Caleb White and Martha Henderson married in Marlow NH. After becoming a part of the Marlow Settlement in Stanstead in the early 1800's, and after building the first frame house in the Township, their third child was born, 1807. They named her Mahitable, after Martha's mother. Martha's parents, Andrew and Mahitable Henderson, moved with them to Canada. Both are buried at the Griffin Hill Cemetery next to Caleb and Lucy White.
The first official document that the White family created in Canada was the marriage of their daughter Mahitable. This is a marriage certificate, dated October 13, 1825, of one Orin Hunt, bachelor and blacksmith to Mahetta White, spinster, both of minor age, of Stanstead, in the presence of her brother and mother - Roswell White, and Lucy White. The marriage was performed by Thomas Johnson, Rector, at the Hatley Church of England.
Mahitable went by the nickname Mahetta for most of her life. Both Orin and Mahetta were about 18-19 years of age at the time, and thus, were designated as minors, needing permission to marry. Since Orin was a Wesleyan Methodist, and Mahetta was a Universalist, their choice of being married in an Anglican Church, a far distance away from Griffin's Corner, suggests that there were very few ordained ministers around at the time except for this Anglican priest in Hatley. Above is a picture of the Anglican Church in Hatley that was erected in 1827, just a couple of years after this marriage. It would be very similar to the one that they were married in.
A Howard Arrives on the Scene
Seven months later, on May 16, 1826, at the same Hatley Anglican Church, the same Thomas Johnson, Rector, performs another marriage. This time the groom is Thomas Howard, bachelor and farmer, and Mary Williamson, spinster, and both of major age, were married by bans in the presence of William Nelson Forster, and Edward Williamson.
Thomas Howard is an Irish Catholic, and Mary Ann Williamson is also from Ireland, but she is Church of England. However, Mary is NOT of major age. Having been born in 1811, she is at most here, 15 years old. Mary leaves her mark on the document, showing that she is more than likely, illiterate. The rest are all able to sign their names. I assume that Mary, although only 14-15 years old, looks much older and "stretched the truth" in order to get married. I do not know what relationship Edward Williamson was to her, as it is not clearly indicated on the document. If it had been her father, I assume she would not have had to lie about her age, as he could have granted permission.
Thomas and Mary Howard are my 3rd great grandparents, as are Orin and Mahetta Hunt. I just find it ironic that both these couples were married in the same church, by the same Anglican priest, within 7 months of one another, and that their offspring later married each other, which union brought together the Howard and White families.
Comments on These 3rd Great Grandparents
There are 4 of my 3rd great grandparents listed above. Mahitable White is rather straight-forward. We know her lineage through the White family. However, the other 3 are more difficult to pin down as far as their lineages and places of origin are concerned.
Orin Hunt (1806-1871)
As to Orin's origins, I only know that he was born in the US. I do not know the State, or the names of his parents or his other siblings, if he had any. There was a Jeremiah Hunt who owned land in the Griffin's Corner area, according to the 1825 census. This could have been Orin's father, but there is no way of confirming this.
We do know that that he was a blacksmith, and more than likely the blacksmith with his operations at Griffin's Corner. We also know that Orin owned some farm land as well, and his first born son, Leonard Hunt, farmed. Blacksmiths did well in the early days of the Eastern Townships, because there were so few of them, and their services were absolutely essential to the farming community, as well as for other associated businesses and industries.
Thomas Howard (1798-1850)
This was the man who brought the Howard name to Canada, from whom our lineage is descended. He was born and raised in Ireland, but we know not from where in Ireland, nor can we trace anything more about his Irish roots. We do know that he was Roman Catholic.
He likely arrived by ship in the harbour of Quebec City in the early 1820s. In 1820, the British were trying to settle the Townships with people from the UK. Mainly Irish and Scots came. The British used questionable marketing information to encourage people to come and settle Lower Canada (a.k.a. Canada East).
Thomas more than likely travelled to the Townships via the Craig Road, that was built from Quebec City down to around Richmond. Apparently, he first settled in the Barnston area, perhaps near Coaticook, which is east of Stanstead.
He would have received a grant of land, probably around 100 to 200 acres, free farming implements, and free food for a year. This was to make the life of these new UK immigrants easier, and to encourage them to stay, especially when they found out that the climate in the Townships was not like the south of France, as they were told through the advertising media of the day.
When he did move to Stanstead, it was in a place once called Applegrove, just a mile or two south-west of Fitch Bay, and not far from Griffin's Corner.
Mary Ann Williamson (1811-1879)
We know very little about Mary Ann, except that she was born in Ireland but we know not where in Ireland, so no further tracing down of her family is possible. The Williamsons who lived in Ireland were originally from Scotland, and were Protestant. Mary Ann was more than likely baptized Church of England in Ireland.
In the 1861 census, Mary Ann lists herself as Roman Catholic. She probably converted to Catholicism in order to accommodate her husband. However, in later censuses, she listed herself as Church of England. In the end though, she was buried with her husband in the Roman Catholic cemetery called Mont Sainte Marie, just outside of Stanstead Plains, a couple of miles, to the west off Maple Street.
It is virtually impossible to trace Mary Ann's roots in Ireland, not knowing from what county or town she was from, as her first and last names in combination was quite popular in Ireland at the time. It is also difficult to trace her origins in Canada. It is next to impossible to identify her family, even through the census records and cemetery records available.
There were 3 women with last name of Williamson married in the same Hatley church in a period of less than 2 years. One was named Hannah Jane, and the other was named Margaret. Were they related? Were they orphaned just after they arrived in the Townships? Were they indentured servants - a practice that was still very much alive in the early 1800s. Sometimes people would have someone pay their fare on the ship, and agree to indentured servitude to pay for their passage if they were destitute. We will never know, but it will remain one of those unsolved ancestral items, of which, there are many more.
