Sheffield Indexers
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I've just signed up for another subscription to ancestry.com but this subscription unfortunately doesn't give me access to the Canadian census. Wondering if anyone could do a lookup for Alfred B OWEN born about 1864, wife Emily G and email images to me for the 1891, 1901 & 1911 censuses. Hope this isn't too much to ask - appreciate any help received.
Thanks in advance.
If you have no joy with the request ,I would re post on Roots chat message Forum - under the appropriate section.
This will put the post to a wider audience.
Another point- don't pay full subscription price to Ancestry,there are other means to gain access at a much reduced price.
I managed to purchase the Ancestry ftm world edition- brand new for £ 29.99-(on Ebay) giving six months access to all Ancestrys world wide record collection.
Sadly I can not activate it until my Ancestry ftm 2011 premium - (Amazon for under £28) -access expires.
Kind regards Brian.
The Canadian 1901 and 1911 censuses are available free:
http://www.automatedgenealogy.com/census11/index.jsp
Hugh
Hi Aussie Gypsy
The site Hugh has given is a transcription and you will find Alfred and Emily in Toronto West (Ontario) Ward 5 in 1901 and possibly find them in Toronto North Ward 5 in 1911, but the ages are out if this is them in 1911. You can bring up the actual census page for 1891 free of charge at www.collectionscanada.gc.ca where you will find them living in Toronto, Ontario District 119 St.Stephen's Ward household #41 RG31. I think it reads that Alfred is an Emigration Agent, but the writing is difficult to read.
Each page of the transcription has a direct link to the image of the original.
Hugh
Thanks for all the help
Hugh - on which site?
You view them within the Automatedgenealogy site but this note tells you where they come from:
"Images of the 1911 [or 1901] census forms are loaded directly from the 1911 [or 1901] Census site at the Canadian Genealogy Centre, a program of Library and Archives Canada."
That site is the one Helen gave I think. I just wanted to say that you get there automatically. You don't have to go searching a second time.
Hugh
Excellent, thanks - I'll try that
Hi again,
There is actually alot on the Internet on both Alfred B. Owen and son Malcolm Owen. Alfred was the representative for Bernardo's Homes here in Canada, so there are multiple articles mentioning him and the son died in WW1 and is also mentioned in several articles. Also, the familysearch site has the records of death for British Columbia, Canada and there is an extensive listing for Alfred B. on his death in Kelowna B.C. in 1944. I think Alfred and Emily are in subdistrict Muskoka, Wood Medora Township, Ontario on the 1911 Census, not the Toronto North listing I mentioned in previous post. However the Toronto North listing does have similarities to the Muskoka listing so may still be pertinent. Good luck. Helen C.
Hi,
I have emailed you the 1891 census incase you didnt have it already.
Regards
Claire
Thanks Helen C. Yes I know about all the info on the internet about Alfred and him being the Barnardos immigration agent. He was also the Superintendant at the Barnardos receiving home in Canada where my relative Mafey Skelton was sent and ended up having children with him - even though he was married to Emily. I have seen the obituary. He seems to have disappeared after about 1920's up to his death........ and so does my relative Mafey Skelton. I must they must have assumed other names in order to disappear becaused they have proved impossible to trace. But thanks for al your help.
I wonder if anyone at the Kelowna and District genealogical society would be able to dig up any information on Alfred Owen as you know he died there in 1944. They can be contacted at info@kdgs.ca. Mafey's name could have been changed when she arrived in Canada in 1912. I know of a woman who arrived from Sweden as an infant in her mother's arms and the immigration officer couldn't understand what the child's name was so just entered Bertha on the form. She went through most of her life as Bertha when her name was Britt. I can well imagine a 12 year old child trying to tell some official that her name was Mafey and having it entered as Mary or May or who knows what else. There is a note on the archives site that the child's given name was illegible or difficult to read. Do you know the names of any of Mafey's children? Helen C.
Hi Helen
Yes I've already been in contact with the Kelowna GS and they kindly provided Alfreds death cert & obituary but were unable to come up with anything else.
