William Dummer Powell Jr. (1778 - 1803)

Born 15 Feb 1778 in Province of Quebec, British North America

Ancestors

Husband of Sarah (Stephenson) Powell — married 25 Jul 1801 in Niagara, Upper Canada

Descendants

Died 29 Sep 1803 at age 25 in Upper Canada

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Biography

William Dummer Powell Jr. was born on 15 Feb 1778 in Province of Quebec, British North America, son of Hon. William Dummer Powell (1755 - 1834) and Anne (Murray) Powell (1755 - 1849).

His siblings were:

1. John Powell (~1776 - ~1827)
2. Grant Powell (1779 - 1838)
3. Anne Powell (1787 - 1822)
4. Elizabeth Powell (1789 - 1855)
5. Mary Boyles (Powell) Jarvis (1790 - 1884)
6. Thomas William Powell (1794 - )

William married Sarah Stephenson (1782 - 1836) on 25 Jul 1801 in Niagara, Upper Canada. Their daughter was Mary Boyles (Powell) Jarvis (1802 - 1851).

William died on 29 Sep 1803 in Upper Canada aged 25.

Research Notes

William's father did not approve of his choice for a bride, so he eloped with Sarah. They were married by Rev. Robert Addison at St. Mark's in Niagara. Afterwards, William would write a letter to Robert Nelles at Grimsby, thanking him and his wife for their kind and friendly assistance. In the letter, he also describes a fatiguing ride to Runchey's^[1] on the night before their marriage. Just two years later, William drowned while Sarah was pregnant with their second daughter. William's father, the Province's Chief Justice, arranged to assume custody of the two little girls, removing them from the care of their mother, whom they disliked so intensely.^[2]

Sources

1. ↑ Robert Runchey began operating Runchey's Tavern in the 1790's. Runchey's would remain a local watering hole and landmark until the 1970's.
2. ↑ An Imprudent Marriage: Sarah Stephenson (1782-1836), Stalking Dead People, William Cooke.

• Chadwick, Edward Marion Ontarian Families: Genealogies of United Empire Loyalist and Other Pioneer Families of Upper Canada (Toronto: Rolph, Smith & Co., 1895). See Powell family, pp. 30 - 34.
• McKenna, Katherine M.J. Life of Propriety: Anne Murray Powell and Her Family, 1755-1849