Request for help on hard to find Canadian records. Connor Family.

Question

I need help finding ANY Canadian records on Patrick Connor 1853 /1854 – 1921.  Could also be under O’Connor.  I have secondary information that he was born in Hamilton, Ontario in November,1853 but I cannot find any sourcing records confirming. Family rumors that it could be just Ontario in 1854.  Patrick Connor moved his family to Garske, Ramsey, ND.  Died in 1921 in Garske, ND. Wife Mary Ann Farden, born 1858, Toronto, died 1925 in Garske, ND.   Parents are Thomas Connor 1824 (Kerry, Ireland) – Feb. 1907 (Grey, Ontario) and Mary Fitzmaurice 1835 (Kerry, Ireland) – June 1898 (Grey, Ontario).  I have not added my Connor ancestors to WikiTree yet, I wanted try and clear this up first.  The 1853 Hamilton, Ontario secondary records we have (one is his newspaper obituary) are unsourced, so using them is not very good genealogy.

Comments

Here is the wife (Mary Fardan) and her parents (Felix Farden and Bridget O'Toole) and siblings in 1881 Canada in Grey, Ontario

http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/census/1881/Pages/item.aspx?itemid=4008292

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Thank you!!  We have some good sourcing on her and parents already, I will add this to the file.  It's the puzzle (wall) of when and where Patrick was born that has stumped my genealogy group for a few years.  The 1853 Hamilton, Ontario secondary records we have (one is his newspaper obituary) are unsourced, so using them is not very good genealogy.

Answer 1

Thomas Connor

 in the Ontario, Canada, Marriages, 1826-1937 

Name:	Thomas Connor
Age:	32
Birth Year:	abt 1826
Birth Place:	Ireland
Residence:	St. Catharines
Marriage Date:	19 Jul 1858
Marriage Place:	Lincoln, Ontario, Canada
Father:	Pat C
Mother:	Helen Roland
Spouse:	Mary Connor

Source Citation

Archives of Ontario; Toronto, Ontario, Canada; County Marriage Registers, 1858-June 1869; Reel: 10

Source Information

Ancestry.com and Genealogical Research Library (Brampton, Ontario, Canada). Ontario, Canada, Marriages, 1826-1937 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.

Original data:

Ontario, Canada, Select Marriages. Archives of Ontario, Toronto

 

Comments

OM-GOODNESS ! WikiTree is so awesome.  This is a totally new record that has eluded my genealogy group.. they are gonna be ecstatic!  THANK YOU SO MUCH!  

Also somewhat confusing because we have good primary sourcing that Patrick C. is Thomas' father, but these same records have Mary Murphy as his wife.  Perhaps a 2nd marriage?  Something to explore.

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this record is after the birth of their two children. I do not think this relates to this family.

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or maybe that is them and that is why we cannot find birth records for the children as they were born before the parents were married.

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Now that my memory has been 'jogged', I did run into this problem too, wondering if the two kids arrived before the 'official' marriage.  Some of my relatives really did not appreciate that I even dared to suggest that.  I also wondered if there might have been a different mother for the first two kids, who passed away, making the 1858 wedding more possible if he was a widower.  Again, not a thought that went over well, and never something I could find any records on.  Thank you for looking at this so hard.

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In that era, clergy rode circuits  serving several parishes, and transportation was squiffy. There was a practice of couples betrothing at family gatherings, starting married life and venturing to town for the official business when they had enough money to make the long trip and pay for accommodation. And, of course, fees had to be paid to the church for the marriages and christenings. It would not be unusual for a couple to take the first couple infants to town, get married and have christenings all the same week

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Wow... you are really providing some GREAT information.  I will pass this on asap to my genealogy group.

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Among black Americans after slavery ended in 1865, the custom was called jumping the broom. Big party. All the family. Then church when they could.

The same tradition was followed in early Virginia in the 1600s and in Alaska during the Gold Rush.

Answer 2

Patrick Connor

 in the 1871 Census of Canada

Name:	Patrick Connor
Gender:	Male
Age:	17
Birth Year:	abt 1854
Birth Place:	Ontario
Religion:	Catholic
Origin:	Irish
Province:	Ontario
District:	Grey South
District Number:	36
Division:	03
Subdistrict:	Glenelg
Subdistrict Number:	f
Neighbors:	View others on page
Household Members:	Name Age Thomas Connor 50 Mary Connor 38 Patrick Connor 17 Johannah Connor 15 Thomas Connor 10 Dennis Connor 9 William Connor 6 Ellen Connor 4 Edward Connor 2

Source Citation

Year: 1871; Census Place: Glenelg, Grey South, Ontario; Roll: C-9952; Page: 12; Family No: 34

Source Information

Ancestry.com and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 1871 Census of Canada [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2009. 
 

 

 

Comments

Correct family.  Will add this record.  Thomas moved his Connor family from somewhere (?) in Ontario, possibly where Patrick was born to Glenelg, Grey South, Ontario.  Still trying to find sourcing records/docs on when & where Patrick was born.  THANK YOU.

