When It Rains, It Pours

Since my last post, it had been pretty quiet. Then, in a matter of 48 hours, everything changed.
First, I got in contact with Deb Glover, UE. She has been researching the Glover family, whom Sarah Ann Glover (1838-1915) is a member of. She is my great great great grandmother, who married Frederick Cline (1830-1896) and subsequently had my great great grandmother (and twin), Alfretta Amelia Cline (1861-1941).
Unlike most of my research, I had used another researcher's information to fill out the Cline branch. This researcher is well known in Norfolk County, so I will not give his name here. Fortunately, there are some researchers out there that do make sure their research is valid and accurate - Deb is one of them. She let me know that my suspicions were correct. My Cline branch was incorrect!
I had looked at the 1852 and 1861 Census of Upper Canada and found a Clement and Catherine Cline as heads of the household that my Frederick Cline lived in. This was in discordance to LPS's "research" that said Frederick and Olive (Nunn) Cline were his parents. Deb put the final nail in the coffin on that matter - her research was conclusive in the fact that Frederick's parents were Clement Cline and Catherine Powers.
So, I have been working furiously this weekend getting the Cline branched researched. On Thursday night, I was browsing the Norfolk County message board and came across a thread titled, "James Harris shooting in 1876 - newspaper article?" About three months prior, I had come across a death record for James Harris, born about 1828 in Upper Canada, who was shot by Constable McKay "endeavouring to make him prisoner." I had then pulled the newspaper article in the Simcoe Reformer. None of the information, except for the name, birth date and location of the shooting, led me to conclusively identify the man as my great great great grandfather, James William Harris. So, I put it in my Ancestry shoebox.
The thread, though, showed that I was right to suspect the man being my ggg grandfather. Jim McCallum and Helen Bingleman commented that this was my ggg grandfather and had both historical and familial proof positive to the identity of James Harris.
So, guess what? I have another avenue to research! Jim sent me some information - 50 pages - to pour over. I have to send some information back soon. He also sent a picture of my great grandparents, Robert Henry Mudford (1884-1976) and Stella Harris (1891-1950). My mother is flabbergasted - Stella (Harris) Mudford looks uncannily like Stella Ruth (Dedrick) Shelly! I guess the namesake was a good choice!

News on Two Fronts

I received a letter today from my cousin, Doris, who's mother was my maternal grandmother's older sister. She published a family history book on the Mudford's in 2004. I wrote her a few weeks ago and was anxiously awaiting her reply. I had asked her a number of questions, many of which she answered.

My Mudford line stems from Charles Mudford, born about 1814 in the Somerset area of England, as far as I can figure. He came to New York in the summer of 1837, bound for Lower Canada. He married Elizabeth King in 1843 in Montreal, and then doesn't show up until 1850 in Toronto, where he marries my ultimate grandmother, Hannah "Annie" Jackson. He had one child from the previous marriage, Charles, who last shows up in 1861. He also had a number of sons and daughters with Annie, one of whom was James Edward Mudford (1852-1931).

The questions were regarding two brothers, Walter Feere (b. 1901) and Frank Feere (b. 1905) who show up in the 1911 Census of Canada with my great great grandfather, James Edward Mudford, and his second wife, Jane Ellen Roberston (1872-1944). Walter also shows up with my ggg uncle, Austin William, and family in Maple Creek, Saskatchewan, in 1916. Both boys also appear in my great grandparents'. Robert Henry and Stella (Harris) Mudford, wedding photo, taken 1910.

Doris writes, "Walter and Frank Feere: My Mom always said she thought they were home children, but I see in your research Jane Ellen [Robertson] was born in Port Dover as were the Feere boys - possibly a connection there." Hmmm ... I really need to check in on the Feere (pronounce Fairy) surname, more.

I had made couple of mistakes in confusing Harold Henry, my last surviving Mudford great-uncle, and Howard Henry, my second cousin. I fixed that.

She also writes about a few other questions, but offers little in explanation. Unfortunately, it looks like I have more research than Doris -- a problem I find all too frequent.

The second front is concerning the Thompson line. Pat Thompson emailed me some information I need to disseminate before I post anything on it. It looks like, by the end of the month, I will have more research on this family!