, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. And is now available on the FamilySearch website. 

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone! 

This postcard was sent to my great-grandmother, Pearl Winfield, in (if I'm reading the postmark right) 1908. I'm not sure who sent it to her. The name Widil does not ring any bells. If it is a name at all.

You may notice that the postcard shows November and not October. Until 1957 Thanksgiving in Canada did not have a set date. Each year the government would declare a day for Thanksgiving sometime in October or November. The day for General Thanksgiving was Monday, November 9th in 1908. The proclamation appeared in the October 24th and October 31st Regular Issues of the Canadian Gazette. 

OTDIH - October 9th

October 9th, 1834 - Lucretia (Gaines) Bruce, my 5th Great-Grandmother, died on this day in Chapel Hill, Marshall County, Tennessee, USA. This is according to her Find-A-Grave Memorial and her gravestone. 

October 9th, 1947 - The death of my 2nd Great-Grandmother, Sarah Elizabeth (Clare) Dover in York Township, York County, Ontario, Canada. She was residing at 51 Chryessa Ave and was 80 years, 11 months, and 20 days old. 

OTDIH - October 8th

October 8th, 1853 - The birth of my 2nd Great-Grandfather, John G. Grant in Osnabruck, Stormont, Ontario, Canada. This date comes from the 1901 Census of Canada. The 1911 Census shows the birth month and year. And his obituary states he was born in Osnabruck. 

October 8th, 1877 - The death of my 5th Great-Grandmother, Lydia (Crabtree) Vaughn in Jefferson, Marion County, Oregon, USA. According to her gravestone she was 82 years, 11 months, and 20 days old. 

OTDIH - October 7th

Two of my 4th Great-Grandfather's died on this day. This information comes from their Find-A-Grave memorials and gravestones. 

October 7th, 1861 - The death of James G. Grant in Osnabruck, Stormont, Ontario, Canada. He was buried in Willis Cemetery in Lunenburg, Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry United Counties, Ontario, Canada

October 7th, 1875 - And the death of John French Chinn in Batesville, Independence County, Arkansas, USA. He was buried in Chinn Cemetery in Independence County, Arkansas, USA. I wrote more about his life here. 

OTDIH - October 6th

October 6th, 1875 - The birth of my 2nd Great-Grandmother, Ada Ann Elizabeth "Dolly" Vaughn, in Spring Valley, Arkansas, USA. Daughter of Christopher Columbus Vaughn and Martha Jane Carroll. I wrote more about Dolly here.

OTDIH - October 2nd

 October 2nd, 1812 - In Cabell County, West Virginia, USA, John Vaughn and Lydia Crabtree were married. They are my 5th great-grandparents. 

The image used to be viewable on the West Virginia Culture site, here, but there appears to be a error loading it. Thankfully I saved it to my computer & have a copy. Unfortunately it is another bare bones record that lists only date and name of parties. 

Record of marriage for John Vaughn and Lydia Crabtree. October 2nd, 1812. 

OTDIH - September 28th

September 28th, 1834 - In Finch, Stormont, Ontario, Canada to John Link and Mary Cameron the birth of a daughter, Catherine Link. This is according to the 1901 Canadian Census. There is no way of knowing who provided the information. But it would have been someone close to her. Possibly even her. 

And speaking of someone close to her...

September 28th, 1875 - The marriage of Catherine Marie Cameron and John Gordon Grant took place in Osnabruck, Stormont, Ontario, Canada. He, the son of George Grant and Margaret Shaver was 21 years old and residing in Osnabruck, Stormont, Ontario, Canada. She, the daughter of Alex Cameron and Catherine M Link was 20 years old also residing in Osnabruck. 

OTDIH - September 26

 September 26th, 1797 - Conrad Warner, son of Michael Warner, wed Elizabeth Phillips, daughter of William Phillips, in Stormont County, Upper Canada (now Ontario, Canada). Conrad and Elizabeth are my 4th Great-Grandparents.

The image below was clipped from Conrad's Find-A-Grave memorial, but I do not know where that image came from. I believe it is from the same source as the Upper Canada Marriage Index found on the Ontario Genealogy webpage. As the marriage is indexed there but only with the year. 

 A helpful member of the genealogy group on Ravelry help me decipher what is written. The top says “Verzeichnis der Copulierten Personen” which, according to Google translate, is German and means "Directory of Copulated Persons".

The entry for Conrad and Elizabeth reads: Left column - d. 26th Sept. Right column - Conrad Werner ein sohn von M. Michael einhowhner in Cornwall St und Elizabeth Philipps eine tochter von M. William Philips in ???? Stormont County.

Which translate to: the 26th of September, Conrad Werner a son of M. Michael Werner resident of Cornwall Stormont and Elizabeth Philipps a daughter of M. William Philipps of ???? Stormont County.

OTDIH - September 23rd

September 23rd, 1782 - According to "Historical and genealogical record of the descendants as far as known of Richard and Joan Borden, who settled in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, May, 1638 : with historical and biographical sketches of some of their descendants", compiled by Hattie Borden Weld(which was published in 1899), my 5th Great-Grandfather, Eleazer Sweetland was born on this day in East Haddam, Connecticut, USA, . The "Connecticut, U.S., Town Birth Records, pre-1870 (Barbour Collection)" on Ancestry, does show an Eleazer Sweetland s. Rev. Eleazer & Elizabeth, b. Sept 23, 1782. I am relying entirely on other people's research for this information. At least until I improve my research skills in this area. 

