Funeral Card: Mary Jane Boyle, Grey, Ontario, Canada, 1915

 

I found this funeral card at an antique store in Victoria, BC a few years ago. These little cards are genealogy gems. As a tangible artifact from the last event of a person's time here on earth they sometimes contain a wealth of genealogical information, and other times, just a few details.  This one is somewhere in-between. It says:

Died
In Grey Township, on Monday, May 3rd,
1915
Mary Jane Boyle
Relict of the late Robert Robertson
Aged 66 Years, 10 Months and 22 Days

Funeral
After a short service at the home, Lot 6,
Con. 12, on Wednesday, 5th Inst., at 1.30
o'clock, the remains will be conveyed
to the Presbyterian Church, Cranbrook,
where service will be held at 2.30.

Interment in Cranbrook Cemetery.

I'm a huge fan of Find-a-Grave, and that's where I headed first when I decided to look into the life of Mary Jane Boyle. Lucky us, Mary Jane's gravestone has been photographed. Not only that, but someone has provided a few extra details about Mary Jane's life.

Of course, when you find information on a site like Find-a-Grave, or in an Ancestry public tree, you should ALWAYS confirm what you find there with proper documentation. In this case, I went in search of Mary Jane's death record. There, I found a discrepancy regarding her birth date. It says that she was 66 Years, 10 months and 12 days old when she died. So, according to these two sources, her birthdate is either the 11th or 21st of June 1848. The record states that she was born in Ontario and her father's name was John Boyle. The death record also tells us that her late husband, Robert, was a farmer¹.

Robert Robertson was 73 years and 28[?] days old at the time of his death from pneumonia in 1902 which calculates out to a birthdate of 31 May 1829². He was born in Paisley, Scotland.

Mary Jane and Robert raised their four children in Huron County, Ontario: Robert John (b.1873), William George (b.1877), Florence L. (b.1881) and Samuel R. (b.1887)^{3 4}

Mary Jane Boyle married Robert Robertson in Elma, Ontario on the 19th of March 1872⁵. Her parents were John and Mary Ann Boyle which should help in tracking down her birth record. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to locate it.

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1 "Ontario Deaths, 1869-1937 and Overseas Deaths, 1939-1947," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JDZ8-VNG : accessed 21 February 2016), Mary Jane Robertson, 03 May 1915; citing Grey, Huron, Ontario, yr 1915 cn 15966, Archives of Ontario, Toronto; FHL microfilm 1,862,267.^↩
2 "Ontario Deaths, 1869-1937 and Overseas Deaths, 1939-1947," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:J6CW-826 : accessed 21 February 2016), Robert Robertson, 28 Jun 1902; citing Grey, Huron, Ontario, yr 1902 cn 12072, Archives of Ontario, Toronto; FHL microfilm 1,854,184.^↩
3 “1881 Census of Canada,” digital image, Ancestry.ca (http://www.ancestry.ca: accessed 19 Feb 2016), entry for Robert Robertson household, Grey, Huron Centre, Ontario, District 174, p. 80 (penned); citing LAC microfilm C_13273.^↩
4 1891 census of Canada, Grey, Huron East, Ontario, population schedule, enumeration district (ED) 76, subdistrict C, p.28 (penned), family 150, Robert Robertson household; digital image, Ancestry.ca (http://www.ancestry.ca : accessed 19 Feb 2016); citing Library and Archives Canada microfilm T-6344.^↩
5 "Ontario, Canada Marriages, 1801-1928," online database, Ancestry.ca (http://www.ancestry.ca), Mary Jane Boyle and Robert Robertson, Marriages 1872, Perth, Ontario, 19 Mar 1872; citing original data at Archives of Ontario; citing microfilm MS932, reel 8.^↩

Who was Kate Keller, 1860-1882, Uxbridge, Ontario, Canada?

 

A notation is scribbled on the back of this carte de visite image: "Kate Keller, Died 1882, Age 22." I purchased this photograph last week from an antique dealer here on Vancouver Island thinking that, along with this information and the photographer's imprint, I could learn a little bit about the life of this young woman. The photographer was W. McFadden, who worked out of studio in Uxbridge, Ontario.

