Spring has sprung?

     The histories are all up and running, finally. Now that I have a working copy for all the families I can relax a little and continue them at a more reasonable pace. Just in time for spring?

     The weather hasn't exactly been co operating this year, so it doesn't really feel like spring. Today was gorgeous, in between the rain and wind, so I got outside for a bit and wandered around the garden. It got me thinking about what hearlds the change of season for me. Well that and my cousin Leslie's post about her 10 signs of spring LOL. Here is my list, a little different form hers.

     My first sign spring is on the way is maple syrup season. I love the stuff. Making maple syrup has lots of memories for me, most good, one funny, but not at the time. It also has a long history in my family.

A picture of my great grandfather, William Fisher, making syrup

My father, Eric, tapping trees

Sap buckets ready to collect

     When I was little, I remember my grandfather, Herb Fisher, making maple toffee for us. There were two big maples outside the house that would get tapped. Later he and my uncles built a "sugar camp" on the farm he retired to and made maple syrup there. When I was about ten, I decided to make my own. We are surrounded by maple bush on my family home. I dutifully collected the sap and began the long boiling process, in our kitchen that my mother and aunt Jean had just wallpapered. Needless to say, I steamed the wallpaper off the walls, an abrupt halt to my enterprise. My father also makes maple syrup. The old "sugar camp" has been refurbished and expanded. I went home this year to see it all in action but brought the cold with me, -15 degree weather so no sap run. Next year. Where does all of this get used? When I was a kid we ate bowls of the stuff with bread and butter, Mom's maple cheesecake, maple toffee, baked beans, my uncle Gordon's "Buck Balls" (BBQed maple glazed venison sausage), maple sugar pie, in all kinds of baking but my hands down favourite, strawberry shortcake. I'll post the recipe for that when strawberry season rolls around.

     The next sign for me is the progression of spring flowers. Green gradully makes it's way over the rather bleak winter landscape. First up are the tiny little Spring Beauties. I don't know the real name but they bloom when there is snow still on the ground. Then it is the profusion of crocuses, daffodils and tulips. I love the smell of daffodils.

Mine are in full bloom

    Wild flowers start to show as well; blood roots, violets, trilliums, cowslips and Jack in the Pulpits.

     My bloodroots are just starting to bloom

the trilliums are the green just behind

    I relocated a bunch of native wildflowers to my garden from a fence row that was being cleared. A bit of my home in the country to my home in the city. I do not advocate going out and randomly destroying native habitats.

     The herbs start to green up in my garden, a teaser for barbeques to come. The mint my grandmother gave me starts to grow, Mojitos anyone? I make a Canadian version sweetened with maple syrup, delicious. The rhubarb starts to unfold with promises of Barb's rhubarb cake, strawberry rhubarb pie and plain old stewed rhubarb. Much to my chagrin, my rhubarb has never really taken off. What my relatives have growing like a weed, I can barely keep alive, don't know why.

My eight year old rhubarb plant, nestled in my strawberry patch

     Speaking of strawberries, mine are starting to bloom. Nothing says spring like fresh strawberries. Mine will be all finished by the May 24th weekend. They are beside the house and are really early. Mine are already in bloom, I took the picture this afternoon.

The first blooms on my strawberries

     The next sign of spring for me is once again trying to start things from seed. I get my seed flats ready, add the seeds and..... usually nothing. I have no idea why but I have no knack for starting seeds indoors. Of the 32 sunflowers I tried to start last year, three germinated. I had better luck with the wild ones outside that self seeded. It doesn't stop me from trying though. LOL

     This year a sign spring was coming was bottling the wine we made. I now have forty bottles of wine begging me to try it out. LMAO If it succeeds, I'll be making my own twice a year.

    Next, it is time to clean up the garden, doing all the things I should have last fall. Pruning the black berries, raking up the dead plants form last year. Checking what survived the winter and what needs to be replaced. Checking my winter onions to see if they are ready to use. I can't believe the weeds are already ahead of me.

Winter onions, almost ready

     If I was home on the farm, it would be time to start hunting for wild leeks or ramps.(Google the Hunter, Angler, Gardnener cookbook for ramp recipes) As a kid I ate them raw, right out of the ground. They are delicious but man oh man they reek. No one will be getting close to you after you eat those. Later it will be morel season. Not all that appetizing to look at and you've got to soak them to remove the slugs, but they are my favourite mushroom. I have a secret supplier from home wink wink, you know who you are.

     Finally, a sure sign of spring in the city is cleaning up the garbage and dog crap ( thank you to all the irresponsible pet owners out there) the winter snow had hidden. Not my favourite rite of spring.

     I love this time of year, so full of promise. The anticipation of great meals to come all summer long. Enjoy.

