Clezy, Clezie connections

[T. Michael Sommers]

Paul Fergie, in England, deserves a medal for tracking this down!  The idea that John Clezy was born at Woolwich originates here:

“Correspondence from Margaret Clezy nee Steele who married James Clezy, the younger son of John Clezy (1790) in a letter to Peter Steele Clezy’s grandmother (Elsy Clezy).  Margaret reports that her father-in-law had been born in Woolwich and that his father had served in the Royal Artillery.”

The woman who wrote the letter would be Margaret Macdonald Steele, b. 7 Oct 1846 at Nairne, South Australia.  She had likely never been in England.  John Clezy himself died in 1864, when Margaret Macdonald Steele was only 18 years old.  How much contact did they have at Nairne?  Did she get the information from John himself, or second- or third-hand?  Might she have confused Woolwich with Wooler, or some other place?  Is she a reliable authority on this point?

Her letter said that John Clezy’s father (John Claise, who m. Margaret Palen) was in the Royal Artillery.  Do we have any evidence of that?  Are there records that could confirm whether he was in the Royal Artillery, and whether he was ever posted at Woolwich?
 

It should be possible to find such evidence, if it exists.  Findmypast has some military records, including records of baptisms, etc., performed by army chaplains.  I don't have a subscription, or I'd check myself.  It is also possible that John was a civilian working for the army.

[Ken Doig]

  I have a tree with Margaret Clazy at http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=alex1698&id=I61. Additions and corrections welcome.
Ken Doig, Bass Lake, California www.doig.net

[lapun]

re John Clezy, rector of Selkirk Grammar School who migrated to South Australia in 1849: he was said to have a refined English accent, which suggests he was brought up south of the border.  He said he learnt English at Woolwich, and Greek and Latin at Berwick.  Berwick-upon-Tweed had the first purpose-built army barracks in the north of England, so it is very likely that his father was stationed at both places.

[heiserca]

John Clezy's high level of education is all the more remarkable in a family that also included many servants, farm workers, paupers.  George Clezie, born 1787 at Hutton, was a first cousin of John Clezy.  George left Scotland for Canada after his twin children, George and Janet, both died of measles in late 1831.  He voted in the 1841 civic election at Toronto and the voting list showed his name as CLIZZEE.  The 1861 census - two years before his death - described him as illiterate.  Why did such huge discrepancies of education exist within the same family? 

[JJScottishGirl]

I am so excited to have found this! I am researching my partner's family - they are descended from Thomas Toucher, son of Margaret Claisy (21 February 1789 - 23 November 1856), who married Thomas Taucher. I am eager to connect with anyone who can provide any information on the family and will be happy to provide all the information we have on the descendents of Thomas Toucher.

A brief outline: Thomas Toucher married Elizabeth Trotter. They had two daughters: Elizabeth & Margaret. Margaret Toucher married Robert McLeish. They had a number of children, many of whom had the middle name of Toucher. One daughter, Margaret Toucher McLeish, married David Broatch Campbell. Margaret & David had 7 daughters and the entire family came to Canada, settling in the Montreal area. My partner's family is descended from one of the daughters, Jemima Broach Campbell, who married William Charles Scott. This family now lives (mostly) in the Toronto area though one has made his way "back" to Scotland and lives in Milton of Campsie (near Glasgow). Other descendents of Margaret & David live in Montreal, California (USA) and Chicago (USA).

campbellfamilyweb.com

[heiserca]

Thank you for the information, Scottish Girl.  I am interested in knowing about the children of Thomas & Margaret.  Happy to share what I have about the Clazie / Clezie, etc. family.

I wonder if you have seen a remarkable inscription on a stone at Chirnside churchyard?  It mentions Thomas & Margaret near the bottom.  My cousin took good photos of it about 10 years ago.  In June I visited Chirnside and found the inscription becoming eroded and harder to read:

In Memory of
Helen Carr Wife of James 
Clezy who died 15th April
1826 Aged 62 Years

Also Joseph Clezie their Son
who died May 18th 1823 Aged
23 Years

The said James Clezie died
on the 8th June 1833 Aged 66
Years

Also Margaret Claizey
Wife of Thomas Taucher
who Died Nov 23 1856
Aged 65 Years

Also James Clazey Son of the 
above James Clazey who died at
Hutton 8 Decr 1860 Aged 88 Years

[JJScottishGirl]

Thank you so much for the headstone information. I would love to see a picture of it!

I am feeling quite overwhelmed by the amount of Clazy information on here. We only just discovered the Claisy/Clazy (etc) connection and I am trying to navigate my way through it.

We would be happy to provide all we know about our branch of the family. How are you connected?

[aitchscot]

I am looking for more information on this line through the women.  George Clezie married Jean Lockie 1813; GEorge Clazy married Rabina Bell 1819; James Clezy married ? but first child, Alicia b. 1793 Edrom; Thomas Clazie b. 1737, Edrom; George Clazy m. Margaret Brack, 1812; Buncles and Preston; John Clazy m. Margaret Gray, 1816; William Clazy m. Katharin Liongat, Hutton, 6/14/1703; Mary Clazy m. John Wilson, 1832; Margaret Clazy m. Robert Hay, 1841.  James Clazy m. Jessy Brodie, 1825; Isabella Clazy m. David Drummond, Eccles;

It is the 1703 entry that has me intrigued...I cannot get past this date and would love to discover who William's father was and where they were.

Sharon:)

Sharon there is a Drummond & Clazie just inside the gate at Edrom Kirk.

[heiserca]

My grandmother was Gertrude Jane Clezie, born 1874 at Cleveland, Ohio;
her grandparents were Ellen Lockhart & James Kerr Clezie, b. 1816 at Edrom;
his grandparents were Helen Kerr & James Clezie, b. 1766 at Edrington;
and his parents were Agnes Middlemist & George Claisye, b. about 1725-35.

In June, 2011, I took several photos of the remarkable gravestone at Chirnside, with 5 names and 4 different spellings.  All those photos are poor quality.  The stone is old, weather-worn, leaning at a steep angle, nearly ready to fall.  Maybe a trained photographer could get a decent photo; I failed.  So I copied the words carefully.  Don't want to lose that valuable information!  It neatly shows how the various branches - Clazie, Clazey, Clezie, Clezy, Clazy - are one extended family.