Sarah Margaret (Gillis) Sanford (1894 - 1970)

Born 3 Aug 1894 in County Armagh, Ireland

Wife of John Sanford — married 1913 (to 19 Sep 1937) in County Armagh, Ireland

Died 14 Jan 1970 at age 75 in Sussex, Kings, New Brunswick, Canada

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Sara Mosher [send private message]

Biography

Sarah “Margaret” Gillis was born in 1894 at County Armagh, Ireland. She was the daughter of William Gillis and Mary Orr.^[1][2] Margaret married John Sandford, son of Thomas Sandford and Margaret Briggs, who was born at County Armagh, Ireland in 1880. Margaret and John married at County Armagh in Apr-Jun 1913.^[3]

Margaret is six years old and living with her parents and siblings in 1901 at house 21, Aghorey, Richhill, Armagh,^[4] the same town as her future husband John Sandford who is recorded as 21 years old while living with his parents and sisters at house 35.^[5]

Ireland Census, 1901 for Aghorey, Richhill, Armagh, Ireland

Surname Forename Age Sex Relation to head Religion

Gillis William 36 Male Head of Family Church of Ireland

Gillis Mary 35 Female Wife Church of Ireland

Gillis Emily 16 Female Daughter Church of Ireland

Gillis Nathanial 12 Male Son Church of Ireland

Gillis S Margaret 6 Female Daughter Church of Ireland

Margaret is sixteen years old and living with her parents in 1911 at house 12, Aghorey, Richhill, Armagh.^[6]

Ireland Census, 1911 for Aghorey, Armagh, Ireland

Surname Forename Age Sex Relation to head Religion

Gillis William 45 Male Head of Family Presbyterian

Gillis Mary 46 Female Wife Presbyterian

Gillis Sarah Margret 16 Female Daughter Presbyterian

Family of Margaret Gillis

As confirmed by the 1901 census, Margaret had at least one sibling, a brother Nathaniel.^[7]

Father: William Gillis, of Ahorey, Co. Armagh, d. 3 Apr 1927

Mother: Mary, d. 30 Jun 1931

Brother: Nathaniel Gillis, b. Oct-Dec 1888^[8]

Grandson of William Gillis: William Gillis

John Sandford, Irish nationality, immigrated with his wife, Margaret, and their seven children to Canada on the Athenia, arriving at Halifax, Nova Scotia on 9 Apr 1928. John’s age is recorded on the passenger list as 40, but he was 48. It was not unusual at the time for much older people, men or women, to give their ages as closer to that of their spouses.

Family members included:^[9]

John Sandford, age 40

Margaret Sandford, age 35

Children

The children were all born at County Armagh, Ireland.

1. Thomas Sandford, age 13 — b. Jul-Sep 1914;^[10] d. bef 27 Mar 2005^[11]
2. Mary Sandford, age 11 — b. Jul-Sep 1916;^[12] d. bef 27 Mar 2005^[11] m. 23 Dec 1938, at United Baptist Parsonage, Sussex, New Brunswick, Roland McLaughlin^[13]
3. William J. Sandford, age 9 — William John, b. Apr-Jun 1918;^[14] d. bef 27 Mar 2005^[11]
4. Ellen Sandford, age 5 — Ellen Elizabeth, b. 26 Sep 1922;^[15] d. 1 Jun 2007 at Saint John Regional Hospital, Saint John, New Brunswick;^[15][16] m. 30 Oct 1944, at Sacred Heart Church, Norton, New Brunswick, Henry Joseph McLaughlin^[17]
5. Margaret Sandford, age 2 — Margaret Isabel “Bella”, b. abt 1925; d. 27 Mar 2005 at Saint John, New Brunswick;^[11] m. 30 Jun 1947, at St. George’s Church, West Saint John, New Brunswick, Wilbur James Albert Cornfield^[18]
6. James Sandford, age 1 — James Nathaniel “Nat”, b. 19 May 1926; d. 10 Feb 2016 at Hillsborough, Albert, New Brunswick; m. 31 May 1949, at Wesley Memorial United Church, Moncton, New Brunswick, Mona Marie Mosher^[19]
7. Norah Sanford, age 4 months — b. 1928; d. bef 27 Mar 2005^[11] m. 25 Mar 1950, at St. Mary’s Church, Saint John, New Brunswick, Wallace Lloyd Tayes^[20]

Three more children were born in New Brunswick:^[15][16]

1. Gordon, b. 17 Dec 1928, Kings County, New Brunswick; d. 10 Jan 1929, Kings County, New Brunswick, aged 24 days^[21]
2. Sterling Wallace Sanford, b. 1930, Kings County, New Brunswick; father: John Sterling; mother: Margaret Gillis; d. bef 27 Mar 2005^[11] m. 23 Aug 1952, at Waterford, New Brunswick, Thelma Claire Price;^[22] children: Peggy, John, Laurie^[23]
3. Emily, d. young?; mentioned in obituary of sister Ellen McLaughlin^[15][16]

The Sanfords settled at Upham Parish, Kings County, New Brunswick, a small farming community located about 24 miles from Saint John.