The Craigs from county Cavan to North Gower and Goulbourn

As with all of the pictures, click to view full sized

The Irish coat of arms for the Craig family

     To call this family the Irish Craigs isn't entirely correct. Two brothers emigrated from Scotland in the early part of the 1700's. About a century later many would emigrate again to Canada, but there are still family members there so that is Irish enough for me.

 

     The early history of the family is from a book James Beverley Craig published in 1929 called "The Craigs of Goulbourn and North Gower". He recorded a lot of family stories, traditions and traced the various lines of the Craigs. If anyone knows of a copy, I'd love to have one or at least look at it. He also included many photos. My copy is a short .pdf so most of the pictures are completely ruined and unviewable(?).

County Fermanagh in red

     The two brothers, whose names are lost to time, originally settled in county Fermanagh in Ireland. About 1760, one of the brothers moved to the adjoining count Cavan with his wfe and two children. His two children, Thomas and Elizabeth are the beginning of our recorded family.

County Cavan in  dark green

     Elizabeth married John McMullen who dropped the Mc because of the Protestant belief it carried a Roman Cathlic taint. At the time of the book's publication in 1929, there were people who still remembered of Aunt "Betty" Mullen.

     Thomas married and settled on a rented farm in the townland of Monesk in the parish of Killinagh. His wife's name is unknown but they had nine children, four sons and five daughters.

Robert, married the daughter of Thomas Johnston of Kildernab. He emigrated to Red Stone, Pennsylvannia. Although he kept in touch, contact with him and his family stopped around 1856.

Hugh 1792-1849, married Frances Nixon and they had 9 children. He and his two brothers are the ancestors of the Craigs of Noth Gower.

William married Mary Gaw and they had seven children

Thomas  1793-1859 married Elizabeth "Bessie"  Moffat. They had 10 children

Susan married a Hassard and never emigrated.

Jane "Jennie" married James Ball.

Dorothy "Dolly" married James Fiddes. They did not emigrate, but some of the family did in 1852.

Elizabeth married a Nixon. They and their only child were killed when a tree fell on their house.

Mary married James Graham. They had five children.

     From what I can tell, the nine children were all born in Monesk and raised their respective families in the area as well.

     Friday, March 2nd, 1834 the first Craig party set sail for Canada on the ship Richardson under the command of Captain McVernon. The party was comprised of;

Hugh, his wife and seven of his nine children. His married daughters, Mary and Jane stayed behind, but Jane only temporarily.

William, his wife and seven children.

Mary, her husband and four of their five children. Her son, James Graham Jr, had emigrated with his wife to Oswego, NY five years previously

     The party arrived in Canada at the port of Quebec, seven weeks and three days later on the 23rd of June. They had two incidents of note on the voyage. The captain was knocked overboard and drowned making repairs during a storm. William's daughter, Mary Anne, was drowned in the St. Lawrence. While trying to draw water to cook breakfast, she was pulled over the side and never seen again. William would die two years later felling a tree.

     The second wave came over six years later, leaving Ireland around the first of April, 1840, on the ship Industry. This party consisted of Thomas, his wife and their ten children. Several of 'Bessie's" Moffat relatives came with them. No tragedy struck this party but Thomas's daughter Charlotte was romanced by the ship's captain. There is a poem immortalizing the incident called "The Romance of Aunt Charlotte". I'm not going to post it but I do have it if anyone is interested.

Thomas Craig and Elizabeth (Bessie) Moffat

     Thomas, Bessie and the family first settled on lot 12 concession 3 of North Gower (called Gower then, no north if you are looking for it in the records). They stayed about a year then relocated to lot 13 of Concession 2.

An old concession map of North Gower about 1865 showing the various Craig holdings

   Thomas 1793- Feb.4, 1859 and Elizabeth Moffat June 24, 1798-Sept.26 1880, (both are buried in the Methodist cemetery in Kars) had ten children all in Monesk, Ireland.

Robert Feb 18, 1818-Aug 13 1882

     married Eliza Smith

Hugh June 24, 1821-July 9,1894

     married Mary Jacob

Charlotte Dec.3, 1823-April 11, 1903

     married Henry Mitchell

Thomas Dec.17,1825-April 11, 1903

     married Deborah Smith

John June 23, 1829-June 1, 1906

     married Eliza Gehan

William J. Sept. 28, 1832-Oct.19, 1920

     married Eliza Carson

James Sept. 28, 1832-Aug. 27, 1912

     married Amanda Beaman

     married Mary Anne Henderson

     married Mary Trimble

Richard April 23, 1835-Dec. 2, 1897

     married Pheobe Barrows

     married Annie Eliza Shillington

George Oct. 2, 1837-March 16, 1918

     married Sarah Eastman

Mary Anne Feb. 23, 1840-Nov. 11, 1925

     married James Jamieson

     Hugh and Mary Jacob, 1819-Oct.29, 1893 had five children.

