Granny's Genealogy

Knox Presbyterian Church Cemetery, Huron County, Ontario — Johnston

August 12th, 2009 | Posted by Granny Pam in Cemeteries | Granny's Ancestors - (2 Comments)

This entry is part 14 of 60 in the series Cemeteries

knoxpresbyteriancranbrook-2 small Knox presbyterian cranbrook overview-2 small

The members of the my great-grandmother’s family who died in or near Grey Township are also buried at Knox Presbyterian cemetery.

John Johnston was a taxable resident of Grey Township by 1866; I do not know the exact date he arrived there. Just two members of John’s family survived and migrated to Michigan, his children, James and Jane. Jane was my great-grandmother.

A cousin related to me that her father, Rae Johnston, son of James Johnston and grandson of John Johnston, traveled to Canada with a friend and visited the cemeteries. It seems that either James or Rae Johnston purchased the Johnston gravestones. The appearance and style of the markers is not consistent with the death years of the family.

Johnstonplotcranbrook

My second great-grandfather, John Johnston, 1829-1881

Catherine Raper Johnston, 1834-1880

Margaret “Maggie” Johnston, 1863-1880

Barbara Winnie Johnston, 1876-1881

I stood at this grave for a long time. As a reminder, I didn’t crop my foot off the photo. In my mind, this grave connected and cemented my relationship to this family forever. My grandmother, Winnie Alice Kaiser, must have been named for this aunt, her mother’s sister. Just seeing the name made me shiver. I had absolutely no doubt, these Johnstons were my family.

After this trek, I drove back to Goderich and began to search the marriage, death and birth indices for the time. Funny, a marriage record I found said this:

#004614-81: William HARBOTTLE, 23, farmer, born Granville, Ontario, residing Grey twp., son of John HARBOTTLE & Sarah CHISHOLM, married Kate JOHNSTON, 23, born Perth County, Ontario., residing Grey township, d/o John JOHNSTON & Catherine RAPER, witnesses were Earnest HARBOTTLE & Mary Ann KAISER, both of Grey Township, date April 20, 1881 at Grey twp.

Hmmm. Back to the cemetery records; then, another, sadder drive back to the cemetery.

Katherine “Kate” Johnston Harbottle, 1857-1881

I remember years ago, when Papa and I located the grave of his g-grandmother I said, great! Now, who else is around here, it is important to look at the neighbors. That day we did find some neighboring graves with names that seemed significant to us. On this day in May, 1991, in Grey, Ontario, I had missed it. I would not have realized, even had I seen the grave before I left the cemetery the first time. I am glad I had planned a several day trip, in order to view all the records I could find in the area.

After locating Kate’s marker, I took this overview of the Johnston markers and her marker, to show the relationship.

The taller, older marker for Kate is just behind the Johnston lot, in the next row.

Harbottle, Huron Ontario Canada, Johnston, Knox Presbyterian Cranbrook

Knox Presbyterian Church Cemetery, Huron County, Ontario — Kaiser

August 11th, 2009 | Posted by Granny Pam in Cemeteries | Granny's Ancestors - (0 Comments)

This entry is part 13 of 60 in the series Cemeteries

The Church

Knox presbyterian church cranbrook-2

The cemetery, out my car door, and across the hood.

Knoxcranbrook overview-2

The cemetery is located at Cranbrook, Concession 11, Grey Township. When I arrived at this place in May of 2001, it was truly a spiritual experience.

It was satisfying to stand at the graves of both sides of my grandmother’s family. I later found that a cousin had visited during his lifetime, but that was 40 or 50 years previous to my visit. I had no idea of what I would find, and the discovery of my ancestor’s names in the indices in Goderich and the subsequent trip to the cemetery was very exciting.

This post will show the Kaiser side of my Grandmother’s family. My 2nd great grandfather, William Kaiser, and his family resided in Grey, Huron, Ontario, Canada from at least 1870 forward. I do not know the exact date the family arrived in the area. The three children of William Kaiser and Elizabeth Long who died while the family resided in Grey Township are buried here. There is one stone which had been broken off and subsequently repaired.

