Category: Compton

2018 Genealogy Research Recap

12/14/2018

(Graphic designed by Freepik)

Christmas is almost here (yet again), and as usual I reflect on what progress I have made in my genealogy research over the past year. This is not always an easy task; I really should keep a better research log! But I do have a ton of emails to fall back on as well as my digital genealogy trees and my DNA research accounts and notes to review.

At the start of 2018 I resurrected my enthusiasm for blogging, and decided to at least start on another 52 week challenge to write one family history story each week. It involved gathering information I already knew about individuals or groups of deceased relatives (in both Terry's and my trees), doing further research to fill in some of the gaps, and writing it in a way that is hopefully more interesting for living relative who are not genealogists. I did pour a lot of effort into this for the first 4 months, producing 17 blog articles (to the exclusion of almost everything else). See these 2018 posts which involve the surnames BOORMAN, HENSON, RICHARDSON, ANDREW, COMPTON, SEELEY, and JOHNSTON.

The topics covered in this year's blog postings:

The discovery of the local grave of Terry's Aunt and Uncle Audrey and Don KING, and many other BOORMAN relatives in the Royal Oak Cemetery (2 postings).
Terry's grandfather Harry E BOORMAN served in Vancouver BC during WWII as head of the 68th Battery, Canadian Field Artillery, which focused on recruitment and training.
Used the England Tithe Survey records to explore BOORMAN land usage in Kent in the 1800s.
Amelia Alice BOORMAN Terry's maiden great-aunt, was an early school teacher in the Victoria BC public school system specializing in needlework for girls.
Used Vancouver BC Fire Insurance plot maps to learn more about the locations of Terry's JOHNSTON and KERFOOT families (the Irish side), but mysteries remain.
Explored the life and descendants of Terry's relative Louisa (BOORMAN) Seeley because descendants are DNA matches.
Reviewed the 1790 will of William BOORMAN.
Life of Ernest Frederick COMPTON who immigrated to New Zealand and Australia.
Reviewed the life of Eliza Pring COMPTON, my great-great-grandmother.
My ANDREW Aunt Eleanor JONES hand-crafted a stain glass sun catcher for my mother
Celebrating my ANDREW mother's 100th Valentines birthday with cards and photos (2 postings).
Explored one branch of my early maternal RICHARDSON roots in Sussex England.
I finally found my father Claude HENSON in the 1921 Canada census. Reviewed his life, including photos of family and his WWII kit bag and hat.
"Strawberry" HENSON had a unique nickname and a huge family in Arkansas.
My memories and photos of our ANDREW family reunion in 1959.

But it seems it's either feast or famine with my blogging, as the year is now ending with only one additional posting that summarizes my 32 third-great-grandparents. Starting in May I needed to devote more time to my volunteer work with our local Victoria Genealogical Society where I am now a Director, which encompasses my continuing duties as their Webmaster and co-organizer for their DNA Special Interest Group. There were other VGS projects that needed attention, some still ongoing. So even my own research took a back burner for a while, except when I got welcome emails for others that drew me back into my research for brief periods. Thanks to those who contact me or add comments to my blog posts. Always welcome.

My website is gradually growing, with a new Grigg and Cornish page added this week. And I added more photos to my Andrew page. But the main growth is in the blog (in spite of not doing the full 52 postings this year). My "tree" reports have not been updated this year (based on the information I am editing all year in my family tree software), so that is something to focus on early in the new year.

On the DNA research front, I am trying to encourage close relatives to test, as it makes it much easier to identify what the connections are with other matches, and it broadens the number of new relatives you can find. So I was very happy when my maternal first cousin Mary recently decided to test at AncestryDNA (where I tested a year ago). Her results are now in, and she is one of my top two matches at that company. So now I am on a mission to review and contact all our shared matches, most of whom are 4th to distant cousins. I am currently corresponding with some newly found ANDREW and COMPTON cousins, and this gives me great pleasure:) My list of contacts is happily growing. Last year my maternal cousin Lorelei (also a cousin of Mary) tested Family Tree DNA (where I originally tested late in 2015), so this provides a 3rd set of results from the same grandparents on my mother's side. I also have a first cousin Sherrill on my father's side who has tested. Thank you all! Terry' sister has also tested, as well as our older son. It's fascinating to compare both the variances and similarities between related matches, and through their results get access to even more new cousins.

Family history is my passion and I consider it my personal treasure hunt. That's because each of our families is important and very special, and learning their stories truly does help you better understand your roots. So here's wishing all of you and your special families a wonderful Christmas, and happy and healthy times in 2019.

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Claudia's 32 Third Great Grandparents

8/28/2018

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A challenge has been made to identify all 32 of our third-great-grandparents (3GGPs).  Pass it on!

That’s a lot of names to find!  As we push our pedigree chart of direct ancestors back to earlier times, the number of our grandparents doubles with each generation: 2 parents, 4 grandparents, 8 great-grandparents, then 16 great-greats (2GGPs), and 32 great-great-great-grandparents (3GGPs), etc. 16 are on our father’s side (ancestral numbers 32 to 47), and 16 on our mother’s side (ancestral numbers 48 to 63).

After many years of family research I now know at least a bit about most of them, although there are still gaps and uncertainties. And one of my maternal couples is duplicated due to intermarriage (making them my ancestors in 2 different positions in my pedigree). My 32 ancestors in this generation were  born in the late 1700s or early 1800s, when record coverage is more limited. It’s one of the reasons why most of us have gaps in our trees in these earlier generations, or at least some uncertainties due to a limited amount of substantiating records.

Summarized below are my 3GGP ancestor names that I already know, divided into 4 groups associated with each of my 4 grandparents. This list will come in handy for my DNA research when trying to identify possible common ancestors for my DNA matches who are estimated to be my 4th cousins.

CLAUDIA'S 32 GREAT-GREAT-GREAT-GRANDPARENTS (3GGPs)

HENSON LINE 3GGPs
(Paternal Grandfather)

32 - William H "Billy" HENSON
1803 Wilkes NC - 1887 Washington AR
33 - Lavina OSBURN
1805 Knox KY - 1895 Washington AR
34 - Reuben FRALEY
1783 Russell VA - >1870
35 - Mary Polly FLANNERY (FLANARY)
1792 VA - <1840
36 - William ORRICK
1783 NC - c1859 Pike AR
37 - Celia Ola STRICKLAND
1787 NC - 1862 Pike AR
38 - Benjamin DYER
1798 Wilkes NC - 1835 Crawford AR
39 - Martha Patsy POGUE
1806 NC - 1882 Crawford AR

HUNT LINE 3GGPs
(Paternal Grandmother)

40 - John Thomas? HUNT
1798 NC - 1884 Crittenden KY
41 - Elizabeth ALLEN
1795 VA - 1865 Lawrence MO
42 - Joseph POLAND
1817 TN - 1879 Caroll AR
43 - America CALENDER
? ? - 1855 KY
44 - William CROW
c1790 VA or OH - 1853 Warren IL
45 - Catherine SNOOK
1791 USA - 1889 Knox IL
46 - ? PATTERSON <unknown>
? NC - ? ?
47 - Margaret ? <unknown>
1788 SC - ? ?

ANDREW LINE 3GGPs
(Maternal Grandfather)

48 - William ANDREW
c1782 Cornwall/Devon England - 1833 Cornwall
49 - Honour GRIGG
1784 Cornwall - 1861 Cornwall
50 - William HOPGOOD
<unknown, probably bef 1800 Cornwall>
51 - <unknown>

52 - Thomas Compton COMPTON
c1789 Hampshire England - 1850 PEI Canada
53 - Hannah JEFFERY
1790 IofW England - 1871 PEI Canada
54 - James COATES
1790 Suffolk England - 1862 Suffolk England
55 - Sarah ROBINSON
1795 Suffolk England - 1862 Essex England

RICHARDSON LINE 3GGPs
(Maternal Grandmother)

56 - Henry Proctor RICHARDSON
c1789 Sussex England - 1850 Sussex England
57 - Ann PACKHAM
1799 Kent England - 1838 Sussex England
58 - James HARRIS
1799 Gloucester England - 1877 Gloucester
59 - Lucy RANDALL
1797 Oxfordshire England - 1875 Gloucester
60 - William Spencer COMPTON
c1799 ? - 1847 PEI Canada
61 - Harriet Clarissa HASZARD
1798 PEI Canada - 1841 PEI Canada
62 - Thomas Compton COMPTON <same as 52>

63 - Hannah JEFFERY <same as 53>

As you can see, my father's ancestors lived in the USA and moved often, following the frontier where records weren't always kept. My mother's ancestors came from south England and PEI Canada - a small island where I have multiple connections to the COMPTON family. I have a brick wall in my maternal HOPGOOD line and in my paternal PATTERSON line. And there is some uncertainty in some of the other lines as well. More research is always needed!

