Acton Family

My Irish Lines from Scott & Ontario Counties, Ontario - Page 3

with ties to County Mayo, Ireland and Saskatchewan

the Catholic and the Protestants combine



Sanders / Gay Golden / Acton Merrick / Doble

John Sanders & Mary Gay

John Sanders was born about 1801 in the Parish of Cookbury, Devon England. He was a member of the Bible Christian Church.

John's parents are unknown at this time

Mary Gay was born May 15, 1803 in Welcombe, Bideford, Devon, England. She married John February 5, 1827 in Cookbury, Devon, England. I have a copy of their marriage record but it is impossible to scan well enough to put online.

According to an old proverb of Cornwall, the women of Wellcombe are remarkably dark, "Grained like a Wellcombe woman". page 100

Mary's parents were John Gay and Elizabeth

Here is a not very clear picture of their tombstone, taken by a reliable researcher

John & Elizabeth's tombstone in Welcombe - retouched a little
John & Elizabeth's tombstone - untouched

Children of John Sanders and Mary Gay

John Gay Sanders b. 1829 m. Rachel Wilson

Elizabeth Gay Sanders b. 1830 m. Nathan Grills

Eleanor Gay Sanders b. 1831 m. Thomas Dyer

Thomas Gay Sanders b. 1833 m. Isabella Clark

Joseph Sanders m. Bridget Golden

John Golden & Diana Acton

John Golden was born in Ireland, probably in County Mayo..

Diana was born in 1808 in County Mayo Ireland. She was married to John about 1830. John Golden died before 1850 when Diana married Patrick McLaughlin. They immigrated to Ontario about 1852.

Diana in the 1871 census living with her son Thomas, and son William next door

Diana and Patrick in the 1851 Census

To understand why so many Irish left their homeland I have copied a paragraph from The letters of "Norah" on her tour through Ireland: being a series of letters to the Montreal "Witness" as special correspondent to Ireland. by Margaret Dixon McDougall.

The land belonging to the Earl of Arran here - I cannot undertake to write the name of the locality by the sound - was a common waste and was let by the Earl at two shillings and sixpence per acre to Presbyterian tenants, who came here from the North I believe. Of course they had to reclaim, fence, drain, cultivate for years. They built dwellings and office houses; built their lives into the place. After they had spent the toil of years on improvement, their rents were raised to seven and sixpence per acre, five shillings at one rise; then it was raised to ten shillings; the next rise was to fifteen shillings and then to twenty. The land is not now able to bear more than fourteen shillings an acre rent and support the people who till it. These people have been paying a rack rent for years to this nobleman, the Earl of Arran, yet when starvation overtook them, he had neither helping hand nor feeling heart for them.

The distress of this last famine was so great in this corner of Mayo that people on holdings of thirty acres were starving...

Children of John Golden and Diana Acton

Catherine Golden

John Golden b. 1831 m. Mary

Maria Golden b. 1840 m. William Merrick, the Catholics

Bridget Golden b. 1845 m. Joseph Sanders , the Protestants

Thomas Golden b. 1846 m. Barbara Acton


Children of Patrick McLaughlin and Diana Acton

Jane McLaughlin

William Acton McLaughlin

Anne McLaughlin

Picture of Ray Terry, Wm. McLaughlin and unknown man

Diana's brother Abraham Acton listed in the Canada Company papers as having settled between 1st September and 31 December 1830 in Uxbridge, Home District on East 1/2 Lot 28, Concession 6.

Snip of the page for those who don't have a membership

George Merrick & Maria Doble

George Merrick was born February 5, 1812 in County Mayo, Ireland. He died June 2, 1900 in Ontario

Maria Doble was born about 1817 in County Mayo, Ireland and died December 28, 1884 in Sunderland, Ontario. She married Greorge March 10, 1835 in Brock Township, Ontario.

Marriage register states: Mariah Doble, Brock Twp., Home District, to George Merrick, Yeoman of Reach Twp., Home District. 10 Mar. 1835, Brock. William Bagsham, J.P. Witness. Wait Wright, Yeoman and Mary Anne Price both of Brock Tp., Home District

George Joseph, a widow, in the 1891 census at OGSPI, living with son George Jasper. Scroll down.

George & Maria in the 1881 census living with son Thomas

Children of George Merrick and Maria Doble

William Merrick b. 1837 m. Maria Golden

Robert Merrick b.1839 m. Catherine Phair
- Robert & Catherine in the 1881 census

Maria Merrick b. 1842 d. 1843

Sarah Merrick b. 1844 m. Robert McDonald
- Sarah & Robert in the 1871 census

George Merrick b. 1848 m. Bridget Golding
- George & Bridet in the 1881 census

James Merrick b. 1852 m. Margaret Brown
- James & Margaret in the 1881 census

Thomas Merrick b. 1853 m. Ruth Brown

Mary Ann Merrick b. 1858 m. Henry Welsh
- Mary Ann & Henry in the 1881 census

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