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John Caven
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John Caven (1826-1914)
John Caven was born on 6 March 1826 in Urr, Kirkcudbrightshire, Scotland.
In the Scottish Census of 1861, John, listed as a teacher of elementary school, was living with his wife, Catherine, and their two young children (Catherine & William W.) at 32, 34, 36 Dundas Street in Edinburgh, Scotland. Also living with the family, was a young Irish domestic servant, Bridget Duffy, and two lodgers, John Corballie (a student of medicine), and Angelo Curris (an Italian musician).
John married Catherine Maxwell Rigg, their wedding took place in Edinburgh, Scotland on 18 November 1855.
John and Catherine had 5 children that were known: Mary (b. 18 August 1856), Kate E. (b. 8 June 1858), William W. (12 January 1860), John J. (b. 12 Dec 1862), Lucy M. (b. 20 March 1865) and Thomas Paul (b. 9 August 1866). All the children were born in Edinburgh, Scotland, however, there were only Canadian records found mentioning the four middle children: Kate, William, John and Lucy. Mary does not appear in the 1861 Census and must have died some time before that, and Thomas Paul died sometime before coming to Canada.
In 1869, John and his young family immigrated to Canada.
John started his Canadian career in journalism, working at the Charlottetown Herald but eventually returned to teaching.
He was the President of the St. Vincent de Paul Society, a society dedicated to helping needy families. It's mission is “to Live the Gospel message by serving Christ in the poor with love, respect, justice and joy". John was also locally well known as a fine vocalist, and was a regular performer with the Charlottetown Orchestral Club.
By 1879, John was teaching French and English at the Prince of Wales College, he also supervised student teachers at the Model School. His career at Prince of Wales College (PWC) lasted for twenty-one years, from 1879-1901.
John retired in 1901, and third year student, Athol Seaman, delivered an address to Dr. John Caven which was reprinted in the Charlottetown Guardian on 21 December 1901. A portion of the address is highlighted here:
Dear Sir- We have learned with regret that you intend to sever your connection with us, that at the approaching holidays you withdraw from the teaching staff of Prince of Wales College. Twenty-one years, we are told, have you been teaching here, a period that passes understanding for most of us, so long indeed that we have learned to consider you an integral part of the institution. To think of her was to think of you. Your geniality and gentleness lighted up many a lonely moment, and lent a warmth and color to the student life. You encouraged us in our toil, but you made us to see the fuller life of social kindliness... In the memories of those who have been students, student days are the brightest. For students of Prince of Wales, in these twenty one years of associations clustering about Mr. Caven must always be of the most pleasant and agreeable kind. This feeling will follow, does follow you, as you now withdraw the arduous work of teaching, and, go where you will be pleased to believe that you are accompanied by the best wishes of your students. May you long be spared to enjoy the quiet of later life...
Dr. John Caven died on 26 August 1914, and is buried alongside his wife at the Charlottetown Roman Catholic Cemetery. Catherine had died at age 58 on 20 August 1888, and John remained a widow for twenty-six years.
John's obituary was printed in the 27 August 1914 edition of the Charlottetown Guardian:
By the death of Dr. Caven, yesterday morning, Charlottetown has lost its most highly cultured cititzen- one whose ability was proved as teacher, lecturer, editor, poet and singer. The deceased gentleman was an octogenarian. He maintained his health, strength and spirits wonderfully, until within a few weeks of his passage to the unseen world. Educated at Edinburgh and in Rome he came to P.E. Island about forty-five years ago; and was for many years engaged as a professor of literature at St. Dunstan's College and Prince of Wales College, as editor of the Charlottetown Herald and in other capacities, -in all of which his extensive knowledge and power of finished literary expression were exhibited. For many years he was leading member of the choir of St. Dunstan's Cathedral. Dr. Caven is survived by four children, two sons, William in Montreal and John at home, and two daughters, Miss Kate at home, and Mrs. Birlinguet, in Three Rivers, Quebec. All his children were with him at his death. His wife, who was Miss Katherine Rigg, of Scotland, predeceased him twenty-six years ago.
UPEI's Robertson Library Provenance Collection includes the book, Lectures and Essays on Irish and other Subjects, by Henry Giles. The inscription in this book includes a stamp with the name Doctor J. Creamer Jr. and below that, written in pencil, is:
Presented to Prof J Caven.
By his friend Joseph Creamer N.Y.
Ch'town Nov. 25th, '77
Other John Caven books in the UPEI Provenance Collection:
de Quincey, Thomas, Confessions of an English Opium Eater. London: George Routledge and Sons, 1886. [Book includes two of John's signatures, both with the year 1898 listed below the name].
Napolean III. History of Julius Cesar. London: Cassell, Peter, Galpin, 186-. [Book includes John's signature and the date of 1864].
Sallustius, C. Cruspus, Opera Quae Extant. [John Caven's signature appears to be written over top of another unidentified signature. This is one of the oldest books in the UPEI Provenance Collection, published in 1786.]
