THE MEEHAN FAMILY - CANADA PROJECT 150

In 2017 the Ontario Genealogical Society asked their members for stories about the families who lived in Canada at the time of confederation in 1867.  I thought it was a good idea and decided to write about each family unit. There were more than I first imagined.

MEEHAN FAMILY

Patrick Meehan was my great great grandfather.   He was born in Ireland about 1806 in Ireland, possibly Donegal.  He was married to Elizabeth "Bessie" Magee.  Bessie was also born in Ireland about 1812  I don't know if they married in Ireland or met in Canada.

Patrick and Bessie had at least 3 children born in Kingston, Ontario:  James, Ellen and George.  James Meehan was born on November 26, 1842 in Kingston and baptised at St. Mary's Church in Kingston on 8 December 1842.  The parents are listed as "residents" of Kingston as opposed to other listings in the parish records that refer to "immigrants".  So Patrick and Bessie were living in Kingston from at least November 1842.

The other two  children were also baptised at St. Mary's.  Ellen was born May 2, 1845 and baptised on June 8, 1845 and George Thomas was born on March 30, 1850 and baptised on May 19, 1850.

At some point between 1851 and 1861 the family moved from Kingston to Belleville, Ontario.  Unfortunately the 1851 census is missing for parts of Kingston and Belleville, so it is not clear exactly when they moved.

Nevertheless, by 1861 the family was living in Belleville, in the Coleman district.  Patrick is listed as a labourer and the family is living in a 1 1/2 stories frame house.

Patrick Meehan, W. Water Street, Belleville - 1869 Directory.

According to our family history, James joined the US army and participated in the US Civil War in 1863.  He was injured in the US and remained there and lived in Wisconsin with his wife and 9 children.  There certainly was a James Meehan, born in Canada who did live in Wisconsin.  His father was named Patrick Meehan, but the mother's name is unknown.

Ellen married Thomas Bolger in Belleville in 1872 and she died in Carleton Place, Lanark, Ontario in 1901.

My direct ancestor George Thomas Meehan married Emma Howson in Belleville in 1874. See Howson family link: Howson Family  George and Emma had at least 7 children all born in Belleville and baptised at St. Michael's The Archangel Church.  By the 1901 Census the family had moved to Toronto.  George died in 1919 and Emma died in 1913.  They are both buried at Mount Hope Cemetery in Toronto.

George Thomas Meehan (1850-1919)

Patrick died in 1886 and Bessie died in 1888, both in Belleville.  They are buried in St. Michael's The Archangel Cemetery in Belleville.

THE REAL MEEHAN O'LEARY CONNECTION

Over 4 years ago I wrote about the O'Leary sisters country and western group and the very tentative connection to my Meehan family see Meehan-O'Leary Connection.

Since that time I have been in contact with a descendant of Teresa Meehan and Norman Dunne O'Leary.    Susan also introduced me to another relative Rosemary.  Rosemary is a descendant of Mary Ann Meehan and Lorne Sheridan.  Susan, Rosemary and I share the same great grandparents George Thomas Meehan (1851) and Emma Howson.(1851)

Both Susan and Rosemary have been very generous and shared family pictures.  My grandfather George Meehan (1882) and my grandmother Isabel Faulkner were separated and I didn't know my grandfather.  So when Susan shared the Meehan family photo I was thrilled.

The picture was taken circa 1907 and appears to be taken for a formal gathering, possibly a wedding.

Back Row L to R: George Meehan (1882),Margaret Meehan (1876), James Meehan (1880), Mary Ann Meehan (1878),   Seated  George T. Meehan (1851) Teresa Meehan (1886) Emma Howson  Meehan (1851)

LEST WE FORGET - WORLD WAR 11

We happened to be in Amsterdam on May 4th this year, visting friends of my husband.  Our friends took us around Amsterdam and showed us the National Monument at Dam Square.  Later that night
Queen Beatrix would place a wreath to commemorate the war dead.  Our friends had invited their daughters and one of the girl's boyfriends for dinner that evening.  The young man was about 25 years old.  He knew we were from Canada and he told us:  Thank you for saving my Country , during the war.  I felt humbled.  He thinks Canadians are great people and he is thankful for something that happened over 40 years before he was born.  I wonder how many 25-somethings could say the same in Canada.

