A2Z 2022: Oral Stories

March 7, 2022January 22, 2024

Oral Stories and Hand-Me-Downs

Are they goldmines for genealogists, or just repetitive old rumours, and juicy, embellished gossip, handed down from generation to generation?

It was the early 1800s, in Upper Canada and the stories going around were that they were related to each other!

But were they?

N.B. This assignment was attempted in 2021 and had to be postponed.

ARGUMENT: ATKINSON

The oral stories shared here are from the time-frames of 1819 to 1867, before Ontario, Canada was named as it is now.

1791-1840 was Upper Canada, and 1841-1867 was Canada West.

In the collected transcriptions (betw.1927-1966), I have deduced previous researchers blended notes and failed to recall which John ATKINSON was who; but I will let you come to your own conclusions.

Time — it can be limited, framed or wasted. It can be of a precious, or valuable, quality. It can heal, stand still or run out on you. It can slip away like sand in an hourglass or it can last an eternity; and yet by day’s end, there never seems to be enough of it.

When Allan SMITH [05-0024] was appointed Genealogist at the first ATKINSON Reunion at Dundurn (Castle) Park in Hamilton, Ontario, he had his work cut out for him.

It was 1927: the Genealogical Proof Standard did not exist then; nor were there very many people citing their sources — other than listing the interview conversations with their eldest living relations.

Many were visiting cemeteries to transcribe gravestones. Some were cleaning those same stones with shaving cream and other abrasive chemicals, to improve easier reading. No one thought to take photographs of the cemeteries or the old family homesteads.

If they only knew then what we know now.

The following information was collected in cemeteries, libraries and by talking to  descendants. It included writing numerous letters and reading many old books on the County  of York.  compiled and researched by (the late) Risdon & Mildred (REID) ATKINSON, Schomberg, Ontario,  21MAY1966.  Warning it is a little difficult to follow, but I believe I have figured out this  John ATKINSON line.

APPARENTLY, JOHN ATKINSON SENIOR [A3-0000] AND his children, Thomas [A3-0004] and George [A3-0006], Margery [A3-0005] and Jane [A3-0007], settled in Markham Township at the start on Lot27, Concession 2, in York County in 1819.

John Senior and his son George are buried on this farm. John at the age of 71 years in 1835 and George at the age of 30 years in 1832 on May 15th. They are buried on the height of land near the North side of the farm about one hundred yards West of Concession 3. This plot has an iron railing around it.

This farm was owned by Mr. Alexander W. CRUICKSHANK [A2-0267], who married a Stouffville ATKINSON named Ethel [A2-0262], and sold the farm to the present (1966) owner, Graeme F. BALES.

George ATKINSON [A3-0006] married Margaret BAKER [A3-0109] and their descendants are: his son Jacob ATKINSON [A3-0112], who died 12 February 1901 aged 71 years; his wife Elizabeth DOAN [A3-0117] (who died 15 April 1875 aged 39 years 10 months). There is also a Jeremiah ATKINSON [A3-0113].

The monument of George and his father, John Senior, was brought to the COBER CEMETERY by their descendant, Fred ATKINSON [A3-0165] and placed in this cemetery in 1965. The Cober Cemetery is located on Dufferin Street, a couple miles south of the Maple and Richmond Hill side roads, just West of Richmond Hill, Ontario.

Fred is from Orangeville, Ontario. Some of George and Margaret’s descendants, or relatives, are Amos and Isaac BAKER.

Jacob [A3-0016] and David [A3-0013] bought the Old Mill from the Bank of Upper Canada in 1859 and had it for 11 years, which consisted of 54 acres of land. This mill included a foundry, which made ploughshares and cutting boxes that were widely used in the district and assembled in the lower part of the Old Mill. The other part of the mill was used for grinding grain. The upper story was used for stocking apples grown in the nearby orchards. They sold it to a Joseph KURTZ – a cousin related through Elizabeth (KURTZ) ATKINSON [A3-0009].

They built other buildings, such as brick factories in Mimico and the western area.

