Hannah (Paterson) Jackson (1821 - 1902)

Born 1 Oct 1821 in Scarborough Township, Upper Canada

Ancestors

Descendants

Died 1 Mar 1902 at age 80 in Orillia, Simcoe County, Ontario, Canada

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Biography

Hannah Paterson is born on October 1, 1821 in Scarborough Township, Upper Canada, the daughter of William Goodfellow Paterson (1795-1870) and Sarah Lockie (1796-1872) [1][2][3]. Her parents immigrated to Upper Canada in 1818 from Roxburghshire, Scotland (in or near Kelso which is near the English border). It may actually be that her father came in 1818 and then returned to Scotland and then, in 1820, came back to Upper Canada with his wife, Sarah Lockie. Hannah’s parents homesteaded on a farm named “Brookside.” William’s father, and younger brother Thomas had the next farm north and another brother, Andrew, had the farm to the north of that. In today’s geography this is all the land between Sheppard and Finch Avenues on the east side of Kennedy Road in Toronto, Ontario. Hannah is born and grows up on the Brookside farm.

Hannah marries John Jackson (c1811<1891) on January 8, 1847[4]. John was born in Scotland in about 1811 and nothing else is known about John’s early life (who his parents were, when he came to Canada). In the available records, John is described as either a millwright or a wheelwright – presumably skills he picked up in Scotland before immigrating to Upper Canada. Millwrights are carpenters who specialize in things like building machinery or agricultural implements. A wheelwright is someone who builds or repairs wooden wheels.

Hannah and John have six children:

• William Jackson 1849-1900 + (1869) Charlotte Clarke c1847-1903

• Margaret G. Jackson 1851-1902

• Sarah Jackson 1854-1947 + (1884) Charles Gilbert 1855-1935

• Violet Jackson 1857-1940

• John Paterson Jackson 1860-1937 + (1) (1884) Esther Riddle c1861<1888 + (2) (1888) Ellen (Nellie) Roberts 1864-1947

• Lawrence Robert Jackson 1863-1933 + (c1893) Mary Scott 1864-1946

After their marriage, Hannah and John live in Scarborough for a few years – the baptism records for their first three children show that they were baptised in Scarborough. Their fourth child, Violet, is born in Vaughan Township in 1857. Vaughan in northwest of Scarborough (today it on the northwest boundary of Toronto). But at some point, Hannah and John decide to move approximately 100 kilometres north to the relatively new village of Orillia which sits at the narrows where Lake Simcoe and Lake Couchiching meet. In the 1861 census, Hannah and John are found in Orillia with five children: William (14), Margaret (10), Sarah (7), Violet (4) and John P. (1) [5]. John’s occupation is a millwright.

The land that is today the city of Orillia is important in understanding the history of First Nations in Canada. While different sources give different accounts, making it difficult to sort out what actually happened, the land at the narrows between Lake Simcoe and Lake Couchiching was inhabited by Wendat (Huron-Wendat) when Champlain visited in 1615. And it may have been these people who first constructed the fishing weirs at the narrows. But the Huron-Wendat were forced out by 1650 in the fierce wars (and diseases) that ensued after Europeans landed in North America. Haudenosaunee (the French referred to them as “Iroquois”) who had defeated the Huron-Wendat, may have lived in this area after the Huron-Wendat left. But wars between the Haudenosaunee and the Anishinaabe (Ojibwe or Chippewa) resulted in the latter group taking over the area around Orillia at some point. These people – who today refer to themselves as “Chippewas of Rama First Nation” -- were moved in 1830 by the British Crown to the Coldwater-Narrows reserve were they established “farms, mills, and markets for selling produce, fish and game to settlers and travellers.” (This is from their web site.) This Coldwater-Narrows reserve includes land that is now the City of Orillia. .In 1836 – in what they refer to as an “illegal surrender” – the Chippewas were forced to move again to what is now know as Rama Township (now a part of Ramara Township). This land is on the eastern side of Lake Couchiching. The village of Orillia, where the Jackson’s live, is incorporated as a village in 1867 [6].

Hannah and John Jackson are still in Orillia in the 1871 census, and this is the only record that shows Hannah with a middle name: “Hannah P. Jackson” [7]. It is possible the “P” simply indicates her maiden name. There are five children at home in 1871 – the oldest son, William, having left in 1869 and one new child, Lawrence, having been added to the family in 1863. Again, John is shown as a millwright, although an 1872 directory shows him in Orillia as a wheelwright [8]. He is probably both a millwright and a wheelwright. Hannah and John are in the 1881 census in Orillia with three children (Margaret, Violet, and Lawrence) [9]. They are in in the 1891 census, still in Orillia, living with their oldest son, William, and his wife, Charlotte [10].

John dies in 1893 and, in the 1901 census, Hannah is shown as a widow [11]. Hannah is living with two of her daughters (Margaret G. & Violet). She dies in Orillia on March 1, 1902, at the age of 80. It is not known where she is buried, although it is likely in the Saint Andrews and Saint James Cemetery at 320 Coldwater Road West in Orillia where John is buried.

