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Hello Folks, there is some unfortunately serious problems with the structures and names listed above - firstly, the Voke family of Somerset, at this point, has not been tied into the Vokey family of Newfoundland in anyway that I can see or figure out. 

The William Voke who married on 26 January 1811 at Somerton, Somerset, was married to Sarah Peddle, as per the actual record and banns, not Sarah Strickland/Stickland.  This William Voke and Sarah Peddle stay in England and in 1841 are listed in the census living with 5 children in Somerset.  Hence this couple cannot be the William and Sarah Vokey that is mentioned as living in Spaniard's Bay, Newfoundland at the beginning of the 1800's.

Additionally I cannot find any Philip and Rebecca as parents of any child born in Somerset.  The name Philip Voke does not appear anywhere in Somerset records.

There is a Sarah Stickland who marries in 1811 to a William Feke at Somerset, but again no relation to the Vokey's of Newfoundland.

I would be interested to know if someone has actually seen the will that apparently opens with "I, William Vokey, late of Jersey Island...", there has been talk of this for many years but I have never seen it.  It is an interesting proposition that this William Vokey may actually be the father of Philip born 1855, but this would push the will back to the 1700's.  I have the will written by William Vokey who married Sarah and was the father of 8 children born in Newfoundland, and who died February 13th, 1867 at Spaniard's Bay, Newfoundland, this will does not open with the words above and no refrence is made to Jersey Island in this will.

Unfortunately the data around the early Vokey family has been somewhat twisted around it seems, and what records we do have do not point to any connections that are detailed above about Somerset, England.

The commentary about the Sarah that married John Barrett born 1690. being a Sarah Vokey is also a tale that has been passed around with no legitimate information put forward to support it.

The earliest information to date shows a Philip Vokey born around 1755 who died 1834 at Spaniard's Bay and his wife Rebecca Crane born 1773 at (according to the known data) Upper Island Cove, Newfoundland.  Philip Vokey did have a sister Sarah Vokey who married John Coombs in 1782 at Harbour Grace, so we know the family was in Newfoundland as early as that date, but there are indications that they were there earlier.  Whether Philip and his sister Sarah are actually born in Newfoundland is to date an unanswered questions.

Of course I would love to hear any furhter information that might help to answer some of these questions.

Regards, Cary

Thanks Skoosh, that is an interesting lead and I did follow it but have now received another lead which has helped me place things a bit better but still missing information on what happened to the two brothers. 

And Johnner, just wonderful.  Great source the DGFHS obviously is.  Yes, I think the Michie name is rather rare in the county.  Thank you for the effort to locate anything on the family there. 

Now for an update.  I have come across some more family history that details a bit better when the family went in Dumfriesshire.  In addition the eldest son David's marriage in Montreal, Quebec in 1837 specifically states that his parents Alexander Michie & Helen Morris were of Dumfriesshire, so we know they were there then but left and came to Canada in 1838. 

Now a bit more on the further family history that ties to this Lord Lyon story.  It now seems this Lord Lyons was in fact not a Lord but in fact John Stewart Lyon, Esq, who owned Kirkmichael House, Kirkmichael, Dumfriesshire.  Kirkmichael House had a wooded land and therefore a gamekeeper was probably engaged. 

This John Stewart Lyon evidently came to Upper Canada (Ontario) at one point, prior to 1836 and owned or inherited property through his wife, who was a Mary Theresa Dickson born in Ontario.  It appears the wedding took place in London in 1836 and John & Mary returned to Kirkmichael, where their children were born.  The family continued to own the property for some time but also property in Upper Canada. 

So now I think we have a place where Alexander & his family were living and probably where his sons were if they died in Dumfriesshire.  So next big question - is there a listing of the cemetery incriptions from Kirkmichael?  Or did the Lyon family have their own cemetery?  Maybe all getting a bit clearer or mabe more murky! 

Hi Monica,

That's my man.  He ran the Brewery in Ste Martine a village south of Montreal.  One day I would love to find out where the source material for that book came from though it was written so long ago.

And the genforum link is actually myself many years ago.  Have found out much since those days and have a lot of the structure of the family in place till about the early 1700's.  Now spending time trying to figure out some of the lose ends and lost cousins, like the two brothers in Dumfriesshire...maybe one day their tale will come to light.

Thanks so much for your efforts, much appreciated.  Next option might be to try and look at the gravestone inscriptions for Dumfriesshire and see if anything comes up there.  Problem at this point is I don't even have a village to go on...    ...but genealogy is about those hard to find ones isn't it!

Cheers, Cary

Hi Monica,

That is a possibility for sure.  But two things lead me to believe the brothers were at one time in Dumfries.

1) the eldest son David's marriage entry in Montreal, Quebec in 1837 states that his parents were of Dumfriesshire, Scotland, so this lead me to think that the parents had come with the family down to Dumfries sometime in the 1830's from Perthshire.

2) An old family history or should I say tree, written about 80 years ago lists the two brothers as being in Dumfries but there is no other details about them, nor any indication if they married or not.

My feeling is that they were in Dumfriesshire and may have both died there in their early 20's (but as you say the death records in Scotland are rather dismal to say the least), and at that point the parents and five youngest children came to Canada.

But this is just conjecture at this point!  Was hoping to find some fact of any kind but ultimately that may never come about! 

Cheers, Cary