Donovan Family History  

 

 
       Descendants of Henry Sawyer
and Mary Stocker   
 

                

First Generation


Henry Sawyer, son of John Sawyer and Jane Chrichley, was born on 3 May 1843 in Old Brentford - Middlesex - UK and died on 8 Mar 1875 at Orillia in Simcoe County - Ontario - Canada.  at age 31.

General Notes: Henry Sawyer was born in the Registration District of Brentford in the town of Old Brentford on 3rd May, 1843. This date corresponds with the date listed in the family bible passed on to his niece Jane Sawyer / Davis. In this light it can be reasonably assumed that the other names and dates listed in that bible as siblings to Henry are also correct. The occupation for John Sawyer listed on the birth certificate is 'Beer Retailer'.

The name of the mother listed on the certificate is Jane Crutchley as opposed to Jane Chrichley listed on the marriage of John Sawyer in 1832. As neither John nor Jane were literate, at least in 1832, it cannot be reasonably assumed as to which spelling of her name is correct.

Henry married Mary Stocker, known as 'Polly' - daughter of Charles Stocker and Martha Payne, 1868 Sept.Q. in Brentford - Ealing - Middlesex - UK. Mary was born on 11 Nov 1845 in Greenham - Newbury - Berkshire - UK.  

Mary died on 1 Feb 1928 in 642 Victoria Rd. County of Essex Walkerville - Ontario - Canada 7 at age 82, and was buried on 4 Feb 1928 in Milford Bay - Muskoka - Ontario - Canada. They had four children: Henry John, Ellen, Mary Jane, and Thomas George. 

1871 London Census:   Henry Sawyer, wife Mary, children Henry 5 old and Ellen (Nellie) 2 months old, were living at New North Road, Ealing, Brentford in the St. George District of Old Brentford. Henry was a Waterman born in Brentford. Mary was born in Newbury Berkshire.

The family emigrated to Canada after the birth of Ellen where they had two further children Mary Jane in 1873 and Thomas George in 1875.

Henry, a labourer, died at Orillia township in the County of Simcoe, Ontario Canada on 8 March, 1875 due to 'inflamation of the lungs' pneumonia. The informant was George Stocker, brother to Mary. George was employed as a carpenter.

 

See this link for a narrative on the Sawyer and Stocker families as pioneers of Muskoka District, Ontario Canada from 1868.

 

General Notes on Mary Stocker / Sawyer:


1851 London Census:   Mary was living with her parents Charles and Martha, siblings Ann Charles and Thomas at Brook Shot Road, Brentford in Ealing. Mary was a scholar.

Mary married Henry Sawyer at Brentford in 1868. Henry died in Ontario Canada in1875.

Mary's father Charles and her brothers George and Thomas came to Ontario, Canada in 1868. His wife and three daughters followed 3 years later in 1871.  Henry and Mary and their two children emigrated with them.

I|n 1871 Mary emigrated with her husband and children, Henry, Ellen (Nellie) to Ontario Canada where Mary Jane was born in Orillia, Simcoe County Ontario. Henry, a labourer, died in Orillia, County of Simcoe, Ontario Canada on 8 March, 1875 due to 'inflammation of the lungs'. The informant was George Stocker, brother to Mary.

Mary was pregnant with Thomas George at the time of Henrys death and moved from the town of Orillia with her children to 90 Oak Street, Toronto in York County where Thomas was born in August,1875. 

In 1877 she had moved to Monck township, Muskoka and married Richard Mears, farmer, an Englishman from Portsmouth. They had an additional seven children, five daughters surviving infancy all of whom were born in Monck.  Other Stocker family members are also shown to have been in Orillia and Monck around this time including Thomas and Mary Ann Stocker who were witnesses at the wedding of Mary and Richard.

Mary resided in the Toronto area with her second husband between 1911 and 1915 and in 1925 they had moved to Walkerville in the County of Essex, Ontario and lived at 642 Victoria Road. Richard Mears died on 10 April, 1926 at their home. Mary died at their home on 1 February, 1928. 

 

Children from the marriage of Henry Sawyer and Mary Stocker were:

1.    Henry John Sawyer  was born about 1866 in Brentford - Ealing - Middlesex - UK.

General Notes: 

Henry married Margaret McKittrick, daughter of Robert McKittrick and Martha Colter, on 12 Apr 1899 in Monck Township  Muskoka - Ontario - Canada.  Witnesses were: J.C. BARD of Monck twp & Sarah PHILLIPS of Bracebridge  Margaret was born in 1875 in Canada. They had one son: Henry Clive and  a daughter, Daisy May.  The family was raised in the Toronto area.