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1861 census lists Patrick born East Flamboro, Wentworth, Canada,West  TRANSCRIBED NAME INCORRECT ACTUAL FORM SAYS PATRICK . ALL OTHER FAMILY SAME AS 1871

Pathene Conner

 in the 1861 Census of Canada

View

• View Original Image

Name:	Pathene Conner
Gender:	Male
Age:	7
Birth Year:	1854
Birthplace:	Canada West
Home in 1861:	East Flamboro, Wentworth, Canada West
Religion:	Church of Rome
Film Number:	C-1086-1087
Page Number:	80
Household Members:	Name Age Pathene Conner 7

Source Citation

Library and Archives Canada; Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; Census Returns For 1861; Roll: C-1086-1087

  

Answer 3

Find a grave

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/99448464

Comments

That is him!  I have 10-15 Connor (and Baker( relatives and ancestors in that cemetery.  It is a special place for my family as my ancestors also help to build the church as well.

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Ah now I get it, ND is not in Canada, but is North Dakota in America.

Answer 4

Patrick O'Connor married Mary Walsh 09 Jan 1895 at Ottawa, Carleton, Ontario, Canada. Father's name Thomas O'Connor, mother's name Mary Curry. Spouse's father's name John Walsh, mother's name Catharine Tobin.

"Ontario Marriages, 1800-1910," database, FamilySearch

Comments

Appreciated, honestly, but this is the wrong family.  We have multiple good primary sourcing on Thomas & Mary Fitzmaurice as parents and Patrick's wife being Mary Ann Farden. It's when (1853? 1854? ??) Patrick was born and where (Hamiliton ??  Somewhere in Ontario??) Patrick was born that eludes us.  My genealogy group has difficulty with finding some key Canadian records.  Thank you for responding.

Answer 5

Found them in East Flamboro, near Hamilton, in 1861 Canada census: Thomas 37, Mary 27, and son transcribed as Pathene (?) likely Patrick, age seven

https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/census/1861/Pages/results.aspx?k=east+flamboro+AND+cnsSurname%3a%22conner%22+AND+cnsProvinceCode%3a%22CW%22

And I think this is Thomas' death record in Grey county, but 1907 not 1927:

"Ontario Deaths, 1869-1937 and Overseas Deaths, 1939-1947," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:J69P-VWL : 27 April 2019), Thomas Conners, 11 Feb 1907; citing Glenelg, Grey, Ontario, yr 1907 cn 11918, Registrar General. Archives of Ontario, Toronto; FHL microfilm 1,854,461.

Comments

That is a record we did not have yet THANK YOU.  We have the 1871 census already, but this puts us closer to his birthyear.  1861 - 7 puts us on the mark for our secondary sources of a 1853 / 1854 birth,  AWESOME.  Thank You!

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His sister's death record says born in Wentworth County which I believe in the county in which Hamilton is located.  I have been unable to find the birth certificates for him or his sister.  

Wow, there bad trees at Ancestry for this family.

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Yes East Flamboro is in Wentworth county, as was Hamilton at the time.

And these births are just a few years too early for when the systematic registration of births began in Ontario.

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I know about the Ancestry trees.... a couple make me want to scream in frustration.

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That is new and good information for me/us. There are systematic issues with the public records around the time  Patrick was born?  That is valuable.  Thank you!

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Yes, civil registration of births did not begin until 1869. So records before that are extremely spotty. Only church records and they of course did not all survive and didn't cover everyone anyway.

Answer 6

Thomas Connor

 in the UK, Royal Navy Registers of Seamen's Services, 1848-1939

Name:	Thomas Connor
Gender:	Male
Birth Date:	Aug 1824
Birth Place:	Kerry County, Kerry, Ireland
First Service Date:	1 Jan 1873
First Ship Served On:	Indus
Last Service Date:	31 Oct 1873
Last Ship Served On:	Indus
Service Number:	40178

Source Citation

The National Archives of the UK; Kew, Surrey, England; Royal Navy Registers of Seamen's Services; Class:ADM 188; Piece: 5

Source Information

Ancestry.com. UK, Royal Navy Registers of Seamen's Services, 1848-1939 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014.

   

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Comments

That has got to be Patrick's father!  Thank you!  A Kerry Ireland man in the British Royal Navy.  Interesting!

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Unable to access Ireland for gramps Patrick & Gramma Helen Roland. Sorry.

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Off topic but re Irish sailors

A great per cent of the sailors who stayed at their posts aiding passengers on the Titanic were Irish.

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Really unique record.  Just talked with a Connor relative who has worked hard on our genealogy.  Relative was floored, absolute shock about wife Helen Rowland instead of Mary Murphy.  I have to believe that is a 2nd marriage we did not know of, and a new path to explore!

Answer 7

Any good? Findmypast 

British Columbia, Canada, Death Index, 1872–1992

First name(s) Patrick

Sex Male

Last name Connor,

Year 1947

Province British Columbia

Country Canada

Age 69

Death date 6/23/1947

Place VICTORIA

GSU microfilm number 2032478

BC microfilm number B13194

Category Life Events (BDMs)

Subcategory Civil Deaths & Burials

Collections from Canada, Americas

Comments

Thanks... but that would be a different Patrick Connor.  My great-grandfather passed in Gaske, ND in 1921.