Looking for Margaret Godbolt

[Nettopsey]

I am trying to find a woman named Margaret Godbolt who was born 1815-1820 in Ontario.  She married Samuel Halls sometime between 1842 and 1848.  She most likely died between 1863 and 1871, though there is an outside chance she lived up until just prior to the 1881 Census of Canada (the 1871 census does not show Margaret, but Samuel is not listed as widowed either).  Her first child with Samuel was born in 1849.  Her last child with Samuel was born in 1863.  Both the records I have been able to find about her (only the 1851 and 1861 censuses) indicate that she was born in Ontario.

I have been able to find two groups of Godbolt's in Ontario, one living in Albion township of what is now Peel County, and another group living in London, Middlesex County, Ontario.  Most of the Peel county group later moved to Usborne township, Huron County.  A Godbolt son of the Peel/Huron County group married one of Samuel and Margaret's daughters.  They, both the Halls and the Godbolt's, were Bible Christians or Methodists.

What I am trying to find is when Samuel Halls and Margaret Godbolt married, exactly when and where she died, and who her parents were.

I have spent a great deal of time looking for this information.  I have checked the OCFA, findagrave, the Canadagenweb Cemetery Project, as well as other localized databases, the Ontario Marriage Notices 1839-1856, and the Christian Messenger on Ancestry.  If anybody looks on Ancestry you will find her in the Halls from Devon to North America tree.

I live in Ottawa, so if anybody can think of anything I do have access to the Canadian archives.

This has been making me crazy, so even the most tenuous connections/suggestions would be worth following up.

Thanks

James

[JDC]

Good evening James,

I have also been searching for my bible christian ancestors, mine were in Norfolk Co.. There is a reseacher down your way that has researched and written books about  them, as from a Canadian stance, with Ontario counties included as well .  I will look at the book I have and see what I can find for you.

I found a family tree in Ancestry which has a death reg showing a Margaret Hall dieing in London Ontario on 22 Jul 1871 at age 77 - 016187 reg # and MS935_3 film #.  The birth date doesn't match, but does match some of the other info you have. Unfortunately the informatant is not a family member so hard to tell if she would be your ancestor. I also found 3 family trees (assuming one may be yours for the moment) that has a Margaret and Samuel with 8 children born between 1849 and 1863 as well as living in Middlesex Co.. None of the trees have the birth date of Margaret, but a birth place ios shown as either Canada or Ontario. Did Margaret and Samuel have 8 children? I did not see any tree for this pair from Peel Co. or anywhere else in Ancestry. That is not to say this is your ancestor, but definitely something to explore.

The province of Ontario  and some local communities, in Middlesex and elsewhere have undertaken census of their own. I don't know how far back they have been done. You can contact the Middlsex OGS and the London public library to check out Middlesex Co for these via email. I believe that the library has a librarian that looks after the area of genealogy. I also believe that the UWO has bible christian news letters in the archive in Weldon library at the university. Many of the bible christians came from Devon (and surrounding english shires, mainly Cornwall) like my ancestors to Canada and Ontario.

Hope this helps,

JDC

[Nettopsey]

JDC,

Samuel and Margaret did have eight children (at least that's all I've found so far), the first was James and the last was William.

I did a little more checking of the Margaret you found, and she seems to be showing up on both the 1861 and 1871 censuses, with ages that match that reported on her death record, and living in what I would expect to be the right areas.  The 1871 census shows Margaret is living in London, the same place as she is listed as living when she died in July.  I would say she is not Margaret Godbolt.

I only suspect that Margaret is related to the Peel county group of Godbolt's, but have no proof, just a "feeling".  The Godbolt's were sufficiently important/numerous in Peel that they even have a cemetery named after them, Godbolt Primitive Methodist.

I will check to see what is available in terms of pre-1851 censuses of Middlesex county.  The Canadian Archives here in Ottawa will have copies of those, if any.

I was unaware of the Bible Christian newsletters kept at the Weldon Library at UWO, I will definitely check that out!  The Halls family were Bible Christians from the Merton, Devon area.  All of Samuel's brothers and one sister came to Ontario between the early 1840's and the early 1850's.

You have definitely given me a couple of angles to look at.  Thanks much!

