Mary Ann Bloomer
was the first daughter born to Edward Bloomer (1825-1866) and Rebecca Reynolds (1826-1900)
on November 5, 1856, in Peterborough, Ontario. Her father worked in the sawmill
for Dixon Lumber Company. When quite young, she moved with her parents, her two brothers and a younger sister to a farm in Belmont Township on Concession
9, north of Havelock. Mary Ann loved her
studies at the local one-room schoolhouse, where she received a well-rounded
but rudimentary education.
On
January 9, 1866, tragedy struck the family. A falling tree struck and killed
Edward Bloomer, the head of the household, while he was working alone in the
woods. Mary Ann was only 9 years old at the time and in class when the news was
brought to the school. She was a sensitive person and the shock of her father’s
sudden death and her family’s loneliness affected her deeply. The family was
faced with the difficult task of making a living on the partially-cleared farm.
They were isolated and alone, but everyone worked together through tough times.
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| Mary Ann Bloomer 1874 |
On April
8, 1874 (seven months before her 18th birthday), Mary Ann Bloomer married William
McConnell at her mother’s home. Mary Ann’s photograph (shown above) was taken shortly
before her marriage.
Mary Ann and William, together with their young family moved
to the Quinn farm in the Spring of
1880. Over the years, they did tree clearing, stumping, fencing, built new
buildings (and, as previously mentioned, replaced a barn after-a fire) and faced
many trials in raising a large family. From 1876 to 1900, they had 10 children (7 girls and 3 boys). Two were born in
Dummer Township and eight were born on the Quinn
farm. Eight of the children are pictured below in their later years.
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| McConnell children - Harold (youngest) and his seven sisters |
Mary Ann is
remembered as a woman of a gentle nature and her Christian character shone in
her home where she was greatly loved and was ever ready to entertain relatives,
neighbours and strangers. She was a member of the United Church and the Women’s
Missionary Society.
With much
fanfare, Mary Ann and William celebrated their Golden Wedding Anniversary at
home on April 8, 1924. Their 10 children, 23 grandchildren, and several
brothers and sisters were all present to rejoice with them on this occasion. Later on, they would also celebrate 56 years of marriage.
William McConnell contracted a serious throat condition about
the turn of the century, but he suffered patiently. The closing years of his
life were cheered greatly by the visits of his family. The Ontario Death Certificate indicates that he passed away of
pneumonia on February 28, 1930 (aged 83 years).
After William’s death, Mary Ann spent her final two years on
the farm with her youngest son Harold McConnell, and his family. She had lived
on this farm for 53 years. The Ontario Death Certificate indicates that she passed away of arteriosclerosis on November 10,
1932 (aged 76 years).
Mary Ann
and William lived a long and fruitful life. They rest-in-peace, along with their son Harold and his wife Marjorie (Latta) in the McConnell family plot at Trent Valley Cemetery near Hastings,
Ontario under a single red-granite headstone (pictured below).
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| McConnell Headstone, Trent Valley Cemetery |
The preceding data presents Part 2 of the Story of William Harold McConnell (1846-1930) and
Mary Ann Bloomer (1856-1932). The beginning of their story is presented in Part
1 of the McConnell ancestry. More detailed information on the
family history is provided in a 16-page document by Beavin Moncrief (McConnell)
Taylor titled Life in Percy Township on the Quin(n)
Farm dated January 1969, as well as McConnell family ancestry records.