So thanks again to the soldiers in my family who served their Country.  I know it wasn't easy and I know all the scars are not visible.

CANADA

JAMES ARTHUR MEEHAN 1914 – 1969  

 James Meehan was a private in the Royal Canadian Army Service Corps Service # B98340.  He enlisted on 19 January 1940 and was discharged on 15 February 1945.  He served in the United Kingdom and France as a cook and a driver.  He went to France in July 1944 and was hospitalised in October 1944 and evacuated back to a hospital in England in November 1944 due to "shell shock".  His official discharge was 15 February 1945.  He was awarded the 1939-45 Star, France & Germany Star, the Canadian Volunteer Service Medal & Clasp (CVSM) 39-45. 
 

 GEORGE FAULKNER MEEHAN 1912 – 1985

 George Meehan was a Pilot Officer in the Royal Canadian Air Force, Special Reserve, Service # J41871.  He enlisted July 9, 1942 and was discharged in September 25, 1945.  He did not serve overseas.  He is listed as Aircrew from 1942 to 1944 and Pilot from 1944 to 1945.  He flew the Moth (Tiger & Menasco), the Harvard and the Yale aircraft.  In 1944 he was a Staff Pilot- Training Officer and from January 1945 to August 1945 he served as Flight Control Officer and Deputy Flight Commander.  He also served with the Royal Canadian Air Force from Oct 3, 1951 to Nov 10, 1952 in the Auxiliary Aircrew List Pilot Branch as a Flying Officer.

He was awarded the Canadian Volunteer Service Medal (CVSM) 1939-45 and a Pilot's Flying Badge.
 

JOSEPH HENRY KITCHEN DOWN 1914 – 1977 

Joseph  Down, was a Sergeant in WW 11, Service Number B-114182.  He was attached to The Royal Canadian Ordinance Corps as a Mechanic/Driver.  He saw action in Italy, France and Germany.  He enlisted on 9 June 1942 and was discharged on 4 Oct 1945.  He was awarded the Canadian Volunteer Service Medal & Clasp, 1939-45 Star, Italy Star, France & Germany Star.

 
FERGUS PATRICK HOWSON O'LEARY 1910 - 1946

Fergus O'Leary was a Corporal assigned to the Royal Canadian Armoured Corps, service # B/119600. He died July 28, 1946 at Chorley Park Military Hospital in Toronto. He is buried at Mount Hope Cemetery.

 ENGLAND

CHARLES STEPHEN ALBERT KENNARD 1916 – 1989 

 

Charles Kennard was a career soldier with the Buffs, East Kent Regiment.    He joined the army in 1934 and served in Burma in  1936 and India 1936- 1938.   Between  1938 and 1943 he served in both Palestine and Egypt , where he suffered a concussion.  He was attached to the 2nd battalion and served in North Africa 1943- 1944.    He was a Quartermaster Sergeant Major.  While in England he was stationed at the Howe Barracks in Canterbury.    In 1947 he was stationed in French North Africa.  He was awarded the following medals:  General Services Medal, Clasp Palestine; African Star, War Medal 1939 - 1945, Defence Medal, Clasp Malalya and LS & GC Medal (Long Service and Good conduct).  Charles remained in the Army until 1956,  he then re-enlisted under Supplemental Services and remained there until 1961.

 

JOHN KENNARD 1922 – 2007

John Kennard enlisted in the British Army on Nov 21, 1941 where he was attached to the Royal Signals until December 14, 1943.  After that he was assigned to the Army Catering Corps from December 1943 until February 1947.  He received the 1939-1945 War Medal, Defence Medal, the 1939-1945 Star, the 1939-1945 African Star and the General Service Medial, South Arabia. 

 After WW11 he joined the reserves from 1947 to 1948.  On Oct 22, 1948 he enlisted in the regular army with the Army Catering Corps where he was a cook.  During this period he was stationed in the Far East, possibly Singapore and/or Hong Kong (1950-1952), Osnerboook, Germany (1956-1964) Aden, now Yeman (1964-1966) and then based in England, he was sent to Northern Ireland (1966-1967).  His discharge date was December 6, 1967 with the rank of Corporal.

