May Elizabeth Thomson (1883 - 1960)

Born 10 Oct 1883 in Thedford,ON

Ancestors

Wife of Archibald Loane Muir — married 5 Sep 1906 in Scarboro

Descendants

Died 25 Sep 1960 at age 76 in Courtice,ON

Problems/Questions Profile managers: Fred Nix [send private message] and Bob Paterson [send private message]

Biography

May Elizabeth Thomson is born on October 10, 1883, in Scarborough Township, Ontario, Canada [1][2]. This township, which no longer exists, is now a part of the city of Toronto. Her parents are Richard David Thomson (1850-1934) and Agnes Hood Thomson (1857-1935). Her father is a farmer.

Some time after her birth, the family moves to a new farm in Bosanquet Township, Lambton County. Bosanquet is about 250 kilometres west of Scarborough, close to the southern shoreline of Lake Huron. In the 1891 census records, May is seven years old, living with her family in Bosanquet [3]. While this needs more research, we think the family farm is in Lot 11, Concession 1 of Bosanquet Township which, if correct, puts the farm a little to the south of the town of Thedford, and quite close to the Ausable River. May is 17-years old and still living on the family farm in the 1901 census records [4].

May marries Archibald Loane Muir on September 5, 1906, in Scarborough Township [5]. Two days later, on September 7, 1906, she has her first baby back in Bosanquet. This is Archibald’s second marriage as his first wife had died in 1905. He had several children with his first wife. May and Archibald have seven children:

• Harold Cecil Muir 1906-1988 + (1932) Francis Eileen Hancock 1906-1996

• Archibald Loane Muir 1909-1910

• Sarah Myrtle Muir 1911-2000 + (1936) Eric James Courtice 1906-1983

• Archibald Richard Muir c1913-2002 + (1939) Elnora Madeline Blakely 1917-1972

• Bruce Muir 1916-2000

• Alexander (Sandy) Thomson Muir 1918-2004 + (1947) Irma Mildred Metcalfe 1927-?

• Robert Muir 1922-1996 + (1950) Gwendolyn Osborne 1927-2017

In the 1911 census records, May is living in Scarborough with Archibald and his two children from his first marriage [6]. She also has two children of her own – Harold and Sarah. Sometime after the 1911 census, Archibald leaves his farm in Scarborough and moves to a new farm near the town of Darlington. This is on the north shore of Lake Ontario, about 66 kilometres by road east of the centre of Toronto. The family can be found there in the 1921 census records [7]. May is now 36 years old, living with “Archie,” one stepdaughter and five of her own children.

Archie dies in 1958 and is buried back in Scarborough – in the St Andrew’s Presbyterian Church cemetery in Bendale. It is not known where May lives after Archibald dies. Perhaps with one of her children, most of whom stay in the Courtice-Darlington area. She dies on September 25, 1960 and is buried with Archibald in the St Andrew’s cemetery [8].

Sources

[1] The 1968 Paterson family tree by Marjorie Paterson shows May as the 2nd child of Agnes Thomson and Richard Thomson. It shows her spouse as Arch Muir and it shows 7 children: (1) Harold + Francis Hancock; (2) Arch (3) Sarah + Eric Courtice; (4) Arch + Elnora Blakely; (5) Bruce; (6) Alexander + Mildred Metcalfe; and (7) Robert + Gwen Osborne.

[2] "Canada, Ontario Births and Baptisms, 1779-1899", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FM7H-FGQ : 13 February 2020), May Elizabeth Thomson, 1883. May Elizabeth Thomson is born 10 Oct 1883 in Bosanquet Township, Lambton County, Ontario. Her parents are Richard D. Thomson and Agnes H. Thomson. Richard is a farmer.

[3] 1891 census, Ontario, 81 East Lambton, Bosanquet Township, pg 31, family #153: Richard Thompson (40); farmer; Agnes (33); Gertrude (9); [?Meary] (7); David (5), farmer; Mabel (3). The religion of the family is Presbyterian.

[4] 1901 census, Ontario, 78 m Lambton East, Township of Bosanquet, pg 10, family #9: Richard D. Thompson (50) born 9 Sept 1850; Agnes (43) born 12 Apr 1857; Gertrude (19) born 14 Dec 18??; May E. (17) born 10 Oct 1883; David B. (15), born 30 Oct 1885; Mable R. (12) born 15 Apr 1888; Mirtle A. (8) born 9 [?7?] 1891; Verna (5) born 18 Oct 1895. All family members are labelled “Scot.” Their religion is Presbyterian. David, Mable & Mirtle are in school.

[5] "Ontario Marriages, 1869-1927," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KSZ4-71N : 10 April 2015), Agnes Thompson in entry for Archibald Muir and May Thompson, 05 Sep 1906; citing registration , Scarborough, York, Ontario, Canada, Archives of Ontario, Toronto; FHL microfilm 1,871,702. The record shows that Archibald Muir married May Thompson (sic) on 05 Sept 1906 in Scarborough Township, York County, Ontario, Canada. Archibald is 36 yrs old and May is 22 yrs old. The parents of the groom are Archibald Muir & Katherine Loann (sic). The parents of the bride are Richard & Agnes Thompson (sic).

[6] 1911 census, Ontario, 136 York Centre, Scarboro, pg 10, family #102: Archibald Muir (41), born March 1870, farmer; Mary E [or C] (27), born Oct 18??; ??? Etta (19), born May 1892; Hazel (15),, born June 1896; Harold (4), born Sept 1906; Sarah (? Looks like 6 months), born Jan 1911; plus 2 labourers. All residents with the surname “Muir” are “Scotch” and their religion is Methodist. Although the 2 oldest children are labelled “daughter,” they are not the daughters of the 27-year old Mary. Mary is Archibald’s second wife. All residents with the surname “Muir” were born in Ontario.

[7] 1921 census, Ontario, 74 Durham, Darlington township, pgs 5-6, family #53: Archie Muir (51), farmer; Mary [or May] (36); Hazel [?Hazel Katherine?] (25); Harold Cecil (14); [name not really legible, could include “Sarah” and perhaps a “Myrtle”] (10); Archibald Richard (7); Bruce (5); Alexander (2). The racial or tribal origin of all residents is “Scotch” and the religion is Methodist.

[8] Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/71845215/may-elizabeth-muir : accessed 29 December 2021), memorial page for May Elizabeth Thomson Muir (10 Oct 1883–25 Sep 1960), Find a Grave Memorial ID 71845215, citing Saint Andrew's Presbyterian Church Cemetery, Scarborough, Toronto Municipality, Ontario, Canada ; Maintained by alisaislandgirl (contributor 49344538) .

Acknowledgments

Thank you to Katharine E for creating WikiTree profile Thomson-1919 through the import of david r thomson.ged on Jun 4, 2013. Click to the Changes page for the details of edits by Katharine and others.

This biography was written by Fred Nix in Dec. 2021. Fred and May are second cousins, twice removed. They are both descendants of Isaac Chester (1784-1871) and Elizabeth Whitfield (c1790-1873).