Smith Ancestry – 3rd Generation: The Story of John Caleb Smith (1852-1940) and Deborah Emmeline Boutilier (1859-1940) – Part 2

About Deborah Emmeline Boutilier (1859-1940)

Deborah Emmeline Boutilier was born on July 7, 1859, in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Her father, Isaac Joseph Boutilier (1831-1918), was 27 and her mother, Louisa Margaret Eisenhauer (1832-1920), was 27. On November 20, 1859, she was baptized at St. Paul’s Anglican Church, French Village, Halifax. As the family tree shows, she was the second oldest of 6 children – 5 girls and 1 boy.

Emmeline Boutilier Family Tree

Emmeline married John Caleb Smith in her hometown, Tantallon, Halifax, Nova Scotia, on October 27, 1881. He was 29 years old and she was 22 years old. They had 8 children in 25 years – 6 boys and 2 girls. The records indicate that all 6 boys enlisted and served in World War 1 (see Smith Ancestry – Remembering the Battle of Vimy Ridge) but only 5 returned!

Emmeline Boutilier at home c1922

Emmeline Boutilier with grandchildren c1922

Deborah Emmeline Boutilier died on May 1, 1940, in Halifax, Nova Scotia, at the age of 80, and was buried at St. Margaret’s Anglican Cemetery, Tantallon, Halifax. The Nova Scotia Death Certificate (#26) indicates that she passed away of an intestinal obstruction (probably carcinoma) at the age of 80 years. Her son Ernest M. Smith signed as informant (Ernest's first-born and only son, Russell Cannon Smith, is the baby in Emmeline's photo above).

Emmeline Boutilier - NS Death Certificate 1940

Emmeline’s Obituary, dated Thursday, May 2, 1940 was posted in the Halifax Chronicle. It read: “MRS JOHN SMITH. The death occurred yesterday at her home at Lower Tantallon, of Mrs. Emeline Deborah Smith, wife of John C. Smith, in her 81st year. Mrs. Smith was a native of Tantallon, and one of the most widely-known residents of the district. She is survived, besides her husband, four sons, Horace in Prince Edward Island; Norman in Ontario; Ernest of Halifax, and Weldon of Tantallon; and two daughters, Mrs. James Boutilier, Tantallon, and Mrs. Willard Carr, Tantallon. The funeral will be held from her late home on Saturday at 2:30 with service conducted by Rev. Mr. Ruderham."

John Caleb Smith and Emmeline Deborah Boutilier - Gravestone 1940

Smith Ancestry – 3rd Generation: The Story of John Caleb Smith (1852-1940) and Deborah Emmeline Boutilier (1859-1940) – Part 1

The 1^st Generation of our Smith Ancestry in Canada is about Russell Cannon Smith (1920-1995) and Margaret Cecilia Mumford (1922-1998). The 2^nd Generation of the family history is about Ernest Milburn Smith (1894-1948) and Bridget “Bessie” Cannon (1891-1982). The following story looks at the 3^rd Generation - John Caleb Smith (1852-1940) and Deborah Emmeline Boutilier (1859-1940).

About John Caleb Smith (1852-1940)

John Caleb Smith was born on February 29, 1852, in Halifax, Nova Scotia. His father, Caleb Nickerson Smith (1811-1893), was 41 and his mother, Mary Catherine Whynacht (1818-1900), was 33. John was baptized June 27, 1852 at St. Paul’s Anglican Church, French Village, Halifax. He was the 8th of 12 children - 7 boys and 5 girls.

John was a lumberman by trade. As his family tree shows, John was married twice and had 10 children of his own. He married Lydia Ann Boutilier and they had 2 children. After Lydia died, he married a second time to Deborah Emmeline Boutilier and they had 8 children together.

John Caleb Smith Family Tree

Lydia Ann was born on September 25, 1854, in Halifax. Her father, Joseph (Josie Joe) Boutilier (1827-1898), was 26 and her mother, Catherine Publicover (1824-1902), was 29. Lydia was one of 5 children – 3 girls and 2 boys. Sadly, her youngest brother and sister both died in 1880.

Lydia Ann Boutilier Family Tree

On April 3, 1877, when he was 25 years old, John married Lydia Ann Boutilier in St. Peter’s Anglican Church, Hackett’s Cove, Halifax. John and Lydia had two children during their brief marriage – Clement Seymour (1879-1926) and Herbert Isaiah (1881-1885), who died as an infant. Lydia Ann Boutilier died as a young mother (at the age of 26) on June 6, 1881, less than 3 months after Herbert was born. Apparently, she committed suicide and was buried in Halifax.