 

 

FAULKNER FAMILY - WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?

I have several pictures of the Faulkner family.  The picture below was in my grandmother's possession and we know it is a picture of  at least some Faulkners.  The question is who?   Here's my working theory, still to be proven.




Theory:
Top row:  Sarah Ann Newton, mother,  ?Ford  Faulkner, father
Middle row:  Baby Faulkner
Bottom row: Mary Smith great grandmother, Isabella Mcknight Newton, grandmother

It looks like it is 5 pictures that have been placed in one frame.   I've been working on assumption that the man and women in the top row are the parents of the baby.  Of course, the question remains, who is the baby.  It could be my grandmother Isabel May Faulkner Meehan (1885-1959).  And does that make the other two ladies the grandmothers?

I believe the lady on the top left is Sarah Ann Newton (1860-1933). I've based that assumption on this picture:

This is a picture of my grandmother's family. In the front from left to right: Isabel Faulkner, her parents Ford Faulkner, Sarah Ann Newton Faulkner.  The back row from left to right: her brothers  William Robert* Faulkner, Stewart Faulkner, Ford Crosby* Faulkner and Clifford Faulkner. (* I'm not sure if I have these 2 brothers in the right order).

Comparing the two photos I think I see a resemblance in Sarah Newton.  I'm not so sure about Ford Faulkner, the nose and cheeks look different.

Then I found this picture on the Internet.  It is a picture of George Mcknight (1807-1884) and  Mary Smith (1821-1909).  They are the grandparents of Sarah Ann Newton

As you can see its not very clear.  Its a copy of a copy.  I've been told it is a daguerreotype and it is printed backwards.  It looks to me that Mary Smith is the lady wearing the hat in the first picture.  Maybe its just the hat, but I think I see a resemblance.

If it is Mary Smith in the picture, could that mean that the lady on the bottom left of the picture is Isabella Mcknight Newton (1839-1913), the grandmother of the baby?

So the question remains:  who are these Faulkners?  My cousin who shared these pictures with me isn't sure.  We've come up with our assumptions but no definitive proof.  We know they belong in the family, but it's just another piece of the puzzle for now.

 

 

 

 

 

 

HOWSON FAMILY - PART 2

George Howson (1790-1879) was listed as a victualler in 1817, living at West St. Helen's in Abingdon, Berkshire.  A victualler is described as either a supplier of  provisions or an innkeeper.  I have no idea which category George Howson fell into to.  I do know when he lived in Thurlow Township, in Ontario he was described as a market gardener.

I thought I would check out the pubs and taverns of Abingdon.  I tried a search for George as a licensed victualler on the National Archives at Kew but didn't find his name.

There is a wonderful website that records historical information about Pubs in England.  Here is the link Dead Pubs in England  There were over 100 pubs listed for Abingdon, must have been a thirsty crowd that lived there.  There were even several listed on West St. Helen's,  no joy there either.

When George Howson died in the Belleville area in 1879, he left a will.  There were 3 executors:  Thomas Cox, Michael O'Neill and Michael Graham.  I think Michael O'Neill may have been a relative of  George's daughter-in-law, Bridget as her maiden name was O'Neill.  There are several Michael O'Neill's listed in the 1881 Census for Belleville, so I'm not sure which is the correct Michael.

However it started me thinking that perhaps the other executors may be related.  I started a Google search using the names of "Howson" and "Cox".  I found  a genealogy forum that mentioned the surnames Abraham, Howson and Cox and Berkshire England.  It appears that a Catherine Abraham born 1756 married a William Howson.  From that family tree there was also a Phillip Cox who married an Ann Abraham.

Here's where it gets interesting.  Phillip Cox had a son also called Phillip.  This Phillip married a Mary Ward and they emigrated to Belleville Ontario about 1832.  Now this is about the time that George Howson and his wife Jane Lay and their 2 sons are reported to have come to the Belleville area as well.  Thomas Cox, the executor, is the son of Phillip and Mary Cox.

