REMEMBRANCE DAY AND THE POPPY

When I was researching George Howson my 2x great grandfather,  I simply searched George Howson England to see what information if any I could find.
As you can imagine I found quite a few (4,670,000, to be exact).

I have found George Howson, the educator in Yorkshire.  I have found George Howson, the silversmith in Sheffield.  I have various Howsons who were Innkeepers, and since my George was an victualler, I thought they were possibly related.  I still haven't made my way down the list of all 4,6700,000 and now I know that George lived at least for a short period of time in Abingdon, Berkshire, it might help narrow down my search (123,000, my odds are getting better).

But at this time of year the George Howson  that interests me most is Major George Arthur Howson (1886-1936).  He was a 2nd Lieutenant in the Hampshire Regiment in England and served 1914 -1918 in the war.  He was promoted to Captain and awarded the Military Cross at the battle of Passchendaele in 1917.  He was promoted to Major and left the army in 1920.

After the war he started the Disabled Society for injured ex-Servicemen.  An American War Secretary was inspired by John McCrae's poem in Flanders Field and started selling poppies as a remembrance for those who had died in the war and to support ex-servicemen.

George Howson suggested to the British Legion that his Disabled Society could make the poppies.  The poppy was designed so that it could be made by people with disabilities.  The legion continues to sell poppies to this day.

So, Major Howson, I don't think you belong to me, but thanks for your service to your country and your wonderful idea, that helps make the poppy a symbol of remembrance.

ROAD TRIP - ABINGDON

We arrived in Abingdon-on-Thames on a beautiful sunny day after spending the morning in the City of Oxford.  It's just a bus ride way about 5 1/2 miles south of Oxford.

Abingdon, in now considered part of Oxfordshire,  but historically it was in Berkshire.  It claims a long history that dates back to the Iron Age.  A defensive enclosure was discovered in the town centre that dates back to the Iron Age and shows evidence of Roman occupation.

St. Helen's Church dates back to 1100 and is still in use today.  And that is where my personal interest begins in Abingdon.   We are on a search to find St. Helen's Church where I know my George Howson married Jane Lay in October 1816.  They also had a son Thomas born in June 1817 and sadly died one day later.  I've already checked with the Oxford Family History Society and they can find no burial records or any other baptismal records, for that matter for George and Jane.

George Howson is listed as a victualler and so we will definitely need to search out some pubs.  Just for authenticity sake, you understand.  Morland was the main brewery in Abingdon for many years.  While Morland brewery was purchased by the Greene King Brewery, you can still see some of the Morland signs.

Armed with a map of Abingdon, off we go to find the Church.  St. Helen's Church is a large Church with it's own small cemetery.  Unfortunately, the church isn't open for tours when we are here.  So, I'll just have to view it from the outside.  Many of the tombstones in the surrounding cemetery are hard to read.  We did find a tombstone for a Charles Lay, but I have no idea if he is one of "my" Lay people.  The stone reads:  An affectionate remembrance of Charles Lay, who died on November 29, 1849, age 39.

Charles Lay Tombstone in  St. Helen's Churchyard






St. Helen's Church entrance

I also know from one of the church records that George and Jane Howson lived on West St. Helen's Street, so we'll have a look for that as well as Ock Street where the pubs were located.

We decide to meander through the streets to see what we can see.  We find a pub on Ock Street called the Brewery Tap.  It once housed the Morland administration office in the 1800's.  It is where the landlords came each month to pay their rent.  The pub itself is quite new but there is lots of Morland memorabilia around.

After a wander through the town, it's time to be on our way.  I'm sorry to leave Abingdon as we only had a flying visit here.  I think I found an Innkeeper in Devon in my family tree, so maybe that will be our next holiday.



 

ROAD TRIP - OXFORD ENGLAND

We arrived in Oxford on a beautiful sunny summer day, but there is heavy rain in the forecast, so we are hoping we can fit in our walking tour of Oxford before that happens.   George Howson (1790), is my 3 times great grandfather and I believe he was born in Oxford.  This reference comes from a publication entitled   "Commemorative Biographical Record of the County of York" (Canada) published in circa 1905.

