James Hardy Johnston (1866 - 1939)

Born 22 Apr 1866 in Maryborough Twp., Wellington Co., Canada West

Ancestors

Descendants

Died 3 Oct 1939 at age 73 in Uxbridge, Durham, West Grey, Grey, Ontario, Canada

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Mark Suggitt [send private message]

Biography

James Hardy Johnston was born in 1866 in Moorefield, Ontario, the son of James Johnston and Jennet Hogg. He was the tenth of twelve children, and second youngest of the six children to survive infancy. James was baptized 3 June 1866 by Rev. T. McGuire (Moorefield or Uxbridge?). James' first years were in Maryborough township and Arthur village. The family moved to Maryborough in 1865 from the Johnston homestead at Quaker Hill near Uxbridge village. James was one of two children born in Maryborough, with his sister Mary (b.1868). The 1871 census shows the family living in nearby Arthur village; James' father is listed as being a butcher. The youngest, Edward, was born and died in Arthur village in September 1871.

In spring 1872 James' father died of pneumonia. James was just six. Mother Jennet moved the family back to the homestead at Quaker Hill. Eight years later in 1880, James' mother Jennet died. The siblings remained together at the homestead with eldest brother Robert, age 30, heading the family; brother William was 27, Joseph 19, John 16, James 15 and Mary 12; the orphaned family had help from aunts, uncles and cousins also living at Quaker Hill and Uxbridge.

In 1886 James started work with the Northern Grand Trunk (Midland) Railway in Uxbridge as a carpenter. He was promoted foreman at Allandale (Barrie) in 1899, and to Building Inspector in 1903. James married Olive Richards in August 1899 in Uxbridge. They settled in Barrie and had one daughter, Jean Laidlaw Johnston, born March 1901.

James was transferred to Ottawa in 1912, promoted to Bridge and Building Master. In 1913 he became Superintendent of Bridges and Buildings for Eastern Lines at Montreal. Over the next ten years the family was moved back to Barrie, then Hamilton and finally Toronto in 1923. James retired in July, 1831 after 45 years with the CNR.

James and Olivia retired back to Uxbridge in 1931. James had some talent for portrait sketching and several of his pastel and pencil drawing survive with family. He was a prolific photographer. And he retained his carpentry skills. He was a Mason. James traveled extensively across north America with Olive and daughter Jean on railway passes, a perk of his position at CN Rail; a photo record of these travels include San Bernadino, Grand Canyon, Kansas, Missouri, and so on.

Maryborough is associated with James' name, as a nickname or middle name, but this a reference derived from a handwritten family record written around 1900, copied from the family bible, indicating the two kids born to James and Jennet in Maryborough township, their 12th child Edward is specifically listed as born in Arthur; it was meant to distinguish them from the kids born at Quaker Hill at Uxbridge. The way Maryborough was placed in front of James' name it was taken to be his full name by family researchers decades later.

Olive passed away in August 1939, aged 71. Her death certificate cites bronchial pneumonia as the cause but also that she suffered senility. James passed a little more than one month later in October, at home, suffering a heart attack, age 73. They are buried together at Uxbridge Cemetery.

Research Notes

FamilySearch profile: James Hardy Johnston LB9X-4VJ

Uxbridge: history and settlement

to do:

• locate birth record.
• locate James in 1891 census: James has not been found in the 1891 census despite attempts at age/spelling/location variations/guesses. He re-appears in 1899 in his marriage record. He is not living with any of his siblings or aunts/uncles. The years 1881-1899 are his age 16-33yrs; he probably worked on the homestead for 2-4 years after his mother died in 1880...this is where he is in the 1881 census. He was already established with the CNR as a carpenter before marriage as evidenced by a good salary shown in the 1901 census.
• update march 30/22... systematic census Canada searches at Library &b Archives Canada:
• 1891 census scrub search: living with other siblings (nope); 24 & 25 yr old Johnston/Johnson in Ontario (nope); living with aunt or uncles (nope); living with cousin families (grandaunts/uncles)...nope.
• update March 31/22: found obit citing James was born in Moorefield (village), Maryborough Twp., Wellington Co.
• ...update March 31/22: located retirement article in Canadian national Railway Magazine, celebrating recent retirees (1931), and celebrating James 45 years with the company...he joined CNR in 1886, five years after his mom died, 4 years after the 1881 census.

Sources

• family book - Descendants of James Hardy Johnston 1788-1872 and Margaret (Byers) Johnston 1793-1866 of Annan, Scotland and Quaker Hill, Ontario, Helen Johnston, 1984, 58 pages.
• 1871 Census of Canada - Arthur, Wellington North, Ontario, Canada; district 35, sub-district d, Division 03; James hardy Johnston, 5 yrs; Library & Archives Canada (https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/census/1871/Pages/item.aspx?itemid=2074533)
• 1881 Census of Canada - Uxbridge, Ontario North, Ontario; Roll: C_13244; Page: 56; Family No: 263; H. James Johnson (sic), 15 yrs, labourer; page: 56, family: 263, line: 18: Library & Archives Canada (https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/census/1881/Pages/item.aspx?itemid=3452532);
• 1899 marriage - "Canada, Ontario Marriages, 1869-1927," database with images, _FamilySearch_ (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KZB4-M8K : 8 March 2021), J Hardy Johnston and Olive E Richards, 02 Aug 1899; citing registration , Uxbridge, Ontario, Ontario, Canada, Archives of Ontario, Toronto; FHL microfilm 1,871,075.
• 1901 Census of Canada - Ontario, Simcoe North (114), Barrie (a), Div: 5; Page: 5; Family No: 8, line: 30; Jas Johnston, 35 yrs, carpenter; Library & Archives Canada (https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/census/1901/Pages/item.aspx?itemid=2497358);
• 1921 Census of Canada - Reference: RG31 - Statistics Canada; Page: 21; Line: 21; Family number: 264; Microfilm reel number: T-25838; Image number: e003035659; Item ID number: 65249248
  Library and Archives Canada (accessed 6 November 2023)
  James Johnston (54), married, head, supervisor; Barrie (Town), Simcoe South, Ontario, Canada. Born in Ontario; in household with Olive 52, wife; Jean 20, dtr, student.
• 1931 retirement article - Bridge and Building Superintendent takes Pension; Canadian National Railways Magazine, Summer 1931, page 34;
• 1939 obituary - Late J. Hardy Johnston; Uxbridge Times Journal, Thurs. 5 Oct 1939;
• 1939 burial - Find a Grave - database and images ([1](https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/229955747/james-hardy-johnston "https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/229955747/james-hardy-johnston") : accessed 9 February 2022), memorial page for James Hardy Johnston (22 Apr 1866–3 Oct 1939), Find a Grave Memorial ID 229955747, citing Uxbridge Cemetery, Uxbridge, Durham Regional Municipality, Ontario, Canada ; Maintained by Mark Suggitt (contributor 47255076) .