Thomas H. 1850-Oct. 15, 1924

     married Margaret Carson

William Henry Mar. 11,1852-Feb. 1, 1916

     married Lucy Anne Anderson

Samuel B. April 2, 1856-Aug. 12, 1947

     married Maria Hodgins

     married Harriet McEwan

Elizabeth April 15, 1859-Feb. 1948

     married James Carson

Hugh Jan. 20, 1860-July 22, 1937

          married Olive Nixon

     William Henry and Lucy Ann Anderson, 1855-1938, had eight children with six surviving. The family is the compilation of the 1891, 1901 and 1911 censuses and the family outline from Clan Moffat. There are two places where the information differs.

Harriet E. May 7, 1878-Nov. 25, 1879

Mary Emma Aug. 14, 1881-1949

     married Robert Johnson Sadler

Eliza Mabel Dec 15, 1884-April 15,1930

     married John McBryde and ended up in Calgary, Alberta

Charles H. May 18, 1887-May 18 1941

     married Delia S. Carson

Dorothy listed as 1/12 in the 1891 census not present in the 1901, not in the Clan Moffat family sheet

Eva May Feb. 28, 1891-1901 census lists Feb. 11

     married Bennie Brownlee in 1913

T. Milburn Aug.7, 1893-Jan. 1970

     married Ada Bower in 1917 and ended up in Florida

Dorothy Agnes Jan 29, 1898

     married Ernest Brownlee

     Mary Emma Craig and Johnson Sadler are my great grandparents, their daughter Beatrice Elizabeth, my grandmother and so ends my connection to this Craig family. For more information on this particular family see the post on the Sadlers, it has a lot more detail or look at the post for my grandmother. It would be something to find a link between the original two Scottish brothers of this family and my paternal Scottish Craig family.

     I know none of my Irish Craig family, I don't think I ever met any of them. Feel free to contact me, it would be great to connect and see what happened with the various branches of the tree. To get in touch, click on my profile on the right, About Me. It will take you to an email link. I look forward to hearing from you and swapping stories, pictures, whatever. Thanks for dropping by, Paul.

The Sadler family; From Ireland to Fitzroy Harbour

As with all the pictures, click to view full size

The Sadler family crest

     The Sadler surname is an English occupational patronym. It was given to people who made or sold harnesses and saddles. It is a derivative of the pre 7th century Olde English word "sadol". It is first recorded in 1296 in Yorkshire, England. It was an important occupation being horses were the primary source of transportation and power prior to the Industrial Revolution. Funnily enough, our forefathers who came to Canada were blacksmiths. The motto is " Servire Deo sapere", To serve God is to be wise.

     I thought I had this family all figured out until recently. I came across another tree with conflicting information. As it turns out the other tree is correct, well documented and traceable. It shaves a couple of generations off of the family tree. The confusion started with Robert Sadler born in 1815 in Ireland. There are two in Canada at the same time, one in Upper and one in Lower Canada. Our family is not directly related to the family from the Ormstown area of Quebec. We may be cousins a couple of generations back in Ireland but no one has a link as of yet. I put it in bold because there is a family tree loose in the WWW that is incorrect and it has been incorporated into a lot of other people's work.

     You have heard me moaning about how hard it is to research Irish records, so here is a perfect example. There are four Sadler families I have information on, all are from the counties of Roscommon or Leitrim in Ireland.

County Roscommon parish map

County Leitrim in dark green

County Leitrim civil parish map, green and white

     Are you with me so far? There is the county division, then the civil parishes, not to be confused with the church parishes then finally the townlands. In looking for Drumshanbo, there are three listings; north, south and the actual town.

 Townland of Drumshanbo north

 in the civil parish of Cloon/e

in the county of Leitrim

 in the country of Ireland

highlighted in green

Drumshanbo south, oh so close to the north one

     Finally, Drumshanbo the town is in the civil parish of Kiltoghert, not Cloone, and not in either townland. I'm sure if I was Irish and familiar with the system it would all make sense, but I'm not and it doesn't, not to me anyway. To top everything off, pre civil registration around 1865, you need the church parish and ancestors religion as well. The Irish records were burned in 1922 in the rebellion so surviving early records are from individual churches who kept copies. All of my ancestors are pre civil registration. Hopefully now you all understand my complaining, LOL.

     As an aside, for future genealogists to puzzle over, Warren's family is from Castletenison, ours supposedly from Drumshanbo less than 15 km apart, a two hour walk.

     The following is what I have been able to piece together from Warren Sadler, the Canadian census records and references from a book of Eganville history by Ernest Llloyd Lake, called "Pioneer Reminiscences, a history of Eganville".

     Our direct family starts ( I think) with William Sadler/Sadlier born about 1777-1847 in Ireland and his wife Elizabeth.They had three children.

