Overview:

From the Johnson roots, early immigration in the 1600's from England to MA. US, was most often due to a desire for religious freedom. Most came to Ontario from there (MA), because they were considered Loyalists and received land. Since then, all family roots had a variety of reasons for coming to York County have varied from mine closures in Cornwall, pototo famine in Ireland, to parential disapproval of a marriage to name a few.
Our families came to York County, On. Canada in the 1800's or later.

Hall-Ward

 Franzen-Hanenberg

Johnson-Billing

• Look Ups
• Links and Photos
• About Us
• Sign my Guest Book

--Feel free to email me.

Trivia:
I averaged 14 known generations to quesstimate the average growth per generation and came up with a number of 2.6. Multipling that by 10 generations would give you 10,859 -- 8th cousins and 17,637 cousins altogether from 2 people.

Similarily, showing an increase in grandparents per generation is achieved by multiplying each generation by 2. After 10 generations you would have -- 1,024 great x8 grandparents and 2,040 great grandparents altogether.

Graphics provided by Animation Factory

The Johnsons

In these families: the greatest number of recorded marriages for one man was four (Wing Rogers).
There are no known direct ancestors, who were divorced.
The largest number of children in one family was 21 (Timothy Rogers).
The biggest disaster was in the family of Timothy Rogers, where an epidemic of Typhus infected his family, killing 4 daughters, 2 sons, 1 son-in-law and 3 grandchildren in 1809, Newmarket ON. Most found a better life in Ontario, but early pioneer often had a difficult time.

In this section is a Protestant Martyr, a Missionary/artist, Reverands, Deacans, Quakers, Puritans, Anglicans, founders of cities and towns, store retailers, scholars, teachers, many farmers and many pioneers.
 

A long proven history goes back to MA.New England, USA. and to England via the Rogers, Sherman, and Wing lines. In fact some ancestors stayed at Pilmouth Plantion in the early 1600's.
"Southfields" of the Sherman line is the oldest existing homestead, dating back to the 1400s in Dedham England.

The WING Family started off as Puritans. Rev. John Wing became a Quaker in the early 1600's and there were six more generations of Quakers after that. The Wing lineage is well documented and available on their website below. They have owned and maintained an original homestead "The Wing Fort House" for nearly 400 years. They hold a membership of Wing descendents and there are approximately 1500 members.

In 1800, the Wing, Sherman, and Rogers descendent Asa ROGERS, along with 27 other families, were led by Timothy Rogers (Asa's father in law) to Newmarket On. They received large tracts of land from the government. Timothy Rogers had a very interesting and dramatic life, tremendous losses and great gains. He traveled a great deal especially for his day and is credited with founding Newmarket, Ontario in 1801 and Pickering Ontario (Ajax). He was born to unmarried parents in 1756 Lyme Conn. US and lent out to strangers where he was "badly used". An uncle finding out that he was abused took him in. He received 3 weeks schooling so he could read and write and became an astute businessman and a Quaker. He was exempt from military service and was active in freeing slaves at his own expense. Sometimes he paid angry slave owners 500$ and other times he bought slaves for 700$ to give them their freedom. His Journal is in print, and the text "The Quakers in Canada a History" by Dorland are very informative about his activities. They are available through the Quaker Historical Association. In Timothy Rogers' Journal, he mentions that he is the direct descendent of John Rogers the protestant Martyr of 1555, England. John's grave is on the website:Find a grave.
James Rogers (his ancestor) of CT, US., also mentions this connection. If John Rogers martyr is our ancestor, medievil royalty is a given after that point. Here is the database of John Rogers' ancestors.

The direct JOHNSON line goes back to the late 1600's to Full Sutton Grange and to the Lord of Full Sutton Manor (via the Ramseys and Garwoods), Yorkshire, England. The Manor and it's information are listed on Photos
Edward Johnson (1799-1852) was English Gentry below knight, and he was a Mathematican. His book on Alegbra is in existance today.
John Johnson and Mary Jane Mason Garwood moved to Canada in 1848, for the most part because their parents disagreed with their marriage.
Alexander Brown who married Catherine Holding was a gardener at Windsor Castle. Their son William Alexander Brown came to stay at an Aunts in Bradford, On. at the age of 12 with a brother who was only 14 in 1850. They hoped that in return for their labor they would inherit their aunts estate. Their parents stayed in England.
Cousin Jean Robertson/Judi Island are responsible for much of the information in the Johnsons.