Jacob and his wife lived at Lambton Mills, Ontario. Jacob K. ATKINSON died February 6, 1917, aged 85 years; his wife, Julia Ann KAISER [A3-0090] died August 19, 1886, aged 45 years. Their son, Jacob B. ATKINSON [A3-0094] (17 February 1875-31 January 1893), also an infant, Arthur JULAND [A3-0105] and their daughter, Henrietta Julia (ATKINSON) GARBUTT [A3-0092] (29 May 1870-12 February 1954). David ATKINSON died 4 April 1876 aged 51 years.

Joshua ATKINSON died 19 April 1884, aged 61 years, and interred in MOUNT PLEASANT MAUSOLEUM, Toronto. His daughter, Ida Mary died 10 April 1875, aged 4 years 3 months, and (another daughter) Louisa died 7 October 1879, aged 3 days – the children of Joshua and Mary ATKINSON. Margery ATKINSON [A3-0091], Jacob’s daughter (3 December 1862-20 January 1890) married a JOSEPH CREECH [A3-0095] and had a daughter, Laura [A3-0121] who lives on the Dundas. Laura CREECH 24AUG1888-11MAY1975

George, son of John ATKINSON III, who married Clara had a son George who died 4 September 1907, aged 28 years. Also Alma Alice died 13 August 1889, aged 2 months, Cyrille J. died 2 November 1892, aged 5 years. They lived at Lambton Mills. They are buried at St. GEORGE’S ANGLICAN CENETERY on Dundas Highway near the Old Mill. All the dead mentioned in the above paragraphs are also buried there.

JOHN JUNIOR [A3-0002], THE FATHER of Jacob and David ATKINSON, apparently settled in Vaughan Township on Lot41, Concession 1 (West Half), with the rest of his brothers and sisters, namely, David and William, Thomas, Margery and Jane. They ran a farm and operated a grist mill on the Old Mill Road, now (1966) called Weldrich Road, that runs Yonge Street to Bathurst Street, one mile south of Richmond Hill, Ontario. He built the mill for one thousand Pounds. ($1640.90 CAD or $1310.33 USD; as of 4/2022)

John Junior had eight children, all but two

The following paragraphs will contain a brief account of the families of the other six children of John ATKINSON Junior.

(1) JOHN

George Wellington ATKINSON [A3-0059] (1849-1907), who settled in Lambton Mills; married 1875 to Clara Ann CADIEUX [A3-0061] (1848-1929), daughter of Joseph CADIEUX (1819-1903) & Catherine McClusky (unkn); and,
Sarah Alma ATKINSON [A3-0060] (1854-1931), married 1876 to William Henry PUGSLEY [A3-0067] (1851-1933), who for many years was Reeve (1885-1896 and 1907-1918) of Richmond Mill and Warden of the County of York; was the son of John PUGSLEY (1817-1884) & Mary Ann LOCK (1819-1890)

(2) JOSHUA ATKINSON [A3-011] (1823-1884) married Ann “June” REID [A3-0036] (1827-1870), daughter of Dr. Asa REID, MD (1772-1859), one of the earliest medical practitioners in the County of York, and Margaret WILSON (1793-1874). Their children were:

Margaret Elizabeth ATKINSON (1852-1945) married bef.1872 to Sperry Wilmot “Milton” CARD (1848-1908), son of Tharity Ann CARD of Port Huron, Michigan;
Asa Reid ATKINSON [A3-0037] (1848-1913) of Peoria, Illinois; married 1874 to Anne ACHESON [A3-0203] (1851-bef.1910), daughter of George & Amanda ACHESON
David George ATKINSON (1854-1927), who did not marry;
Walter John ATKINSON [A3-0038] (1849-unkn) of Smith Falls; married Charlotte KAISER [A3-0043]; and,
Frederick William ATKINSON [A3-0041] (1861-1930), town clerk of Strathroy for many years; married 1889 to Nancy McGAGAN [A3-0527] (1853-1919), daughter of Archibald & Margaret McGAGAN; then married 1921 to Velma CARROLL-LAMBERT [A3-0204](1861-1929), daughter of George CARROLL & Elizabeth DELL