Henry Clive Sawyer was born on 27 Mar 1900 in Monck Township - Muskoka - Ontario - Canada.

Daisy May, Gwen and Dorothy Sawyer were his sisters. 

 

2.    Ellen Sawyer was born on 31 October, 1870 in Brentford - Ealing - Middlesex - UK. Another name for Ellen was Nellie. She died in 1929.

General Notes

Ellen or 'Nellie' as she was known married Albert Raynor and raised a family of five children,  Hilda, Douglas, Clifford, Rhoda and Susan, in the Toronto area.

 

3.    Mary Jane Sawyer  was born on 19 Jul 1873 in Orillia Village - Simcoe County - Ontario - Canada.  Mary Jane married William Henry Belcher, a returned soldier from WW1 she had nursed.  Mary Jane Belcher died in 1963 in Willowdale, Ontario Canada.  

 Her husband William Henry Belcher died in 1957 in London Ontario. They had no children from the marriage..  

General Notes

Mary Jane was born in 1873 in Orillia Village, Simcoe County, Ontario after her parents immigrated from London about 1871. She later became a nurse and traveled with her two step-sisters, Rosa and Suzie Mears, to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan in north Canada where she lived and worked, at least between 1911 and 1915.

Addresses for her in Saskatoon were:

Suite 11 - Chubb Road
538 Spadina Crescent.

1911 Canadian Census:

Mary Jane was a nurse residing at suite 11 Chubb Road with her step sister Rosa Mears, also a nurse.

In an effort to locate family living in Australia Mary Jane placed an add in the Sydney paper and received contact from Ann Andrews / Sawyer. They corresponded in 1911 and after Ann's death the correspondence was taken up by her cousin Jane Sawyer / Davis. Mary Jane sent photographs of herself, mother, sister Ellen and brother Tom to family in Australia.

When her mother died in 1928 the certificate lists the informant as Mary Burcher, (sic) daughter. This may well be Mary Jane as she was the only daughter named Mary but a marriage detail has not been located. Her name may also have been 'Blecher' as this was the informant 'William H Blecher - son in law' name listed on the death certificate of Richard Mears, her step father. Later information shows that her married name was 'Belcher' and she had met husband William when nursing him as a returned veteran after WW1.  


Her mother and step-father resided at 642 Victoria Road, Walkerville, Essex County, Ontario from 1925 to 1928. 

 

 

4.    Thomas George Sawyer was born on 30 Aug 1875 in 90 Oak Street, Toronto - York County - Ontario - Canada..

General Notes

On his birth registration Thomas' father Henry Sawyer is listed as a 'platelayer' but he was deceased at that time and this may have been the occupation of his mother Mary.

Thomas married and raised a family in Monck Ontario, Canada. He was a farmer.

1911 Canadian Census:  Thomas is living in the Muskoka District of Ontario with his wife Elizabeth, daughters Grace, Laurian, Vera and Florence and sons James and Thomas.

Thomas married Elizabeth Sarah Nichols, daughter of James Nichols and Mary Ann, on 12 Oct 1896 in Bracebridge - Ontario. Elizabeth was born in 31 Oct 1876. Witnesses were Ada MOORE & Laura WASDELL. They had eight children: Irene Sadie, Laurian Teresa, Vera Kathleen, James Henry, Thomas Harvey, Florence Maria, Richard Eric and Stanley George

 

Irene Sadie Sawyer was born in Apr 1897 in Monck Township - Muskoka - Ontario - Canada.

Laurian Teresa Sawyer was born on 25 Nov 1898 in Monck Township -  Muskoka - Ontario - Canada.

Vera Kathleen Sawyer was born on 4 Jan 1901 in Monck Township -  Muskoka - Ontario - Canada.

James Henry Sawyer was born on 30 Mar 1903 in Monck Township - Muskoka - Ontario - Canada.

Thomas Harvey Sawyer was born on 20 Nov 1904 in Monck Township - Muskoka - Ontario - Canada.

Florence Maria Sawyer was born on 30 Oct 1907 in Monck Township -  Muskoka - Ontario - Canada.

Richard Eric Sawyer was born on 19 June, 1912 in Milford Bay, Muskoka, Ontario, Canada.