Wetherell, J.E., editor, Cato Maior de Senectute, Toronto: W.J. Gage & Company, 1883. [Signed to John Caven, With the Compliments of the Publishers, W.J. Gage & Co.]
Sources:
1861 Scotland Census Reels 1-150. General Register Office for Scotland, Edinburgh, Scotland. Parish: Edinburgh St Stephen; ED: 48; Page: 23; Line: 11; Roll: CSSCT1861_126
1881 Census of Canada. Census Place: Charlottetown Royalty, Queens, Prince Edward Island; Roll: C_13163; Page: 146; Family No: 700
1901 Census of Canada. Census Place: Charlottetown (City/Cité), Queen's (west/ouest), Prince Edward Island; Page: 1; Family No: 2
Death Registration for Catherine Rigg Caven. Prince Edward Island Public Archives and Record Office. Pre-1906 Death Index. St. Dunstan's Basilica R.C. Church., Charlottetown.
Death Registration for John Caven. Prince Edward Island Public Archives and Record Office. RG19/s2/ss6: Death registration books, 1913-1919, p. 196. Entry number, 8382.
“Dr. Caven” (obituary). Charlottetown Guardian 27 August 1914, p.3. Accessed from Island Newspapers on 6 December 2016.
Frederick's Prince Edward Island Directory and Book of Useful Information for 1889-1890. Frederick's Publishing Company, Charlottetown, Queens County, 1889, p.111.
“Professor Caven Remembered", Charlottetown Guardian, Saturday 21 December 1901, page 1. Accessed from Island Newspapers on 9 November 2016.
Scotland, Births and Baptisms, 1564-1950. Salt Lake City, Utah: FamilySearch, 2013.
Scotland, Marriages, 1561-1910. Salt Lake City, Utah: FamilySearch, 2013, FHL File number: 993528., Catherine Rigg, Mary Caven, Kate Caven, William Caven, John Caven, Lucy Caven and Thomas Paul Caven.
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John Henry Gates
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John Henry Gates (1825-1918)
John Henry Gates was born in London, England on 4 January 1825. He was baptised in St. Bride’s Church on Fleet Street, and was the son of John Gates, a harness maker, and Margaret Thomas.
UPEI’s Provenance copy of Home Floriculture. A Practical Guide to the treatment of Flowering and Other Ornamental Plants in the House and Garden by Eben E. Rexford, and published in 1903, includes a rather detailed description of John’s origins:
John Henry Gates
1906
Charlottetown
PEIsland
Born at Water Street
Blackfriars Street
City of London
England
Jany 4th 1825
In 1830, John, Margaret, and 5 year old John Henry, immigrated to Canada. They settled in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island.
John Henry married Martha Ann Chappelle, daughter of Theophilus Chappelle and Dorothea Bovyer of Charlottetown. They were wed on 19 August 1847, in St. Paul’s Church in Charlottetown.
Two years later, after the birth of his first child, Sophia (b. 11 March 1949), John Henry decided to take a leap towards fortune by heading to California to take advantage of the Gold Rush. He joined the forty-six Islanders who sailed on the Brig “Fanny” which departed from the Pownal Wharf, Charlottetown, on 12 November 1849.
For John Henry’s wife, Martha Ann, it must have been an emotional day. She was a new mother to 8 month old Sophia and would have watched the sailing of the Fanny with some trepidation. Both her husband and her brother (Theophilus Chappell) were on the ship.
John Henry and Theophilus were two of forty investors who purchased the Brig Fanny for 4000 pounds from James Peake. They would have paid 100 pounds each to join the California Association.
In the 1964 Charlottetown Guardian article by Neil A. Matheson, reference is made to the diary of one of the Brig Fanny passengers, Edward Bright Love:
Extensive preparations, the old diary said, included houses, “framed to take with us”, tin for tinsmiths, iron and coal for the blacksmiths, tools for the tradesmen and 5000 feet of pine boards. Food included a great quantitiy of “very stale, tasteless bread, plenty of inferior beef, pork, potatoes, butter, rice, tea, sugar, coffee, raisins, meal, lime juice, and two bottles of ‘so called’ brandy”. There was an instrument for pulling teeth- there was no freezing of gums in those days- spears, harpoons, and hooks to catch dolphins and sharks.
The diary of investor, Edward Love, gives an account of Christmas day, 1849, on the ship:
25. Tuesday. Christmas very warm and calm; saw a school of porpoises, and they came down upon us like race-horses and surrounded the brig in no time. We were trying to harpoon some of them but could not. Shortly after caught a young shark; we had him for our dinner. The galley took fire but was soon put out.
John Henry got involved in the preparation of Christmas dinner that warm and calm Christmas day. One of the ship-mates, Stephen McCallum, wrote his memories of the voyage which was published in the Evening Patriot as a serial in 1892. Excerpts from that account can be found in the 1978 Spring-Summer edition of The Island Magazine. According to McCallum’s account:
One day our cooks served up for dinner some pieces of a small shark, of whose eating qualities we thought very little. We had a very different opinion of several cans of preserved milk brought out by Mr. John H. Gates to help make sauce for our Christmas pudding.
