William John Simcoe Kerr (abt. 1837 - abt. 1875)

Born about 1837 in Upper Canada

Ancestors

Husband of Catherine (Hunter) Kerr — married 28 Jul 1870 in Nelson, Halton, Ontario, Canada

Died about 1875 at about age 38 in Burlington, Ontario, Canada

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Biography

Roger Sharpe writes, "In 1862 the Six Nations made what appears to be their first attempt at raising a unit to serve within the ranks of the conventional militia. William John Simcoe Kerr, commonly called Simcoe Kerr, was the Captain. He was born in 1840, the youngest child of Chief (and Colonel) William Johnson Kerr, well known as leader of the warriors at the Battle of Beaver Dams during the war of 1812, and Elizabeth Brant daughter of Joseph Brant. His aunt Catherine, according to Mohawk tradition, named him Tekarihoga, (hereditary chief of the Mohawk), succeeding the deceased John Brant." ^[1][2]

His father William Johnson Kerr’s family connections and his role in the War of 1812 had likely always given him a certain amount of influence with the Six Nations. Following the death in 1832 of John Brant, the head chief of the Confederacy, Kerr’s influence undoubtedly increased. It was the right of his mother-in-law, Catharine Brant [Ohtowaˀkéhson], to name Brant’s successor, and she chose her infant grandson, the Kerrs’ son William Simcoe Kerr. ^[3]

On July 28, 1870, Simcoe married Catherine Hunter, the daughter of John and Olivia Hunter, in Nelson Township, Halton, Ontario.^[4]

He died in 1875 and was buried at St. Luke's Anglican Church Cemetery, Burlington, Ontario.^[5]

Sources

1. ↑ Roger Sharpe. The Indian Department and Six Nations Martial Tradition. This article originally appeared on the County of Brant wiki at ourbrant.wikia.com. http://images.ourontario.ca/brant/2710274/data
2. ↑ Sharpe, Roger, Soldiers and Warriors, The Early Volunteer Militia of Brant County, 1856 – 1866, Canadian Military Heritage Museum, Brantford, Ontario, 1998.
3. ↑ In collaboration, “KERR, WILLIAM JOHNSON,” in Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 7, University of Toronto/Université Laval, 2003–, accessed January 18, 2019, http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/kerr_william_johnson_7E.html.
4. ↑ "Ontario Marriages, 1869-1927," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FMF2-7M9 : 11 March 2018), William J Luicoe Kerr and Catherine Hunter, 28 Jul 1870; citing registration , Nelson, Halton, Ontario, Canada, Archives of Ontario, Toronto; FHL microfilm 1,862,474.
5. ↑ Find A Grave: Memorial #101022802

• Brant Family. Wentworth Historical Society. http://brantford.library.on.ca/files/pdfs/localhistory/brantfamily.pdf