Andrew James Thomson (1825 - 1895)

Born 29 Jan 1825 in Scarborough Township, Upper Canada

Ancestors

Husband of Eliza (Bell) Thomson — married 7 Oct 1847 in Scarborough Township, York County, Canada West

Descendants

Died 24 Apr 1895 at age 70 in Rural Municipality of Winchester, Manitoba, Canada

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Fred Nix [send private message]

Biography

Andrew James Thomson is born on January 29, 1825, in the Township of Scarborough, Upper Canada, the son of Agnes Paterson (1800-1875) and James Andrew Thomson (1802-1884) [1]. He is baptised on either March 23, 1825 or April 11, 1825 in St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Bendale, Scarborough [2][4]. His mother had been born in Scotland and come to Upper Canada in 1820 with her parents. His father, “Springfield Jimmy” as he was commonly known, was born in Upper Canada and was one of the earliest Europeans born in Scarborough Township. Scarborough is now part of the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Andrew marries Eliza Bell (1825-1913) on October 7, 1847, in St. Andrew’s [3]. In the 1861 census records, Andrew and Eliza are living in Scarborough with four children: Mary (10), Josephine (8), Agnes (6) and Hebor (3). It is not possible to read the occupation of Andrew on the census record, but it does not appear to be “farmer” [5]. In total, Andrew and Eliza will have six children, the last one being adopted:

• James William Thomson 1848-1856

• Mary Thomson 1850-1932 + (1869) Joseph Stinson Hagerman 1849-1940

• Josephine Thomson 1853-1923

• Agnes Bell Thomson 1855-1883 + (1883) George Shoults 1859-1911

• Heber Leslie Thomson 1858-?

• William George Thomson 1866-1947 + (1890) Jane (Jennie) Guthrie 1867-1944

The adopted son, William George Thomson (1866-1947), is the son of Andrew James’ younger brother -- Thomas Thomson (1827-1909). In other words, William George is actually a nephew when he is adopted. Thomas Thomson lost his wife in 1867 and, presumably not being able to look after a one-year-old baby, he asked to his older brother to adopt the baby [6].

In the 1871 census, the family is living in McGillivray Township in the county of Middlesex, Ontario [7]. McGillivray is now part of the town of North Middlesex, which sits just to the northwest of the city of London, about 200 kilometres to the west of Scarborough. There are four children in the home: Sophia [Josephine] (19); Agnes (16); Leslie [Heber Leslie] (13); and William (5). The oldest (living) child, Mary, is not with the family as she was married in 1869. Andrew’s occupation in the census record is shown as a lumber merchant [8].

At some point Andrew and Eliza move to Manitoba. Their oldest daughter, Mary, and her husband, Joseph Hagman, move to Manitoba later. The best guess (from the obituary of one of the children) is that Andrew, Eliza and four children move west sometime in 1880 or 1881. The population of Manitoba, not counting First Nations people, was under 13,000 in 1870 when it joined the Canadian federation. In the next decade, 50,000 settlers move into the province. Andrew and Eliza, plus children, are part of this migration. As the family moves west before the completion of the railway (1883 to Winnipeg), they would have to travel through the United States (Minneapolis) to reach Manitoba.

In the 1881 census records, Andrew and Eliza are living in Winnipeg with four children [9]. Andrew is in the lumber business.

In 1888, Andrew, Eliza and their son Heber all take land grants in the area just to the north of Whitewater Lake (and other places that have not been located) [10]. Whitewater Lake is about 20 kilometres north of the border with the United States and 70-80 kilometres southwest of Brandon. The 1891 census records show Andrew and Eliza farming in Whitewater [11]. Two children are still living with them: the 35-year old Josephine and the 30-year old Heber.

