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McPherson Cook Morris Fairfield

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Date: 18 Aug 2023 [unknown]
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Surname/tag: McPherson Cook Morris Fairfield
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This page is to be used for the storage of temporary information as the relationships between Sophia McPherson, John George Cook, Charles Morris, and Charles Fairfield are figured out.

Contents

The Original Question

A profile has been created for Charles Morris, born 1880, and is linked as husband to Sophia Bella McPherson. Can primary sources be found for Charles Morris? Is it possible that there was no Charles Morris (i.e. no person who married Sophia McPherson who was named Charles Morris at birth)?

(Sophia) Bella Cook (née McPherson)

  • Bella McPherson first married John George Cook in 1912. There is an obituary of Bella Cook included at the end John Cook's biography at the Kenora Great War Project. [1] They had a son, Daniel Lawrence Cook, born in 1913. [2]
  • Bella and John were separated by 1916, when John enlisted; they were later divorced. [1]
  • Bella Cook (née McPherson) married Charles Fairfield on 4 Dec 1920 in Kenora, [3]
  • The marriage registration states that Charles Fairfield was widowed, that his parents were George Fairfield, born in Vermont, and Clarissa Pratt, and that he was 54 years old, implying a birth year around 1866.
  • Bella's children born after her separation from John Cook included:
    • Charles Morris; the eldest child, born in 1919, died in Kenora on 5 June 2000. He married Alivna Boucha, and their two oldest sons (according to unsourced trees on Ancestry) took the surname McPherson. [4]
    • Nora Morris, the youngest child, born 13 Mar 1924, died 21 Mar 1993. She married Angus McMahon (4 July 1924 - 10 May 1986). All these dates are clearly marked on Nora and Angus's headstones . [5] This information is confirmed by the obituary of her mother mentioned above.
    • George Fairfield, the middle child; the following information was supplied by Sophia's great grand-niece,
      • George was born on 5 Jan 1921, although his FInd a Grave profile gives a birth year of 1923; [6]
      • George's service records and pension files name his mother as Bella; his father is unnamed, and shown as deceased;
      • He served in both WW II and Korea;
      • He married, and was subsequently divorced, after which he lived in many places, including California, where he spent some time in prison;
        • He is presumably the George Fairfield who married Janet Finnlater, and who had a child Charles George Fairfield (1947-1985). [7]
      • He died in Vancouver on 24 Dec 1990; his parents were not named on his death registration.
  • Sophia's great-grandniece also said that "Bella was with Charles Morris on and off for many years. My great-aunts believe he was the father of Nora also. ... I believe Charles Morris was actually Caleb Morris from Wales. Caleb returned to Wales several times and after one trip he returned to Kenora and Nora was born 10 months later. Caleb later married but had no more children. He and Bella are buried in adjoining cemeteries in Winnipeg." This is presumably a reference to Caleb Morris (1886-1980), who came to Canada in 1910, married Amy Gilmour in 1931, and is buried in Chapel Lawn Memorial Gardens in Winnipeg. [8]
  • Bella's obituary refers to her as 'Bella Cook', rather than either Bella Fairfield or Bella McPherson. Why would Bella (or her children who wrote her obituary) revert to the name of a husband from whom she had been divorced, rather than her most recent partner/husband?

The Pratt Family

The only marriage of Sophia McPherson, for which I could find a source, is the marriage of Sophie Cook to Charles Fairfield, the son of George Fairfield and Clarissa Pratt. [3]