I have already written stories about some of these ancestors (only 4 so far in this generation), and I have included links above where appropriate. It seems I also have lots more stories still to write!

The next generation back contains 64 direct ancestors (4GGPs). Oh no, that IS intimidating! I have many more gaps in that generation.

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Ernest Frederick COMPTON (1828-1890) - #12 (52 ancestors)

4/2/2018

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Theme: Misfortune

Calliope Dock, Stanley Bay, Devonport, Auckland, New Zealand
Reference Number: PAColl-5932-03.
The barque `Gladys' at Calliope Dock, Stanley Bay, Devonport, Auckland, circa 1903.
Photograph taken by Henry Winkelmann.
http://mp.natlib.govt.nz/detail/?id=12484

Ernest Frederick COMPTON was involved in the shipping industry in Auckland NZ,
and was the Chairman of the Harbour Board in 1881 and 1882.
He died there in 1890, 13 years before this photo was taken.

Some families get more than their fair share of misfortune. Such was the case for Ernest Frederick COMPTON, my maternal Great-Great-Great Uncle, oldest brother of my Great-Great-Grandfather George COMPTON (who married Eliza Pring COMPTON). He had been listed for some time in my family tree, based on the scanty information found in his baptismal index, and in a published family history book “The Hazard Family of Rhode Island, 1635-1894: Being a Genealogy and History of the Descendants of Thomas Hazard ... “, written in 1896 by Caroline Elizabeth Robinson.

From these sources we learned that Ernest was born 8 Mar 1828 in Lot 17, Prince County, Prince Edward Island, Canada, the son of William Spencer COMPTON and Harriet Clara HAZARD. He was baptized in the local Anglican Church in Richmond on 13 Apr 1828. As extracted from the above book:

He moved to Melbourne, Victoria, Australia and embarked in business.
About 1872 he settled in Auckland, New Zealand, where he erected the substantial buildings in which he carried on business until his death.
He was managing director of the Auckland Tug Company, and was for several years a member of the Harbor Board, and Chairman in 1881 and 1882.
He died leaving a widow, 2 sons and a daughter.

I knew nothing else about about his wife and family, or his life. My first impression was that he had a good life with success in business and a small but loving family. But it pays to dig further. I have only recently learned more of his story from a woman in Australia who has been researching these Compton’s for her husband’s relative, and has kindly shared some of her information and recent discoveries. Thank you Janice!

From his obituary (in part, below), published 24 Jun 1890 in the New Zealand Herald, we now know more about Ernest’s life and timeline:

“ Death of Mr. F.E. Compton …
Mr Compton was well known in the city, particularly in shipping circles, and bore the reputation of being a shrewd business man and of strict integrity. He was born in Prince Edward Island in 1828, and migrating from his birthplace at manhood, sojourned for some time in San Francisco. After a somewhat long stay there, he came down to Victoria and embarked in business as a drysalting merchant in Melbourne, meeting with considerable success. Eighteen years ago he decided to come to New Zealand, and took up his quarters in Auckland, carrying on his provision business in Lower Queen street. When the Harbour Board reclamations were finished, Mr Compton leased a section and, in conjunction with Mr John Batger, erected the substantial premises where he carried on business till his death. About four years ago he disposed of his provision business to Mr R S Reynolds, and devoted his energies to the furtherance of the interest of the Auckland Tug Company. This concern, whose inauguration was due to his energy, was conducted by him as managing director with spirit and success up to the present time. Mr Compton took great interest in all local maritime concerns, and was for several years a member of the Harbour Board, and in 1881 and 1882 presided over its affairs as chairman, during which time he proved himself to be one of the most energetic and persistent advocates for the construction of the Calliope Dock. He leaves a widow, two sons and a daughter to mourn his decease. His eldest son, who has reached maturity, is in business in San Francisco, but Mrs Compton and the younger children reside in Auckland. His funeral is arranged to leave the Waverly Hotel tomorrow (Wednesday) afternoon at three o’clock for the Symonds street Cemetery.”

Another version of his obit offers a few additional facts in these extracts:
In his early life Mr Compton was at sea on Nova Scotian vessels for some time, and there gained that practical maritime experience which proved so useful to him in after life.
Mr Compton leaves a widow, two sons, and a daughter. About a year ago, his second son died. His eldest son is now in business in San Francisco.

These biographies definitely focus on his achievements and career, with his family only mentioned as an apparent afterthought only by number, not by name. And to add insult to injury, his funeral notice listed all the dignitaries and even what carriage they drove in to the funeral (all were male, including “Master Compton”), but his wife and daughter weren’t even mentioned. But surely they attended the funeral? They must not have been newsworthy enough in this Victoria era!

Ernest Frederick’s death at the age of 62 was caused by a sudden heart attack during dinner. The misfortune here was that he died too young. And although he had a known heart condition, he seemed to be on the mend at the time of his collapse. But as it turns out, there was a lot of family-related tragedy in his life that wasn’t mentioned in his obituary.

We don’t yet know exactly when Ernest emigrated to San Francisco USA and then to Australia. By 1863 he was in Australia, still single and listed as departing Melbourne Australia for Sydney Australia. Sometime in 1864 he married Emma Louisa ABBOTT (although one index I found lists her first name as Donna). They were married in Tumut, New South Wales. Ernest would have been age 36.

From Australia and New Zealand birth and death indexes, the following sad story emerges:

1866 - Their first son Ernest Spencer COMPTON was born in 1866 in Balmain Dist and died that same year in the Albury Dist of New South Wales, Australia.
1867 - Their second son William Spencer COMPTON was born in 1867 in Albury Dist NSW, and survived his father. He was the “oldest son” listed in his father’s obituary, then living in San Francisco. He may also have been the one who worked aboard ship as a cook, travelling regularly between San Francisco and the southern colonies.

Subsequent children were all born in New Zealand (so Ernest’s obituary was not accurate about his arrival in New Zealand - said to be about 1872, rather than 1869 or earlier):

1869 - Their third son George Frederick COMPTON was born in 1869. He died 7 months later in 1870.
1871 - Their fourth son Thomas COMPTON was born in 1871. According to his death notice in the Auckland Starr, published 13 March 1889, he died of typhoid at the age of 19 (probably 18). This was the year before his father’s death.
1872 - Their fifth child and first daughter was Emma Louisa, born 1872 and died age 10 months (although the index says 10 years).
1874? - I haven’t yet proven that they had another daughter, also named Emma Louisa, reportedly born 1874 and died 10 months later (no supporting index entries).
1876 - Their next child born in 1876 was Ernest Frederick Jr. who we think outlived his father.
1878 - Daughter Maud (middle name Slevna, Plevna, or Plona?) was born in 1878. She was only 12 when her father died.
1879 - Their youngest child was Elizabeth Florence, born 1879 and died the same year when only 4 months old.

Out of 8 or 9 children, only 3 were living in 1890 according to Ernest’s obituary (those would be William Spencer, Ernest Jr and Maud). One died in his late teens the year before his father (that would be Thomas). The remaining 4 or 5 all died as infants. Considering that the infant mortality rate for New Zealand in this time frame is considered to be 8% to 12%, this family’s 50% loss (or more) was way off the charts. The word “misfortune” doesn’t even touch the amount of anguish and hardship this family faced. Their money, business success and high social standing paled in comparison at such times.

This family's onslaught of grief certainly makes me count my own blessings. Is it any wonder that his widow Emma took her 2 underaged children back to Australia soon after Ernest died to try and put the past behind them?

