Dawn Mills

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Dawn Mills

The Pioneer Families of
Dawn Mills, Kent County, Ontario

Including the families of: Taylor, Prangley, Holme and Chew

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Contents

Click on any of the following to be taken to that section or page.

Contents of this page

  1. Introduction

  2. The Dawn Mills Settlement

  3. Captain William Taylor, Founder of Dawn Mills

  4. The Prangley Family

  5. The Chew Family

  6. The Holme Family

  7. Other Dawn Mills Settlers

  8. Fellow Researchers

  9. Index & Personal Information Pages (GEDCOM)

  10. Legend

  11. Contact

Links to other related pages on this web site

  1. My Main Page
    1. About Our Family History
  2. My Index and Online Database
  3. Prangley Family of South Western Ontario, Canada

  4. Sharpe Family in Kent County, Ontario, Canada

  5. Cuthbert Family in Kent County and Middlesex County, Ontario Canada

Introduction

Welcome to my family history page on the pioneer settler families of Dawn Mills, Ontario.  Dawn Mills is now a ghost town, but in the 19th century it was a thriving village located just east of Dresden in Kent County in southwestern Ontario.  On this page I present family history information and links relevant to the families who were the first pioneer settlers in the village of Dawn Mills.  If you have information you can add to this site please contact me.

This page is also a continuation of my family history website, as I deal in detail with the Taylor family of Dawn Mills who are ancestors of my wife.  If you are just arriving here for the first time then you may wish to start HERE.

Please Note: This page is intended only as a narrative historical overview of this family.  There is additional detailed information available for almost ever person presented on this page.  To avoid the unnecessary work of double-entering some data, the additional information can be found in the accompanying GEDCOM database.  Please make sure you click on the INDEX button at the bottom of the page so you don't miss out on potentially valuable additional information.

Acknowledgments

The research presented on this page is not mine alone.  It contains information submitted by all the Fellow Researchers listed below.  I am indebted to them for their generous contributions.  This page is intended as a place for researchers to freely and cooperatively share our research with each other.  It would be too cumbersome a task to reference each piece of data as to which researcher it has come from.  The information shown on this page should be understood as a product of ALL of the Fellow Researchers.  I am merely the editor and not the sole author. - Ryk

The Dawn Mills Settlement

Dawn Mills, Camden Township, Kent County, ca. 1880

The property of Charles T. Prangley can be seen in the loop of the river immediately west of Dawn Mills.

THE DAWN SETTLEMENT
(Ontario Historic Plaque)

In the 1830s, the Reverend Josiah Henson and other abolitionists sought ways to provide refugees from slavery with the education and skills they needed to become self-sufficient in Upper Canada. They purchased 200 acres of land here in 1841 and established the British American Institute, one of the first schools in Canada to emphasize vocational training. The community of Dawn developed around the Institute. Its residents farmed, attended the Institute, and worked at sawmills, grist mills, and other local industries. Some returned to the United States after emancipation was proclaimed in 1863. Others remained, contributing to the establishment of a significant black community in this part of the province.

(The ghost town of Dawn Mills, Kent County should not be confused with its homonym, the town of Don Mills in east Toronto.)

Dawn Mills used to be a thriving village just east of Dresden in Kent County, Ontario. Today, however, you'd be hard-pressed to find any sign of Dawn Mills save for a road sign and a dot on a map. Today Dawn Mills is nothing more than a collection of a few houses. It is a ghost town, at least according to a recent television program on Ghost Towns of Ontario.  However 150 years ago it threatened to eclipse Dresden as the major town of north-eastern Kent County.

The story of the rise and fall of Dawn Mills is intimately linked to the story of the village founder, Captain William Taylor.

Captain William Taylor, Founder of Dawn Mills

Has Children William TAYLOR b: 11 APR 1794 in Manchester, Lancashire, England.  William Taylor was born in England, probably in Manchester.  It is believed that he was the son of Thomas Taylor and Alice Hulme who were married in Manchester on 11 MAY 1792 (according to an LDS member entry).  No official record of William's birth has been found.  (An erroneous baptism had previously been identified as 25 MAY 1794 Saint Mary, Bury, Lancashire, England however this same child is recorded as having died  6 JUN 1794.)

William immigrated to New York, USA sometime prior to 1815 when he is recorded as having married Sarah Chew in Rye, Westchester, New York, USA.  Early census records and church records show no indication of any Taylor family in Rye prior to 1810, and post-1810 records imply only one family named Taylor resided in Rye prior to 1850.  Careful interpretation of these records would appear to indicate that William probably came to the USA as a young boy with his parents and siblings and possibly an uncle. (A detailed analysis of these early records is presented below.)

In 1815, William married Sarah Chew whose family also came from Manchester, England.  She had immigrated with her brothers and widowed mother sometime between 1810-1815.  It is not known if the Chews and Taylors knew each other back in Manchester or not.

William and Sarah began their family in New York where they had their first four children, concluding with their son, William C Taylor who was born in 1824.  Sometime shortly after William Jr's birth, William Sr and Sarah and their family (including Sarah's widowed mother Ann Chew nee Walker) removed from New York and came to Canada.  According to a later biography they stayed briefly in "Toronto", however it is believed that "Toronto" should be interpreted loosely.  Sarah Chew's brothers had settled in Weston, Ontario, Canada (present-day Etobicoke, a suburb of west Toronto), where they were prospering as pioneer settlers and had a thriving mill business.  It is presumed that William Taylor and Sarah Chew stayed with Sarah's brothers in Weston.

On October 19, 1826 William Taylor acquired from Col. Talbot a land grant of 100 acres of undeveloped wilderness land along Bear Creek (present-day Sydenham River) in Kent county, southwestern Upper Canada (present-day Ontario) where he built a grist mill. The Sydenham waterway was the only transportation route from Kent county to the city of Detroit. The town of Dawn Mills, near present-day Dresden (not to be confused with Don Mills, near Toronto) grew up around the mill. William quickly expanded his land grants to an eventual 1000 acre area along the north shore of Bear Creek. As business at the mill prospered William opened a general store, a lumber mill, and a ship yard. He eventually added a fourth mill to his holdings.  (Probably a wool and textile mill.)

By 1830 Captain William Taylor and his family were residing on their new land in Kent County where William appears to have been a entrepreneurial pioneer-extraordinaire. He is almost solely responsible for founding the village of Dawn Mills which grew up around his saw mill, grist mill, general store and other businesses.  Not only is the Taylor family responsible for the birth of the village of Dawn Mills but also they are responsible for its subsequent demise.  However, we will come to that later.