I was in contact with a lady who has done quite a bit of research on the Phillip Cox family.  We tried to find a connection but it remains elusive.   She also told me that Mary Ward's father James  married a Teresa Howson as his second wife.  According to this researcher, the Cox family were Roman Catholics and came to Canada to escape religious persecution.  I contacted the Catholic Library in England to see if I could find any information about my Howson and Lay families.  No Howson or Lay names were found.

The Cox and Howson families seems to have been close.  George Howson (1820-1856) and his wife Bridget O'Neill were the sponsors at the baptism of one of Phillip Cox's children at St. Michael's church in Belleville.  Then just to add to the mix with the Meehan side of the family, Ellen Meehan 's (1845-1901) husband Thomas Bolger (1850 - 1910) was the witness at a wedding that connects with the Cox family as well.

I have found some other Howsons in the Oxfordshire area, so for now my search continues.

THE TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS OF RESEARCHING TRANSCRIBED INDICES.

When I took my first genealogy research class, I remember the instructor stressing that we must be flexible when searching for our ancestors' surnames.  This was due to many factors.  Back in the day, a lot of people could not read or write and so the concept of how their name was spelled was not a big issue.  In most cases for farm workers or labourers this did not impact their day to day life.

Emigration played a large part of this name game as well.  An English, Scottish or Irish accent changed how the name sounded to the North American ear and therefore how it was written down.  Another factor to be considered is that when the census were taken, the person taking down the information may have misheard the information given and basically guessed at what they thought they heard.

Therefore I thought I was ready to search and try out variations on a name.  I started with my Meehan surname and tried to think of all the different variations I could.  When I started thinking about it there were quite a few:  Meehan, Mehan, Mechan, Meecham, Meighen, Meaghan, Meaghen, Meagher, etc.

Other names such as Howson, had similar variations:  Howson, Hawson, Honson, Houston (this being the most popular), Howard.  The Faulkner surname became, Falconer, Falkner, pretty close to the original.  The easiest name so far to search has been Newton, it seems to have escaped the many and varied spellings that happened to my other surname searches, although I did find a Hewton.

Then there is the added fact that when these census or vital statistics documents are indexed there is another layer of human intervention that can lead to a completely different surname altogether.  So what we have is potentially a name that is taken down incorrectly in the first place being transcribed incorrectly as well.  It's the written equivalent of playing broken telephone.

When I was researching my Meehan family, I was looking for the marriage for Teresa Meehan and Norman Dunne O'Leary on the Ancestry website.  What I came up with was Teresa Mechan and Roman Dunne Breaw.  That one stumped for a while and I did have difficulty finding the marriage record until I took out most of the information in the search box and just left the parents names.  Even then George Meehan was recorded as George Mechan and his wife Emma Howson became Emma Teresa Danson Mechan.  Not too far off for the Meehan surname, but how in the world can you transcribe Breaw for O'Leary?  The only part of Norman Dunne O'Leary's name that was correct was the middle name Dunne.

My latest search for George Howson is even more bizarre.  I knew that George Howson died, at the age of 85 years, in March 1879 in Belleville, Ontario, as I had his burial record from St. Michael's Church in Belleville.  I realised I didn't have his death certificate recorded.  Easy peasy I thought and went to Ancestry to do a search.  No George Howson appeared.  I then tried New Family Search and  I found him.  Unfortunately New Family Search does not have images.  But it does have the certificate number.  So I went back to Ancestry and searched in the Belleville deaths for 1879 and found the certificate number I was looking for.  George Howson's  name was recorded as Genya Snorton, aged 0.  Of course how silly of me!

Now I'm wondering how many more Roman Breaws and Genya Snortons are out there waiting for me to find them?

THE MEEHAN - O'LEARY CONNECTION

During the  1950's  the O'Leary sisters was a popular Country & Western singing duo.  The duo consisted of Mae O'Leary and her sister Theresa.  Mae played acoustic guitar and Theresa played the double bass and they both sang.  It should be noted that Theresa was quite short and the bass was about a foot taller than she was.

