Remembering Our Ancestors at Christmas and the New Year

Latta Ancestry – Four Generations in Canada (Part 1)

Four Generations of Latta Men in Canada, c.1906

The Latta family emigrated from Ireland to the United States in 1768 and then came to Canada in 1833 (refer to the previous post about the Latta Ancestry – Ireland to Canada). In the above photograph, four generations of our direct Latta lineage in Canada are gathered together:

1.          Gilbert James Latta (1822-1906),seated
2.          James Gilbert Latta (1852-1938), left rear
3.          Walter James Latta (1873-1932),right rear
4.          James Cyril Latta (1901–1986) at 5 years of age. 

The stories of these four generations of Latta men are based on family history and Ontario vital records (birth, marriage and death).

James Cyril Latta (1901–1986) and Jane Evelyn Sexsmith (1902-1996)

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.

James Cyril Latta Family Tree

On September 7, 1931, James Cyril Latta (1901–1986) married Jane Evelyn Sexsmith (1902-1996), who was known as Jennie. The Ontario Birth Records also show that Jennie Sexsmith was born on September 26, 1902, the daughter of Henry Sexsmith (1866-1940) and Minnie Brown. Cyril and Jennie had one son, Wayne, in 1935.

As the following ancestry chart shows, Jennie and Cyril were both related to Jane Rath (1823-1917) who was born in Enniscorthy, Ireland. Jennie was the great-granddaughter and Cyril was the great-grandson. For more information on the Rath family history, refer to the Genealogy Report – Descendants of Henry Rath prepared by Dave and Lucille Wright, November 2004.

James Cyril Latta - Ancestry

Cyril and Jennie were both graduates of the Ontario Business College in Belleville, Ontario. Jennie worked at the Tweed Theatre and the Tweed News Office. Cyril was a salesman for WearEver Aluminum cookware throughout Ontario. He would put on a home demonstration-cooking the whole meal-on top of the stove using WearEver pots. Included in the meal was roast beef, vegetables, and a wonderful chocolate cake “baked” in a frying pan on top of the stove. The cookware was “waterless cooking.”

During the second World War, Cyril and Jennie worked at the Battawa factory making war materials. He returned to aluminum sales after the war. In his later years, he worked at the “new” liquor store in Tweed and was the Bailiff for Central Hastings. Cyril loved to hunt, fish and sell!

Cyril Latta died on June 19, 1986 at the age of 85. Jennie Sexsmith died on December 9, 1996 in Picton, Ontario at the age of 94.

Cyril Latta and Jennie Sexsmith Headstone

McConnell Ancestry – The Story of the Quinn and Saunders Ancestral Farms: Crew Townlands, Glenavy, County Antrim, c1840

The Crew Townlands are located a few miles southwest of Glenavy, County Antrim, Northern Ireland, via the Crewe Rd. It was here that William Harold Quinn (1789-1850) and his wife Elizabeth (Betsy) Saunders (1798-1863) owned a modest flax farm, where their 10 children were born (view details of the family tree online).

The Quinn farm was an average size, 17 Irish acres, 1 rood, 12 perches which is about 28 of our acres. Our acre is 4840, while an Irish acre is 7840 sq. yards, (1.62 times larger.)

The old Quinn home (Lot #12) is the barn on the right and it still stands at 53 Crewe Rd, Glenavy, Crumlin BT29 4NG, UK. It’s well worth a look on Google/streetview.

William and Elizabeth, along with their entire family, emigrated to Percy Township, Northumberland County, Canada West (Ontario) in the early 1840s. Their daughter, Mary Quinn, married James Allen McConnell in Dummer Township, Peterborough County, in August 1844. The Saunders brothers, John and William, left neighbouring farms and emigrated at about the same time. New owners were recorded in the Crew allotment records. Little trace of either the Quinn or Saunders families remained and the past was murky.

To learn more about the Irish ancestry of the Quinn and Saunders Ancestral Farms in Crew Townlands, Glenavy, County Antrim, download the article by Dan L. Reid, 2017 and visit the following online sites:

• Glenavy History

• Crew Townlands

• Crew Townland Map

• “Glenavy: Past and Present” compiled by Charles Watson, 1892

• “Glenavy: Church of the Dwarf 1868-1968” by Rev. Patrick J. McKavanagh.

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 – 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.