  • Clarissa Pratt married twice; first to James P. Robbins, [9] who died in 1880. [10] She subsequently married George Merritt Fairfield (according to the 1910 US census), [11] who was ~13 years her junior, born around 1860.
  • George Fairfield, Clarissa's second husband, would have been 20 when Sophia McPherson's alleged husband Charles Morris was born (if he was, in fact, born in 1880), the year in which Clarissa's first husband (James Robbins) died.
  • Clarissa Pratt and James P. Robbins had a son, Horace Carlos Robbins (or Carlos Horace Robbins), who was born in 1867. [12] On 1 Mar 1885 Carlos Robbins married Della Nelson in Vermont. [13] Their children included:
    • Minnie Etta Robbins, b. 1886., m. 6 Jun 1901 Pearley M. Trescott [14], m. 1 July 1910 Kenneth S Belmont, [15] m. 3 Aug 1921 J. Paul [16], d. 21 May 1952. [17]
    • Hattie B. Robbins, b. 1887. By 1900, at age 13, she was working as a servant in the Daniels household in East Montpelier, Vermont. [18] She died on 4 Nov 1951. [19][20]
    • Julia M. Robbins, b. 8 Oct 1888, [21], in 1900 she was a student, and a boarder in the Stayton household in Calais, Vermont, [22] m. 23 Sept 1915 Willie Henry Guyer, m. 1 July 1928 she married David Jock, [23] d. 10 June 1969. [24]
    • Anna Robbins, b. ~1890, m. 12 Apr 1914 Harry Davidson, [25] d. 1918 in the Spanish flu pandemic. [26][27] One of her obituaries states that she was the adopted daughter of George Daniels. [28]
    • I have not been able to find any source for the death of Carlos Robbins, or of his wife, Adella (Della) Nelson. Also, none of the many family trees on Ancestry, including all the trees associated with his four daughters, have any information on either of their deaths. In the 1900 US census, the three youngest daughters are living with other families (I couldn't find a census record for Minnie, the eldest daughter.
      Carlos Robbins (or Charles Robbins) and Della Nelson seem to have disappeared between 1890 and 1900. - McEvoy-527 05:30, 23 August 2023 (UTC)
  • In 1911, there is a 'Chas Fairfield' living in Quebec, born in the U.S. in Dec 1879, widowed, and who emigrated to Canada in 1901. Is this Carlos (Charles) Robbins, son of Clarissa and George (or Clarissa and James)? [29][30], and is he, in fact, the man who married Sophia McPherson in 1920?

The main questions are:

  • How many husbands did Sophia Bella McPherson have? Her profile is linked to Charles Morris as a subsequent husband to John Cook, but this is unsourced. We do have a source for a marriage to Charles Fairfield in Dec 1920. Did she marry, or have a relationship with a Charles Morris, born around 1880?
  • Was her second husband Charles (Carlos) Robbins, using the surname of his stepfather, George Fairfield?

Two Hypotheses

  • The family (as relayed by Sophia's great grand-niece), believe that there was a Charles Morris, possibly Caleb Morris, born in Wales. If we accept that Sophia also married Charles Fairfield in 1920, and had a son George Fairfield in 1921, this would imply that her other children, by Charles Morris, were step-siblings of George Fairfield.
  • The other hypothesis is that Sophia's only relationship after her marriage to John Cook was with Carlos Robbins aka Charles Robbins aka Charles Morris aka Charles Fairfield. This hypothesis would suggest:
    • Carlos Robbin's wife, Della Nelson Robbins, died between 1890 and 1911 (possibly at the hand of her husband?);
    • Sometime between 1890 and 1900 (and probably closer to 1900), Carlos Robbins (and Della Nelson, if she was still alive), abandoned their children in Vermont;
    • Carlos assumed his stepfather's surname, and as Charles Fairfield fled 200 km. north to Canada, showing up in Chateauguay (just outside Montreal) in 1911; [29][30]
    • Carlos/Charles moved to Kenora, where he established a relationship with Sophia McPherson, and had three children with her between 1919 and 1926. Here he initially took the name Charles Morris, but when he married Sophia in 1920 he resumed the name Fairfield (hence his son born in 1921 was George Fairfield), reverting back to Charles Morris later.

Circumstantial evidence lends some support to the second hypothesis, or some variation of it. Specifically, there is evidence of dysfunctionality in the family:

  • The children of the eldest son, Charles Morris, took Sophia's maiden name as their surname, indicating a break with the family;
  • Sophia's obituary makes no reference to her second husband, and refers to Sophia by her first husband's name (i.e. Sophia Cook).

