Robert J Howes (1857 - 1923)

Born 24 May 1857 in England, United Kingdom

Husband of Margaret Davidson (Hanna) Howes — married 15 Oct 1877 in Toronto, York, Ontario, Canada

Descendants

Died 24 Oct 1923 at age 66 in Toronto, York, Ontario, Canada

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Blair Duncan [send private message]

Biography

Son of John and Janes Howes, Robert immigrated to Canada from England when he was 15.

At the age of 17 Robert is working as a polisher in Toronto living in a lane off Richmond West, between York and Simcoe. The following year he moved to 51 Centre St. After 2 years working as a labourer and polisher he moved across the street to number 36. Most of Center St was annex by the city for the new Toronto City Hall.

At the age of 21, marble polisher Robert married 19 year old Margaret Davidson Hanna and moved to 148 Oak on the east side of Toronto close to the Don river.

After the birth of their first child Elizabeth Jane a year later, they moved to 161 Oak and remained there for 5 years seeing the birth of another daughter Annie Hanna in 1880 and Mary Rebecca in 1882. Two years later Robert is employed as a marble cutter at Powell & Parkinson located on Yonge just south of Isabella. His home is about a 20 minute walk north at 32 Marlborough Av. Roberts 4th child and first son Robert John was born in Whitby in 1885.

At the time of his death Robert was living at 94 Benon Avenue, Toronto

Burried in Prospect Cemetery

Timeline

created from the archives of York/Toronto city directories

1857 Birth of Howes, Robert John 24 May 1857 in England, United Kingdom
1872 Howes, Robert (15) immigrated from england
1874 Howes, Robert (17), polisher, lane off Richmond West, between York and Simcoe
Center St was west of where Toronto's city hall is today
1875 Howes, Robert (18), polisher, ​51 Centre
1876 Howes, Robert (19), laborer, 51 Centre
1877 Howes, Robert (20), polisher ​36 Center
marriage of Robert (21) and Margaret Hanna (19)
Oak St is between Gerrard & Dundas from Parliament to River, todays Regent Park
1878 Howes, Robert (21), marble polisher, ​148 Oak
Birth of Elizabeth Jane Howse first daughter of Robert and Margaret Howse
1879 Howes, Robert (22), laborer, ​161 Oak
1880 Howes, Robert (23), laborer, 161 Oak
Birth of Annie Hanna Howes 2nd daughter of Robert and Margaret Howse
1881 Howes, Robert (24), marble polisher, 161 Oak
Munro St is on the east side of the Don Valley/River, south of the Don Jail
1882 Howes, Robert (25), marble polisher, ​Munro​ (Riverside)
Birth of Mary Rebecca Howes 3rd daughter of Robert and Margaret Howse
1883 Howes, Robert (26), marble polisher, Munro (Riverside)
At this time Marlborough is a new street by the expanded northern city limits running off Yonge, near the train tracks and Summerhill Station. I was curious as to the distance Robert Howes travelled for work and tracked it for a few years as well
1884 Howes, Robert (27), marble cutter Powell & Parkinson, h ​32 Marlborough Av
Powell & Parkinson 672-674 Yonge
1885 Birth of Robert John Howes, Jan 5 1885 in Whitby, Ont, 1st son of Howes, Robert (29)
no city directory records where found between 1885-1887 birth records have the family living in Whitby
1886 Birth of Samuel James (Dec 14, 1886 - Feb 1 1887), Whitby, Ont 1887, Howes, Robert (29) 2rd son
back in Toronto at another home on Marlborough
1888 Howes, Robert (31), polisher, h ​24 Marlborough Av
Death of Mary Rebecca (6) (February), Howes, Robert (31) 3rd daughter
Birth of Henry Kerr (march) aka Harry / Harrold, Howes, Robert (31) 3rd son
Birch Ave is north of Marlborough in the Yonge/Summerhill area
1889 Howes, Robert (32), polisher Powell & Parkinson, h ​102 Birch ave Powell & Parkinson (Robert Powell, Thomas Parkinson),
Marble and Granite Works 6-8 Gould
His employer Powell & Parkinson is now located at Yonge at Gould, a block north of Dundas Square, future home of SAM the Record Man and now the large Ryerson University Library
1890 Howes, Robert (33), marble cutter Powell & Parkinson, h ​100 Birch ave​.
Powell & Parkinson (Robert Powell, Thomas Parkinson), Marble Cutters, Sculptors, etc, 6-8 Gould and 24 Wilton ave.
Birth of baby James, Howes, Robert (33) 4th son
Death of baby James, Howes, Robert (33) 4th son
1891 Howes, Robert (34), marble worker, h 100 Birch Av
Powell & Parkinson (Robert Powell, Thomas Parkinson) marble cutters, 16 Gould
North View Terrace is located just north of Yorkville in the Davenport/Hazelton/Belmont area
1892 Howes, Robert (35), marble polisher Powell & Parkinson, h ​35 North View ter
Powell & Parkinson (Robert Powell, Thomas Parkinson), Mantels, Grates, and Tiles, 343 Yonge St Birth of Howes, Robert (35) 5th son Melville Irwin
1893 Howes, Robert (36), marble plshr,h ​27 Davenport rd
Powell & Parkinson (Robert Powell, Thomas Parkinson),
Mantels, Grates, Tiles, Marble and Granite Dealers 16 Gould, 343 and 336 Yonge
1894 Howes, Robert (37), marble plshr, h 49 Berryman
Powell & Parkinson (Robert Powell, Thomas Parkinson), Mantels 343 and 336 Yonge
Powell & Parkinson seem to separate here, Robert Howes continues on with Robert Powell
1895 Howes, Robert (38), h 32 Belmont
Thomas Parkinson, Mantels, Grates and Tiles 16 Gould, h 15 Wood
Robert Powell Foreign and Domestic Marble and Granite Mantels, Grates and Tiles, 336 and 343 Yonge, h same
1896 Howes, Robert (39), plshr Robert Powell, h ​62 Belmont
Robert Powell, mantles 343 Yonge, h 336 Yonge
1897 Howes, Robert (40), wks Robert Powell, h 62 Belmont
Robert Powell marble works 336 Yonge, h same
1898 Howes, Robert (41), marble polisher, R Powell, h 62 Belmont
Robert Powell marble works 336 Yonge, and hotel 338 same
Robert Powell is now in the hotel business
1899 Howes, Robert (42), wks R Powell, h ​6 Frichot ​ (north of Yorkville next to 970 Yonge)
Robert Powell, Royal Arms Hotel and Dealer in Marble, Granite, and Mantels 334,336,338 Yonge St
1900 Howes, Robert (43), polisher Robert Powell, h 6 Frichot
Robert Powell(Quaker Stove, Grate & Mantel Co), marble 336 Yonge, hotel 338 Yonge
1901 Howes, Robert (44), marble cutter Robert Powell, h ​9 North view terrace
Robert Powell (Quaker Stove, Grate & Mantel Co), marble 336 Yonge, hotel 338 Yonge