Stanley George Sawyer 

HISTORY AND GEOGRAPHY 

 

The Township of Muskoka Lakes amalgamated in January 1971 and is made up of several former townships including the Township of Cardwell, the Township of Watt, the United Townships of Medora and Wood, the Town of Bala, the Village of Port Carling, the Village of Windermere and a portion of the former Township of Monck.  The municipal office is located in Port Carling. 

The Townships were opened for settlement following the passage of the Free Grants and Homesteads Act in 1868.  Prior to this, officials considered turning all of Muskoka into a Native Reserve. 

 

The desire for land, coupled with the district's rich timber resources, compelled the government to reconsider. The Free Grants and Homesteads Act gave 100 acres of land to anyone who would build a house and clear 15 acres within five years’ time.  The head of a family “having children under 18 years of age residing with him” could claim another 100 acres. On February 8, 1870, the Corporation of the United Townships of Watt, Cardwell, Humphrey, Christie, Medora and Wood was formed (O.S. 1869 Chapter.57). Later, the individual townships became municipalities in their own right.

 

The Townships of Watt, Cardwell, Medora and Wood, portions of Monck Township, the Villages of Windermere and Port Carling and the Town of Bala amalgamated in January 1971 to form the Township of Muskoka Lakes. The municipal office is located in Port Carling.


TOWNSHIP OF MONCK - 

     

The Township of Monck was named after Viscount Monck, Governor General of Canada at the time of Confederation.  The township was organized as a municipality in 1869. The first Reeve was J.B. Browning. Council meetings were held in the schoolhouse at Ziska until 1880 when the corporation purchased the former Ziska Methodist Church, which they used as a township hall.  In 1959 Council meetings were moved to the Milford Bay community centre. An addition to the community centre in 1961 provided a boardroom for Council meetings and space for the Monck Township records.   

 

This township was an integral part of the Bracebridge economy.  The tourists, who were attracted to the beautiful lakeshore, and the farmers, on the best land in Muskoka, all came to Bracebridge to shop.  The steamships made regular calls, at communities in the township.  It contained 27,835 acres of land, and 483 acres of water.  Through it passed the main road to Bardsville, Milford Bay, Beaumaris and Port Carling."

 

 


Mary Stocker / Sawyer next married Richard Mears:

Descendants of Richard Mears and Mary Sawyer.



First Generation

 

6. Richard Mears, son of Richard Mears and Jane Woods, was born on 29 May 1848 in Portland, Dorset - England and emmigrated with his parents and siblings to Ontario, Canada after 1861. He died on 10 Apr 1926 in 642 Victoria Rd. County of Essex Walkerville - Ontario - Canada  at age 77, and was buried on 13 Apr 1926 in Bracebridge - Ontario.

Richard married Mary Stocker / Sawyer:, daughter of Charles Stocker and Martha Payne, on 16 May 1877 in Monck Township. Mary was born on 11 Nov 1845 in Greenham - Newbury - Berkshire - UK.  

Mary  died on 1 Feb 1928 in 642 Victoria Rd. County of Essex Walkerville - Ontario - Canada  at age 82, and was buried on 4 Feb 1928 in Milford Bay - Muskoka - Canada.

 

General Notes

Occupation - Farmer.

                        1881 Canadian Census:

Mary Sawyer was living with her husband Richard Mears in Monck, Muskoka. Also with them were her children to Henry Sawyer - Henry, Ellen, Mary Jane and Thomas and her first two children to Richard Mears - Susan and Rosa. Also living in the town were Richards parents, Richard 60 old, Jane 64 old, and their son Thomas 28 old. All were farmers.

 

Children from this marriage were:

   7 F    i. Susan Jane Mears was born on 2 Mar 1878 in Muskoka - Ontario - Canada.

   8 F    ii. Rosa Mary Mears was born on 27 Apr 1880 in Muskoka - Ontario - Canada.

General Notes: Rosa was a trained nurse who practised with her step sister Mary Jane Sawyer in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan and is listed with her at suite 11 Chubb Block in the 1911 Saskatoon Canadian census. 

   9 M    iii. Charles Mears was born on 13 Jul 1882 in Muskoka - Ontario - Canada.

   10 F    iv. Emily May Mears was born on 5 Jul 1884 in Muskoka - Ontario - Canada.

   11 F    v. Edith Mears was born on 23 Jun 1885 in Muskoka - Ontario - Canada.

   12 F    vi. Ida Mears was born on 20 Jul 1887 in Muskoka - Ontario - Canada.


 

 

 

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