John Caleb Smith married Deborah Emmeline Boutilier in Tantallon, Halifax, Nova Scotia, on October 27, 1881, when he was 29 years old. Emmeline’s story is told in Smith Ancestry – 3^rd Generation: The Story of John Caleb Smith (1852-1940) and Deborah Emmeline Boutilier (1859-1940) – Part 2.

John Caleb Smith died on July 10, 1940, in Halifax, Nova Scotia and was buried at St. Margaret’s Anglican Cemetery in Tantallon, Halifax, Nova Scotia. The Nova Scotia Death Certificate (#28) indicates that he passed away of natural causes at the age of 88 years. His son Weldon Smith signed as informant.

John Caleb Smith - NS Death Certificate 1940

Smith Ancestry - 2nd Generation: The Story of Ernest Milburn Smith (1894-1948) and Bridget “Bessie” Cannon (1891-1982) – Part 2

About Bridget “Bessie” Cannon (1891-1982) - Updated August 21, 2017

Bridget Bessie Cannon was born on August 21, 1891, in Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Scotland. Her mother was Ann Loughlin (1866-1938), age 25, and her father was William Daniel Cannon (1859-1935), age 32. (In celebration of her birthday, this posting is being updated on August 21, 2017 with personal documentation provided by Bessie's great granddaughter, Annette.)

Bessie Cannon Birth Certificate 1891

Cannon Family Tree

The Cannon Family Tree shows that Bessie was the fourth of seven children in a family of five girls and two boys born during the 14-year period from 1886 to 1900. The 1901 Scotland Census lists her as age 9. The records show that most of the Cannon children emigrated: Annie and William went to Australia, Bessie and Margaret went to Canada and Henry moved to Canada then the United States.

Bessie served in the Scottish Women's Land Army (see registration card below). According to the family history, she was a very strong, interesting woman for her time. "She actually shot and killed a German soldier who would have raped and killed her during her service in the Boer war and was also engaged to wed another man before meeting Ernest - and she quickly broke off that engagement."

Bessie Cannon met Ernest Milburn Smith while he was recovering from his wounds at a hospital in Scotland during World War 1. At the end of the war, Ernest proposed marriage and Bessie accepted. The marriage record (presented below) indicates that they were married on January 15, 1919 in Glasgow, Scotland. 

Ernest Smith and Bessie Cannon Marriage Certificate 1919

Ernest Smith and Bessie Cannon, circa 1919

As a young married couple, they sailed from Liverpool, England to Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada on the S.S. Baltic which transported Canadian soldiers and their war brides (third class free passage). The following records show that they departed on August 13, 1919 and arrived in Canada on August 21, 1919 to begin a new life.

Bessie (Cannon) Smith - Canada Immigration 1919

Bessie (Cannon) Smith ID Card - S.S. Baltic 1919

Many war brides were transported in smaller ships such as the Corsican, Grampian, Megantic and the Tunisian, which could carry up to 2000 passengers. The Olympic (sister ship of the Titanic) was by far the largest ship to bring soldiers and their dependents to Canada. It could carry more than 5000 passengers. The voyage across the Atlantic Ocean to Canada usually took 7 days. Most ships left from Liverpool but with many dockyard strikes during 1919, a number also left from ports at Southampton and Glasgow. During the winter months, the ships docked at the eastern Canada ports, such as Pier 2 in Halifax.

It is noteworthy that more than 50,000 war brides came to Canada after the World War 1 in an immigration scheme that was paid for by the Canadian government. In January 1919, the Government of Canada passed an Order in Council offering the dependents of Canadian soldiers free third class passage from Europe to Canada. (More information about war brides is available online at Canadian War Brides of the First  World War.) 

Bessie Cannon, circa 1927

Bessie Cannon - 90th Birthday 1982

When Ernest died in 1948, Bessie had been married for 29 years. She was 56 years old and carried on, cheerfully enduring many hardships. She lived for more than 30 years. During that time, she raised one of her granddaughters until she married. Then, in her senior years, Bessie was offered a home with her daughter (Doris) and her husband. 

Bessie (Cannon) Smith - Obituary 1982

Bessie died on February 12, 1982 after celebrating her 90^th birthday with her family. Her obituary states that Bessie was buried at Hillcrest Memorial Gardens in Lower Sackville, Nova Scotia. May she rest in peace! 

Read more about Ernest Milburn Smith and Bessie Cannon in Part 1 of this blog posting.