The following article from Romantic Kent -- The Story of a County 1626-1952 by Victor Lauriston, recounts the life of William Taylor:

"[The plentiful natural resources helped the early settlers in Camden West township] eke out a livelihood, all unsuspicious of the early advent of a man who was to change their lives.

"Captain William Taylor, born in England on April 11, 1794, settled in Toronto when it was still "muddy York". Whether his marriage to 18-year-old Sara Chew on March 30, 1815 took place before or after he emigrated, we do not know. [Although the author of the article did not know, it has now been confirmed that they were married in Rye, Westchester County, New York, USA, and their early children were born in New York.] He was still resident in Toronto when his fifth child and second son, Thomas Hulme Taylor was born on September 10, 1826.

"...About 1830, or perhaps a little earlier, Taylor moved to his new demesne. With James Smith he built a grist mill on the south bank at a bend in the river, where a series of rapids not merely marked the head of navigation, but provided good water power. Prior to that time settlers had gone to the Detroit River in canoes with their grain, the only nearer mills, on the Thames, being difficult to access through the forests and swamps. Taylor also established a general store and a saw-mill; and from these enterprises the resulting community took the name of Dawn Mills. He also engaged in shipbuilding, his craft, the 'Sara Taylor' and the 'Dawn', being operated as adjuncts to his business enterprises, not merely on the river, but on the upper lakes.

"New settlers came in, and a village gradually clustered around the mills. It was in 1835 that A. B. Baxter came. A year later he became partner in Taylor's store, the first in the community.

"In the rebellion of 1837, William Taylor was commissioned captain and raised a militia company in which young James Smith served as lieutenant...."

By the mid-1800s the railroad was transforming the transportation industry.  No longer were waterways the means of travel.  When the railroad lines were being considered for the Kent County area, the Taylor family campaigned vigorously to have the railroad come through Dawn Mills.  They were not successful and the local business economy suffered badly as commerce followed the railway lines.

After the death of Captain William Taylor, his business interests passed to his second son, Thomas Hulme Taylor.  Thomas made a valiant effort to maintain his father's businesses in Dawn Mills, at least while his mother remained alive.  When Sarah Chew died Thomas Hulme Taylor sold most of his father's businesses and moved the woolen mill to Chatham where the Taylor Mills Company continued in the family until well into the mid-20th century.

Thomas sold one mill to his brother-in-law, Charles Prangley (below), and another to the McVeans of Dresden. (Coincidentally, it is interesting to note that one of the McVean descendants today is a colleague and best friend of the author of this work.) Today there is nothing left of the village of Dawn Mills except a few houses and the ruins of the foundations of the old mills.

William Taylor married on 30 MAR 1815 in Christ's Church Cathedral, Rye, Westchester, New York, USA to Sarah CHEW b: ABT 18 OCT 1797 in Ashton-under-Lyne, Lancashire, England, daughter of John Chew and Ann Walker.  William Taylor and Sarah Chew had the following children:

  1. Has Children Elizabeth A. TAYLOR b: 11 MAR 1816 in New York, New York, USA.  Elizabeth married ABT 1835 in Dawn Mills or Dresden, Kent County, Ontario, Canada to James SMITH b: 24 FEB 1802 in Halifax, Yorkshire, England.  James was a founding partner with his father-in-law's (William Taylor's) grist mill in Dawn Mills, Upper Canada. James served as a Lieutenant under his father-in-law, Capt. Taylor, fighting for the British Loyalists during the 1837 Rebellion in Upper Canada.

    James became reeve of Camden and Zone townships in the new Kent County council. From 1852 to 1862 he was warden of Kent County. He was the longest serving warden in the history of Kent County.

    Records conflict as to whether there were in fact two James Smiths, senior and junior. The senior who was a founding mill partner with William Taylor and fellow soldier, as well as warden of Kent County. And the Junior who married Taylor's daughter, Elizabeth. The approximate 20 year age difference between this James Smith and Elizabeth Taylor would favour the latter version.

    Elizabeth Taylor and James Smith had the following known children (and probably others):

