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

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Canada Maple Leaf

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About Margaret Cecilia Mumford (1922-1998)

Margaret Cecilia (Mumford) Smith 1969

Margaret Cecilia Mumford was born on November 4, 1922 in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Her christening was on December 27, 1922 and her confirmation was on May 27, 1934 at St. Mary’s Cathedral. She was one of five children of Ernest H. Mumford (1886-1957) and Margaret Cecilia Naylor (1886-1965) who were married in Halifax on March 2, 1908. Ernest and Margaret were both 21 years old when they wed. Their marriage lasted 49 years, during which time they had five children (Margaret “Peggy” Louise, Ernest Patrick, Bernard Joseph, George and the youngest child, Margaret Cecilia).

Margaret married Russell Cannon Smith (1920-1995) during a major snowstorm on December 28, 1944 in Halifax, Nova Scotia. They needed special dispensation to marry because she was marrying a soldier during war time. Russell was 24 and Margaret was 22. Their marriage lasted 50 years. They had five children: one boy (the oldest child) and four girls (one died when she was only nine years old).

The Canada Voting Records for 1945 show that Margaret was living with her older sister, Peggy Louise who was also married to a soldier. At that time, there was a severe housing shortage. The population of Halifax nearly doubled during the war as service personnel poured into the port city by the tens of thousands. Many of the military resented the overcrowding and strained facilities. Bad feelings, combined with the poor preparations by military and local authorities for VE Day, turned spontaneous celebrations into riots and rampage on May 7-8, 1945 (see Halifax VE Day Riots newspaper reports and the short film VE Day Riot 1945). The reports stated that 564 businesses suffered damage and 207 shops were looted. Three rioters died. A federal inquiry later blamed the navy for poor discipline of its personnel and the navy’s top officer on the east coast was fired.

Being an “army wife” Margaret and the family moved to Victoria, British Columbia, then back to Halifax, on to Ottawa, Ontario and then Oakville, Ontario where they stayed. When Russell retired from the army in October 1965, they bought their “dream house” with a large back yard in Oakville. To help pay the bills, Margaret went to work doing various jobs, including office cleaning. For a number of years, she also worked in the freeze-dried food preparation business, which she seemed to enjoy. The freeze-dried process was first developed in WWII as a means of preserving blood serum.

Russell Smith and Margaret (Mumford) Smith in retirement 1980s

Margaret and her husband had similar passions, such as eating steak and potatoes, smoking cigarettes and drinking beer. Russell was a long-time member of the Royal Canadian Legion so, after all the children had moved away, they spent many hours at the Legion enjoying the company of their army friends and associates. In her later years, she suffered a severe brain aneurysm but, after several years of rehabilitation, she recovered. Margaret Cecilia Mumford died on April 12, 1998, aged 75, in Oakville, Ontario and is buried next to her husband at Trafalgar Lawn Cemetery, Oakville.

Recap of the Roy-Apted Ancestry

The previous posts provide a lot of insight on the Roy-Apted ancestry. For each of the eight family lines, this genealogy research captures the family history data back to the time our ancestors made the journey to Canada and, in many cases, before that.

Here is a recap, with a focus on the first generation of non-living ancestors:

1.     Emile Roy and his ancestors from France;

2.     Angeline Hogue and her ancestors from France;

3.     Russell Smith and his ancestors from the United States and England;

4.     Margaret Mumford and her ancestors from England;

5.     Ralph Apted and his ancestors from England and Scotland;

6.     Catherine Duff and her ancestors from Scotland;

7.     Harold McConnell and his ancestors from Ireland

8.     Marjorie Latta and her ancestors from Ireland.

Much of the data that forms the foundation for this family genealogy is currently available in online family trees. More is being added as time goes by. The data includes family group sheets that provide a profile for the individual person, a timeline of key events in that person’s life, the names and lifespan of the parents and children, and the names and lifespan of the siblings. That data also includes many historical records for the Roy-Apted families to view, inspect and treasure now and in future generations.

What’s next? Expect to read short stories about key events that had an impact on the first generation of non-living ancestors.

Mumford Ancestry – England to Canada

The Mumford family in Canada begins with George Mumford who was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia about 1806 and died there in 1876. He married Jane E. Higgins (1823-1912) around 1839 in Halifax. George and Jane had seven children. The oldest boy, named George Edward Mumford was born on February 24, 1854 in Halifax and died there on January 8, 1924. 

Ernest H. Mumford was born on August 10, 1884 in Halifax and died on August 10, 1957, aged 72, in Halifax. He was the son of George Edward Mumford (1854-1924), aged 30, and Margaret Hartling (1855-1935), aged 29. According to the 1908 Nova Scotia Marriage Registration (#81), Ernest married Margaret Cecilia Naylor (1886-1965) on March 2, 1908 in Halifax. Ernest was 23 and Margaret was 21. Their marriage lasted 49 years.

Ernest and Margaret had five children: Margaret “Peggy” Louise, Ernest Patrick, Bernard Joseph, George and Margaret Cecilia. Margaret Cecilia Mumford was born on November 4, 1922 in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Her christening was on December 27, 1922 and her confirmation was on May 27, 1934 in Halifax. She died on April 12, 1998, aged 75, in Oakville, Ontario and was buried next to her husband at Trafalgar Lawn Cemetery, Oakville. 

It is noteworthy that Ernest and his son, Bernard Joseph, were killed as a result of a car accident in 1957. The Nova Scotia Death Registration (#02-004301), dated August 11, 1957 states that Ernest H. Mumford was buried at the Gates of Heaven Cemetery in Halifax.

Margaret Cecilia Mumford (Smith)

Margaret Mumford married Russell Cannon Smith (1920-1995) during a snowstorm on December 28, 1944 in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Russell was 24 and Margaret was 22. Their marriage lasted 50 years. They had five children, a boy and four girls. Their children, grandchildren and great grandchildren can now explore their Mumford ancestry in Canada back to 1806, more than 200 years ago.