Miriam's Got Canadians - Part II

In Part One, I listed the Canadian ancestors of my Dad's father's family. Part Two will list his mother's Canadian ancestry. I have prefaced each paragraph with the ahnentafel number of my ancestor, and have included a map for easy reference. While I understand that the information here is probably not going to be very interesting to anyone other than myself, I do hope that by posting it, I may be able to connect with other descendants of these ancestors!

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22. My paternal grandmother's maternal grandfather was Orlando BARBER, born 1868 in Ontario, very likely in or around Owen Sound, Grey County (where his younger sister Caroline was said to have been born two years later). Unfortunately, the birth records for that location begin in 1869! I ordered them on microfilm through my local Family History Center, just in case his birth was recorded, but alas! I could not find his birth, nor even that of Caroline. It's possible they were instead born in Amabel, Bruce County, because their father, James BARBER, appears on the 1871 Canadian Census Index, there. Orlando was the second of 10 children born to James and his wife, Elizabeth COLE. We can determine that the BARBER family immigrated to Lapeer, Lapeer Co., Michigan around 1876, because on the 1880 Federal Census, the five oldest children are listed as being born in Ontario, with five-year-old Anna being the last of that bunch, and the next two children having Michigan has a birth place, with 3-year-old John being the oldest of that pair. Two more children were born in Michigan after the 1880 Census. Orlando died young from smallpox at the age of 42 and was buried in a pauper's grave. His wife, Mary Jane FREDENBURG, remarried several more times, and thus it has been difficult tracing the BARBER side of my ancestry.

42. On my grandmother's father's side, she had a great-grandfather of Scots ancestry that immigrated from Canada to Michigan in 1846. His name was Daniel J. MacARTHUR and he was born in 1827 in Glengarry County, Ontario, now the United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry, in the eastern-most tip of Ontario. I wrote a biographical sketch on him for my Civil War Soldiers and Sailors series, as well as a Wordless Wednesday follow up. You can read more about him here and here.

44. Orlando BARBER's father was James W. BARBER, born 1839 in England. He emigrated about 1855 to Canada, and married Elizabeth COLE around 1864. As mentioned above, he appears to be in Amabel, Bruce County in 1871, and I found him in the following U.S. Federal Censuses: 1880 - Elba, Lapeer Co., Michigan; 1900 - Orion Village (now Lake Orion), Oakland Co., Michigan; 1910 - Montrose Twp., Genesee Co., Michigan. In 1912, he had a fall, badly injuring his spine. Complications of this injury led to his death in Mt. Morris, Genesee County, where he was buried. Unfortunately, his death record does not provide his parents' names or a specific place of birth, other than "England."

45. Elizabeth A. "Betsey" COLE, born 1846 in South Dorchester, Elgin Co., Ontario, was the second of seven known children of James COLE and Lavin(i)a WILLIS, who both were descended from American families who probably immigrated to Ontario for the promise of cheap land. How and where she met James is a mystery to me! As mentioned above, Elizabeth and her husband and their six children immigrated to Eastern Michigan around 1875. Elizabeth lived seven years longer than James, and is buried with him in the Mt. Morris Cemetery.

80. Jeremiah F. YORK was born in 1791 in Saratoga Co., New York. He is believed to be the son of Stephen YORK and Amy FRANKLIN. His family removed to near what is now Niagara Falls, Welland Co., Ontario where his mother witnessed the Battle of Lundy's Lane during the War of 1812. Jeremiah and a man I am 99% certain is his brother, Stephen Van Rennselaer YORK, were both pressed (forcibly drafted) into the 3rd Regiment of the Lincoln Militia of the British army. They were able to escape into New York State, where they both signed up with Captain Spencer's Company of the New York Militia for the duration of the war. You can read more about Jeremiah here.

81. Rhoda SWEERS was Jeremiah YORK's wife, marrying him in 1815 in the Town of Gorham, Ontario Co., New York after his service in the War of 1812. It is likely the YORK and SWEERS families knew each other, as they both lived in Welland Co., Ontario as American expatriates seeking the great land bargains the governor of Ontario was offering as motivation to for settlers to move into the province. Rhoda was born in 1797 in Vermont, probably in Dummerston Township, Windham County. She was the oldest known child of Daniel SWEARS and Mary [--?--]'s four known children. The family emigrated to Ontario in 1809, and removed to New York State during the War of 1812. You can read more about Rhoda in Jeremiah's biography on my website.