Mary 1811-1871

     married Robert Hamilton

Robert March 2, 1815

     married Catherine Booth

Patrick

     I don't know for sure that the above is correct. I can't find records for anyone but Robert . There is a Patrick Sadlier in Griffith's Valuation of Ireland in Drumshanbo in 1856 leasing various parcels of land from the Earl of Bessborough but I have nothing to be sure it is Robert's brother. To add to the speculation, it is the only place Booth and Sadler are listed together. Joseph Booth leased a forge from the Earl in Drumshanbo.

     Now on to Canada.

     The Sadlers of Mink Lake and Eganville are a little difficult to tease out. They are grouped together in history and are related. From what I understand, there are three families, all cousins who came to the area. From what I have read they remained a close knit bunch, marrying into each other's families in later generations.

   

      Susannah, who married Henry Poole, Edward and George are the children of Edward Sadler later to be joined by John, Jane, Ellen and their mother. Another brother William was lost at sea. Susannah and Edward are believed to be first in 1845. This family is from Newtown, Roscommon

     Robert, son of William, and Samuel are George's first cousins but there is no mention of their relation to each other and Robert is not listed as having a brother Samuel. According to Robert's children's birth records, he came to Canada between March 26, 1843 and Oct. 1, 1844.

     That makes Susannah's father, Edward, Robert's father, William, and Samuel's father brothers, or all three mothers were sisters.

  

     Robert Sadler born March 2, 1815 married Catherine Booth around 1835-40 in Ireland. Catherine was born March 1, 1815. Both are credited as being born in county Leitrim.The 1851 Wilberforce census is very detailed, giving birth dates and locations  for everyone listed. Robert was a farmer. They had seven children.

James Dec. 25,1840-1925 listed as born in Ireland (Drumshanbo)
     married Susan Hamilton

Susan March 26,1843-1916 born in Ireland
      married Robert Byers

Edward Oct.1 1844-1891 born in Pakenham, Ont.
     married Eliza Ann Price, Edward's family moved to Brooklyn NY

Robert Booth May 9, 1846-1931 born in Wilberforce
     married Susannah Jane Johnston

John  Booth April 11? 1948-1919 born in Wilberforce
     married Susannah Prentice/Prentiss

Ephraim Booth 1853-1929
     married Catherine Price

Rebecca 1858-1938
     married George Byers

John Booth Sadler

     These are the only pictures I could find for Robert and his family, copies of a photocopy. If anyone has the originals or more photos of the family, feel free to pass them along.



     Robert Booth Sadler married Susannah Jane Johnston March 23, 1871. Robert moved to Fitzroy Harbour and was a blacksmith. His wife, Susannah, is the daughter of Martin Johnston and Jane Sadler. I haven't quite figured out where Jane fits into our family tree. Robert and Susannah had eight children according to the Eganville history but I have ten according to census records from 1881 and 1891. The 1891 records are all in shortform so only initials are showing for the children and Johnston is not recorded. I found him visiting his Armstrong cousins in North Gower while looking for the Craig family.

Katherine "Kate" Jane Dec. 14, 1871-1945

     married William Coe Feb 8, 1893

William John July 13, 1873-1960

     married Theresa Wallace- one child

     married Margaret Ellen Sadler Dec. 31, 1913- one child

Johnston 1875-1962

     married Mary Emma Craig

James A.  Dec. 4. 1876-1943

Margaret Caroline "Carrie" July 8, 1878-1950

     married Ira Albert Owens Feb.27, 1915

Thomas W. May 6,  1880

     married Margaret ?

Albert Booth Aug 3, 1882

Wilbert W. 1884/5-1895

Ethel Florence Feb. 23, 1887-1972

Robinson Craig April 15, 1889-?

     The only picture I have for Robert and Susannah's family is my gr grandfather Johnston/Johnson which I will post with his family. If anyone has any photos, please pass them along.

     There is a note in Susannah's Ancestry.com file that says the poet John Matthew's was quite taken with her and wrote a poem for/about her. I have not been able to find the poet or the poem, but would love a copy if anyone is familiar with it.

     Robert Johnson Sadler married Mary Emma Craig Feb. 26, 1902. That is from his marriage record and it is the first place I have seen his first name as Robert, to everyone who knew him he was Johnson.  He farmed in the North Gower area, west 1/2 of  lot 3 and part of 4, concession 3. Johnson and Emma had eight children. I have information on five of the eight, four from the 1911 census and my grandmother, Beatrice.

Charles Wilbert Jan 20, 1903-Jan. 8, 1981
     married Edith Pearl Meredith

Orval March 6, 1905-

Lola Mabel Nov. 8, 1906
     married Roy Carmon Todd

Milburn Craig Oct. 6, 1910-Sept. 13, 1989
     married Mary Pollock

Percy

Edwin

Beatrice Elizabeth Sept. 24, 1918-Jan.8, 2010

Gordon

     My mother and her sisters will fill me in on the rest of the details of Johnson and Emma's family when I am home next. I'll raid the albums for any pictures as well.