Smith Ancestry - 2nd Generation: The Story of Ernest Milburn Smith (1894-1948) and Bridget “Bessie” Cannon (1891-1982) - Part 1

The 1^st Generation of our Smith Ancestry in Canada is about Russell Cannon Smith (1920-1995) and Margaret Cecilia Mumford (1922-1998). In the 2^nd Generation of the family history, the focus is on Ernest Milburn Smith (1894-1948) and Bridget “Bessie” Cannon (1891-1982). This is their story (updated August 20, 2017)!

About Ernest Milburn Smith (1894-1948)

Ernest Milburn Smith was born on May 5, 1894 in Tantallon, Halifax County, Nova Scotia. He was the fifth of eight children (six boys and two girls) born to John Caleb Smith (1852-1940) and Deborah Emmeline Boutilier (1859-1940). At that time, his father was 42 years old and his mother was 34 years old.

Ernest Milburn Smith 1916

When he was 21 years old, Ernest Milburn Smith enlisted for service in World War 1. He joined the Canadian Over-Seas Expeditionary Force on December 21, 1915. According to the records, all five of his brothers also enlisted (see Smith Ancestry – Remembering the Battle of Vimy Ridge).

While fighting in France, Ernest was wounded in the shoulder and sent to a hospital in Scotland to recover. During his stay at the hospital, Ernest met Bridget “Bessie” Cannon. When the war ended, Ernest and Bessie were married on January 15, 1919 in Govan Parish, Lanarkshire, Glasgow, Scotland. Ernest was 24 and Bessie was 27.

On August 13, 1919, they boarded the S.S. Baltic in Liverpool, England and sailed to Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada to start a new life. Upon arrival in Canada on August 21, 1919, Ernest was discharged from the army. His discharge paper (presented below) indicates that, at 25 years old, he was 5 feet, 7 1/2 inches tall with brown eyes, brown hair and a "fresh" complexion.

Ernest Smith - Army Discharge Certificate 1919

The 1921 Canada Census indicates that Russell Cannon Smith (our direct line ancestor) was their first child. His Certificate of Birth states that Russell was born in Halifax on March 18, 1920 and that his father was a shoe repairer by trade. As the family tree shows, Ernest and Bessie had three more children over the eight years from 1920 to 1928 – Eunice (Una), Doris and Jean.

Ernest Smith and Bessie Cannon Family Tree

Ernest and Bessie were married for 29 years when he passed away at the age of 54 years. The Nova Scotia Certificate of Registration of Death (No. 005851) notes that Ernest made his living as a cobbler (shoemaker). It also records that he stayed at Camp Hill Hospital for several months before he died on November 9, 1948. His death was due to heart failure caused by arteriosclerosis and complications from diabetes. Ernest was buried at the Halifax Fort Massey Cemetery on November 12, 1948.

Read more about Bridget “Bessie” Cannon in Part 2 of this blog posting.

Smith Ancestry – Remembering the Battle of Vimy Ridge

When Great Britain declared war on Germany in August 1914, its Dominion of Canada automatically entered the fight, inspiring thousands to enlist. Eventually 619,000 Canadian troops joined British and French forces in Europe and quickly earned a reputation for toughness. In April 1915, the Second Battle of Ypres, a massive chlorine gas attack broke the line, but Canadian troops held the Germans until help arrived. Two years into the war at the Battle of the Somme, the 1st Newfoundland Regiment gave their all: after the first day, only 68 of some 800 soldiers survived.

Succeeding where British and French soldiers had failed, the Canadian Corps also captured the strategic point of Vimy Ridge (see the 100th Anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge - Veterans Affairs Canada). Canadian women pitched in too, and more than 3,000 nurses volunteered. The courage of the Canadian soldiers did not go unnoticed, and ultimately 70 received the Victoria Cross for “most conspicuous bravery in the presence of the enemy.”

The Smith Ancestry – England to United States to Canada (second stage) tells the story of how John Caleb Smith (1852-1940) married his second wife Emmeline Deborah Boutilier (1859-1940) in 1881. As their family tree shows, they had 8 children (6 boys and 2 girls). The records indicate that all 6 boys enlisted and served in World War 1 (see Footage - Canada at War).

John Caleb Smith and Emmeline Deborah Boutilier Family Tree

Ernest Milburn Smith, c.1916

Ernest Milburn Smith (our direct line ancestor) enlisted for service in the Canadian Over-Seas Expeditionary Force on December 21, 1915. His three older brothers followed. Horace Mazlin enlisted on March 25, 1916 and Norman Lindsay joined the Canadian Over-Seas Expeditionary Force on April 26, 1916. The WW1 US Draft Registration Card states that Isaac Caleb enlisted on September 12, 1918. 

