Chapter 4
JOHN HEDLEY 1804-1866
& MARGARET GRIERSON 1807-1886
Generation (ii)
- The TORBOLTON
HEDLEYS,
14 children
Pedigree
Descendancy
John Hedley, born August 29, 1804 in
Ovingham Parish, Northumberland, England was 16 when his family came to
the Ottawa valley. In 1825, John, age 21, the eldest surviving son of
John Hedley & Frances Lawes, married Margaret E. Grierson, 18,
daughter of Lieutenant John Grierson, retired British Royal Navy
Officer (born in 1783) and Ann Grinton. The Grierson family,
Presbyterians, had come from Edinburgh, Scotland in 1822, three years
earlier. Lieutenant John Grierson worked as a surveyor, laying out some
of the earliest roads in March Township, Carleton County. He later
joined his brother Lieutenant James Grierson in developing the Crown
Point area of Torbolton Township. After 1833, when steamboats travelled
the Ottawa River, the large Grierson home on the Ottawa River served
river travellers as both inn and tavern.
John Hedley and Margaret Grierson eventually settled in the Crown
Point area of Torbolton. In 1832 John Hedley was elected Assessor for
Torbolton Township, and in 1839 he was elected Collector. In 1865 he
served as Reeve
Torbolton
Township, Ontario
From
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Torbolton is an historic township originally part of Carleton County in eastern Ontario,
Canada.
Torbolton was located in the western part of the county, bordered to
the southwest by Fitzroy Township, to the
southeast by March Township and to the north by
the Ottawa River.
The township was established in 1821. Although white pine was harvested from the
forests of this area from the beginning of the 19th
century, the first permanent settler is believed to have been David
MacLaren in the 1820s. In 1974, the
township was amalgamated with Huntley and Fitzroy to form West Carleton. In 2001,
West Carleton became part of the new city of Ottawa.
Torbolton took its name from the village of Torbolton in Ayrshire,
Scotland.
Lord Torbolton was one of the titles of Charles Lennox, 4th Duke
of Richmond, who was Governor General of British North America from 1818 to
1819.
Reeves
1850 David MacLaren
1852 James Grierson
1856 John Buckham
1865 J. Hedley
1866 John Smith
1878 James Mills |
1880 James Grierson
1887 James Mills
1890 James Grierson
1891 W. Newham
1892 C. Buckham |
|
The 1842 Census for Torbolton Township
in Carleton County shows
John Hedley,
a resident of Ontario for 23 years, farmer of 100 acres (40
“improved”), head of a household of 11, including himself and his wife
Margaret and 9 children. The census also discloses the productivity and
worth of the agricultural activities of the John Hedley family
during the previous year:100 bushels of wheat; 350 bushels of
oats; 10 bushels of pease; 500 bushels of potatoes; 60 pounds of maple
sugar; 17 cattle; 4 horses; 24 sheep; 5 hogs; 30 yards of “fulled”
cloth manufactured in the domestic way in the family (“fulled”
indicates woolen cloth that is shrunk and thickened by moistening,
heating and pressing); 50 yards of flannel or wool (not fulled); and 67
pounds of wool procured during last year.
Nine years later, the 1851 Census for Torbolton shows the family living
in a log house with their 13 children:
1851 Census for
Torbolton Township, Carleton County, Ontario, Canada
| Hedley |
|
John,
47, |
farmer, born in England, Church
of England |
|
|
Margaret,
44, |
born in Scotland,
Presbyterian
|
|
1 |
John,
25, |
labourer, b. in Huntley
Twp. Church
of England |
|
2 |
Ann,
23, |
b. in Torbolton Twp. Church
of England |
|
3 |
Thomas,
22, |
b. in March
Township, labourer, Church
of England |
|
4 |
|
see note 2 |
| |
5 |
Nicoles,
17, |
labourer, b. in Torbolton Twp., Church
of England |
|
6 |
James Wm., 15, |
b.