    1. Has No Children Josie SMITH b: ABT 1835 in Dawn Mills, Camden Township, Kent County, Ontario, Canada
    2. Has Children James Taylor SMITH b: 11 FEB 1838 in Dawn Mills, Camden Township, Kent County, Ontario, Canada.  James married to Doratha ROE and had descendants.
    3. Has No Children Mary Helen SMITH b: 1849 in Dawn Mills, Camden Township, Kent County, Ontario, Canada.  Mary married to Daniel Venning HICKS.
    4. Has No Children Susan Jane SMITH b: 1857 in Dresden, Camden Township, Kent County, Ontario, Canada.  Susan married to Philander BABCOCK.
  2. Has Children Alice Ann TAYLOR b: 16 FEB 1819 in New York, New York, USA.  Ann married on 30 MAR 1843 in Dawn Mills, Camden Township, Kent County, Ontario, Canada to Charles PRANGLEY b: ABT 14 APR 1815 in Corsley, Wiltshire, England.
    1. Their descendants are presented on the PRANGLEY family page.
  3. Has Children Mary Ann TAYLOR b: 27 AUG 1822 in New York City, New York, USA.  According to the Taylor family tree, Mary Ann married Charles Baxter and lived to 1900. Mary is found as a widow in 1891 in Chatham, Kent, Ontario, Canada, residing not far from her sister Sarah Bogart nee Taylor. No record of Charles Baxter has been found so it is presumed that he died prior to the commencement of civil death records in 1869.  Mary married in Dawn Mills or Dresden, Kent County, Ontario, Canada to Charles BAXTER b: ABT 1820.  They had the following family:
    1. Has Children Elizabeth BAXTER b: 1848 in Dawn Mills, Camden Township, Kent County, Ontario, Canada.  Elizabeth married on 27 JUN 1872 in Chatham, Kent County, Ontario, Canada to Alfred BOGART b: 1842 in Dawn Mills, Camden Township, Kent County, Ontario, Canada, son of James L. Bogart and Deborah Trumpour.  Alfred was the brother of John Trumpour Bogart who married Elizabeth Baxter's aunt, Sarah Ann Taylor, daughter of Capt. William Taylor and Sarah Chew (below).  Alfred's sister, Maria Lent Bogart married Elizabeth Baxter's uncle, Thomas Hulme Taylor, son of Capt. William Taylor and Sarah Chew.  Elizabeth Baxter and Alfred Bogart had the following children:
      1. Has No Children Charles BOGART b: 1874 in Ontario, Canada
      2. Has No Children Ethel BOGART b: 1877 in Ontario, Canada
      3. Has No Children Frederick BOGART b: 1881 in Ontario, Canada
      4. Has No Children Annie BOGART b: 1884 in Ontario, Canada
  4. Has Children William C. TAYLOR b: 22 AUG 1824 in New York City, New York, USA.  In formation on William C Taylor and his descendants is presented further below.
  5. Has No Children Catherine M. TAYLOR b: 1826 in Toronto (Probably Weston), York, Ontario, Canada.  According to Catherine's gravestone, she was 35 when she died in 1861. This would appear to make Catherine a twin sister of Thomas Hulme Taylor, although Thomas is nowhere recorded as having a twin. But Catherine is also not recorded at all in the Taylor family tree nor in the Taylor biography in Romantic Kent.
  6. Has Children Thomas Hulme TAYLOR b: 10 SEP 1826 in Toronto (Probably Weston), York, Ontario, Canada.  In formation on Thomas Hulme Taylor and his descendants is presented further below.
  7. Has Children Sarah Ann TAYLOR b: 14 MAR 1830 in Ontario, Canada.  Sarah married to John Trumpour BOGART b: 1825 in Adolphustown, Quinte, Greater Napanee, Ontario, Canada, son of James L. Bogart and Deborah Trumpour.  John's sister Maria Lent Bogart married Thomas Hulme Taylor, above, and John's younger brother, Alfred Bogart, married Sarah Taylor's niece, Elizabeth Baxter (above).  Sarah Taylor and John Bogart had the following children:
    1. Has No Children Samuel BOGART b: 1856 in Ontario, Canada
    2. Has No Children Josephine BOGART b: 1861 in Ontario, Canada
  8. Has No Children Anny M. TAYLOR b: 1830 in Ontario, Canada.  According to her gravestone, Anny was 35 years old when she died in 1865.
  9. Has No Children Jane Ann TAYLOR b: 16 MAY 1832 in Dawn Mills, Camden Township, Kent County, Ontario, Canada.  Jane married briefly to Thomas H GRIFFIS b: 1831 in Ontario, Canada.  Jane died young on 20 MAY 1851 in Dawn Mills, Camden Township, Kent County, Ontario, Canada.  It is believed that Jane and Thomas had no children.
  10. Has Children Samuel Chew TAYLOR b: 18 FEB 1834 in Dawn Mills, Camden Township, Kent County, Ontario, Canada.  Samuel Chew Taylor, like his eldest brother William C Taylor, is not mentioned in the Taylor biography in Romantic Kent and his descendants are not included in the Taylor family tree.  Samuel Chew Taylor was an engineer in Wallaceburg, Kent County, Ontario, Canada. He died at age 39.  His death was witnessed by his brother, Thomas Hulme Taylor.  Samuel married to Jane BOLTON b: AUG 1838 in Dawn Mills, Camden Township, Kent County, Ontario, Canada.  They had the following children:
    1. Has Children Martha Jane TAYLOR b: 12 SEP 1858 in Chatham, Kent County, Ontario, Canada.  Martha's marriage was witnessed by her sister Maggie Taylor.  Martha married on 04 MAR 1877 in Chatham, Kent County, Ontario, Canada to Richard Louis ARNOLD b: 1847 in Chartham Township, Kent County, Ontario, Canada, son of Jacob S. Arnold and Sarah Dock.  Martha and Richard had the following children:
      1. Has No Children Lyle Richard ARNOLD b: 13 OCT 1892 in Chatham Township, Kent County, Ontario, Canada
      2. Has No Children Myrtle Amy ARNOLD b: 22 JUL 1881 in Chatham Township, Kent County, Ontario, Canada
      3. Has No Children Alice Belle ARNOLD b: 22 FEB 1878 in Chatham Township, Kent County, Ontario, Canada
    2. Has No Children Maggie TAYLOR b: OCT 1859 in Camden Gore, Kent County, Ontario, Canada.  Maggie married on 22 FEB 1905 in Kent County, Ontario, Canada to William Highfield ROBINSON b: OCT 1861 in Chatham, Kent County, Ontario, Canada, son of Frederick Robinson and Ann Taylor.  (Ann Taylor was from Chatham and is not known to be related to the Taylor family of Dawn Mills.)  Maggie and William were married late and appear to have had no children.
    3. Has Children Walter Samuel TAYLOR b: 1867 in Dawn Mills, Camden Township, Kent County, Ontario, Canada .  Walter married on 07 MAY 1890 in Thamesville, Kent County, Ontario, Canada to Eliza Jane HAZLETT b: 17 OCT 1870 in Chatham Township, Kent, Ontario, Canada, daughter of Eli William Hazlett and Abigail Sicksmith (a.k.a. Sexsmith).  Walter and Jane later moved to Windsor, Essex, Ontario, Canada.  Walter and Jane had the following children:
      1. Has No Children Lilly B TAYLOR b: 16 APR 1891 in Harwich Township, Kent County, Ontario, Canada.  In 1911, Lilly is residing in Windsor, Essex, Ontario, Canada, next door to her parents. She is married to a man named Thomas whose surname is illegible.
      2. Has No Children Frederick R TAYLOR b: 1894 in Kent County, Ontario, Canada

William C Taylor

Has Children William C. TAYLOR b: 22 AUG 1824 in New York City, New York, USA.  It is curiously noted that William C Taylor is not mentioned by name in the Taylor family biography in Romantic Kent.  It also appears that William did not participate in his father's businesses.  Even though William was the eldest son, the family businesses all went to William's younger brother, Thomas Hulme Taylor, while William C Taylor became a farmer.  It's not known if William Jr was intentionally excluded from the family business by his father's choice, his younger brother's choice, or his own choice, or whether too much is being read into the evidence available to us.  If William was deliberately excluded was this because his younger brother Thomas Hulme Taylor showed superior business abilities, or was it due to some form of paternal favoritism or sibling rivalry, or was William Jr simply more interested in farming than milling?

William C Taylor's name and descendants are not identified in the Taylor family tree nor in the biography in Romantic Kent. Otherwise William is only found in census records. William's children have only been identified through their own marriage records which record their parents' names and through census records.