There is a paragraph  about George Plant who married Georgianna Adelaide Howson (granddaughter of George Howson) " ...George Howson, who was born in Oxford, England where he married Jane Lay. In 1832 they came to Canada settling at Belleville, where Mr. Howson was a market gardener...." 

So, I'm not sure if George actually lived in the City of Oxford, or if the reference is for the County.  But, I do know that George Howson and Jane Lay were married in Abingdon, Berkshire, which is not far away.   Oxford dates back to 900 AD and the University is one of the oldest in the English speaking world. There is also a long history of brewing beer in Oxford.  Since I think George Howson was an Innkeeper in Abingdon, it's conceivable that he lived and worked in Oxford as well.

The University is a series of Colleges and does not have a main campus.  Since the colleges date so far back in history is easy to imagine what the area looked like in the 1800s.

The University dominates the City and there are lots of students and tourists here.  The main mode of transportation appears to be the bicycle.  Our tour guide tells us to be wary of the bikers or as he calls them the "assassins."  As they don't stop for pedestrians.

Several scenes from Harry Potter movies were filmed here.  The Divinity School, Bodelian Library was used as the infirmary for Harry.



Divinity School, Bodelian Library

C. S. Lewis (1898-1963) held academic positions at both Oxford and Cambridge and wrote his novel The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, while in Oxford.  These might have been an inspiration for his work:

 

 

  

 

 

 There are also lots of pubs here so after our tour we will have a quick lunch and a pint.  Then we will head to Abingdon to see where my George Howson lived.

ROAD TRIP - ENGLAND

We recently booked a last minute vacation, and I found that we had 5 days in England with nothing special planned.  As we were staying near Salisbury, Wiltshire we looked at day trips we could take from that location.

I immediately thought of George Howson, my 3x great grandfather. I knew from information from the Oxfordshire Family History Society (OFHS), that George Howson had married Jane Lay in 1816, at St. Helens Church  in Abingdon-On-Thames, Oxfordshire.  They also had a son Thomas Howson born in 1817, who died at 1 day old, also at St. Helens.

According to the parish records, George was listed as a victualler of West St. Helen's Street at that time.  Unfortunately the OFHS have no tombstone records of any Howsons buried at St. Helen's cemetery.

Since we were in England for such a short time, I didn't feel I could devote a day of research in the library.  However, I did want to see Abingdon and perhaps walk the streets that George and his wife Jane may have walked so many years ago.  Another factor was that my husband in not very interested in genealogy and we both needed to enjoy the day.

We decided to make an overnight trip and accomplish 3 things.  The first was a walking tour of Oxford City.  Our tour guide was very funny and we walked past many of the colleges.  According to him Trinity is the best as he is an alumni.  The day was perfect for a tour and we enjoyed ourselves.  The next part of the trip was a visit to Abingdon, which is just a short bus ride from Oxford.  The 3rd event was a trip to Banbury to see a  Fairport Convention concert, as this is one of my husband's favourite bands.

After all the various tickets and hotel accommodations were booked we were ready to go.  St. Helen's Church is open to the public on certain days, but we would be there late afternoon so we couldn't go inside, but there was still the outside of the church and the churchyard to discover.  I wanted to see the church and West St. Helen's Street, where George lived.  There were also a lot of pubs listed, on Ock Street.  Since another meaning for victualler is an Innkeeper I have been working on the premise that George might have been a pub landlord.  My husband was interested in this concept, he loves a good pub.

So armed with not much more than a Family Group Record of George Howson, a one page history of the St. Helen's Church and a street map of Abingdon, we were on our way.