in Torbolton Twp., Church
of England, attending school |
|
7 |
William, 13, |
b. in Torbolton Twp., Church
of England, attending school |
|
8 |
Alexander, 13, |
b. in Torbolton Twp., Church
of England, attending
school |
|
9 |
Anthony K., 11 |
b. in Torbolton Twp., Church
of England, attending school |
|
10 |
Edwin Albert, 9, |
b. in Torbolton Twp., Church
of England, attending school |
|
11 |
Victoria, 7 |
|
|
12 |
Elizabeth F., 5 |
|
|
13 |
George Nelson, 5 |
|
|
14 |
Robert R., 1 |
|
note
- A daughter, Margaret, who would have been 18 or 19,
appears to be missing from the family census. Since "Margaret, born
1832" was included in Anne Storey's family list, it is assumed
that Margaret may have been working outside the home. Margaret could
possibly be the “Judy Headley,” listed in the 1851 Bytown Census, 18
years old, single, working as a servant/maid for the Lattimer family
(shoemaker, b. in Ireland, Wesleyan Methodist, 3 children.)
Evidence that the family consisted of 14 children is also found in a
letter from Thomas Hedley in Australia, dated Oct. 8th, 1913, to
his sister Elizabeth in Manitoba. In his letter Thomas recalls his last
evening with the family, over 60 years earlier: "There was16 of us sat
down to supper and there is only four left, James, George, you
(Elizabeth) and myself.” (see Chap. 4,3).
Ten years later, in the 1861 Census, the seven older children were no
longer living at home: John, 34 and Ann, 33 were married with families
of their own; Thomas, 31, was in Australia, and Nicholas had recently
married; James, 24, was working outside the home. Margaret, who would
have been 28 is still absent from the family in the 1861 Census.
Edwin Albert, who would have been 18, is also missing, as is Robert R.
who would have been 11:
The family, except for John’s wife Margaret,
changed their religious affiliation from Anglican to Methodist as a
result of the influence of the "Gabie Religious Revival" in the early
1860's.
1861 Census, Carleton County - Torbolton Township
Hedley
|
John,
|
56, |
WesleyanMethodist |
|
Margaret , |
53, |
Church of Scotland |
|
Alexander, |
22, |
Wesleyan Methodist |
|
William, |
22, |
Wesleyan Methodist |
|
Anthony, |
20,
|
Wesleyan Methodist |
|
Victoria, |
15,
|
Wesleyan Methodist |
|
Elizabeth, |
14,
|
Wesleyan Methodist |
|
George, |
1,
|
Wesleyan Methodist |
John Hedley died in 1866 at age 62. His grave is in St. John's Anglican
Cemetery, South March.
According to the 1868 Directory of
Ottawa/Torbolton (named
Carleton West in 1974) the family of John and Margaret Hedley was
living in the Crown Point area, on Lot 17, Concession 4 of Torbolton
Township. Margaret lived another 20 years.
The 1871 Census for Torbolton Township lists Margaret as "Mrs. Hedley",
age 63, b. in Scotland, Canadian Presbyterian. Five of the six
children who were living at home in 1861 were still with her, but
Elizabeth had married and started her own family. Robert R. and
James, the two youngest children on the Census, are Margaret’s
grandsons, born in Michigan, the children of her son James, whose first
wife Mary Ulmstead Rorison died when the children were ages 2 months
and 2 years.
1871 Census for Carleton Co. - Torbolton
Twp.
| Hedley |
Mrs., |
63,
|
b. in Scotland,
|
Presbyterian, |
Origin Scottish
|
|
William, |
32,
|
b. in Ont.
|
Presbyterian, |
Origin Scottish |
|
Alexander, |
32,
|
b. in Ont.
|
Wesleyan Methodist, |
Origin Scottish |
|
Anthony, |
30,
|
b. in Ont. |
Wesleyan Methodist, |
Origin Scottish |
|
Victoria, |
26,
|
b. in Ont. |
Wesleyan Methodist, |
Origin Scottish |
|
George, |
21,
|
b. in Ont. |
Wesleyan Methodist, |
Origin Scottish |
|
Robert R., |
4,
|
b. in USA
|
Wesleyan Methodist, |
|
|
James, |
1,
|
b. in USA |
|
|
Ten years later, in
1881, Margaret (Grierson) Hedley was living in the
household of her daughter and son-in-law, Victoria and William Dickson
and their two young children:
1881 Census for
Fitzroy, Lanark County (North)
| Dickson, |
William, |
Ethnic Origin Scottish, |
age 41, |
Birthplace Ont., |
Farmer, Presbyterian |
|
Victoria,
|
Ethnic Origin English, |
age 35, |
Birthplace Ont., |
Presbyterian |
|
Robert W.,
|
Ethnic Origin Scottish, |
age 3,
|
Birthplace Ont., |
Presbyterian |
|
Margaret
E.,
|
Ethnic Origin Scottish, |
age 1,
|
Birthplace Ont., |
Presbyterian |
Hedley
|
Margaret,
Widow
|
Ethnic Origin Scottish, |
age 73,
|
Scotland,
|
Presbyterian |
About 1885 Margaret
went to Kansas to visit her son James and his third
wife, Emma, and their young son Frank. James and Emma’s household
also included the four children, by then in their teens, from
James’ previous two marriages. Margaret remained with the family for a
year, but fell ill and died on August 1, 1886, one month after the
birth of her granddaughter Ethel Hedley. Her grave is in Black Jack
Cemetery, Baldwin, Kansas.