Beatrice, Johnson and Lola

Johnson in front of the family house in North Gower

Beatrice as a girl

The Sadler Family

I don't have everyone identified yet

Bea and Herb are in the back and Lola is up front

     Beatrice Elizabeth Sadler married Herbert Leach Fisher December 16, 1942. Together, they had eleven children.

Marlyn

Barb

Joan

Jean

Rita

"Bob"

Susan

"Butch"

Gordon

Leonard

Deb

     For more information on the family, look at the page for Grandma and Grandpa Fisher. I have been updating the information there for the current family, all my aunts, uncles and cousins.

Herbert and Beartrice with Marlyn, their first child

The whole clan in the 70's

Bob, Gordon, Barb and Rita all inherited my grandmother's Irish red hair

A later shot of Herb and Bea

     So ends my connection to the Sadler family. The story of the family is far from finished. Please feel free to pass along any stories, pictures or information about the other branches in the tree. I'll be more than happy to post them. To contact me, click on my profile, About Me, on the right. It will take you to an email link.

I look forward to hearing from the other Sadlers out there. Take care, Paul.

    

    



The Woods of Montague

As with all the pictures, click to view full size

The Wood family crest

The motto translates to "Safe on the Waves"

     The Wood name is always credited as a locational or occupational surname, derived from the Anglo-Saxon word "wodu" meaning wood or forest. I was doing a bit of reading and came across another theory. When the use of surnames started about 90 percent of the population lived near or made their living form woodcraft. Wood as a surname would not be particularily descriptive or help distinguish one family from another.

     They propose the name is actually descriptive, from the Anglo-Saxon "Wod" or "Wode", the Germanic storm god. It was used to describe fierce or berserker warriors. "Wod" was used until Shakespeare's time to describe wild or crazy behaviour. We're either woodcutters or wild and crazy, your choice.

The Wood plaid

     Tracing the family has been quite the ordeal. Our forefather emigrated from Ireland, early records burned in an uprising, to Montague, early records destroyed, fragmented by improper storage. Add to that the surname actually being recorded as Wood or Woods depending on the year or type of record, throw in other Wood and Woods families in the area with the same names and .....

     Our Wood family originates in Ireland with James and his wife Sarah, both born around 1776. I haven't found anything that indicates where they came from in Ireland, when they got married or when they emigrated. To search for early Irish records you need the county, parish and townland to be successful, I haven't found any of that as of yet.

       They are not listed in the 1825 Montague census but are in the 1829 so they arrived somewhere in that four year period. They brought along their eleven or perhaps nine children. I have duplicate entries for two of their children so I'm not sure. All the birthdates are approximate.

Sarah 1800

Martha 1802

Alexander 1808-1886  In the 1861 agricultural census he has lot 13 of concession A

James 1796-1861

Jane 1798-1885

Mary 1814

Margaret 1824

William 1805  he has lot 15 of concession A and his wife's name was Elsie (Mom and Dad live on lot 16)

Sarah 1801

Martha 1804

David Dec. 23, 1819-1895 he has lot 14 of concession 1

     There is a will registered to James Woods of lot 15 concession A in 1860, so I'm assuming it is the original Wood homestead even though it isn't what I think of as the original. I believe it is David's lot that has the ruins of the old log house everyone referred to as gr grandma Wood's place.

     The next generation isn't a lot clearer. It starts with the youngest boy David. About 1844-5 he married Maria Dubois. You should see the spellings that name goes through in the records. She was from Ogdensburg, St. Lawrence county, New York. I can't find a record of their marriage in either country and I have no idea how they met. They had thirteen children. I haven't been able to see the original baptism records, only a transcribed index. The baptism date recorded is not necessarily the birthdate and the transcribed names...

Charles Wesley baptised on July 10, 1845

Joseph, possibly James Joseph according to baptism records 1846

Elizabeth  baptised Feb. 18, 1849

Sarah Matilda  baptised Feb. 11, 1851-May 15, 1924

     married Milford Telford Jan. 3, 1872

Susan Jane baptised Mar 22, 1853-1917

     married William H. McCrea, as of 1891 Merrickville census, three children; Belle, Pearl and Mary

James Alexander baptised Mar. 22, 1853-1923 moved to Ogdensburg, NY

     married Sarah Neville no children

Maria Melissa baptised July 1855

Margaret baptised April 2, 1858

Herbert R. Robert 1861-1876

Daniel Edward, baptised as David Edwin Aug. 9, 1863-1890

Harriet Prescilla baptised Dec. 7, 1864

Mary Minnie 1868-1887

Effie 1870

     David died in late 1895 or early1896. His death notice in the paper, Jan 10. 1896, mentions only seven of his thirteen children survived him, Hattie and Effie at home with Maria, Charles, Joseph, James and Mrs. W.H. McCrea(Susan Jane). I don't know who the seventh was, they aren't mentioned.

