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
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.
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| 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.