In 1871, 1881 and 1891 William is found as a farmer residing in Chatham Township, Kent County (or Bothwell County, due to changes in county boundaries). In 1881 William had a 15 year old Hellen Birch residing with him. She was born in the USA.  In 1901 William's widow and children are residing in Wallaceburg, Bothwell (Kent) County, Ontario, Canada. (Note: This William C Taylor should not be confused with a contemporary William C Taylor b 1840 in England who married Amelia Davidson and resided nearby in Harwich township, Kent County, Ontario, Canada.)

William C. Taylor is presumed to have married firstly to a woman named Jeanette (whose surname is unknown) although no record of their marriage has been found.  They had the following children:

  1. Has Children Sarah TAYLOR b: 30 JUL 1848 in Chatham Gore Township, Kent County, Ontario, Canada.  Sarah Taylor married on 11 FEB 1870 in Chatham, Kent County, Ontario, Canada to James Albert ROBERTS b: 1845 in Chatham Gore Township, Kent County, Ontario, Canada, son of John and Rebecca Jane Roberts.  Sarah and James had the following children:
    1. Has No Children Charles W ROBERTS b: 1872 in Dresden, Kent County, Ontario, Canada
    2. Has No Children Frank H ROBERTS b: 1878 in Dresden, Kent County, Ontario, Canada
    3. Has No Children Garnet Bruce ROBERTS b: 10 AUG 1882 in Dresden, Kent County, Ontario, Canada
    4. Has No Children Janet R ROBERTS b: 1888 in Dresden, Kent County, Ontario, Canada
  2. Has Children William TAYLOR III b: 10 JAN 1852 in Dawn Mills, Camden Township, Kent County, Ontario, Canada.  In 1901 William is found widowed in Harwich Township, Kent County, Ontario, Canada, living with his sons, Ernest and James. His youngest two children, Hazel and William are found residing with, and adopted by, their aunt Elizabeth Arnold nee Taylor and George Taylor, respectively. There is no sign of any of his other children anywhere in Canada in 1901. Several possible matches have been found for the older sons in later American census records, however none of these matches can be confirmed.  William Taylor married on 05 JAN 1875 in Howard Township, Kent County, Ontario, Canada to Rebecca BROWN b: 1854 in Howard Township, Kent County, Ontario, Canada.  They had the following children:
    1. Has No Children Maud TAYLOR b: 1876 in Blenheim, Kent County, Ontario, Canada
    2. Has No Children Bruce TAYLOR b: 1878 in Blenheim, Kent County, Ontario, Canada
    3. Has No Children Fred TAYLOR b: 1880 in Blenheim, Kent County, Ontario, Canada
    4. Has No Children Dalton TAYLOR b: 1883 in Harwich Township, Kent County, Ontario, Canada.  Dalton's first name is not confirmed. He is only found in the 1891 census where his name appears to read "Daljams." No such name as "Daljams" is known, however comparison with other close pages of the same census would lead me to believe that the name may actually be "Dalton" -- a known surname in the area.
    5. Has No Children Charles TAYLOR b: 1885 in Harwich Township, Kent County, Ontario, Canada
    6. Has No Children Ernest TAYLOR b: 10 JAN 1888 in Harwich Township, Kent County, Ontario, Canada
    7. Has No Children James TAYLOR b: MAY 1889 in Harwich Township, Kent County, Ontario, Canada
    8. Has No Children Hazel R TAYLOR b: 17 JUL 1892 in Kent County, Ontario, Canada.  No birth record has been found for Hazel. Hazel is found in 1901 residing with her aunt Elizabeth Arnold nee Taylor and recorded as an "adopted daughter".
    9. Has No Children William TAYLOR IV b: 05 JUN 1897 in Kent County, Ontario, Canada.  William is found in 1901 residing with his uncle George Taylor and is listed as an "adopted son".
  3. Has Children Elizabeth A TAYLOR b: 1856 in Dawn Mills, Camden Township, Kent County, Ontario, Canada.  In 1891 Elizabeth has her 24 year old sister, Jennet Taylor residing with her (father shown as born in USA and mother in Ontario). In 1901 Elizabeth and John have an adopted daughter, Hazel R Taylor, born 17 JUL 1892.  Elizabeth Taylor married on 15 JUL 1884 in Chatham, Kent County, Ontario, Canada to John William ARNOLD b: 11 OCT 1840 in Chatham, Kent County, Ontario, Canada, son of Jacob S. Arnold and Sarah Dock.  Elizabeth and John may have had the following son:
    1. Has No Children John B ARNOLD b: UNKNOWN.  According to One World Tree, John and Elizabeth had a son named John B Arnold. No birth record has been found for him and he has not been found in any census record. His existence is not confirmed.
  4. Has No Children George A TAYLOR b: 19 MAR 1862 in Kent County, Ontario, Canada.  George is found in 1881 census living with his father, (recorded as "W.C. Taylor") and William's second family. George's marriage record gives his parents' names as William C. and Jeanette Taylor.  In the 1891 census George's father is recorded as being born in the USA and his mother in Canada. In 1901, George is shown with an adopted son, William Taylor, born 5 JUN 1897, believed to be the son of George's brother William Taylor III.  George Taylor married on 13 APR 1887 in Dresden, Kent County, Ontario, Canada to Margaret WICKENS b: 26 SEP 1864 in Ontario, Canada.  It is believed that they had no children of their own.
  5. Has No Children Jennett TAYLOR b: 1867 in Kent County, Ontario, Canada.  In 1891 Jennet was residing with her sister Elizabeth. She has not been found in 1901 and may have married or moved to the USA.

William Taylor's first wife Jeanette is believed to have died sometime between 1867-1875 although no record of her death has been found.  William C. Taylor is believed to have married secondly to Laura ELEMS b: 15 MAY 1846 in Ontario, Canada, although no record of their marriage has been found.  They had the following known children:

  1. Has No Children Charles Loule TAYLOR b: 03 DEC 1875 in Chatham, Kent County, Ontario, Canada.  He married on 05 DEC 1908 in Sandwich, Essex County, Ontario, Canada to Libbie ROBIDEAU b: 1885.
  2. Has No Children Mabel TAYLOR b: 1876 in Chatham, Kent County, Ontario, Canada
  3. Has No Children Henry TAYLOR b: 30 SEP 1878 in Chatham, Kent County, Ontario, Canada
  4. Has No Children Anna L. TAYLOR b: 1880 in Chatham, Kent County, Ontario, Canada
  5. Has No Children Bertha TAYLOR b: 29 AUG 1882 in Wallaceburg, Chatham Township, Bothwell County, Ontario, Canada
  6. Has No Children Ethel TAYLOR b: 16 SEP 1884 in Wallaceburg, Chatham Township, Bothwell County, Ontario, Canada
  7. Has No Children Walter TAYLOR b: 14 MAR 1887 in Wallaceburg, Chatham Township, Bothwell County, Ontario, Canada
  8. Has No Children Percy Otto TAYLOR b: 11 APR 1890 in Wallaceburg, Chatham Township, Bothwell County, Ontario, Canada.  Percy moved to Detroit, Michigan, USA where he was drafted in 1918.  His draft card shows that he was married with two children.  His wife and children are unknown.

