Overview of our Mumford Ancestors – Family History and Life Stories

The Mumford surname has a French locational origin from Montford-sur-Risle in Normandy, France. It is based on the Olde French “mont” (a hill) plus “fort” (strong and impregnable). The ancient Coat of Arms has the blazon of a blue lion saliant on a gold field, the Crest being a demi cat rampant. The first recorded spelling of the family name is that of Hugo de Montford, which was dated 1086, in the Domesday Book, during the reign of King William I, known as “William the Conqueror” (1066-1087).

The Mumford Family ancestors have their roots in England dating back to before 1566 when Hugh Parker Mumford was born. He was the son of John Mumford (1542-1574) and Margaret Parker (1543-1574) who lived in Essex, England. The three generations of descendants of Hugh Mumford were all named Thomas Mumford.

The ancestry records indicate that Thomas Mumford I (1585-1660) emigrated to the the British colonies in North America in 1650. Thomas Mumford II (1625-1692) had a son named Thomas Mumford III (1656-1726) who was born in Kingstown, Washington County, Rhode Island, USA (New England).

His descendant, George Mumford was born on December 9, 1730, in South Kingstown, Rhode Island. He married Mary Dickenson (1742-1803) on April 6, 1761, in his hometown. A short time later, the family emigrated to Nova Scotia in Canada. Their son, Benjamin Mumford (1764-1841) was born in Windsor, Nova Scotia, Canada.

For an overview of our Mumford ancestors in North America, read Family History of the Mumford Ancestors – Life Stories. It contains excerpts from Appendix E of the 2018 book titled Exploring Our Ancestry: The Roy-Apted Family History in Canada and Beyond, by J. Paul-Emile Roy, CPA, CA.

The Roy-Apted Family History – A Part of the History of Canada

The genealogy research undertaken to date reveals that our Roy-Apted ancestors migrated to Canada over the past 400 years. Among the early pioneers were the Roy and the Hogue branches of the family tree who arrived in the mid1600s. During the 1700s, the Smith branch of the Family tree came to Canada as well as the Mumford branch. During the 1800s, the McConnell and the Latta branches arrived. Finally, the Apted and Duff branches of the family tree settled here in the early 1900s, shortly after the turn of the century. Evidently, the Roy-Apted family tree has very deep roots in Canada.

There are a variety of online portals that tell the story of Canada and its history. For example, take a look at Canada: A People's History - Official Site, A Brief History of Canada - Menu - Sympatico, Canada History in Videos, and Canada History Timeline, As well, refer to the Portal Canada – Wikipedia and the Portal History of Canada – Wikipedia, from which the following excerpts are drawn.

Canada Map (Click to Enlarge)

 Canada /ˈkænədə/ is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean. It is the world's second largest country by total area. Canada's common border with the United States to the south and northwest is the longest in the world.

The land that is now Canada was inhabited for millennia by various groups of Aboriginal peoples. Beginning in the late 15th century, British and French expeditions explored, and later settled, along the Atlantic coast. France ceded nearly all of its colonies in North America in 1763 after the Seven Years' War. In 1867, with the union of three British North American colonies through Confederation, Canada was formed as a federal dominion of four provinces. This began an accretion of provinces and territories and a process of increasing autonomy from the United Kingdom. This widening autonomy was highlighted by the Statute of Westminster of 1931 and culminated in the Canada Act of 1982, which severed the vestiges of legal dependence on the British parliament.

Canada is a federation that is governed as a parliamentary democracy and a constitutional monarchy with Queen Elizabeth II as its head of state. It is a bilingual nation with both English and French as official languages at the federal level. One of the world's highly developed countries, Canada has a diversified economy that is reliant upon its abundant natural resources and upon trade—particularly with the United States, with which Canada has had a long and complex relationship. It is a member of the G7, G-20, NATO, OECD, WTO, Commonwealth, Francophonie, OAS, APEC, and UN.