McConnell Ancestry – The Story of James Allen McConnell (1824-1892) and Mary Quinn (1825-1905) – Part 1

Currin, Monaghan, Ireland

Much of the ancestry data about James Allen McConnell and Mary Quinn are drawn from two unpublished family history books by their descendant, Beavin Moncrief (McConnell) Taylor, a school teacher. The first source is a 16-page document titled Life in Percy Township on the Quin(n) Farm dated January 1969. The second source is a document titled McConnell Clan Memoirs dated July 1974 with numerous inserts and more than 100 pages in total.

James Allen McConnell was born on May 11, 1824, in Briscarnagh, Currin, Monaghan, Ireland (see the accompanying map and click to enlarge). At that time, his father, James McConnell (1782-1827), was 42 years old and his mother, Marjorie Moncrief (1800-1872), was 24 years old. When James was three, his father died. Within a year, his mother and her family, the Moncriefs, came to Canada and settled in Cavan Township, west of Peterborough, Ontario.

James Allen McConnell and Mary Quinn c1844

According to the records, James Allen married Mary Quinn, a bonny Irish lass on August 6, 1844, in Dummer Township, Peterborough, Ontario, when he was 20 years old. James and Mary made first home in Percy Township, near Mary's parents, and they later purchased this farm. A few years later they moved to Belmont Township and lived in Norwood, Ontario (see Norwood farmhouse photo below).

As their family tree shows, James and Mary had 10 children (6 sons and 4 daughters) in 23 years.

James Allen McConnell and Mary Quinn - Family Tree

The 1851 Canada Census lists James and Mary, as well as their first two children, Robert and William. According to the Ontario marriage registration records, their first son, Robert Henry McConnell (1845-1922) married Christiana Nicoll (1851-1892) in 1873. However, it was their second son, William McConnell (1846-1930) who carried on our McConnell family lineage when he married Mary Ann Bloomer (1856-1932), on April 8, 1874. They settled on a farm in Dummer Township (north of the village of Norwood).

James was a good farmer, a thrifty person and when one farm was paid for, he bought another to make homes for his sons, all of whom settled on farms. James died at the family home in Norwood, Peterborough, Ontario on November 14, 1892, at the age of 68 years, and was buried at the Norwood Cemetery. The Story of James Allen McConnell and Mary Quinn continues in Part 2 of the McConnell ancestry.

McConnell Ancestry – The Story of William Harold McConnell (1846-1930) and Mary Ann Bloomer (1856-1932) – Part 2

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.

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.

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).

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.

McConnell Ancestry – The Story of William Harold McConnell (1846-1930) and Mary Ann Bloomer (1856-1932) – Part 1

William McConnell and Mary Ann Bloomer - Family Tree

So far, our family history has discussed the McConnell Ancestry – Ireland to Canada and the McConnell Ancestry – The Story of Harold William McConnell (1900-1988) and Marjorie Uldean Latta (1905-1988). In this segment, we tell the story of Harold William McConnell’s parents, William McConnell (1846-1930) and Mary Ann Bloomer (1856-1932).

Much of the data are drawn from two unpublished family history books by the daughter of William McConnell, Beavin Moncrief (McConnell) Taylor, a school teacher. The first source is a 16-page document titled Life in Percy Township on the Quin(n) Farm dated January 1969. The second source is a document titled McConnell Clan Memoirs dated July 1974 with numerous inserts and more than 100 pages in total.

William Harold McConnell was born on May 7, 1846, in Percy Township (Lot 23, Concession 13), Northumberland, Ontario, near his grandfather Quinn’s farm. He was the second son of Mary Ann Quinn (1825-1905), age 21, and James Allen McConnell (1823-1892), age 22.

When quite young, he moved with his parents and older brother, Robert, to Belmont Township where the North School was located on one corner of the property. In those days, there were there no compulsory school attendance laws, so boys went to school in Winter and worked at home on the farm in the Summer. William (called “Willie”) was never very strong and his mother had wanted him to learn a trade. Harness making was his choice, but this did not materialize. Like his four brothers, he stayed with the land.

On April 8, 1874, William married Mary Ann Bloomer (1856-1932), at Peterborough, Ontario. They settled on a rented farm in Dummer Township (north of the village of Norwood), where they lived for five years. By the fall of 1879, they had saved $500. They used it to buy the property at Lot 23, Concession 13, Percy Township of Northumberland County. Located on the south shore of the Trent River near Hastings, it was always known as the Quinn farm.