John, a farmer, passed away at Saint John, St. John, New Brunswick, Canada in 1937 at the age of 55 due to a perforated gastric ulcer.^[24] Margaret died in 1970, aged 75, at Sussex, Kings County, New Brunswick. She died of a “cerebral vascular incident” of two weeks duration. Margaret had had Diabetes for 10 years.^[1] John and Margaret are buried at Upham St Peter's Anglican, Kings County, New Brunswick.^[25][26]

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} Provincial Archives of New Brunswick : Index to Death Certificates Sandford, Sarah Margaret
2. ↑ North of Ireland Family History Society : Index to Solicitors’ Records Sandford, Mrs. John, daughter of William Gillis : accessed 12 Sep 2021
3. ↑ Find My Past : Irish Marriages 1845-1958 John Sandford & Sarah Margaret Gillis, 1913 : $ subscription site, accessed 12 Sep 2021
4. ↑ National Archives of Ireland Census 1901 : Residents of a house 21 in Aghorey (Richhill, Armagh) Gillis, William…
5. ↑ National Archives of Ireland Census 1901 : Residents of a house 35 in Aghorey (Richhill, Armagh) Sandford, Johns, Son Single 21 1880 Armagh
6. ↑ National Archives of Ireland Census 1911 : Residents of a house 12 in Aghory (Aghory, Armagh) Gillis, William…
7. ↑ North of Ireland Family History Society : Index to Solicitors’ Records Gillis, William, Mary, Nathaniel : accessed 12 Sep 2021
8. ↑ Find My Past : Irish Births 1864-1958, Armagh, Armagh & Tyrone, Ireland Nathaniel Gillis : $ subscription site, accessed 12 Sep 2021
9. ↑ Library and Archives Canada : Passenger Lists and Border Entries, 1925-1935 - Nominal Indexes SANDFORD
10. ↑ "Ireland Civil Registration Indexes, 1845-1958," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FBT8-D6Y : 10 March 2018), BIRTHS entry for Thomas Sandford; citing Armagh, Jul - Sep 1914, vol. 1, p. 48, General Registry, Custom House, Dublin; FHL microfilm 101,075.
11. ↑ ^{11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4 11.5} Obituary Cornfield, Margaret I.
12. ↑ "Ireland Civil Registration Indexes, 1845-1958," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FBBS-QJF : 10 March 2018), BIRTHS entry for Mary Sandford; citing Armagh, Jul - Sep 1916, vol. 1, p. 43, General Registry, Custom House, Dublin; FHL microfilm 101,076.
13. ↑ Provincial Archives of New Brunswick : Index to New Brunswick Marriages Mary Sanford & Roland McLaughlin
14. ↑ "Ireland Civil Registration Indexes, 1845-1958," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FBBR-L2H : 16 March 2020), BIRTHS entry for William John Sandford; citing Armagh, Apr - Jun 1918, vol. 1, p. 46, General Registry, Custom House, Dublin; FHL microfilm 101,077.
15. ↑ ^{15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3} Wallace Funeral Home Ellen McLaughlin 1922 - 2007
16. ↑ ^{16.0 16.1 16.2} In Memoriam Ellen McLaughlin
17. ↑ Provincial Archives of New Brunswick : Index to New Brunswick Marriages Ellen Elizabeth Sandford & Henry Joseph McLaughlin
18. ↑ Provincial Archives of New Brunswick : Index to New Brunswick Marriages Sanford, Margaret Isabel & Cornfield, Wilbur James Albert
19. ↑ Provincial Archives of New Brunswick : Index to New Brunswick Marriages Mosher, Mona M. & Sanford, James Nathaniel
20. ↑ Provincial Archives of New Brunswick : Index to New Brunswick Marriages Norah Sanford & Wallace Lloyd Tayes
21. ↑ Provincial Archives of New Brunswick : Index to Death Certificates Sandford, Gordon
22. ↑ Provincial Archives of New Brunswick : Index to New Brunswick Marriages Sandford, Sterling Wallace & Price, Thelma Claire
23. ↑ O’Regan Funeral Home Peggy Rideout 1952-2018
24. ↑ Provincial Archives of New Brunswick : Index to Death Certificates John Sanford 1937
25. ↑ Provincial Archives of New Brunswick : New Brunswick Cemeteries Sanford, John; Sanford, Margaret
26. ↑ Provincial Archives of New Brunswick : New Brunswick Cemeteries Sanford, Margaret, w/o John