THE HOWSON FAMILY - CANADA PROJECT 150

HOWSON FAMILY

Another family who lived in Canada at the time of confederation in 1867

George Howson is my 3x great grandfather and was born in 1794 in Buckland, Berkshire, England.  He married Jane Lay in October 1816 in Abingdon, Berkshire.  The county boundaries have changed since then and Abingdon is now considered part of Oxfordshire. Jane  was born about 1794 and baptised in Eynsham, Oxfordshire, England in 1795.

According to the book "Commemorative Biographical Record of the County of York" (Canada) published in circa 1905, the Howson family came to Canada about 1832.  There is 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...."

George and Jane had at least 3 children.  Their first son Thomas was born on June 15, 1817 and died 1 day later in Abingdon.  They had 2 more sons Thomas born in 1818 and George born in 1820, possibly Buckland, Berkshire.  At some point, around 1832 the family of 4 emigrated to the Belleville area of Ontario, Canada.  There were also some cousins of George Howson who emigrated to Belleville about the same time from the Oxfordshire area, namely the Cox and Little families.

The first known record of the Howson family in Canada is 1844 when George (1820) married Bridget O'Neill in Marysville, Ontario.  

George (1794) owned land in Thurlow, Hastings Ontario where he was a market gardener.  The 1851 census lists his land as Concession 2, Lot 9, 25 acres of land.  He later sold this land to the Grand Trunk Railway.

Son Thomas Howson (1818-1896) married Rebecca Reynolds/Runnels(1824-1893) about 1842 possibly in Kingston Ontario.  They had at least 11 children and moved to Morrisburg, Dundas, Ontario where Thomas was a tinsmith.  Thomas and Rebecca retired to Picton, Prince Edward County, Ontario where they are buried.

Son, George (1820-1856), my direct ancestor, married Bridget O'Neill(1812-1884). Bridget was from Thomastown, Kilkenny, Ireland.  They had at least 5 children, all girls:  Jane(Jannett), Eliza, Emma Teresa, Margaret and Bridget.  They were all baptised at St Michael's The Archangel Roman Catholic Church in Belleville, Ontario.

Emma Teresa Howson (1850-1913), picture circa ?1880?

Emma Teresa Howson is my direct ancestor.  She married George Thomas Meehan.  Link to:  Meehan Family 

George (1794-1879), Jane (1794-1876), George (1820-1856) and Bridget (1812-1884) are all buried at the St. Michael's The Archangel Cemetery in Belleville.

#CanadaRemembers - JOSEPH HENRY DOWN (1889-1915)

“Imagine, it’s easy if you try”.  You are Joseph Henry Down born in 1889 and you have signed up for the war in 1914.  You are young, an electrician and linesman.  The war will be an adventure and it will be over by Christmas everyone says so.  You leave behind a mother and father, and brothers and sisters, a wife and 2 soon to be 3 children and 2 stepdaughters.  What an adventure.  One of your brothers and an uncle also signed up and you are all sent together for training in Quebec.

Joseph Henry Down - taken in Salisbury, England circa 1914

You eventually end up at Ypres as a Sapper in the 2nd Field Company, Canadian Engineers .  On April 12, 1915 you send a card to your family.  It’s preprinted: yes, I‘m well, yes, I received your letter of March 26, 1915.  This will be great news for the family.  They have to rely on the radio broadcasts and the newspaper headlines.  Gossip is rampant at the stores back in Toronto,  everyone has someone in the war.  Every scrap of news is analyzed.

War letter from Joseph Down, postmarked Toronto April 26, 1915

“No hell below us, above us only sky.”  Of course when you wrote the card the gas attacks hadn’t started.  You have been on duty for 24 hours straight, possibly 48.  Little do you know it but you are in the middle of the 2nd battle of Ypres.  It is chaos.  There are so many wounded and the attacks just keep coming.  Your Lieutenant volunteers your Section to hold back the enemy.  It’s 10:00am April 24, 1915 and you are shot in the head, along with several soldiers in your Section.  You are just one of many of the thousands of dead.