The first official document that the White family created in Canada was the marriage of their daughter Mahitable. This is a marriage certificate, dated October 13, 1825, of one Orin Hunt, bachelor and blacksmith to Mahetta White, spinster, both of minor age, of Stanstead, in the presence of her brother and mother - Roswell White, and Lucy White. The marriage was performed by Thomas Johnson, Rector, at the Hatley Church of England.
Mahitable went by the nickname Mahetta for most of her life. Both Orin and Mahetta were about 18-19 years of age at the time, and thus, were designated as minors, needing permission to marry. Since Orin was a Wesleyan Methodist, and Mahetta was a Universalist, their choice of being married in an Anglican Church, a far distance away from Griffin's Corner, suggests that there were very few ordained ministers around at the time except for this Anglican priest in Hatley. Above is a picture of the Anglican Church in Hatley that was erected in 1827, just a couple of years after this marriage. It would be very similar to the one that they were married in.
A Howard Arrives on the Scene
Seven months later, on May 16, 1826, at the same Hatley Anglican Church, the same Thomas Johnson, Rector, performs another marriage. This time the groom is Thomas Howard, bachelor and farmer, and Mary Williamson, spinster, and both of major age, were married by bans in the presence of William Nelson Forster, and Edward Williamson.
Thomas Howard is an Irish Catholic, and Mary Ann Williamson is also from Ireland, but she is Church of England. However, Mary is NOT of major age. Having been born in 1811, she is at most here, 15 years old. Mary leaves her mark on the document, showing that she is more than likely, illiterate. The rest are all able to sign their names. I assume that Mary, although only 14-15 years old, looks much older and "stretched the truth" in order to get married. I do not know what relationship Edward Williamson was to her, as it is not clearly indicated on the document. If it had been her father, I assume she would not have had to lie about her age, as he could have granted permission.
Thomas and Mary Howard are my 3rd great grandparents, as are Orin and Mahetta Hunt. I just find it ironic that both these couples were married in the same church, by the same Anglican priest, within 7 months of one another, and that their offspring later married each other, which union brought together the Howard and White families.
Comments on These 3rd Great Grandparents
There are 4 of my 3rd great grandparents listed above. Mahitable White is rather straight-forward. We know her lineage through the White family. However, the other 3 are more difficult to pin down as far as their lineages and places of origin are concerned.
Orin Hunt (1806-1871)
As to Orin's origins, I only know that he was born in the US. I do not know the State, or the names of his parents or his other siblings, if he had any. There was a Jeremiah Hunt who owned land in the Griffin's Corner area, according to the 1825 census. This could have been Orin's father, but there is no way of confirming this.
We do know that that he was a blacksmith, and more than likely the blacksmith with his operations at Griffin's Corner. We also know that Orin owned some farm land as well, and his first born son, Leonard Hunt, farmed. Blacksmiths did well in the early days of the Eastern Townships, because there were so few of them, and their services were absolutely essential to the farming community, as well as for other associated businesses and industries.
Thomas Howard (1798-1850)
This was the man who brought the Howard name to Canada, from whom our lineage is descended. He was born and raised in Ireland, but we know not from where in Ireland, nor can we trace anything more about his Irish roots. We do know that he was Roman Catholic.
He likely arrived by ship in the harbour of Quebec City in the early 1820s. In 1820, the British were trying to settle the Townships with people from the UK. Mainly Irish and Scots came. The British used questionable marketing information to encourage people to come and settle Lower Canada (a.k.a. Canada East).
Thomas more than likely travelled to the Townships via the Craig Road, that was built from Quebec City down to around Richmond. Apparently, he first settled in the Barnston area, perhaps near Coaticook, which is east of Stanstead.
He would have received a grant of land, probably around 100 to 200 acres, free farming implements, and free food for a year. This was to make the life of these new UK immigrants easier, and to encourage them to stay, especially when they found out that the climate in the Townships was not like the south of France, as they were told through the advertising media of the day.
When he did move to Stanstead, it was in a place once called Applegrove, just a mile or two south-west of Fitch Bay, and not far from Griffin's Corner.
Mary Ann Williamson (1811-1879)
We know very little about Mary Ann, except that she was born in Ireland but we know not where in Ireland, so no further tracing down of her family is possible. The Williamsons who lived in Ireland were originally from Scotland, and were Protestant. Mary Ann was more than likely baptized Church of England in Ireland.
In the 1861 census, Mary Ann lists herself as Roman Catholic. She probably converted to Catholicism in order to accommodate her husband. However, in later censuses, she listed herself as Church of England. In the end though, she was buried with her husband in the Roman Catholic cemetery called Mont Sainte Marie, just outside of Stanstead Plains, a couple of miles, to the west off Maple Street.
It is virtually impossible to trace Mary Ann's roots in Ireland, not knowing from what county or town she was from, as her first and last names in combination was quite popular in Ireland at the time. It is also difficult to trace her origins in Canada. It is next to impossible to identify her family, even through the census records and cemetery records available.
There were 3 women with last name of Williamson married in the same Hatley church in a period of less than 2 years. One was named Hannah Jane, and the other was named Margaret. Were they related? Were they orphaned just after they arrived in the Townships? Were they indentured servants - a practice that was still very much alive in the early 1800s. Sometimes people would have someone pay their fare on the ship, and agree to indentured servitude to pay for their passage if they were destitute. We will never know, but it will remain one of those unsolved ancestral items, of which, there are many more.
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