 


 




 

MCKNIGHT FAMILY - PART 3

 The Historical Atlas of the County of Wellington, Ontario has an obituary for George McKnight, that lists his wife Mary Smith and his children.  George McKnight was born about 1817 according to the various census, but this biography/obituary states he was born in 1827 in Fermanagh, Ireland and he emigrated to Canada in the early fifties (1850) with his family.  This is incorrect  as Isabella his daughter, was born in Ontario about 1839.  So while some of the information is suspect it does give a sense of who George McKnight was.

From other sources, I know he came to Wellington County by 1854 as he is listed as one of the first owners of land in Minto Township at Concession 1, lots 41 and 42.  The biography states "There were no roads at this time and the McKnight found their way through Wallace and up to their location the 'blazed' path.  Here Mr. McKnight made a small clearing and built a log house, eventually clearing the whole farm and living upon it until his death."  The article also states that he was a Conservative and the family were members of the Church of England.

The most valuable part of the biography lists his children and more importantly who they married.  Unfortunately the daughters are listed by their married names, i.e.:  Mrs. Robert Newton.  This takes some sorting out to discover which daughter it means.  Luckily the  men fare better, they are listed by name and the full name of their wives.

By using the biography as well as information from other sources here are the family marriages:

Isabella   (1839 - 1913)  m. Robert Newton

Ann J.      (1841 - 1894) m.  Leonard Denney/Denny

Margaret (1843 - 1920)  m.  Moses Aldrich

Sarah      (1847 - 1929) m.  Robert Magwood, George Adams, E. G.  Harris

John        (1849 - 1911) m.  Elizabeth Phillips

James     (1850 - 1931) m.   Sarah Rutherford

George   (1857 - 1931)  m.  Mary Jane Lovell

Mary       (1861 - 1938) m.  Charles Heuckerote 

Elizabeth (1862 - 1867)        --

Samuel   (1865 - 1957) m.  Elizabeth Rothwell

Most of the family seemed to stay in the Wellington County area and George McKnight's farm stayed in the family for years after his death.  I believe there are still quite a few McKnight family descendants in the area to this day.

MCKNIGHT FAMILY - PART 2

George McKnight was born about 1817 in Fermanagh, Ireland where he married Mary Smith who was born about 1817.  According to Mary's obituary in 1909, they married in 1835.  Shortly after their marriage they came to Canada and settled in Toronto for approximately 2 years where they ran a dry goods store, possibly with a Mr. Saxon.

After that time they moved to Albion, Peel County, Ontario.  On the 1851 Census, George and Mary  are recorded as living in Caledon, Peel County.  Their children are listed as:

• Isabella   (1839 - 1913)
• Ann J.      (1841 - 1894)
• Margaret (1843 - 1920)
• Sarah      (1847 - 1929)
• John        (1849 - 1911)
• James     (1850 - 1931)

According to the book They Way it was:  A history of Minto Township, by Clifford Harrison, George McKnight was the original owner of Lots 41 and 42, Concession 1 in Minto, Wellington County in 1854.  The land sale for Minto is recorded as September 10 and 11, 1954.

Unfortunately the McKnight family seems to have been missed on the 1861 Census in Minto as I can not find the family.

However, the 1871 Census for Minto shows that the family is still there and that more children were born:

• George   (1857 - 1931)
• Mary       (1861 - 1938)
• Elizabeth (1862 - 1867)
• Samuel    (1865 - 1957)

And of course, there might have been other children born between 1850 and 1857 that have not been recorded.

The birth years that are given here are just approximations as there are no birth certificates to support the dates.  Many of the dates are different from the information that was available at the date of death.  On Isabella McKnight's death certificate from Manitoba, her date and place of birth are recorded as April 6, 1839 and Palmerston, Minto Township.  However, by looking at the census, she was probably born in Caledon, Peel County and not Minto, Wellington County.

George McKnight Senior died Nov 16, 1884 in Minto.  He was still residing at Lot 42, Concession 1.  At the time of his death his age was recorded as 67 years, 9 months and 18 days.  If my math is correct, his birth date is April 3, 1817.  Mary Smith McKnight his wife died May 15, 1909 in Wallace, Perth County.  They are both buried in the Shipley Cemetery in Wallace.