Mafey landed in Canada under her own name (listed on the Canadian archives site) but then I am unable to trace any record of her until she returned to England in 1925 to visit her dying mother. Mafeys first baby born in 1925 was called Mary Minnie OWEN. Mafey lists herself as Mafie OWEN but I can't find any record of a marriage and I do not know what Canadian records I could search between 1912 and 1925 to find any more info - any suggestions greatly appreciated as this a very difficult one. All help greatly appreciated. Thanks
Hi Aussie Gypsy
I live in Canada, but as all my ancestors are from England or Ireland, I confess, I have not much experience with researching within Canada. With the exception of a great uncle who was sent to Canada as an orphan, all my ancestors are British. But Mafey's story really touched me and I had hoped to find something for you. Unfortunately I am coming up blank. The site with information re Canadian records would be www.collectionscanada.gc.ca , but there is nothing on that that you don't already know. As Mafey's children are potentially still living, and the time period you are looking at is less than 100 years ago, I think this will be difficult to bring forward due to privacy issues. Just some thoughts, based on feelings, not fact: Are you certain that Mafey returned to Canada after 1925? Alfred was living in Toronto area in 1911 and died in Kelowna in 1944. There is alot of Canada between those 2 cities, but as the prairies were quite bleak throughout the 1930's, I would think he would have avoided Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Alberta. Kelowna is a well known spot for retirees as it has a milder climate than most areas of Canada. I would hazard a guess that Alfred remained in Ontario (or maybe into the US?) and then retired to BC. When he died, the register has quite detailed information so someone who knew him well enough to know the names of his parents and wife had to have registered the death. Any clues in the obituary? I'll keep looking but it isn't looking promising. Helen C.
Hi Helen
To answer your questions - Yes Mafey did return to Canada in 1925 (I have the shipping record) and without her baby born in England during her visit.
No more clues about Alfred in his obituary but yes I do agree there is a lot of info on his death cert. I thought that he might have descendants still in Kelowna and I wrote to all the OWEN's still in Kelowna today, most replied with no connection but not all. Yes it is very hard researching from a far, but not as hard as it was in the 1980's without the internet. However I feel I have exhausted all internet resources and I am clutching at straws hoping to find someone else researching in maybe the OWEN family that might know what happened to Mafey.
Anyway thanks for your interest & help.
This is just a shot in the dark but bear with me. Your main goal,is to find information about Mafey Skelton, but following Alfred B. Owen's descendants may be the key to doing that. So... Alfred de Brissac Owen and Emily G. had 3 known children. Son died in WWI, can't find anything on the 2 girls nor on the daughter they adopted. Neither can I find anything on children of Alfred and Mafey. However, there is another family that possibly could be connected. There is an Arthur de Brissac Owen and his brother Cecil Calbeck Owen living in Canada in the same time frame. Different parents and as yet the only connection I can find is that both families lived in Blackheath, Kent and both families have CofE ministers within the family. But the fact that Alfred de Brissac Owen and Arthur de Brissac Owen both arrived in Canada at about the same time and both lived in Toronto and eventually both died in British Columbia, seems alot of coincidences. Arthur and Cecil were ministers and married sisters Bertha and Alice Grundy. Arthur and Bertha travelled all across Canada as missionaries and their children were born at native reserves. Cecil was a military chaplain for a time. When Alfred died, whoever gave the information to the register, has given his wife's maiden name as Emily Grundy (it was Emily Georgina Haslam) which leads me to wonder if it was a relative of Arthur or Cecil who registered the death. Arthur died in Victoria, B.C. in 1940 and Cecil died in Vancouver in 1954, but I have found deaths of their children recorded as recent as 2001 in Langley a satelite city to Vancouver. My suggestion would be to try contacting The Victoria Times, The Vancouver Sun or The Province and see if they would run a story or an ad for you. The Owen descendants could be in Vancouver or Victoria. Sorry for being so wordy.
Hi Helen
Thanks for all that info and for spending so much time researching and thinking of a "plan of attack" for me - I really do appreciate it - so thanks very much. I do like your way of thinking - its good to have a different perspective. Yes fortunately I have 2 unusual names - de Brissac and Mafey that may stand out or stick in someones memory so I feel that letters to all those newspapers are the way to go. I'll write something up using the info you have given me and get it off to the papers ASAP - and keep your fingers crossed - I'll let you know if I get any leads. A heartful thanks again for all your wonderful help & assistance and interest as this really is a sticking point in my family history - it would be great to make some headway with it.
Good luck. I hope you find her.
Helen C.