They stopped at Bahai, on their way to California, in search of fruit and provisions but according to Stephen MacCallum’s account they spent only one night before making haste to leave: “[We] had been warned by the British Consul of the great risk we ran by remaining in the Bay, as people were dying by hundreds of Yellow Fever”.
Upon arriving in San Francisco, California in June 1850, 7 ½ months after their departure, they sold the Brig and remaining cargo. The funds were divvied up amongst the investors and each went their own way. San Francisco was struck with cholera, at the time, and the Captain of the Fanny, Captain A. Campbell Irving, died as a result. Many, who survived, opted not to stay. Some headed to Australia, where rumours of gold were prevalent. One those to head to Australia, was John’s brother-in-law Theophilus Chappell.
Of the forty-six that left PEI, it is said only eight returned. John Henry was one of those men. Seven others are known to us: Malcolm Duncan McGowan/McGougan, Edward Bright Love, James Colledge Pope, Edward Moore, George Moore, Stephen Bovyer and John Hawkins (who returned 27 years after leaving). In the years that followed, the men who returned where locally known as “fortyniners”.
John Henry returned to his wife and daughter in PEI around 1852, and subsequently six more children were born to the family. After Sophia Caroline (b.1849), came Henry Sylvanus (b.1853), Margaret Alma (b.1855), John Theophilus (b.1856), Benjamin Franklin (b.1858), Frederick William (b.1860), and Arthur (b.1862).
Eventually, Gates settled in West Royalty and his name is connected closely to the grist/flour mill located on Lower Malpeque Road. The mill was called Mayflower Mill, but locally was often referred to as Gates Mill. A house was built on the property in 1870, and it still stands today at 110 Lower Malpeque Road. In 1883, John Henry placed a for sale notice regarding the property in the Examiner, but it appears not to have sold as it is still in the family hands by 1906. That year, the Examiner noted that Frank Gates (John Henry’s son) purchased a modern milling roller system from Pennsylvania to be used in the mill. You can read more about it in the Historic Places website.
John's wife, Martha Anne Chappell Gates, died on 16 May 1893. On 30 October 1895 widower John (age 70) married widower Jane Rebecca Currie (maiden name Hodgson).
In 1911, John, age 87, and Jane, age 72, were living at 28 Longworth Avenue in Charlottetown, PEI with their servant John Hugher.
John Henry Gates died at the age of 94 on 2 August 1918. His wife, Jane, died six years later on 10 May 1924.
In an article, after his death, it is mentioned that John Henry was the last survivor of the “good ship Fanny”.
Sources:
110 Lower Malpeque Road. Canada’s Historical Places. Accessed 23 November 2016.
1911 Census of Canada. Census Place: 62 - Charlottetown, Queens, Prince Edward Island; Page: 16; Family No: 178
“Centenary of Memorable Voyage of the “Fanny”. Charlottetown Guardian, 12 November 1949, p.4,14. Accessed from Islandora.ca on 15 November 2016.
England, Births and Christenings, 1538-1975. Salt Lake City, Utah: FamilySearch, 2013.
Island Voices… Lloyd Gates interview.
“Laid to Rest”, Charlottetown Guardian, 6 August 1918, p.5. Accessed from Island Newspapers on 14 November 2016.
Master Name Card Index, PARO PEI, CHAPPELL, Sherwood, Lot No 33, Cemetery No 4, Stone No 818.
Matheson, Neil A. “Old Voyage Recalled Round Horn in 1869” [typo title should have read: 1849]. Charlottetown Guardian, 8 May 1964, p.2. Accessed from Islandora on 15 November 2016.
Prince Edward Island Public Archives and Record Offices. RG19, Series 3, Subseries 4: Marriage Licenses, 1895
Prince Edward Island Public Archives and Record Offices. RG19/s2/ss6: Death Registration Books, 1913-1919, p.323, entry number 13023.
Prince Edward Island Public Archives and Record Offices. RG19/s2/ss6: Death Registration Books, 1924, entry number 688.
The Descendants of John Gates and Margaret Thomas Accessed on 14 November 2016.
“The Voyage of the Fanny”, The Island Magazine, Spring-Summer 1978, No.4, p.9-14.
“The Voyage of the Brig Fanny: Extracts from the Diary of the late E. Love”, Charlottetown Guardian, 10 March 1906. Accessed from Island Newspapers on 21 November 2016.
Notes:
Some information was provided by Dennis Taylor, second great nephew of Martha Anne Chappell., 1. Martha Ann Chappelle 2. Rebecca Jane Hodgson Currie, John Gates, Margaret Thomas, Sophia Caroline (b.1849), Henry Sylvanus (b.1853), Margaret Alma (b.1855), John Theophilus (b.1856), Benjamin Franklin (b.1858), Frederick William (b.1860), Arthur (b.1862).