Canada Symbols

Canada Flag

Canada Maple Leaf

Canada Goose

Canada Beaver

Valentine’s Day – Remember When

The following excerpt is drawn from a previous posting on Love and Marriage – Emile Roy and Angeline Hogue in 1937: As a symbol of her never-ending love, Angeline shared a precious memento she had received all those years ago, when they were engaged to be married. It was her first Valentine’s Day card from Emile in 1935. Reproduced above, the greeting from Emile (who was learning English and quickly becoming bilingual) says “Loads of Loves, Luck and Kisses, Your Fiancé who Love You so much, Emile.”

Alan Jackson - Remember When

As a reminder of what true love, marriage and family mean from an ancestry perspective,  watch the live concert performance by Alan Jackson who sings the song Remember When (also available in mp3 music format and with the lyrics accompaniment).

Latta Ancestry - Emigration from Ireland to United States to Canada (Stage 1)

Emigration from Ireland began as early as 1603, when people emigrated to areas such as continental Europe, the islands of the Caribbean, the British colonies, and other parts of the British Isles. Emigration increased during periods of civil or religious unrest or famine in Ireland as well as during various gold rushes in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and the United States.

Throughout history, the Irish had many reasons for leaving Ireland (refer to the Family Search website under Ireland Emigration and Immigration). It is important to remember, however, that many among those remaining in Ireland would have emigrated but were unable to, due to poverty or impoverishment. Many Irishmen during the Great Famine years who did embark were in such sickened and critically weakened condition that death followed many while traversing the high seas to their new world home. The period of greatest emigration began around 1780 and reached its peak from 1845 to 1855, when between one and two million people left Ireland because of the potato famine (more information is available in an online history paper on Urban America).

 The Latta Family Tree has many branches with origins in Ireland and Scotland. In fact, extensive research has been done on Latta individuals (for example, refer.  to the online Latta Genealogy  at Wiki Tree and online Latta Databases). In addition, more than 50 Latta branches have been researched over the years (refer to the branch migration list on the Latta website at http://www.latta.org/Branches/branches.htm).

Our direct Latta lineage (Branch 13) begins with James Latta who emigrated from Donegal, Londonderry, Ireland in 1768 arrived at Boston, Massachusetts and settled in Albany County, New York, United States. Research indicates that James Latta was born on January 11, 1727 and may have come to America along with three or four of his sons about the time of the Revolutionary War (1776-1783). He settled at Wallkill, New York. James Latta was a merchant at Wallkill and New Windsor, Orange County, New York and a farmer at Seneca Ontario County where he purchased 1200 acres of land at $2.50 in 1789 from Phelps and Gorh. One of his sons, William John Latta also had a son, John William Latta who subsequently emigrated from the United States to Hastings County, Ontario, Canada in 1833.

Flag of Canada

The Latta family history unfolds in the life stories that follow in the posting Latta Ancestry - Emigrationfrom Ireland to United States to Canada (Stage 2).

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Latta Ancestry - Emigration from Ireland to United States to Canada (Stage 2)

William John Latta (1761-1796) and Anne Jackson (1761-1847)

William John Latta was born in 1761 in Donegal, Londonderry, Ireland. At that time, his father James Latta (1727-1800) was age 34 (research has yet to identify William’s mother). The ancestry records indicate that he was christened on October 21, 1762 in Dalry, Ayr, Scotland. He emigrated to the United States with his father and siblings about 1768 at the age of 7 years, arriving at Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts.

On October 30, 1776, William John Latta enlisted in Captain John A. Bradt’s company of State Rangers, being discharged on January 23, 1777, as unfit for duty. His name appears on the rolls of the 3^rd Albany County Militia. In 1778, when he was 17 years old, he married Anne Jackson in New York. As their family tree shows, they had eight children in 17 years.

Family of William Latta and Anne Jackson

When their son, John William Latta was born on August 11, 1782, in Manhattan, New York, William and Anne were both 21 years old. The 1790 United States Federal Census shows that William and Anne, along with their five children, lived in Watervliet, Albany, New York. In the 1790 Watervliet Township census, William is listed as a lime maker by trade but educated for sea captain. William John Latta died in 1796 in New Scotland, Albany, New York, at the age of 35, and was buried there.

