Tuesday 18 September 2012

NEWTON FAMILY - PART 3

As I continued my search for Robert Newton's parents I spent quite a bit of time researching the other Newtons in the area.  My research into William, Maria and Henry Newton took a lot of digging and at some points I wondered if I was just spinning my wheels.  Sometimes my husband asks me how the family "shrub" is progressing, as my research seems to spread sideways like a shrub instead of vertically like the tree it is supposed resemble.

Here's what I knew for sure:
  • Henry, William and Maria were brothers and sister.
  • George Newton was also a possible relative.
  • They were born in Ireland about the same time as Robert.
  • They were Protestant.
  • They were farmers.
  • They lived in the same geographical area of Ontario.
  • Their parents were Henry Newton and Mary Bryan(t) or a variation.
Question:  Were they related to Robert Newton born about 1820, in Ireland, a protestant who lived in Albion, Peel County, Wallace, Perth County, Howick, Huron County and Manitoba?

I started my search using Ancestry and Family Search to see what information was available.  I had already  found the marriage registrations for Henry Newton , who had been married twice.  It was his  marriage that gave me his parents names.

Henry Newton born about 1828 married Lydia Hill in 1862 in Waterloo.  It turned out that Lydia had been married before to a Michael Bloomily and they had a son Michael Bloomily.  Lydia died in 1864 and Henry remarried in 1865.  He married Susan Ghent in Wellington County. Susan Ghent had also been married before to a Daniel Sutherland who died in 1862.  Henry and Susan had a daughter in Fordwich, Huron County in 1868.

Willliam Newton born about 1826 married Eleanor Holt about 1855 in Waterloo County and they had at least 8 children born in the Waterloo area.

Maria Newton born about 1828 married Thomas Holt about 1847, possibly in Toronto.  They had at least 12 children born in Welllington County.  Eleanor Holt and Thomas Holt were brother and sister as were Maria Newton and William Newton.

George Newton born about 1821 married Letitia Eason in Simcoe County, Robert Newton was a witness.

I contacted several researchers through Ancestry who had trees on the website.  They were researching the Holt family and had little information on the Newtons.  However one researcher indicated that Henry Newton senior had died when Maria Newton was a teenager around 13 years old and her mother Mary Bryan(t) had died before that.  This information was from family knowledge and I have not found any concrete proof of this information.  However if Henry Newton senior died about 1841, it would explain why he was not listed in an 1851 census Peel County.

At this point I decided to turn my attention to Robert Newton's children.  Some moved to Manitoba and some children stayed in Ontario.  I was hoping perhaps by researching these children, I might uncover some further information to help me.  If you have been following this blog and the Newton family you might remember that Robert Newton was the father of at least 16 children.  Oh, boy.