The search for more connections and stories about Ernest and Emma and their descendants continue, in collaboration with Australian researchers.

REFERENCES and FURTHER READING

Book, “The Hazard Family of Rhode Island, 1635-1894”, Caroline Elizabeth Robinson, 1896 for the author - https://archive.org/details/hazardfamilyofrh00byurobi

NSW Australia BMD Index (historic) - http://www.bdm.nsw.gov.au/Pages/family-history/family-history.aspx

New Zealand BMD Index - www.bdmhistoricalrecords.dia.govt.nz

New Zealand Infant Mortality Rates - https://teara.govt.nz/en/interactive/30308/new-zealand-infant-mortality-rate-1862-2015

Regional Infant Mortality Trends in New Zealand, 1873-1940 (including comparisons to Australia) - https://www.nzae.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Sadetskaya.pdf

More information on my COMPTON line can be found on my COMPTON page.

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Eliza Pring COMPTON (1833-1890) - #10 (52 ancestors)

3/12/2018

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Theme: Strong Woman

In belated recognition of International Women’s Day on March 8, I wish to focus this week on another of the amazing women in my direct female line: Eliza Pring COMPTON, my Great Great Grandmother. I have written previously about my more recent maternal ancestors:

My Mother - Mabel Marion ANDREW
My Grandmother - Eleanor Louise “Nell” RICHARDSON
My Great Grandmother - Isabella Harriet “Ella” COMPTON

Ella’s mother Eliza was also a COMPTON by birth. In fact, I think that my multiple COMPTON ancestors went out of their way to contribute to my pedigree collapse! Ella was the eldest of 9 children born to George COMPTON (1835-1903) and Eliza Pring COMPTON (1833-1890), who were also second cousins to each other, as outlined in the following chart.

This simplified chart lists my mother at the top and shows the multiple Compton interconnections in her lineage.

My Great-Great-Grandmother Eliza Pring COMPTON was born 13 Jul 1833 in St Eleanors, Prince Edward Island, a first generation Canadian. Her parents Thomas Compton COMPTON and Hannah JEFFERY were well-to-do farmers who were born in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, England. They were married in 1810 in St John’s Anglican Church in St Eleanors, but later converted to Catholicism. Some of their younger children were baptized Catholic, including Eliza Pring COMPTON, the eleventh of twelve siblings. This dichotomy of religions within the household must have caused some discord in both the family and the community. But after her father died in 1850, Eliza converted to the Church of England, reversing the the religious affiliation started by her father Thomas and grandfather Harry Childeroy COMPTON (see also a second posting on Harry Compton's good deeds). This must have taken great strength of character and conviction! Eliza was later married and eventually buried in the churchyard of St Johns Anglican Church where her parents had been married. Full circle.

Eliza’s middle name PRING is quite distinctive. Some list it incorrectly as Pringle, but there is a maternal PRING relative who Eliza was most likely named after. Eliza’s mother Hannah JEFFERY had an older sister named Eliza JEFFERY whose second husband was Samuel PRING. As this sister didn’t have any children, Hannah decided to use her sister’s married name when she named her daughter Eliza PRING COMPTON. There are other examples of this practice in my Compton lines.

The population in PEI was growing in the 1850s, but still the settlements were small and family sizes large, creating a shortage of suitable mates. So as mentioned, Eliza married her second cousin George COMPTON (born 1835 in Charlottetown PEI) on the 11 Mar 1858 in St Johns Anglican Church, St Eleanors. They settled in the area and took to farming some of the Compton land. I’m not sure if this George was the one who won prizes for his sheep and turkeys at the Fall Exhibition in 1890, but I had previously attributed these prizes to another relative George Major COMPTON who married a different Eliza and also lived in this area. It could have been either one.

5 daughters of George and Eliza Pring COMPTON.
From L to R: Nell (standing), Kate (sitting), Anna (standing), Ella (sitting) and Louise (bottom right)

George and Eliza Pring COMPTON had 9 children - 5 girls and 4 boys - who all lived to adulthood. Three of these children ended up marrying cousins, and two never married. We are very fortunate to have a formal portrait of all five of their daughters, taken sometime before Jun 1903 when the youngest daughter Nell COMPTON died, single at age 26. I don’t know her cause of death. My grandmother Nell RICHARDSON was born in 1894 and named after this aunt. I can certainly see the family resemblances.

Eliza Pring had already died back in 1890 at the age of 57, after only her oldest daughter Ella had married, and only two of her 25 grandchildren had been born. Eliza's husband George married again in 1895, but died in Feb 1903 (just months before their youngest daughter Nell). Unfortunately, I have no photos of either of them. I believe they lived their entire lives on Prince Edward Island, but have found very few records of their daily lives except for the births, baptisms and marriages of their children to mark and add colour to the passing of their years.

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Harriet Washbourne COMPTON (1849-1923) - #51 (52 Ancestors)

12/22/2015

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Theme: Nice | Images: Click on many to enlarge

Harriet Washbourne ANDREW (nee COMPTON), PEI Canada

My mother Mabel Marion ANDREW was only five when her paternal grandmother Harriet Washbourne ANDREW nee COMPTON died in 1923 at the age of 74. It would have been nice if my Mom had been granted even a few more years to enjoy her Granny Andrew. My grandfather Harry Charles ANDREW was the youngest of Harriet’s nine children, born when Harriet was forty, so she was almost 69 when my mother was born. It’s also sad that Harriet died before she could meet four of her twenty-nine grandchildren, and that she outlived her youngest daughter Sadie who died in 1906 at the age of twenty.

Harriet Washbourne COMPTON was the oldest of eleven children born to Albert “Harry” COMPTON and Mary Robinson COATES on 8 May 1849 in St Eleanors, Prince Edward Island (PEI), Canada. She was four months old when she was baptized on 9 Jul 1949 in St Johns Anglican Church, St Eleanors. Her grandfather Thomas Compton COMPTON emigrated as a teen in 1803 from Hampshire England to PEI with his father Harry Childeroy COMPTON. Harriet's middle name WASHBOURNE (multiple spellings found) has been traced to her maternal grandmother Sarah ROBINSON whose older sister Harriet ROBINSON (born 1790) married a Henry WASHBOURN in Norfolk England, but didn’t have any children. So Mary decided to carry on this name through her own daughter - a bit of a twist on a family tradition, I think.

Harriet grew up to be a tiny woman with a round face and apple cheeks, quite the contrast to her tall, long-faced husband William ANDREW, a first generation Islander whom she married on 27 Oct 1870 in St Johns Anglican Church, St Eleanors. She was 21. Harriet's daughter Delores (Dot) looked the most like her. I have no first hand accounts of Harriet’s personality but I must assume that she was a loving and “nice” person, judging by her descendants! Fortunately some photos of her have survived, and in general I sense a quiet, kind nature. The exception is earliest photo where she looks rather severe and tense, perhaps because she is trying to keep still for the photo and follow tradition by not smiling. Could this formal portrait have been taken as early as her marriage in 1870? The other photos were taken when she was much older, some not long before her death.

Grave of William and Harriet ANDREW and their daughter Sadie,
St Johns Anglican Cemetery, St Eleanors, PEI

William and Harriet operated their family farm of about 200 acres in St Eleanors PEI on land once owned by her great-grandfather Harry Childeroy COMPTON (see my posting on William ANDREW for more details of their homestead). There was always work to do: tending the garden, crops and animals, as well as raising, feeding and clothing their nine children: Alice, Albert, Delores, Horace, Isa, Fanny, Mabel, Sadie and Harry. Everyone had to pitch in to help with the chores as they grew old enough. Their children were born there between 1871 and 1889; many went by their middle names. One photo shows Harriet sitting on a couch, busily mending a blanket. No idle hands allowed! They were thrifty, took care of what they owned, and made items last as long as possible.

Harriet's youngest living daughter Mabel Hetty ANDREW graduated as a nurse in Charlottetown in 1918, and likely worked for a short time afterwards in that city. But her father William ANDREW’s health was failing and she may have returned to St Eleanors to care for him before his death on 19 Jul 1920. Certainly by 1921 Mabel was living with her widowed mother Harriet in St Eleanors next to her brother Harry and family (I think that Harriet and Mabel had their own apartment sectioned off in what had become Harry ANDREW’s home). Harriet only lived another two years, dying in 1923. Five of her ten younger siblings had died before her.