United States Federal Census 1790 (click to enlarge)

When Anne Jackson was born on May 15, 1761, in Tyringham, Massachusetts, United States, her father, Colonel Giles Jackson (1733-1810) was 28, and her mother, Anna Thomas (1740-1780) was 21. She married William John Latta in 1878. When William died, she remarried and had four sons and four daughters with David Manning (1759-1816). She died on August 5, 1847, in New Scotland, Albany, New York, having lived a long life of 86 years, and was buried in Broome, New York.

Family of Giles Jackson and Anna Thomas

Latta Ancestry – Five Generations in Canada

The Latta family lineage originates in Ireland with emigration in 1768 to the United States and then to Canada in 1833, as explained in the previous posting Latta Ancestry - Emigration from Ireland to United States to Canada (Stage 1).

Four Generations of Latta Men in Canada, c.1906

The above photograph (Four Generations of Latta Men in Canada, c.1906), presents our direct Latta lineage in Canada. Gilbert James Latta, the son of John William Latta, was the first in the Latta family tree to be born in Canada in 1822, almost 200 years ago. The stories of the following five generations of Latta men in Canada are based on family history and Ontario vital records (birth, marriage and death).

•  John William Latta (1782-1846).
•  Gilbert James Latta (1822-1906), seated.
•  James Gilbert Latta (1852-1938), left rear.
•  Walter James Latta (1873-1932), right rear.
•  James Cyril Latta (1901–1986) at 5 years of age.

The Ontario Birth Records indicate that James Cyril Latta was born on March 18, 1901 in Thurlow, Ontario. He was the first-born and only son of Walter James Latta (1873-1932) and Sadie Elizabeth Coulson (1881-1941). Cyril had only one sister, Marjorie Uldean Latta, who was born in Toronto, Ontario on April 28, 1905. Marjorie Uldean Latta and Harold William McConnell were married on January 9, 1924 in Campbellford, Ontario. At that point, the Latta family history became inter-twined with the McConnell family history (refer to the posting McConnell Ancestry in Canada – An Overview).

Remembering Our Ancestors at Christmas and the New Year

Latta Ancestry – Emigration from the United States to Canada

John Latta (1782-1846) and Susannah Pitman (1783-1854)

John William Latta (1782-1846)

When John William Latta was born on August 11, 1782, in Manhattan, New York, United States, his father, William John Latta (1761-1796) and his mother, Anne Jackson (1761-1847), were both 21 years old. It is noteworthy that William John Latta was born in Ireland and emigrated to the United States with his parents about 1768 at the age of 7 years.

John William Latta married Susannah Pitman on November 17, 1800, when he was 18 years old at Adulphustown, Lennox Addington Prince Edward, Ontario (known as Upper Canada at the time). The family tree of John William Latta and Susannah Pitman shows that they had 13 children (6 boys and 7 girls) over a 30-year period. Our direct Latta lineage is with Gilbert James Latta (1822-1906), who was their youngest son.

Family of John William Latta and Susannah Pitman
(click to enlarge)

According to family records, John William Latta was a Quaker. He moved to Canada where he acquired and developed the Latta Mills property in 1833. He put up a flour mill, saw mills and a factory about 11 miles north of Belleville, Ontario. There, he followed the trade of his ancestors in manufacturing flour.

Latta Mills Painting

Latta Mills Ruins (click to enlarge)

John William Latta died of dropsy on December 5, 1846, in Latta Mills (pictured above), Thurlow, Hastings County, Ontario, Canada, at the age of 64. He is buried at Denyes Cemetery. In his will, dated April 5, 1847, he leaves all his property to his sons Archibald and Gilbert Latta.

Susannah Pitman (1783-1854)

When Susannah Pitman was born about 1783 in North Hero, Vermont, United States, her father, Russell Pitman (1750-1815), was 33, and her mother, Diannah Fraser (1760-1837), was 23. Susannah was the oldest of 5 children in their family (3 girls and 2 boys).

Family of  Russell Pitman and  Diannah Fraser

According to the 1851 Canada Census, Susannah Pitman (age 68) was living with her son Archibald Latta. She died about 1854 in Thurlow, Ontario, at the age of 71, and was buried there.