52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: #21 James Hardy Johnston

This is my twenty-first  posting for the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks challenge.

This week's focus is my great-great-great grandfather, James Hardy Johnston. He was born in Annan, Scotland 22 November 1788. He married Margaret Byers 31 May 1815 in the Parish Church of Annan. They both are buried in St. Andrew's Scotch Kirk Cemetery, Quaker Hill, Uxbridge Township, Ontario.

In the birth record for son William in the Parish of Annan, his name is given as James Hardie Johnson. I searched in the census of 1801 for Annan, Dumfries Scotland and found a James as part of a family with John (contractor) as father and Margaret Dickson as mother. Was James daughter Margaret named for her? Other children in John and Margaret's family were (1801 census) James, Isabella, Jenet and Thomas (man.3). They were living on Murray? p. 13 #152. In 1811 there is a John listed with spouse, James, Isabell and Jenet. It is listed on page 50 #275 Windmill.   I was unable to locate James as a married man with family in the 1821 census for Annan, Scotland. The census records I viewed were transcripts. [GSU #990067]

The following information is from a work by Helen Johnston on the Johnston family.

James and Margaret came to Canada in 1833. They lived for a year and a half in Richmond Hill, Ontario before buying land in Uxbridge Township at Lot 35, Concession 5. They moved there in September 1834 but it was not until 2 March 1835 that the deal was registered in the land registry office in Whitby.

In 1839, an acre at the east centre frontage was sold for the purchase of building a church. The church was built in 1840 and was known as St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church, Quaker Hill. On 4 March 1854, James sold the north half of the property to his son John. On 15 February 1864 the rest of the property was sold to John Stewart for $3,000.

The following information is from two letters found on file at the Markham Museum (April 2002). Both letters were written in 1981 by Mrs. R. E. (Helen) Johnston of R. R. #1 Queensville.

In the letter to John Lunau she outlined some family history.

James Hardy Johnston (1788-1872) married Margaret Byers (1793-1866) in 1815. The family immigrated to Canada from Annan, Dumfries, Scotland in 1833. They went first to Richmond Hill and stayed there for 1½  years and then in 1834 they went to their farm of 200 acres at Lot 35, Concession 5, Uxbridge Township. This farm remained in the family until 1916.

In a letter to the editor that appeared in the Economist Sun, she said that she was searching for family of David Johnston. She said that David Johnston was a sawmiller. David was actually a shoemaker. Unfortunately, by the time these items were added to the files at the Markham Museum, Helen Johnston had died.

I did find a copy of her handwritten family history at the Uxbridge-Scott Museum and Archives. She had quite a bit of information about James and his descendants but my line coming from David had very little information. It is such a shame that we never connected.
© 2014 Janet Iles

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: # 20 George Belcher

This is my twentieth posting for the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks challenge.

Little is known about George Belcher's life. He is my 4th great-grandfather. The only census that he appears in is the 1841 census for Withington, Gloucestershire, England. The 1841 census required that ages 15 and over to be rounded down to the closest 5 years. George is listed as 65. This would put his age to be about 65 to 69. He would have been born about 1772 to 1776. 

On 3 November 1801, a George Belcher and Jane Turner exchanged vows in the Withington Parish Church before Rev. Benjamin Grisdale. John Preston and Richard Poole acted as the witnesses. Both George and Jane signed with their mark. It is unfortunate that these early records do not name the parents of a couple. 

Four children of George and Jane Belcher were baptized in the Withington Parish Church: William (1802), Thomas (1805), Elizabeth (1807) and Hannah (1812). I descend from their son Thomas.

On Free BMDs I found two George Belchers with deaths in the 1840s registered in the Northleach district where Withington is located.  The index does not indicate the age at death.  One was registered in the March quarter of 1842 and another in the March quarter of 1849. When I looked at the Withington Parish burial registers many years ago, I noted a George Belcher, aged 68, with a burial date of 8 January 1842. I did not note the 1849 date so that may indicate that one was in a different parish. 

Withington Parish, microfilm 0856943, Family History Library, Salt Lake City



© 2014 Janet Iles

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks #19 James Iles

This is my nineteenth posting for the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks challenge.
Last week, I highlighted his wife, Louisa.