Harriet and William ANDREW are buried together in the St Johns Anglican Cemetery. A memorial plaque in their honour was later mounted inside the church by their growing family, unveiled by the youngest of their twenty-nine grand children in 1938. At last count, they had sixty-eight great children (although there may be some I don't yet know about), and many younger descendants. Although Harriet and her husband lived their whole lives on Prince Edward Island, I don't believe that any of her descendants still live there.

I have posted additional information on my ANDREW and COMPTON families elsewhere on this website.

"52 Ancestors" is a reference to the "52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks" challenge I am participating in.
Reference the No Story Too Small blog by genealogist Amy Johnson Crow for more details.
It is giving me the much needed incentive to write and publish my family stories.

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Isabella Harriet “Ella” COMPTON - #48 (52 Ancestors)

12/2/2015

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Theme: Thankful | Images: Click on many to enlarge

Isabella Harriet "Ella" RICHARDSON nee COMPTON
of St Eleanors, Prince Edward Island, Canada

I have always been thankful for the maternal influences in my life. For most of my formative preschool years my mother, sister and I lived with my maternal grandparents, and I had much more contact with my nurturing maternal line relatives throughout my life. And it was my maternal grandmother who encouraged my interest in family history.

Tracing a direct maternal lineage (mother’s mother’s mother …) has it’s own set of challenges, yet I’ve found it very rewarding and interesting. I have always been intrigued by the fact that the surnames for women change every generation. Of course this is because, in English and western cultures at least, females usually take on their father’s surnames at birth and then their husband’s name at marriage (with exceptions in cases of intermarriage or illegitimacies). So surnames aren’t designed to identify female lineages even though women are the ones to give life to their children and ensure the continuation of our species - a fairly significant contribution, I would say! This has never seemed right to me. Others have obviously felt the same way because sometimes the mother’s maiden surname (or that of another female relative) is sometimes inserted as a child's middle name. I have numerous examples of this in my family tree.

I have traced my direct maternal line back as far as my 4th-great-grandmother on the Isle of Wight in England. The surnames in this pedigree, starting with my mother, are ANDREW, RICHARDSON, COMPTON, COMPTON, JEFFERY, and RYDER. Yes, there are two COMPTON's is a row; the earlier one married a second cousin with the same surname. As part of a tribute to my direct maternal line, I have already written stories about my mother Mabel Marion ANDREW and her mother Eleanor Louise “Nell” RICHARDSON. It is now time to write about my great-grandmother Isabella Harriet COMPTON. Known as Ella, she was the oldest of nine children born to George COMPTON and his wife Eliza Pring COMPTON (also his second cousin). (Eliza’s middle name of Pring came from a relative on her mother’s side, although her mother’s maiden name was actually JEFFERY.)

FIVE COMPTON SISTERS, taken before 1903 in PEI Canada, from L to R:
STANDING IN BACK: Eleanor L COMPTON (1877- 1903), Anna Mary HASZARD nee COMPTON (1865-1946)
SITTING: Viola Catherine "Kate" COMPTON nee COMPTON (1863-1935), Isabella Harriet "Ella" RICHARDSON nee COMPTON (1859-1951)
KNEELING, BOTTOM RIGHT: Sarah "Louise" Cundall MACLENNAN MORRISON (nee COMPTON)

Ella was born 13 Jan 1859 in St Eleanors, Prince Edward Island, Canada, likely on the family farm of 103 acres. She was baptised the following April in Richmond Parish PEI. My Aunt Harriet (whose middle name was Compton) once told me a bit about her grandmother Ella: "Grandma Richardson was born in St. Eleanors she was the eldest of 10 children [I count only nine] and worked very hard helping to bring up her siblings. Her mother was very Delicate !!!!! or so we’ve been told. Grandma was a great horse woman, and so was my mother [Nell], she used to ride side-saddle in Horse Shows when she was young in the town of Summerside, 2 miles to the south.”

In 1881 the family is listed as living at Beech Point Prince County PEI, the name given to part of Lot 17 including St Eleanors. Ella’s age was mis-indexed as 27 rather than 21. Her eight siblings ranged in age from 19 to 1. So I don't doubt that Ella played a role in caring for her younger siblings.

We know that Ella became a nurse, although I have not yet found any record of her formal training. Anna, one of her sisters who was almost seven years younger, was an early graduate of the Nursing School of Prince Edward Island Hospital in Charlottetown, beginning her training in the original hospital and completing it in the new hospital on Kensington Road in 1898. Presumably Ella received similar training. Ella continued nursing, probably part time as needed, even after she married and had children. I have heard stories of Ella assisting in some very grizzly procedures including an amputation, which is why she didn’t want her daughters to go into nursing.

Ella COMPTON met Sydney RICHARDSON in about 1883 after he had been recruited from Ontario to start up the first cheese factory in Prince County PEI. Ella was almost 27 when she married Sydney on 9 Dec 1885 at St Johns Anglican Church in St Eleanors. He was three and a half years younger than her. At first they rented a cottage owned by the Darby family, across the road from the Darby farm. Their first child Melbourne RICHARDSON was born there the following year. According to Melbourne, "My father had a small cheese factory, supplied with milk from the farmers surround[ing] it … After a couple of years or so, father bought a small farm 25 acres, a good house about 7 rooms, 2 stories. A good barn suitable for 3 cows, 3 horses and mows for hay for long winters.” They had four more children: Frances Lulu in 1888, George Lewis in 1891, my grandmother Eleanor Louise "Nell" RICHARDSON in 1894, and Frederick C early in 1897 who died as an infant.

Ella participated in farming and gardening activities in addition to raising her children and nursing. In 1907 she won second prize for her Bradshaw plums at the Prince County Fall Exhibition. Family stories mention everyone pitching in with farm chores. Sydney also helped out with the cooking but relied on his family to help out on the farm when he worked at his nearby cheese factory. There was lots of work to keep everyone busy, but they also took time out to socialize and get involved in church and community activities.

Ella and Sydney RICHARDSON with their great-granddaughter
Arlene BERNARD, taken 1939 in their garden, St Eleanors, PEI

In 1915 this news item was published in the Charlottetown Guardian (Oct 28, 1915, page 8, column 4):
“Western Personals … Mrs. Sydney Richardson, St. Eleanor's, and Mrs. William Andrew, North St. Eleanor's, spent a few pleasant days with friends and relatives at Port Hill.-V”
Mrs. William ANDREW was Ella’s first cousin whose maiden name was Harriet Washbourne COMPTON and whose son Harry ANDREW was destined to marry Ella's daughter Nell RICHARDSON. Port Hill was another community on the north coast of Prince County PEI to the north west of St Eleanors.

Later in 1928, I found another short notice published in the Charlottetown Guardian (Monday 5 Nov 1928, page 8, column 4):
“Personals. Mrs. Sydney Richardson of St. Eleanors, has returned home this week from Seattle, Wash., where she had spent an enjoyable three months visit with her two sons who reside there.”
The two sons were Mel and George, both working in mattress manufacturing. I have a few family photos from this 1928 trip, so I was glad to learn the approximate dates and duration of Ella's once-in-a-lifetime visit to the west coast. While there, Ella would have met Mel’s three children for the first time, just missing the birth of their fourth child later that November. Her son George had married the previous summer in Spokane and did not have any children yet. The trip included swimming and camping at a nearby lake, and visiting old growth forests with enormous, towering trees. I'm sure Ella took home many wonderful memories of her growing family and her trip to the Pacific Northwest.

The RICHARDSON house, St Eleanors PEI Canada, taken 1946

About 1935 when Ella was 76, she suffered a debilitating stroke and was bed ridden for the remaining 15 years of her life. This would have been so hard on her as well as her family. Her daughter Lulu became ill and died in 1940, followed by her son George in 1943. In 1946 her son Mel and his wife Marion journeyed across the continent to visit his parents and his home province of PEI.

Her daughter Nell, the last of their children still living in PEI who had stayed behind to help her father care for Ella, finally moved west to Vancouver Island in 1950 to join her husband. Nell arranged for other Compton relatives to care for her ailing her parents. Ella's granddaughter Harriet CLARK (nee ANDREW) was her only descendant left on the island.