     David and Maria's son Joseph is next in line and true to form, lots of confusion with his records. He isn't around in the 1871 census but re appears in 1881, married but with no wife actually listed on the form. At some point around 1869-70 he married Fanny Duby(Derby). June 25, 1888, Joseph married for the second time to Caroline Donaghue.

     Joseph had three children.

Charles Albert about 1873 in Jackson, Michigan (according to his marriage certificate)

Edwin L. about 1875 in Ontario

James Merril ?

James Merril is listed as born Nov. 25, 1890 with Joseph and Caroline as parents. The 1891 census lists him as four years old. He is either the last child of Joseph and Fanny, or the only child of  Joseph and Caroline. I can't tell which record is correct. I'm thinking his age was 4 months old at the time of the census and has been transcribed incorrectly.

    I have found no trace of Fanny at all. I don't know if she was from Canada or the U.S., I can find no marriage in either country, no records of their children's birth and only one death for Fanny Wood that lists no details. Michigan recorded deaths by the married name with no details, so I don't know if it is Joseph's wife or not. There is no record of her in Canada at all. The only record I have of her existance is her son's marriage, she is listed as his mother.

     Charles Albert  is next in line. His records are a little more straight forward but only just. His marriage lists his name as Charles Albert Woods and his children are listed with the surname Wood. He married Lorinda Stewart, July 11, 1899. Lorinda was the daughter of Charles Stewart and Elizabeth Dixon of Lombardy. They would be known as "Bert and Lena" in the census records and to everyone who knew them. They had five children.

Bessie Irene July 13, 1900

     married Allan Barr Lumsden Nov. 26, 1924 (last name Wood) had nine children

Bertha May Jan.6, 1903
     married Dan Boyd, had no children

Harold Franklin Mar. 11, 1906

     married Vera Burchill had no children

Carrie Feb 1910 (transcribed as Cassie in some records)

     married Carmen Brighton, had one daughter Reta, was a nurse and died young of tuberculosis.

Albert

     married Dorothy, had no children

Lorinda Stewart Wood and Charles Albert Wood in the middle

I have no ID for the people on either side of them

Bessie and her sister Bertha

Harold Wood

Albert " Ab" and his wife Dorothy

Carrie Wood and her husband, Carmen Brighton

The Wood family

Back: Harold, Bessie, Bertha and Albert

Front: Lena and Bert

Carrie is missing, she may have died before the picture was taken

Four generations

Back: Bessie and her daughter Muriel(my grandmother)

Middle: Lorinda and Charles Albert ( Bert and Lena)

Front: Muriel's first born, my uncle Roy Craig

Family gathering of Woods, Craigs and Lumsdens

Front: Roy Craig, Eric Craig, Lena, Bert, and Leo Craig just at the edge

Next row: Lloyd, Shirley, Carman and Phyllis Lumsden

Back row: Bert Lumsden, Ab Wood, Reta, Muriel, Lois, Reta's husband John Shields

Not really sure on all the ID's in the back row

Bessie walking in the 12th of July parade 

Another shot of Bessie

     Bessie was my great grandmother and I remember her relatively well. She took care of her son Lloyd and I remember her visiting with grandma and grandpa Craig. I don't think I made the connection she was my grandmother's mother, she was just grandma Lumsden to me. I also remember her brothers, uncle  Harold and Ab and their wives, Vera and Dorthy. I didn't know Vera was the sister of Georgie, Verna and Harold Burchill who lived beside us when I was a kid.

     Bessie and Allan Barr Lumsden had nine chidren, my grandmother Muriel among them. For pictures and information on their family look at the post for The Lumsden Clan.
http://theossingtonkitchen.blogspot.com/2011/04/lumsden-clan.html

     Now for giving credit where it belongs. Thank you Nancy for the pictures. Thanks to James MacPherson, I have no idea who you are but without your information on James and Sarah, and David and Maria, my job would have been even more difficult. Finally thanks to Glen Couch for providing the newspaper clippings etc. that led to so much other information.
    
     I have lots more work to do on the Wood family. I'm going with Wood because that is how grandma Lumsden's name is listed on her marriage certificate. 

     I don't know any of the current Wood relatives, well other than Bessie's family. Harold and Ab had no children, I never met Carrie or her daughter Reta or Bertha. Please feel free to contact me to get acquainted. It would be great to touch base with "cousins" to see what happened to the family. To get in touch, click on my profile, About Me, on the right and it will take you to an email link.

     Thanks for dropping by, Paul.