MCKNIGHT FAMILY - PART 1

This is a picture of George McKnight (1817 - 1884) and Mary Smith (1817 - 1909)

George and Mary McKnight

 

George is my 3x great grandfather and came from Enniskillen, Fermanagh County Ireland.  He emigrated to Canada before 1839 as his first known daughter Isabella McKnight was born in Upper Canada in 1839.  There are quite a few researchers working on this family and the general consensus seems to be that George and Mary were married in Ireland before they came to Canada.

I met a new researcher on the Internet last month, who is a  Mcknight.  He asked me if I had a tree on the Mcknights.  The George Mcknight family was one of the first families I researched.  As their daughter Isabella married Robert Newton and that started me on my genealogical research, I thought I had done quite a bit of work on this family, but now I see there is a lot more to do.  So while I have put together a family tree, it is sadly lacking in information, backed up by sources.

I think there are several reasons for this.  The first reason of course is that I've learnt more about how to document properly.  The second reason is that because there are so many trees out there already, I left this tree on the back burner to pursue another day.   But I think the most compelling reason that this family has been left is because I find Irish genealogy hard to get a handle on.  I never know whether a place name is a Civil Parish, a Townland,  a county, a post-town. etc.  And as  I have found it can be all of those things.

So for now I think I'll just concentrate on the Canada side of my research.  I need to fully explore George McKnight's family since he came to Ontario and tidy up the information I have.  Maybe then I'll feel brave enough to tackle those Irish sources, if I can find them.

I've just realised another reason I've been procrastinating about the McKnights:  they had very large families.  When there are 10 children in a family, the documentation piles up.  There is also the added complications when the families inter-marry.

George McKnight's parents were James McKnight and Hanna/Ann/Sarah Colwell (1796 - 1870).  They were born in Ireland and while there is no documentation, it is thought that they both came to Ontario.  Ann McKnight is found on the 1851 Census as a widow.  The thinking is that the family came in the late 1830's - 1840's and settled in Ontario, but James died around 1845.  I'm not sure there is any proof of this, but it seems to be a possibility.

The 1837 Toronto & Home District Directory lists a Mcknight & Saxon on Yonge Street Toronto as Wholesale Merchants and Wholesale dry goods store.  I wasn't sure if this was my George McKnight as I first found him in Albion, Peel County, Ontario with his family.  However several other trees have indicated that he was a shop owner and perhaps that it was a family run business.  Recently, another researcher Laurence kindly sent me an obituary for Mary Smith McKnight who died in 1909.

I think the obituary was from the Listowel Standard Newspaper, May 28, 1909, and it states that Mary Smith was born in 1815 in Fermanagh Ireland; she married George McKnight in 1835, in Fermanagh and they came to Canada in 1836.  They settled in Toronto where George McKnight was "engaged in mercantile business for two years".  After Toronto they moved to Albion, Peel County where they farmed.  In 1854 they were some of the first families to acquire land in Minto Township, Wellington county.  According to the obituary, their land was a dense forest and they had to clear the land to make a home for themselves.

So this confirms the story that George and Mary first settled in Toronto.  Unfortunately I couldn't find George Mcknight's address in the directory, perhaps he lived above the store.  Also Mr. Saxon is missing as well.  It also confirms that George and Mary married in Ireland.

It appears that George McKnight's siblings also came to Ontario and settled in the same area.  I've found 7 children listed as James and Ann Colwell Mcknight's family in Peel and Wellington counties.  But I think I shall leave that for another day.

FAULKNER FAMILY - PART 7

Annie Margaret Faulkner was the youngest daughter of William Faulkner (1815 - ) and Annie Jane Crosby (1819 - 1886).  She was born in Newton Robinson, Simcoe County, Ontario about 1857 and died in Consort Alberta in 1939.

