John Henry Lorman (1815 - abt. 1916)

Born Jan 1815 in Nova Scotia

Descendants

Died about Dec 1916 at about age 101 in Lowell, Massachusetts

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Chris Whitten [send private message]

Biography

According to census records, John Henry was born in Nova Scotia. ^[1]

He appears in the 1851 Canadian census for Halifax, Nova Scotia. ^[2]

Click for larger image.

He is living in Halifax for the next census as well. ^[3]

Henry is mentioned, along with his wife, in his son Robert's birth record for December 6th, 1871, Spry Bay, Hallifax, Nova Scotia. ^[4] Though his wife is not mentioned, he is mentioned in his son, John E.'s, birth record of June 10, 1869, in Popes Harbour Nova Scotia.^[5] Both of these birth locations are very near to Henry's birth place of Tangier.

There are two census entries for Henry Lorman in the 1881 Census. This record lists Mary and their 9 children living on Windsor Rd. in the City of Halifax. ^[6]

Another 1881 census entry lists only he and his wife Mary as living in the city of Halifax, Nova Scotia. ^[7]

Henry is mentioned in his son William H.'s marriage record in 1899. ^[8]

His son George Lormann's death record mentions his parents. ^[9]

He came to the US in 1881. ^[10]

In the 1900 census he is living with Robert at age 85 in Westford, Massachusetts.

1900 Census, Robert Lorman Houeshold, click for larger image.

There is an interesting obituary clipping about him in the Whitten family bible. It includes the following:

Death of John H. Lorman, Believed to Be Oldest Resident of Lowell

John H. Lorman, once a Nova Scotia sea captain and thought to be the oldest resident of Lowell, died on Thursday at the Lowell Corporation Hospital, aged 100 years, 11 months, and 2 days. Death was due to natural causes.

For the past few years he has been making his home with his daughter, Mrs. Ada Hamm, at 2 Hamel Place off Ludlam Street. To the last, his memory remained clear, his sight was still sufficient to tell the time by his watch at a good distance and his activity was considered remarkable for one of his age.

As a boy Mr. Lorman has little opportunity for education and up to the time of his death he was unable to read or write. At the age of 10 years he began a seafaring life, which continued for nearly half a century. He was engaged principally during the time along the Nova Scotia coast and into Boston, also to Liverpool. In 1881 he came to Lowell with his wife whose maiden name was Mary Ann Gaston, a Nova Scotia girl. Five years later she died, and Mr. Lorman continued to live in Lowell, employing his time principally as a workman in Allen's box shop and later as a farmer with his son, Robert, in Tyngsboro. He worked until three years before his death.

Eleven children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Lorman, of whom four died. ...

Research Notes

In The Observant Citizen, Boston Post, 22 Mar 1917, Thu, Page 14, John Henry Lorman is celebrating his 100th birthday at the home of his son in Lowell. "One of the recent birthday anniversaries was that of John Henry Lorman...". This little blurb also mentions that he is a native of Nova Scotia and that he spent half a century spreading his nets "up and down" the coast and selling his catch in Boston. More research is needed to determine the correct dates of birth and death. Seems the dates are about a year off, since the newspaper was recording his 100th celebration in 1917.

This is just an interesting aside for now...Mary Lorman Mitchell and "Nova Scotia Deaths, 1890-1955," database with images, FamilySearch (Mitchell's Death Record : accessed 9 March 2016), Lorman in entry for Mary Mitchell, 12 Oct 1949; citing Annapolis Royal, Annapolis, Nova Scotia, Canada, certificate 2-005775, Nova Scotia Archives, Halifax. Saw another record early in the research where her father was listed a John Henry Lorman.

Alternate Lorman Spellings

There are McLormans and MacLormans, so his origin may be Irish or Scottish. This may or may not be true. In Census records the family origins are listed as German. This fits the story of early German Immigrants to Halifax and Lunnenburg Nova Scotia. The British were planting German protestants in an attempt to increase the numbers of protestant-English favoring colonists. See research notes below on origins of this family.