The Fourteen Children of John Hedley (II)
and Margaret Grierson
1
|
John Hedley (III) |
b. 1828, Huntley Twp; m. Anna Amelia
Wheeler;
d. 1912, Woodlawn, Torbolton Twp.,
Carleton
County : 8 children
|
2
|
Ann Hedley |
b. 1829, Torbolton; m. John Hay
Grierson;
d. 1873, Crown Point, Torbolton; 11 children
|
3
|
Thomas
Hedley |
b. 1831, March Twp; went to Australia
in 1853, mining engineer and inventor,
d 1916 in Australia; m.
Catherine
Whitford in 1856. She d. 1909,
Yackandandah,
Victoria, Australia; 11 children
|
4
|
Margaret
Hedley |
b. 1832, Torbolton; further information
lacking at this time |
5
|
Nicholas
Hedley |
b. 1835, Torbolton; m. Christina
Grierson;
d.1889, Woodlawn, Torbolton Twp.; 6 children
|
6
|
James
William Hedley |
b. 1837 in Torbolton;
m1 Mary Ulmstead
Rorison of
Fitzroy Twp. in 1864; 2 children
m2 Harriet A. (Wood) Nickerson of N.Y. in
Charlevoix Co. Michigan in 1870;
1 child
m3 Emma Hays of
Butler, Pennsylvania in
Michigan in 1878; 3 children
James lived in Michigan, Kansas and
Morris, Man.; d.1925 in California. |
7
|
William
Hedley II
|
b. 1839 (twin), Torbolton; m. Eliza Ann
Willis of
Fitzroy Twp.;
d.,1878 (struck by lightning); Crown
Point,
Torbolton; 2 children who died at a young age
|
8
|
Alexander
Hedley |
b. 1839 (twin), Torbolton;
d. 1876 of "spinal disease" at age 37. No
children
|
9
|
Anthony Humble Hedley |
Anthony
Humble Hedley b. 1840, Torbolton; went to work in
gold/silver/copper mines
of Butte,
Montana in 1880 and filed several claims; m. Emma L. Slipp of New
Brunswick in Butte in 1895; d. date
unknown, buried in USA (Butte, Montana?) but Emma d. in 1909 in Cal.
No known children. |
10
|
Edwin
‘Albert’ Hedley |
b. 1843,
Torbolton Twp. (does not appear on
Ont.
Censuses after 1851) |
11
|
Victoria
Hedley |
b. 1844,
Torbolton; m. William Dickson of Pakenham,
Ont.;
d.1911, Arnprior, Refrew Co., Ont.; 5
children |
12
|
Elizabeth
F. Hedley |
b. 1846,
Torbolton; m. John Dickson of
Pakenham; lived in
Galetta,
Ont. before moving to North Dakota and finally to Morris, Manitoba; d.
1923; 6 children |
13
|
George
Nelson Hedley |
b. 1846,
Torbolton; m. Ann Grierson; farmed in
Torbolton at
least
until 1881 then in Okotoks, Alberta; d. date unknown; buried in
Okotoks; 6 children (4 d. in scarlet fever epidemic in White Lake, Ont.) |
14
|
Robert
R. Hedley |
Robert Ralph
Hedley b.1851, Torbolton Twp. (does not appear on Ont.
Censuses
after 1851) |
Thanks to Doris Hope for revisions in this
chapter.
this page was
updated Feb. 7, 2006
return
to main index page