Annie Margaret married Joseph Hugh Fawcett in Huron County in 1878.   Joseph Fawcett was listed as a farmer and by the 1881 Census the family was living in Peel , Wellington County.  They had a large family some born in Ontario, but the majority of children were born in North Dakota.  The family moved there in about 1883 where there was land available.

Unfortunately, most of the 1890 US census has been destroyed, so according to the 1900/1910 US census the children are listed as follows:

• William Melville - 1879 - 1891
• John Franklin - 1881 - 1926
• Joseph Ford - 1882 - 1964
• Henrietta Louise - 1884 - 1884
• Nina Irene  -  1885 - 1980
• Matilda Elsie - 1889 - 1968
• Cecil Everett - 1893 - 1951
• Ethel May - 1895 - 1960
• William Dewey - 1898 - 1963
• Charley Eames - 1901 - 1970

Joseph Fawcett owned Timber culture land in  North Dakota according to the   US Bureau of Land Management  His land is listed as 160 acres of land in the Township/Range of 130N-059W, which is in Dickey North Dakota.  The land was sold in 1910 and the family owned a pool hall in Ludden North Dakota.  After that,  the family moved to Alberta and were homesteaders north of Loyalist Alberta west of Consort.

In searching the internet for genealogy information, I have been in contact with a descendant of Matilda Fawcett and he has shared some photos and information with me.  Matilda Fawcett kept a scrapbook of her family's history.  She kept newspaper clippings and photos which has been a real treasure trove of information.  Much of the information in this blog has been taken from the documents that he shared with me.

According to the  Alberta Homestead Records 1830 -1970  Joseph Fawcett owned land in Section 20, Township 36, Range 7, Meridian 4.  Which is near Loyalist Alberta.  It also states that Joseph died in 1916.  The land was then assigned to Annie Margaret Fawcett and there is also an entry for this same property for their sons Cecil Fawcett and William Dewey Fawcett.  There are no dates on the Index, so further investigation is needed to determine when they actually owned the land.  However according to the the Border Crossing - US to Canada information Matilda Fawcett crossed the border in April 1912 and listed that she was going to her father.  She was also travelling with her niece and nephew who stated they were going to their father.  I haven't found Annie Margaret and Jospeph Fawcett on the 1916 census, but did find John Franklin Fawcett, a widower,  his children Blanche and Russell, as well as Dewey Fawcett.  On the 1916 Census John Franklin and Dewey are listed as living in Township 35, Range 7, Meridian 4.  Which seems close to where Annie Margaret and Joseph had land, but not quite.

I find from the scrapbook, Melville Fawcett died in 1891 at the age of 11, in North Dakota, from spinal meningitis and he is buried in the Ludden Cemetery..  There was a lovely poem in the newspaper clipping dedicated to him.  The Enterprise Newspaper from Consort Alberta has an obituary for Annie Margaret Faulkner Fawcett who died in 1939 in Consort.  The obituary confirms that Joseph died in 1916.  It also indicates that Annie Margaret lived in Toronto as a young girl and woman.  I think this is something I need to examine more closely.  I seem to have her living in Simcoe County and then marrying in Huron County.  I do know the family lived at some point in Toronto, so that is something more to check out on the ever growing "Faulkner" list.

Annie Margaret Faulkner Fawcett - taken in Ludden North Dakota

Thankfully the obituary also lists where her offspring were living at the time of death.  I find Dewey is in Loyalist, Alberta;  Ford is in South Dakota; Charles is in Oregon and Cecil is in Saskatchewan.  Three daughters and their married names, hooray, are also listed:  Ethel May has married Adrian Grexton and is living in Ontario; Matilda has married Willard Robinson and is living in Consort Alberta; and Nina Irene is married to Edwin Isamin and is also living in Consort.  Frank, Melville and Henrietta had pre deceased her.  At the bottom of  this obituary, a handwritten note indicates Joseph H. Fawcett was born Apr 3, 1856 and died March 30, 1916.