They appeared on a weekly radio programme called the Hayloft Hoedown on CKEY radio in Toronto.  The actor Lorne Greene was a radio announcer at the station and took quite a shine to the sisters, especially Mae.   They performed on WWVA radio in Wheeling, West Virginia on  the Wheeling Jamboree. They also performed in Chicago on the National Barn Dance. They were offered a 15 minute weekly radio program in Chicago and were told the next stop would be Nashville, but they turned it down.  Here's a recording of Mae and Theresa as the O'leary Sisters

My father James Meehan used to brag that he was related to the O'Leary Sisters.   His aunt had married an O'Leary and he claimed the O'Leary's as kith and kin.

My great  aunt Theresa Brigid Meehan (1886 - 1946) was born in Belleville Ontario. The family moved to Toronto between 1896 and 1901. She is recorded on the 1901 Census living with her parents George Meehan and Emma (Howson) Meehan at 373 Queen Street East.

Theresa married Norman Dunn(e) O'Leary in Toronto in 1909. Norman's parents were John O'Leary and Maria Dunn(e).   Norman was born in Lindsay, Ontario in 1886.

In the 1960's we moved to Silverbirch Avenue and guess who also lived on the street?  The O'Leary Sisters plus some of the rest of the family.  The sisters came from a large family, I believe there were 12  brothers and sisters.  I became friends with 2 of their nieces as we were all the same age.

We've tried to find a connection to the O'Leary's but we can find none so far.  The parents of the O'Leary Sisters were John Joseph O'Leary born 1890 in Toronto and Charlotte Lawrence.  They lived in the east end of Toronto as did Norman and Theresa O'Leary.  The families were both Roman Catholic and at some point both lived on Caroline Avenue in Toronto.  But that's as close as we've come to connecting the families.  My two friends and I still jokingly refer to us being related.

I think the connection is tenuous at best.  Once we moved to Silverbirch Avenue, I didn't hear my dad mention the connection again.

ICE BOAT TRAGEDY

Belvie Meehan was my aunt.  She died of dyptheria when she was just 18 years old, in 1926.   I never knew the details of her death until a few years ago.  But I did know it cast a shadow on the family for many many years.

A couple of years ago, my cousin mentioned that Belvie had been in an ice boat and the boat hit open water. Belvie and her friends fell in the icy water.  She contracted dyptheria and died a month after the accident.

I decided to do some research and see if I could find her obituary and any details that might have been published at the time.  The story was reported in both the Toronto Star and Globe & Mail Newspapers.  It was front page news.

The headline from the Toronto Star, Front Page on Thursday February 18, 1926 reads:

ICE- BOAT CARRYING FOUR GLIDES INTO OPEN WATER ONE OF PARTY DROWNED.  

According to the article 2 young men and 2 young ladies borrowed a friend's ice-boat and went sailing on Toronto Bay.  They made a semi circle around the bay looking for "fast" ice, but they hit open water instead.  The boat tipped over and they all went into the frigid February water of Lake Ontario.  One of the men Reginald Helston drowned.  The other man Carl Crockett got the two girls, Belvie Meehan and Mabel Hescott back in the boat.    They shouted for help, but there was no one to hear them.  Carl Crockett then got himself on solid ice and went for help.  Land was about a mile away.  He managed to get to the Dominion Sugar warehouse at the foot of Bay Street to get help.  Police and ambulance services were then called.

This took well over 45 minutes before the girls could be rescued and a search for Reginald Helston could be started.

Belvie and the other 2 were taken to hospital.  The two girls were released and Mr. Crockett was kept for several days with pneumonia.

Belvie developed dyptheria and never recovered, she died March 19, 1926.  There was a private funeral and she is buried in Mount Hope Cemetery, in Toronto.

MEEHAN & COMPANY - Men's Clothing Store

In my last post I mentioned that my grandfather George Meehan (1882-1960) worked in the haberdashery trade.  He is listed in various census and directories as: salesman, merchant, owner, of "men's furnishings".

In the 1913 Toronto Directory he is listed twice, once at 257-259 Yonge Street and 415 1/2 Yonge Street.  I'm not sure which address is his business.

I also found an Edward J. Meehan in the directory, living at 191 Avenue Road.  He is listed as a salesman for the Meehan & Co. men's clothing store.  At this point I thought I had found a match  to  my Meehan family starting with great-great grandfather Patrick Meehan (1806-1886), born in Donegal Ireland.