The transcription from the cemetery record in Goderich reads:

In Memory Of
Joseph
Died Feb. 7, 1876;
Aged 18 Years
6 Mo’s & 7 D’s
Cecelia
Died Apr. 17, 1876;
Aged 8 Years
9 Mo’s & 17 D’s
Sarah
Died Aug 19, 1870
Aged 3 Mo’s & 19 D’s
Children of Wm & Elizabeth Kiser
4 line verse illegible

The verse is now completely missing, but the top portion of the marker was saved, and cemented to prevent tipping. Here are some close ups:

Joseph

Cecelia

Sarah:

The cemetery was well kept and neat. Although I have no idea when the Kaiser marker was damaged and repaired, I am grateful that it remained for me to see and photograph.

Huron Ontario Canada, Knox Presbyterian Cranbrook, Long, William Kaiser

Saturday Night Fun – My Paternal Grandmother’s Patrilineal Line, on Sunday Morning

March 22nd, 2009 | Posted by Granny Pam in Granny's Ancestors - (0 Comments)

Randy Seaver at Genea-Musings has tossed out the following challenge for his weekly Saturday Night Fun:

Provide a list of your paternal grandmother’s patrilineal line. Answer these questions:

* What was your father’s mother’s maiden name?

* What was your father’s mother’s father’s name?

* What is your father’s mother’s father’s patrilineal line? That is, his father’s father’s father’s … back to the most distant male ancestor in that line?

* Can you identify male sibling(s) of your father’s mother, and any living male descendants from those male sibling(s)? If so, you have a candidate to do a Y-DNA test on that patrilineal line. If not, you may have to find male siblings, and their descendants, of the next generation back, or even further.

Hmmm. My father’s mother, that would be my paternal grandmother. This is one line I have quite a bit of information on. My Father’s mother was Winnie Alice Kaiser; I recently posted a few photos of her on GrannyPam.

My father’s mother’s father? That would be Winnie’s father, William Kaiser. There were a ton of William Kaisers in that line, but “my” William was born in 1862 in Ontario. His birthplace may have been near York (Toronto), in an area called “Kaiserville”, or it may have been in Grey Township, Huron County, where he is found on the census in 1871 with his parents, William and Elizabeth (Long) Keiser (sic).

The most distant male ancestor I have documentation on in William Kaiser’s line is Peter Erlin Kaiser. It is said that the name was Erlinkaiser. In any event, Peter was born in Germany, and immigrated to Pennsylvania. He married Mary Delabo, and there was a family of 10 or more children. The family walked with their possessions to Canada sometime after the American revolution.

Much research has been done on that family. Some is documented in a book available at various libraries, “The Kaiser families of the County of York, Ontario“, by Kaiser, T. E. (Thomas E.), b. 1863 (Main Author). I have found and documented several errors in the “Kaiser book”, that is what descendants call it. As with any published history, care should be taken to research and document information found it the book.

Peter and Mary are buried at Black Creek Pioneer Village, and according to a message from the Black Creek Pioneer Village, Toronto, Ontario Peter’s memorial is as follows: a 10′ marker with 4 inscribed sides, including the text on the north side: Peter Erlin Kaiser wife Mary Delabo UEL of PA. U.S.A. to Niagara 1785 York 1802.

Male siblings of my father’s mother? There are none. A full sibling, who may have been male or female died very young. One half-brother, Austin W. Kaiser, 1896-1920 died without issue. Another half-sibling was a female.

Male siblings of my William Kaiser, my great-grandfather and William’s father? One, Joseph Kaiser died at age nineteen, unmarried. The other, Austin Arthur Kaiser, 1872-1962, had one son who died at age eight; the remaining children were daughters. Another strike out.