The following year on 16 Mar 1951, Ella passed away at the age of 92, followed soon after by Sydney, her husband of 65 years. They are buried together in the St Johns Anglican Cemetery in St Eleanors PEI.

I have posted additional information on my COMPTON families elsewhere on this website.

"52 Ancestors" is a reference to the "52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks" challenge I am participating in.
Reference the No Story Too Small blog by genealogist Amy Johnson Crow for more details.
It is giving me the much needed incentive to write and publish my family stories.

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Arthur Austin CRESWELL (1892-1982) - Hockey Player - #47 (52 Ancestors)

11/26/2015

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Theme: Sporting | Images: Click on many to enlarge

Canadians love their hockey; it’s a matter of national pride. So I was quite excited to learn that Austin CRESWELL, one of my ancestral cousins, had been the captain of an amateur hockey team prior to WWI. In fact the Regina Victorias Hockey Club were inducted into the Saskatchewan Hockey Hall of Fame in 1967 because of their remarkable achievements in 1914. They were the 1914 World’s Amateur Champions, and holders of the Allan Cup (1914), the Patton Cup, and the Van Naikenberg Cup. During the process the Regina Vics had won 21 of 25 games, and scored 166 goals while only allowing 70 goals against. And Austin was goal keeper for at least some of these games.

1914 Regina Victorias Hockey Club - Team Inductee, Saskatchewan Hockey (SHA) Hall of Fame
World’s Amateur Champions 1914 ~ Allan Cup Holders ~ Patton Cup Holders ~ Van Naikenberg Cup Champions
Front Row: J. Kain, J.Tait, Fred Wilson, J. Brown (physical instructor), Lyman Abbott, J. Potts, C. Young
2nd Row: Frank Mastel, Austin Creswell (captain), Charlie Otton, Alvin Hammond, Walter Molisky, Fred McCulloch
3rd Row: A. Urquhart, G. Woolside, C.A. Wood, J.A. Westman, G.B. Reid (manager), F. Ritter
http://www.saskhockeyhalloffame.com/images/2013_inductees/Bios/1914_Regina_Victorias_-_Team_Bio.pdf

Unfortunately the war intervened and their magic disbursed when many of the team members enlisted to fight for Canada; they were among 42,000 Saskatchewan residents who joined up. Their teammates were devastated when their right wing sharpshooter Lyman (Hick) Abbott was killed by a sniper in the Battle of Amiens on 14 Aug 1918, having previously earned a Military Cross and Bar for his bravery and leadership. Austin is mentioned twice in the published story of Hick Abbott:

Naturally, Abbott heard the call [to war], as did many of his teammates from that 1913-14 team, including goaltender Fred McCulloch, defencemen Charlie Otton and Austin Creswell, who was the team captain, and rover Freddy Wilson. ...
Late in 1918, [teammate] Joe Potts started a fund-raising drive, the result of which would be the Abbott Memorial Cup, which for years would go annually to the champion of western Canadian junior hockey. When the subscription drive started, the first name on the list was Lyman Potts ($10). The second name was that of Lieut. Austin Creswell, the captain of the 1914 Victorias.”

Arthur Austin CRESWELL in hockey jersey, c1910
perhaps when he played amateur hockey
for the Shamrocks Hockey Team in Regina Saskatchewan
Photo courtesy of Stordy Family Tree by CollectiveRoots, ancestry.com

Arthur Austin CRESWELL, known as Austin, was my maternal second cousin, three generations removed (2C3R). There is disagreement about his birthdate, although all agree he was born in June. Austin's military file lists both 21 Jun 1893 and 23 Jun 1892. His baptism record says 21 Jun 1891 (followed by his baptism on 29 Jan 1892), and his death registration says he was born 21 Jul 1892. Only one of these can be right! As to location, almost everyone says he was born in Summerside, Prince Edward Island, although his baptism records says he was born at home in St Eleanors PEI, which has since been incorporated into nearby Summerside.

Austin only had two brothers although he was the ninth of ten children born to Harry Compton CRESWELL and Margery Ann BELL. Both his parents were also born in Prince Edward Island. His grandparents Robert CRESWELL and Catherine COMPTON were married there after immigrating from Hampshire England. The family name has also been spelled CRASWELL, especially in previous generations.

Austin spent most of his childhood in Prince Edward Island, and likely learned how to play hockey on outdoor rinks as a child. By 1905 his family had moved to the prairie province of Saskatchewan, in or near Regina. He joined the Regina Shamrocks Hockey Team who earned the title of Amateur Champions of Saskatchewan for the 1910-11 season. By the time of the 1911 census he was living with his parents and younger brother Fred in Assiniboia, quite a distance to the south west. This location must have been short-lived because by 1912 Austin was back in Regina playing cover for the Regina Bees.

In 1914 at the start of WWI, Austin was an athletic young man of about 22 who was team captain and one of the founding members of the Regina Victorias Hockey Club in 1913-14. Hockey was not well funded as it is today, so other employment was also necessary. By 11 Sep 1915, when Austin enlisted in the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) in Regina, he was listed as a surveyor (it's interesting that this date was another "911"). Austin was assigned to the Canadian 68th Battalion Regina detachment as a Lieutenant. He shipped out of Halifax on 28 Apr 1916, arriving in Liverpool on 7 May. By 1 Jul 1916 he was in France with the 5th Battalion undergoing field training, including grenade and anti-gas courses, ending on 12 Aug 1916 when he was returned to field duty.

Late that September and only about 6 weeks after his stint in the trenches began, Austin was wounded when a rifle bullet shattered a bone in his right forearm. He was evacuated to England on 29 Sep 1916, then granted leave on 29 Nov 1916 due to his disability. He arrived back in Canada on December 8th, taking up residence in Regina. It is noteworthy that the 1916 Canada census lists Arthur Austin living with his sister Winifred and family in Regina in June of that year, although he was obviously in Europe at that time. Once back in Canada his wound continued to be monitored and he received massage therapy for his injury. On 5 May 1917 he was listed with the 9th Saskatchewan Rifles, part of the Canadian Defense Force (CDF). His medical exam on 13 Aug 1917 in Regina declared him fit for duty but he didn't leave Canada again until 17 Nov 1917 with the Regina Divisional Cyclist Platoon. Early in 1918 he was posted to the 15th Reserve Battalion, and then to the Saskatchewan Regimental Depot on 15 Feb 1918. Two days later he was seconded to the Royal Flying Corps, and assigned to the 24th Squadron from 5 Oct 1918 to 26 Jan 1919 as a flying officer in their "B" Flight.

Of course the war officially ended in Nov 1918, but there was still so much work that needed doing in the aftermath. But again Austin was sidelined, becoming "dangerously ill" with the influenza and pneumonia in Feb and March 1919. Fortunately he recovered in time to undergo three operations in May, in part to reset the bone in his injured arm, recovering in the Red Cross hospital in London until 7 June 1919. Finally he set sail for Canada on 11 Jul 1919 aboard the SS Cedric and was demobilized on 25 Jul 1919. Austin was now about 27 years old and single.

According to a family member:
"After the war [Austin] returned to his hockey career--was signed to play for Los Angeles on the first artificial ice there. Remained in the U.S. Had a laundry business in Redding and other places."

While I cannot find any official records to support his involvement in hockey in Los Angeles, I have found a note about a "Creswell" who played for the Milestone team in Saskatchewan about 1921 when Austin was living and working there as a carpenter. He was a lodger in the Reyes family boarding house.

Austin moved to the States about 1925, and by 1930 he was working as a service station salesman in Kelso, Washington. He was still single and renting a room on Pacific Avenue from a coworker. But by 1935 he had married Lorena and they were living in Tacoma WA where he was a service station manager. I do not yet know her maiden name. They moved to Eugene Oregon for a brief time, and by the 1940 census had moved again to Spokane WA, having landed a job as a "promotional man" for an oil company. By 1841 they were living in Seattle, and his job with Richfield Oil Company (based in Los Angeles) had him crossing the border into Canada on at least a couple of occasions. Austin's 1942 WWII draft card says they were living then at 316 East Harrison in Seattle. In 1944 Austin petitioned to become a naturalized US citizen, and in 1945 they were back living in Tacoma.