Andrew dies on April 24, 1895 in the Rural Municipality of Winchester (which includes Whitewater Lake) [12]. When he dies, his estates consists of 500 acres of land (202 hectares) valued at $1,920; four horses, two cows, three calves, about 2,500 bushels of wheat and 700 bushels of oats. He also owns some equipment, and he has some debts. The land, valued at $1,920, would be worth something like $40,000 in today’s (2020) currency [6][13]. It is not known where Andrew is buried. However, wherever he was initially buried, in 1907 the body is moved into Winnipeg and re-buried where Eliza and his daughter Josephine are eventually buried in the Brookside Cemetery [14].

Sources

[1] The 1968 Paterson family tree by Marjorie Paterson shows Andrew Thomson as the 1st child of Agnes Paterson & James Thomson. It shows 5 children: (1) James; (2) Mary Thomson + Joseph Hagerman; (3) Josephine; (4) Heber; & (5) Agnes Thomson + George Schultz. The notes of Barbara Paterson (1927-2009) indicate there was a 6th child, Elmita but it is now thought that Elmita was the daughter of another Thomson family

[2] Scarborough Birth Register (poor photocopy of transcription): Andrew born 29 January 1825 (and although difficult to read it appears to show him baptised on March 23, 1825).

[3] "Ontario, District Marriage Registers, 1801-1858," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q2C1-L2LY : 30 November 2016), Andrew Thomson and Elizabeth Bell, 07 Oct 1847; citing Home Township, Algoma, Ontario, Canada, Archives of Ontario, Toronto; FHL microfilm 1,030,052. This record contains a page listing marriages conducted by the Rev James George, Presbyterian minister of Scarborough from 8th Jan 1847 to the 9 [?] Oct 1847. The last marriage listed on this document is between Andrew Thomson & Elizabeth Bell. It occurred on [difficult to read] 7 Oct 1847 in Scarborough Township.. The witnesses were Thomas Thomson and James [?] Nichols. Rev. James George was the minister at St. Andrews Presbyterian Church in Scarborough (the place being named Bendale later) from 1833 to 1853 (this is how the name of the church where Andrew & Elizabeth Bell were married is known).

[4] Katherine E created the profile for Andrew James Thomson on WikiTree by importing a GEDCOM file (Andrew.thomson.ged) and this provided: (1) a probable year of marriage (1848), (2) birth/death years for James, (3) middle name for James & (4) middle name for Hebor. However, this source had the birth year for William as 1876 (it is 1866). This is also the source the baptism date for Andrew probably being on April 11, 1825 in Scarborough. [this conflicts with what appears to be the “March 23, 1825” transcription of the baptism records].

[5] 1861 census, Township of Scarborough, County of York, Canada West, pg ?, lines 14-19: Andrew J. Thompson (sic) (36) , occupation not legible, born U. Canada, Ch of Scotland; Eliza (36), born U. Canada; Mary (10); Josephine (8); Agnes (6); Hebor Leslie (3). The family lives in a 1-story frame house.

[6] Ian Glendinning (email May 2017) discovered that William George Thomson was an adopted son. This helped clear up some confusion about the children of Thomas Thomson (1827-1909) as the 1968 Paterson family tree shows two children both named William. There were, indeed, two children named William, but one was adopted by the older brother. Ian Glendinning discovered this when he located a copy of Andrew James Thomson’s will on familysearch.org. A schedule in the will lists the assets of Andrew J. Thomson: a farm in Section 32, Township 4, Range 22 west of the 1st meridian consisting of 320 acres. It is valued at $1,280. In addition he owned 180 acres in Section 30, Township 4, range 22 west of the 1st meridian valued at $640. In terms of livestock, he owned 1 mare, 1 yearling, 1 2-yr old chestnut mare, 2 milk cows, 2 spring calves, and 1 yearling calf. He also owned various equipment and had, at his death, about 2,500 bushels of wheat and 700 bushels of oats. (He also had some debts.) He names his wife, Eliza, as the sole executor of his will. Although the writing is difficult to interpret, it appears that he leaves his estate to Eliza with instructions that, upon Eliza’s death, the estate be divided equally among his children: Mary Hagerman, Josephine Thomson and Heber Leslie Thomson. There are then some lines that have not quite been interpreted and the will continues: “I give and bequeath to my adopted son William George Thomson the sum of one hundred dollars to be paid to him within one year after the death of my said wife . . .”