Thomas Hulme Taylor

Has Children Thomas Hulme TAYLOR b: 10 SEP 1826 in Toronto (Probably Weston), York, Ontario, Canada.  Thomas Hulme Taylor, son of Captain William Taylor, inherited his father's flour and saw mills in Dawn Mills. To these he added, almost immediately, a wool factory.  As owner of the flour, wool, and saw mills, and part-owner of the general store Thomas Taylor was an important figure in the Dawn Mills community. When the Great Western Railway was coming through, he campaigned unsuccessfully to have it come through Dawn Mills; instead, in 1854, the railroad went to the nearby town of Chatham. Business in Dawn Mills began to migrate to Chatham. Because of his family's founding history in Dawn Mills, Thomas Taylor was reluctant to move his business interests to Chatham. When his mother died in 1858 that seemed to free him to leave Dawn Mills and move to Chatham where the Taylor Mills Company remained in the family serving Kent County until well into the mid-20th century. When Taylor moved to Chatham he sold one of his mills to Alexander McVean who moved the mill to nearby Dresden. (c.f. Alexander McVean's lineage for a later marital connection to Taylor's sister, Alice Prangley, and for a surprising connection to this author four generations later.)

Regrettably, Taylor's departure from Dawn Mills dealt a permanent economic blow to that once thriving village. Today the village of Dawn Mills no longer exists except as a dot on the map, a few houses, and the remnants of three dams where the mills once stood.

In Chatham "T.H. Taylor & Co. operated on William Street just north of the Taylor-Richards flour mills, their Chatham Woollen Mills, established in 1869. Capital was about $60,000, the plant employing some 30 hands and consuming annually about 50,000 pounds of wool." (Romantic Kent, p.522)

"The floating logs (on the Thames River)... formed a passageway over the rainbow-hued waters. The varied colors periodically tinging the creek came from the T.H. Taylor curing mill and dyeing works just around the creek bend, where blankets and many varieties of coating material were woven. Products of the Taylor Mill, then one of Chatham's foremost industries, were widely known for quality; Detroiters visiting Chatham on the excursion boats were extensive purchasers." (Romantic Kent, p.529)

Thomas Hulme Taylor married on 08 MAR 1848 in Kent County, Ontario, Canada to Maria Lent BOGART b: 25 JUN 1827 in Adolphustown, Quinte, Greater Napanee, Ontario, Canada, daughter of James L. Bogart and Deborah Trumpour.  Maria's older brother, John Trumpour Bogart married Sarah Ann Taylor, sister of Thomas Hulme Taylor.  Maria's younger brother Alfred Bogart married Thomas' niece, Elizabeth Baxter (above).  Thomas Hulme Taylor and Maria Lent Bogart had the following children:

  1. Has No Children Mary Elizabeth TAYLOR b: 1850 in Chatham, Kent County, Ontario, Canada.  Mary married to Dr. Tecumseh Kingsley HOLMES b: 17 JAN 1839.
    1. Descendant information to be added.
  2. Has Children Jennie TAYLOR b: 1852 in Chatham, Kent County, Ontario, Canada.  Jennie married on 22 DEC 1880 in Chatham, Kent County, Ontario, Canada to David Stoddard MCMULLEN b: 1845.  They had the following children:
    1. Has No Children Edith Holmes MCMULLEN b: 25 FEB 1882 in Chatham, Kent County, Ontario, Canada
    2. Has No Children Ray MCMULLEN b: 22 FEB 1884 in Trenton, Hastings County, Ontario, Canada
    3. Has No Children Harold Stoddard MCMULLEN b: 20 APR 1885 in Toronto, York County, Ontario, Canada
  3. Has Children Agnes TAYLOR b: 1854 in Chatham, Kent County, Ontario, Canada.  26 DEC 1883 in Chatham, Kent County, Ontario, Canada to David S. PATTERSON b: 1855 in Scotland.  They had the following children:
    1. Has No Children Jessie D. PATTERSON b: 26 OCT 1884 in Chatham, Kent County, Ontario, Canada
    2. Has No Children Mary Irene PATTERSON b: 11 DEC 1887 in Chatham, Kent County, Ontario, Canada
    3. Has No Children Murray H. PATTERSON b: 16 NOV 1891 in Chatham, Kent County, Ontario, Canada
  4. Has Children Alice TAYLOR b: 1856 in Chatham, Kent County, Ontario, Canada.  Alice married on 07 SEP 1881 in Chatham, Kent County, Ontario, Canada to Edwin Fredrick STEPHENSON b: 1856 in Chatham, Kent County, Ontario, Canada.  They had the following children:
    1. Has No Children Alice Beatrice STEPHENSON b: 05 DEC 1884 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
    2. Has No Children Mary Geraldine STEPHENSON b: 05 AUG 1888 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
  5. Has Children Ella Eugenia TAYLOR b: 10 MAY 1859 in Chatham, Kent County, Ontario, Canada.  Ella married on 01 JUN 1887 in Chatham, Kent County, Ontario, Canada to John Earle JENNER b: 1857 in Canada.  They had the following children:
    1. Has No Children Madeline Mary JENNER b: 12 NOV 1890 in Kingsville, Essex County, Ontario, Canada
    2. Has No Children Agnes Dorothy JENNER b: 06 SEP 1895 in Chatham, Kent County, Ontario, Canada
    3. Has No Children John Thomas Russel JENNER b: 13 JAN 1898 in Essex, Ontario, Canada
  6. Has No Children Walter Hulme TAYLOR b: 14 SEP 1861 in Chatham, Kent County, Ontario, Canada.  Walter married on 27 DEC 1899 in Chatham, Kent County, Ontario, Canada to Minnie HOWIE b: 02 JUN 1868 in Ontario, Canada.  In 1901 Walter and Minnie are shown living in Chatham with no children. Neither have any birth records been found for children, nor a marriage record. It is believed they had no children.
  7. Has Children William James TAYLOR b: 27 NOV 1863 in Chatham, Kent County, Ontario, Canada.  In 1901 William and his family are living with his mother, Maria Taylor nee Bogart, in Chatham.  William married on 19 APR 1892 in Chatham, Kent County, Ontario, Canada to Adelaide Cherry SCANE b: 17 OCT 1867 in Chatham, Kent County, Ontario, Canada.  They had the following children:
    1. Has No Children William Wallace TAYLOR b: 30 AUG 1894 in Chatham, Kent County, Ontario, Canada.  William died on 09 APR 1918 in France (in combat) and is buried in Etaples Military Cemetery, France.
    2. Has No Children Mary Lent TAYLOR b: 13 JAN 1907 in Chatham, Kent County, Ontario, Canada.  Mary married Norman ANDREWS b: UNKNOWN.
    3. Has Children Thomas Hulme TAYLOR b: 10 JAN 1901 in Chatham, Kent County, Ontario, Canada.  1901 Census gives Thomas birth as 12 Jan 1891, age 3 months. Family records and death records confirm that Thomas was born in January 1901. The census appears to be in error. According to family notes: "In September of 1939, Tom moved the family from Chatham to the west Coast, settling first in the Victoria area and then moving to Vancouver in 1940 or 1941." (c/o Thomas Hulme Taylor V).  Thomas married to Audrey Stidston BROWN b: 05 MAR 1900 in Carman, Manitoba, Canada.  They had the following children:
      1. Has No Children Living TAYLOR
      2. Has No Children Mary Elizabeth TAYLOR b: 27 JUN 1928 in Chatham, Kent County, Ontario, Canada
  8. Has No Children Thomas Trumpour TAYLOR b: 25 APR 1867 in Chatham, Kent County, Ontario, Canada.  According to the Taylor family tree, Thomas never married.  He died 11 MAY 1896 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
  9. Has Children Grace Laura Maud TAYLOR b: 05 OCT 1870 in Chatham, Kent County, Ontario, Canada.  Grace married on 01 JUN 1892 in Chatham, Kent County, Ontario, Canada to Frederick STONE b: FEB 1866 in Chatham, Kent County, Ontario, Canada.  They had the following children:
    1. Has No Children Thomas Spencer Hulme STONE b: 20 APR 1894 in Chatham, Kent County, Ontario, Canada
    2. Has No Children Mary Adelaide STONE b: 22 MAY 1897 in Chatham, Kent County, Ontario, Canada
    3. Has No Children Laura Kathleen STONE b: 20 JUN 1902 in Kent, Ontario, Canada
    4. Has No Children Living STONE