When I  research my ancestors, I hope that there will be some identifying feature about them that will help me to distinguish between two or more individuals of the same name. If a record includes an occupation of labourer or agricultural labourer, I am disappointed. Why not some more specific information? With my great-great grandfather James Iles, I am happy when records list his occupation as a shepherd.

First, two things led me to finding out about James Iles, who his parents were and where he lived. It certainly wasn't the death registration for his son, George. Their names were in an email received just before Christmas 2000 and the information from the registration from the second marriage of George Iles.

1.  I subscribe to the Rootsweb web mailing list for Gloucestershire, England. From time to time, I have responded to queries mainly focusing on methodology. In 2000, one of the reader's saw my name and sent me an e-mail wondering if we had any family connections. John listed his direct line. I couldn't see a connection, so I wrote him back (off-list) with mine.

On December 20, 2000, John wrote back.

Thank you for your Email. Do you believe in Father Christmas? Well you should, for your GGGF James was the brother of my GGGF Edwin.
They were the sons of Richard Iles and Patience nee Blandford and were baptised at Elkstone in the parish of Brimpsfield as EYLES. James was baptised 4.9.1823 and Edwin 25.12.1825 - with Isaac in between on 12.12.1824!
So far I have traced no less than 16 children of the marriage - poor Patience, she was certainly well named!

2. When George Iles married for the second time, he gave his parents as James Iles and Louisa Belcher.

James Iles
James Iles [Eyles] was the son of Richard Iles and Patience Blandford. His parents took him to the Brimpsfield Parish Church to be baptized 14 September 1823. He was the eldest child of fourteen known children of the couple. His mother had three other children before her marriage to Richard. 

In the 1841 census he was not with the family. There is a James Iles in Birdlip (part of Brimpsfield parish) listed in the household of William Newman. In 1851, although married 10 July 1845 to Louisa Belcher, he is not enumerated with her and the children. On the night before census taking, James was  in the household of John Lees, working as an agricultural labourer. John Lees must have been a more prominent farmer in Sevenhampton as it mentions that the farm was 560 Acres and he employed 10 labourers. The enumerator for this area seemed to give more details about a person's employment than is usually found in census records. 

In 1861, James and Louisa and eight children were living in Condicote. James was working as a shepherd. In 1871, James and Louisa lived in Guiting Power with four of their children.  James was employed as a shepherd. Ten years later, James and Louisa have two children  and one grandchild at home on the night before the census. Now James was listed as an agricultural labourer. In 1891, James and Louisa were living alone. His occupation was shepherd. By 1900, James had retired and he and Louisa were receiving poor relief but his former occupation of shepherd was acknowledged. They were living on a farm in Cutsdean, Worcestershire.  "Cutsdean is a small village in the Cotswolds, located close to the Gloucestershire town of Cheltenham.."

James died  19 June 1907. Louisa had predeceased him. On James' death registration, it shows that he died at the Union Workhouse in Cheltenham. His address was indicated as "of 6 Pittville Terrace". It gives his occupation as shepherd. 

Updated 18 July 2018.
© 2014 Janet Iles

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: #18 Thomas Belcher

This is my eighteenth posting for the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks challenge.
Last week, I highlighted his daughter, Louisa.

Thomas Belcher was baptized 12 May 1805 in Withington, Gloucestershire, England. His parents were George and Jane Belcher.

 © Copyright Philip Halling and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence 
  Thomas married Jane Belcher 8 June 1826 in the North Cerney Parish Church.

Thomas and Jane had four daughters: Susan, Sarah, Louisa and Phoebe.
By the 1841 census, it would appear that Thomas  (35) was possibly a widower. With him are only his daughters. The youngest, Phoebe, is only seven years old. Next door are George (65) and Jane (60) Belcher. The 1841 English census rounds the ages of those over 15.

Thomas appears in each of the census records from 1841 to 1881 in Withington, Gloucestershire. In 1881, he is listed with daughter Sarah Belcher and grandson Albert Iles. In the 1861 census, he is living alone. In 1871, he is in the household of Ellen Laight, widow, and her children. Ten years later, he is listed with Eleanor Laight as a boarder. Ellen and Eleanor are likely the same person. In all census records except 1881, Thomas is listed as an agricultural labourer. In 1881, he is listed as labourer, roadman.

Thomas died in 1884.

© 2014 Janet Iles