"Quinn Farm (renovated)"

In the Fall of 1887, William had been burning brush south-west of the present buildings on the farm. The crop had been threshed and a straw stack was beside the barn. When a wind got up, the barn was burned with all the contents including grain, fodder, implements and tools. It is said that William jokingly told Mary Ann that it was the only time she ever disobeyed him - when she went into the burning barn to save their new buggy. But, she did save the buggy. Although they had no insurance, none of the livestock was lost and a neighbour, who owned a farm on the next concession, rented them his buildings for the winter. William objected to anyone canvassing the settlement for help, but stated that he would accept any extra feed or bedding that anyone could spare for his livestock.

William Harold McConnell and his horses, circa 1915

William had a bright, cheery disposition with a pleasant word for young and older folks alike. He was a life-long member of the Methodist Church, bringing his devotion. vision and activity into the United Church. He served for 40 years on the Quarterly Official Board. The Story of William Harold McConnell (1846-1930) and Mary Ann Bloomer (1856-1932) continues in Part 2 of the McConnell ancestry.

Roy Ancestry – France to Canada (Part 7)

New France (Canada) circa 1697

Canada A Country by Consent: New France

The land that is now known as Canada was first home to many different nations of native peoples with distinctly different languages and social organizations. What they shared was a great ability to live with the land and it was only by copying native ideas like the snowshoe, birch bark canoes and pemmican: dried lean meat that the Europeans were able to survive the harsh winters and develop a vast fur trade that eventually spread European influence across the country.

Canada is not a country based on ethnic uniformity like many countries. It is not a country forged by the fires of civil war or wars of unification. It is a country which has evolved and been held together by the agreement and will of the various groups who have helped build it over the years. Canada is a Country by Consent. (View the content of this online project which is organized into 27 chapters, many with an audiovisual introduction. The text is enhanced with additional film clips, interviews, essays by guest historians, hundreds of archival images, satellite maps and definitions.)

Etienne Roy (1690-1749) and Marie LaCasse (1692-1764)

 

Etienne (Stephen) Roy was the first male child in our Roy lineage to be born in Canada (New France). When he was born on April 20, 1690, in Lauzon, Quebec, his father Nicolas Roy (1661-1727) was 29 and his mother, Marie-Madeleine LeBlond (1665-1722) was 24. Etienne was fortunate to have his extended family welcome his birth, including his grandparents, Nicolas LeRoy (1639-1690) and Jeanne Lelièvre (1640-1728), and his great-grandmother, Anne LeMaitre (1617-1718). The joy was short-lived, however, when his grandfather Nicolas LeRoy died a few days later on April 27, 1690 at the age of 50 years.

Etienne Roy Profile

Etienne married Marie LaCasse on November 18, 1709, in Beaumont, Quebec when he was 19 years old and was 17 years old. (Source: Quebec Vital and Church Records (Drouin Collection), 1621-1967 Record for Etienne LeRoy. Beaumont (St-Étienne) > 1692-1796, 67. 2nd entry.)

Etienne Roy and Marie LaCasse church marriage record 1709

Marie LaCasse was born on June 19, 1692, in Lauzon, Quebec to Marie-Francoise Bazin, age 19, and Joseph LaCasse, age 22. The LaCasse family records (shown below) indicates that she was the oldest of 15 children – 11 girls and 4 boys. From an ancestry lineage perspective, it is noteworthy that three of the LaCasse girls (Marie, Marie-Francoise and Marie-Angelique) married Roy boys (Etienne, Louis and Jean-Baptiste, respectively).

As the following ancestry tree shows, Etienne and Marie had 10 children in 22 years from 1711 to 1733. This included 6 girls and four boys to carry on the Roy family name. Their third son, Pierre Roy (1725-1764), continues our family heritage.

Etienne Roy and Marie LaCasse Family

Ancestry records show that Etienne Roy died on December 3, 1749, in St. Vallier, Quebec, when he was 59 years old and was buried there. At that time, Etienne and Marie had been married 40 years. Marie LaCasse died on January 5, 1764, in St. Vallier, Quebec, when she was 71 years old. For reference purposes, the vital records for Etienne and Marie are available online and include guidance on how to read French documents.