Malcolm (Mack) Russell Smith, c.1916

Ernest’s younger brother, Malcolm Russell Smith (born in 1896) was the first of the Smith boys to enlist in the Canadian Over-Seas Expeditionary Force on November 29, 1915. Malcolm (known as Mack) was a member of the 10^th Machine Gun Company (Regimental Number 488787).

On August 9, 1917, Mack sent a hopeful letter to his older sister Gladys Bernice about the situation on the front lines in the trenches. Mack's letter states that he had recently seen his younger brother Weldon and that he was well (which proves that Weldon had also enlisted). His letter also says that Ernest (the lucky one) was recovering in a military hospital and made blighty, which means he would probably be sent back to England. He closes by sending his "love to all the children."

Malcolm Smith WW1 letter 1917 (click to enlarge)

On August 21, 1917, less than two weeks after writing that letter, Mack was killed in action in the battle at Vimy Ridge. At only 21 years old, he was buried at Villers Station Cemetery, France. Several online memorials honour his sacrifice, including: Canadian Virtual War Memorial, Canada at War and First World War - Books Of Remembrance.

Malcolm Russell Smith Headstone - 1917

LEST WE FORGET!

McConnell Ancestry – Emigration from Ireland to Canada in the 1800s

The family history records note that, during the summer of 1827, the McConnell family and several members of the Moncrief family sailed from Belfast, Ireland to seek better fortunes in Canada. Crossing the Atlantic Ocean was quite a test of endurance. In the Johnson/McConnell letters, a family member recorded that the hardships endured on the sailing vessels included crowded conditions, no facilities, very little food and no medicine. Many died of “the fever” and from scurvy. The deceased were buried at sea with little or no ceremony.

For those who made it to Canada, it was like jumping from the frying pan into the fire because, at that time, the Irish were thought of as the lowest form of mankind. Settlers walked from Montreal to Ottawa, then came down the Rideau River by raft to Kingston. From there, they took boats to Belleville and then walked or rode through the heavily timbered land to find their homesteads. They acquired the land but that was just the beginning. They had to build cabins and barns and then clear enough land to grow food. They were true pioneers!

Why did so many Irish emigrate? History records that, from 1820 to 1847, most people living in Ireland were trying to survive on a small piece of land in a crowded country, the most crowded one in Europe. In 1821, there were 251 people to the square mile. In industrialized Ulster, for each square mile of land fit for tillage or grazing there were 434 people trying to support themselves. More than 300,000 Irish farms had less than three acres. Under such conditions, the efforts to keep alive often did not last long.

For all rural Ireland in 1841 the average age at death was 19 and not a fifth of the population lived beyond 40 years of age. Famine and cholera appeared in the early thirties, and varying degrees of crop failure haunted the early forties, even before the total loss of the potato crop in 1845 and 1846. Emigration offered a way out. It was relatively heavy in the eastern counties of Ulster from 1815 to 1820. In most of Ulster during one three-year period in the early thirties, two out of every hundred people left the country.

Ireland County Map

Famine and fever made 1846 a year of wholesale agony. It brought death to about half a million people in Ireland. The survivors lived in a miserable confused state of economic dislocation Two-thirds of the population was “reduced to a state of pauperism.” The pressure of population, even in the thirties, had made one labourer in three an excess mouth to feed. The high unemployment, low wages and inflated rental costs swelled the ranks of the poor. After the famine, very few rents were paid and evictions were widespread numbering in the tens of thousands. People owed each other but couldn’t pay. So, most small tradesmen went bankrupt. From such conditions, 200,000 people fled as emigrants in 1846-1847. By 1849, in the little town of Antrim near Belfast, “Nearly every door is closed. The people can scarcely live in it.”

McConnell Ancestry – The Story of James McConnell (1783-1827) and Margery Moncrief (1800-1872)

Shamrock - Symbol of Ireland

It is estimated that James McConnell was born about 1783 in Currin, Monaghan,Ireland. At his time, his parents are unknown, but our family history research continues. For example, the Northern Ireland church records show that a James McConnell was baptized on May 30, 1784 and that his father was James McConnell and his mother was Mary. As well, the RootsIreland website offers a unique database of more than 20 million Irish family history records which have recently been made available in an online search facility.

James McConnell Military Discharge 1820

According to his military discharge papers (shown above - click to enlarge), James McConnell joined the British 65th Regiment of Foot in 1800 as a teenager and served as a Private until 1820. Apparently, the British 65th was nicknamed The Boy Regiment because a large number of parish boys were enlisted to replenish the regiment after its first West Indies posting. The Pensioner Records show that James served in the military for many years in India and briefly in Canada. He was discharged from Chelsea Royal Hospital in 1820 with failing health at the age of 38. The military records show that he had asthma and had been wounded in the hip. Since he was a Chelsea Pensioner, he may have taken his pension in land in Canada.