Sources

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Kenora Great War Project Biography of John George Cook
  2. ↑ Birth: "Ontario, Canada Births, 1832-1917"
    Archives of Ontario; Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Series: Registrations of Births and Stillbirths, 1869-1913; Reel: 240; Record Group: Rg 80-2
    Ancestry Sharing Link (free access)
    Ancestry ca Record 8838 #2570940 (subscription required, accessed 30 September 2023)
    Daniel Lawrence Cook born on 13 Jul 1913, son of George Cook & Bella McPherson, in Kenora, Ontario, Canada.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Marriage: "Ontario, Canada, Marriages, 1826-1939"
    Archives of Ontario; Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Registrations of Marriages, 1869-1928; Series Number: Ms 932; Reel: 532
    Ancestry Sharing Link (free access)
    Ancestry ca Record 7921 #3143086 (subscription required, accessed 21 August 2023)
    Charles Fairfield (54) marriage to Bella Cook on 4 Dec 1920 in Kenora District, Kenora, Ontario, Canada.
  4. ↑ Memorial: Find a Grave (has image)
    Find A Grave: Memorial #154965494 (accessed 24 August 2023)
    Memorial page for Charles A “Chuck” Morris (1919-5 Jun 2000), citing Lake Of The Woods Cemetery, Kenora, Kenora District, Ontario, Canada (plot: 71E-23-2); Maintained by JAS (contributor 47879709).
  5. ↑ Memorial: Find a Grave (has image)
    Find A Grave: Memorial #214033227 (accessed 18 August 2023)
    Memorial page for Nora McMahon (13 Mar 1924-21 Mar 1993), citing Little Falls Cemetery, Atikokan, Rainy River District, Ontario, Canada; Maintained by Patricia Byrne (contributor 48944760).)
  6. ↑ Memorial: Find a Grave (has image)
    Find A Grave: Memorial #204356123 (accessed 30 September 2023)
    Memorial page for Pte George Fairfield (1923-1990), citing Victory Memorial Park, Surrey, Greater Vancouver Regional District, British Columbia, Canada; Maintained by markgord (contributor 49368345).
  7. ↑ Death of son Charles George Fairfield: "Canada, British Columbia Death Registrations, 1872-1986; 1992-1993"
    citing Affiliate Film Number: B16575; Digital film/folder number: 004437834; FHL microfilm: 1358015; Record number: 1378; Packet letter: A
    FamilySearch Record: FLL8-G4C (accessed 30 September 2023)
    George Fairfield in death record for son Charles George Fairfield 28 Aug 1985 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
  8. ↑ Memorial: Find a Grave (no image)
    Find A Grave: Memorial #192193159 (accessed 30 September 2023)
    Memorial page for Caleb Morris (1886-15 Jul 1980), citing Chapel Lawn Memorial Gardens, Winnipeg, Greater Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada (plot: Good Samaritan Garden); Maintained by Donald Schmidt (contributor 47813253).
  9. ↑ Marriage: "Vermont, U.S., Vital Records, 1720-1908"
    New England Historic Genealogical Society; Boston, Massachusetts; State of Vermont. Vermont Vital Records through 1870
    Ancestry Sharing Link (free access)
    Ancestry ca Record 4661 #713382 (subscription required, accessed 19 August 2023)
    Clarrissa A Pratt (19) marriage to James Robbins on 7 Oct 1865 in Johnson, Vermont, USA.
  10. ↑ Death: "Vermont, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1732-2005"
    citing Death, Wolcott, Lamoille, Vermont, United States, various town clerks and records divisions, Vermont; FHL microfilm 005487927
    FamilySearch Record: QPQP-L4FS (accessed 20 August 2023)
    FamilySearch Image: 3QSQ-G99D-Z3RK Image number 00286
    James P Robbins death 5 Jul 1880 (age 35), son of Truman & Betsey Preston, in Wolcott, Lamoille, Vermont, United States.
  11. ↑ 1910 Census: "1910 United States Federal Census"