After 1844 but before 1870, Joshua married his second wife, Mary BOND-SMITH [A3-044] (1837-1923), daughter of Richard BOND (d.1893) & Ann CHARNLEY (d.1877) and their family – all of whom remained in Toronto – comprised of:

Joshua James Bond ATKINSON [A3-0048] (1869-1937); married 1923 to Giles Tinto CATHCART [A3-0210] (1882-unkn), daughter of James CATHCART & Giles TINTO;
Mary Ida ATKINSON [A3-0045] (1871-1875);
Daniel Henry Elen ATKINSON [A3-0049] (no further information known);
Ellen “Eleanor“ Julia Ann ATKINSON [A3-0050] (1875-1939); married 1905 to Milton Wood LACKIE [A3-0057] (1874-1940), son of John Davis LACKIE (1837-1882) & Priscilla CARLYLE (1839-1894);
Edmund “Percy” Percival ATKINSON [A3-0046] (1876-unkn); married Edith Sophia “Chase” HARWOOD [A3-0051] (1875-unkn), daughter of Dr. William Charles HARWOOD (1844-1908) & Sarah Elizabeth ARNOLD* (d.1934); and,
Louisa ATKINSON [A3-0047](1879-1879)

(3) MARGERY ATKINSON [A3-0014] (1828-1879) married James KELLAR [A3-0068] (1826-1872), son of Charles KELLAR & Rebecca TOMLINSON of Unionville. Their children were:

Elizabeth KELLAR [A3-0219] (b.1853)
Frank KELLAR [A3-0220] (b.1855)
Cornelius KELLAR [A3-0069] who died young; born between 1856-1859
Thomas W. KELLAR [A3-0229] born between 1857-1862; married 1885 to Maggie HARDY [A3-0221] (b.1861), daughter of Richard & Elizabeth HARDIE
James Henry KELLAR [A3-0070] (1861-1915), for some years, the Principal of the high school at for some years, the Principal of the high school at Sherbrooke, Quebec; later in the insurance business in China; and later still, in New Westminster, British Columbia; and wife, Charlotte Louisa COLE [A3-0528](1860-1918), daughter of John W. COLE & Charlotte
Margery E. (Mrs. Charles Joseph KELLAR) of Stratford, Ontario, Margery [A3-0071](1866-1938) and Charles [A3-0462](1859-1934), son of Joseph KELLAR & Catherine BEASLEY; and,
Annie of Sherbrooke, Quebec – Anne M. KELLAR [A3-0072](b.1870)

(4) JACOB KURTZ ATKINSON (1832-1917) married 1862 to Julia Ann KAISER (1841-1886), daughter of Peter Erlin KAISER II & Phoebe BENNETT; and grand-daughter of Peter Erlin KAISER, who settled in York Township in 1801. Their children were:

Margery (Mrs. Joseph KREECH) of Lambton Mills; Margery 1862-1890 and Joseph 1856-1959
Albert of Jeanette’s Creek;
“Etta” Henrietta Julia (Mrs. Juland GARBUTT) of Jeanette’s Creek; Etta 1870-1954 and Juland 1867-1933 and,
Jacob, who died in his teens – Jacob B. ATKINSON 1875-1893

But, one child is not mentioned: Albert George ATKINSON (b.1874) of Lambton Mills, who in 1913 married Victoria Edith BRADLEY, daughter of John BRADLEY and Victoria Elizabeth KURTZ.

(5) ELIZABETH ATKINSON married Dr. Henry SANDERSON, MVD (1816-1893), son of John SANDERSON (1778-1854) & Ann BINNINGTON (1777-1831), druggist and veterinarian of Richmond Hill, who built the house and store at the corner of Yonge Street and Centre Street East in the village. Their children were:

Elizabeth Ann (1844-1847);
Dr. John Henry SANDERSON, MVD (1846-1930), who lived his life in Richmond Hill; married 1875 to Elizabeth H. LINFOOT (1847-1904), daughter of John LINFOOT (1813-1866) & Harriet Anne HOOPER (1813-1852);
William Atkinson SANDERSON (1849-1915), a pharmacist, who lived his life in Richmond Hill; married 1874 to Henrietta PROCTOR (1849-1927), daughter of Isaac PROCTOR (d.1897) & Mary BOADVILLE (1820-1900);
Mary Jane “Minnie” SANDERSON (1858-1949), married 1876 to John DUNCAN (1841-1931), now (1947) Mrs. Frank SHAY of Oshawa;
Marjorie Palmer SANDERSON (1859-1939) of Toronto, married 1886 to Alexander George Frederick LAWRENCE (1859-1945), son of James M. LAWRENCE (1827-1899) & Sophronia AIKSEY (1937-1920);
Frances Maria SANDERSON (1862-1863) and,
James M. “Jay” SANDERSON (1866-unkn) of Miami, Florida, married before 1920 to Ella C. (C1873-1953)

(6) WILLIAM ATKINSON, THE ONLY one of the sons of John ATKINSON Junior to remain in Richmond Hill all his life, was born 20 May 1830. In 1853, he married Mary GRAHAM (1828-1895) of Georgetown. The GRAHAMs, who lived originally in Tyrone, Ireland, and later in Scotland, had come to Canada six years earlier (1847).

In 1864, William opened a general store in Richmond Hill in a building on the site of the City’s Service Garage, but in 1872 he moved to what is now (1966) 53 Yonge Street. In 1874, he built the house and store number 54 and 56 Yonge Street (1966), and known for many years as “The Concrete.” His business prospered from the first and continued to do so when his son-in-law Joseph A.E. SWITZER, became his partner under the name ATKINSON & SWITZER.

William was active in civic enterprises in many capabilities, both before and after the village of Richmond Hill was incorporated in 1872. In politics, he was a Liberal and in religion, a Methodist. He gave much material aid when the present Methodist (United) Church building was erected in 1880. One of his contributions was indeed unique, for it was he who, in those days before steeplejacks were easily obtainable, climbed the 160-foot tower to place the ornamental tip on the spire.

He was one of the original cottagers at the Grimsby Park Methodist Camp Ground, or as it was later known, Grimsby Beach, and along with his wife, Mary, spent each summer there.

In 1887, they journeyed to England for the Queen Victoria Golden Jubilee Celebration in London.

William died 17 January 1896, while Mary predeceased him 30 April 1895.

There were three children of their marriage:

Robert John (1854), who died in 1871 at the age of seventeen;
William David, born 1 March 1864; and,
Elizabeth Ann, born 14 February 1856

Elizabeth Ann (1856-1928) married Joseph A.E. SWITZER (1839-1909), son of John & Jane SWITZER of Streetsville on 18 January 1876 and there were four children:

Mary Edith SWITZER (1877-1906) 1901 married to Frederick James JOHNSTON (1869-unkn), son of James JOHNSTON & Mary DAVIDSON;
Ethel Alma SWITZER (1884-unkn) married after 1911 Census to R. Walker HALL, son of Joseph HALL & Elizabeth WALKER
Bertha Olive SWITZER (1866-1972) never married; and
Marjorie Hazel SWITZER (1887-1976) never married

JOSEPH A.E. SWITZER WAS his father-in-law’s partner in the firm of ATKINSON & SWITZER until Mr. ATKINSON retired from business in 1892. Joseph was then associated with his brother-in-law, William David ATKINSON, until SWITZER died 18 May 1909.

Following this, Elizabeth (ATKINSON) SWITZER, with the aid of her daughter, Ethel (SWITZER) HALL, continued to operate the business under the old name until it was sold in 1920, after 56 consecutive years of active operation. Ethel was still living as of 25 May 1966.

IN 1888, WILLIAN DAVID ATKINSON purchased the general store of Isaac CROSBY, at “The Fireproof,” now (1966) occupied by D. HILL and Company. He carried on with the general store until 1892, when he took his father’s place in the firm of ATKINSON & SWITZER.

IN 1899, William married Frances TRENCH, daughter of William TRENCH, carriage manufacturer and for many years Reeve of Richmond Hill. William was prominent in lacrosse, then in its heyday, and curling. Music was his hobby; he possessed an excellent tenor voice and was a member of the (church?) choir, as well as a versatile performer in the village band. He died 31 December 1895, leaving one child, William Donald Trench ATKINSON, born 3 September 1891.