From another obituary for Frank Fawcett, we learn that he died from a farming accident in 1936.  His children are mentioned as Russell and Blanche who has married an A. J. Canning.

What a wonderful scrapbook, for the family to own.  They also the have William Faulkner's eyeglasses and William Faulkner  family bible.  As any one who traces their family genealogy knows, these artifacts are priceless.  I thank all the extended family members who have shared these with me.  Now if we could only find out more about our elusive William Faulkner and Annie Margaret Crosby in Ireland.









FAULKNER FAMILY - PART 6

Willliam Joseph Faulkner is the 4th son born to William Faulkner (1815- ) and Annie Jane Crosby (1819 - 1876).  According to the Wesleyan Methodist Baptismal Register, he was born in Tecumseth, Simcoe County, Ontario, on July 1, 1850 and baptised the following May in Bradford.  So far this baptism record is the only record I've found for any of the children.

It does establish the family in Simcoe County in the 1850's even though the 1851 Census is no longer available for this County.  Ford Faulkner an older brother is listed as being born in Toronto, between 1847 and 1849.  This gives us a time frame for the family.  William senior and his wife Annie Jane came from Ireland with 2 children born in Ireland between 1844 and 1845.  If Ford Faulkner was born between 1847 and 1849 the family must have emigrated in that time period.  Likewise they must have moved from Toronto to Simcoe County by July 1, 1850, where William senior was the first tailor in Newton Robinson.

William Joseph Faulkner married Saphronia Diana Garbutt in West Gwillimbury, Simcoe, in 1880.  They lived in Simcoe County and then by 1891 the family had moved to the Muskoka area, where William was a baker.

William and Saphronia Faulkner had at least 4 children:

Lewis Norman Faulkner  1881 - 1908
Henrietta Jane Faulkner   1885 - 1965
William Garbutt Faulkner  1889 - 1970
Florence M. Faulkner  1895 - 1931


The  Vintage postcards website indicates that William Joseph Faulkner had a bakery and confectionery shop in Sundridge, Muskoka County, but it burnt down in 1903.  This shop was at Paget and Main Streets and was next to his brother John Crosby Faulkner's photography shop.

William died in 1905 while working with his son William Junior on a harvest excursion in Strathclair Manitoba.  William Senior worked as a baker for the harvest.  Another researcher sent me a newspaper article, date and paper unknown, that recounts his death.  However, the article indicates he died on the excursion in Strathclair, while his death registration was in South River, Parry Sound, Ontario.  Strathclair is about 2,000+ km west of South River, so I'm not sure how accurate the newspaper article is.   The article goes on to say, that the body was brought home for interment and William is buried in the South River Cemetery in Sundridge, Ontario




Willliam Garbutt Faulkner

There are no known pictures of William Joseph Faulkner, but here is a nice one of his son William Garbutt Faulkner (1889 - 1970).  This has been shared with me, by a descendant of William Faulkner's family.  I always think it odd that there aren't more photographs of the Faulkner family, since John Crosby Faulkner was a professional photographer.  I guess it's like the old story of the cobbler's children never having any shoes.


At some point the family had land in Saskatchewan. Saphronia Diana Faulkner is listed on the Saskatchewan Homestead Index. Charles George Gandier and Thomas Edward Casson. is also listed in the same area, which I think was near Battleford, Saskatchewan. As the property is listed in Saphronia's name I'm assuming this was sometime after 1905.

I've just found the family in Battleford, Saskatchewan on the 1916 Census.   It was a tricky one to sort out.  The Ancestry Index had her listed as "Sophronia Din* *Lronor".  Oh, well, now I'll have to be creative to find out where they were on the 1911 Census.

Henrietta  married Charles George Gandier in Ontario in 1903 and they are living near Battleford.  William Garbutt Faulkner married Blanche Pike in 1915, in Saskatchewan and Thomas Casson and Florence Faulkner were the witnesses  Saphronia Diana Faulkner is living with William Garbutt Faulkner..  Florence Faulkner  is listed as a spinster so she must have married Thomas Casson after that period.  According to the Census they moved  west in 1909.