James

[RunKitty]

Hi,

Have you checked the Peel Archives?  It looks like they have a family file on the Godbolts of that area:
http://www.peelregion.ca/heritage/family-e-l.htm

I would also suggest that you see if there are any book on the history of Peel that would mention the Godbolts.  Perhaps the Peel Archives would have some ideas for you.  If Margaret and others of her family were born in Ontario in the early 1800s, there should be some record of them in the history books.  That is pretty early by Canadian standards! 

RK 

[JDC]

Hi Net,

RK has a couple of good ideas, we are still unsure of which group Margaret and Samuel belonged too. I would also contact the local historical museums. I contacted the Sombra Historical Museum abt a gg-uncle who had settled there in the early 1840s and they said they had "a bit of" info. I then made arrangments to meet them at the museum during "off" season and when I got there there was a treasure trove  of pictures and info on my ancestor and many of his descendants there - you just never know where you will find these things :-) So I would contact museums in Middlesex, Perth and Huron counties (in the areas where you think they may have been) to ask if they have any info. Many museums have websites to get their contact info.

I would also contact the public libraries for county and local history books and other info as RK suggests.  They can be a excellnt resource for family history. Many of these would likely be available to you through inter-library loan. Another place is the local land registry offices to locate land owned by Samuel. The Archives of Ontario have some of these records as well. I would check with the provincial archive to see if they have marriage records as well and possibly do a look up for you :-) If not there is likely an RAOGK volunteer near the Archive  that could/would do that for you ?

Judging from your response, it sounds like you do not have your Godbolt/Hall family tree on Ancestry? 2 that I saw and possibly more of the family trees on Ancestry did start with James in 1849 and ended with William in 1863. These were the ones in Middlesex Co. I would contact them if you have access to Ancestry either via your own or public library or LDS FHL access. Then you can determine if your ancestors are part of that group.

Looks like our families came from the same area of Devon - mine primarily came from Great Torrington & Bideford area in the early 1840s with a few living in the Winkleigh area of north Devon who stayed there. The Bible Christian group started in north Devon - "meeting at Lake Farm in Shebbear, Devon".

Again, I hope this helps and gives you more food for thought.

Cheers, JDC

[JDC]

Hi again Net,

Came across this site that shows the circuits for the Bible Christians in Ontario: http://freepages.history.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~biblechristian/locations/ontario/ontario_circuits.html#ingersoll

The United Church of Canada Archives in Toronto I am told also had Bible Christian archived records. I will going there sometime this summer to check that out. Just thought you may like to know about that records holding as well.

Cheers, JDC

[vbain]

to Netopssey?
I spent an hour this afternoon on Familysearch.org, and another hour on Ancestry.ca
I would like to send you what I found. I didn't find a lot, but there might be meaning in it.

[J.J.]

Have you looked at the listing for the Godbolt Primitive Methodist Cemetery you had found,  in case she was interred there?
http://ogs.on.ca/ogscart/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=677

[vbain]

http://sites.google.com/site/fromthehallsofdevon/Home/history
“Samuel married Margaret Godbolt (b.1815 - ??) sometime between 1842 and 1848.  They had eight children James (1849 - 1918), Mary Jane (1851 - 1882), Sarah Margaret (1852 - 1901), Charlotte (1854 - ??), Ellen (1857 - 1889), Samuel (1859 - 1930), John T. (1860 - 1904), and William (1863 - ??).”

 Familysearch.org
Household: C of E
                     
 Samuel HALLS
 W     Male     English     60     England     Mason     Church of England
 Sarah HALLS
      Female     English     27     Ontario          Church of England
 Ellen HALLS
      Female     English     24     Ontario          Church of England
 Samuel HALLS
      Male     English     21     Ontario     Mason     Church of England
 William HALLS
      Male     English     18     Ontario     Mason     Church of England
Source Information:
    Census Place   Usborne, Huron South, Ontario
    Family History Library Film     1375908

    NA Film Number     C-13272
1851 Census of Canada East, Canada West, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia 1851 census
Margaret Halls (Godbolt)  aged 37, b, about 1816, in Canada, now aged 36
Birth in  Ontario, Middlesex. Distrivr 23, Sub district Westminster, #222.
No others in Houshold