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Sources

[1] The 1968 Paterson family tree by Marjorie Paterson shows Hannah as the first child of William Paterson and Sarah Lockie. It shows her spouse as John Jackson and it shows 6 children: (1) William + Charlotte Clark [no “e”], (2) Margaret, (3) Sarah + Charles Gilbert, (4) Violet, (5) John + Nellie Roberts & (6) Lawrence + Mary Scott.

[2] St Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, Bendale, Baptism Register: Hannah born 1 Oct 1821.

[3] Scarborough Birth Register (poor photocopy of transcript) shows birth year for Hannah in 1821 and two of her children: William [name is illegible] (born Nov 14/49, baptised Feb 11/50) & Margaret.(born Oct 21/51, baptised Dec 28/51).

[4] "Ontario, District Marriage Registers, 1801-1858," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q2C1-L285 : 30 November 2016), John Jackson and Hannah Paterson, 08 Jan 1847; citing Home Township, Algoma, Ontario, Canada, Archives of Ontario, Toronto; FHL microfilm 1,030,052. The record shows that Hannah Paterson and John Jackson were married on 08 Jan 1847 by a Presbyterian minister [?James George] in the Township of Scarborough.

[5] 1861 census, Ontario, Simcoe, Orillia, pg 4, lines 4-10: John Jackson (50), born in Scotland, mill wright; Hannah [shown as Mrs John] (40), born in Canada; William [shown as “Wm”] (14); Margaret (10); Sarah (7); Violet (4); John P (1). The religion is shown as “F.C”. It is almost impossible to read but it looks as if they live in a 1.5 story house and that there are two families living there. If this is correct, the other family is a 25-yr old James Read or Bead and his 20-yr old wife [name not legible]

[6] various sources have been used to tell the history of Orillia –Wikipedia (March 2023) suggests the Huron [Huron-Wendat or just Wendat] and Iroquois [Haudenosaunee] fished in the area over 4,000 years ago. The Canadian Encyclopedia says the site was originally a Huron-Wendat settlement and these people trapped fish at the narrows. It goes on to say that the Ojibwe [Anishinaabe] later moved in and settled the area. The First Nations people that were relocated to the Rama Reserve in 1836 refer to themselves today as the Chippewas of Rama First Nation. “Chippewa” is a group or a nation of Anishinaabe people although the web site for the Chippewas of Rama First Nation refers to themselves as belonging to the Ojibwe nation. As understood “Ojibwe” is either used as a synonym for “Anishinaabe” or as a group within the Anishinaabe nation. A good account of the period between 1830 and 1836 is: Smith, Heather N. (2018) "“We are One Nation”: The Legacy of the Coldwater-Narrows Reserve (1830-1836)," The Great Lakes Journal of Undergraduate History: Vol. 6 : Iss. 1 , Article 5. Available at: https://scholar.uwindsor.ca/gljuh/vol6/iss1/5

[7] 1871 census, Ontario, Simcoe North, 42, Orillia, pg 21, household 77: John Jackson (60) born in Scotland, a millwright; Hannah P (49); Margaret (19); Sarah (16); Violet (13); John (10); Lawrence (7); The family is C. Presb (Presbyterian) and Scotch (Scottish). (The 19-yr old Margaret is also shown in the 1871 census to be living with her aunt and uncle in Markham – Thomas W. Paterson & Jessie Crow.)

[8] 1872 Gazatteer Towns and Villagees at www.waynecook.com/1872_Gazatteer.html - shows John Jackson as a wheelwright in Orillia. The next entry is John’s son: “Wm. Jackson, livery.”

[9] 1881 census of Canada, Ontario, Simcoe North, 139, Orillia, pg 70, household 235: John (70) and Hannah (59) are shown living in Orillia with 3 of their children: Margaret (29), Violet (24) & Lawrence (18). John is a millwright.

[10] 1891 census of Canada, Ontario, Simcoe East, 116, pg 57, household 267: John (80) and Hannah (70) are shown living with their oldest son, William (42) and his wife, Charlotte (44).

[11] 1901 census of Canada, Ontario, Simcoe East, 113, i-3, pg 5: Hannah (79) is shown living in Orillia with 2 of her daughters, both of whom are single: Margaret G (47) born Oct 21, 1853 & Violet (42) born Sept 6, 1857 (Scarborough Birth Register has Margaret born on Oct 21, 1851).

[12] Northern Advance, March 13, 1902: death notice for a Mrs Hannah Patterson (sic) Jackson, age 80, of Orillia. She died on March 1, 1902.

Acknowledgments

Thank you to Fred Nix for creating Paterson-843 on 16 Oct 13. Click the Changes tab for the details on contributions by Fred and others. The current biography (an improvement on the original) was prepared by Fred Nix in March 2023. Fred and Hannah are first cousins, four times removed.