St. Andrews Church ,Currin Parish, Scotshouse, Monaghan, Ireland

The Roots Ireland - Church Marriage Record shows that James McConnell married Margery Moncrief on October 8, 1821, at St. Andrew’s Church of England (built in 1810), Parish of Currin, village of Scotshouse, County Monaghan, Ireland. The church records indicate that James and Margery had two children baptized in Briscarnagh, Currin, Monaghan, Ireland: a daughter named Ann McConnell (1822-1895) and a son named James A. McConnell (1824-1892) who is our direct line ancestor. Another son named Donald McConnell (1826-1827) is also mentioned in the family records but died as an infant.

James McConnell Family Tree (early in 1827)

The Roots Ireland - Church Burial Record shows that James McConnell died on April 16, 1827, in Briscarnagh,Currin, Monaghan, Ireland, at the age of 44 and is buried there. 

The McConnell family history notes that, during the summer of 1827 (following the death of James), his wife Margery Moncrief, their three children and other members of the Moncrief family emigrated to Canada. They sailed from Belfast, Ireland to Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It took six weeks to cross the Atlantic Ocean in a sailing ship. James Allen McConnell was only about three years old. It is presumed that Donald McConnell died during the crossing and was buried at sea.

Some of the Moncrief family members settled in Cavan Township, Peterborough, Ontario, Canada. A few years passed before Margery (Moncrief) McConnell (at this time, her parents are unknown) married John Robinson. Four Robinson children were born of this marriage: Eliza Robinson (1834-1911), Mary Ann Robinson (1836-1879), Thomas Robinson (1838-1916) and Margery Jane Robinson (1840-1866).  There is speculation that John Robinson drowned in Rice lake while fishing in 1849 and that his wife Margery passed away about 1872, but genealogy records have yet to confirm these events.

McConnell Ancestry – The Story of James Allen McConnell (1824-1892) and Mary Quinn (1825-1905) – Part 2

Mary Quinn was born on February 24, 1825, in Glenavy, Antrim, Northern Ireland. She was the fifth child and second daughter of William Harold Quinn (1789-1850) who was 36 and Elizabeth "Betsy" Saunders (1798-1863) who was 27. As their family tree shows, Betsy and William Quinn had 10 children (6 sons and 4 daughters) in 23 years. Two of their children died in infancy.

William Harold Quinn and Elizabeth Saunders - Family Tree

Mary grew up in Ireland and was educated in a one-room schoolhouse (see photo below). At the age of 17, with her parents, four brothers and three sisters, she left Belfast harbour for Canada. They were six weeks crossing the Atlantic Ocean in a sailing vessel. Mary’s father was a Navy Captain, who retired to Canada in 1841. He bargained for a 100-acre farm in Percy Township, Northumberland County, Ontario, about five miles from the village of Hastings, then known as Crook's Rapids.

Schoolhouse in Glenavy, Ireland attended by Mary Quinn

When she was 19 years old, Mary Quinn married James Allen McConnell on August 6, 1844, in Peterborough, Ontario. Mary and James settled on a farm across the creek from the home of Mary’s parents. In 1847, they bought this farm and their two older sons, Robert and William, were born in this home. Soon after, Mary and James moved to Belmont Township, where they established the McConnell Homestead.

By the time of the 1871 Canada Census, they had ten children: Robert Henry (1845), William (1846), Marjorie (1849), Mary Elizabeth (1852), Samuel John (1854), Annie Isabel (1858), Thomas James (1859), Edith Margaret (1861), George Alexander (1864) and Charles Joseph (1868). In 1879, they suffered a fatality when their youngest son, Charles Joseph (Joey), died of diphtheria.

Mary had a very busy life. She was a midwife and had helped start many a child on life’s pathway. She was a very sympathetic, kind person. Whenever there was any need, she lent a hand. She helped her brother, Thomas Quinn, when he was left with two motherless young children, although her own younger children were still a care.

Mary Quinn

The 1901 Canada Census states that Mary Quinn lived with her daughter, Annie Isabel, who was married to Samuel Thompson. On September 18, 1905, she passed away in Norwood, Ontario, having lived a long life of 80 years, and was buried at the Norwood Cemetery.

The preceding ancestry data presents Part 2 of the Story of James Allen McConnell (1824-1892) and Mary Quinn (1825-1905). The beginning of their story ispresented in Part 1 of the McConnell ancestry.