Research Leads - Taylor

Cathedral, Manchester C005467/8

Thomas TAYLOR and Alice

  1. James TAYLOR, bap 13 OCT 1793, dtr of Thomas TAYLOR and Alice, at Cathedral, Manchester.
  2. Mary TAYLOR, bap 19 APR 1795, ditto
  3. Esther TAYLOR, bap 23 APR 1797, ditto
  4. Dorothy TAYLOR, bap 2 JUN 1799, dtr of Thomas TAYLOR, no mother (several possible families)
  5. William TAYLOR, bap 16 AUG 1801, ditto above

Other TAYLOR/HULME marriages in Manchester Cathedral 1776-1802

  1. John TAYLOR m 17 APR 1781 to Esther HULME
  2. Elizabeth TAYLOR m 15 FEB 1776 to Henry HULME
  3. Samuel TAYLOR, m 13 MAR 1778 to Ellen HULME
  4. Elizabeth TAYLOR m 28 JUL 1790 to Thomas HULME
  5. Mary TAYLOR m 28 FEB 1791 to John HOLME
  6. Robert TAYLOR m 30 SEP 1801 to Nancy HOLMES

William Taylor, b 1794 in England, m 1815 in Rye, NY (age 21), resided in NY to 1824, was in Weston in 1826.  Therefore was in NY pre-1815. Likely travelled with parents.  Only record of his suggested parents' marriage is an LDS submission. (Thomas Taylor (b ca 1767) and Alice Hulme (b ca 1771)  m 11 MAY 1792 in Manchester - LDS member entry).  It would seem likely that William Taylor came to NY with his parents.

Westchester, New York

All Taylor marriages in Christ's Church, Rye, Westchester, New York, USA 1791-1849

  1. William TAYLOR m 30 MAR 1815 to Sarah CHEW
  2. George W. TAYLOR m 3 OCT 1824 to Eliza MEADE
  3. Hesther TAYLOR m 25 JUL 1831 to Darius MERRITT
  4. James TAYLOR m 17 DEC 1849 to Ann Eliza Ockenden
  5. William TYLOR m 11 SEP 1851 to Harriet UNDERHILL
  6. George TAYLOR m 4 JUN 1872 to Isabel R LUTHER
  7. Florence J TAYLOR m 23 OCT 1873 to Summerfield TAFF

IGI has no births for any of William and Sarah's American children.

1810

There are 13 Taylor families residing in Westchester County, NY in 1820.  Including:

Res. 1810 Name m-10 m10-16 m16-26 m26-45 m45+ f-10 f10-16 f16-26 f26-45 f45+  
Rye none                      
Greenburgh (about 8 miles NW of Rye) Ellithan Taylor 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 0  
Greenburgh Gilbert Taylor 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0  
Greenburgh Moses Taylor 0 0 0 2 0 2 0 0 1 0  
Greenburgh William Taylor (9 away from Moses) 3 1 0 2 0 1 2 0 1 0  
Mt Pleasant (abt 4m N of Greenburgh) Samuel Taylor 1 0 1 3 0 2 0 2 1 0  

Others:

Yonkers (about 10 miles SW of Rye and 8 miles south of Greenburgh)

  1. Abraham Taylor
  2. Benjamin Taylor
  3. Gilbert Taylor
  4. Jacob Taylor

Bedford (about 20 miles NE)

  1. Elijah Taylor

North Salem (more than 20 miles NE)

  1. none

Somers (more than 20 miles NE)

  1. William Taylor

Pound Ridge (just east of Bedford)