1902 no listing for Howes, Robert Robert Powell hotel 336 Yonge
Robert Powell is no longer in the marble business
1903 Howes, Robert (46), prop Union Marble and Granite Works, ​970 Yonge
Howes, Robert J (18), driver 970 Yonge, l same
1904 Howes, Robert (47), prop Union Marble and Granite Works, 970 Yonge
1905 Howes, Robert J (20), marble 970 Yonge, h same
1906 Howes, Robert (49), marble 970 Yonge, h same
Howes, Robert J (21), exp 970 Yonge, l same
1907 Howes, Robert (50) marble, R J Howes express
1908 Howes, Robert J (23), teamster l 93 Cumberland
Howes, Robert J (23) marries Daisie B Dolphin (25)
This is a big change as the Howes family move to the suburbs near Bathurst/St Clair, Wychwood Park and Howes, Robert J (23) and Daisie B Dolphin moved to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.
1909 Howes, Harry (21), driver Kenwood ave
Howes, Robt (52), marble plstr, ​Kenwood ave
JG Gibson, Roberts employer is located at 50-52 Winchester St at the corner of Parliament, in the Cabbagetown area and quite a distance away from Wychwood
1910 Howes, Melville (18), helper Pease Foundry Co, res York Township
Howes, Robert (53), polisher JG Gibson Marble and Granite Co, res York Township

1911 Howes, Melville (19), helper Pease Foundry Co, res York Township
Howes, Robert (54), polisher JG Gibson Marble and Granite Co, res York Township
1912 Howes, Robert (55), polisher JG Gibson Marble and Granite Co, res York Township
1913 Howes Henry K (25), driver, l Robert Howes
Howes Melville I (21), tinner, l Robert Howes
Howes, Robert (56), marble polisher, h corner Kenwood and Louisa avs
1914 Howes, Robert (57), marble polisher, h corner Kenwood and Louisa avs
1915 Howes, Robert (58) marble cutter, ​81 Sellers Ave
1916 Howes, Robert (59) marble cutter, 81 Sellers Ave
1917 Howes, Robert (60) marble polisher 81 Sellers Ave
1918 Howes, Robert (61) marble polisher 81 Sellers Ave
1919 Howes, Robert (62) 81 Sellers Ave
Marriage of Melville (26) and Florence Cheatley (27) Howes
1920 Howes, Robert (63) marble polisher, JG Gibson Marble and Granite, 81 Sellers Ave
1921 Howes, Robert (64) 81 Sellers Ave
1922 Howes, Robert (65) 81 Sellers Ave
1923 Howes, Robert (66), 81 Sellers Ave
Howes, Robert (66), polisher, JG Gibson Marble and Granite, h 94 Benson Ave
Howes, Harry (35), chauffeur JG Gibson Marble and Granite, h 94 Benson Ave
Richard J Howes, polisher, 94 Benson Ave
Howes, Melville (31), labourer, 94 Hope St
Death of Howes, Robert oct

Sources

• https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FMJ9-V47 MARRIAGE
• https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MVF7-DKS CENSUS 1881
• https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KHP3-TGT CENSUS 1901
• https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:27XF-Q7R CENSUS 1911
• https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JX9H-DXH DEATH RECORD
• https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2767-RLT BURIAL RECORD
• https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/128686465/robert-howes MEMORIAL
• https://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/history-genealogy/lh-digital-city-directories.jsp CITY DIRECTORY