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John Longworth
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John Longworth (19/09/1814 - 11/04/1885)
The Works of Flavius Josephus
John Longworth was born on September 19th of 1814 to his parents Francis Longworth and Agnes Auld. Coming from a well-off family, John was given a good education, first attending Alexander Brown’s Grammar School in Charlottetown, after which he also received the tutelage of Robert Hodgson who was Attorney General for PEI at the time. Under him, he studied law, and by 1837 John Longworth was admitted into the supreme court of PEI as an attorney. He would have been twenty three by that point.
Longworth continued to rise in the legal world and only a year later he opened his own law firm, taking on jobs as an agent for British and American insurance firms. He was becoming very well known as a land conveyancer on PEI. Perhaps it was for this reason that when he went into politics in 1846, his constituents were mostly rural tenant farmers. Though his party was an urban & proprietor focused conservative party, he still cared about the issues of his district. This put him in an awkward position when the debates of responsible governance arose from 1847 - 1849 which would have given a stronger voice to the tenants.
John lost the following election in 1850 when a liberal government was elected. Despite the party he fought for, the winning party had tried to bring him over to their side. Eventually, he accepted the position of solicitor general, but under the conditions that it was a non-political role and that he did not have to attend the executive councils. He won his previous district back in the 1858 election, but lost again in the 1866 election, leaving politics behind afterwards.
Longworth still had an active professional life after politics; taking on several cases in the supreme court, appointed as the chairman in the Charlottetown Board of School Trustees in 1878, working as an aide-de-camp for several lieutenant governors from 1863 - 1879. His career ended in 1882 when the Bank of PEI collapsed under his presidency. The stress of this caused a great detriment to his health.
John Longworth would marry Elizabeth Tremaine on August 31st, 1847. Together they would raise six children, two of which were Richard John Augustus Longworth who followed in his father’s footsteps and entered into law, later becoming involved with a local militia. Isabelle Cogswell Longworth who married former PEI premier Alexander Warburton. Two other siblings were Jack and Arthur Longworth, though not much is known of them.
John Longworth had a colorful career of law and politics. He was well connected through his family, occupation, and constituency. No matter what side someone was on, he was someone they wanted backing them.
Sources:
“LONGWORTH, JOHN.” n.d. Dictionary of Canadian Biography. Accessed December 6, 2024.
“Bank of Canada Museum.” n.d. Bankofcanadamuseum.Ca. Accessed December 6, 2024.
“Longworth, John A. - Memory PEI.” n.d. Gov.Pe.Ca. Accessed December 6, 2024.
“John A. Longworth Fonds - Memory PEI.” n.d. Gov.Pe.Ca. Accessed December 6, 2024.
“Longworth Family - Archives PEI.” n.d. Archives.Pe.Ca. Accessed December 6, 2024.
Driscoll, Fred. n.d. “Canadian Parliamentary Review - Article.” Revparl.Ca. Accessed December 6, 2024.
Photo:
Province of Prince Edward Island, and Canada. n.d. “Public Archives and Records Office.” Gov.Pe.Ca. Accessed December 6, 2024.
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John Smalley
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John Smalley (1843-1915)
John Smalley was born in Salford, Lancashire, England around the year 1843, hist father was Jacob Smalley. At the age of eighteen, John was working as a general mill mechanic and lodging with William and Ann Ingham in Lancashire.
On 6 Oct 1869, in Accrington, Lancashire, John married Martha Rawcliffe. They had six children together, three sons: Harold, Robert, and Arthur, and three daughters: Mary, Ellen, and Hannah.
John moved from a general mill mechanic into a cotton spinner. He would become involved with Grove Mill where he and business partner Samuel Sykes, employed around three hundred people for cotton spinning and weaving. They traded under the name John Smalley, Sykes & Co. On 23 June 1863, John Smalley, Sykes & Co. was dissolved after Samuel’s passing but John would continue on the cotton spinning business with his father, Jacob. Unfortunately, in September 1875, a fire destroyed equipment, buildings and spinning facilities in Grove Mills, which forced many workers and their families to find work elsewhere.
After a few years of cotton spinning, John would move into the corrugated paper making business. HE would continue working with corrugated paper for the rest of his working days.
On 31 October 1915, John Smalley passed away in Lancashire, England. He would leave £1526 2s. 6d. to sons Robert and Arthur.
UPEI’s Provenance Collection has the book, On the probable fall in the value of gold: the commercial and social consequences which may ensue, and the measures which it invites, by Michel Chevalier which was signed with “John Smalley 1866”. Also between the pages of 120 and 121, a note can be found that lists titles sent to Mr. Entwistle from John.
“Lent Mr. Entwistle May 1885.
Jacob Precious Metals 2 vols
Dil Mars do 1 vol
Chevaliers. Probable fall in the value of Gold. 1 vol
Goschins Foreign Exchanges
Summer’s History of American Currency.
I send this last because it contains the infamous “Bulletin Report” to which in its original shape very few people have access and Sumner’s book is all but unknown in this country.