Saphronia Faulkner died in 1921, but the exact details are not known.  Possibly she died in Saskatchewan.

FAULKNER FAMILY - PART 5

Mary Jane Faulkner was born May 1, 1852 (per her death certificate)  in Ontario.  She died in 1909, in Fordwich, Huron, Ontario.  Mary Jane was the oldest daughter of Willliam Faulkner (1815 -) and Annie Crosby (1819 - 1876).  The Faulkner family had emigrated to Canada from Dublin Ireland around 1847-1849.  Mary Jane's older brother William Joseph Faulkner was recorded as baptised in Simcoe County in 1851, so it is probable that Mary Jane was born there as well, possibly in Newton Robinson.



 

 This picture of Mary Jane Faulkner appears to be from a larger group photo.  The photographer is shown as "Faulkner, Sundrige".  This is Mary Jane's brother John Crosby Faulkner, who had a photo studio in Sundridge Ontario.  The back of the photo says "Aunt Mary" according to a distant relative who sent me this copy.  The photo belongs to the Annie Margaret Faulkner family.  Annie Margaret is the younger sister of Mary Jane.

Mary Jane Faulkner married James Rowe in 1873 in Simcoe County.  James Rowe was from Cornwall, England and his parents are listed as James and Susan Rowe.  James and Mary Jane settled in Howick, Huron County according to the 1881 Census.  William Faulkner, Mary Jane's father is also living with the family.  A few doors away, Ford Faulkner, his wife Sarah Newton Faulkner and her brother Edward Newton are also living in Howick.  James Rowe was listed as a brickmaker, a farm labourer and also an insurance agent on the various census.

Mary Jane and James Rowe had at least 7 children:

• William Henry 1874 -
• Henrietta Gertrude 1876 -
• Susan Jane (Elsie) 1878 -
• Alberta 1881 -
• Matilda "Tillie" 1885 -
• Annie Mary 1887 -
• Elmer Austin 1894 - 1918

Henrietta Rowe married Charles W. Ruttan in Huron County in 1906.  Susan Rowe married John Thompson in 1903 also in Huron. Tillie married Herbert Bricker Huron in 1918.  Lance Corporal Elmer Austin Rowe was killed in the First World War and is buried in France.  He was attached to the Fort Garry Horse Unit, so he must have been in Manitoba prior to enlisting in the Army.

When Mary Jane Rowe died in November 1909, her daughter Alberta wrote a letter to Annie Margaret Faulkner Fawcett.  Annie Margaret Fawcett was living in Ludden North Dakota at the time.  It's a lovely letter from Alberta expressing her sorrow at her mother's death.

The letter indicates that Will had just been married and returned home with his new bride and did not return for the funeral.  I'm not sure where home is, but I think perhaps it is Manitoba.  The letter also mentions Etta (Henrietta) had returned for the funeral with her  3 month old baby and expects to stay all winter as it is a long journey home.  Once again, I believe that Henrietta and Charles Ruttan lived in Manitoba.   At the time of Mary Jane's death Alberta, Tillie and their father James Rowe were at her bedside.

The letter goes on to say that Uncle John and Aunt Jennie (John Crosby Faulkner and his wife Jennie Stewart) and Uncle Ford and Aunt Sarah (Ford Faulkner and his wife Sarah Ann Newton) "came up" for the funeral.  The letter closes by wishing her aunt Annie Margaret a Merry Christmas and is signed "Niece, Alberta xxx"

There was a notice in a local paper in Huron County that indicated " On account of the late Mrs. Jas. Rowe's funeral, there will not be any service at Newbridge on Sunday afternoon."  Newbridge was a small village in Huron County.

Mary Jane Faulkner was buried in Fordwich Cemetery.  Her husband James Rowe died in 1919 and he was buried with her.  The tombstone inscription  also lists their son Elmer Austin Rowe.