I located a death certificate for Kate Emma Keller first.¹ According the death certificate, Kate died on the 3rd of December 1882 in Uxbridge, Ontario of a "liver complaint" that lasted roughly twelve weeks.  She was born in 1860 in Whitby, Ontario County [now Durham Co.], Ontario. This information matches the data from the inscription on the reverse of the photograph. Kate Keller's parents were Francis and Mary Keller. I located this image of Francis Keller, along with a short biography of his life provided by the Whitby Public Library on the "Our Ontario" website. ² Francis was a postmaster in Whitby for a couple of years, then moved to Uxbridge and became involved in the publishing business.

Kate appears to have had two siblings: Mary J. (born 1864) and William H. (born 1865). William was following in his father's footsteps as he was working as a printer at the time of the 1881 census³. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to learn much about Kate in the time I allotted to this search. Perhaps there are documents out there, such as an obituary, that might help round out her history beyond the basic dates and places.

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1 "Ontario Deaths, 1869-1937 and Overseas Deaths, 1939-1947," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JDB1-VXS : accessed 17 February 2016), Kate Emma Keller, 03 Dec 1882; citing Uxbridge, Ontario, Ontario, yr 1882 cn 13117, Archives of Ontario, Toronto; FHL microfilm 1,853,237.^↩
2 http://images.ourontario.ca/whitby/51073/data^↩
3 “1881 Census of Canada,” digital image, Ancestry.ca (http://www.ancestry.ca: accessed 3 Feb 2016), entry for household of Francis Keller, Uxbridge, Ontario North, Ontario, District 133, p. 63 (penned); citing LAC microfilm C-13245.^↩

Do the Facts Fit? Frances E. McLauchlan, Clapton, London, England, Circa 1903?

Albert Hester photographed this child at his St. Kildas Studio in Clapton, London. According to the PhotoLondon website, Hester operated his studio at  St. Kildas Terrace in Clapton from 1897 - May 9 1898¹. And, I am somewhat troubled by that.

On the reverse of this carte de visite photograph, the child is identified as "Frances E. McLauchlan, 15 months"  In the 1911 England Census I found a Frances Emily McLauchlan, 9 years old, born in Clapton, now living at No. 4, Mount Zion, Castle Lane, Hadleigh, Essex². Which, at this point, makes her birth year sometime around 1902.

I see a few potential problems here. First, is the child above a girl or boy? I've found a number of Frances McLauchlans in the census who are male. Secondly, the Frances E. McLauchlan of the 1911 Census would have been 15 months old in 1903, at which time Albert Hester would have been at his studio at 31 Upper Clapton Road, Hackney (1898 - 1919). She appears in the FreeBMD Index as having been born in the second quarter of 1902³.

This could be Frances Emily, and it is very possible that Albert Hester is simply using up his old carte de visite stock after moving to a new location. This was a common practice, but is it reasonable to think he'd still be doing so five years after moving? What are your thoughts?

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1 http://www.photolondon.org.uk/pages/details.asp?pid=3757^↩
2 "England and Wales Census, 1911," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XWNS-JML : accessed 5 February 2016), Frances Emily Ma Lauchlan, Hadleigh, Hadleigh, Essex, England; from "1911 England and Wales census," database and images, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : n.d.); citing PRO RG 14, The National Archives of the UK, Kew, Surrey.^↩
3 "England and Wales Birth Registration Index, 1837-2008," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2F8C-HNW : accessed 5 February 2016), Frances Emily Mclauchlan, 1902; from "England & Wales Births, 1837-2006," database, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : 2012); citing Birth Registration, Hackney, London, England, citing General Register Office, Southport, England.^↩

Who is John Bull of Hillcrest Mill, Duncan, BC?

I acquired this image in a Victoria, BC antique shop about five years ago. The photographer's imprint on the front reads, "A. Savard, Vancouver, B.C," probably Alphonse Savard, a Vancouver photographer who operated out of his studio at 225 Carrall Street from 1896-1899, and after that at 4 Cordova Street East, until about 1916¹.