JSmalley”
Sources:
Census Returns of England and Wales, 1861. Kew, Surrey, England: The National Archives of the UK (TNA): Public Record Office (PRO), 1861. Data imaged from The National Archives, London, England.
Lancashire Anglican Parish Registers. Preston, England: Lancashire Archives.
Census Returns of England and Wales, 1871. Kew, Surrey, England: The National Archives of the UK (TNA): Public Record Office (PRO), 1871. Data imaged from the National Archives, London, England. The National Archives gives no warranty as to the accuracy, completeness or fitness for the purpose of the information provided. Images may be used only for purposes of research, private study or education. Applications for any other use should be made to the National Archives, Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 4DU.
Census Returns of England and Wales, 1881. Kew, Surrey, England: The National Archives of the UK (TNA): Public Record Office (PRO), 1881.
Census Returns of England and Wales, 1891. Kew, Surrey, England: The National Archives of the UK (TNA): Public Record Office (PRO), 1891.
Census Returns of England and Wales, 1901. Kew, Surrey, England: The National Archives, 1901. Data imaged from the National Archives, London, England.
Census Returns of England and Wales, 1911. Kew, Surrey, England: The National Archives of the UK (TNA), 1911.
Principal Probate Registry. Calendar of the Grants of Probate and Letters of Administration made in the Probate Registries of the High Court of Justice in England. London, England © Crown copyright.
Bygone Times. About us. 2019. Retrieved from https://bygonetimes.co.uk/about-us/
Carberry, S., & Johnson, N. (2012). Haunted Wigan. Stroud: History.
Estell and Co. 1873. The Manchester Commercial List 1873-1874. London. p.37., Martha Rawcliffe, Harold, Robert, Arthur,
Mary, Ellen, and Hannah
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John Wills
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John Wills (1807-1891)
John Wills was born in the spring of 1807. His birthplace is a bit of a mystery since records indicate two different birthplaces: Ireland (1851-1861 England Census, 1870 U.S. Census), and Liverpool, England (John's obituary). The death certificate of John's son, Oswald's says that John was born in Ireland. According to the birth record of his eldest daughter, John's middle name may have been Trenwith/Frenwith but we have been unable to view the original document to verify. John's namesake son, John, also carried the middle name Trenwith.
John was the son of Francis Wills. The name of John's mother remains unknown. Even in John's death record the place to put “mother's name" is left blank. John's father was the administrator of the Quaker Friends School in Newtown-in-Bolland, Yorkshire, where John received his early education.
John married Sarah Myers on 7 March 1831, in St. Mary's Church, Walton-on-the-Hill, Lancashire, England. At the time of the marriage, John was listed as a coal merchant. John and Sarah had eight children: Mary Myers Wills, Catherine M. Wills, William M. Wills, Francis Wills, Frederick Henry Wills, Oswald A. Wills, John Trenwith Wills, and Sarah F. Wills. At the time of John's death, seven had survived; four living in England and three living in the United States. According to his obituary, John “leaves also a score of grand-children and two great-grand-children to whom, as many of his poems witness, he was most tenderly attached".
In the 1851 Census, John and his large family were living in Chester, England, and he was working as a stock broker. Ten years later, they were living in Birkenhead, near Liverpool, and John was a merchant. His obituary tells us that he was a cotton merchant with the company name “John Wills' Sons & Co." and that the company faltered due to the American Civil War, and it's implications on the cotton industry. The company went bankrupt in the fall of 1864. This appears to have spurred on a dramatic life change, as John decided to take his chances working in America.
John came to the United States around the year 1868. He started in newspaper work and in the 1870 U.S. Census, he is listed as a “newspaper reporter", living in Bridgewater, MA. The Census also indicated that he was 63 and living with Frances (female) Wills age 49, who was “keeping house". There was no indication that this was a spouse or not, but there is evidence that she may be his second wife. His obituary tells us that his first wife died in England before he came to America. He married again in the United States, but the second wife died many years before he did. We have been able to find a Fanny Wills (married), who died on 4 November 1871 in Bridgewater. This may be the second wife of John. This loss may have spurred him on to make another dramatic life change. By 1872, John was ordained as a minister.
John pastored churches in Mansfield, MA, Dighton, MA, Saint John, NB, Portland, ME and finally, Barnstable, MA, where he arrived in 1883 and served as the Unitarian Minister for five years.
In his final years, he wrote a book of poetry: Dreamland Visions and Other Poems which he published for private circulation only.
John died of cystitis (inflammation of the bladder) on 15 November 1891, in Barnstable at the age of 84 years, 7 months, 14 days, which estimates his birth as 1 April 1807. His tomb reads John Wills, Unitarian Minister for 5 years pastor of the Church in this place. 1807-1891.
UPEI's Provenance copy of Dreamland Visions and Other Poems, includes a small photo of John and a beautiful inscription to “Robert C. Bililngs, Esq. With the Author's Compliments". The highly ornate writing of Robert C. Billings, in the book can be attributed to John since the Sturgis Library Archives has other, similar, decorative writing by John Wills. John was a beautiful script artist and is, to date, the most stunning example of flourished script in the UPEI BookLives Collection.
