James Herbert Paterson (1866 - 1932)

Ancestors

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Biography

James Herbert Paterson is born on June 22, 1866 in North Oxford Township, Oxford County, Canada West [1][5]. He is the son of James Paterson (1829-1905) and Isabella Elizabeth Moir (1839-1908). His father is descended from Scottish settlers in Scarborough Township, northeast of Toronto, who, in 1820, had cleared the land at the southeast corner of what is now Finch Avenue and Kennedy Road, in the city of Toronto. His mother was born in the United States and she, too, is descended from Scottish immigrants to the United States who had landed in 1830 in New York and then found their way to Upper Canada. Shortly after James’s parents were married in 1858, they move from Scarborough to a farm in North Oxford Township, Oxford County. The farm is on the Thamesford Gravel Road, running between Ingersoll and Thamesford. This is roughly halfway between Woodstock and London, Ontario, on the north side of the Thames River.

James can be found in the 1871 census, as a five-year old boy living with his family on the farm in Oxford North [2]. He is still there at 15-years old in the 1881 census [3] and again, at 25-years old in the 1891 census [4]. In this 1891 census he is described as a machinist. In the 1901 cenus he is living in Windsor and boarding at the house of Joseph Laframboise [5]. His occupation is a machinist.

James marries Alice Ida Turner (1870-?) on June 28, 1905 in Windsor, Ontario [6]. Alice was born in Ontario; both her parents were born in England.

James and Alice have not been found in the 1911 census records but in 1916 they are in the Prairie province census, living in Township 33, range 10 of Alberta which (in rough terms) is in the centre of the province about 200 kilometres east of Red Deer [7]. This is near the town of Coronation. They live on a farm. James has given up his job as a machinist and gone back to his farm up-bringing. The puzzling thing about the 1916 census record is that it shows as 61-year-old John Patterson (sic) living with James and Alice. The record labels him a “brother.” James did have a brother by the name of John, but he was a younger brother, not an older one. The identity of this “brother” is a mystery. James does have another brother –Ernest Paterson (1874-1960) -- who is farming a 39 kilometres to the south, near the town of Spondin.

James and Alice are still on their farm in Alberta in the 1921 census records.

James dies in 1932 and is buried in the Coronation Cemetery in Coronation, Alberta. Coronation is about 300 kilometres northeast of Calgary. The gravestone indicates that he is buried alone. No information has been found on what happened to Alice Ida Turner. James and Alice had no children.

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Sources

[1] The 1968 Paterson family tree by Marjorie Paterson: shows James, his spouse Alice Turner and no children.

[2] 1871 census, Ontario, Oxford South, 13, Oxford North, 9, pg 10, household 33: James Patterson (sic) (41) – a farmer, Isabella (31) born in US, Andrew (12), Richard A (10), Agnes (8), James ? (5), John L (1) The family is Presbyterian and “Scotch.” [to check: the name “Oxford South” in the census record probably means the southern half of Oxford County. The family lived in the Township of Oxford North that was in the County of Oxford.]

[3] 1881 census, Ontario, Oxford South 165, Oxford North, Div no 2, pg 8, household 36: James A Patterson (sic) (52) – farmer, Isabella (42), Andrew (22) – a miller, Richard (20) –school teacher, Agnes (18), James H (15) (?) farmers son (?), John (11), Thomas (9), Ernest (6), The family is C Pres & “Scotch” , the 4 youngest are in school.

[4] 1891 census, Ontario, Oxford South, 105, Oxford North, 70, pg 13, household 70: James A Patterson (61) - father born England [incorrect], mother born Scotland, Pres, farmer; Elizabeth (52) born in US, father born Scot, mother born Scot; Allen (30) – high school teacher; Agnes (28); James H (25) – machinist; John (21) law student; Leonard (?) T (19) Pub school but also a wage earner (?); Ernest (16); William A (9).

[5] 1901 census, Ontario, 59 North Essex, Windsor ward 9, pg 5, household #48: Jos? [?Joseph} Laframboise (55), + wife & (?) daughter with different surname; James H. Patterson (sic) (35) born 22 June 1866, boarder, “Scotch”, Pres [Presbyterian], machinest

[6] "Ontario Marriages, 1869-1927," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/KZ1S-7NL : accessed 30 January 2015), Jas H Patterson and Alice Turner, 28 Jun 1905; citing registration 008152, Windsor, Essex, Ontario, Canada, Archives of Ontario, Toronto; FHL microfilm 1,871,546. The record shows that a 39 yr old Jas H Patterson (sic) married a 35-yr old Alice Turner in Windsor, Ontario on 28 Jun 1905. The parents of James are shown as James Patterson (sic) & Isabella Moir. The parents of Alice are Arthur Turner & Elizabeth Frear.

[7] 1916 census, Alberta, Battle River, pg 7, household 93: James Herbert Paterson (51), farmer; Alice Ida (45); John Paterson (64), farmer, brother [of James]. All 3 members of the household were born in Ontario and their religion is shown as Presbyterian. James & John are “Scotch”; Alice is English. Their location is given as Township 33, Range 10, Meridan [looks like “W4”], and the municipality is difficult to read but is something like “Hiroult”

[8] 1921 census, Alberta, Battle River, pg 11, family # [?14?]: James Paterson (54), farmer; Alice (51). Both James & Alice were born in Ontario. James’ father was born in Ontario; his mother in the USA. Both Alice’s parents were born in England. They own their own 4-room wooden house. The family’s religion is Presbyterian. The farm is located at 30, 33, 10, 4. [?township 33, range 10, west of the 4th meridian.]

[9] "Find A Grave Index," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/QVL6-BPT9 : accessed 18 January 2015), James Herbert Paterson, 1932; Burial, Coronation, Wainwright Census Division, Alberta, Canada, Coronation Cemetery; citing record ID 97585967, Find a Grave, http://www.findagrave.com. The record shows that James Herbert Paterson was buried in 1932 in the Coronation Cemetery, Coronation, Alberta. It gives him a birth year of 1866..

Acknowledgments

Thank you to Fred Nix for creating Paterson-747 on 20 Sep 13. Click the Changes tab for the details on contributions by Fred and others.

The latest version of this biography was written by Fred Paterson Nix in November 2021. Fred and James are first cousins, three times removed.