Saturday, October 31, 2009

Surname Saturday-Cannom

The Cannom’s only lightly touch my family tree. My grandmother’s sister Maude Maria Beatrice Thomas(2 July 1886-unknown) married John Earnest Cannom(22 February 1882-13 February 1919) in London, Ontario 28 July 1908. They had three children William Anderson(17 May 1910-1970), Nora(2 December 1912-1970), and Ida May(17 September 1917-unknown).

The Cannom’s were from London Township, Middlesex County, Ontario. John Earnest’s grandfather John Cannom(1816-17 September 18870 immigrated from England to London Township sometime before 1871.
John Cannom married Ann Smith(1826 in Ireland-unknown) at an unknown date. Their son Obadiah was born 16 May 1846 in England and died 13 August 1927 in London, Ontario. He married Isabella Anderson(unknown birth and death dates) 18 October 1871 in Huron County, Ontario. They had four children John Earnest, Ida May(1876-unknown) Drusilla Ruth(16 March 1893-unknown), and Wilhelmina Ethel(16 October 1897-unknown).

I remember Aunt Maude(her photo is in an earlier blog post) quite well. She lived in a little house on East Street in London just six or seven blocks away from my grandmother. My grandmother and her sisters used to get together to play Scrabble, and fight over the spelling of words. Looking back I think none of them were that interested in the game. They enjoyed the verbal battles much more.

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Musicians in the Family


As far as I know only recently has musical talent reared its ugly head in my family. I remember with some trepidation the attempts by my mother to get me to play the piano. In grade nine I attempted to learn the euphonium. No go. It held no interest for me when measured with the joys of hockey, baseball, and wrestling.

My ex-wife’s family was naturally a different kettle of fish. She was and is a professional musician. When we were married she played percussion for our local London Symphony orchestra. My two sons, as a result, inherited some musical talent. Andrew plays the violin and percussion. Anthony plays the cello and guitar. Both boys at one time or other have played for London’s Youth orchestra.

Mother played the piano; but as far as I know no one else in my family line have showed any musical talent. Interesting considering the number of Gaelic Scots that appear in my past. Oh well, I expect that the farmers in my line viewed a field of corn as a symphony in itself.

Photo:Anthony and his guitar

Sunday, October 25, 2009

Black Sheep Sunday

Black sheep in the Hillman family line? I wish. I have looked long and hard for just such a person. So far all I have been able to find are hard working Baptists and Presbyterians. If another researcher has been able to find a black sheep in the Hillman tree I would very much like to find out who that person is.

The closest I can come up with is John James McLellan (29 April 1855-April 1910). He immigrated from Scotland in 1872, and was the second husband of my great grandmother Maria Gartrell Rickard Thomas(she is mentioned in a previous blog post).

He died apparently of ‘ an overindulgence of alcohol’. Not an uncommon problem in nineteenth century Ontario. During this period there was a growing Temperance movement which eventually led to Prohibition during the Drury Premiership(1919-1923).

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

The Wiltshire Crowd

Very many thanks to Cora Hillman in sending me information that helps me to round out the various lines of Hillman’s that immigrated to Upper Canada at around 1831(still an approximate date as the are no records to date of when they landed. This date is taken from the Canadian Census returns from various members of the family. But even these are not consistent.).

It all starts with George Hillman and Elizabeth Harman who were from around Westbury, Wiltshire, England. They had two sons George(born 1798 in Westbury-died sometime before 1855 in Middlesex County, Upper Canada) who married Susana Browne 24 December, 1818 in Westbury, Wiltshire England. They had eight children John(born 4December, 1819-died 3 October 1906), James(1 December, 1821-died 17 March 1900), William(born 3 November 1824-died 10 August 1888), Elizabeth(born 1829-died 1884), Reuben(born 20 October 1828-died August 1899), W. Nathaniel(born 6 January 1844 -died 1935), and Mary Ann(born 1844-died?).
George Hillman and Elizabeth Harman’s second son James(born 1800?-died before 1859) married Mary Smith on 29 January 1824 in Westbury, Wiltshire, England. They had eight children. John(born 21 May 1827-died March 1888), Esau(born 31 January 1831- died ?), William( born 1834-died?), George(born 1836-died?), Laura Ann(born 1841-died?), Samuel(born 1843-died?), Matthew(born 1845-?).

From these two immigrant families the Hillman’s spread throughout South-Western Ontario, Northern Michigan, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan.

I wish though that they used a wider variety of Christian names! It would have made it easier.