For Y DNA testing on this line, I’m down (or up) to looking for descendents of my grandmother’s great-grandfather, Daniel Erlin Kaiser, 1806-1872, who married Hannah Fisher. There are four sons in that family for whom there might be male lines of descent. Of the five brothers I am aware of, William, my great-grandfather and his brother Daniel E. Kaiser, 1844-1907 left no male issue. That leaves Hannah’s sons Samuel, James and Benjamin as male lines to follow in search of male descendents for YDNA testing. A long shot, but possible. I have been in touch with a descendent of Daniel, perhaps someone in his family would be interested.

Huron Ontario Canada, Kaiser, Ontario, York Ontario Canada

Jane “Jennie” Johnston

November 8th, 2008 | Posted by Granny Pam in Granny's Ancestors - (0 Comments)

Jane Johnston is a “mystery” woman, information about her is hard to come by. She was the original owner of a locket in my possession, and my great-grandmother. Jane’s daughter, Winnie Alice Kaiser, was my Dad’s mother.

Jane Johnston was born about 1867, using calculations from early census records and her marriage record. It is likely she was born in Grey Township, Huron County, Ontario on lot 34 concession 12 where her parents John Johnston and his wife Catherine Raper lived.

Jane had 3 older siblings, Catherine “Kate”, Margaret “Maggie”, and James. Her younger sister Barbara Winnie was born in 1876. The Johnstons were of Scotch heritage, both John and his wife Catherine reported their birthplace as Scotland on the 1871 census.

Life in Grey Township* from 1860-1880 was similar to early pioneering life in the US. The original homes were log cabins. Huron County was and is a rural farming community. Tax records between 1866 and 1879 show that the Johnston family owned between 7 and 10 cattle, 0 and 8 sheep, and a hog or two. They consistently had 2 horses, and there was sometimes a dog. Of the 100 acre lot that Johnston owned, 30 acres were cleared.

The Canadian Census of 1871 showed that the family lived on lot 34, concession 12, that John Johnston owned the lot of 100 acres. There was 1 house; 1 barn; 1 car, wagon or sled; 1 plow or cultivator. Of the 30 cleared acres, 16 were pasture, 1/2 acre was garden, 6 acres were wheat which produced 30 bushels, 14 acres were hay with 13 tons harvested. The other crops harvested were: 55 bushels of barley, 100 bushels of oats, 110 bushels of peas for 1/3 acre, 60 bushels of potatoes, 400 bushels of turnips, 100 bushels of carrots and other roots, 2 bushels of grass and clover seed, 2 pounds of hops, 5 bushels of apples and 30 pounds of maple sugar. In 1871 the family had 6 members, Barbara was not yet born.

The William Kaiser family were neighbors, residing on various rental and purchased properties in Grey Township.

The Johnston family was protestant and at one time attended Knox Presbyterian Church, Cranbrook. The Church and its graveyard remain and it is an active congregation today. Knox Presbyterian is located in Cranbrook, which was surveyed from farm lots 11 to 15, concession 11, Grey Township.

In 1880, the lives of the Johnstons changed course. Catherine Raper Johnston died 9 June 1880, Ontario death registration number 006430-80, cause of death “change of life”. We are left to imagine what that may mean.

Maggie died 14 December 1880, Ontario death registration number 006411-80, cause of death was (illegible) & inflammation.

Barbara Winnie died 29 December 1880, Ontario death registration number 006413-80, cause of death, diphtheria. Since diphtheria causes inflammation and swelling of the throat, perhaps Maggie had it also.

Finally, on 19 January 1881, John Johnston died of diphtheria, Ontario death registration number 006979-81.

This left Katie age 23, James age 16, and Jane age 13, alone.

On 20 April 1881 in Grey Township, Catherine “Kate” Johnston married William Harbottle, age 23, farmer of Granville, Grey Township, son of John Harbottle and Sarah Chisholm. The witnesses were Mary Ann Kaiser and Earnest Harbottle, Ontario marriage registration number 004614-81. Mary Ann Kaiser was the sister of Jane’s future husband, William Kaiser. Interestingly, the marriage record reports Kate’s birth place as “County Perth Ontario”.

