20 April 2016

Evidence That William Howard Is Ours


William Howard's 1843 obituary in Death Notices of Ontario...

On the 23rd of January,  William Howard, of the township of Grimsby, in the 67th year of his age. He was brought from England to America at the time of the Revolution, by his father [Abraham?], who was a Surgeon, in the Royal Navy and who was slain in the commencement of the war.  His mother was afterwards married to a Lieutenant McDonald, with whom he removed to Upper Canada when but a boy. He leaves a widow and seven children.

Martha Howard's story dovetails nicely with the details found in William Howard's obituary.

In 1817 William Howard was granted property in Grimsby.  He was already cited as a resident of Grimsby (and was identified as a "hatter").  In 1863 the widow Mary Howard granted the same property to Isaac Brock Howard [ her son].  This transaction should prove that Mary was William's widow.

22 June 1820 William Howard, hatter, of Grimsby, witnessed a deed in Hastings County
19 December 1820 "   "

census transcription listed William Howard as a resident in 1828, with a total of 8 persons in the household.  There was only one family with the Howard surname listed in Grimsby.

20 April 1832 - Petition Of William Howard
  • British-born subject
  • Received his Majesty's donation of land many years ago
  • Has A Wife And 7 Children, two of whom being nearly of adult age
  • Petitioner purchased a lot 3 years ago [Circa 1829] in the 6th Concession, Twp. of Grimsby
  • Believed that he could hold, by virtue of his purchase, all the land, lying between the fifth concession and the gore

What is (and is not) in the census:

Grimsby is not listed as an available census for 1842, so could not be checked for any Howards in that township.

The widowed Mary Howard was living in Grimsby in 1851 with her daughter, Caroline Godden:

1851 Ontario Census, Grimsby
GODDEN, Job, 33, b. England
  "  , Caroline, 30, b. Canada
HOWARD, Mary, 64
KENNEDY, Julia, 17

In 1861 Mary Howard was still in Grimsby, living with her daughter Ann [Kennedy, enumerated as Canada]:

1861 Ontario Census - Grimsby
Ann Canada, b. Upper Can., rel., W/M, 52 yrs, widow
Melissa Canada, 21 yrs, single
Eliza (Jane) Canada, 18 yrs, single
? Canada, 11 yrs, 
Howard Canada, 9 yrs
Mary HOWARD, b. Upper Canada, rel. W/M, 66 yrs, widow

Mary Howard was also living with her daughter, Ann Kennedy, in 1871.

Five of the seven(?) children of William and Mary Howard:

[Clara] Ann (Howard) Kennedy 
Melissa (Howard) Terryberry


My 2nd great-grandmother was Mary Agnes (Kennedy) Powers.  Her parents were David Kennedy and Ann Howard per her Michigan death record.

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