Lorhmann

Lohmann

Lauhmann

Lehmann

Possible Origins

The original German Immigrants to Canada came from Southwest Germany, Switzerland and Austria. The Second immigration was more general and the third was generally Germany and Germans who were in the US and preferred the British to the US during revolutionary times, so this included Germans from mainly Pennsylvania and New York.

German Immigration to US/Canada for Timeframe

A William Lorman was a member of the Pennsylvania-German Society

A William Lorman was a contemporary, prosperous Gentleman in MD.^[11]

{http://www.germancanadianassociation.ca/new/eng/about-us-heritage.html Interesting history of how the Germans came to be in the Halifax area of Nova Scotia]

Though this may not be the right time or the right place for William (unless the Ancestry Tree about his death in Lunenburg is to be believed) it still may be helpful: Lunenburg First Families

Another good article for early German Immigration to Canada

Sources

1. ↑ See 1990 census <https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-266-12348-101544-15?cc=1325221>. An Ancestry.com OneWorldTree source says born in Germany. An Ancestry.com tree from hjlawson says he was born 22 Feb 1817 in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia. This source says he died 1 Feb 1917 in Lowell.
2. ↑ "Canada Census, 1851," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MWTP-Q9M : accessed 25 January 2016), John Henry Lorman, Halifax, Halifax County, Nova Scotia, Canada; citing p. , line 7; Library and Archives Canada film number M_3138, Public Archives, Ontario.
3. ↑ "Nova Scotia Census, 1861," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MQQ8-9G4 : accessed 25 January 2016), Henry Lorman, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada; citing line 35; Library and Archives Canada film number M-1169, Public Archives, Halifax; FHL microfilm 865,079.
4. ↑ "Canada Births and Baptisms, 1661-1959," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F26H-SYR : accessed 25 January 2016), Henry Lorman in entry for Robert Emery Lorman, 06 Dec 1871; citing Spry Bay, Hallifax, Nova Scotia, 06 Dec 1871, reference ; FHL microfilm 1,318,355.
5. ↑ "Canada Births and Baptisms, 1661-1959," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F2DP-DGS : accessed 25 January 2016), Henry Lormon in entry for John E. Lormon, 10 Jun 1869; citing Popes Harbour, Halifax, Nova Scotia, 10 Jun 1869, reference ; FHL microfilm 1,318,354.
6. ↑ "Canada Census, 1881," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MV6P-9WR : accessed 9 March 2016), Henry Lorman, Windsor Road, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada; citing p. 13; Library and Archives Canada film number C-13169, Library and Archives Canada, Ottawa, Ontario; FHL microfilm 1,375,805.
7. ↑ "Canada Census, 1881," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MV6G-D6S : accessed 9 March 2016), John H. Lorman, Ward no. 6, Halifax City, Nova Scotia, Canada; citing p. 82; Library and Archives Canada film number C-13168, Library and Archives Canada, Ottawa, Ontario; FHL microfilm 1,375,804.
8. ↑ "Massachusetts Marriages, 1841-1915," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:N44K-22Z : accessed 27 January 2016), Henry Lorman in entry for William H. Lorman and Ellen Breslin Garrity, 29 Jun 1899; citing 167-90, Boston, Massachusetts, State Archives, Boston; FHL microfilm 1,843,717.
9. ↑ "California, San Francisco Area Funeral Home Records, 1835-1979," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JNKC-R3D : accessed 27 January 2016), John H Lormann in entry for George Lormann, 25 Dec 1907; citing funeral home H. F. Suhr & Co., San Francisco, San Francisco, California, record book Vol. 03, p. 1601-1971, 1906-1907, San Francisco Public Library, San Francisco History and Archive Center.
10. ↑ This is in the 1900 census and the obituary.
11. ↑ http://msa.maryland.gov/megafile/msa/speccol/sc5800/sc5881/000001/000000/000057/pdf/msa_sc_5881_1_57.pdf Maryland historical Magazine

• Obituary above in family bible held by Chris Whitten

• 1990 census is on FamilySearch entry for Robert: https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/M9TK-S71