4,5 Nicholas Hedley & Christina Grierson
Chapter 4,5
 
           (generation iii)           Nicholas Hedley (1834-1889)
          and Christina Grierson (1830-1897)
Pedigree
Descendancy
Nicholas Hedley was the fifth of the fourteen children of John Hedley II and Margaret Grierson. Nicholas was no doubt named after his 20-year-old uncle Nicholas Hedley who had come to March Township, Carleton County from Northumberland, England with his parents John and Frances Hedley as a five year old  in 1819.  When young Nicholas, son of John and Margaret, was born, about 1834, in Torbolton Township, Carleton County, he had four older brothers and sisters. At the time of the 1842 Canadian Census for Torbolton Twp., when Nicholas was eight, the family of two adults and nine children were living on 100 acres, producing wheat, oats, pease, potatoes, and maple sugar. They had 17 cattle, 4 horses, 24 sheep, and 5 hogs. In addition, they had produced, in the previous year, 90 yards of cloth and 67 pounds of wool . No doubt the older children contributed to the productivity of the family.
The 1851 Census shows parents John and Margaret with a family of  thirteen children. Nicholas, 17, and his two older brothers were listed as labourers and the four children between 7 and 17 were attending school. The eldest, John, age 25, was born in Huntley Twp., Carleton Co. Thomas, 22, the third child, was born in March Twp., Carleton Co. All the other children were born in Torbolton Twp. Their mother, Margaret Grierson, born in Scotland, was listed as Presbyterian, but her husband John and all of the children were designated as adherents of the Church of England.
 
1851 Census for Torbolton Twp., Carleton Co., Ontario
    Hedley  John, 47, farmer, b. in England, Church of England
                  Margaret, 44, b. in Scotland, Presbyterian
                  John, 25, labourer, b. in Huntley Twp.
                  Ann, 23, b. in Torbolton Twp.
                  Thomas, 22, labourer, b. in March Twp.
                  Nicholas, 17, labourer, b. in Torbolton Twp.
                  James Wm, 15, attending school
                  William, 13, attending school
                  Alexander, 13, attending school
                  Edwin Albert, 9, attending school
                  Victoria, 7
                  Elizabeth F., 5
                  George Nelson, 3
                  Robert R., 1
                  (18-year-old Margaret is missing from this census)
 
Ten years later, on the 1861 census, the seven oldest children, including Nicholas, were no longer living at home. On June 5, 1860 Nicholas Hedley married Christina Grierson, born June 16, 1830 in Scotland, daughter of Lieutenant James Grierson and Margaret Ferguson (both born in Scotland) and sister of John Hay Grierson  who had married Nicholas' sister Ann (Chap. 4,2). Nicholas, age 26, and Christina, age 30, were married June 5, 1860 in Fitzroy. A witness at the marriage was Victoria Hedley, Nicholas' 15-year-old sister. Nicholas and Christina farmed on Lot.7, Con.2 of Torbolton Twp., Dunrobin post office (Carleton County Directory, 1868 and Belden Historical Atlas, 1879). Their farm was located not far from that of Christina's brother and sister-in-law, John Hedley III and Anna Amelia Hedley at Woodlawn.
 
1861 Census for Torbolton Twp., Carleton Co., Ontario 
Hedley,  Nicholas, 25, farmer, b. in Upper Canada, married in 1860, Church of Scotland, log house dwelling
                  Christina, 29,  b. in Upper Canada, married 1860, Church of Scotland, log house
 
1871 Census for Torbolton Twp., Carleton Co., Ontario 
    Hedley,  Nicholas, 35
                   Chrisiana, 33
                   Margaret, 9
                   Mary Jane, 7
                   John, 6
                   Victoria, 4
                   James, 2
 
During the next decade Nicholas and Christine had another son, Gilbert, but lost their four-year-old son, James:
 
1881 Census for Torbolton Twp., Carleton Co., Ontario
         Headley,  Nich, 40, farmer, b. in Ont., English Origin, C. Presbyterian
                          Christiana, 45,  b. in Ont., Scottish Origin, C. Presbyterian
                          Margt., 20,  b. in Ont., English Origin, C. Presbyterian
                          Mary, 17,  b. in Ont., English Origin, C. Presbyterian
                          John, 16,  b. in Ont., English Origin, C. Presbyterian
                          Victorie, 12,  b. in Ont., English Origin, C. Presbyterian
                          Gilbert, 9,  b. in Ont., English Origin, C. Presbyterian
 
Nicholas Hedley died at age 54 in 1889. Christina died eight years later at age 67 "of paralysis" on Nov.11, 1897 at Lot 21, Concession 4, Torbolton; death reported by John Hedley, brother-in-law (Death registration).
 
 Nicholas Hedley and Christina Grierson had six children (gen.iv):
     1 - Margaret Elizabeth Hedley, born 1862 in Torbolton Twp., died of consumption at age 21
                      on Sept. 5, 1882;  Presbyterian farmer's daughter (Ont. Death Registration).               
                2 - John George Hedley, born Dec. 14, 1863 in Torbolton Twp., was married at age 38 to his
                      first cousin Clara Hedley, age 28, b. Dec.12, 1875 in Torbolton Twp., daughter of John
                      Hedley III and Anna Amelia Wheeler (Chap. 4.1).  John George and Clara were married
                      Sept. 2, 1901 in Ottawa. John George Hedley, "retired gentleman," died of  "angina pectoris
                     (heart blockage)" on Sept. 8, 1931 at age 67 years and 8 months. His death occurred at
                     Birch Street, Westford, Nepean Twp., Carleton Co; burial Beechwood Cemetery, Carleton,
                     Ottawa.
Clara died 25 years later, in 1956, at age 83.
                     John George and Clara Hedley had four children (gen.v):
                            (1) Clifford Alexander Hedley b.1902 in Ottawa; d. 1995 at age 93.
                            (2) Flossie Amelia Hedley b.1904 in Ottawa; d. 1919 at age 15.
                            (3) Hiram 'Wilbur' Hedley, b. Sept. 1907; d. at age 2 1/2 of measles and pneumonia
                                  at Smith Falls, Lanark. Wilbur's grave is in the Cemetery of St. Thomas the Apostle
                                  in Woodlawn, Torbolton.  
                            (4) Helen Christina Hedley  b. 1912; d. 1972; married Allan Harvey Stotts,
                                   who was born in 1910. Helen and Allan Harvey Stotts had one child (gen.vi):
                                             [1] Barbara Elaine Stotts
                 3 - Mary Jane Hedley was born abt. 1864 in Torbolton Twp. (1871 and 1881 census)  
                 4 - Victoria Elizabeth Hedley, the third daughter of Nicholas and Christina, was b. in 1868.
                       Victoria died at age 15 of  "scrofula" (tuberculosis of the lymphatic glands, especially
                        of the neck)
on Oct. 29, 1883.
                 5 - James Grierson Hedley, the second son of Nicholas and Christina, was born bt.1869.
                       James died at age 4 of "worms feaver" on Oct. 8, 1874. His death was registered by his
                       father Nicholas Hedley.
                 6 - Gilbert Hedley was born abt.1872 in Torbolton Twp. (1881 census)  

   Belden Atlas of 1879 Torbolton (South) Twp.
   Belden Atlas of 1879 Torbolton (North) Twp.


page last updated on  July 3, 2006
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