Bibliography:
1851 Census of England. Class: HO107; Piece: 2175; Folio: 264; Page: 30; GSU roll: 87168
1861 Census of England. Class: RG 9; Piece: 2644; Folio: 44; Page: 43; GSU roll: 543004
1870 United States Federal Census. Census Place: West Bridgewater, Plymouth, Massachusetts; Page: 813A; Family History Library Film: 552138
“Death of Rev. John Wills", Barnstable Patriot, 17 November 1891, pg.3.
England, Births and Christenings, 1538-1975. Salt Lake City, Utah: FamilySearch, 2013. Birth of Mary Myers Wills.
Lancashire Anglican Parish Registers. Preston, England: Lancashire Archives. FHL Film Number: 1468975. Marriage Record for John Wills and Sarah Myles (7 March 1831).
“Liverpool Bankruptcies. Extracts from The London Gazette, Commencing 1856", The Liverpool Commercial List. 1871-1872, Sixth and Seventh Years. London: Estell & Co., 1871, p. 57.
Massachusetts Vital Records, 1840–1911. New England Historic Genealogical Society, Boston, Massachusetts. Death record of Oswald Wills.
Massachusetts Vital and Town Records. Town and City Clerks of Massachusetts. Provo, UT: Holbrook Research Institute (Jay and Delene Holbrook). Death record of John Wills.
Sturgis Library Archives: Church and Sermon Collection, Box 1, Folder 12.
Photo:
From John's book, Dreamland Visions and Other Poems.
Notes:
Some information was provided by Lorrie Renker, great great great granddaughter of Reverend John Wills., Francis Wills, Sarah Myers, Frances [unknown], Mary Myers Wills, Catherine M. Wills, William Myers Wills, Francis Wills, Frederick Henry Wills, Oswald A. Wills, John Trenwith Wills, Sarah F. Wills
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Joseph Creamer, Jr.
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Joseph Marie Creamer, Jr. (1852-1900)
Dr. Joseph Marie Creamer, Jr. was born in 1852 in the United States. He was the son of Joseph Creamer, originally from Nova Scotia, and Ellen Tuttle. The 1870 US Census has Joseph living with his parents, his five brothers (Alexander, Alphonse, Hubert, Francis, Charles), one sister (Mary), his maternal grandparents (Alexander and Mary Tuttle) and two female Irish servants (Mary Burns and Mary Gorman). At some point, between 1870 and 1875, Joseph moved to Prince Edward Island.
On 8 November 1875 he married Catherine Matilda Reddin (daughter of Dennis O'Meara Reddin) at St. Dunstan's Cathedral in Charlottetown, PEI.
They had two children, Joseph (b. 21 September 1876) and Francis Alexander (b. 27 January 1880), both born in Charlottetown.
At some point, before October 1888, the family moved to Brooklyn, New York, where Joseph worked as a physician and surgeon. The Wednesday, October 10th, 1888 edition of The Brooklyn Daily Eagle announced the following:
A Bogus Check. Presented in Payment of an Alleged Doctor's Bill. Dr. Jospeh M. Creamer, Jr., had not long departed from his home this morning in his carriage to attend to his professional duties when a respectable looking man rang the door bell and inquired of Mrs. Creamer if the doctor was at home. When told that he was not, the man expressed disappointment and explained that he had come to pay a bill of $15 and it would put him to some inconvenience to call again. At his suggestion Mrs. Creamer accepted a check on the Commercial National Bank for $25, dated October 8 and made payable to the bearer, returning the stranger $10 change. The check was signed by Charles E. Endicott. When the doctor returned to his home he realized at once that he had been swindled out of $10. The check is now at the Fifth Precinct Station.
Joseph and Ellen's two sons did well in New York. Joseph followed his father's footsteps and became a doctor (including a stint as the New York Giant's physician); Frank became a Detective in the New York Police Department.
Joseph Creamer II died on 23 February 1900 as a result of rheumatism.
UPEI's Provenance collection includes the book Lectures and Essays on Irish and other Subjects by Henry Giles. The inscription in this book includes a stamp with the name Doctor J. Creamer Jr. and below that, written in pencil, is:
Presented to Prof J Caven.
By his friend Joseph Creamer N.Y.
Ch'town Nov. 25th, '77
Bibliography:
"A Bogus Check," The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, 10 October 1888, p. 6., Catherine Matilda Reddin, 1. Joseph Creamer
2. Francis Alexander Creamer
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Joseph McCarey
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Joseph McCarey (1864-1936)
Joseph McCarey was born on 15 January 1864 to Margaret Moinah and Patrick McCarey in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. His parents immigrated from Ireland in 1852. The 1881 Census of Canada lists Joseph and five siblings, Bernard (1854), Rose (Sister St. Marie Claire) (1857), Sarah (1860), James (1862), and Harry (1873).