Gravestone of Arthur Austin CRESWELL
Royal Oak Burial Park,Victoria BC

Austin and Lorena don't appear to have had any children. They were living in Redding California in the 1960s, and Austin cared for his wife when she became an invalid. Lorena Marguerite died there in 1967 at the age of 73, and Austin brought her ashes up to Victoria BC to bury them with her parents. While in Canada he took the time to visit and reunite with his relatives in BC and Saskatchewan, and in 1968 ended up marrying Cora (Elliot) CRESWELL, his younger brother Fred's widow and his sister-in-law. His nieces and nephews were supportive of their loving uncle, now step-father. Austin and Cora lived in Redding for a year, and then moved up to Victoria British Columbia.

Austin died at the age of 90 on 18 Sep 1982 at the Royal Jubilee Hospital in Victoria. His first wife's ashes were moved to a shady corner at the Royal Oak Burial Park where there was room for Austin's ashes to be buried beside her. The gravestones for cremation vaults are small and there is no room to mention his sporting achievements nor his service in the great war. I'm sure the poppy I left stuck in the ground at the corner of his gravestone will not last long. While this story is not etched in stone either, it hopefully provides a fitting memorial to this lovely man and his life.

Location of graves of Arthur Austin CRESWELL and Lorena M CRESWELL, Royal Oak Burial Park, Victoria BC

Hockey Stats (Updated 15 Jan 2019)

Additional information on Austin's hockey career has come to light, with thanks to Alan MacLeod, Victoria author of "From Rinks to Regiments: Hockey Hall-Of-Famers and the Great War". Although Austin isn't one of the 32 hockey players covered in his book, Alan was kind enough to access Austin's hockey stats by subscription on the Society for International Hockey Research (SIHR) site. Austin did indeed play professional hockey after the war, ending his hockey career in 1928-29 with the San Francisco Seals. Here are the details:

Profile of Austin Creswell - Defense
Name:  Austin (Arthur) Austin Creswell - AKA Cresswell, Carswell
Born : June 21, 1892 - Summerside, Prince Edward Island, Canada
Died : July 18, 1982 (age: 90)
Height: 5,10 / 177.8 cm

TOURNAMENTS

Season	Team	Tournament	GP	G	A	P	PIM
1911-1912	Regina Seconds	Allan Cup	1	1		1
1913-1914	Regina Victorias	Allan Cup	2	4		4	2
1922-1923	Vancouver Young Liberals	Allan Cup	8	4	3	7	6

REFERENCES and FURTHER READING

Regina Shamrock Hockey Team, Amateur Champions of Saskatchewan 1910-11 - “Hockey heritage: 88 Years of puck chasing in Saskatchewan” - book shared on our roots site
Regina Victoria Hockey Club - Saskatchewan Sports Hall Of Fame site
Hick Abbot, The Story of a War Hero - Austin's teammate
Arthur Austin CRESWELL, WWI Military File - Library and Archives Canada (LAC) site

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James JEFFERY (1757-1815) - #46 (52 Ancestors)

11/20/2015

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Theme: Change | Images: Click on many to enlarge

My maternal JEFFERY line hailed from the Isle of Wight off the south coast of Hampshire, England. Others have traced this family back as far Richard JEFFERY, Yeoman of Nettlestone Farm, who was buried in St Helens, Isle of Wight in 1686. Richard’s great-grandson James JEFFERY was born in 1757 in Brook, Isle of Wight and lived in Newport. Their surname (in a variety of different spellings) has been found in records for this Island as far back as the 1300s. So the family has deep roots on the Isle of Wight (IOW), living in several different communities over the generations.

JEFFERY Family Locations on the Isle of Wight, England including Nettestone, St Helens, Newchurch, Brook, Newport, Carisbrook, Whitwell

James JEFFERY, my 4-times-great grandfather, was baptised in Brook IOW on 6 Nov 1757, the oldest son of Stephen JEFFREY Jr and Betty EDGIN, and the second of their nine children (although at least four died very young). James became a land owner and shop keeper. By 1783 he was living in Carisbrooke near Newport when he married Jane Saunders RYDER in Newport IOW at St Thomas-a-Becket Church. They had nine children between 1784 and 1800. His three oldest children (Eliza, James Jr, Stephen) were baptized in Whitwell IOW, and his next daughter Hannah (my 3x-great-grandmother) was baptized in Carisbrooke on 21 Nov 1790. The remainder of his children (George, Sarah, Edward, John and Jane) were baptized in Newport, the second largest city situated in the centre of the island. Three of these children (Sarah, Edward and John) died as infants between 1794 and 1798. James' mother died in 1799. Then his wife Jane died in July 1804. Life had turned quite grim indeed.

All of this must have been terribly hard to bear. But with a young family to care for, he quickly remarried on 4 Dec 1804 to the widow Elizabeth PEDDER (nee CHESTLE) in Carisbrooke. Their daughter Sarah (perhaps named after her deceased half-sister) was baptized in Newport in March 1806. Later that same year, James’ oldest daughter Eliza married in Winchester on the mainland. A couple of months later on 14 Jan 1807, his oldest son James JEFFERY Jr married Lucy CAFFIN in Chichester Sussex and then returned to the Isle of Wight to raise his family. Eliza also returned to the island.

James life seemed to be back on track, surrounded by family. But change was in the offing.

We can only speculate on the reasons why James decided to emigrate to Canada. Sometime in 1809 James’ sister (or cousin?) Ann died at the age of 50. James was two years older, so Ann's death would have been yet another reminder of his own mortality. Perhaps a mid-life crisis played its part, and a new start would have sounded appealing. The grass was definitely green in Prince Edward Island, and the advertisements for colonial settlers presented it as a golden opportunity. So in 1809 James sold some property, bought supplies and sailed to PEI where he bought two large parcels of land totaling 694 acres in Lot 17 from the proprietor Harry Childeroy COMPTON. We know that James’s son George was also in PEI in Nov 1809 as he was a witnesses on one of the land transaction documents.

At least some of his family did not emigrate until the following year. Family documents mention at least one unnamed family member sailing from England on 14 Aug 1810 and landing 5 Nov 1810 in Charlotte Town. It is a real shame that passenger lists haven’t survived or may not have been created that far back. But from newspaper accounts of ship arrivals, perhaps they were aboard the brig “Louisa”, arriving in Charlottetown on 5 Nov 1810 from Portsmouth.

Just eight days later on 13 November 1810, James’ daughter Hannah JEFFERY married Thomas Compton COMPTON, son of Harry COMPTON, proprietor of Lot 17 who had sold them the land. Unless this was an arranged marriage, Hannah must have emigrated earlier in order to meet and be courted by Thomas, and have time to plan the wedding to follow the arrival of more of her relatives. Or did Thomas go to England for business or family matters, and meet her there or on board ship? There are several possible scenarios. The Comptons had settled in PEI in 1803 and had built a large home which they named "The Pavillon". Hannah at least was soon living in comfort, as she would have quickly taken up residence there with her new husband.

Not everyone emigrated. James oldest two children Eliza and James as well as his daughter Jane, his father and siblings, remained in England. Those in PEI attending Hannah's wedding were probably James and his 2nd wife Elizabeth, Stephen, Hannah, George and young Sarah.

The process of felling trees, clearing land, planting crops, building a house and setting up a business must have been daunting and filled with hardship, at least initially. And perhaps business was not as profitable as hoped for. So not everyone stayed. James must have become disillusioned and decided to move back to the Isle of Wight, leaving on 27 Jun 1812. Just days before sailing he signed his will, summarized as follows:

Will of James Jeffery, Richmond, Richmond, PEI [1757-24 April, 1815], yeoman. Bequests: to Charles and the other 2 children, sons or daughters of [his son] James Jeffery & Lucy Jeffery, late Lucy Coffin of Chichester in the city of Chichester, County of Sussex; to daughter Elizabeth Pring?; to son Stephen Jeffery; to daughter Anne or Hannah Compton; to son George; to daughter Jane; to daughter Sarah Lawford Chestle-Jeffery; to Edward Lawrence, son of Francis Lawrence, one farm called Welling [130 acres], late in occupation of John Welling. Witnesses: Thos. Nickerson, George Coles, Daniel Davis. Will signed 22 June, 1812; probate granted 5 Sep., 1816.