“Imagine there are no countries, nothing to kill or die for, and no religion too.”  Back home your family still unaware receives your card.  It is post marked April 26, 1915.  They don’t know the truth you are already dead. In their ignorance they are jubilant.  We have news he’s ok!  Tell all your friends and family, he is safe.

And then the awful telegram is sent.  “Killed in Action.”  Joseph’s body was never recovered.  His name is inscribed at the Menin Gate in Ypres, Belgium.

Joseph Down- Killed in Action Telegram

“Imagine all the people living in peace.” 

MAURICE FITZGERALD FAMILY - CANADA PROJECT 150

Another family ancestor who lived in Canada at the time of confederation in 1867. Maurice Fitzgerald is my 2x great grandfather.

Maurice Fitzgerald Family

The family belief is that Maurice Fitzgerald (1803- 1881) came from Tralee, Kerry, Ireland.  He married his wife, Ellen Pendergast/Prendergast (1803-1872) in Ireland as their first daughter Nancy was born there.

As Nancy Fitzgerald's date of birth is listed as 1828 Ireland and the next daughter Mary was baptised on 14th December 1833 at St. Paul's Basilica in Toronto,  the family came to Canada between 1828 and 1833 and settled in the Toronto, Ontario area.

Ellen and Maurice Fitzgerald began a family that consisted of at least seven children including: Nancy, Mary, Bridget, Michael, Ellen, Johanna and David.  The baptisms of  five of the Fitzgerald children were found  in the Baptismal Records at St. Paul's Basilica, in Toronto.   These records range from 1833 to 1844.  On the 11th May 1850, their daughter Anne/Nancy Fitzgerald married Michael Stedman / Steadman at St. Paul's Basilica.

St. Paul's Basilica, Toronto, circa 1910 - Photo Courtesy of the Toronto Public Library

For some reason the family moved to Hornellsville, Steuben county, in New York State for a short period of time.  The family is listed on the 1850 US Census and their daughter Nancy and her husband Michael Stedman were also living nearby.

By the 1852  Canada Census, enumerated in January 1852, Maurice, his daughters Mary, Ellen and Johanna are listed as living in York, Ontario along with an Ellen Studman (?Stedman), aged 4.  His wife Ellen, son Michael and David are not listed with the family and perhaps they stayed in Hornellsville.

By the 1861  Canada Census, David Fitzgerald, the youngest son was listed as born in Upper Canada in 1851 and Ellen, Michael  are back with the family. 

Maurice and his son Michael owned land at Concession 1, Lot 6 , in the Southeast part of York County, Ontario.  According to the history of the Toronto Golf Club 1876-1976, Michael Fitzgerald owned approximately 65 acres that extended from Woodbine Avenue to Coxwell Avenue and north to the Grand Trunk Railway Tracks  and south to Queen Street in 1869.  In 1876 the Toronto Golf Club rented a vacant portion of the farmland to play golf.  This informal agreement lasted until 1894 when the Toronto Golf Club sought more permanent accommodation.

The Fitzgeralds also sold some of that land to the St. John The Baptist Norway Anglican Church.   The Church History of St. John indicates the church property was extended south of the Church circa 1880. "This lot was the site of the home of Mr. Fitzgerald, father of Mr. Michael Fitzgerald whose farm began north of St. John's and ran up to the Grand Trunk tracks"  This is in the Woodbine and Kingston Road area of Toronto.

 

Goad Insurance Map showing Fitzgerald Property

Ellen Fitzgerald died 5 June 1872 and is buried in St. Michael's Cemetery in Toronto.  Maurice remarried in September of that year.  He married a widow Ann Altridge O'Neill at St. Paul's Basilica.  Maurice's parents were listed as Patrick Fitzgerald and Annie Walsh.

Maurice died in 1881, and he was living at 20 Water Street in Toronto.  He is buried with his first wife Ellen in Plot 128 North of Bridget St.

Their children Michael Fitzgerald born 1838 married Fanny Down and Ellen Fitzgerald born 1841 married John Busby.  I have previously written about Richard Down see Richard Down Family  and John Busby see John Busby Family
in my previous Canada Project 150 posts.