  1. Jonathan Taylor
  2. Nathan Taylor

1820

There are 17 Taylor families residing in Westchester County, NY in 1820.  Including:

Res. 1820 Name m-10 m10-16 m16-26 m26-45 m45+ f-10 f10-16 f16-26 f26-45 f45+  
Rye Thomas Taylor 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 2 2 0  
Rye John Taylor 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0001
Greenburgh (about 8 miles NW of Rye) William Taylor 1 1 1 3 0 1 0 1 2 0 103
Greenburgh Ellithan Taylor 1 2 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 10001
Mt Pleasant (abt 4m N of Greenburgh) Moses Taylor 1 0 0 0 1 0 3 2 0 1 001
Mt Pleasant Ellethan Taylor 2 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 001
Mt Pleasant John Taylor 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 101
Mt Pleasant Thomas Taylor 1 0 1 1 0 1 3 1 0 1 00001

Others:

Yonkers (about 10 miles SW of Rye and 8 miles south of Greenburgh)

  1. Abraham Taylor
  2. Gilbert Taylor
  3. Henry Taylor
  4. Jacob Taylor

Bedford (about 20 miles away)

  1. Elijah Taylor
  2. Jonathan Taylor
  3. Nathaniel Taylor

North Salem (more than 20 miles away)

  1. Ezekiel Taylor

Somers (more than 20 miles away)

  1. Benjamin Taylor

1830

There are 24 Taylor families residing in Westchester County, NY in 1820.  Including:

Rye

  1. Thomas TAYLOR - 1 m60-70, 1 f5-10, 2 f20-30
  2. James TAYLOR - 2 m0-5, 1 m5-10, 1 m30-40, 1 f5-10, 1 f20-30

1840 - Rye

  1. James TAYLOR - 1m10-15, 2m15-20, 1m40-50, 1f10-15, 1f15-20, 1f-40-50
  2. Tamer TAYLOR - 0m, 1f10-15, 2f-30-40

1850 - Rye

James TAYLOR, b 1795 in USA, fisherman, wife Phebe b1800 in USA

  1. Cornelius TAYLOR, b 1820 in USA, fisherman
  2. James TAYLOR, b 1823 in USA
  3. Theodore TAYLOR, b 1827 in USA, hatter
  4. Amelia TAYLOR, b 1832 in USA
  5. Phebe Anne TAYLOR, b 1845 in USA

Cornelius TAYLOR, b 1822 in USA, residing with James and Janet (b1820) Travis

John W TAYLOR, b 1823 in USA, carpenter, wife Electra b 1825 in USA (and Rachel Purdy, b 1772 in USA mother in law?)

  1. William TAYLOR, b 1849 in USA

Harriet TAYLOR, b 1797 in USA, residing with widow Maria HOAG, b  1794 in USA

  1. Mary A HOAG, b 1825 in USA
  2. Harriet H HOAG, b 1827 in USA
  3. Caroline HOAG, b 1829 in USA

John S TAYLOR b 1836 and Charles S TAYLOR b 1839 (14 and 11) at school

Tamer TAYLOR, b 1810 in USA, residing with Maria SHERWOOD b 1801 in USA

Tentative Family of Origin - Taylor

Unknown (William?) TAYLOR, b ca 1740 in England.

  1. Thomas TAYLOR b ca 1767 in England (possibly son of John Taylor who is found only in 1820, age 45+, or brother of) and Alice HULME b ca 1771 in England. Married 11 MAY 1792 in Manchester, Lancashire, England.  Immigrated to USA ca 1795.  Moved to Rye, Westchester, NY bet 1810-1820. Alice died 1820-1830.  Thomas died 1830-1840.
    1. Capt. William TAYLOR, b 1794 in England, m 1815 in Rye, NY (age 21), to Sarah CHEW, resided in NY to 1824, was in Weston in 1826.
    2. Maria HOAG, b  1794 in USA
      1. Mary A HOAG, b 1825 in USA
      2. Harriet H HOAG, b 1827 in USA
      3. Caroline HOAG, b 1829 in USA
    3. James TAYLOR, b 1795 in USA, fisherman, wife Phebe b1800 in USA, resided in Rye, Westchester
      1. Cornelius TAYLOR, b 1820 in USA, fisherman
      2. James TAYLOR, b 1823 in USA
      3. Theodore TAYLOR, b 1827 in USA, hatter
      4. Amelia TAYLOR, b 1832 in USA
      5. John S TAYLOR b 1836
      6. Charles S TAYLOR b 1839
      7. Phebe Anne TAYLOR, b 1845 in USA
    4. Harriet TAYLOR, b 1797 in USA
    5. George W. TAYLOR b. ca 1800, m 3 OCT 1824 in Rye, Westchester to Eliza MEADE
    6. Hesther TAYLOR, b. ca. 1805 m 25 JUL 1831 in Rye, Westchester to Darius MERRITT, b 1809. found in 1851 in White Plains, Westchester w/o Hesther, and with 2nd wife or sister Ellen Merritt b 1796
      1. Mary L MERRITT, b 1836
      2. John MERRITT, b 1839
  2. John TAYLOR b ca 1772 in England (brother of Thomas?) found only in 1820 age 45+
    1. Son (William?) TAYLOR b ca 1798
      1. Janet TAYLOR? b ca 1820 m James TRAVIS
      2. Cornelius TAYLOR, b 1822 in USA, residing with James and Janet (b1820) Travis
      3. John W TAYLOR, b 1823 in USA, carpenter, wife Electra b 1825 in USA (and Rachel Purdy, b 1772 in USA mother in law?)
        1. William TAYLOR, b 1849 in USA
    2. Maria TAYLOR? b 1801, m ? SHERWOOD
    3. Tamer TAYLOR, b 1810 in USA

The Prangley Family

Even though William Taylor built the mills of Dawn Mills, it is his son-in-law Charles Prangley whose name was associated with the remaining mill, known as Prangley Mill.  And it is Charles' name that is preserved in the local geography. Although the mills no longer exist, the road leading up to them is called Prangley Road.

Charles Prangley's family came from Wiltshire, England where their roots can be traced back to the 17th century. Charles Prangley married Alice Ann Taylor, the daughter of Captain William Taylor, and became a partner in Taylor's mills in Dawn Mills.

More information on the Prangley family can be found here.

The Chew Family of Weston, Ontario

The Chew family were not actually a Dawn Mills family.  They were pioneer settlers in Weston, York County, Ontario, now part of Etobicoke -- a borough of Toronto.  However this is the birth family of Sarah Chew, wife of Captain William Taylor, founder of Dawn Mills and provides more background on the Taylor family above. 