The directory also listed several other Meehans living at 191 Avenue Road:  Mary ( widow of Francis), Mary and Frank J.  This information started me on a search for this family, hoping that there was a relationship. 

 Here's what I found from the 1901 Census, Toronto City, Ward 3:

• Francis Meehan, born Ontario abt 1855, occupation Motorman
• Mary Elizabeth McGuiness, wife,  born Ontario abt 1858
• Edward John Meehan, son, born Ontario abt 1889
• Ann Mary Meehan, daughter, born Ontario abt 1891
• Frank Joseph Meehan, son, born Ontario abt 1893
• Mary Meehan, daughter, born Ontario abt 1895
• Teresa Meehan, daughter, born Ontario abt 1897
• Helen Meehan, daughter, born Ontario abt 1901

Further research on this family led me back another generation to Francis Meehan's parents, Dennis and Mary Harvey/Garvey, both born Ireland.  According to the IGI on Family Search, Francis' parents were married in Newmarket, Ontario on 23 April 1853.  I eagerly searched for other Meehans and to try and find a connection. 

Alas, I didn't find any connection.  However, Edward and Frank are about the same age as my grandfather George.  Could he have hired family members to work at his store?  I know that my father worked in his father's store in the late 1930's.  Perhaps Edward and Frank are cousins.  It seems too much of a coincidence that they would have the same surname and not be related. 

My research came to a stand-still at Dennis Meehan.  For now they will remain the "other" Meehan family.

MEEHAN FAMILY - PART 2

George Meehan was my grandfather but I don't remember meeting him, even though he died after I was born.  He was born in Belleville, Ontario in 1882 and died in Toronto in 1960.  He married Isabel Faulkner in Toronto in 1907 in Toronto.  Isabel Faulkner was born  in 1885 in Galt, Ontario and died in Toronto in 1959.

They seemed to have married twice.  They married in Toronto in November 1907, but on two of the birth registrations of their children Isobel and George, Buffalo is listed as their place of marriage.  On Isobel's registration the date of May 1907 is listed.

George and Isabel had  6 children:

• Mary "Belvie"  1908 - 1926
• Dorothy  1909 -1910
• Isobel Theresa  1910 - 1973
• George Faulkner 1912 - 1985
• James Arthur  1914  1969
• Lenore Patricia  1923 - 2007

George Meehan had moved to Toronto sometime after 1896 with his family.   On the 1911 Census George and Isabel and 2 children were living together with Isabel's mother, Sarah Ann; father, Ford; and brother Carlyle.  They lived at 34 Caroline Street, in Toronto East.  

George Meehan was a merchant, salesman and  store owner in men's clothing.  The 1911 Toronto directory shows George Meehan as the owner of Meehan & Co. a haberdashery store located at 34 Caroline Avenue.  By 1913 the store is listed as George Meehan & Co., with 257-259 Yonge Street as the address.  Other directories list him as a salesman for men's clothing.

I don't think it was a happy marriage and the couple lived separately for many years, but did not divorce. My grandmother Isabel is listed several times in the Toronto City directory as: Mrs G. Meehan, widow. I think this was very common when divorce was not an every day occurrence.  George and Isabel are buried at Holy Cross Cemetery in Thornhill, Ontario.

FAULKNER FAMILY - PART 3

 Ford Faulkner was my great grandfather he was born about 1847 in Ontario.  According to his death certificate he was born in Toronto, Ontario.  There is a written notation in the family bible that suggests he may have been born in 1849.  The family were Methodists but to date I have only found one Methodist baptism record.  Unfortunately not for Ford, but for his brother William Joseph who was born 01 July 1850 in Tecumseth, Simcoe County and baptised in Bradford, Ontario.

Ford married Sarah Ann Newton in Fordwich, Huron County in 1879.  Sarah Ann's parents were Robert Newton and Isabella McKnight.  Sarah was born in 1860 in Wallace, Perth Ontario.

By 1851 Ford Faulkner's family were living in Simcoe County.  At some point before 1879, he and some of his family moved to Huron County.   The 1881 Census shows the family living in Howick, Huron County along with Sarah's brother Edward Newton.  At this time some of the other Newton family had moved to Manitoba, where Edward was to join them.  