A codicil stated that the will (which was once reported missing) was dated 20 Jun 1812 and the codicil itself was dated 22 Jun 1812. Generally speaking, James divided his estate equally among his children and his three grand children of that time. I don’t know yet how Edward and Francis Lawrence were connected.

We do know that Hannah remained in PEI after her father left, as did Stephen and George. Sarah was still very young , but as of 1826 she was living in PEI as well. James’s second wife Elizabeth died in 1829 on the Isle of Wight, so she presumably left PEI with her husband, assuming she went there in the first place. James himself died before her in 1815 in Carisbrooke IOW, only three years after returning to England. He was buried in Church Litten Park, Newport on the Isle of Wight.

I would like to acknowledge the original research of Betty M Jeffery and Carter W Jeffery, my main source for this story. They published their book "The Jeffery Family of the Isle of Wight and Prince Edward Island" in 1998.

REFERENCES and FURTHER READING

The Jeffery Family of the Isle of Wight and Prince Edward Island, by Betty M. Jeffery and Carter W. Jeffery, 1998
PEI Heritage Buildings - blog by Carter W Jeffery
Early Wills of PEI, Summaries - Island Register site
Isle of Wight - wikipedia
Map of Isle of Wight, England - myGoogle Maps

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Clara Duchemin COMPTON (1882 -1945) - #44 (52 Ancestors)

11/5/2015

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Theme: Frightening | Images: Click on many to enlarge

View looking south, showing the damage caused by the Halifax Explosion - 6 Dec 1917
Library and Archives Canada / C-019944; Ref No. MIKAN 3193308, 3623023
https://www.flickr.com/photos/lac-bac/albums/72157627774733594

It must have been terrifying to witness first hand the catastrophic explosion and destruction that occurred in Halifax Nova Scotia on the morning of 6 Dec 1917. Thousands were killed or injured when a French vessel “Mont-Blac” loaded with explosives collided with the Belgian relief boat “Imo" in the Halifax harbour, creating the world’s largest man-made explosion of its time. A huge area in the more affluent south side of the city was decimated, including of the business and residential district of Richmond.

A COMPTON second cousin of mine (twice removed) was seriously injured during the Halifax explosion, but was lucky enough to survive. The transcript of a brief news article from the PEI Summerside Journal, Wed. Jan 16, 1918, published about five weeks after the explosion, says:

"Mr. & Mrs. H.A. Compton, Summerside have received word that their daughter, Mrs. George B. Hillis, who was severely injured in the Halifax disaster, will soon be sufficiently recovered to be removed to Summerside.”

A few more details were shared by another family researcher: “… Clara was severely injured in the Halifax explosion, visiting her husband's lumberyard in the city's south end. Several months after the explosion, local PEI newspapers published that Clara was returning home to the island to finish her recovery”. Their son Gordon was also injured in the Halifax explosion. According to his 1964 death registration, Gordon's injury 46 years previously was listed as a contributing factor in his death.

At the time of the explosion, Clara Duchemin COMPTON was living with her husband George Beaman HILLIS in his native Halifax along with their two sons Benjamin Franklin “Frank” (born 1904) and James “Gordon” HILLIS (born 1905). Clara and George HILLIS also brought up Eva MACPHAIL from an early age, a step-daughter of Clara's sister Alfreda Compton MacPhail. Eva was born about 1912, and was no longer living with the HILLIS family in 1921.

Clara was born on 2 Feb 1882 in Summerside PEI, the daughter of a prosperous merchant Harry Alfred COMPTON and his wife Sophia Eleanor CLARK. She was one of ten siblings, although three died very young; Clara was the oldest surviving daughter and grew up in Summerside. I cannot locate her in the 1900 or 1901 census, so don't know how she met her future husband. Less than two years later on 14 Jan 1903, Clara and George were married in Summerside PEI. They lived in Halifax were both sons were born.

Published 22 Dec 1917, Charlottetown Guardian, PEI
(see transcript below); http://islandnewspapers.ca/

George’s family, headed by his father James HILLIS, were owners of the HILLIS & SONS Iron Foundry, located in the Richmond area near the waterfront in Halifax. They were a significant employer in the area. George was involved with the family business, and at some point worked at their Richmond foundry. By the time of his retirement on 23 Dec 1949, he was president of Hillis & Sons Ltd.

Looking further in old PEI newspapers, I have located a few articles covering this historic tragedy and its affect on the HILLIS family. On Dec 22, a visitor from Halifax told of attending a large public funeral for about 250 unidentified dead before traveling to PEI on business. Efforts were still underway to excavate dead bodies in cordoned off Richmond, but reconstruction work had already begun in southern Halifax. A death notice was published for a Mr Clement Fraser, a previous resident of PEI who worked as a molder in the Hillis Foundry in Halifax. He died in the disaster. Another brief article was republished from the Halifax Chronicle on 22 Dec 1917:

"Frank Hillis’ Body Found — Yesterday morning at twelve o’clock the bodies of Frank Hillis and Harry Saunders were discovered buried in the fallen cement at Hillis’ Foundry. Though partially crushed they were easily recognized, the faces being only slightly injured. It is supposed that Mr. Hillis, who was early at work that morning, had seen the fire and watched it from across the road. He and Mr. Saunders were just entering the office door when the explosion occurred, which instantly killed them. Mr Hillis had on his office coat. Besides the bodies of Hillis and Saunders those of three other men were found but these were so covered with debris as to be unrecognizable.”

A scene following the Halifax Explosion - 6 Dec 1917. The Hillis & Sons Foundry is the building on the left.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/lac-bac/8148372966

The above Frank HILLIS was George’s older brother, not his son. I do not know if Harry Saunders was related. According to other Hollis family trees, another brother James Burton HILLIS was also killed that day. How very tragic. As the whole foundry was destroyed, it’s amazing that George survived. He must have been at a different location that day - perhaps at the lumber yard mentioned above - and any injuries he might have received were not fatal. I have not found any references regarding injuries to either George or their older son Frank. The whole family must have been overwhelmed with grief at the loss of family members, friends and associates as well as the destruction of their foundry. George’s father James died less than two years later at the age of 79, likely still deeply affected. But they did rebuild and the business continued.

The support of Clara's COMPTON family in PEI likely aided her recovery from this frightening ordeal. Clara and George continued to live in the Halifax area for the rest of their lives. Their final residence was in Birch Cove to the north west on Bedford Basin. Clara died at the age of 63 in hospital in Halifax from a stroke on 12 Sep 1945. George died a widower six years later on 29 Jun 1951. The were both buried at Camp Hill Cemetery in Halifax, not far from Dalhousie University and well within the 1917 debris zone from the explosion that changed their lives so many years before.

REFERENCES and FURTHER READING

Clara Eleanor MacPhail (Clara’s niece and namesake, born 1922) - "Following Their Footsteps" blog
PEI Historic Newspapers - islandnewspapers.ca
All about the Halifax Explosion of 1917 - cbc site
Halifax Explosion, 1917 - 25 photos by Library Archives - flickr.com

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Charlotte Lisle NEWMAN (1760-1789) - #43 (52 Ancestors)

10/28/2015

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Theme: Oops | Images: Click on many to enlarge

Granny Nell Andrew's keepsake of Cardinal NEWMAN whom she believed was related

Some family legends take on a life of their own. They continue to hang around without proof even after repeated and unsuccessful attempts to verify them. Some stories continue to have advocates even after evidence to the contrary has been unearthed. Their appeal must be greater than other more realistic but mundane options, I guess. There are a couple of such stories in my maternal COMPTON tree. This unproved legend involves my NEWMAN branch.

My maternal grandmother Nell ANDREW was convinced that she was related to historically renowned Cardinal NEWMAN. She was a strong believer in the Anglican faith, and treasured a small portrait of him, kept in a pocket-sized hard-covered folding frame that my uncle passed on to me after my grandmother died. There was a hand-written note from my uncle taped to the outside of the frame, which said: "(From Mother Andrew / Apr. 85). Cardinal Newman is a distant relation in Compton History. Left Protestant religion for Roman Catholic. On journey with R.C. Mon C. wrote "Lead Kindly Light" which is why the hymn is in both R.C. & C of E Hymn books."