The Origin Of The Name Chew

The Chew family ancestry can be traced back to the Norman conquest of 1066, making them the second most ancient traceable family of all the branches I have researched.  The name Chew, although oriental in its appearance and sound, is actually Norman French in origin. It is believed to have originated as a geographic surname coming from the name of the manor Chew Magna, on the banks of the River Chew in Somersetshire, or possibly from the name of the river itself. The manor originally belonged to Godwin, Earl of Wessex, in the 11th century.

The word Chew is believed to mean "winding water", the "ew" being a variant of the French eau meaning "water". The word chewer is a western dialect for "a narrow passage" and chare is Old English for "turning". The River Chew that runs through Somerset to the River Avon is a narrow, twisting river of water. Many believe that the name Chew began in Normandy as Cheux, and came to England with the Norman Conquest during the 11th century. The earliest record of the name Chew is in the Domesday Survey where the name Chew appears as Chiew when it states that the Bishop of Wells holds Chiew.  The city of Wells is in Somersetshire about forty miles from the Devonshire boundary, and the belief is that Chiew in the Domesday Book refers to Chew Magna located about fifteen miles to the north. It's also worth noting that Devonshire is where our Chew ancestor, Le Cu, was granted land (bounded by Somersetshire to the northeast). The name also appears as Chyu in 1164 at Bath, and Keu in 1260 at Suffolk and as Chewe as far North as Lancashire in 1430. It isn't certain when the surname Chew or Chewe became permanently adopted, but it was about the last half of the 14th century. There is a John Chewe at Salisbury in 1383. Nothing is known about the history of our Chew family except that they are descended from the Chews of Lancashire.

John and Samuel Chew, below, were particularly noteworthy for their pioneering contribution to early Weston.  More information is known on this family than is presented here as they are not actually a Dawn Mills family.  For readers who wish to learn more of the Chews, please contact me.

John Chew was born 5 May 1771 in Ashton-Under-Lyne, Manchester, Lancashire, England and died in 1809 in Lancashire.  He married firstly in 1792 in Manchester to Mary Hibbert  They had one child:

  1. Has Children John CHEW, b: 22 Sept 1793 in Shuter's Brook, Manchester, Lancashire, England.  He and his half-siblings came to Canada sometime in the early 1800s, probably by way of New York.  John settled in Weston, York County, Ontario where he was a pioneer settler and established one of the first mills.  He married Susan Holly in Weston in 1818 and had five children.  He married secondly to Mary Ann Dawson by whom he had seven more children.

Mary Hibbert died during the birth of John Jr.  John Chew (Sr) married secondly in 1794 in Manchester to Ann Walker.  Ann Walker came from Boston in Ashton-Under-Lyne, Manchester, Lancashire, England.  John and Ann had seven children.  John Chew Sr. died in 1809 in England.  Sometime prior to 1815 Ann (also known as "Nanny") Chew, along with at least four of her children, left England and immigrated to New York.  It is presumed that the other two daughters also came with her.  Ann (Walker) Chew settled with her daughter Sarah in Dawn Mills, while her son Samuel and step son John settled in Weston, and her son Thomas settled elsewhere in Canada.  Nanny Chew is buried in Dawn Mills with her daughter Sarah and son-in-law William Taylor.  The children of John and Nanny Chew were:

  1. Has No Children Betty CHEW b: ABT 25 JAN 1795 in Ashton Under Lyne, Lancashire, England.  Nothing more is known of her.
  2. Has No Children Thomas CHEW b: 22 MAY 1796 in Saint Michael, Ashton Under Lyne, Lancashire, England and died as a young child before 1799.
  3. Has Children Sarah CHEW b: ABT 18 OCT 1797 in Ashton Under Lyne, Lancashire, England.  She came to New York with her mother (and probably also her siblings) where she married Capt. William Taylor.  Their story is told above in the section on the Taylor family of Dawn Mills.
  4.     Thomas CHEW, b: 4 JUN 1799 in Ashton Under Lyne, Lancashire, England.  He immigrated to Canada and married Alice HOUGHTON.  Nothing more is known of this couple.
  5. Has Children  Samuel S. CHEW b: 5 APR 1802 in Ashton Under Lyne, Lancashire, England.  He immigrated to Canada with his siblings and settled in Weston, York county, Ontario on the banks of the Humber River where he established himself as a pioneer and a distiller.  He married Jane Seller in York (Toronto) and they had twelve children.
  6. Has No Children Mary CHEW b: 3 JUL 1803 in Ashton Under Lyne, Lancashire, England.  She died as an infant.
  7. Has No Children Jenny CHEW b: 4 JAN 1805 in Ashton Under Lyne, Lancashire, England.  Nothing more is known of her.

The Holme Family

John Holme and his wife Eliza Craft were among the early settlers of Kent County, Ontario.  Family story has it that John Holme was born in England and came to Canada with two brothers, one who went further up the Sydenham and one who went to the States.  More information on this family can be found here:  As the surname "Hulme" is a known corruption of "Holme" (or vice versa) it is remotely possible that the Holme family may have been related to the mother of Captain William Taylor above.

The Holme Family of Dawn Mills

Other Dawn Mills Settlers

If you have information on other pioneer families from Dawn Mills please contact me so that I can add their information here.

Fellow Researchers

If you are researching families from Dawn Mills and wish your name added to the fellow researchers' list, please contact me.

Email From Researching

Ryk Brown

Hamilton, Ontario all branches of this family

Links

Description Location
Dawn Mills page at Ontario Ghost Towns Dawn Mills Ghost Town
Ontario Ghost Towns main page Ontario Ghost Towns - Graveyards & Abandoned Places

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  1. Where it precedes a precise date of birth, such as "ABT 3 DEC 1855", then it means that the person was baptized on 3 DEC 1795, but his/her exact date of birth is unknown.

  2. Where it precedes a semi-precise date of birth with the month only given, such as "ABT DEC 1855", then that means that the birth is recorded in the civil birth registrations for the quarter ending with that month.  Thus the person's birth was registered sometime between the beginning of October 1855 and the end of December 1855, but no baptism record has been found nor any more precise birth record.

  3. Where it precedes a year only, such as "ABT 1855", then it means that there is no information on the person's birth date at all and an educated guess has been made that he/she was probably born sometime around 1855.

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