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.

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.

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.

HOWSON FAMILY - PART 1

George Howson is my 3x great grandfather and was born about 1790 - 1795 in England.  I think he came from the County of Oxfordshire, but this is still a work in progress.  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 also born about 1790 - 1795 in England.

The Oxfordshire reference comes from a book "Commemorative Biographical Record of the County of York" (Canada) published in circa 1905.  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...."

I contacted the Oxfordshire Family History Society (FHS)  to see if I could find any more  information.  They found a few things for me:

• George Howson and Jane Lay married in Abingdon, St. Helen 20 October 1816
• Thomas Howson baptised in Abingdon, St. Helen 15 June 1817
• Thomas Howson  buried in Abingdon, St. Helen 17 June 1817

George and Jane are listed as living on West St. Helen's Street and George's occupation is victualler.

I know that George and Jane had 2 other sons namely :

• Thomas Howson born abt 1818  England
• George Howson born abt 1820  England

These 2 sons came to Canada with their parents around 1832.  Unfortunately, their baptism records were not located within the Oxfordshire FHS records.  There was no record of George Howson (1790) being baptised in that area either.

I had a little more luck with Jane Lay.  According to the Oxfordshire FHS there were 3 Jane Lays baptised around that time period:

• Jane Lay baptised 1795 Eynsham, Oxfordshire, parents Thomas & Christian
• Jane Lay baptised 1796 Appleton, Oxfordshire, parents Daniel & Mary
• Jane Ley baptised 1799 Abingdon, St. Helen, parents Dr. Hugh & Mrs. Eliza

Now the question is which (if any) is the correct Jane Lay/Ley?  I had high hopes for the Abingdon family, as that is where the marriage took place and it is often in the bride's home parish.    The family forenames also seemed to fit in with the information I had on the Howson family.   After researching this family I found that Jane Ley married some one else named Whitmore Smart  in Cornwall.  There was quite a bit of information on this family as there was a disputed will and land distribution involved.

George and Jane settled in Thurlow Township, Hastings, Ontario which is now part of Belleville Ontario.  The 1861 Census shows them on Concession 2 Lot 9 and George is listed as a Gardener.  Their older son Thomas was a tinsmith.  He  married Rebecca Reynolds and they eventually settled in Morrisburg, Ontario.  George (1820) married Bridget O'Neill and they lived in the Belleville area.  Sadly, George died quite young at the age of about 36 years, in 1856 in Belleville. 

Jane Lay died in Thurlow Township in 1876 and George Howson  senior died in 1879.  They are both buried in St. Michael's Cemetery in Belleville.

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.