Another sister, Jane, was married by 1881. The obituary of a Mrs. Francis McRory lists Joseph McCarey as her brother. Charlottetown Baptismal certificates from Charlottetown indicate that there were at least four children of Francis McRory and Jane McCarey between the years 1874-1884. There is some evidence of another sister, Mary, married to Francis Eden. Their daughter, Helen Constance Eden, was baptized at St. Dunstan's Cathedral on 24 December 1876. Another daughter, Ethel Mary Eden, is listed as grand-daughter on the headstone of Patrick and Margaret McCarey (Joseph's parents). Margaret Moinah McCarey, died on 27 February 1885. Patrick McCarey, died on 5 December 1900.
Joseph attended Christian Brother’s School until 1877, when he matriculated into Saint Dunstan’s University from 1877-1878. After his year at SDU, he attended the Charlottetown Business College.
Joseph married Helen O’Shea on 14 October 1895. They had four girls together, Florine (9 September 1896), Helen Winifred (3 July 1899), Marie Clare (27 May 1902), and Edna Bernadine (20 August 1905).
On 30 November 1880, Joseph took a job as a clerk in the Charlottetown Post Office. From these humble beginnings, he moved his way up becoming Assistant Postmaster on 2 February 1912, and full Postmaster on 2 May 1918. He was employed in every branch of the mail service by this point.
When Joseph retired from the postmaster position in December 1925, he was considered a “pioneer” of the mailing system on Prince Edward Island. He was the first Postmaster that was selected based on merit, as opposed to one of political gain. Joseph also started air delivery from Charlottetown to Truro, Nova Scotia. An article in The Guardian, called Joseph McCarey, the “best and most efficient postmaster Charlottetown ever had” (1930, pg. 6).
During his time in Charlottetown, Joseph was president of the Anti-Tuberculosis Society and was interested in aquatic sports.
After his retirement, Joseph immigrated with his wife to Baltimore, Maryland. A passenger manifest described him as being 5 foot 7 inches tall, with brown hair, medium complexion, grey eyes, and a moustache.
Joseph’s wife, Helen, died on 22 May 1927. After her death, Joseph travelled extensively around Europe and Canada, making frequent visits home to visit his family on the Island. On one of his travels in Europe, he had sent a box of white heather to the editor of The Guardian with a card saying “Greetings from Auld Reekie” (24 August 1929, pg. 15).
Joseph McCarey passed away on 25 June 1936 in Baltimore, Maryland.
On 16 May 1894, Joseph was gifted the Ecclesiastical History of Newfoundland by the very Reverend M. F. Howely. Inside, is written “With best wishes of Mr. & Mrs. Beruen? To Joseph McCarey A D 1894 May 16.” The book eventually came into the possession of Mgr. J.C. McLean, who also signed the book. Rev. McLean donated the book to Saint Dunstan’s College (now UPEI), where it is housed in the Robertson Library Provenance Collection.
Sources:
1881 Census of Canada. Census Place: Charlottetown Royalty, Queens, Prince Edward Island; Roll: C_13163; Page: 82; Family No: 353.
1891 Census of Canada.Census Place: Charlottetown Royalty, Queens, Prince Edward Island; Roll: T-6383; Family No: 14.
1901 Census of Canada.Census Place: Charlottetown (City/Cité), Queen's (west/ouest), Prince Edward Island; Page: 3; Family No: 24.
1921 Census of Canada. Reference Number: RG 31; Folder Number: 105; Census Place: Charlottetown (City), Queens, Prince Edward Island; Page Number: 5.
“The City and the Province During 1936.” Charlottetown Guardian. 31 December 1936. Pg. 5. Accessed through Island Newspapers on 25 July 2016.
“Former Local Postmaster Dies Suddenly.” Charlottetown Guardian. 26 June 1936. Pg. 10. Accessed through Island Newspapers on 25 July 2016.
"Local and other Items". Charlottetown Herald. 2 December 1885.
MacKinnon, D.A. and A.B. Warburton. Past and present of Prince Edward Island. Charlottetown: B.F. Brown, 1906. Accessed through UPEI Microform collection.
Maryland Baltimore Passenger Lists, 1820-1948. Year: 1929. Volume 98-99, 1 July 1929 - 28 June 1931 [NARA T844 roll 127].
“Mr. Joseph McCarey in Edinburgh.” Charlottetown Guardian. 24 August 1929. Pg. 15. Accessed through Island Newspapers on 25 July 2016.
“Mrs. Francis McCrory." Charlottetown Guardian. 28 February 1933. Pg. 6. Accessed through Island Newspapers on 30 May 2019.
“Personals.” Charlottetown Guardian. 17 August 1935. Pg. 10. Accessed through Island Newspapers on 25 July 2016.
“A Pleasant Visit.” Charlottetown Guardian. 15 August 1930. Pg. 6. Accessed through Island Newspapers on 25 July 2016.
Cemetery Transcripts. PEI Genealogical Society Inc. Record #1263, McCarey stone. Charlottetown Roman Catholic Cemetery, Lot 33-14, page 30.
