William George Whitfield Giffin (1864 - 1950)

Born 26 Nov 1864 in Elizabethtown, Leeds, Canada West

Ancestors

Husband of Lydia Frances (Baldwin) Giffin — married 29 Sep 1886 in Ogdensburgh, NY

Descendants

Died 20 Aug 1950 at age 85 in Toledo, Kitley, Leeds, Ontario

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Christine Daniels [send private message]

Biography

William George Whitfield was born on November 26, 1864, the son of John Giffin and Mary Ann White.

He was married to Lydia Baldwin on September 29, 1886, in Ogdensburg, New York.

Together they had the following children:

1. Ernest William, married Mary Helen Hunter
2. Alice, married William Ambrose Cline
3. George, married Blanche Ellen White
4. John Wesley, married 1st, Elsie Rushworth, 2nd, Lillian Brady

The entry for Whit and Lydia in The Descendants of William Giffin & Thomasine Eyre^[1] reads:

"Whit" was born in Elizabethtown Twp., Ontario. They were married in 1886. Whitfield was a Brakeman on the C.P.R. His son Ernest was an Engineer and George a Conductor. They continued to live in Smiths Falls.

Whit, Lydia and son Wesley moved to Manitoba in 1910. There they took up a homestead and pre-emption (the right to purchase) in the Unionville district. In the Spring of 1916 the family moved to Saskatchewan. When the 1918 Flu epidemic hit, the school was the hospital and Whit helped. By 1920 the Hazlett Post Office was in the Giffin home. Whit was an excellent drummer and his grandchildren recall him leading the Orangeman’s Day Parade on the 12th of July.

Lydia enjoyed music and sang well. They retired in 1924, then Whit became an Insurance Salesman. In 1929 they returned to Ontario.

Whit died in 1950 and was buried at Weir's Cemetery, in Rocksprings, Ontario.

Sources

William Giffin & Thomasine Eyre, Christine Daniels.

1. ↑ Giffin, Eveline Bertha. The Descendants of William Giffin & Thomasine Eyre, Bell's Crossing, Leeds County, Ontario, Canada: 1990.

Census Records

1871 Census, Elizabethtown, Leeds, Ontario, and the next page

• Giffin, John
• Giffin, Mary Ann
• Giffin, William G. W.
• Giffin, John Wesley
• Giffin, Angeline

1881 Census, Elizabethtown, Leeds, Ontario, and the next page

• Giffin, John
• Giffin, Maryanne
• Giffin, Whitfield
• Giffin, Wesley
• Giffin, Angeline
• Giffin, Gordon
• Giffin, Charles
• Giffin, Proctor
• 1881 Census: "Census of Canada, 1881"
  Reference: RG31 - Statistics Canada; Page: 16; Family number: 74; Microfilm reel number: C-13232; Image number: e008171703; Item ID number: 19038000
  Library and Archives Canada (accessed 4 February 2024)
  Whitfield Giffin (16), Farmer's Son, in Elizabethtown, Brockville (City), Ontario, Canada. Born in Ontario.

1891 Census, Smiths Falls, Ontario

• Giffin, Whitfield
• Giffin, Lydia
• Giffin, William E.
• Giffin, Alice
• 1891 Census: "Census of Canada, 1891"
  Reference: RG31 - Statistics Canada; Family number: 106; Image number: 30953_148151-00627; Item ID number: 25840309
  Library and Archives Canada (accessed 4 February 2024)
  Whitfield Giffin (25) in Smiths Falls, Leeds and Grenville North, Ontario, Canada.

1901 Census, Perth, Ontario

• Giffin, William, born 26 Nov 1865
• Giffin, Lydia, born 25 Dec 1868
• Giffin, William E., born 28 Sept 1887
• Giffin, Allies, born 7 Sept 1889
• Giffin, George, born 15 Oct 1891
• Giffin, John W., born 25 Aug 1895
• 1901 Census: "Census of Canada, 1901"
  Reference: RG31 - Statistics Canada; Page: 8; Family number: 83; Microfilm reel number: T-6478; Image number: z000077218; Item ID number: 35689877
  Library and Archives Canada (accessed 4 February 2024)
  William Giffin (35), Brakeman Cpr, head of household in Perth (Town), Lanark South, Ontario, Canada. Born in Ontario.

1911 Census, Brandon, Manitoba

• Giffin, William
• Giffin, Lydia

1921 Census, Maple Creek, Saskatchewan

1931^[2]