The  BILLING line goes back to the 1400's and they came from Bugbrooke, and Weedon Beck Northamptonshire, England. 
Much of the Northamptonshire informtion was provided by Philip Billing England, One Name Studies.
We are most probably related to Sir Thomas Billing of the 1400's Chief Justice of England.
My great Aunt Marie Billing was a Missionary and an excellent artist. She died as a young women when her oil paints caused a fire. My great grandparents Martha Holton and Cornelius Billing had 8 children and lost 2 of them at a young age through various causes. Cornelius is credited with the founding of Montecello On, although it remains a hamlet til today. Their homestead on Simcoe st., Niagara on the Lake, is a B & B now called the "Storrington House". 
The Holtons were Danish but from the New Jersey US. The Wamplers have a long tree and originated in Switzerland and Germany.

Current Database:-Johnsons

Links:Shermans of Yaxley (Soy)
Wing Family of America (WFA)
Tony Nash's Wing Site
[Top]

The Halls and Wards

This picture below is of my grandmother Daisy Hall. Fred and Daisy were married for over 60 yrs. Daisy Ward/Hall kept family records. She was a remarkable woman of many accomplishments, and although she did not drive a car, she was well known and liked. She became Citizen of the year in 1979 and belonged to a group called the Paint Dablers. 

Generally speaking these lines came to York County in the 1800's from, for the most part the UK. Most ancestors were primarily Methodists. The Claughtons from Horsforth were Clothiers, the Burnetts from Cornwall were Masons and some were laborors in England. All however, became farmers in ON.. Jacob Pryne for one was a Pioneer. 

The whole family of George Ward came over in stages from Heslerton, Yorkshire. George ended up in Toronto Gore in 1809. Later our ancestor his son, William married and departed to join the family in Canada in about 1819, but their ship was lost at sea and William ended up in Maryland US. They stayed and had children there, until they could afford to join the family in Toronto. Some time after they joined the family William's wife Anne died leaving him with 7 children. He married Eliza Phillips and moved to Utica Reach. Another Ward family story mentions that 3 of Williams sons went to the states and fought on both sides of the Civil War. William and John fought for the south and George fought for the north. After the war John settled in Michigan US as did George. William was the only one of this group who stayed in Ontario. William Sr. was listed as a taylor in Toronto and farmer on the 1861, 1871 Ontario County census.

A story that was tragic in this family was that of Joseph Hall pictured to the left.
After sailing to Canada from England in 1872, his wife Martha Brown died and he found he had to place his three children in other people's homes. He did remarry twice after that, but at 67 he was hit and killed by a train in Uxbridge On.

One Family Daniel Burnett and Elizabeth Kessel (our Cornish roots) came from Probus, Cornwall in 1849 along with a sister Grace and many cousins. (Daniel Burnett (Sr) was buried at St Ewe Church Cornwall, which is almost a thousand years old.) There was a mass migration following the closure of a number of mines in Cornwall. Some of the relations listed as cousins of Joseph Burnett (Daniel Jr.'s son), were James Reynolds and Cindy Hope, Nicholas Grieves, Tom, John, and Frank Whetter (whos' mother was a Kessel) and John Thomas whom came to Canada. Some of their relations also went to Australia. 

The  Burnett-Henwood- Lower  ancestors  now go back to 1200's ad. They were descendants of William Lower Esq. of St. Winnow Manor, Cornwall, Vice Admiral in 1500's and Sir Walter Moyle of Kent, England in the 1400's

Jacob  Pryne was a early pioneer, who settled in Churchill, York County, stated he was German on his 1871 Cenus although he was born in On. We have not been able so far to trace his lineage.
Family surnames here: are Brown, Good, Brewster, Carshore,  Burnett, Kessel, Grieves, Mitchell, Hawk, Cowlin, Henwood, Sutcliffe,Wilson, Smith and Claughton. The Kessel- Grieves, Burnetts,  lines from Cornwall go back to the 1600's.
Their Current database is here: [Hall-Ward]
[Top]
 

The Franzen-Hanenberg Lines

Franzen is a Swedish name describing the man who's birth place is France. Another Version is that it means son of Franz.
This family however, came to York County in 1953, from Germany. Some of the occupations their family held were bricklayers, railwaymen, farmers, pub owners, and barberhop owners. The barbershop in mention was also a surgery.
The Hanenberg's have German, Dutch and French roots.
Surnames here are: Viehoever, Schmitz, Arntz, Dressen from Paris, Rommerkirchen, Breuer, Heiden, Kohnen.
Their Database is here: [Franzen]

Thankyou for visiting my site.

[Top]

-Visitors since June 2002

Sign Our Guestbook

 
 
 
 

Name:

Email:

Comments:

 
 
 
 

---