PEI Public Archives and Record Office. Baptismal Record for Helen Constance Eden, Record Book Number 3, Record Book Page 447.
Public Archives and Records Office of Prince Edward Island. Year: 1927. Place: Baltimore, Maryland. Source: Patriot Newspaper, 31 December 1927.
“The Queen’s County Guardian.” Charlottetown Guardian. 27 February 1912. Pg. 3. Accessed through Island Newspapers on 25 July 2016.
“Sees Many Changes During Half Century in Postal Service.” Charlottetown Guardian. 7 October 1930. Pg. 2 & 5. Accessed through Island Newspapers on 25 July 2016.
The National Archives at Washington, D.C.; Washington, D.C.; Series Title: Passenger Lists of Vessels Arriving at Boston, Massachusetts, 1891-1943; NAI Number: 4319742; Record Group Title: Records of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, 1787-2004; Record Group Number: 85; Series Number: T843; NARA Roll Number: 408.
Notes:
Some information was provided by Sean Vanderfluit. His spouse is a great great great niece of Joseph McCarey.
Photo:
“Sees Many Changes During Half Century in Postal Service.” Charlottetown Guardian. 7 October 1930. Pg. 5. Accessed through Island Newspapers on 25 October 2016., Patrick McCarey, Margaret Moinah, Helen O’Shea, 1.Florine
2. Helen Winifred
3. Marie Clare
4. Edna Bernadine
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Julia Op ten Noort
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Jonkvrouwe Julia Adriana Op ten Noort (1910-1996)
Jonkvrouwe Julia Adriana Op ten Noort was born on 9 November 1910, in Amsterdam to parents Squire, Godfried Carl Op ten Noort, who was the director of De Gekroonde Valk Brewery, and Maria Aletta Johanna Bock. Julia had an older brother, Laurens Pieter Dignus Op ten Noort.
Julia’s parents joined the NSB movement in 1932, her brother Laurens would join in 1934 but Julia became a member of the Oxford Group. She joined in 1931 and during her time with the group, she would travel all over the world to Switzerland, England, Canada, U.S. and Germany. It was through the Oxford Group, when traveling to Germany in 1934, that Julia met Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler and Meinoud Rost van Tonningen. In 1937, Julia left the Oxford Group and became involved with NSB due to her friendships with SS officers, as well as her support of the Great Germanic idea.
Julia then helped found the National Socialist Women’s Organization (NSVO) on 1 September 1938. She and Elisabeth Keers-Laseur, worked together to try and radicalize the NSVO, but Rost van Tonningen, another NSB member, did not trust how much power the women had. He demoted Julia from deputy leader to secretary; he was unable to fire her due to her friendship with Heinrich Himmler. Julia resigned from the NSVO in 1941, unhappy with the demotion.
Himmler then offered Julia an internship at Bielefeld, Germany, which was an education institution for girls. In September 1942, Himmler gave Julia the position of first director of the Dutch Reichsschule für Mädel in Limburg. In 1943, Himmler called Julia away from the school due to her pregnancy, she was unwed at the time. Julia gave birth to her son Heinrich on 26 February 1944, at Lebensbornheim in Steinhöring (Bavaria).
After the war, Julia turned herself over to the Americans in Germany, The Tribunal sentenced her to two and half years in prison in 1948. She would only serve one year, then settle in Germany doing odd jobs. In 1953, Julia married folk artist Michael Sebastian Rothfischer but the marriage only lasted until 1958. During this time, Julia also became a follower of Bhagwan, Ramakrishna, Gandhi and the Dalai Lama.
In Frankfurt, in 1989, Julia’s son Heinrich was found dead in his apartment, there was no known cause of death. A few years later, in 1996, Jonkvrouwe Julia Adriana Op ten Noort died in Fulda, Kassel, Hesse, Germany.
Sources:
Matthée, Z. (2018). Op ten Noort, Julia (1910–1996). Digital Women’s Lexicon of the Netherlands. http://resources.huygens.knaw.nl/vrouwenlexicon/lemmata/data/OptenNoort
Reijnders, L. (2019). Wat we kunnen leren van utopiste Julia Op ten Noort | IofC Nederlands. Initiatives of Change Nederland. https://www.iofc.nl/wat-we-kunnen-leren-van-utopiste-julia-op-ten-noort
Wikipedia-bijdragers. (2020, November 30). Julia op ten Noort. Wikipedia. https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julia_op_ten_Noort
University of Lethbridge Digitized Collections, (1933, April 15). Lethbridge Harold. https://digitallibrary.uleth.ca/digital/collection/herald/id/12815
Photo:
Julia op ten Noort and Florrie Rost van Tonningen, by unknown photographer, 1930’s. https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julia_op_ten_Noort, Maria Aletta Johanna Bock, Squire, Godfried Carl Op ten Noort, Laurens Pieter Dignus Op ten Noort, Michael Sebastian Rothfischer, Heinrich Op ten Noort
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