The 1891 census shows the now growing family had moved to Toronto, St. Thomas Ward.  They are listed as lodgers with a Joseph and Ellen Kearney.  In 1901 they are living at 50 Blair Avenue in Toronto.

Ford and Sarah Ann had at least 8 children:

• William Robert  1880-1938
• Ford Crosby  1882 - 1920
• Bella May "Isabel"  1885 - 1959
• Stewart Clement  1887 -
• Edna (Twin)  1893 - 1893
• Gilbert (Twin)  1893 - 1893
• Herbert Russell  1894 - 1895
• Clifford Carlyle  1900 - 1942

Now back to the Family bible, the book that really got me interested in genealogy.  My paternal grandmother Isabel Faulkner Meehan gave the bible to my mother in the 1950's.  Isabel Faulkner had been raised in a strict Methodist family.  When she married George Meehan she became a Roman Catholic.  The bible had belonged to Isabel's mother Sarah Ann Newton.  It was presented to Sarah Ann by her father Robert Newton in 1884.   My mother didn't know at the time why she was given the bible and it remains a mystery to this day.  Perhaps, because it was a Protestant bible and my mother was a Protestant?

There are many names and dates in the bible, which have been very helpful in my research. I'm not sure whose hand writing appears in the book or if the dates were written as they occurred or after the fact.  Never the less, it's a wonderful artifact.

Ford Faulkner died in 1929  and Sara Ann died in 1933.  They are buried in St. John's Norway Cemetery in Toronto.

MEEHAN FAMILY - PART 1

My great grandfather George Thomas Meehan was born in Kingston, Ontario in 1851 and died in Toronto in 1919.  He is the son of Patrick Meehan of Donegal Ireland and Elizabeth  "Bessie"  Magee also of Ireland.  Between 1851 and 1861 the family moved from Kingston to Belleville.


George married Emma Teresa Howson in 1874 in Belleville.  Emma is the daughter of George Howson of England and Bridget O'Neill of Ireland.  Emma was baptised at St. Michael's Roman Catholic Church, Belleville in 1851.  Emma died in Toronto in 1913.  Both George and Emma are buried in Mount Hope Cemetery in Toronto.

George and Emma had at least 7 children all born in Belleville:

• Bessie  (1874 - 1876)
• Margaret Jane  (1876 - 1953)
• Mary Ann  (1878 -  )
• James   (1880 - 1950)
• George  (1882 - 1960)
• Teresa Brigid  (1886 -  1946)
• John Thomas  (1891 - 1894?)

An 1896  Belleville directory  lists George as a piler for the C.P. Holton Company.  C. P. Holton was in the timber and milling industry.  In later years he was listed as a marble polisher.  By 1901 the family had moved to Toronto and were living at 373 Queen Street East.  The family had moved to 103 Bond Street by 1910.  The 1918 Toronto directory shows the family living at 159 Gerrard Street East, along with Robert Closs who was a son in law.

THE MEEHANS OF DONEGAL IRELAND, BELLEVILLE, ONTARIO, CANADA

My great great grandfather Patrick Meehan was born in Ireland about 1806.  He died Belleville Ontario, Canada  in 1886, and his place of birth was listed as Donegal, Ireland. 

The first confirmed date for Patrick Meehan and his wife Elizabeth “Bessie” Magee is for the baptismal of their daughter Ellen.  Ellen Meehan was baptised at St. Mary’s Church in Kingston, Ontario on 8 June 1845.  Then a son George, my great grandfather was baptized on 19 May 1850, also in Kingston.

Patrick’s wife Bessie is also listed as Irish.  I don’t know whether she was from Donegal as well or where the couple married.

By 1861 the family had moved to Belleville Ontario.  According to this census there was also another son named James who was born in Upper Canada about 1843.  To date, I haven’t found his baptism record in Kingston Ontario.  The 1861 census is the one and only recording of James on the Census records.

 According to a letter from a family member James Meehan went to the USA and joined the US army around 1863 for the Civil War.  He was wounded in the line of duty and lived in Green Bay Wisconsin.  Her letter goes on to indicate that James Meehan had 9 children and they all had red hair.