The 1881 Census of Grey Township, district 174, south Grey, page 67 line 18, enumerated the family of James Johnston, age 16, born Ontario, religion Canadian Presbyterian, Scotch origin, farmer. The family included Jane, age 13, going to school, William Harbottle age 25, born Ontario, religion Canadian Presbyterian, English origin, blacksmith, and Catherine Harbottle, age 23, born Ontario, religion Canadian Presbyterian, Scotch origin.

Then, tragically, 31 October, 1881 Catherine Harbottle died of diphtheria, Ontario death registration number 007011-81.

Sometime between the 1881 census and 10 October 1884, when Jane married William Kaiser, James and Jane immigrated to Cadillac, Michigan where Jane’s marriage took place.

According to the obituary of James Johnston, published 18 December 1944 in the Cadillac Evening News, the year of his immigration was 1883 and he was 18 years old at the time. It is almost certain that Jane accompanied her brother.

The marriage record of Jennie Johnston was recorded in Liber 2, page 53, record number 682, of Wexford County, Michigan marriages, Jennie Johnston age 17 and William Kaiser age 22, occupation miller, both born Canada, married by Pastor James Lamb in Cadillac on 10 October 1884, witnesses Mary Garvin and James Johnston. Mary Garvin was the married name of William Kaiser’s sister, Mary Ann. According to the 1884 Polk’s Directory of the towns and Villages in the west side of the State of Michigan, North of Grand Rapids, James Lamb was a Baptist minister.

That marriage record is one of only three records have found in Michigan for Jennie/Jane Johnston that reveal her name.

The other is the death record for Winnie Alice Kaiser who was my grandmother and Jane’s daughter, which states that Winnie Alice was born July 19, 1885, in Michigan, the daughter of Wm Kaiser and Jane Johnston.

And, on her marriage record Winnie Alice Kaiser was age 22, born in Cadillac, Michigan daughter of Wm. Kaiser and Jane Johnston.

According to the Maple Hill Cemetery (Cadillac) burial logs, on 21 November, 1887, a burial occurred for “Kysor, Wm inf of”, male, age 3 months. The “male” is indicated by ditto marks from the row above. Then, on 29 January 1888, Kysor (crossed out and “Kaiser” written), Mrs. Wm was buried. No cause of death was listed in the logs for either, and no age for Mrs. Wm Kaiser.

There is no death record in Wexford County for either the infant or Jennie. There is no birth record for my grandmother, Winnie Alice Kaiser, or for the infant in Wexford County records.

A newer stone, possibly purchased upon the death of William Kaiser, on the Kaiser lot in Maple Hill cemetery reads: Kaiser, William 1862-1940, Cecelia 1887, Jennie 1867-1888. There is a matching stone which marks the grave of Daniel E. Kaiser, William’s uncle.

There are 2 older stones on the lot. One is that of George Catlin a nephew of William Kaiser’s uncle Daniel E. Kaiser.

The other marks the grave of Daniel Kaiser, 1878-1883. That Daniel was the son of William Kaiser’s uncle, Daniel E. Kaiser, and his wife Amanda VanMeer.

Cecelia is a family name. William Kaiser’s mother’s surname was Long, and several children in the Long family were named Cecelia. Also, William Kaiser had a sister Cecelia who died quite young in Canada.

My great-grandmother, Jane “Jennie” Johnston met an untimely death at a young age, and I have so far found no record of that death. Jane and William suffered the loss of a child just before her death. Whether the infant was a girl named Cecelia, or an boy as the cemetery records say cannot be proven. The reason for the death of Jane and her baby also remain a secret.

Tragically, of the family John and Catherine Johnston, of Grey Township, Huron County Ontario, Canada, and Cadillac, Wexford County, Michigan the only member who survived past youth was James, 1865-1944.

Here is the photo which shows the origin of the curls I’ve fought off all my life, check out my great grandmother, the little girl in the front. In fact, John, and all his girls have the curls.