Jack & Annie Rowley, Hamilton, ON - Lost

[KayP]

I am trying to find an ancestor of mine names Annie Vernon HARPER who was born in Lancashire about 1880.  I have her and her family in the 1881 census and in later census returns I have the rest of the family but not her.  Family stories have it that she was in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada in 1954 as my aunts went from Edinburgh to visit her on their way across to the West Coast.  They called her "Auntie Polly" and said she was around 60 years old and was married to Jack ROWLEY who was a carpenter/furniture builder in Hamilton.

I have not been able to find Annie/Polly on any UK or Canadian census returns or her marriage or death.  Jack died around 1960 as Annie/Polly made a trip back to UK then to visit her family.  I tried to order death certificates for them but as I could not prove I was a family member I could not get these documents.  I have no idea if they met and married in UK or Canada or what nationality Jack was.

Can anyone make any suggestions as to how I could go about finding this couple?  This is a tough one as I have been searching for years and unfortunately have made no headway 

Any suggestions very gratefully accepted.

Kay

[jorose]

http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,27266.0.html
 - linking relevant message.

I can't see a birth in England for Ann/Anne/Annie Vernon Harper on freebmd.  There is one for Annie Vernon in 1880 in Warrington, though.  Given the gap between the other two daughters and Annie, could Annie be an adopted/foster daughter?

[Jacquie in Canada]

I can't see a birth in England for Ann/Anne/Annie Vernon Harper on freebmd.  There is one for Annie Vernon in 1880 in Warrington, though.  Given the gap between the other two daughters and Annie, could Annie be an adopted/foster daughter?

Given that one of the others listed on the 1881 census with the family was a 13 year old daughter named Anne it seems unlikely that Robert and Esther would give a second daughter the same name. With that in mind I think I found your Annie on the 1891 and 1901 census.

On the 1891 census for Gorton, Lancashire there is the following entry:
Geo Bigland, head, age: 24, occupation: police constable, born: Galgate, Lancashire
Anna Bigland, wife, age: 23, born: St. Helen, Lancashire
Margaret Bigland, daughter, age: 5 months, born: Gorton, Lancashire
Anne Vernon, cousin, age: 11, born: Warrington, Lancashire
(Source Citation: Class: RG12; Piece: 3176; Folio 33; Page 8; GSU roll: 6098286)

In the Free BMD there was a marriage registered in the 1st quarter of 1890 in Barton Upon Irwell, Lancashire for a George Bigland. The other names on the page were Annie Harper, Mary Clarke and Herbert Hancock. Given that the age and birth place for Ann Bigland matches that for Anne Harper on the 1881 census it looks pretty good that George Bigland married Annie Harper.

I also found Annie Vernon on the 1901 census in St. Helen, Lancashire listed in the household of George (Jr) and Francis Barton as follows:
Annie Vernon, barmaid, age: 23, occupation: barmaid, born: Warrington, Lancashire
(Source Citation: Class: RG13; Piece: 3519; Folio: 70; Page: 1)

I lost her after 1901 though.

[KayP]

Hi Jacquie

I think you may have solved a puzzle but created another one    I have always wondered why Robert and Esther Harper would name one of their daughters Anne and the other Annie Vernon and the age difference was a problem too.  The census copy that I had was a very old print out and I think I got years ago from the local LDS Family History Centre and it gave the name Annie Vernon Harper and said that she was a daughter to Robert. 

Now for the other puzzle, was her sister Anne the one who went to Hamilton, Ontario and married Jack Rowley??

Thank you so much for your help, much appreciated.

K

[Jacquie in Canada]

Hi Jacquie

I think you may have solved a puzzle but created another one    I have always wondered why Robert and Esther Harper would name one of their daughters Anne and the other Annie Vernon and the age difference was a problem too.  The census copy that I had was a very old print out and I think I got years ago from the local LDS Family History Centre and it gave the name Annie Vernon Harper and said that she was a daughter to Robert. 

Now for the other puzzle, was her sister Anne the one who went to Hamilton, Ontario and married Jack Rowley??

Thank you so much for your help, much appreciated.

K

The census image at Ancestry definitely says Annie Vernon Harper and has both Anne Harper and Annie Vernon Harper listed as daughters.

I don't think the Annie in Hamilton could be Ann Harper Bigland. She would have been in her late 80s in 1954 although Annie Vernon would have been in her mid-70s.

The birth registration will probably be the only way to solve this mystery. Here are the details for the registration jorose mentioned:

Name: Annie Vernon
Year of Registration: 1880 
Quarter of Registration: Apr-May-Jun 
District: Warrington 
County: Cheshire, Lancashire 
Volume: 8c 
Page: 205 

[jorose]

http://www.findmypast.com/passengerListPersonSearchStart.action has a couple of entries for Annie Vernons of unknown age heading to Canada.

'cousin' possibly to Robert and Esther's daughter Anne suggests maybe that she was the child of Robert's siblings? (or maybe Esther's?).

[kiddo]

I have Ann Elisabeth Rowley arriving June 25/1954 on the "Salacia" in MOntreal. landed immigrant Canada with 6.25.54 beside it.

Kiddo

[kiddo]

Home CHildren
Annie and Nora(h) Vernon arrived 1908 9 & 11 years old on the Niagara Town Census 1901.

Annie Harper b. 1880 and her son? Hazel b.1897 living with Sherrick Family as "adopted" mistranscribed on Ancestry as Hasper. Look for Thomas E Sherrick will lead you to them. They are in middle Ontario in Stayner. Many Home Children were sent "north" so location is about right.

An Annie Harper (Home Child) arrived 1888 10years old to Miss Rye's in Niagara on the Lake.

  Kiddo

[KayP]

Thanks Jorose and Kiddo for more suggestions and advice.  I am still puzzling over this and at the moment gathering all your information and trying to decide what to do first.  I have previously tried to get info re Home Children but because I could not prove relationship to Annie Vernon Harper I was unsuccessful.  It would be so helpful if there was a census for Hamilton, Ontario or Trade Directory for the 1950s .....    My aunts who stayed with the Rowleys on their trip across Canada back in 1954 are both deceased as is my mum but she thought it was an Auntie Polly and she died around 1960.  I have no proof unfortunately of which side of the family Annie/Polly came from - I always assumed it was my grandmother's side.

Anyway I will keep struggling on and be very grateful for sites like this and kind people like yourselves and others who offer help.

KayP