WILLIAM D.T. ATKINSON, AFTER graduating from the Richmond Hill schools and the University of Toronto, served overseas for four years in World War I. He had taught Latin from 1921-1929 at Lisgar Collegiate Institute (high school) before his tenure (1930s) as principal at Glebe Collegiate in Ottawa, Ontario.

In 1921, almost one hundred years to the day his great-grandfather John ATKINSON Junior married Elizabeth KURTZ, William married Marguerite FLEMING, and had three children, who constitute the sixth generation of this branch of the ATKINSON Family in Canada:

Doris Margaret;
Mary Frances; and,
William David

Anyone who scans the early history of the County of York will be struck by the interlinking by marriage of the older families – an inevitable result of the sparseness of the population in those days.

Often indeed, the same families are related by the marriages of several of their members. The foregoing account, which deals almost exclusively with the descendants of John ATKINSON Junior contains the names of many of the early families of the county; and on their mother’s side, Elizabeth (KURTZ) are equally and widely connected: SNIDER, BENNETT, VANDERBURGH, GRAY, MITCHELL, LEVER and COBER appear among their near relatives.

After the passage of a century of time, many of these relationships are forgotten and lost, but at all events, the record shows that The ATKINSON Family had many blood ties and undoubtedly many more of friendship, among the pioneer families of the district.

As was stated at the outset. John ATKINSON Senior arrived in the vicinity of Richmond Hill in 1819 – that same summer saw the arrival of a much more distinguished Englishman, in the person of Charles LENNOX, Fourth Duke of Richmond and Governor-General of British North America, whose wife had given the famous ball on the eve of Waterloo four years earlier.

To commemorate the Duke’s visit, the village name was changed rom Miles’ Hill (after Abner MILES, one of the earliest innkeepers of the district) to its present name Richmond Hill.

The noble Duke departed after a stay of a few hours at most, but John ATKINSON and his descendants remained; and for a full century (until 1919) five generations of ATKINSONs in an uninterrupted line: John Senior, John Junior, William, William David and William Donald called Richmond Hill their home for a substantial portion of their lives, while a member of the sixth generation, Doris Margaret ATKINSON, lived for two years (1945-47) in the home of her grandmother, Mrs. Frances (TRENCH) ATKINSON, herself a life-long resident of the village.

However, even the brief and incomplete record in the preceding paragraphs shows that the descendants of John ATKINSON Senior are widely scatter over Canada, and the United States and at the time of this writing, 1947, only one direct descendant, Mrs. R. Walker HALL, is a permanent resident of the community.

NOTA BENA: Typos, sentence structure and other grammatical  errors are left untouched in  this reference copy/  transcription.  Corrections will have references & citations added in blue.

**MORE TO FOLLOW

Oral Stories and Hand-Me-Downs

ARGUMENT: ATKINSON

BRUNSKILL: ANCESTRY COLLAPSE?

COLD CASE: MURDER

DEAD (AND BURIED?)

ENDOGAMY

FORGOTTEN WAR

A Little History

From A Different Perspective

COLOURFUL GRAPHIX

HIDDEN

IRISH COUSIN

JUST KIDDING

KELLAM

LINFOOT

MARY MARY

NATURALIZATION

OVERVIEW

PATRIOTS

PATRIOT A104795 is Private Daniel SKINNER.

PATRIOT A056757 is Corporal Benajah HOMCOMBE III

PATRIOT A056835 is Judah HOLCOMB, Senior

PATRIOT A056795 is Hezekiah HOLCOMBE II

PATRIOT A056790 is Captain Hezekiah HOLCOMB, Senior

PATRIOT A089194 is Captain Abraham PINNEY, Senior

PATRIOT A115753 is Lieutenant Henry ZIMMERMAN, (TIMMERMAN)

QUEEN VICTORIA’S JUBILEE

RABBITS!

SIBLINGS

TABLE, (YEAR)

UNITED EMPIRE LOYALISTS

(AN EARLIER) VOYAGE

TRENCH: WHEELWRIGHT

X-PUNGED (or X-ONERATED?)

REFERENCES:

Y-KNOT

Z-END

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