  

The Lumsden Clan

Note: Based on new DNA information I have, this tree is incorrect
I'm not exactly sure where the information goes wrong
 I'll update/ correct when I have it all sorted out
The mistake is somewhere with John Lumsden who married Anne Leech
They and their children are my family and I  know after that the tree is correct.
I'm no longer sure he is the same person who married Rebecca and moved to the United States and I believe I have him with the incorrect family emigrating to Canada.
Sorry for any confusion and feel free to contact me if you have any proof positive of the family line.


As with all the pictures, click to view full size.

The Lumsden family crest

     The name Lumsden is a locational surname. It originates from place called "Lumsden" in the parish of Coldingham in Berwickshire, Scotland. It is from pre 7th century old English  "lumm", meaning pool and "denu", a valley. There are several variations, Lumsdale, Lumsdein etc on the way to the modern spelling of Lumsden.

The Lumsden badge

The Lumsden motto, "Amor patitur moras", means, Love endures delays

I have seen five different Lumsden mottos



The Lumsden tartan

     The Lumsden clan has a long, well documented history with lots of interesting bits and pieces. I'm not going to go into it here but Google "Clan Lumsden" if you're interested in learning the story of the family. I have a lot of information from a variety of sources, so this page will be in a constant state of update until I can sort it all out.

     I have seen three conflicting trees for our family line, one I have eliminated, the second I'm not sure but this one is from a "cousin" who has it from a letter of her gr grandfather's. His history has been spot on so far so I'm inclined to think this is the correct line.

    It starts with George Lumsden, born in 1656 in Toll Cross, Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Scotland. On January 23, 1690 he married Isobel Johnston in Cocksburnpath, Berwichshire, Scotland. She was born Sept. 19, 1675 from Co'path. I have four children for the couple, all born in Co'path.

William, b) June 14, 1691

George b) Jan 15, 1693

James b) July of 1694

Thomas b) April 22, 1698

     George married Jean Gordon, August 28, 1718 in Methlick parish of Aberdeenshire. The only child I have for them is Alexander, born about 1733. I have their marriage record but no baptisms for children. This is the couple where all three trees diverge. Everything from Alexander after matches generation for generation.

George and Jean's marriage banns

     Alexander married Mary "Molly" Poole in 1758 in Wexford, Ireland. He and his family probably left Scotland after the Battle of Culloden in 1746. The Lumsdens were supporters of "Bonny Prince Charles" Stuart who lost his bid to restore the Stuart royal line, so Scotland may not have been very welcoming to them. Whatever the reason, the family moved to Wexford, Ireland and for the next two generations the information is thin.

     Alexander and "Molly" had at least one son, William,  Sept. of 1758-1825

     William married Elizabeth Whitmore (1752-1830) and they had at least one son John born November 18,1783.

     John married Francis Allen (Oct. 16,1788-1832) Aug 18, 1807 in Wicklow, Ireland. They had seven children, all born in Wexford. John is our forefather who emigrated to Canda. They came over in 1831 and settled in the Peterborough area. Their descendants are still in the area. Much of the information and corroboration I have comes from William's gr granddaughter. Thank you Barbara.

Rev. William Lumsden M.A. Nov. 4, 1811

Elizabeth May 30, 1814

George Aug. 17, 1816

Samuel March 2, 1819

John  March 2, 1819

Francis Thomas March 4, 1822

Mary Jane Aug. 16, 1825

Mary Jane Lumsden Riggs and her daughter Ida

This is the only picture I have come across of John and Frances Allen's children

     John , the younger, seems to have been a bit of a wanderer. He left the Peterborough area and Sept. 18, 1836 married Anne Leach  in Perth. John Lumsdin is registered in the Montague 1841 head of household census. The 1851 Montague census has only John, Anne and George(8) listed but the record is fragmented. I have six children for the couple but not all have birth dates so are in no particular order.

Thomas June 6, 1838

William

George April 4, 1843
Margaret Jane

Elizabeth

Annie

     I don't know what happened but by 1854 he is re-married to Rebecca Densmore of Rawdon, Nova Scotia. It doesn't look like any of the children with Anne leave the area with John. I have another six children for this couple.

Franklin Aug. 29 1855-Oct 14, 1876

Mary

Albert about 1860

Samuel W. Nov. 1 1866 in Wawanosh Twp (back in the Peterborough area)

Elizabeth 1868 in Wawanosh

Levi 1873-1928 in Polk county, Wisconsin

     Again, I don't know what happened but John eventually left Canada, between 1868 -73,  for the United States and died November 2,  1903 in Polk county Wisconsin. He is buried in the Wolf Creek cemetary, East Stirling, Polk county, Wisconsin with his wife, sons Franklin, Samuel and Levi and Samuel's wife Lottie.