[7] 1871 census, Ontario, North Middlesex, McGillivray, family #156, pg 43-44: Andrew Thompson (sic) (46), lumber merchant; Eliza (45); Sophia (19); Agnes (16); Leslie (13); William (5). The family’s religion is shown as Presbyterian. All family members were born in Ontario. All family members are labelled “Scotch,” except Eliz who is English.

[8] Marjorie J Paterson scrapbooks (housed in the Cedarbrae branch of the Toronto Public Library): this has a list of the children of Agnes (Paterson) Thomson and beside the first child shown (looks like “Andrew P” & Eliza Bell) there is a note that reads: “in the lumber business in Parkhill; later moved to the northwest”

[9] 1881 census, Manitoba, Selkirk, 183, Winnipeg (C) Division 3, pg 62-63 household 262. A. Thompson (sic) (55) (?) lumberman, Eliza (55), Josephine (26), Angus (24), William (15), born Ont; H??er (23) Household members (including Eliza) are labeled “Scotch.”

[10] Western Land Grants: http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/databases/western-land-grants/001007-119.01-e.php?sisn_id_nbr=28333 Also (re: Heber Leslie Thomson’s land grant): Sessional Papers, Volume 14, Third Session of the Sixth Parliament of the Dominion of Canada, Session 1889. Pg 94: The Canadian Pacific Railway Company hereby requests the issue of patents in the names of the persons and lands described herein . . . . . . .Heber Leslie Thomson, painter, [Residence] Winnipeg, Man [Section] N. E. ¼ 1 [Township] 11 [Range] 20 [Principle Meridian] West of 1st”

[11] 1891 census, Manitoba, Selkirk, 9, Whitewater, pg 17, household 97. A.J. Thomson (66), farmer, father born Ontario, mother Scotland; Eliz (65), parents born England; Josephine (??) (35); H.L. (30)

[12] Ian Glendinning’s web site is the source of information when/where Andrew J. Thomson died –the Rural Municipality of Winchester. . http://www.glendinning.name/ancestry/ The Manitoba vital statistics do not have this death record.

[13] the value of an 1895 dollar: It is difficult to say how much $1,920 in 1895 would be worth today (2020). The Bank of Canada, using a consumer price inflation rate, only can go back as far as 1914. However using a GDP deflator, they give the example that a dollar in 1870 would be worth $26.70 in today’s (2005) dollars. So, ballpark, $1,920 in 1895 would be worth something like 20 times as much in 2020 (rounded to about $40,000). https://www.bankofcanada.ca/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/dollar_book.pdf James Powel, 2005, “A History of the Canadian Dollar”

[14] Brookside Cemetery: https://www.winnipeg.ca/Cemeteries/Documents/Brookside/BurialSearch/BrooksideTH_TI.html Eliza Thomson and Josephine Thomson are buried in plot E 0010-0. In checking the burial records, there is also an Andrew J. Thomson buried in this spot. However, the death date is shown as 4/24/1905 (April 24, 1905) and the burial date is shown as 11/5/1907. What appears to have happened is Andrew’s body was moved to Winnipeg in 1907 and, in recording the burial, someone has entered April 24, 1905, rather than April 24, 1895.

Acknowledgments

Thank you to Katharine E for creating WikiTree profile Thomson-2020 through the import of andrew thomson.ged on Jun 7, 2013. Click to the Changes page for the details of edits by Katharine and others.

The current (Dec 2021) biography was prepared by Fred Paterson Nix. This is a revised version of a bio originally written in 2014 (with help from Ian Glendinning). Andrew James and Fred are first cousins, four times removed.