    Year: 1910; Census Place: Hyde Park, Lamoille, Vermont; Roll: T624_1612; Page: 8b; Enumeration District: 0128; FHL microfilm: 1375625
    Ancestry Sharing Link (free access)
    Ancestry ca Record 7884 #173010616 (subscription required, accessed 20 August 2023)
    Clarisy A Fairfield (63), wife, in household of George M Fairfield (50) in Hyde Park, Lamoille, Vermont, USA. Born in Vermont.
  12. ↑ Birth of son Horace Carlos Robbins: "Vermont Births and Christenings, 1765-1908"
    citing Digital film/folder number: 004705254; FHL microfilm: 27670
    FamilySearch Record: F8L5-THV (accessed 20 August 2023)
    Horace Carlos Robbins born to James P Robbins on 16 Jul 1866 in Wolcott, Lamoille, Vermont, United States.
  13. ↑ Marriage of son Carlos H Robbins: "Vermont Vital Records, 1760-1954"
    citing Digital film/folder number: 004357290; FHL microfilm: 540138; Image number: 01192; Record number: 311; Packet letter: A
    FamilySearch Record: XF7S-CFQ (accessed 20 August 2023)
    FamilySearch Image: S3HT-6S2Q-NTL Image number 1192
    James P Robbins's son Carlos H Robbins marriage to Della Nelson on 1 Mar 1885 in Vermont, United States.
  14. ↑ Marriage: "Vermont, U.S., Vital Records, 1720-1908"
    New England Historic Genealogical Society; Boston, Massachusetts; State of Vermont. Vermont Vital Records, 1871–1908
    Ancestry Sharing Link (free access)
    Ancestry Record 4661 #1028862 (subscription required, accessed 22 August 2023)
    , Minnie E Robbins (15) marriage to Pearley M Trescott on 6 Jun 1901 in Hyde Park, Vermont, USA.
  15. ↑ Marriage: "Vermont, U.S., Marriage Records, 1909-2008"
    Vermont State Archives and Records Administration; Montpelier, Vermont
    Ancestry Sharing Link (free access)
    Ancestry Record 1606 #557718 (subscription required, accessed 22 August 2023)
    Minnie Trescott (23) marriage to Kenneth S Belmont on 1 Jul 1910 in Hardwick, Caledonia, Vermont, USA.
  16. ↑ Marriage: "Vermont, U.S., Marriage Records, 1909-2008"
    Vermont State Archives and Records Administration; Montpelier, Vermont
    Ancestry Sharing Link (free access)
    Ancestry Record 1606 #66003 (subscription required, accessed 22 August 2023)
    Minnie Etta Belmont (40) marriage to J F Paul on 3 Apr 1926 in Hardwick, Caledonia, Vermont, USA.
  17. ↑ Death: "Vermont, U.S., Death Records, 1909-2008"
    Vermont State Archives and Records Administration; Montpelier, Vermont, USA; User Box Number: PR-01778; Roll Number: S-31205; Archive Number: M-2023374
    Ancestry Sharing Link (free access)
    Ancestry Record 1607 #104395 (subscription required, accessed 22 August 2023)
    Minnie E Paul death 21 May 1952 (age 66), daughter of Carlos Robbins, in Hardwick, Caledonia, Vermont, USA.
  18. ↑ 1900 Census: "1900 United States Federal Census"
    Year: 1900; Census Place: East Montpelier, Washington, Vermont; Roll: 1695; Page: 1; Enumeration District: 0224
    Ancestry Sharing Link (free access)
    Ancestry ca Record 7602 #62126116 (subscription required, accessed 22 August 2023)
    Hattie Robbins (13), single servant, Houseworker, in household of Harry Daniels (31) in East Montpelier, Washington, Vermont. Born in Vermont, USA.
  19. ↑ Death: "Vermont, U.S., Death Records, 1909-2008"
    Vermont State Archives and Records Administration; Montpelier, Vermont, USA; User Box Number: PR-01777; Roll Number: S-31182; Archive Number: M-1991797
    Ancestry Sharing Link (free access)
    Ancestry ca Record 1607 #153818 (subscription required, accessed 22 August 2023)
    Hattie Berta Lawson death 4 Nov 1951 (born 18 Feb 1887), daughter of Carl Robbins & Della Robbins, in Montpelier, Washington, Vermont, USA.
  20. ↑ Memorial: Find a Grave (has image)
    Find A Grave: Memorial #40227899 (accessed 22 August 2023)