      John's son Thomas married Jane McCreary. Thomas died June 6, 1872. He is buried in VanDusen's cemetary in Montague with his wife Jane. The 1881 Montague census lists Jane and their six children.

Elizabeth 1860

John William Jan. 23, 1863

Esther (Easter)Alice Aug. 15, 1867

Mararet Ida Oct. 15, 1869

Robert Thomas Nov. 4, 1871

Mary Jane" Minnie" June 29, 1875

     Thomas' son John William married Maria Barr Aug 11, 1886 in Carelton Place. She was the daughter of Adam Barr and Maria Strong. I believe her full name is Sarah Maria Barr, I'll explain later, and there are two in the area at the same time. To further confuse things, the other married a Craig.

     By 1900, John is a widower and on August 1st, he re-married to Margaret Forde in Smiths Falls.

     It has been a bit of a challenge trying to figure out this generation. John shows up as John W. or William J or just William depending on the records you look at. His wife Sarah is Sarah or Maria so it gets confusing fairly quickly. Add the many other related Lumsdens in the area and you can begin to understand the problem.

John William Lumsden

I have no pictures of either of John's wives

John again

A picture of John's store

     John and Maria had at least two children, possibly three. I need to do some more digging to figure all of this out.

Pearl Nov. 6, 1887

? Mary Ann 1887

Allan Barr July 3, 1889

Pearl Lumsden McGrath

Allan Barr Lumsden

     Allan Barr Lumsden married Bessie Irene Wood, November 26, 1924 at Rosedale in Montague.

Allan and Bessie had nine children.

Harold Allan Aug. 17, 1925-1961,

     married Mary Kathleen Coad and had eleven children

Muriel Irene March 13, 1927

     married Evon Mifred Craig Aug 17, 1943  and had thirteen children

John Burton"Bert" Sept. 9, 1928-1959

    married Ruth Craig and had five children

Robert "Bob"April 17

     married Bertha (Dolly) Purcell and had five children

Lois Dec. 17, 1933

     married Mervyn Darling May 30, 1952 and had three children

Carman Lyle April 21, 1936-June 10, 1967

Shirley March 26, 1937

     married Stanley Snowdon and had three children

LLoyd  Dec. 14

Phyllis Jan. 22, 1942

     married Paul Noonan and had three children

Bessie Irene Wood and Allan Barr Lumsden

Bessie with Roy Craig (her daughter's first)and Phyllis, her youngest child

 Harold and Bert Lumsden

Bert Lumsden

Bert Lumsden, taken at the Wood homestead

Bob Lumsden

Carman Lumsden

LLoyd Lumsden

Shirley Lumsden Snowdon

Phyllis Lumsden

Muriel Lumsden Craig

This is a great picture of my grandmother as a girl

Neil Curran and Bert Lumsden

Evon Craig, Muriel, Jennie McGrath and Harold Lumsden

Jennie was raised by the Lumsdens after her mother died

Shirley, Bob, Lois, Carmen with Evon Craig and Muriel tucked around the side

Don't know the dog's name

Dolly, Bob, Bessie and Allan

Shirley and her husband Stan Snowdon

The Lumsden family, November of 1959

Back: Lois, Phyllis, Shirley, Lloyd and Carman

Front: Harold, Bob, Allan, Muriel (behind Allan) and Bessie

Bert died in a hunting accident in 1959 so isn't in the picture

Shirley, Muriel, Phyllis and Lois

     Muriel Irene married Evon Milford Craig Aug 17, 1943, my grandparents. They and their eleven children constitute my "current" Craig family and end my direct line with the Clan Lumsden.

Evon and Muriel at the Lumsden house

Evon and Muriel at their 25th anniversary in 1968 at Rosedale hall in Montague

The whole family, same year, same event

Back: Eric, Roy, Evon, Jean,Muriel, Leo

Front: Doug, Donna, Debbie, Marilyn, Karen, Janice and Jimmy

Marilyn and Karen are right up front

Eric, Joan and Me, Paul

John, Nancy, Lacey and Chad Lumsden

     As I mentioned earlier I have had a lot of input from various people helping to get all of this together. Thank you to Nancy Hitchcock Lumsden who supplied a lot of the pictures and names here. Her husband is Bert and Ruth Craig's son. I've already thanked Barbara for all of her history and help. Finally, thank you to Aileen Young Craig, my aunt "Leenie". She gave me nine pages tracing all of Allan and Bessie's descendants to the present. I didn't include a lot of the information because it involves all of the living Lumsdens in all of their variations and I don't have their permission. It is for them to decide what they want to share.

     I don't know my Lumsden relatives well so by all means drop me a line to say hello and we can get better acquainted. Feel free to add to the story of our family, share pictures, stories, whatever. To contact me, click on my profile, About Me, on the right and it will take you to an email link. I look forward to hearing from you. Thanks for dropping by, Paul