84. and 85. Little is known about Daniel MacARTHUR's parents, Donald MacARTHUR and Catherine Anne "Nancy" Munro. They both apparently were born in Canada, and Donald died by 1842.

90. James COLE was born in 1821 in Ontario, the fifth of nine children of Daniel Dodge COLE and Rogena "Roxanna" COLE, who were also first cousins of each other. At least three of James's four older siblings were born in Ohio, so the family was not in Ontario until sometime between 1818 and 1820. They seem to have been firmly established in Elgin County; James married his wife Lavin(i)a WILLIS there in Springfield in 1843. Although his daughter Elizabeth and her husband James BARBER did not immigrate to Lapeer County, Michigan until 1875, some of her siblings were there as early as 1865. James and Lavinia were there as early as 1870. James died in Mayfield Township, Lapeer County in 1872.

91. Lavina or Lavinia WILLIS was born in 1827 in Darien Center, Genesee Co., New York, the oldest of seven children of Benjamin WILLIS, Jr. and Anna KING. In late 1831 or early 1832, with her parents and two younger siblings, they moved to South Dorchester, Elgin Co., Ontario. From that area, Lavina immigrated by 1870 with her husband, James COLE, and their children to Michigan. Her sister Isabella also immigrated to Lapeer County, and three of their siblings immigrated to Sanilac County. Several siblings remained in Ontario, one in the Dorchester area, another in Belmont, Middlesex County. Lavinia died in Lapeer in 1898.

160 and 161. Stephen YORK and Amy FRANKLIN: Not much is known about this couple. I'm still seeking evidence that they are my ancestors. They moved to near what is now Niagara Falls, Welland Co., Ontario from New York State. I do know that after the War of 1812, they removed to what is now the Town of Clarence, Erie Co., New York, where they died before 1850.

162 and 163. Daniel SWEARS, III and Mary [--?--]: You can click on the link to read Daniel's extensive biography on my website. While I know a good deal about Daniel and his life, I know very little about his wife. In fact, I don't even know Mary's surname! Of their four known children, one died before vital records were kept in Michigan, and the other three's death records do not list their parents' names!

168 and 169. Duncan MacARTHUR and Janet HAGGERT both appear to have been born in Kenmore, Perthshire, Scotland; Duncan in 1758 and Janet in 1770. They had at least seven children, and it is not known if they married in Scotland or Ontario, or whether any of their children were born in Scotland. We do believe that their son, Donald, my ancestor, was born in Ontario, but there is little to go on. Using Scottish church records, we've been able to determine more information about Duncan and Janet's parents and siblings, but less is known about them after they immigrated to Canada.

180. Daniel Dodge COLE was born in 1787 in Londonderry, Windham Co., Vermont, the second of 10 children born to Salmon COLE of New Hampshire and Bathsheba DODGE of Wales. He married his first cousin, Rogena "Roxanna" COLE, and it appears they lived in Ohio for a few years before settling in Elgin County, Ontario. Daniel died there in 1869 in South Dorchester.

181. Rogena "Roxanna" COLE was one of eleven children born to John COLE and Hannah [--?--], both originally from New Hampshire. Like her husband and first cousin, she was born in 1792 in Londonderry, Windham Co., Vermont. By 1796, the family had moved to London, Middlesex Co., Ontario. After marrying Daniel, it appears the couple lived in Ohio for a time, then returned to Ontario, settling in Elgin County. Rogena died in South Dorchester in 1872.

182. Benjamin WILLIS, Jr. was born in 1800 in either Schoharie or Schuyler County, New York to Benjamin, Sr. (a Revolution War veteran) and Bridget COLE. (This COLE family was not related to the COLE family Benjamin Jr.'s daughter Lavinia married into. ) For several years, Benjamin Jr. and his wife, Anna KING, lived in Darien Center, Genesee Co., New York, moving to South Dorchester, Elgin Co., Ontario in late 1831 or early 1832. Their last four children were born there. After Anna's death in 1843, Benjamin married Anna McGILLIS. He died (date unknown) in Belmont, Middlesex Co., Ontario, probably near or at the home of his son Amasa.

183. Bridget COLE was born in 1766 in Clarkstown, Rockland Co., New York to Isaac KOOL and Catherine SERVEN. She married Benjamin WILLIS, Jr. in 1786 in New York City, and they settled in Darien Center, Genesee Co., New York, immigrating to Ontario in late 1831 or early 1832. She died, probably in South Dorchester, Elgin County in 1843.