    Memorial page for Hattie B. Robbins Lawson (1887-1951), citing Fairview Cemetery, East Calais, Washington County, Vermont, USA; Maintained by Elaine (contributor 46893309).
  21. ↑ Social Security: "U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007"
    Original data: Social Security Applications and Claims, 1936-2007
    Ancestry Record 60901 #118820 (subscription required, accessed 22 August 2023)
    Name: Julia M Jock [Julia M Robbins]; Gender: Female; Birth Date: 8 Oct 1888; Birth Place: Hyde Park, Vermont; Claim Date: 6 Dec 1955; Father: Carl Robbins; Mother: Dell Nelson; Notes: 18 Jun 1976: Name listed as JULIA M JOCK.
  22. ↑ 1900 Census: "1900 United States Federal Census"
    Year: 1900; Census Place: Calais, Washington, Vermont; Roll: 1695; Page: 1; Enumeration District: 0222
    Ancestry Sharing Link (free access)
    Ancestry Record 7602 #62124167 (subscription required, accessed 22 August 2023)
    Julia Robbins (11), single boarder, Student, in household of Joseph A Slayton (60) in Calais, Washington, Vermont. Born in Vermont, USA.
  23. ↑ Marriage: "Vermont, U.S., Marriage Records, 1909-2008"
    Vermont State Archives and Records Administration; Montpelier, Vermont
    Ancestry Sharing Link (free access)
    Ancestry Record 1606 #265305 (subscription required, accessed 22 August 2023)
    Julia May Guyen (39) marriage to David E Jock on 1 Jul 1928 in Concord, Essex, Vermont, USA.
  24. ↑ Death: "Vermont, U.S., Death Records, 1909-2008"
    Vermont State Archives and Records Administration; Montpelier, Vermont, USA; User Box Number: PR-02091; Roll Number: S-31356; Archive Number: PR-1326-1327
    Ancestry Sharing Link (free access)
    Ancestry Record 1607 #275030 (subscription required, accessed 22 August 2023)
    Julia Jock death 10 Jun 1969 (born 8 Oct 1888) in St Johnsbury, Caledonia, Vermont, USA.
  25. ↑ Marriage: "Vermont, U.S., Marriage Records, 1909-2008"
    Vermont State Archives and Records Administration; Montpelier, Vermont
    Ancestry Sharing Link (free access)
    Ancestry Record 1606 #76950 (subscription required, accessed 22 August 2023)
    Anna Robbins Brigham (23) marriage to Harry Davidson on 12 Apr 1914 in Barre, Washington, Vermont, USA.
  26. ↑ 1918 Newspaper: "Newspapers.com"
    The Barre Daily Times (Barre, Vermont) Fri, Oct 11, 1918, page 1
    Newspapers Clip: 117712522 (accessed 22 August 2023)
  27. ↑ Family History or Pedigree: "Geneanet Community Trees Index"
    Original data: Geneanet Community Trees Index. Paris, France: Geneanet
    Ancestry Record 62476 #5652589558 (subscription required, accessed 22 August 2023)
    Name: Anna Belle Robbins; Gender: F (Female); Birth Date: 1890; Birth Place: East Elmore, Lamoille (Elmore), Vermont, USA; Death Date: 1918; Death Place: Barre, Washington (Barre), Vermont, USA; Spouse: Allie Karl Brigham; Child: Allen Norman Winfield Brigham Delmer Urban Brigham Infant Brigham; View on Geneanet: https://gw.geneanet.org/robertau1957?n=robbins&oc=&p=anna+belle.
  28. ↑ 1918 Newspaper: "Newspapers.com"
    The Barre Daily Times (Barre, Vermont) Fri, Oct 11, 1918, page 1
    Newspapers Clip: 117712446 (accessed 22 August 2023)
  29. ↑ 29.0 29.1 Census of Canada, 1911
    Name: Fairfield, Chas;
    Gender: Male;
    Age: 31;
    Birth Year: 1879;
    Birth Month: December;
    Marital Status: Single;
    Relationship: Chef;
    Year of Immigration: 1901;
    Province: Quebec;
    District: Chateauguay; Number: 153;
    Sub-District: St. Joachim Parish, Boisbriand, Woodlands; Number: 9;
    Sub-District Description: NULL;
    Family Number: 103;
    Page Number: 10;
    Microfilm: T-20419;
    Reference: RG31, Statistics Canada;
    Item Number: 8675158 - retrieved 22 Aug 2023
  30. ↑ 30.0 30.1 Census of Canada, 1911 Image




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