On the reverse, there is a notation written in pencil: 
"Mr. John Bull
Hillcrest Mill
Duncan, BC"

There is also the photographer's negative number stamped on the back: 934543.

Duncan, BC is located on Vancouver Island, a couple of hours away via ferry from Vancouver. The research I've done into John Bull hasn't provided any worthwhile leads. There are a number of John Bulls in various censuses and vital statistic records, but without more specific information, I can't really narrow it down to which one it might be.

Perhaps the best course of action would be to look into the Hillcrest Mill history. I believe the mill was located at a place called Sahtlam.

To read a brief history of the Hillcrest Lumber Mill at Sahtlam, click here.

And that's all. So. The big question is, does "Mr. John Bull" represent the identity of one of the subjects of the photograph or does it refer to the recipient of the photo?

Can anyone help identify these two men?

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1 Camera Workers 1858-1950 Website by David Mattison, http://cameraworkers.davidmattison.com/getperson.php?personID=I49&tree=cw18581950^↩

Wilbur Fisk Gile, 1832 - 1888, Lawrence, Massachusetts

It's been a while, but you may remember the posts I wrote regarding the Mary E. Harrison photo album I found a few years ago. Mary was born in Maccan, Nova Scotia and moved to Lawrence, Massachusetts. In 1886, she was given the album as a Christmas present from Mr. W. F. Gile, of Lawrence, and accordingly, Mary saved the first page of her new album for Mr. Gile. The image appears above.

I did a little digging into the life of Mr. Wilbur Fisk Gile, and was pleased to see that a record of his life appears in a number of places.  According to his Mason Membership card, he was born on the 4th of January 1832 in Groveland, Massachusetts. The card also provided a death date of 5 February 1888, which matches the inscription in Mary's photograph album¹. His occupation is listed as Attorney and Teacher. With that information, I easily found his birth information on Familysearch.org, which provided the names of his parents:  Thomas W. and Judith Gile².

A plain old Google search turned up a book entry for  Wilbur's second wife Sarah France Norris. They were married in 1867³. The book entry confirmed much of the information I have already found. It also provided two little words, which made me sigh just a little: "No Children."⁴ It would seem Mr. Gile did not leave any descendants, or at least Sarah, did not.  I searched out his first marriage, and found that he married S. Kate Poor on September 17, 1857⁵. There does not appear to be any children from that marriage in the 1860 census⁶. Nor did I find children in any of the subsequent censuses in which Mr. Gile appears.

The gift Mr. Gile so generously gave Mary still exists, and hopefully, someday it can be reunited with one of her family members.

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1 Ancestry.com. Massachusetts, Mason Membership Cards, 1733-1990; entry for Wilbur Fiske Gile [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2013. ^↩
2 Massachusetts Births and Christenings, 1639-1915," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FCKS-HLM : accessed 5 February 2016), Wilbur Fiske Gile, 04 Jan 1832; citing BRADFORD,ESSEX,MASSACHUSETTS, ; FHL microfilm 0599732 IT 1.^↩
3 Massachusetts Marriages, 1841-1915," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:N4NF-9YH : accessed 5 February 2016), W. Fisk Gile and S. Frank Norris, 20 Jun 1867; citing 205, Lawrence, Essex, Massachusetts, State Archives, Boston; FHL microfilm 1,433,025.^↩
4 Morrison, Leonard Allison. "Lineage and Biographies of the Norris Families in America," Damrell and Upham: Boston, 1892, p.93 ^↩
5 "Massachusetts Marriages, 1841-1915," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NW19-81W : accessed 5 February 2016), W Fisk Gile and S Kate Poor, 17 Sep 1857; citing 227, Lawrence, Massachusetts, State Archives, Boston; FHL microfilm 1,433,015^↩
6 Ancestry.com. 1860 United States Federal Census [database on-line].Year: 1860; Census Place: Lawrence Ward 6, Essex, Massachusetts; Roll: M653_498; Page: 441; Image: 446; Family History Library Film: 803498^↩

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