Cardinal John Henry NEWMAN’s religious career and his many impressive achievements are well documented online. He was born in 1801 in London and first became a vicar with the Anglican Church in 1825 before converting to Catholicism in about 1845. He was also a teacher at Oxford and a poet with many published works to his credit. He wrote a poem in 1833, initially titled “The Pillar of the Cloud”, while on his way home from a trip to the Mediterranean where he became ill and nearly died. In 1845, the poem was turned into the hymn “Lead, kindly Light”. John eventually became a Cardinal Deacon in the RC church in 1879 by Pope Leo XIII. So my grandmother knew her church history. But what about the corresponding family history?

The name NEWMAN enters my family tree when Charlotte Lisle NEWMAN (1760-1789) married my 4-time-great grandfather Harry Childeroy COMPTON on 28 Nov 1779 in St Mary’s Anglican Church in Amport, Hampshire England. This explains the COMPTON reference by my grandmother, who believed Charlotte NEWMAN was related to Cardinal NEWMAN. One version of this family legend says that Charlotte was the aunt of Cardinal NEWMAN. At least the generation is roughly correct (Charlotte was the older by 41 years). But the above note by my uncle downgraded the relationship to “distant”. Too bad no further details were given.

Cardinal NEWMAN did not have children of his own, and although he had two brothers, they were too late a generation to provide our “missing link”. The Dictionary of National Biography for Cardinal NEWMAN (Vol. 14, pgs 340-351) provides very little information on his ancestry, except that “His father, John Newman, who is said to have been of a family of small landed proprietors in Cambridgeshire, was of Dutch extraction, the name being originally spelt Newmann.”

Many have researched and published Cardinal NEWMAN’s family tree online, although the earliest generations are varied and unsourced. Many of these trees go back six or more generations:

His father John NEWMAN (1767-1824) had one brother Thomas NEWMAN (1774-1778), dying too young to produce heirs.
John (1734-1799) had 4 brothers, all born in Swaffham Bulbeck Cambridgshire: Francis, William 1740, Rolph 1743, and Ralph 1744 (descendants not known).
Francis NEWMAN (1698-1728) had three brothers, all born in Bottisham Cambridgeshire: William 1693, John 1701 and Martin 1704 (no descendants listed).
William NEWMAN (1664) had four brothers, all born in Swaffham Bullbeck Cambridgeshire: Thomas 1661, William 1663-1663, Martin 1668 and Francis 1672 (whose descendants have been traced to Essex)
William NEWMAN (1639 Potton Bedfordshire - ) had two brothers: Thomas 1637, John 1639
Thomas NEWMAN (1609 Colmworth Bedfordshire) - no siblings listed
Thomas NEWMAN (c1568 Colmsworth Bedfordshire)

I call the above descent the "Bedfordshire version". Not all agree. Another tree lists different early ancestors:

William NEWMAN (1664-1741)
William NEWMAN (1618- )
Frances NEWMAN (born Stetchworth Cambridgeshire)

This is not an exhaustive genealogy for Cardinal NEWMAN. There are other variations as well.

With or without prestigious connections to Cardinal NEWMAN, Charlotte is still my direct ancestor. Her surname comes of course from her father Arthur NEWMAN (1727-1785). As these two families share a common surname, any connection to the Cardinal would need to be through one of his male NEWMAN relatives in previous generations. As far as males relatives on Charlotte's line goes, her father Arthur had an older brother John who married twice, but his first wife and daughters died young. I don't know if he had any sons.

Charlotte's grandparents were John NEWMAN (1698-1766) and Anne Hooke (1694-1734) who were married in Ringwood in 1724. After Anne's early death, John Sr. remarried an Elizabeth who quickly died as well. This rather tragic state of affairs has been detailed on a large NEWMAN family memorial plaque at the St Peter and St Paul Church in Ringwood. The smaller oval plaque commemorating Arthur NEWMAN's family paints a similar fate. I believe that all three of Charlotte's brothers died without issue. I have not been able to trace this Newman line back any further.

Charlotte Lisle NEWMAN
(1760-c1789)

Charlotte Lisle NEWMAN was baptised 30 Aug 1760 in Ringwood Hampshire, a pretty market town situated on the east bank of the River Avon on the western border of the New Forest National Park; Ringwood is north of Christchurch. Her father Arthur NEWMAN was also baptized (1727) and buried (1785) there. Ringwood and nearby Ellington are both famous locations associated with her ancestor Lady Alice Lisle, the regicide’s widow (see my earlier blog post). Charlotte’s middle name “Lisle" came down through her mother Joanna WHITAKER's line and her ancestor Margaret LISLE, wife of Rev Robert WHITAKER and daughter of the infamous Lord John LISLE and Lady Alice BECONSHAWE. (Her connection to these notable historic figures has been verified.) So Charlotte's ancestors have a long history in this part of Hampshire.

Charlotte’s marriage to Harry COMPTON in 1779 took place in Amport, Hampshire, a small town west of Andover and a considerable distance north by north-east of Ringwood. I have no idea how she came to meet her future husband who was born in Amport. But marry they did. Their first of three children was a son Arthur Newman COMPTON, born in Amport in 1782. He later joined the navy, became assistant to the ship’s surgeon, and drowned while in the West Indies in 1805 at the age of 23. Their second child was a daughter named Charlotte Alicia Lisle COMPTON after her mother. She lived a long life but never married. Their third child was my ancestor Thomas Compton COMPTON, born about 1789, close to the date of his mother’s death. Others have suggested that Charlotte didn’t have a strong constitution, based on her appearance in her formal portrait. We can only speculate that she succumbed to illness or complications due to childbirth, causing her early death at the age of about 28. We cannot find her death or burial records in Hampshire and know much too little about her short life.

Admittedly I haven’t checked every nook and cranny in my NEWMAN tree to positively rule out an overlap with Cardinal NEWMAN’s tree. There is still much to learn about her earlier ancestors, so there is still room for speculation. But so far I have no proof linking the two NEWMAN lineages. I also admit that I’m not looking very hard for proof of the Cardinal's pedigree and his collateral lines. I think it unlikely that there is a connection, and certainly my Charlotte was not his aunt. So far the name Arthur does not appear in the Cardinal's tree. Locations don't match; Cardinal NEWMAN’s line lived for at least several generations in Cambridgeshire before moving to London, and my Newmans are from Hampshire. I think they are different families.

But you never know. Cardinal NEWMAN’s sister was named Jemima Charlotte NEWMAN, after all! My Charlotte might have been impressed had she lived that long and known the family.

REFERENCES and FURTHER READING

Select Newman Surname Genealogy
Newman Name Society registers
Ringwood Hampshire History - wikipedia
John NEWMAN memorial - findagrave
Arthur NEWMAN memorial - findagrave

John Henry Newman - wikipedia, with extensive source lists
Newman Reader - Works of John Henry Newman, biography
Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church, Biographical Dictionary
John Henry Newman family tree - genealogy.com See also trees on ancestry.com
John Henry Newman, author of hymns and biography - hymnary.org
Story behind the hymn 'Lead, Kindly Light' by Anglican Vicar John Henry Newman (1801-1890)
Lead kindly Light hymn performed at Arundel Cathedral - YouTube

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2018 Genealogy Research Recap

Claudia's 32 Third Great Grandparents

Ernest Frederick COMPTON (1828-1890) - #12 (52 ancestors)

Eliza Pring COMPTON (1833-1890) - #10 (52 ancestors)

Harriet Washbourne COMPTON (1849-1923) - #51 (52 Ancestors)

Isabella Harriet “Ella” COMPTON - #48 (52 Ancestors)

Arthur Austin CRESWELL (1892-1982) - Hockey Player - #47 (52 Ancestors)

James JEFFERY (1757-1815) - #46 (52 Ancestors)

Clara Duchemin COMPTON (1882 -1945) - #44 (52 Ancestors)

Charlotte Lisle NEWMAN (1760-1789) - #43 (52 Ancestors)

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