 On the 1900 US census for Wisconsin there is a James Meehan, born November 1846 in Canada.  His family is listed as Mary J., wife born in Illinois and children George T. , Willie, Nellie all born in Ohio.  James, John, Bessie, Frank and Charley are born in Wisconsin.  This  James Meehan's father was Patrick Meehan from Ireland.  This family lived in Marinette, and Florence Wisconsin and they had 9 children.  James Meehan of  Florence, Wisconsin, died in 1921 in Wisconsin. 

Ellen Meehan married Thomas Bolger in 1872 in Belleville Ontario and then she and her husband moved to Carleton Place, Lanark, Ontario.  Ellen and Thomas were “in service” and worked at hotels  as a servant and a porter.  Ellen died in 1901 at Carleton Place.

George Meehan married Emma Howson in 1874 in Belleville, Ontario.  Emma was the daughter of George Howson, born in England and Bridget O’Neill born in Ireland.  George and Emma had 7 children all born in Belleville, Ontario.  The family moved to Toronto, Ontario about 1900.

Why am I a budding genealogist?

When my mother died in 1999, I inherited a small red suitcase filled with old black and white photos, along with her family photo album.  I knew who most of the people were by rote.  They were my grandmother, grandfather, aunts, uncles and cousins etc.  There was even a picture of “Sparky” the terrier dog.  He didn’t really belong to my mom, but to a lodger.  Sparky didn’t know, my mom was not his owner and he adopted her.  As a child, sometimes I would drag out the photo album and my mom would tell me the stories behind the photos.    Of course, there were far more pictures that were a mystery to me.  I started to wonder how these people were related to me and wished I had asked more questions at the time.

In 2004, we were travelling in England to visit my husband’s family.  Over a family lunch in a restaurant, his cousin told me she was researching her family.  She started asking me questions about when I was born, who my parents were and so on.  She said she would add me to her database and suggested I join Genes Reunited so she could share her information with me.

In the next month or so, I had lunch with my cousin, on my dad’s side of the family. We hadn’t seen each other for a while so we chatted endlessly.  Out of the blue, she asked me if I knew our grandmother’s maiden name.  Somewhere from my memory bank came the name Faulkner, but I couldn’t remember her first name.   Elizabeth was my guess, but my cousin said her first name was Isabel.   We discovered between the two of us we knew very little about our family.  We knew our grandfather was George Meehan and now, we both knew our grandmother was Isabel Faulkner.  I think George and Isabel separated before I was born and I don’t remember ever meeting my grandfather Meehan.

When I got home from our lunch, I suddenly remembered a family bible that my mother had insisted I take years before her death.  It was in her basement and it was very musty.  At the time, I didn’t really want the Bible; it’s very large and quite frankly it smelled.  I aired it out and stuck in on my book shelf and promptly forgot about it.  This was a Bible from the Meehan side of the family. 

When I opened up the Bible, I was confused.  The names in the Bible were Sarah Ann Newton and Ford Faulkner.  Who are these people?  I was looking for Meehan and Faulkner.  Then it donned on me, this Bible was dated 1884.  Could this be Isabel Faulkner’s parents?  With beginner’s luck I had just gone back a generation.  Further investigation showed me the Bible had been presented to Sarah Ann Newton and Ford Faulkner by her father R. Newton.  Now I also knew Sarah Ann’s father was R. Newton.

In the next few weeks I happened to go to the North York Central Library (NYCL) in Toronto.    The NYCL has a floor dedicated to Genealogy specializing in Ontario Genealogy.  I wandered up to the 6^th floor just to see what was there.  A very friendly librarian asked if I needed some help.  I explained that I was interested in researching my grandparents George Meehan and Isabel Faulkner.  He introduced me to the Ancestry Library Genealogy Program and suggested I try the Census as a starting point.

I entered  my information and was rewarded immediately with some information that I could verify through my own limited knowledge and some new information as well.  Beginner’s luck once again, I now know.

From that point on, I was hooked.  I joined Ancestry.ca and became a regular visitor to the NYCL.  I have met many wonderful people on the internet who are also searching their families.  More importantly, I have also been in touch with some of my cousins who I haven’t seen for years.  We have also shared some of those family photos.  In some cases, we have been able to put the faces and names together.