September 23rd, 1907 - My 3rd Great-Grandfather, George William McKelvey, was killed accidently by an auto in Eldon, Victoria County, Ontario. He was 70 years old and living on Lots 15 & 16, Concession North Portage Road (N.P.R.) in Victoria County. This is just east of Bolsover and south of Canal Lake in what is now known as Kawartha Lakes. 

OTDIH - September 22nd

September 22nd, 1874  - The birth of my Great-Grandfather, Herbert "Herb" Henry Robinson, in Grey Co., Ontario, Canada. The third son of James Robinson and Sarah Ann Stewart. 

Ida Reed transcribed the Wesleyan Methodist Baptism Registry from microfiche, she made them available here. Herb's entry can be found here. I have not viewed the microfiche. This date also appears on his death record. 

Here is a photo of him at about 2 years of age with his 2 older brothers. Herb is on the left, Jack in the middle and Bill on the right. 

"Canada, British Columbia Death Registrations, 1872-1986; 1992-1993", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FLRS-R54 : 8 November 2017), Herbert Henry Robinson, 1960.

OTDIH - September 19th

 September 19, 1967 - The death of my great-grandfather, John Franklin "Frank" Grant. At the age of 88 years, 3 months and 24 days. 

Obituary of J. Frank Grant

I do not know what newspaper this obituary appeared in as I inherited the clipping from my grandmother and she did not include that information. 

OTDIH - September 14th

September 14th, 1816 - According to "A Genealogy of the Duke-Shepherd-Van Metre Family", published in 1909 by Samuel Gordon Smyth. My 4th Great-Grandmother, Mary Hester (Sweetland) Strickland was born on this date in Botetourt Co., Virginia, USA. Daughter of Eleazer Sweetland and Sallie Hawkins Van Metre. This is the only source I can find for this date. The book is supposed to be compiled from civil, military, church and family records and documents but they are not included in the book. 

OTDIH - September 4th

 Just one event today.

September 4th, 1897 - The death of my 3rd Great-Grandmother, Euphemia Ann (Latimer) Stewart, in Dundalk, Grey, Ontario, Canada. She was 88 years old. 

"Canada, Ontario Deaths, 1869-1937 and Overseas Deaths, 1939-1947," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JDFW-HJF : 2 March 2021), Euphemia Stewart, 4 Sep 1897; citing Dundalk, Southgate, Grey, Canada West, British Colonial America, , Registrar General. Archives of Ontario, Toronto; FHL microfilm .

OTDIH - September 3rd

Our most active day in September, with 4 events (3 births and 1 marriage). 

September 3rd, 1810 - Unconfirmed as I am not able to find any records for the time but this date has been long associated with the birth of my 3rd Great-Grandmother, Margaret (Shaver) Grant, in Stormont,  Upper Canada. She is the daughter of Peter Shaver and Catherine Otto.

September 3rd, 1812 - In Rockbridge Co., Virginia, USA my 5th Great-Grandparents, William Anthony Strickland and Christiana Hart were joined in holy matrimony by D. Blain. 

September 3rd, 1837 - We cross the pond to Poplar, London, England for the birth of another 3rd Great-Grandmother, Jane Caroline (Walker) Clare. Daughter of James Walker and Sarah (Kicks) Walker. We have two documents that confirm her date of birth. The first is her actual birth registry. It wasn't registered until February 20th, 1838. 

Poplar Registration District, West Yorkshire, vol. 2, p. 262, no. 321, birth entry of Jane Caroline Walker, 3 September 1837, photocopy of birth entry in register; General Registry Office, Southport, England. [a Digital image from the GRO website]

So it is fortunate that on her baptism record the minister included her birth date and we can be extra sure it is her actual date of birth.

September 3rd, 1855 - And finally we have a 2nd Great-Grandmother, Catherine Marie (Cameron) Grant, in Canada West. Now Ontario, Canada. Daughter of Alexander Cameron and Catherine Link. Interestingly, she is the daughter-in-law of Margaret (Grant) Shaver above. The only record I have that shows her birthdate clearly is her death record in 1943. Her daughter, Florence Agnes (Salmon) Grant was the informant. The 1901 Canadian Census does ask for date of birth but the enumerator most have been confused because you can tell he wrote over the day and it isn't clear what number he was trying to write. 

OTDIH - September 2nd

September 2nd, 1793 - Christening of my 4th Great-Grandfather, James Clare, in Longbridge Deverill, Wiltshire, England. The son of James and Hannah Clare. England did not require births, marriages, and deaths to be registered until 1837. Prior to that Church records are usually the only source available for that information. If you are lucky the minister would note the child's date of birth but that did not happen here. 

This image was taken from the "Wiltshire, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1538-1812" collection on Ancestry.com. It was compiled from the Longbridge Deverill Parish Registry.

OTDIH - September 1st

Slight change of pace. Instead of focusing on one individual for my 'On This Day In History' posts I'm going to do a quick overview of the events that happened on that day. 

September 1st, 1776 - The birth of my 5th Great-Grandfather, Samuel Vaughn, in North Carolina at the time but is now known as Russel Co., Virginia, USA. He is the son of William Patrick Vaughn and Fereby Benton.

The date comes from his grave marker. I don't know when the grave marker was placed or by whom but I believe it was more recently. It does not have the appearance of a 170 year old stone. 

There is a mention of his date and place of birth in the "History of Hindsville, Arkansas : the town, the area, and the people" by Joy Anderson Russell, Christy Russell, and Madison County Genealogical & Historical Society, published in 2001. 

I have not been able to locate an earlier record but 18th century USA research is one of my weak areas.