A General Inquiry
My wife's gg grandfather, George Waltenbury was living in Franklin Twp in lots 21 of Con V and VI in the 1881census and was single. I have a reference to a marriage on 12 July 1882 in Huntsville but no document. George married Margaret Jane McIlwain who was a near neighbour in 1881. Their daughter, Emily Jane was born in 1883 in Haystack Bay. I am looking for a marriage record that would help to establish George's connection to his parents, William Waltenbury/g and Malinda Lightheart of Chinguacousy, Peel County.
7 comments
Mike Lobb
Hi Carol,
I seem to have missed your response in March. Thank you for checking and posting. William McIelwain (spelling varies) was our Margaret’s father, was indeed born in Ireland about 1828 as he is 24 in the 1851/2 census when he appears with his parents in Chinguacousy, Peel, Ontario. He was married to M Jane Adams from Norval, Ont on 14 May 1860 in Halton County. In 1861 and 1871, they were living in Chinguacousy Twp, and by 1871 had a boy William aged 7 and a daughter Margret aged 4. William McElwain, the father recieved grant of land in Franklin Twp in Jan 1878 on Haystack Bay across from George Waltenbury. William McGwain and family are in the 1881 census for Sinclair and Franklin. In 1891, William Mc Harien, widower was living with William and Ruth McHarien in Franklin Twp. William McIlwain sold lots 15-17 of Con 6 in Franklin Twp to Thomas Hungerford, who would name the property Lumina. William died 20 Nov 1900, said to be aged 73 and from Ireland, on lot 8 of Con 7 owned by one of the Marsh families. The son, William Thomas sold land to Joseph Tapley in 1905 that became the site of the Bondi resort, before moving to Brunel Twp.
Mike Lobb
Hi Jane,
I did find an obituary for Isaac Waltenbery that recognized George as his brother, and that Isaac trained as a bricklayer with Lightheart Bros, who would have been his uncles.I would love to hear your stories about George and Margaret. The early death of their daughter Emily and grandson Albert led to very little being known about this branch of my wife’s family.
Jane MacInnes
my Great Great Grandparents were George and Margaret, through their daughter Melinda- both are buried in Orillia- St. Andrews St. James Cemetery. My Grandmother Ruth lived with them when she was a child so I heart a lot of stories about them, and I am named for Margaret.
Carol Stevens
I contacted a woman who is a McIelwain on your behalf. This is what she said.
Several of her father’s family were born in the Haystack Bay area, Haystack Bay, Lake of Bays, Bethune Twp..( basically where Lumina Resort is now) “My great grandfather also William Thomas McIelwain ( no dates) born in Ireland ( Cork County) married Margaret Jane Adams also born in Ireland.Now that is interesting!…Margaret Jane…I was born after my grandfathers died, and my grandmothers died soon after….I’ll let others figure it all out…but is it possible my great grandmother was widowed young and remarried….( Haystack Bay) ?”Do you think this might be the same?
Mike Lobb
Thanks for your efforts on Ancestry. I have done that.
The relational confusion of the 1861 and 1871 censuses make the case difficult for connecting George to parents. The pagination of the index or microfilm is different than the original pages in the 1861 census, separating the younger members of the household from the older ones. Malinda is among her siblings but marked as not part of the household. Reuben starts on a line one of a page which just follows in the original pagination. Three of Malinda’s Waltenbery children are listed and then their paternal uncle Jesse Waltenbury, who is living with Malinda’s family. Jesse’s obituary in Michigan noted that his brother William was then living in Alpena, Michigan. William appears to have left Peel after George was born and remarried to Mary Ann Graham. There is a marriage record of Malinda and William in 1853 in Peel. The 1861 census also confuses the relationships of the Waltenbury children by indicating that an 8 yr old boy was married to a 4 yr old girl. I assume that someone looked at the name change and saw male and female and their mind went “next couple”. The 8 year old Isaac Waltenbury married in Perth County and clarified that his parents were William and Malinda.The 1911 census of George and Margaret is up in Nippising.What I am looking for in the Muskoka area is a potential marriage record that could simplify the case for who George’s parents were. Even an obituary of his brother Isaac who died in Bracebridge in 1918 in December could help make the connection if it acknowleged George clearly as his brother.
Diane Shaw
In all the census I never found any reference to William Waltenbury/g
See below.1921 census OrilliaGeorge, Margaret and granddaughter daughter Ruth 10 are in Orillia. Margaret died there in 1944 but no record of George’s death yet on line. They are on 1935 voter’s list in Foxmead, Simcoe. 1901 census Burks FallsWALTENBURYGeorge, 42, b 31 March 1859, OntarioMargaret, 34, 28 Sept 1866Emma, 17, 27 Apr 1883George, 14, 22 Feb 1885Malinda, 12 , 10 July 1888Arthur, 7, 17 Jun 1893Elizabeth, 3 , 8 Sep 1897All born Ontario1891 census they are living in Bracebridge Ontario. George, 24, carpenter [age is questionable]Margarita, 23Emily, 7George, 5Melinda, 2All born Ontario1881 census MuskokaWaltenbury, George, 25.I know you already have this but his ages are changing a lot. This has him born 1856, 1891 b 1867 and 1901 b 18591871 census Chinguacousy PeelMelinda Waltenbury/g, aged 31 and George aged 10 are living with, who I assume are her parents, Isaac and Elizabeth Lighthart. Doesn’t give whether she is married or widowed. Here George was born c1861. No William found on 1871 census. 1861 census PeelMalinda Waltenberry, 24, married, is living with Isaac and Elizabeth Lightheart. No sign of a William on 1861 census but there is a George Waltenberry, 2, living with a Reuben Lightheart and not far from Malinda.
Diane Shaw
I did not find a marriage registration for them on Ancestry.ca
Lots of registrations went missing from the northern areas as the government agents only came around every 6 mths ago to collect up the information.