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Emigration to Port Hope, Ontario

Posted by Sue Nash on 12/2/2026, 12:04 am

Dear All,
I have a number of old family photos with photographers names, places of businesses (and alot with subject reference numbers). Mostly Devon, but I believe part of my family emigrated to Port Hope, best guess around 1900.

I've tried starting a web site and have added a link to a photo page.

In case the photo link doesn't work try this:
https://sn-genealogy.wixsite.com/genealogy-vault/

I would love to find out who Ethel is. The surname could be GREENWAY, JEFFERY or HAMLEY.
I believe Auntie Charte referred to is Charity GREENWAY (nee JEFFERY) b 1868, Bere Ferrers.

I have bothered Canadian archives and tried to track down photographers records but so far no luck. Well, none good.

Does anyone have more clues about the above?
Thank you kindly,
Sue.

Re: Emigration to Port Hope, Ontario

Posted by Judith on 18/2/2026, 12:54 pm, in reply to "Emigration to Port Hope, Ontario"

Have you searched the names on Census for Canada after 1900
am guessing parents born in UK in Devon

Re: Emigration to Port Hope, Ontario

Posted by Judith on 18/2/2026, 8:59 pm, in reply to "Re: Emigration to Port Hope, Ontario"

Could it be that Charity was a great aunt? so you would need to find her siblings or her husbands and work their trees and go forward a generation or two.
Great aunts are not usually addressed as such, Aunt usually suffices.

Re: Emigration to Port Hope, Ontario

Posted by Sue Nash on 18/2/2026, 10:13 pm, in reply to "Re: Emigration to Port Hope, Ontario"

Good point, Judith. I will look into that.
Thanks,
Sue 😊

Re: Emigration to Port Hope, Ontario

Posted by Sue Nash on 18/2/2026, 6:06 pm, in reply to "Re: Emigration to Port Hope, Ontario"

Yes

Re: Emigration to Port Hope, Ontario

Posted by JUdith on 19/2/2026, 4:02 pm, in reply to "Re: Emigration to Port Hope, Ontario"

Cracked it - I think
Tried a marriage for sister Mary Jane Jeffery, married 1895 Harry Samuel williams, March qtr Tavistock regn area.
Then tried Ethel Williams born Ontario on family search, and found her on 1901 Canada census with parents Harry and Mary in East Durham area, also a family tree which gives her marriage 29.4.1919 to Charles Spicer at Port Hope.
I think parents emigrated after the marriage. (I tried sister Emma first, glad I did not have to do the other 5 sisters!!!)

Re: Emigration to Port Hope, Ontario

Posted by Sue Nash on 24/6/2026, 7:22 pm, in reply to "Re: Emigration to Port Hope, Ontario"

Dear Judith,
Sorry for the delay - I believe you are correct! Thank you!

I came to the same conclusion after signing up for Ancestry DNA and getting a match! :-)

I now have the marriage record for Ethel and the 1921 census return which includes her parents and a brother.

It also indicates that Harry emigrated in 1876 and Mary in 1895???

Also I thought I had found harry and Mary in Torquay in 1911 but i think that could be a very similar couple ( with different children whose dates of birth would accommodate a sister in 1895 and a brother in 1903...)

I think the nest step is 1911 Ontario. Oh, and another photo! ( next post if i can do it)
Kind regards,
Sue

Re: Emigration to Port Hope, Ontario

Posted by Sue Nash on 24/6/2026, 8:52 pm, in reply to "Re: Emigration to Port Hope, Ontario"

Well it took me a minute! I've set up a little website to start enquiries on.

I believe this must be a slightly later photo of Mary Jane (nee JEFFERY) and Harry Samuel WILLIAMS with their daughter Ethel:

Re: Emigration to Port Hope, Ontario

Posted by Judith on 29/6/2026, 5:01 pm, in reply to "Re: Emigration to Port Hope, Ontario"

Thankyou for replying, and what a lovely photo. Perhaps he came back from Canada to visit and met and married Mary Jane pretty quickly!. I thought they emigrated after getting married.
Not sure about their ages when they married, perhaps they knew each other before he emigrated, and were pen pals?!!
anyway it was a nice bit of research to do, now you can finish off the rest of the sisters!!

Re: Emigration to Port Hope, Ontario

Posted by Judith on 29/6/2026, 5:12 pm, in reply to "Re: Emigration to Port Hope, Ontario"

Just looked on ancestry and without signing up further, got them on 1921 I think, Harry and Mary 53, Ethel 26 married to William Charles Spicer 29 with a daughter Velma aged 1
Also a Cecil Williams aged 18. But I expect that you have them. All living together.
Happy days, back to the tennis!!

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